6 Months home with Noelle...plus Noelle's Adoption Video

We can't believe Noelle has been home with us for 6 months already! Where does the time go?

Stephanie just came out to the house to do our 6 month post placement visit which went great! That will be off to AWAA this week.

Noelle is learning so much....she can now help count to 5 and copies everything we say : )

She loves to watch Barna (Barney) and Ni Hao Kai-lan. Her favorite thing to do is eat snacks and read every book she owns with her Dada. Of course she loves her older sissy and loves it when she plays with her. In the evening she loves to cuddle with Mama and have a warm bottle of soy milk : )

I know we've said it before, but we feel soooo blessed that the Lord chose us to be her parents!

We love you Noelle!

Noelle ~ Gotcha day Jan. 21, 2008

Noelle ~ July 2008

Noelle's Journey Home.....It's kinda long...38 mins.

Pictures of my girls

After six months we finally found a flag for Noelle to stand beside to take her picture.

Robin & Noelle

A visit from the Steiger Clan

We had a busy but fun weekend! We held the adoption meeting here at our house and I invited the Steiger family to come up and share about their recent adoption of Jordan from Ethiopia. I was so blessed that they came and shared. It was wonderful to see them again. We met the first time last Nov in Mass. at a SCC concert. We both had just received our referrals for our girls so it was neat to see each other now that we have them home! Jordan is a doll!

What a smile : )

We also met Alice another AWAA family who adopted this beautiful little girl. This is just an amazing story of God's goodness. Selam is best friends with Patty and Jason's daughter who will be coming home Lord willing later this year. Who would imagine that two best friends who live in Ethiopia would both be adopted into Christian families who live about an hour away from each other....in Maine?! God is so good!

It was a wonderful day even with the rain! Everyone seemed to have a good time and right after lunch it stopped raining so the kids could play outside while we had our meeting. I was so happy that the other AWAA families came too! It was so nice to see Mike and Kristy and Alice! Thanks for coming!

Thank you Fil and Lenka for coming it was so fun to visit with you and see all your precious children!

I'll post some more pictures when I get them from Lenka.

Noelle enjoying the sun

Miss Noelle playing in her pool

Robin and sissy getting a tan

Noelle and Daddy

Noelle and Momma

Robin running in the parade.

I think this year was my favorite 4th of July!

Most years we just stay home and don't really do anything. I'm not really sure why. When Robin was a little girl we use to go to the parade and fire works and get together with family. But it's been years!

This year was different! We started our day by going to the parade which was a lot of fun. Robin actually ran in it! They have a race every year and she wanted to run this year with a friend. She did a good job! It was a little over 2 miles and she ran it in 15 min! Way to go girl! I wasn't able to get a picture of her, but my mom did so as soon as I get it from her I'll post it!

Noelle enjoyed the parade. She loved the candy, was scared of the clowns : )

After the parade we had a couple families come over for a cookout. Robin had two of her friends over and they did lots of swimming. Noelle also had a little friend over and they did some splashing around in her little pool.

I didn't make Noelle take a nap today with all that was going on. It was so exciting it being her first Independence Day and we didn't want her to miss out on anything! She did so good all day, but by 5:00 she just couldn't stay awake any longer! I only let her sleep for about an hour because I wanted to make sure she would sleep at night.

Later in the day Robin went to a friends house for a sleep over. They went to the fireworks and had a good time. We skipped the fireworks because we didn't want Noelle to get any mosquito bites. If you don't know what I'm talking about see the post below.

So we had a great day and are so blessed to have our two girls!

We love you Robin and Noelle!

Happy 4TH of July!!!

More pictures and tales of Noelle's first Independence Day to follow.

OK, Cheri I know I should be posting more : ) I feel so busy now having a toddler running around getting into everything!

We are all doing great! As you saw in the last picture post Robin has successfully finished the 8Th grade! She is VERY excited to be in high school! She's enjoying her summer, but misses her friends and I know she would love to back in school already.

Noelle is doing good. When we had Robin's party Noelle got several mosquito bites, a couple on her face and neck and a few behind her ears and in her hair. She was only out for maybe a half hour total because her allergies were acting up horribly! I brought her inside and gave her some benedryl to help with the allergies and the itching but it didn't help. Over the course of a week the bug bites got really big and seemed to be spreading. She couldn't get any relief from the itching so I took her to the doctors. They said it was a good thing I brought her in because they were getting infected and they were especially worried about the bite by her eye. They said if the infection spread it could cause her vision problem in the future. Who would have thought all that from a bite? Not me! They put her on two medications and within hours it was clearing up. Unfortunately it looks like a couple of the bites have left scars on her face : ( I hope they go away with time. The doctors told me to keep her inside this summer and not to let her get bit by mosquito's.....do they remember that we live in Maine? They told me this summer and next summer I shouldn't let her get any bites. By her third summer she should be OK. Well I'm not sure how she's supposed to build up an immunity to them if she never gets any bites? So what I'm trying to do is keep her inside in the morning and evening. And if she gets some bites and they start to look weird I'll at least know what to give her before it gets infected.

On another note Noelle has made the switch from baby to toddler! She is running everywhere and climbing on everything! She is doing some serious exploring : )

I guess I'll end my post here for now. I have lots to do today. I will take pictures tomorrow and post again soon!

Have a wonderful 4Th of July!!!!!

Pictures

Noelle fell asleep for the first time in her high chair : ) She's so cute!

watching some veggie tales

Pictures of Robin's 8th Grade Graduation Party

Robin had no idea we were having a party for her!

Noelle's allergies were really acting up....poor baby.

Rohler Referral!!!!

Congratulations to Dan and Nicole on the referral of their little girl! Click here to read all about it!

You only have one life.....

Isn't she a cutie!

I've been tagged by my friends Carla and Tina and I'm playing along! I’ve seen many “bloggers” lately doing this and thought I’d join in when they asked me to!

Favorite person (outside of family): How do you list just one name? I am blessed to have several close friends and I can't list just one name! I love you girls...Sheree, Angel, Sue, Patty....just to name a few :)

Quirks about you? I say "I don't know" all the time, which bugs my husband. Make plans tell the whole family and then change my mind.

How would the person who loves you the most describe you in ten words or less? "the sweetest thing on the face of the earth." Mike said that :)

Any regrets in life? Of course who doesn't have regrets?

Favorite charity or cause? Shohannah's Hope! I love that this organization is helping families bring precious children into christian homes.

Favorite blog recently? I love them all really. Lately I haven't been following very many. My little Noelle keeps me busy :)

Something you cannot get enough of? squash

Worst job you ever had? Working at Dunkin Donuts when I was 15. Once this man came in with his children and ordered donut holes. He got upset at me for some reason and threw them at me in front of the other customers!

What job would you pay NOT to have? cleaning public restrooms! GROSS! I do my best to avoid them!

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? Some of my daughters classes.

Favorite Bible verse right now?

" ... Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act ..." -- Proverbs 24:12


Guilty pleasure? Ice cream

Got any confessions? I love to shop!

If you had to spend $1000 on yourself, how would you spend it? Bathroom makeover

Favorite thing about your house? New carpets, couch, paint on walls

Least favorite thing about your house? Unfinished projects.

One thing you are bad at? Answering questions like these :)

One thing you are good at? scrap booking

If you could change one thing about your circumstances, what? All our bills would be paid off!

Who would you like to meet someday? My next adopted child!

What makes you feel sexy? Being at my goal weight.

Who is your real life hero? My husband! He works hard so I can be a stay at home mom! Thanks honey...I love you!

What is the hardest part of your job? changing poopy diapers

When are you most relaxed? In the evening when the entire house is cleaned all the laundry is done, I've just had a shower and I'm in new pjs resting on the couch with my husband with a candle burning.

What stresses you out? When I'm asked to make a decision on where to go out to eat.

What can you not live without? Jesus! And my family!

Why do you blog? Started it to keep people posted on our adoption process but now it’s a great way to keep in touch with others and meet new people

Who are you tagging? I am tagging Angel, Angie, Patty,Nicole

Rules:1. Answer the questions.
2. Link back to who tagged you.
3. Tag 8 bloggers in the above categories to do the same.

Cinderella Story

This is the video and the story behind Steven Curtis Chapman's song Cinderella.

Maria is at her "grand ball" with the bridegroom!

In Memory of Maria Chapman

Our hearts are breaking for this family, and especially for their teenage son. Please pray with us for the comfort and healing we know the Holy Spirit brings to each of us in our times of hurt and need.

This article was taken from the internet....

Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child died Wednesday evening after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name.The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area, McPherson said. He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her, she said.“It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ McPherson said. No charges are expected, she said. The accident was witnessed by two other children; the entire family was home at the time, McPherson said.Singer/songwriter Chapman, who recently was inducted into Music City Walk of Fame, is one of contemporary Christian music’s most recognizable and most awarded names. He and his wife Mary Beth have long been supporters of international adoption, having brought three girls from China into their family. Maria was the youngest.The couple is so active in the cause that they formed an organization, Shaohannah’s Hope, to aid families wanting to adopt. With his latest music tour, which came through Nashville in November, Chapman started a campaign called “Change for Orphans”. He asked audience members at each stop to bring spare change to the concert, where it was counted and given to a local family to aid in their adoption process.“I don’t know of anybody who loves his children more than he does and is so committed to the adoption concept, and to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension,” said John Styll, president of the Nashville-based Gospel Music Association.“He talks about his kids all the time. That’s his life. His kids are more important to him than music, that’s for sure.”The tragedy was announced during Wednesday-night services at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, which the family attends. Maria had just graduated from the church preschool.And word spread throughout the tight-knit Christian music community on Wednesday evening.Styll got the news not long after Maria’s death.“I’m confident I can speak for everyone in the community to say we will do everything we can to support this family, as we would do at any time, but especially at a time like this,” he said.Most of the Chapman family was at Vanderbilt children’s hospital after the accident and could not be contacted. The long, gravel driveway leading to the home west of Franklin was blocked off by Williamson County sheriff’s deputies.

A sweet video of Maria and her Daddy.....

In lieu of flowers, the Chapmans request any gifts be directed to Shaohannah’s Hope. Donate here at .... Maria's Miracle Fund

Hi Friends

Wow it feels like forever since I posted on this thing! It's kinda funny how I was on the computer everyday before we had Noelle . Now its very seldom that I have the time to sit and blog or do anything on the computer for that matter. I have to admit I do feel guilty being on it while she is awake and wants her momma to play with her or read her books. When she's sleeping that's when I try to clean the house or read. OK enough about me and my excuses, I know all you want is an update on Noelle and some pictures : )



Noelle is doing wonderful! She just turned 20 months old/young on Sunday the 18th. She is still a very happy little girl! She is a sleeping great both at nap time and at night. She is still on the bottle mostly at bedtime, and still only drinking about 4oz. She wakes up with a smile on her face (most of the time) and is ready to play! She is starting to say some words, here are a few of her favorite....good girl, bye-bye, kitty, star, turtle, ma-ma, da-da, ra-ra (robin), mimi, papa, cracker.

Lately she's been patting herself between her legs when she goes in her diaper (that's another word she knows) so we'll be getting a potty for her pretty soon. She loves to slide and swing and will giggle when she's doing both. Last night she crawled up onto the rocking chair by herself with a book, which was very cute but scary. I don't want her to fall on the hard wood floors.

We have a cute little video of her and we'll do our best to post it soon.



I don't want to forget Robin : ) She is doing great too. She loves having a little sister! She is very busy with school and track. Her last day of school is June 6th! And next year she'll be a freshman!!!! That is just crazy!!! I don't feel old enough to have a high school student.



Well that's all I have for now, I'll post a few pictures.....

Reading the Bible : )

Recognition of Noelle's Adoption April 30, 2008

Today we went to court and had her adoption recognized by the State and had her name changed. I know it was changed over there, but we still needed to change it here if we wanted her to have a new birth certificate. So we'll be getting that in a couple of weeks along with her SS Card which we also ordered yesterday! We'll be applying for her passport in the next couple of months. It's not a requirement but we want her to have one.

Our judge was Alan Woodcock Jr. he was very nice and took his time with us. He asked us about our trip to China and wanted to know how Noelle was adjusting to everything. He went around the room and asked everyone there for their name, relation to us and wanted to know how they felt about the adoption. Both sets of parents were there along with Sheree. It was nice having them all there.

This is Noelle just before we left dressed all cute in her USA colors!

Waiting patiently for her turn in court : ) Actually she was all over the place I think she stood there for 15 seconds or less.

Here's the family with the Judge. I should have stood up so the picture would have looked better, but the Judge seemed to like Noelle down there.....they played : )

The whole gang....from the left you have my dad and mom, Mike's Dad and mom, Mike, Robin and Sheree

On another note, things are moving along with the adoption group. I have been talking with the leaders of the adoption group at our church along with AWAA and I believe we're all set to get this group rolling! Since we already have an adoption group at church we're going come together and just add the AWAA piece. I'm excited to see how the Lord is going to work through this group! Please keep everyone in prayer as we move forward.

Reckless Faith

This is very inspiring and speaks to the needs of orphans and the opportunity we have to be reckless in our faith.

AWAA Associates for Maine.

I am so excited!!! I have seen a need for an international adoption group for quite awhile. A place where people can come together for encouragement, support, prayer and help with paperwork and to get answers to questions relating to international adoptions. I had been praying for almost two years asking the Lord if this was something he wanted me to do or was he calling us to just adopt. In those two years I've had several families approach me with lots of questions regarding international adoptions and asking for some help with their paperwork. I don't have any experience with adoptions only what we went through during our two years of paper chasing and waiting for Noelle, but I was willing if he wanted to use me. I have to say that anyone who has ever adopted and done the paperwork themselves know that you learn A LOT in a relative short amount of time : ) I loved doing all the paperwork involved and love the thoughts of helping other families with theirs....if they need it.

Well this past week AWAA emailed me and asked if we would consider being associates here in Maine.....of course I said YES! Part of our "job" would be holding monthly AWAA meetings, help assist families with paperwork, hold two seminars a year, get the word out about international adoptions and promote AWAA to name a few.

I also want to somehow start raising money to help other families who have the desire to adopt, but may need some financial help. Our church has a wonderful adoption ministry already so I hoping we'll be able to do more in that area. I know not all are called to adopt but we are all called to help orphans and widows (James 1:27). Helping an orphan may be helping a family financially bring a child into a home where he or she will learn about Jesus and how He adopted us as God's children. I really believe this is something more families need to consider and pray about.

So this week we are waiting for the paperwork from AWAA and hope to get started soon!

Mike and I are very excited about the opportunity given to serve as America World Adoption Associates here in Maine!

Here are a few new pictures.

Family Pictures