The Wedding

The wedding of the oldest Barbee grandchild has been a much anticipated event for my kiddos.  Jeremy has been a huge part of their lives and his new bride Stephanie has become equally adored in their hearts.  The wedding plans were already underway when we received Mia's referral.  They were kind enough to include Mia as a bridesmaid even then we knew nothing of how her transition might be at the time.  I think you can tell by the pictures that she had a blast.

Mia dancing with Jeremy

Lainie and her Daddy

Will doing the YMCA dance.  He was the cutest ring bearer I've ever seen!

The wedding took place in a church at Myrtle Beach so that was a extra bonus.  Mia saw the beach for the first time and loved it.  It was also the first time she's been swimming in a pool and she loved that as well. Of course, she has a long way to go before she loves the beach quite as much as Lainie whom asks about going to the beach from the time we leave in July until we finally arrive back the next summer.  I am confident that she'll live at the beach at some point in her life.  That works for me!!

We had a great weekend.  All of the kids were in the wedding so it was just a little stressful - but so much fun.  I have to say they all clean up pretty nice don't they???

Congratulations Jeremy and Stephanie!  Thank you for including all of our children and making them feel like such a special part of your big day. My prayer is that one day each of them will find a husband/wife like each of you.....

My Little Boy Is Missing....

Has anyone seen this little guy?  Pretty cute isn't he?  He seems to have disappeared when I wasn't looking.  Around the same time he went missing, this big guy showed up.  He's pretty cute too isn't he? 

This big guy is nice enough and we like him just fine, but I sure do miss my little guy.  The big guy is fun to hang out with, and he's very well mannered, but I'd love to have the little one back for just one day.  I'd love to hear his little belly laugh, run my fingers through those curls and hear his sweet little voice.  Here's a warning to all of you moms out there with cute little guys:  Don't blink.  Before you know it you may also find that a big guy is living in their place.  You'll be plenty in love with him too, but you sure are gonna miss the little guy.

Happy 14th birthday to my big guy, Trey, who I love more than I could have ever imagined.......

I Saw God Today.....

Lainie, Lilly, Anna Claire and Mia L.

I saw him in the faces of these four little girls.  It is an amazing story really.  These four girls (along with Sarah Mei whose family had previous plans)  spent their very first days and months together in a tiny room in an orphanage in Chenzhou, China.  Before any of them met their forever families, they were together.  They heard each other's first cries and first giggles. What is amazing is that they now each live here in the Carolinas and even more than that, four of them live within 45 minutes of each other. 

I just love the fingerprints of God in this story.  Who else could have orchestrated such a story?  I sometimes take for granted how incredible it is that in all of the world, these girls from so, so far away wound up still being so close together after being adopted.  The story of how each family found out about the other is also incredible.  Too much to explain here.

So today, we spent the day together in the park.  God who watched these girls as they were infants in a Chinese orphanage watched them today as they ran and played on a sunny day in a park in North Carolina.  It is simply incredible when you think about the odds of it.  I love how God has given these girls this connection.  There are so many things  I don't know and won't be able to explain to Lainie about her infancy, but there is one thing I will be able to tell her for sure.  She was not there alone.  Lilly, Sarah Mei, Anna Claire, and Mia were there with her.  And perhaps that will some day bring her peace.  When the girls reach an age when the questions are hard and the answers are even harder, I hope they find solace in knowing they share the same story together.  God is good like that isn't he??

For more of the story, you can visit Anna Claire's big sister's blog:  http://www.andthentherewereseven.blogspot.com/

Happy Easter!

As we celebrate Easter with our family we are more and more aware of the true picture of Grace.  It is because of THIS day that there will one day be THAT day when we see Him face to face. On that day my two little girls with so many questions will finally see the Father who never leaves, never forsakes, always LOVES. 

After lunch we headed to Mamaw's house for the traditional grandchildren egg hunt. 

All of the tiniest grandchildren in the family and a few extra friends...

The "big" kids to the hiding and all the little ones to the hunting.

Mia loved the egg hunt and had no problem understanding the rules. 

Her language has "exploded" in the past two weeks and she is now talking in sentences.  Amazing!