Happy New Year!

Our time with our Chinese exchange student is almost up. We have had a lot ot fun with Yanming AKA Summer. She has been so sweet and I think she's brave to live with a family for 1o days when she sometimes didn't have a clue what was going to happen next but just took it all in stride. I think there's a lesson for me to learn in that. I knew that Chinese New year was special in China but until now I didn't really have a clue as to the depth of the feeling the Chinese have for this time until this week end. We were honored to spend all day with the most awesome group of kids I've ever been around. Emilee and Taylor got to help make jiaoza from scratch all morning. Then a family who spent 20 years in China cooked an 11 course meal for the group and their host families this evening. It was special beyond words. After the meal we watched Chinese TV with the kids and got to see the holiday from their perspective, they LOVE card tricks, call it magic tricks and they are very good at them - we sat around with a group who tried to outdo each other in their prowess with the tricks. It was hard to say goodbye tonight knowing we probably won't see these kids again. I came into this experience full of migivings but we will say goodbye to Summer tomorrow afternoon with the realization that we have been given much more than we gave and we would sign up to host another student with this organization tomorrow.

Special time with friends

We are hosting a Chinese exchange student for 10 days. There are 13 kids in the group and each teen is staying with a host family - we have a 15 yr. old girl named 'Summer'. She's the one playing foosebal (?) with Taylor.

Yesterday afternoon the whole group got together at the church of one of the group leaders and led the kids in some really fun games that caused everyone to have to interact and talk to each other and it was loads of fun. Being with these kids is absolutely a blast, and Taylor just revels in all the attention. Emilee got to connect with some old friends she hasn't seen in a couple years and is having fun too. After playing the games we had hotdogs, the leader said you couldn't come to America and not eat hotdogs (although I live in America and have successfully avoided them for a long time). Afterwards we all went to a basketball game at Liberty University.

Today is family day where we just hang out - we are taking Summer to church, then having a cook out with my parents (yep, a cook out in over a foot of snow). Then tonight we'll watch the superbowl with millions of others, and cook brownies and have hot and spicy chicken :)

I am hoping and praying we have school tomorrow as I need some down time - my paperwork is getting really behind and I need to sit down and pay some bills! Kids need to be in school!!!

snow in VA

Friday night it snowed and snowed and snowed some more. On Sunday we couldn't go to church, we hiked to my mom's house for lunch (up hill both ways lol). And after lunch, Emilee, Tom, Taylor, and my nephew, Jesse decided to sled on the road by our house. It was my job to yell "car" when someone was coming up the road. This was actually few and far between as most people had the sense to stay home. They enjoyed a good track of snow til the snow plow came through later in the afternoon and messed up their ride. The first pictures are from our deck and our backyard. It was a fun time, so ok now, bring on the sunshine!

Spirit Week

This was spirit week at Taylor's school. A week of fun days getting to dress in outfits that fit the days' themes - "sports day", "occupation day" (Taylor agreed to go as a veterinarian just so she could take her stuffed dog, Princess, to school), "patriotic day" (had to dress in red/white/blue). Today was blue and gold day, Timberlake's school colors. Kids go all out, dying their hair with temporary colors of blue and yellow, face paint, crazy shirts and the chance to wear blue jeans which doesn't happen very often.

But Taylor rose above it all...she left for school this morning with a gold T-shirt and matching yellow and white sweater and a blue jeans skirt, with a gold hair band to accessorize. Oh, and don't forget sparkly shoes. A princess does not lower herself to the frivolity of face paint and such. By the time she gets to high school we fully expect her to ask for Vera Wang in blue and gold for spirit week.

Our Sunday School Class Rocks

So our Sunday School class, or as they are maturely known these days, ABC's (adult Bible Classes) really does rock. We have the best group of friends to hang out with and some of our class decided it would be fun to have an 80's night, to dress up in 80's fashions and play 80's trivia, name that tune to music from that decade, and just have some good times. I had lots of fun dressing like I did in my 20's, the 1980's was a really fun time for Tom and I, but not as great as this decade will be. I couldn't talk Tom into dressing like Duran Duran or Jon Bon Jovi but we had lots of fun anway.

Christmas Break

We have a family tradition of going camping right after Christmas and we celebrate the New Year on the coast where everyone puts off fireworks on the beach to bring in the new year. This year our truck broke down but our resolve to be at the ocean was still there so we took a chance and found a place through the internet and headed for Myrtle Beach. Our hotel was a delightful surprise and we enjoyed a few days of a great indoor pool and a little shoppin' at the outlets.

Happy New Year! May you always have a shell in your pocket and sand in your shoes :)

Christmas 2009

This Christmas has been so nice. Today we went to Sara and Chuck's house to celebrate Christmas with them. Sara rocks at putting together a dinner with what seems like ease. She doesn't get that from me! We had so much fun at their home, even though Chuck and Emilee tried to cheat when we Sara, Taylor, and I beat them at the board game we'd bought Chuck. My parents came along and got to see how the Browns had fixed up their home, renovated their bathroom, their home is a constant work in progress and they are doing a fantastic job.

Last year Taylor did not know what to expect for Christmas. She was actually kind of agitated at not knowing what was going to happen next, as the holiday unfolded. This year she was a veteran and anticipated each dinner, each event with the excitement that only a six year old can have. There is absolutely nothing like Christmas as seen through the eyes of a child.

Emilee HATES to have her picture taken and the sensitive, quiet child threatens violence when confronted when one wants to get a picture for the Christmas archives, so I was only able to get one where a present wasn't held up over her face. Taylor, on the other hand, loves having her picture taken and will gladly ham it up for the camera. When we went to my parents house last night for dinner, she chose her clothes and had to find something green for her hair so she could wear something green and red for the occasion.

We have five of the coolest kids ever. We consider Chuck as the son we never had, three wonderful girls we adore, and the youngest who is still stuck in China and waiting for us to bring her home. Next year will be another wonderful Christmas as we will be seeing the holiday through the eyes of yet another child who is experiencing Christmas for the first time with her forever family. I can hardly wait.