It's The Holiday Season!

The holiday season is upon us and I still have much Christmas shopping to accomplish! Hopefully, I will be able to be creative and find the right presents for everyone.


Oklahoma has been suffering "The Storm Of The Century" as the news is calling it. Work has been interesting as I work in the older section of town which has all those beautiful old trees which are 50 years old. A great many streets were blocked with fallen trees. Amazingly enough, I didn't have to work any wrecks! People were being careful, I guess.

We were without power for two days and consider ourselves very fortunate that it was only that short time. Many people are still without power. We had heat from the fireplace and camped out in the living room so it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, since we are on a well system, we didn't have any water. Maybe one of these days we will buy a generator and be prepared for these emergencies.



Nathan has begun to sign for us! It's so cute! He signs about ten words and sometimes makes little sounds to go with them. Our conversations usually go like this:

Nathan: "AAAAUUUUUUUUUGHHH!!"
Me: "What's wrong?"
Nathan: "EEEENNNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Me: "Don't whine.Tell Mama what you want."
Nathan: "Muh!"
Me: "I hear you asking for 'more'. What do you want more of?"
Nathan: [beats himself in the side of the face with his fist]
Me: "Oh you want a drink! Would you like a drink?"
Nathan: [Laughing and clapping]
Me: "Can you say 'please'?"
Nathan: [Rubbing his chest vigorously]
Me: "Very good! You said 'please'! Here you go."
Nathan: [Happily slurping his drink]

Modify that slightly with what he wants and this is the conversation I have a dozen times a day. Today he actually asked me for a drink without yelling first. I guess he will slowly break himself of the habit of whining once he realizes he can communicate with words and signs. Ron and I are so happy with his progress.

Looking at the pictures from last year I realize how much more relaxed and happy Nathan is now that he is settled into his surroundings. This year Christmas will be so much fun! We loved shopping for him.

Nathan the Night Owl

Lately Nathan hasn't been wanting to go to bed. Even when I try to put him to bed on a regular schedule, he sits in there and plays. It's very entertaining to listen to him making all of that noise but it's better when he goes to sleep.

On some Fridays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, he goes to daycare at about 0615 which is way earlier than his usual 0800 time. He doesn't appreciate these days because they do not have his breakfast waiting for him as usual. Most of the time he is a good sport about it and will allow us to find him a book or game that he can play with. Unfortunately, everything becomes more dramatic when he is tired and he has just bawled the last two days when he arrived and there was no food.

This morning he was fussy and I loaded him into the truck. The dogs usually ride with me because I have to come home and get my patrol car after I drop Nathan off. Liberty hasn't been wanting to ride lately because of the puppies at the house so she has stayed. This morning I asked her if she wanted to go and she turned around and looked at the house so I told her she could stay and I closed the back door. Nathan burst into tears and started wailing. When I opened up the door he pointed at Liberty and cried.

So Liberty was loaded into the back seat to sit next to Nathan. He gave her a hug and patted her head, and we were off to daycare. She looked at me with confustion and I told her, "I can't figure our what makes him cry either. Just go along with it!" My mornings are way too dramatic.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

We have much to be thankful for! It has been one year since we brought Nathan home! This will be a considerably less tiring holiday and Nathan will be able to enjoy himself. He loves seeing his relatives come for a visit. Everyone is coming here so he will be able to show off all of his toys to his cousins.

I wish I could think of something eloquent to say about this occasion but all that comes to mind is how blessed we are. Because it's so close to my heart I think about all of the children throughout the world who have never and may never know what it is to sit down to a table abundant with food in the presence of family. It is something I have always taken for granted.

I guess we are never too old to grow in maturity so I am still learning how to be thankful and see the blessing in even the little things. The truth is I am abundantly blessed in so many areas of my life. I hope that all of my friends and family have a very happy, fulfilling Thanksgiving Day!



From today...Nathan watching TV with his new panda bear.




This was us last Thanksgiving...

The first is on the red couch at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, China. It was Thanksgiving Day that morning before we left to head home.


Twenty-six hours later we landed in Oklahoma City where it was Thanksgiving Day!

One Year Ago Today...

A couple from the other side of world arrived in the mountain city of Chongqing. At The Office Of Foreign Affairs, our long-awaited son was placed in our arms and three lives were forever changed.

Here is my post from that day:

http://twoinblue.blogspot.com/2006/11/together-day.html

And here are the pictures!

http://twoinblue.blogspot.com/2006/11/here-are-pictures.html

I intend to put together a photoshow but...Ron made a new shelf for my computer tower and when he disconnected the computer, he didn't know how to get it back together correctly. We don't have internet at home until we get this worked out.

I can hardly believe its been a year! It still feels so new to me! Maybe because I'm still trying to figure out this mommy-thing and get it right.

Ron says he feels like Nathan has been with us his hole life instead of just a year.

Our little guy has come such a long way in a year!

Love Without Boundaries 2007 Video

It's been my pleasure to meet Amy, whose voice in on the video. She and others involved in LWB have such a big heart for these children. They coordinate with doctors and nurses to go to China on misions to repair cleft lips, birth defects, and heart defects. In addition, they help the orphanages get the children's paperwork ready so that more of the children can be adopted. Something as simple as the orphanage not being able to afford the medical examination is all that stands between some of these children and their forever families.

When I see the pictures and videos I think about Nathan. If he hadn't been placed for adoption, he would have grown up without a family in an orphanage. He likely would not have received the additional surgeries that he needed. He might not have been able to go to school or even have enough to eat. When I think of it, my heart breaks that there are so many children still waiting. Every one of them deserves more.

Please visit the Love Without Boundries site: http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/ Maybe you will find something in their store that you can use

Bath In The Sink

This kid loves his baths! Anytime...anyplace.

Grandma and Grandpa Were Here!

Ron's Mom and Dad came to Oklahoma for a visit. We had such a wonderful time. Nathan recognized them instantly and enjoyed them so much. The weather was nice so we were able to do a little sight-seeing while they were here.





The Wichita Mountain Wildlife Reservation



















At North Pole City and Bricktown