*do I lose points for stealing this post from his private blog? still counts, right?


As I was fortunate enough to catch some time with a friend today, and her beautiful daughter who came home from China about 4 months ago, I was reminded through our conversation that Anxi has been home over 2 weeks already. WOW. Has it really been two weeks??

When I think of all this little big guy has had to endure this past month, and how he has come through it all smiling and seeming to really love his big ol' family... I just can't help but tear up. I don't think anyone who were to meet this little boy would believe me if I told them he has only been here for just over 2 weeks. He is just so settled. So comfortable. So happy. So accepting of our love and so giving of his. So just one of the gang. And I so could NOT be more thankful. An answer to SO MANY prayers.

Thank you Jesus!

I love that he has been with us long enough now that we acutally know a little bit about his personality... his likes and dislikes, boxers or briefs, if you will. for example..

*He is a big family kinda guy. This little guy was no doubt hand chosen by God to be in this family. I cannot even describe to you how much he loves his peeps. He just cannot get over how many there are to call "his". So many who marvel when he adds an English word to his vocabulary. There is Always someone who will go jump on the trampoline with him. He is Never short a friend to build legos with, or play WAR with, or look for WALDO with him. If the kiddos are at school, he is always asking about them, or thinking about them. Just the mention of any one of their names makes him smile BIG!



*And he has the sweetest heart. If Johnathan is sad, he will come over and rub his head. He is constantly handing out unsolicited hugs and kisses. If I am sitting on the couch reading a book to one of the girls, he will smile really BIG, and run over and plop himself right next to me, snuggle in and sometimes even lay his little head on my shoulder. So sweet. He also gets that he is a BIG brother to 4 little ones, and it is his job to look after them. One day when we were walking to the park and he was riding ahead of me on his scooter, I saw him jump off his scooter and run ahead. I thgought he was going to run into the street, or just leave his scooter and race ahead to the park. I start to call out to him, when I notice Allie had fallen off her bike up ahead, and he had run ahead to help her pick it up. Is that adorable or what?

*He is a rule follower, and likes to be the enforcer. When David was little, being that he was my first, he was a rule follower. I don't know where we got this little nickname, but we used to call him officer Buckle. Can I just say there is a new Officer in town. We are being pretty strict with our rules with the kiddos, so that Anxi will pick up on them more quickly. For example we try really hard to remember to not wear shoes in the house(but that doesn't always necessarily happen). We have explained this rule to Anxi, and he gets it, though he needs reminding every now and then. Sometimes, I will leave my shoes on , like when carry in the groceries, or if I have justcome in from outside, but I am going back out again. Officer Buckle will get on me in less than 30 seconds. No No Mama. Shoes, No NO. I mean seriously, Officer B is all over it. Makes us laugh every time.

*dude loves him some Ramen Noodles. Would eat them 5 times a day if I let him. Stef, he and Jude will get along just fine.



* He loves Math and is much better than I am at it. He can add in his head, without using his fingers. I still use mine. One night I was working on math with Grace and we were doing simple addition. We had little cards with numbers on them and little stones, and she was working on forming simple addition equations, using the stones to match the numbers on the cards, to help reinforce the concept. Anxi was watching and I asked if he would like to have a try. I spoke very slowly. almost as if he were my elderly grandfather who was losing his hearing. I said twoooooo. pluuuuuusssss. twwwoooooo... Anxi. Twooooooo. pluuuuuuusssss. twoooooooooo. okaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy? twooooooooooo. pluuuuuuuuuusssss twooooooooooo. He looked at me like I had two heads. He did this little smirk. shook his head at me.. let out a little laugh, and lightning speed, pulled out two 2's, the addition sign, the equal sign and the 4, and set them up in the proper order. huh? okay.. maybe a fluke. try again. This time we did five plus two. fiiiiiiiiiivvvvvvvveeeeeee. pluuuuuuuuuuusssss. twwwwooooooo. you get the picture. Again with the head shaking, and the sly little smile,(which is so stinkin' cute by the way)... 5+2, done. just as fast. Before you know it, we were doing double digit addition, with subtraction thrown into the equations as well. He must have had a good laugh at me over that one. lol.

* He loves to learn. He is already working on his ABCs...he can sing the whole song and recognizes letters, and can spell his name already.

* He loves school. He asked to start on the way home from the airport. He started last Wednesday, and he thinks school rocks! I think it did not hurt that he knew his big brothers and sis went to school during the day. A new big school, with all new friends, all of whom speak a different language than him. So much braver than I.


* He hearts Martial Arts. He will go out on the back porch and practice his kicks and punches. We decided to start him in a class this past week. When he arrived at the school, and saw what the other kids were doing his eyes lit up! And he started punching and kicking and SMILING so BIG! And when he put on his uniform, I am certain there has never been someone so proud. As we watched him through the windows, he kept looking for us, and when he would find us, he would smile s BIG. He just wanted to make sure his peeps were still there, and that he had someone watching him do his thang. He knew we were proud, and he could NOT.STOP.SMILING,

* Did I mention he was Brave? Since he has been home, he has had to accept our big ol' gang as his family, get on a new time zone, endure another TB shot, a couple of doctors appts, had several teeth pulled, started a new school, ride a school bus for the first time, and basically turn his whole routine upside down and trade it in for a whole new one. such a very brave little big guy.

*He thinks belts are the cats meow. He discovered that he had some in his closet, and he has worn one every day since. He thinks they are superhero belts. So the first day he wore his, he went aroud telling everyone, and I mean everyone about his belt. And then he could be found trying to inspect others to see if they too were belt wearing members of the superhero community. That has made for some awkward times.

*He is the tickliest little person I have ever met. Might take advantage of that when I am gently reminding him of the rules. If he gets a little ornery.. tickle torture. Pulls him right out of it. Thank you for that one Jesus!



* Dude has a swagger. I can't describe it, but to say he walks like hes a rockstar. And he is.. in our world. Go on with yo' bad self, Anxi.

*He tells people he has 2 names. But do not call him Samuel. "No. No. Samuel." with the finger shakes. funny funny little man!

*Little big guy is loved by all he meets. He is such a people person. And so friendly, and accepting of new people. He just exudes JOY.

I could go on and on...

He is just pure love.
And we are just so blessed.
We heart our little Big Guy!


God is so very good!

Today I become a mama(in flesh, already been in my heart) … to ONE more blessing from God.

which means...


ONE more little face to the family picture.

ONE more setting at the table.

ONE more face smiling back at me in the rear view mirror of BIG MAMA!

ONE more silly song singer.

ONE more nonsense Joke-maker.

ONE more giggler

ONE more family dance party dancer.

ONE more little coat to zip.

ONE more snowman builder

ONE more lego tower maker

ONE more little artist who will create masterpieces for my wall.

ONE more to tuck in and snuggle with at night.

ONE more I will no doubt mortify and embarrass thousands of time throughout their lifetime.

ONE more to hug.

ONE more bed jumper.

ONE more snack sneaker.

ONE more chore avoider.

ONE more bus rider who waves enthusiastically at me out the window as If I am a ROCK star, as they head off to school.

ONE more bath-tub scuba diver to certify.

ONE more who will bring home flowers(weeds) to make mommy smile.

ONE more little stocking to fill!

ONE more cup of hot cocoa waiting after playtime in the snow.



ONE more who will no doubt teach me to love a little more like our Father Loves.

ONE more who WILL know Jesus.

ONE - hundred forty seven million, less ONE, orphan in the world

ONE more who will be given the chance to live to their potential


ONE more to love with all my heart….

Have you been over to No Hands But Ours lately?  Several adoptive mamas have agreed to be contributing writers for the No Hands blog, and to share stories about their adoptions. For the past couple of weeks, there have been some amazing stories posted. Like this one, and this, how 'bout this one,  Or maybe this one, and on and on and on. , There is no doubt that through sharing their stories, these women are going to help open others hearts to the blessing of adoption. That means more kiddos finding their forever families. Good stuff!!

I hope you will take the time to head on over to No Hands But Ours, and be blessed by these heartwarming and honest stories! 

While you are there, why don't you take the time to become a follower. That'll make it even easier to keep up with all the wonderful stories still to come!

And as a bonus we will be giving away a Wild Olive tee a week,  for the next five weeks. We will choose a winner a week from the followers list. The first winner will be chosen next Saturday, October 24th out of the list of 'followers', and we'll continue to do that weekly... with the last winning name being chosen on November 21st.

So head on over to check out No Hands but Ours. And venture off to the side and click on that followers widet  and get yourself entered into our Wild Olive tees giveaway! And why not tell others about NO HANDS BUT OURS! You never know how many seeds you will plant!

See you on over at No Hands But Ours

   I have set up a private blog for Samuel's Journey. If you would like to follow along, please e-mail me at heartsmiles08@gmail.com.  in the subject field, please put SAMS BLOG, so that I can keep the e-mails straight. Also, if you don't mind, if we haven't "met" yet, please tell me a bit about yourself, or if you have a blog, where I can find you!  I like to know whose hangin' out round these parts! 

Isn't he the sweetest??

We are less than 12 hours to Samuel Day!!  In 12 hours Samuel will be with his FOREVER FAMILY!!!!  one moment please......

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I am so much more nervous for him than I was for the other three. Because he is older, he GETS what is about to happen.  Can you imagine how weird that must be for him.  I imagine he is scared. excited. nervous. comfussed. sad. happy. overwhelmed. so many emotions must be going through that little  big man.

Bless his heart.

He is sleeping now. Or maybe he is awake thinking about what tomorrow will bring.  Does he have a little bag packed?  hold on a moment, that just brought me to BIG UGLY TEARS!

Seriously. Does he have a little bag packed with just a few of the things that he has been able to call his own over the past few years?  Did he bring a little picture of his foster brother whom he ADORES and who will be staying behind waiting for his FOREVER FAMILY?  What about his friends at school. Did they write him little good bye letters? Or throw a party?  Did they exchange addresses so they can keep in touch? He doesn't even know his own address. Did that thought make him even more nervous?  

Does he worry that he won't be able to tell us what he needs?  Does he worry we won't like him?  Good news is on that one, he will figure out pretty quickly he has SO MANY people who LOVE him.  At least he can check that one off his worry list right away. Does he have a worry list?

The night before travel day, the kids and I set out to shop for a few things for the trip. On the list we needed to get him some socks and underwear.  As we were looking at the different types, I almost broke down in tears because I realized I don't know if he prefers boxers of briefs. And I wanted to get it right.  What if he is a little underroos brief man, and he had to wear annoying boxer briefs. Or worse yet, I went with the baby superhero underoos, and he is MORTIFIED!  

Yes I realize he probably has bigger concerns than boxers or briefs.  But, I want him to know I care about every.little.detail.   

And then in all my worry, God reminds me that from here on out, FOREVER. He has a family who has been  given the gift of getting the chance to know and care about every little detail that makes him who he is.  That will be here to show him that all the little details that make him who he is, matter!  And he will know how blessed we feel to be the ones who get the opportunity to get to know him. To love him. To call him our big brother, little brother, cousin, nephew, grandson, and son.

Man, God is just so Good!

So the coutdown to Samuel Day begins... T minus 12 hours and counting...

Please Keep our little big guy in your prayers. And as for the underwear, would you throw that in there too. That I got it right? ;)

:)

i LOve yA!

cause I do… LOve yA!

Just thought you shouLd knOw..yA know?

LOve yA!

RealLy, I dO!

hAppy happy day!!!

Wild Olive Kids, is here!!!!!!

You have no idea how excited I am to get these tees out there. For me, it was seeing kids tees in the stores with the negative messages on them that really sparked my fire to start on this venture of selling tees with scripture on them. I just was so tired of seeing tees that say, " I'm a brat.", or "I'm the boss of my mom"... or "homework sucks.". I wanted something that I could put my kids in that was positive and encouraging. Something that allowed them to spread a message of love, a way to be the light without having to say anything.

Through August we are giving a percentage of sales of our CHOSEN tee to support LOVE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES!!, an organization near and dear to our hearts. I might have mentioned this before, but Samuel is being sponsored in Foster Care through Love Without Boundaries. I cannot express how much it blesses me to be able to use Wild Olive to support the LWB ministry. I could tell you that every time I see an order come in, and I see that another CHOSEN tee has sold, that I tear up. But you might not believe me. Unless you know me IRL, or have been here long enough to know that I am a sap. And a dork. A sappy dork, if you will.


Anywho....


Run on over and check out our new Wild Olive Kids line. We would love to see you partner with us to support LWB. Not to mention, these tees are just cool, if I do say so myself. ;)

Hugs~




warning: should you choose to clothe your kids in a Wild Olive Kids tee, there is a good chance, should I ever run across your kids around town while they are sportin' their Wild Olive Kids tee, that I will run at them and give them a big ol' hug. And then I might cry. Please consider yourselves warned, and warn the children too, will you. This could be startling. Just ask the Wild Olive Tee wearing women around my town. I'm just sayin'. 

An organization near and dear to my heart. The Elison Project, is organizing a cookbook for a fundraiser. They need YOUR help. Recipes! Recipes!! Recipes!!!

The Elison Project provides grants to families bringing home their little ones from China as well as places grants on specific children with Special needs. We were one of the families who was blessed by one of their grants. We would LOVE to see this wonderful organization raise more funds to help more precious ones come home.

How fun would it be to submit your pancake recipe you make every Saturday morning with your kiddos. How about the cookies your grandma made you when you were a little girl. Or the first meal you cooked for your special someone. Or what if your little ones come up with their own creation to submit? Their Famous Pickle and Peanut Butter Sandwiches? What a wonderful opportunity to show them they can make a difference for the ones who still wait. That is just COOL!

Know what else is cool? Your kiddos have a chance to help design the cover. Have them submit their artwork, and it could be chosen. How fun would it be for them to see their masterpiece on the cover? Ummm. Super Duper Fun. Trust Me. I know these things. :)

So head on over to The Elison Project to learn more about how YOU can help. I think they are taking recipes until August 15th, so maybe you should RUN on over. Wouldn't want you to miss your chance to help.

I will see you over there....after I make a phone call to Harass my grandma for some recipes check in with my dear Grandma. :)

Can't wait to try your recipes out on my gang!!

~hugs

*I had received several e-mails telling me I forgot to enable comments. My bad. Sorry about that, comments are enabled again. If you e-mailed me, thanks so much for the heads up and for offering to help!! Makes my heart smile to see so many people coming together for a cause we love.. helping these children home!!

To get in on this awesome Fundraiser.

http://www.outofafrica-graber.blogspot.com/

Praying for BIG THINGS to happen today, katy.

~hugs

I wanted to remind everyone of Katy's fundraiser for her daughter in Africa. Thankfully, things are moving fairly quickly for this family, but that means they need to step it up with the fundraising. I hope you will head on over and learn more about this family and their efforts to bring their daughter home. And if you can't afford to give right now, even an encouraging word would be a blessing. And by all means, feel free to spread the word. LESS THAN A WEEK left to get in on the action!

And I know a lot of you know of the Oatsvalls and of their journey to bring home their sweet little Matty Joseph(and Abigail) from Uganda. Point of Grace will we holding a benefit concert at Fellowship Bible church in Brentwood TN, on Sunday the 28th at 6pm to help them fund raise to bring their little man home Speaking at the benefit will also be Katie from Amazima ministries.(http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/) What a treasure she is. I hope some of you are able to make the trek to support this family and to help bring another orphan home. How cool that we can play a part in their homecoming? Makes me smile BIG!!!Hugs~

I am blessed to be surrounded by friends who spend their time figuring out how to make a difference in the world. Not only thinking about it, but finding a way to make it happen. My ADORABLE SIB(sister in Blog), Andrea, saw a way that she could help all of the families who are fundraising to bring their little ones home. This is a passion of Andrea's; Helping families get their little ones home. I don't want to embarrass her, but it would make you smile BIG if you only knew how many adoption fundraisers she has purchased MULTIPLE entries to(most to fundraisers of people she doesn't even "know"), how many items I have seen her donate to other's fundraisers, how many times I have heard her say "lemme see what I can find to sell to bring some money to this family." Too many to count. I LOVE this sister's heart. Andrea set up a site for families to advertise their adoption fundraisers. So there is a central location to visit for all of us who are looking to help other families bring their little ones home. How COOL is that! What a Fabulous idea. What a wonderful ministry. Did I mention I love her? I hope you will visit For the Love of a Child when you are thinking about Teachers Gifts. Or what to buy for Fathers Day. Or anniversary Gifts. Bless Others by Blessing Others. Love it! There is another fundraiser a friend is doing to help bring home her daughter from Africa that I want to bring to your attention. Her fundraiser has not been posted to the site yet, but if you would love to stop by and show her some support, I know it would bless her! http://outofafrica-graber.blogspot.com/. Take some time to read how God showed them their next child, a little girl, would be in Africa. So Cool to see God in the details. Hope to see you over there!
Hugs~