Okay. I'm a terrible blogger. I have friends who update monthly, daily, weekly, hourly. I just can't keep up. One problem is I just have so much that I want to say, I just can't decide what to post first so I don't post anything at all.
School is out which means the kids and I are out of school together. Yeah! A dear friend asked me what I was doing with all of my free time. Free time? Did you say free time? I have four children ages 12, 9, 6 and 2. Somehow my days seem to just slip by without any "free time".
We do SO enjoy not being on such a serious schedule. Staying up late, sleeping VERY late (I woke them up at 10am today), playing on the ballfield, hanging out with friends at the pool, completing mission projects at church. We love it all.
I do actually sneak in a few moments of free time in the mornings before everyone stirs. This is my favorite part of summer. I can sleep in and still beat the kids up. It gives me a chance to do some thinking and evaulating. I've found it true for several years now that I spend the first weeks of summer in a very retrospective mood. Looking back over the year, thinking about what worked well and what we want to do differently next year in our home and in my classroom at school. This year has especially been so. I've been deeply burdened by the Steven Curtis Chapman family tragedy. Their precious Maria, adopted from China, was killed in a tragic accident in their home in May. We've been Chapman fans for years, in fact, we've seen him in concert 3 times over the last 20 years, but of course we have kept up with him even more since our China adoption. They didn't just adopt 3 girls from China, they also established a wonderful organization called Shaohannah's Hope (see link at right) that offers grants to ease the financial burden of adoption for many families. Thinking about their loss has caused me to be even more conscious of living in the moment this summer. These children of mine, such precious gifts, am I loving them well enough? Am I shepherding their hearts as I should be ? Do they know how much I love them? Do I show them/tell them enough? I'm inspired to be and do better.... every single moment.
So, all of that to say, we are great.
Trey, at age 12, has caused us to face the fact that we are on the verge of having a teenager in the house. Yikes! He is such a good kid, you wouldn't believe it if I tried to tell you how good he is if you haven't spent time with him. Nonetheless, I'm not naive enough to know that these won't be trying years ahead. Today he went for his 12 year old physical. He is now officially way taller than me. He has it on paper to prove it now. I've been avoiding standing directly beside him since about Christmas. Now the charade is over. He knows he's taller than mom and the doctor wrote it down for him for proof. I do remind him however that being taller than me is certainly no big feat. When he gets taller than Daddy, now that will be something to brag about. Have I mentioned his feet are the same size as Bobby's ? He may be coming up on him more quickly than we think.
Jillian, now 9, just finished up another season of softball. We are amazed by the little sportsman (woman) she's become. This season in particular she seems to run on and off the field with such enthusiasm. We love to see her loving life. Her coaches and other parents always comment on her smile. They ask, "Does she smile all of the time?" During basketball season her coach even called her "Smiley" as a nickname. May she always keep smiling and may she always find that joy within herself as she enters those years when girls can be not so nice to each other.
Will, age 6, well, what do you say? He just loves life. Whether he is in a one man basketball game outside in the drive, or playing t-ball, or chasing Lainie through the house, he is giggling. He is 100% into whatever it is he is involved in at the moment. He now has a toothless smile. 3 missing teeth on the top, two on the bottom. I just love that stage. They never look like babies again once those permanent teeth come through. He was the baby here for quite some time. He will always be the baby boy.
Lainie, age 2. Our unexpected gift. I still shudder to think about the blessings our lives would be without had we not listened to the voice of God. I daily feel completely unworthy for God to have poured his love out on us in this way. The joy she brings us DAILY is pure and real. People always ask me how she is doing. I don't even know how to describe how well she has adjusted to her new life during this past year. I usually just say, "She's great, really, really great." But, that just doesn't tell half the story. She can now skip and jump. She is stringing words together to make sentences and she loves doing just about anything that Will is doing. White doughnuts remain her favorite food, closely followed by anything covered in Ranch dressing. I know, the nutrition police would not be pleased. Her cutest thing yet was a "conversation" that we had recently. We were at the beach with my parents. Lainie and I were lagging somewhat behind during the treck back to the house. I looked down at her and said, "Lainie let's hurry." She stopped, pointed at her chest, and said,"Mommy. Me sissy." She was trying to tell me not to call her Lainie. She wanted to be called Sissy. I said, "Okay then sissy. Let's hurry." She then sped up the pace (a little). She is indeed our little sissy. And I spent those last minutes of our little walk thanking God that he gave us this little sissy and that he gave her a family where she is doted on as the little sissy.
So, now you see why I think blogging is overwhelming. Just too much I want to share. I tell myself all of the time that I am going to shut down the blog, but then I see some acquaintance in the grocery store who tells me they read the blog. Or, I get an e-mail from someone telling me they came across my blog from someone else's blog. Most importantly, I recently got an e-mail from someone who came across our blog because they "googled" Chenzhou, China (Lainie's birthplace). Their daughter is also from Chenzhou, but they used a different adoption agency. This mother clicked on the link to our agency and guess what ? On the special needs page of our agency's website she found her son. He was the last child of 20 on the list to be spoken for. So, if for no other reason than maybe God will use our blog to help another child find their forever family, I'll keep it going. As outdated as it may sometimes become.
Hope you all have a wonderful summer. Enjoy every moment.
Below are random pictures from the last month or so......
Headed to the Bobcats game.
Trey is behind the plate..... like father like son.
Lainie and Jillian's matching dresses are from
http://www.maggiedelaney.com/. Highly recommend them!!!!
Opening presents is Will's favorite part!
Jillian and friends showing their Panther Pride at school on Friday.
Lainie is anxiously awaiting her birthday next month.
A few of the kiddos on New Year's Eve. A cheesy tradition - we always take a picture of the kids and Dick Clark.
For Halloween we had a bumble bee, a glamor girl, and a race care driver.
Trey decided for the first year, that he was too old to trick-or-treat, so he and his best bud, (and cousin) Luke decided to hang a ghost on the porch and attempt to scare anyone who braved the porch. Eventually, they gave in and joined the hayride to get in on the candy collecting. 
Celebrating my mom's birthday......
And finally, on Thanksgiving Day, I captured a relatively good picture for the Christmas card. I'm not crazy about the lighting, but hey, when all four kiddos are looking and smiling, you gotta go with it.
