"Best Christmas... EVER!"

These were the words of my children on Christmas Day... Sammy didn't even want to go to bed because that would mean our "perfect day" was over.

I have always loved Christmas.  It's a time we focus on Jesus and the many blessings He's given us- family and love... food and gifts... laughter and fun :)  I especially love our little family tradition of having a Christmas tea party... it may seem odd to some, but seriously one of the best ideas we ever had (although I'm pretty sure the credit goes to my 2 biggest girls :))!!  We spend the day baking cookies, making favorite foods, and smelling wassail warming on the stovetop... I love the house smelling so sweet and everything feeling right in our home.

It's kind of amazing, really... I thought we were going to miss our tea this year.  I thought we would be in China celebrating Christmas with our baby girl... and yet, here we are.  And as hard as it is for me to believe it... everything was right.

Our agency had given us what I believed to be our Christmas Miracle... a special, out-of-cycle trip for just 2 families.  We both were waiting on travel invitations, we were both adopting from the same province, we had both previously adopted from China... and we both really wanted to bring home our babies in 2012.  We just needed those TI's.  In prayerful hope that we would receive it in time, we planned, prepared, and packed for our Poppy :)

Friday (12.21) was the last possible day we could receive the TI and still get to go.  So, on Thursday morning, bright and early, our 5 children quietly came into our room and woke us up for our special "mini-Christmas"... we didn't want to miss it!

Their stockings had fruit bars and they each had one small gift under the tree from us, plus gifts from each other... oh, and gifts to us from the kiddos too!!  Mini, indeed :)  but I'm really glad we had that day together.  We all needed a break from the craziness.

Then, on Friday evening, I received the most dreaded phone call.  Our TI did NOT come.  We would NOT be traveling with the other family.  We would NOT get our Poppy until later in January... and just 2 days prior, I had learned that this outcome had the potential of placing our baby girl in harm's way until we were able to get there.  I lost it... I haven't cried like that in a really. long. time.  I had been praying fervently that she would never -not for a moment- be in danger.  I just couldn't understand why God hadn't chosen to let us get her as soon as possible.  Nothing made sense to me, but Andy reminded me that God is good... He has a purpose and a plan.  Our families also encouraged me and prayed with us as we celebrated Christmas over the next several days.

And on Christmas morning, it all made perfect, beautiful sense!!  I received an email from Poppy's current caretaker explaining how miraculously God had taken away all fear of this danger for our girl.  She is -and would be- safe.  She is loved.  And let me tell you... I lost it again!  But this time out of thankfulness and humility.  Oh, how incredibly blessed we are!  All the money in the world (yes, even a hefty tax credit) couldn't buy the peaceful feeling we had this Christmas morning.  It truly was the best gift we could have received!  And the next morning?  New pictures!!  Apparently, our little girl and her daddy have a love in common...

Is that chocolate on your face, sweet Poppy?!??

Once the consulate confirms our visa appointment, we will have our flights booked (or should I say, changed) for the middle of January.  We are still packed.  Looks like we just need to throw in a little more chocolate for our trip and we'll be ready to go :)   We love you baby girl!!!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Ok, I just found this post as a draft and I wanted to share it ... even though some of the sayings are no longer already :(  Ahhh ... such good memories :)


Favorite Things:

* Kisses and hugs from my babies (who are not so small anymore!)
* Listening to my kiddos giggle together


Favorite Words and Sayings:

Wil - thinger (for finger)
      - contar (for guitar)

Charlie - he has a hard time with his "r" when it is in a blend.
      - one of my favorite examples of this is "It's so bleezin' cold" (freezing) & "It's my favlite" (favorite)
      - he also introduces his brother (to us) "This is Wil. He's my blutha - He's my flend."
      - "Is this the way?" about so many things (like are his underpants going on backwards?)
      - every neighbor is a "garber" (ode to Mr. Garber)
      - "Stop it Wil" ... "Quit messing 'round"  - These may not seem funny to some, but it's life here and we laugh when we can! The first is one of the first things we hear in the morning to know that both boys are awake, and when the first and last complaints are joined it would be heard at night while Charlie is trying to get some rest :)
      - everything happened "asterday" (yesterday)
      - "You bloke my spell"
      - "You cheated me" - we have no idea what he means or why he started it, but it's become a frequent saying around the house.
      - "It's fo mine" & "It's fo yo's"

There are so many more, but these stick out in my mind ... and make me laugh :)

Not my plans.

It's been half a year already since my last post. We've been busy and full of LIFE here at the Witzigs.

Right now I'm able to blog because I recently had another surgery and finally have the time!  Yes, another surgery. One more organ gone... the spleen. It started last Christmas with getting sick easily, often, and having great difficulty getting over it (illnesses would last weeks instead of days). And it has ended (I pray) with this splenectomy. The spleen is part of your immune system and is like a large lymph node. Mine was growing cysts (like my dad) and it was necessary to remove it. We're hoping with the spleen giving its energy to the growth of cysts instead of doing its proper job helping my immunity that perhaps it was dragging my whole system down more than it could handle... so, maybe this winter will be better? I pray so.

In the meantime, the kiddos are enjoying being "farmed out" while I'm recovering. They have gotten to play with cousins and friends daily and are (sniff) LOVING it!! But in the evenings they come home and shower me with (gentle) hugs & kisses... and there is my silver lining :)

However, because of this lapse in my health and an unknown future, we had to seriously reconsider our current adoption plan. After MUCH prayer and counsel, we decided to temporarily remove our names from the special needs list the beginning of June. A referral appeared to be nearing (according to guesstimates) and I needed more steady health and strength before such a huge transition... and now that I find myself recovering from a splenectomy, I could not rejoice more in that difficult decision. But this was not my plan.

This appears to be yet another lesson in how it's not about MY plans. It's about GOD's plans. We just need to submit to Him. Something that's not easy for me to do. And I sometimes wonder if God takes me to the point of surgery just for this purpose. But I've been through this before ... I even thought I learned this lesson last time! And yet, here I am again ... sitting in square one. But even with someone as pitiful as I am, God is gracious and good... SO GOOD.

So until God's time for us to meet out little girl ... we will wait. Not in bitterness. Not in anger. But ~through His grace~ with patience. With serenity of heart. I never could have imagined how peaceful I could feel right now. I let go of what I wanted so desperately and He showered me with quietness in my soul. I can't begin to explain the amazingness of that transformation. But we're talking about God ~ not me. And He's in the business of the inexplicable.

"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the lights."  Colossians 1:9-12

What's new??

Changes in the Life of the Witzigs:
1. We got a piano donated to our cause :)

(Thank you to Andy's parents are letting us borrow it!)

2. Sammy got braces and turned 9 in the same week!

3. Wil broke through both bones in his right arm Nov. 30th

(He fell off a Rubbermaid box ... who knew they were so dangerous?!)

4. Both boys got new beds ... car beds!! Charlie still has not gotten over the excitement. Seriously, he wakes up nearly every morning and nap and says, with secrecy and excitement, "I sleep in a car. It's so awesome!" -or- "I sleep in my very own car last night" :)

5. Wil had closed surgery Dec. 4th to set his bones and just got his purple cast taken off Jan. 19th.

And there is a little snapshot of some fun we've had in the Witzig household the past few months :)

10

June 13, 1999. What a beautiful day it was... the sun was shining... and so were we! I can hardly believe we've been married for 10 years!! Wow. So much has happened since then that it's almost a blur.

We have lived in 3 apartments and 2 houses. We have had 4 children and are praying for more! We have been on tops of mountains and in the depths of valleys (literally, and figuratively). We have been through some things that we wondered if we'd ever make it out un-scarred... but God! God was always there and through it all He showed us His sovereign hand. God brought us together in a way man could never understand. God changed us and molded us more into His image ... more unified ... more in love than ever before.

But let's not forget some of the crazy times in the beginning (for better or for worse)...

like Andy having lost his license during our engagement, leaving me to drive on our honeymoon and first 2 months of marriage...

like getting up before the sun did on the day after our wedding to go to court (trying to win back the afore-mentioned lost license)... and getting lost on a dirt road along the way...

like having a scorpion in our chalet or taking Andy to the doc-in-a-box on our honeymoon...

like Andy yelling "That's my wife!" and the little boy behind us yelling "That's his wife! That's his wife!" after I shot a hole-in-one playing mini golf in Gatlinburg...

like me driving nearly an hour to get to work every morning - even though we lived right across the street from the preschool (and yes, it was due to Andy's lack of license and my driving him to work in Huntsville first)...

like Andy totalling his truck after his license was reinstated (hmmm)...

like going through an unfounded work lawsuit that lasted over a year...

like moving into a different apartment every year until we finally found our sweet little house at 101 Silver Poplar in August 2002...

like having 3 children in 4 years! and 4 children in 6 years!!

Nor shall we ever forget the struggles which brought us closer to God and each other (in sickness and in health)...

like 3 pregnancies with months of bed-rest (each with their own unique struggle)...

more doctors visits, lab-work, hospital tests and surgeries than we could've imagined...

being cared for by our dedicated parents and wonderful church family at New Life...

flying out to Bend, Oregon - not for a getaway, but for yet another surgery...

and praying it was the last.

And now we look expectantly to the future (as long as you both shall live)...

I love you, baby! Happy 10th Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!

Celebrating in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic together :)

Did you know?

One of the many blessings of homeschooling ~ and having daddy work out of our home ~ is our lunch time discussions. Today, Andy started "quizzing" the children on where we live, our country, our planet, etc... which led to a quick intro to astronomy... which took a turn for the worse when Wil piped in very confidently to say ~

"Did you know that everyone knows that the moon is made of cheese?"

(Thank you, Wallace and Gromit!)

Blogging in my head...

... but not on the computer. I think about writing all these neat and fun things about our family for us to look back on and remember someday ... but by the time I finally sit down to it, I've forgotten most of the things I wanted to remember. It's a problem.

But we have to move on. So, a few little things that get me smiling lately are:

1. Charlie saying "one" at the end of nearly everything (i.e. - Where's my guitar-one? I like a banana-one! I want a car-one! and on and on-one)
2. Wil saying, well, just about anything! He just has a way of cracking us up :)
3. Zoe wearing her favorite pink pants ... which finally had to go to pants heaven because they were so raggedy and holey and waaaay too small; only to be replaced by the brown pants (another cotton yoga-type pant) which are also way too small already and not wearable outside of the house.
4. Sammy saying "I want to be a mommy artist when I grow up so I can teach my children to draw and be artists too!"

For Easter, I made the girls some little pink dresses and they have been wearing them to death. It's really fun though and I'm thankful they like them so much :) Girls are such fun!
During our Easter party with the Witzigs that night, our 4 took a turn to sing some songs and say a few verses together. They're cute when they're all together like that :)
Next is a picture of Charlie's latest accomplishment. I know it's a bit late to be finally potty training the littlest Witzig, but hey- it's been a busy year (or years, I should say!). Gone are the days of magazine and book reading when you've got some time to kill.

The first time he went on the little potty, he jumped up and said, "Look! I make water!" Now, he frequently asks to "show baby make water" (a very instructional time for the little doll, I assure you).
And here he is trying out the big potty, but not so sure he can handle it alone :)

Wil is now our upcoming reader and pushing Zoe to continue her learning! They're both doing great and love showing their new skill to anyone with an ear and a little time to give :)

One VERY exciting thing for the Witzig household is that Daddy got his guitar out after almost 1 year after we moved here. There was just a touch of excitement that first night :)

Notice that Charlie is sitting on the couch by Andy. This was not a quick-run-and-get-the-camera moment. This little guy stayed there for the entire time Andy played (pushing an hour). It was SO cute. He just sat there strumming along on his little guitar and thinking he was just as good as daddy. So here he is playing a duet of the "barnyard song" with daddy...

And here is what the other children were doing during this song...

Such fun! Well, we also got to see some barnyard animals up close and personal during MHS's annual farm event. We went with the Rassi crew and had a great time. There is one thing that stands out in my mind though and it is from this picture that I am reminded of it...

Ok, Sammy held a little chick while I was watching Charlie pet a baby calf. As we came back together, she told me something a little shocking. After we got home with Andy, I asked her more. Here was the story that unfolded...
Sammy, "Uh, mom - I think I killed a baby chick."
Me, "Don't worry, honey, I'm sure it's ok."
Sammy, "No, really. All of a sudden it's head went limp and fell over like this" (doing the motions) "I think it's dead."
Me, "Are you sure it wasn't sleeping? What did the lady say?"
Sammy, "Oh, she said that happens sometimes."
Me, "Really? Well, it'll probably be ok after it rests."
Sammy, "I don't think so. I think it's dead."
Me, "Where did the lady put the chick when you gave it back? Was it in the incubator?"
Sammy, "Uh, I think she laid it on a box behind her. I'm telling you - I think it's dead."
Ok, at this point, both Andy and I are trying to control ourselves. We're both cracking up, but she's just killed a baby bird. How are we supposed to deal with that?!??
And lastly, the Piggy Bank auditor hard at work :)

There you have it ~ 6 weeks in 11 pictures. I would say that I plan to do better, but it's best not to lie. Not that I won't try, but life just happens. And with 4 children and adoption paperwork/training, it seems to happen a lot faster. It's been busy. I've been doing my best though to forgo urges like cleaning (and blogging) to take in these moments that I'll never have back again. I know life won't be perfect - I know I'm not perfect, but I don't want to regret how I use this time. It's hard though. Very hard. But I'm learning and I'm trying (though I must say this post rather shot that as I continuously had to "push" away 2 little boys trying to get their mommy's attention - ugh). How's a mommy supposed to do it all? I ask this of myself frequently, but I can't say I've gotten a good answer yet. It seems that if one thing is stellar, another is lacking. But that's just life, isn't it? I mean, if I had it all in perfect order why would I need to cry out to God? Exactly. It never will be in order... I need Him too much for Him to allow it... and I will do my best to be faithful and thankful for what He gives. Thank you, Lord.

A Tribute

As I wrote in my last post, Andy is 30 years old! I am so grateful that we have been best friends for nearly 1/2 of that time, and married for almost exactly 1/3 of it ~ what a blessing!

During these past several years, I have watched a rambunctious boy become an unwavering man. I watched my best friend become the best father to our 4 small children ... and the best husband I could imagine. I had no idea what I was getting when I stepped into the beginnings of a friendship with Andy ... I couldn't have dreamt it. It's been quite a ride and rarely on the path I had planned on taking ... but I am thankful for it. So thankful!

I pray that God continues to grow Andy over the next 30 years as He has the first 30!

... and I can't wait for the ride :) I love you, sweetheart!

Life Happenings

Wow. A lot has occurred in the past month (which is why I haven't been posting, I suppose). Let's see if I can quickly summarize: I made play skirts for the girls, I started making shades for the kids bedrooms, I purchased material to make a skirt for myself, Andy had a birthday week, we purchased and Andy set up our new Bowflex exercise equipment, we started our home study to adopt, Andy & I finally obtained IL drivers' licences, I purchased and hung shades in 3 bathrooms, our master bathroom is being renovated (removal of wallpaper glue, patching of plaster, removal of old cabinets on top of the counter, filling in of holes, purchase of a new mirror, and soon-to-be painting of walls!) and I'm sure there was sickness in someone at sometime... plus we're still filling out paperwork for adoption and homeschooling 3 kiddos. It's all been good, just busy.

Just in case you didn't catch it in the middle of that blurb ...

My sweet hubby of nearly 10 years celebrated his 30th

Birthday on March 2nd!

Happy Birthday, Angel!!

Then, just one day after his birthday, we had the delivery of our new Bowflex Extreme 2SE. This is the ultimate workout equipment and I am so excited about it! We were introduced to it by Trent (who should be hired by Bowflex as a sales rep) and he was so right - it's amazing. And most importantly, it works your muscles via resistance without the pain associated with free weights. This is very important for me and my pitiful joints. It's been awesome! We are so thankful for it!! (It's time for some muscle!)

"The Best Valentine's Day Ever"

I remember when this picture was taken feeling completely in love and on top of the world! And yet I love him even more today. How great is our God? Praise Him!

We praise God for the life He has given us and the family He has given us to share it with. I thank Him for my loving and patient husband, and for my 4 little munchkins who declared that yesterday was "The Best Valentine's Day EVER!" !!

The kids have really been excited about it this year and I didn't want to disappoint, but since we've never had any major Valentine's day traditions (except making cards), I wasn't sure what to do (still being sick and all).

Well, on Friday, Andy brought home a beautiful bouquet of tulips for me (my favorite!) and some sweet baby roses for the girls (they always get flowers too)... and they love them. Then, as soon as we woke Saturday morn, the girls already had their valentines laid out on the table for us all. We pulled out the "special" bagels for breakfast and the day started out great... or was it? Let's see, Andy was in bed sick as a dog and I was only out because someone had to monitor the troops. I really was not in such a happy Valentine's day mood, and yet the 3 older kids kept telling me "this is such a fun day!" (and it's only 9am). After breakfast, they got to watch a movie (twice, a believe) and then some time was spent with daddy rolling them up into cocoons (or raccoons, according to Zoe)...

...and getting small objects dropped on their heads and tummies. During this, mommy made an oh-so-special lunch of scrambled eggs (ooh-la-la). But that's when I pulled out the showstopper:

Yes, that's right, Valentine's Day plates & napkins ... the girls were squealing with delight and the boys were very excited too.

Ahh, the simple things... and all the joy they experienced for $1.98! And there were just enough to have them again for supper, which meant an entire afternoon in anticipation of another special meal!!

So, that night we had a party ~ complete with cake (well Charlie called it cake, but they were actually Ghirardelli brownies) and gifts (meaning some new pencils and twistable crayons). And the biggest hit of all was being in the basement with a fire going :)

And thus was born the best Valentine's Day ever ~ I love our family!!!

Operation Extreme Exercise

Yes, I mean extreme. As most everyone knows by now, I have done little to no exercise for the past several years (3 pregnancies full of bed rest and several invasive surgeries made it rather difficult)... except for one ½-year stint attending "Body Pump" classes at 5:30am with Roxi at Riviera Fitness (until I got pregnant -and sick- with Charlie). Wow, those were some early mornings for this girl!

Anyway, the resulting very non-muscular body is now experiencing the bad fruit of not exercising since my last surgery 1 ½ years ago. Apparently, not only have my limbs been weakened, but the very core of my body is - resulting in weak veins and vessels (not good). Therefore, I have been instructed by a blood specialist to pack on 10 pounds of (mainly) muscle... by next August. You've got to be kidding. It's taken me a week to soak this in - and I'm still not there. I mean, Andy & I have talked about me needing to exercise for my health, but to have a doctor look at me in the eye and inform me that I need to pack on the red blood cells like this was a bit much. What does he expect me to do??

Like I said, I'm a bit overwhelmed. However, I know he's right and I'm going to do my best! The only problem now is finding some exercises that aren't too strenuous for my body, but actually help. This is so much easier said than done! But maybe by the end of it all, this withered up woman will show life again and even gain some tone - who knows?!?

Ephesians 4:32

The other night, we were all saying our memory verses after dinner (which is customary) when I noticed Charlie saying a lot more of Eph 4:32 than usual... so, we asked him to solo... it was so cute we had him do it about 20 times when my brain finally caught up with my eyes and I ran for the camera. Here is what we saw:

Charlie - take 21 (roughly)

"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32

Well, he kept quoting and we kept videoing... when things suddenly took a turn for the worse. We asked him if he wanted to say his memory verse again, and right before I started the video he whispered "no" ... and this is what happened next:
Charlie - take 24

Who knew memory verses could be so much fun?!!

It's Spreading

Sammy stopped her eye drops for pink eye a few days ago and the whole house seemed well ... until ... Wil woke up yesterday with some gunk in his left eye which made us a little concerned. We weren't sure, but started him on the drops anyway (just that eye though - we didn't want to go overboard). As it turns out, it truly was the pink contagion and we apparently should've gone overboard 'cause now his right eye is turning various shades of red too. Yuck.

Aside from that, we're doing well. We went on a walk today and it felt so good!! The weather wasn't just beautiful, it was amazing! We had to keep reminding the kids that this isn't going to stick. This is Illinois. It's not going to warm up for months! But we're enjoying it while it's here :)

Since we were heading off to tread in melted snow/mud puddles, we suited up appropriately!

From Charlie, to Mommy ... everybody in their Crocs for a wonderful walk (though Zoe ended up quickly changing into her fur-lined boots as we were walking out the door) ... and yes, I wore mine too :) Such fun!

Sickness Abounds

Ok, I realize I'm a little slow on the draw over here, but it's been busy. First of all, let me say - we're done with the formal application! You have no idea what a huge load off our minds that is!! We do still have some blood work and doc visits to finish before we've completed the application process, but we've got to wait on some of that until all the kiddos are feeling better.

And what's wrong with the children, you ask? Interesting question. Well, last Wednesday I took both girls to the doc for their adoption physical and all seemed to go well. But then the next morning Sammy breaks out with pink eye, and a raging ear infection the morning after that. Did I mention Sammy has never in her life required a sick visit to the dr... ever?!! Well, back we head to the dr's office that Friday for her first sick visit and a double-dose of prescriptions. She is doing well with the med's (she knows when it's time for the next batch and heads for the kitchen - she's great!) and is definitely on the mend. She's just got some sniffles now.

So then on Monday I go to check on Zoe while she's laying down (she'd been down for ~15 min) and her face is covered in red spots/bumps. As I'm looking at her and talking with her, the bumps start molding together into one and I decide to check the rest of her body ... she had them from head to toe. I rush her downstairs to our in-house MD (aka. daddy) and we decide this must be an allergic reaction to something .... but what?!?? We've had hives in the family before because both of our boys have some peanut & bug-bite allergies, but we've never seen anything like this before! We quickly gave her some Benadryl and let her lay down to rest. During her nap, I did a little research into hives and find out that they can last 2-3 days and can be a sudden reaction to something (like a virus) they were exposed to up to a week prior!! Hmmm. Very interesting. Well, we're on day 3 with bumps ... though today was markedly less than before. Maybe the end of Benadryl is in sight! Certainly the end of "well visits" is :)

Scratch that. I've still got to take the boys in for their physicals. Can you even guess how really not excited I am about that?!? Let's just say my fear of taking a well child to the doctor hasn't exactly improved lately. Please pray for us!!