Precious family time

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck

About a month ago, we spent a few days in Port Aransas with my parents and brother's family for some rest, relaxation, and a much anticipated visit. We had a great time together. We spent time at the beach and pool, went to the aquarium, watched movies, talked a lot, had some good fresh seafood, and ate more than our share of yummy ice cream.

Lindy, Brendan, & Bryce having fun at the aquarium

Mom taking in the sights and sounds of the beach. Totally not a sun, heat, or beach person but a super, duper GREAT sport.

Bryce with the coveted watering can

Can you really dig a hole to China?

Dani, didn't you see the sign? Please don't feed the seagulls!

Bren chillin' in the sand...

Great sand castle, Uncle Jeff!

My beautiful girl...
Don't be judging! Yep, our kids are eating their psketti in their undies. So???

Brendan enjoying his 5th birhday

Lindy enjoying Brendan's Transformer Party

I was a little bummed that my new camera locked up in the severe Texas humidity so I wasn't able to experiment with it as much as I wanted. I had grand plans to do the proverbial family beach shots in white. This year the humidity, race against the sunset, crazy wind, some punchy kids, and my lack of photography knowledge kept me from getting the "perfect" shots I had pictured in my head AND had documented on a list.

I'm beginning to think our beach shots will always be bloopers...I have to remind myself it is all about the memory, though, and we have plenty of great ones.

Jeff, Danielle, and the B boys--Bryce (6) and Brendan (5)

My precious parents


The cousins

Us with Mom & Dad...
Did I mention it was windy and humid?

Hey, no fair! He got the height, looks, and brains! RATS.

A phenomenal sunset!

Thanks, everyone, for coming our way to spend time with us. We look forward to the next adventure. I'm already coming up with the next picture scheme. KIDDING!!!

Just because

This morning I was spending a bit of time reviewing some pictures from the summer and trying to categorize some more blog posts in an effort to catch up.

I found a couple of pictures of Don and Lindy and just felt moved to post about the two of them.


I am so grateful and thankful that Don is such a great daddy to Lindy. He brims over with love when it comes to that girl. In the past, I've let the green-eyed monster rear its ugly head and sometimes I've mocked and made fun of their relationship (e.g., cracks about the violins playing in the background like a movie theme when he comes home). I'm not proud of that and the truth is that I just don't praise him enough for being a tremendous father.


The two have an amazing bond and he adores her and she adores him. I love that he knows what to do with her, how to play with her, and how to take care of her. He is so patient with her and can get through to her when I can't.


Don, thank you for wearing so many hats and taking on so many responsibilities to take care of our little family. I don't thank you enough for going to work every day and being the sole provider so that I can stay at home. I don't thank you enough for the sacrifices you make to spend time with your family. I hope you know that you're making a difference in Lindy's life and that she'll be a more confident, secure, and grounded person because of YOU and your relationship with her.

Weddings, wonderful weddings

A rare photo of the our little family together

I'm back again. You probably didn't expect me so soon did you? I really am trying to document a lot of this summer.

It seems like many people like to get married in the summer months, so it is always fun to hear of a new crop of weddings each year. This weird phenomenon is happening. The weddings that we're being invited to are weddings of the kids of friends of ours. How'd that happen??? How can we be old enough to have friends whose kids are getting married and how is it I have a pre-schooler and one on the way? Actually, the special thing is that we're so hip, young, and cool (ha ha), that we're friends with many of these kids, too.

I already wrote about Ashley and Matt's beautiful wedding here. This was an especially exciting event as Lindy was the flower girl and we were so proud of our beautiful girl.

Three weeks after Ashley's wedding, we had the privilege and honor to attend Katie and Blake's wedding. Katie is the oldest daughter of Jenn and Karl, more sweet friends we've met through adoption and blogging. (Lots of you might know her as one of Karleigh Mei's big sisters!) It is a small world folks and not long into the relationship we discovered Blake is the son of one of Don's work associates and that Katie and Blake are also friends of our friends, Kara and Houston.

I like to watch shows like Say Yes to the Dre*ss but it really blows my mind when I see how much emphasis and MONEY (yikes) is placed on finding the perfect dress, having an outlandish reception, etc., and how less emphasis seems (I could be wrong) to be placed on the actual ceremony. I guess this is really not anything new. Anyway, their wedding had to be one of the sweetest and most thoughtful weddings I've ever attended. It was a beautiful ceremony and Katie just glowed the entire evening. I know her parents were beaming with pride as they watched this special moment. It was a family affair and Karleigh Mei was the flower girl. Lindy was especially interested in Karleigh Mei's execution of her job and I had to keep her from giving pointers from the stands. Lindy and Karleigh Mei got to spend some time together at the reception which was a joy to watch, considering we had met Jenn and Karl right after they were logged in for China and had helped pray this child home.

Here are some pictures from the evening. I put Don in charge of the camera and there weren't many at the end of the night. ;-)

Jenn, the lovely Mommy-of-the bride, and I

I pretty much can see Lindy tugging on KM's hand saying, "C'mon, let's go!"

Sweet friends

Solving the world's problems

I know this isn't supposed to happen but it is indicative of what the girls looked like that evening...Very busy; very blurry!

Katie with Houston and Kara

Houston and Kara (less than one month from their wedding here)

Unfortunately, I ran out of the house without either camera for Houston and Kara's wedding on July 25th so you'll have to picture them about 100 times more amazing looking than the above picture (if possible). Grrr...I'm still kind of mad about that because it was another beautiful evening. Kara looked angelic and Houston just looked so in love with his bride. I did that I'm not going to cry, suppressed snort thing, again, as I watched her walk down the aisle and saw the tears in her eyes (and maybe Daddy Garry's, too?!) as she approached the altar. We have had the privilege of watching Houston and Kara grow up and grow in love. They are a special couple who first met each other in the 3s & 4s bible class at the church we attend and the class Lindy is in now. They both have incredibly godly parents whom we love, are wonderful individuals, and together I know they'll be a strong, Christian couple who'll do great things for the Lord.

It was another tear-jerker wedding as I listened to each carefully chosen and prepared word Houston's father, Daryl, spoke to his son and now daughter-in-love. At one point he acknowledged that each one was an answer to the many prayers each set of parents had prayed. I recall my dad saying those same things to Don when we were married. It reminded me that not only do I need to be praying for Lindy during the here and now but that I also need to be CONTINUALLY asking God to be preparing a special boy just for her--when she's 30! ;-)

Well, it appears the summer weddings are over. I pray that all these couples will grow more and more in love with each other and as Lindy says, "...live happily ever after--AMEN!"

Reintroduction

Hello, my name is Lisa. (You say, "Hi Lisa...") For those of you who don't know me or can't recall, I used to blog--A LOT! One blog wasn't enough for me, so I maintained three: The family blog, Lindy's blog, and her little sister-to-be's blog. Three became too many. After a period of time, I hit blogger's block. I also felt kind of bad about myself when I read other people's blogs. I wasn't good enough, smart enough, crafty enough, organized enough, clever enough, etc., etc. I was in too deep. I'm not proud of those feelings but I'm an open book kind of gal and that's some of what I've struggled with.

I began to question my motives for blogging and reading other blogs and realized that I'd probably lost sight of my original intent which was to keep family and friends informed about what has been going on in our life, as well as chronicle our life since I don't scrapbook the good old-fashioned way.

Lately, I feel like I've been blessed with LOTS to blog about but I've been too busy to blog. I am going to make an attempt to get back into it and I'll start with trying to recapture some of what we've been doing this summer. I can't get it into any order right now, so I'm just going to document for now.

It seems fitting to blog about blog friends, so I'll start there!

Last Friday, Lindy and I got to spend the entire day with friends I've met through the world of adoption and blogging...I was so happy to be able to see Diana and Jeff again and meet Ainsley and Ruby. I'd only met Diana in person one other time and I was sooooo sick that I'm pretty sure I had vomit in my hair and was breathing fire during our dim sum lunch. It was back in February 2007 not long before they got Ruby's referral. She has been a faithful friend and prayer warrior since late 2005 or early 2006. I just love her! I love that when I met Ruby she said, "This is Lisa. She prayed for you." That is so true! I also got to see Kim and her lovely family again. I met Kim last year right after she had moved to Houston and was forced to evacuate due to Hurricane Ike. This was a much happier time for us to meet and be together.

Here are some pictures from the day. (The good ones are ones Diana sent. She's an incredible photographer!!!)

If you think we look like drowned rats, we were in the pool all day long, trying to stay cool...

Sweet Ainsley & Lindy Li



Di, Lindy, & Ruby

My precious girl

Lindy Li, Kate Emerson, and Ruby Mei all sharing a cool and colorful treat

Jeff is a magnet for these little girls! What a daddy!!!

One of these is not like the other...(I'm referring to the brown hair!!!)
Kim, Me, & Di

Thanks for a great day girls!!!

A June Bride Reflects

Seventeen years ago, I married one of the kindest and most patient people to inhabit this earth. There are many times in my life where I've felt unworthy of the good and wonderful things happening to me. Knowing God chose Don Osborn for me is definitely one of those times!


There are many reasons I love Don...Here are 17 of them:

1. He has a beautiful smile
2. His touch brings me strength
3. He is a willing helper (most of the time)
4. He is very patient
5. He has a good and pure heart
6. He still opens the door for me
7. He puts up with watching chick flicks--over and over and over
8. He is an incredible daddy--involved and hands-on
9. He has tons of common sense
10. He is super smart
11. He is accommodating
12. He rarely gets angry
13. He is a good spiritual leader
14. He doesn't tell me what I want to hear and that takes courage
15. I feel safe when I'm with him
16. I want for nothing but have learned the importance of delayed gratification
17. He puts up with me day in and day out and still loves me anyway

We've had some wonderful times and some not so wonderful times during the years and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for our relationship in the future.

Happy anniversary, Don! I love you.

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mom, I said a prayer for you
to thank the Lord above
For blessing me with a lifetime
of your tenderhearted love.

I thanked God for the caring
you've shown me through the years,
For the closeness we've enjoyed
in time of laughter and of tears.

And so, I thank you from the heart
for all you've done for me
And I bless the Lord for giving me
the best mother there could be.

~Anonymous~

To ALL my family members and friends who are moms, I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating this day that is meant to honor YOU! Thank you for the many ways you teach me and inspire me to be a better mother and thank you, Mom, for being a constant shining light in my life.

Thankful Thursday

What that's you say? A Thankful Thursday from the blog slacker?!

I was just emptying the dishwasher and enjoying the peace and quiet and many things were colliding around in my head...I thought I'd take a moment to jot down some of my thankful thoughts...

1. I am oh so thankful for my baby brother who had a birthday yesterday. I love you Jeff!

2. I am thankful for the teachers I've had, for those who teach, and Lindy's teachers. It is National Teachers Appreciation week and they deserve every bit of recognition and thanks.

3. I am also thankful for nurses. I have many friends who are nurses and have been blessed to have good nurses care for me. It is also the week to recognize and thank them! Kara, if you're reading this--you will make a difference and be an amazing nurse!

4. I am thankful for our friend, John, who has kindly notarized so many documents of ours during our adoption journeys. He helped us again this week and thank you isn't enough.

5. I am thankful three wasn't as bad as some people had told us it would be. Lindy turns four tomorrow and I just can't tell you how blessed I am to be the mommy of this little girl.

6. I am thankful things seem to be settling down some regarding the swine flu. Our town was one of the hot spots and it was kind of creepy to think about. Schools resumed today and that's a good thing!

7. I am thankful for favorable results on that test us women who are 4o take that starts with M and ends with M.

8. I am thankful for constant reminders that God is near.

What are you thankful for today?

Look who's 40!

Happy 40th birthday
to my sister-in-law, Dani!

I wish we could be together to celebrate this milestone together. Please know I'm there with you in spirit and that I hope you have a wonderful day!

Miscellany

According to one online dictionary, miscellany is, "a collection of various items, parts, or ingredients" and that is exactly what this post will resemble. It has been a long time since I've blogged or visited blogs. I did update Lindy's yesterday and now I'm trying to figure out what to post here...

First, it is Fiesta time in San Antonio and, after 13 years of living here, I FINALLY made a Fiesta wreath. I still think it needs more streamers at the bottom but that'll come later...

I feel like I've been so busy. One of the biggest things consuming my time has been an ongoing kitchen update. I can't say it is an entire renovation or overhaul but we've finally done some things that we've been wanting to take care of for a while and felt like we could afford. It seems like some people get to just do everything at once all throughout their house but we seem to have to exercise more delayed gratification...So far we've been blessed to:

• Replace old formica countertops with granite
• Replace our sink, fixtures, and garbage disposal
• Replace the linoleum with tile
• Replace the formica backsplash with stone
• Remove the old hood over the stove. Our new hood (black) was delivered today, so that'll go up soon (right, Don?!)

We still need to add hardware to the cabinets. I'm not fond of our cabinets but they're going to have to do. We also are in the process of ripping down wallpaper and then we'll paint. Eventually, we'll make some modifications to light fixtures, too. Then we can accessorize and make it fun!

All of this has required a great deal of time and many trips and countless hours to granite yards, tile stores, L*we's, and H*me Dep*t. In fact, you know you've been spending a lot of time at the DIY stores when your kid says during pretend play, "Here you go Mommy. It's a _____ and I built it at L*we's."

I'm a bit embarrassed to post before and after pictures because the project isn't finished but I'll do it anyway to give you an idea of how things are progressing.






As you can see, things look very different and I'm pleased with how things are coming along. I do, however, have a long way to go before it'll be complete. We owe very special thanks to Don's parents who were here nearly two weeks from Colorado. Don's dad did much of the tiling and backsplash and his mother helped with sealing, grouting, peeling wallpaper off walls, and consulting with design ideas. At times during their stay, the refrigerator was in the formal dining room, the dishwasher was in the family room, the washer and dryer were in the garage, and the microwave was on the floor of our kitchen. I still have stuff all over because we're still sealing grout and making finishing touches.

Hmmm...what else?

I joined a produce co-op organized by my wonderful friend, Elissa. I am excited to be saving money on fresh fruits and vegetables as well as look for ways to incorporate more of them into our diet. Honestly, I have typically purchased more frozen vegetables than fresh. Nothing wrong with that--perfectly healthy. However, having so many fresh veggies on hand is kind of a cool way to experiment some different ways to prepare vegetables such as roasting, using in stir fries, etc. I also am getting better about eating fruit as a snack or with meals.

Would love to gather some of your favorite fresh vegetable recipes!

Moving on...

I love to read. However, since motherhood I've read far less for pleasure than I used to when I was footloose and fancy free! (Ha!) This year, I've continued my love affair with the library and am trying to have something going constantly! Although so many of you have surpassed me on this, I've read the first two books of the Twilight series and look forward to the next two, as well as seeing the movie. Most recently, I read The S*hack. It was probably the most unusual book I've ever read. If you read it, I think it is important to remember it is a work of FICTION. While it is a very BIZARRE story, I think it does an excellent job showing that God is loving and desires a relationship with His children.

This week, I just started W*icked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I'm not sure it is grabbing my attention. I was reading it, along with listening to the soundtrack because I don't think we'll be able to see it on stage anytime soon. I've started looking at non-essentials in terms of things I want to do around the house. Two tickets to W*icked equals SEVERAL knobs and pulls on the cabinets! I also have S*ame Kind of Different as Me up next on my nightstand. I've heard great things about this book and nearly had to walk out of church this past Sunday for fear our minister was going to tell too much about it.

Do you have a great book to recommend? Let me know! I'm always interested to hear what others are reading.

Well, has this modge podge of randomness sent you into a deep slumber?! I promise to try to stay away from posts like these in the future. I thought after three years, blogging would be like riding a bicycle but I think I just crashed into all the parked cars trying to get back in swing of it!

I hope it won't be as long until I post again. I also hope anyone who is reading this is doing well and enjoying life.

Blessings~
Lisa

Random Acts of Kindess giveaway winners and other random thoughts

Back on February 9th I announced I was holding a giveaway in conjunction with Random Acts of Kindness week. Either I'm down to just a handful of readers from the original two handfuls I had (which could VERY well be true), or my readers were too shy to "brag" on themselves. I say this JOKINGLY because I was kind of surprised and well, okay, disappointed when I only had two entrants which probably could break some record when it comes to blog giveaways.

Like last year, I am giving two prizes away which worked out great given the circumstances. So, please join me in congratulating Sara from Football and Fried Rice and Tish from 1st Time Mama who are the winners! Both ladies had great responses and I appreciate what they shared and am thrilled to send a little love gift their way.

Along the lines of kindness, I just have to share that two Fridays ago I was the recipient of a very kind and thoughtful act. My darling friend, Jaime, whom I've posted about before surprised me early one morning with coffee, kolaches, and donuts. I was just overwhelmed that in the 8:00 hour she would cart her two boys out in the brisk cool morning air to surprise us with such a sweet and yummy treat.

Then today in Ladies Bible Class I was reminded of just how important it is to love one another during the good times and bad and that being nice is not optional. The even harder part is that we don't really have a choice of to whom we show that love and kindness--it is meant for everyone.

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.^" Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12: 9-21

Over the next several days I plan to meditate on these verses and pray that they will take root in my heart. I hope you will do the same...

Love & peace~
Lisa

Thankful Thursday

"...I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."--Abraham Lincoln

It has been a long time since I've done a Thankful Thursday! I don't even remember the last time. I am emerging back into blogging kind of slowly, so I am not committing to doing them on a weekly basis but here goes for this week...

1. I am thankful for Abraham Lincoln. Today is his birthday and I think our country is a much better place because of his leadership and wise decisions. I wish all leaders would adhere to the quote above.

2. I am thankful for my pancake breakfast date on Monday with Elissa. Adoption brought us together but we share much more than that in common.

3. I am thankful for the hard work Don put in this past weekend installing a new fence on one side of our house. I truly don't acknowledge him enough for the hard work he does outside of the home and then at home.

4. I am thankful for the RAIN we got on Tuesday night. It wasn't much but it was wonderful and OH SO NEEDED.

5. I am thankful for Jaime. Her birthday was on Monday and we got to celebrate a bit earlier last Thursday. You may remember reading about her last year when she turned 30.

6. I am thankful my parents will be here in eleven days! Yikes, eleven days. I better get moving!

7. I am thankful for renewed hope.

What are you thankful for today?

A love letter

It's that time of year when love is in the air. If you're a romantic, then you love the notion of a love letter. Perhaps you've received some in the past, or perhaps you've written them. They do seem to be a thing of long ago when words were actually lovingly written on paper and not typed in emails or abbreviated in cryptic text messages.

Not all love letters, however, are from a romantic love. I've received beautiful letters of love from my parents, family, and dear friends. I've also received beautiful letters of love from God, my heavenly father. Sometimes I'm just too lazy to read them and I don't always cherish them like I should. I ran across a compilation several years ago and received it again last week at MOPS. I hope you will take a few minutes to read the beautiful love letter here. After you read it, I hope you will remember how truly loved you are EVERY single day and dwell on the words and its meaning.

Blessings!

It's a giveaway...

Lindy during our visit to an assisted living home in September 2007.

Well, as I posted on Friday, this week is Random Acts of Kindness week. Last year I asked you to tell me how you had been blessed by an act of kindness. I really loved reading those posts. In turn, I awarded two people with a little token of kindness for sharing your experiences.

This year, I'm asking you to brag on yourself. NOT an easy task for many of you, I know. Tell me what acts of kindness you do, try to do, aspire to do, do with your family, etc. I know you're nice people, so it shouldn't be that hard...

To say thank you for sharing, at noon (CST) Monday, February 16th, Lindy will randomly choose someone to bless with a little kindness.

Thanks in advance for your participation and bless and be blessed!

It's coming, it's coming...

Next week is Random Acts of Kindess Week. Most of the people I know are really good people. Many of them routinely practice kindness--both of an intentional nature and random nature--on an ongoing basis. It is who they are. They don't do it for praise or for something in return. They just do it because it is the right thing to do.

As with many things in my life, I am not operating at the level I'd like to be when it comes to being kind. My good intentions don't come to fruition nearly as often as they should.

Next week will serve as a great reminder for me to get in gear and be a kinder person to everyone. Being kind doesn't have to be a really big thing. It can be a smile or letting someone in a lane of traffic when everyone else is whizzing by.

I hope you'll join me in this effort to make the world a kinder place. If you have kids, have them join along, too. There are tons of ideas and ways to incorporate this with kids here. Check it out!

"Today, make an investment in someone else's happiness."--Unknown