Party of 6

Coordinating outfits were not in the game plan this summer. 

It was a miracle we showed up with clean clothes in our suitcases.

If only you could see all the outtakes!

 

I only just got used to counting for 5, now we are 6. And oh so blessed!

So grateful to be by his side. So many comments at the beach about how cute he is with Avery. He was worried about having a daughter. He is a natural and once Avery figures out how much he adores her, we are in trouble ;)

Never a Dull Moment

It's VERY loud and busy with 21 kids in a house. In 8 short years, we grew from 3 to 21!! Yes, the house was still in one piece and nothing got damaged or broken! Sandier, yes indeed! There is no question that this trip does not fulfill the "true" definition of vacation. It is a break from our normal routine and full of amazing fellowship with dear friends, but it is not about relaxing ;)

The Cassada's planned and facilitated several sessions of "olympic" games.

 Avery "watched" from the sidelines

The Cassada's also gave each night a theme. It was super cute with decorations, music and activities. On Hawaiian night the kids did the limbo. Owen has an interesting technique ;)

 

Thank's to EJ's mom, we had the proper attire. If only Mason's had made it into his suitcase. Argh! I guess 5 out of 6 isn't bad. Avery looked adorable in her dress!

I am sure Courtney will post more about the theme nights on her blog soon.

2nd Birthday

Avery turned 2 on Aug 20th. She was greeted with lots of birthday cheers all day long and we had a special dessert after dinner. She enjoyed the attention! She is quite the ham when she wants to be.

This was my expression during the singing of happy birthday. 

Joy, relief, excitement?!? Not sure! What a face!

We still aren't giving her wheat, so vanilla ice cream was her treat. 

Thankfully she doesn't have a clue what cake tastes like ;)

So glad she is home for her birthday. That was our prayer.

God even gave us an extra month with her beforehand!

I should probably have some deep reflections for this day, but I haven't had any yet. I am sure they will come :) For now, I will just enjoy her.

Beach Fun

My absence has been for FUN reasons! Two weeks after arriving home from China, we packed up and joined 4 other families for our annual beach trip. We went to Ocean Isle this year. Yes, we are a tad crazy (but you already knew that) and fairly certain we broke all attachment/bonding strategies. BUT we couldn't miss it, our family NEEDED to be there. Last fall we had not seen her little face or set a date to travel, so we signed up for another year. It was SO amazing to have her with us this year. Looking back at how little we knew last summer and now she is with us. Avery did fantastic despite not enjoying the sand. She handled the 8 other parents and 20 children (!) with ease and grace. She is amazing!

1st time on the beach

 After day 1, she didn't really let the sand touch her feet. I am surprised looking back at these pics.

Wave jumping! The water was a perfect temperature all week and not too rough for the kids.

 Not a fan of the ocean water either.

 She relaxed after a while.

 

We were hurting for beach space during high tide. Thankfully it didn't hold them back too much.

 Our house is the middle one. Ocean front has become essential with so many kids.

 I don't wallow for just anybody ;)

 Best buddies, Levi and Ryan. Check out last year's shot.

More to come ;)

Feeling the Love

When I uncovered a meal dropped off by a sweet friend, I couldn't help but smile. 

The "A" used to belong to me, but I gladly share it with my sweet girl ;)

The love expressed for Avery is such a blessing and encouragement to us. It is also an excellent example for our boys. They see the love pouring in, other people desiring to serve us. We've had lots of yummy meals. We are thankFULL.

Just Because

She was so darn cute in this outfit, I just had to snap some pics. We were given so many hand-me -downs, that I think the girl could wear multiple outfits a day for weeks and still not repeat.

 Her expressions are so fun. Perfect fit for our family.

She is SO proud of herself when she "stands" (propped up against something) or crawls or cruises our coffee table. She would prefer to move constantly, I, on the other hand am trying to remember to enjoy this privilege despite my bent over back, b/c soon she won't "need" my hands. Grateful for all the "firsts" we will still witness despite her 2 yrs of age.

The boys were on a play date during this shoot. A friend graciously took them to help me out. Thanks EN!!! The boys were excited and it was nice to have some one on one time with Avery. She's been a little shocked to share me with so many.

I can sense her relaxing more and more. Oh, how I wonder what is going on in her sweet head.

Update and Praise

My body is not fighting sleep at night. PTL! Thankful to all of you who heard my complaints and prayed for me. 

Getting Out

She was a much bigger fan of the slide. Much more difficult to take a picture on the slide.

3 Weeks Together

A day hasn't gone by yet that I don't think about our trip to China. 

It's still hard to believe she is here, napping in her bed, in the room we lovingly prepared for her.

 We love discovering who she is and marveling in the fact that God has known her all along.

I am in awe of God, who prodded our hearts and called us to adopt, carried us through the process, brought us to our little girl and now grafts her into our family. What a mighty God!
I was a blubbering mess at church yesterday. Just walking in the building made me weep. So many families were eager to lay eyes on her for the first time and to welcome us home.
It's not all rainbows and sunshine here, but today has been good. I will count my blessings. We are laying low and learning to be together. The boys have had their struggles. Today, at lunch I asked them to tell me 1 thing they like about having Avery home and 1 thing they don't. I was not too surprised by their answers, God has been gracious to keep my eyes open even in my very tired state.
We had our 1 month post adoption interview, even though it's only been 3 WEEKS since gotcha. It went well. There wasn't much too report, but I guess this will be the bases for other updates.

Her First Week Home

This amazing sign was waiting for us. Painted by my Sis, Mom and Mason and Ryan. 

OH how the boys loved being reunited. After getting back from the airport LATE, they wanted to have a slumber party. I wanted to say "no" but I couldn't ;) Owen eventually ended up in the other room b/c he woke up at 4 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. Just the beginning of our battle against jet lag.

All 3 boys are in Avery's face constantly. The first full day she pushed Ryan and Mason away. I had taken for granted how comfortable she was with Owen. But by the next day she had stopped pushing them away, she still grunts a little, but she has definitely warmed up to them (or given up ;).

 Our first dinner as a party of 6! Thanks CB for the 2 nights of chili and fixins!

There was a lot of random napping.

We missed Sweet Frog so much when we were in China, that we decided Avery really needed her first taste of frozen yogurt. So much for her BRAT diet ;)

 Can you tell she loved it?

 So did he ;)

The Cassadas stopped by for a quick visit to meet Avery. Oh, how it did my weary heart good. Loved knowing she knew the reasons for all my tears. She totally gets it. I have had a roller coaster of emotions, lack of sleep and a head cold all while learning how to be a mom to FOUR!

 Someone is making herself at home! She walks me over to the highchair if she is hungry for a snack. Clever girl!

 

 There has been way too much electronics this week, but we can work on that, eventually.

 She likes to keep moving, the quicker the better. Gotta keep up with her brothers.

 Her brothers are never far away, even if she would prefer they leave her alone ;)

EJ went back to work on Wed. At breakfast, I warned the boys I'd likely cry, "that's just what mom's do when dad goes back to work the first time after baby" They looked at me like I had 3 heads ;) I held it together, but I still called in my momma. Jet lag was doing a number on me. She is the best! Thanks, Mom! Avery was excited to see EJ at the end of the day and threw her arms up at him when we walked in. Yay!