Christmas 2018

It's such a joy each year to celebrate Christmas with our family and friends.  This year we had to overlook a few little bumps in the road such as two total knee replacements.  One on Oct 9th and the other on Dec. 4th.  we managed to have a ton of fun.  All four of my girls helped me out so much and Ronnie has been a saint throughout my recovery.  Santa left me a little bell to summon help in my stocking.  The big guy has an awesome sense of humor.  So thankful for friends and family who brought over food and presents for me

Hope had a wonderful time with her family yesterday.  There's just nothing like family and Christmas.  She has really grown up this past year.  I will try to post a 2018 update. We are looking forward to the New Year and wish you all Blessings for 2019.  

Jeremiah 1:5

Hello there family and friends. Once again we have discovered how to get into our blog and want to catch up on posting "again."  Ronnie wrote the post below a long time ago but we never got around to publishing it here on the blog.  I think its a good place to start. 



Here is something that Becky and I have been meaning to share for some time now. For some it will be an awe inspiring revelation, for some others it may just be another coincidence.

The unborn baby spends around 38 weeks in utero. The average length of pregnancy is about 40 weeks.  Remember the due date is an estimate. Most babies don't arrive exactly on their due date, the majority arrive somewhere between three weeks before or two weeks after.

Some time after we had returned from China with Hope we were sitting around talking about the wait. We now knew Hope's birthday and were wondering what we were doing when Hope was born. I said that it would be amazing if we found out that she was born at about the same time that we first decided to adopt a little girl. I asked Becky if maybe she was born on the Sunday the lady who had worked in the orphanage in China had visited our church. The Missionary had said,

 "if you have room in your home and your heart, please consider adopting from China." That was when Becky whispered in my ear and said, "we have room don't we"? (I never could resist Becky whispering in my ear.)

Becky immediately remembered that it wasn't close to Dec.12, 2004 when the folks from China had visited, it was back in the Spring of 2004 she thought. I remembered that we had written a check for a donation to their work on that Sunday and I set out to find the duplicate. In a few minutes I had located it and found that the date was Mar.21, 2004. I puzzled over that for a couple of minutes thinking how that date might relate to Hope's birth day. Then I started counting and the light turned on. It was 267 days from the time that the Lord planted a desire in our hearts to adopt a daughter from China to the day that Huai Dong Tan aka Hope Marie was born. 267 divided by 7 equals 38.14 weeks.

This just confirmed what we already knew... she was meant to be our daughter.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.." Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

Vacation 2014 Part 1

Although most of our readers have probably stopped checking in because it's been sooooo very long since we posted anything, we plan to do a catch up and get back to posting about this precious child we have been so blessed call our daughter.  (somehow lost my password to my blog accounts and it took FOREVER to get everything reset).

The pictures below are from our vacation last year.  We pulled a small camper (loved the experience) and visited the Great Smoky Mountains and lots in between home and there.  Sunnie went with us and it was a blast!  She and Hope are buddies and seemed to really enjoy themselves.  

Several of the pictures are from the area around Blue Ridge Georgia where we spent two fun filled nights at a Resort there.  The others are from our time in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. If you have not gone there please do.

 I think you can tell where we took this picture along the way...

 Ivy Ling tagged along for the trip.

I

 Visited with some friends we got acquainted with through the adoption community. Read more about that at http://theviewfromwolfhill.blogspot.com/2014/07/friends.html

 See that fast moving wide creek behind the girls....well the day before these pics were taken our friends and all four of us  (yes I did it too) floated several miles down on bright pink tubes.  It was a lot of fun until I fell off and thought I was going to go under when I got a terrible cramp in my leg. Ouch.  I survived.  The girls loved it.  Ronnie tolerated it :) and would I do it again?  Maybe!

Hello Again

A little catch up post here.  We had a wonderful late winter and spring although it seemed spring would never arrive.  A few Easter pictures to start off with.  Love this family of ours so much.

Ronnie Hope and I took a trip to Broken Bow in the Spring to look at the Dogwood trees blooming and to check out a cabin we rented for a trip with the family this summer.  We came across a pretty little park on our drive and took some cute pictures.

Heath and Audrey played T-Ball.  Such fun.  Audrey played in the pitcher circle most of the season and Heath did great at first base.  His favorite saying was “Hey did you see me tag that guy out!”

The Boys…my how they have grown. Of course one of them had to be comical in the picture…Thanks Ben!  Love them all so much and we are so very proud of them . End of the year school activities were awesome.  Hope and Audrey both got lots of awards.  Once again Hope was Citizen of the year for her class.  We are so very proud of both girls.

Then Sunnie Kay graduated from 8th grade.  Such a fun preview of four years in the future. 

Sunnie and her BFF Montana. 

 

Now on to SUMMER 2014…

Christmas 2013

Sadly this was our last Christmas with Grandma, she went to heaven in early January.  So very happy to have had this Christmas season with her.  She loved Christmas and she loved Christmas decorations.  One year she and several of the ladies at our church sold ornaments to raise money to buy coats for some local children who needed them.  She was a wonderful Mom, Grandmother and Great Grandmother.  She was so special to me, I believe I am a better mother and wife and grandmother because of her.   

We had some happy times during the Christmas Season too. 

I know one little girl who got way too much stuff for Christmas this year.  Her name is Hope Marie…

These pictures are of the Chinese Lantern Festive at Fair Park in Dallas.  Beautiful.  Some dear friends gave us tickets and we had so much fun. Also we bought a new car.  Love Love Love it.  And we are so thankful to have it. Also Hope Celebrated her 9th Birthday in December.  Several Friends and family celebrated by seeing the movie  “Frozen”  (great movie) and then cake and at a local restaurant.

Referral Day Plus Six Years!

I can hardly believe it has been six years but it has.  We got the call about eleven am that morning.  The first thing the social worker from CCAI said was.  “Congratulations you have a beautiful daughter”

She then sent us an email with this picture attached.

 

She was beautiful then and gets more beautiful all the time.  She looked a little scared to me in this picture then and now when I look at it I realize she really was.  I know all her expressions and what they represent about how she is feeling.  Love that girl so much.  She has brought tons of Joy and Happiness into this home. She is a sweet child, compassionate and loving all the time.   Her little world has changed so much since this picture was taken.  Next week she will be on the team representing her school in the UIL spelling contest.  She loves basketball, and music and is learning to play the violin. She is in an archery class and will be participating in a 4-H cooking class later this month.   She is busy busy busy and loves it.

Hope, we love you to the moon and back…so thankful for hearing those words six years ago today. 

Canton, County Fair, & Happy Halloween!

October went by in a

FLASH !

We have been busy busy busy.  I am really excited about the holiday season.  Practice has already started for our church Christmas Play and Hope actually agreed to a one line speaking part this year.  That makes us so proud.  She has always been so content to sing with the group of kids in our church plays and never wanted to be featured in any way.  She is really growing up and becoming more confident in so many ways.  We are so excited for her.

This month started out with our annual shopping trip to Canton Trade Days and ended last night with our Halloween fun times. Here is a photo version of October here on Wolfhill.

First Monday Shopping Canton Texas,

Sunnie, John and Ronnie washing chickens before the County Fair

 

Hopie feeding her prized chicken!

 

Fifth place ribbon…yeah Hope.  I refuse to comment on exactly how many chickens were in her category….uh a thousand  or was it five?

 

Cousin Tristan showing his First place goat.  Awesome job Tristan!

Cousin Lexington second runner up for Little Miss Fannin County.

Yeah Lexi!

 

And we had a bunch of beautiful fall days that called for races with Heath and Audrey on the patio.  I somehow missed getting a picture of Audrey.  Sorry Miss A I will do better next time.

 

Drum roll please Officer Hope keeping the peace on Wolfhill!  When we were shopping for a costume I kept trying to get her to look at the really girly ruffled stuff but she had her mind made up and Wow was she cute a “Cop” !Heath as Darth Vader and Tan Tan the Police DogMisty and Nanny giving out candy at the Trunk or Treat.  Thank you New Zion Baptist, Ector Baptist, & Ector Methodist Churches.  It was a beautiful community event.The three cuties in their costumes minus the Darth Vader mask that hurt Heath’s nose.

 

Isn’t she beautiful!   Love you Miss A.And the LOOT!  All in all I would say Hope Marie enjoyed her Halloween Fun.  By the way there is a lot more candy-a LOT!

Looking forward to a wonderful November.  Ronnie’s birthday coming up then my favorite holiday…Thanksgiving.

I am so very Thankful for my FAMILY.