(Kelly, Kristy, Me, and Kasey ... I am the stinky one in the workout clothes ...!!!)


I can't tell you what a blessing blogging has been to my life, at first it was just a way to keep in touch w/ our Pingjiang Families. We wanted to keep our girls in contact w/ each other and we became our own unique family. I can honestly say that the blog world was a life line for me the minute we choose Maggie from the COP list ... You have encouraged me, prayed w/ me and for me and at times after bringing my sweet, spicy girl home you were my only outside contact and support ... I praise God for how He uses you in my life ...

Now on to the super, cool, amazing encounter w/ my new friends ... Kristy, Kelly, and I stumbled across each other in blogland the way most people do by just going from a friends blog to another and another and another ... We started emailing and finally had a play date yesterday ... Can I just say instant friendship .... We talked non-stop from 11-3 and could have talked for two days ... They have amazing stories to share and their heart for Ethiopia and the people hurting in their community captured me ... They also had their younger sister there (Kasey) and she also wants to adopt from Ethiopia ... What an amazing legacy these sisters are going to leave.... I can't wait to get together again ....Thank you ladies for embracing me and allowing me to ride along on your journeys ...

Lord, you have blessed so many of us during our adoption journey by sending us strangers that know our hearts and encourage our spirits !!! This is just another reason why I feel THE BOOK is going to be a tool the Lord uses to change people's hearts for adoption and send some people on a the journey of a lifetime ... (reminder Aug. 1 deadline .. contact me w/ questions s.oatsvall@comcast.net)

HAVE A FABULOUSLY BLESSED DAY !!!

There really are no words to describe how this precious, chatterbox, angel, sassy-girl, beautiful, energetic, gum chewing, crafty, mermaid, almond-eyed, angel faced, LIGHT OF MY LIFE girl has changed me as a person, mother, friend, and wife ... She makes me a better person, She helps me to see God more clearly, and She makes every day brighter just by being in it ... Any one who has ever met her is amazed w/ her little personality ... She is a talker like me and I just know somewhere across the ocean there is a dear woman whom I pray for that weeps today for her loss ... I wish I could send hope to her in the stars to let her know that the baby girl we both love is happy, loved, and cherished everyday .... I will pray for this woman and I will always let Emily know that she has been loved from the moment she entered this world and that she can be proud of where she came from because that is the beginning God gave her ... He will help her write her story because at four she knows that God loves her ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY RUI OATSVALL

Special love to Emily Chapman, who our Emily is named after ... You will always be loved as an angel in our family ... We pray Emily can grow up to serve and love the Lord just like you !!!!

This is a super long post of all that has been happening over the last couple of weeks ... The Lord has blessed me w/ an amazing family and some extremely loyal and loving friends.... Friendship is a true gift from the Lord ... He created the avenue of relationship and for it to work it has to be two-sided ... I pray that I am always available to these people who have shaped my life and touched my heart ...


My brother and his family have moved back to TN ... We had a great time catching up ... My SIL is in the military and I am SUPER PROUD of her ... She will be commuting for the next 3 years as she finishes her tour here in the states. My 4 beautiful nieces are amazingly talented ... Tori plays soccer for Kings College in Bristol, TN and the other 3 are well on their way to making a name for themselves ... I am so glad they are home !!!




Emily and Nana shared another exciting birthday together ... We are honored to have our princess share a birthday day w/ her great grandmother. They love each other in a special way... We started calling the party "THE UNITED NATIONS" ... We had several countries represented and it was just great fun seeing all the colors of the rainbow represented. We are blessed to have wonderful friends and family to share this day w/ ... Thank you all for coming and making the Queen and Princess feel special ... We raised $150.00 at the party for "Maria's Miracle Fund" ...





This was our second "Girl's Night Out" ... We raised $150.oo for a family starting the adopting process just by sitting around eating chocolate and talking ... It was great fun and while we were there a couple of women shared their hopes of adoption ... God is working miracles in the lives of so many around us ... We will be honoring SHAOHANNAH'S HOPE w/ our next two GNO ... Please continue to pray for the entire Chapman family ...




This was a super fun few days at the Lake w/ our sweet sweet friends ... My friend Suzanne (who most of you will remember was adopting Caleb domestically while I was in China getting Maggie) ... She has 6 amazing children and my 4 think they are family to us. We do life together ... The good, the ugly and the extremely blessed ... All I can say is watch out if we are all together ... That is 10 kids from the ages of 12 to 7 months old and MAMA DON'T PLAY !!! Shout Out to my girl GRACE ... She is in the picture w/ Jeremiah and sweet baby Caleb ... She is a dream of a girl and I just adore her ... She loves on my kids and Emily considers her one of her "bestest buddies" ...

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE WHEELER FAMILY ... THEY ARE ON A PLANE TO GUATEMALA RIGHT NOW TO CARE FOR THEIR VERY SICK DAUGHTER ... THEY HAVE BEEN JOURNEYING TO ELIANA FOR QUITE A LONG TIME AND THE ROAD HAS BEEN BUMPY AS IT OFTEN IS W/ ADOPTION ...

I bring this to you because I know you understand this journey, you understand how parenting can stretch you like no other journey in your life, and because when you say you will pray that you do w/great passion and dedication !!!!

love you all .... Sorry I have been silent this week ... I have been quite sick w/ a virus ... I am much better today ... Will check in on you all soon ...

The title does go well together don't you think ???? I can't really put into words how I feel about my honey ... He deserves a happy Father's Day celebration everyday ... He always puts us first ... He makes decision based on what is best for his family ... He could be coaching at a big college somewhere and never be at home, but he always made the decision that while the children are young he wants to be home ... He re-signed from coaching while I was in China because of Maggie's condition and picked up the load here at home while I loved on her and helped her to heal ... There are times I can't believe all he has given up in the secular world to be here and be present in the daily life stuff ... I love him and adore him ... Thank you Lord for the Father in my house and a special shout out to my dad (Allen), my father-in-law (Poppy), and my sweet sweet uncle (Boo Boo), and my brother (Paul) ... These men are fabulously gifted and have impacted many lives ... I love you !!!






NOW FOR THE PANTIES, PANTIES, PANTIES ...OK, no "haters please" ... Miss Maggie has potty trained herself ... We are on day 4 of panties w/ only one accident ... Now before anyone starts saying how unfair this is may I remind you of the fact that I am up every night TILL MIDNIGHT w/ the princess who doesn't sleep (or even nap well) or the fact that she can throw a temper tantrum like no other in Target or the fact that she will scratch your eyes out if you come near her stuff or her fabulously loud NOs, or her OCDness w/ buttons (now don't feel bad for her bratty behavior because I have learned to thank the Lord for it ... She is a survivor ... She needed to be strong willed to survive what she did and I am so thankful she did survive because she brings HOPE to me every day) ...YEAH MAGS, mommy is so proud of you !!!

SURGERY UPDATE ... OK, I think this is the last change and the correct course of action for the sweet baby girl ... Due to insurance changes and the new job, we will be starting surgery in Jan 09' ... The doctor has decided to do scalp extenders (stretching her scalp) to pull this skin over the new bone that will be put in ... He feels the skin she already has is attached to her brain and he doesn't want to chance removing it (YA THINK ... UNBELIEVABLE) ... This process will require us to go to the hospital once a week for about 3-6 months for them to inflate the balloons in her head ... Then they will let the skin relax then put the bone in sometime during the summer or fall ... PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY ... This all seems so unimaginable to me, but I know the Lord has sent us a really good doctor ...

THE BOOK ... I am working on a title right now ... There are 51 writers ... I received 3 more stories last week ... Please if you haven't consider writing, pray about it ... I know your story can touch someone ... The stories are so different ... It is like when you sit in church and some sermons touch your very soul and some just glide over you .... When the a sermon may glide over you it may touch someone else's very soul ... I hope that makes sense ... I just know we are to give an account of the good God has done in our life and THE BOOK will share the story and I know God can get it into the hands of those who need to read it ...

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ...

Our friends got their referral today ... They have been waiting 2 1/2 years ... PRAISE THE LORD for His perfect timing ... Stop by and support this fabulous, godly family ...

Hello sweet friends ... It has been a very busy break ... Scott and I are constantly these days looking for direction from the Lord about our future for Him ... He is definitely moving us in a direction, just not sure what it is yet ... Please pray w/ us as we seek Him ... Elijah is swimming on a swim team, Jeremiah is playing basketball, and the two girls are just "DOING" non-stop ...

Our prayers are heavy for our friends the Chapman family, we are excited about a few families traveling to bring home their children, we were honored that 4 of the 6 Oatsvall Team participated in a beautiful wedding this past weekend, we re-charged our battery at the lakehouse w/ friends (well as re-charged as you can get w/ 10 kids ... hee hee ), and we are thankful to have a Lord who loves us no matter what and understands all of our emotions and the twirling of our heart at times ...

I am beyond thrilled that we have reached 50 writers for the book ... The stories are so much more than stories they are "REAL TESTIMONIES" to what God is doing in our midst ... The journeys range from domestic to international. I can't even describe how different each story is and for that I feel is the true realization of how big and amazing our Lord is .... If we could explain our stories easily then it probably wasn't as much God ordained as we thought (if that makes sense) ... I read them and I immediately pray "God get this story in the hands to those that need to read it." I truly believe that each story is meant to touch someone and that THE BOOK will do God's work no matter how big or small that may be because in reality what is big or small to God ... Thank you all for your encouraging words over the past few weeks ... It has meant so much to me and has helped me to heal ... You are a very strong faith bunch ...

I love you all ... Stay encouraged today because you have a Savior that never leaves you !!!

How do I even explain what my heart does when I get news that someone is adopting ... My heart sings, does cartwheels, yells, gets all fuzzy warm, and then I proceed to eat chocolate like crazy because I get extremely hyper !!!!

I got an email tonight from a dear sweet friend that I have know for many years ... I had them on my "HIT LIST" for adoption (that is the list of people who I THINK should adopt ... So if you are one of those people you better watch out ) .... She they are ready to start paperwork ... I am beyond thrilled and honored they shared this w/ me ...

I have a feeling that THE BOOK is going to touch many of those people in the "considering adoption" stage ... I think if you look people in the eye and share your story then you grab their heart ... I am never shy about sharing my family's story ... God has marked us out on a great path that is fill w/ so many emotions both joyful and hard, and in the midst of it all GOD SHOWS UP BIG ....

We are off to the lake w/ some friends for the week, so I will check back in ... I am sorry I haven't checked in on you all lately, but with our sweet friends the Chapman's hurting it has been a very soul searching time for us ... God is wrapping His arms around many now and beginning to heal and guide ... I thank you all for your sweet words and ask you to continue to lift up this family and their extended family by name ...

Love You All ...