Just a few weeks away!

In just a few weeks Kira will have surgery on her leg. And understandably so, she is really scared.

The doctor is going to amputate above her ankle area, then once that is healed, she will be fitted for her new leg and foot.

We are nervous for her, but much more then nervous...we are so excited.

We can not wait to see her walking straight and tall. She has suffered many ways for a birth defect that she had nothing to do with.

People can be cruel. But God is not. He is love.

He brought her home where she is loved no matter what the defect.

So, soon she will be running with the rest of the kids, and we can't wait to see where she ends up.

Claire

Just one more.....

Sweet little man..my baby boy!

Well, it seems that we are not completely "done" yet.

With the new special focus program China has going, and the new re-use your dossier program...we had some thinking and praying to do.

Do we take this opportunity to bring home one more child, or do we not.

So, after a few months of prayer and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the 2 new ones...we have decided to throw all caution and sanity to the wind..and bring home our new son!

Please meet Levi Andrew Taylor. He will be 3 at the end of Sept. Such a sweet, sweet face.

We are cranking on some home study update paper work and hope to travel by the winter.

I can not wait to have another little boy! And a cleft lip one to boot!

God is so good. I am spoiled rotten.

First day of school

The only one home to rot in front of the TV

Summer creations by Logan and Hudson

Ready for School!

All day creation

BFF"S at the beach

Kira loving the surf!

Hudson and his new love. He is a total beach bum!

The kids went back to school this week.

1/2 of me misses them very much, and 1/2 of me is really ok with some time to get things done @ the house.

Guess I want my cake and to be able to eat it too.

Sweet ride!

It has a built in fire extinguisher!



The view from the back row.


The view from the driver's seat.


Sweet and sexy!

With room for a few more (:

Great start to July!

A much needed beach week-end.


Michael's first car!



Michael turned 18!



Can not believe that my first born is now 18. Crazy how fast time has gone! Could not be more proud of the wonderful young man he is becoming.

Thankfully I have another year until the dreaded C word...college.

Claire

A very good month

Sir Jackson



A nerf warrior


Jacob, Connor and Hudson chillin'


Charlene and I with the girls


Sweet princess..Sophia, Grace, Shoa, Mia and Kira

Kira's 1/2 birthday. We couldn't wait until Jan!


Sweet Logan's 8th Birthday!



Our sweet ride! With room to grow (:


It has been a month of firsts for us. Hudson's first birthday home, Mike's first car, Kira's first half birthday. Our first passenger van, and a visit from Auntie Charlene and the kids! Charlene got to meet Kira, Hudson and Sophia for the first time. And as always the kids took about 3 minutes to warm up and the rest of our visit was shrouded in nerf bullets and dress up clothes.

And finally, Bart and I are taking the states foster/adoption classes after a few years of Bart really feeling led to explore this option of adoption.

I won't lie, my heart is still in China. And I still want a little cleft lip boy. But, as I am SOOOO very slow at learning, it is not about what I want. It is about what God wants me to be willing to do.

Another first for us was that we were interviewed by our cities magazine about our family, and our adoption journey.

I was hesitant at first, just did not feel comfortable with being the focus of that type of attention. But, I had to realize what a great opportunity this would be to possibly encourage others to adopt.

Save Now

Hopefully God will use our story to do so.

Love,

Claire

SUMMER !!!

Hudson's 9th birthday!


1st official lake day of the summer!
tubing!


Hudson and Kira's 1st build-a-bear trip

Kira getting her ear pierced.


Sweet, sweet summer!

Finally, no 5:30 am alarms! No homework, no car line, big breakfasts, extended movie nights, first official lake day and beach time!

Well, keeping with a new tradition...we came home from China, rested a bit, then hit the road to see family. We drove to SC to see one of our niece's graduate from high school, and to introduce the new kids to Bart's side of the family.

Yes, all 9 of us in one vehicle for 8 hours. Not sure that is what adoption experts would say is text book family bonding, but what do "they" really know?

We had a great time. Hudson ate his way through 3 states, Kira loved watching Mulan (in Chinese) over and over and over..The other kids vegged out with their various electronic devices and I took a nap.

It was great to see family, and to celebrate Hudson's first birthday home. He turned 9 on June 2nd.

We have a few more birthdays this summer, Logan will be 8 on the 16th, and Michael will be 18 on July 3rd.

We also have a highly anticipated day of consultations at Shriners Hospital in Tampa tomorrow. we are so excited to see what can be done for Kira's leg and her hands.

She is amazing in all that she can do now, can not imagine what she will do with things corrected.

So, if you can't tell..I am really looking forward to having some down time with my man and the kids.

Love,

Claire