tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84115157488154301042024-03-13T03:02:10.247-07:00Gathering from the EastWendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-4194490191325607212014-12-26T20:37:00.000-08:002014-12-26T20:37:16.849-08:00It's been a while<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We said goodbye to our home of 14 years in Denver. We built this house and planted every tree and bush. The memories here were too many to count. It was a great house that we really thought might be the house we would live in for the rest of our lives. We started out with 3 children and added 8 more while living here. The neighbors were the best and the friends around us were like family. What might cause us to ever consider leaving this beautiful place that we called home? It was all in God's plan. It may have felt a little uncomfortable in how it all played out but it is what we needed to make a change as big as this one had to be. After returning from China we sold our house within two weeks and packed the family up in a large moving truck and 2 cars and we headed to Tyler, Texas. A wonderful job was waiting on Scott at Trinity Mother Frances. We saw God's hand all over everything. He was mindful of us and very patient as we sorted through all of the losses we were going to have and the changes that were ahead of us. Our children never complained. With heavy hearts we saw Josh off to Korea for a few months and left Joel at CSU for his Freshman year of college.......but with extremely happy hearts we were greeted by Scott's beautiful family who were overjoyed to have us move right into their town. Well, actually we moved right into their houses for a month before we closed on our new home. The girls lived at Scott's brother's house and Scott, Wendi, and the boys lived with Popo, Scott's dad. The kids started at new schools and adjusted really quickly. Oh yes, have I mentioned our newest addition, Levi, who joined our family in the most chaotic time in our families lives. He came to us bravely and hasn't missed a beat. He has done amazingly well and seems to really love his family, and we all love him so much. He is gentle and kind. Playful and funny. Perfect for a Smith.</div>
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After a month we were able to move into our new home that is quite a bit larger than our old home. We quickly filled it up and it became home to us. The pool in the back is just beautiful. We only had a few warm days after moving in for the kids to swim so we will be looking forward to warmer weather for many fun times at the pool. We are so, so thankful that we have the much needed space for a large family in such a beautiful place. Near so many people that we love so much. Feeling Blessed doesn't really describe what we have been feeling over the past few months.</div>
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We hosted Scott's whole family for Thanksgiving and it was great. We don't pass up many chances to gather together and spend hours talking and laughing. </div>
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There is a small lake across the street that was totally beautiful with fall colors. I can't wait until next year to see it again. </div>
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Levi, being the newest Smith member, placed the angel on the tree. He loved every minute of the attention. It was fun decorating some place new and different to celebrate our Saviors birth.</div>
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During the last few months we celebrated many Gotcha Days.</div>
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Ellie, Jasmine, Sam and DonLi. What special precious times those days were. Sam told Scott after a fun day a Six Flags recently that it was his 4th best day. When asked what his first day best day was he replied, "The day I got my family". Whew, that is so beautiful. </div>
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Did I mention that we have 5 pre teens in our family now. Yep, it gets interesting sometimes. They seem to like to take pictures of themselves looking all cool or something.</div>
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Josh returned from Korea in Oct and we have loved having him home with us. He has been a huge help and has been so good for all of the kids. He will return to Denver in January and will be missed so much. I think by me the most.</div>
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This is after one of the many medical evaluations that Levi has already had. He enjoys the one on one time even if it is to see the Dr. We will have many more to come</div>
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There are many things we miss like crazy. The snow and cold days, the beautiful mountains, the super special friends, Scott's co workers that meant the world to him, wonderful schools and teachers, and our old familiar house. But God has provided new journeys for us all. New friends, a great job for Scott with amazing co workers, amazing wooded forests around us, warmer weather, smaller town, family, and reconnecting with our old friends from seasons past. Both Scott and I have a college room mate that live here. We have more than usual to be thankful for this Christmas. We look forward to seeing what God is going to do in our lives. God Bless each and every one of you.</div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-10836867070870997042014-08-06T06:42:00.003-07:002014-08-06T06:43:21.198-07:00It's great to be an American....and Goodbye to Guangzhou<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have our travel visa for Levi, so we are all set to head back to the States tomorrow!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's been a great trip and we are so happy to have our family complete with our newest son. He's an amazing young man who is full of courage, curiosity, fun and love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The day we went to the U.S. Consulate, because we are American citizens, we queued in a different line than foreigners (Chinese citizens) seeking U.S. visas. I'll attach a photo of the long line people stood in to apply. I heard there were at least 1,000 applicants per day, every day...M-F. And, only about 1/3 of those who apply are granted visas. En route to China, I met a Chinese man who's pregnant wife was in Los Angeles with friends waiting to deliver his first child....a girl. Why? I ask. "So she can be an American," he says with broken English. "If she is an American citizen, she can become anything she wants."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After spending 2 weeks in China -- a wonderful country with very kind people, I did get to see what the absence of infrastructure (heat, water, sanitation, etc.) can mean for those living in this country. Though, honestly, the thought did cross my mind...."have you seen what's been happening in America lately?" While it may not be the place it use to be, it certainly can be the place where freedom rings. Is it always? No. Not for many...but the ideals are right and the hope is right.....life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...the freedom to worship without government persecution (though there are many instances where the Government's support of religious institutions has faded,) we can still worship and congregate freely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was encouraged by other's view of America and it reinvigorated my view and perspective of America and our responsibility to keep our country great, kind and just.</span><br />
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Line queueing for U.S. visa application.<br />
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Our wonderful guide while in China, Jocelyn<br />
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Watching a late night movie on the laptop<br />
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Levi's choice for breakfast. (Honey, I don't think a poptart or bowl of cereal is going to cut it.)<br />
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Fun in the lobby.<br />
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All of our travel group & kids with new families!Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-77568045457706393252014-08-04T06:54:00.001-07:002014-08-04T06:54:28.143-07:00Great days with my boys...<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What a privilege it has been to have been able to spend the last few days with two of the sweetest young men I know. If you know DonLi, then you know just hangin' out with him makes you a better person. He has the most optimistic outlook on life you have ever seen and he sees the best in things and people. Helpful, kind, courteous, thoughtful all with a servant's heart are just a few words that come to mind when I think of him. And, it looks like Levi is going to be a lot like him. They laugh together watching movies, wrestle around the bed having pillow fights and play games together. They are quickly becoming best friends. We also discovered a McDonald's within a few steps of us and on the ground floor they have a special window just for ice cream treats....we've treated ourselves to a sundae or ice cream float each afternoon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today we went to the park and drove the motor boat again and this evening our entire adoption group (about 8 other families) went on the Pearl River boat cruise. The Pearl River is the 3rd largest river in China and it goes to the sea, so it is very important for commerce in the city of Guangzhou. We floated right by the 3rd tallest structure in the world. It has multicolored LED lights that change in neat patterns. It was a wonderful cruise and the boys had a great time (and their dad did too!) We apply for our Visa tomorrow, then 2 more days until we start our travel home!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thank you everyone for your prayers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">scott</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-72923312872991113092014-08-02T04:55:00.002-07:002014-08-02T04:56:21.467-07:00Hanging around<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wendi started the long journey home today. The boys and I took her to the airport to see her off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She make it through Seoul well and is enroute to the U.S. This afternoon, the boys and I took off for the park again, despite the "real feel" temperature of 102F. (I think it was more like 112, but who's counting.) We had a nice stroll and rented a motor boat with a few thousand other families on the small pond. Now, if they would have let us play like bumper boats, that would've been more fun, but it was fun dodging the others. The boys had a good time steering. Ate pizza in the room and watched movies. Heavy rain tonight, so no pool tonight. Levi is participating and helping us get around (since he can read the signs!) He enjoys pizza and watching movies. He says "zank you" after each meal or drink offered to him. He is using the translator a bit more to communicate with us, which is nice!</span><br />
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The boys built this together in just a few hours!<br />
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I love the signs in China. Some are really, really funny<br />
What on earth does this mean? Any ideas?<br />
The quote sounds like a cross between Yoda and that Gollum creature.Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-46666638348907146692014-08-01T06:55:00.001-07:002014-08-01T06:57:43.357-07:00A very special day<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next to gotcha day, today was one of the more special days. We got to travel to his province, Longgang which is in Shenzen. We had a great visit with two of his foster families. One is a social worker who housed Levi in his personal home for over 2 years. It was obvious that he cares for Levi very much and he was happy to see he has a forever family. We then traveled to the orphanage. This is the same orphanage where 4 of our children once lived....Sam, Katy, Jasmine and Levi. We saw a photo of Katy and Jasmine on the wall of the orphanage. Walking those hallways, I couldn't help but think of all the lonely nights our children had sleeping there until they received news of a family....and while I'm so grateful to have them...my mind quickly went to all the other children who are still living in the orphanage hoping....praying...for their special day to come, too. Yet, sadly, it doesn't come for all, and many "age out" and become too old to be adopted. With all the resources in the world, this could be one of the greatest tragedies...a helpless child would live his/her whole life without a family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our next stop was with the foster family where he lived most recently. The foster family who housed Samuel (and where we met Katy) and now Levi. We had a nice lunch together and told them all about Sam's and Katy's life back in the States. They were pleased to hear about their accomplishments and that they were happy & healthy. The mom cried as we left....sad to see Levi go, but I also sensed a feeling of gratitude for the life & medical attention we've been fortunate enough to give these kids that they simply could not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Levi seemed very proud to show off his new family (us) and was quite happy and talkative the entire time. It made Wendi and I very happy to see him happy to be with us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We ended up the evening with another dip in the pool...a nice way to burn off some energy before bed. I'm sad that Wendi will be starting her journey back home tomorrow morning. We will miss her greatly, but know the kids back in Denver will be very, VERY happy to see her!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Would you please pray for her safe travel? Also, would you also pray for all the orphans in the world? That God would place them in loving families....maybe yours!</span><br />
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-40212947806445841702014-07-31T00:54:00.000-07:002014-07-31T00:59:53.942-07:00A visit to Shamen Island<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Levi had his medical check up today. We thought he was going to have to get 4 shots but thankfully his orphanage had already given him them all . He was very relieved I know. We then went to Shamen Island. It is a great area. We spent our entire time on the island for our first 3 adoptions. Most people adopting stayed there because the medical clinic was there as well as the US consulate. It was a hustling and bustling place. The hotel that we stayed in shut down for renovation a few years ago and the consulate and clinic moved off the island. We have great memories of being there. Today was once again blazing hot so we didn't make it long outdoors. Most of our time was spent in Starbucks drinking a smoothie. This is by far the most relaxing trip we have had. We have these 2 easy going boys and there is no one else in our travel group right now so we are taking advantage of the down time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Visa issuing system is up and going again so we just pray that it stays that way. That is about all I have to report. Another evening of swimming is on our boys schedule. Life is tough. Thank you for all of your prayers.</span><br />
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This is for you Leah</div>
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DonLi asked why you couldn't play your trumpet here. I'm so glad I left mine at home.</div>
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We have some hot tired boys</div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-48015895365568378082014-07-30T05:14:00.001-07:002014-07-30T05:14:21.136-07:00A few photos of our day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Levi enjoyed some English speaking movies. He laughed right along with them even though he probably didn't understand a word they said.</div>
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Off to the pool. They have the best time in the pool.</div>
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It's a hard job adopting a 13 yr old boy but someone has to do it</div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-25713943277297600892014-07-30T03:28:00.000-07:002014-08-01T20:40:55.498-07:00A VERY hot day<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ok, there is hot and then there is HOT!!!!! We were in China 5 years ago at this same time. I haven't forgotten how hot I was the day we visited the zoo here. I was reminded of that heat today as we tried to enjoy ourselves on a walk through a park. Scott summed it up well as being short of miserable. Whew. We have just about decided to just have a stay cation in our room. We will come out only when we have to. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Levi has had a very wordless day. He seems happy but I guess feels words are useless with us. He has laughed and giggled a few times but other than that not much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On another note, the visa system that was down all last week keeping many families stuck here unable to go home has once again gone down. We are still over a week away from Levi's visa needing to be processed but please pray that get this fixed. It is causing families big expense on top of the already huge expense they have already had. It took 6 days to fix before. Hopefully they learned something and get it working quicker this time around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tomorrow we go for Levi's medical check up and he will be getting 4 shots. That is never fun. Scott and the boys are about to go for an evening swim. They slept really good last night after swimming for 2 hours. As a matter of fact they were all sawing logs at 7:30 last night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We are doing great and the kids at home are doing good. I know they are ready for us to come home. We miss them all so much. Thank you all for your support and prayers. We are feeling every one of them.</span>Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-9303754217823126342014-07-29T21:09:00.002-07:002014-07-29T21:09:52.088-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All Chinese children age 12 and over must also give their consent to being adopted.</div>
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This very important signature above is Levi's consent to joining our family.</div>
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24 hours with them, but our son does.</div>
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Just in case you wanted some fish to cook for yourself at home, the grocery store has plenty.</div>
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Squid, too.</div>
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While in the U.S. chicken "fingers" are popular, over here in China,</div>
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it is chicken "feet" that are popular.</div>
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Fortunately, we can have a few snacks that remind us of home.</div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-73132147532856001962014-07-29T20:56:00.001-07:002014-07-29T20:56:56.546-07:00Around town & shopping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anyone hungry for fish? Yum yum. (we passed.)<br />
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Riding the escalator is fun in any country!</div>
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Our celebration meal...Chinese, of course!</div>
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The shopping mall</div>
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Cool escalator without steps so grocery carts can go on it.</div>
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And, it is magnetized so the carts won't roll.</div>
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Levi was quick to give us all a chop stick tutorial</div>
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Hanging around...</div>
<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-45543773214013235372014-07-29T04:46:00.001-07:002014-07-30T03:31:01.432-07:00A few photos<span id="goog_391356993"></span><span id="goog_391356994"></span><br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-49164763329574674652014-07-29T04:45:00.000-07:002014-08-01T20:37:08.453-07:00Levi is officially ours!Today was the day that we signed everything to make Levi our son forever. He also had to accept us as his forever family. Now just think about that. Would you have the courage to leave everything you have ever known behind and go with a strange looking couple. Now we may be pretty nice people but I am pretty certain I would not commit myself to US after just 24 hours. When he bravely walked towards us yesterday and then again signed his name today he agreed to leave it all and take a chance on what everyone has told him will be the best thing for him. It will be a tough road for him. The language is so hard and the sounds that we use to speak aren't all so easy for him. As I sat down with him today just to see exactly how much he might know about basic letter recognition I was so overwhelmed for him on how much he is going to have to learn and take in. It will come and thankfully he doesn't seem to know at this point how difficult it will all be. What he does seem to know is that he belongs to us and he welcomes that. I look at him and my heart just melts with love for this precious little boy. Everything just feels so right about him being with us. God has worked a beautiful miracle and I am so honored to be a part of it. <br />
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We had a fairly relaxing slow day. So slow that all we want to do is sleep. The jet lag hasn't been too bad but we just feel drained. We did spend a couple of hours at the pool. Levi had told us he liked to swim or really just be in the water. He jumped right in and did pretty well swimming to Scott. He and DonLi played together the whole time. They really get along well. DonLi is so patient and kind to him. There is no need for language when you are playing. He has been fairly quiet today with fewer words than yesterday. If you could just continue to pray for peace for him. I know he probably is having all kinds of emotions that he can't express and would be too afraid of even if he could tell us. <br />
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God is so good to us. He lead us on this wonderful journey. Along the way we are able to encourage and build up others that adopt around us like that young family we met yesterday with the little girl who didn't want to come to them and was crying her eyes out. The mother sat there in distress. I read her mind. She was wondering if this little girl would ever love them or be happy. I went straight up to her and looked her in the eyes and said "it is all going to be ok. It will be hard and that is to be expected. Your daughter is acting very normal for what is happening to her." This morning when we saw each other again she came right over to me and thanked me for my words yesterday. I loved being able to do that for her. I love all of this. I guess that is why we are in China for the 6th time. I am grateful and thankful.<br />
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One other thing that Levi did today was play ping pong. He is very good ping pong player. It was really fun to see Scott, Levi, DonLi and another older boy being adopted play and have such a fun time together. Heart warming for sure.<br />
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-19658118407812838612014-07-28T05:20:00.000-07:002014-07-28T05:20:48.395-07:00Link to videowww.youtube.com/embed/KVQiGZCRoeI<br />
<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-79310514782713808762014-07-28T01:37:00.002-07:002014-07-28T01:37:35.292-07:00Photos from a picture perfect day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-83476509597029837872014-07-28T01:18:00.000-07:002014-07-28T01:18:36.499-07:00GOTCHA!!!You'd think after several previous adoptions, we'd know what to expect or how to feel driving through the city to meet our son....however, each child is so new and different, we just didn't know what to expect.<br />
He was waiting for us at the Civil Affairs office when we arrived, behind a curtain, waiting for "the moment." I must say, it felt a lot like Christmas morning when I was a child waiting to see what gifts Santa had brought us. Although this anticipation is so much....deeper, fuller and complete.<br />
Yes, complete. Since we've made the decision to adopt him almost a year ago, Wendi and I have had an incomplete feeling inside. The kind you feel when you aren't whole yet. Well, I'm happy to say that feeling is now gone! Yake (Levi) came to us happy...slightly apprehensive, but eager nonetheless.<br />
He had one backpack and one bag filled with all the worldly possessions he has. We could tell by his disposition that he is a quiet, gentle boy with a big heart. Much like DonLi! We've been back to the room two hours now, and he's playing happily with us and DonLi. The language of play is universal!<br />
He knows a few English words, but not too many. DonLi had the hotel room all set up with all the gifts & toys we had bought for him and happily showed them all to him. He especially liked the Nerf guns. <br />
His first showing of affection to us was to cover us up with his new blanket. He came and placed it on my shoulder as I was typing on the computer! <br />
He's a good fit for our family and we get to enjoy the wonderful journey of getting to know our new son, whom we've loved from a distance for the past year. Thank you God for your amazing love and gift to us. We are overwhelmed with your kindness and goodness to our family.<br />
<br />
<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-78046221864048099732014-07-26T23:23:00.000-07:002014-07-26T23:23:33.498-07:00We made it!The journey was only 33 hours...but fortunately very smooth and without delay or lost luggage! We met nice people and enjoyed seeing the sights. However, a warm shower and the bed will feel good this evening. Thank you God for blessing us with smooth travels (and thanks everyone for praying)<br />
We are scheduled to get Levi 24 hrs from now...2pm Monday China time and 12am Monday Denver time.<br />
DonLi has been a champ during our long travel...he sees the best in everything! <br />
It's overcast in Guangzhou and warm, but not too hot. It rained on the way to the hotel from the airport but has stopped now. We like our new hotel (the first time we've stayed at the Marriott.) Praying the visa computer system will be back up soon and of course our son will be excited to meet his new family tomorrow.<br />
-scott<br />
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-33718431455501763042014-07-20T20:15:00.002-07:002014-07-20T20:15:30.079-07:00We're off to China THIS FRIDAY!!After what seems waiting forever....the past few weeks and month have flown by and our travel date is upon us. We leave this Friday, July 25th to adopt our sweet son! We will post updates as often as we can! Thanks for your prayers and support.<br />
Scott & Wendi<br />
<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-70965919592412397332014-04-07T20:14:00.000-07:002014-04-07T20:22:51.832-07:00Life in the Fast LaneSo, so, so much to share I don't know where to begin so I think it will be that God is good, God is Great! We are so thankful for God's provision and presence in our lives. After 5 months of paperwork preparing for our adoption of "Levi"(Yes we have changed his name but this one is final) our dossier is Logged in with China and waiting the approval of our adoption. Below is a picture of the paperwork in our dossier. It may not look like much but I assure you it is hours of fingerprinting and more fingerprinting and then more. Several trips to the Secretary of State, hours of filling out forms, mailing them and waiting for them to return so I can mail them somewhere else. Of course it is worth every second because look at the sweet face waiting on the other end of the paperwork. Sweet as can be. We will probably travel late summer or early fall. There is more paperwork and waiting and mailing and signing and you get the picture.<br />
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Joel finished off his high school basketball. He had a great year. We will really miss seeing him play. He informed me tonight that he has 28 days of school left. How in the world can this be?</div>
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The toughest thing we have been through over the past few weeks was MeiLi having spinal fusion surgery where she had 2 rods placed in her back. It was painful and yucky. Thank heavens my mom came and stayed with the kids because Scott and I really needed her help. You see we live in what is called the orange zone. That is the level right next to the red zone where everything falls apart. This surgery felt like it pushed us into the read zone. Stressful. Tiring. Stressful. Oh yes I said that already. We survived and more than that MeiLi is doing good. She is still moving slow and having some pain but recovering nicely. Now Scott and I need a nice long vacation. </div>
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Leah was a wonderful big sister. Right there through so much of MeiLi's time in the hospital. Thank you sweet Leah for being there for her. Your the best.</div>
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Now for the really fun news. Through MeiLi's surgery and getting to know the staff on the spinal team really well they gave our names to Denver University's school of Construction. They built a sweet little playhouse and gave it to our family. We were able to share our families adoption story with many people and even get on channel 7 news for an interview. It was a great time and we are so thankful to DU for treating our family in such a special way.</div>
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They are loving this little house. We are imagining many summer campouts in it and hours of play. Such a great time.</div>
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Like I said it is Life in the fast lane. </div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-25919544214638221832013-11-14T19:53:00.000-08:002013-11-14T19:53:09.066-08:00So excited to share!!!!!!Life has been really good these past few months. The kids are enjoying school. Leah is loving her life in high school and her first season in marching band. It was great fun to watch her perform. Joel is having an amazing Sr. year so far. He is becoming more independent and doing a great job with it. Basketball season is about to begin and we all look forward to watching his every move. Luke has adjusted to Jr high. He has really taken on a lot of responsibility and is now playing the saxophone and doing a wonderful job. Our elementary kids are having so much fun and have such wonderful teachers. I am homeschooling Katy who is in 5th grade. It has been so much fun to spend the days teaching her and learning from her. She is an amazing little girl. Sam is in 8th grade finishing up his last year of Jr. high. He has grown in many, many ways over the past few months. He has become our funny guy. We took the kids for breakfast the other morning. He wanted a skillet that had fried eggs on the top in the picture. When the waiter asked how he wanted his eggs he looked at him in all seriousness and said cooked. We all lost it. The eggs did appear to be raw in the photo. He is great. We celebrated his 14th birthday. As we thought about this age we discussed how wonderful that he was adopted because at age 14 children in China are no longer available for adoption. Many, many will move to the streets, child trafficked, or prostitution. Their hopes of ever having a family to call their own is gone. We are thankful that we could prevent this from happening to the children we are able to adopt. We can't save them all but we can sure make a difference in the lives of the ones we adopt. Likewise they no doubt make a huge difference in the lives we live. So.........on that note I want to introduce the newest Smith member who is waiting on his family to hurry with the paperwork and come get him.<br />
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Long Yake</div>
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12 years old</div>
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Living in LongGang, China</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">The Story of YaKe<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #5c1101; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Psalm 68:6<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #5c1101; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">New International
Version (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">6 </span></sup></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">God sets the
lonely in families. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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“Are you going to adopt again?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the most asked question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right behind the statement, “how do you
manage 10 children?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“ I can barely take
care of my 2.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Followed by, “you look
really good for having 10 kids!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
answer to the first question used to be that this was our last adoption until
the next one happened….and the next…..and then the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now our answer has changed to we don’t really
know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is in God’s hands because that
is what our life really boils down to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to make it our
decision but in the end after having many conversations with God, we give up
our selfish desires and long for His will and direction for this is where we
have found a tremendous peace and happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Has it been hard?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You bet it has
at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we really thought we
wanted in this life was a huge house in the neighborhood across the street, brand
new cars every few years and many tropical vacations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we ended up receiving were 10 of the
most precious blessings this life can possibly offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which one would we have done without to have
a few more worldly <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>treasures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot imagine having missed out on any
of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is why when we hear God’s
voice to adopt it doesn’t take too much to convince us because we could have
said “no” to them and well, I cannot even let my mind go to the place that they
would still be in China without a family to love them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you God that you kept after us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is where number 11 comes into the
picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His name is pronounced,
YawKu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was he just a random child that
we just up and decided to adopt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His little presence has
been with us for a few years now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
very first mention of him was in China while we were adopting Sam in Dec.
2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were visiting the orphanage and
talking with the director and showing her photos of our family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She saw MeiLi and told us that there was a
little boy living there that looked like her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m sure I thought more about that statement than Scott did but not much
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After returning home I was looking
through orphanage photos that someone had given me looking for more photos of
Sam and Katy because that is also the trip that we met sweet Katy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That will have to be another story since this
one is mostly about YaKe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While looking
at photos I saw several of YaKe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a
little interested in him just because he really did look like MeiLi but he
really, really reminded me of DonLi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
can’t remember exactly but I’m sure I showed Scott.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He probably said, wow, he does look like
DonLi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both had no idea of the seeds
of love being planted in our hearts for this child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The time wasn’t right for us to adopt him
because we had 2 others to get home first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We later went on to adopt Katy and while waiting to travel to get her we
received a photo of her with some of the kids that she lived with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Standing in the background was YaKe looking
on what was happening in the picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
grabbed my attention quite a bit more this time and really grabbed
Scott’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scott was so intrigued that he
asked for me to find out more about him, and he even asked if it would be
possible for us to bring him home with Katy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I do most of the paperwork obviously because it takes months to process
each individual adoption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, Scott
with his never take no for an answer insisted there must be a way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He finally realized it was true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So off we went to China for the 5<sup>th</sup>
time to bring spunky Katy home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However
while there we again visited the orphanage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We specifically asked for them to bring YaKe to meet us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t know if we were supposed to adopt
but we didn’t want to be this close to what we thought could be our son and not
see him and give him a gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met him
and spent a little time asking him questions about himself and took a few
photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Katy had only been with us a few
days and she was a bit overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
get an idea about her, we called her “jungle girl.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had medical needs that we weren’t real
sure how they would turn out and as I sat in that room with Yake God revealed
his many needs to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just knew what
it would take to adopt him and frankly I had no energy left for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leah was with us as we sat there with
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We never told her what we were
thinking so she had no idea why we asked to see him and she never really
asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left there that day
overwhelmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really didn’t speak
about him again until we got home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
Scott asked what I thought about him all I could say was, “Whew”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He completely understood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing else needed to be said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent the text 4 months deep in medical
evaluations for Katy and then God dropped a complete surprise on us in the form
of a 5 year old sweet heart, Jasmine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Really?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does this
happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think she was just that extra
blessing that God gave us to say “your doing good, keep it up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fast forward another year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jazzy and Katy are settled in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all settled in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means we are at a good place where
things feel good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God starts filling my
mind and heart with YaKe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is there
when I fall asleep and there when I wake up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Scott was very busy and stressed at work so I told God that Scott would
flip out if I told him what I thought God was asking of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t keep it in any longer so one night
told Scott that God was wanting us to adopt him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scott is special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Real special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He said that he would start praying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A week or so later he asked me when we were going to go bring that boy
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I mentioned he was special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I need to back up a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the time that YaKe was constantly on
my mind and God was speaking to my heart, Leah brings him up out of the blue
one day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She just asked about him and wondered
if he had been adopted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wondered what that was about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days later after picking her up from
band she told me that Scott had mentioned to her that we were praying about
adopting Yake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She then broke into
tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that she had been
praying for a long time that we would adopt him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wanted to mention it to us but didn’t
know if she should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now what 14 year old
girl prays about bringing home a 12 year old brother with obvious facial
deformities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I can say that Leah is
much like her dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very, very special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both sat there crying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were now sitting in the driveway and Scott
comes and looks at us and has absolutely no clue about what his girls are
sitting in the driveway crying about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
looks concerned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I later tell him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my confirmation to move forward to
bring this boy home where he belongs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The excitement of the kids about the whole thing was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, Katy really wanted a baby and the girls
all wanted another sister but after they understood that wasn’t happening now
they were over excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our younger boys
were so happy and our older boys were hesitantly concerned about us being able
to handle another child as well as what it would mean for college plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So with much excitement, we introduce our
newest son, Long Yake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is 12 years
old, living in the same home as Katy and Sam lived in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has wide set eyes, underdeveloped nose and
cleft lip and palate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is pretty small
in size also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have just received our
pre approval from China to move forward with our adoption process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can now let him know that he has a family
working hard to bring him home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
will his reaction be to our huge tribe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I will let you know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the
answers we give to the next two questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How do we handle 10 children?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
want to scream that I absolutely have no idea!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ha! How is that for an answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is such a God thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only reasonable
explanation is that in our weakness God is strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just can’t be done without God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children are happy, and flourishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are exhausted much of the time which
brings me to the last question on how we look so good for having 10
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scott might say when we look
like we have 10 children we just don’t go out in public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just smile and say thank you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rest is key to keeping our joy and time alone
for Scott and is top priority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
could please pray for us as we move through the process we would love
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be a stressful time waiting
and making sure the paperwork is done right and in a timely manner along with
the expense of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am waiting and
expectant for the wonderful works of God we are going to see and experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #5c1101; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Matthew 25:40<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #5c1101; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">New International
Version (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">40 </span></sup></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">“The King
will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">me.’</span></div>
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Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-23554705657795198782013-08-01T18:15:00.000-07:002013-08-01T18:15:00.555-07:00Summer, summer, and more summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEOcoUdQToYaWNgxTrsbE-tswoIuFy6kSKQLczmtIWtL3CBepN3hFtXlmXngXphbJE94BvpxbRkbr79ykITBqLvuXylF5kKr5_Xoh3Iox8NZzfoAs8ZZjWCEuVQESqH2BSxrMtG2ddfGw/s1600/DSC_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEOcoUdQToYaWNgxTrsbE-tswoIuFy6kSKQLczmtIWtL3CBepN3hFtXlmXngXphbJE94BvpxbRkbr79ykITBqLvuXylF5kKr5_Xoh3Iox8NZzfoAs8ZZjWCEuVQESqH2BSxrMtG2ddfGw/s320/DSC_0371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We have had such a wonderful, full summer. Full of drama as you can see above. It is amazing at how fast time goes. It has been good....really good. My goal for the summer was to read like crazy with the kids, swim a lot and sleep late as much as possible. I think we did very well with all of it. </div>
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One Sunday we slipped away just Scott and I with two older kiddos. These are special times for us and they rarely happen.</div>
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Croquet and season passes to the amusement park helped keep everyone happy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPU-4_asuNY-cEMyrTGuiA-65DzvNPtNFSnkQWTiDdHLXrKScOaSshxC9OBuA4o28kTxcNV6KRUUTkhMSOkIYIzp8VYKIp_jX3D7d4MhEJOlaZoOx41lQ84_wsqfH3yFN8L-orstoK8bw/s1600/IMG_0584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPU-4_asuNY-cEMyrTGuiA-65DzvNPtNFSnkQWTiDdHLXrKScOaSshxC9OBuA4o28kTxcNV6KRUUTkhMSOkIYIzp8VYKIp_jX3D7d4MhEJOlaZoOx41lQ84_wsqfH3yFN8L-orstoK8bw/s320/IMG_0584.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Four days a week we had two that swam for an hour on swim team. This was Ellie's first year and she did amazing. She has turned into quite the swimmer. I never got a picture of Luke. Probably because he drug out of bed minutes before he jumped in the water. It was a good way to wake up.</div>
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Leah, Sam, and DonLi also ran in a running league two mornings a week. They would all ride their bikes so I didn't have to do the usual drop off and pick up. Some mornings it would be up close to 90 degrees when they were running. One day Sam told Leah he was leaving before it was over. It must have been bad because Leah just followed him home without complaint of leaving early and not finishing and of course DonLi was happy to join them.</div>
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We live less than an hour away from this beauty. Scott will load his hikers up and go hiking for the day. They have done some pretty long hard climbs. I am happy to stay back with the little less adventurers and look at the wonderful pictures when they return.</div>
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This picture in the snow was taken in June. Crazy huh?</div>
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Sparky smiling for the camera.</div>
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Game nights.</div>
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Fun time with cousins in Texas.</div>
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Joel had the great opportunity to serve God using a talent that God blessed him with. He traveled with a team to Pisek, Czech Republic and spent 12 days leading basketball camp and getting to play some ball with the local teams. I think it made a huge impact on his life. We were so proud of him.</div>
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I think one of the most exciting things that happened this summer was Jasmine finally had her birthday. She joined our family last August right after her birthday. She had to wait for every person in our family to have a birthday. She was a little excited when hers finally came. She is now our big 6 year old.</div>
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The final shabang of the summer was a trip to Ruidoso, NM. That is where Scott's dad spends most of his summers. This summer he got sick and had to go home. He is doing much better but not up to traveling back to see us. Scott's brother, Mike and his wife, Jan came to fill in for Popo. We had a wonderful time with them. The kids ate up all of their attention. We really missed Popo like crazy but thanks to Mike and Jan we had an amazing time.</div>
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The highlight of the trip was driving the golf cart around. They all had fun with that.</div>
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We really enjoyed the beauty of White Sands. There isn't any better place for photos and sledding.</div>
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We all love you Mike and Jan. You helped us make some great memories.</div>
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And here we are. The crazy couple that still believes that God is a wonderful, great God. We will follow Him to the ends of the earth. We feel blessed beyond measure and so, so thankful for His amazing grace. God truly loves each of us and has a beautiful plan for our lives. He rescues the broken hearted and places the lonely in families. He used two normal people to gather our children up and love them with all we have. Please, please pray for those who don't yet have someone to love them and give them hope. Let me know if you would like to give a child a chance at life. As we wind down the last couple of weeks until school starts my goal is to savor the last few moments of us being all together.</div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-35776418503308988422013-06-19T15:52:00.000-07:002013-06-19T15:52:48.909-07:00And She is a Smith!!!!We have waited 10 long months to be able to say those words. Meet precious Jasmine. The saying that "Good things come to those who least expect it" applies to us. Last August, only being home from China adopting Katy for 4 months, we offered to be a respite family for her. She was adopted from China in Nov. 2010. Only one month before we traveled to bring Sam home. I knew her family. As a matter of fact I saw her first photo that they had of her. I was very excited because out of all the orphanage she could have been in it was Sam's and Katy's. I helped celebrate her arrival and encouraged the family before they left for China. One of Jasmines toys that she played with on the day they got her was a toy I had given to them. After their return I was so excited to meet her and see the family. Jasmine struggled quite a bit in her months home with her family. Lots of tears and sadness for her and hard, hard days for the family. When we said yes to bring her into our home I was so hoping we could be a place where Jasmine truly could let go of her sadness that she had held onto since being adopted and really her whole life. Now many are quick to judge a family that can just hand over their child for a few weeks much less what has turned into a lifetime but I think we are thinking in human terms and not God's terms. God had a different plan than what that family or our family could see. Her first family was the family that stepped out in faith and brought her home and gave her the first taste of a family. They loved her as much as Jasmine would allow them to and they had all of her medical needs attended to as well as teaching her so many new things. Even with all of that Jasmine was unsettled. She came to our family and miracles started happening in Jasmines life. Having 3 Chinese girls just like her was huge for her. She slept in the same room with them all which provided much comfort and allowed her to be able to sleep through the nights which she was rarely able to do. She had several weeks of tears and tantrums and who wouldn't. She slowly settled in and was able to relax and truly find some peace. After a few weeks in our home the family decided it would be better for her to be in another family and they prayed it would be us. I tell you that out of all our adoptions we really struggled with saying yes to this. Looking back over 10 months I wonder what that was all about. She is the spark in our lives. None of us had any idea how fun it would be to have a 5 yr old running around again. Everyone has loved her from the beginning. Right at first the kids would randomly ask if Jasmine was going home the next day. They feared I would say yes. When I said "no" they would cheer. Joel, told us many times that she needed to stay with us. As I look back over the yr I see a beautiful handprint of God right in the middle of it. We can't imagine life without Jasmine. She is beautiful, smart, funny, loving, gentle and very brave. I just smile in happiness and the special gift God just laid at our feet and there was nothing we had to do but accept it. Sounds a lot like the gift of salvation that God also lays right in front of us. There is nothing we have to do but accept it either and when we do our lives will never be the same. A lot like Jasmine. Our lives will never be the same again. She has left her mark on our hearts and she is now Jasmine Janelle Smith. Janelle is Scott's mom's name that she would have been so proud to have shared with such a sweet little girl.<br />
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-57930928910510848812013-05-10T21:47:00.001-07:002013-05-10T21:47:50.251-07:00Seriously, where does the time go!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, Maybe we slipped away from all responsibility to the land of paradise....Kaui.</div>
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Yep, just the two of us on a much needed vacation. It was amazing, wonderful, relaxing, exciting and.....you get the idea. My older sister, Cari, actually wanted to come stay with the kiddos and she did an amazing job. The kids are asking when she is coming back so we are going to plan our next get away. </div>
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Easter was a wonderful celebration this year. Scott was able to baptize Luke, Ellie and MeiLi. It was very special and exciting for all of us. They are precious and special children who really have a beautiful heart for God. Every morning on the way to school we have been memorizing bible verses. They are eating this up. If there is a morning where I am running crazy and forget, they all are quick to remind me. It is so fun to be a part of their joy of learning and hiding God's word in their heart.</div>
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This is very beautiful, but we have had way more of it than I cared to have. Our last snow was May 1st. I am a flip flop girl and this wasn't fitting into my life style. We are looking good for the next week with warm weather. Yay!</div>
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We have also celebrated Joel's Jr. Prom. The little girls really enjoyed going with me to take pictures and seeing all of the pretty dresses. One of the girls asked Joel's girlfriend, Karah, if she could try her shoes on. It was sweet. Wasn't it just yesterday I was going to my Jr. Prom?</div>
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Well, as you can see there is little downtime for our family. There is a million things to get done. Just tonight Scott and I went on a date and talked about how we would move through the weekend and come out alive. Really, I think we have 4 basketball games and one soccer game tomorrow. Only 2 more weeks of school and this girl will be doing some sleeping in. I was telling my friend Cheryl that as I planned our summer everything is being planned around ME being able to sleep in. God has been great to us. We are loving this amazing ride that He has us on. </div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-85195136842037495242013-03-02T21:13:00.000-08:002013-03-02T21:15:07.437-08:00In love with our family!How much can you love and not bust? Many people who are skeptics about adoption might say that we won't have enough love to go around to them all. I have to say that it is just the opposite. As we have added each child our love for them and the others just gets bigger. As I started to write this Sam, came into our room. He said something really cute and left. Scott just said, "isn't he so sweet". Yes, they all are and in their own way. <br />
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Sam's new puppy is.....well.....not so small anymore. However she IS still a puppy as she runs and jumps all over everyone. They run and scream and she gets so excited over the game that really isn't a game at all. She has been wonderful not just for Sam but for this tired mama who really enjoys going to dog training class. Who would have thought I would look forward to Wednesday nights so much with all my business, but I do. <br />
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Scott and I were able to speak about adoption twice this month. Once was at our adoption agency and we talked about adopting a child with GI disorders. I think we pretty much could have lead the medical conference on many areas of adoption. It reminded me how God had prepared us so well for this journey. I really enjoy being able to help our children with their needs. Our other talk was to our church. We spoke in all four services and were able to share how God had really changed our hearts and our lives through adoption. How we have learned so much about God's love for us as he adopted us into His family. We hope to be able to do that more in both locations. We have also really enjoyed the last 3 months of High School basketball with Joel. It is no mystery to those who know me that I love this sport. My dad was a basketball coach and I lived in a gym and on a school bus. I love the smell of a sweaty gym and the sound of a bouncing basketball could put me to sleep. It used to as my mom said I was a week old when I went to my first game. Anyway, the season is over so my Tuesdays and Fridays are now free. What will I do with all my free time?<br />
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We just registered sweet Leah for High School. How in the world can this be? She is precious and will do so great. It won't be at the same school as Joel so next year we will have 5 schools between them. Actually 6 if you include our college boy. We have middle school night for Luke next week. Hmph. I don't like this. It really makes me happy that I love Scott and enjoy him more than ever because in the end it will just be the two of us. He keeps me laughing and we sneak away on dates every chance that we get. As a matter of fact we are slipping off to Kauai in April. I am already dreaming of the beauty. I love that place.</div>
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Here is Dr. Seuss, Abraham Lincoln and Mary Cassatt. It was a very fun night hearing from all the 3rd graders about someone great.</div>
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This past week Katy had a surgery on her belly. Everything went great and now she is recovering. She is a brave, wonderful girl. We have had her for 1 year now. I cannot tell you how much Katy has blossomed. We were talking about all she has learned this past year. She has learned to speak and read English, do monkey bars, swing, ride a bike and swim. She has been in for 3 medical procedures and visited more specialist than I can remember. She has pouted, cried, hugged, talked and talked some more, made friends, started school in the USA, learned how to share, speak more quietly, eaten more noodles than you can imagine, grown taller, smiled more, loved her family with passion, but most of all she has learned that there is a God who made her, loves her and wants her to know Him. He didn't make a mistake in building her body a little messed up inside. He allowed it so she would make it to our family. I think one day she will be able to help others with her condition. That is just how she is. We can't even imagine what God will do in her life. One thing we are soooo, sooo happy for is that when God asked us to go and bring her home we didn't say, NO. We would have missed this precious girl and she would have been left with so little. God is so Great.</div>
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We are looking forward to the warmer weather that is starting to come. Well, anything about 40 feels wonderful. Until I find a moment, probably on Tuesday or Friday, to share more of our lives.</div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-35140369275935625772012-12-29T22:36:00.001-08:002012-12-29T22:36:33.838-08:00Time off is GREAT!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have had such a wonderful time together over the past week. Time off and time as a family is so nice. As you can see we haven't really had a quiet moment but that is ok. Scott and I have slipped off for a date or two. It was my prayer that the kids really know why we celebrate Christmas. Sam and Katy are just beginning to understand the things of God since they spent their lives not knowing about Him. However and interesting fact is that Katy told me she prayed every birthday, or maybe more like a wish, but she used the word pray. She would pray for a family. She has her family now and is spending her first Christmas with us. She is soaking it all up.<br />
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I love the kids smiling faces and happy hearts. I love the fact that God used this family, with no special gifts or talents to love a child that had nothing. It is a true miracle. The bible talks about God giving us power. Not the super hero kind really, or maybe it is! There is no way we could have done what we have done without it. God has given us the power to do things that we never dreamed possible. We look back at the past 5 yrs and have to laugh. We have added 5 children in five years. Who could do that accept one injected with a reckless faith and complete power from God himself. I look into their eyes. All of them. Bio and adopted and am just amazed. I couldn't have dreamed this up in my best of dreams. Ok, now if you are thinking that things are easy and fun all of the time......well they aren't. We have kids from hard places. Kids who never knew real love until they came to us. They are learning, questioning, testing and healing. I have mentioned many times before that on most days we fall into bed at night in complete exhaustion. You cannot imagine how many socks this house wears in a week and the shoe buckets are over flowing. Oh and if that wasn't enough we added Sam's golden retriever to our family in December. Her name was Annie but I think we have all decided to rename her Chewy. She loves Barbies, Ugg boots, kids hair, clothes, fingers.....well just about everything but her really nice chew toys. I have heard screams from downstairs. There are at least 5 kids sitting on the very back of the couch while Annie, I mean Chewy, is trying to play. I think it is play but it looks more like attack to all of them. I have no idea what they will do when she realizes she can jump on the couch. hmmm.<br />
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We have ice skated, built gingerbread houses, sledded, watched movies, slept late and just relaxed. After the break is over we will jump right back into it all. High school basketball will be in full swing and Josh will begin college. Leah will be playing indoor soccer and on and on. <br />
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We are hanging on for the ride but if you wanted to send a prayer our way after you read this we would love it. <br />
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Meet Annie. </div>
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Josh's 20th Birthday.</div>
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We finally all have matching stockings. A very sweet patient of Scott's made them all. They are beautiful.</div>
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Sam showing his figure skating ability.</div>
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Gingerbread houses.</div>
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Golden Santa. Joel works at a thrift store and I visited a couple of times. I guess both times I commented on the golden santa....so guess what I got for Christmas. I love it.</div>
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Scott took the brave and adventurous ones sledding at Rocky Mountain National Park.</div>
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<br />Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411515748815430104.post-22516935800196103962012-11-06T21:42:00.002-08:002012-11-06T21:42:17.017-08:00Life if Full and Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, seriously.....have you ever seen anything cuter than this? We have been looking back over our last few years and were totally amazed at the cuteness of our children. I know, I know that is a little bragging but just look!<br />
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We have just celebrated 8 yrs with our sweet little Ellie. Her adoption really changed the whole course of our lives. She is smart, strong, full of energy, shy at times, loud at times but kind and gentle. She taught DonLi most everything he knows and then MeiLi as well. She has become the solid friend and sister that Katy so desperately needed. She is a true blessing to all of us.<br />
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Moving onto our now 13 year old son, Samuel. His birthday happens to be on Ellie's Gotcha Day. We think about that. When we were in China getting Ellie 8 years ago Sam was still with his biological family. Somewhere between 5 and 6 he was left on his own and went to live in an orphanage until we adopted him 5 yrs later. Well he isn't an orphan anymore but does suffer from the hard life he had along the way and that is why this crazy family got him a Golden Retriever puppy for his birthday. Now if you were just kind of wondering if we were crazy this will seal the deal. We will bring the puppy home on Dec. 5th. Just in time for her to chew the Christmas Tree down and unwrap every gift under the tree. Samuel is very excited. Our hopes are that he can have a wonderful new best friend to play with and train. To love and be loved by. To run, walk, and play countless hours of fetch with.....and of course to pick up millions of pounds of dog poop in the back yard.</div>
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Samuel is so kind and special. I asked Scott the other day how in the world can we love this boy who came into our lives at 11 yrs old. We didn't speak the same language, we were strangers, and we were from two totally different cultures. His answer to me was.....Easy. And you know what? It is easy to love him. Life isn't always easy with him, but the love is there and he knows it.</div>
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That brings me to another boy that we have become really fond of. He lives in the same place as Sam and Katy but he has the same cranial deformity as MeiLi and amazingly we think he looks like DonLi. No he isn't going to be our son but we want so badly to find him a family that can love him like we love Sam. He is 11 yrs old. We have met him and he is very sweet. If you are at all interested or might know someone who is please let me know. We are praying for his family to be found. They are out there I just know it.</div>
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A blog wouldn't be complete without a story about Katy. Oh, my is she learning and growing more precious every day. She has come a million miles in school so far. Her reading amazes me as well as her understanding. Just about the time I think she is really getting it she will say something like tonight. I told her to eat her food and she responded, "Can I just eat the fish?" "I don't want to eat the grass." Well, Katy it is called salad or lettuce and ok you don't have to eat it. </div>
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Wendihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02534316694963440674noreply@blogger.com0