Winter Wonderland

Everything sparkled this morning like diamonds--breathtaking!

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our grateful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flower,

Sun and moon and stars of light,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our grateful hymn of praise.

ICE

OK--so we were supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow. Instead the temperature stayed too high and we got lots of rain and ice. It covered everything; every berry, blade of grass, and power line. Not what we hoped for, but at least the power stayed on!

It's Snowing (and Icing)!

Ana has plenty of warm clothes, but they don't match! Here she's modeling her new boots.

It's supposed to snow/ice all day--so I'll post some more pictures later. I'm not letting Ana go out until it's mostly snow falling. Right now there's a lot of ice in the mixture.

Ana was so excited to see some snow falling! She watched it fall for about 20 minutes. The Southerners have a great fear of driving on it--so they stock up and stay home! With hardly any accumulation they closed all the city offices and schools. Hooray for our first snow day!

Adoption Update

Well, as expected we did not pass court. After a couple of days the new provincial government (where we needed to get China's report from) has decided that all children need to be approved by the government BEFORE being accepted to any orphanage. They are as of yet not sure what they will do with the kids that are already placed with families. PRAY that they choose to write the reports for these children. In our agency alone there are seven families to which this applies. Many have been waiting a long as we have. Because of our annual trip to India and Matt's summer classes, timing is really important!
We should hear more on Monday. We appreciate your prayers as we make some major decisions in the near future while being 10,000 miles apart :)

Sunrise

One of the first things I realize when I get to America is that I can see the horizon. In Singapore you rarely get that opportunity (unless you're at the beach.) Today the horizon was filled with magnificent colors--I didn't do anything to this photo--just nature in all its beauty!

Addicted

addicted...to grandma's i-phone. She downloaded special toddler games that Ana loves! Oh well, it's only for another week!!

Adoption Update

Well...we've been informed that we probably won't pass AGAIN! But keep praying anyway. We need a case history completed by Monday. You can also pray for China's family member who will appear in court on Monday. Thanks!

Firsts

We've enjoyed the beautiful nature here! Fresh air is soooo nice! Ana loves running in Grandma and Grandpa's big yard.

Ana met her uncle James for the first time. She had lots of fun petting the dogs and seeing the chickens!

Ana has discovered pine cones (and sticks.) She has lots of fun picking them up and stepping on them.

Snow--Indiana has lots, but even the dusting here was fun for Ana! Wearing her coat, hat, and mittens has been a first. I was surprised at how quickly she took to it! She was very cold the first couple of nights!

Jet Lag

Here's my definition: when your daughter is singing "ABCD" repeatedly at 12:00 at night!

Adoption Update

Behailu's mom has come to court and does not have to come back. All his paperwork is in order. China's family member has to come on January 25th and the Ministry of Woman's Affairs needs to send a letter to court for him. Please ask God to bring together all these loose ends and for favor with the judge on January 25th. Thanks!

I Had Forgotten...

-how cold toilet seats are in the winter!
-how wide the isles are at Wal-Mart.
-how many choices/variety there are in America.
-how people greet you at the store.
-how pretty frost is on the ground.
-how blessed I am!

Best Face Photo

i ❤ faces is having their first birthday celebration this week with their "Best Face Photo" theme.

This is definitely my favorite in the last couple of months! Ana loves her baby and I LOVE how their eyes match!

A GOOD (last minute) Meeting

On Sunday we got to meet up with good friends from our past! We often connect with people that have left through the internet, but it's rare to actually meet up with them! So glad that we could meet face to face and catch up! Ana and Samuel played well together and she liked seeing the new baby! Afterwards, we went and ate butter chicken and naan. Matt was overjoyed to hear that the place was opening a branch just down the road from school! (He won't starve while I'm gone!)

What I Will Miss...AND What I'm Looking Forward To

I will miss:
MATT, friends, Chinese, Indian, and Indonesian food, Chinese New Year :(, International Night, our India team, and Ana will desperately miss fish balls and greens (I've let her have them quite often recently to get her through the next two months).

What I'm looking forward to:
Family, Mexican food, quiet, space, a car, Wal-Mart, sales, nature, WINTER, enjoying a church service, not having to mop three times a week!!!!, no geckos or cockroaches!!!!

Pray for Matt has he has some major projects for his class, school, and no help at home!