Life has been good in our household. The new job is going well and can I tell you how much I LOVE my hours. I am home no later than 4:40 PM which is an entire hour earlier than my previous job. An hour makes a total difference especially when it comes to spending time with your family. I'm settling in very nicely in my new position and the two people I work for are great! I don't dread going into work these days. I even started walking during my lunch hour with a couple of co-workers. There is a nice track right across the street from the building I'm working in. We only do about 20 minutes, but we're hoping to increase our time as we go along. I really think all the health issues I was struggling with had a lot to do with the stress in my life. A lot of stress has been eliminated and I'm feeling a lot better these days. I'm increasing my activity level and continuing my chiropractic care which I truly believe has contributed my feeling better. I have thanked God everyday for my new job and my better health. I just hope we continue down the right path. It's not too bad working in the same building as my husband either! We actually had lunch together for the first time since starting 5 weeks ago!

Jake is finishing up basketball this coming Saturday. He was on a very good team this year with only 2 losses so far this season. It is a amazing to see the growth and developing skills each week. One true amazing thing to witness is how compassionate these boys are towards those players who just aren't as athletic as the next boy. But that doesn't stop them from passing the ball even though they may not score. The more athletic boys will cheer them on to help boost their confidence. That is what a team is all about and these boys are turning into wonderful young men. I am so proud of the Hornets! Way to go!

Unfortunately life isn't quite as nice in school for Jake. We decided to do highlights in Jake's hair and to save money, I did them for him. It wasn't hard, but we were nervous about the outcome. I picked a box of hair dye/highlights for medium to dark brown hair. The highlights came out more of a carmel color than a blonde color. His hair didn't look bad considering. Actually, I really thought it looked pretty good. Well the kids really gave Jake a hard time in school the last couple of days. I feel badly about it. I offered to take him and get his hair cut, but honestly, the kids would tease him about that because he'd have to get a buzz cut. Kids are cruel and they will always find a reason to tease someone. Hopefully it will be old news in the next day or so and the teasing will stop. His hair really doesn't look bad!

Rachel turned 18 months old yesterday! Can you believe it? I'm still trying to believe it. It was 9 months ago that we brought our little girl home finally and honestly, it feels like we had her from the beginning of her life. She has been a true blessing and I have no doubt that God had his hands in uniting our family. Rachel is saying more and more words everyday and she understands everything I say to her. Her little "spicy" personality is becoming more "spicy" everyday too! She makes us laugh all the time. I think a lot of times she catches us off guard with the things she does. I asked her tonight what she wanted for dinner and she quickly responded with "Hmmm." I about cracked up laughing. When did she learn to do that? Her other new saying is "uh uhhh." Every time we ask her to do something she doesn't want to do she responds with "uh uhh." It used to be no! I have no idea where she learned that from either? She can be such a love bug when she wants to. She says I love you too. It comes out as "la loo", but you know exactly what she is saying! She signs as she says it too! When I leave her room at night, we have a contest who can say it the fastest and loudest. She continues saying "la loo" even after I've closed her door and into the other room. It cracks me up every time. She has quite the personality and just captures everyone's attention no matter where we are.

I had to take her to the doctor this week because her one ear was infected. I had taken her earring out to put a new pair in and she did really well with that. Well the one earring fell out, so I decided to put her piercing earrings back in since they lock in place. Her ear did bleed a little while trying to put her earrings in. Not long after that, she had fallen and hit her ear. Anyway, I noticed how sometimes she cried when changing her shirt and she would hold her ear. I didn't really notice anything until the other day when I really looked at it and she had a huge bubble-like bump on the back of her ear. I knew there was an infection. I took her to the doctor where I took her earring out and he squeezed all kinds of gook out of her ear. I know it was painful for her and it broke my heart as the doctor kept squeezing it. The doctor put her on an antibiotic and I have to clean 2x a day with peroxide and neosporin. I feel terrible. The doctor really doesn't think it's from the piercing since it didn't get infected until almost 3 months later. I thought maybe an allergic reaction, but she would have broken out in a rash. Anyway, we are going to let it completely heal before trying to put her earring back in. I may have to get her ear re-pierced!

Rachel is becoming a little more aggressive with her hitting which we are trying to nip in the butt. We are using timeouts which does seem to work. She knows to sit there and not get up which is great. We notice a little more aggression with Jake, but I really think it's because he's in her face so much. He loves her so much he tends to smoother her a little. Sharing doesn't come easy for her either, but I'm hoping it's just the age. She can be so good at times, but other times she screams when she doesn't get her way. I keep thinking that we are in trouble as this little girl gets older! LOL! She is a strong-willed little girl who is extremely independent. I have to say that I wouldn't want her to be any other way!

She has mastered calling me mommy but she still says dadda. We think it has turned into a game with Rachel because when she says dadda, Dave will correct her and say daddy. She quickly responds with a laugh and says dadda again. The two of them will go on for a few minutes and we all just crack up laughing. She refuses to call Dave daddy! Rachel and I will even play that game in the car on the way to mommom's in the morning. She knows she's being a stinker! LOL!

Prayers Needed:

A good friend of ours, Mariette, from church is battling cancer. She starts chemotherapy next week. Please pray that God will heal her from the cancer. Pray that she will have minimal side effects from the treatment as well. Her and her family are such great people. They are also in the process of adopting from China. Please pray that she will be healed and that they will be able to continue their adoption process. We know that God can do miracles and I hope he can do it for this family!

Also, my nephew, Johnny, is going active in the military. He is currently doing Army Reserves, but has decided to make a career with the Army. God only knows what lies ahead for his future. I just ask that you keep him in your prayers that he will always be safe wherever the military takes him. We are truly proud of him and his decision to serve his country!

More Life Changes...

Movie Star

A lot has happened since posting less than 2 weeks ago mostly with me and my job situation. You all I know that I was laid off back in September after 9 1/2 years. I knew it was coming, but it was still a shocker and huge disappointment because it really was a great job! After two months and lots and lots of interviews, I landed a job with a marketing research firm not too far from home. The downside from the beginning was the longer hours I had to work. I was use to an 8 hour day with an hour lunch. The new job was a 9 hour day with an hour lunch which meant that I wasn't getting home until after 5:30 each day and not to mention that I left the house at 7:15 in the morning. It was really hard on me and my family. There were some other things I wasn't real happy about either including the isolation I felt in the office I was in which was at the end of a hallway and rarely did anyone come down there to visit me. I'm not sure if it was the location of my office or because I was the Executive Assistant for the President and Managing Partner. I really did feel isolated and because I'm a "people" person, I was feeling a bit depressed about it. There wasn't the flexibility I had with my previous employer either and I really struggled with that too, especially with the addition to our family. I prayed to God really hard about what to do and I started looking again. Dave informed me of a position that was opening up at the school district he works for. I was really torn because it would mean a financial hardship for a little while. I decided to go ahead and at least interview for the position and to just put it in God's hands. I honestly didn't think I would get the job. I interviewed on a Friday and I figured that I most likely wouldn't hear anything for a few days. Anyway, I went to work on Monday and I knew that it would be a little crazy because my boss was returning from a two week trip to Israel. Crazy, huh? Around 9:30 AM I get a call from the other administrative assistant in the office asking me what the meeting was about that our boss requested. I first thought that was weird, because I usually arrange all meetings for her. I didn't know what she was talking about. As the morning went on, I realized there was only a few of us who weren't invited to the meeting. As I was walking through the office while the meeting was in session, I saw tears from a couple of women and the one girl knew that a layoff was about to take place. I tried reassuring her that that was not the case. I knew they couldn't be laying me off after just hiring me two months prior and the fact that they paid a lot of money to an agency for me. Well, all the evidence was compelling and for 45 minutes my mind was going a million miles a minute and I was practically hyperventilating. I honestly thought my heart was going to come out of my chest. When the meeting ended, my boss went to her office and closed her door immediately and within minutes those that weren't invited to the first meeting had a meeting request to meet in the conference room at 11:00 which is when we were informed that 10 of us were being laid off! I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a cruel joke at first. I knew I wasn't happy there, but you ALWAYS want to leave on your own terms, not someone else's. I didn't realize it at first, but it was all a "blessing" in disguise. If I got offered the job at the school district, I wouldn't have to give two weeks notice which I was regretting. I was feeling bad about it all. God definitely works in mysterious ways! God heard my prayers and he answered them. That following Thursday, I was offered the job at the school district and I started this past Monday! It's going well so far. We're home today because of snow!

Our lives have been completely crazy these last 7 months since going to China. If we can get through these last 7 months, we can get through anything! Just a recap of what our lives have been like:

• Got Rachel's referral
• Went to China 2 days after a major earthquake hit!
• Became a family of four
• Returned home at the end of May with a baby
• 4 days after being home from China, I ended up in hospital for 2 nights
• After getting out of hospital, I was called into work where I was informed that I was getting a 30% pay cut
• Returned to work after being home for 12 weeks
• A month after returning to work, I got laid off
• Went on unemployment
• 2 months of job searching
• Started a new job
• Sherry struggling still with some health issues
• Got laid off from new job after 2 months!
• Started a new job again
• Found out yesterday that my car is going to cost $500 to fix the window! Arghhhh!

Even though some of these things are positive and some are negative, they still add stress in one's life! All of these things happening in 7 months is enough to cause a heart attack! LOL! God is getting us through it and we are ever so grateful. Dave and I both have jobs and everyone is healthy. We have so much to be thankful for.

I had a few friends over this past weekend to scrapbook and it was therapeutic and wonderful. My friend, Tina F., came from 2 hours away and it was fun having her here! She's been gone for a few years and when we're together, it feels like she never left. It's great when a friendship feels that way. I got 12 pages done and Tina showed us digital scrapbooking. I loved it and can't wait to give it a try.

Jake and Rachel are doing great. Rachel is becoming more and more theatrical. She just loves dancing, I'm sure you could tell from the recent video clip on my blog, and now she is singing. It is so darn cute! I just wish I knew what she was singing. You can tell when she's trying to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" because it sounds like it and she tries to do the hand motions. Jake just finished his second semester at school and should be getting his report card within the next few days. His teacher sent me a progress report via email and he's doing great! We are so proud of him. He's happily at a friend's house right now enjoying his snow day!

My health has been a little better. I'm really hoping that it is just stress that's been causing the radiating pain and headaches these last 7 months. It wouldn't surprise me if that's what's been going on. The pain in my legs has diminished quite a bit, but I do experience head pain and headaches. I had quite a bit of blood work done and most was okay. My white blood count was elevated which has been the case for over 8 years. Maybe it's been a sign, but who knows. The next step is for me to see a rheumatologist. So please continue to keep me in your prayers as we figure this puzzle out. Again, maybe it's just stress. Stress can do so much damage whether it's good stress or bad stress.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We are already three weeks into the new year and I finally have a few minutes for a post. Honestly, my life has been such a whirlwind and I don't know whether or not I'm coming or going. Time is just flying by me! Christmas is already a blur except for the Christmas decorations still displayed outside my house! We did manage to get the decorations down inside the house but nothing has been put back in their proper places. I would be ashamed if anyone came to my house these days. Let's just say that it's not quite as neat and tidy as I'd like it to be. Our little princess leaves a trail of toys or whatever she gets her hands on throughout the house! Seriously, if you see Rachel playing with something, you will find it on the floor somewhere unless she doesn't throw it away. Yep, the trash can is her biggest fascination. It's the kind with the swinging lid on top and when you hear it close, you have to run to see what was just discarded and most times it's not trash! I can't even think about what has gone into the trash unnoticed. I just pray it's nothing important that we can't find down the road.

We had a great Christmas this year and of course it was extra special as a family of four. When we started our adoption process, we always used Christmas as our timeline for when we would get Rachel. Since starting the process in 2005, we had 3 Christmas' without Rachel. We new we wouldn't have her by Christmas of 2005 which was the year we started our adoption journey, but for sure we thought we would have her for Christmas 2006. Since 2006 wasn't the year, we just knew that we would have Rachel home for Christmas of 2007! Again, that Christmas came and went and now we can finally say that Rachel's first Christmas was in 2008! It was so wonderful to have two kids to take to Christmas Eve service, to see Christmas morning with the excitement about the presents under the tree (although Rachel was completely clueless!), to open presents, to play with new toys, and to share Christmas morning breakfast. Rachel got the idea of opening presents rather quickly and big brother, Jake, was right there to help her when she got tired. Christmas wasn't quite generous this year as in the past since I was laid off for a couple of months. Honestly, no one didn't even seem to notice. Jake was thrilled with his PSP and Rachel was excited about Jake's gifts! LOL! She does love her little American Girl Bitty Baby and her new cradle. She kisses her baby and puts her in the cradle, covers her and turns to us and says "shhhh." So cute!

We celebrated Christmas day pretty much at home and later in the afternoon following Rachel's nap, we headed to Mommom and Poppop's house where it was Christmas all over again. It was a quiet year this year and we truly enjoyed spending time with family and watching Christmas through our children's eyes.

Each year we look forward to New Year's because we plan a big surf & turf dinner, games and a sleepover with another family, the Townsend's. Our friends Andrea and Karl joined us for dinner and games this year too. Dave's parent's came for dinner but headed out shortly after. We laughed so hard that our stomach's hurt. We played a new game this year called "Backseat Drawing" which the kids enjoyed and they kicked the adults butt too! After awhile we send the kids to the family room for movies and the adults enjoy some more mature games like "Battle of the Sexes!" The kids love the fact that we have a sleepover and they look forward to each year. We love this tradition and hope to carry it on year to year.

We have so many blessings to be thankful for and Christmastime is a great year to reflect on those blessings. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and our family wishes you a Happy and Healthy 2009!

I had to post the little video clip of Rachel our "Dancing Queen." She absolutely LOVES music and will put on a show for anyone who will watch. She entertains everyone at church each week while the music is playing with her dancing moves. This video clip is from our small group during our Christmas celebration where karaoke was the entertainment and Rachel danced for anyone who sang. She stole the show as you can see!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It is truly hard to believe that we are just days from Christmas! We have so much to be thankful for and we have decided to focus on what Christmas is truly about...the birth of Jesus Christ. We get so caught up in the hype of the commercial Christmas that we don't focus on what is important, like spending quality time with your family and loved ones. Maybe there was a reason that I lost my job and took a job with less money and incentives. I think we need to get back to simplifying and focusing on the gifts right in front of our noses.

Life has been somewhat crazy especially since starting my new job. My hours are longer and I feel like the days just fly by anymore. I've gotten so behind in things such as cleaning my house, shopping, and updating my blog! LOL! Seriously though, why do I want to come home at 5:3o at night and clean when I only have 3 hours to spend with the kids before they head to bed for the night. I've decided that the dust bunnies can continue to hibernate in the corners of my home as long as they would like! My family and true friends won't be judging me on the amount of dust in my home. I have to learn to just let it go and focus on what's important.

The kids are doing great. All of us, except Jake, are down with colds right now. Rachel had a double-ear infection when she went to the doctors last Monday. The poor thing actually fell asleep on me during church even with all the loudness of the special music being played during service. Rachel has never fallen asleep during church, because she loves music and will put on a show for anyone who will watch. She dances and claps to the music every Sunday. It is so darn cute to watch and everyone just smiles at her. Anyway, as we were leaving from church she got sick all over me and herself. She is recovering, although, she is still pulling on her ears and cries sometimes. I may need to take her back to the doctor if that continues.

Another reason why it's a crazy time of year for us is all the birthday's between November and December including Jake's and mine. Jake celebrated his 11th birthday on December 15gh and I turned 37 on December 13th! Hard to believe that Jake is officially a "tween." I really hope the teenage years aren't as bad as everyone is saying! My twin nieces, Garbriella & Miranda, turned 7 years old. That is hard to believe especially because they entered our family at 2 1/2 years old which is when my sister and her husband adopted them. They are just the sweetest things! We celebrated their birthday bowling and we all had a blast.

Rachel has done so well with the Christmas tree. I thought for sure that we would constantly be after her with touching and pulling ornaments off, but she is pretty gentle when she does decide to touch. She points to all the Santa's and says Ho Hooo. We just crack up every time she does it. I even got her to say it to my sisters' on the phone. We attended a "Breakfast with Santa" with the local YMCA and Rachel wanted absolutely no parts of him. She freaked out and clung to my neck like there was no tomorrow. I do want to take them to see Santa at the mall because it has been the same Santa since Jake went at a year old. Even if we all have to get in the picture.

Two weeks ago we took Rachel to get her ears pierced. I know, I know, there is a lot of controversy about getting little ones ears pierced before they can make the decision, but 99.9% of girls have their ears pierced and everyone I talk to says to get it done while they are young. I have always imagined my little girl with her ears pierced and honestly, I put it off way longer than I thought I would. See, Rachel flips out when we take her to the doctor's mainly because every time the poor thing goes, she gets 3 to four shots...she is really behind on her vaccinations. The thought of her crying and freaking out every time has delayed me in taking her to get her ears done. I figured since we have a three month break before additional shots, that I would finally take her. Well, I was way more upset than she was. I couldn't even watch and I started doubting myself for choosing to get her ears pierced. Rachel cried more over the swabbing of her ears with alcohol and the pen mark than the actual piercing. The girl was so quick and good that it was done in a matter of seconds and the crying stopped within 15 seconds. I'm not kidding, I was upset over nothing! She played with her ears for about two days and now she doesn't even mess with them. We clean them twice a day and she doesn't even fight us. Did I tell you how cute she looks? Now no one can confuse her as a little boy with her bald head (her hair is slowly coming in!).

We had Rachel baptized last month on November 9th. She looked absolutely beautiful in the dress that was made out of my wedding gown. I'm so glad I decided to do that. My friend Andrea's mother made the dress for me and it totally exceeded my expectations. Rachel will have this dress as an heirloom and hopefully some day her little girl or grandchild will wear the dress. She may need to have it altered again as most babies are baptized as infants and the dress fits a 24 month old. Who knows, I'm just glad I was able to pass something down to her. How many girl's do you know where their mother's wedding gown for their own wedding? I figured it would be a great use for my daughter's baptism. We made my sister, Sandy, and Jake the godparents. Jake was so proud of the honor! He's such a great big brother!

Jake started basketball season a few weeks ago. The games will start in January following the New Year. He's so excited and really enjoys the sport. He also participates in "after school sports" at school on Monday afternoons. He received his first report card in November and did extremely well with all A's and one B. He was upset over the "B", but hey, it could have been worse. I guess he was more upset over the fact that all A's would have meant that he would be allowed a cell phone when he got to sixth grade. That was the deal we made. We know that he's going to start participating in more after school events that we thought 6th grade would be a fair time to get a cell phone. He's been asking for one for 3 years and honestly, we felt there's no reason for him to have one when we pretty much dictate his schedule and who wants the extra monthly expense. That's the one thing Jake doesn't understand. He thinks you just buy the phone and that's it. He doesn't realize that you pay monthly for the service. He will be working real hard to earn that monthly expense! LOL!

I am going to ask you all for your prayers. I've been experiencing some health issues and we aren't quite sure what is going on. For the last six months, started right before leaving for China, I have had a lot of radiating pain throughout my body. Honestly, I was contributing it to stress, because we have definitely had a fair share of changes the last 6 months from going to China, getting a baby (a very good stress, but nonetheless, still stress) getting a pay cut, loosing my job, searching for a new job and starting a new job. I have seen the doctor several times about the different issues, but I guess I wasn't being completely honest because I was afraid that it was just in my head. I started back with a Chiropractor hoping to help alleviate some back and sinus issues. After breaking down while talking to the Chiropractor and completing a health assessment, she thinks that I may have fibromyalgia which was probably brought on with stress. Both my aunt and my grandmother were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have learned that it is a hereditary illness. I decided to go back to my family doctor to explain "all" that has been going on with me and she is ordering a bunch of tests. We aren't naming it anything right now, but hopefully these tests will tell us what is going. I lay awake at night so scared that something is seriously wrong with me. Please pray that it's something very simple and easily corrected. The thought of living with pain for the rest of my life scares me! But the thought of having something more serious is even more frightening. So please pray that we will figure this out and that it's something easily corrected.

On a happier note, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year. I hope we all remember what this season is about and that we will take time to be thankful.

Love,
Dave, Sherry, Jake & Rachel

Monday, December 1, 2008

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

I hope that you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. Sorry again for the delay in posting, but honestly, my life has been a whirlwind in the last 4 to 6 weeks. I feel like life is flying by me these days and I'm struggling to keep up. We did get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my sister and her family and boy did we have a lot to be thankful for.

I did finally get a job. I'm working in a totally different industry so it's been quite overwhelming since I started. My days are longer than what I was used to too! I leave the house at 7:15 AM and I don't get home until 5:30 or so. I hate the longer days, but I need a job too. I know we will get into a new routine and things will get easier, but these last few weeks have been very difficult and I'm exhausted! I miss spending time with the kids and I feel so rushed at night when I get home. I pray that God will help me get through it.

We had to say good-bye to Dave's grandfather who passed away last Tuesday. Grandpop would have been 93 years old in February. He has really deteriorated over the last couple of years and was no longer living a quality life. We attended his viewing and funeral service today. My fondest memory of him was his relationship with Jake. Jake really seemed to take to him when he was younger and I can picture Jake sitting on "PopPop Beanies" (Jake couldn't pronounce Cipollini) lap giving him a high five and doing slide which is when you slide your hands across the other persons hand. It was so cute. Grandpop came across as this tough old man but he really had a soft heart. I've seen him cry a few times, especially when giving Grandmom a sentimental gift or something. Grandpop was never the same when Grandmom died unexpectedly 6+ years ago. I'm surprised Grandpop lived 6+ years without her. We all thought he would never survive her death. I pray that PopPop is reunited with his love. We will miss you PopPop Beanie!

Our agency visited our home early November to do our 6 month post placement home study. Hard to believe it's only been 6 months. It feels like we've had Rachel forever! She is doing great and saying more and doing more. She keeps us on our toes for sure! She gets attention no matter where we go. She has this outgoing and adorable personality. You should see her at church. She puts on a show for everyone. We attend the 11:00 AM contemporary service where the music is a little more upbeat and she will dance her heart away. It's so cute to watch and everyone wants to just eat her up! LOL! Don't get me wrong, we do have a spicy girl on our hands! She lets you know when she's not happy or if you are bugging her. Poor Jake, he gets the brunt of it most times. Jake loves her so much, but he gets in her face too much. She let's him know with a swat or a pinch. She's getting a little better with the pinching, although she got me good on my cheek today because I wouldn't put her down. She knows when she's in trouble because I give her an evil look and she will rub my face and say niiii (nice). We've been using the time out method too. Her heart gets broken when we put her in time out. I can't look at her because I can't take the pouty lips and the tears. I am a softy sometimes. She's only 15 months old and she already knows how to work it!

Well, I hope you enjoy some updated photos.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Missing In Action

I know, I haven't updated my blog in over a month now and believe me, I've been hard on myself about it too! I promised myself when I started this blog that I would update at least every two weeks, but with the circumstances lately, I just didn't have it in me. I've been out of a job for over a month now and it's truly starting to worry me. I've never been in this situation before. With the current state of the economy, things aren't looking good. The holidays are approaching fast and that's concerning me even more.

With unemployment, I’m allowed to earn an additional $216 without it affecting my unemployment benefits. To help supplement our income, I took a part-time job with Lane Bryant. I’m working between 15 and 20 hours per week. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s giving us a few extra dollars each week to pay the bills. I’ve met with more job placement agencies than actual employers which is extremely discouraging. It’s been over 9 years since I was in the job market and things are done very differently these days. I was contacted last week by two employers and I interviewed with one of them on Friday. The gentleman I met with contacted me Friday night and they want to bring me in for a second interview. I’m thrilled about that. I also have another job interview this Friday. I’m hoping something comes out of these interviews. In the early part of my job search I thought I had landed a job, but then the market dropped over 800 points and the financial firm decided to hold off until things improve with the economy. Please keep us in your prayers as I continue my job search. All prayers are greatly appreciated. And if you know of any job opportunities in my area, please let me know and I would be happy to forward you a copy of my resume. I’m looking for an Executive Administrative position and/or Office Management. I’m not necessarily tied to the finance field.

Life of the Crist’s

We are enjoying life as a family of four. Rachel is truly a blessing and keeps us on our toes. She is a pro at walking now! She is all over the place and is getting into everything. If being a mother to a cruising almost 14 month old princess doesn’t help me loose weight, nothing will! Rachel is learning more and more words each day. Here’s what our little jabber jaws can say:

1. Night Night
2. More (and signs more at the same time)
3. Da Da
4. Ma Ma
5. Baby
6. Ba Ba (bottle)
7. Hot
8. Thank you
9. Yes (and shakes her head yes as she says it)
10.No No (points and shakes her finger when she says no no)

I’m truly amazed that she is saying so many words already. With hearing Chinese for the first 8 ½ months of her life, I really thought there would be a delay in her speech. Apparently I was wrong. This little princess is right on track.

Rachel really is a little social butterfly. She loves to talk to people and animals, especially dogs. Whenever we are out and about and Rachel sees a baby or a dog, she wants to give them a kiss. She puckers up and says mmm mmm. I love it, but we are trying to teach her that blowing kisses are just as good. She blows kisses very well too! I melt every time she blows me kisses when I’m leaving to go to work.

Jake is doing great too. He is busy with school and his extra curricular activities. Jake did win the student council election, so he is the Student Council Representative for his 5th grade class. He also joined the school paper which is new this year and he signed up to be a safety. Wow, so many responsibilities for a 10 year old. I’m proud of him though for taking on new challenges. Unfortunately, he learned that football isn’t for him though. Jake started asking us if he could quit football which we were absolutely against. The start of games in September seemed to prompt Jake’s change in football. Dave and I truly believe that once you commit yourself to something you need to follow through till the end. Well, the complaining of stomach pains on practice nights started. He seemed to be getting hurt a lot more and the crying before practices were becoming more and more frequent. I then found out that he was stressing so much about it in school that he was visiting the nurse once or twice a week. His anxiety was affecting the rest of the family too. After careful consideration and a long debate with Dave, we decided it was in Jake’s best interest to allow him to quit. I even talked with his counselor at school to make sure we were doing the right thing and she absolutely agreed that in this situation we should make an exception. We made it very clear to Jake that we don’t quit things and that we will not make a habit of this. He just feels that football “is not in his heart.” Playing with kids who have been playing for 5 years or so is extremely intimidating to a kid who has never played before, especially when it comes to hitting. To make Jake accountable, he had to break the news to the coach. I think that was the hardest thing he ever had to do. The coach felt badly for him and shared with him that his brother had the same problem and he also ended up quitting. But when he reached high school, he was their star player. The coach hated to see Jake leave after all his hard work, especially loosing so much weight to play. Jake heard that our church will be starting a flag football team and he was so excited about it. The only thing he said that he hated about football was hitting. Basketball will be starting within the next month or two and Jake is looking forward to that.

Our lives really have been uneventful in the last month. We need to watch our pennies, so we aren’t going out as much. Rachel will be baptized on November 9th, so we are looking forward to that. My sister and her husband will be visiting from North Carolina. This will be there first visit since we brought Rachel home. I can’t wait for them to meet her. Sadly, my parents haven’t seen Rachel yet. I’m not sure when we will be able to go to North Carolina to visit. We just can’t do it financially and not to mention that Rachel absolutely hates to be in the car. If we are in the car for more than 15 minutes, she starts freaking out. She doesn’t like to be confined! I don’t know how we will ever make the 8+ hour drive.

Well, I hope you enjoy the latest photos. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

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Our Family of Four

Rachel Lorraine Ning

Rachel Lorraine Ning Chinese Name: Xiao Ning Jiang Date of Birth: August 25, 2007 Name of Welfare Institute: Pingjiang County Province: Hunan Followers

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