Mixed Nuts: Happy Chinese New Year

Quotes

"There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." - Helen Keller
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
You may never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.- Unknown
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow' ~Helen Keller
Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."- Dr. Seuss
"Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it."
"God doesn't give children with disabilities to strong people: He gives them to ordinary, everyday people, then He helps the parents to grow stronger through the journey. Raising a child with special needs doesn't TAKE a special family, it MAKES a special family."Author Unknown
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go – Abraham Lincoln
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~ Benjamin Franklin
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle - Albert Einstein
The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step
Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairy tale
Where there is great love, there are always miracles - Willa Cather
The Difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
Be the change you want to see in the world
Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big Your God is..........
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it
Fall down seven times - get up eight - unknown
Despite our differences, we sink or swim together
Life may not be the party we expected, but while we are here, we might as well dance
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." -Confucius

Friday, January 31, 2014

Happy Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year - 2014. The year of the horse

Last year we had a Chinese New Year Party, but this year we are quieter. We will be having plenty of yummy Chinese food, and we bought our traditional Chinese New Year Book, and we share traditions from Cainan's heritage.

Here is a picture of Cainan when we was adopted in China. How much he has changed.

He is pre-surgery in this picture. He didn't have his cleft lip and palate repaired until he came home to America. And in this picture Mat has balanced him against the wall. Even at 14 months, he hadn't even learned to crawl, let alone walk.

He had a hard start. A very hard start. You would be blown away by how far he has come.

China to us is a special place. We would not have our Cainan without China's adoption program. And as sad as we are for Cainan and all the children who are left on park benches because they cannot be cared for by their birth families, we wouldn't be a complete family without our boy.