New photos explained

When I started this blog ( which I did not have help with even though I asked) I did not know how to upload photos. I did know, however, how to upload videos, which is why I did the slideshow. I recently learned how to upload photos and when I looked back at my old posts, they looked boring without photos.  I have gone back and added photos to my old posts.

Why I love the Holidays

The Christmas Decorations are down, The new presents are broken in and the holiday season is pretty much over but I have to say I had a great holiday. My family's Christmas is awesome. Some people would use a different word maybe, but I love it. Sure it is crazy with ten kids under the age of twelve all trying to sit quietly while one kid opens their present and by the end no one knows whose turn it  is and it is a free for all with wrapping paper everywhere, but I love it that way.

Carissa opening her stocking



I had a lot of fun with my older siblings. Karl took some of us to see the Hobbit and there's nothing like watching a prequel to the best movie of all time and arguing over how they changed too much. If you don't know already, some of the Sorrells are nerds.  We are Star trek/Star wars fans and also fans of Lord of the Rings so much so that we can quote whole scenes, or at least Daniel and Paul can. Daniel and I got into a game called Munchkins. We played about three times and I was beaten.... badly but I blame the rules.  Yes, let's go with that.... Now my older brothers are back at their homes or college but it was fun/annoying having them around.

Karl opening his stocking very eagerly

As for the Sorrells' girls, aka Genny, Rebekah, Tina and I, let's say some days we are best friends and other days we are sisters. But 'Im glad that Tinas first Christmas was with us and that Genny got to be here to stay. 

Tina and Genny getting their first presents from us.

As I was babysitting for another family, I happened to notice how small their table looked with only four chairs.  I don't know what Christmas is like for people with smaller families but I love our holidays because of the excitement, the energy and the fact that when I am opening my present surrounded by my sixteen siblings and other family I love it because I feel surrounded by God's love surrounded by miracles from around the world. I feel doubly blessed because God has given me a triple-portion of family and I will always be surround by plenty of it. I feel like I have the best family in the world and it is what I imagine heaven will be like surrounded by the love of thousands who I call my family and that's why I love the holidays. 

2013

A New Year and it is starting great. When I look back at all that has happened, my head starts spinning.  In 2013, my Grandma died unexpectedly, I was in my first car wreck, one sister had open heart surgery and another was placed in the hospital for a week. However, on a brighter note, here are some of the great things that happened in 2013.

1:  I got a new sister, Tina.

After eight months of paperwork, we finally brought Tina home in March.
I now share a room with this Amazing, Panda-Loving, Older sister.

2: My mom  moved all of us into different bedrooms so I got an amazing new bedroom with Tina.

3: I learned how to cook more recipes.

This is me making chicken stir- fry.

I spent 20 minutes cutting up chicken,  carrots and onions

Tina helped.

Then

 Ta-da!

 

 

Four: I went to Pennsylvania

Dad, Tina, Rebekah and I got to travel to Pennsylvania, ROADTRIP!!!!!

 There was Snow!!!!

 

 

 

 And Coffee!!!!( or hot chocolate)

 

 

 

The reason for going to Pennsylvania was to get another new sister Genevie( Genny). This adoption was a lot faster and unexpected. We might have been hesitant at first but I don't think I could ever regret getting Genny so...
5: I got another new sister who I also share a room with.

Meeting Genny

 

 

 My older sisters

 

 

 

From China and the Philippians, my sisters from

around the world.

 

 

Family photo( except Nicholas) along with Grandparents, Uncle Paul, Aunt Kymberlee, Cousin Evie and Daniel's friend, Elizabeth

 

It was a great year and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me in this new one.

 Happy New Year from The Sorrells.

 

 

Holiday Happenings

My posts have been scarce lately, I know, but with the holidays coming up my schedule has been packed with christmas concerts, basketball games, christmas parades and usual holiday craziness. In our house that means twice as much as usual. On Thanksgiving, for example, we have two turkeys. We also have two huge pans of potatoes, three bags of stuffing, and so on. Even so, I love the craziness... most of the time. 

Christmas time is here!!!

In other news, we finally get to meet Genny! I am having so many mixed feelings: excitement, suspense, anxiety and maybe a little bit of jealousy. The thought of having another girl near my age is weird. It's even stranger since she's older than me. But I am determined that no matter what, I am going to try my best to make her part of my family.

Right now I am writing this at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Nashville. I drove up here with my older brother Daniel and his "friend" *cough, cough* Elizabeth.

Daniel and Elizabeth

 I was the designated chaperone. So far I have had a great time. We had a special filipino dinner cooked by Elizabeth and Daniel. I am always so shocked at how quiet dinners are at people's houses who have one child; its so relaxing and *sigh* quiet.

Anyway, I decided to include a piece about Daniel in this post. 

Daniel!!!!!

Daniel is my eighteen-year-old brother whose only bad trait is that he has no humility. I guess I can understand his pride because he is good at everything, and I'm not kidding. He was the captain of his high school soccer and basketball teams, debate head coach, an amazing trombone player, has great humor, got a full tuition scholarship to UAH, and basically anything he wants to be good at, he is good at.

Daniel, I would say for me and some of our younger siblings, can be the biggest supporter. However, he can also be your biggest critic. Whenever Daniel is around, I end up laughing my head off. 

Typical Daniel

On such example is the time I walked into the kitchen and Daniel was hosting an impromptu dance party with our little siblings. Daniel has extremely flexible hips and was moving them in a large circle to loud music. Because he was doing it, all the kids joined in. When Mom walked in, they were all shaking their hips. Everyone stopped when they saw her just long enough to say "Hey, Mom!" Mom stopped, stared, and left without a word. As soon as she was gone, we resumed dancing. That's normal for my family, sadly.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. Ciao!

Sorrells Family slideshow

I finally figured out how to upload videos so here is my family, and sorry if the video quality is bad, not my fault blame Google

Genny, Carissa and more

Whew! This last week has been hectic.  My mom had to go to Birmingham and then both parents were gone this weekend. They went up to Pennsylvania to meet our new sister, Genny, and no. Genny didn’t come home with them.   However, my Dad videoed the meeting so we got to see what she was like. 

Genny!!!!

 It’s actually taken me awhile to realize this is actually happening and it has been a struggle since I am still uncertain about this. Part of me is saying that this is too much for our family and that it will tear us apart, but then another part of me tells me that all my reasoning is mostly stupid. I worry about things like, will my parents like her better or does this mean I don’t get to drive.  Silly, yep, it’s then when I imagine myself like this. I’m walking along the along the edge of a cliff with a blindfold.  Each step I take is uncertain and I am scared and I fall but I hear God telling me that He will guide me and He will catch me.  He is telling me to trust Him, so, Jenny, I can’t wait to meet you. Changing the subject since last time I talked a little about Jessica aka Baby, I decided to talk about the next youngest, Carissa. 

Carissa!!!!

Carissa is four years old and to my mother’s great disdain and embarrassment is still not completely potty trained. We don’t know why she can go months without an accident and then one week my mom is again cleaning up the messes.  Other than that, Carissa is a sweet little girl whose pet peeve is her brothers, Daniel and Jeremy, who tease her the most out of all their little sisters.  But don’t worry Carissa, I love you J. Also I decided for people that read this blog, if anybody is reading it, for the people who don’t know us or don’t see us that often, I put together a slideshow of my family. It might be little sketchy but it’s the best I could do with my limited computer skills, which I blame on me being fourteen and blond. Anyway, that is all I have for today and in the words of Veggie Tales “remember God made you special and He loves you very much” BYE!!!!  

Crazy

Well, I guess I have to take back what I said about our lives slowing down This next week is going to be one of those crazy weeks, my Grandpa who has leukemia is now back on chemotherapy, my mom has to go to Birmingham for Anna’s yearly check up and now some TV person wants to interview our family. This all on top of us adopting another kid.  
On a brighter note, I sound old saying this, but I cant believe how fast baby is growing up . One thing about baby is DO NOT be fooled by her looks. She is a smart, manipulative little girl who managed to get to her favorite app on the Ipad using Siri. Today I realized just how big she is. Here is a conversation I shared with my two year old sister,
 “ Kaela, where is mommy?” 
“Mommy is on her way back from Cincinnati” 
“ Why she go there, I need her here” 
“ Why do you need her” 
“ Because when mommy is here its funner” 
“ Why is it funner?”
 “ Because she yells a lot and makes us happy”
 Well, my little sister is a lot more perceptive than I thought.  

my perceptive sister

I am thinking of doing a blog entry of each of my siblings because I can't describe them in a sentence.  
This is when I realize I have the best family in the world. As I was holding Haley today because she was crying, I realized I would never take back adopting any of my siblings. My life would never be the same without them and I love each of them so much.  It makes up for the bad times so even though we have crazy lives and I have no privacy and we sometimes yell and call each other names,  I remember how many good times we have, how we are never alone and I would never ever trade it for something else.  So call us crazy, stupid or misled, we will keep leading our crazy lives and having a blast while doing it. . . I just hope it’s not an actual blast.