NEW BLOG!

Step on over to my new blog to find out some money saving deals from online to in store!

http://morepreciousthanpearls.blogspot.com/

2011 New Year

Funky Greetings New Year's Card

Shutterfly has elegant holiday invitations for your party.

View the entire collection of cards.

Sisters . . .

Sisters don't need words. They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief. Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling.
-- Pam Brown

The last month has been an emotionally and physically challenging for all my sisters so I dedicate this post to them.  When our mum passed away something happened to our bond, we become closer . . . much closer.  I love my sister's dearly, there is such a special relationship that God has given me with each one.  I would not want to go through life without my phone chains . . .the laughter and the crying is better shared with sisters. The greatest thing to me is that I see that bond developing between Alysha & Jaya - they will be there for each other in thick and thin.  Jaya idolizes her sister, when watching a movie she likes to cuddle up to her so she is touching her.  We have gone in at night for the final tuck in and literally found Jaya sleeping on top of Alysha's back . . . Alysha who is not a cuddler tells her sister, "let me fall asleep then you can cuddle me."  Woe to their husbands!  Alysha cares for her sister like only an older sister can, she answers her questions, reminds her of her ABC's and makes sure she brushes her teeth!  She will make a great mom one day : )  So as I sit here, more grateful than words can say for each of my sister's and the gifts they bring to my life, I am also grateful that my daughter's will enjoy the same crying together and laughing together moments that I have.

Thanks Girls for all you have brought to my life!  I love you!

To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other's hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  We live outside the touch of time.  ~Clara Ortega

Puri Dream Center

Yesterday the girls and I made a last minute trip with Peter and Dr. Faiz to a dream center. It was an extremely hot day as you will tell in the one photo of me below! My English blood does not allow me to look remotely good in hot weather rather I look like a cherry tomato with hair stuck to my forehead. Anyway . . . I digress. We had a lovely day hanging out with the kids. The girls were a little overwhelmed at first as the kids wanted to be around them. But it wasn't long before Jaya was showing them how to play the drums and Alysha was learning Bollywood dance moves. It was fun to see them. It was also interesting because at one point I lost Jaya and she literally was lost in the crowd of beautiful brown faces! I am so used to being able to pick them out easily that I didn't realized how spoiled I had become.

The kids at the children's home are amazing and immediately grab at your heart. This particular home is on the beach so many of the children have lost fathers's to fishing accidents then their mother's can no longer take care of them. They go to a Christian school which is literally acorss the street and many of them were top of their class for grades! What a wonderful testimony to God!

We also went to the beach but unfortunately those photos are on my other camera! I will post them later. Enjoy . . .

The "its about time" Post

So much has happened that I really should blog more!  Today we all went outside and played soccer with some kids from the neighborhood.  It was so much fun. It's amazing how a ball and some cookies can bridge a language barrier.

The girls are officially on school holiday for the next 6 weeks and are very excited about it.  Peter has been travelling and have posted some awesome photos on facebook so if you get a chance go check them out!

I thought I might make this a light hearted look at the things that we have learned in our first months here:

1.  If you lock your gate, someone will come in to use your water and leave it open . . .below is what happens . . .

Yep, he saw our green grass and thought  Mmmmm Yummy!

2.  There is an "Indian Way" to drink water out of a bottle.  You pour it into your mouth without letting the bottle touch your lips.  Peter and Alysha have mastered it, Jaya and I still end up wearing more than we get in our mouths.

3.  The concept behind tiling the entire bathroom, putting in one drain and having the showerhead stick out of the wall is really quite a good idea.  However in reality we have soaked more toilet rolls than I care to mention!  You can't store anything IN the bathroom because it will get wet.  Also the squeegee is an incredible invention since it is what we have to clean the walls and floor with after every shower.  Sorry no photos for that one . . .  : )

4.  The mangoes here are absolutely delicious!  Apparently we were waiting for the "Mango Rain" which happened about 10 days ago.  The heaviest rain I have ever seen but so amazing to sit inside and listen too.  The result is we have these amazing little fruits that seem to call my name whenever I am in the kitchen.

5.  If there is a Hindu guy wearing a cotton diaper standing at your gate, banging on a drum and tamborine and chanting.  It is probably best not to stare . . . he will only stay longer.

Well that's enough randomness for now . .  here are some photo's and video of Jaya's birthday.  Enjoy!

For those who can't read big sister scribble, the card says . . .  Hi Jaya, I'm excited Happy 4th Birthday!  I am glad you are my sister but you are loud on the bus . . that's okay - I love you and you are funny and fun.  Too cute.

Access Denied!

Hello - well it is that time, we have decided to make our blog private for many different reasons.  My sister and I were discussing it and thought it would just be best.  Soooo, please message me or email me your address if you would like to have access.

We will be switching to private with in the next week or two.

Thanks so much for reading!

I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend.

Jaya riding a hand pushed carousel - she was excited,can you tell?
15 Rupees for 20 rotations ; )  About 35 cents . . .

Below is the driver we have used quite a bit lately and the office chef, Anoop

Alysha outside the Mayfair

The kids in the neighborhood enjoying the camera . . .

Jalebi - an Indian dessert that we tried last night, similar to a
funnel cake only drenched in a heavy syrup.

What more can I say?

Please read my sister's blog and take some action . . . we need to get these kids sponsored!

http://thecoreystorey.blogspot.com/

Our families have been so supportive of our decision to come to India but this is awesome. Please take the time, check out this post, share it on your blog and lets get these kids sponsored! $25 a month . . . just stay home one night a month from eating out and you have saved that much, cut down on one Starbucks a week, pack your lunch, coupon . . . there are hundreds of ways to save $25 a month!

You live where?

Well, after a long trip to Bhubaneswar we got off the plane, walked down the steep steps of the plane into the muggy humid air that greeted us. With the wind from the engines and the dirt swirling around us, I look at my hubby quote a line from our favorite Bollywood movie Bride and Prejudice . . . Geez Balraj, where the heck have you brought me? The scene that was before my eyes is exactly as it was on the movie. Laughter broke the intensity of the moment . . . wow, this is our new home. We continued into the airport and after having my photo taken (apparently a pale face is not often seen in these parts, let alone one with a beautiful brown toddler!) we step out into the stickiest air I have felt in years.
Alot has happened since that day last week - we have furnished a home, filled a kitchen with new necessities and learned to take a shower without a shower. Hmmm. The girls have been amazing recovering from jet lag far quicker than their parents. The office staff here at Good News India have been so amazing helping us translate and bargain our way through each day. We were given a bed on loan, it is a wedding present for one of the staff members. The wood carving is amazing and the wood mattress is not. Okay, it's not wood but it has certainly felt like it however today we managed to find a 5inch mattress to fit on this huge bed and we llok forward to our first good night's sleep. Above is a photo of the delivery van . . . uhhhh I mean delivery RickShaw : )
Tonight we celebrated Jaya's 3rd Gotcha Day, in style in India and at an Indian restaurant. It was such a fun evening surrounded by new friends. Just as we put the cake in front of Jaya and she blew out the candles, the power went out. It was a priceless moment and made for an interesting cake cutting experiment for me! It came back on shortly afterwards and we had attracted a quite a crowd around the table. They asked to take Jaya's photo and she kindly obliged all the while loving the attention.
Today was a full day but I will have to fill you in on more a little later - I am tired and that nice new mattress is calling my name.











.

Well on our Way . . .

We leave next Tuesday for our adventure - I can hardly believe it! This past few months had been a whirlwind of activity for our family. After selling our house in 2 days, we moved into a 2bd/1 bath apartment for our last few months in the States. Fortunately, we were travelling alot so the walls only closed in a little when we were snowed in in early January while Peter was in India.

It has been amazing to see what God has done over the past few months . . . our most recent hurdle was unexpected but a true test of faith. We could not apply for our Visas until last minute as they start the day they are approved. So we had to quit our jobs, sell our home, move everything to storage before knowing if we could actually go! Yeh, that one was a test for me . . . the woman who likes to plan EVERYTHING! Actually this whole process has shown me that there are times when you just need to relax and let God be God but that is a post all of it's own.

Back to our Visas . . . phew what a crazy couple of weeks that was! Funnily enough everyone got approved but me! Long story but after a week we were all cleared. It felt like I was back on the rollercoaster of international adoption. For all my fellow adoptive moms, an interesting note is that when you apply for a Visa for your child for the first time on their American passport you have to formally renounce their Indian citizenship. You will have to send in their Indian passport and they will stamp cancelled in it. It was a strange emotion for me as although I knew they were already American citizens not Indian citizens, doing this action felt so final and so sad.


We have so much to share but I will break it up in smaller posts as we get more information and photos to post with it. First up is our new home . . . it is a brand new 3bd/2bath home but in India you only rent the shell. As the renter, you provide ceiling fans, water heaters, air conditioners (an absolute must have), all appliances and a water purification system. It is quite an undertaking but we have been fortunate to have an amazing support system that has helped us and is having most of the above installed as I type this. The first couple of weeks are going to be spent shopping for furniture and the basic necessities. Things to note . . . no shower curtains, one of our bathrooms has both a western toilet and an Indian one. We will be covering it up so it doesn't become a play spot for Jaya : ) No cabinets in the kitchen, just open shelves but very colorful - it is cheerful and fun.

Below are some "before we make it home" photos (we are only renting the bottom floor) . . .

As most of you know we are in the process of moving to India. We currently are in NC on our journey to India, awaiting the approval of our visas. We have been spending some time with our family and while in NC we apparently brought snow with us to the beach....

Pieces of Me

We just had a wonderful weekend with my entire family. One sister's visit was planned before our India move was decided then once that cat was out of the bag, my other two sister's and Dad and stepmom decided to come as well! The weather was horrible, rainy and cold but that didn't stop us from having fun. Thursday, we rented a van and went to the Carnegie Science Museum. The kids had a blast but I think the adults had more fun playing with all the gadgets. Friday night brought a 25 Anniversary celebration and a fun game of Girls Vs Boys Pictionary that clearly showed - the sister's think alike! It was so funny to watch, we just knew what the other was thinking. The boys got a whippin! Saturday brought the first round of goodbyes - tough to take since I may not see them again before we leave for India. Each sister got to take some goodies that we would either give away or sell in a yard sale. One got some decorations, one got baby items for their adoption adventure and the other got our cat! Sydney (our deaf white kitty) had only been with us a few years but was a presence around our home that is already missed. It was so nice to know that these things were going to my sisters but also weird to watch pieces of our life start leaving . . .

So all that to say, this move to India is hitting home big time right now. Our house sold in 2.5 days and we found a short term rental within two hours of signing the contract on the house. We have sold a 4 wheeler, a riding lawnmower and we have a huge yard sale this weekend. Our beloved, Bayley (11 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever) will be going to live with our in-laws for the rest of his life in a few short weeks. My thought pattern has changed to - is this really something we will need in two years when we return or is it important enough to ship to India? So as pieces of us get scattered around the county and country, I am learning to trust God and know that His plan is the best. It is after all, just stuff. Stuff is not what makes memories special - it's family and friends.

I got a lovely email from my Auntie Stella in England this past week and she told us how proud our mum would be of us. Funny how even at this age, words like that can hit you in your heart and make you smile through your tears. And in this month, October Breast Cancer Awareness month, it is only fitting for me to say . . . not a day goes by that I don't think of my mum, I miss her. However, I do think in the midst of this past weekend, her strength, beauty and humor were clearly evident in all 4 of her daughter's. Obviously pieces of her in us.

Enjoy our photos!!

This is how our house looks . . .

Yes, we are putting a new counter in our bathroom, repainting everything and sorting out our closets that junk seems to mysteriously breed in. WHY? Well, we are getting ready to put our house on the market next week.
Yes, we are moving.
Where?
We are moving to India . . . and No, we are not kidding and No, we haven't lost the few marbles we had left!

Let's back up a little . .. as many of you know, we have been blessed to grow our family by way of adoption from India. On our trip to meet Jaya (now 3 yrs old) and embrace her as a new part of our family, we arrived in Calcutta to a political strike. These strikes usually only last a day but everything shuts down from taxis to stores to schools. It was also a very volatile atmosphere for Westerners to be travelling along the streets alone. Well by divine appointment, we met a wonderful man who was kind enough to arrange a military escort to our hotel. He happened to be a close friend to the founder of Good News India (GNI). Through an amazing chain of events, my husband was was able to attend church in Calcutta and meet Dr. Faiz, the founder of Good News India.

Good News India (GNI) runs 25 Orphanages (called Dream Centers) with over 2500 residential children. Many of these kids would have been sold into bonded slavery in India if GNI had not intervened. One of these homes is a home for HIGH RISK GIRLS being trafficked into the sexual slavery markets of India. They have 55 girls who were on their way to a brothel, but were rescued by GNI. Although other ministries rescue these girls from the brothels, GNI gets to them before they ever get to a brothel, thus saving them from ever experiencing the horrors of a brothel. We had wanted to hook up with a ministry in India and now we had just found one. This connection proved to be a huge part of our life.

Last September, Peter went on a short term missions trip with GNI. He came home full of passion for these kids and what GNI was doing. Only his passion didn't subside like the usual "post mission trip glow" - it grew into vision which eventually became reality. He has accepted a support-based position with GNI. We have made a two year commitment and we will be leaving the US for Bhubaneswar, Orissa early March 2010.

We are very excited for many reasons and a little apprehensive. Let's be real here, the thought of going to a market and looking a little chicken in the eye and saying, "That one, I want that one" as they proceed to kill it in front of you is enough to make to make anyone a little apprehensive! There are so many unknowns but what an amazing opportunity! The girls will get to experience life in India and learn more about their culture and so will we. Wow - only God could orchestrate something like this.

We will be detailing our move and our time in India on this blog so hopefully, I will become a more entertaining writer so that it is fun for you to follow our journey. So to close, I will share a scripture that we have on our fridge at this very moment . . .

"Don't worry about anything; instead , pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Weekend at Seneca Lake . . .

As summer winds down (not sure we ever really had one here in PA) we were able to have a long weekend with family at the lake. Peter's grandparents have this amazing piece of lakefront property that just forces you to relax. Here are some photos of us enjoying some R&R with the girls.


We are really noticing how quickly time is passing lately - there are just things that are way more important than your house being spotless and your laundry done. I prefer to leave the dishes until the kids are in bed (shock horror!) and spend time playing farm, tea party or dentist. Dentist is at the front of everyone minds because we have teeth cleanings on Tuesday : )




Came across this amazing blog yesterday about a young couple who have 9 children (3 biological and 6 adopted from Ethiopia). Very inspiring. Here's the link, check it out and watch the video for their documentary "We have Room" http://blessingsfromethiopia.blogspot.com/

Cooper's Go Camping!

Ok, it was only for ONE night but we still had a blast! The weather was absolutely perfect, just chilly enough to need a fire and just warm enough to sleep in a tent. The kids had a great time although came home today very tired. All that fresh mountain air had taken it's toll. Must admit, I don't think I am a long term camper but for one or two nights I can do it.

Here are some photos . .

If I Were a Butterfly . . .

THE BUTTERFLY SONG
(If I Were a Butterfly)
Words and Music by Brian M. Howard
If I were a butterfly
I'd thank you Lord for giving me wings
If I were a robin in a tree
I'd thank you Lord that I could sing
If I were a fish in the sea
I'd wiggle my tail and I'd giggle with glee
But I just thank you Father for making me, me

CHORUS
For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me

If I were an elephant
I'd thank you Lord by raising my trunk
If I were a kangaroo
You know I'd hop right up to you
If I were an octopus
I'd thank you Lord for my fine looks
But I just thank you Father for making me, me

If I were a wiggly worm
I'd thank you Lord that I could squirm
If I were a fuzzy, wuzzy bear
I'd thank you Lord for my fuzzy, wuzzy hair
If I were a crocodile
I'd thank you Lord for my great smile
But I just thank you Father for
making me, me

Copyright © 1974, 2002 Mission Hills Music

Finally . . . Finalization

It's true at 10:00 am December 20th, 2007 - our sweet baby (well toddler I guess - shes 20 months old now!) became "officially" Jaya Ranae Debsila Cooper. Of course, she had been that to us since the first day we laid eyes on that tiny referral photo. We had a wonderful judge who has family friends from India and one of their names was Jaya as well. She made it very easy on us and said this was the bright spark of her month. This time we actually had to take the stand and answer some questions. I guess it was all a bit too much for me because I started crying as soon as the lawyer said, "You do realize that as of today, Debsila will be the same as a biological child - she will inherit from you and you will inherit from her." YES, of course I realize that, this is the moment we have been waiting for for 3 years!! The tears started flowing as I realized how much this had been weighing on me. Our very dear friends came with us which may the day even more special. They said they held it together until I lost it then their tears were flowing as well. God is good, we got it done before the end of the year and now we can enjoy the holidays even more.

Jaya was her true self, noisy and active the whole time. The judge even stopped at one point and said, Wow we have a vocal one here don't we? That's our girl. Alysha was a doll answering a couple of questions that the lawyer asked her with a smile. We are so blessed to have such amazing children.

I will post photos soon, just wanted to share . . .