Ear Tubes, Part......4?

Yesterday, Tim took Kate to the ENT. I fully expected it to be a "Yes, there is still improvement. See you in four months," kind of appointment. But that was not the case.

Only two months after her last surgery, she has to have another set of tubes put it. Ironically, it wasn't even that right tube that has been clogged that finally convinced the doctor. Nope. The left tube? The one that has been fine all along? It fell out. Yipee.

At first I was really frustrated. Well, actually if I am being honest, I am still frustrated. But if you remember, I was praying for a clear direction from God on what we should do about that silly right tube. Well, the left one falling out is pretty clear. It wasn't my first choice, of course, but we don't have promises of "easy" now do we? We have promises that He will never leave us, and that if we ask him He will give us wisdom. And a whole bunch of other promises too, but those are the ones I am leaning on today:)

The surgery is scheduled for August 6th. On the bright side, at least we don't have to do ear drops for a couple weeks.

Because We All Need to Laugh More

Today I was reading this blog, and she had a link to "Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party."

And the comments were hilarious too. My favorite one was from Goober's Mom:

"No one walks in a straight line and they randomly fall down.

There are always fights that need to be broken up. And are immediately followed by 'I love you, bro.'"

I know this is an old post, but I thought I would share the joy:)

I Heart the Lake

As a child, I was on the lake almost every weekend of the summer. It is one of my favorite places to be in the whole world. So when my cousin Dianne invited us down for a couple days on her houseboat, we jumped at the chance! (Plus, we love Di, so spending time with her is a bonus!)

The water was just little nippy, but Mimi was a trooper and got in anyway:) Anything for the grandchildren!

Thanks, Dianne!

(And can you believe I posted 7 days in a row? I don't think I've done that since China.)

Edisto Island, SC

I know I already posted pictures of our 10 day trip to Ohio and South Carolina (didn't you know that they were close together?), but I thought I would post a few more.

After leaving Ohio, we traveled south to Edisto Island, SC, where we met our friends Christa and Alex. It is a pretty little island that is very laid back, which is just how we like it.

We built sand castles.

Ate ice cream.

Swam in the pool.

And hung out with good friends.

(Christa and Alex were forced into multiple games of Cheese Touch with my children. Sorry 'bout that.)

Others of us simply sought out the shade.

Some of us also liked to hang out at the condo.

The boys loved to play in the ocean.

While Kate preferred to stay close to me.

This was as close as she would get to the water without tears.

On Monday we drove into Charleston. The kids were only interested in staying at the beach, but I got them into the car with promises of horse-drawn carriage rides and ice cream. We delivered on the ice cream, but the carriage ride was not to be. It turns out that the horses go home if it gets up to 98 degrees, and it was well over that all week long. Instead, we ate at a deli, where Kate had some yummy (and hot) chicken and dumplings.

By then, the kids were melting, so we put them back in the car and drove them down to the Battery.

Tim insisted that it would be fun to get a picture of the kids sitting on the cannon, but Kate was not in agreement.

Then we tried to go to the Children's Museum, but it was closed. Bummer. So we got back in the car and drove to Magnolia Gardens, a plantation outside of the city.

For some reason, I thought that plantation/garden = shade=lower temperatures. But it was so stinking hot that not even the shade was cool. I couldn't bring myself to lifting my arm to take a picture, so you will have to do without.

(Note to self: Do not take three young children to Charleston when it is 100 degrees outside. Everyone will be miserable.)

We really did have a great time at Edisto, even though it felt like we were on the sun a good portion of the week. But that's what the beach is for, after all.

Long-Awaited Cuteness

We waited for our daughter's referral for over two years. And during that time, I tried very hard not to "nest". I avoided the girls' department like the plague, because cute girl clothes just made me want to cry.

But when we received a file and pictures for Su Xu Na, I suddenly had a date of birth and measurements. I had a face that I could picture as I shopped. I think I waited less than 48 hours before going to my nearest Kohl's and going a little crazy.

Among my purchases was this adorable pink dress with white daisies all over it. I was so excited to see her wearing it. We brought her home in the fall of 2008, but I had high hopes of her wearing it the next summer. But she wouldn't try it on. Not even once. Until this year.

She's only let me put it on her once (she far prefers her Spiderman T-shirt), but it was totally worth it. Complete cuteness overload.

AdoptionTalk: Amy Eldridge of LWB Speaks

A fellow blogger shared information from a talk by woman who is involved in orphan care in China. For those of you who are interested, here is the link:
AdoptionTalk: Amy Eldridge of LWB Speaks

I was especially surprised to hear how much China has changed in the past 10 years. I had heard about it before, but it always takes me aback to see a society changing so rapidly. I also found the statistics on birth defects fascinating.

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Changing topics, I also wanted to share a post from my fascinating life. You all know that I want to be an advocate for adoption, but some of the language of the "adoption movement" bothers me. For an interesting read about God and adoption, check out the above link.

More Garden Goodness

Mmmmm...

Fresh zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and onions, straight from the garden.