God Gave us You!

Sometimes it is really hard to know how to put some experiences into words. The joy of some occasions you experience is just too deep to describe. That's how I would describe the latest addition to our family. On January 28, 2014 God blessed us with another son. We have had the joy of raising NE for two and a half years, and we have dreamed of the moment he would finally be an official member of our family. On that Tuesday morning for about 5 minutes in time, a courthouse became a delivery room. The official ceremony was short, but the memory of when God gave us NE will forever linger in our hearts. I've heard adoption described in this way- "Some children are born of your body, others are born right in your heart." NE you are loved beyond description by so many people. I will never forget the beautiful day that God gave us you. You are loved. You are cherished. You were chosen. God gave us Y-O-U!

Wordless Wednesday

School 2014...3rd 6 weeks of Having a B-L-A-S-T!

The third 6 weeks of the school year flew by! It was definitely some of the busiest, but best days of school this year. The funnest day we had was probably when we celebrated Columbus Day with some of our friends. 

For our Columbus Day party, we made boats (the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina) from aluminum foil to race. This was really fun, and all ages enjoyed the boat race.

We followed the boat races with a Columbus Day Parade. CJ was the "grand marshal."He took his job seriously and even directed the other "floats" where to go.

Here was the procession from the back- a tractor, a go cart, a wagon, and a stroller!

The evening was complete with a cake, decorated by these two ladies!

 

BA has been studying a brief overview of USA history. For each state we try to do a lil' something to make the lessons come to life. Below he is pictured with his peach cobbler we made when studying "The Peach State."

We also made a homemade bird feeder to see what kind of birds we could attract. While studying each state, we look up which bird is the official state bird.

Some of the great things about the fall part of the school year is getting to go out and watch the local high school play football. Our "students" mark the calendar and count down the days until they get to see the Bulldogs play. Through their enthusiasm about the sporting event they get to learn about time- months, days, years...Go Bulldogs!

And of course my favorite part of the past six weeks of school...Thanksgiving Break & Christmas Break :)

It's hard to believe half the school year is gone... we have started up the family school house again. More pics to come later!

CJ's Baptism

My favorite memory by far from 2013 was when my second born son, CJ accepted Jesus as his personal savior. In the weeks following his decision, we read from the bible a lot, talked about what it meant to be a follow of Jesus, and how that should reflect in the way we live. We also talked about what it meant to be baptized. After these talks, CJ was baptized. Thus far on my parenting journey I can say two things- 1. Nothing is as special as when your child enters the world. 2. Nothing is sweeter than seeing that child become a Christian. Here are some pictures from this joyous occasion.

CJ,

We are so proud of you. We pray that you always follow after the footsteps of Jesus with passion and reckless abandon. We pray you never enter a period of rebellion of God's ways, that through you God may be glorified, and that the kingdom of heaven is fuller because of the life you lead.

Much love,
Dad & Mom

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday- Crayola style!

 GG showing Mom what he did...

 Recognizing what he did...

 Crying because of what He did...

And the closet floor masterpiece!

Happy 4th Birthday Princess EE!

Over the past 4 years God has transformed this...

...into this!

EE is our precious princess! When she requested a Cinderella ball for her 4th birthday, I knew it was the perfect party idea for her. She has been in love with the Cinderella story for quite some time now. As we started planning, she had most of the good ideas. I just listened and put them into action. EE told me, "Daddy is my prince, and at my party I'm going to marry him, and we are going to dance." Technically, she didn't marry her daddy, but he did commit to be her prince and take care of her until God sent her the man of her dreams.

For the special occasion I knew she needed a special dress. When I was a senior in high school my Grandmother made me a dress to wear. It was special for a lot of reasons- my Grandma made it, I went to the prom with her Daddy, and I was the prom queen that night. This is a picture of me with her dad.

A special lady I know sized that dress down for EE. She did a fantastic job. Here is my little princess all dressed up for the Cinderella ball. (She borrowed the tiara I wore at my wedding for her princess crown!)

She was absolutely adorable! So much so that she had two body guards...

 I'm sure she won't have to worry about any thing...she has the best prince- Dad!

At the party the little girls dressed up and made crowns. They were given wands and necklaces. The little boys also made crowns and were given swords. Then "Cinderella" danced with the prince.

They even went on a carriage ride.

While they were on the ride, her Daddy gave her a special gift.

When she returned we sang "Happy Birthday." Every one enjoyed cake, and all the other lil' princesses and princes when on carriage rides.

We had a fun time at the ball. Some of her friends from the party are pictured with her below.

We are blessed beyond measure with the gift of parenthood. We enjoyed making our princess feel special for the day. She is truly a special girl, but not because she was dressed all fancy. She's special because God made her, and for that we are grateful!