South Carolina State Champs!!!!!!

What an amazing weekend! The U14 Bulls won the State Cup in Greenville SC and are the South Carolina State Champs! They now advance to regionals in Greensboro NC in June! What great playing by this group of girls! They played 4 games in 2 days and Sunday was 90 degrees. They won all 4 games to take home the trophy. What a fabulous group of girls and parents and coach. Julia came away exhausted, and with a little bit of a black eye, sore legs, sunburn and a big shiny winner's medal! The girls have worked so hard since last fall and become so close and it showed in their play. They fought hard, dug deep, gave it their all and never stopped believing they could do it! They had an awesome coach and we know we could not have done it without him!!! Thanks Hammer!!!! The neat thing was these girls took pens and wrote bible verses on the their arms and faces and prayed before these games.....they glorified Him with their character, courage and sportsmanship. So very proud. A true proud parent moment and very full Mama heart!!!!

A weekend in Charlotte and LOTS of soccer

 Julia's team won the tournament for their age division thru hot sun on Sat and then cold, wind and rain on Sunday. They also got to play in a big stadium that was really cool! They were awesome!

 Julia getting her medal.

Sam's team played up an age division which meant they also played on a bigger field with longer halves and more guys. They got to play on some incredible artificial turf fields like the pros play on! They did really well and we were very proud of them!

The 3 "Littles", bless their sweet little hearts, hung in there thru it all and had a pretty good time too!

Will and I enjoyed watching them both play and spend time with their friends. They both have amazing coaches and great kids on their teams. We have loved this year with the Bulls. Jaida and Xin are asking to play....oh my! They have a Jr. Academy that is 1 day a week and 3 vs 3 games once a week. We may try that next season. Jaida wants to be goalie so she doesn't have to run and sweat.......

Look who is two!!!!

That beautiful smile! Can you see how it lights up our home and our hearts? Our baby turned 2 today without much of a clue what was going on! She sure did love it though! Especially the singing....so we sang a lot today. Each time that smile lit up her face. And my heart. Our Lulu is happy! And loved! So loved!

My heart always aches on birthdays for the birth mothers of my 3 brown-eyed babies. How I pray somehow she feels peace in her heart that this precious child is loved! And celebrated. Oh so celebrated! Happy Birthday Louisa. We love you! We are so very blessed by you!

Advocating for Mimi-$4,000 grant to help bring Mimi home!!

Please read what I have about this precious child on my site:

*Sweet Mimi is 13 years old and will age out in October. Please look at
that sweet face and read about this beautiful soul. *

*/Mimi is shy and sensitive but gets along well with others. She is fond
of listening to music and dancing, and can express herself clearly when
using words. She is post-op for clubbed feet and scoliosis. She
sometimes will have urinary incontinence. /*

*Please read what the Mom of her Mimi's best friend (E) wrote:*

*/She was E's best friend, protector and older sister all rolled into
one. The dress E is wearing in the picture is Mimi's dress that she let
E borrow (this is the last picture, you can see Mimi holding E's hand).
When we went to the Civil Affairs office to meet E, they gave us a photo
album and some other things. I noticed that many of the pictures were
of E and her friend. Since my older daughter and I both speak some
Mandarin, we were able to understand E right away and she spoke about
her friendship with Mimi and has often asked if she has a mom yet.
Based on what E has told me, Mimi would probably adapt well to a family
and I do know that she wants to be adopted. When Great Wall found her
for me, she was asked whether she wanted to be adopted and she said
yes. I also think her medical SN would be manageable, especially if her
family lived near one of the Shriners hospitals. A child Mimi's age
would also need someone who would be dedicated in helping her learn
English and give her a great deal of academic support for several years./*

*Please read the story that this mom wrote about her daughter and sweet
Mimi:*

*http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=770 *

*She sounds like such a sweet child. Please email me at
annie.hamlin@lifelinechild.org or 5puppies@comcast.net to see her sweet
face and to learn more about this precious child. I can also get you in
touch with the family who adopted Mimi's best friend!!! It breaks my
heart that she still waits after her dear friend found her family! *

I pray this child's family finds her! She deserves to now be the
protected one!!!!

--
Annie
www.wonderfulwaitingkids.com
www.cornbreadandchopsticks.blogspot.com
www.ourlittlelizzie.com

Seriously Cute

2 years!

We celebrated with donuts, chocolate chip pancakes and little gifts for everyone.

Two years since this little fella joined our family in a conference room in Beijing China on April 14, 2010. He, We, have come so very far. This guy lives life big. He has a kind heart. He has learned so much in 2 years. He has challenged us and made us grow and trust. Happy Forever Family Day Xin. We love you so much and are so glad you are our son! May God continue to touch you, lead you, guide you and us as we grow even more in Him and discover the wonderful plans He has for you in this life.

The cutest pink "boots" I have ever seen!

Surgery today went well! And Miss Lulu is now sporting some.......SHORT casts!!!!! Yahooooo! They are just below her knee and look like little pink Ugg boots! They are so little and cute!!!! I can actually feel her sweet little legs again too. She was very uncomfortable and grumpy today and slept most of the day. Don't know what that will do for tonight but I had to let her...she was miserable! So these casts will stay on for 3 weeks and then he will check them and go from there. We think once the pain subsides and she gets her legs used to being free she will start to walk. Was planning on posting a picture of those cute little legs but she was having no part of that today..sorry. Maybe tomorrow. Praising God that our little firecracker made it through with flying colors and shorter casts. To Him be the glory!!!!

Two Months Home

A happy joyful baby

Who loves her 2nd Mama...big sister Julia

Loves to play with Jaida...although a little jealous of her

Adores her BIG brother Sam and looks for him when she can't see him

She thinks Xin is so much fun and crawls on him when she wants to play

Had a reunion at the zoo with her Hunan/Changsha travel mate Leiney Grace this week. It was so good to see that beautiful girl again with her brand new heart. Loved seeing Jan also and meeting 4 of her 8 kiddos! God blessed us with this sweet family as travel mates who live an hour away!!!

It is so hard to believe this baby has only been home 2 months.The changes she has been through...oh my! And oh how we love this precious child! She is so adaptable and has handled all the changes unbelievably well. She LOVES her family and must be part of the action at all times. I can't imagine our life without her! We know people doubted our choice to adopt again and thought it was too much. Yes, 5 kids is a lot. Yes, there are exhausting days. The casting has not been easy but in the grand scheme of things....not a big deal!To look at her filled with happiness and watch her soak up her new life, fills my heart. She has brought us such joy and filled our home with her sweet baby-ness. She has inspired us with her determination to overcome her physical limitations....what limitations??? This little girl will accomplish anything in life she sets her mind too. Thank you Lord for blessing her with this gift. Thank you Lord for blessing us with her. Thank you for calling us to step out in faith for Louisa. Thank you for the numerous ways you have showed us your faithfulness on the journey to her and with her. It is a joy to be her Mother! She is just perfect for us! He knew that...all we had to do was trust and obey. Happy 2 months home Louisa. I love you with all my heart!

Spring Break

Sam took the plunge...Lulu watching...can't wait until she can join them!

Jaida still thinking about it.

I don't know Jaida, it looks awfully cold to me!

A little Just Dance 3...note Lulu trying to get in on the action!

Lulu wanted everyone to sit under the air hockey table...so they did!

When everybody else leaves town for spring break and you are stuck with no friends but thousands of golf fans around town that crowd the streets, restaurants, and stores....what do you do? You make your own fun. Even if that means swimming when the water is 72 degrees and playing Wii games with your old Mama!