Happy Birthday Lily Grace!!!!!

Hey Everyone,

Praise God for birthdays, Lily Grace turned two today! We had a wonderful "little" family celebration and I really think Lily Grace understood that we were celebrating something specific for her. Though I doubt that she knew she was turning two. (I wonder how old she thinks I am?)

Mrs. Tracie gave Lily her very first birthday present, a really nice blue dress that she had "smocked" (boy, I hope that's the right terminology for what Tracie did to the neckline of the dress). I thought we had a picture of it, but I can't find it right now. We'll be sure to post it later. Anyway, Tracie thank you - gifts from you always have a piece of your heart in them and that makes them more special than anything! Just as a reminder, my birthday is in April, but the smock thing probably wouldn't work for me.

Rather than overwhelm Lily Grace, we just had a small little party with a few gifts - a little kitchen set, some clothes, and a few play toys. But we did have cake for the little princess, complete with two candles. Austin, Connie, and I really enjoyed watching Lily bask in the attention - it's really unusual you see for her to get any attention at all around here!

How is it that kids just know what to do with presents that are wrapped up? When we gave Lily a gift that needed unwrapping, we all wondered what she would do. And to our surprise, she tore right into it and opened the box of clothes and uttered the appropriate "Ooooh" when she saw the clothes there. Oh well, I guess next she'll be telling me that "Shopping is therapy!" She's all girl!

Lily really enjoyed her birthday and we enjoyed being blessed by having her here with us on her special day.







Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace (Birthday Girl)
Green, Party of Four

Doctor, It Hurts When You Do That!

Hey Everyone,

Sometimes the Doctor just has to make you a little uncomfortable in the short term to make sure that you are more comfortable for the long term. So it was for Lily Grace the past couple of weeks. She's seen more doctors and nurses and therapists and lab technicians than she really cared to see! But it was all good (mostly). Lily is cared for by the best team of doctors one could ever hope for. We are very blessed in that regard. When we completed the adoption paperwork, one of the things the Chinese government wanted to know was what kind of medical care would be available for Lily Grace. We told them that she would be cared for by very good doctors associated with the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Oh, if they only knew.

Lily sees Dr. Jennifer Chambers and her team (Leigh Ann, Jill, Amy, and others) in Birmingham at the UAB International Adoption Clinic and let me tell you, observing these doctors as they care for the little girls is further confirmation that God creates each of us for a purpose. And the purpose for which He created Dr. Chambers and her team is unmistakeable. I know, I know, the doctors are just doing their job one might say. But one would be wrong in this assessment. I truly believe these doctors are gifted by a great and wonderful God who has given them talents to see that children who need medical attention receive it with an extra dose of compassion and love. They look at every aspect of Lily's overall health, including her physical, emotional, and mental well-being and how she is developing overall. We are very grateful to Dr. Chambers and the others at the Internation Adoption Clinic for the way they treat Lily and her mommy and daddy each visit. Praise God for this team of physicians and that He put them in Birmingham so we could see them and benefit from their talents. That is so awesome!

Lily Grace also got to see her primary care pediatrician for the first time this week. Dr. Morgan at Madison Pediatrics is also a wonderful doctor who will be providing care for Lily for what we hope will be a long time. Unfortunately, for Dr. Morgan and her nurse (Tannika?), they were given the honor of initiating all the vaccinations that Lily is needing. Four shots! Ouch! Lily was not happy about this, so Tannika and Dr. Morgan will have some making up to do in the future! Sorry Tannika, maybe Lily will forget about the 'sticks' by next visit.

Anyway, for the most part, Lily has done very well with her doctors and is experiencing only minor ailments, common to most two-year olds. As part of her overall evaluation, she will have to see a pediatric eye doctor and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in the near future, but no one's telling Lily about that right now! And for sure not me!


Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four

I Owe I Owe I Owe, So Off to Work I Go

Hey Everyone,

A little backpeddling to Monday, Sept 18th. It was time to go back to work for Connie. So Sunday afternoon, the 17th, two of Connie's bestest best friends in the world met her at the park in Florence to tell her everything would be OK. Laura and Lori both brought their girls and Connie took Lily Grace to the park to enjoy an afternoon of girl talk and girl play. Wonder what they said?? Anyway, the girls really enjoyed the park and were constantly accused of being sisters, you know a set of twin twins - four in all that makes quadruplets. Never mind that they don't look much alike, they have to be sisters. Nothing else would do for the interested park patrons.

Sisters (Quadruplets?) Forever


After getting her pickmeup from Laura and Lori, Connie set out for work Monday morning. She has a wonderful group of Christian friends at work who were glad to see her back again. Connie began just part time, working half-days thru the week. To most people, half days usually means around 4 hours, but with Lily Grace at home taking in the day with MeMaw, I'm guessing that Connie's half days were not quite half days, maybe more like half daze! Connie's friends treated her to lunch at Greenbriar's on Tuesday just to let her know they were glad she was back and that they had missed her.

MeMaw, you think Pawpaw has anything for me?

While Connie readjusts to the work environment, Lily Grace is getting to know MeMaw really well. They have become stroller buddies. MeMaw takes Lily Grace out for a stroll around the neighborhood each day and when they get back, a cool glass of lemonade welcomes Lily from her hard work. Seems that MeMaw and Lily have decided that lemonade is a real treat on hot days. Sometimes, Pawpaw comes over and brings breakfast for the ladies and they eat out on the patio, teasing Little Cav as he looks longingly at their breakfast of biscuits and sausage. Anyway, things are going well with MeMaw and Lily, so maybe that will allow Connie to turn her half daze into full days this week.

Pawpaw, I think we're going to need a lot of these!


Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four

What a Welcome! Xiexie Athens FCC!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the Heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves." Ephesians 1:5

Hey Everyone,

First, we say "shyeh shyeh" to our wonderful group of friends in the Athens FCC. Lily Grace was officially welcomed home by the Athens FCC at the home of Max, Kathy, and Emma Norman this afternoon. But we know that everyone in the group had a special part in welcoming Lily Grace home. You also have a special place in our hearts. Wow, I have said it before and I'll say it again. God is up to something big with these little girls. I can't wait to see how His plan unfolds. It's always fun to share with others what's going on when there's a common thread. Moms have known this universal truth probably forever. It takes us Dads a little more time to learn and come to appreciate the special bonds that Mothers have always known. But God is teaching us. We'll get there, it'll just take us a little longer.

We had such a wonderful time watching Lily Grace meet her new friends and seeing our new friends again, some for the first time since we returned from China. Two little girls, whom I have mentioned before on this site (Julia and Amanda) met with us at the airport in Huntsville when we left for China and prayed with us and for us before we left. We got to see them tonight for the first time since we've been back and it was such a blessing.

The Athens FCC is a growing group of Christian families who have been blessed by God to receive some of the most beautiful children one could imagine. People use the terms "biological" and "adopted" to describe the little ones God has given us. But the fact of the matter is that all Christians are "adoped" children as noted in the scriptures (Ephesians 1:5). I don't really like the term "biological children" but since it is well known, I would say that God has blessed many of us with awesome "biological" children, children who know Him and who love the little children God adds to their families.

We were also blessed to meet some new friends who have begun the journey that the others of us have been on for some time now. To our new friends, Steve and Monica Carter from Athens and Tim and Tina Hammond from Florence, we say "gongxi gongxi" (congratulations) on your answer to God's calling for your lives. We are more than excited for you and can't wait till one day we get a call (and it better be a call, not an email!!) that you are headed to China to bring home the child(ren?) God has picked for you. We pray continuously for you, lifting you up to Jesus, that He might show you His everlasting riches through grace and miracles as He has done for us. Thank you for the gifts you brought for Lily, she especially likes the little duck that sings! Personally, I like the "Alabama 101" book - Lily already knows how to say Rooollllll Tide!

To Lisa and Russ and Emily and Billy, who are waiting patiently for their referrals, we pray also for you. We can't wait to celebrate again when Athens FCC welcomes you home with the children God has waiting for you. And when you get home, if you need any clothes, just come look in Lily Grace's closet, there's more than plenty there! Emily, if Vivian comes up missing, I'll check with Connie, chances are she brought her home with her (you did get her back from Connie didn't you?).

To everyone else who came, thank you for thinking of Lily Grace (Lily says thank you for the food) and for your prayers for our safe return. Please continue to pray for our family as we will continue to pray for yours. God's plans are bigger than anything we can imagine - we just have to be obedient to be privaleged to see them come to fruition.

Thank you Max, Kathy, and Emma for opening your home to all of us. We are very blessed to have such friends with whom we can celebrate. The signs at the entrance to your driveway were really cool and all the food was great! Lily Grace liked the play toys outside and even began to share a little (just a little) with Molly! Thanks for playing with the kids outside. Austin really had a good time, though he hasn't mentioned how his and Joseph's football game with the girls (Katie, Marcie, Tonya) came out.

We look forward to seeing all of you again at the "Moon festival" October 6th at Isom's Chapel United Methodist Church. Gracie May will be a special guest of honor as we celebrate her second birthday. There will be birthday cake, there better be birthday cake!! Thanks to Thersa Gray for organizing the gala!

Love Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four

Incredible Labor Day!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

Labor Day in our family has often been viewed as an opportunity to get away, usually to the beach. Connie likes the sun, Austin likes to build things in the sand, and I like spending time going back and forth to the hotel room to get drinks and snacks for Austin and Connie. That's usually about the way it goes. But Austin and I do build some incredible sand "things" (we really couldn't call them castles, that's too strong of a word for our creations).

This year, God had something totally different in mind for us. Lily Grace has brought about a new focus. Not to mention a new set of friends and family. How 'bout we stay at home and spend time with new kids and new friends and build new things. Things of God, like relationships with those who have shared with us the emotional roller coaster ride called international adoption and friendships with little girls who later in life will understand every emotion Lily Grace will experience. How 'bout we visit with friends and family. OK, sounds like a good idea! Let's get started.


First, we needed a babysitter in the morning so we could get ready for new family in the afternoon. Not a problem, Amanda called and wondered if she and Will could come over and spend some time with Lily Grace. Wonderful timing Amanda! Lily Grace really likes Will and watched intently as Will put together a riding toy for her. She was very thankful to Will for a job well done.


Amanda, this Will is Really Cool.




Hey Will, where's this part go?



Here's the Barbeque Sauce Dad!


Next, we needed food. Get the smoker going. Prepare the homemade barbeque sauce. Skin the chickens. Fire up the grill. Get the best fattened calf Wal Mart has to offer. And don't forget the 'dogs.

All that's left is some guests. That's where the Morgans and the Jamiesons come in. Oddly enough, we have plenty of pictures of the kids, a few of the moms, but absolute nada on the dads. I guess that about par for the course.

This is called "Baby Shift Left". See if you can figure out who belongs with each mommy.








Ashleigh and Lily Grace Look Good Together



Let's Eat Girls!

Hoping Your Labor Day Was as Good as Ours,

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four

Rocket Science, Miracles, and Football Games

Still trying to catch up. Austin missed a week of school once and it took him a month to catch up. I've missed a week of posting, I hope it doesn't take me a month to catch up. This is harder than rocket science (and I should know).

One day in April of this year, Connie and I went to Birmingham to meet this lady named Lily, who was planning to help us complete an adoption in China later in the year. We patiently waited our turn to talk to Lily (she was extremely popular) and then told her about our little Lily Grace. She was happy we had selected the name Lily. When we told her of our plan to take our 12 yr old son, Austin, to China with us, she was very happy. She told us that this trip would change his life forever and that he'd be a different person, a better person, who could appreciate his own life here in the States with newfound enthusiasm after witnessing some of the conditions of daily life in China. I was in full agreement. Yes, Lily, you are so right. This will definitely change Austin's life. He will learn so much, see so much, and experience so much. Unfortunately, he will see poverty like he's never seen before, he'll be one of millions walking the streets of Nanchang, lost in a sea of faces, only one of a few on those streets found in the Lamb's book of life. Yes, I told Lily. He will be changed forever. He will hear a different language, see a different people, taste different foods (well, maybe not that) ... All the while, I'm sure God was just sitting there watching this conversation and chuckling to himself. "Yes, Jerry, Austin will be changed. I'll see to that. But what about you?"

In all the agreement with Lily, it hardly occurred to me that either Connie or I would be so impacted by what we would see, hear, smell, experience in China. God must have thought I was some know-it-all, explaining to Lily how I agreed with her assessment for my son, while not even acknowledging the potential impact on me.

Oh my! ........ God is so Awesome! Thank you God for what You have done! Connie and I both experienced a significant change in our outlook, our understanding of others, our appreciation for the blessings God has given us, and on and on. In short, we were both changed forever, especially on the day, God presented Lily Grace to us, a beautiful, frightened little child who would begin to change us as much as we would her over the next few weeks. Prior to China, we would have never been so open about such personal things, and to be honest, I still feel a little odd and somewhat embarrased. But when one sees and experiences a miracle firsthand, there is nothing you can do but climb to the highest place and shout it out loud!! So here I am, sharing personal stories and details of our family, for the sole purpose that there might be someone who would be encouraged by what they read. That they too might be as blessed as Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and I have been. We have already been able to meet several people traveling the same journey we have and who share similar concerns and thoughts. We've been able to help others who are nearing their trip to China, one of whom is adopting Lily Grace's best friend! That's why we continue to post. I'm sorry if ourposts are longer than posts are supposed to be, but I was trained to be complete in everything I do and so cannot leave out details, especially when there are miracles involved. My prayer for all who might read our posts would be that they be attentive to God's will in their lives, so that He can bless them as He has already planned to do, creating in their lives, a miracle as He has for us.

Now, it's Friday (actually it's Saturday) and that means football, football, and more football! Austin's team, the East Limestone Indians, have already played two games. In the first game, the Indians fell to the mighty Athens Golden Eagles 44-15. [Note, Muscle Shoals fell victim to Athens tonight by a similar score.] Funny thing happened in this game. I graduated from Athens, while Connie graduated from East Limestone. So, who sits where? In the first half, Connie and Lily Grace sat on the Athens side with Connie's mom, while I sat on the East Limestone side with my mom! Crazy! BTW, the newspaper reported that the attendance was estimated at 9,000. Sounds a little high to me, but the stadium was packed as I have never before seen it, including one little Lily Grace experiencing her first high school football game.

In their second game (tonight), East Limestone managed a win versus Priceville, 35-21. Where are all the defenses?Lily Grace enjoyed both games to their very end, even running around on the field after the games as Austin completed his chores for Coach Pugh. I'm not sure Lily has a clue what's going on, but she really seems to be developing some people skills. Austin likes to carry her around at the games (I'm sure the fact that she attracts all his little girl "friends" has nothing to do with that!). Our friends in the East Limestone community have been so wonderful and accepting of Lily Grace (God has been planning ahead I think). We are really excited for her to meet our friends in the community while she watches big brother on the other side of the fence. Oh, and she really loves the band - in China, Lily would never have gotten to hear a good high school band, and East Limestone is definitely one of the best around. Anyway, she dances and claps her hands as they play and chant the Indians fight song. She's even learned the motions of the tomahawk chant!

As a side note, Lily Grace managed her first complete sentence in English, complete with appropriate hand motions - Rollllllllll Tie (Tie is a shortened version of Tide used often by those 2 yrs old or less. Watch it you Auburn and Tennessee fans, you know who you are)! Though I am very pleased with the progress of her English, I can claim no contribution in this case. Connie taught her this while I was at work - I think to surprise me.

Keep on Praying. In Everything, Give Thanks to Him!

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four

Football Fridays

Catching up on a few things. I know, I know. Boy am I slow to blog! Must be the word blog. I couldn't quite get the idea, so I looked it up. I'm probably the last to learn that it means WeB Log. It's like a journal, but on the web. Neat idea. Wish I'd thought of it. Anyway, hopefully I can get more efficient at this bloggin' thing!

Football season is finally here. And for Austin that means participating in East Limestone's program and watching Florida State. I think he's hooked on this Indian concept? Austin has been a part of the East Limestone Indians for several years now, earning his keep as the team manager.

This football season promises to be different than any before since we now have a beautiful little "cheerleader" to go along with our handsome son, Austin.

This year is a special year for East Limestone. Not only do we finally get to play Athens (we lost, but more on that later), but we are getting a brand new stadium at East Limestone. It is really nice. Connie and I bought reserved seats on the 50 yard line so we could catch every one of Austin's games. Lily Grace will be able to see the cheerleaders from where we are sitting.

Austin is really good friends with all the players, but his favorite is probably the quarterback, a soft-spoken, polite kid named Chad DeWitt. Chad is very talented, but very humble. Austin tells me that Chad knows the Lord and has his priorities in place. That's really cool for Austin to have such a friend. Chad goes out of his way to speak to me. I think that's his way of showing me that he really respects Austin for his efforts to support the team. It's hard to describe the emotional ties that Austin has to this football team, due to some really personal life events. Maybe one day, he'll be able to talk about that at length.

Now, Lily Grace was on the field at East Limestone the first week we had her home. Here's some pictures of her adventure. This was just before big brother was to start practice. Of course, he was totally focused on Lily this time!

Hey Austin, this thing is ringing. How do I make it stop?

















See you at the game!

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace
Green, Party of Four

God Has Big Plans!

God is so amazing! Even when we think small, He's thinking big. When we think in terms of minutes, He's thinking years. We know that He is planning something very important for our little Lily Grace and we just can't wait to see what it is. So it's time to tell this story and share with everyone what God did for us in China. We did not yet have Lily Grace, still a day away from meeting her for the first time.

God taught us so many things while we were in China. He taught us to slow down and see how blessed we were. He showed us a densely populated country filled with the most friendly people we have ever met, yet who have not met Him. He showed us more history in a few weeks than we have been able to learn in our lifetimes. We saw the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. He showed us the heart of China in the Forbidden City and Tian'amen Square. He taught us the elegance and beauty of another civilization by showing us their acrobats and artwork.

But beyond everything else, He showed me that I am to teach Lily Grace about Him. He showed me this in the most powerful way I could ever imagine. Right in the middle of Beijing and just a few blocks from Tian'amen Square on the doorsteps of the most beautiful, Christian church I have ever seen, God set before me a young Chinese girl who told me in broken English "I want to know who this Jesus is!" Here's the story. I am sharing it because I want to tell as many people as possible that God has special opportunities for us and we don't know when He'll present those opportunities to us. We need to be ready at any time. In this case, I was not fully prepared and feel like there was much more I could have done, should have done, and will try to do in the future. Telling this story is part of that.

On our last day in Beijing, the day before we were to get Lily Grace, God woke me up at about 3:00 am. I wasn't happy about this, because I knew that in a few short hours, we would need to leave for the airport and I would need some sleep to navigate the Chinese protocols at the airport so we would get on the right plane. Unable to go back to sleep, I began to read a pocket Bible that I had taken with me. After a half hour or so, I decided that it was time to get back in bed and try to sleep. But God had other plans. This time, He had me sitting in the hotel lobby, scribbling some things in a journal I had been keeping for Lily Grace.

Finally, around 5:00 am, I decided that I would go back to the room and try to get at least a couple of hours sleep. Still, God wouldn't let me sleep. He told me to get dressed and go out of the hotel and walk. Not knowing where I was going or why, I got dressed, grabbed my camera, and went for a walk. It is amazing to see a city the size of Beijing as it wakes up in the morning. The merchants are beginning to set their wares onto the streets, hotel bellhops are sweeping the sidewalks (they sweep alot!), delivery trucks unload their goods, a few buses ramble by signaling the beginning of another day of overcrowded travel, a few three-wheel bicycles offer a stark contrast to the harried travel of the buses. There were even a few locals walking their dogs. Thus, another day begins.














After some aimless wandering, I finally turned in the right direction and in a few blocks came across the church - the first I had seen in Beijing (and only one of two I would see in China all together). I had seen this building the day before, but from the perspective of rush-hours traffic and so had not paid much attention to it. With the early morning sunlight, I was stunned at its beauty, its majesty, and couldn't resist going up to it. Inside the foyer (an open air foyer) were beautiful pictures of Jesus and Mary and many scriptures in the Chinese language. I couldn't believe my eyes. I turned and there was this girl, reading the scriptures and viewing the pictures. I was so surprised that I asked an obvious (and dumb) question of her (I was in such a shock, that it didn't occur to me that she might not speak English) - "Is this a Christian church?"

She looked at me and said in her broken English "I think so, yes and I want to know who this Jesus is!" Uh ... I'm sorry, what did you say? Well, we practice, practice, and practice and try to convince ourselves that we are capable of answering this question to it's fullest whenever we're asked, but we want God to give us opportunities according to our own plans. Don't put us on the spot, God. Let us plan the opportunities out ourselves and what we would say and in what order. I was caught off guard and probably didn't respond as well as God would have liked me to. I certainly didn't respond as well as I would have liked to. When we think small, God thinks big. He gives us opportunities according to His time.

The girl asked if I believed in God and I said I did. I explained to her that Jesus was my Savior, but could have done a better job telling her why. I was scared. I didn't want to mess this up, it was too important and I was caught off guard. We spoke a little while, asking where each was from - she lives there in Beijing, so I hope that she visits the church frequently. The church was having a service (we could hear beautiful singing) and so I urged her to go in and visit. I wish I had taken her in myself because as I watched her, she seemed content to remain outside and look around, but ... I couldn't do that God, I'm not dressed properly, I have a plane to catch, I've got to wake the others up, get breakfast, arrange transportation to the airport, you know, a lot of important stuff ...

It took me a few days to realize it, but I really believe that God was showing me that I have the most awesome opportunity one could imagine set before me - to tell a little child (Lily Grace) who has never heard His name all about His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness. The girl in the church foyer, while representing a ministry opportunity presented to me by God at that moment, was symbolic of my own Lily Grace as she grows up and whom I would see on the very next day. It's funny, this week in Sunday School, we studied about God giving us second chances through the experiences of Jonah. If Lily Grace represents my second chance, I pray that I am never caught off guard and that I am able to fully answer her when she says "I want to know who Jesus is."

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace