Well, can you believe it has been a year since we were in Russia to adopt Nikolai?  Today, October 19th marks our one year anniversary as a family of 4.  When I think about being there all the emotions come back as if it were yesterday, and yet it feels as if it happened in another lifetime.  We have truly been blessed.

Nikolai's first year has been an eventful one.  He continues to amaze us with how smart he is and how quickly he seems to pick everything up.  Nikolai thinks that he is big like his big sis and wants to do everything that she does- and can!  He is 85% for height and weight, so most people are amazed that he is just over 2.  And his vocabulary is absolutely amazing.  He is pure boy through and through.  He loves to be outside playing, riding his scooter (he is very good at that), trying to hit the baseball, going to the lake and playing in dirt.  He loves trucks and trains and all that great boy stuff, including superheroes!  He even has picked out Batman this year for his Halloween costume.  And no outfit of Nikolai's is complete without his hat.  Although, with a little influence from Tatyana, he does like to play with her baby dolls some and thinks everything is pink!!  Needless to say he is a very busy 2 year old and keeps thinks interesting.  Even being adopted at 16 months, we never had to worry with bonding.  That was one of our greatest fears as so many toddlers and older children have issues with bonding once they are home.  Nikolai has been very loving and comfortable with us from the get go and is very attached to all of us, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins alike.  He loves freely and knows he is loved.  And he adores Tatyana.  He calls for her- "Tata" and wants to be with her all the time.  They can be hugging and kissing one minute and in the floor wrestling the next, you just never know with those two.  But one thing is for certain- they love each other.

All of that to say, God has been very good to the Pingston household and has blessed us with two beautiful, intelligent, loving and extremely busy children.  It could not be any more perfect.  My cup is full!!  Once again thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers as we ventured into parenthood again.  It has been one wild ride.  Who would have ever thought that God would have perfectly created our family from half way around the world.  I could not imagine it any other way!!!!

Alex & Michael are great! Enjoying all the fun things to do this time of year.

Alex is REALLY into the whole Halloween thing this year - the 'spooktacular' section of Target is one of his favorite places and he LOVES to sneak up and scream 'BOO!' to everyone.

Today is Emma Grace's birthday.  Such a special day for me.  It was 3 years ago on October 17 that we announced to our church family that we had decided to adopt from China.  At that time, we had no information on her.  Basically, all we knew was that we would be getting a daughter from China within the next year.  We asked our church family to keep our journey in their prayers and to also keep Emma Grace in their prayers.  We wanted her to be safe, healthy, be loved and very well taken care of by her caretakers. 

Imagine our joy when we got our referral and saw her birth date...October 18!!  One day after we announced it to the church.  She had prayers going up for her before she was even born....actually with the time difference...when we announced it...it was actually 10:00 am on October 18 in China.  Our paperwork shows that she was born around 10:30.  Isn't is amazing how God works??  I love it!!

Anyway, fast forward 3 years and we have the most beautiful, loving, caring, intelligent child (of course...I am not biased).

She has filled our lives with so much joy, happiness and laughter.  The love that she has brought to our home is overwhelming.  I am amazed every day at the wonderful gift that God has granted to Jason and I. 

Along with the joy that we have on this day...I can't help but have a little bit of sadness.  I have so many thoughts of her birthmother today.  Oh, what I would give to meet her, know her, hug her and thank her for the wonderful sacrifice she made.  I know that somewhere in Jiangxi, China is a wonderful loving woman who is hurting today.  I imagine she wonders about her little girl...where she is, how she is doing, what she looks like.  I know she wonders these things because it wasn't so long ago that I would stand on my back porch at night, looking at the moon and wondering the same things.  Knowing that somewhere on the other side of the world was a baby that I had not yet seen or held, but that I already loved so much with every fiber of my being.

Today, I hug my child and I lavish so much love and attention on her, but tonight when I lay down to rest from the activity of the day, I will think of her Mu-Qing (moo-ching--birthmother).  I will shed tears for her and pray for her, as I do daily.  I pray that God will give her peace about her decision and that somehow she knows that Emma Grace is taken care of and very much loved and adored.  I give thanks also to God for her....because without her, I would not be a mother to God's wonderful gift....my daughter, Emma Grace. 

Concert to Support Orphan Sponsorship

With a melodic sound and the deep alto voice of Mandy Flurry, the band members of Christian rock’s Orphan Soul reach out with a message every Sunday at their home church. On November 17, they will also carry the message of Children’s Hope orphan sponsorship program. “Each of our band mate’s has an adopted child in their families,” says Mandy. In the state of Mississippi, an adopted child has more rights than a biological child to their families’ inheritance. “It’s an amazing thing then, to think, that as Christians, we are all adopted into God’s family. When Jesus died we became joint heirs of God’s inheritance.”  Thus, the name Orphan Soul was christened. On a typical Sunday, the husband and wife team Mandy and Greg Flurry (drums), Scott Ankerson (guitar) and Mike Arthur (low end guitar) are part of a worship team for Church on the Rock in Pascagoula, Mississippi. On the side they perform as Orphan Soul as an outreach ministry mostly to the Southeastern states for youth-oriented events. “We just want to help,” says Mandy. As godparents to Ben and Wendi Wood’s children, adopted from Colombia this year through Children’s Hope, the Flurry’s hope to spread the word of orphan sponsorship through Orphan Soul.

Who:    Orphan Soul

What:   Concert to benefit orphans, specifically those in

            need of heart or cleft lip/palate surgical repair

When:   November 17, 2007

            7:00 PM

Where: Church on the Rock

             3901 Chicot Street

             Pascagoula, Mississippi 39581

Tickets: $5 at the door; a love offering will further fund orphan surgeries

Listen to selected tracks by Orphan Soul, 1201 and Melt, at www.myspace.com/orphansoul.