Two Years, a Little Math, and the Surprise

The sad thing is that two years time can pass so quickly that sometimes you don't even realize where the time went. Of course, we know precisely where it went, if we sit down and think about it long enough. Let's see, 24 hours per day, 365.25 days per year (we collect that 0.25 day this year with leap year), 2 years, ... hmm, 17,532 hours. SEVENTEEN THOUSAND!!! I don't think I can account for all those, can you? I know I slept a few of them, worked several of them, went to church for a few of them, but how can that add up to 17,532? According to the best docs, we're supposed to sleep around 8 hours per day, I'm lucky to get 5 or 6, so that's a little over 4,000. Not a threat to Rip Van Winkle yet. Work. Oh yeah, that's where it went. Wait, about 8 hours a day and not including weekends or vacations, so that's less than 4,000 hours. I used to work a lot more than I do now, but please don't tell my supervisor! But between sleep and work, that's about half the time. Now, what about the rest? Church, about 4 hours a week, so that's 2*52*4, or 416 hours. A smidgen, I'm embarrassed. OK, we went on a few vacations, 7 days each, ... that's 168 hours a pop. Not even 1% of total time?? Mental note, more vacation time is warranted. Aha, Upward co-director and now director. That's it, that's where it went. I guess the old saying "Time flies when you're having fun" really is true. But the point is, do we really think much about our time and how we spend it? I guess that's why I only post once or twice every two weeks. The plan: Need to add some dates with Connie, some one-on-one time with Austin and Lily (and Lia, later on). And up the amount of time spent in prayer. There, I love it when a plan comes together. The next two years should be better accounted for.

OK, I'm sitting here thinking this is 2007 and trying to figure out how it is already two years since we saw the first picture of "Melissa" as she was known on Lifeline's web site. Then I thought "It's not 2007, I think it's 2008?" Let's see, we first saw "Melissa's" picture on 16 January 2006 and we immediately knew she was what God had in store for us for the rest of our lives. She even reminded me of my brother, with the look on her face. Not now, but certainly in that first photo, my first thought was "she looks like Wes?" Somebody help me out, it is 2008 now right? We told Lifeline that we wanted to adopt "Melissa" and began the necessary "stuff" immediately. Since God had this thing planned all along, He set everything on an accelerated schedule and by July she was ours. She had a new big brother and a beaming mommy! Her Dad was just trying to figure everything out. Little did he know how much fun God had in store for him over the next year and a half. Lily was born in the year of the monkey and she is more fun than a barrel of them. Every morning on the way to school, Austin and I laugh about what she did that morning. Every night, Connie and I laugh about what she did over dinner. Serious and silly, drama queen and comedian. Little girl and little lady. That's our Lily Grace. Yes, it's hard to account for every hour over the past two years, but we know in our hearts that time doesn't matter when God gives you a blessing. Just enjoy it and be thankful for it. Check out the dresses. This is a girly girl!

Christmas 2006

Christmas 2007

Oh, I nearly forgot the surprise. Lily had her three year checkup this past week and everything went well. She's inched up the growth chart, now weighing in at a whopping 5%. She is tall however, besting 25% of her peers in height (that's tall, right?). Her doctor says she's going to be petite - that must have been a tough call.

The surprise? Checkout the pictures below, I was hoodwinked, tricked, lead astray, misinformed, ... What's going on here? This wasn't supposed to happen until she turned 16. Maybe. Oh, well. I still have control over the age for starting dating. Right ???




Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace (and Lia Faith somewhere)
Green, Party of Five

A Brief Interruption in the Christmas Pictures

So much to post, so little time. I haven't even finished Christmas and it's already past New Years. Amanda has come and gone back to college. There's lots of pictures and stories, we'll get to them eventually. But for now, come and celebrate with us the impending arrival of little Noah Smith. Our friends, Jeff and Becky will soon add Noah to their family, so we had a little party (Lily likes parties and so does Connie) for them. What a great turnout. We didn't know what to expect since the holidays were only recently completed and everyone might be all partied out. But when a new kid is on the way, everyone perks up. Noah, what a great name.

Now, we don't have many little boys in our Athens FCC group, so we're all excited about Noah. But first, there's cake to eat, punch to drink and pictures to take. It was an honor for us to host this little shower. Here's some pictures for you to enjoy, while I'm trying to figure out what Christmas and New Year's pictures to show. Oh, and there's the three-year old checkup and a little surprise to tell you about. But more on that later. For now,

Hey little Noah, Let it Rain! Here's the pictures of Jeff and Becky Smith's baby shower for little Noah! You know, tonignt it rained here more than any time in the entire past year and it just makes me wonder if God isn't telling Jeff and Becky and the rest of us that "Yes, this Noah is a good thing!" "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Genesis 6:8!













It's not a red couch, but we got a picture!

Waiting for Noah!

About Those Christmas Pictures ...

We took a little vacation to the mountains for the New Year's holiday and I had planned to have a serious post-fest. You know, a two or three cup of coffee sit down with picture after picture and comment after comment. I figured that with all the bowl games on, I'd be able to sit back with the laptop and post away for hours at a time, maybe even while the girls shopped. Aahh. Relax, Get the TV going, looks like another meaningless game is on, so I'll just go ahead and get started posting.

Now, where's that laptop. Ah, here we go. Plug it in so as not to have to worry later about that nagging battery low indicator. Good. Oops, forgot the wireless card. No problem, here it is. Restart. Logon. Start Internet Explorer. Good, now find the network. ... ... ... ... "Cannot locate network service." ... ... ... Oh, maybe the router is not turned on. Now, let's see, where is that thing? Hello, Cabin Rental Service, I can't find the router for the wireless Internet service. What? I know it's a new cabin. We're the first ones to use it? That's apparent from the unpaved driveway on a 60 degree incline (it's raining too). Yeah, but you said it had Internet service. Oh, the owner is working on it? Where are they? Looks to me like we're the only ones here.

OK, so you get the message. No Christmas posts until we get back home (we're home now). So, without further adue or extraneous words, here's some of our favorite pictures from this Christmas and New Year's season. Hope all of you had a Blessed and Holy Christmas season and a great start to 2008.

"Me and Daddy went shopping and I got these for Mommy!"

After that, we went to Santa's Village and Met Santa Clause. I told him I wanted a Candy Cane.

Oh, this red-clad, grey-bearded guy is for real. A Candy Cane!

"Austin, what are you doing to that toy soldier? Santa's watching!"

"Mommy and Daddy took me to the Athens Christmas parade and it was really cold. Austin was marching with the East Limestone band, so he didn't watch it with us. Mommy and Daddy were real sad because this was the first year ever that Austin didn't sit in the truck and watch the parade with them. But at least they had me!"

"Check out my Athens FCC friends on the float! I was sick and Mommy wouldn't let me ride:("


"Contemplating an after parade snack!"

"Getting ready for Austin's Christmas concert with the East Limestone Concert Band."
"East Limestone Concert Band, Intermediate Band, and Beginner Band - Lot's of Kids!"
"Austin played several percussion instruments, but his favorite was the Kettle Drums!"

"Here's my present to Mommy and Daddy and Austin - me! They readopted me by Alabama state law on the 13th of December!"

To Be Continued ... Check this same post title over the next few days. We have tons of pictures to share, picking out just a few is a great (but joyous) task. We will just add on to this post as we add pictures.

Merry Christmas,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace (and Lia Faith, somewhere)
Green, Party of Five

Oh No! My Christmas Tree!

That was all she could say. "Oh No, My Christmas Tree!"

We love Christmas trees at the Green house, so we put one up wherever we can find room. There's one in the study - a formal one, only for looks mind you. Not functional, but very pretty. White lights and gold and red balls only. With a big red bow adorning the top. Then there's Austin's tree at the top of the stair case. Small, functional, and filled with memories of decorating. A little less formal, white lights, but still no homemade ornaments. Lily Grace has her own tree in her room. Very simple - colorful lights. Only a few ornaments purchased in China - mainly Panda Bears and a few gold balls. The functional tree is out in the breakfast area, er .. keeping room. That's where we have Christmas celebrations and exchange gifts. This tree is our real tree. It has all manner of ornaments, storebought and homemade. The fresh smell of Christmas. Ah, ... now that's what I'm talking about....







Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even that pesky mouse ...



Remember this story from last year? It seems that a real-life mickey mouse always invades us around Christmas time and this year is no different. I guess that's when it usually gets cold for the first time and they come looking for somewhere to warm their toes (claws?). Last year's mouse, of course, met his fate in one of those immensely effective, metal-wood-spring contraptions that'll snap a finger in two if you're not careful. However, this year's mouse is a bit more pesky, and apparently more destructive, than last years pink-nosed reign dear. But of course, the evidence to this point is circumstantial. Your honor, may it please the court, here is the evidence:

The stockings Connie hung by the fireplace with care,
In hopes that I'd leave them and not move them from there;

More about that later, but suffice it to say that had we known the impending danger, we'd have selected a better location!

Lily Grace was resting all snug in our bed,
Pinching my nose and thumping my head;
And Connie in her Bobby Labonte gown, and I in my black socks with shorts,
Were playing with Lily Grace while teaching her sports;

After dinner, Connie had announced how much she liked our 'real' tree this year. Of course, this was a poignant victory for me, being the one who has kept the tradition of the live tree alive and well in our household. The main advocate for that fresh smelling Frazier Fur from the mountains of North Carolina. Oh, we have our "Lowes" tree, mind you. Complete with pre-hung lights that are faltering at an alarming rate. And of course, they can't be replaced. So in a year or two, we'll be back at Lowes to plop down another few Ben Franklins for yet another plastic and metal salute to Christmas, lights and all. While we sat there admiring our tree - it's definitely the prettiest one we've ever had - we heard a thud. A small thud, mind you. Nothing to be worried about. Probably just one of the ornaments on the back side (you know, there are two back there), losing it's grip and falling to its grave ending. I joked with Connie that sometimes when people bring a real tree home, they find a squirrel in it later on - maybe we have one! So we retired to the bedroom with Lily Grace for a little more play and then ...

When out in the kitchen there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter;
Away to the kitchen I flew like a flash,
Slipped down on the floor rug, and opened a gash (not really, but I couldn't think of another rhyme).

The moon on the flake of the new-fallen snow (did you get flurries today?)
Lit up the kitchen and the objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a new fallen tree, and shattered ornaments everywhere,

All she could say was "Oh no, my Christmas tree!" Bless her heart, the world had suddenly ended. The last prize in the last box of cereal had been taken from her. Dora the Explorer had been canceled and replaced by reruns of the Johnny Carson show. It was over. Done. Everything was ruined. "Oh no, my Christmas tree!" Of course, Connie was looking everywhere for the squirrel and I was looking everywhere for the mouse! Lily was looking everywhere for the ornaments she had made and placed herself, proudly. Austin was on his way up the stairs...

With this disaster unfolding, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment Austin would be sick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the stairs! to the kitchen let's go!
Now dash away! dash away! make it so!"

Austin, too was there in a moment surveying the damage. Like the president's quickly dispatched disaster review team, he kicked around a few broken items before announcing "It looks like the tree fell!" We managed to get the tree righted, but only half so - a mistake that would later strike us another blow!

When Austin surveyed the progress on reconstruction, all he could say was " You May Be a Redneck If ..."

This is the most pitiful tree since Charlie Brown's ill-fated attempt at decorative fashion!


"As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the treetop the ornaments we placed,
Though the tree was leaning slightly, threatening more space.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard from behind
A slight bending and cracking, that could not be denied.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down to the floor came the Frazier Fur with a bound.

This time there were four witnesses. Connie, Austin, Lily Grace and I simply stood in disbelief as those ornaments that had survived the first storm were suddenly and violently tossed to their fate in a second untimely event. Snowmen sat silently on the fireplace mantel, horrified by what was unfolding before them and the disaster they were about to become unwilling participants in. The first time, they simply watched as the tree fell silently (there was no one in the room to hear it!) away from them. This time the falling timber collected many of the snowmen and their inanimate mantel mates, who could neither run nor hide from their Goliath (they have no legs). Stockings flew, more ornaments crashed from the tree and the mantel, and singing cartoon characters at the base of the fireplace announced the second coming of the Christmas tree disaster.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of new ornaments he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a Home Depot helper just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

Santa had decided to come early to the Green house today,
To help clean up this mess and to save the day;
Lily was all down and Connie was too.
What to do. What to do? Oh, what to do?

So I gave them a portrait from a friend named Jim,
Who asked me not to attribute it to him;
He had painted Lily Grace, From the card last year,
And to Connie this time it brought several tears.

Well, at least Connie and Lily have a painting to look at. All Austin and I have are some fun memories making up new Christmas songs as we picked up the pieces with Santa's help ...

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly (Santa had a few extra pounds too).

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And he laughed when he saw me, in spite of himself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know he'd clean up this mess;


He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And replaced all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
Winking and twinkling and wiggling his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;



Alas, Austin and Lily's Christmas tree was righted and redecorated, better than ever, waiting to be of service on Çhristmas morning to two little, sleepy-eyed dreamers - Connie and Jerry!. This time with some ornaments on the back side in case anyone views the tree from the outside. Austin and Lily Grace were happy to see their real tree again and we were happy to have several Christmas celebrations with the tree holding court in the Breakfast room. Oh, BTW, the snowmen requested and received guardposts on the hearth, where they perceived there to be less danger from falling timbers!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"Balance that tree, Jerry, so I don't have to come back tonight."

Waiting for Christmas!

Merry Christmas to All of You,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace (and Lia Faith somewhere)
Green, Party of Five

What Do You Want for Christmas Daddy?

As she sat next to me outside the Probate Judge's courtroom, she looked up with the brightest smile and deepest expression she could muster and said "Daddy, what do you want for Christmas?" And just like that, it became clear that a three-year old had more clearly understood the events of the previous 30 minutes than I could have imagined. All I could think of to say was "I just got it, sweet baby girl."

We are slowly, but surely, checking the boxes that are required for us to bring home Lily's sister one day and this was just another step in the process. You see, for Lily Grace to travel to China with us to meet Lia, she needed a U.S. passport and to get that, we needed a birth certificate issued in the U.S. And in order to get that, we had to convince the State of Alabama that she was really our child and that we'd be good parents to her if they let us adopt her! Even though Lily Grace is ours according to the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA), and even though she is a full U.S. citizen, she was not officially "ours" according to the laws of the State of Alabama. So no official birth certificate could be issued for her until we accomplished this step. Most of you know this already, so just smile at us and whisper a quiet "Oh My. Bless Them."

So, we hired an old friend to do some legal work for us and met with the probate judge at our appointed time and finalized the adoption by the laws of the State of Alabama. You want to know the really cool thing about living in a small county? The probate judge was the same judge who issued a marriage certificate for us 23 years ago! I think he even recognized us and we certainly recognized him. Now, Lily will get an Alabama birth certificate and then eventually a U.S. passport for travel. Yea!

But for this day, all she could think about was what I wanted for Christmas. And all I could think about was that the joy and love that she has brought into our family was all I really wanted. And what does Lily Grace want for Christmas? According to the Santa Claus at Santa's Village - "a candy cane!"

What do you really want for Christmas? Here's another question to consider "What does Jesus really want for Christmas?" It is, after all, His birthday we celebrate. Tomorrow night, I will be blessed to celebrate Jesus' birthday with my K-2nd grade girls Upward basketball team. I plan to talk about what we might give Jesus for His birthday. Maybe, just maybe, one of them will think it a good idea to give herself to Him ...

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace (and Lia Faith)
Green, Party of Five

100 ...

That's how many times we have posted to this blog, beginning in June 2006 before Connie, Austin, and I traveled half way around the world to meet God's little addition to our family. That, of course, would be Lily Grace. Since then, we have been writing to this blog so that one day, Lily would be able to immerse herself in the beginnings of her life, such as they were, and have something to reflect on. We are very thankful to a wonderful friend who encouraged us (demanded?) to write this blog - Lori, get some coffee, this'll take awhile. With such a void of information available to her about the first two years of her life, we felt it was important to document as much as possible for Lily the events of her life beyond her days as an orphaned angel in Jiangxi Province, China. We don't know much about her birth parents, her first 22 months, or her Chinese family, but we can be assured of a few things.

First, her biological mother must have been an amazingly beautiful lady, because Lily Grace is simply and stunningly beautiful in her own regard. We are so grateful to this lady that she cared enough for Xing Xing to bring her to an orphanage filled with God's own nannys so that one day she would be ready for us. We pray for her that she has found solace and is comforted by the knowledge that Xing Xing, now Lily Grace, is safe and full of life. Lily can look like the beautiful baby she is in one moment and an elegant, but dainty, grownup model in the next. I suppose she could get some of her physical traits from her biological father, but she doesn't really exhibit any of the features that one might see in the Asian male. Her features are 100% soft, very lady-like, but best described as very girly. Her skin, her eyes, and her hair work with almost anything she wears, so even I can sometimes pick out something from her wardrobe that goes well with her. And her wardrobe is extensive, mind you! It is sometimes awkward when someone points out to us that she is beautiful. We say thank you, but that seems a bit presumptuous on our part since God, and God alone, created her beauty - we had nothing to do with it. God had everything to do with it. Lately, however, something else has started to emerge. There is an old saying that the longer you live with a person, the more you begin to look like them. Thankfully, Connie hasn't started to look like me, but rather there are some similarities between Connie and Lily that appear to be emerging. Sometimes I see looks on Lily's face that remind me of Connie and vice versa. Lily has a way of creating beauty, not just on her own face, but on the face of others as she causes them to smile. This is very evident with Connie.

Second, there must have been some real smarts in Lily Grace's Chinese background, because she does seem to be blessed with a sharp mind, very perceptive, and very intelligent. She learns things very quickly and can make connections and assimilate ideas really well. I'm obviously no expert in the matter and probably more than a little bit biased in the subject matter, but it just seems that she is advanced well beyond what her birth age would suggest. She appears to be developmentally on track and well positioned for learning. In that regard, we say that she takes after her big brother, Austin, who maintains excellent performance in his studies. Lily attends school two days a week now and learns something new every day. One of our early posts described how Lily's English vocabulary was emerging. Well, let me say that if it was "emerging" then, today it is "exploding." She is way beyond simple sentences, telling stories about things that require several paragraphs! She sings songs, mostly in English of course but there is one that she calls "China" that she sings and it is beautiful. She will explain things to us and ask if we like certain things, usually to see if she should also like them.

If Lily's beauty is beginning to compliment that of her mother, Connie, and if her smarts are reflective of her time spent with Austin, then maybe I can lay claim to at least one trait - her sense of humor. She is such a card, especially at the dinner table, keeping us in stitches with her looks, her eyebrow exercises, and her silliness. I think my sense of humor was once a source of frustration for Connie, so bless her heart, now she has to put up with both of us! Throw in Austin's witty sense of humor and oh, poor Connie! Recently, Lily has learned to snarl her lip in the manner of the late Elvis Presley. It's hilarious. I don't know where she learned it, but she definitely associates it with Elvis. She likes to kid around, too. One evening on the way home from Steak and Shake, she donned the hat the waitress had given her and pronounced "I'm a cowboy, ye -- haa (or was that Ne - how). She was born in the year of the Monkey and will quickly remind you that that makes her silly!

Finally, Lily is an adopted child, a fact that is obvious to even the least observant among us. But we want her to know that God chose her for our family, just like He chose us for His family, and that no other reason exists that she is with us. For we are told in Ephesians 1:5 that "In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ." What may not be so evident to the casual observer, is the emotional blueprint of this little angel. She can be sad or happy, subdued or overbearing, ambivalent or thoroughly engaged. She can scream and cry or sit quietly engaged in play with one of us. She has a range of emotions, and a surprising degree of control over those emotions, that many do not possess. She knows what it means to say I love you. In fact, she will often catch us off guard with a simple profession of love - "I love you a whole much!" - and imaginary hugs, complete with "Umm, Umm!" She knows exactly how to be a sibling sister to Austin (you know, the competition for Mom and Dad's attention), but also tells us often how much she loves him. Tonight, she went through the entire list of our family, including grandparents, to make sure that we loved all of them.

Oftentimes, I think of Lily reading this, maybe even after we've gone on to be with the Lord, and wondering what our feelings were at the time. Were we excited, scared, happy, sad, worried. And when I see pictures of Lily and Austin together like this one, it brings out some emotions that I didn't know were there. Tears quickly create a stream of simultaneous joy and sadness along my face. Conflicting, yet complimentary emotions, understood only by those who have experienced them firsthand. And so I thank God for revealing these things to me. We know that Lily Grace was loved by her nannys as much as humanly possible. God let us see firsthand during a visit to Lily's orphanage how deeply she was loved. But we also saw other children, not yet blessed to have a forever family and who waited patiently for their turn to smile. And when we departed her orphanage that day and Lily had logged her last memories of her existence there, God sent rivers of tears to every eye of every nanny (not to mention our own) and made sure that we saw that Love, His Love, brought to life by His very breadth. It will be a day that we will never forget and a day that changed our outlook on our world. We cannot get back there quick enough, yet like so many others, now we wait.

Some of the pictures we have posted over the past year and a half bring tears to our eyes because of thoughts of what those left behind in China, and other places, do not have. A loving family, a big brother, or a little sister. Grannys and Memaws. Papaws and Grandads. The comfort of being loved and needed. The joy of loving and needing. A day in the park filled with laughter. Contrast this with a day in the life of a child who does not know what tomorrow holds. Will someone come and take me away? Will my best friend disappear? Think about that for a moment... If you have looked into the eyes of a child alone in the world and seen the emotional abyss that lies within, you know what I'm talking about. If not, I pray that someday you too will get to experience, up close and personal, the beauty and sadness of emotions in their most original, uncloaked, unmodified state. And I pray that as a result you are moved to bring hope to these children in one way or another. And if it doesn't move you to tears, please let me know and we will pray together.

If you are considering adoption, or perhaps have already adopted your own little angel, then you are the second reason that we have kept this blog. Hopefully, the things that we have posted will have been a blessing and an encouragement to you. In case you didn't know, we are in the process of adopting again. We recently completed our homestudy and the paperwork associated with that and have begun working on a dossier. Lily and Austin will have a sister one day, Lia Faith, with whom they can share their lives. She will come home on God's time. Meanwhile, we wait and pray. Soon, to celebrate the blessing that will be Lia, it seems appropriate to begin a new blog, Green, Party of Five.

Some of the pictures in this post were taken by CJ Patterson, Angel Eyes Photography. Doesn't she do wonderful work. She is working on a portfolio for us (Connie says I'm going to have to work overtime to pay for this one!) Check out a few more of the pictures on her blog at http://www.angeleyesbycj.com. Look for an entry on 15 November 2007. CJ has a special heart for adopted children and goes way beyond the typical photo shoot when she has an opportunity to capture images such as these.

The Lord has shown no greater love than by sacrificing His Son so that He could adopt us. And for that we are eternally grateful. And we are grateful that He has shared the joy of adoption with us through Lily Grace.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace (and Lia Faith)
Green, Party of Five