Reese's K3 Program- God's Wonderful World

Reese was in a program with the other K3s today, once this morning and once this evening. She had the first line in the ENTIRE play: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1". The above recording is from the evening performance; I was too far away to get good video of it this morning, and, aside from that, I blanked and didn't try to video it this morning. Oops. I have lots of videos of them singing their songs, from this morning (at a distance) and this evening (up close and Reese-personal); I'll post some of them tomorrow, along with some of the pictures I took.

Isn't she cute?

Welcome Baby Caroline!

Today, there will probably be several posts. It's been an exciting day. Exactly 9 months after Reese was first placed in our arms, baby Caroline Scott G. was first placed in our (Reese and my) Uncle Jeff and Aunt Mandy's arms. After 12 hours of labor (with 2 hours of pushing), Mandy finally ended up having a C-section. Caroline weighed 7 lbs, 15 oz.

Welcome to the world, Baby Caroline, a.k.a. "Scottie".

(About the Scottie thing, before they picked out Caroline for sure, all they knew was her middle name was going to be Scott after Mandy's (correct me if I'm wrong) maiden name, so we called her Scottie...I'm not sure it'll ever go away. LOL.)

9 month Gotcha Day!

Gotcha Day: May 28, 2007

1 month- June

2 months- July

3 months- August

4 months- September

5 months- October

6 months- November7 months- December8 months- January9 months- February (and no, I have not cut my hair- it just looks like it.)

Reese has grown up so much in the last quarter of a year (it's been that long?!?). In the last month, she's been in 2 programs with her K2/K3 class- one for chapel and one that was more play-like. She speaks so well, and her hair is getting so long!

I can't believe the blessing she is. Some times, she's flat-out rotten and quite the stinker, but then there's times that she is just absolutely precious and sweet. Whoever said the two's were worse than the three's never had children. :) But I love her. The times she's sweet totally make up for the orneriness, and they just make your heart melt.

She's learned so much. She can recognize her letters, most of the time- there's times when she blanks, but what little kid doesn't? There's so much she can do, I can't even think of it all.

9 months...has it really been that long? Or is 'that short' more accurate? Perhaps both. All I can say is it's hard to really think that there was a time when she wasn't here.

Happy 9 months!

My 9th Grade Latin Teacher Would Be Proud.

Here's to you, Mrs. Stover.

Reese wanted this blanket wrapped around her, and, after about 3 times of re-tying it like a towel, I suggested safety pins. A remembrance from walking around all day in the 9th grade in a sheet, a.k.a. a toga, and it was held up with safety pins and a ribbon for a belt. Read, I'm 5' 2", and it was a king or queen size sheet. My best friend who is 6' or so got landed with a twin size sheet. Isn't life ironic?

Anyway, here's the toga-baby.

Birthmark Beauties

Reese was just a little older than Ben when we got her. These are our FCC's "birthmark beauties". Though, I guess "beauty" isn't quite accurate for Ben, because he's a little boy, but we'll go with it anyway. :) They're both adorable. I can't wait to meet Ben. I think Reese and Ben will be good friends. That's what I hope, anyway.

Nutty Buddy Girl

Mom has a recent thing for Nutty Buddies. We buy them frequently. Reese likes her "ice cream cones". I've never been a fan of Nutty Buddies but watching Mom and Reese eat them makes them look pretty good. I still don't like nuts, though.

She also has a new Hannah Montana shirt that she wore to school today and is wearing in the pictures. She loves Hannah Montana.

Reese is having a laser treatment and EUA (exam under anesthesia) for her glaucoma next week. Pray she doesn't get sick, etc., and that the treatment is relatively non-traumatic and that the recovery is less blistery than it was last time.

Also, our friend, Paula, got her son, Ben, today...yesterday...Monday in China- there we go. He's so smiley and cute. I can't wait to meet him. You can see pictures on the blog linked above.

Find John Glasgow

I know this does not pertain to Reese or the adoption, etc., but this needs to be out there.


On January 28th, 2008, a 45 year man named John Glasgow went missing. He has not been seen or heard from since. As an adult, this missing persons case has received minimal media coverage. He has a step-son and a wife, who I'm sure desperately want him home. Help find John Glasgow. If a 6 foot tall, 185 lb. man can go missing, anyone can.

For more information, and how to help, visit this website:
Find John Glasgow!

Vital Statistics

• 45 years old
• 6' tall
• 180 lbs
• Fine, straight sandy brown hair
• Gray/green eyes

If you have any information regarding his whereabouts please contact his brother, Roger Glasgow, at 501-212-1269 (W), 501-663-8119(H), 501-951-8900(C), rglasgow@wlj.com (email), or Sonny Stover, Conway County Sheriff's Department, 501-354-2411

John was last seen leaving his Little Rock, Arkansas, home Monday morning around 5:30 am, January 28, 2008.

A cell phone ping later that day indicated that he was in the vicinity of Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas.

His car was found unlocked the next day at the Mather lodge on Petit Jean with valuables still inside.

He is believed to have been wearing a green Marmot down jacket and khaki pants at the time of his disappearance.

His family and friends are asking for help in locating John. We are hoping that someone out there will see John's picture and read his story and come forward with information that can help us find him.

Welcome, baby Cayden!

My friend, Bekka, Charlotte's oldest daughter, had her son, Cayden Asher, today. She went into the hospital last night to be induced and had Cayden shortly after 4 pm on the 19th.

Congratulations, Bekka and Dan (her husband) and the rest of the clans!

Good luck, Kim and Paula!

Our friends, Kim and Paula, are leaving for China tomorrow morning. Kim is accompanying Paula to pick up her son, Ben, from Shantou in Guangdong province. Paula is also taking her young daughter, Shae, who is from Hunan. Ben has a port-wine stain on the opposite side of his face from Reese's and is about a year younger than Reese.

Please pray for Paula as she picks up her young son. Ben is from Shantou in Guangdong, an area that doesn't speak Mandarin or Cantonese as a daily language. They speak a dialect only found in Shantou. Mandarin or Cantonese is not taught until school, and Ben is only 2. Pray the transition is smooth.

Good luck, Kim and Paula!

Baby Shower

Reese and Roxy

Mom getting puppy sugars.

Reese and Meaghan. Reese was goofing off and keeping from turning around.

Mom and Scott, our brother (Meaghan's his girlfriend.)

Aunt Mandy opening presents.

Reese had something of meltdown before the party and so came in like this. Kind of cute, huh?

I took this one laying on the floor looking up at Reese. She's leaning over the back of her chair.

Mom, Reese, and I went to Aunt Mandy's baby shower in Danville today. It was very pretty. She got lots of stuff. Caroline is expected in March. It was at a country club, so it was really pretty. Reese had fun with the mirrors on the ceiling. I had fun with the fact a flash was not needed for lovely pictures. Flashes are really are horrid thing probably 75% of the time or are used inappropriately. And that's the photo-freak in me talking. The majority of the pictures (save the dog ones and the one of me) were taken flash-less. They had pink M&M's there. Reese will now forever ask if they'll have M&M's there when there are baby showers now. LOL.

We also saw Meaghan's new puppy, Roxy. She's a Sheltie and is so cute and fluffy. She's 7 weeks old and looks like a panda. Reese, Mom, and I were all over her. Reese loves Meaghan...the fact she always has a small fuzzy animal with her is a bonus.

One Word

I stole this from Stacey's blog.

Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

Not as easy as you might think.Now copy or forward, change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers so I cheated and joined some words together.

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2.Your significant other? nonexistent
3. Your hair? long
4. Your mother? asleep
5. Your father? asleep
6. Your favorite thing? dance
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? coke
9. Your dream/goal? photography
10. The room you're in? lavendar
11. Your ex? no
12. Your fear? future
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
14. Where were you last night? out
15. What you're not? optimistic
16. Muffins? blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? camera
18. Where you grew up? here
19. The last thing you did? read
20. What are you wearing? clothes
22. Your pets? cats
23. Your computer? necessity
24. Your life? confusing
25. Your mood? so-so
26. Missing someone? no
27. Your car? gone
28. Something you're not wearing? socks
29 Favorite Store? bedfords
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like someone? nope
32. Your favorite color? lots
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? fortnight
35. The Person who sent this to you? noone
36. Who will/would re-post this? anyone

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

"What all is in here?"

"Look, Mrs. Tonya (her teacher). It's DORA!"

"This smells gooooood. I wonder what it is."

Yes, this face is a bit pained (I think she wanted me to let her eat her cupcake in peace), but it shows the frosting all over her face. She ate the whole cupcake (a first).

She also stole Dad's hat.

Today was Reese's first Valentine's Day. They had a party at school yesterday where they swapped valentines. Apparently, even though the other kids had experience Valentine's Day before, they were still a bit in the dark about it. So they were all in the same boat as Reese. Try convincing a 3 year old to give away some thing they've determined to be their's to some one else. It's kind of complicated. Once we established that there's still be some 12 valentines and even more stickers left over that would be all hers, it wasn't such a problem. She loved the fact you get "mail", and candy, and balloons, and cookies, and cupcakes... That was totally awesome in her book. She gave away Hello Kitty foil valentines that I actually bought for myself last year and never used because I was sick the week of Valentine's (and actually pulled out to home school around a week or 2 later). So they were laying around gathering dust, and she likes Hello Kitty. It all worked out.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

The Logic of 3 Year Olds...

Reese likes to feed our aunt's cat that lives here with us, Sebastian. I guess it makes her feel like big stuff or something. Mom asked her this evening if she wanted to feed Sebastian. Her answer was, of course, yes. So she went in the bedroom where he and Grandma Debbie live, flying solo, and fed him.

Later, Mom asked her if she'd fed Sebastian. She said yes, and for some reason, Mom opted to go check. The funny thing was...Sebastian's bowls weren't where they were supposed to be. They were AWOL. So...she asked Reese where Sebastian's food was. Reese came in and showed her. She'd put it, using the logic and love of 3 year olds, in the desk drawer near where his food goes and closed the drawer to "keep the kittens from eating his food". Apparently, in her good intentions, it didn't cross her mind that Sebastian couldn't get to his food, either. Anyway, the situation was resolved...a.k.a. we vacated the kittens and removed the food from the drawer and put it on the desk so Sebastian could eat in peace. She did feed Sebastian (he just couldn't get to it, having no opposable thumbs), and she did accomplish her goal of keeping the kittens out of her food (although, once again, he couldn't get to it, either).

Ah, the logic of 3 year olds....

FCC Chinese New Year 2008

I LOVE this picture!

Mama and Reese.

In Dad's hoodie after we got home.

Another picture I love.

Mom, Reese, and I with Reese's 'welcome home' present that the FCC gives to families who came home in the previous year at CNY.

With her welcome home gift.

We went to our FCC's Chinese New Year party this evening. Reese thought it was pretty nifty- lots of kids, stuff to buy, pretty colors, people taking pictures, and- FOOD! She is a noodle girl. LOVES them, eats her weight in them. She also loves shrimp, and there was shrimp and broccoli. She doesn't eat broccoli, but she loves the shrimp that comes with them. There was tons of left-over food (which is better than a shortage), so we were able to bring some shrimp and broccoli home. She and Shae (Paula's daughter, Ben's going-to-be big sister) walked the dragon dance with me. There was bubble wrap involved, which was fun. As Mom said, "bubble wrap is no longer safe at our house".

Reese was kind of unsure about the whole thing at first. I carried her around for probably a good 15 minutes before she was willing to get down and hold my hand. I love carrying her, when she'll let me, but man, she's heavy. All of my strength is in my legs. She refused to have her picture taken by the photographer there, except for in the group shot of all the kids in the FCC. And even that was hard, because the guy apparently doesn't do kids really often and didn't realize that when you have 100+ kids, the odds of even half of them looking at the camera at the same time is slim. And the longer it takes you to take it, the less you're going to get. But it was fun. Aside from the carpet burn from trying to keep Reese from running off or turning around.

Reese got her "welcome home" gift, which the FCC gives families who came home in the last year. It's a framed picture, with the child's name, date of birth, Gotcha Day, and the meaning of their names (English and Chinese). We also got a card with a jade pendant attached with a letter to Reese inside. It was so sweet. Thanks, everyone!

Reese's K3 Program

That's 2 of the 4 videos I took. My finger accidentally slipped and made the camera stop recording about 3 times...

Reese's K3 class performed in family chapel at her school today. They sang 2 songs (more or less sang) and said a Bible verse (once again, more or less). It was cute, and memorable. And caught on tape. LOL.

Reese's Finding Ad

A Picture of a picture of Reese's finding ad. Isn't she so cute? She's sucking on those fingers...it's adorable...

A picture of a picture of the newspaper her ad was published in. Her finding ad was published with 21 other babies, several are cleft lip.

The certificate of authenticity from Research-China.org with information about the newspaper.

Brian Stuy at Research-China.org found Reese's finding ad. We think the outfit Reese is wearing in the finding ad may be what she was found in. We don't know for sure, it's just speculation. Her finding ad translates to: "On October 26, 2004, a half month old baby girl was found at the gate of Taiyuan City Social Welfare Institute. This baby girl has a cornea problem."

I find it somewhat humorous that they don't mention her birthmark, even though it's a newspaper produced in black and white. Her finding ad was run in the "Shanxi Worker Daily" on December 12, 2004.

We are so happy to have this bit of information, this small fragment of Reese's history.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Commonly, referred to as Chinese New Year, technically, it's Lunar New Year, as most Asian countries celebrate it. Happy Year of the Rat! Reese and my older brother, Scott, was born two cycles ago (24 years: 2 sets of 12) in the Year of the Rat (he's a wood rat).

The Zodiac Legend: (courtesy of Wikipedia)

The 12 Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac (see Origins of the Chinese Zodiac). One of the most popular reads, in summarized form, as follows:

The rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into believing that the banquet was the next day. The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was the next day. When he found out, the cat vowed to be the rat's natural enemy for ages to come.

Interestingly, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese Zodiac, in place of the rabbit.

Another popular legend has it that a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade Emperor.

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the ox. The ox, being a naïve and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, overcome with a fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as well. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed first place in the competition.

Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After the ox, came the tiger, panting, while explaining to the Emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.

Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the rabbit arrived. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the 4th animal in the zodiac cycle. Coming in 5th place was the dragon, flying and belching fire into the air. Of course, the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back a little. Then, on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon, and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse's hoof is the snake, whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright, thus making it fall back and gave the snake 6th spot while the horse took the 7th.

Not long after that, a little distance away, the ram, monkey and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the ram and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the ram as the 8th creature, the monkey as the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.

The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late—although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest—was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn't make it to finish line. Just as the Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the 12th and last animal of the zodiac cycle. The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.

Personally, I go by the one where the rat allowed the cat to sleep through the race/banquet. That's the first version I ever heard, so, yeah, it kind of stuck.

This is also kind of nifty. The differences in the zodiac in different Asian countries: For example, the Vietnamese zodiac is almost identical to Chinese zodiac except that the second animal is the water buffalo instead of the ox, the fourth animal is the cat instead of the rabbit and the eighth animal is the goat instead of the sheep. The Japanese zodiac includes the wild boar instead of the pig, and the Thai zodiac includes a naga in place of the dragon.

The traits of the rat courtesy of Wikipedia:

Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.

Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way. Rats need to learn to relax sometimes, as they can be quite obsessed with detail, intolerant and strict, demanding order, obedience, and perfection.

Rats consider others before themselves, at least sometimes, and avoid forcing their ideas onto others. Rats are fair in their dealings and expect the same from others in return, and can be deeply affronted if they feel they have been deceived or that their trust has been abused. Sometimes they set their targets too high, whether in relation to their friends or in their career. But as the years pass, they will become more idealistic and tolerant. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats can find true happiness.

According to tradition, Rats often carry heavy karma and at some point in life may face an identity crisis or some kind of feeling of guilt. Rats are said to often have to work very long and hard for everything they may earn or have in life. However, a Rat born during the day is said to have things a bit easier than those who are born at night. Traditionally, Rats born during the night may face extreme hardships and suffering throughout life. Rats in general should guard themselves against hedonism, as it may lead to self-destruction. Gambling, alcohol and drugs tend to be great temptations to Rat natives.

Traditionally, Rats should avoid Horses, but they can usually find their best friends and love interests in Monkeys, Dragons, and Oxen.

Professions include espionage, psychiatry, psychology, writing, politics, law, engineering, accounting, detective work, acting, and pathology.

I've always found it funny that Rats are supposed to avoid horses, as my brother is a rat, and I'm a horse.

Reese is a monkey. Here's her attributes, according to the zodiac. Look and see how close you think it is.

The Monkey is the most versatile sign of the Chinese zodiac. Such people are often inventors, plotters, entertainers and the creative geniuses behind anything ingenious, including mischief. They have natural quick-wittedness which enables them to understand what is happening and then make a right decision. Even during a conversation a person born in this year is aware of what is going on around him/her, and then makes a mental note of who said what and stores it away for future reference. In general, with their agile minds and multiple talents, monkey types can master any subject. They are reliable and honest people so that any secret is safe in their hands. These people are also honest in their dealings and are very good at problem-solving: knowing how to listen closely and work out solutions at the same time.

Although these people are trustworthy and unlikely to hurt someone out of spite, they would never let people escape if they have behaved badly or damaged a monkey's reputation. Their stamina and determination to achieve their main goals can make these people appear vain or manipulative. People born under this sign should be careful so they do not damage their friendships. It is important to remember for these persons that it would be wiser sometimes not to pursue their goals and simply let things pass.

Monkeys have flexible principles and serene self-confidence so they are completely content; but they usually manage to complicate the lives of others. After yet another plan or project has gone wrong, they are seldom there to help clean up the disorder and confusion that they leave in their wake. Monkeys can handle that too; with their charm and persuasiveness they can make people believe that just knowing them is a privilege.

Happy Chinese/Lunar New Year!

Welcome baby Jonathan!

Our sister, Michelle, had our nephew, Jonathan Eli, yesterday morning about 8 am via C-section. He was screaming before he was even out. He has a set of lungs, let me tell you. Mom says he's the loudest newborn she's ever heard. But he's cute. He weighed 8lbs, 2 oz., as opposed to Michelle's older two kids, who weighed in at 5.5 lbs and less, I believe.

Anyway, welcome to the world, "little baby Jonathan", as Reese refers to him.