Happy Halloween!

So we don't celebrate Halloween here, but i'm sure a lot of you guys did back home. It's normally one of my favorite things to hand candy out to all the little trick-or-treaters and see their cute costumes. I did have the pleasure of seeing one adorable little ladybug here. Ava's parents dressed her up for a few pictures this morning before they left. It was a black and red polka dotted sleeper with a hood that had ears on it. She looked so cute!

Also, now that Ava is in Taipei with her parents and will be flying home to the states tomorrow, you get the privilege of seeing pictures of her! Here she is:

The happy family meeting for the first time!

This was taken about 2 1/2 weeks after I got here.

Me holding Ava my second day here.

Ava ready to go home to the States with her parents!

Now with Ava gone, we have eight babies again. Caleb has a really bad ear infection, so please be praying for the pain to go away and for it to heal. Jennifer has been having some difficult times at nights because Mr. Jang and Lin have their days and nights mixed up. They are both angels during the day, but have been staying up a lot of the night with Jennifer. Please pray for us as their caretakers to have wisdom and patience with all of the babies and to know when to let them cry and when not to.

Please continue to pray for David and his development! I found myself getting frustrated with him because it is hard to see improvement when you are with him everyday. I want so badly for him to be able to kick his legs and hold his own head up, but I forget that he wants that, too, but can't do anything about it. After all he is just a baby! In the past few days, I found myself getting aggravated at Kwen, too, for not being able to hold onto his toys. I was frustrated with myself for getting frustrated at the babies, so I skyped my mom and asked her advice. I wanted to know if she ever got frustrated with Tyler and me when she was trying to teach us something and we just weren't getting it. Helping me not feel like the meanest person in the world, she said all mothers go through that, and that I have to remember that they are only babies and can't help spitting up, or crying a lot, or not being able to do things. Wow, what a concept, right? :) I feel like that should've been common sense. But, I guess it's my perfectionism in me or my selfishness that comes out in wanting the babies to do what I think they should be able to do or what I want them to do that needs to die. Who knew loving even the cutest babies could be so hard sometimes! It has been a good lesson this week to learn that loving them means to want good for them whether or not that means convenience or happiness for me. I must love them where they are at and have patience with them, understanding that they are only babies. 

Here are some other tidbits of my life:

- I got to play a game of basketball with the older kids last weekend. It was all the girls and Jong Hau (Bob) verse all the boys.

-Elijah stood up by himself for the first time! (He's almost 8 months)

- Kwen lost his hair, so he looks bald and like he is a little marine with a crew cute. Even cuter than before!

-Logan has been talking a lot and is nothing but smiles if you talk to him.

-I learned how to suction out the snot from Ju Ju's nose. I weirdly enjoy doing it.

- Mr. Jang got his first bath today!

-One of the older boys, who is eleven,  cracked a bone in his wrist and had to get a soft cast put on.

- Both Pei Lewyn and Gwo Hwei said my perm was beautiful :)

-Finished reading through Ruth and am on to 1 Samuel. Learned from Judges that it's not okay do have everyone just do as he sees fit. We must look to God.

-Got to talk to Lindsey and Matt Bartlett on skype!!

Love to everyone! Ai.