S'mores, Sun Flare and Silhouettes

There is something about S'mores that screams summer at our house. The kids were so excited to fill the fire pit with twigs and see the first sparks fly.

   

 You can see the excitement on the boys faces as they waited for the fire and watched their dad break out the chocolate.

 

The fire was ready and the marshmallows were on sticks.

 

Emma did the sideways stance because the fire felt a little warm she said.

 

Alexa was focused as she was trying to get her marshmallows warm and gooey.

   

 Eric seems to have the art of roasting down after all his years of experience!

 

Max was excited about all the yummy goodness as he took his first bite for the season.

 

I love seeing those little sticky fingers holding a little square of yummy goodness!

 

It was a beautiful summer night to enjoy our first s'mores of the season.

 

Max decided that marshmallows were just as good as the s'mores.

 

In the photography class I am taking we have been working on Sun Flares and Silhouettes so I took advantage of a great evening and the sunlight to practice. I love this one I caught of Emma when she was enjoying her s'more and wasn't looking with the sun flare!

   

 As the sun was going down and our night was coming to a close I was able to capture a silhouette of my big girl! What a great summer night! I can't wait for more!

Double Digits

I can't believe that my girl has hit the double digits!

   

 Alexa found a "Beach Party" in a book she had and decided that would be the theme of her 10th birthday party. She decided she just wanted to invite her two best friends and make it a 24 hour day of fun. Before we went to pick up Alexa's friends we set the table. Alexa and I had fun on a shopping date and preparing her table for her friends.

 

We started the day at the local water park to enjoy some fun in the water and the sun!

 

When we got home the girls showered up and started on some of the crafts that Alexa had come up with for her party. The first was beading a "beachy" looking necklace.

 

Alexa has such a special bond with these two girls and it has been so much fun seeing their friendship grow this past year.

 

The also are so sweet to Emma and included her in the fun!

The table was set .....

and dinner was ready! Alexa wanted to have food that was "beachy" too! So we brainstormed some ideas and this what we came up with together! 

After dinner the girls made a "beach in a box." Alexa saw this fun idea in a book she had and this is where her Beach Party idea took off! The girls had fun putting together their own little beaches.

The girls played outside and waited patiently for the sprinklers on the golf course to come on.  They finally decided after waiting and waiting to come in for some cupcakes.  As I told Alexa to wait so I could grab the candle and sing she informed me she didn't really need a candle.  Oh my heart about sank ... is she really too old for a birthday candle :(! My little girl is growing up.  Their faces say it all.  These girls know how to have fun! 

They were in the middle of eating their cupcakes and I heard screaming ... they dropped their cupcakes and headed out the door! 

The long awaited sprinklers were on.  They danced, screamed and giggled their hearts out! 

They came in and showered again and got ready for bed.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the birthday girl curled up in bed with her friends.  They slept side by side the long way in a queen bed.  As I was tucking them in and saying prayers they were talking about their classes for the next school year.  They are all hoping to be in the same class. One of Alexa's friends said, "I just don't want to drift apart!"  

We had a chance to talk about how special their friendship was and that God knows and has a plan.  When Alexa and I were out shopping she saw these little frames and wanted to put a verse in them for her friends. We used it as part of a devotion during dinner and so we continued to talk about how God knows their thoughts and knows their worries.  He also has blessed them with a special friendship and even in they aren't in the same classroom their friendship can continue to grow.  We also talked about how he may want them to grow in new ways and meet new friends this year too!  What a special way to end the day with my birthday girl and her friends.  She is growing up way too fast but I am getting glimpses of the sweetness of this new stage we are moving in to! 

            It seems like it was yesterday that we were anxiously anticipating her arrival and when she arrived it was love at first sight. She gave us the gift of being parents for the first time and has paved the way for her siblings. On one hand I am sad that time is flying and my baby is growing up and on the other hand I love seeing her grow into a beautiful girl on the inside and out. I am so proud of the girl she is becoming and the drive she has in life. She is an amazing big sister and embraces being the oldest with every ounce of her. It has been so much fun to sit down and have "big girl" conversations with her and see her heart for Jesus grow this year. I can't wait to see the way she grows and blossoms this next year!

13 Years Ago ....

Thirteen years ago ..... I said "I Do!" I had no idea what kind of wild ride we would go on in life. I will say it has been full of ups and downs. There have been joys and sorrows. There have been days that loving each other is easy and others when it is a choice. There have been hard circumstances that we have walked through and yet we have grown and are stronger because of it. We have experienced an abundance of God's blessings in our marriage and our family. We have grown closer as a couple and have continued to work to build a firm foundation on Christ. We have been blessed with 4 little blessings and are waiting to bring our 5th home from China. Thirteen years of life lived with my best friend. I have a lot to celebrate today!

 

There is no one I would rather be on this journey of life with than him! Happy Thirteenth Anniversary Eric! I can't wait to see what the next year holds on this wild ride!

Strawberry Picking

One lazy summer evening I decided to google "strawberry patches." I wondered if there was one in the area. I thought it would be fun to take the kids strawberry picking. Wouldn't you know there was a new strawberry patch just 20 minutes from our house and they were open for picking.

 

The kids had never been strawberry picking before. This picture pretty sums up how Max felt about his first trip to the strawberry patch. The other kids echoed Max's sentiments toward the strawberry patch. They thought it was so much fun, where grinning from ear to ear on the tractor ride and ate their fair share of fresh red strawberries. I am pretty sure the red fingers, red shirt and red face are a dead give away ... Max loved strawberry picking.

Emma went right to work eager to fill her bucket. 

Max also went right to work ... but instead decided to eat each strawberry he picked. 

Max watched over Shane's shoulder to see how it is all done !

He too the cue that all those red strawberries were fare game.

 

The girls worked hard but also ate their fair share of berries.

The girls were trying to show Max how it is done.  It looks like they couldn't resist those bright red strawberries either.

Every time we turned around Max had a strawberry in or near his mouth. The farmer who owns the field told the kids they were safe to eat and they could each as much a they want but had to stop when they reached their body weight.

The girls went right to work and were more than excited to fill their buckets.

 

Shane decided to take a little break and wait for the tractor. 

Emma was busy trying to get those last minute strawberries in the bucket before it was time to head back. 

 The kids loved hoping on the tractor for a ride out to the patch and back to the van.

 

We had a couple yummy buckets of strawberries to take home.

 

This picture pretty sums of how Max felt about having to get off the tractor and leaving the strawberry patch behind.

. 

I am linking up to Stephanie's Sunday Snapshots this week. As I fall more and more in love with hobby of photography I love taking in others work especially when they share their work so generously. Head on over to Stephanie's blog to see some amazing photographs. I used a Canon 60D camera, my 50 mm lens at various settings and a little bit of Florabella 1968.

Father's Day

father :

1. n. the foundation for the family, one who

originates, guards and provides.

a leader, source of strength, inspiration and will.

 This is one of my favorite pictures of Eric and the kids to date! It has been such a blessing to step back and watch Eric as a daddy to these four blessings.  Each of them has their own unique and special relationship with their dad.  I love that he makes it a priority to date each of his kids and build a relationship with them. Each of them have stretched and grown Eric in new ways as he has been on a journey as a father.

I still remember the anticipation and excitement in the hospital room as I was in labor. I remember watching Eric fall head over heals in love with his little girl the minute she was born. Alexa gave Eric the gift of being a daddy for the first time. She will always hold that special place in his heart.

  Emma came along rather quickly and Eric quickly embraced being a daddy to two little girls. He loved every minute of having these two girls wrapped around his finger. Emma came with a little spunk her her little blonde pony tails and I loved watching Eric guide her spirit with out breaking it. I loved the gentle, nurturing and protective side that his two little girls brought out in him. There are many nights he could be found on the couch cuddled with his two girls.

 

Shane then followed not long after. Building a business, being a husband and dad to 3 little ones 3 and under was no small task. Eric jumped in to being a dad to 3 with both feet. There were times it was hard and he would be the first to admit that but I love the way he would rise to the challenge and continue to strive to put into each of his little blessings even when he was at the end of himself. He made a point to graciously take the three almost nightly the first months after Shane was born and kick me out of the house for a little bit of mommy time. He because a smart daddy and knew if mommy was refreshed and happy the rest of the house seemed to follow suit! 

 I loved watching Eric grow as a daddy when he had his first son. There is something about a dad and his girls but something pretty special about a father and his son. Our house turned from night time cuddle time to night time wrestle time. I am not sure how to totally explain the difference ... it is more a physical, active love I see between these two. The way that Shane looks up to his dad is pretty special.

  

  When we journeyed to Max I saw Eric's heart change and grown one more time as a dad. It was amazing to watch Eric with Max those first few hours and days. There was an instant bond and Eric was head over heals in love with his little boy. He instantly felt that God had handpicked Max to be his son. After walking through his orphanage and his finding spot their was an emotion of protectiveness and love that I saw in Eric's eyes. Max forever changed his daddy's heart! 

  Once again I see Eric's heart opening and growing in new ways as he became a daddy for the 5th time this year. What better gift for Father's Day than new pictures of his baby girl. I can't wait to see little Ellie wrap her daddy around her fingers. I can't wait to see how God stretches and grows Eric as a daddy on our journey to our sweet girl

 The kids had so much fun filling out special questions about their dad.  I wanted to document some of their answers. 

Shane thought Eric was 100 pounds and 55 inches tall.  His favorite things to do with his dad are golfing and cuddling.  What he loves most about his dad is when he hugs and kisses him.  Emma thinks her daddy is smart because he knows 100,000 x 100,000. She loves that he tells her stories and wrestles with her.  She loves her daddy because he loves her.  Alexa said Eric's favorite food is sour worms.  She said he works hard at home and work.  Alexa is happy when Daddy comes home from a long trip. She loves her daddy because he is my dad. 

We are blessed with an amazing dad. We celebrated him on Father's Day!

My Heart Is Bursting ... An Update On Ellie

 I couldn't believe it when I saw an email from our agency that said UPDATE.  We had asked for new pictures and asked some questions about our little Ellie but were shocked that it came so soon.  I opened the email to see this picture .....

Oh my goodness we are in love with this little girl already.  It seems crazy that we could fall head over heals in love with a little girl an ocean away that we have never met but that is what has happened.

She is our daughter and China telling us we can come get her can not come fast enough.

I have studied her pictures from top to bottom.  Look at that cute little nose and those sweet little lips ...

and those tiny little curled toes are just too precious.

Her cheeks are full and she looks healthy and yet those tiny little legs, ankles and feet remind me so much of Max's feet and legs when we got him.  No strength or muscle tone.  She looks like such a little peanut.

This is what we found out about Ellie today:

We asked for updated measurements and they said she is 70.5 cm tall, she weighs 8.5kg which is about 18 lbs and her foot length is 10.5cm.  We know we take the measurements with a grain of salt ... not sure she is looking like an 18 lbs little girl. She has 1 tooth.

We asked how her health has been, if her VSD seems to affect her health, if she sweats easily or has blue fingers or mouth.  The orphanage said Ellie was very weak when she came to them but under their good care, her health has been greatly improved.  They said she sweats easily but doesn't get tired. She hasn't had blueness in her fingertips or mouth so far.

We asked for another Echo to see if there were any changes in the hole in her heart.  The told us that the hospital is far away and would be very hard to make an appointment there so too hard to arrange the exam for Ellie.

We asked the caretakers to describe her development and personality.  The said she can sit alone well and stand holding on to furniture.  She can move around when sitting in the baby walker. She has started to babble. She gets along well with the other children and likes colorful toys.

We asked if she had ever been in foster care and if she had a nickname.  The said she had never been in foster care and they call her Na Na.

Little Ellie has wiggled her way into all of our hearts already.  We continue to stand in awe that God has given us this precious little girl to be our daughter. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I 

know that full well. 

Psalm 139:14