mom.........you're FREAKING ME OUT

My handsome Daddy on the left! I couldn't imagine life without you!~

I have had the BEST morning ever- and one of the funniest comments by Mia was made, I just had to blog it for posterity!! HeeHee
well, our sweet friend Emma (8) had a bone marrow transplant last month and her numbers are now showing that she is engrafted! The healthy,cancer free marrow is in the house and has taken over! I was in tears from receiving this news, then the phone rang and it was Paige- my sister. My Dad had surgery last week to remove a softball size tumor from his kidney. It was scary andcomplicated as his kidneys are conjoined. Anyway, after a long wait we found out that the tumor which had grown while setting up the surgery, is BENIGN!!!! BENIGN!!!!!!!!! I think that's my new favorite word. My Daddy means the world to me and he is OK!!! I prayed the Lord would see fit to keep him here with us and our prayers have been answered. So, As I am crying my eyes out with happy tears my daughter looks at me concerned. I tell her it's ok and I am crying happy tears, well, she looks at me with a serious face ans says, "Mom, stop your crying....you are FREAKING ME OUT! I was laughing, crying and peeing my pants all at once!
Seriously, this is the BEST day ever!

Isn't she CUTE

Hello, my name is Xiao Qi and I live in an orphanage in China........

I know, I know, just when I think I have seen the cutest orphans around the world needing a Momma and Baba, it never ceases to amaze me how precious these kids are. If you have ever thought about "just one more" or thought you'd like to help someone in the world who has no voice or means to help themselves................ then may I suggest getting on a plane and bring some PURE JOY to your life! Works for me!

Happy Birthday Ashton

Mia giving Ashton a big birthday hug this morning!
Ashton and Mia playing "oh no! Where's Mia's head??- Those are some cute toes sticking out of that pink coat!
And here's the picnic in the living room Ashy style......with pringles and his two best friends:)It's pretty great when your best friends are you brother and sister!
Yes that's right! It's Ashton's big #5 today! We kind of laid low because we will celebrate with family on Sunday when Daddy can be home. So, we decided to have a celebratory picnic in the living room with all of Ashton's favorite snacks! So we had a healthy breakfast of pringles and wheatables........ oh and some assorted veggies(plastic):) He was so cute as he went through the day just blown away that his birthday was FINALLY here! He almost didn't know how to act. We played outside then tonight we had pizza and rented Star Wars /Clone Wars and all is right in the world! Oh, they are so easy when they are 5! (Trust me, I have a 12 yr old who's life is oh so complicated)
Those of you who know Ashton probably already know my favorite 5 things about him
1. THOSE BIG BROWN EYES- ad yes, he uses them to get away with murder -and he does!
2. He is so compassionate! He is always worried about his sister in particular! Sooo cute!
3. He has a happy disposition. We need more of that in the world.
4. He sleeps in:)
5.He truly thinks he can do ANYTHING! THAT is a trait everyone should have!
I love you Ashy!!!!

Mia the opportunist

We all know Mia makes the most of life on any given day:) That being said, yesterday was no different as she battled a very high fever. I don't know what's wrong with her, I'll see where this goes but during her darkest hour yesterday I tucked her in bed and told her I was going to the store to get her some medicine( the Tylenol alone wasn't cutting it). So she said in a low mumble....... MOM....... will you also get me some shoes? I said shoes? Yes, she replied, I want pink sparkly shoes. She saw an opportunity and she took it! NO, I didn't come home with pink shoes but I did manage to find some motrin and her fever went down. There's one thing I do know, Mia can "work it" when she see's opportunity. Good thing I'm clued in to her um "talent"........

Tiny, tinier and tiniest

This morning my kids were sure out great white pyranese was hungry so they all volunteered to go out and give him their leftover toast! I had forgotten how tiny my kids are compared to tthe dog ( who's name is ironically "Tiny") I think he outweighs Ashton, Mia dn Jonah combined! The funny thing is that Tiny thinks he's one of the kids so he rolls around at their feet trying to start up a game. Too cute! Jonah still wants to saddle him up and go for a ride!

ASHTON'S FUNNY OF THE DAY

Ashton's funny tonight was too good not to post! He is quite anxious for his birthday which isn't until the 19th ( march) He has been trying desperately to move it up a bit. Not hi sparty but his actual birthday. I have failed to get through to him that you don't just move your birthday! Well tonight as I was tucking him in he told me " Mommy, my birthday is in 5 minutes okay...... I SAW IT !!!!"

Seriously....... you can't make this stuff up!

By the way

I have decided to do something. I have decided that I am going to kill two birds with one stone....... so to speak .....don't call PETA! I am constantly beating myself up for not writing all those funny things down that the kids say, or the every day joys of our life as a big family, or the not so joyous days...... Anyway, I have decided to print my blog as my yearly Mallory scrapbook. Don't worry, I won't print your comments, just my posts. So if eevery now and again, I post a "funny " from one of the kids, just know it'sbecause I know I won't remember all the cute things they say in 10 minutes, let alone 10 years from now. So enjoy! By the way, Jonah picked this picture to post because he thinks his Aunt Mandy is " so pretty":)

OK the funniest thing Jonah said today was that now his birthday is officially over ( it was 2 days ago) he is telling me " Mom, I am ALMOST 8"!! Nothing like planning ahead right?

Happy Birthday Jonah

Jonah wanted to show off his photography so here goes. A mix of his photo session with his sister( which he does quite often) and some birthday pictures! Maybe someday Jonah's passion for picture taking will pay off! He sure loves to practice! He randomly poses his sibs for "photo shoots".Soooo cute!











Last Sunday night we celebrated Jonah's lucky 7th birthday! I can't believe he is 7! He is tiny still but is growing leaps and bounds in other ways. He hugs a little tighter, smiles a LOT more, talks up a storm and amazes us every day. He is such a brave little boy and we are so proud of him. Here are pictures of his big day and 7 things I love about Jonah!
1. Jonah works very hard in school and I love how he counts.......
"wung, two, free, four.... sooooooo cute
2. He says that now he is 7 he can drive himself to town to get a movie! He says because he's "wung hundred tall"
3. He loves loves to help me clean. I think he's better at it than I am!( not hard):(
4. He has a very sensitive heart- his tender heart is something I so love about him.
5. He is scary smart! He'll have me stumped by 4th grade I am sure. In the last 8 months he has learned english, learned to write the alphabet and learned to read! He didn't know a lick of english last July when we went to China to pick him up! His teachers LOVE him!
6. He loves to climb on my lap and be my "baby". We roll play this alot and it breaks my heart I couldn't be his mom from the beginning. Who snuggled with my baby Jonah when he was tired, cold,or hungry? I am grateful to everyone who helped him along his journey and am grateful he is finally here in his forever family.
7. Jonah is a great photographer! He loves to sneak my camera and pose his siblings and make art out of ordinary things! I will post some of his "work" below!

A little shopping never hurt anyone

Here is a darling outfit I found for Miss Sela. When she gets placed with her family, I am going to mail it to them!!!! Nothing like shopping to celebrate a new family!( Besides, Child's World was having a great sale:)) I thought the pastel blue was beautiful and the brown will match her big brown eyes! I can't wait until she is getting out the pots and pans from her mommy's kitchen in this warm fuzzy outfit! I can't wait until her heart will be healed and she has her whole life ahead of her with endless possibilities! Adoption is full of simple miracles! I love the opportunity I have had to witness it .Scroll down to the very bottom of this blog and watch the video by Steven Curtis Chapman. It says it perfectly! Three cheers for Miss Sela! The world is yours beautiful!

Sela is coming home

Little Miss Sela who I talked about in my last post( now gone) is not only getting a home but there are currently 3 families fighting over her! In a couple weeks she will be placed. This is such good news! She will fill a home with laughter, love and get spoiled rotten! PHEW! Now maybe I'll be able to sleep at night! She had the face of angel- not the kind you soon forget!Take good care Miss Sela! You have touched our hearts from the other side of the world! I look forward to following her journey home!

Mia speaks

Mia sat on my lap tonight and was looking at our family blog. She saw this picture and got very quiet. She was barely 2 when this pic was taken in China just a few days after getting her. She stared at it asnd said Mom,,, I didn't want to be alone!
Wow. Now, I don't know if she could possibly remember details of China but maybe she remembers how she felt? This Mom is in tears and so grateful she will NEVER be alone. Believe me in a family this size, it's pretty much impossible!
Looking at this picture, she also yelled out proudly, " that's my Daddy".
Thanks Honey for taking this leap of faith with me. It has been a wild , wonderful ride!
I added a picture of her now. She has grown into such a spunky but caring and kind little girl. She is always wrapping her arms around me and saying I love you Mom. She loves life and isn't afraid of anything! She starts Kindergarten in August. Heaven help Dworshack Elementary!

Our Christmas in California

I finally got some pictures of Christmas to show you! It was wonderful and full of firsts for our family. It was our first Christmas with 5 kids! Hectic but sooo fun! It was so fun to watch them be so excited about what the other one was getting. They got to spend almost every day of the 2 week vacation with Grandpa Rick! They all love him so much ! We camped at the Beach in our 5th wheel. THAT was a first but NOT a last! WE loved it and plan on making it a tradition! What a blast it was to wake up to beautiful waves and dolphins instead of snow and ice!!!! This California girl was in HEAVEN!!! It was Jonah's first Christmas! He got right into it! He tried to grasp the whole meaning of Christmas as we explained it to him with a Nativity. We talked about Jesus ( who he insisted is NOT a baby). Then he helped us name all the people in the nativity set. When we got to the wise men, of course Grandpa Rick was one of them! I will post a picture of Jonah opening his first Christmas gift! It was an emotional moment for me. I am just so glad he's home with his forever family and not in an orphanage with no heat!!! It was our first trip to Disnayland since we adopted Mia, so neither MIa or Jonah had been . That was so fun! Of course Grandpa Rick went and Aunt Paige and Emily and Aunt Mandy and Aunt Kate...! We loved hanging around with them all . That was half the fun! My kids love all their Aunts and they still ask when we can go back and see them! We got to go see Heather, my cousin, who is bravely fighting Breast Cancer. She still had such a sense of humor and kindness despite what she is going through. I am happy to report she has not lost that contagious giggle she has! What a treasure she is. Her kids are darling and they all had fun playing Mc Donalds. If you have been to Aunt Coy's house you know what I am talking about:) It was wonderful to laugh at and with Uncle Fred! Heehee....... And Aunt Coy is still as much of a busy, service queen as she has ever been . All the Leudtke's have had a rough year as they watched Heather's cancer return. It hasn't been easy but you can see and feel all the love that family has. OK>>>

I guess the bottom line of our trip was FAMILY . Every day was filled with family. That is all that matters and my kids saw that. We are all connected and love eachother so much no matter how far away we reside. We are so grateful for this and are so glad that families are forever!

Have you seen my Chinese?

Jonah has lost his Chinese! I am sooooo sad!!! Here are some pictures of some of our adventures in China. The country and the people will always be dear to our hearts. Make sure to read the post below all the pictures! I am a little computer disadvantaged so the post should have shown up first, but here goes! Here's to our small small world!!

Last week Jonah's best friend finally got home to the states with his family. Their trip to China was wonderful and we were anxiously awaiting the reunion of these two little guys who have been together their whole lives with exception to these last 6 months . Jin Pei's family arrived home on a Thursday morning and by Thursday night we could not stand it, we got on the phone and were all so excited about hearing them talk, laugh and catch up! Well, the moment came and Jonah had LOST ALL OF HIS CHINESE LANGUAGE!!!!! Poor Jin Pei, he smiled ear to ear because he knew it was his friend, but they could not talk with one another because they no longer spoke the same language. As his Mom I was heartbroken. First, for my son who I know had waited for this day for a long time. Second for the fact that it was HIS native tongue.No worries though for these two boys, we are heading up to Oregon for a visit this spring and by then Jin Pei will have enough English to get by and maybe he can jog Jonah's memory with his Chinese. I am just so thrilled that these two will continue to have eachother. Jonah has left his language, and his culture behind ,to some extent, but he gets to keep his best friend! How cool is that?!!** In 6 months, he learned English, which was exciting, but it's like it has replaced his Chinese. I am soooo sad. You see, we have spent a fair amount of time in China through our adoptions, and as we have done this, China has become part of our family. The people there are dear to us, the culture is dear to us.We have made some dear friends there. It is truly part of our family and we love it just as we love our Children who were born there. As I reflected on this ,I thought I'd share with you some pictures of our adventures in this beautiful country. The people are kind, and truly value things like honor, family, truth, virtue,respect, and honesty. As time marches on and the government changes and the culture shifts somewhat , the spirit of respect and kindness still remains. We are ALL children of God and I think deep down, all of us , no matter where we live, know it. We really ARE all brothers and sisiters. So here's to FAMILY!!