CJ- he's 8

Wow! CJ's birthday was 2 months ago and I'm just now getting to his pictures- OOPS! I hope you still enjoy pictures of our growing boy!

Well, on February 13th we were in Thailand preparing for a Homeschool Conference. Since we knew we'd be traveling for awhile we were able to plan and bring some Birthday tradition makings with us. We stuffed some Lucky Charms and presents in our suitcase and were good to go. On the big day we woke and had Lucky Charms in bed and opened presents from extended family and Mom, Dad and sisters. He LOVED the new Legos, remote control helicopter, Spy Watch, Play Mobile Men... Then we made a trip to an American Restaurant that is in Thailand, Tony Romas. We all enjoyed steak, ribs, yummy bread, veggies, chicken... YUM! Then came the Big Decision- CJ had the choice of dessert. He definitely wanted a Theme Birthday cake back home but while in Thailand he had a hard time making a decision- ice cream, ice cream cake, regular cake, Crispy Cream Doughnuts... the options seemed endless and he just couldn't decided. Finally, we made our way to Swenson's for Ice Cream.

A photo of Mom and the Birthday boy at Tony Roma's:


Well, he made the heart wrenching decision of where to have his birthday dessert and what he would have (ice cream) but now the decision- what flavor ice cream. Oh, he was beside himself. After much deliberation he narrowed it down to 3 different flavors so we tried to relive the situation and let him have a double scoop ice cream sundae and then a single scoop of chocolate ice cream. Don't you love the face when his birthday dessert finally arrived?!




We were pretty confident that he wouldn't be able to finish the two desserts but we loved watching his face... until... he became painfully full after finishing the single chocolate cone. Poor fella felt awful and started to cry. The tears were not so much from the pain but because he didn't want the waiters to think that he was a wasteful boy and was not going to eat the food that he ordered. Daddy was not about to let the Birthday boy's day be ruined. He helped CJ resume his dignity by finishing a bit of the sundae. :) A photo of the 'too- full' birthday boy! Ugh!




The Birthday Celebrations lasted over a month. As we returned home from travel he asked for chocolate cupcakes and planned the Birthday meal menu.


He had not forgotten the theme cake. This year the car theme continued... this time it was a race track, which happened to be in the shape of an "8". He was thrilled to share his cake with our Sunday Morning friends and receive a few more gifts.


The final birthday celebration was with a neighboring little girl. Nemo, the little girl, is probably the closest friend that CJ has outside of school. They enjoy playing badminton, climbing mountains, and just hanging out together. They really enjoy each other's company and I'm hopeful that they'll be able to spend more time together when school pressure (for her) lets up a bit. (That's if her mother lightens her extra-curricular activities a bit. She participates in 3 different classes on Saturdays and 1 or 2 on Sundays.)



A bit about our boy, CJ. He is in love with anything with wheels. He likes to read about them. He likes to race them. He likes to construct them (mostly with Legos). He likes to talk about them. And every year he asks for a Birthday cake having to do with wheels- though last year he finally gave in and choose something that flew. He still desires to drive one when he grows up- though he was disappointed to learn that driving race cars is MOSTLY a hobby and not a source of income for a family. He desires to be a dedicated husband and father and has on occasion talked about the type of woman he plans to marry, the number of children he desires to have and how he plans to raise them. (I especially love these conversations. He has told me in detail about the type of man that he'll be- he'll love God and those around him. He has told me about the woman he'll marry- she'll love God too. He's told me about their occupation- they'll serve God wherever He'll send them. I leave these conversations with tears in my eyes and a very happy heart.)

CJ is a unlike his sisters and clueless to detail. I think this has been one of the biggest differences I have seen between boys and girls. His room can be cluttered in NO time at all (granted it is small and easy to mess up in minutes) and he is oblivious to his surroundings. I'll walk in his room and be appalled at the sight and gasp (ok- that might be a bit dramatic but I do like order). He'll look up at me and say, "what, Mom?" I'll motion to the mess and he'll say, "ok, I'll put that book away in a bit." He seems to have over looked the dirty clothes in the middle of the room, the books strewn across the bed, and the Lego container dumped next to the book shelf. He is only aware that he is having a great time and can still find his way to the door.

CJ's weekly tells me of his one wish: to go back to America so he could wake early in the morning, stay home from school and play Wii for hours on end. He is under the impression that he is the only boy in all the world that has to go to school and do work. I continually remind him that even if he were in America he would have to attend school and do homework.

CJ continues to be a very sensitive boy. With some of the limitations that come with pregnacny such as lifting heavy objects or pushing his youngest sister in a stroller, CJ has stepped up to bat and has been such a little man. He doesn't have to be asked- he just notices my struggles and runs to my aide. I'm so thankful for his sensitive spirit. His sensitivity is also apparent in spiritual matters. The most recent thing that he has struggled with is his own sin. He often gets so upset with himself over repeated sinful actions and he will say, "I hate myself", disappointed that he has committed the same sin once again. I hate that he struggles so much with the reality of our sinfulness but at the same time I'm glad that he has a very real understanding of our behavior and need for a Savior. He so desires to do right and is so disappointed when he feels like he has disappointed the Father.

We're so thankful for such a treasure we have in our son. He is a blessing from the Father and we're so thankful for have him in our family.

Treasure in the Sand

We recently returned from a few weeks of travel. While we were gone we were able to spend some time at a beach in SE Asia. It was wonderful to be in the sun and to relax and spend time as a family. Anyhow, while there, CJ found a treasure in the sand. The quality is really poor since I had to copy it off our computer- but you can still see everything (atleast I hope you can). Check it out:

Pictures from the fall/ winter

I was looking at some of our pictures on the computer and I realized I had missed posting so many different events this fall and early winter. I think the business of winter and the fatigue of pregnancy took their tool on posting. Sorry about that! I'm feeling a bit more refreshed these days (yeah for 2nd trimester) and now am hoping to catch up a bit. These pictures are in no particular order... just random shots.


Sarah, one of the two American college students that was here this fall/ winter, joined the kiddos in making Christmas cookies. What a fun afternoon!


Here the girls are playing in their room with Bunny- a close Chinese friend. Bunny is so great with the kids and love her.


Sarah & Eliza are busy baking in the girl's bedroom- we're so thankful for college students with lots of energy and love for our children :)


We love to celebrate Birthdays at our house. Here is Miriam giving Anna, one of the American college students that was with us this fall, a birthday card.


A group shot that was taken at Thanksgiving time. This is one of the parties that we had with Chris' students. It was fun to share Thanksgiving traditions and a few desserts. It's always makes me giggle when I see the brownie plate hovered over and quickly scrapped clean. Asia/ America- no difference in the taste buds of college students :) Well, at least when it comes to chocolate!


Here is a pic of Chris' new look. (Some of the cousins have affectionately named him "Mr. Clean" (minus the earring) :)


One family day we made a trip to the zoo. We had a great time together- even though we felt like one of the attractions.


Though it was a far reach- CJ and the giraffe were able to reach each other over the enclosure wire and surrounding hedges.


CJ has always loved babies. He was so glad when he got to hold this cute little girl- she and her family will be in our city for the next year learning Chinese.

Christmas 2010

Wow! We're just now getting to pictures of Christmas. It has been a whirlwind of a season and we're just now beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Christmas day was wonderful. We actually had to awaken the children at 7:30 when some of our single friends knocked on the door ready to join us for Christmas morning festivities. We were shocked that the kids didn't wake before 5 :) We read the Christmas story and then went to the living room to exchange gifts.

Later in the afternoon we exchanged gifts with local American friends and soon after had another 12 American friends, that were visiting the area, join us for an early dinner. It was a FULL house but was awesome. We sang together, shared some awesome food (contributed by all that lived in the area), exchanged white elephant gifts and played games. Our last guests left at 11:00 pm.

We're so thankful to have so many friends around us this year. It helped make the distance from our family a little less painful.




Miriam gives homemade masks to two of our single friends. The children made gifts for eachother and friends in the area. The masks were their own idea :)


Eliza was excited to have a "Ni Hao Kai Lan" cartridge for the leapster.


The kiddos about jumped out of their skin waiting for Daddy to get the camera ready for the 'grand entrance' into the living room on Christmas morning.


Matching PJ's is a traditional Christmas Eve gift from Grandmom. Thanks!


CJ is a Lego boy. He had been asking if he would get the Dragon Lego set for almost daily for the last month. He was so pleased to get it...

Eliza places an order in her own language.

Over the years I have listened to each of my children do this- repeat the sing song sound of the Chinese language, though their words have no meaning. I'm by no means a professional, but it seems like it must be quite developmental in learning a language. I especially remember Miriam (for a time) and now Eliza both making up their own language. It wasn't English and it wasn't Chinese but it was most similar to Chinese with the ever changing rise and fall of tones. On this occasion Eliza was pretending to take an order while wearing the head set (like you would see in a drive through restaurant). I'm not sure where she got this since the last time she went through a drive through was in America 1 1/2 years ago- I wouldn't think she would remember that. The quality of the video isn't great since I took it with my phone but I hope you can hear a little bit. I thought it was cute!


p.s. Yes, I said "thinger on your ears"... "thinger" is an Eliza word that I have added to my vocabulary - oops!

p.s.s. Notice the two colors in our kitchen? The green is the original cabinetry. The grey is what we added so that it would be the same height as a typical American kitchen counter. Quite a bit of difference huh? Can you imagine the back aches while cooking or washing dishes without the grey addition?

Turtle Birthday!

The day began with a bowl of Lucky Charms Cereal in bed (a family tradition). Lucky Charms are ONLY consumed on birthdays since they have to be brought in from America (or on occasion from another city). Then it was time to open the packages from her grandparents.

Here Miriam was excited to see her pack of gum promised from Mimi & Poppop (it was hidden in amongst the other birthday treasures).

Another exciting thing- another dress up outfit from Grandmom- this time a veterinarian suit which she immediately told her sister to put on.


In this picture I'm comparing Eliza and one of Miriam's classmates height (little boy in the green sweater). He is 4+ years old but is actually shorter than Eliza, who was 3 in August and considerably shorter than Miriam. Now you know why Miriam called herself "the tallest girl in the world" when she came home from school last year.


A shot of those in attendance. We had our regular Sunday morning time with our foreign friends and than after lunch her classmates and their mother's came to help celebrate. FUN!


Chris had games prepared for the Birthday party but this is what everyone preferred... pull out every toy visible onto the girl's bedroom floor and play. I'm glad they had fun and I'm also glad that they never saw the toys in the kids closet :). (I've been told by many parents of small children that after they start school their children don't need toys anymore. There isn't time for that type of play- so coming to a foreigner's home with WAY TOO MANY toys is an exciting time).


The turtle cake.


Playing with her classmates on her bunk bed.


A Happy Birthday Girl (I love this shot)

The Birthday Girl!

My girl... she is now 5. Where has the time gone? What can I say about Mirsy? My blonde haired, blue eyed, musical, card writing, baby loving little girl? She is SO like me and then again, SO NOT like me. Chris and I laugh at how similar we (Miriam and I) are & I scratch my head when I consider how different we are. We both love organization. She wakes, meticulously folds her pajamas and puts them under her pillow. She lines up her stuffed animals in categories we didn't even know existed. If she turns her back and Daddy moves one (just to see what happens) she rebukes him- "Daaaddd, why did you move my bear?" I can give her chores that I wouldn't even dare give her brother. Why? Because I know she will do them well and her work will actually be helpful to me. I remember my mom saying the same thing about me and chores when I was young. :) Now the differences- I care too much what people think of me and she doesn't care AT ALL about the opinions of others. Well, I guess it really depends on the circumstances. For instance: she decided that this year she WOULD NOT eat at her school during lunch time on her own. She told me she would eat lunch at school starting next year. You see, she enjoys the school food, is very capable with a set of chopsticks but informed us that she did not want to eat by herself but wanted her teachers to feed her (which they did last year in her 3/4 year old class). The teachers told me they just didn't have the time to do that this year. I told them I completely understood. During the first week of school we rewarded our children, who ate at school by themselves, with small treats. Miriam was never a recipient. We tried the "if you don't eat lunch there won't be anything until dinner" and after a week we decided that this option wasn't a good idea for our tall and thin girl. We came up with another consequence... "no eat lunch- no sweets". That goes beyond the no soda or candy. We weren't kidding. - no syrup on your pancakes, no jelly on the PB&J sandwich, no juice, ...She started her "no eating lunch at school" strike on September 6th... she finally ate lunch at school on October 26th. She was going to eat at school but she was going to do it when SHE decided. Wow! What a strong will.

Though her strong will can be difficult to train (and boy do I find myself often praying for wisdom as how to best train our daughter) we look forward in anticipation to seeing how Father will use her strong will for His glory. I can just imagine seeing this headline one day - "Miriam Hanley stands unwavering in her fight for the rights of the abused or neglected..."

As Miriam matures and learns to communicate what is in her heart it is a delight to see the love that she has for others. She is the first one to run and jump up to help her sister when she is hurt (that is when she wasn't the who caused the injury :). Miriam is the one to ask to cuddle in your lap while we sit and watch a show together. She is the one that still loves to hold hands- all the way to school and back again. She is the one that still loves to tuck her sister in and cover her up- play time and bed time.

It is such a deep joy to have Miriam in our family and we're thankful that the Father has given her to us for this time.