thai 4th of july

Our house has become the un-official holiday gathering place for our random assortment of friends here in Houston. It started with Easter and has continued with Independence day. We are people lovers. A holiday is not complete without a full house. Our great mix of friends and family always extends to include anyone else who might want to join the festivities. This holiday we had an especialy eclectic mix.

Our friends Kristy and James, along with their kids Issac and Levi are always part of the festivities. James invited some of his co-workers, living in Houston for the summer doing internships, to join us. They are from Thailand and offered to make us some great Thai food that included shrimp, squid, three types of soups and amazing spices. Another family, Aitran, Hugo, Phoebe and Andy, who just recently moved to the area, made some delicious spicy eggplant. Aitran is originally from China but also lived in Vietnam. Her husband Hugo is from Mexico and they have two great kids. Others at the gathering were; Lyle and Emily, along with baby Eva (Emily and Alisa volunteered together at a women's shelter and Lonnie and Lyle went to JR High together), Stephanie and Martin (Lonnie was the teaching assistant in a class Stephanie took in college), Sister Fisher and Sister Kendrick (the missionaries in our ward), Kelly (our neighbor) and Tim and Julia Nuttall (brother and sister-in-law to James and Kristy).

All together there were about 20 people here at the house and way to much food for us to finish. It was a great holiday.


James' coworkers from Thailand- Nee and Niran. They were amazing cooks and took the kitchen by storm. In the end we convinced them to only cook 6 of th 9 dishes they had planned.

The non-stop sampling that took place all day long. The missionaries, Aitran, Kristy and Stephanie .

Emily and Eva, Kelly, Alisa, Kristy and baby Levi.

Everyone took their time in the kitchen, but these four were the hardest working.

helping each other

"The Lord does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other. The righteous life is achieved as we magnify our view of life, and expand our view of others and of our own possibilities. Thus, the more we follow the teachings of the Master, the more enlarged our perspective becomes. We see many more possibilities for service than we would have seen without this magnification. There is great security in spirituality, and we cannot have spirituality without service!"
--President Spencer W. Kimball

The first time I remember hearing this quote was when I was a missionary, and in line with my missionary assignment, I immediately identified myself as a service giver. As a missionary, I would be a person that would help the Lord meet the needs of others. Even as my life circumstances and roles have changed, I think that more often than not I identify myself as a service giver, that I try to see the needs of those around me and serve them.

As those who know her can attest, Alisa is a wonderful example of service giving. I think that Alisa is inherently blessed with the magnified perspective of life that President Kimball described. She has an ability to see so many possibilities to serve others. I enjoy the privilege of watching her every day in the ways that she builds others, whether it's a listening ear to a friend or visiting someone in the hospital that she just met a week before or babysitting for a relative or friend.

But Alisa and I now find ourselves in a more unfamiliar role, that of a service receiver. Neither Alisa nor I would have expected to need the service of others to help us fulfill our desire of having children, but we now find ourselves in this position. We are receiving service from many who have expressed that they are praying for us. We are receiving service from people who work in or have passed through the adoption process and are providing us with information to best manage the process. A service that we may yet receive could be that one of you knows someone who is placing a child for adoption and helps us make contact with the birth parents. And, of course, an immensely valued service for us would be that of a birth mother who makes the heart-wrenching decision to place her child into our family.

"It is vital that we serve each other." Sometimes we give service, and sometimes we receive. Through it all, we progress together.

-Lonnie

today is a good day.....

(photo taken around my birthday in 2004 on the doorstep of a shop in Paris, France)

Today is a good day.

Today is my birthday.

I feel asleep this afternoon with a baby in my arms.

This year, if I could ask for anything for my birthday, I wish that I could be influential in the life of a child. Of course, I would love to be a mother, but that is something over which I have little control. What I can control is myself, I can open my heart to serve others, especially children. I can make myself available to those who might need my help. I can open my heart and my home.

I got a call last night from Lyle, my friend Emily's husband. He told me that Emily is sick with strep throat and knocked out with medication. He asked if I could come over and help Emily take care of their 3 month old daughter Eva. I arrived at about 9:00 am and stayed most of the day until 5:00 pm. I was glad to be able to help Emily get needed rest while I cared for Eva.

So what greater gift could I start the year out with being able to take a nap on a recliner with a beautiful baby in my arms?

Today is a good day.

-Alisa

happy father's day

Top Ten Reasons Lonnie will be a great father.

10. Lonnie likes to play games and sports.
9. Lonnie is thoughtful and kind.
8. Lonnie is non-judgmental.
7. Lonnie makes other people feel good about themselves.
6. Lonnie can help with homework, especially math and science.
5. Lonnie loves his family.
4. Kids like Lonnie and gravitate to him.
3. Lonnie likes to laugh.
2. Lonnie is patient.
1. Lonnie loves me.

-Alisa

a few of my favorite things

I thought this was fun...and a little glimpse into things I like, don't like, etc.
-Alisa

Move your mouse over the pics to roll over.

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celebrating life!- improtant people in our life

Stella Celebrates her 1st Birthday


Sammy Celebrates his 5th birthday



Stella and Sam (Alisa's niece and nephew http://lambsandchubbits.blogspot.com/) both had birth days in the past weeks. They are great kids and we love to hang out with them.

Stella had a baby birthday party with all of her favorite things; swimming, eating strawberries, hanging out with fellow baby friends and not getting mauled by her big brother. Alisa found that great swim suit for her.

Sammy had a Luchador party. He and all his buddies ran around with our their shirts on, slid down the the slip-and-slide and practiced their wrestling moves.

These kids make great cousins. We love them like crazy!

Happy Birthday Sammy and Stellie!

malaika and thabo visiting our house- important people in our life

Malaika (3) and Thabo (19months) are Loretta (Alisa's cousin) and Teboho's beautiful kids. They live near by and we get to see them often. They are great kids.

The day these photos were taken they came to spend the day with us while their parents went to the temple. The kids had a great day playing in our yard and feeding the fish in the pond. We always have a good time with them.

They especially love to tickle Lonnie.

looking for blessings

We attended a foster care and adoption orientation meeting last night with a non-profit group called DePelchin. They have been coordinating foster care and adoption for the state for a long time. They are one of the bigger organizations to work with children in foster care in the state of Texas.

Some good things we learned about foster care to adoption:

• There are a lot of good kids that need homes.
• Foster to adopt will allow for quicker placement of a child in our home.
• There is a lot of support offered to families who adoption children in foster care.
• Parents of adopted foster care children are given continuing support even after the finalization of adoption.
• Kids have been in foster care will get free college tuition to Texas schools.
  
• We can learn more about an older child as to their abilities, interests, and personalities than we can with a baby.
• We can match (to a degree) our interests and personality with your child-to-be.
• Older children can interact and play with us. We can DO things right from the beginning with your child: take hikes, plant bulbs, bake cookies, roller blade.
• With an older child, we may be given a window into their past lives. They may have special memories of grandparents, or favorite foods. We can help them retain and synthesize their memories of their past lives.
  

There are, of course, disadvantages to older child adoption, just as there are disadvantages and advantages to adopting babies or having kids in general (sleepless nights, messy diapers, sassy teenagers) but the trials of being a parent are greatly out weighted by the benefits. We are encouraged by knowing that we can work together to love and support our family.

No matter how children come into our life, it's a bit like most of life - lots of wonderful moments mixed in with enough challenges to make sure we appreciate the good times!

Has anyone had experiences with foster care? Please share our insight with us.

We are still considering several options. This month we have appointments with LDS Family Services (for infant adoption), a fertility specialist, and foster care. We want to keep our minds open to inspiration and suggestions.

-Lonnie and Alisa

soy un hijo de dios

Soy un hijo de Dios;
El me envió aquí.
Me ha dado un hogar
Y padres buenos para mí.
Guíenme; enséñen-me la senda a seguir
Para que algún día yo con El pueda vivir.

Je suis un enfant de Dieu
et Il m'a mis ici.
Il m'a donne un bon foyer
et parents si gentils.
Conduit-moi et marche avec moi
sur le bon chemin
dites-moi tout ce qu'il faut faire
de te connaitre enfin.

Sou um filho de Deus
Por ele estou aqui
Mandou-me a terra
Deu-me um lar
E pais tao bons pra mim
Ensinai-me, ajudai-me
As leis de Deus guardar
Para que um dia eu va
Com ele habitar

I am a child of God
and he has sent me hear.
Has given me an earthly home,
with parents kind and dear.
Lead me, Guide me,
Walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do,
To live with Him someday.

Last night Lonnie and I went to my cousin Loretta's house. Loretta and her husband Teboho and two kids, Malika and Tabo live close to us and we get together often.

Before putting the kids to bed, we all sat together, said prayers and sang "I am a Child of God" in as many languages as we could. Together with Loretta (who speaks; English, French, Malagasy and Swahili, Teboho (her husband from South Africa, who speaks more languages that I can count), Lonnie (who speaks Portuguese and Spanish) and myself (who speaks Spanish) we were able to sing the beautiful song in several different languages. Tabo and Malika sang some sort of a medley between them all.

We pray that we will one day be given the blessing of caring for and parenting a divine child of God in our earthly home.

-Alisa

spring time in your yard

We have four beautiful magnolia trees at our house. It took a while but they finally bloomed into amazingly wonderful flowers.

Like a sweet magnolia tree
My love blossomed tenderly,
My life grew sweeter through the years
- Stevie Wonder