Some of My Favorites

I narrowed my favorite pictures down to ten, so enjoy!

FAMILY PHOTOS

New Little Brother

Sorry for not updating you sooner. Procrastination won the fight. Again. 

     My parents came back home from China on the 30th of July. Along with Hua, Hui... a.k.a Will. He has grown so much since then. He is adjusting to America very well. He loves cars. And books. He is a smart kid. He can say "Bow wow!" and "Okie." He doesn't know what they mean yet, but he says them! He likes to make faces, and then run to you giggling. He can be pretty hilarious at times. It is fun having a little guy to hang around with. He is trying to type on the keyboard as we speak. Sorry if this post is short. It is hard to think on an empty stomach. Dinner time!

"Bakaqua!" -Will's word of the day.

And so it begins...

Girls camp is tomorrow. TOMORROW. I spent most of the day packing, and I finished some time around 5:00 pm. I am excited, yet, I am not. Last year was my first year along with my best friend. We didn't have a very good experience. I'll just leave it at lots of people finally saw me cry. Anyways, I am determined to make this year better. And when I say that, I mean I am not going to let anyone keep me up past midnight!

On Friday, my whole family was fasting because we needed to get the travel approval to China. It worked! We got the travel approval later that day. It was a huge blessing and it really strengthened our faith. This whole thing is actually happening. So exciting!

In July, we are going on a trip to the Oregon Coast for 8 days! My sister, brother-in-law, niece, and my cousins are coming with us. It will be fun! Then right after that my parents leave to China.

Anyways, I will post about girls camp after I get back. Stay on the bright side! Have fun! Have courage and be kind! XD

Summer!

WARNING; I will be bouncing around subjects, since my week has been so busy with last minute school projects.

Summer is almost here! We have 3 more days until school gets out and I am SO relieved. Summer means that soon, I will have a baby brother! Weird. We are going to go to the Oregon coast this Summer with my family and my cousin's family. It will be the first time I have been there in 5 years! 5 whole years! Lets see, I was, 8 years old. Wow.

Last month, we had a baby shower for Will. It was a really good turnout and there were a lot of baby presents-mainly clothes-and really good food. I drank about a gallon of strawberry lemonade. Today I opened up the cupboard and saw a whole bunch of sippy-cups. It kinda took me by surprise. Having a toddler in the house is going to take some getting used to, but I know it will be worth it.

Another thing I am looking forward to is hanging out with my cousin, who is kinda like my little sister, and catching her up on my life. We have good times. Plus we have a whole bunch of inside jokes :)

Be Positive <(^~^)>

A while ago, some of my friends were treating me different, because I wasn't laughing as much, or smiling as much. They said that I ruined the fun. I didn't want to be like that anymore. I have been thinking about all the positives, instead of the negatives, and I feel happier than I did a few months ago. Once I started being cheery again, we went back to laughing with each other and having fun. 

If you are having a bad day, or are going through hard times, try to look at the positive things to cheer you up. It helps, more than you know. Just know that some people won't understand how you feel or what you are going through. If you see someone that looks sad, be a friend and try to cheer them up. A lady at my church gave me some great advice. "Be kind no matter what, and never give up."

"Have courage, and be kind." 

-Cinderella

Introduction

Hi, my name is Maren. I am 13 years old and this is my blog.

Last year, my parents went to China to adopt a girl 6 months younger than me. One day, I came home and my grandma broke the news to me that my parents were coming home early. The adoption had failed. The girl in China had been told from the older kids in the orphanage that bad things would happen to her in America, and that our family would do bad things to her. So, she said no. My parents tried to comfort her and try to tell her the truth, but she had made her choice. It was very sad. It was like someone in our family had died.

After that, it became difficult for me to be happy. It was hard. But, I had to move on with life. I came up with distractions, like playing with my niece, so I could forget.

In February, my parents talked with me and my brother. They said we were going to try to adopt again. They told us about this little boy, who was 1 year 8 months. I was doubtful at the beginning, still hurt from the previous year. Yet, there was some sort of comfort that came over me. I felt peace and hope.

After discussing it, we chose the name Will. He will turn 2 in June.

I feel like I am healing much faster. Staying close to the gospel has helped a lot. I know God loves me and is helping me push through.

(My mom found the same toy and got it)