February 2007 Update

Wow!! It is hard to believe that we have been home with MacKenziefor 2 months already. So much has happened and it feels as though wehave just stepped off of some crazy carnival ride. We are enjoyingthe quite of home and the lack of doctors and nurses. As a finalloop de loop on our roller coaster I (Tammy) turned in my resignationfrom my job on Friday 2/16. It was a difficult decision on manylevels but needed for a time anyway. Both kids have reallybenefitted from my being home - and as a Mom it has been wonderful tohave this opportunity even if it is only temporary - though my hopeand prayer is that we can make it work for the long term.Kenzie and Nate are fairly typical brother and sister. When they getalong they get along and when they don't - well look out. In thatway they are typical. They love each other very much and Kenziereally misses Nate when he is at school. Nate is an awesome bigbrother and it has been fun to watch him blossom in that role. Justthis morning Kenzie wanted him to play with her and he was rightthere with the dolls and the tea set dressing cabbage patch kids andfeeding them. It was a priceless moment for me to watch.Kenzie has just come alive since her surgery. This child did notlack in personality before the surgery, and it has come out in spadesnow that she is fully oxygenated. She has the most awesome bubblylaugh that is contagious and once people hear it they keep doingthings to make her laugh. She is no longer speaking any Chinese andcan communicate with English pretty much anything she wants. We aresad that she seems to already have completely lost her Chinese.MacKenzie has become a total love bug and is big time into hugs. Shewill come up and say hug please and then give the biggest snugglyhug. Her hugs are often accompanied by a "lub ooo too". It isheavenly. She seems to be thriving in our family and we as a familywould be so incomplete without her.Who would have known just over a year ago when we started the processof adoption from China that we would have arrived home with a 4 yearold with a severe heart condition? After all we were going the non-special needs route for a daughter under 2 years old. God knewthough and he worked out each detail and as we took the steps towardthis precious child we were blessed in ways that cannot be measured.Our daughter is now on her way to being a healthy 4 1/2 year old.She is able to do the things that any other child her age can do andnow here with us we hope and pray that she too will come to know thatGod loves her even more than we do and what God did in sending hisson to the cross for her.We have posted some new pictures below.Enjoy!Love,Tammy