In one year...a year filled with "firsts"

I know it's been a really long time since I have posted here on my blog.  The only excuse I have is to tell  you we have been busy loving and enjoying life with our precious Ellie, and the rest of our crazy gang!
Tomorrow is our Ellie's 4th birthday!  She is so excited about her big day. In fact she has been (with the help of her big brother) counting down the days until her birthday.  So I thought in honor of her special day... I would share a glimpse into the wonderful year Ellie has given our family!

Last year at this time we celebrated Ellie's first birthday with us.  She was the cutest, tiniest 3 year old!!!

Then shortly after her first Halloween.

In November our brave girl endured her first surgery with us.  She has proven over and over again to us how strong she really is.....

 Here was our first family hike.... at the Valley of Fire!!

One of the greatest joys of this past year was the day our sweet girl was baptized.  Such a joyful day!!

Here are pictures of her first Thanksgiving.  You can see how she felt about our family tradition of the baby getting a turkey leg of their 1st Thanksgiving.   She was much happier with her apples!

Christmas was amazing!!!!!!!!  We loved every "first" with her... first time decorating the tree, first ornament, first gingerbread house, first stocking, first gift exchange, first Christmas with HER family!

  This is  how she felt about her very first time at one of Clare's band concerts!

First time sharing with friends about Chinese New Year.

First time playing in the snow.  It was actually many of our "first"snow days.  We had a little dabble in snow while we were in Maryland.  But this year, we have been able to enjoy sledding and snow tubing!  Ellie love her very own blue sled.

Her first Mardi Gras was spent with a party at our house.  We brought a little New Orleans tradition here to Vegas.  One of the guests of honor was a fellow friend who recently joined her family through adoption too!!!!

First day in her brand new wheelchair!  She loves her chair. She can zoom all over the place, keep up with all of the kids, spin circles, and cause some nasty bruises to big people's legs!!  Her favorite part about her chair is the little wheels in the front light up, and sparkle.  Everyone who catches a glimpse of our amazing girl in action....stand in awe and amazement. 

First Easter.  She loved dying eggs, and hunting for them.  It was a special treat for me this year to have all 5 of my babies with me for Easter Sunday Mass.

You can see from the picture below how she felt about her first confetti egg!!!

Here we are enjoying Spring baseball season with Ellie for the first time.  She absolutely loves going to Jon's games!

Here we are enjoying one of our summer favorites.... movie in the park. We bring a big picnic blanket, and play until it's dark. Once the movie starts we snuggle and enjoy the cool desert air.  During her first movie, she spent the first half of the it with her fingers in her ears, then she really enjoyed the show.

  Ellie has fallen head over heels for her first pet.  We found Fitz one day in June.  Ever since, Ellie says she loves her "Fitzy".

Here is our first family vacation.  We visited San Diego, CA in June.  We enjoyed Legoland, Sea World, Historic Old Towne, a tide pool and much more!!  In the above picture the kids made their own candles in an Old Towne shop. 

Apparently one of Ellie's favorite events that took place this summer was our trip to Oregon to visit her cousin Hayden, Aunt Jenn, and Uncle Scott.  She talks about this trip to everyone she meets.  We began our trip with a visit to the Redwood trees. Then drove up the breathtaking Oregon coast.  We enjoyed our visit with our family tremendously.  Ellie's favorite part of the trip was the day we spent at the beach, hunting for agates.  She even flew a kite for the first time!  It was a very memorable trip. 

Here is the very first day of our school this year.  Ellie LOVES to learn. Whenever the big kids are doing their school work, Ellie wants to jump right in too.  She pulls her little lap desk over, and starts her "work".  She learns so quickly!!!

 

September 3, 2013

A big day of celebration for us was Ellie's Gotcha Day.  We celebrated the one year anniversary of Ellie being apart of our family!!  She helped Daddy make a cake with a big"E" on it.  Then we all looked at pictures from our journey to China.  She has grown so much in one year!!!

We have made it back around to this year.  Here she is with the "baby" pumpkin she picked out this year at the pumpkin patch.  In this picture it amazes me to see how big she is today.  To know all of the challenges she has faced in her tiny 4 years in our beautiful world, and yet she smiles, laughs, and loves fully!

 To celebrate her birthday we visited build-a-bear this past Saturday. Ellie picked out her very first Build-A-Bear, and black cat she named "Meow".

As I was listening to her play later in the day, I heard her signing to her new "baby" her song....

Every day I have died waiting for you.  Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years, love you for a thousand more.  
All along I believed I would find you.  God has brought your heart to me, and I have loved you....
For a thousand years, love you for a thousand more.

My prayer is that she feels every bit of the deep love we have for her.  That she knows in her soul how long we waited for her, and how cherished she is every day.   In fact I pray that each of us know how very deeply our Heavenly Father longs to hold us and sing this same song to us.  He loves us deeply, completely, and without end.

Happy birthday to our sweet Ellie!!!!  YOU are our wish come true.

Her very own stocking!

Last Christmas was wonderful, but a huge piece of my heart was missing. I knew that my sweet baby girl was on the other side of the world, and would have to spend one more Christmas without her family. We tried our best to include her... She had gifts under the tree, and even her stocking hung next to everyone else's.....

It just wasnt the same without her.

Last year, after all of the gift opening was done, I looked at the mess of wrapping paper and toys scattered all over our house, and thought about my Ellie, and all of the orphans of the world. My other children had so many toys there was hardly room to walk... Yet what did Ellie, and the other children without families have? Yes, they may have an opportunity to celebrate Christmas, and even get a taste for it....but nothing is theirs! Not even their own stocking....

BUT.... This year.....our Ellie, no longer an orphan, was able to experience every bit of joy and fun of Christmas. This year she peeked into her very own stocking....

When people ask how our Christmas was this year....it hards for me to express the way we have felt this year.... We are joyful, peaceful, happy, yet so much more. Jesus is the reason for this amazing holiday, the time to remember His birth. But it is also a time to feel and understand the unspeakable joy that comes into your life by walking in His way.....this year we came into a new understanding of that joy! To see before me the answer to my prayers, and the longing of my heart...there under our tree, enjoying her toys and fun with her brothers and sisters....I could not stop smiling! I couldn't stop praising the Lord! And I couldn't help remembering all of the other children left in the orphanages of the world....how were they spending their Christmas? On this happiest day, the day when all of the children of the world, are filled with excitement and laughter... Are those orphans filled with sadness and despair? I pray that more people will open their hearts to the orphans of the world. There are so many reasons people give for not considering adoption...expense, time, other children, etc. But the life of a child is priceless, timeless, precious! Every child deserves a family, a home of their own, and their own Christmas stocking.

 

Our hearts will never be the same.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

We pray you will feel the love of the Father as you walk in the way of the Son, and the JOY of the Spirit!

 

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She calls me Mommy

I have to admit that having spent the past almost twelve years bringing up my darling four children, I have taken the title "mommy" for granted. I hear it so many times during the day....sometimes at night I hear it in my sleep (and their sleep) And if being honest, there are days that I just don't want to hear "mommy can I....mommy she hit me..... Mommy I want.... Mommy he's looking at me...mama....mama....mama!". Ugh!

But today.....today the Lord opened my eyes to something so special...

In the last few days Ellie has started calling me "Mommy". Now she has called me "Mama" since the day we met, a little over three months ago. But even though it was music to my ears the first time I heard it.....I soon came to realize that she called her nannies at New Hope "mama" too. Don't get me wrong...I am forever grateful to her nannies that loved her so very much! And I feel like they deserve the title "Mama"! The picture below is of a very special nanny to Ellie. Even today when Ellie sees this picture she points to her and says "mama".

But now my sweet baby girl calls ME Mommy! To me this is very significant. It is as if she understands now that I'm not just another nanny...that I won't be changing shifts, or moving to another job. I pray that she is really being to feel my love, to know that I'm here for her all of the time, that she will always have a warm place in my arms.....that I am her "Mommy" today and always.

What a gift that I am blessed with these five precious children and that God has chosen me to be their mother. Now the title "Mommy" has an even deeper meaning for me.

Thank you Heavenly Father for this special gift.......and for allowing me to be her Mommy!

 

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New beginnings

This week has been one amazing week for our Ellie. She has had a week filled with new beginnings.

To start our week, Ellie received her first set of wheels! Our new friend, Mr Eric, brought Ellie her first wheelchair. We are trying this one out to figure what Ellie likes or needs on her new one that will be ordered soon. She tried the wheelchair at physical therapy last Friday. She was very shy at first, and nervous about trying it out. But quickly at PT she figured out how to maneuver the chair by herself. But on Monday when she was in the comfort of her home, and she sat in that chair, she experienced a whole new world.

She was able to reach the piano by herself. She could go into the pantry and pick out her own snacks! She could even look out of the window on her own.

She loves being in her "stroller" as she calls it! Outside she can chase the other children, or go as she pleases. The very next day she wanted to go all by herself to get the kids from school. She did almost the entire way by herself. Ellie is loving her independence! And we are learning to watch our toes when she comes close. Once again, she amazes us, and everyone who meets her!

Today was another "new beginning" for Ellie, a day I dreamed about ever since I found her special gown last March. Today, november 18th, our baby girl was baptized! Baptism is such a special sacrament in our faith. And we were so excited to share in this moment with her.

At the beginning of the ceremony she was not happy at all. I think she was nervous about what was happening. I've learned that she does not like anything out of her routine! She cried for most of the beginning.

Our good friends, Brian and Lisa, are her godparents. We are so blessed to have them in our lives, and Ellie's!

She cried until this moment.....well until after it.......

Welcome to our Catholic faith Elizabeth Xiao Fang

"Every precious gift comes from above." James 1:17

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Updates....and more!

It has been two months and 3 days since my precious girl was placed in my arms.....

This was the very first moment Elli was placed in my arms.

It only took her a few moments to give me a glimpse of her amazing personalty

And now, we have learned more and more every day about this remarkable, wonderful gift we have been given.

Ellie loves to sing, and if you are singing the right song you might be able to join her. She was afraid of dogs at first, but now LOVES Molly, and refers to every dog we see as Molly! She enjoys her bath very much, but doesn't like it when her fingers get all wrinkly. She is shy at first with most people, but quickly warms up to everyone. She is amazing at climbing, and loves to sit on anything.....even a bowl turned upside down, a toy, a bench, or her brother! And she can also zoom across the kitchen floor on a turned over bowl, bucket, or plastic pumpkin (which, by the way, made her big brothers and sisters roll on the floor with laughter)! She is amazing! She loves to smile and giggle!!....and boy, those dimples can melt your heart....

Her English vocabulary is building so quickly! She repeats almost anything now. She always says "God bless you" when somebody sneezes (even herself), "excuse me" after she burps....or does something else that also makes her giggle! And if anyone falls, cries, or gets any kind of boo-boo, she will repeat over and over again "are you okay?" until that "injured" person says back to her "Yes, Ellie, I'm okay". During the day when the other children are in school, she misses them periodically. So she will go around the house singing "Where is Thomas (or whomever it is she is missing)? Where is Thomas? He's at school, he's at school." it's so cute!!!

Another great blessing, is that we have been able to make great strides in her medical treatment plan! She has seen her physical therapist for the last three weeks, and enjoys her time with her. Ellie even got measured last Friday for her first wheelchair. We are super excited about her getting a chair....she will be so happy to be more independent. Last week she saw her urologist, neurologist, and orthopedic surgeon. We have several tests scheduled to have her completely evaluated to ensure we are caring for her Spina Bifida in the best possible way. Thursday, she will be having surgery on her ankles and feet to hopefully lengthen her tendons. Right now her little adorable feet and ankles are contracted in the pointed position. With this surgery, and with the use of casts and braces, the doctor is hoping to be able to correct her feet to the neutral position. So even though our little princess may not be able to walk, she can still wear whatever fancy shoes she would like!

So please pray for her as she endures all of these upcoming procedures, and the surgery. Please pray that she will have quick healing.

God is so good, and His love is everlasting. Ellie, and all of my beautiful children, are everyday reminders of His love and goodness. I love them so much, and oh, how much more that He loves all of us! Praise you Heavenly Father, and thank you for my babies!

 

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