More Picture Day

I know they are mine, but I am just in awe of them sometimes. Yeah in awe that they actually did THAT like running down the driveway naked, or seriously chewed up a whole package of gum then spit it ALL out under a bed, or used markers on the wall, the chair, themselves. But when I can get past those things, I am simply in awe of them. That God allowed me to have them. I am blessed.

Picture Day!

What better way to spend a rainy day than inside at a portrait studio? The girls actually did really well for their pictures. I have a ton to post later. It was very hard to choose. I just love these little pink outfits I bought in China, sweet! (thanks Mike & Gail for the gift card, great idea!)

Happy Referral Day!

What do you get when you have a pastor who has a heartbeat for China?

And his wife a passion for children along with a heart that is willing to ask and listen to God?

Add in some friends who believe in adoption? (and one who might be guilty of being a bit pushy on the subject!)



You get a referral from CHINA!

Isn't she gorgeous? Look at those eyes and those tiny features and that mohawk! Yes, it is a girl!

What a FUN Day! You might remember our pastor and his wife started an adoption almost 2 years ago. They began the journey to Vietnam, with the wait to China being so crazy, but after all their paperwork was there, the door closed. So, after much prayer they found an agency for China they liked and began the paperchase all over again. It was hard on them. Anyone on the adoption road knows what a struggle it is. It seems the end is never in sight. But after JUST turning in their completed dossier about a week or so ago, they got the call today! I just cried and cried when she called. I felt like it was ME getting a referral! I LOVE referral day! Some neat things I found really cool and totally red threadish..

• She will be 2 in June. Her siblings have birthdays in March, April & May.
  
• Her name is said like Sheil (or that is what we thought when we listened to it online) and her mamas name is Sheila.
• I think she looks like her big sister in the face. I really really do!




• She has a repaired ASD. Heart condition. How cool is it that not only do we have a heart baby, but we were able to get advice from other friends of ours at church who adopted a heart baby! Now that God would give Jonathan & Sheila a heart baby, only God.



• She lives in Maverys province! (which is kind of like saying the same state)

Jonathan calling the agency to accept her referral! (he was not happy I was taking pictures, men!)

Proud Big Sister! Jordan has been SO excited and anxious and ready to adopt for a very long time! She gets to go to China with her parents, how fun will that be!
At last! Finally seeing Gods promise in one sweet little face. I just love seeing families being made. Gets my heart beat going and that ooey gooey feeling flowing and I asked Mark are you sure we should not think about it once more..... Sigh.

Congratulations Jonathan & Sheila, we love you and are so excited and I will be over to help you get that blog started, you know everyone is counting on you do do that!

What will Baby Bee?

On Sunday I was able to celebrate this sweet little guy with his parents, our church family and friends. Omari was born at just 26 weeks along and is doing amazing. Terri & Renaldo just joined our church family not to long ago. Renaldo was my BFF Julies foster son when he was younger for a time. He is an amazing christian young man and we consider it a blessing that we have been able to get to know them.

We went with a Bee theme that I saw on tip junkie (that site is the best!) and ran with it. My friend made this adorable cake. She is just getting into decorating and I think she did an amazing job! You can check out more of her work here.

http://tracy-sweetpeacakes.blogspot.com/Julie, Omaris Grandma, getting ready to lead us in a group prayer. What an honor to be able to pray for Baby Omari and his parents!
Some of the girls who helped with the shower.

It was a fun theme, so bright!
I stole this idea from our MOPS retreat last weekend. They had bible verses on branches. I just took quotes from Omaris blog.


My friend Kelly made this diaper cake. Is that not the cutest thing ever? It was just perfect!

I was so proud of our church family. Alot of people have not been able to get to know them well yet, but we had about 75 people there! Plus many that helped us out by making desserts, setting up and cleaning up. Can't wait till this sweet little boy is home! His due date was June so he is getting there.

If you would like to check out Omaris blog it is at

www.omariwade.blogspot.com

Braces Question & more Easter pics

Just got these today from our church that they took on Easter. When they told us they were taking family pictures on Easter morning, it sounded like a nightmare. Almost 1000 people in one place and everyone was going to get pictures done? But it was fine and I actually thought it turned out pretty decent. Getting the 7 of us in one shot with everyone looking is hard to do for sure so I get pretty excited when one is good!
Makenna is discovering that braces are not so much fun and I do not know what to do. She does not have them on the bottom yet, but they put the back silver things that wrap around those molars that will hold the braces in place on. (I am sure there is a name but I have no idea what it is) there is a wire hanging off of one that is cutting her toungue and causing it to bleed. We keep putting wax on the wire but that falls off. Makenna does not typically complain about pain, so I know it is hurting her. The office is not open for the weekend. Any ideas? Tonight she hated braces, hated those mean people who invented them, hated the people who put them on her, hated me, fun times. We might have to call the emergency number tomorrow.

Mouthful of Metal

BEFORE

AFTER
She refused to let me take pictures during though the dentist promised her that many moms do for the scrapbook! Makenna's thinking, my mom does not scrapbook, she blogs for the world to see! hehe! So the fun (bills) begin with teeth in our house.

From a week long cruise to weekend B&B

On our honeymoon we promised a romantic beach trip back to Mexico for our 5th anniversary.

At our 5th anniversary we were building a house so we went to Branson. We promised for our 10th anniversary, we would have our romantic beach trip.

At our 10th anniversary we were building another house and taking care of a child with a ruptured appendix so we spent the day in the hospital. I think we stayed in St Louis for a weekend around that, and we said we would go for our 11th. We went to China instead. SO we PROMISED at our 15th anniversary we would have a romantic week long beach trip.

Then we decided to adopt again in our 14th year which meant we left our children again. Which means we owe them a family vacation and we already told you where that is.

Which means for our 15th anniversary, we will be celebrating in a weekend close to home. But instead of our typical stay in a hotel weekend, we decided to venture out and try a Bed & Breakfast. I do not know what it is, but those have always scared me. So pretty and fancy looking, eating breakfast at a designated time meaning I have to get out of bed when they say, just never appealed to me. But we decided to "walk on the wild side" and try out our first B & B. And this one looks pretty in a not so cheesy way to me. Don't you think? Check it out here if you would like! www.nostalgicplace.com

Now I know that some NEVER leave their children so the fact that we are not getting our beach trip is not a big deal and probably shudder at the thought that we even consider leaving ours for a week or even a weekend! But my husband was around before our children and will be around after the children have left my house. It is important to us that we show our children that WE are important to each other to. He enjoys to get away with ME only, and if you know all the amazing stuff he does for us, I think you would agree that he deserves these trips. So, I am holding out hope that for our 20th Anniversary, we will celebrate our marriage on a beach, alone. (and not a beach in China or anything!) Till then I suppose a weekend in the middle of nowhere is perfect!

Mavery Meets Mia Hope!

You might remember that I have talked about my friend Robin over at Red Thread stitches before. She stitched her way to her daughter in China. She found me, because she had looked at Maverys file! She lives just over the river from me and we often talked through our wait how we could not wait to get our 4 together. Mia Hope and Lauren are both 3. After weeks of cancellations due to sickness on both ends, we finally met today. I realize how much Mavery is really missing being around lots of kids her age. She was SO good and just played so happily with Mia. It was interesting how they did pair off. Sage & Lauren, who have been home 2 years, and then Mia & Mavery. I was so excited with how happy my girls were I invited Robin to just move on in here, to which she happily offered me her children but not her! ha! She also promised me some sewing lessons at her home, so maybe I will actually put my sewing machine to use. She makes the most adorable things and if you have never been by her site, check it out! I realize

that we are very blessed to have them so close by, 2 girls the same age from China, and I hope that we can get the girls together more. Thanks Robin for the gorgeous flowers and for a sweet visit!

M I C K E Y Mouse Here we come!!!!

Well it is official, we get to take the kids to DISNEY WORLD this year! We are SOOOO excited, and the kids are pretty happy to! ;0) The best part? We are not paying for it(or much anyways). Mark won a big award from work a few months back that could be used to book travel. (yeah Mark!) We will celebrate our 15th anniversary this year, so a cruise for TWO was tempting! But we felt a bit to guilty about that since we have been to China twice in the last few years. It is time to go back to Disney. Last time we went was right after starting our adoption for Sage. Malaine was free at that time, so does not remember much. We were going to wait and go for the little girls 4th birthday(November) till Disney announced FREE dining in the fall. We are going in September while that is going on and will hit Makennas birthday. Meaning she gets a free ticket, or since we have a package and do not need that, we get a free Disney gift card to use in the park that equals the cost of a one day ticket. We are going to be staying at the All Star Music Resort in a family suite, which looks like fun. My parents are going along with us which is a life saver with 5 kids of various ages who will want to go in different directions. Sage is the most excited to meet the princess's and is planning to eat with them and BE a princess. I am not sure Disney will know what hit them once we enter the gates!

Sage & Sawyer Hair Issues

We have such opposite hair in this house. Sawyer has more hair than 3 of the girls combined. He always thinks he wants to let it grow out, but it turns into a big bush and just does not work. So we are all happiest when he has his head shaved. And he is not capable of just smiling for a picture, what is it about boys?

Sage has very thin hair. It grows fast, but stays thin. My mother is always on me to cut it. I am not sure if she is convinced this will make it grow faster (it won't) or if she just does not like it straggly, I mean wispy or thin or whatever we want to call it. I do like it shorter, it makes it look thicker. And healthier. And as long as it fits in pigtails, Sage is happy. She is looking older isn't she? Happy Grammy? ;-)