Of These Three Things

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T17:07:00.001-05:00

Wishing you a blessed and very Merry Christmas!

This has been a year of struggles and triumphs, tears and smiles.

Through it all we have been extremely blessed with the love and support of family and friends.

Thank you from all of us and to all of you we wish you the blessing of family and friends.

Most importantly we pray that all of you know the blessing

of our savior.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

BLESSINGS!

If Mary and Joseph Used Facebook

2011-12-14T15:18:00.001-05:00

LOVE this!

BLESSINGS!

Belated Thanksgiving Blessing!

2011-12-03T18:55:00.001-05:00

Sydney was sick with Strep the week of Thanksgiving and did not go to school so this came home with her this week…….

If you can’t read it, it says….

Dear Mommy,

Thank you for letting me take care of myself. Thank you for being my Mommy. Thank you for my Daddy.

Love, Sydney

The MANY blessings of being a Mommy! So thankful for my children!

(We need to do a little work on her penmanship!)

BLESSINGS!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T16:28:00.001-05:00

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a very blessed Thanksgiving!

This morning Sydney had her usual Thanksgiving snack of turkey neck.

I know, Yuck! And yes she has her PJ top on backwards, who knows why, it was not that way when she went to bed!

She even shared with the puppies who were more than happy to help her eat it.

Bailee licking her lips and looking for more!

Sydney and her “baby”.

My many Blessings!

My husband, Tim

My beautiful daughters-

Samantha

Sydney

My Mom

There are many family and friends not with us that we give thanks for and wish them a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

We often leave it unsaid, so I want all of you to know, I love you and am so thankful for all the blessings in my life.

This holiday season is bittersweet for us as we are nearing the one year anniversary of losing my Dad. I do rejoice in knowing that he is with our Father in Heaven and with my Grandma Elina!

BLESSINGS!

In My Daughter’s Eyes

2011-10-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Couldn’t get this last one any clearer, but still love it!

Love those beautiful almond eyes that are so expressive. She is growing up so fast.

Our Sunshine!

Blessings!

Favorite Photo Friday

2011-10-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

A girl and her dog…..

Sydney loves her puppies! The love wasn't always mutual though. When Syd was little Cosmo would stay away from the active little bundle that she was. She has grown on him though and she is sooo happy that he will now let her love on him.

To see more of "Favorite Photo Friday" or to join in please go here

Blessings!

Curses Diabetes!

2011-10-18T11:00:00.003-04:00

I am in a bit of a bind…. or actually a cast. I have a nice little Carolina blue cast on my left leg from just below the knee down.

Over 35 yrs of living with Diabetes is taking a toll on my body. I was diagnosed with Charcot’s Joint in my left ankle.

One of the wonderful things about Diabetes is that even if you have great control of your blood sugars you can and most likely will get complications. That is me, I seem to be one of those that even with fairly good control I seem to get every rare complication there is.

Charcot’s Joint is also called neuropathic arthropathy. The foot becomes deformed as a result of the lack of nerve stimulation, which causes the muscles to lose the ability to support the foot properly and fractures can occur. Walking makes it worse.

Charcot damage is treated by avoiding putting any weight on the foot while it heals. Usually the foot is put into a cast for a period of weeks to limit damage. 6-12 weeks! Surgery may be needed to restore a more normal shape to the foot. This is what casting the foot is trying to avoid.

So now that you know more than you wanted to…..

Needless to say pictures may not be happening much. I have a hard enough time just maneuvering myself with crutches or a walker, let alone try to snap pics!

I have some pics I haven’t posted yet and I do need to catch up on. Here are some random ones from the last few weeks.

Our sassy Syd!

Samie and her “Besties”!

Happy Fall!!

Blessings!

Favorite Photo Friday

2011-09-30T02:00:00.000-04:00

My favorite photo this week goes back to when the girls were little.

I think this is one of my all time favorites of them together.

Sydney had only been home about 5 months and already the bond between them could be seen.

The sweetness in the way they are looking at each other……

I pray that they always look at each other with the same love and sweetness.

Have a fantastic weekend!

BLESSINGS!

Favorite Photo Friday

2011-09-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite photos from the week…

(a little blurry but still love it)

love the look of pure joy on her face!

Blessings!

Happy 13th Birthday to Our Sweet Baby Girl!

2011-09-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

If I think too hard about this I will start crying so I am doing this fast!

How can it be that the cute, sweet little baby that we first held in our arms almost 13 yrs ago in an orphanage in Russia is now an amazing young lady?

I knew this day was coming but I kept trying to deny it was actually happening. But on this day I can not deny it. She is 13!

Samie has been the easiest child to parent. Now she has her moments, but even they are mild. She is kind, loving, intelligent, out going, athletic, a leader, a great big sister to Sydney and an awesome role model.

This girl is my heart, my faith, my joy. She has her Daddy wrapped around all TEN of her fingers and has since that first day when he held her up and she drooled on him….right in his face! Truth be told I’m kind of wrapped too. But we won’t tell her that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!

We love you and pray that this is an amazing year for you.

BLESSINGS!

Such Sweetness

2011-09-05T17:11:00.000-04:00

On the morning of August 17th we welcomed into the world

Shane Michael Creech, Junior

All 8 lbs 12.8 ozs and 21 1/4 inches of him

Shane Junior is Tim’s son Shane and his wife Sara’s first child. Shane is serving in Afghanistan and will not be home until February. Junior was not expected for a few more weeks so he was a very pleasant surprise. Sara told the Dr she was NOT having a baby today and the Dr told her “Oh yes you ARE!”

I brought my camera to take pictures of him and was very surprised and honored to be asked to go into the delivery room and take photos immediately after his birth. He was so alert! The pictures of him with his eyes open are so stinkin cute. It was as if he was trying to take it all in. Then the crying would start again as if to say “Put me back!”

Sara and Junior both had complications and needed to stay in the hospital a few extra days. We are very thankful that they are home and doing great! Singing His Praises!

Samie feeding her new nephew

Great Grandma and Shane Junior

Proud Grandpa

(can’t you just see the love!)

Yes he is being called Junior. Of course his Daddy is Shane, then Sara has a brother Shane. So Junior it is. Or Pork Chop if you are his Aunt Heather!

We are blessed with three other grandchildren also. Tim’s daughter, Susan, has 3 children- Adison, Evan and Juliet-who shares her birthday now with Shane Jr. They live in California and we unfortunately do not get to see them like we would love to. Hopefully we will get to see them in the Spring!

Sydney is in love with her newest nephew and constantly asks about him. I did not get any pics of her holding him because I was hovering and making sure he stayed in her arms! Have to get some of her next time.

Welcome to the world Shane Michael Creech, Jr.

BLESSINGS!

Dancing in the Hurricane

2011-08-29T23:27:00.002-04:00

This is what my crazy girls do during a hurricane!

This was during the calm eye of the storm so we told them “sure, go play in the rain”.

We were very fortunate that we only had a few tree limbs knocked down during the storm. We did lose power but only for about 6 hrs. Many in our town were not so fortunate, they are still out of power. Our county was one of the hardest hit in our state with many trees causing damage. We are praising God that no lives were lost.

More pics of our silly girls

Praying that all our east coast friends and family are safe.

BLESSINGS!

First Day of School 2011

2011-08-25T16:40:00.002-04:00

It arrived bright and early….. really early!

These girls surprised me though. They got up and were ready 10 minutes before we had to leave! Now if you have a pre-teen or teenage girl you know what a miracle this was.

Samie was actually excited to go to school this morning. Up until about 5th grade she loved school. I mean loved it….. so much so that at the end of the year she would cry because she did not want it to end. This morning she was all smiles! Yea! Let’s see how long this lasts.

Sydney has been excited to return to school for a long time now. She really misses that social interaction.

I attempted to take pics inside the house with their flowers, they get one for each year of school starting with kindergarten, but the lighting was horrible and Samie would not let me post them. I did get a good one outside right before we loaded up the car.

Samie will not let us walk her to class anymore… what is up with that?? So no pics of her in her classroom.

Sydney still wants Mommy and Daddy to walk her in, I would fight her if she didn’t, so I was able to get some shots of her.

Sydndy and the teacher’s asst

Doesn’t Syd look thrilled? I promise you she was.

Seeing old friends!

Getting her books from her cubby.

Unpacking her book bag

READING!!

The girls had a GREAT first day!

(Let’s pray this continues)

BLESSINGS!

Sweet Arabella has a home!

2011-08-22T20:38:00.001-04:00

This sweet girl has found her forever family

and they are anxiously waiting to bring her home.

While they wait they are fund raising to help with the cost of bringing this beautiful child home, to her forever family.

Don’t her eyes just sparkle? Can’t you just see the hope and love that is just pouring out of her?

Well this family can see all that and more. They see their daughter!

If you can help them monetarily than please go to their web site

God's Amazing Grace

and they have a chip in. Whether or not you can chip in, please lift them up in prayer.

God’s Amazing Grace! LOVE.IT!

Blessings!

I Pledge My Love to You

2011-08-12T00:20:00.000-04:00

16 years ago Tim and I pledged our love for each other before God and our families. 16 years 4 months and 12 days ago He brought together 2 strangers through the ministering of an Angel here on Earth.

Tim and I met on a blind date that was set up by my good friend and neighbor Gigi, our Angel! Gigi worked for the town I lived in and Tim was a policeman for that town. She had to talk both of us into going on this date. I was done with men and Tim was getting over the end of his marriage. But Gigi kept insisting that we needed to meet.

We went on one more blind date and never looked back. One month to the day after our first date Tim asked me to marry him. He likes to tell everyone that he got me at a weak moment, I had a migraine. But migraine or not my answer was yes!

The last 16 years have brought many joys as well as many struggles. MANY struggles! But oh the joys we have had!

Happy Anniversary my love!

I Pledge My Love To You

More today than yesterday

but less than tomorrow!

BLESSINGS!

Time

2011-08-09T16:19:00.000-04:00

is flying by!

I had such high hopes for getting soooo much done around the house this summer. Yea…NOT so much! We also had hoped that construction on our house addition would be done. Yea…NOT so much. In fact it hasn’t even started. Why is it that no one else is in a hurry when you are? Banks, appraisers, building permits, etc….we are waiting now to see if our plans have been approved and permits given and then construction will begin. As if starting school and all the other activities that will start up isn’t enough chaos, let’s add in an addition and remodel of the kitchen!

Ah well, we wouldn’t know how to act if there wasn’t chaos all around us.

For what has been going on- Samie had cheer camp, church camp and dance camp. Sydney had church camp and has spent a lot of time with Mema at her house on the lake. Which will soon, we hope, not be an option as she is selling it and will be moving in with us.

We were able to get away for awhile and celebrate Sydney’s 6th birthday. We went to Myrtle Beach and it was so great to get away and just enjoy family. Of course just walking out the door to the beach was pretty nice too.

Samie and Sydney took turns burying each other in the sand.

They had a blast with the boogie boards

Samie got her hair wrapped

While Sydney pouted and refused to have hers done

Our sunshine on the morning of her birthday

For some reason a photo shoot is not complete in this family without a little pouting

I did manage to get a few good shots

And then it started

I love being the photographer… holding an expensive camera is a great excuse for not getting wet!

Sydney had a great birthday and we had an awesome time at the beach.

Blessings!!

oof which we have many b

Happy 6th Birthday Sunshine!

2011-07-26T00:01:00.001-04:00

6 years ago our "Sunshine" was born in China.

She has come from a little spitfire who rarely uttered a

word, until she was 3 yrs old, to a little spitfire who talks

all.the.time! She continues to have boundless energy and

wears us out daily! We are constantly asked.… “Does she

ever stop?”. NOPE!

We missed so many firsts with Sydney but we have also been

witness to many…..

the first hug by your big sister

the first time splashing in a bath tub

we missed her 1st birthday, but gave her a first birthday

party complete with cake in the hair

aaahhhh……. the first taste of pumpkin

the first Halloween

the first Thanksgiving and your first corn on the cob

the first introduction to our Savior

the first introduction to Santa

the first Christmas

our first introduction to a serious case of bedhead (this was

not staged in ANY way)

the first ice cream cone

the first Easter

and the first Easter dress

the first run on the beach

So many firsts that we have been privileged to be a part of.

It is so amazing to watch you become the funny, loving,

beautiful, energetic little girl you are today. You are

our “Sunshine” and we thank the Lord everyday for you!

The other day Sydney said she loved her Daddy “from the window to the wall”. Right back at ‘cha Baby Girl, right back at ‘cha!

Happy 6th Birthday Sydney!

Love ya Sunshine!

Blessings!

Happy Birthday!

2011-07-14T12:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to the man I love!

He wants to forget his birthday today but unfortunately,

for him, he married me and has 2 daughters who are NOT

about to let him do that.

He is the most loving, kind, considerate, forgiving (unless you

hurt someone he loves) man I have ever known. The Keeper

of the Stars (our song) surely knew what He was doing when

He brought him into my life. He has given and given and

then given more to me, my family and our children.

We are so thankful to have him in our lives and to celebrate

another birthday with him and to celebrate him!

Happy Birthday Tim!

We love you more today than yesterday but less than

tomorrow.

Blessings!

Blogger

2011-07-13T15:19:00.001-04:00

Can I just say how much I DISLIKE the new blogger format!

I am so confused and it has messed with my pics and layout.

AARRGGHHH!!

I am going to try to come up with a new layout and header

on my own. May take me a few days, but so excited to try

it out. I want to try out a header with a slide show on it.

Wish me luck… and a few prayers would be nice too!

Blessings!

B&W Wednesday

2011-07-13T09:08:00.002-04:00

This is my first B&W Wednesday and I am actually

cheating a little on this one. I am using a picture I

posted last week to the blog.

This is Sydney as she was trying to fill her

brother’s boots. She had so much fun stomping

around in them.

Yesterday Shane left for his second tour in

Afghanistan.

While he is gone his first child will be born. Please keep

him and his wife in your prayers and also our son

Timothy who is also in Afghanistan.

Happy B&W Wednesday!

Blessings!

Filling her brother’s boots

2011-07-08T22:21:00.001-04:00

Blessings!

Let Freedom Ring

2011-07-03T21:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday America!

Hope everyone has a great time celebrating America’s

birthday. Please take time to stop and thank and pray

for those that have made this country free!

Be safe.

Blessings!

Catching Up

2011-06-16T19:53:00.000-04:00

The past month has been so busy! I am not sure how

people manage to post to their blog daily or even weekly

and still sleep! So I will try to update as much as I can

now. The girls have been in dance again this year.

Samie has been in tap, jazz, lyrical, tumbling and hip hop.

Sydney was in Kinderdance 2 which combines tap and

ballet. They had their recital recently and did great.

Samie has really surprised us with her passion for

dance and she tried out for the competition dance team,

Company, and made it. So next year looks to be VERY

busy with all the classes she will be required to take for

that. Sydney feels ok about dance but does not have

that passion for it. If she never does that is OK with

this Mama! I tried to take pictures at their practice as

you are not allowed to at the recital. They did not turn

out the best but here is one of each of the girls.

Sydney had her Kindergarten graduation!

My baby girl is now a 1st grader.

This next pic just goes to prove that

a southern belle she is NOT!

Samie had her music awards, she was in the chorus.

Samie also had her awards ceremony for the end

of the school year. If you don’t like Mommy bragging

then skip ahead! Our girl was on the Principal’s list the

entire year. Straight A’s while taking AIG, academically

and intellectually gifted, courses. She also had the

highest grade average in Science and also Language

Arts. She had a story published in a county wide

publication. She also was a semi-finalist in Letters About

Literature for 7th and 8th graders. This is a national

reading and writing promotion program. All of this while

being a Cheerleader, dance, and playing on the soccer

team. Needless to say we are so proud of this girl!

Sydney also had her Fun Day at school. This is a day

of outdoor games and getting wet. She had so much

fun! Her big sister even put in a special appearance to

take her on at some games!

You would think that with school over things would slow

down…….NOPE not here! Samie left for Campfirmation at

Camp Agape this past Sun. We will go to pick her up

tomorrow. Don’t tell her but we have missed her!

Sydney has been going to Camp Agape day camp at our

church this week. This is always a great time for the

kids. Syd has come home every day singing some new

song she has learned. Samie still has Cheer camp and

Dance camp left this summer, we are going to Myrtle

Beach for Syd’s birthday and in between all this we are

trying to build on to our house for Mom to move in with

us. Busy…YEP! Hoping for a few moments of calm next

week.

This next picture is typical Sydney!

She had come over to show me something she had

drawn and was holding it at face level, when she put it

down this is what I saw! I had to try so hard not to

burst out laughing. I asked her what she had on her

mouth and her reply was that it was chap stick! I then

calmly asked where she got it and she replied in Mema’s

purse. As we were about to go out for dinner I told her

I would have to wipe some off and she said, but I look so

pretty! Yes baby girl you do!

BLESSINGS!

Dad Life

2011-06-16T18:19:00.001-04:00

A tribute to Dads everywhere!

BLESSINGS!

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-27T13:43:00.006-04:00

* edited to add Timothy and Shane's pics

Please take time this weekend to stop and thank God for

those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and

for those that are still fighting for it!

Our son Timothy is in Afghanistan right now and Shane

who will be there in July. Thank you and be safe.

Also to my husband Tim, Dad, Grandfather, Uncle John who

served for our country and my cousin John who made the

ultimate sacrifice, his life, for our country...

THANK YOU!

Blessings!

Happy Mother’s Day!

2011-05-07T20:57:00.001-04:00

Before I was a Mom -
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom -
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

- Unknown

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mother’s in my life.

I can not put into words the appreciation, respect, love and thankfulness I have for each of you. I pray you all have an awesome day.

But especially my Mom!

I love you more than tongue can tell!

Blessings!

In Tha Muthahood

2011-05-05T09:27:00.001-04:00

Saw this over at One More Ladybug and had to share…

Blessings!!

Hair cuts and Manicures???

2011-04-23T21:59:00.000-04:00

My baby girl with the long, silky black hair has been begging for it to be cut. Drastically!! She wanted it cut to her chin! Mommy & Daddy balked at that. Big fat NO, NO, NO! But she still insisted she wanted it cut so we compromised.

She is now sporting a sassy new bob! And she is ROCKIN IT!

Before:

During:

After:

ROCKIN IT!!

Now for the “manicure” ??

Bear with me here… we were doing our Easter egg coloring today-

Nothing abnormal here right?????

WRONG!!!

Watch…..

Next year… plastic gloves!!

Have a most blessed Easter!

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

Couldn’t have said it better!

2011-04-17T22:40:00.001-04:00

I am totally in awe of Missy at It's Almost Naptime!!

She is an amazing writer and she has done it again. Please go here and read her recent post Better Me Than You.

Awesome and Inspiring! Thank you Missy!

Blessings!

Reveling in His Beauty

2011-04-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

Today was an unbelievably beautiful day!

The sun was shining, the temp was in the 70s, it doesn’t get much better.

I love Spring! I don’t love the pollen and allergies that come with Spring. But who can not love this…

And you HAVE to love this…

LOVE ME SOME SPRING!!!!!

Blessings!

Young Love!

2011-03-30T16:39:00.001-04:00

Shane and his girlfriend Sara are engaged!

We really like Sara and had hoped that Shane would get smart and keep her around. We are thrilled that she will be a member of our family.

We celebrated at The Melt*ng P*t the other evening.

YUM!!!

AHHHHH Young Love

Congratulations Sara and Shane!

Blessings!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-03-18T11:21:00.001-04:00

03/18/1931- 12/05/2010

Safely Home

I am home in Heaven, dear ones;
Oh, so happy and so bright!
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this everlasting light.

All the pain and suffering is over
Every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in Heaven at last.

Did you wonder I so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?
Oh! but Jesus' love illumined
Every dark and fearful glade.

And He came Himself to meet me
In that way so hard to tread
And with Jesus' arm to lean on
Could I have one doubt or dread?

Then you must not grieve so sorely,
For I love you dearly still:
Try to look beyond earth's shadows,
Pray to trust our Father's will.

There is still work waiting for you,
So you must not idly stand;
Do it now, while life remaineth-
You shall rest in Jesus' land.

When that work is completed,
He will gently call you home;
Oh, the rapture of that meeting,
Oh, the joy to see you come!

- Unknown author

Happy Birthday Dad!

We miss and love you.

Blessings!

Still here… Still struggling….

2011-03-10T19:39:00.001-05:00

Samie did a photo shoot with Sydney the other day.

There was a lot of silliness…..

But even more, there was stunning beauty….

Her eyes are like deep, dark, glistening pools that just beg you to love her…

AND WE DO!!

Then tonight this is what I found…

She told me she had nowhere else to sit and write, even though there were 6 empty chairs at the table …

And this is what she was writing…

She ran out of room on the one line, we are working on her letter spacing!

Little sweetie

Samie started soccer last week. They won their first game, (7-0) but lost in a majorly bad called game this week, (1-2). Even the ref admitted her mistakes!

I am so excited…. in 2 weeks I will be starting a photography class with Lisa from The Long Road to China. I am terrified and excited at the same time. We will be learning how to get out of the auto mode. I have tried so many times and it just doesn’t sink in, maybe Lisa can get it into this head of mine.

Please, if you think of it, continue to keep us in your prayers. We have major struggles going on and are doing battle. I know that when we are finally in His presence we will understand all. But for now we continue to pray for guidance and peace.

BLESSINGS!

新年快樂 Xin Nian Kuai Le

2011-02-03T09:46:00.001-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It is the year of the rabbit. So it is said this year will be a much calmer year. I don’t know about you, but we could really use that.

Here are our Chinese cuties before they left for school this morning….

Xin Nian Kuai Le

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Blessings!

Explanations

2011-02-01T09:53:00.001-05:00

Thank you so much to all of you who have been concerned that someone is harassing the blog. No, nothing like that. Just some puttzes that are trying to advertise things that our 12 yo DOES NOT need to read. I don’t need to read them! You know the ones for “enhancers” and “prolongers”!

Bl*gger has been doing a great job of putting them in my spam section, but I did not want to take the chance of even one getting through. So I will moderate.

NOT that I get that many comments anyway!! HINT, HINT!!

So leave some love, we can all use some of that!

And because no post should be without cuteness…

This is how Syd fell asleep the other night. Mom and Cosmo had come for a slumber party. Sydney has fallen in love with Cosmo lately and he has taken to her also.

Blessings!

2011-01-31T21:08:00.001-05:00

OK, comment moderation turned on!

Sorry, but just can’t chance my 12 yo seeing some of the comments.

Blessings!

Anonymous

2011-01-31T11:39:00.001-05:00

Dear Anonymous,

GO AWAY!

I have deleted each of your comments, if you can call them comments. I do not think my readers really come here to see what you are advertising. If they do then they can Go*ggle it and find you!

I am so glad that Bl*gger has a new spam filter. Thankfully it has nabbed your comments before they appear on the blog. BUT, if one ever gets by them then I will turn on comment moderation or not allow anonymous commenting.

OK, now for the reason that the few of you that do visit this blog actually come here for……

Some random pics of some cuties

Playing Twist*r

We did not go to the local Chinese Festival this weekend, but the girls did dress in their finest silks for church. We will do a family celebration for the New Year this Thursday!

Syd was her usual blur of action, thus the blurry shot!

Wishing all of you-

Xin Nian Kuai Le

(Happy New Year)

Gong Xi Fa Cai

(Wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year-Mandarin)

Gong Hey Fat Choy

(Wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year- Cantonese)

BLESSINGS!

Beautiful Innocence….

2011-01-22T19:25:00.001-05:00

Really need to play catch up…. just too drained.

But this face…. this face soothes my heart.

Blessings!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hope your New Year’s celebration was as rip roaring as ours!

We started with a little bubbly….

bath that is!!

Samie was not about to let Syd have all the fun.

She then thought Mommy should have some fun too!

When that didn’t work she decided to just take the bath to

me..

Then we had “chick” fights

with a little stripping thrown in..

More fights…

Where are the “responsible adults” during all this you ask??

We were asking the same thing!

Hope that you had a safe and joyous New Year and that

2011 is the best year ever!

Blessings!

Christmas Day and The Snowy Day After!

2010-12-26T13:28:00.001-05:00

Santa came to see us!

Still sleepy girls

Tearing in to see what treasures Santa left

She wore this hat ALL day!

The day after Christmas brought us another present….

In the form of snow!

Probably more snow than we have seen in years! And it is

noon and it is still snowing!

So we bundled up, living where it rarely snows and if it does

we only get a dusting, we don’t have much in the way of

snow clothes. We just happened to have some from when

we were in China last year during their great blizzard.

Now we are all snug inside. Daddy is making snow cream,

which if you don’t live in the south you probably don’t know

what that is! I grew up in Minnesota and never heard of it.

Leave it to those crazy southerners!

Looking forward to saying good-bye to 2010 and praying

for a better 2011.

Wishing all of you a blessed and peaceful season!

BLESSINGS!

* Can I just say- I am hating blogger lately! It is messing with

ALL my spacing and taking me forever to correct it!

Twas the night before Christmas…

2010-12-24T22:13:00.001-05:00

And all through the house, well Mema’s house actually, ALL

the Things are stirring…..

Even big brother Shane…

UUHH, Daddy was busy watching Han*nah Mon*tana…

Puppies were kissed…

Whipping cream fights broke out…

A starlet even made an appearance…

Once we got home, the reindeer food was put out…

And Santa’s snack is waiting for him…

Wishing All of You a Very Blessed Christmas!

(We miss you Dad)

Who Knew…..

2010-12-20T19:02:00.001-05:00

That my little elves could dance like this?

Blessings!

We’ll see you later Dad

2010-12-12T21:32:00.001-05:00

I knew it would be hard, but not this hard. How do you say

good-bye? How do you find the words to write about it? I

have written and deleted so many times. It is so hard to

write down your feelings, to do them justice.

We laid Dad to “rest” yesterday. Of course in true fashion for

this family it was not the “norm”. Or what others will

perceive as the “norm”. But it is what Dad wanted and

it was the last request of his we could honor.

So Dad was cremated and laid to rest in the lake he and Mom

lived on. No ceremony, no memorial, just family. He loved

being on the lake. He loved to fish, swim, boat and just sit in

his chair and look out the patio doors onto the lake. I think or

I like to think that these were his happiest years. He was

living on the lake, his children were near, his grandchildren

were near. Oh how he loved his grandchildren! They brought

him a happiness that is unsurpassed by any.

So, this is NOT good-bye. Dad will always be with us.

We love you and we will see you later DAD!

BLESSINGS!

Walking with Jesus

2010-12-05T22:29:00.001-05:00

Leif, Dad, Papa

3/18/1931- 12/05/2010

Dad went Home this morning. We are trying to take comfort

knowing that he is no longer in pain and that he is walking

with Jesus. I am certain that my Grandma, his Mom, was

there to meet him. Oh how he missed her, I do too. And I

miss him already.

We LOVE you Dad, Papa!

From Our Family to Yours

2010-11-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings!

On this day and everyday…..

2010-11-11T13:49:00.001-05:00

To all that have served in the past and all that are serving

now……

(Tim, Dad, Grandpa, Uncle John, Johnnie- who gave the

ultimate sacrifice, Timothy and Shane- who are serving now)

THANK YOU and GOD BLESS!

Blessings!

Tis the Season…

2010-11-09T16:39:00.001-05:00

for giving and Steffie at Ni Hao Y'all is always giving of herself. Well now she wants to give to us out in blogland. She is doing “30 days of Giveaways”. And her giveaways are always awesome. So hop on over and see what she is up to. Just click the button below or on the side bar.

Thank you Steffie!

Where Has This Year Gone?

2010-11-04T15:58:00.001-04:00

OH MY STARS!! I was visiting some of my favorite places in blog land and it hit me….. Christmas is approaching and fast! Thank you Donna and Missy.

So I have jumped into the season and decorated the blog already and we will soon be doing the same to our home. Yes, we are those people! But really, I need something to take my mind off things. And Tim will be heading to surgery on Dec. 3rd. They will be doing his shoulder- cleaning it out and moving his biceps muscle. So we need to get things moving in the decorating department. Don’t even remind me about the shopping to be done! I am really struggling on what to get everyone.

UPDATES-

Dad is doing fairly well. He is continuing radiation therapy on his brain and they will start on the mass in his chest also. Hopefully this will relieve a lot of his chest symptoms. They have not begun chemotherapy yet, they were waiting to see if he was going to have surgery on the mass in his chest. Hopefully they will start it soon.

As I said above Tim will have surgery on his shoulder. The cervical spine injections have relieved his arm numbness but not the shoulder pain. So to surgery he goes.

Thanks to my cousin, who is a psychologist but not in this area, we have found a therapist who states she can treat Sierra. We will see her in a few weeks. Thank you so much Kristi!!!

Thank you again for your prayers and please keep them going!

I found this on Missy's blog and love it! To help you get into the spirit of the season!

E-A-G-L-E-S!

2010-10-30T18:42:00.001-04:00

THE BEST YOU’VE EVER SEEN!

Samie’s middle school cheerleading squad competed today in the county wide competition. They placed second in their division! We think they were first, and that is NOT Mama’s bias talking either!

They rocked!

Congratulations Ladies!

YOU ARE AWESOME!

Blessings!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T18:27:00.001-04:00

Last night was Trick or Treat night in our town. First we had to carve our pumpkin…

Syd thought this was so funny!

Our Pumpkin!!

This year we had Cleopatra, a witch and Alice in Wonderland!

What could have caused this???……

The vampire sister!!

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

PS- Dad is now home from the hospital. He had an IVC filter placed and he was started on radiation therapy. They are still considering surgery on his chest and must wait to start chemotherapy until after he has surgery if they are going to do it. He is resting comfortably at home right now. Thank you for all your prayers and ask that you continue to keep him in them.

Blessings!

Updates….

2010-10-27T20:35:00.001-04:00

Long overdue updates….. I just wish there was good news to tell. This may be long so if you are here for the pictures scroll on down to the end. I am going to go heavy on the pics as Dad is not able to get to the girls many activities and I know he wants to see them.

So, for updates….

1. Dad has been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. But we are at a standstill as far as treatment. We should hear something tomorrow after the surgeon, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist all meet today. He has a large mass in his chest that must be debulked (surgically reduced) before they can do radiation. It is pressing on his esophagus and too close to other organs for them to get at it with radiation without damaging those organs. Also, if he is to have chemotherapy, they must do surgery before he can get the chemo. But they need to decide if surgery is even an option due to where the mass is.

We know that whatever his path is the Lord already knows it. We ask that you would remember Dad (Papa) in your prayers and ask for healing and peace.

** Update** Urgent prayer request PLEASE! Dad has been admitted to the hospital for a blood clot in his leg. They also did another brain MRI and have found more tumors on his brain and they are bleeding! We know they can not treat the blood clot with this bleeding going on. We will find out in the morning what his plan of treatment will be. PLEASE PRAY!

2. Tim has been getting injections into his cervical spine for his shoulder pain. The injections are hard on him. He has neck stiffness, headaches and his blood sugars go sky high for 3-4 days after. He just had his 2nd one and he says the numbness in his arm has decreased but the pain is only eased for a few days. He sees the orthopedist next week and we will make a decision at that time on surgery.

We ask that you would remember Tim and healing for him in your prayers.

3. I really wish I could say that things were improving with Sierra. We are STILL trying to find a therapist who will treat her. I mean how hard is this?? We live in an area that has very prominent hospitals and universities, VERY prominent! We live in an area that is NOT foreign to adoption. HOW HARD IS THIS?? Obviously VERY! I am not kidding when I say we have seen 3 therapists and talked with 2 or 3 others about treating her. EVERY time we are punted to someone else.

We ask that you would keep Sierra in your prayers and specifically for finding a therapist for her.

Now onto the PICS!

We hit the county fair earlier this month and the girls had a blast. At first Sierra did not want to ride but she warmed up to them.

My happy girl at a football game…

Sierra cheering….

Our official Cheerleader!….

I put together some video of her cheering so Papa can see her.. it is only little snippets, every time I got the camera going the cheer was over!

Have I mentioned how PROUD of this girl we are?

Here she is being inducted into the Beta Club at school. She was chosen as the Representative to the Candidates.

And this is telling me she was ~~fed up with~~ tired of the pictures!

Please HUG your loved ones!

Blessings!

Time out……

2010-09-22T22:17:00.001-04:00

for life, which has gotten very chaotic lately.

I ask that you would keep some specific prayer requests in your hearts…

For my Dad who is undergoing MORE testing for a lesion that was found on his brain and one in his chest. Sometimes I HATE the V.A.
For Sierra and us as we try to get her to the right therapist for R.A.D., which is a very scary diagnosis in the world of adoption.
For Tim who is undergoing injections into his cervical spine. We thought he would need shoulder surgery, but now they feel it is in his cervical spine and causing his shoulder symptoms. If these do not work he will need surgery on his spine. I think he would prefer shoulder surgery!
For me as I battle a cold and laryngitis. The girls are happy I can’t yell at them. :)
For our entire family as we try to keep a semblance of normal around here.

Back soon……..

Blessings!

Soccer Babies!

2010-09-13T23:11:00.001-04:00

Things 2 and 3 are officially soccer players now. They had their first practice of the season the other night. Tim was talked into coaching, good thing his players are only 5 and 6 yr olds! Samie has played soccer for 8 yrs and is thrilled to be the “assistant coach”.

Here are some pics of their “practice”! Too cute! Can’t wait til Saturday to see them in their uniforms.

We had one last get away this past weekend, The Great W*lf Lodge! LOVE that place. The girls all had a blast and I will try to get pics up tomorrow!

BLESSINGS!

My heart turned 12 today!

2010-09-08T14:18:00.001-04:00

Today my baby girl, my heart, turned 12 years old. How can that be? 11 years and 3 months ago; in a little room in an orphanage in Izhevsk, Russia; a chubby little baby was placed in our arms. It was a day I thought would never happen.

She stole our hearts from the first moment… and has never given them back.

Today again is a day I never imagined. I have a 12 yo! Samantha, Samie, Sam, our baby girl…. our heart!

We had our family celebration this past Mon. With school today and cheerleading practice and soccer practice…. well that leaves little time for celebrating. But know baby girl that we are celebrating everyday that you were placed in our arms!

We made her frost her own birthday cupcakes! Of course she didn’t mind this at all. I think an awful lot of that frosting got on her fingers! The prospect of contact lenses made her smile!

Happy Birthday to My Heart!

Blessings!

Meant to Be

2010-08-31T10:11:00.001-04:00

First I have to say I stole the idea for this blog post from Jolene at Our Adoption Journey To China... And Our Adventures Back Home.

As adoptive parents, I even hate adding “adoptive” we are PARENTS, we struggle with so many things. (Yes I hate saying “step” parent also) How we word things to our children and others, are we doing enough to foster their cultural growth, do we talk about birth parents or foster families and then how much to do this. Questions people ask about WHY Russia or China and not the US.

In our family we have birth, step and adoptive parents. Just in Tim and I! But I hate to use those adjectives! Our kids call us Mom and Dad. I’m sure they add some adjectives once in awhile. But we are a family. Doesn’t matter how we got here…

WE are meant to be. See, even that can be taken the wrong way… was it meant to be for our children to be taken from their birth parents? God could not mean for that to happen could He? I do not believe so but I don’t know why… I just know they are and we are as Stephen Curtis Chapman puts it… “Meant to Be”.

Thank you Jolene for sharing this video and your thoughts on some of these struggles. You put it so much better than I can.

Blessings!

White with polka dots!

2010-08-30T12:36:00.001-04:00

I’m telling you this girl makes me laugh EVERY.DAY!!

Last night I was looking at her VERY tan little legs and Samie asked her, “Sydney, what color are your legs?”. Syd said, “Brown!” She then asked Syd what color her, Samie’s, legs were. Syd said laughing, “White!” Then Samie asked her what color Mommy’s legs were……

Syd said, “White with POLKA DOTS!!”. And then added, “Lots of polka dots!”.

Blessings!

Look out…..

2010-08-26T20:21:00.001-04:00

kindergarten here they come!

Well, my girls went off to kindergarten today. No fuss, no crying- well except for Mama! They looked so grown up with their back packs and lunch bags.

This little girl was just so excited to go to “big girl school”!

Sierra also loves school. I pray that this will be a wonderful time for her.What a HUGE step for my little BIG girls!

Congratulations and we love you very much!

Blessings!

Prayers for Teresa

2010-08-26T13:45:00.001-04:00

I have asked all of you to pray for this sweet girl before, but she is in desperate need of our prayers now. She had her heart cath and the news was not good. There is no repair that can be done. She must have a heart replacement. But along with that she has had a complication from the cath. She has a tear in her artery and vein causing high velocity blood flow between the two. She will have more testing and then go to the OR for repair of this.

Please keep Teresa and her sweet family in your prayers.

You can read their story here.

Blessings!

How does she keep doing this?

2010-08-25T14:09:00.001-04:00

How does she keep getting further away from the little girl of yesterday…

1st day of Kindergarten 2003

to the beautiful young lady of today?

1st day of 7th grade 2010

While my heart aches for that little girl and I wish time would stand still, it is full of love and pride for the beautiful, loving, smart, caring young lady she is becoming.

We are so proud of you Samie! And look forward to what every new day brings.

HAPPY 1st DAY OF SCHOOL!

(Syd and Sierra will have their first day tomorrow. The kindergarten goes on a staggered basis for the 1st 4 days to allow for mandated testing.)

Blessings!

Absolutely Beautiful!

2010-08-21T17:06:00.001-04:00

BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS, WORKS of ART!

OH, yes the girls are too! But I was talking about the outfits!

I have been drooling over all the wonderful things this amazing woman creates and finally ordered these for the girls.

They did not disappoint me! Robin at Red Tread Stitches is this amazing woman. Besides being an amazing seamstress she is also a woman of amazing faith and a champion of the orphan. I knew that her creations looked gorgeous on-line, but when they were actually in my hands….. amazing! Yea I’ve said that a lot… and mean it! So professional and to know that they are made with such love. Robin is sewing to raise funds to bring their 4th daughter home from China! Their “Baby Love”. Please go here to see their family and here to see her beautiful creations.

BLESSINGS!

15 years ago……

2010-08-17T10:35:00.001-04:00

15 years ago last Thursday, August 12th, Tim and I were married. This year we celebrated with Tim working, all night, and me shopping for the girls! I know, so romantic. But you do what ya gotta do. Don’t think we didn’t eventually celebrate though. The girls were sent to Mema and Papa’s for the weekend and Tim and I went here…..

for a MUCH needed respite!

This wonderful Bed-n-Breakfast is in the Great Smokey Mountains. We woke to this every morning….

and this….. and this….. Of course those were just the main courses. I did not get a picture of all the first courses, but here is one…..

Now please don’t think it was all about food…. but we did come back to this every evening…..

OH MY, HEAVENLY!!

We had the entire first floor all to ourselves. This included a kitchen, large bathroom, dining area, living area and sleeping area.

View Full Album

During the day we enjoyed some of God’s most awesome creations.

We just did whatever we wanted, ate when we wanted, saw what WE wanted and just let the stress of everyday life wash away.

And then we came home…… to reality!

OH, but it was wonderful while it lasted!!

But yes, we did miss our little monkeys. How can you not!

Blessings!

The Birthday Girl!

2010-07-26T18:09:00.001-04:00

Sydney’s day started with breakfast in bed! The sparkle in her eyes and the grin on her face told me she had been waiting for this!

Breakfast is always the birthday person’s choice. For Syd- bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese and blackberries.

Sydney has a love for all things Mic&ey so that was the theme for the day.

She was so excited about EVERY present, from the Minn!e to the can of olives!

Happy Birthday my Sunshine!

Blessings!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!

2010-07-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

Our baby is 5!!

I know every parent thinks this, but………

How did this happen???

We first saw this sweet face 5 days after her 1st birthday. We had waited so long to see her and it was love at first sight.

We think these pictures were taken when she was 6 mos old. She was 1y and 5 days at referral and when she was placed in our arms she was 13 1/2 mos.

She was so tiny and soooo beautiful! When she came to us chomping on that apple and just looking at us like, “OK, who are you and why are you the one crying?”, we knew she was a little spit fire. She was a force to be reckoned with! Everyone who knows Sydney falls in love with her.

She is a Mommy’s girl through and through! But don’t think she doesn’t love Daddy and her Samie to pieces! She is our ray of sunshine, a snuggle bug, a comedian, a spit fire, OUR SYDNEY!We had a 1st birthday party for her when we came home from China.2 yrs old3 yrs old 4 yrs oldDid I forget to say chocolate loving?

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY TO OUR SUNSHINE!

Pictures of her special day soon.

Blessings!

Forever Families

2010-07-20T15:54:00.001-04:00

There are more children getting their forever family!! These families are busy trying to raise funds to bring these children home and if you can help them I know they would be so appreciative.

Robin at Dreaming of Tea With Hope has been sewing her fingers off for a few years now. They have found their next treasure, their “Baby Love” as they call her, and she is sewing once again to raise funds. Robin makes some amazing things. I wish I could order every outfit I have seen. They are really beautiful and so unique. Great quality! And Robin has a heart that never quits for the orphans. I have included her button on my side bar- Red Thread Stitches.

Another family is in the process of bringing home their son, an older child. This is their 3rd adoption and 2nd older child. Lori and her family at Joy Unspeakable are holding a fantastic fundraiser with a giveaway that is incredible! But if you want to see what it is you will have to go to her blog and see for yourself. I have put her button on my side bar also.

These are just 2 out of many more that are trying to find ways to get their children home to them. We know how much every penny is appreciated when all you want is to hold your child. Please consider helping these and any of the other families to bring their children HOME!

Blessings!

Water Babies!

2010-07-19T20:30:00.001-04:00

WOW! These girls have amazed me. We I have been trying to teach Samie the different swim strokes for a while now. She has taken a few lessons through the Red Cross and the Y, but nothing for a few years. The community center that the Red Cross used burned down and the Y is just too expensive. So I have been trying to show her. Nothing ever stuck with her. She has been swimming well enough, just not with the proper strokes. So when we were in the pool today and she said watch me…………WOW! She gets it!

And then there is my 2nd water baby! Sydney is swimming like a little fish. I took off her life vest today and let her go. WOW! She is diving down under the water to retrieve rings at the BOTTOM of the pool! WOW!! Did I say that already??

See for yourself………

Did you see those smiles??!! I have to drag these 2 out of the water.

You can see Sierra floating around and she is happy doing that. She does NOT want to be messed with, don’t touch her or splash her. She was putting her face in the water towards the end, mainly because she did not like that she was not the center of attention.

I have a feeling we will be spending ALOT of time in the water this summer!

Blessings!

An Amazing Story

2010-07-15T10:20:00.001-04:00

This little girl has been in many people’s thoughts and prayers for so long. She was known to many as Lucy. She has a very complex heart condition that requires a heart transplant ASAP. In China this would be impossible. She has been on the list for International adoption for some time and even had a family pursuing her, but for some reason they were not able to continue the process and she was again placed on the list. She has finally found her forever family and we are SO happy!

Please go here to read about this amazing little girl and the equally amazing family that God has blessed her with. They are in China now and completing the adoption process.

Please continue to keep her and her family in your prayers as they have a long road ahead of them.

Blessings!

Happy Birthday!

2010-07-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

To the best father and husband…….

EVER!!

We love you and hope you have the best day ever!

Blessings!

More Evidence……

2010-07-11T13:16:00.001-04:00

YEP! Our ray of sunshine!

Puts a smile in my heart.

Disclaimer- The bra and panties belong to her sister, not HER!

Blessings!

My Ray of Sunshine!

2010-07-10T20:30:00.001-04:00

This girl is truly my Ray of Sunshine! She can bring a smile to my face even in my darkest hours. Just now she was talking to Samie and I and said, “I sink……”- meaning think. So I was trying to get her to say the th sound. I said, “I think….” And she said, “I fffink…” She had us all laughing so hard.

Guess you had to be there. But she is so funny and always bringing smiles to our faces. I really can’t believe that my baby will be turning 5 in 16 days! I am going to try to write a post for her birthday. I want to try and post her referral pics. The minute Tim saw her he said, “Yep! That’s my girl!” She had on camouflage pants. Tim is a hunter! She was and IS so adorable.

LOVE THIS GIRL!!

Blessings!

Answers??

2010-07-09T08:14:00.001-04:00

Not really! Just more uncertainties and more questions. We have finally found a wonderful developmental pediatrician who has given us more information than any of the others. In 5 minutes of talking with her she had us finally feeling like someone was listening and really knew what to do.

So now what?? Well there will be MANY more evaluations- physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and neuro psych. Our Dr feels that there is a LOT more going on than just attachment. Apparently children with Tetralogy of Fallot can have behavioral, developmental and intellectual issues. Guess what?? We are having ALL of these!

We want to thank all of you who have kept Sierra and our entire family in your prayers and ask that you would continue to do so. We have a very long road ahead of us.

Blessings!

Prayers needed…..

2010-07-01T21:03:00.001-04:00

I am asking that you please keep Sierra and our entire family in your prayers tomorrow. Heck, we could use them everyday! But tomorrow Sierra has an appt with a Dr who specializes in child neurology therapy. We are praying for answers to many questions and especially WHAT we can be doing to help her. This has really affected our entire family in ways that are NOT good!

So if you happen to have a moment tomorrow, please say a prayer for Sierra…. and all of us.

Thank you and Blessings!

Happy or Sad??

2010-06-30T21:20:00.001-04:00

This was our last day at the mouse land and we were both happy and sad. We really did have a great time, but walking for miles around a theme park that is packed, in 100 degree heat, with 100% humidity can be a little taxing on a body. Especially if that body was a little on the “mature” side! Shoot, Sierra and Sydney were riding in a stroller most of the time and they were tired! So yes, we were happy to be going home, but also sad as we really loved the whole experience. LOVED staying right on site!

So, today we headed to H#llyw**d Studios. They really pack a lot into a relatively small space. The first thing we hit was the T*wer *f Terr*r! Samie had wanted to ride this so badly that she could taste it. The only problem is, Tim and I both hate rides like this. Tim will usually cave to his daughter’s big eyes looking forlornly up at him. :) Mama….. not so much! But even Tim was saying NO to this one. He told her he would walk her up to the front and then wait there for her. Well, this Mama said, “NO WAY!” Her little chick was NOT gonna ride that thing alone. So off Sam and I went. Holding hands and praying the whole way. I kid you not! When the ride started we were praying. During the actual drop, then rise, then drop and repeat…. I kept yelling, “PLEASE STOP! PLEASE STOP!”

No matter how I edit this picture, the look of absolute terror does not go away. MINE that is, Samie’s look is one of absolute delight!

I am definitely getting too old for this! She wanted to ride it again. I politely declined! And asked her if she had lost her mind!

The girls again met their friend…. and Daddy wanted in on this one too!

To prove that Tim did ride the roller coaster with Samie..

HHHMMMMM, I think he got off easy!!

This was Syd as we waited patiently for Daddy and Samie on their 2nd time riding this coaster.

And to prove how hot and tired we were….. So, from the land of the mouse….where you find these cute surprises on your bed…..

we were sad to say good-bye, but know we will return again someday!

Blessings!

Of These Three Things

Merry Christmas!

If Mary and Joseph Used Facebook

Belated Thanksgiving Blessing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In My Daughter’s Eyes

Favorite Photo Friday

Curses Diabetes!

Favorite Photo Friday

Favorite Photo Friday

Happy 13th Birthday to Our Sweet Baby Girl!

Such Sweetness

Dancing in the Hurricane

First Day of School 2011

Sweet Arabella has a home!

I Pledge My Love to You

Time

Happy 6th Birthday Sunshine!

**Happy Birthday!**

Blogger

B&W Wednesday

Filling her brother’s boots

Let Freedom Ring

Catching Up

Dad Life

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

In Tha Muthahood

Hair cuts and Manicures???

Couldn’t have said it better!

Reveling in His Beauty

Young Love!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Still here… Still struggling….

新年快樂 Xin Nian Kuai Le

Explanations

Anonymous

Beautiful Innocence….

Happy New Year!

Christmas Day and The Snowy Day After!

Twas the night before Christmas…

Who Knew…..

We’ll see you later Dad

Walking with Jesus

From Our Family to Yours

On this day and everyday…..

Tis the Season…

Where Has This Year Gone?

E-A-G-L-E-S!

Happy Halloween

Updates….

Time out……

Soccer Babies!

My heart turned 12 today!

Meant to Be

White with polka dots!

Look out…..

Prayers for Teresa

How does she keep doing this?

Absolutely Beautiful!

15 years ago……

The Birthday Girl!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!

Forever Families

Water Babies!

An Amazing Story

Happy Birthday!

More Evidence……

My Ray of Sunshine!

Answers??

Prayers needed…..

Happy or Sad??

Happy Birthday!