Pearl's Name

We have finally reached a decision for Pearl's full name.  We are keeping Pearl as her first name.  It is just such a sweet name and God used her name to send us so many confirmations, that no other name seemed to be as appropriate.

Her middle name will be Alexandra in honor of my brother whose middle name is Alexander.  He has always been great with my kids.  They all think he is super cool and he is so good with them that it is perfect for Pearl to have part of his name.

So Pearl Alexandra JinZhu Barbee it will be !

This is my brother, David, and Lainie walking back to the beach house after spending time at the pool.  Poor David is carrying all of our junk and pulling our wagon of stuff.  He is so good to help me out when we are together when all he really has to do is be responsible for himself.  You're a great brother David.  Thank you.

Is it really over?

It seems summer evaporated right before our eyes.  What happened to those long lazy days I was envisioning?  Now already school supplies have been bought, bookbags packed and closets organized for school.   I thought I'd do lots of blogging, but just like the other things I planned, it didn't happen.  What did happen though, was lots of sleeping late, doctor and dental appointments, beach trips, field trips, and staying up way toooo late.  All good stuff.

Now school begins and summer officially ends.  Back to routines and schedules and all that jazz.  Part of me is ready for a little structure. I wonder how long that will last. 

Here are a few snapshots of our summer.  More adoption updates coming soon..... I promise.

Our beach trips this summer were awesome! 

We went once with my parents and again with Bobby's big ole family!!! 

Visiting the Barnacle with my parents is a favorite beach trip tradition.

Hanging out with all of the cousins during the Big Barbee beach trip is fun for all.

This was during the Pictionary game.  The oldest guys are so sweet to hang with the little ones.

Lainie is our beach girl.  She loves every minute and she will now ask for the next 365 days when are we going back to the beach? 

Will is surrounded by girl cousins... but he doesn't seem to mind. 

They all have a great time together.

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We had fun at home too.  We did some tie dye.....

had friends over.....

and spent lots of time playing with Cole.

This guy spent lots of time driving us around he has his permit. Wow.

And so hard to believe this little one will start kindergarten in a few days.  She is so ready. 

 I just can't believe how fast she's grown.

  Stay tuned for more updates.  I'm really going to try to do better. 

More adoption updates coming.

Pretty Pearl

Introducing our beautiful daughter Xia Jin Zhu.

Pearl at age 2.

Pearl in April 2011.  Age 3

She is 3.5 years old and is waiting for us in China. Her Chinese names mean "Pretty Pearl" and since that name was so sweetly chosen for her in China, we've decided to keep Pearl as part of her name. Not sure yet if it will be her first or middle name, but our agency did refer to her as Pearl, so it does have significant meaning to us.   This is what her orphanage had to say in describing her.  "This is Pearl, a young girl who suffers from a heart defect, and is delicate, but is quiet and sensible and adorable."

The story of how we came to this point is yet again a story of God's moving in our lives. I'll be sharing it in pieces here in the days to come. One of the smallest, yet largest confirmations of all, came on May 16th. This was the final day we had to decide whether or not we would adopt Pearl. I opened my devotional book that morning and the title was: Mother of Pearl. It talked all about how pearls are formed and how the Bible talks about their value. We emailed our agency that day and began the paperwork.
I'll admit, even after we said yes, I was still a bit caught up in what it was going to cost us, financially and otherwise, to bring her home. Then, just a few days later, a dear friend reminded me of the parable of "The Pearl of Great Price." She sent me a wonderful devotion containing this parable. That is what brought about my blog post on May 31st. I think it is fitting to repeat some words from that post here today.......

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price” Matthew 13:45-46.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”


Pearls in the ancient world came to represent the supremely valuable. Why would a mercant sell everything for a pearl? No doubt because he was attracted to what he thought was the greatest treasure he could possess. Discovering God's kingdom is like stumbling across hidden treasure or finding the one pearl of great price. When we discover the kingdom of God we receive the greatest possible treasure -- the Lord himself. Selling all that we have to obtain this incomparable treasure could mean many things -- our friends, job, our "style of life", what we do with our free time. . If the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you will delight yourself in the Almighty (Job 22:22-23). Is the Lord the treasure and delight of your heart?

We will walk this journey one step of faith at a time. Totally trusting that He will be by our side every single step of the way. Our only desire is to bring Him glory through the journey. We are grateful for all of your prayers and encouragement along the way.

Here We Go !!

We interrupt our regular blogging for this special announcement.

Click below and stay tuned for more details coming soon.....

Barbee Kids Announce

Hello Summer !!!

Welcome back Summer !   We missed you so !

Anniversary!

18 years ago I married this guy with absolutely no idea what our family picture would like today.  It has been an incredible 18 years.  I wouldn't want to be in this crazy adventure with anyone else. 

Pearl of Great Price

A dear friend recently called my attention to this parable......

“The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price” Matthew 13:45-46.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Pearls in the ancient world came to represent the supremely valuable.   Why would a mercant sell everything for a  pearl?  No doubt because he was attracted to what he thought was the greatest treasure he could possess. Discovering God's kingdom is like stumbling across hidden treasure or finding the one pearl of great price.  When we discover the kingdom of God we receive the greatest possible treasure -- the Lord himself. Selling all that we have to obtain this incomparable treasure could mean many things -- our friends, job, our "style of life", what we do with our free time. . If the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver, then you will delight yourself in the Almighty (Job 22:22-23). Is the Lord the treasure and delight of your heart?

This parable was a timely reminder for me.  What are we willing to sell, give-away, sacrifice for the Pearl of Great Price?  Are there things in your life that you consider more valuable than the Lord himself?  Do you actions reflect your love for him?  Those questions led me to some serious evaluation, and some serious decision making.....   more on that later.