Fall Happenings

Well, we took Eden trick-or-treating for the first time on Halloween and she definitely got the hang of it. Then, the next day we took a trip to the Atlanta Zoo to see the Giant Panda bears. They were incredible!!! When we were looking at them Eden yelled, "Hey Panda bear, I'm from China, too!" It was so funny. I don't have long to post right now so I'm going to give you a couple of photos. Love you all!

Here is our little "lucky" Ladybug from China.

Eden in front of the Panda habitat in Atlanta.

Aren't these animals amazing? Did you know all Pandas in the USA are leased from the Chinese government?

The rest of these photos are some that my friend took of Eden and me to give to Gene for our anniversary present. On Nov. 6th we celebrated 4 years of marriage. I am so grateful for my husband. He is such a wonderful father and partner. We went to see "Fireproof" for our date and it was a great movie...I highly recommend it! These photos were taken in a community down the road from us called Mount Laurel. Isn't it beatiful?




That's all I have time for today. Our adoption agency (Lifeline) is having their annual fundraiser banquet next Thursday night. I hope to see some of you blogging buddies there! Our pastor, David Platt, is the keynote speaker. He is amazing to listen to because of his passion for God and His Word. Hope to see some of you! Have a great weekend enjoying what's important...not housework, PEOPLE!!!!

One Year Later

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Keri and I stood in a rather sparsely furnished room in Wuhan, China on the second floor of the Civil Affairs Office and looked across an aisle of chairs at a little girl for the first time. She was scared to death and so were we. But we were also excited and anxious and ready to smother her with all the love we had been saving up on the 15,000 mile trip from Birmingham, Alabama.

A year later and much has changed in our own lives and in little Eden's life. We never imagined she would be so funny and smart and strange and interesting all at the same time. Those first few days were filled with sadness for her--but the Lord answered our prayers then to join her heart with ours. And God continues to answer our prayers as Eden grows into a sweet, loving, outgoing and beautiful girl.

This past weekend we took a trip to Georgia to visit the "Cabbage Patch Hospital" where the popular children's dolls are "born." We thought it fitting on the anniversary of Eden's adoption that we would celebrate by letting her "adopt" a doll of her very own. She chose a baby boy doll and named him "Moses"--I think she identifies with him when she sees him on the TV floating in a basket down a river in Egypt and being adopted by an Egyptian mother...

Here's a quick video of the experience, along with some recent pictures of Eden and our family. To all who have made the journey with us, personally and through prayer and friendships, thank you and God bless you. Our lives are richer than we could imagine and we give God all the credit for everything good He has done for us. Most of all, we thank Him for allowing us to shepherd the heart of a little girl that He brought to us from half a world away.

Eden Hope Eve

Today is what I call "Eden Eve." One year ago today we were one night away from meeting our sweet daughter for the first time. I remember feeling so nervous, excited, and emotional. I was about to become a mommy for the first time. And a little girl was about to become a daughter for the first time. And a foster mom was about to have to say goodbye to the child she had loved and cared for for 13 months. It was the boldest step of faith I have ever taken to begin down the road to adoption. To say God has provided and poured out His mercy and grace is an understatement. I will post more tomorrow. But here are some pictures of what we were doing in Wuhan, China this time last year...

We were filling out our paperwork to take Eden into our custody.

This is some of what we wrote.

I set up a little play area with toys we brought from home, and made up her crib.

I packed a diaper bag with diapers, toys and snacks. I had no idea what I would need for her.

Katie Lyn, one of the children traveling with us, put photos of our soon-to-be babies on our hotel room doors as a surprise for us.

I can't believe it's been a year!!!