Addy-Kate's dedication

Sunday was a very VERY special day at our house. 

 

Not only was it Sanctity of Life Sunday, but it was also the day we dedicated our sweet Addy-Kate to the Lord!

It was so amazing to me that we were standing before our church family holding our precious baby girl. 

Before our wonderful pastor prayed over AK,  Shane had the opportunity to introduce our girl and to publicly praise the Lord for our little blessing!

 Then our pastor prayed over her. He prayed she would come to know the Lord at a young age and that she would spend her entire life living for Him!! The time of dedication is not only for the children, but for the parents as well. We stood before our church family and promised to raise our children in a loving, Godly, home where Christ was always the center. We also reaffirmed our commitment to each other too.

It's such a sweet and special time!

The Lord has truly blessed us and I stand amazed at what He has done for our family!
All praise to HIM!

A Girls Night!

Saturday night was a GIRLS NIGHT OUT with my mom, grandma, and sisters!! We don't have them often enough, but when schedules align and we finely have the opportunity to get together-just us girls- it's NEVER dull!  Fun times are always had and sweet memories are sure to be made. Saturday night was no different. We were supposed to meet at the Cheesecake Factory at 5o'clock for dinner and to celebrate my mom's birthday, but when we arrived  they were already at a two-and-a-half hour wait. That was just a little too long for our taste, so we tried the restaurant next door. Their wait was already super long too.  We called a few other places, but with wait times climbing higher and higher, we ended up at.....

The Original Pancake House!!!! 

 Yes, it's true- it was no Cheesecake Factory, but hey, it was still yummy and definitely hit the spot.

I mean really, what's better than sprinkle pancakes anyway!

Oh, and yes, it was supposed to be a "No boys allowed" party, but we made an exception for this sweet little guy;)

After dinner, we headed to the mall because...someone was getting their ears pierced!

Yup, Miss Sophie decided a few months ago that she was ready for earrings. Shane and I went back and forth on if we should do it or not, but ultimately decided she could get them done.

Saturday night was THE night. 

When we got to the mall, Sophie marched right into the jewelry store, hopped up in the chair, and declared was ready to have her ears pierced! She was so excited and there wasn't an ounce of hesitation on her part. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck and my stomach was in total knots.

 

  I had explained to her several times exactly what was going to happen in hopes that she would know what to expect.

 Sophie picked out a pretty pair of pink studs and with in seconds, it was all over. 

 She didn't cry,  barely winced, and was all smiles again after it was over!
 She was so very BRAVE and I was so proud of her!

And as we made our way out of the mall that night, Sophie stopped to check herself out in EVERY MIRROR we passed!  She even stopped to see if the manikins were wearing earrings;)
It was such a special night for my girl and a blessing to share it with all the girls in my family;)

Sleepovers and Strikes

So while my sister-in-law, Sallie continued to recover in the hospital from her c-section, my precious niece Makayla spent the weekend over at our house. Sophie was beyond excited to have her sweet cousin stay here, and couldn't wait to have some fun, girly playtime with her BFF. 

These two are quite the pair and absolutely LOVE being together!
I was telling Sallie on the phone the other day that these two girls are NEVER still. They hop, bounce, jump, or dance anywhere and everywhere they go!
Such sweet girly girls!

On Friday night, after we got the kids bathed and into their comfy PJ's,  Shane and I decided to surprise them with a quick run to the Dunkin' Donut! 

There's nothing like a little treat to start the weekend off right!!

 And with Makayla here for the night, we had a reason to celebrate.

This was Makayla's VERY FIRST sleepover EVER!!!!
She did GREAT though and there were no tears shed at all.

Only silliness and giggles filled our night! 

Saturday morning, we woke up and headed to the bowling alley with our sweet friends, the Robinson's!

  It was "kids play for FREE day" at our local lanes, and we took full advantage of this AWESOME deal!

Sophie was a HOOT to watch bowl. She would chuck that big ole' ball down the lane, and to her it didn't matter how many pins she'd knock down---
her reaction was always the same each time...ECSTATIC!!!

Hudson, on the other hand, was a much more stoic kind-of bowler.
He was a man with a plan and he brought his game face.

And just like a little pro, after each turn he would step back, but his hands on his hips, and watch his ball hit the pins.

  Of course, this was Addy-Kate's first trip to the bowling alley and it came as no surprise that she absolutely LOVED it!  

 However, I do think that overall she was most impressed with her "bowling shoes"!
The girl has a thing for shoes and was completely infatuated with her navy and white Velcro sneakers. 

After playing several rounds of bowling, we had all worked up quite the appetite. 

Pizza Hut was unanimously voted as the place to go eat and where
I think each of my children ate their weight in food.

We were quite a hungry crowd!

Sleepovers with cousins, hanging with family, and bowling with friends...what a great way to spend the weekend;)

Where's Winter??

It's mid-January and it's supposed to be winter time, however the weather does NOT agree! It's 70+ degrees outside and my kids are sportin' their flip flops and short sleeved t-shirts;) 

Ahh... it's just one of the many perks of living in the south;)

 And yes...I really do LOVE being a southern girl!

 My sweet niece, Makayla, spent the entire day with us yesterday and we had ourselves a GRAND time! My sister-in-law went into labor early Thursday morning, so Makayla was dropped off at our house on their way to the hospital. I'm an Aunt AGAIN and Makayla is a very proud BIG sister!!!

 My new niece, Kaitlyn, was born mid-day on Thursday and weighed 6lbs. 7oz. 

  She's a BEAUTY and has a head full of jet black hair.  

Oh I can't wait to get my hands on her;)

So while Makayla was here visiting with us for the day, the kids and I took full advantage of the PERFECT weather!

It was perfect for the playground,

perfect for a picnic and

 perfect for our play date!

And when the chimes of the ice cream truck could be heard coming up the street later that afternoon, we all agreed that our day was...

PRICELESS!

Makin' a SPLASH in the new year!

On Saturday, Shane and I took the kids to the Y for a swim. 

 We hadn't been swimming since the summer months, and the kids were beyond excited to suit up and hit the pool. 

 Swimming is something our family really enjoys doing together and as the kids have gotten older, they have become quite proficient at it. 

 This visit to the pool earned Sophie her very first yellow necklace! The Y gives out yellow and green bands as a way of identifying a swimmers ability and skill level.

Yellow means an intermediate swimmer and green means advanced.

You have to pass a test, given by a life guard, in order to receive a necklace.

Sophie is ONLY four, and I was very hesitant about allowing her to test, but she was adamant she could do it.  And if you know my Sophie girl, you know that once she's decided to do something...she does it!!!

She tested and PASSED with flying colors! Even the life guard was impressed with how well she could swim.

So, for the first time EVER Sophie could go down the green slide with her BIG brothers.

She was one proud little swimmer and has yet to take off that bright yellow necklace she was given. 

She wears it EVERYWHERE and wants to tell EVERYONE about her swimming test!!

And if Sophie has anything to say about it, it won't be too long before we are all suiting up and heading to the Y pool again for another fun winter swim;)

Happy 2013

First of all, thank you sooooo much for all the sweet comments regarding AK's adoption video.
It was a lot of work to put together, but I pray it will be something Addy-Kate will come to cherish and treasure one day. As Shane and I spent several afternoons working on it, AK would climb up into our laps, point at the computer screen and shout "Addy, Addy, China, China" over and over again. She LOVES looking at pictures of herself and has already enjoyed watching her video too;) 

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So... here we are... already a week into the new year. The big boys are back in school, Shane has returned to work, and life at home is getting back to normal. Boy, did we sure enjoy our Christmas break, but it also feels good to get back into our routine again.

I LOVE the fresh, clean feeling that comes with the beginning of a new year. I am one of those people who enjoy making new years resolutions and setting goals for myself and my family. 

I like to write them down and also share them with Shane as that holds me more accountable to follow through on my commitments. 

My goals range from big to small, and fingers crossed, I hope I can stick with them all this year;)

Speaking of new years...we welcomed 2013 in at home with our sweet friends. 

 

And even though none of us actually saw midnight, we still had fun ringing the new year in with Greenland at...8:00pm. 

We wore our comfy PJ's, played several rounds of Just Dance on the Wii,  and toasted the night with sparkling apple cider. 

Now, that's MY kind of new years eve and the perfect way to kick start the new year. 

Happy 2013!!!!!

 

Our Journey to You!

2012 was an amazing year for our family. 

It was a year filled with JOY and the Lord's abundant grace. We are so undeserving of His unmerited favor, but we are beyond thankful for His many blessings!

And, of course, one of those AMAZING blessings was to travel to China this summer to adopt our precious baby girl. 

Here is the video story of our journey across the world to bring our Addy-Kate home.