Catching up and going into Feb 2009

The first photo is a partial view of our Chinese New Year celebration...We had fireworks!!!

Last night we hosted a birthday party for Penny who turns 12 on Feb 1..her first birthday party it seems! Even though i had pizza for all 12 kids they all wanted noodles and rice...go figure :)

Claude and I went to the flooring store today and ordered the flooring for the great room. A nice warm honey brown hardwood...will be nice I think up against the tile. We also ran thru the grocery store and a furniture store while we were "on our own" for a couple of hours...we both have a touch of sore throats and sinus...we all need sunshine so bad! Maybe it would help the crabby moods at our house too....yes even the Coats residence has the crabbies!

Last week our social worker was here for Penny's six month home visit. Amazing that it has already been six months! she has gained almost (much needed) 22 pounds in that time! One thing I tell people is not to buy to many clothes at first when getting home...the children grow so fast you can hardly keep up the clothing supply!

We are currently waiting for pre-approval for our second "waiting" daughter in China. I should be coming thru soon although I know all of China is currently shut down for Chinese New Year. This time all of the paperwork will be in duplicate....each time I travel I stress so over all of this paperwork and now that part will be doubled! I guess I will be thankful that my son Eric is a cosmetologists and can keep me appearing young! Wash away the grey....but even the handling part of the paperwork is enormous...

Please say a prayer for all of those nationwide that have been hit with the power outages from the winter storm. Ruthi

sorry---extra post

I said in the below post above Zero in the title...we have had horrible weather this past week. Broke weather records her and on Thursday morning we saw -30 degrees....just plain scary! Also anyone reading this--throw me any ideas you have about our next vehicles! ^ children and two adults...hmmm! I am wondering if a stretch limo is possible Hey there has to be a few used ones out there av now because of the poor economy I would think! We could just paint it to be a "regular" car color and maybe we would blend in?? :)

Great day today! Above Zero!!

We went to art lessons today and had a great time! Plus we met a young lady there that uses sign language. I have searched for someone to teach us sign language and hopefully she will consider it! Then we headed to the mall where we checked our coats in a locker and headed to the food court for Chinese food...it was great! And as we were there we met a new friend. Lorey came up and introduced herself and her family. Two adopted children from Korea and her daughter Clair was showing off her new swim suit...she will enjoy her summer for sure. Their son is 6 and we decided we have to stay in touch....it was very nice that she came up and spoke to me and our girls...we also loved the kisses thrown our way when she left..we feel we have met a true friend. As we left the mall though Claude called to say the wind had picked up and basically our road was white out conditions so we headed home with him saying he was meeting us at the end of the 1 1/2 mile lane so we got in ok...we are all home safe and sound and in our jammies ready to play battleship and checkers...!

And now we grow again

I will admit that I have tears while I write this. Our adoption agency CWA www.cwa.org has a list of waiting children that came out months ago that we found our waiting daughter, age 12, on but at the same time a little girl on the list caught my eye, and my heart. She is 8 years old (she is 48 inches tall and 44 pounds) and her special need is club foot.But it was just her little smirky smile and the way she holds herself and her eyes and her ears...her little hair cut and the look in her eye that just stayed in my heart. We talked about both little girls and the little girl that is 12 made the match into our family. The older girls had asked for a sister to be close in age to them....but still I have e-mailed CWA every week or so asking about "little #23" and Carol would answer "still praying for a family for her" and then one day a family did ask for her...but then about the same time Claude asked me about her and I said I was still praying for her family to find her to adopt her...and so then he said how about we ask if we can adopt both girls at the same time...we had our names put on her list and then if the other family said no we would then be able to discuss if both could be adopted. So on New Years Eve we received an e-mail that said "ok, here's your chance!" and we received her files and sent off family photos and paperwork and more paperwork to the contact of CWA so she could present us to the people in charge in China for special permission to adopt both girls at the same time. After countless times of wondering if this could actually happen, "But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily,surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day." Habakkuk 2:3, last Friday my phone rang and it was Carol from CWA saying China said YES! So today we are Letter of Intent to China to adopt the second little girl...we will be able to have both sets of paperwork travel together so we will only travel to China one time but bring home both little girls! Whole lotta pink going on at the Coats house! Please keep our family and all of these waiting children in your prayers....

Final ones-photos!

ok! then we have our son Eric and his son Drew, my dad and mom, and then our family photo of the ones that were able to make it for Christmas. Our sons Alex, Eric and Andy were all home, our son Kris and his family are stationed in MS and had been up thru the summer.

2008 mudding on 4 wheelers-crazy!

I stay home usually when the girls and Claude are out on the four wheelers. I am the first to admit they are fun! But so far I have enjoyed just taking photos rather than taking part of this muddy mess! Claude has made sure the girls all have helmets and automatic shut offs on the machines and is constantly going over safety rules with them. He also rides with them, they never ride alone.

more photos of 2008

top my brother Andy and his daughters, next my sister and her famiy all enjoyed Christmas day with us, our daughter Kate enjoying the huge snowflakes then next is Vicky outside and then Penny all on the same day!

more photos of 2008

Top photo is of Addie and our son Andy at Christmas Eve services, then Addie enjoying HUGE snowflakes as they were falling, then my sister Carrie and her family at our house Christmas day, then Andy the cereal guy, then another of Addie.

Backwards to Christmas 2008

Addie was a candy cane in the school Christmas play this year. She was so excited...she is the second from the left.

The other photo is of us on Christmas day. It was mid day and everyone was still having a wonderful time!

New Years

As we entered 2009 we asked for blessings of our children, for those at home and also the ones that are grown and gone from home and those that have not yet entered our home in person! we wait for all of the paperwork to go thru for the adoption of our daughter all the while with another little girl in our hearts that we pray for....our family is doing well! Penny has accepted that Claude is always going to tell guests in our home that she can play the piano, Vicky is starting Tia Chi lessons next Saturday and the other three girls are taking art lessons. It will be fun to have a filled Saturday morning, I just hope this winter weather holds.
The house building on is going well. We ordered the lights and are looking at some cabinets for the tv room...The girls go back to school tomorrow, this break for the holidays has seemed like a very long one, I am certian they are all ready to go back and see their friends and continue learning.

Happy New Year 2009

This is Addie in her side of the room she shares with Kate..

(green bullitin board) and then Kate and her side.