Our "Enchanted" Evening . . .

Last night Emma and I had a Girl's Night Out, and went to see the new movie "Enchanted". It was so cute, Emma and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. It pokes fun at the traditional Disney fairytale and has some very funny moments. The overall theme (as I saw it) is finding the person that you fit with, and working as a team to overcome adversity. Emma and I both loved it when the heroine kicked off her glass slippers and jumped into the action to help her true love defeat the villain!
After the movie Emma and I had dinner at Olive Garden and some really great conversation. I really need to do things like this more. It was so much fun to just focus on one of my children individually and enjoy all of the things that make Emma who she is. Still no photos, but my computer is together again (thanks Joel!) so hopefully I can get to that later.

Eli has a doctor appointment today that includes a blood draw . . . yikes! I'm dreading it - and I have no conclusive way of communicating to him what they are going to do.

~ Jen

A Public Apology . . .

I know I promised to have pictures and an update from Eli's birthday, but our computer upstairs is dismantled. Joel was using the monitor while repairing his Dad's computer, so I am not able to upload pictures. I just wanted everyone to know that I have not slipped back into "bad blogger" status (yet).

So, in the absence of the pictures you really want to see, I posted one of our new van. It's not our actual van, but a picture of the same make and model I found online. Isn't it exciting?

Now, for the other piece of business I need to attend to this morning. Please feel free to ignore the following announcement, as it's meant for just one person. Normally, I would send this person an email and leave you all out of it - but this particular person usually demands some sort of public display of abasement in order for restitution to take place. So here it goes:

ERIC, I didn't forget your birthday, despite the fact that you might think I did. I would never forget your birthday - who could forget the day that you first graced the earth with your presence? Nobody! That's Who! I mean, we've been friends half our lives, do you think I'd forget your birthday??? Why didn't I call you on your birthday, you might ask? Well, I have a very good reason for that, as you will see:

Yesterday morning, I realized it was your birthday, but it was too early to call you so I started school with the kids.

Then, for just the space of a few hours, I forgot.

In the afternoon, I remembered again, and I exhorted myself not to forget again. I should have called you then, but my kids insist that they need to be fed three times every day. THREE! So I fed them lunch and got Joel and Eli headed out for their eye appointment.

Then, I forgot.

In the evening, I was making dinner for the family (for their THIRD meal of the DAY!) and as I was throwing away some scraps, I saw your name on my calendar. "OH NO", I exclaimed, "I must NOT forget again!"

But no sooner had the kids finished eating and we settled in to watch Dancing with the Stars - I forgot to call you again. Really, you would think the tights and sequined costumes would have reminded me . . . but that's not the point.

So as you can clearly see, I would never, ever forget your birthday. Except for just those few hours yesterday. Once, I saw a movie where this CIA agent kept "losing time" and I'm pretty sure that is what happened to me. Once, I read where eating alot of turkey can sometimes harm your short term memory, and I'm pretty sure that also happened to me.

Can You Forgive Me??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!

Love,

Jen

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We Had So Much
Fun At Our Cousin's House!

I love Thanksgiving, as a rule it stands out as my favorite holiday. I love being with family, the sounds of great conversation and the smell of great food intermingling. This Thanksgiving really stands out for me - I am always thankful for my life, but this year in particular has been one of great leaps of faith and amazing provision. I am so thankful that my family is complete, that God has blessed and entrusted me with these four little lives. Looking back on how God brought each of them into our family makes me truly stand in amazement of His awesome power and grace. I am also so thankful because on Wednesday, we were able to purchase a van! We have lived the past 3.5 years with one car, it's been a struggle at times but became a huge struggle when Eli came home and we could no longer fit everyone! It was so nice being able to make our 1.5 hour Thanksgiving drive to Joel's brother's home in our new vehicle. We felt as though the van was the last piece of the puzzle in Eli coming into our family, God has provided everything we needed!

We spent the day with Zane, Viki, their children Kyle, Ayla, and Dylan, and Joel's parents. As always, Viki (or Auntie Bickey, as my girls still call her) put on a delicious spread while making it look completely easy. After ten years, I still don't understand how she does this. I get so flustered when I'm putting out a big holiday meal, trying to get everything out on time and "just right". It takes about half a bottle of wine to make me remotely civil during this process. Viki cruises through it like it's no more challenging than mac & cheese, all the while chatting and joking and never losing so much as an ounce of her cool. Viki, I don't know if you'll ever read this, but if you do - you amaze me! My hat is off to you, girl!

The kids had a fantastic time with their cousins, and Eli's only complaint was that there was no duck blood soup for dinner. Sorry Eli! I'm only half kidding about the soup, he ate that several times in China - for breakfast! Eli didn't eat much, poor guy - he is still getting used to American cuisine!

We have one more exciting and thankful day in store for us this week. On Sunday, we will celebrate Eli's first birthday with us. His birthday is actually on Saturday, but Joel and I have decided to be horrible parents this year. Due to circumstances outside of our control, the only day we had to shop for birthday gifts would have been today - Black Friday. Everyone knows I can't leave the house on Black Friday - it is an ugly world out there and I enjoy retaining what is left of my sanity when I can! Last night we talked it over and discovered that we shared the same view on that subject, and decided to wait until Sunday. So I promise to post pictures from that event asap!

Finally, if you are reading this blog, chances are I'm thankful for you, too. I can't imagine my life without my friends and beloved family to share it with. We are so very blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives!

Love to All,

Jen

For the Grandparents . . .

I had to post this story for the grandparents, because I think it's just too funny! Right before my Dad passed away, he ordered two shirts for Joshua and Joel from a novelty catalog. The one for Joshua said "Chip off the Old Block" and Joel's said "The Old Block". Little did he know at the time how very right on those shirts were.

Yesterday, before driving an hour plus to the bird store, I called to see how much they charged for budgies. The answer was WAY too much. I told the kids that we weren't going to go and we'd have to find somewhere else to purchase our pet. They were disappointed, so we had a family discussion. I suggested that if each child was willing to chip in $10 from the Christmas money they usually receive from MomMom and PopPop, we could get one of these babies. I talked to them about how much they usually receive and how much they would have left over if they decided to contribute. The girls were on board immediately - they thought a budgie would be a great Christmas present. As Emma so aptly put it "a toy from a store can't give you love like a pet can". Guess who she takes after?

Josh had some calculations to make.

First question (Josh):

"How long does a budgie live?"

Answer (Me):

"Anywhere between four and ten years"

Response (Josh):

"I don't think I'm going to contribute my Christmas $$"

Response (girls and I):

"Gasp!"

Explanation (Josh):

"If I buy a toy, it lasts for as long as I want to play with it. I just don't think it's a good thing to spend money on something that might only last four years".

How "JOEL" is that???

In the meantime, Eli had gotten approximately this much out of the conversation - "bird", "four years", "toy", "no money", and "Gasp". He raised his eyebrows at all of us and walked away, who could blame him?

After further discussion, Joshua requested that we call MomMom (the giver of funds) and get her take on the situation. We did, and discovered that once again MomMom and PopPop were planning on spoiling the socks off the kids this Christmas.

Josh did some quick calculations and decided that a donation to the Budgie fund would not set him back as much as he had initially anticipated, so he's in. We who are emotionally based (ie the girls and I) were happy and relieved but are still feeling somewhat disillusioned.

Love,

Jen

Growing Again . . .

How could anyone resist this face? Well, the kids and I can't, that's for sure! I'm pleased to announce we have a new little member of the family, or we will, in another 3 - 5 weeks.

I have always loved birds, it's an interest that my Dad and I shared. We had an awesome little budgie named Woodstock when I was growing up, and I've always wanted our kids to experience these wonderful little pets. The kids' response? "Birds . . . Ho Hum". This all changed over the summer when our zoo opened an exhibit called "Budgie Buddies". The kids were able to feed and interact with a whole flock of budgies and quickly realized how friendly, intelligent, and just fun birds can be.

Alas, the presence of our two cats, who would have been more than happy to give a little bird a home . . . in their tummy, made it impossible for us to have one as a pet. I was forced to cling to Joel's promise that when we no longer had cats, I could have my bird. Little did Joel know our cats would be leaving us at least a decade sooner than expected. Sadly, while we were in China we discovered that Hannah is allergic. We were fortunate enough to find homes for the kitties, and the kids lost no time in clamoring for Joel to fulfill his promise. Poor Joel, doomed to life in a home packed with animal enthusiasts. Don't feel too sorry for him, he knew what he was getting into when he married me.

I was lucky enough to find a bird dealer in Denver who hand raises baby budgies, and yesterday the fourlittlehawks plus Mama made the drive to check it out. It was a really fun experience, the kids were able to see baby parrots of all types, and even got to handle a baby Cockatoo! We were able to hold our teeny baby budgie (we chose the green one, like the adult pictured above), and everyone was smitten - especially Emma and Eli! I wasn't sure what he would think of the whole experience, but Eli has such a sweet way with animals and really does seem to enjoy them. He kept pointing to the bird nestled in my hands and signing "Little Baby!!" with wide eyes and this huge grin on his face. Joshua was a bit more reserved, he proclaimed that once the bird has all it's feathers, it would be very cute - but right now it was "really disgusting". Our little guy or girl will be weaned in the next 3 - 5 weeks, and we'll be able to bring him or her home.

I'll be sure to post pics of the big event, and I'm sorry to all of you who are not animal lovers and therefore have been very bored by this post, lol!

Love,

Jen

Ps. It is hard to tell who is most excited - the kids or their Mama! Even Joel has warmed to the idea, although I think he's just having fun seeing how much joy it's bringing his family.

Fourth and Final Race Day

Joshua, Emma, and Hannah ran their final race in the Fall Series of Running today. Since they participated in all four races, each of them earned a trophy - they were so excited! I am so proud of all three kids for their accomplishment. Emma in particular pushed herself harder than she ever has before. Each race was over one mile, so pretty challenging for a six year old. Many times I saw her lagging significantly behind and I'd think "She's not going to be able to finish", only to see her get this look of raw determination on her face and speed up with a fresh burst of energy. It made me so proud to see her press on even when the going was tough. Hannah ran shorter distances, but gave all of her heart and it was a blast to watch her! Joshua was as steady as always - running at a disciplined pace and sticking with a strategy - so much like his Daddy. Here are some pictures from the day. You might notice that Eli is looking rather surly - this is because he was rather surly. In fact, he was downright mad! The race today happened to take place right next door to one of his favorite playgrounds. When we arrived, he was all excited (even though we'd told him beforehand that we were going to watch the other kids race - not to play) and immediately turned in the direction of the playground. When I told him we were going the other way, he was not amused. He spent the rest of the afternoon glaring at me, attempting to refuse to hold my hand (that did not go well for him), and refusing to respond when spoken to - this also didn't work out too well for him. When the race was over and we headed to a "Hawkins Family Pizza Party" at a local restaurant, he perked up considerably. For once, his temporary lack of language worked out for him - had I been able to explain the consequences of his aforementioned behaviors, he would have been headed home with me for peanut butter and jelly while his siblings enjoyed a pizza party! All in all, it was a great day!

Love,
Jen

New Experiences

Here are some fun pictures of Eli's first few weeks home. He had fun with his first Halloween, but the first zoo visit topped it for sure. Eli is always excited to go somewhere new, so he was all smiles as we walked through the zoo entrance. When we came around the corner and he saw the giraffes, he literally stopped in his tracks and gasped! He loved feeding them and seeing the new babies! It is wonderful watching Eli experience things that we've taken for granted, it helps all of us appreciate life even more. The picture of the kids on the lion statue is significant for our family. We have a photo of Josh and Emma on that statue when they were 3 & 2 years old, and when Hannah came home at 2.5 years old, we had the three kids pose on it. If we weren't sure we were "done" before, we realize it now. We can't fit another kid on the lion!!

I'm Joining the Crowd!

Most of the blogs I follow are on this site, so I decided to join the crowd and start my own!

For those who don't know, I am a SAHM to my four awesome children, two of whom joined our family through the miracle of adoption. Our children are 8 (9 in two weeks!), 8, 6, and 4 years old.

Our adoption experiences have truly transformed our lives. Not just through the addition of two incredible people to our family - but it has transformed our priorities, our awareness of the harsh realities of life outside our comfort zone, and it has given us a sense of purpose in this world that we did not even realize we'd been lacking. We are so blessed that our Heavenly Father has set our hands to work in the fields of the fatherless. There is simply nothing like being witness to these precious little lives being forever changed by two things they had not previously known - LOVE and HOPE. Since November is Adoption Awareness Month, I feel safe indulging myself in expressing my passion for the orphan. Besides, this is a blog, so if your eyes glaze over with boredom I won't notice! I saw this recently on the blog of another adoptive family that my husband and I met in China, and I hope she will not mind if I quote her here:

"Fellow Christians -- How are we doing? It is wonderful to feed the hungry and house the homeless. That is important and necessary in every society. But God, in His Holy Word, specifically tells His people to care for orphans and widows. That is what He is calling "pure religion." There are over 100 million orphans (some estimates say 140 million +). What are we doing? We can't just say that giving food to the local food shelf satisfies this command of God. He absolutely tells us to do these things, too, but there is a big difference between what is said in James 1:27 and these other acts of kindness. The difference is that, in most societies, orphans and widows are the most hopeless and helpless people in the society. What can children do for themselves? They can't work (at least in ways that are moral). They can't provide for their needs. God tells His church to meet those needs but, by and large, we are not. We are truly thankful for our church and their heart to be open to orphan ministry! But more churches need to do this. We need to understand that when we say that the other efforts on behalf of the needy are equivalent, orphans go hungry and orphans are left without hope. We must do both. We need to stock the food shelves. AND we need to care for the needs of orphans and widows. If the church was actually doing its job, there would not be so many orphans going hungry on the streets of Manila. There would not be so many children in orphanages in Russia, China, South America and Africa. There really are so many ways we can reach these precious children for Christ. Missionaries do wonderful work. But there are not enough of them to reach this massive number. Foster parents can make a huge impact on every child that comes into their home. Again, there are not enough people stepping up to take on this responsibility."

I think that she expresses herself so beautifully in that post. The church can no longer sit comfortably and hide her eyes behind mediocre service on behalf of our adoptive Father. My earnest prayer is that more hearts will be stirred on behalf of these children who so desperately need someone to give them hope.

Don't worry, my blog will seldom contain "soapbox" moments like these. I hope that friends and family will enjoy keeping up with us here!

~ Jen ~