Happy 97th Birthday Nanny!

Today we celebrated Nanny's 97 birthday!!  I can only hope that if I reach the age of 97 that I will be as happy and healthy as she is.  Nanny continues to live in the same home where she has lived for over 30 years and pretty much take care of the majority of all needs other than running errands; not bad for 97!  I can honestly say she is one of the healthiest people I know!  She has taken vitamins for as long as I can remember, eats a balanced diet that includes plenty of honey and coffee as well...even with cream!

We all had nice time getting together and enjoyed a delicious pitch in!  Mom brought chicken and green beans, Tammi made some yummy corn casserole and rolls and we brought crock-pot cheesy potatoes along with a cheese ball and crackers. Nanny was tickled that she was able to blow out her "97" candles and later in the afternoon Gabriella got the giggles which quickly became contagious to all.

Happy Spring!!!

Someone was just a little excited to have a fresh manicure and pedicure and wear her summer sandals!!!  Mother nature has been teasing us each week with a little taste of spring and we are beyond excited to see sunnier days and warmer temperatures!

Bullying...

Bullying...it's a word we hear a lot about.  As a matter of fact the most elite school in our state just had a terrible bullying incident that happened on their basketball team last year that made headlines all over the state for the last year.  Though as a mother my heart went out to the victims of this crime, I didn't really understand how their family may have felt until we experienced it;  when our son Jordan was the victim of bullying

While Jordan was in the orthopedic surgeons room getting his arm casted he began to laugh.  Curtis asked him why he was laughing and he said "I'm happy, it's over, I don't have to be bullied anymore"...I don't know if it hurt worse knowing what Jordan had gone through or hearing him say he's happy he can't play the sport he has loved his entire life because he finally has relief from the bullying due to a bully injuring him"...

Home is Where Your Heart Is...

As I have posted previously our family is moving home.  When I think about home; I believe home is where your heart is.  Home is where you are accepted for who you are, exactly how God made you including areas you may need to work on as well as areas that He has gifted you in.  Home is a feeling of security.  Home is knowing you have unconditional love and support from family and friends...even if life becomes difficult.

Our family has been blessed beyond measure in the last year in many ways.  First and foremost, after years of prayer of who our daughter may be in China, we were united with Gabriella and she has completed our family in the most special way!  I completed grad school which was a huge relief!  I have been blessed with a position I have only dreamed to serve in and I'm there; serving in a university that is growing and thriving and I believe it is because Christ is the center of it and it is reflected in everything that transpires there.  We've also been blessed with good health and the ability to spend quality time with family and friends.

Our family has also faced a big challenge this year; one that I will post about later this week...it's also the reason why our blog will be invitation only for a period of time so I can openly and honestly share what has gone on in regard to our family.  Don't get discouraged; 95% of all of our blog post will be uplifting but as an educator and a Christian I want to share the challenges we have faced and as we walk through this difficult journey I hope we can come out the other end and use it as an encouragement for others who may be facing the same challenge.

The Perfect Little Sister!

Today we completed our second post placement visit to complete Gabriella's adoption! I can't believe it has been a year since our precious baby girl was placed in our arms!! I have to say that God truly gave us the perfect daughter and little sister for our family:) Daniel is our oldest and he can be one tough cookie...Gabriella knows exactly how to give him a challenge when he needs one and she also knows how to make him smile and laugh...she reaches a part of him that not many people see and we love it! Jordan and Gabriella  simply love each other to pieces! Jordan prayed for a little sister from China for years; he even asked his youth group to pray and pray they did! This little girl loves her Jordy and he loves her in a BIG way! Nicholas and Gabriella have come a long way! Gabriella had some serious jealousy issues of Nicholas and her favorite quote used to always be "NO NICK". Now she enjoys playing with Nicholas and doesn't seem to mind it when he wants to sit next to mom and dad on the couch, give us hugs etc. This dynamic duo has come a long way!!!

Change...

It's amazing how life can truly change in just a year! A little over a year ago we had been blessed to be the parents of three amazing, incredible sons! On March 1 of 2010 all that changed when Gabriella was placed in our arms and what a year it has been! Gabriella has filled a void in our family that we didn't even realize was missing ~ it never ceases to amaze me how God knows our hearts and gives us the desires of our hearts...especially the ones in which He plants the seeds:)

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Our family has a lot of change going on right now:) One thing we are preparing to do is move back home...home is about an hour and a half north of here and the place we resided for 17 years before relocating to central Indiana. We can't wait to be closer to our family and our friends who truly are family; they say home is where your heart is and our heart is definitely north of here:) We are scheduled to move about one month from now!!!

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I have also been blessed with my dream job and accepted an assistant nursing professor position at my Alma mater...again, I feel like I'm going home as I'm surrounded by wonderful, honest and Godly colleagues and students alike...I have to wonder if this isn't what a glimpse of heaven is like as the heart of the campus family I'm blessed to be a part of truly appears to have the heart of Jesus and I'm eternally thankful to be a part of such a wonderful educational environment:)

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One last thing that is changing is that I've ordered a new blog so this blog will be getting a total make over and I can't wait for it to be completed! I love the colors and am very excited for it to be completed:) The new blog we will have will be changed to a private blog, at least for a period of time and I may discuss why at a later date. If you would like to continue to follow along our families journey please feel free to contact me and I will send you a password to our new blog; we don't want to loose our blogging friends...just need a little more privacy for a while:)

Happy One Year Forever Family Day!!!!

We had a wonderful evening celebrating Gabriella's "One Year Forever Family Day" on March 1!!! Gabriella LOVES getting dressed up and chose her dress for the special evening:) The silver bracelet she is wearing she had on when she came to us in China one year ago...the pearl bracelet we bought for her while we were in China for her one year celebration. We all celebrated at our local authentic Chinese restaurant where we all enjoy dining and the owners of the restaurant love spoiling Gabriella. Nicholas was very sweet in suggesting everyone go around the table and saying one thing they love about having Gabriella as part of our family. Each person thought for a moment and gave a heart-felt answer as to what they loved most about our baby girl...they would truly bring tears to your eyes!! Let's just say that our little princess has made all of our dreams comes true and she is an answer to prayer for our entire family! We love you with all of our hearts Gabriella Grace Hao and look forward to seeing the plans unfold in your life that God has already prepared for you!!!