Waala House of Fun

2011-04-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to ?

Oh, it's always busy around here. So busy that I have very little time to update the blog! Winter has passed and now we are into Spring. So why is there snow outside my window? Ah, the joys of Wisconsin weather. Never a dull moment, just like at our house :)

Basketball has come and gone for Bethany and Evan. They both had good seasons. Bowling has wound down as well. Grant has a couple more events before Nationals in Vegas, baby! Grant is excited to go, as is the whole fam! Cheerleading Spirit camps, messing with the dog, creating funky hairdo's with the vacuum, lifeguard certification classes is what has been filling up our days. Macie is becoming the cupcake queen around here. Evan told her she makes the best cupcakes! Poker nights, Just Dance competitions, skateboarding, biking and kickball are constantly going on around here.

Life is good!

2011-02-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!!

2011 is the year of the Rabbit. This is Bethany's year! She is pretty excited! May we all have a very happy, healthy and prosperous year!

2011-01-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

Better late than never :)

I am long over due for an update. The holidays are so busy. I have a lot of pictures to share.

We had a wonderful Christmas and very happy New Year. Evan was even able to sneak his 14th birthday in between!

Enjoy the pictures!!

2010-11-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving fun....

I had to head back to work today after having off last week. It takes me a few days to prepare for the annual Waala Thanksgiving feast. We had 47 people at our house. We broke out the good chinet and had a great dinner that included two 20+ pound turkeys and two 9 pound hams, not to mention all the wonderful side dishes and desserts.

Black Friday shopping is a tradition with my sisters and mom. This year we actually did things a bit different. We headed out the door at 9:15 pm on Thanksgiving Day and shopped all night. I was home and in bed by 8:30am Friday morning. It was a loooooooong night, but we had a blast. My mom opted out of the all nighter but Lynn, Jenny and I had a blast. We are just crazy enough that we might do it again next year!

2010-11-07T16:02:00.000-08:00

Desperate for snow.....

Grant and his buddies are just itching to be able to go snowboarding this year. We heard the ski hill started making snow this weekend. A bunch of kids were going to spend Saturday night watching a hockey game. When they got there, they bailed on the game and decided to fill a pick up truck with snow (the ice shavings from the zambonie) and haul it back to our house so they could snowboard.

The girls spent some time on Saturday making haunted houses. Auntie Lynn found a couple of kits on clearance after Halloween.

2010-11-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

We are home & healing. Bethany came home yesterday. She is doing well, just moving a little slow....doing what we call her "granny walk". Sometimes she will break into her "granny run" which is pretty much the same speed :) Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers. They are very much appreciated.

2010-11-02T18:30:00.001-07:00

Prayer request.......

Bethany is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers.

2010-10-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

An amazing weekend.....

We had the best weekend! The kids were out of school Wed, Thurs, & Friday. We squeezed in some dentist & eye dr appts then headed north to Nana & Papa's house. Thursday night we all took Nana to the Make a Difference Tour in Green Bay. We saw Toby Mac, Third Day, Michael W. Smith, Jason Gray and the speaker was Max Lucado. It was awesome! Nana posted on her FB that she really liked that 'funky Jesus music' :)

The kids were able to spend some time at the skate park in Kewaunee and we stopped by to feed Bucky and his pals at the Kewaunee park.

On Saturday, Grant took first place in the handicap division of the Junior Bowlers Scholarship Tournament! More $$$ in his college account. His cousin, Mary Kate came in a close second. Jenny and David came down from the UP to cheer them on. We celebrated with dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse before we headed back home.

Sunday was a very Happy Halloween. Trick or Treating and a Packer win---what could be better?

2010-10-07T11:56:00.001-07:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Stop the music on the side bar before you watch this.
Enjoy!!

2010-10-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

A quick update.....

It has been busy as usual around here. Grant got his driver's license!! Hopefully that will cut down on mom's taxi service :) He has been doing well in football too. Two weeks ago he had an interception. It was very exciting to see. Evan is busy with football as well. I will have to get some pictures of him in uniform.

Homecoming was last week. It poured during the game and somehow I got sucked into selling tickets for the 50/50 raffle during the downpour. (thanks, Lynn) We still had fun. My nephew Bryce attended his first Homecoming dance. He stopped by so Mike could help him tie his tie. He looked very handsome--which will totally embarrass him, but isn't that what Aunties are for??

Lynn and I took Macie, MaryKate, Grant and one of his buddies to a haunted corn maze. It was hilarious!! I hurt from laughing so hard. Bethany was pretty upset that I would not let her go, but I did not want to deal with nightmares for the next few weeks. Instead, she got to pick out a pumpkin and she and her friend did a great job painting it.

2010-09-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 16th Birthday, Grant!!

Where has the time gone! It seems like just yesterday we were first time parents bringing home our precious little 8# son. Now he is taller than me (although I am still & always be in charge :). He goes for his drivers license test later this month. I can't believe it. I am so proud to be able to say that I am his mom.

2010-09-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Back to school!!

Today is the first day of school. Grant headed out to the high school very early this morning. Evan & Macie left about an hour later for middle school. And last but certainly not least, Bethany headed out the door 40 minutes after that!

2010-09-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

The last days of summer vacation...........

We spent the few days of summer vacation hanging out with all the cousins at the lake. We celebrated Adam's 8th birthday. We also tried to get Nana's Christmas photo done. Every year we give her a new picture of all the grandkids. Getting 9 kids to all look at the camera with a half way decent smile is quite the challenge!

2010-08-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Happy 12th Birthday, Macie!!

2010-08-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

Cathcing up............

We have been super busy around here. Summer is just flying by. We spent some time in the park, some time at the lake, Mike & Grant went on their missions trip to Mississippi, I took the kids to the Loomis Pig roast, baseball is over and football has started. Whew!!!! I'm exhausted :) Enjoy the pictures.

2010-07-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Rain, the county fair, a little baseball, Drew's birthday & a week with cousins.
Enjoy the pics !!

2010-07-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Bowling in Indianapolis...........

Grant bowled in the USBC Youth Open tournament in Indianapolis over the weekend. When he finished up on Saturday, the unofficial standings had him in 10th place! He bowled really well in his division. We will have to wait for the official results and the rest of the bowling to be completed this week. Drew, Bryce and Mary Kate also bowled. Everyone did a great job and had fun. We celebrated Mary Kate's birthday at the hotel.

After Grant was done bowling, Nana went with us to the Indianapolis Children's Museum while Papa and the Schmidt's went to the Brickyard.

We had a great time at the museum. We saw the Barbie exhibit, Etch-a-sketch exhibit, rock stars, cars & guitars exhibit & so much more. Everyone really enjoyed it.

2010-07-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Gotcha Day, Macie!!

We love you!!

2010-07-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a very happy & safe Fourth of July!

God Bless America!

2010-06-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Baseball !!!

Baseball is in full swing around here. The girls had their first softball games on Tuesday night. Bethany was beyond excited! Last year she had to watch Grant, Evan and Macie play. She could not wait until this season started and she could get out there and play! Macie & Bethany are on the Dazzling Dynamites. They played 2 games on Tuesday night & won them both. They did very well. Macie had a double and some very good plays when she played third and first base. Bethany had some good hits too. And she did a great job out in the field.

Grant's team is doing good too. I have yet to see any of his games as they are usually at 9:30 in the morning during the week. He seems to be enjoying himself and he has been doing well. Evan decided to take this year off.

Father's Day 2010

We went to the Mineshaft for Father's Day brunch with the Schmidt's & Nana and Papa. The food was excellent. Evan found his way to the game room and hit the jackpot. He got enough tickets to get a pair of sunglasses for Bethany. Then the silliness ensued:)

2010-06-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Bethany!!!

Bethany celebrated her 11th birthday with a bowling party at Lighthouse Lanes on Sunday. Of course I did not get any pictures of the kids bowling, but they did have fun. It was amazing to see an 11 year old child experience a real birthday party for the first time. Last year, we had a combined party for Bethany's birthday and Grant's 8th grade graduation. It was just a couple of weeks after we got back from China. She really did not know what was going on. This year, she knew it was all about her and boy was she excited! She received everything she asked for--sidewalk chalk & paint, a skateboard, a volley ball, games, water balloons, books, a little $$, clothes, a fishing pole & a truck. She has been asking for a new truck for months. She got one from Nana & Papa. She couldn't wait to open it. When she took the packaging off, her comment was "SWEET TRUCK!"

2010-06-01T07:57:00.001-07:00

Update:

Just wanted to fill you in on a few details of the trip. We left on the Wednesday before Memorial Day. We had 7 bikes & 9 people (Mike & I, Lynn & Dale, Glenn & Kathy, Lori & Mike and Ray) on the first leg of the trip. We headed to the port of Milwaukee and took the Lake Express across Lake Michigan to Muskegon, MI. It was a very nice ride. Once we got to Michigan, we drove east towards Detroit. We stayed with Glenn's sister & hubby (Amy & Jeff) for the first night. They live near Detroit.

Jeff joined us on his bike and Amy came later in the car as we headed from MI to Canada. We made our border crossing with ease and headed to Thorold, Ontario to spend Thursday, Friday & Saturday at the Inn at Lock 7. It's a nice little inn on the Welland Canal owned by Ed & Patty. We couldn't have asked for better hosts! They took very good care of us. We literally had huge barges going through the back yard. Very cool to watch. Friday we spent the day at Niagara Falls seeing the sites. We journeyed behind the falls and took a ride on the Maid of the Mist. All very cool. We finished the night with a dinner buffet at the Skylon Tower. The food was great! The company even better! After dinner we saw a beautiful sunset from the observation deck & then watched the fireworks over the falls. It was very cool to look down on the fireworks.

On Saturday, Ed & Patty took us on an awesome ride. We took a scenic ride through the canadian country side to Port Dover on Lake Erie. We ate at a great restaurant & had lots of laughs. We walked out to a light house and took in the view. After that, we headed back to the Inn for a night of drinks, pizza and wings in the back yard as we watched the ships go through the lock.

On Sunday, we packed up and headed back to MI for another night at Jeff & Amy's. I rode in the car with Amy from Thorold to their house. Let me tell you, nothing gets between Amy & her posse:) Monday we headed to Muskegon to catch the ferry back to WI. It was pretty uneventful. We managed to dodge the rain. We did stop to put on our rain gear, but by the time we were back on the highway, the rain stopped. Another nice boat ride across Lake MI and then home.

We had such a good time. So many laughs and such good company! We are already talking about where to go next!

Niagara Falls

We got back last night from our bike trip to Niagara Falls. We had a great time! More details to follow.

2010-05-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Another fun filled weekend......

Friday night we had a cook out for Nana's birthday. Brats, burgers & all the sides. It was so good. We had a vienna torte for dessert, along with strawberries & whipped cream. As you can see from the pictures, Mary Kate & Auntie Dianne skipped the berries & went straight for the whipped cream:)

Saturday, our niece Katie got married. This was the first wedding for both girls. They were very excited to go. It was a beautiful ceremony and a great reception. Bethany danced up a storm with Katie and all of her bridesmaids.

Sunday was the last day for Chinese school for this year. While Macie was in class, Bethany and I sat outside at university. We saw many graduates in their caps & gowns. We were able to enjoy the sunshine & warm weather.

2010-05-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Always something going on.......

It has been so busy around here lately. The girls and I went to Holy Hill for brunch on Mother's day with Nana and the Schmidt's. The food wasn't so great, but the company and scenery sure was nice. Evan had his last choir concert for the year the other night. It was great! It was a tribute concert to many artists. He was glad his class got to sing 2 Michael Jackson tunes. Bethany danced along to the music. Mike & Uncle David sang along:) Macie continues with her piano lessons. She is doing really well. Grant made the freshman baseball team! Go Suns!!

2010-05-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

One year ago, today........

Nana, Macie and I met our beautiful, spunky, giggly, energetic
Bethany Marie AiSheng!!!!

What a year it has been!!

2010-05-08T19:19:00.001-07:00

Bethany and her cousins, Keaton & Elijah made their First Holy Communion this afternoon.

Congratulations to all of them!!

2010-05-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

Another busy weekend.......

Auntie Jenny & David came down from MI for the weekend. Bethany was so excited---she got an early 1st Communion gift from Auntie Jenny, Uncle Kevin, David & Adam--a new bike! She hopped right on and away she went.

Evan spends his free time on his skateboard. He can do some pretty cool stuff--don't ask me what the moves are called--I just keep telling him to be careful!

Macie had a piano recital this weekend. She did a great job. She played a piece by Bach. She was glad that Nana, Auntie Jenny, David, Auntie Dianne, Bethany, Evan and I were able to attend. Mike and Grant were at an all day training for their upcoming missions trip. They learned how to build walls. This will come in handy when we start working on the basement.

Sunday, Macie had Chinese school. Since it was my turn to drive and the weather was so nice, I took my new camera along and snapped a few shots at Marquette University--that is where she has class. They have a beautiful campus and the trees and flowers were in full bloom.

2010-04-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Papa's birthday. We took him out to dinner at our favorite local Chinese restaurant. The hostess sang happy birthday to him in Chinese. After dinner we took him to the Shen Yun show at the Milwaukee theater. It was spectacular! The dancing and music were just beautiful. The kids really enjoyed it too.

2010-04-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

Two Wheels!

2010-04-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

FLORIDA 2010

2010-04-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

We went from this.......

To this!
We are back to Wisconsin!

2010-04-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

2010-03-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Bowling with the champs............

Grant, Drew, Bryce & MaryKate bowled in a tournament this weekend. All four of them did great! It was a lot of fun to watch.

2010-03-23T18:41:00.001-07:00

Just trippin' over his own two feet........

Yep! That's how he did it. Evan tripped over his own feet at school and broke his hand. He actually did this yesterday. He told me his hand was sore, but he said he iced it at school. I didn't think much of it until I picked him up from school today. It was pretty swollen and he said it still hurt pretty bad. I called the Dr. and Mike took him in tonight. Low and behold, he broke one of his metacarpals.

Next step is to see the ortho doc. We will wait for his call sometime tomorrow. They said they would get him in---sounds like a cast might be in his future :(

2010-03-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

SHAVE TO SAVE

My niece, Kara is participating in the most AWESOME event. It is the St. Baldrick's 'Shave to Save' event. She is shaving her head to raise $$$ and awareness for childhood cancer. You can read all about on the right HERE. If you feel compelled to support this cause, please consider sponsoring her. You can use the link above.

Kara, I hope you exceed your fundraising goal. Good Luck!

2010-03-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

A sweet surprise.......

Today when I got home from work, there was a package waiting for me. My dear friend, Amy (who I have never met in person) sent me a box full of treats! Amy lives in Germany and was in the states visiting her family. I wish she was still here. I wanted to call her and thank her. She sent some wonderful german chocolates and other treats in addition to these little cuties.

THANK YOU AMY!!!

2010-03-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

Grant got his temps today!!!

(stay off the sidewalks!)

2010-03-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

LadyJane's Slumber Party.......

LadyJane had a slumber party with her cousins on Saturday night. The Schmidt family headed to Appleton for a bowling tournament, so we had the pleasure of Monty & Mitzie's company for the night. The kids and the dogs had a blast! The kids took a few pictures to share.

2010-02-25T06:51:00.001-08:00

Ok, so here's the scoop......

This cute little pup is LadyJane's new cousin. Her name is Myrtle or Mitzie. Not quite sure on that as there is still a debate at the Schmidt house.

Now guess who wants their own puppy?????

You could name any one of my kids and get it right!

2010-02-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

Isn't she the cutest thing??????

All the kids just adore her!

Everyone wants her for their very own!

more details coming soon......

2010-02-16T08:09:00.000-08:00

CNY

Macie participated in the Chinese New Year Celebration for MMCS.

She was cast as a goat in her class play. I was not able to attend,

but I was told she did a great job!

2010-02-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè

Happy New Year!

Saturday, February 14th is Chinese New Year. It is the year of the Tiger. Macie was born in the year of the tiger. I took the girls to the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee for the CNY event. It was very nice. The girls got to make paper dragons and had their names done in calligraphy. After the domes, we headed to Plymouth for Grant's basketball game. His team lost, but it fun to watch.

Next week Macie is performing at her Chinese school CNY party. She will be a goat. We had to make a costume, so I took her dalmatian halloween costume and improvised. We covered all her spots with white tape and added some horns. Here is a cute little goat.

2010-01-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

How would you like a new camera?

Check out this family's blog. They are raising funds to bring their son home. They are giving away an awesome camera. I know I would really like to win it, but more importantly, I can help someone else bring their child home. We know how hard it is to ask for help but we were blessed with some successful fundraisers. Now it is time to help someone else. Check it out and get in on the fun!

2010-01-26T08:38:00.000-08:00

Evan in nerd mode

Grant & Bethany goofing off. Gotta love Bethany's choice of pjs. She has a night gown over her pj top and pants. The pants are tucked into the socks so her legs don't get cold---very creative:)

Macie & Bethany making brownies and enjoying the cleanup.

There is always something going on around here...................

The kids have been keeping us busy. Between Grant and Evan's basketball schedules, bowling, Bethany's swimming lessons, Macie's piano lessons & Chinese school we are always on the go. They still seem to find time for silliness and even some time to bake brownies.

2010-01-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

Please vote for Half the Sky Foundation on Facebook. They do amazing work for the orphans in China.

2010-01-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

OUCH!!!!!!!

Grant came home from basketball practice last night with a nice bump to the head. The freshmen were practicing with the jv team. He went up for a shot and one of the jv players blocked the shot and took him down. He landed on his back and his head snapped back and hit the floor pretty hard. The doctor said he has a grade 1 concussion and whiplash. Once the headache is gone, he has to sit out for 3 days before he can practice or play again. The doc said if the headache goes away today, he could play Friday, which happens to be when his next game is.

2010-01-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

The city where we met Bethany is Harbin. It is in Heilongjiang province which is the northern most province in China. Every year they host an ice festival. Check out this link to some awesome pictures to the Festival.

2010-01-08T09:05:00.001-08:00

A quick update:

My Auntie Dianne is home and doing well. Thanks for all of your prayers.

2010-01-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

Asking for prayers......

My Auntie Dianne is going in for a heart procedure today. She has been having an irregular heartbeat and the medication is not working. She is going to have her heart shocked for a second time and the doctor is changing all her meds. Please pray that this procedure and the new meds work for her. Thank you!

2009-12-29T19:10:00.000-08:00

Happy 13th Birthday, Evan!

2009-12-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

2009-12-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

Every little bit helps.........

For the past few years, Grant & my nephew Drew, along with some of the other kids have trick or treated for Unicef. I sent the money this year with a letter explaining how we were the recipients of the good that Unicef does around the world. When we were in Harbin for Bethanay's adoption, the van that we rode in was from Unicef. How amazing that literally half a world away we would be on the receiving end of this wonderful charity.

Yesterday in the mail, I got a certificate of appreciation from Unicef. It really should have the kids' name on it, not mine. I know what the boys collected this year was not much, but I do know that every little bit helps. You can bet we will be doing this again next year.

2009-12-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update & some pics before the holiday chaos ensues......

Bethany was home sick last week for a couple of days. She kept herself busy with her "homework" on the computer. She opens a word document and just types away...random letters...but she thinks its pretty cool. Play-doh will also keep her for a while.

The other day, she came to me with a hole in her tights. I told her that I would have to fix it later. She was not willing to wait, so she fixed it herself--with tape. Her resourcefulness amuses me.

One of my outdoor decorations took a digger when it became encased in ice. It was actually very beautiful before it hit the ground from the weight of the ice.

Have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year!

2009-12-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

Another busy weekend...............

It actually started on Thursday night with Evan's choir concert. It was very nice. The kids did a great job.

Friday night Evan played basketball. His team won! They are having a good season, so far.

Saturday morning was busy. Mike and I took the girls to have breakfast with Santa. This was Bethany's first encounter with the jolly old elf. She was not shy at all. She told him she would like some new toys. The breakfast was yummy and there were lots of activities for the kids to do. They colored, did puzzles, played Christmas bingo, and made snow flakes. They really had a good time. Saturday afternoon was spent making Christmas treats. We filled bugles with peanut butter and dipped them in white & milk chocolate. They look like little ice cream cones. They don't last long around here, but we will make sure we send some to Colorado & save a few for Auntie Dianne.

Sunday, after church, was spent watching the Packers win! A nice way to wrap up the weekend.

2009-12-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful.....
but having school canceled is so delightful!!!

2009-12-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

2009-11-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

Helping out a friend in need........

If you followed our blog back in 2006 when we adopted Macie, you know that we took a care package along for another girl at her orphanage. We had the privilege of meeting Wen Tao in Chengdu. I spoke with her mom several times on the phone before and after we were both home.

Well, that family is adopting again. They started out petitioning for one more girl and low and behold, they are on the path to bringing 2 girls home in January. The girls they are bringing home are 13 and 13 1/2 years old. They must travel by January 11th so the older one does not 'age out' and become ineligible for adoption. I know the financial strain an adoption takes on a family. I am asking that you check out Kathleen's blog. If you have the means, please help her out. No amount is too small. I know we were blessed by friends and family contributing to our raffles, now I am trying to "pay it forward". You can find Kathleen's blog here. She has 3 beautiful girls at home and 2 waiting for her in China.

Thanks,
Jill

2009-11-27T12:19:00.000-08:00

So many things to be thankful for........

This past year has brought us so many blessings. Bethany enjoyed her first Thanksgiving celebration as did her cousin Eli. Macie, MaryKate & David led the prayer before dinner. We had 47 people in the house! It was tight, but lots of fun. Fun to hear the kids giggle and play, fun to visit with family. The dinner was excellent, as always. Two 23 lb turkeys and 14lbs of ham covered it. Plus all the trimmings.... mashed potatoes & gravy, macaroni & cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, jello, salad, beans, relishes, rolls, corn pudding and of course enough desserts to cover my dining room table. If you went home hungry, it was your own fault !

2009-11-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween and a little craziness.........

Just a few pics from Halloween. Bethany was very excited to get LOTS of candy! She was the cutest little ladybug. Macie was a dalmation again. The boys did their own thing. Grant trick or treated for UNICEF again. When we were in Harbin for Bethany's adoption, we rode around in a UNICEF van. It was really cool to see where some of that money goes.

And we have a few pics of Evan being, well, Evan:) Hairdos with the vaccuum & headstands. The kid is full of surprises:) I keep teasing him that he will have to put his hair in a ponytail for basketball.

Bethany has decided that she wants to take piano lessons. She begged me "Paahhllleaasssseee Mama! Bethany take piano lessons!" We took one of Macie's old books along to her lesson so her teacher could give Bethany a song or 2 to work on. When we got home, Bethany sat right down and started practicing. She turned to me and said "Thank you for piano, mama!"

2009-11-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

2009-11-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

What a week.............

This has been a rough week to say the least! Bethany and I were both down with a bug. She bounced back quicker that I did. Oh, how I wish I had 1/4 of that child's energy! I am slowly getting back to feeling normal. Of course all of this goes down when we are in the midst of painting. We have been living in more chaos than normal for the past week. Hopefully we can finish up this weekend and put all the paint brushes away!

2009-10-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Be sure to turn off the music on my side bar when you watch this.

2009-10-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

Homecoming 2009......

Grant was elected to be the freshman representative for this year's homecoming court! He had a great time in the parade and at the dance. He went with a group of friends. They had dinner a one of the kid's houses & we shuttled them all to the dance. He was on court with one of his friends from grade school. All the kids looked great!

The gang. They clean up pretty well :)

Grant & Lindsay. The frosh home coming court reps. for East.

Another shot of the crew!

Number 55 is our nephew Brandon!

Grant & Lindsay in the homecoming parade!

2009-10-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

Lord,
Let this day of my birth be a reminder to me
of all the gifts and blessings
I have received from You this day
and all the days of my life.
On my day of celebration,
I thank you for my life
and all of my blessings
and ask for another year filled
with Your presence in my life
that I may continue to grow in your love.

I am also sending special birthday wishes to my niece Jessica, my nephew Hunter, my cousin Nicole from Oregon & my friend Philip in Germany! Have a blessed day!!

2009-10-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Leaf piles, pumpkins & Miley.......

Another busy weekend around here. Saturday morning, we headed out to

Uncle Frank & Auntie Gay's house to pick pumpkins. Our cool summer

produced quite the crop this year! They had fun picking out their own pumpkins.

We had to pick Evan's for him, as he had a football game in Oconomowoc

--which he did win. Right after we loaded the van, the snowflakes started

to fly! That is the earliest snow that I can ever remember!

The girls spent some time playing in the yard before we had to get ready

to head to Milwaukee. Macie got tickets to see Miley Cyrus for

her birthday! She took her friend and her sister along.

It was a lot of fun & VERY LOUD! (do I sound old?) Nothing like an arena of

screaming tweens to make you smile!

2009-10-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Look what I found..........

I am not sure when the kids got a hold of my camera, but it sure

looks like they had fun!

2009-10-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

We have been blessed with 19 years...................

2009-10-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Asking for prayers........

Today, my Auntie Dianne is going in for a heart catheterization. Please pray for her. Pray that the surgeon's hands are guided by our Great Physician to heal her heart. And that she has a speedy recovery.

Thanks!!!

2009-09-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

A budding photographer in the family..........

Grant is taking a digital imaging & photography class this semester. He is really enjoying it. This weeks assignment dealt with the rule of thirds. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Here are some of the pictures that he took.

2009-09-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

Bikes, babies, taters, birthdays & hoolahoops.....(and not necessarily in that order)

Another busy weekend has past. Grant is busy working on his bike. He bought a new frame and it in the process of rebuilding. Nana & Auntie Dianne cleaned and sorted potatoes. Papa took Nana potato pickin' and I think we have enough to feed the entire neighborhood! Evan played football on Saturday and for the life of me, I cannot remember if his team won or lost. But I do remember it was fun to watch. The weather was beautiful & the girls had fun playing outside. Bethany got to meet her newest cousin, baby Ryan on Sunday. She had fun playing with his big brothers, Joe & Mikey when we stopped to visit. Bethany also mastered the hoolahoop this weekend. She was so proud of herself! And finally ........

Happy Birthday to my OLDER sister, Lynn! We love you, Auntie Lynn!!!!

2009-09-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ma! Look what I got!

Bethany came bounding in the house yesterday after school, so excited to show me something. She was carrying a ziplock bag with something in it. She opens the bag and wants me to practically stick my nose in it. I get close enough to see that she has a bunch of grasshoppers squirming around it it! GROSS! They are up there on my list of 'gross me out' bugs! They just give me the willies! I told her they were very nice, but she needed to take them outside NOW! She just cracked up. All night long she kept saying "Ma look!" and then would shudder, just like I did, and giggle. She made sure to tell Grant, Macie, Evan and dad just what I did when she showed them to me.

2009-09-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 40th Birthday to my baby sister, Jenny!

Jenny turned 40 yesterday and wanted to go out to dinner to celebrate. We went to Texas Road House and she got to ride the saddle. In fact, she wanted to ride the saddle:) After that, we went to the Lighthouse for drinks and cake. She got the kids out on the dance floor and decided that she was not too old to do the worm. Heck, she could do it when she was 20, why couldn't she do it when she was 40? Evan can do the worm pretty well, so the 2 of them got on the dance floor and to show us their stuff. Evan can still do the worm (he's 12). Jenny, sorry to say, can no longer do the worm(did I mention she was 40?) I guess there are some things that we do grow out of:)

Lynn and I picked out her cake at a local bakery. Who knew there was a dinosuar cake in the cooler, just for her. We had them put a very heartfelt message on it. The ladies at the bakery were cracking up...they said "if my friends got me a cake like that, they wouldn't be my friends anymore" Sorry Jennifer, you can pick your friends, but not your relatives!

Hope you had fun. We love you, little sis!

Here are some pictures from the entire weekend. We had fun with David and Adam. We watched MaryKate play volleyball, made hamburger cookies and spent some time on the playground. There are more birthday party pictures as well.

2009-09-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Baby Ryan is home!

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts & prayers for baby Ryan. He is home from the hospital and the fever is gone. All test results came back normal so they really don't know what caused it.

2009-09-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Asking for your prayers......

I am asking anyone who stops by my blog to please take a moment and pray for my cousin Tricia and her new baby. Ryan was born 9/2/09. The other day he came down with a fever. They are trying to find out what is causing it. They did blood work and a spinal tap. They are waiting for test results. Please lift up Tricia and her family in prayer. Thank you all!

2009-09-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

THEN

NOW

HAPPY
15TH
BIRTHDAY
GRANT !!!

2009-09-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend, as usual. We celebrated Mike's 45th birthday. Bethany helped him blow out the candles. We spent some time at the lake and the kids went swimming. We visited Grandma & Grandpa Waala too.

2009-09-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

Back to school........

All the kids headed back to school today. They were all pretty excited. Everyone was up early, including Evan--who usually gets up 10 minutes before the bus comes:) We did the traditional first day of school pictures on the front porch without too much protest. Grant is heading off to high school this year! Evan will be in middle school again and the girls are at the same elementary school. It was fun to watch the girls get on the bus this morning. I remember the excitement of going back to school.

2009-08-17T15:35:00.001-07:00

How much can you pack into one weekend?????

On Saturday, Bethany and cousin Elijah were baptized. We are so glad we were able to get that done. It was a very special day for both kids. Bethany giggled while the water was poured on her head. She was so excited to finally wear her pretty dress that we bought in China just for this very special occasion. She likes to go to church, or as she calls it 'go to Father, Son, Holy Spirit'. Bethany's sponsors are Auntie Shelly, Auntie Dianne and cousin Brandon. And I have the honor of being Eli's godmother. After the baptism, we celebrated by going out to our favorite local Chinese restaurant.

On Sunday, we celebrated Macie's 11th birthday. She is so glad to be older than Bethany now! She and Bethany have both been 10 years old since June and I think that kind of annoyed her. I just thought it was cute. We had a party at the bowling alley with her cousin, Adam. He turned 7. His birthday is the day before Macie's so we combined the parties. The kids had a blast bowling!

2009-08-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a little baseball & kickball in the street on a hot summer day!

2009-08-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

It makes sense to her.............. The other night, Grant scares the heck out of me when he wakes me up around 11:00pm and declares that Bethany is cutting her hair! I jump out of bed to find her sitting on her bedroom floor with a scissors and snipits of hair all around her. She has cut her hair! NNNNNOOOOOOOOO! We were trying to grow it out! Well it looked like she just got the front. I took her to the hair salon yesterday and they were able to make it look a little better. Later in the day we had Macie ask her in Chinese why she cut her hair? She said she wanted long hair like Macie and Mary Kate. So Macie asked her again, if she wanted long hair, why would she cut it? She said that she was cutting the hair in front and trying to tape it in the back, so the back was longer!!! It makes sense, right?????

2009-08-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Summer is just flying by....................

I can't believe it is already August! Our summer has been jam packed! We had summer school, a trip to Colorado, time at the lake, lots and lots of baseball and softball, a trip to the Ozaukee County fair, more time at the lake, Macie is attending Chinese camp this week, Evan has started football practice and all the kids are counting down the days until school starts. Where has the time gone?

2009-07-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Summer fun......

It wouldn't be summer with out some time at the lake. Evan has schooled Bethany in the art of frog wrangling. She liked to turn them over and stroke their soft bellies.

Of course July brings birthdays in the family as well. We have MaryKate, Harrison, Tony and Drew all in July. Drew turned 16 this year! We had an oreo custard cake at Auntie Dianne's to celebrate. It might be at the top of the favorite cake list! It was very yummy!

And of course we have the show offs on the raft. This is a series of Grant doing a back flip. The kids love to flip off that thing. Grant actually has it down pretty well!

And just a reminder to keep our nephew, Keaton in your prayers. Dave & Shelly and crew are in PA at Shriner's getting his juvenile scoliosis evaluated. We are praying for good news.

2009-07-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

New pics.......

Bethany finally got to meet Grandma & Grandpa Waala this weekend. She was very excited as we talk about them a lot and they are included in our nightly prayers. She was very eager with hugs and kisses. She also had fun hanging out with cousin Eli. She just adores him.

We have been spending some time at the lake & some local parks. We are keeping busy.

Oh, the Oscar Mayer Wiener mobile is in town for the county fair! It was parked at a nearby hotel, so we had to stop for a 'kodak moment'. The kids thought it was hilarious!

2009-07-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

Three years ago.......

We were blessed with Macie joining our family. This post is a few days late. Macie's "Gotcha Day", as she likes to call it, was July 10, 2006. We usually celebrate by going out for Chinese, but this year we were on vacation. We were in Wall, SD on July 10th. We had a celebratory lunch at the famous Wall Drug Cafe. We did some shopping and she picked out a ring made from Black Hills gold.

She has grown so much both physically and emotionally since she joined our family. She is turning into such a beautiful young lady. She is a great daughter and awesome sister.

We love you, Macie!!

2009-07-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

It's Officially Official!

On Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 we had our court date with the State of Wisconsin for our re-adoption of Bethany. All went very well. The judge remembered us from 3 years ago when he presided over Macie's adoption case. That was kind of cool. Bethany even got to go up on the stand and talk into the microphone. She thought that was pretty funny.

2009-07-13T06:22:00.001-07:00

Pictures, pictures and more pictures of our trip to Colorado!

2009-06-30T05:54:00.000-07:00

Graduations, Birthdays, Championships & more......

It has been super busy around here. We celebrated Grant's 8th grade graduation and Bethany's 10th birthday with a party on Friday. Huge milestones for both kiddos! It's hard to believe we have a high schooler in the house! And two 10 year old girls!

Evan had another baseball tournament this weekend and his team took the championship! He had an awesome series! We are so proud of him!

Auntie Jenny & the boys were down for the weekend. She brought the dirt bikes and Auntie Lynn gave some of the kids motorcycle safety lessons. They really had fun driving around the field. I think we will have some additional harley riders in the family.

We are still adjusting as is expected. Some days are harder than others. Sunday was especially difficult. Bethany and I ended up in tears on the bedroom floor. I think we both needed to have a good cry. After that, she and I and Nana went to plant some flowers at Grandma Blackie's grave. It was very therapeutic for me. Grandma was such a strong woman. She raised 4 wonderful children on her own. She is such an inspiration to me. I know she is watching over us from heaven. These challenges are not a surprise. I expected them. It's just hard to go through it. I know that six months from now things will be so different. Each day brings new and wonderful experiences. Each day also brings new challenges. I am so thankful that I have such a wonderful support system. My family is AWESOME! Thank you, Lord for my wonderful family!!!!

2009-06-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun !!

2009-06-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

WHAT A CATCH!!

2009-06-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

Another busy week.......

We have had a lot going on around here. Grant graduated from 8th grade last week. We officially have a high schooler in the house! We are so proud of him. Macie has started baseball and actually has her first game tonight. Grant also plays tonight. Evan was in a tourney over the weekend and his team went 2-2. They did a great job! There was a company that had photographers on every field for each game. They got a great series of Evan making a diving catch. I got the pictures and will have to get them posted soon. It looks really cool. It was an awesome catch!

We also went to Port Washington for cousin, Katelyn's high school graduation. We had lots of fun visitng with cousins we don't get to see often enough. After the party, Grant, Macie, Bethany and I drove up to Upper Lake Park along Lake Michigan. The bridal wreath were in full bloom. Absolutely beautiful! We had to stop and take some pictures. We missed having Evan with us, but he was still playing in his tournament. We went back yesterday for a picnic. Of course I forgot my camera, but we did have lots of fun. They have a new playground that is just awesome!

We spent some time a Children's Hospital last week. Macie had a check up and all is well. Bethany goes in today. They are actually putting her under to scope out the surgeries she had in China. The poor girl cannot eat anything today but jello and popsicles. After noon, she is cut off from everything. We will have a translator there to let her know what is going on and what the doctors are going to do. She is such a brave little girl. I still have a hard time believing she is the same age as Macie right now. She is so tiny. So, all you prayer warriors out there, please keep us in prayer today that all goes well and the surgeries in China were done right. I will let you all know how it goes soon.

2009-06-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

Update.....

I know I am way over due for an update. We are settling in to a new normal at the Waala House of Fun :) The general volume has gone up around here. Bethany is VERY vocal--as are Grant, Evan and Macie, so adding another voice brings the decibel level up a notch or two.

We are still working on getting Bethany to sleep in her own bed, but that will come in time. In the whole scheme of things, that is so very minor. We had her tested for school and she will be starting summer school on the 22nd. She and Macie will go together. We have also had a few dr visits and have more to come. I have also been working a few days a week from home for a few hours at a time. Nana has been an angel and has been coming over to take care of Bethany. She is starting to understand more and more. She gets the general idea that she needs to be quiet when I am at my desk working.

Grant has his 8th grade graduation tomorrow night. I am having a hard time believing he will be in high school next fall. We are so proud of him. Both boys and Macie are busy with baseball. This past weekend, Evan had a tourney in Oshkosh and we were able to spend some time with my cousin, Michelle and her family. We had a very nice lunch and spent time visiting. It was good to see them all.

Today, after I was done with work, Bethany and I went to lunch with Nana and MaryKate. We met Auntie Susie and two of Nana's cousins. We had a tasty lunch and then went to visit Aunt Celeste. She will be 100 year old in November! She is a wonderful lady and still sharp as a tack! It was a busy day, but fun. Of course, I forgot my camera so I did not get any pictures.

2009-06-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Brewer Game....

Bethany went to her first Brewer game on Sunday! We headed to Miller Park with Dave & Shelly along with a bunch of other people. We had a great time. All morning long, Bethany was chatting away in Chinese about seeing her cousin Eli again. She really likes talking with him. They are so cute together. Unfortunately, Macie could not go along. She had her final exam for Chinese school. She has worked very hard this year and I know she did well on the test.

2009-05-25T18:00:00.001-07:00

2009-05-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Good days, not so good nights..........

We have been having good days since we got home, but bed time and nights are not going as well. Bethany is not wanting to go to bed at night. She wakes up several times during the night crying. It's hard to get her back to sleep. I expected this. We did not have any tears in China so I knew they would be coming. I think I am caught up on my sleep so that makes easier to deal with. I know it will get better as time goes on. Tomorrow we have our first dr. appointment. I hope it goes well. She really is doing great for a kid that has had her entire world turned upside down. I feel so blessed to be her mom & mom to Grant, Evan & Macie.

Bethany has met a bunch of her cousins. She readily smiles and plays with them. She likes to play outside with the kids. She is no longer afraid of the dog. That first day home she screamed when she saw Lady Jane. Well, that first night Bethany slept(what little she did) with me. When she woke up, Lady Jane was in bed with us. She thought that was pretty funny. Now she follows her around and tries to hand feed her and makes sure that I always have her water dish full.

Macie heads back to school tomorrow. She did an awesome job as our interpreter in China and is continuing to do so at home. We are really glad to be home and get back into a daily routine.

2009-05-23T07:01:00.001-07:00

2009-05-23T06:53:00.001-07:00

2009-05-23T06:36:00.001-07:00

2009-05-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

Home At Last!!!

We made it home safe and sound. And what a treat to sleep in my own bed! It was killing me not to be able to update while in Guangzhou. I know you were all missing us :)

Guangzhou was hot and humid. We got all our shopping done. The medical evaluation went fine as well as the Consulate appointment. We ate at a German restauratant, Italian restaurant and at Lucy's on the island. We also enjoyed high tea at our hotel a few of they days. We also found Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic chapel in Guangzhou and got to go inside. What a treat! I will post pictures from Guangzhou & Hong Kong today.

Hong Kong is the most beautiful city! I wish we could have stayed there longer. Our hotel was incredible. We stayed at the Harbour Plaza Metropolis. It was right across from the train station so we did not even need to take a taxi when we got off the train from Guangzhou. The hotel was attached to a mall. All the stores in Hong Kong are amazing. One level of one of the malls was all kids name brand like Tommy Hilfiger, Dolce & Gabnana, Ralph Lauren--all for kids. There was even an Oshkosh b'Gosh store. Of course we did seek out the Harley Davidson Boutique at the Ocean Center Plaza. A small store, but it had just what we needed:)

Thanks to everyone for all you prayers, support and comments. We really appreciate it.

2009-05-22T06:16:00.001-07:00

Hello - Lynn again. It has been a long week. We have not heard from China since Monday evening. I think Mike might have had contact on Tuesday morning. Checking the United Airlines site, their plane left 15 minutes early from Hong Kong and they are scheduled to land at 1:54pm at O'Hare. That is about 45 earlier than their intinerary. We are very excited to get down there to see everyone. I hope they were too busy at the Hong Kong Harley Davidson dealership to get in touch with us:). I am hoping for a really cool t-shirt! Keep them in your thoughts and prayers - we can't wait until they are home safe and sound. Love to all- Lynn

2009-05-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Jill's sister, Lynn, here. They have made it to Guangzhou safe and sound. Jill is having problems updating the blog from there. She said she is keeping her facebook page up to date. Today was mom's birthday. The hotel gave her a card and a cake - "Happy Birthday Zernia Kathleen Helen". We have been able to Skype with them. Bethany is full of giggles and energy. Macie told us she is busy talking in Chinese to Bethany and everyone else and then repeating it all for Nana and Jill. What a great helper! We can't wait until they get home on Friday! I think we will have a little caravan going to OHare.