6 Months Already!?!?!

Time flies when you're having fun!!

It has been 6 months since Anna Li joined her forever family.

Having Anna Li in our lives has been nothing but blessings.

She may have spent the first 12.5 years of her life in an orphanage,

but there is no doubt in my mind that she was loved by many.

I am so thankful for the people that God placed in her life along the way.

They helped make her who she is today.

She is a very special girl that lights up the room when she enters.

She is full of life, love, and dreams.

It is an honor and privilege to have her as my daughter.

Where is the 6 month picture???

It's coming! We got them made last week and they are sooooo good! Can't wait to share them!

It's no surprise.....

Ok, so I have posted it everywhere but my blog!!! This will be no surprise to my family, friends, and facebook buddies but......we have some news to share!!!

I'm having a baby:) due sometime in October!!

It has been a rocky start!! I took two pregnancy test at home and both were positive. I scheduled an appointment and soon went to the doctor. They gave me another pregnancy test, did an exam, listened for the heartbeat, sent me for an ultrasound, did a vaginal ultrasound, and sent me back to the doctor. The doctor says..... You are NOT pregnant! What?!?!? Ok, the doctor is 99.9% sure of this but sends me for a blood test. The next day I get a call.... Oh, guess what.... I AM!!! I knew it!!

So, for all of you who already knew this.... here is an update for you. I had to go back and have the blood test again.. not sure why but the lab tech asked if they checked my progesterone levels. I said no but I wish they would (my levels were low with Colin). Well, I got the results and just as I expected... they are low again. They have put me on medication and I go back tomorrow to see if they are doing the trick. Keep me in your prayers. I hope to get some good results tomorrow:)

The kids reaction..... THEY LOVED IT!! They are all very excited and YES they are already fighting on who is going to sit by the baby in the car. Speaking of car.... does anyone have a minivan for sale??? I think we're going to need one:)


Ok on a lighter note!! I know how to spell "sewing"! I don't know what I was thinking when I typed sowing in a previous post! Thanks for telling me! My mom came forward yesterday to tell me of my typo. Anyway, I am a terriable speller but I do know the difference in sewing and sowing!! I promise:)

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year:) We brought in the new year at Papa Denny and Mama Carol's house. It wasn't easy staying up until midnight but somehow I managed to do it. I think I was a sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Does that mean I'm getting old?? Oh, and Colin got his last injury of the year... he ran into the car door and got a black eye.

We spent our first day of the year at the home of a dear family friend. She always fixes the BEST meal: roast, macaroni cheese (to die for), black eye peas, butter beans, rice, and some yummy mushroom gravy. It was so good!! We spent the afternoon talking and playing games. If you have a lot of people (4 or more) you must go out and buy the game Apples to Apples. IT is so much fun!! Oh, and Colin got his first injury of the year..... he was running outside and fell on stick. He scratched and blackened the other eye!

I am sorry to report I forgot my camera BOTH days and I have no pictures to share!! I was so mad at myself for this!!!

School starts back Monday for me and the kids. Chad starts back the next week. Life is about to get a little stressful:) I am taking a full load of classes this semester. I said I was going to cut back but I just can't help myself! I got a TEACH grant so I might as well take advantage of it.

Wish you all the best year EVER!!!

Christmas with the Gray's

Back row: Denny (Chad's dad), Chad, Kevin (Chad's brother)
Front Row: Colin and me, Anna Li, Bethany, Bethany (Kevin's wife), and Eli (Kevin & Bethany's son) Kevin and Bethany with the kids

Bethany Gray and Bethany Gray: Chad and I named our first child Bethany and soon after Chad's brother met the love of his life, Bethany. So, once they were married we had TWO Bethany Gray's in the family.

Kevin and Bethany gave us the greatest gift this season... they had our blog made into a book!! Anna Li loves looking at it and we will cherish it forever!!

Anna Li showing Mama Carol the book

We had a wonderful evening with Chad's family. We munched on finger foods, talked, laughed, and even played a game of catch phrase before we opened presents.

Christmas at Mamaw and Papaw Harpers

Can you tell that Anna Li was excited?!?! All the kids were anxiously awaiting their presents from Mamaw! The girls had so much fun together! Anna Li, cousin Kailey, and Bethany. Their ages are 10, 11, and 12 (going from right to left)!

The boys were all about spending time with Mamaw Reba!! Colin and cousin Sam

Christmas Morning at the Gray's

Anna Li, Bethany, and Colin... my 3 rotten angels:)
What did Colin get for Christmas?? Just to name a few... Lego castle, some kind of animal jungle toy (boy version of a doll house!), and a skate board

What did Bethany get for Christmas? Just to name a few... bike, sowing machine, and a barbie

What did Anna Li get for Christmas? Just to name a few.... a bike, MP3 player, and barbies.

Oh, and lets don't forget the PlayStation Portable with games:) Next year Anna Li wants 1 present... nah, 2 presents.... nah, can I have 6?!?!

With all these goodies we still remembered the real reason for the season. Anna Li made sure we all sang Happy Birthday to Jesus:) We also read the story "What God Wants for Christmas?" Great book! It is a must for every family at Christmas!!

All I want for Christmas.....

If you are the mother of an adopted child, I am sure you cherish every picture you have of your child... especially the ones of the months and years you missed. This is Anna Li with our dear friend Nicki from Christian Action. She and her colleague Timothy came to visit us during our stay at the White Swan. As you may remember, she brought me tons of pictures of Anna Li during her stay at the orphanage.This was a good 5 years of Anna Li's life. As you can imagine, they are priceless to me. We still keep in contact with Nicki through email and phone calls. She is so good to Anna Li and Anna loves her very much! Well, Nicki has surprised us once again with an email of more pictures of Anna Li and VIDEOS!! I have yet to figure out how to post videos on my blog but once I do you can bet I will share them. I have one of Anna Li and her friends singing and Santa waving in the background. It is too cute!! For now, I will share some of my favorite pictures. Oh, and all I want for Christmas..... is for you to check out Christian Actions website and see the great things they are doing. You can click on the link on the right side of my blog to get to their website. If Anna Li has touched your life in any way, please consider making a donation. Merry Christmas!!!