Jump! Jump Around!

This cold weather has just about got to me. (I know "cold" is a relative term. Our daytime highs in the 40's would seem balmy to some. Why, just this week in North Dakota, a record low of 31 degrees BELOW zero was made. You could throw water from a glass and it would instantly change to powdery ice. Now, THAT'S cold.) I digress... Here in the south, we are sometimes spoiled with mild winter days in the 60's or 70's. They just haven't been as frequent this year, plus we've been getting some much needed rainfall.
Today we all got out for some family fun and a chance for the kids just to wear themselves out.

100 Blessings Quilt

Dear Family and Friends,

We are working on a project with which we need your assistance. We are creating a "100 Blessings" quilt for Rebecca. Since she came to us at the age of 6 years, we know there is no way to replace those "lost" years. We would like to make this quilt for her, symbolic of how God has perfectly woven her into our family.

To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or "100 Good Wishes Quilt." It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the family and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.

Here Is What We Would Like For You To Do - 1) Choose any 100% cotton fabric that you like. It just needs to have a design and color that you like. 2)We ask that the fabric is pre-washed (to prevent shrinkage). 3) Cut one 8" x 8” square from the fabric. 4) On an acid free piece of paper (so it will last a long time), attach a small piece of the fabric on the note (so she will know what piece of fabric goes to each blessing) and include your blessing (can be your own, a favorite scripture, or quote) and your name and address. The fabric will be used to make a quilt, and the notes will be placed in a a special book.

Ideas For Selecting Quilt Squares - Select a fabric that is meaningful to you. 100% cotton fabric is best, as it washes and wears better. If there are several members in your family, please feel free to send more than one blessing and piece of fabric. In China, these quilts were originally made from the garments of family and friends surrounding the child with luck and good wishes.

Please email me at woodalls6@pclnet.net and I will give you our mailing address to which to send your quilt square(s).

Thank you and many blessings to you all,

Billy & Emily

Blame it on the Chinese...

Yesterday, during Paw-Paw's birthday dinner, Fiona (almost 4), one of the kids' cousins, asked why Rebecca wore glasses. William, quick to the answer, "Because she can't really see. You know, she's from China!"

Happy Valentine's Day

I think I'd better change that to Valentine's Week. Grandma visited on Tuesday and brought candy for the children. They've been getting those great money-filled cards in the mail from other grandparents this week too. Last night when we got home from church, there were some surprises on the porch for the children from Granddaddy and Maw-Maw.



And, today, the preschool Valentine party. Wow, how things have changed since I was in school! We used to be content with a cupcake with sprinkles and a shoebox full of valentines to go through. Now, apparently you can't just give a plain old valentine. It's got to be attached to a bag of candy or a junky little toy. You have to, at the very least, give a lollipop. The kids brought home bags of puzzles, stamps, tattoos, whistles that look like lips, chocolates, sweetheart candy, gummy candy, cookies, balloons, pencils, and notepads. I could go on... It's a shame that they don't even care about the valentines. That was always my favorite part. Maybe I'm making too much of it, since they can't even read yet!

Happy Valentine's Day, anyway!!

Addendum: And the grand finale: The kids got personalized M&M's that arrived by UPS! Compliments of Granddaddy Bill! I thought this holiday was for sweethearts. How did it get to be a kids' holiday?!

You know you're living in small town when...

Billy and I had the wonderful opportunity to have a nice Valentine's dinner last night (a bit early, but that's when our babysitter--aka Granddaddy David---could do it). We went to a quaint little restaurant in town, and what do you know, but my mom & the entire congregation of ladies from her church were also there. Rebecca's speech teacher was there. Let's see...who else. Oh, yes, a barber shop quartet came in to serenade the church ladies, and we knew one of those guys too.

I wasn't planning on having a cocktail or anything, but somehow when your mom shows up at your romantic Valentine dinner, it's just not the same!

Happy Chinese New Year--The Year of the RAT

We celebrated Chinese New Year tonight with our local Families with Children from China group. There was great food and fellowship, crafts, a silent auction for a Chinese charity for orphans, and many rounds of ring-around-the-rosie. That's Chinese, right?!

I think I'm glad that I wasn't born in the year of the rat. (Who wants to be a rat?!!) Well, how about a pig? Yeah, that's me! Billy and Vivian are both dogs, Rebecca is a snake, and Henry and William are sheep. What's your sign? Check out this page to read all you need to know about Chinese astrology.

Book Review

I've been trying to keep up with my daily Bible readings (one of my New Year's resolutions) and the fact that I'm into February and not behind yet is really good for me!

A book that I just finished is a parenting book, Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, by Dr. Kevin Leman. The title intrigued me so I thought I'd pick it up. His advice dealt with what he called "reality discipline," his take on Ephesians 6:1-4. I thought the book was pretty good, and it was pretty much in line with my own parenting philosophy. Now, mind you, I make A LOT of mistakes on a DAILY basis, so I'm not implying that I've got it all figured out. I wouldn't be reading these books if I did! One of his pieces of advice: "Sometimes you have to pull the rug out and let the little buzzards tumble." Now who could argue with that?!

Scientific fact?

Henry was complaining today that his teeth hurt. This was apparently his way of telling me he wanted something to drink. He said that when your teeth hurt that means that you are thirsty. Hmmmm. Didn't learn that one in medical school.

March 3rd

This is the date that we have Rebecca's procedure scheduled to correct her atrial septal defect at UAB Children's Hospital. She is receiving the Amplatzer ASD closure device. After having a transesophageal echocardiogram, she will undergo a heart catherization procedure and the device will be placed through the catheter. She will have to stay overnight in the hospital. Other than bruising and soreness in her leg, we are not expecting anything remarkable from her recovery.
Please pray that all will go well and that there will be no complications. There is also a slim chance that she will not have enough rim of tissue to hold the device. If that is the case, then she will have to have open heart surgery.

Fun with English

Rebecca: "Thank you."
Me: "You're welcome."
Rebecca: "I not welcome! I Rebecca!"


Rebecca, when she is needing some assistance: "Can I help you?"


Rebecca is convinced that "lady" must be a curse word. She's been saying, "I not lady!" Why, you ask? I often use the term "young lady" when addressing her when she has disobeyed or has done something she's not supposed to! Yesterday, I went through a huge explanation, complete with any gestures that I could think of, to get her to understand the concept (girl-little/lady-big, boy-little/man-big, etc.).