My oldest is ENGAGED!!

Thursday night, December 15th, Zackery asked Hannah to marry him! We have known Hannah for 13 years and Zackery has had a crush on her since the 6th grade, but it wasn't until a youth camp in JUne 2009 that they became a couple! She is a precious woman of God! She will graduated in May 2013 from Dental hygiene. This semester she has a 4.0! They are shooting for an Ocotber wedding, but no definate date has been set! We are VERY excited for them and can't wait to see what God has planned for their lives together! We love you both and are so glad that Hannah will be our daughter-in-love! She's been a part of our family so long that it won't be that big of a change to have her around....but now, she will REALLY be family!!! We love you!!!                                                               

Snow pics con't

I Made Olivia's snowman and she made Zoey's

First snow ice cream

She is serious about eating this!! HAHA

Pretty Olivia!

Guess what we woke up to...

FOUR INCHES OF SNOW!!! Zoey's first snow!!!!

FOUR INCHES OF SNOW!!! Zoey's first snow!!!!

She's gonna make me lose my mind..up in hera! up in hera!

Well, let me start off by saying that Zoey is an amazing little girl! She is so smart, musically talented, beautiful, FUNNY, HUNGRY and just plain adorable. But she's also STRONG WILLED, HARD HEADED and ATTACHED TO ME! These are in all caps because it's driving me crazy! She still cries EVERY time I walk out the door and even when I take a shower!!! If she can't be in the room I'm in, we have a SCREAMING, balling fit and don't stop until I pick her up! I just took a 15 min shower just to be away for a little while and she stood at the door SCREAMING and kicking and hitting the door yelling, "MAMA!!"
I understand it's just been 5 wks since we've been home, but my goodness. It just seems like she was never told NO and that someone took her everywhere they went and held her at that!! It's REALLY hard on this momma!
 I am having physical effects as well. I am having a sharp pain in my neck that prohibits me from turning to the left. AND my lower back is killing me! I know everyone has things they are thinking in their minds right now, and believe me, I have thought of EVERYTHING!! I know this is her way of bonding. I know she's older. I know there could be underlying reasons. I know it's just been a month and a half since we've held her for the first time and it's still new to her. I KNOW we wanted her!! I know I need to be patient. I know this too shall pass. And I KNOW alot of other things. But when you are in the moment. When  you can't even go to the bathroom by yourself, it's aggravating. I'm not going to "give in" and let her go with me all the place bc there is NO NEED in it! She doens't have to be in the bathroom when I'm taking  shower. I can't watch her!! (and when I'm showering, someone else is watching her!)  It's a bathroom...it has things that she doesn't need to be messing with! I don't mind whining either...but SCREAMING and kicking and all that jazz is crazy! And this happens at night too! There is NOTHING I can do, except sit in there with her for a LONG time til she finally falls asleep and hold her, to make her stop! Anthony has had to be dealing with her at night bc she doesn't do him like she does me!
Anyway! Had to vent! I love her. She's amazing and I know it will pass but for right now...it's driving me crazy!!! She's doing so good in most of the other aspects but this! I HATE screaming and moaning and that's about all she does! Yes, I know God has a sense of humor!!! But...when it passes, I will post about the quiet and smile on my face! But until then, pray for her to stop this. It upsets me bc I don't know why she's doing it!!! I love her and want her to know that she's safe and okay here!!! I guess patience..but as you know..that's something I just don't have! Adopting an older child is pretty hard!!! Atleast to me it is. Just pray for us!!!

Update on Cleft appt

Well consult appt went pretty good today! Basically we don't have to come back til she's three. Then the plastic surgeon will evaluate her lip and hole in her "gumline". There is scar tissue that is forming and if he thinks it's worse, then he might do something but thinks her scar look good. Said it would even go down more than what it is since it hasn't even been a year since surgery. If he feels something needs to be done with that, then that will be done in a year and half or so. If not, then I guess appts once a year til her front teeth fall out and come back in, Then there will be braces to spread out her teeth bc they think there are two teeth that never formed, so they have to make room for them to be put in. THey said her mouth has alot of space which is good for what they have to do. Then once they are separated how they want, they will do bone graft, then braces again and then that's when they will for sure fix the hole (if not already fixed) and her nose. He said the won't fix her nose before the bone is in there because it wouldn't help. Really doing anything wouldn't help until the bone is there because it's kinda like building a house with concrete on one side and sand on the other...it's going to slant. So, once that's done, then all her surgeries will be done then. They try to do the least surgeries possible! So, until she's 6-9, we probably won't have anything done, unless, like I said, at her 3 yr he thinks some "repair" needs to be done. So I'm happy with this! Just wanted to let you guys know. Oh there were about 15 ppl in there too!!! She did great!!!

Cleft appointment tomorrow

Tomorrow (Monday the 5th) we have Zoey's 1st Cleft Dr. appointment. They are supposed to have a plan for her treatment. I am praying after they evaluate her, they will be able to tell us how many surgeries, what they will be fixing at that time and when they will take place. The cleft Dr, the dentist, plastic surgeon and the orthodontist  are supposed to all be there. I have been told they were the best in this area, so I will leave my daughter in their hands. I will fill you in with all the details tomorrow night after we get back! Hmm, wonder when her 1st surgery will be? I am sure it's gonna be to close the hole that's communicating with her nose, but wondering if they will do her nose at the same time??? Well, we shall find out tomorrow!!!

Mother/Big daughter day at the Nutcracker

Well, Olivia and I were invited to go to see the nutcracker Saturday night. I figured that since we have had to have so much adjusting and Olivia's one-on-one time with me has had to be halfed, that it would be a GREAT opportunity to spend a few hours with just her! We had a great time. Did a little bit of shopping, ate at Chili's and then The Nutcracker! She enjoyed it. I think she really liked the different pretty outfits!! That's my girl!!She sat on my lap the whole 2 hours mainly because there were tall people in front of her and because she just still likes to me hold her. She may be 5 but she's still so tiny and my sweet girl!!! So, I did! :)

Olivia's favorite because they are pink on the bottom! :)

Anyway, here are a few pictures! I enjoyed my time with my 1st sweet, beautiful, Chinese little girl!!

Fun for Olivia's 5th birthday!

Olivia's birthday was different this year! No theme, no big party with alot of people, no cooking food or baking a cake! Just 4 friends, spending the night, eating a store bough cake and playing. Then, breakfast, lunch, playing at the park and then a movie! It was a great day! We had Big Chloe, Middle Chloe, Little Chloe and Kyleigh!! They were all good girls and Olivia said she had a great time!!! We painted sun catchers and the girls helped make homemade pizza that was VERY good! I am so glad all these girls were about to come and I think having girls over for a birthday will become the norm!!! It was a great party!

Notice something new on Zoey??

Did you see? Yes! We got her ears pierced! She did great! Cried for about 20 sec and then stopped. If you mention her ears she starts whining, so I'm sure they are sore, but they are so cute and she hasn't messed with them! Hope it stays that way! :) She's so beautiful!!!

santa pics and a cute one of Olivia

The Santa pic of the two of them are just taken with my phone from the actual pic, so not great quality! But they did really good! Both smiled (although Olivia's is forced!! HA) But I was proud! Took us like 6 min to take them all!!! YAY!!!
The one of Olivia....she was so tired she fell asleep with her fingers AND a sucker in her mouth! We laughed so hard. We took the sucker out AFTER we snapped a picture!!! HA

Video of the Story of Zoey that Anthony did!

http://db.tt/uYa5qW4D
If this works, this is the video Anthony made about our journey to Zoey! Hope you like it! It may take a little while to load..sorry!

Getting better and better!

WOW! Things are going pretty good! Zoey doesn't have that "bewildered" look very often. We feel like she knows that this is her house and she belongs here! She went to her 1st football game this Friday and had a BALL! She LOVED watching the cheerleaders and clapping for the game. She even loved watching her brother play the drums during half-time! It was cold, but she loved it! So, unless it's freezing, we will be taking her to the games!!!
Today we went to church. I stayed in the nursery with her for Sunday School and had every intention on staying with her during church just to get her used to being in there, but about 20 min later, I realized that she hadn't given me a second thought, so I decided I would see how me leaving would be! SHE DID AMAZING! NO CRYING!!! They said she played and had a great time and never once tried to leave or anything! She didn't want to be held really, but she played with the other 2 little girls and had a blast! OH-MY-GOODNESS!! I guess that's the difference in age of adoption (and other factors like personality, bonding..etc!) With Olivia, it took about 3 months for me to be able to leave her, but unless Zoey is having a bad day, I think we will be great in the nursery!! AMAZING! GOD IS GOOD!! I'm not planning on leaving her with anyone for a while, but in the nursery at church is a great start!!!
We had Thanksgiving at church tonight and she went around to everyone talking, giving 5, playing! As long as she could find me, she was fine! People are so impressed with her speach, friendliness and just being so happy! She's a joy!!
Well, things she's saying now, after 2 weeks and 4 days being home:
Mama, dada, bubba, Olivia (not perfect but we know who she's talking about) night-night, thank you (and I taught her the sign for this and she does it), bye-bye, I love you, dog, no, hello,hi!
She gives kisses and hugs all the time! In the morning she loves to snuggle! She HAS to give Olivia a hug when she first wakes up.  We haven't had a FIT in over a week. She still cries when she doesn't get her way, but it only last a minute. SHe's eating better. Sleeping great and going to sleep without me having to stand over her! She took a nap without her bottle today! Baths are pretty fun now and she doesn't cry when I pour water on her head...she's still not sure, but no tears! Anthony has gotten her to be alot better with being in the air! (you know, daddy's like to throw them up or let them touch the ceiling. That was a NO until this week!)
Oh, one last thing. She put a puzzle together that I showed her Wednesday! It's 0-9 with pictures on the puzzle and the pieces and she matches the shape and the pictures and does them ALL by herself! No joke!!

Well, here are a few pics. I'm also including some from today..Olivia's 5th bday!!! The scratch on Zoey's face is from us playing and my fingernail got her! Hurt my feelings but she never flinched!! Look how beautiful she is!!!

No pics, just update! :)

Well, I hope you are enjoying the pics I have put up. It's been crazy and I have had alot of people ask how it's going so I thought I would update!

Zoey is amazing! She is extremely smart!! She picks up on things within seconds!!! She says, Mama, Dada, Livy, Ack (for Zack), TamTam (for Cameron), dog, thank you (and she's learning the sign for it) I love you, night- night, bye- bye, ball, Meme, Nana, Papaw, and all kinds of humming songs, and ALOT of jibberish that CRACKS US UP!! She still signs for more, eat and cracker!She understands our English and has since day one! I am pretty sure the home spoke to her in English but even things like, "Shut that drawer" and things that I'm not sure was said to her, she understands and OBEYS!!! THANK YOU GOD and SHH!!!

She's not eating very well right now. We can't seem to find exactly what she wants to eat except JUNK! She LOVES Cheetos and M&M's!! I have figured out that she likes to eat by herself but when she does, she doesn't get much and tonight I decided I would hold her jaw and just "make" her taste something...well she opened up her mouth and ATE!! So, I guess I will have to do that to get any food in her! She tries to eat by herself, and does a pretty good job, but not enough is going in, to me!

She has been sleeping through the night since the Sat after we came home. Like sleeping 10-11 hours!! Thankfully!! It didn't take long to get her adjusted to the new time. She takes a 2-2.5 hour nap everyday. She is the happiest in the morning, after her nap for about 2 hours and then about an hour before bed. She gives me big hugs when I get her out of the baby bed and just loves on me for a few minutes before we change her diaper! I LOVE that! She's so warm and snuggly!!! She gives kisses pretty freely and still will hug you whether you are leaving or just ask for one!

She is ROUGH! I have scratched her 2 times on her face because I'm trying to keep her from bonking her head on my chest or Olivia's head! She likes to do paddy cake, but at the end she wants me to hold both sides of her head and sway it back and forth! I have NO idea what that's about but she LOVES it and just cracks up!!! She holds mine and Anthony's hand and does Paddy cake now...it's sweet! She likes to hit. I don't think she does it out of meaness (well,sometimes it's VERY evident that she did to it out of meaness) but most of the time she's smiling or even laughing when she does it. This is hard for Olivia to understand but it's getting easier for her now that we explained it to her! She runs around and laughs all the time!!

She has taken to everyone so easily! She will wave Hey to you, and most of the time go to you to be held.  Not everyone, but if you stay in my house for a little while, then she is normally talking to you or in your lap before you leave! She is so funny and makes everyone laugh! ESP with her jibberish! It's HILARIOUS!!!

We are still having a few issues with attachment. She does NOT like me to leave her. She loves to play with Anthony, but only if I'm in the room. She doesn't stay away from me long. She will scream if she can't be with me. It's making it hard on me, but I'm glad that she feels close to me!  I know this will pass, and I might be upset when it flip flops and she's more attached to Anthony, so I will cherish this time she chooses me! :)

She is okay with being in her carseat for about an hour at the most! Then, it's not fun for her anymore! HA Hate to see the Christmas trip that takes us 7 hours to drive...and that's without stopping except for one time to eat and one potty break! This Christmas is going to be FUN!!! HAHAHA

When I first got the photo album that SHH gave us, when Zoey saw her Ayi in it, she would moan. We haven't showed her the pictures since we were in China and tonight someone was looking at them so I was interested to see what she did. Well, to my surprise (and somewhat pleasure) she didn't have any reaction. I asked her who that  was and she just pointed to her and then to herself and said, "ME!" I know her Ayi had a special place in her heart and I am so grateful for all that she (and SHH) did for my sweet girl, but I'm also happy to know that she doesn't remember her the way we left her...that she's not moaning when she sees her...that in the future I can recount the last day she saw her and how much it hurt my feelings to see them both cry so hard from losing/leaving eachother and I will tell her how special she was to her. But on the other hand, I am so glad that she now knows that WE are her family and that the love we have for her, I wouldn't say is better, but different and she will know our love always! To me, it was a milestone that after only a week and a half of being home, the moaning didn't happen!

Zoey is a treasure, just like my other kids, and she is a joy to have in our family. She fits perfectly, like we knew she would because God had her picked for our family always, and we are all so glad she's here. Well, Olivia could take her or leave her, but we expected that. She does get her to stop crying and she tries to play with her. She's doing so good as a big sister. It's hard to share your princess crown, but it will come! The boys are in love with her, like we knew they would be, and the church and our friends, they love her as well. Again, she fits perfectly and we are all glad she's here!

Thank you God for all that has happenend from Dec 2010 to now with this adoption! Your hand has been on it and it's obvious! We adore our children and are so glad that Zoey is here and has made our family complete!!! We are so blessed by You and we can't thank You enough! Continue to be with us and esp Zoey in this transition. Please, somehow, put in her birth momma's heart and her Ayi that she's just fine! Loved beyond all measure by MANY people and happy to be here with us! Protect us and guide us as we continue to raise ALL of our children in Your ways!! AMEN!

I LOVE matching outfits!!!

LOVE IT! Thanks McLaughlin family!!! (Cristi! :)

Olivia loves the fish..Zoey? Well, only time will tell!

Well, we finally went to eat some GOOD Chinese food! :) I guess if I was Chinese, then the food in China would be great, but I am so glad there is a Chinese place here where we can get some of the same foods, but then get different Chinese foods! BUT...we went to our favorite place in Jonesboro and got so full! When you walk in, there is a beautiful fountain with ALOT of BIG fish and I tried to get a really good picture but it was kinda hard because they wanted to look at the fish and I was standing in the middle of the buffet, trying to get them both to look, so these are the only ones I got that were decent! HA
Had several people comment on how beautiful they were and asked if they were "real" sisters because they looked so much alike, so I had to tell the story that I LOVE to tell! They couldn't believe that Zoey had CL...they were amazed at how great her lip looked! Anthony and I had a great time with them!

It's kinda hard with 2 the age they are. The shopping part is harder than I remember with THREE boys all within 3 yrs, but it's probably because I'm getting older! I LOVE taking them out, esp in matching clothes too!!! It's so fun! I love being a mommy! I love the fact that I got to be a boys mom first and now I can be a girls mom! I love my kids! They are such a blessing to me and with Thanksgiving coming up, not only will I have LOTS of pics of all FIVE of my children...but I will have MANY things to be thankful for!