Another great weekend!

This past weekend my family had a cookout at my parents house and we had another great weekend enjoying family!  I was able to spend some time enjoying my sweet sister, parents and friends.

The kids had a great time playing in the backyard!

There were 13 kids there, lots of fun play time!

My dad did a great job grilling, my mom had prepared a feast.

 My sweet roommate from college only lives 5 minutes from my parents so she was able to join in with her husband and their 6 kids.

What a sweetie!

We had a great time!  

I am always amazed at my mom's sweet attitude and example to me.  It was calling for a 30 % chance of rain, my mom said, I prayed that the storms would stay away.  When she walked outside at one point it was pouring!  My sweet mom without missing a beat looked up to the sky and said, this is day the Lord hath made we will rejoice and be glad in it, I guess God decided we needed a little rain!  Thank you mom for reminding me to rejoice in all things!  It rained while we were eating under the carport and by the time we were finished eating the sun was out and the kids went right back to playing!  

A Father's Love~

I am thankful for the dad God gave me, for his love to me.  

He loves to joke and laugh!

My parents at their 50th anniversary surprise party a couple of years ago.

I am also thankful for the wonderful man God gave me as a husband, he is a great daddy to our children.  Before we were married as we spent so many hours talking and dreaming of our future together never did we e-v-e-r imagine we would have six children, but God knew!  I love watching H.O. with our children.  He loves them beyond measure, he is not just a father to them, he is a daddy!  Someone they can always count on and run to.

H.O. with all his blessings on his first Father's Day as a daddy to six!

We went to visit with H.O.'s parents on Father's Day.  It was the first time that they had met our two new little boys.  We took the scenic route out to his parents which includes a ferry ride across the river, another first for our little boys.  

H.O.'s parents live on a large farm and the little boys enjoyed riding the golf cart back in the woods, playing ball and their favorite activity was flying kites.  The big boys enjoyed riding their dirt bikes on all of the trails.  

It is always windy on the farm as the winds blow across the fields, perfect for flying kites.

The wheat field was just cut yesterday.  I love the old barn across the field.

They certainly are becoming best buddies!

We had a nice day!

Happy Father's Day dad and H.O.!  We love you!

One Month!!

Yesterday was one month since we met our little boys for the first time and today marks one month since our adoption ceremony.

It is hard to believe one month has already past!

Caleb loves Carrie Anne!

They have come so far in a month.  I was thinking back this morning to our third day with them as both of them lay in the floor of the Bravo grocery store in Chongqing, China screaming and kicking as a crowd stared on at us.  We put down the items we had hoped to buy and H.O. grabbed one and I grabbed the other and we walked back to the hotel as they cried.  Now??  They hop into the front of a double cart and shop so wonderfully!

Silly Seth after playing in the water.

We are starting to find a new normal and are falling into a very relaxed pace summer schedule, which is very nice.  Coming home with two new little ones at the beginning of summer is wonderful.  I am hoping they learn a lot of English over the summer before we start back to school in the fall!  I am so looking forward to teaching Kindergarten again, that is what I taught many years ago!  It is so much fun compared to high school courses!

They are beginning to love our sweet dogs!  The dogs are so good and will put up with about anything.

They are starting to learn volume control and self control.  They have had a few brotherly disagreements :-) and are learning to share!  I asked Abby what the Chinese word was for "share" and she said I never learned the word share in China.  Hmm, I'm thinking the little boys didn't either!  But, they are learning it now.  It is a definite on-going process with much consistency and boundary setting on our parts, some days it is very tiring, but I love seeing the progress they are making.

Andrew has been a great big brother, teaching and playing with them!

I can not praise the older children enough!  They have all pitched in and are a great help!

My sweet girls!

It is such a joy to have the boys home, next week will be a year since we first began asking questions about Seth and now they have been home for a month.  They have brought such joy to our family and I am so grateful God entrusted them to us!  Yes, our boys were considered "special needs" but their greatest need was a need for a forever family to call their own!  If you are at all interested in adoption and have questions please ask, the orphanages are full of sweet treasures waiting, yearning for a family to love them!

CONGRATULATIONS TAYLOR!!!!

Today was our home school graduation at our church.  
I have watched many home school graduations at our church and thought it seemed so far away for our own children, but Saturday our oldest graduated from high school.  Hard to believe!

As I sat there enjoying watching our children honor God at their graduation ceremony I was filled with joy.  They purposefully chose their songs to honor God.  Taylor played my favorite song and a song which  I pray will be his vision in life, "Be Thou My Vision", he also played "Brethren, We Have Met To Worship".  Colleen along with Jonathan sang "Holy Is He".  

Where has the time gone?  Some days moved so incredibly s-l-o-w, I thought graduation day would never come, as through tears we worked our way through a hard task and other days are remembered with happy "light bulb moments".  I hope he remembers our good times of read alouds, fun experiments, great Bible discussions, field trips and our home filled with LOTS of laughter.  No, home schooling is not always easy!  But, I know each day he was surrounded by love and his teacher (me) loved him and cared for his future more than any paid teacher could have.

Now the choice is his, we pray he continues to stay close to God and allow God to direct his path.

We love you Taylor!!  Congratulations!

"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.     
 ~2 Timothy 3:14-15