Let us Drink and Share from the Well, deep with Life and Love

T Gang VDay Wishes

2012-02-14T16:55:00.001-06:00

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Artists Creating in Community | Oak Mountain Church

2011-06-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

Artists Creating in Community | Oak Mountain Church

Come all - Super exciting Outreach! Creative Fun! ART!

Daddy's Lil Dumpling

2011-05-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

Daddy's Lil Dumpling

Happy Lovely Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T23:18:00.000-06:00

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May you find and know the grace of God to fill your heart today and always!

Much Love,
Ginny

Number 3 lingering on...

2011-02-10T16:46:00.001-06:00

We had such a fun time with Whit's 3rd Birthday celebration! It's was such a special day for most of our family to meet little Miss and Whit to have his beloved tractor party. He loves green John Deere tractors!

We all had a memorable time playing pin the wheel on the tractor, eating yummy tractor cake, and knocking around the pinta, Ford finally cracked it in half. Candy flew all over the grass, it was chaos. LOL.

Another year of fun, what does the future hold for our big boy Whitty?...

We Love You WHIT!
Mommy

My Beautiful Sisters, with me and NJ!

Full of hot air

Cousin Haylee had the winning wheel

Our Birthday Boy!

Blowing out the candle

Ready for the pinta

Last Bite.... Yum

Whacking the tractor pinta

Lil Sister, holding Whit's balloons

Snowy Day on the Mountain

2011-02-10T15:55:00.000-06:00

We received another day of wet snow, not enough to bind us to the house, just enough to cover everything with about 3 inches. It looks beautiful and very serene outside, but it's really cold and wet. The boys of course thought it meant, NO SCHOOL, but no such luck for them, just a late start. We've enjoyed playing in it a little this afternoon and little Miss Priss, Nara Josette didn't really care for the cold or the cold snow to touch her. We can already tell that she is a beach girl, since she had never experienced cold weather prior to arriving in Alabama. Nara Josette is from Maoming, Guangdong, China, it's about equivalent to location and climate of the Florida Keys.

The boys are super excited about Valentine's and have been busy making and addressing cards to mail. Nara Josette doesn't understand why they are addressing candy or why they are not eating it all. She has still been dieing to get any morsel of food she smells or sees. Hopefully her food fixation will subside in the coming weeks as she learns that she will indeed get more food. She has also slept better the past two nights, hopefully we are on a new bend of the road in the sleep area.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We are also still very humbled by kind friends who have brought us delicious meals and poured out love upon our family. God's love continues to extend to us in new ways everyday and we need His grace and patience now more than ever, as we encounter daily transition for us all.

Much Love, Enjoy the "snow", while you can...

Ginny ~

Happy Chinese New Year!

2011-02-04T23:50:00.000-06:00

2011, The Year of the Rabbit

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHIT!

2011-02-04T23:36:00.000-06:00

Our precious baby boy celebrated is 3rd birthday yesterday, we're actually having his 'party' tomorrow. He is the most joyful, smart, cute, fun, kind, helpful son. We are so blessed by his sweet spirit and are thankful that God is allowing us to be his parents. It is so hard to believe that it has been 3 years since he entered into this world. He is such an old soul, he seems like he has always been with us. We pray for you a wonderful birthday to celebrate the life God has given to you and look forward to the growth and experiences you will have in the coming year.

We love you so much and are so proud of you, Whit! Happy 3rd Birthday Son.
Love ~
Daddy & Mommy

We Made It Home!

2011-02-04T23:14:00.000-06:00

As you have probably concluded by now, we made it home safely from China and have been busy in the whilrwind of LIFE: Transition! Thank you again for your prayers, support and prayers! We truly felt so blessed to be welcomed home by so many loving family and friends at the airport. It was heart warming to receive such a "Welcome Home", after such a long journey around the world. Thankfully all of our flights were pretty close to on time and everything went well with a few naps naps and play time on the planes. Thank you, Alicia, for our huge Welcome banner, decorations, and strawberry cake - yummo!

The boys and Nara Josette are still in the honeymoon phase, but the boys love her being here tremendously. Nara Josette and Whit are already having some sibling rivalry, so it seems pretty normal around here except for her sleep issues. Please pray that her night terrors will subside soon as she begins to feel more secure and safe in her forever home with us. Also, Whit got sick this week and we had to take him to the doctor the same day, he had strep and an ear infection. It was a rough 24 hours or so at our house.

Our week has been richly blessed by our kind neighbors, schoolmates of the boys, our church family, and family alike, they have been providing wonderful meals for us and it has helped beyond measure to not have to worry about shopping for and preparing dinner this past week.

We had Nara Josette's first appt. at the UAB Intl. Adoption Clinic. We could not ask for a better clinic and people to help us, they are wonderful. It is a blessing to have a clinic that specializes in international adoption in our state and within a drive away. We spent about 5 hours there for all of here appts., and have another set for 3 weeks. It's great to be able to go to one place and have them all come to you there, as well as their expertise with adopted children. We also have our appt. set up for the Cleft Clinic at UAB in 3 weeks, please pray for wisdom as the team decides upon a plan for Nara Josette.

Here are a few more pics from China and our return home!

Humbly with Love ~

Ginny

Swearing in at the U.S. Consulate, GZ

She was the only child with a USA outfit,

but she has on Chinese bunny boots

Eating well with chopsticks

Chinese New Years Flower Lights

Dad & Our Driver, YEAH!

Dad & Joe, one of amazing Lifeline agency coordinators

Our luggage in the little Chinese taxis

Meeting Mickey at Disneyland Hong Kong

Welcome Home! our Gang

Brother & Little Sister Hugs

Big Brothers and Lil Sister Hugs

Lil Cowboys

2011-01-26T10:44:00.000-06:00

2011-01-26T10:42:00.000-06:00

I Love My Guys!

2011-01-26T10:38:00.000-06:00

Final Leg of our Journey to our Daughter

2011-01-26T10:08:00.001-06:00

Yeah! We're finally on our way home to the United States! We cannot wait to see our family and friends. Thank you all for your prayers above all else, your encouragement, and the love you have shown to us along this winding road. It's truly been a surprise around each bend and it's been a lot longer than we had planned for it to take. But... as we have lived this journey, it continues to become more evident each day that God's time is always the perfect time, even when we cannot fully trust that in the midst of time. We have always had a peace about God's provision for our family. At times it is hard to see, but God always provides us insight to reflect upon Him and hear His spirit, though at times it seems a faint whisper.

We are excited for our family to begin this new journey as a family of six and how it will mold each of us. I pray God will give us the wisdom to continue to grow their hearts and minds toward Him as God guides and lives within our hearts. Sometimes it's hard, but we have to realize, were not perfect people or parents. We all goof up regularly, realize we could do things better, I truly pray and hope we are showing enough grace to our kids, as God shows more than generously to me and R.

it's been such an interesting trip to China. In the midst of all the adoption, I know it has been a time of calm in my heart and mind to examine my thoughts, my heart, give much thanks for the enormous blessings that abound in our family's lives. Four amazing, unique children. I love my Husband so much, he is my soul mate, Thank you babe. I love each of our wild, amazing, fun, energetic, inquisitive sons and daughter.

Sorry Dad, that I haven't been more talkative this trip, it's been a time of intraspection, In China!

Thank you, Dad, Papa, Nana, & Nannie for all of your assistance with this trip, we could not have done it without your help! We are thankful for each of our parents and family.

We are looking forward to each of you meeting Nara Josette and getting to know her in the coming weeks.

We leave Disneyland HK in the morning and fly home. We love the USA! China has been a great experience, we have met many kind people and Nara Josette's native land is beautiful, but nothing compares to HOME.

Much Love, Gratitude, and Thanks to you all.

See you soon,

Ginny & Family

bāai baai from China!

拜拜

Top Twenty List - China

2011-01-26T08:05:00.001-06:00

You may be in China if...

Top Twenty list:

Daily you see an armored money exchange trucks with guards, helmets, and running with Ak - 47 's

Congee is on the buffet

Hot green tea is served with every meal and you have seen it being harvested

Steam (ed) buns come with meat inside of them

Exchange US dollars for Yuan/RMB, and do quick math conversion in your head

Live native, seafood is displayed, cooked and served to you - immediately

Chopsticks are provided, forks are by special request, napkins, too at most places

A hole in the floor, is to "Go Potty"

You say Ni Hao as you arrive somewhere or meet people

You receive a red envelope with money inside, for New Year's

Visit the largest gold Buddha in the world, HK

Eat breakfast with Mickey Mouse and see Tinkerbell at Disneyland HK

Ride a tram to view the sea from 4000m above sea level, at Victoria Peak

Take the ferry to Kowloon Island

Have to get an interpreter at the supermarket - yes, we did.

Requires 19 digits to make a telephone call to the USA

Your fruit is confiscated from your bag at customs

Have lunch overlooking the South China Sea

Costs 5 HK dollars to mail an international postcard

Diet Coke/Coca Cola Light costs more than a handmade porcelain necklace

2011-01-25T03:17:00.000-06:00

2011-01-25T03:11:00.000-06:00

2011-01-25T03:10:00.002-06:00

2011-01-25T03:10:00.001-06:00

Have Passport. Will Travel.

2011-01-25T02:57:00.001-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, we went to the U.S. Consulate for Nara Josette's Swearing In Ceremony. It was for her to immigrate to the U.S.A. Yeah! Here are a couple of more photos. It was great to have so many people from our adoption agency there to witness her swearing in, another kiss from God! Our visit to China has been a blessing in many ways and you cannot leave here without it impacting your heart. It's a good time for self-examination and reflection of my own heart...

Today we went to the Guangzhou Zoo, it was filled with different species of bears, tigers, lions, monkeys, yaks, oxen, swans, elephants, and of course, a giant panda.

We leave tomorrow from GZ. We'll take the train to Hong Kong and fly the next day to the US. We're so excited and can hardly wait to return home to Rob, the Boys, and all of our wonderful family and friends who have been praying so diligently for us. Thank you all so much.

Nara Josette slept well last night, she roused about 3 times, but never had a nightmare. Thank you for praying for her to sleep well. We also gave her a children's multi-vitamin and I think it helped too, it has B12 and B1 in it. (We bought a whole bottle of those.) Please continue to pray for us as we travel home on a long 20 hour journey to the US and she meets the rest of our family for the first time, as well as the coming weeks of transition.

Much Love,

Thankfully ~

Ginny & Family

http://robandginthornton.blogspot.com

Already Talking on the Phone

2011-01-23T21:37:00.000-06:00

Nara Josette on Pearl River Cruise

2011-01-23T21:36:00.000-06:00

WAR EAGLE!

2011-01-23T21:34:00.000-06:00

Pearl River Cruise & WAR EAGLE!

2011-01-23T21:32:00.000-06:00

Last night we went for a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. It was beautiful. The Pearl River is the third longest river through China, in Guangzhou it separates two islands, and the buildings and bridges are colorfully lit up at night. The food was good and there was brief entertainment with a clown juggler. The highlight was the views from the boat.

Today we had a fun surprise at breakfast. We met several of our adoption agency's representatives from around the U.S., as well as spoke with the head of our adoption agency. They are here in GZ, to meet with CCAA to request more files for older children who need to be adopted. There are so many older children who need homes before they age out of the system here, at age 14. I know, it's such a young age to encounter the world on your own. Please pray for the children around the world, who encounter this huge challenge each day.

We are very excited to be able to as they meet with the CCAA today and they will also be at our Swearing In ceremony at the U.S. Consulate this afternoon, a very special occasion for us. Nara Josette's passport will be processed for U.S. immigration and she'll be set to come home with us to the U.S.

An extra cool surprise at breakfast, of course, second place after having her favorite corn congee today. One of the people here with our agency director and representatives, promoting adoption with our agency is, Jonna Chizik (Coach Chizik's wife). WAR EAGLE. Of course, we loved meeting everyone, but she holds a special place in our heart since we are a huge Auburn Tiger family! I told her Nara Josette has a 2011 BCS Championship shirt, we laughed. She is also involved heavily with http://www.ateamministries.org , it's a non-profit organization that helps children have hope and help while they deal with cancer. They are having a benefit event next month, with the Children's Cancer Clinic at UAB/Children's hospital. I told her that is where on Sister works, WOW, what a neat conversation we had and one more little kiss from God to encounter a strong hearted WAR EAGLE here in Guanagzhou, all the way around the world.

We 're getting ready for our Consulate today. Only a couple more days in GZ.

Love ~

Ginny & Family

Last 3 Smile Boxes

2011-01-23T09:13:00.000-06:00

Hi Friends and Family,
You can still click on the bottom of the smilebox where it says "play" and it will take you to the link. For some reason it is coming up a little different on the blog. Hope you enjoy!

Botanical Gardens, GZ

2011-01-23T02:41:00.001-06:00




	Click to Play	The Botanical Gardens are a wonder to see. The gardeners take such care in each rose, tree, and planting. There is a greenhouse with plants and trees from around the world, I thought the most beautiful were the several varieties of orchids. The roses are the size of grapefruits and the pansies, the size of oranges! Guangzhou is in the tropical climate region, but it has been cold here this week.

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GLIMPSE of our Day, GZ

2011-01-23T01:44:00.000-06:00




	Click to Play	Today has been a more restful day. This morning we went to the Botanical Gardens and are resting in our room. Tonight we are going on a dinner cruise, with our agency coordinators. Hope you have a blessed day of worship. Please continue to pray, Nara Josette is waking up several times a night with nightmares. Thank you, Ginny & Family We are looking forward coming home in a few days!

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The Long Journey to be Found!

2011-01-22T17:14:00.000-06:00

Today, Long. Thankful, amazing, humbling, sad, happy, BUMPY, gracious. Lots of thoughts run through my mind. SO excited that we were able to find her and Hope's (our friend, the McCracken's daughter) finding spots. It was a miracle!! God is providing such grace every day, it is because of prayer! We know it.

Today after we finished touring and meeting the Nannies, seeing NJ's bed, and room full of friends at the orphanage, the Head President of the Maonan District, Maoming City SWI, Director Wang, told the orphanage driver and the VIce Director to go with us to locate the finding spots. Both of them were in very remote areas, about 12 minutes apart.

Director Ping graciously took us all to lunch before going to the finding spots. It was a nice restaurant. We had our own dining room. It was a large round table with a giant lazy susa. They kept bringing food, the entire table was full of food. They were so understanding and ordered several vegetarian dishes. The dessert steam buns were very interesting.... some local fruit, a small piece of spongey cake, enclosed in what looked like a giant marshmallow bubble. It kind of tasted like coconut.

The Vice Director had to stop and go up to a very, very small little open market on the side of the dirt road. The young man was very gracious. He went and got his younger brother (14) to go with us and take us there. He got in the van next to me, he was gracious and glad to help us. He is a student at the village Primary School, but today was a school holiday and he was out of school. He normally would not be there. NJ was found at the gate to the Primary School. A miracle! The school is truly further down road a few turns, in the middle of No Where. Thank you Lord. It was a nice serene place, with a small pond across the street and a chicken farm a little further down the down. The whole area is very rural and a farming area. We saw farms everywhere, from Guangzhou to this rural area on the outskirts of Maoming. They farm mainly lettuces/cabbages, corn, sugar cane, bananas, coconut, oxen, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, lychee fruit, oranges, melons, and rice everywhere.

Nara Josette is still doing wonderful. Today was a stressful, long day for her. She did great. She started to tense up a little about a block from the orphanage, I'm not sure if she recognized the area, the sounds, or smell.

When we got out of the van, more tense, she did ok, but buried her head into my chest inside the orphanage. When we finally went upstairs to see her Nannies, friends, and room, she freaked out. I'm not sure what she felt, but it was scary for her. She may have thought we were going to leave her there.... I wore her inside the Boba carrier, it seemed to help her relax the day before. I can't imagine how she would have done outside of the Boba.

We took lots of video and photos until both camera batteries died.

Going to bed. We got up at 5:30am, left at 8am, returned at 8:45pm. Whew. LONG, emotional day. Maoming to straight south almost about 2 hours from the tip of Guangdong.

It really reminded me and Dad of each of our journeys. How amazing it is that we are all found, by our loving, gracious God. Though we all come from different places, look different, and have different daily paths, we are all found by Him and He knows where we are going to be found, now and in the end....

Love ~
Ginny & Family

2011-01-22T16:23:00.001-06:00

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Journey Home, Maoming and GZ

2011-01-22T06:52:00.002-06:00




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Garden Hotel

2011-01-21T08:35:00.001-06:00




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Update on our litte GIRL

2011-01-20T19:29:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all your prayers!! Nara Josette is doing great - bonding very well and sleeping pretty good, too. It's only Day 3 1/2, it is Amazing how much she has blossomed in such a short time. She had her hand on her hip tonight after bath time and wondered around the room checking everything out. :-)

We have a very long 12 hour day south, tomorrow to her orphanage in Maoming (city). Please pray for the travel and her heart as we visit the orphanage. Many wonderful gifts from God each day, but one particular is that the Director of her SWI/orphanage offered to gather her journal from the Half the Sky day school program that she has been attending. This means that the 'Grandmother' documents her daily acitivities and take pictures of her to note her progression. Amazing, what a great gift it will be to provide her with details of her life and heritage before she came home to us. I am truly thankful for all the care she and we have been given from our Adoption Coordinator, Rebecca, and Director Ping from her SWI.

Yesterday we went to have her physical examination and tests done for her immigration, as well as photo and notarization for her passport to be created. The most surprising thing about yesterday was that she screamed and cried big tears at the examination weigh in and examination of her feet and legs, but..... when they sat her down to receive her TB test shot, she sat completely still staring at a long needle and didn't flinch! She didn't cry, nothing. So we concluded, she likes shots, but no touching her feet. Another huge blessing, the CCAA gave us a complete notarized immunization record and she has even had the flu shot. Yeah! If they did not have her complete record, then she would have been required to receive all immunizations up to her current age. Thank You Lord!

Today we went to the Chen Family Academy and the Chen International Wholesale Tea House. We stayed at the tea house about half the day. Tea houses are wonderful, if you go to a good local one. They serve you each kind of tea and let you taste each pouring (usually 3 to 4 per pot - each is stronger), this helps you to determine which teas you like best. They are All very good, fresh! We saw farmers picking tea leaves as we rode on the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. It is unbelievable how fresh everything is here. They don't use preservatives like in the US, only other things sometimes :-) We found the coolest calligraphy pen ever, you'll have to come over to see it!

Tonight we tried an Irish Pub and last night a Chinese restaurant, Bellagio. All of the restaurants are very accommodating to children. Bellagio even brought us a special plastic plate, bowl, and spoon for Nara Josette.

Nara Josette's favorite daily food so far is banana. She does NOT like rice, noodles, or hard food. Ironic, my Chinese baby does no like rice or noodles, but likes shots... she'll fit right in with the boys. She loves to say, Goodbye and wave. She is potty training which is a big surprise and huge blessing. She is doing great! I hope she keeps it up. She likes putting her hair bows in each morning and brushing her hair with my brush,... and she loves her Crocs because they make a click clack noise when she walks.

We have been able to Chat with the guys and she is loving being able to see and talk with Daddy, Papa, and the boys, and keeps looking at her picture book all during each day. Tonight they showed her how to blow kisses and she just smiled and blew them kisses. I am thankful that the boys are doing so great and seem to be right in the normal swing of things - Thank you for those prayers. I miss them and look forward to seeing them soon.

Chinese New Year festival begins soon, it is fascinating to see all of the beautiful decorations being constructed and put into place all over China. This year is the Year of the Rabbit/Bunny.
What animal are you? http://www.chineseanimalsigns.com/

Love you all~
Ginny

James 1:27

2011-01-19T15:44:00.001-06:00

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2011-01-17T11:12:00.001-06:00

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Thornton: First Nara Josette video

2011-01-17T05:36:00.001-06:00

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2011-01-16T14:57:00.001-06:00

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GZ, Temples and Downtown

2011-01-16T10:21:00.001-06:00

Today was a relaxing slow paced day compared to the past few days. We didn't have any agenda which was relaxing in itself. We ventures out to visit two temples in south west Guangzhou, the Guangxiao and Liurong Buddist Temples. We saw a lot. Once we got there, we had been told that it would be easy to get to the second temple,...not so much. We finally located it after asking a Policeman for assistance and following two monks 'home' the last half of the block. The Policeman only spoke one word of English, Left. Our Chinese language cards have been helpful, we used them on our previous trip too. You can order them at http://www.chinaconnectiononline.com .

Once we finally made it back to our hotel ( we had great difficulty getting a taxi back), we enjoyed a trip to Friendship Store and dinner. We hope you enjoy the pictures. We decided to venture out tonight and try an Authentic Italian restaurant, two Italian guys cook the food. Yum, it was a nice change.

Well, we are very excited about tomorrow! We finally meet Nara Josette. It's hard to believe in less than half a day, we'll be together. Yeah! Please continue to pray for us all. Thank you God for your provision in creating our family and in your perfect time to unite us all together as one. We are thankful that God has adopted us and gives us the privilege to raise our three sons and now, our daughter. We pray God will continue to guide us all and be alive in our hearts. Please pray for Nara Josett'es heart to be open to us and all of our's to her, our transition time in the coming weeks and for Nara Josette's medical needs and upcoming surgery.

The next post should have new pictures of our sweet daughter, with me & Dad.

James 1:27

Thank you all.

Humbly, with Love ~

Ginny & Family

2011-01-15T15:26:00.001-06:00

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Made it to Guangzhou!

2011-01-15T09:54:00.001-06:00

Whew, it has been a long day. We were able to video chat with the guys this morning :-) :-) We got up and had breakfast with Mickey and the animals. The food was delicious and we tried a few new things. You'll see from the pictures. We spent a while exploring the resort, pier, and gardens this morning. It is beautiful to look out on the China Sea, viewing other islands and seeing a couple of lighthouses. It was very windy and chilly today in Hong Kong.

We made a long trek by taxi to the Hong Kong train station and took our express train to Guangzhou. Of course, it was not without the fun of going through customs on both ends. At least we only had to open our luggage one time due to an orange. We forgot about it and they thought we were smuggling in fruit :-| The train ride is about 2 hours long and goes from city to industry to farmland and back again twice. It was neat to see various areas of culture.

We finally made it to the train station, not an easy feat with 4 suitcases and no elevators, only escalators. :-) Our Coordinators, Rebecca and Joe met us at the station and wisked us away to our hotel. Yeah, the Garden Hotel is awesome. We're excited about staying here. We debriefed and went through all of our adoption documents. Then we went out to the Banana Leak Restaurant. It was a fun experience. The food was good and they have a sing/dance dinner show, as well as the chef making rice dough and noodles while you watch. It was for an entertaining time, especially seeing them sing the "YMCA" song.

Tomorrow(Sunday) we have a free day, our plan is to relax and take it slow. We will meet Nara Josette Monday at 3pm (1am CST). Please keep Praying for our family. Rebecca spoke with the orphanage and they said that Nara Josette is well and ready for the trip (5 hours) to Guangzhou. We can't wait to meet her!

I am posting pictures via Smilebox because of internet issues.

Love ~

Ginny & Stan

2011-01-14T21:41:00.000-06:00

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Hong Kong - Disneyland, Victoria Peak

2011-01-14T16:59:00.001-06:00

Today was a great day! We woke up early (earlier than we'd like to) to have breakfast with Mickey, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto at the Enchanted Garden in Disneyland Hong Kong. The food was great and the animal friends were a lot of fun! It was amazing to see all the excited kids. We've also seen a lot of little girl dressed as princesses (CUTE!). Then we explored the resort, before heading off to the city and The Victoria Peak Tram. The Victoria Peak is the highest point in Hong Hong. It had amazing views, we cannot even dream about how much it cost to live on top of the peak. Our ears actually popped a couple of time going up and down the peak. Oh yeah and one tiny detail is that the tram cars are pulled up the mountain by a cable on a pulley and you are riding at about a 80 degree angle in some parts of the track. Not my favorite ride ever, I'm not a big high rider. But the views and the food at the top were more than worth the scary ride. The restaurant was awesome, it overlooked the South China Sea and the hot jasmine tea filled me up. Dad had an interesting California roll, unlike one we've seen before. Well, off the dinner and bed.

We leave today for GZ. We'll ride the train to Guangzhou, Guangdong, where we will meet our agency coordinator. We're looking forward to seeing Lily and Rebecca, they are so kind. We're interested to see how we get 4 suitcases on the train to GZ today. :-)

We're getting excited, it's hard to believe we will meet Nara Josette in 2 days. (About 12:30am on Sunday CST)

Love ~

Ginny & Stan

Sunrise on the Island - Hong Kong

2011-01-13T18:48:00.001-06:00

Well, we made it. It was the longest flight ever! We don't want to get on another flight for a while.

Departed Houston, at 11am and arrived at Hong Kong, 11pm the next day. We were glad to go to bed.

Got to see the sun rising over the South China Sea from our room at the Disneyland Hong Kong. Love the hotel,

the people are so nice, we've been so blessed to meet many wonderful people on our way.

We're having breakfast with Mickey, Daisy and Goofy! It's great, the food is yummy and we even got the have Mickey

waffles and pancakes. We're off to venture the island.

Love ~

Ginny & Dad

Sunrise on the Island - Hong Kong

2011-01-13T18:46:00.000-06:00

Well, we made it. It was the longest flight ever! We don't want to get on another flight for a while.

Departed Houston, at 11am and arrived at Hong Kong, 11pm the next day. We were glad to go to bed.

Got to see the sun rising over the South China Sea from our room at the Disneyland Hong Kong. Love the hotel,

the people are so nice, we've been so blessed to meet many wonderful people on our way.

We're having breakfast with Mickey, Daisy and Goofy! It's great, the food is yummy and we even got the have Mickey

waffles and pancakes. We're off the to explore the island!

Love ~

Ginny & Dad

Tokyo Post

2011-01-13T02:52:00.000-06:00

Whew! We made it. It's been a crazy long day, 22 hours so far, and we're almost there. We finally arrived in Tokyo about 30 minutes ago and are waiting to board our flight to Hong Kong shortly. That was truly the longest day and flight we have ever experienced ( and would want to). At least we had good weather, good seat mates (two soldiers and an American teacher who works in Korea as well as a Canadian woman) and are only two hours from reaching our destination. We was even able to share with one gentleman about adoption and the journey God's placed us on and how to adopt through foster care - God is amazing!

Thank you for your prayers. We love you and miss you R and Boys. We are looking forward to spending a couple of days in Hong Kong before heading to Guangzhou.

Love ~
Ginny

New Pic!

2011-01-11T13:36:00.000-06:00

Go Auburn!

2011-01-10T21:21:00.000-06:00

We're on our Way!

2011-01-10T21:16:00.002-06:00

We're on our way, Nara Josette!

Winter: Ready, Set, Take Off!

2011-01-10T20:51:00.000-06:00

Burrr.... It is Cold. We have been braving the cold weather, icy roads, snow, and getting ready for our upcoming journey to China, as well as getting pumped up for the BCS National Championship Game tonight - AUBURN VS. Oregon - in Arizona. WAR EAGLE!

We have been busy with school back in session as well as preparing and organizing everything for our trip to bring home our daughter, Nara Josette. It's been a very long journey as many of you know. We have been tremendously blessed by so much prayer, encouragement from our parents, families, and friends over the past several years. From the time we began to share our hearts for adoption while we were in Nashville until today, God has been with us all the way. From our Life groups of friends to our church families, we could not ask for more genuine and spirit led people to walk along side and sometimes be held up by...

We are thankful be finally be on the cusp of being united with our daughter. She has been in our hearts for so long. We are more than blessed by our three adventurous, spirited sons and are overflowing with excitement and a deep sense of peace - finally - as the big "G"day approaches. The boys are full of anticipation for their Sister. They have heard about her for soooo long, they won't believe that she is here (like us) until she is in our home sipping Capri Sun and munching on Goldfish.

Please continue to pray as we travel this week. Our the next couple of weeks, we'll be traveling a little more than over 20,000 miles! Please pray for safety, our hearts to be open and woven together as one as our family unites with one another for the first time and in the coming transition weeks, as well as for Nara Josette's health and upcoming surgery. Please pray for Rob, Papa, Nana and the boys as they will be holding down the homestead, while Dad and I trek to China. Thank you, we truly appreciate your prayers. The enemy has been full force the past week or so, trying to tear us down in health and spirit. His persistence only strengthens our belief in God's grace upon our family and our purpose in God's family for our adoption into His family and our adoption of Nara Josette into our family. James 1:27

Stay warm, we look forward to seeing you all again soon and welcome your notes and emails along the way.

Much Love~

Ginny & Gang

WAR EAGLE

Birthday Girl!

We sent her a Bday cake from Ladybugsnlove.com

Grace's gingerbread girl

Whit's gingerbread man

Ford's gingerbread man

snow on the mountain

the gang

Save the Date-Chinese New Year Festival

2011-01-01T13:23:00.000-06:00

2011

Chinese New Year

Festival

Feb 19th, 2011, 11am - 4:00pm

Boutwell Auditorium - Birmingham, AL

Chinese game / Chinese food / Chinese dance
/ Chinese Music / Acrobat / KongFu
/ Chinese Traditional stuff

Walk thru Bethlehem

2010-12-20T11:11:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that another year has passed by and it's time to celebrate Christmas. I know it's been a very busy year for us all, many of us have had big transitions. We're hoping and praying you are taking the time to stop and enjoy the spirit of Christmas and remember it's about celebrating the hope and life that Jesus has given to us all through His blood being shed.

We pray that we will have truly know Jesus' peace in our hearts and live it out loud!

We were able to make our annual trip to Walk Thru Bethlehem. It is the most authentic experience around for a Christmas nativity to take you back in time and experience Bethlehem when Jesus was born so long ago. Our family loves the extensive outreach effort that this church makes every December to share the experience with thousands of people in Nashville. As you enter into the city you are greeted by census workers and along your journey you will experience making manna, cloth dolls, wooden bracelets, polishing brass, feeding doves, watching a manager being built, shopping at market, grinding grape, making clay candles and twine; while you observe the soldiers searching the city for baby Jesus. As you leave the city you are invited to see baby Jesus and the wise men, as well as give a sacrifice such as your cloth doll for baby Jesus. Then you can visit with the animals in the stables, including a camel.Oh, and it's all for Free... what a gift in today's world.

Wishing you all a Very Merry CHRISTmas!

Love ~

Ginny & Family

Please plan a road trip next year, you won't regret it.

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PRAYER for Nara Josette

2010-12-17T22:34:00.002-06:00

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Celebrating in our Hearts

2010-12-06T21:59:00.000-06:00

Our sweet daughter turned two years old yesterday. It was a busy day here, but we took time to talk about Yun Lin (a.k.a. Nara Josette) and to pray for her. Yun Lin was born December 5, 2008. She arrived at her orphanage when she was one day old, in Maoming District, Guangdong, China a little more than 7,000 miles away from her home. We pray for her birth mother's heart, a peace and wholeness to know that God's hand is upon the precious baby she bore. We feel truly blessed and honored that God is allowing us to be united with Nara Josette very soon, to join the family that God has created through covenants of marriage, birth, and adoption. We're looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her once she is home. We had hoped that she'd be here with us by now, but we believe that this journey continues to be on God's timeline - not our own.

We were able to send her package and cake to celebrate her birthday with her friends and caregivers through LadybugsnLove.com. We highly recommend their services, they are wonderful women helping adoptive families connect and ministering along the way. We have had great success using them for the past two years.

The boys are getting more excited about Nara Josette each day. Graham and Whit talk about her a lot and frequently tell their friends and teachers about her, as well as see things they think she would like us to buy for her. It's really sweet and brotherly. (Graham even draws pictures for her and writes notes to her) Ford is excited too, but he's low key with anticipation. I think because he's older and he's been waiting for her to arrive practically all his short life and oh yeah, since we traveled to China in May and came home without her. He's a bit hesitant until she actually shows up at our house. I can't blame him. Rob and I have been kind of with him the past 6 months. 'We'll believe she is coming once we actually see her at our house mindset'. It's been getting a little more real the past couple of weeks, but much more distant than in the past. I feel like I've starting nesting a little the past couple of weeks. As the date gets closer, I feel like just before I've gone to the hospital - Ah! So much to do. Organize, Paint, Pack, Wrap, ...... and it happens to also be, Christmas season! :-0

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family. We ask for our hearts to continue to daily invite Jesus into our hearts and actions, for all of our hearts to be open to one another as we prepare to bond as a family and her Nara Josette's walls to be torn down to bond with us - trust and love. We also pray that her surgery will go well (we expect to have it in the spring), the surgeons expertise, and her healing. Also, for energy from the Father, once we return home to overcome jet lag! This really hit me hard last time, so I truly covet your prayers in this area, since there will 6 of us to care for and school, too. We are humbled by your love and friendship - we thank God for you and appreciate your prayers for our family.

Scripture that has been in my heart playing over and over in my heart lately,

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Love~
Ginny

WAR EAGLE, HEY!!!

2010-11-26T17:34:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a busy couple of weeks, but we thankfully enjoyed a few blessed days full of food, fun, thanksgiving and loud cheering!

A great quote - it's how you start the game, but how you end the game. It's a lot like Life and Eternity...

WAR EAGLE!!

Love ~
Ginny

Please PRAY for our Family

2010-11-14T00:48:00.000-06:00

No time for Fall?

2010-10-25T00:13:00.000-05:00

Whew, the weeks are flying by so quickly. October is almost gone and Christmas will be upon us before we can wink. It's been a very busy couple of weeks. We finally had to break down (literally) and buy Rob a car. His old car was 11 years old and we well got the money's worth from it. It was a great car, it just got old very quickly. In the past few months, we've more than paid it's worth in repair and tow bills. So....Yeah! Rob finally has a great gas saver and reliable care.

It's also been a busy work season for Rob and not much time to be without a car that's broken down, so we're very thankful that God allowed us to locate a car for him (Thank you, Alan!)

The boys have been enjoying picking plenty of fall leaves and nature walks, building a rock and stick fort, helping PopPop clear the back of our lot with the John Deere, school Fall Festival, painting the piggy, adventures with Curious George from Ford's class, celebrating Clay (3rd) and Kylie's (2nd) birthdays, and trying to work on the house. Also, getting ready for Graham's 5th birthday this week and the adoption paperwork trail. Whew, I'm tired just thinking of it all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUSINS!

CLAY and KYLIE

War Eagle! #1

Ginny

Brothers - Fall Leaves

Hey

G on the Twister...

George and Tiger ready for a ride

Clay's 2nd Bday Cowboy Party

Kylie's wish

George caught a grasshopper in his mouth - look closely (it's alive!)

Whit's piggy

I'm A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord by Go Fish

2010-10-18T19:27:00.000-05:00

We love this song!! We have three lil' soldiers in our house and we all Love to sing this song

while we're driving in the car and around the house. Go Fish's music is helping us to plant the seeds of scripture more deeply into the boys hearts, and we're having fun with it too. :-)

Love ~

Ginny

Fall Away to Stone Mountain

2010-10-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

We were able to take a few days and get away to Stone Mountain. It was the perfect place to get outside and truly enjoy all of God's creation and the terrific fall weather. The leaves are so beautiful and the boys all love the outdoors. Ford said, "This is why I love nature, it's everything that God created, and bugs too."

We were fortunate enough to happen upon the annual Pumpkin Patch Festival and Asian Rice Festivals. We also had a blast riding the Ducks with Captain Howard. Ford even got to drive the Duck in the water ; - 0, last but not least hiking on the mountain. We highly recommend the park for a family trip and wear your walking shoes.

This Is My Father's World

2010-10-07T18:08:00.001-05:00

This is one of the boys favorite songs from Go Fish, it's off their new Kickin It Old School cd.

It is a great cd of old hymns which have been made more upbeat, for kids and we love it too!

We've been learning more about teaching the kids about worship everyday, not just at church.
What a joy it is to sing these songs and have them light up to, WORSHIP, God. They actually ask me to put on the Go Fish songs in the car. (For those who know me, I can't carry a note, but I love to sing all the same.) :-)

Link to their website http://www.gofishguys.com/cms/

Love~

Ginny

Turning New Leaves

2010-10-04T02:18:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe that fall has arrived. My favorite season with cool weather and beautiful foliage changes - great for running and star gazing! Summer seemed to last forever this year, maybe because we experienced so much change in a few months. Sorry for my blog hiatus, it's been a VERY busy couple of months. We finally found a new home, moved and have gotten pretty settled in, began two new schools, three new classes (which the boys are truly loving and thriving at), continuing on our adoption journey with new paperwork and more waiting, and only two non-fatal accidents (Whit and I both survived with small battle scars). Whit and I have been enjoying daily one on one time together, with our new school schedule and it's been a lot of fun. The bog boys and I have been having great times working on their school projects together, they are so talented (of course, most Mom's say that...).

Whew.... all that and a little more, but way to much to cover it all. Most recently we've enjoyed spending lots of time with Family, old and new sweet friends, submerging at our church and bible study, and visiting some of our favorite fun places. :-) Although we're missing some of our friends and church that we moved away from. :-( Oh yeah, I also celebrated my 20 year high school reunion with many old schoolmates. It was wonderful to see so many kids that I grew up with doing so well and to meet all of their families. It's surreal to believe that it's been 20 years since I was in school, it seems so near in my mind. I had a great school experience with Christian teachers and my heart hurts for the difference in the world and schools today - with a world that forces kids to grow up so quickly. Well, I better run for now. More to come soon. Thank you all for you prayers, friendship and encouragement. It's been a very long, stretching year so far, but our family is stronger than ever and we're excited about the coming months! Only the Lord knows our journey and that gives us a peace and hope that truly, only He can offer. Our faith has been challenged many times this year and it is exciting to know His faithfulness to provide - Always.

Please continue to pray for our family as we approaching our travel time to bring our daughter home. Please pray for all of our hearts to listen to and wait upon the Holy Spirit, especially all of the kids, peace over our home, strength in our marriage, and for Nara Josette (Yun Lin - her Chinese name) to know a peace and love that only God can provide. We've continued to be on the paperwork trail with our adoption for Nara Josette. We updated our homestudy and have updated several more forms as well. Now we wait for our TA (Travel Approval date), we should have her home before Christmas.

In case you haven't noticed, it's football season

WAR EAGLE!

Here are a few pictures of our recent adventures.

Much Love ~

Ginny

The Lord's Prayer

2010-09-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

I Luv U Lord, my favorite hymn

2010-09-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

The Journey Continues Beyond the River Bank

2010-07-23T09:49:00.001-05:00

This week has been busy, I'm not sure exactly why... We haven't had any thing particular going on, but we do move next week - so that may be it..... We're finally moving into our new home. We are so exited! We have truly enjoyed staying at our friends river house this summer, but we've felt a little removed, being so far from town and all of the surprise wild guests, almost on a daily basis has been a little unnerving. We are so very thankful to our very generous and kind friends for allowing us to stay at their house. We envisioned that it would only be for 3-4 weeks, but instead our stay turned into the whole summer. We've could not have ever imagined such generosity from anyone. It has been a humbling summer for us in so many ways; the house, the adoption, being kind of isolated in the wilderness. It's also been a over time of respite for me and the boys. It's hard to describe, but just a sense of calmness at the river with God's beauty all around us everyday, no fast hustle and bustle, no noise, no crime, just us..... We've played a lot of games, colored and painted, read books, and just enjoyed one another. I thought I might lose my cool after being home with the boys everyday all summer, but it's been restful in spirit with no schedule to adhere to day to day. We'll miss the river house, but truly relish moving to our new home, our destination after almost a year of searching for a new home. We are so thankful for the many family, friends, and others who encouraged and helped us along this long journey, but we are most thankful for your prayers. God has opened a new door for us. We will most definitely miss seeing some of our friends everyday, but we look forward to this new adventure. We will also miss the peacocks at the river, they have been such a blessing during this uncertain time. Almost like having temporary pets, we all love them, but the boys are in awe of them - if they could sleep with them they would have them tucked in beside them at night. We believe our new home will be a great place for our family in the years to come. The big boys will be starting a new school this year, as they are getting older everyday and Whit is waiting the arrival of Nara Josette, so that he can have a buddy/his sister too. We hope to get settled and to hopefully travel to China in the fall to bring Nara Josette home with us. We continue on our journey, though some things are changing, we look forward to each bend in our path. Thank you Thank you, we could not have made it as well, during the past few months without our Faith and all your love.

WIth Much Love ~

Ginny

The Beautiful River

Hay being harvested

Percy

Whitie

Petunia

River view

Playtime

Patti

The long road home

Beautiful View

Our Jedi Celebration

2010-07-18T19:54:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Ford's 6th Birthday this week, he had his heart set on a Star Wars adventure. It seems that we view the word - birthday - so casually. Truly it should be a day of celebration! It's a day that God planned and allowed each of us to be born into this world, for His purpose (Isaiah 49:1,3). What an amazing gift and celebration. I know some people don't celebrate individual birthdays with much gusto, but we do! What a fantastic way to show our love for the person and the opportunity that each day brings with it. We pray and hope God's love and guidance will be in each of our children's hearts and God will make their paths straight. We also pray that along their journey's they have much joy, love, laughter, and spirits of service.

Thanks to Nana & Papa for allowing us to celebrate at their oasis and to everyone for traveled to help us celebrate! We enjoyed decorating 'Star Wars' cookies (though they didn't look like them once they came out of the oven), swimming, grilling, yummy watermelon salsa, overtaking the force of a Darth Vader pinata (the string pinata was a lemon, so we had to resort to a stick, in order to knock the prizes out of it). I made a Storm Trooper birthday cake, per Ford's request. Some people liked it, other were freaked out by it....LOL :-) It was a Wonderful sunny day and we look forward to doing it again.... in October.

We would also like to send heartfelt Birthday wishes and prayers to our family: Tiffany, Tamara, Susan, Samantha, Zeke, Ashlee & Mosby - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! July is a very blessed month :-)

Love ~

Ginny

Our Birthday Boy, 6!

Ford, Running for it

Tiff practicing her dive

Our Big Boy!

Go Austin!

Clay encountering a road block

Hard at work decorating cookies

Eating their creations

Blue icing is popular

Packaging them up for later

I really enjoyed my cookies!

Nannie K

My Turn?

Straight as the Board

Sisters in the Shade

Cuite

Smorgasbord

Diggity Dawgs

Great Ma & Aunt Susan rating the dives

Maddie is pulling against the dark one

Haylee tries to knock him out

Austin had the Force with him - Yeah the loot!

PopPop Vader

The StormTrooper arrives to sing Happy Birthday

Birthday Wishes

Yum...

Little Vader

Pies, WAR EAGLE, and Water

2010-07-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

It's been a LONG, busy week. I have loved almost every moment of it. It can be trying at times to herd 5 kids around to places or even just in the pool, but overall they are all wonderful well-behaved kids with sweet, servant oriented hearts. We had lots of fun and some not so fun time outs, but what do you expect with 5 kids aged 2 to 7 spending 24/7. I hope Haylee and Austin will want to come visit us again and maybe some of our other cousins too. It's truly a great feeling to see them all playing well together and helping one another. You know kids are close when they argue like siblings.... the wonderful times conquer overall! Yeah. God is working in their little hearts, it is evidently far beyond what I or any parent can do on their own.

I hope you enjoy sharing a little of the past couple of days with us. We ended our time all together with making homemade personal pizza pies, even Whit made his own pie. Once we had them cooked and served, they said, "Hey, this tastes like real cheese pizza." I'm not sure what they expected?...

We had a fully day with morning exercises and then we were off to Auburn for the day, Yippee! The kids kept asking the tried and true question, how much further? When they finally saw the signs, they all began to cheer and tell their own stories about landmarks around town. Of course, a visit to AU woudl not be complete without a stop at Toomer's for lemonade - their favorite beverage. After exploring campus for a couple of hours, we headed to Mellow Mushroom for lunch and were so excited that our cousin, (Big) Daniel was able to join us. He kept the Indians tame while we waited for a table, a couple of rounds of Go Fish. You can only imagine the chaos of playing cards with 5 kids, who want 'their' cards to finish each suit. It was funny to watch :-)

Finally, we were off to meet up with Daniel and Rob to brave the water park for the afternoon. We had a lot of fun. The kids loved giant slides, the wave pool, and the lazy rivers - each one had a different favorite. I was surprised that all of the kids except Whit braved the slides many times. My hats are off to them, that was a pretty brave feat at their ages! Only one minor boo boo.

Almost everyone was asleep by the time we drove home. Right before bedtime, we had a guest appear on the back patio - Mr. Frog. Ford loved getting to hold him and see him jump away over and over. Rest well..... we will. We love you Cousins, Thanks for coming!

Love ~

Ginny

Pirate Time

Saucing our pies

Cheese, too!

Wahla!

Toomer's Very Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

Fish pond

Aubie Tracks

Big D and the kids playing a round of go fish at the Shroom

Parched!

Graham show many times he went the giant water slide!

Who's our Lil Swimmer? Go Whit!

Whit's alligator trying to color

G & Rob

A surprise guest tonight!

Ford is definitely a love of all things!

Swim Splash Dive

2010-07-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

Lots of water! It's been a week full of water. With the heat, what else can you do, but Swim!

The cousins are enjoying their time together and they are all doing so well with their swimming; we're very proud (relieved) that they can all swim so well. Don't forget the sunscreen or you'll end up a roasted prune :-)

Love ~

Ginny

Berrying the Heat

2010-07-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

Well, it's pretty Hot here this week. So we went to the berry farm earlier than last time (to avoid heat stroke) :-) Thankfully, our awesome friends, the Pope Girls were able to join us and we all picked and ate a lot of blueberries. Unfortunately, Friday is the last day of berry season until next year - - Fortunately we've had many a berry this summer to tide us over until spring. After much sweat, fear of ants, and picking, picking, we finally filled our buckets. We were even able to grab some freshly picked peaches and tomatoes, too. Thanks for all the little hands and full tummies.

Love ~

Ginny

Off we Go!

Pick, Pick, Pick

A handful of berries

Bird's Nest in the Blueberry Bush

Berry Buds

Yeah, we're done!

I'm ready to go...

Cousins = Family

2010-07-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

We had been enjoying a great week with Independence Day kicking it off. We began with fireworks fun with the Roy's and then our cousins came for a visit. Each day has been busy from dawn (about when they all wake up) until dusk (bedtime). I truly would be dragging on the ground if I had quads and another toddler in tow. With all five of the kids being between 7 and 2 it makes for a very surprise filled, busy, fun, organized, 'mother-filled' kind of day....whew.

I love them and wouldn't trade it for anything. The boys are growing up so fast, I cannot believe that Ford will be turning six years old next week, it seems like yesterday that I was talking about how long it would be before he went to school one day.... well that was five years ago. The time has flown, and now we have 3 great boys and 1 special girl coming our way.

I have so many wonderful memories from my childhood: picking berries with my cousins and Nannie, growing a garden, playing with friends, but some of my most vivid are spending time with cousins. For those of us who have brothers and sisters, it is a very deep and lifelong bond, but cousins are almost as close. I have always felt so much love from my Aunts and Uncles, Grandparents and extended family (Rob has too, for that matter). We cherish our families and hope to encourage the same love, traditions, and closeness that we have been blessed with during our lives. Thank you Family, Thank you God for blessing us with such a gift.

Love ~

Ginny

Celebrating Independence Day

2010-07-04T08:40:00.001-05:00

We have been celebrating our country's Independence for a few days with wonderful family and friends, with of course - lots of Great food! THANK YOU to all of our past and present service men and women for their commitment to our country, our freedom's, and our global leadership. Thank you for the great sacrifices you have made of yourselves and your families.

We have enjoyed delicious sushi, ribs, and lots of yummy foods! Extra special thanks to the Dad's for handling the fireworks, the kids enjoyed the spectacular shows and the sparklers/pops.

Also, Happy Birthday to our niece, Tiffany. We can hardly believe that it's been 14 years since you first arrived into our lives. We pray that God will lead your life and heart, as you enter into your high school years - milestones in shaping you for your future. We Love you, Tiff!

God Bless our USA!

Love ~

GinnyPublish Post

Finally, Fireworks - let's Go!

Uncle "Mosby" Sam

Fireworks are Very Loud!

Happy Birthday, Tiff!

Haylee & Sami

Hot Days of Summer

2010-06-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

How many things can you squeeze into one day?... Well, when it's the long days of summer and there's no agenda and no school, Alot! Today we started out without much of a plan, but it developed quickly. We went to the YMCA to exercise, mailed off a care package to Nara Josette in China, picked berries at the Barber Berry Farm - while running into our good friends the Pope's in cool sun hats, sipped on fresh lemonade, swam with our friends the Roy's (Mosby jumped off the diving board for the first time and many more; all of the boys are swimming so great ;-) ) enjoyed a pizza / sushi party, finally we ended the day with ice cream, and bedtime prayers. Rob, was even able to join us late in the afternoon at the pool. (Thanks, Nana & Papa) Whew! What a fun day, aside from the slight heat stroke I had after the berry picking.

The berry farm was fun, but hot in the heat of the day. We recommend going in the morning, sunscreen, and taking a drink with you. It takes a lot longer to pick a bucket of berries than you may imagine... but we'll be enjoying some sweet smoothies, ice cream, and hand-fulls of just plain berries, Yum, Yum!

We are so blessed to be able to just pick up and enjoy a fun-filled day, especially with some of our family and dear friends - the boys just Love, Maddie, Julianna, Mosby, Jeb, and Mary Mac. Thanks to you all, for helping us to have such an amazingly blessed day! This really feels like what summer should be all about - Fun!

Colossians 3:15-17

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Love,

Ginny

Creations All Around

2010-06-24T23:37:00.000-05:00

Everyday is an adventure when you're in the country. One day does not go by that we do not see one or more of God's creations. Some we enjoy a lot, and well others we really do not want to see. We have been enjoying the outdoors more since I'm now on three allergies meds to keep my allergies under control with so many natural allergens surroundings us. We're near an outdoor nature center, so it stands to measure that many if not more of those beautiful, pollen filled creations are all around us.

I'm glad that I can finally enjoy the outdoors and breath easy. The boys Love finding, researching, and capturing any of God's creations, with the exception of flying stingers. The boy's bug house has seen many guests, most of which have made it out alive. Whit's young, so he still needs help with gently handling the guests and we always hope they make it out safely after their visit. The boys have hosted frogs, crickets, grasshoppers, fireflies, lightening bugs, centipedes, dirt dobbers, and a few other little things. We've also caught a skink, a turtle, seen a chicken snake, and of course Love the resident peacocks.

The peacocks have become 'members of the family', we all love to watch them and enjoy the true wonder of God's creations. The colors of their feathers are amazing, more beautiful than could be imagined. They are protective of the house and property, and like to hang out when we're around. But, they also alert us of of things that unsettle them and sleep in the trees over the house. The boys, love to say "Goodnight" to them in the tree high above their windows each night. It's been a blessing to be able to talk with the boys about how Percy watches over them each night, but even more so God watches over us each day/night. Reinforcing to them of God's unconditional, highest love for us all, protecting us and guiding us each day, when we open our hearts and lives to Him.

We're enjoying the time we have here at the river house, so graciously from our friend's the J's. We cannot fathom their generosity and humble spirits. God is using them in mighty ways to strength and minister to our family during this time of transition and growth for our family. We pray to find our new home very soon and to be able to settle our family. Doing so, will also enable us to continue forward in our adoption process of Nara Josette. Thank you for your prayers, we appreciate them more than you know.

Love~

Ginny

Acres of Beauty

Mr. HardShell

Making a Run for it

Mr. Froggie

Mr. Centipede

Alpha, Percy

Wow, a 7 foot spread

Off Road Adventure

Creekside

Graham, swinging for it

Ford, our leader

Whit loves the clown around, he's full of surprises

The whole crew, rocking on a hot afternoon

Tubing the Chattahoochee

2010-06-19T22:43:00.001-05:00

Guten Tag! We enjoyed a wonderful family respite this week in Helen, Georgia. It was a long, fun road trip to the Great Smokey Mountains and back. We pushed our way through Atlanta 'rush hour' traffic coming and going, but it was all worth it. We had such a great time just being a family and taking our minds off of all the many things of our everyday life. I must truly THANK my sweet husband for insisting on the trip, I really didn't want to go with everything we have on our plate right now. THANK YOU, Babe!

The German village was genuine and slow paced, just what the doctor ordered. We enjoyed our fill of German food - Yum! Red cabbage, brats galore, homemade pretzels, and the best strudel we've ever tasted. O' and not to forget, Spatzle! Two state parks within 5 minutes, a wooden toy store, and confections/pastries beyond imagination.

It was nice to walk everywhere. Many of the restaurants are on the Chattahoochee River, so it's beautiful and scenic. The highlight of our trip was tubing down the Chattahoochee and stopping along the way so the boys could explore and zipping down the 5-story flume water slides half-way down the river. Here are their sites, in case you're looking for a fun short trip. Helen, GA or Cool River Tubing

Auf Wiedersehen ~
Ginny

Helen Chapel

Mountains

Mommy & her Boys

river watching

looking for arrowheads

Mountain climbing with Dad

Whit loves to clown around

Giant Pretzel!

A glimpse of Hofer's treats

a fierce game of tic tac toe

really, people are still tubing at 7pm...

Happy Boy!

Beauty

Ford was Ready!

No thanks, I've got it myself!

Graham loved the rapids

Cutie, Whit

Ahoy there -

Smooth sailing

Almost.....

Lazy river

Yeah, we made it!

Maoming City

2010-06-04T22:13:00.000-05:00

Chinese Name:茂名市 (mào míng shì)

Population: 6,793,300

Area: 11,459 square kilometers (4,424 square miles)

Nationalities: Han

Location: Located in southeastern Guangdong Province, Maoming City neighbors Zhanjiang in the west and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the north. The South China Sea is just to the south of the city. It is 362 kilometers (225 miles) from Guangzhou and 121 kilometers (75 miles) from Zhanjiang.

History: In remote ages, aboriginal people were living in this region, and those aboriginal ethnics in Xia (21st - 16th century BC) and Shang (16th - 11th century BC) dynasties were called Baiyue ethnic group, an integration of the ancient Yue minority and many other minorities. According to historical records, Maoming belonged to two shires in the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC). The Maoming County was established in the Sui Dynasty (581-618).

Physical Features: Mountains and hills constitute the general landform of the city, concurrently including plains and coastal beach. It also has a coastline of more than 220 kilometers (137 miles). On the whole, the terrain of Maoming is higher in the north and lower in the south.

Climatic Features:Enjoying a subtropical monsoon season, the weather of Maoming is moderate with an annual average temperature of no less than 22℃ (72℉). Maoming is a green city all the year round. The rainfall of a year lies between 1530-1770 millimeters (60-70 inches).

When to Go: During the whole year

Special Local Products: In late 2005, Maoming earned the title of largest fruit producing base in China. Lichee (litchi), banana and longan are the most famous and high-yield fruits. In addition, the fruit pit (of Afzelia xylocarpa) carvings are special souvenirs in local markets.

Attractions:

The 1^st Shoal of China Vacation Area: The 'first shoal of China' is 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the downtown Maoming, in the Maogang District. The resort has miles of fine and smooth beach outside the shelter belt, and it is definitely an ideal place for swimming and sunbathing. In addition, the resort has many sports to enjoy, including parachute gliding and sailboarding. It is also a national training center for beach volleyball, and often hosts national and international competitions.

Chicken (Fang Ji) Island: The island is the largest in Maoming covering an area of 1.9 square kilometers (0.7 square miles). This tourist resort is a fascinating diving center boasting clear and unruffled sea waters, famous for its coral reefs and recreational scuba diving. Skin and deep diving, diving of exploration are all available here.

Tianmashan Eco-Tourist Area: The scenic area is situated in Xinyi City. On the 1,080 meters (3,543 feet) tall Tianma Mountain, emerald forest, clear springs, deep and serene valleys, waterfalls of all shapes and size, strange rocks and lingering prairies, can all be found in this nature-gifted landscape.

Travel Tips:
Thanks to the construction of the expressways around Maoming, the city is a one hour drive to Zhanjiang Airport and three hour drive to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

Hello There :-)

2010-06-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! Yes, we're still here. We have been wire less, with no internet service since we returned from China - the line was out at the road box. We're at the 'river house' and have been enjoying very slow paced, simple family time. Since our return, the TV and internet have not worked, boards games, etc., school is out, we've been looking for a house, and Rob has been putting in more hours at work to make up for being away and co-workers being on vacation. So that's what we've been up to...

We also received a new referral for our daughter! A precious little girl, Nan Yun Lin (her nickname is LinLin). She lives in Maoming City, Guangdong, PRC. She is 17 months old and is at a Half the Sky orphanage, her SN is cleft lip. We are very excited about her, she has bright lively eyes and a sweet smile. We're uncertain about when we will travel to bring her home, hopefully before her 2nd birthday in December.

Please pray for us to find our new home, that everything will go well with the contract and we'll be able to move into it as soon as possible, and for our continued adoption journey. We continue to pray for JiHong and now we're praying for LinLin, too!

The boys are enjoying all of our free time and finding Lots of bugs, lightening bugs, and hoppers, to capture nightly in their 'bug house'. They are also looking forward to us finally moving into our new home and expanding upon their imaginary adventures. :-)

Also, the peacocks at the river house are expecting. They have been nesting 4 eggs for about a month. We'll see if they hatch... They chose an interesting place for their nest, the bed of the Gator ATV.

Many thanks to you for your prayers; for continuing to call us. We look forward to seeing you.

Love ~

Ginny

Our China Food Diary

2010-06-04T21:31:00.000-05:00

Another photo album by Smilebox

2010-05-16T15:46:00.001-05:00

Thank you for your treasured prayers and words of encouragement and support. We are overwhelmed with your love and care for our family. God has truly blessed us beyond our imaginations during this very difficult time. What began as a joyful and predictable journey to our daughter, has become a very difficult and somber winding path. We are enjoying our time together with one another and seeing the beauty of China and it's great history. At the same time, our hearts are wounded. We have been entrusted with more than we could ever deserve with our three unique and gentle boys. However, we have traveled a long and laborious journey to find our daughter, and she is still alone and we are without her. We pray that God will provide for us to be united with her in steadfast speed and protect and comfort our family until that time.

We had requested assistance from the NBC/DHS (immigration) agency to help us process a new adoption which the Chinese gov't. provided and would process quickly for us, but our own gov't. will not provide any assistance even though we are in China. It's very difficult to understand how your own gov't. cannot want to help us to adopt a child when you are in-country and ready and willing to welcome a child into your family and home. Right now we are frustrated with our gov't. red tape and lack of concern for it's own citizens as well as others/children. The new process could take several months to go through.

We are praying that God will ease our minds and hearts, direct our paths straight, and make His plans and time very plain to us. We are also praying for Ji Hong and her caregivers/director/friends at the orphanage. She is a precious child and we are praying that God will provide her family for her soon. We have been joyful in our hearts of the adoptive families that we have seen the past few days, for their new families and the long journeys that we known they have endured. Honestly, it's also been very hard to see them, missing our own daughter. We know time will heal our wounds and God will never leave us as we seek Him, but we pray our journey will be steadfast.

We are scheduled to return home the first of the week. God Bless each of you and your families.

Love~

Ginny & Rob

Continue to Pray

2010-05-13T15:35:00.002-05:00

Thank you. Sincerely, Thank you, for all of your prayers, comments, and verses of encouragement to meditate upon.

The past few days have been a long and difficult journey for everyone involved. We know that God is in the midst of everything, including right now with us.

Everyone here has been wonderful and we have the highest respect for the officials, orphanage director and staff, and all of our contacts here. The orphanage was a wonderful Christian place, as much as orphanages can ever be.We are very humbled and thankful for this journey and all that God has provided and revealed. After MUCH prayer and counsel we chose to not complete the adoption. There are more medical issues than originally known to all and we believe that her forever family will be united with her in the future. We also believe that our Daughter, is still here in China and pray that we will be united with her with hasten pace, in God's time and provision. As soon or timely as it may be.

Humbly we thank you for your prayers and concerns. We would like to keep the details (regarding the medical issues) of our final decision closed to our family, so please honor our trust in you and our request, for the sake of JiHong, the China adoption program, our agency, the Civil Affairs in Xian, the Orphanage Director and the Caregivers. Please continue to pray for JiHong and her orphanage. We cannot explain the respect and gratitude we have for the people there and their hearts, their love of the Lord and His provision for the children in their care. If you are interested in sponsoring this orphanage, please contact us, they have an organization in the US which assists them.

It has been a horribly heart wrenching, soul searching, last few days, we have shed more tears than ever thought possible. We cannot convey what it has been like here China truly is a world away from the US and our culture. God has given us straight direction on our decision and peace in our hearts. We know in our hearts and minds that we will grieve our time with JiHong, our hopes and dreams thus far for our daughter, and the decisions we have had to make with limited knowledge and much faith.

We still strongly believe that our daughter is here in China and hope to be united with her as soon as is possible in God's plan for our family. We have grown a deeper appreciation for China and it's people and culture over the past week. We truly sympathize with birth families who feel led to give up their children for adoption, it cannot be an easy decision, but one of necessity for the children and the care that the families cannot provide to them. We are in deep prayer for the people here, there are many good people and precious children; we have been very blessed to meet professing Christians here.

We are thankful for all of the prayers and assistance we have received thus far from agency here in China. We hope that our continued journey to our daughter will be hastened as it is in our hearts.

We are uncertain about our travel plans at this time, we will update you when we know.

Very Sincerely,

Wo Ai ni ~

Rob and Ginny

Please Pray!!!

2010-05-10T19:11:00.000-05:00

She ( Nara Josette/JiHog/DouDou ) may have a medical problem, running tests, to please pray for her and us.