Naomi, Noah, and Daniel. Birthday , Home coming Day and Good news day

Naomi's first 8th birthday dinner at Mexico Joes

Mexi-Joes sombrero





Today is Naomi's 8th birthday. THAT is incredible as I have to stop and wonder where these almost 8 years of HAVING Naomi have flown.

Naomi's referral photo at 3 Naomi and buddy Samren on our way home from Vietnam to Oklahoma
OK, we adopted her in March of 2002 at 5 months while waiting for Noah, 5 who was in Cambodia and who came home October 30 2002.On Naomi's one year birthday .
Early photos of Noah
Noah's Giving and Receiving ceremony Oct 24 ,2002
(Noah and Jael play at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh the day before we left to bring Noah home)

We adopted Isaac, 7 1/2( Noah's best friend from the orphanage) in February of 2004,and Rachel 6 and Leah 9 in November of 2005 while dh Charlie was in Iraq, sent Esther and Malachi to Cambodia in summer of 2006 for a medical missions internship. During that time we were granted parole status for Leah and Rachel's biological brother and Malachi, still in Cambodia stood as our proxy and completed 8 year old Isaiah's adoption and brought him home. Charlie came home from Iraq the next summer
and left to go back to Iraq three months later and right after that. He came home for Malachi's high school graduation and Caleb and Courtney's wedding ,and left to go back for the rest of his tour. Malachi left for an 8 month mission/teaching internship at BYKOTA Children's Home in Cambodia. God graciously and mercifully guided me through running the family and the farm , home schooling and teaching English as a primary and a secondary language ,and bonding with three new children by myself.

Charlie came home to find that Malachi and Sopheak were beginning to make permanent plans together, Hannah almost engaged, Esther with a serious boyfriend, Jael a gymnastics champion, and 6 much bigger younger children all firmly engaged in activities and interests of their own.
WOW!! How could the time not have flown through all that? And yet there are so many many memories that my mind is blessed with from each of these wonderful children and our whole awesome family! Charlie has been home almost two whole years and during that time, our older sons have all gone and served at least one or more tours of duty themselves.


Naomi's birthday celebration last night was so much fun.Her requested white chili, home made bread ( I dyed it her favorite color : purple)

tossed salad with mandarin oranges, cranberries and nuts in it, and her piece' de resistance' a purple layer cake, iced in whipped cream (never frosting). Not just any white whipped cream, but pink and purple whipped creams...half a cake pink with purple ribboned stripes and half a cake purple with pink ribboned stripes. WHY NOT!!?? A child only turns 8 once.

AND Baby Charlie smiled for the first time today!

Hannah was a bit disappointed that he did it for his Daddy and not for her, but she was awfully proud of that smile nonetheless! AND Jon needed to schedule an employment physical today too This might just be the beginning of the end of his 7 months of unemployment!!! How we pray so!!
God is so good and so faithful to each and every one of us in so many ways; I think that we miss a lot of His faithfulness in the every day busyness which is our lives but I have to remind myself that God's mercies ARE new every morning and His faithfulness is GREAT. He has provided in each of the situations I just glanced over; we have had everything that we have needed and so much more!!
And today also a significant October 30, we got a huge progress report on Daniel with an optimistic outlook for soon-to-be adoption so we may get him home!!
The Daniel update...so much more to be thankful there too!!

Just read for yourselves what a volunteer at his orpahange has to say to the director and to me:
"Dear Patty and Linda,
Here are some new pictures I just took of Daniel today. He is doing very well, perhaps the best he has ever been. Mary is his one if his nannies and she just loves him so much, as you can probably tell. Secret’s weight is good, and he is eating well. Daniel cries as he is bathed and when his clothes are being changed. Despite great care and tenderness from his nannies, it appears that moving around like that just causes him pain. About 6 months ago Daniel would fuss for more than those things. Now he is content except for when he’s bathing or getting his clothes changed. He has not been ill or shown any (noticable) signs of illness in quite some time.
Daniel is only taking a bottle with rice cereal mixed in (8 ounces water, 4 scoops formula, 2 scoops cereal.) He seems content and satisfied with this right now, although he does have his first set of molars in, so when you bring him home he may be interested in trying some solids. Right now he is in size 6 month clothing pretty much exactly. He’s too big for 3-6 months, so go with 6-9, if the sizing is not just “6 months”. He would be in size 2 diapers. I forgot to measure his little foot, but I would guess it is a 2. Get fabric or flexible shoes as his feet and toes curl from his tight muscles. It is VERY hot this time of year, so one piece outfits, would be best ( The normal cotton Onesies (the ones used as undershirts) tend to stretch out pretty bad as they are pulled over his head."
What answers to prayer...............doing better than ever!!!!
Smiling!! The director told me she had never seen Daniel smile before!
And isn't this a beautiful photo of Daniel with his nanny??