Happily Ever After...

Aria is reading very well. She got to show Papa how much she has improved since last time she read to him. Well, "Me too" had to show Papa how much she had improved too. "Oh, wait, I can't read. This is no fun." Papa to the rescue-Thanks for reading to me Papa!

Aria has a very yucky, painful virus. She has these sores in her throat and she doesn't want to eat or drink anything. Which is making Mommy a tad frantic. I have coaxed, cajoled, encouraged and even forced her to drink, drink, drink. Yesterday, I was coaxing her for the 386 time to take a sip. "Sweetie, if you don't drink, your body will not have enough fluid in it, and you will get sicker." "Sick like, umm, like an old pickle ?" AN OLD PICKLE????? First of all, we aren't a huge pickle family. No offense to you die hard pickle eaters out there.  They just aren't routinely at our table.  We are more of a relish family, truth be told. Second of all, Aria has never eaten a pickle, I am not even sure she has ever seen a pickle much less an old pickle- so WHERE IN THE WORLD that came from, I have no idea. It is one that will go down in our family repertoire for sure. "Feed a cold, starve a fever or you'll be sick as an old pickle ." ...

This girl is sweet as sugar, and so excited! Gianna's Popeye face Playing happily together with NO IDEA what is RIGHT NEXT TO THE POOL!!! So as the title says, It's all fun and games, UNTIL... ... A SNAKE SHOWS UP!!  Then it is OUT of the pool and UP on the deck with big brother, while Daddy a.k.a Henry VIII runs for the rake and a shovel, and OFF WITH HIS HEAD! Luckily, Mommy was at the hairdresser and only heard the tale after it happened!  I hate snakes. 

Snuggling with my Grandpa! My Aunt Sherri loves me so much! And my cousin Cassidy is so much fun! ( So is Logan, Maddison, and Jake, but I didn't slow down long enough to get my picture taken with them.)

My sweet hu sband has a... ahem...  a business trip  *wink, wink*  to the Bahamas FOR A WHOLE ENTIRE WEEK ( as in:Sunday through Saturday).  You know, VERY IMPORTANT meetings, with a HIGH PROFILE client in a very upscale hotel RIGHT on the beach, FOR A WHOLE ENTIRE WEEK! Sounds  really, really rough...  "Sure, I'd be glad to hold the fort down...I'm not a tad bit jealous honey- really." Okay, maybe a tad jealous. That is until he mentioned that he asked his boss if he could bring me and my two cute appendages too. AND SHE SAID YES!!!!!! YIPEEE SKIPPEE!  There is ALOT of Snoopy dancing goin' on round here! Well, except for the two grown sons who will now be the ones holding the fort down.  But I am sure they're not at all jealous. Not even a tad bit.

Aria and Madison are the best of friends! We had the privilege of keeping all four of my friend Audrey's girls yesterday, and had so much fun!  Leah and Gianna started the movie on the floor.. But then they saw the big girls AND.... Had to be on the bed with the big kids! Playing in the sandbox was fun BUT........ Getting the sand WET in the pool was WAAYYY more fun, and MESSY!!!! They are such silly girls! And I couldn't have done it without her oldest daughter, Mackenzie- she was a huge help and a gem! 

I woke up this morning to the terrible, tragic news of Steven Curtis Chapman and the loss of his youngest daughter Maria, age 5, who was killed when her older brother accidently hit her in the family's driveway. His family has impacted SO MANY lives, by introducing their adoption story, and giving grants to those who need help bringing their child home. Their ministry is so far reaching.... So today, please join me in giving back to them, by uplifting the whole family in prayer. It is only God's grace that can sustain them through the grief.... You can also leave a comment for the family here . Edited to add: We can't bring Maria back,  or ease the pain for this family, but we can use our sorrow for the Chapman Family's loss as a call to action. If all of us who are grieved for this family, who have enjoyed SCC's music, or have been touched by their adoption crusade made a donation , we could help save other children who need families. Please consider giving to hono...

Tonight Aria and I were looking through junk mail and we flipped through a magazine with kids room decor. She really liked a little boys room she saw, so I asked her if she would like a baby brother. (Calm down Mom, we are NOT expecting OR adopting) She got a gleem in her eye, glanced over at her sister, and nonchalantly said: " Oh, yes Mommy-  Maybe  we could trade our baby for a boy baby." And then started to giggle at her own joke. That Stinker!

Our Daddy is so much fun! He let Mommy take a much needed nap, and he let us fingerpaint to our little hearts content! We love spending time with you Daddy!

The girls love to go exploring in the front yard. We have little chipmunks, lizards, and some creepy looking bugs. It's a regular safari out there! "Come on Sissy, lets go see what we can find!"  There's always time to stop and smell the roses. And to enjoy the beauty of nature.

My heart is absolutely anguished for the people in China who are grieving the loss of loved ones, homeless and without hope that only Jesus can give... ~ Many, many of the dead are children- ONLY CHILDREN . Because of the one child policy in China, think of the parents who are grieving their only child.... I cannot imagine, I really can't. Consider reading this story to try to get your mind around the loss these parents are dealing with:  http://www.charlotte.com/171/story/624849.html ~Having been to China twice, we have seen first hand the primitive conditions. These people work very hard to provide for their family, and live in what we would call "dire poverty". It is the norm for most families. We have so much as Americans.... ~Our money, even a little bit can go a long way. There are orphanages that are not safe, so children are living in tents outside in the elements. Here is one example: *Dujiangyan : Children are safe. Children have been evacuated. Their temporary ...

In a day and age, when we STILL get stared at, (especially when we have all 4 kids! Trying to figure out who belongs to who is cause for LOTS of unabashed staring!!)when we get questions about the girls when we are running for a quick gallon of milk, or out for a family dinner(when we don't always want to talk about their adoption, we just want to be a family) and when we get the occasional rude or offensive comment- it's nice to see a company making a commercial that is exactly how we feel about our family! It's really short, but check it out- I couldn't have said it better myself! http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1315793544?bctid=1546350694

Whenever it gets a little too quiet around here, it's NOT because they are reading books!  Thing 1 and Thing 2( as we affectionately call them) have struck again!  On this particular day they were not on my watch. (and that's all I'm sayin!)  I came downstairs, and Daddy motions me to follow him into the guest bathroom. We pull back the shower curtain.... And they are just about to pour shampoo on all their wood blocks to wash them!  Thing 1 is happy to demonstrate, while Thing 2 (who can barely see thru her bangs) is taking it all in.. NEVER A DULL MOMENT! 

When the boys had play dates when they were little, they used to LOVE to play what I liked to call, "Swamp Monkey" They would run FOR HOURS through the creek all dressed in camouflage. I'm sure you can only imagine what they came home smelling like after playing FOR HOURS, in a muddy creek- hence the name. :) Imagine my delight, when we had our friends over for dinner, and all the girls wanted to do was play dress up, princess, and put on a play for the parents. Oh my how times have changed! Isn't this the CUTEST thing??? They even remembered to accessorize ! "I have my apple juice and my comb, can somebody do my hair and makeup?" How many Princesses can fit in a castle? The answer is ALL OF THEM, and quite happily!

I love.... ....all the firsts: first coo, first smile, first birthday, first step, first day of school. ....all the lasts: last crib, last diaper, last highchair, last day before graduation. ....everything in between the firsts and the lasts- the good, the bad and the messy. .... watching them grow, in each and every stage of life. ....dreaming of who they will become, and realizing who God has molded them to be. ....enjoying each and every stage to the fullest. ....holding them tight and savoring the snuggles. ....letting them go and watching them flourish. ....experiencing the reality of your children becoming your friends as adults. ....doing it all over again a second time in my life. I LOVE... .... being "Mommy" to these 4 beautiful children.  Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers and Mothers to be out there!

One year ago today... ~I stared for an hour and a half out the window, watching and waiting for you to arrive at our hotel. I looked at every car and bus hoping to see you..... ~I stood in the hallway to catch the first glimpse of you coming off the elevator. I couldn't wait even one more second for them to reach the door. ~I reached for you and you reached right back for me. You looked at me as if you instantly   knew I was your Mommy. ~Daddy held you for the very first time. How small and fragile you were! ~I kissed your sweet cheeks, while tears spilled down mine and was in awe of holding BOTH my girls for the very first time! A GIFT from God. ~I couldn't wait for the officials to leave so I could count your little fingers and toes. I wanted you all to myself! ~You smiled, and laughed that very first day at your big sister. She was so proud of you, her baby. ~ You ate spagetti that first night, and signed "more" after I showed you just a few times. ~I gave you a b...