So, I guess because I scrapbook I don't feel the need to blog as much? Okay, flimsy excuse, but it has been two years. Life is pretty routine around here. MeiLing is growing, my love and I continue to age, I still miss my parents as much today as the day they each left this planet, and I miss not having a mother or sisters in my life right now. As the surgery is looming that brings both wistfulness and elation I figure it must be the reason for the need of female closeness. I have been blessed with aunts, girlie cousins, and numerous friends. Each has their vital role that I've assigned to my life. However, they can't fill the role of mom or sister. I have also been blessed with the greatest brother any little girl could ever have, but I have to say he is a bit horrified by the turn of conversation when it comes to finally being rid of my curse. For me, it has truly been a curse with no bundled blessing to look back and say it was all worth it. So I guess I will be content to say I'm glad to be a woman and "that" has been what makes it so. Good enough.

It is 2:30 A.M. and once again I am forced through wakefulness to face that my mother dear is gone to Heaven. For many months my body has gotten used to light sleep listening for every call, the bell, a fall, the walker handles loosened and the wheels beginning to move. My house is so quiet even with three others sleeping soundly within it's walls. For the past two days I've heard crickets, birds, the air conditioning sounds replace other sounds that became so familiar. When will I sleep again? I remember this exchange from several days ago...
MeiLing: How long does it take to paint a house?
Me: I don't know baby, why do you ask?
MeiLing: Because Jesus must be still putting the paint on Nie Nie's house and then He will come for her.
Me: What color is the paint?
MeiLing: red
...And the tears flow again.

Spring Distractions

It is an evening where I should be doing many other things rather than blogging. I am distracted by the fast approaching summer and making vacation plans. I am distracted by this thing called facebook, but then again, so are 200 million other people; at least that's what I've read. So here is an illustrated example of what distracted us on Sunday afternoon from the gazillion things we should have been preparing for in a new week at work; not to mention the mound of laundry waiting to get done. Instead, we went to the zoo. This is one of our favorite places and now they've added an aquarium. It's not exactly the Monterey Bay Aquarium but it is worth the trip. From the smile on MeiLing's face the distraction was justified and just a really good idea.

Oh yeah, and we lost our first tooth. :)

Skipping with daddy

A Lovely Evening

Without going into gory details, evenings such as this have been rare in our household. Everyone in this house has been through so much in a year. Two weeks ago, I decided to make reservations for all of us to spend Valentine's Day evening together at a restaurant we all love. I knew that at any moment those reservations may need to be canceled but I was determined we would at least try. Mom has had a very good couple of days and she was excited for the evening to come. We all enjoyed each other's company very much and the evening went off without any hitches, emergencies, or crisis. When we got home Kelby presented all of "his girls" with gifts. Mom got red tulips and a lovely "mom" card. Meiling and I got stuffed animals, cards, and candy. Sorry to say, all daddy got was dinner and an evening with 3 of his favorite women ( he only has one other favorite woman and that would be his mother) :) He didn't seem to mind. It was a special evening celebrating the different kinds of love in this little family of ours.

Expectations

Mom tells the story of how she forced David, at four years old, to watch the J.F.K. funeral because it was a historical moment. There's a picture somewhere that I would have loved to include, but couldn't find, of Dave sitting on the couch as instructed and seemingly watching intently.
Knowing today to be a very historic day, I too "forced" my six year to watch the proceedings expecting intent focus and interest. We were able to get half way through the speech today when she suddenly said, "Can I go watch something else, I've heard him talk before".
I supposed my expectations were a little high for her but I wanted her to know and experience the significance of the moment. I wanted her to understand that now, more than ever before, her generation will be able to be more "color blind" than ever. That unlike my generation, she will see many color combinations in families and couples and never take a second look or think twice about whether it is unusual or odd. She can be more confident than ever that her family is acceptable, right, and divinely placed together. She knows more than ever now that no matter where you come from or the color of your skin, anything is possible. She did however announce that she could be President someday and I didn't have the heart or words to tell her that constitutionally that would be impossible. I'll leave it to some future history teacher to dash those dreams. Politics aside, it was a significant moment for all of us.
Dave says he doesn't remember watching the J.F.K. funeral and maybe MeiLing won't remember watching this particular inauguration, but we will preserve the memory as mom did over 40 years ago.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2008

And for this we are most grateful... on the mend, recovering, and becoming more independent everyday. Christmas was low key, quiet, and no one is complaining about that. Less is more when it comes to Christmas too. I think I missed my daddy more this Christmas than the previous two, but there was a special grace Christmas Eve and Day to focus on now and the new year and to realize that daddy is complete and whole and I wouldn't wish it otherwise for his sake. We still mourn for us, but that mourning has turned into joy this holiday season.

I think this was the most precious moment for me from our "Shaeffer side" Christmas Eve and requires a little background knowledge. When we were waiting our two years to bring MeiLing home I, like any mother, prayed for the usual things. I prayed for her health, good survival skills, etc. I had a selfish prayer in the midst of all of the usual prayers that went something like this..."Lord Jesus, keep my baby healthy and intact. Help her not to be lonely and let there be someone to hold her in my place until I can get there and bring her home. And by the way Lord, would you see fit to make her a little musical?" When we were in China, we put a set of headphones on her and from then on she was hooked. There is not a moment when she is busy doing the things that little 6 year old girls do that she is not singing something. She's taken to the piano like a duck to water and so it was no surprise that she asked for a guitar for Christmas. Jonathan taught her the names on the open strings and the scale on the E string in 20 minutes. She still was playing what she had learned the next morning. I remembered my prayer from 8 years ago and had much to thank God for. I absolutely love this picture.

I knew I couldn't post this picture without explaining why Kelby is in a knee brace with crutches in the background. After years of "athletic-ness", Kelby's knee is now much older than his actual age. The latest MRI shows, no cartilege, bones fusing together, bone on bone, arthritis, and a cyst of some kind. So he is probably headed for some kind of surgery in the new year. I think the thought of the athletic feats fleeting away is worse than the pain he is enduring on a daily basis.

It was Milgrim Christmas day this year which usually involves Kelby's mom Ruth, his brother Darrin, sister in law Kim, and their two boys Royce and Rylan. We gathered for the the traditional devotional time, dinner, presents, and games. This year we involved the kids in the devotional time by "making them" participate :) Royce acted out a play he had written, Rylan sang "Mary Did You Know", and MeiLing played "Away in a Manger" and "Go Tell it on the Mountain" on the piano. We had a great time together and declared it a great day.

We've had quite a few people ask about the ministry in Ajo. It came about when we found out that the Indian Assembly of God church in Ajo would be closing because of the lack of a pastor. There is another Assembly of God chuch in Ajo but this was the home missions work and historically speaking it was a shame that it would be closing. Kelby found out and offered to take the position with the understand that we could only devote the time to one Sunday morning service. We started going in September of 2007 and have been going out every week since. There were three ladies left in the church that had basically been members since they were teenagers and cried that first service when they found out that their church would not be closing. We are located just across the street from an open mine pit that has been closed to operations since the 1980s. With the close of the mine came the drastic population change in Ajo. There are probably about 3000 left in the town with half being winter visitors that are there about 6 months out of the year. We now have a congregation of about 20 and meet in a tiny sanctuary. This is our little wiseman for this year's live nativity. When I told MeiLing she might have to play Mary if no one showed, she was horrified. She had her heart set on being the wiseman that carried the gold.

No wisecracks please :) This is Jesus the donkey. For those of you who are not used to the Spanish, it's pronounced (hay suess) :) Jesus has been a part of our live nativity for several years now. He's very sweet and gentle.

And here we have the whole crew. My 8 year old Mary, my 5 year old Joseph, one shepherd, one wiseman/woman, and an angel. They did a great job.

By the way, so much for trying a new layout on my previous blog. I'm going back to my boring layout and ways.

Fall in our backyard

THIS POST IS CALLED CATCHING UP THE BLOG BEFORE I POST THE REALLY IMPORTANT CHRISTMAS STUFF.
Okay... this is what happens when I tell MeiLing I can't play right at the moment. She then engages the dog in a lively game. :(


...and the Suns games live on. I have to add here that Tom Chambers was my favorite Sun in the early 90s so I was pretty impressed when Kelby called and said they had met him while catching the end of the Cowboys game at the bar behind the studio and proceeded to hand the phone to him. He said hello and I said something stupid trying not to sound like a stalker and couldn't believe Kelby had done this etc. It was pretty fun though and Li got a couple autographs.