Watch Out!

On September 20, 2007 Kristopher got his learner's permit. He had completed his course hours and behind the wheel a couple weeks before. You really don't have to worry too much about him on the road. He is extremely cautious. We need to take him out in the van to practice. He hasn't driven with Dallas or me yet. It has been a busy week but we will definitely have to fit it in next week. In North Carolina you have to have your learner's for a year before you get your driver's license. So on September 20, 2008 we will be sitting at the driver's license office once again.

New name coming soon

If you are wondering why the header is in the post below it is because I am working on a new blog name. I want the previous entries to be under Journey to Grace. Some were after the journey was over but they will still stay under that heading.This is the only way Dallas and I could figure out how to do it without starting a complete new blog.

Thanks, Terri, for the suggestion for a new blog name. Keep the ideas coming.

More Myrtle Beach

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As you can see from the slide show we surprised Dallas with a cake for his birthday. Saturday after the beach we went to a benefit concert at the Hard Rock Park. The park is expected to open in the Spring of 2008. It is the only one of its kind. They have this building set up where you can go buy souveniers. Then you can walk through different rooms and each room depicts a section of the park. It was pretty neat. Kristopher collects Hard Rock t-shirts. Funny thing is he doesn't like that kind of music. He enjoys listening to classical music and video game soundtracks. Go Figure!

Later in the evening it was on to Broadway at the Beach. Margaritaville was Dallas' choice for his day late birthday dinner. It was delicious and the kids modeled their parrot masks. While Kristopher and Nicholas enjoyed an hour at MagiQuest, Grace and Julia made two new friends at Build a Bear. This Build a Bear has 3 different sections- the tradition build an animal section, build a dino, and friends2Bmade. We choose the friends2Bmade section. Julia built a friend2B and Grace choose a sweatheart doll(with alittle help). They had a fun making their new friends. If you are wondering why Zachary did neither it was because he lost this privilege on Friday due to bad behavior. Three strikes and you are out.

Myrtle Beach

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For Dallas' birthday we headed to Myrtle Beach for the weekend. Saturday morning we went to the beach. It was Grace's first time to the beach(as far as we know). She loved playing in the sand and walking in the water. She had no fear of the ocean. We stayed and played for about 2 hours. We all had a great time!

Happy Birthday, Dallas!

This picture was taken September 21, 1968.

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to Dallas!
Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday, Debi!

Today is my sister's birthday. I hope you had a great day, Debi! We were all thinking about you.

Grace's tests and Our Weekend

A little over a week ago, Grace had stool samples and urine samples tested. We are glad to say the tests all came back normal. Some kids come home with parasites. Sorry if I have already mentioned this but Grace also gave 4 vials of blood. She sat in my lap and watched the whole time. She never cried or showed any reaction to the needle or anything. The lady taking the blood was amazed. She said that had never happened before. All her blood work came back fine, too. They were able to tell she had most of her shots. She only needs about 3.

We had a nice relaxing weekend: The park, Baseball, shopping, putt putt and snowcones. We have the best snocone place near us. They have every flavor you can imagine. Kristopher tried dill pickle once. It was a little strong. It was like drinking pickle juice. Once I got peanut butter flavor. Not my favorite. I think I will just stick to strawberry.

Tomorrow, I will post some cute pictures I took of the kids this weekend.

New Blog Name

I am thinking of renaming my blog. I would like a name that would include all 5 of our children. I would like to use pictures of them at the top of the blog. I have,also, considered leaving Journey to Grace as is and starting a new family blog.Any suggestions?

Cute Video

The eyes in the middle of the night describes Julia to a T. Many a nights we wake up with her eyes peering at us. A couple of times she has scared us and we have even screamed.

Julia's Video

Julia was thought she was taking pictures with my camera but she was really taking a video. I don't even know how to do video on my camera.

Three Weeks Ago Today

Three weeks ago we arrived in Newark, New Jersey after a 15 hour flight from Hong Kong. Needless to say we were all exhausted. This is,also, the day Grace became an American Citizen the moment we touched down on U.S. Soil. Our flight to Raleigh was delayed 3 times so we spent 7 hours in the Newark airport. At 9:00 p.m. our flight finally boarded and we were on our way. We arrived in Raleigh close to 11:00. Dallas' sister Dee was there to meet us. It was great to see her and be home. Once home she had bought a cake for Grace and some balloons. The balloons were a big hit. Grace ran around playing with them until we decided it was bedtime(around 2:00 a.m.).

It is hard to believe it has been 3 weeks. So much has happened in that time. The kids have started school, baseball season has begun, my sister and parents have visited, and so much more. Grace is doing great. She still eats like it is her last meal. She is becoming more verbal and it sounds like she is trying to express herself more with words. We can't understand any of it but at least she is trying. She still wakes up screaming every morning and still cries quite a bit. The letter from the orphanage that said she cried a lot was right on target. A lot of times it is from not getting her way. We are confident this will change with time. She is a very lovable little girl and she learns something new everyday. We are so very lucky to have her as a part of our family.

Family Visits

Sorry I haven't posted much in the last week. My sister, brother-in-law were visiting. My sister and husband left Sunday. My parents left this morning. Please pray for Mom. She wasn't doing very the last couple of days. I will be relieved to hear they have arrived safely back in Florida. Posted are some pictures I took while they were here.

Grace

Boys on their Folding Bikes bought in China

A True Braxton

Grace passed the test. She loves Pastina. For those that don't know what this is it an Italian soup. It is kind of like Chicken noodle soup but you use a special pasta instead. My Grandmother Holland use to make it all the time when I was a kid. I usually fix it once a week. All my kids love it with Parmasean Cheese sprinkled on top.

White Swan Photos

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The White Swan photos have arrived. There were 4 families with a Consulate Appointment of August 20. The 4 kids are Annemarie(she is the one in pink laughing),Maya(the Andersons daughter)and Baylor. Baylor's siblings are the other 4 kids that aren't in the traditional outfits. Maya and Annemarie both have siblings but none that came with them. Nicholas and Zachary loved Annemarie. They thought she was the cutest little girl(besides their sister of course).

I love the way Julia is looking up to Kristopher in the picture of the just our kids. Can you tell she adores her brother?

Can We Go Home Now?

The Girls in the Airport in Hong Kong

This is one of my favorite pictures of the girls. We were in the Disney Store in the Hong Kong airport. It is hard to get them both smiling at the same time.