Studio Pics of Kids

We took the kids to a photographer named Dejah Quinn in Shawnee. She is a part of a wonderful network of photographers,Celebrating Adoption, who give free services to adoptive families. This is such a wonderful way for people to support adoption with their talents. So we received a free sitting and a free picture CD. This is a huge gift, considering how pricey this photographer is, and that we can make as many prints from the CD as we want. I was so impressed with her ability to make something out of nothing! All three of my kiddos were in rare form the day of our appointment. I wrestled with all three of them the entire photo shoot. I was sure that nothing would come out of this session, and I was relieved that it was free so that my money had not been wasted. I was shocked when we saw the proofs! I will never know how she managed to get these wonderful shots. She is truly talented. I just love the way she captured their personalities in such an artful way. To see the entire photo album, click here.

Back from the Beach

We had a lot of fun down in Surfside, TX for a week. We stayed at a beach house with all of Andy’s family. We had a large beach house this year that could sleep 30. We had 27 so it worked out perfectly. Kimberlyn had so much fun with her cousin Kenzie. They are so cute together. Jachin was a little fish, and wanted to stay out in the waves all day. He did play the Wii quite a bit though. Bo loved being outside at every opportunity. He actually liked the ocean which was a surprise. He loves our baby pool at home, but hates our neighborhood pool. So we thought he would hate the ocean. But I think he just likes water where he can touch! It was fun being there for the 4th of July and watching the fireworks from the beach house balcony. We are glad to be home for a few weeks. Andy and I leave in about a month for our 10 year anniversary trip. We are going to Cabo San Lucas for a week! I can’t wait!

For more beach pics, click here.

10 years and 10 diamonds

Andy has always said that on our 10 year anniversary he was going to make over my wedding ring. I liked the idea, but realistically I thought this would never happen. I had my doubts, especially this year, when we paid for an adoption. But Andy insisted that it would happen. Well, to my surprise he took me to the jeweler’s the other day to see the ideas that he had been working on. I was stunned! So last week I went to pick up the completed project. Basically, the only thing that stayed the same was my original solitaire diamond. He added nine diamonds to make a total of ten for ten years. Our 10 year anniversary isn’t until July 25, but he let me have it early....like he had a choice once I saw it! What a sweet husband I have!

Summer Update

This summer has been such a joy! I guess having Bo home, makes us feel like a complete family. I have such a peace and weight lifted off my shoulders. However, you know I like projects, so I am sure there will be many coming. But so far, we have taken it easy.

For a photo summary, click here.

Here is a short update on what we have been up to:

Andy has been running the Satellite Service and making plans for the future. Summer is always the planning time for the upcoming college year. We have been teaching the summer college bible study together on Ruth. It has been fun to prepare and teach together. We have never done that, and we are enjoying it. Andy is coaching Jachin’s Tball team this summer, and he is doing an excellent job. It is funny to watch some of the hothead coaches. The parents on our team have expressed many times how grateful they are to have Andy. Andy just got back from Florida, where he visited his family and went to his niece’s high school graduation! Time has flown! Andy is being a handyman this summer, and he is sanding and restaining our playground. This is a HUGE project. It has taken several weeks for him to complete a third of it. I think he is ready for this project to be over. However, the main thing he is anticipating this summer is the new 3G iphone!

Jachin just completed his kindergarten year and will be a 1st grader in the fall! I can’t believe how big he is getting! He is an amazing reader and is having a lot of fun discovering all the books and signs he can read. He is playing Tball again this summer, and it has finally clicked! He is hustling to the ball on every play. Jachin chose his haircut this year, which is the cute long look of Zac Efron. I love the independence he is showing this year.

Kimberlyn is going to be in Pre-K at the same school as Jachin. She is so excited to be with her big brother. She sits down to do homework with him everyday. She is such a big girl. I was amazed at how fast she learned to write her name this year. It is not an easy thing to remember. She had her big dance recital in May which was precious. This week she is going to gymnastics camp, which she loves.

Bo is doing so well! I can’t believe he has been home 6 months! After having tubes put in his ears, his speech and attitude have improved. He is like a different little boy. He is so much happier and energetic. He is starting to test the boundaries, which means he feels comfortable now. He is starting to tattle and fight, just like a true sibling! He loves the little pool we have in the backyard, but he is not sure about the big neighborhood pool. Who knows how he will react to the beach in a few weeks? He loves watching Jachin play ball, and he runs the bases around our living room all day long. We are starting to potty train, which after I relaxed my strict attitude, has been going well. :)

I am co-teaching the college bible study with Andy, and I have really liked getting back into teaching. It is such a bitter sweet thing for me. I love preparing, but I get so nervous actually teaching the lesson. It has been fun discussing things with Andy every week, when I tell him where he is wrong and what he should say. I am sure he doesn’t enjoy it as much as me! :) I have been working once or twice a week at the hospital, on nights as usual. But the main thing I have really enjoyed has been being home everyday with the kids. I was a little hesitant when I thought about all three kids, all day, every day. But it has turned out great. They are such good kids. I really missed having Jachin home while he was in all day kindergarten. It has been really fun watching them develop their roles. Now ask me again at the end of the summer, and it may be another story! One of the things that has helped in this area, too, has been our date night. Andy is good about making sure we have this time alone together. He even brought me flowers the other day!

So life in our household is good. Thank you God for blessing us!

Dance Recital

Kimber had her first dance recital. It was 3 1/2 hours long, but very impressive. However the little ones stole the show! They were so adorable and funny....I was literally crying. Kimber was amazing and was loving it! She had the time of her life in the spotlight. We had 16 people in the audience watching her sweet 5 minutes of dances. After the recital her Daddy gave her pink flowers. To watch a video of her recital, click here.

Surgeries Complete

Bo had his surgeries this morning. Everything went well without complications. He is not happy and we have him maxed out on the pain meds. I will say that the few words that Bo has spoken this morning are much clearer. He is also responding to background noises which he has never done before. We are optimistic that his speech will improve quickly. Kimberlyn asked when we were loading Bo up in the car at the surgery center if he could talk now? She thought it would be immediate!

Why blog?

I laugh at how my generation is becoming addicted to this new world of blogging. The college students don’t understand my obsession....but one day they will. It is so foreign to them--because they live in the now. They record their lives on Facebook with pictures and short conversations that are replaced several times in a 24 hour period. But one day they will look at life and wonder, What they are leaving behind? I think blogging is one way we (older people) are answering that age old question. We look at our children and know that we will forget. We look back over our lives and see the mistakes that we made and never want to make again. We see issues that are bigger than ourselves and want to spread awareness to anyone that will listen. I recently read an article written by John Piper about why pastors should blog. This most certainly is a new topic in the realm of ministry. But I loved the way that he made his case for blogging. And I think it applies to a much bigger audience than just ministers. Aren’t we all preaching? So here is my favorite point on why we should blog:

To develop an eye for what is meaningful.

For good or ill, most committed bloggers live with the constant question in their mind: Is this bloggable? This could become a neurosis, but I’ll put a positive spin on it: It nurtures a habit of looking for insight and wisdom and value in every situation, no matter how mundane.

If you live life looking for what is worthwhile in every little thing, you will see more of what God has to teach you. And the more he teaches you, the more you can teach others. As you begin to be inspired and to collect ideas, you will find that the new things you’ve seen and learned enrich far more of your life than just your blog.

Amen. I couldn’t agree more. So keep your eyes peeled for the lessons God is teaching you. And find an outlet for sharing those insights with the world. But be careful....blogging can become obsessive! I think that was what Piper meant about the negative aspect. Some people get swept up in the egocentric aspect of their blog. Everything becomes about them. Blogging can be a blessing if we keep our eyes on what is meaningful.