new shoes...

Well, it happened for the first time yesterday... nearly broke my heart.  We decided to look for sandals for Molly while in town.  She fell in love with some over the top lime green ones.  She tried them on and then took them off and put them back on the rack. I asked her what she thought... were they keepers. She replied "no, I don't think I like sandals anymore.  They show my toes and people will laugh."  She has always loved little foot... she now sees that it is different.  She doesn't like that.  I knew the day would come... We settled on some adorable strappy gold ones that look a bit like her sisters... and we bought 2 pair.  2 different sizes... no use pretending that they are close in size anymore... little foot doesn't have to slip around in a too big shoe.... so... if you can use a size 9 right foot and an 12 left foot pair of little girl gold sandals... let me know... I just happen to have a pair...

Our first day in China... 5 years ago

5 years ago today we were in China... our main mission... one adorable little Chinese girl named Shen Si Yu. We figured though that we needed to see her country and understand. We had the most wonderful tour guide in Beijing. Lotus. Even her name was pretty. She worked us hard... got in as many sites in 2 days as possible... I put all of our pictures to video... but it is too big to post in its entirety... so enjoy Day 1...

"Babies in my tummy"...

no not me!!!! HAHA :)

Last night Molly caught a glimpse of my hysterectomy scar and was very impressed by how it has become so small. These days she is full of conversation.... it made me laugh it was so cute I have to share.

Molly: "That scar is from them taking away your baby parts right?"
Me: "yes molly"
Molly: "How do you get babies in your tummy? (this is the part where I choke but she cant stop talking, so answers herself) Oh, yeah you pray to God for a baby in your tummy. No way am I praying for a baby in my tummy. That has got to hurt? Did you cry when they took your tummy babies out? I am not praying for a tummy baby. I am gonna pray for adopted babies. I like plane rides more than pain"
Me (still choking): "you know it doesn't have to hurt. They can give you medicine."
Molly: "Oh good, well if I change my mind I will pray for a tummy baby and a lot lot lot of pain medicines cause I don't do pain."

now it is not broken.

I am late in posting this, but we heard last week that indeed molly's foot is not broken. The radiologists that read the xrays are out of state (the wonders of computers). They did not have the info that Molly has "foot issues". So the bone in question is not broken- just doesn't look like a typical bone of a normal foot. (I could have told them that!) Molly has been released from her kneepad transportation and we are all much happier to not have to carry her around. Although at chore time she usually develops a sudden pain...

Indoor soccer

I now know why I had the good common sense to OUTLAW playing ball in the house. While tending to an issue that had to be dealt with I asked Noah to "entertain the littles upstairs- play a game maybe". I forgot for a brief moment that a "game" to Noah would mean a soccer game... without shoes... in the hallway upstairs... they had a great time. Until Molly missed the ball and landed her toes directly into the wall. 2 hours in the urgent care later and sure enough she has broken "big foot". We always worry about her "little foot". I never thought about how she would be impacted if something happened to "big foot". The doctors are puzzled as to what to do... normally where she broke it they dont cast. Unfortunately, because of the foot issues Molly Shen has, her big foot takes all of her weight and balance. They kind of scratched their heads and sent us home to keep her down until Monday... right. How do you keep down a strung out monkey????? Today she has taken her big sisters kneepads and pulls herself across the wood floors and has been caught going up and down the stairs on her knees... or lays on the couch barking out orders... this will soooo not be good for her bossy personality.

field trip

Every year our school holds a readathon. The kids have 1 month to read as many books or chapters as they can. Addie held the school record and this being Noah's last year of elementary school, was determined to beat it. He certainly did, and also took home his final trophy for being the top reader in the ENTIRE school. He did this all 5 years. He read over 1500 chapters! Molly was the top book reader in the whole school reading over 200. We were certainly proud of them. They are the only sibling group to win top chapters/books. The only other sibling set to do this was... Addie and Noah!!! They got cool trophys and plaques. Plus, the highlight, a trip to OMSI with the top reader in each class. I even got to go as a chaperone. It was a long day, but so much fun. We had 2 of Noah's friends in our little group to explore for the day.

just an ordinary day...

It is all fun and games in the pig pen until you give 1 kid the hose!!! What do you get? 5 wet kids and a big mud puddle for the pigs to play in. I refuse to think about what percentage is mud and what percentage is pig poo- but my dr assures me this is what keeps kids healthy. A good dose of old fashioned dirt.
Now, what I didnt get on camera... Molly carrying around a fluffy yellow chicken like a little bag on her arm, screaming at her siblings to not dare get her chicken wet. Bis and Yordi wrestling for the hose, coming crazy close to the hot fence (meanwhile, Bis not believing us that it is indeed hot). And my girly girl (not) Addie. Dressed in a WHITE strapless tank top diving into a pile of dry pig mud, throwing her brothers out of the way to capture and grab armfulls of runaway chickens before her pigs eat them. Then, informing me that was so NOT mud! :) And Bis running as fast as he can around the storage unit, screaming ADDIE YOUR PIG- GET YOUR PIG at the top of his lungs. 2 seconds later the pig rounds the storage unit in hot pursuit of Bis, kicking up his heals and laughing...

New Shoes

This morning was shoe shopping day for Molly Shen. It is a day I dread and usually put off until I absolutely have no choice. Especially hard when shopping for sandals... Today was that day. I held it together, had patience galore, even stopped and sat down with burgers for lunch... Noah and Addie went along... we had a nice time (minus the people in town... oh I hate crowds). And as usual it took us HOURS to find a pair that will work, sort of, for Molly Shen's little foot. She was born this way, with a little foot. We knew about this before adopting her, this was not a suprise. She was considered "special needs" in China and not a "healthy" referal. We love her little foot. Noah always says she has the cutest dumplings for toes. It is adorable, but it is smaller and there are no toes, so flip flops are out as well as lots of strappy sandals. In the past it has been an issue to find shoes that stay on her feet well, but there has only been a difference of about 1 size. In fact her feet were the same size, minus the toes. She has lately had a lot of complaints about her legs hurting, feet hurting and has recently taken quite a few tumbles (one that nearly required stitches) . Out of curiosity I had her feet measured. Her little foot is now 3 1/2 sizes smaller than big foot. That shocked me so much I had to sit down. We ended up just leaving the store. 3 1/2 sizes and is much smaller around... this concerns me. Is it a big deal? No. We will see her specialists in June or July... it is just a concern... Little foot has always grown right along with big foot. The orthopedists have said all along that it isnt a concern while they are both growing. We have always prayed that little foot will continue to grow, but there have never been any guarantees... today we were faced with those "unknowns"...

This evening we went to town - After a little bit Molly asked to get in the cart cause her new shoes were uncomfortable... I told Tom I didn't know whether to laugh or cry... In my quest to find shoes that fit I bought the pair that fit the best. I NEVER BOTHERED TO ASK HER IF THEY WERE COMFY!!!!!!!!!! :)

GOTCHA 4 years ago!!!

Wow. 4 years have gone by since we first lay eyes on Molly Shen in Hefei, China. Where has that time gone??? I love her Gotcha day... to me it feels like her birthday. I remember waking up early (you know those early pains of labor?) . We went for a big breakfast and the excitement was in the air. Lots of American families with no Chinese babies... yet all with huge butterflies as "today was the day"... we paced around our room- waiting for the call that they had arrived... Mom and Addie couldn't stand it and snuck down to the hotel lobby with walkie talkies in hand... didn't see her yet... Then the call... quickly get to the 5th floor. We waited, we paced, we tried to not pass out, we made small talk, and then around the corner came the most beautiful little creature in all the world. She was so much tinier than we expected her to be at 18 months old. She was scared to death (she had just been scrubbed clean, bundled up, left the only room she had ever known, and taken her first 2 hour car ride). I'll never forget snugging up to her for the first time. She was absolutely perfect. She latched on and never cried until the nanny took her from me to show me how she could walk (not) and then again when we took off her coat (she had 4 other layers on). Molly came to us at age 18 months- not walking, not talking, not sitting, not chewing, not even rolling over- and absolutely perfect...
Here is a post from China after we got Molly
Here is a post from our 1 year anniversary

Fast forward 4 years and you have the loudest, bossiest, kindergartener you have ever seen. Molly does nothing half way and goes at everything with a stubborn will like none other (a trait I am sure that enabled her to survive that first year and a half in the conditions that she did). She has a huge heart and loves all animals. She is the girliest girl, yet the first one to be hands on for whatever needs to be done. She is confident that she and Addie are twins and that there are no moms in China (don't you know there are no blondes there?). She thinks Noah's feet are perfect even though the poor little hunny doesn't have a little foot (her SN) like her. She lives life completely, sings at the top of her lungs 24/7 and is truely the laughter of our family...

So tonight we celebrate Molly and the miracle that she is... We will eat orange chicken, fried rice, lo mien, and drink Chinese tea ( and Molly will actually eat and not pick). We will watch our beautiful China movie and the video of our first days with Molly. And we will thank God that he chose our family to place Molly in. God truely is a God of miracles...

Instead of sleeping...

Sheesh!! I wish I could sleep like normal people do. You know from the hours of 3-6 am??? Instead I'm awake or dreaming very vivid dreams. And what is on my mind during these hours? Lately, it has been fabric. Crazy I know. But I have these very vivid dreams of sewing something VERY specific. Then I wake up and I'll I can do is lay there and go over it in my mind. So, this is a picture of what I dreamed last night and finally just got up and sewed... Now just picture this cute little model wearing her pink sparkle light up boots and mucking out pig pens at the fairgrounds ...

Instead of cleaning house...

This is what I did today. Sure, there were floors to mop, carpets to vacuum, laundry to do...
But, it snowed outside, I had a warm cup of tea, and my sewing machine and yards of old fabric scraps calling to me even in the middle of the night. Didn't they turn out cute????

big happenings today!!

There is big stuff going on around here today. Pictures will be coming later. I can hear Rebecca already... I know. But please understand- we live on a farm... in the country. This is just a part of life...

The conversation over the last couple of days goes something like this: (it started when the littles overheard me talking about getting a babysitter)...

Molly: Mom NO you cant leave us behind... I wanta "cassirate" pigs too!!! It's not fair. Addie says I'm old enough to scoop poop this year and if I'm old enough for that I can handle "cassirating" pigs too.

Yordi: I wanta do what Molly do too... I do pigs. They no smello so goood, but I like them piggies.

Mom: I don't know guys- there will be some blood, and baby pigs screaming for their mommies, and mommy pigs that are mad and want their babies... maybe you would be better off at home.

Molly: Good grief mom, you think we don't like blood or screaming? Yordi's nose bleeds all the time and that doesn't bother us. Besides my ears are plugged and I cant hear anything.

Yordi: I ready for screaming...

So yes, we will all be heading to some friends house to "cassirate" pigs. Addie has been there since yesterday "preparing" and if I know those girls there is a good chance they slept in the pig barn. What an awesome experience. These are the kids fair pigs for this year. They have been part of the entire process. We hauled the momma home from the fair (she was still a little pig)- the kids have seen the babies shortly after birth. Today, they get to be hands on. Addie has graduated Molly to "poop scooper" this year at the fair. Life is good. (if it could just warm up a bit... a 38* barn isn't fun for very long).

Pictures after the events of the day...

Monkey See Monkey Do

This is what happens when you have multiples... no one can do anything without the others wanting to join in. Yordi is losing his teeth due to poor nutrition. Molly is on track at age 5 and she ran into a wall today... guess the tooth fairy better start digging for loose change...

Just a mom...

I have had to sub a couple of days this week for our school district. We left early in order to take the boys to Grandma and Grandpa's for a couple of hours before their preschool starts. As we are driving Molly says: When I grow up, I want to be:

a cash register girl
a car driver
a cooker
a sick animal fixer
a naughty animal fixer
a naughty kid fixer
a sick kid fixer
a cleaner...
I don't know how I can pick just one...

Noah pipes up-"you know if you are a mom you can do all of those and you won't have to pick just one".

Molly: "yep, I guess I will just be a mom"

playing house...

I was wrestling sheets up on the top bunk in the boys room when I overhear a conversation coming from Molly's room.

Bis: Molly, want to play mom and dad?
Molly: Sure- are we going to have 2 dads and 1 mom?
Bis: No, 1 dad leaves the baby, so 1 dad stays, 1 mom, 1 baby
Molly: Oh, yeah. Is the first dad gonna leave the baby in a box?
Bis: No, he just puts the baby in a car and they take it away.
Molly: Ohhhh.... hey, you want to play horses instead?

Some conversations I will just never get used to.