Merry Christmas

We have been enjoying this Christmas season to the fullest. We have been baking cookies, watching our favourite Christmas movies, and the girls made some Christmas cards for their friends. Once again I did not get Christmas cards sent....my apologies. Last Sunday all three girls were in the Sunday School play as angels.



I think we all feel like this Christmas is extra special having Anna with us. For the past three years we have looked forward to having a new little one in our family and this year she is finally here. Anna has brought so much joy to our home and God has taught us many things through the experience of adoption.
I am so thankful that He chose to show us who He is through Jesus.
Merry Christmas from the Leemings!



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Anna's Dedication

We actually had Anna dedicated late in September but I wanted to put this picture up.  It was a great day with friends and family.  It is wonderful to know that we are not raising our children on our own, but we have a great God who helps us each step of the way.  I could not do it on my own.

 When the boys were young I remember asking my cousin, who was raising five children, for some parenting advice.  She thought for a moment and then said, "Just love them".  I knew that was great advice because in truly loving our children there is so much involved.  It means taking the time to enjoy them and affirm them. It means taking the time to correct and discipline them when they need it, which is often.  It means taking the time to sit and talk to them, to get to know them individually.  It is laughing with them, sometimes crying with them and sometimes asking them to forgive us when we need to.  Loving them means so many things that I am still learning about after 15 years of parenting.     

I often pray for each of our children and the longer I parent the more I realize that praying for them is such an important part of my loving them and being their mother.   I will sometimes dedicate them back to God again in my heart, realizing they are His kids and I have been given the wonderful priviledge of loving and raising them for Him.      

Psalm 127 says that children are a reward.  I feel so richly blessed.                                                                                        

John Bentley of Harmony House

When we went to China we had never heard of Harmony Outreach. After we received Anna our guide worked hard for us to find the orphanage where Anna had been living. We were amazed to find out that she had been loved and cared for by Christians for the past year and a half. This was something I had prayed for.
This past weekend we had the privilege of meeting John Bentley, the founder of Harmony House.




We were so blessed to spend time with John and hear him speak several times. He is a man with a great love for people in developing countries. He shared a message about truly dying to self and losing our lives to find the abundant life that Jesus talked about.
My own personal life and our family life is more abundant than ever since adopting our sweet Anna. God's love for us, His children, truly amazes me.



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Carving Pumpkins and Dressing Up

We all enjoyed some Halloween fun this year.





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Mark and I enjoyed seeing them go from house to house. Still puts a smile on our faces.


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Apple Picking

We had a fun time with the girls going to Campbell's Orchard and picking apples.






Of course we came home and made apple pie.


Had such a great time with our lovely girls!


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Sisters and Friends

Lydia was a bit unsure of things when we first came home from China but she has done well. She has taken on the role of big sister and really enjoys playing with Anna and helping with her. They have become great friends .









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I Love My Job

We enjoyed the Shannonville World's Fair in August. The kids entered some crafts and baking and won some prize money. I have to boast just a little about Esther's pencil drawing entry. She entered it in the youth category and won first prize.



At first she wasn't sure but by the third time around she was laughing and waving at us.



Anna is saying many English words now which probably only we would understand for now. She loves all the kids but right now she seems quite taken with Jacob or "Jada" as she calls him. And he is quite happy about this. The kids all think she is the cutest child ever.

I love being Mom to this awesome bunch. This is my career. I also love going to church together as a family. They actually are happy about going to church, but not so happy about getting a picture taken.




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We started homeschooling again this week and things have gone well so far. A bit of phonics, a bit of multiplication review, some exponential notation, and some Algebra review. I am going to be a pretty smart lady one day.



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