An update by Christy Conner...

January 2008
Greetings from the Homefront,

I will give you a little peek of life with the Conner’s.

GRACE: Now an independent 5 year old has started tap dancing. She had her first show and did an amazing job. We were surprised to see her shine on stage. Grace is generally shy and quiet in public, but put her with her best friend Leah, or Keith and I and she is a chatter bug. She is into everything princess and loves to dress up. Changing her clothing is a favorite activity and we have renamed her Princess Sling A Lot. Any craft is fun for our little princess. She still loves to care for her many stuffed animals and her new fish. The goldfish we got Grace for her birthday began with the name Princess. It changed over the holidays to Christmas and is currently Martin Luther King Jr. . Next she will be President and then Valentine. Hopefully our little goldfish doesn’t have a complex! Grace loves to play games, listen to stories and have snuggle time with Baba and Mama. Part of her nighttime routine is reciting Bible Verses from Sunday School, what a joy to see God’s Word written on her heart!

KEITH: We won’t say how old he is, but he is keeping up with kids of all ages. Over the past few months he tried out some acting in a local community Christmas show. He was able to try a new venue and enjoyed the challenge. He still continues to travel and is writing some new songs. He and band members have written songs and acted in a TV show called That’s Amazing produced by Rick Decker ( Keith’s drummer) which brings science and God’s Word together in an upbeat and kid friendly fashion. If you are ever in Australia you may even see Keith and the Gloworms on TV as a Christian broadcasting company is using the series. Check out the site. thatsamazingvideos.com Keith actually had some free time this fall and completely redid his garage. It now has red and black walls a disco ball, fog and lights. We even celebrated Grace’s birthday in the garage complete with piñata and dance music! He and Grace can be found hanging out in the garage with Grace riding her bike or roller skating. Keith is still a full time Daddy and is trying out culinary skills by making what Grace calls “fancy” meals for dinner. He was able to share his Mr. Mom moments with a few MOPS groups this year. He loved connecting with others who have a similar daily routine as he.

CHRISTY: Yes, me, the glue that holds the family together. We won’t say how old I am, but I can keep up with a 5 year old, a whole class full of second graders and Keith. I guess that means I am really feeling young! I have enjoyed my second grade class this year to the fullest. I am also finding a great deal of joy connecting with some other working moms from my church. My dad passed away this summer after a 7+ year battle with Parkinson’s disease so I am learning a lot about grief. My dad loved Jesus very much and I am confident he is dancing with Jesus in heaven. Although I miss him deeply I know, as Grace says,”Granddad is all better now!” Grace and I enjoy catching up over the weekends with time spent in the kitchen. She is quite the chef and loves to bake with me. It is amazing to watch her learn new cooking skills. We love our evening routine of reading together, snuggling and reciting scripture.

HARLEY: What can you say about our beast? He is huge, loves to play with his toy tire and plastic pig and enjoys chasing squirrels and the occasional cat in the yard. He is our great protector and giant baby at the same time. Our Great Dane is a loved part of the family.

We have done a lot of traveling this summer together. Going to Camp Timber-Lee was a highlight as Grace caught several fish on her Barbie pole and a big bass. Keith then took over catching several snapping turtles and a Northern Pike. It is amazing what you can do with a pink pole. Our family also went camping a few times and tried out our new tent and cooking over a campfire. We loved it! We were able to travel to Florida in the spring and just had a snowy visit with family in Minnesnowta. We keep our suitcases handy ready for any trip with Keith. All of us love hearing from each of you and seeing your pictures. Thanks for supporting us and please continue to pray for our family.

Happy New Year and Blessings to each of you!

Check out the following adoption links:

• Bethany Christian Services (our adoption agency)
• Homeland Children's Foundation (Organization that sponsered children from Grace's orhphanage in Gaoyou City)
• FCC Families With Children From China (IN chapter)

God reached around the world gave us Grace and made our family.