Devlin Family Circus

Devlin Family Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-19T11:52:00.001-05:00

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Photo Shoot on Hatteras

2011-08-15T18:45:00.009-04:00

Lily's Adoption Day

2011-07-09T10:26:00.004-04:00

Hard to believe it's been 9 years since our sweet Lily joined our family! She decided a trip to Wrightsville Beach was how she wanted to celebrate.

Summer Camp Time

2011-07-01T12:30:00.013-04:00

June was the month for Summer Camp. Ben and Owen went to a preschool camp at Richland Creek Church one week, Ben and Lily went to Victory Soccer Camp (sponsored by our church, Christ Our Hope PCA) the next week and then Lily went to Girl Talk Camp at Richland Creek the week after that. Oh, and Suzy was a "runner/helper" at soccer camp. I am exhausted from all the activity the past three weeks but the kids had a blast. When we weren't too tired from all that, we hung out at the neighborhood pool. When does summer break start? :-D

Preschool Camp

Victory Soccer Camp

Lily's team won the World Cup for their age group!

Ben won the crazy hat day prize!

Girl Talk Camp

Swimming

Day at Joyner Park

2011-05-15T06:50:00.004-04:00

Faith, Hope, Love Quilt

2011-05-07T18:09:00.006-04:00

Go over to my friend Karen's blog for a chance to win this quilt I made - all proceeds go to help them bring home their adorable son Max from China!

Suzy's First Prom

2011-05-07T12:08:00.011-04:00

Day at the Landfill Park (I kid you not!)

2011-05-04T15:54:00.004-04:00

Ben's 6th Birthday

2011-05-04T14:13:00.010-04:00

Ben turned 6 (unbelievable!!!) on May 1st and we took the younger 3 to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate. They had a blast - we are exhausted :-)

these last three pics are of the giant inflatable ball Aunt Amy and Uncle Tom sent - big hit!

Tornadoes in Raleigh

2011-05-04T13:59:00.004-04:00

Crazy thing about tornadoes - how they hop and skip wherever they want to go... We narrowly missed the tornadoes that hit Raleigh a few weeks ago. Only damage to us was some missing siding and a 40' tree that fell between our house and the neighbors. Others nearby weren't so lucky. Praising God we were spared...

Camping with friends at Myrtle Beach

2011-03-27T13:34:00.016-04:00

Xīn Nián Kuài Lè - Happy Year of the Rabbit

2011-01-29T20:09:00.004-05:00

Lily danced in the TACAS Chinese New Year Celebration with the FCC dancers again this year. She was a Miao Minority Cups Dancer. They jingled two little cups in each hand in time to the music - not an easy feat! She was so worried she would toss one of the cups into the audience - but really, they all did a terrific job!

This is her, "Mom, you're embarrassing me..." look.

A little update - way over due...

2011-01-29T19:41:00.007-05:00

These are photos taken on the day after Christmas on our way out of Raleigh - kids were sad to be leaving so much snow behind, but were excited to see their cousins in Cincinnati.

Happily, there was snow in Ohio - and it's so much more fun to play in it with the cousins!

I love this old snowsuit - it was Max's when he was little...

Hannah and Lily

Andrew

Back home again and while Lily and I cleaned out the craft and games closet, the boys played with long lost games...

John's new game - we love it!

My craft/game closet "after" - I can't show you the before because I couldn't really get the door open. I seriously started to worry that I had become one of those crazy hoarders on the Discovery Channel!

OK, you can't really see it but this is Ben playing soccer - he scored 3 goals this week! Go Ben!

Family Photos 2010

2010-12-16T13:08:00.017-05:00

Photography by the wonderful Erica Louws - if you are in Raleigh, you should check her out :-)
http://ericalouwsphotography.tumblr.com/

Tour of USS Gravely (pre-commissioning)

2010-11-15T13:32:00.005-05:00

Orphan Sunday

2010-11-07T15:52:00.001-05:00

Orphan Sunday from Greg Buzek on Vimeo.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T08:31:00.005-04:00

Cookie Decorating Party with our Central American Adoptive Families Playgroup

2010-10-30T09:56:00.003-04:00

Visit to Frankies

2010-10-30T09:49:00.004-04:00

Lily's 9th Birthday

2010-10-17T19:21:00.005-04:00

Pierced ears for the new 9 yr old!

Jello Poke Cake - all my kids love it...

Rollerskating!

Love Without Boundaries Walkathon

2010-10-14T19:40:00.004-04:00

On October 24, John and I will be participating in the 5K Walk for Hope and Healing at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, NC. We are walking to benefit orphaned children in China, on a team for Love Without Boundaries (www.TeamLWB.com ) and we are asking for your help to make an even greater difference.

There are over a million orphaned children in China, many of them living in institutions. Throughout the orphanage system in China, there are babies who need an extra dose of care. These children are among the most vulnerable due to being born with medical needs that often cannot be met in an institutional setting. The money raised by Team LWB in the walk will benefit Love Without Boundaries’ Cleft Medical Mission, to repair cleft lips and palates for orphaned children. Love Without Boundaries Healing Homes are dedicated to caring for these medically fragile orphans. They are staffed with well-trained nannies that devote their time to the careful nurturing of these children, allowing them to put on needed weight, receive surgery if necessary, or recover after surgery in a safe, well monitored environment. These homes are truly lifesaving for these babies.

These precious children are more than just numbers or statistics. They are valuable and they matter, and through no fault of their own are abandoned, without a family to care for them, often with a medical condition that leaves them even more vulnerable. In 2008, LWB opened Anhui Cleft Healing Home welcoming babies born with cleft lip and palate into a safe and warm environment. Trained nannies devote their time to the careful feeding of the children, and LWB provides surgery to correct their cleft lip at the first possible opportunity. LWB’s second home, Henan Cleft Healing Home opened in June 2009, providing nurturing care to cleft affected children in one of China's poorest provinces. In late 2010, LWB plans to open the Fujian Healing Home which will serve children with cleft lip/palate and other special needs as well.

Our goal is to raise funds which will help support a child like the one you see pictured above who is in one of LWB’s Healing Homes. If you would like to help me do this, you can donate online specifically for me by going to http://www.teamlwb.com/5k-walk-for-hope-and-healing-e22/anne-devlin-m190/ Or you may send a check directly to Love Without Boundaries, P.O. Box 25016 Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0016. Please make the check payable to LWB and note my name and 2010 Walk for Hope and Healing 5K on your check. If you are interested in walking with me on October 24^th, please let me know J I would love to have you join with our family to stand up for orphans.

Love Without Boundaries is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax exempt. In 2009 they delivered over one million dollars of direct humanitarian aid to children, while maintaining an overhead of less than 10%. LWB holds Charity Navigator's highest 4-star rating. For more information about Love Without Boundaries, visit www.lovewithoutboundaries.com.

Your donation will truly change the lives of children. Thank you for helping me give the priceless gift of hope and healing to a child in need.

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans..." Isaiah 1:17

JiangXi Girls Reunion in Cincinnati

2010-08-25T16:43:00.004-04:00

We had a lovely weekend reunion in Cincinnati with 8 of the 12 families that we traveled with in China while we were adopting Lily. So fun to see how much the girls have all grown and changed over the years!

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-07-14T11:41:00.007-04:00

Celebrated my 40th b-day at Great Wolf Lodge cuz I'm a kid at heart, I guess... anyway, it was a blast! Ben surprised me the most - pretty fearless and went down every slide he was big enough to ride. This is the kid who wouldn't budge from the steps at the edge of the pool at the beginning of summer - now he swims like a little fish, under the water / eyes open, no less! Suzy and Lily tried hard to get me to go down the two BIG (read "high up") slides, but though I tried 3 or 4 times, I couldn't make myself climb past the 3rd flight of stairs. I hate being afraid of heights - love the slides once I'm on them, it's just the getting there that is the problem. ;-P Wish they put elevators on water slides! Owen had a great time, too. Had a mishap on the first water slide he rode - somehow ended up going down head first and plunged under water. So, that was it for him and the bigger water slides. He was happiest in the kiddie zone with the small slides. His favorite thing was the giant bucket of water that dumps every 15 mins from 3 stories up! JJ had a great time, too - though he broke a toe somehow (caught it on a slide)... ouch!

Kure Beach and a run in with the wildlife

2010-06-16T15:29:00.008-04:00

This is the shark Suzy stepped on -it was dying already when they netted it. Lifeguard said it had been hooked in the gills by a fisherman and was probably bleeding out. Kids were thrilled - mamas, not so much!

Teeny Wahine

2010-06-14T14:33:00.006-04:00

Lily and her cousins Hannah and Whitley took a surfing lesson - we were all shocked that they did so well. Seemed almost effortless! My brothers took paddle boarding lessons later in the afternoon - not so effortless, apparently ;-)

NC Museum of Life and Science in Durham

2010-05-15T16:55:00.008-04:00

Spring Break - Part 2

2010-04-09T08:25:00.010-04:00

My brother Jon and his wife Angie brought their 3 kids (Andrew, Hannah and Jack) down to Raleigh for a few days - it was in the 90's a couple of those days and felt like summer. We even got to ride the bumper boats at Frankies!

Easter

2010-04-08T13:54:00.008-04:00

Spring Break with the Elsass cousins at Wrightsville Beach

2010-04-06T16:22:00.016-04:00

I met my sis-in -law, Amy (Tom's wife) down at Wrightsville Beach - our poor hubbies had to work, so it was just us and the kids (her's are Whitley, Wyatt and Skyler). It was a lot of work, but so much fun!

Our 20th wedding anniversary getaway to the Outer Banks

2010-04-06T15:39:00.005-04:00

Father Daughter Dance and random school days

2010-04-06T15:22:00.006-04:00

How's that for an update - since I'm so far behind with posts, I'm throwing together some really odd combos. This is from Feb. so I've got a few months worth to post :-O

Snow Day!

2010-01-30T13:06:00.005-05:00

Southern version of the sled - the boogie board!

This is JJ flinging Max down the street on the boogie board!

Paci in the mouth so he would stop licking the snow - ewww!

Fun with the cousins in Ohio and Indiana

2010-01-30T12:34:00.006-05:00

A gingerbread house and other Christmas fun

2009-12-07T21:11:00.003-05:00

The stockings were hung...

This is the gingerbread house (kit) we decorated - Ben and Owen ate their weight in candy!

A Very Busy Saturday!

2009-11-21T19:33:00.005-05:00

Don't know WHAT I was thinking when I planned all these activities for this Saturday - ended up being fun but I am beat. First we met up with Nanny and Kelly and went to Homewood Garden Center for the Holiday Open House and voted on our favorite new poinsettia varieties, then headed to Blue Jay Pointe where Daddy was playing flag football with friends from church - we took a short hike to the lake and played on the playground. Then we had lunch before heading downtown to the NC History Museum for a Native American Festival. At least we ended it in the right way with Krispy Kreme!

This was the only photo I took at the NC History Museum's Native American Festival - they are in a dugout canoe...

A Walk in the Park

2009-11-19T08:26:00.003-05:00

Not many pictures of the boys - they wouldn't stop moving to take pics!

Marbles Kids Museum

2009-11-16T12:47:00.007-05:00

Ben working with REAL tools - he was in heaven!

So glad I'm the one taking pictures so I don't have to go out there.

The stomp rockets were a hit

Orphan Care Sunday - How You Can Make a Difference!

2009-11-06T07:27:00.014-05:00

You will need to click the pause button on my friend Christa Wells' music player to hear this video - but be sure to turn her back on when you're done - she rocks! :-)

10 Ways You Can Help Orphans

1. PRAY for them:

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." -Matthew 7:7-8

“I had been in many prayer groups interceding for the things of God but that night I was surrounded by people who have never been involved in praying as a group. And what touched me was the move of God upon this group as they wept and cried out for the foster care children, workers, and others involved! Truly humbling!”

- Tape a waiting child’s picture to your dashboard and pray for the child every time you’re in a car. Visit AdoptUsKids.org or RainbowKids.com.
- Organize an evening prayer vigil at your church and pray for children in foster care or an orphanage overseas.

2. SPEAK up for them

"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy." -Proverbs 31:8-9

“I didn’t think a whole lot of it at the time. I received an email about a teenage girl from Ethiopia who needed an adoptive home right away. I forwarded it on to some good friends who forwarded it one more time to some friends of theirs. That’s all it took. That young woman now has a forever family. Who would have thought speaking up for an orphan could be as easy as hitting the forward button?”

- Carry a waiting child’s picture and show it to other believers. Ask if they, or someone they know, would give this child a home.
- Become a court appointed special advocate for a child in foster care. Visit NationalCASA.org for details.

3. PROVIDE for their needs:

"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food…and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" -James 2:15-16

“I looked up. There was the boy with a missing smile…He extended his hands to me, his burned brown hands. I took my wipe and cleaned each of his precious palms…The language barrier crumbled as I was just a mom caring for a boy’s hands the way they should be cared for. It wasn’t the shoes, or the toy or candy...it was a simple act of love and the boy who lost his smile, found it. He hugged me tight and called me Amiga…friend. The smile he gave me was more precious than any gift I had offered him…I had been transformed by an orphan; I was con-quered by a smile.”

- Give sacrificially to a reputable orphanage. Financial gifts can be designated for specific items and aid needed by orphans. Visit HelpOrphans.org for more information.
- Organize a drive in your church to collect school supplies for children in foster care or shoes for orphans overseas. Visit GainUSA.org or ShoesForOrphanSouls.org.

4. SUPPORT those who support them:

"…and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds..." -Hebrews 10:24

“We were expecting a baby, but when our foster agency called us about a six year-old instead, we felt we just couldn’t say no. We agreed to take her into our home, but we found ourselves in need of several items. A friend from our Sunday School class passed around a list of our needs, and within days, we had a new bed, linens, a dresser, and other items we needed for our new daughter.”

- Mow, baby sit, or organize meals for a week for foster parents. Pray with them and tell them you appreciate what they do. Encourage a family adopting an older child by hosting a shower for them.

5. PROTECT them from harm:

" The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, but He thwarts the way of the wicked." –Psalm 146:9

Sam and Janet have fostered many children over the last decade. In one emergency placement, they agreed to take in Duane, who’d been abused. One day, while playing, Duane followed Janet into the laundry room. As she poured the bleach into the machine, Duane ran away, screaming, “Please don’t put bleach in my eyes. I haven’t been a bad boy!” Janet wrapped Duane in her arms, assuring him he was safe now.

- Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent.
- Raise money to build a children’s home to help remove children from the streets. Visit WorldOrphans.org for details.

6. VISIT them where they are:

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." -James 1:27

“As we turned to leave the orphanage, one of the boys had asked to address our entire group. Smiling, 15 year-old Israel said, ‘Thank you so much for bringing us the candy, the Bibles...thank you for playing games with us and telling us about Jesus. Please don’t forget us. Please come back.’ And then, after a silence, with tears in his eyes, he spoke one more time. The translator, through her own tears, told us Israel’s words, ‘Today was the best day of my life.’”

- Go on a mission trip to an orphanage as an individual or family. Visit GainUSA.org or HelpOrphans.org for information.
- Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.

7. GIVE sacrificially to them:

"Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." -2 Corinthians 9:7

Eight year-old Alex of Uganda lost his parents to AIDS at an early age. Before long, God provided for him and more than fifty of his brothers, sisters, and cousins, through a ministry called Ugandan Lambs at Grace Brethren Church in Long Beach, California. When a congenital heart defect was discovered, his sponsor raised over $15,000 from the church and community, more than double the amount needed to pay for the surgery that has now saved his life. One young boy even gave money he had held onto for over a year since his grandfather had given to him.

- Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.
- Support reputable orphan care organizations on a regular basis.
- Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs. Visit ShaohannahsHope.org or LifeSongForOrphans.org.

8. ENCOURAGE them to press on:

"We urge you brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone." –1 Thessalonians 5:14

“We met Kent while working as house parents at a children’s home, but he soon aged out of the system. Not wanting him to be without support, our family celebrates his birthdays with him and invites him over on holidays. We talk once a week, encouraging him, and sometimes providing the tough answers he needs. For four years now, God has used Kent to refine our hearts and to encourage us as our children have seen and learned how to reach out to and love others as Jesus calls us to do.”

- Sponsor a child, support them financially, and encourage them through your letters. Visit VsionTrust.org to learn more.
- Become a mentor or tutor to a teenager in a foster group-home.

9. ADOPT them into your family:

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God is His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…" -Psalm: 68:5-6a NIV

“It was a typical evening dinner with my family. Kilyan, my two year-old son that we had recently adopted, sat across from me in the chair he’d claimed for months since our return from China. Tonight, though, he looked up at me with his huge grin and said, ‘You’re my daddy.’ Looking back through tear-filled eyes I could only whisper, ‘Yes I am.’”

- Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption.
- Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system.

10. MOBILIZE your church for them:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you." -Matthew 28:18-20

Irene grew tired of reading the stories of abuse and neglect among the foster children of South Florida. She began knocking on doors, trying to find anyone who would listen. Her persistence paid off when she reached the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Fort Lauderdale, who took a huge leap of faith. Now, a few years later, 4Kids of South Florida has grown into a ministry that has blessed thousands of children through adoption, foster care, mentoring, and more.

- Be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry. Visit HopeForOrphans.org for resources.

Owen's 1st Lego set

2009-11-04T17:02:00.001-05:00

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T07:18:00.002-05:00

Big Buzz, Jesse and Little Buzz (no one wanted to be Woody!)

A cat, a tree and a funny face

Suzy and her friend Hannah as spider lady

Suzy playing with the jazz band at Frankenfest

Three Sleeping Amigos

2009-10-30T20:48:00.001-04:00

Date night with Owen

2009-10-30T20:42:00.001-04:00

Owen's birthday trucks from Grandma Elsass

2009-10-30T20:28:00.003-04:00

Playing outside on a lovely Fall day

2009-10-30T20:22:00.001-04:00

Birthday Party for Owen (2) and Lily (8)

2009-10-30T19:37:00.007-04:00

Some last "baby in a towel" pictures of Owen

2009-10-30T19:24:00.004-04:00

NC State Fair

2009-10-28T18:09:00.004-04:00

Saturday morning wrestling match

2009-10-12T13:12:00.001-04:00

a long overdue update...

2009-10-08T10:42:00.003-04:00

Owen - caught in the act!

Owen - looking through a photo book

Ben - on the balance thingy while playing wii

Lily - working on math :-)

Photo Shoot at Duke Gardens with Kimberly Naranjo of Evolve Studios

2009-09-12T16:09:00.006-04:00

Finally getting around to posting the AMAZING photos from our session with Kimberly Naranjo of Evolve Studios

Please Keep Skyler in Your Prayers

2009-08-16T22:21:00.003-04:00

UPDATE!!! Skyler is out of surgery and doing well! Praise God!!! Please keep her in your prayers as she recovers this week...

My sweet 4 yr old niece Skyler is having a big heart surgery (Fontan completion) tomorrow (August 17) and we all would appreciate any prayers you might offer for this precious one. Here is my favorite picture of her in her cute little cowboy boots. She is one special girl!

Homeschool Curriculum for the New School Year

2009-08-11T15:17:00.002-04:00

I've had a number of friends ask me what we are going to be using/doing in our home school this year, so I thought I'd post the list here:

Suzy (9th grade - turning 15 soon)
Teaching Textbooks pre-Algebra
Apologia Physical Science (used in a co-op with friends)
Grammar Made Easy
Punctuation Made Easy
Typing Instructor Deluxe
Visualize ASL cdrom
History (1600 - mid 1800's) not sure of program - definitely lit based(in a co-op with friends)
Take a Closer Look for Teens (devotional)
she plays trumpet in band and takes art lessons - her REAL passion in life :-)

Lily (2nd grade - turns 8 in Oct)
Horizon Math 3 (she's a smarty pants at math)
Spectrum Spelling Grade 2
Horizons Penmanship Grade 2
God and Me Devotional Series (Girls 6-9)
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures (in a co-op with friends)
Grammar Practice Simplified
Explode the Code (to re-inforce phonics)
Story of the World Vol. 3 (in a co-op with friends)
Lily takes Mandarin lessons and gymnastics (recreational)

A Day at Duke Gardens

2009-08-11T14:39:00.004-04:00

We met a professional photographer at Duke Gardens a few weeks ago for a photo session with the kids - these are some of my very much UN-professional shots from that day. :-) Can't wait to see the ones that Kimberly Naranjo at Evolve Studio shot!

Weekend Getaway to Wrightsville Beach

2009-08-07T18:50:00.009-04:00