It has been a wonderful "Gotcha day" for Elizabeth! She absolutely loves snow and absolutely loves hanging out with her big brothers and sisters. Today, on the 2nd anniversary of "gotcha day", she got both! The kids woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow and a free day off school. It is so fun to watch my older children see it all through the eyes of Elizabeth and Ri. They coudn't wait to get the kids dressed in snowsuits and take them out and play! They were most excited for Ri since this is his very first snowfall. But.. I don't think he was near as excited (you can tell that when you see his pictures!)

Today brings back an amazing amount of emotions. 2 years ago, we 'gave birth" to our daughter, Elizabeth. It was a type of birth that we had never experienced before. That moment brought 16 months of anticipation, prayer, and excitment to a completion as well as a beginning. As a family, we had prayed for this precious, tiny little girl. We had spent 16 months preparing to bring her into our home. We had no idea what to expect, what to feel, what to do... but in that one moment, Qian Jia Ke became our beautiful daughter/sister forever; and she gained her forever family. Qian Jia Ke became Elizabeth Qian Jia Ke Lee Miller on December 5th, 2005... oh what a beautiful day that was!

I think it could take me hours to type all that I would like to type about this beautiful little girl, but I do not have hours nor do you have the time to read it. Simply put... She is a priceless treasure. Giving birth to our little girl was just as precious as giving birth to Emily, Erin, Sam and Jacob. God just chose to bring Elizabeth into our family in a very different and special way. And this time, we were able to enjoy the birth as a family. The kids were as much a part of her "birth" as Mark and I. It was somethng that I will forever be grateful.

This little bundle of joy opened my eyes to a world that I had never seen before. SHe has shown me God in ways I never imagined. She has changed our lives forever. So, today I take a moment to remember a moment that I will never forget and will always treasure.

Elizabeth... I love you, my sweet, precious, baby girl!




This is the moment I "gave birth" to our daughter. It is the first moment I held her, the first moment we looked into each other's eyes. This is a precious memory for me!

So many things keep on going by and I just don't take the time to share it. That makes me sad because this blog is something I want to pass on to the kids. It only take a moment, yet my moments keep flying by without the energy I need to sit down and share.

Thanksgiving has come and gone and not once did I sit down to share all that I am thankful for. Even now, I don't seem to have the time to share it all. The first thing that comes to my mind is my salvation. As often as I take it for granted, I have been reminded very recently how precious it is and how I truly am a child of the King. There have been moments in which I begin to doubt my salvation. I am very thankful that salvation does not rest on my shoulders. I can not lose it, it can not be taken away.... the moment I trusted in Jesus Christ and Him alone... I was saved. If I was depending on my own abilities, my own strength, anything else... I would surely be questioning my salvation... daily! My sin is constant and my walk with the Lord is so up and down these days. If I asked myself the question - "If I were to die today, why would God allow me into His heaven? What would my answer be? Well, if it was based on my intimiacy with Him or based on my walk with Him, or based on my attitude or my thankfulness, or my good works, well... my answer would be very questionable. Those things are areas I am struggling in right now. But if I were to base my salvation on the word of God...then I can confidently say that if I were to die this moment, I would be ushered into the hands of my precious Father. My salvation is based on my trust in Jesus Christ ALONE!! It is his blood that was shed to cover my sins and to pay the price for me. I praise God for that most precious and priceless gift.

Well, I have to go for now. I have 100 things swimming in my head to share, but the pile of laundry (laundry for 8 is an amazing task) is staring right at me. I need to go fold clothes.

Shaohannah's hope has been a precious gift to our family... twice. I ran across this video on a good friend's blog and thought I would share this with you. If God is tugging at your heart, maybe you just might want to begin looking into finding some "hidden treasure". Enjoy.

ok- do you recognize who this is? This is our beautiful, sweet, little girl - Emily. Do you remember the experiment she did a month or so ago for psychology class? She dressed up as someone who is gothic and went to a friends youth group to see what reaction she would get. She did so well in the "part". When she was done, she felt as if her world had changed. It was a very rough few days for her. She struggled, knowing what many of these kids go through. It hurt her heart to know that often she tends to quickly make judgements and shy away from someone who is a bit different. What a blessing to walk in the shoes of another and discover how it feels. Deep down, just because they look different, these kids are the same as any other kid. Emily felt the distance, the stares, the shunning, the judgemental looks for an entire evening. These kids get it everyday. Some dress this way for attention, some because they are hurting and this is there way to not be bothered. Some do it just so that they are different, some out of rebellion, some just because they like the look. We don't know when we make the judgement. We have no idea what is making this child tick. But one thing I do know,... Jesus didn't stay away from those that were different. He looks at the inside of a man, not the outside. The appearance means nothing to Him. We should be the same.





The next picture is for Mamaw and Uncle Paul. Do I have a teenager in the works or what? I was cracking up so much watching talk to them. I just had to take a picture to share.

Time just keep flying by. Things around the MIller home are pretty normal. It seems to me that Erin Michal is keeping us hopping the most these days. We spent Sunday afternoon in Urgent Care with a very infected swimmers ear. It was so swollen that they had to put a wick in in order for the medicine to get in her ear. But, by Monday, things were worse, and once again... the little ones and I spent time in a doctors office with Erin :). Her ear was hurting so badly. I must say, she is one tough cookie! There were very few complaints on her part. Once in awhile she would moan enough for me to realize that this infection was bad. Well, Monday she was put on a heavy antibiotic, switched ear drops, and then given a shot. We were told then that if she wasn't any better by the next day, she would be in the hospital. Well, by God's grace, she is doing much better. Her ear drum actually perforated. We ended up back at the doctors the next day due to the blood from the perforation (I had no idea that it had perforated). She is out of the water (swim team) for a week, though (to her saddness).

Ri is growing leaps and bounds. The other day he was downstairs looking for Daddy and we heard "Daddy, where are you?". To me, that is amazing. The drag he had so much in his leg is almost gone. He is actually running without falling.

Well, i need to get some work done. I just wanted to update everyone with some new pictures. Hope you enjoy them!

Time just keeps slipping away from me. I can not believe that we have been home 5 months now, yet it seems like we have been home forever with Ri. Five months just doesn't sound like a long time. We recently had our home study. Chine requires that we have a follow up homestudy at 6 months and at one year. We have a wonderful social worker who is a joy to have in our home. The visit was wonderful. Jacob was concerned that if the visit did not go well, they might take Ri away from us. I suppose that is possible, but we assured him that Ri was safely our son! Regardless, Jacob was very nervous throug hhis "interview".

Five months.. where has the time flown? I have been in quite a fog. It has been so much harder on me then I ever imagined. I can't exactly figure out what has been so hard, I am truly baffled by it. I think that part of the reason is that I have struggled so desperately with my walk with God. When your walk with God is not personal, your life often reflects that. For me, I feel like this "season" is a viscious circle that is going around and I can't get on or off it easily By that, I mean that because things are so tough right now, I can't seem to have the energy or make the time to spend with God. But I know the truth... if I want to be able to deal with things better and handle this "tough" season, I know the answer is to spend time with God. But... I do feel like my spinning wheel is beginning to slow down. God is faithful and He has never let go of me. He has given me the breath of fresh air I need, just when I need it. He has allowed me to walk through this dry and tough season, but hsn't let go of me through it all. The poem "Footprints in the Sand" is very true... God has held me through every step.

As I begin to come out of this fog, I am beginning to feel His presence once again. There were fleeting moments when I could see Him and feel Him, but I would soon go back into my fog. But now, I feel like God is bringing me "home" once again. He seems to be restoring me and giving my that living water that He speaks of in the Bible. And so I rejoice! I good friend of mine reminded me of how God allows us to go through things so that we will be able to minister to others when they go through them. What a joy that will be!

So what is our precious clan up to these days? Well, Erin joined the swim team. She has never swam before, but wants to stay in shape for soccer. SHe seems to enjoy it very much right now. What I enjoy is the "new" relationship we seem to be building. A very, very long time ago, I was once a decent swimmer. That past seems to be brought up and talked about often these days. It is such a joy to be able to connect with her once again. I am truly loving this new side of my little girl. Emily is participating in a school play. This is so exciting for me. It is really the first high school activity that she has really been involved in. I am loving watching her be excited about it. This week is "tech week" because the play is Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so she has practice from 6-10 every night. It definitely is keeping her busy! I can't wait to see her in it :). Sam and Jacob just finished soccer. Neither is involved in anything new, yet. It is nice to have our sons home for a little while. Sam's team ended up winning in his league. Jacob's team ended up playing in the championship game of the tournament, but lost by 1 goal. Both boys played incredibly. This has been a wonderful season for them.

As for Mark and I... well, I believe with all of my heart that our marriage is a beautiful example of God's grace and faithfulness. We are so blessed. After 17 years, I am more in love with him then I ever have been. He is my better half. He has been the one person who God has used to carry me through this tough season I am in. He is my encourager, my support, my constant friend. He has smiled through almost every little fit I have thrown. He has known exactly how to handle me. I have more respect for him then any person I have met. I thank God for my wonderful husband. God truly gave me the perfect match.

As for myself, I recently entered a design contest for digital scrapbooking. There were 4 rounds in which I had to make 4 different "kits" for scrapbooking. If you are familiar with paper scrapping, it is much like that, only you don't have paper. You have the same elements and gorgeous papers, but they are done on the computer. ANyways, I made it to the last round. I did not win, but I was asked to be a designer for their site. My kids and Mark all encouraged me and watched me 'stress out with the designs. But through it, they saw my love of design and are encouraging me to try it. So.. I just signed a contract to be a designer. It is kind of exciting and kind of scary. I guess I will probably start a new blog site just for my desiging. I'll let you know once I do for those of you who want to see my designs or are interested in digital scrapbooking.

Well, for now, I need to get off. Elizabeth just woke up, the kids need woke up in about 10 minutes for school and I need to get at least one element designed for my new kit.

Who ever said that trick-or-treat was not for the older kids too. It is true that 11 year olds still enjoy going house to house and dressing up! My young man is living proof. He had his choice, he would have gotten a very elaborate Uncle Sam outfit (or Elvis), but since Mom does not go spend money on costumes, Jacob came up with his own. He is so creative! I think this one has to be my alltime favorite of his! He found this Santa hat at a garage sale this past summer and loved it. Well, he decided he was going to be a saxophone playing Santa. It was hilarious! Doesn't he look too cool?









The little ones both hesitated at first, but as soon as Ri realized that if you went to someone's door and said trick or treat, they gave you candy... well... he was sold! Elizabeth took a little time to warm up, but she caught on pretty quick too. They were so much fun to watch!