Back to school scavenger hunt

Twas the night before school started

and all through the house
creatures were stirring
much louder than a mouse
running in circles
trying to figure out clues

to lead them to treasures that they could soon use

And what to their wandering eyes should appear

but backpacks
full of school supplies
books,


and a few treats

all to help them begin a new school year without tears.

Red Threads

On Mia/Kareen's adoption blog I talked about some of the threads that weaved our path to Mia. Now that we are home with her, (2 months ago today) I love hearing the continuing stories of how the threads continue to weave into other people's lives.

One such story was shared with me the other day on this blog. With a follow up message from this sweet lady here:

"Just want you to know that although it sounded as if Mia was a tiny part of our story, she is such a BIG BIG BIG part.

It is so hard to convey in words the "heart change" that I KNOW happened in Danny after seeing beautiful Mia's story. I didn't want to make him sound "sappy" on my blog, but he would msg me from work and tell me to send him links to your newest post, the gotcha day video, etc. He would tell me how much he thought she resembled Braden, etc. He was REALLY deep thinking it! And if you knew him, you would understand, that is huge. He is the type of person who always has a smile on his face, and looks on the bright side, always... so he was never against adoption, he was totally for it "someday". But after Mia, I think she just grabbed his heart, and he realized the depth and seriousness of it all (if that makes sense). Somehing just clicked in him, and he turned the corner from "someday" to "yes, definitely!"

Another is the Starfish blog that I shared HERE.

I LOVE the starfish story

The Starfish Story


Original Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. 
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son”, the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? 
You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”

Kris and I had the opportunity to speak to a group of young women about our experience and one of the things we shared was this story. We talked about how each one of us CAN make a difference. We recalled how each person who read about Mia, shared her story, prayed for Mia, gave money to Mia, or loved Mia...

each had helped save this one child

We also talked about how it doesn't have to be something big like saving an orphan to make a difference. It could be as simple as smiling at someone at school who needs a friend, but to that one, it makes a difference.

There have been so many people who we have been given the opportunity to know and connect with through Mia's journey home and it has taught me that you never know what affect your life might have on someone else. All of the people who think Mia's story has changed or affected their lives, have in turn touched our lives and changed us for the better as well. It is a continual weaving of threads.

We do not know what we have the capacity to do until we try. Sometimes we will know how our actions have affected others, and sometimes we won't. Our lives our continually intwerwined with one another and yet another thing this journey has taught me is to not be afraid to act on the promptings or the feelings that we may have because you just never know what miracles lie ahead for you, and for those you may connect with on your path.

Like Carlene's soon to be mommy said here

"We can't do everything by ourselves

but together we can do something.

And maybe someday soon Carlene will be able to
run and sing and be free just like Mia in this video."

You may remember when I posted a link looking for this sweet little girls family

Albina

She stole my heart while we were in Ukraine because she reminded me of Mia. Shortly after posting about her, I received this sweet message from her soon to be mommy

"I have read every entry on your blog. I had to go back and get caught up once I found you but I did and I have to tell you that your blog along with a few more are the ones that the Lord used to show us that this was what He had for us. So, your Mia is special to us. My daughter and son (but especially my daughter) have watched your videos and looked at your pictures and she knows Mia by sight. If she walks in and sees her on the screen she knows that's Mia. In fact, it took her a little while to be able to tell Mia and her new little sister, Albina (calledyoubyname.blogspot.com) apart on the computer screen. So, I want to thank you for sharing your experiences with all of us because you helped bring not only your Mia home but our Albina and probably a lot more that you may never know about. "

More threads....more tears of joy.

This story of how our paths crossed with sweet Melissa and her soon to be family is amazing because it is a local family so we will hopefully get to meet one day.

"I just wanted to introduce myself a bit further. I'd commented on your blog while you were traveling in Ukraine and mentioned that we had a mutual acquaintance that led us to your blog. Well, turns out we also have the same social worker! Suzanne had your contact information and said you were open to being contacted by other families in the process.
I didn't want to reveal too much information on a public comment on the blog, but our mutual friend is Sarah Shaner. She worked with Kris up until a few months ago and it was an email that he sent to his coworkers that got her attention. I've known Sarah since we were about 12 or 13 and have been very close ever since. I was just starting to discuss with her that my husband and I were considering adopting and not sure the route that we wanted to take. She said that just a day or two before, Kris had emailed an announcement that your family was going to be traveling soon. She asked his permission to share your blog with me and we just absolutely fell in love with your adorable family! It was really our first introduction to international adoption and special needs adoption. We still weren't positive where God was leading us and we were kind of looking into a lot of options and avenues. We wound up pursuing a domestic adoption and it just never quite felt right. As it started to fall apart, we were again drawn to your blog. It made it so much easier to 'know' someone else that was going through an adoption process.
It wasn't long after the domestic adoption fell through that I finally decided to face my fears of international special needs adoption. I didn't know what to expect of the conditions, the process and I certainly didn't think that we fit the mold of the families that I thought typically did this sort of thing. I had casually followed your journey here and there while we were in the other process but I will never forget the night that I spent hours and hours reading your posts. It was all so honest and real and heart wrenching, but at the same time, I could feel my fears melting away. God definitely used you and your family to transform my heart that night and our lives have not been the same since. I think within hours my husband had found our daughter on Reece's Rainbow. Our hearts just melted and we knew it was our daughter. It felt so similar to what you described when you found Mia Kareen. It's spectacular how God just takes you over with that connection of 'oh wow, it's her!'
We are now in the process of wrapping up the final edits on our homestudy and getting all that paperwork in order! Suzanne just had to kind of laugh at how our faces lit up when she mentioned a family bringing home a 4-year old little girl from Ukraine with DS to Murray. We loved how our stories kind of intertwined once again! We've been so blessed by your openness and honesty in sharing your stories and Mia's story. You made it feel like this wasn't an insurmountable mountain to climb and that it was something that normal, loving families do! It was such a funny a-ha moment to tell myself that this was something that ordinary, loving families from our own community do.
Congratulations on having Mia home where she belongs. She is such a beautiful angel and could not have been luckier to receive an amazing family like yours! Congratulations also on your pregnancy! :) Amazing what God's timing brings! I was covered in goose bumps when I thought back to the woman in the Ukrainian church. What an incredible thing to look back on.
Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know what a special place you, Mia and your whole family has in our hearts! I so look forward to telling Melissa how God built our path to her and telling her what spectacular people helped pave the way."

It humbles me more than words can express to hear these words from others who have been touched by our sweet little Mia. It makes me forever grateful that we followed our hearts to our girl and that we have had the blessing of weaving our lives with so many amazing people because of this little girl. There are too many to even talk about and it makes me so grateful to have been a part of something so much bigger than ourselves.

The threads just keep weaving...

We don’t accomplish anything in the world alone and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that create something."
— Sandra Day O'Connor

Thanks to one leap of faith to go get this little angel,

our lives have forever changed and we have many, many new threads that continue to make up the tapestry of who we are.

24th of July fun

Holidays are some of my favorite memories and this summer we got to celebrate 2 holidays already with Miss Mia. The 4th of July was wonderful to watch her as she symbolized new freedom and the 24th of July (a state holiday in Utah celebrating when the pioneers settled the valley) we got to relax, enjoy family and friends, and watch our 4 girls love life. Mia experienced some slip and slide fun

Mia only wanted to do it once
but Bree went over and over







The kids laughed and had fun in the water and with water balloons
we met yet another of Mia's fans, my mom's cousin, who loved Mia and her story so much that when we got home and the blog posts were fewer between, she made a slide show of her top 100 favorite pictures of Mia to watch over and over.
So sweet! It often brings me to tears as people meet Mia who have loved her from afar and they get emotional about meeting her. Being in the everday life now, it is always a good reminder of what we really experienced just 2 months ago...a true miracle.
Of course we enjoyed the snow cones
and Kris put on a very nice firework show for the first time ever in our street....we are usually at parents houses

watching the sparkle in Mia's eyes
as she cheered and yelled for the fireworks

and giggled with her new friend and her sister
A low key holiday spent with friends and family is always a great memory

The next night we finished off the weekend in Provo with true culdesac of fire style from uncle D...he is famous for his arsenal of fireworks and he did not dissapoint this year!

Cabin Fun

Back at the first of July we spent a few days at Grandma and grandpa's cabin with the cousins

Mia got to experience the favorite past time of mattress surfing down the stairs....and she loved it.
Bree has to sport her "big eyes" before she will do her real smile for pictures
such a ham!
Madi and Samson
Bree took a turn pushing the dudes on the swings


The littles watching a movie and having popcorn
There is always fun craft time at the cabin

and we celebrated Ky's birthday with her leftover birthday cake

Mia loved playing tea party with Ava

Always a good break from the norm to get away for a few days up the canyon

How cute is this?

My cute friend Haylee, who took our pictures at the airport, made this for us! Isn't is adorable?!!! I have a thing for Matroyshka dolls lately.....so this is perfect! Thanks Haylee! I LOVE it!