Fast Food

Ok, I know fast food is not good for you but when life goes in "fast mode" we sometimes HAVE to resort to eating those yummy fries and nuggets. Unfortunately we have eaten our share here lately. Last night was one of those "moments". Will and Sam had gone to a soccer festival 2-1/2 hours away and weren't home yet. Jaida, Xin and I were on our way to pick Julia up and I said that I was hungry, to which they both agreed they were hungry too. They began to name ALL the fast food restaurants we could possibly visit. I then said that I didn't really want to eat fast food so maybe we could go to a sit- down restaurant. As we picked Julia up, we asked her what she wanted to eat. Jaida quickly replied, "Sissy, Mommy already said NO fast food tonight so we going to have slow food!"

Happy 9th Birthday Sam!

Nine years ago today my last "tummy" baby made his way into the world. What a blessing he is! This little guy has the sweetest and most genuine heart. He is kind and thoughtful. He is smart and handsome. He is athletic and creative. He is a great little brother. He is a great big brother. He loves to laugh and his laugh makes me laugh. Oh how I love this boy! We had pancakes and presents this morning followed by a party at home and then dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. What a fun day it was!!! Happy Birthday my little man. I love you with all my heart! You make my world a brighter place and I am blessed by you.

February 1st

The family zoo shot.
He LOVED feeding the giraffes.

The party table.

Wow!

His very first birthday cake!

He fell asleep in his birthday crown....I think he liked his birthday!

We celebrated Xin yesterday. It was his birthday. He turned 5. He had NEVER had a birthday. No one had EVER celebrated him. We did! This little boy with a brave heart, curious mind, clever wit and kind soul that came to us 9 months ago, has been through so much in his little life. And yet he had never had a birthday celebration. We started the celebration Sunday by heading to the zoo. He loved it! Monday he brought a cookie cake to school to share with his friends. Yesterday we had presents and a lunch celebration with pizza and cake.He loved every minute of it. Most kids rip through the cards paying no attention to them unless there is a gift in it, he wanted to keep it in his room. Yes, cards are special when you have NEVER had a birthday! We have made a lot of progress in 9 months with this little guy. He is still learning and growing and so are we but we are blessed by his presence in our family. We love you Xin and we will celebrate the day God brought you into this world for the next 100 years! Happy Birthday little buddy!!!!

Minus 17

Our "adoption group" got together last night. There were 12 adopted kids present, 2 missing and 3 more waiting in China to come home to their forever families! Minus 17 orphans......praise God! Lets hope next year there are even more crowded on that couch!

The simple joys of a 4 year old

In all her pretty "princessness"!

Off to a basketball game and off to a princess party!

Yesterday Jaida went to her good friend Mason-Kate's long awaited and much anticipated birthday party. She had her outfit picked out for over a week and asked constantly, "How many more days to the princess party?" My parents gave her this outfit for Christmas and she thought/thinks it is absolutely the MOST beautiful thing ever! She wanted to wear it to the party along with her "smooth tights" as she calls them and her "high heels" aka church shoes-Mary Jane's which have about a 1/4 of an inch heel to them. She wanted to wear her hair down with the flower headband that came with the outfit, tutu, or as she calls it her "choo choo". She put her Sleeping Beauty lip gloss on and grabbed her purse and the present and off we went. She never stopped talking the entire ride there. She asked me 3 times,"Are we late?" to which I assured her we were right on time! A fabulous time was had by all...thank you Mason-Kate! I asked her as we were leaving if she had fun and she said, "Yes, but 1 thing, it was tooooo short!"

It is so neat to be able to see and enjoy her "4 yr oldness". It was just yesterday Julia was this age and yet yesterday I sent her off on a bus for a basketball game in Spartanburg SC without us there. And she certainly wouldn't dream of wearing a big pink flower on top of her head now! Each age holds its magic moments that we must find and capture. The business of life these days just seems to rob us of this at times but when we can see them and relish in them and hold them in our hearts we experience the true simple joys and the real meaning of life. I love you my sweet Jaida Ruth! Thank you for giving Mommy the gift of that day through your eyes.

Global Warming???????

It started like this.

We awoke to this! 3 snows in 11 months in the deep south!

Checking out the backyard.

Which looked like this!

My snow babies.

A "sled".....aka trash can top.... with a towel to ensure a comfortable ride!

The neighborhood kids and the neighborhood snowman.

Who they named Carl........

Bad Blogger

BFF's!

Annual trip to Lights at the Zoo

Snow! Yes, it is a smattering but......... this is 3 days after!

Mimi and Papa Bill's house with all the cousins.

Christmas Day 2010

Christmas morning...EARLY. Waiting for the Ok to come down and see the "loot"

Christmas Eve after church

Cakes for a Cause. All proceeds go to the orphan/adoption ministry of Julia's choice. They are amazingly YUMMY!

Ok, I have been a bad blogger lately. Christmas came and went and I have been heavy into my "project list". Not to mention school and activities starting back up. Here is a quick wrap-up of our last couple of weeks.

Julia sold over $230 for her Cakes for a Cause charity

Xin LOVED his first Christmas

It snowed again in the deep south...that is twice in 2010!

We visited cousins and relatives

We went to the Lights at the Zoo

Julia's BEST friend Haley visited with us for 5 days! We miss you!!!!!

A great wrap up for 2010! We are blessed!!! Happy New Year to All!