Wordless Wednesday....

Lots of Firsts

This little guy's life is so full of new things and he's handling it all so well. He went to church for the first time yesterday, jumped on a trampoline, went for a swim, met Maw Maw's big ole Golden Retriever and had Peach Cobbler...all for the first time. It was a very good day.

"New" Leggie

Introducing the highly anticipated "new" Leggie : )

"Now I'm a cowgirl Mommy"

A hat from Maw Maw to complete the look : )

First time at the beach

Drum Roll...... It's a resounding "YES"...He loves the beach. Oh thank You Lord. What in the world would we have done if he hadn't ?

They were itching to go. Rob and I hadn't been in weeks. Yes, our family actually has withdrawals when we don't get to be at the beach for awhile. Come January each year it's not looking pretty for us. I think we have some sort of disorder..not sure. Anyway, we were holding our breath. Praying that he'd like it. No, we really wanted him to love it like we do.  And that he did. He loved it !! He played in the sand. He played in the water. He played so hard he fell out in my lap and took an hour long nap right there on the beach. Big sigh of relief !!! A beautiful day on the beach rejoicing in God's creation and the three little creations that bless us daily.

Random Cuteness...

My Crew

Her passion....

This little thing at the tender age of 5 has found her passion.  She loves horses! She talks non stop about horses. About being a cowgirl. About her boots. About Forrest (Gran Mimi's pony). About Tobey (the horse she rides every week at lessons).  Today she brought home this old rusty horse shoe from riding. To her it was gold....she presented it to me like it was the most amazing thing in the world. I of course received it as such...a treasure. I made a big deal about it and helped clean it off some. Then I asked where did she want to keep it. She went outside and put it in the garden next to the cucumbers she's growing. When I asked why there? She said "because horses and cucumbers are my favorite things". : )

My little guy reminds me a lot of my big boy.....

I wonder if he'll drive me as crazy, love me as fiercely and bless me nearly as much as this one has : )

Just a swingin...

He loves to swing...absolutely loves it. He knows how to push off with his feet and was trying to swing high. He might Mari a run for her money. She swings almost as high as the house...until I catch her that is : ) He pitched a fit when I made him come inside after almost an hour of swinging. I love hearing his little giggles.  I could have done that all day if it wasn't so hot. What a treat to see him swinging. So carefree. So happy.

He wanted nothing to do with the slide though...

Oh my...

I'm beginning to wade through the adoption paperwork that came back from China with Josiah and getting it organized and filed.  There's always so much of it and it just reminded me of all the bureaucracy we went through to bring him home. All the endless forms and filing fees. All of the fundraisers and grant applications. Just thinking of it makes me tired. Then when I was filing his and Rob's passport I saw the girls Chinese passports and it just flooded mind with memories of returning from each trip, putting their little passport away and never imagining that we'd be going back for yet another child. Each time I did that. I did that again today. Then I started thinking about how the Lord has surprised me each time. Nudged me along when I was stubborn. I think He really LOVES to surprise me and imagine how completely overwhelmed I would've been if He showed me all of this at once. First I would have never believed it and second I'd probably have passed out : ) The thought of our heavenly Father orchestrating such amazing blessings for us long before we know that they're coming just makes me smile. His perfect plans carefully worked out in His perfect time. I was overwhelmed by His grace today and what these little passports mean to me. I am blessed.

I really feel like Josiah is our caboose, but I know my God better these days and I know to never say never because who knows what kind of blessings the Lord is cooking up : )

Getting to know each other....

We've spent these first few days discovering each other. I'm seeing his sweet personality emerge. What a darling little boy I have...I must say.  Even his temper tantrums are cute : ) I'm quite taken by this child, can you tell?  If only I could get him on our schedule. He's still up for hours in the middle of the night. So, we are exhausted during the day.  Thanks for all of your prayers. We really appreciate them. We are slowly making our way through this journey of adoption. It's so hard and tiring but it's the MOST amazing thing. Thank you Jesus for this gift.