Vacation Bible School

Here's Miss Jodi during our vacation Bible school celebration this morning. At first she was shy about getting up there. Once Baba went up, she joined him and actually did a little dancing. It was very cute! You can see that her shirt says "Fear Not" which was the main theme of their week. I don't know how much she understood but I loved that Jodi heard that all week. Our prayer is that Jodi will one day know beyond any doubt that God loves her and there is nothing to fear with Him by her side. It is truly an honor to be her parents. She definitely has her moments but overall has a precious spirit.

Lately Jodi has wanted me or Baba to lay down with her for "5 minutes" when it's "sleepytime." At first I resisted but one night I went with it and was I glad I did!! Talk about a special time. She snuggles up and gives kisses and repeatedly says, "I love you." I closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened them, she was just staring at my face. I would love to know what's going through her head!! In the orphanage, the children had their own beds lined up next to each other. I've read that some children would hold hands with their neighbor. I got teary just picturing Jodi lying in her bed with noone to call her own and noone to give her hugs or dry her tears. It breaks my heart for her but I thank and praise God that we get to be there for her now.

Jodi has her followup appointment with her neurosurgeon this week and we anticipate a good report. She appears to be doing very well and we are so grateful that God led us to the right surgeon. Wishing you a blessed week and love to you and your family.

Losing Her First Tooth

Here's our cutiepie showing off her "bling"! We definitely have a girly girl on our hands!! She got some beautiful clothes from her cousins Ann, Kat, and Emily and she is loving it. Her new favorite is this gorgeous pink dress (of course). Baba was gone on a youth retreat for a week so she was excited to put on her pretty new dress to greet him. When he got off the van, she went flying over to him with her dress flowing. It was so so sweet. She then showed him and everyone else who would look that she had a very loose tooth! When we got home, Jodi and Baba went to work and pulled it right out. I assured her that a new tooth would take it's place!

Nye Nye Johnson was a huge help, taking care of Jodi while Baba was out of town and Mama worked. Jodi decided that Mama and Baba could go to work and she would just stay home with Nye Nye instead. If only!! One day Nye Nye observed Jodi playing the piano and saw her looking the part of a concert pianist even playing with her eyes closed and giving a big finale at the end. I have no idea where she got that from or when she may have observed someone performing like that. Certainly not from me!

Jodi also got to swim with her friend Keri and watched as Keri went down the water slide. After playing for a while, she decided she wanted to try that slide! She did it a couple of times with Mama waiting at the bottom. She has alot more courage than I ever had!! Jodi continues to bless us every day and we love her more than we can say. Love to all of you!!

Happy 4th of July

Here we are at our first Fourth of July celebration at the mountainhouse. Jodi loved the lake, being out in the canoe and feeding the geese. We couldn't have asked for better weather! It was not too hot and just beautiful. She especially loved the fireworks that we set off and was dancing and prancing all over that dock! She also loved her new princess tiara, ring, and earrings that her friends Taylor and Ryan gave her. I think she was feeling quite the princess since she didn't mind posing for pictures! In case you're wondering, Jodi is actually licking chocolate off of Baba's face because Nye Nye made chocolate fondu and some of it ended up on his cheek. She was so happy and silly all weekend and brought so much joy to us! It's so much fun to see things through her eyes and feel her excitement over new discoveries.

One night when we were going to sleep for the night, Baba told her how proud we are of her. We could hear her sweet little voice in the dark say, "Mama and Baba are proud of Jodi Lang." It was such a special moment, one that we will always treasure. She continues to heal very well and we thank God for that! Love to you all.

Baba and Jodi Washing the Car

Hi all! Sorry for the long delay in writing. I am not doing nearly as well in getting new pictures or writing but will try to improve!! Jodi is doing so well and is definitely getting stronger. We thank God for that!

We had a wonderful first Baba's Day! We got to spoil Baba with some good food and lots of fun. Jodi helped me make him some cards and cookies. She likes to help Baba wash the car and we've been playing "water park" which actually amounts to a sprinkler and a ball. Lots of fun though! We also got to Skype with her sweet little friend Keith from Mobile. We were surprised that Jodi was so quiet while her friend was chattering away. Keith is already speaking in complete sentences! These kids are unbelievable. They did not speak one word of Chinese to each other which was really interesting. We weren't sure how that would go. Jodi almost looked a little sad while visiting with Keith. At one point he said, "I love you." Finally Jodi pipes up and yells at the screen, "I love you!!!!" It was the cutest thing ever. We still have faith that our arranged marriage could work. :)

This morning during our service we were encouraged to pray for those who needed healing or to go to the front if you needed prayer. I had gone up to pray with a friend of mine. After a few minutes, I see Jodi coming up to the altar. It was precious! I helped her up onto the altar and then our wonderful friend Rene prayed for Jodi's healing. It was very moving and I started to cry. When we got down to the pew, Jodi was drying my eyes and making sure I was OK. What an amazing spirit she has. Fred and I keep saying we have alot to learn from her. Before you start thinking our child has a halo, you should also know that when I got into bed the other night my sheets were wet where our little one had spilled water and didn't want us to know! There is plenty of mischief and stubbornness in this little package. Much love to you and your family!!

Our Cutiepie

Hi all! It's been another great week. Jodi got to participate in Fred's childrens' ministry called Kids Ahoy. They go to a different place each week like the water park or a museum. Here they are in their matching shirts which I thought was incredible. It's such a blessing to see Fred get to share his ministry with Jodi. She was gone the whole day with a large group from the church and did really well.

I have a funny story from last night. Jodi had gone to bed so I decided to do one of those clay masks on my face that's supposed to be good for your skin. I went to check on the laundry with green mask in place, walk out of the bedroom, and guess who was up going to the bathroom! She took one look at me and let out this huge gasp!! I couldn't stop laughing as I'm trying to tell her that everything's OK but she was not having it. She did not smile one bit! I couldn't think of how to explain this to her so I finally said, "Mama makeup." She then led me right to the shower to wash off my "makeup." Jodi looked very relieved when my green face washed off. I laughed all night just thinking about it. We decided Jodi had this fear that her mama turns into this green monster when she goes to bed. Pretty funny!! Love to you all and God bless.

Great Report

Hi all! Sorry for the delay in writing recently but going back to work has kicked life into high gear!! My mother was here for a while and was a great help with our transition. Now Jodi goes to work with Baba and says, "Jodi Lang go to work." It's tough for me to leave every day especially when she says, "Mama no work" but it actually has gone smoothly so far. We got a great report from her surgeon on Thursday. They were very pleased with her healing and movement and we don't go back for another month! They will continue to monitor her with MRIs through the months to be sure that all is going well. Jodi has some difficulty with stairs and seems weaker in her lower body but she remains very busy!!!

Jodi is soaking up things like a sponge and we are amazed at how much she says and understands already. She can count, recognizes alot of letters, say her prayers, and loves to sing. She is so anxious to learn and very proud of herself when she learns something new. She is a true joy and keeps us laughing! She's still very shy around people especially children her own age but this slowly seems to be improving. We love her so so much and recognize what a blessing she is. We continue to be in awe of the cards, gifts, and food that you all are sending. We truly cannot thank you enough! Happy Summer everybody!!

Jodi's First Birthday

Jodi got to celebrate her 5th birthday which was her first celebration ever! Baba was trying to lead her into the kitchen where Nye Nye and I had balloons and presents waiting. It must have overwhelmed her because she didn't want to come in! Baba had to carry her in and then she hid behind his leg for a while. Jodi finally got up in her chair and we started to hand her cards and a few gifts. She slowly warmed up to the idea of opening and had a great time. Thanks to Beth Richmond we had a beautiful cake for her and she blew out all the candles after Baba demonstrated what to do. It was very special to have this moment with her.

Jodi got some amazing gifts and cards and a huge thanks to everyone who made her day so special. We also thank you for the get well cards. The outpouring of love means more than we could ever say. She seems to be feeling better every day! What a huge relief!! We continue to pray for her healing.

I'm pretty bumbed because I have to start back to work tomorrow. It will be a tough transition for me but a necessary one. That income will come in very handy when those medical bills start pouring in!! We're still banking on the lottery someday.....:) Love to you all!!