My New Favorite Movie

I have had two wonderful days. Yesterday, my mom, her cousin, Jackie, and I went out all day. We shopped at the Collierville mall, at lunch at P.J. Changs, and saw "P.S. I Love You." It was such a wonderful story. I love Hillary Swank, Kathy Bates (who is from Memphis), and Harry Connick, Jr. There were also a couple of actors that are a "tall drinks of water." Evidently they are famous but I did not know them. Molly Smith was a producer on this movie and her father is Fred Smith (the founder of FedEx which is headquartered in Memphis). She was on a local news show talking about the movie. Fred Smith owns the production company.

Tonight the kids are spending the night with my parents. Joel and I went to eat at a new Thai reastaurant in town. It was very very nice. The owner spoke with us for a while and brought out some curries for me to taste. I loved the red curry. Afterwards I drug Joel to "P.S. I Love You." He wasn't wild about the idea but I think he was glad he went. I cried for the second time.

P.S. I Love You made me appreciate Joel. I have been with him since I was 21 and sometimes (OK, a lot) take him for granted. He is a good man. Loves me. Loves our kids. He loves the Lord and wants to please Him. He is honest, caring, sincere, tender hearted, compassionate. He is laid back and has no worries. Life is bright for Joel and he loves every minute of his day. He is strong and athletic. He tries to take care of himself. He puts me and the kids first. He gives of his time to church. He works a camp in the summer for foster kids. He is a hard worker, self starter. Successful in his busines. My list can go on and on. I love him so much. I cannot imagine a life without him. I need him. He is apart of me like a limb or vital organ. Yes, we have our issues and problems but I don't want anyone else to share my life with. Joel, you are perfect for me and I am so glad that God put us together. What a WONDERFUL 2008 we are going to have. I can't wait!!!

Chrismas Programs

Will was in 3 this year! One at church (preschoolers rang bells) and two from the preschools that he attends. His Tues. and Thurs. school had their program early in Dec. The kids had matching sweatshirts that they painted their hand prints into trees. It was very organized and practiced.

Now, his MWF morning school was another story. Not sure if any of you have heard of "Irish Travelers" (sometimes called gypsies) but they live in Memphis near us. The Baptist school that William goes to has a slew of them. You have not lived until you attend a program with them in attendance. They doll up and I mean DOLL UP their kids. They are generally loud and unruly. The director was chasing around kids in the choir loft during the program. I didn't realize that there were that many in his school. We might not send him back. When he started school they were not registered yet. They travel until Oct/Nov. I think they are in Texas but not sure. Will's school will hold spots for them and I guess their Catholic school won't. They drop out of school early and their marriages are arranged. The girls are usually very young and the men are older. It is definitely a different world. They drip in diamonds, jewels, furs, etc. They drive spanking brand new vehicles - usually Lexus, Cadillac, Acura, Infiniti, etc. They live in house trailers and I have heard that they are decked out with even chandeliers. They pay for everything in cash and I have been told that they don't have social security cards. How can that be after 9/11?

How did I get off on this tangent? Anyway, I am proud of my kids and love seeing them on stage.

Kara was also in the one at church. The name of the program was "In the Country."

Merry Christmas

As it always is for everyone, Christmas was busy this year. We try very hard to keep the reason for the season evident. We read and do a little activity called "What God Wants For Christmas". The children open a different box every night to reveal the story of Christmas. On the last night the final box has a mirror in it, this is because God wants YOU for Christmas. We also read a Golden Book about Christ's birth.

This year we did something extra fun for Christmas. Joel and I want Kara and Will (and soon Seth) to understand that it is better to give then to receive. I read someone's blog and they gave me the idea. We bought plastic wise men from Walmart and attached a note to them. The note said:

"The wise men have begun their journey to Bethlehem: They are a little lost and are stopping at your house for the night.

Please enjoy their company. They will move on tomorrow.
OR
For a $10.00 donation we will tell them there is no room in the inn and remove them.
For another $15.00 donation we will drop them off at your friend's or family's house.
And for $5.00 more we will drop them off never to return.

All proceeds will go to help Kara and Will give a gift that GROWS INTO HOPE. Thank you for participating in the fun."

We attached a flyer that we printed off of the Holt Website. The money will go to help families in Southeast Asia stay together by buying thing things like livestock, sewing machines, and fruit stands.

Our friends and community were very generous. The wise men visited several homes that we did not even know. That was extra fun as we "snuck" the men into yards and plugged them up. After visiting around 14 homes we raised a total of $300. The kids loved it and I think they "got it". We plan on making our fundraiser a yearly tradition.

Saturday night my parents treated the entire family to the Broadway musical "White Christmas" at the Orpheum. We had a great time. My kids were on the verge of boredom with all of the dialogue but they loved the dancing and costumes. Will kept asking loudly "when's Frosty coming out"?

We almost didn't see it as Mom had the date wrong. Our tickets were actually for Friday night. The Orpheum was kind enough to find us good seats anyway. Nothing hurt, nothing lost. We just have more ammunition now to tease mom!!
Downtown is beautiful this time of year. Nothing like Christmas in Memphis with temperatures in the 70's.

At Last

Finally, we received an update on Seth. Sorry for the boring details but I want to have an easy reference point to look at. The outfit and book that he has in his hands are from us. That means a lot. Yes, we realize that this update is 3 months old. We just try to do the best with what we are given. Our sweet boy is exactly 10 months today.

7 months
Weight - 17. 63 lbs or 8 kg
Height - 26.77 inches or 68 cm.
Head circ. - 16.92 inches or 43 cm.
Patsakorn is healthy. He has gained 2 kg. and 7 cm. from his last report. He takes 4 bottles of 4 oz. milk in a daytime and takes 2 bottles at night. He takes additional food twice a day. He eats everything and likes to eat solid food. He goes to bed at 8:00 p.m. and wakes up in the morning at 5:30 a.m. He takes a nap 2-3 times a day about 1/2 - 1 hour at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. He has good hygiene and takes a tablet of fluorine 0.25 mg daily.

The boy got 3rd dose of DPT-OPV and Heptavax B on August 8, 2007.

Patsakorn or "Pat" develops well for age. He can get himself into a sitting position. He can crawl well. He crawls upstairs but not downstairs. He can pull himself to standing position while holding on to a solid object. He is an active and cheerful child. He recognizes face of foster mother and is not fearful of strangers. He allows strangers to cuddle. He like to be held and cuddles (an answer to prayer!) he recognizes is own name is "Pat". He can pick up two blocks and hold one in each hand. He bangs 2 objects together held in hands. He can pick up a raisin using ends of thumb and index finger. He can transfer an object from hand to hand. He reaches and grasps for objects.

Everyone in this family is doing well. Their grandson who is the major breadwinner of the family is very caring and responsible. The home is quite quiet during the daytime as their grandson and his wife go to work and their children go to school Mon. - Fri. However, the family becomes very lively in the evening and at weekend when everybody is home. Pat is well loved by all family members. The social worker has informed the foster family of the news on Pat having a family who applied to adopt him. The foster family is very happy knowing that Pat will be in a permanent family soon, but a little sad that he will be leaving them.

Psalm 100

Psalm 100:1 A Psalm of thanksgiving. Shout for joy to the LORD, all you lands!

Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.

Psa 100:3 Know that the LORD, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, Into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name.

Psa 100:5 For the LORD is good. His lovingkindness endures forever, His faithfulness to all generations.

Happy Thanksgiving

I have not posted in a while. I love to blog but have been so busy lately.

*I would like to thank Joel's college friend, Shona, for the adorable present. It came on a great day. The longer we wait for updates the more it seems like it is not real. The blanket is beautiful and will match his room perfectly. I will take it to Thailand with us. It is our first gift not from family.

* We leave for Branson tomorrow and I am SO excited. The kids are beside themselves. We spend Thanksgiving with my family on vacation every year. We will eat Thanksgiving dinner at Big Cedar Lodge and go to Silver Dollar City that night. It is supposed to be VERY cold! We are packing hats, gloves, thermal underwear, etc. We are going to eat dinner tomorrow night with the missionary that takes our church group to Thailand each year. Joel and Greg love them dearly. They are bringing their grown adopted Thai daughter, Na, with them. We will have lots to talk about!! This year we are taking a dinner cruise on the Branson Belle. I think the kids will really like it. We won't even talk about the shopping that we do. The condos that we stay at have an indoor pool so the kids can swim. There is also an indoor water park that we might go to.

*Will's class had a Thanksgiving feast today at school. They all dressed up as either pilgrims or Indians. They all chose Indians. Will wore his costume from Halloween and the kids gathered around him. He was the man this morning!

*Kara took humongous chocolate chip cookies for her class. They get to have a special snack but no party.

* We got our Christmas decorations down this week and my house looks like a bomb went off. I am going coo coo. We will have to get it together before we leave. Joel has been a lot of help and has done all of the laundry.

* Joel went deer hunting yesterday for the first time since we have been married. 14 years. He and Alan went to Grenada. No deer to show for it. Seems like a lot of money and time for no meat.

* We sang "Away in a Manger" the other night at home and I started crying. All that I could think of was Seth. It is going to be hard on me this Christmas. We went to a dinner at church Sunday night and a young girl at the table next to me had a baby. He was 2 months younger than Seth. Joel played with him and I loved on him. I couldn't help but get tears in my eyes. I guess I grieve for missing Seth's first year. Babies are the sweetest.

* Mom, Jamie, and I went to Mistletoe Market in Jackson, MS a couple of weekends ago. It was a blast!! I have never been to anything like it before. It is put on by their Junior League and it was really wonderfully done. Every boutique in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas were there (I think). We bought some awesome one of a kind things. There were authors selling their books, artists selling paintings, pottery. Lots of food for sale. There were even 2 cowboys selling honey butter. Believe it or not they were going like hot cakes. I bought some honey jelly that I am going to take to Seth's foster mother. It was made in Indianola, MS. Living at the top of the state I never hear about the neat things Mississippi has to offer. I guess it is because all of our TV, newspaper, etc. comes out of Memphis.

* I have started a new Beth Moore study. It's called "Stepping Up." We are learning about the Psalms of Ascent. Just what I need right now. Psalm 121:1&2 - "I lift my eyes unto the Mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth."

I have much more to catch up on but will have to do it later.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you enjoy your holiday. I know we will. There is so much to give thanks for this year. We are truly blessed.