Quick Lake Trip!

Backtracking!! We met my dear precious sweet friend Julie and her lovely family at the lake March 18-19th. Unfortunately, I had a migraine the WHOLE time we were there...but at least I got to see their faces and be in the room with them...they are family to us. Miss Alice just laid on the floor and posed on her own for this one...priceless....

What sweet friends, Maggie and Lucy, those 'curly girls'...they will be forever friends, just like their mommas...

Hard to believe that when we met, we had 0 kids....look at us now!

Poor Alice...we thought she had broken her arm...we got home from the lake that night and headed to the er...turns out she had popped her elbow out....on Sunday, I got to pop it back in...FUN!!!

Love these boys...they love being together....

Thank you Welch/Gibbs family for letting us bombard your weekend...we love you!!!

Betsy and her FoReVeR FaMiLy:)

What a precious little face!!! She is an orphan NO MORE....but has finally been received into the arms of her forever family:) Praise the Lord....Sunday night (our time) my precious friends got to meet their Betsy...please continue to remember them in your prayers as they get to know each other and enter into this time of transition. God is good......




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Coming and Going

How crazy?! Today, I have one friend COMING home from China & one friend GOING!

My friend in *blogland*, Kim, who I have kept in contact for many, many months, and her husband Rob, got home with their one year old baby girl Ansley tonight....isn't she gorgeous!!!!! Please pray for them the next few weeks as they transition to a family of 4:)

Then, ironically, my dear friend & prayer partner for years, Meia, and her family left today for China to get their daughter, Betsy (who just turned 5 Saturday)....can't wait to see a picture of her with her new family:) God is so good...how exciting to follow along on these journeys of faith!


Good night & sweet dreams....for everyone:)

Park & Bathtime

Saturday was such a beautiful day...we met 3 other couples and their kids at the park:) We had such a great time....this was Alice's first time to the park since we got home:) Here is my Max sweetly pushing Alice...he is SO in love with her! Seriously, I heard him talking to her in the bathroom and he said, "Alice, just say you'll marry me"....for those of you who know Max, you know he is smitten....he will do anything for her and handles her with such tolerance and grace:) I am proud of him...

Max was too excited about the wind at the park...he flew the kite and had the best time...I love kites...


My two girls, swinging...Alice was not so happy I stopped the swing to take the picture...such beautiful girls...so glad they are mine....

Charlie swinging his heart out...

Then, last night (Sunday night) Charles bathed the kids and got some good ones of Alice being silly...this is her personality to a T...(is that how you say it? T?) Anyway, enjoy!

Meia's Shower

This past Thursday, March 10th, was my friend, Meia's shower...their family is bringing home their 5th child, Betsy, from China in just a few weeks...it was so much fun!!! This will be the 3rd child home from China since September in our church...exciting things are happening and I am humbled to be able to be a part of and witness this great stirring in our congregation to care for the 'least of these'...the least of these that are now beloved daughters!!! For some reason, I am unable to load the majority of the pictures from the shower to my blog, so these few will have to do! Here is a picture of her cake....

Me and Meia

Ginger, Laurie, Jen, Paige, Cindy and Emma....just a few of the girls there...I apologize for the others I am unable to post!!!!!

Can't wait to meet you sweet Betsy...you are so loved already....

my 34th bday

Well, you know when it's BirThdAy time, we have to celebrate ALL WEEK....on my actual birthday, March 9th, all the kids but Alice were in school and so, Alice and I met mom, Regan, Davis and our friend, Joey at my favorite Mexican restaurant...here is my little cheeseball....is she cute or what!!!?!

Regan and Davis...

We can ALWAYS find a reason to go to Casa....

The night before (kinda have it a little backwards), my family, Regan's family, mom and her friend, Dennis all went to PFChangs to celebrate:) IT FLOODED and not just a little...in true birthday fashion....it just would not be right if it wasn't raining on my birthday...in fact, mom says on my first birthday, our house flooded for the very first time (the first of several)...so anyway, we had a great time regardless of the weather...here is me and my sister, Regan...

me and Charles....

me and my little actress...

she is cheesing it up...

mommy with all her precious babies....priceless to me!!!

mom and her friend, Dennis...my kids think he hung the moon....

The whole gang (minus Dennis, taking the picture)

Another year and countless blessings....

Our First Spend the Night Party: Charlie turns 9!

Our first spend the night party was very fun and interesting...never underestimate the volume of several boys but also never underestimate how well behaved they might be! Although they were loud (not a rarity around here) and stayed up very late, they were very well behaved and got along great....they were also easily entertained...they took turns playing the wii and 'foyer basketball'...there is no goal, but they pretended there was one on a certain square on the closet door...it was a hit for hours and hours...that is one of my boys FAVORITE things to do!!! He also wanted to invite one of his best friends, Ashton, the only girl invite...didn't think her mom would love the idea of her staying with the guys so she came for pizza, cake and to play for a while...such a sweetie...So blessed with good friends for my boys...the first of many spend the night parties, I am sure!

Alice's Re-adoption

Today was Alice's Re-adoption Day...it is not required, as her adoption was final in China and she became an American citizen when we landed on US soil (in Atlanta), but it does give us a US birth certificate for her and we won't have to carry around all this paperwork!! It was especially a hassle when we got tubes in her ears....so, it will be nice to have minimal paperwork!! We went to see Judge Davis and he was great...the girls did pretty good too....by picture time, they were ready to go and if you notice a slight grimace on my face, that is because I was holding BOTH of them, they wouldn't take no for an answer!

Up to NO GOOD, I can promise you.....

CHARLIE turns 9:)

can't believe my handsome boy is now 9!! He has been such a joy these past 9 years...I cannot wait to see what God does in and through him and he grows...for his birthday, he wanted to eat dinner with our family at ChickFilA and then have a spend the night party this weekend(our first)...should be interesting, as Charles will have the baseball draft and I will have 8 kids! It will be fun though....here is the sweetest 9 year old face on earth...

my hubby & sis...

the wild & crazy 4....

Happy Birthday, my sweet Charlie...

But, God...

I stumbled on this a few months ago and ran across it again today and it spoke to me all over again...have no idea where I got it...so sorry...

but, god...

but god...it's too darn hard.

"follow me." matthew 9:9

but god...what if i fail miserably?

"follow me." matthew 8:22

but god...what if what i'm feeling you call me to do is too painful--too challenging?

"follow me." matthew 4:19

but god...i have everything i need right here and things are good in my life.

"follow me." matthew 10:38

but god...how can i possibly step out of my comfort zone? what if........"

"follow me." matthew 16:24

but god...it will cost money and so many sacrifices will have to be made."

"follow me." matthew 19:21

but god...i am weak, tired, weary, lacking faith, and discouraged."

"follow me." mark 1:17

but god...there is so much at risk. what if my friends and family don't support me? goodness, what it they disown me?

"follow me." mark 2:14

but god...what about my own family and their comforts?

"follow me." mark 8:34

but god...my faith is smaller than a mustard seed.

"follow me." mark 10:21

but god...i just don't know if i can do this. i don't have what it takes.

"follow me." luke 5:27

but god...can i trust you in this? really? can i?

"follow me." luke 9:23

but god...i don't want to walk on the water right now--i like it here where things are calm.

"follow me." luke 9:59

but god...can you see that my family is happy with the way things are right now?

"follow me." luke 9:61

but god...how can i know for sure that i have heard your still small voice?

"follow me." luke 14:27

but god...you listening? how will this ever come together?

"follow me." luke 18:22

but god...do you think you could give this little assignment to somebody else? please?

"follow me." john 1:43

but god...what if things fall apart and my world comes crashing down?

"follow me." john 8:12

but god...i'm afraid of failure.

"follow me." john 10:27

but god...give it all up? seriously?

"follow me." john 12:26

but god...{insert a great reason not to do something}

"follow me." john 21:19

but god...{insert just one more great excuse}

"follow me." john 21:22

sound familiar?

excuses. excuses. excuses. all very valid, of course.

yikes!

okay. okay. okay. i think i get it, lord.

i'm out of excuses. completely. there are none.

i will follow you with reckless abandon...come what may.

god, you are trustworthy, dependable, good, kind, loving, patient, abounding in grace and mercy. faithful and true is your name--how can i possibly not trust you with everything i have?

"then he said to them all: “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
luke 9:23

even when the road is hard, and things make absolutely no sense...i will follow you!

simply because you said so.