Another New Year's in Cincinnati

So here we are again, holed up in a hotel room in Cincinnati on yet another New Year's Day. This time we are not here with sweet Kai, but rather our youngest munchkin, Asher. Asher is having the same surgery that Kai had in March of 2009. The surgery itself went amazingly well for Kai but a month afterwards he came down with a horrible antibiotic resistant infection that (literally) brought us all to our knees. Kai ended up coming home with a PICC line and a suprapubic catheter and we are fervently praying that Ash will be able to avoid all of the complications that Kai endured.

Ash is a troubled little guy and I love him more deeply than I ever thought possible. I want to protect him so badly that it hurts sometimes. We believe that Ash was severely neglected (at the very least) during his 3 1/2 years in the orphanage. He deals with a lot of hurt and frustration and often says thing like, "I'm so stupid" or "Nobody loves me" that break my heart. He is incredibly bright and loved by all and so I pray that this hospitalization will not regress the progress he's made since he's been home.

Please pray for our little man over the next 2 weeks. Tomorrow includes a NG tube (not fun) and an IV. He'll have surgery early Monday morning and then a PICC line placement on Tuesday. Yes, I think it's fair to say that the next few days will be downright awful for Ash. However, David and I are in good spirits and know we're doing what's best for Ash in long run. If you're in Birmingham and see any of our other kiddos, give them a big hug. They try to put up a strong front, but we know that these hospital stays are quite hard on them too.

I'll keep posting to my blog so check back often or sign up for email updates to hear how Ash is doing.

My Daughter is Beautiful

Yes, it's true. My daughter is beautiful - inside and out. This weekend she danced her way through four performances of the Nutcracker. You know what? She's graceful, she's elegant, she's down right breath-taking... and she didn't get any of it from me. I love you Piper. You are an amazing young lady and I hope you dance through life just like did tonight.

Party of 7

Olivet Family - Party of 7!!!

My heart is in China...yet again. Yes, those gorgeous eyes in my last post belong to our newest daughter. She recently turned 3 years old and is living in an orphanage in a small, coal-mining city in Northern China. I'm probably a little biased, but I think she's the most breathtakingly beautiful little girl in the whole world. Dave and I can't wait to bring her home, which will most likely be next fall (I know, adoption takes forever!)

We're working on names right now. It's fun and it's frustrating. The more people in your family, the more opinions you get! Her Chinese name is a mouthful (although we'll keep it as her middle name) and we need something to call her. I'm open if you've got any ideas.

Do we have the numbers for a basketball team now? I would ask David but he's out of town tonight. Regardless, we're one big, happy, God-loving family and we covet your prayers to keep our little girl safe and healthy until we can bring her home.

A Little Someone New

Any guesses?

Two 5's

Guess who turned 5 this week? That's right, my youngest munchkin, Asher. He's thrilled to finally be 5 like his big brother, Kai. So now we have 2 five year olds in the household (I'm going to pause while you contemplate this fact...)

Our house is like a carnival most days - loud, crazy and just a tad bit dirty. And you know what ladies and gentlemen? I LOVE IT! I'm not sure I've ever been this happy (or this tired.) My marriage is strong, my kids are full of joy and I am one pleased mama.

Happy Birthday Ash! We love you so very much.

The Warriors

Today was our boys' first soccer game. If you want to get technical, it was also their first practice, their first time on the field and the first time meeting their teammates. This made for a very interesting afternoon of so-called soccer. What I witnessed was....

a little running,

a little kicking,

a little pushing and shoving,

a little coaching (by my hubby)

a little nose picking
(check out my sweet nephew Jackson on the far right),

a little dancing,

a little girl watching
(Ash, you're a little too young to admire her, um, assets),

a little standing around,

and a little loving.

What I did not see, my friends, was any GOAL SCORING. Maybe we can work on that tiny little issue next week.

Thank God they're cute.

One Happy Mama

School, it just ain't what it used to be (or at least it's not how I remember it!) This is a picture taken for "Dress as your Favorite Rocker Day" at J.D.'s middle school. JD went as Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer and guitarist for Green Day. No, Armstrong doesn't have a mohawk and yes, he does wear a boatload of eyeliner. JD wouldn't let me put any more "guyliner" on him even though I explained that it would make his outfit more believable. He's adorable, he's happy and he's loving middle school (what is for many, the most horrible years of their lives.) I am one happy mama.