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Christmas Elves

OK, if you want to laugh, click on this link:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1112388051

Looks like you'll have to cut and paste, but it sure made me laugh!

Amanda in Europe

Amanda was able to spend her Thanksgiving vacation in Prague and Vienna this year. She traveled with the College of the Ozarks handbell choir for 10 days of concerts and touring. She plays in the handbell choir, but was also able to play her violin with the bells on a few of the pieces they did. I don't think that this will be her last trip to Europe.....she says she loved it there!

We Are Going To China

We got our travel approval from China today. Stay tuned for details as we get our trip worked out. Hoping to leave October 4th.

Moving Day--September 9th

LiAnne Turns Four -- September 20, 2007

A visit with Amanda

We all miss having Amanda at home. We do get to talk to her most days, but that is not the same as being able to visit. We enjoyed being with her while we were in Missouri. Her college is only 45 minutes from my folks, so we were able to see her often. Besides her job at the college, she plays her violin at the college restaurant 5 evenings a week. It was fun for us, and especially for Taylor and LiAnne, to go to "Amanda's restaurant" and hear her play. The kids also enjoyed visiting her dorm room, and watching her play soccer along with Matt and Crystal and the group of MK's/international students.

House Remodel

We were busy during the month of July, remodeling a house in Missouri. We have done this before in order to pay for Taylor's adoption. Our realtor found us this house that he thought we could do well on, so it became our vacation project.

Thanks to the help of Matt and Crystal, my dad on the electrical, my mom in keeping the kids a couple of days so that they didn't have to be there everyday, and we were able to get a lot of the work done while we were in Missouri. Matt and Crystal are finishing up now that we are back in Mexico.

God was good to us.....and we had a buyer come by the last week of work. He had offered on the house in the past, and still wanted it. He was very happy with the work that we had done, and signed the contract to buy before we left. Closing is August 31st.

Crib mates, best friends....together again!

In the fall of the year 2002, a baby girl and a toddler boy entered an orphanage in the province of Guizhou. Perhaps because they entered at about the same time, they became crib mates, and as they grew, best friends. Fast forward a couple of years, and the little girl is adopted and leaves for the United States. She didn't get to say good-bye to her best friend, because he was in the hospital at that time, having surgery. Another year rolls around, and the little boys family prepares to go to China to bring him home.

They post and send a picture to the orphanage group that they are leaving to bring him home, and the mother of the little girl happens to check in and see the post. Her daughter sees the picture of her best friend, and cries in delight when she recognizes him. The mother emails the boys family, and sends updated pictures for them to carry to the orphanage.

In China, when the little boy meets his family, the orphanage director hands them a picture, and tells them about the boys best friend who is now living with her family in the United States, and asks them to find her so that the children can be in touch. Imagine his surprise when the parents hand him updated pictures of the little girl, as they are already in contact.

Another year passes, with email and pictures going back and forth between the two families, and time comes for them to meet. July 4 and 5th of this year the two children, seperated now for two years, meet and spend a couple of days together. What fun it was for us as parents to celebrate with our children as they were reunited!