In Loving Memory

On May 2, EJ's paternal grandmother, passed away after 5 months of hospice care at the age of 94. She was a remarkable woman: strong, determined, generous and passionate about prayer. Her strong Catholic faith was seen by all who knew her and in her prime, she was a very social lady. We will miss her greatly. I am thankful to have had 16 years knowing her and am grateful for having been a recipient of her faithful praying. 

Her love language was cooking and feeding those she loved. 

As evidenced by my kiddos at her table :)

Her happy place

 

 (July 2013- right before Avery came home)

November 2015- soaking up as much history with Nana as we could

Our entire family attended her viewing and funeral on May 11, 2016 with a luncheon following. It was an honor and privilege to hear EJ give the eulogy (his 3rd). He is a gifted speaker under difficult circumstances and he did an incredible job.

Our "shore" vacation will never be the same. We will treasure the memores in our hearts forever.

Hakuna Matata!

They LOVED their first off-broadway show. What a huge treat and great bday gift for them. I have wanted to see The Lion King for a long time and it did not disappoint!

Cousin Love

I have been watching my nephew a couple of times a month, since the beginning of the year. He adores my kids which makes it really fun. He loves time with Avery in the mornings, takes a nap and then has more cousins to play with in the afternoon!

 Ryan is amazing with him. He kind of takes over when he gets home from school ;)

I almost lost my job after his momma saw these stunt pics ;) 

 Fortunately, he moved super slow over the ramps. Promise!!

We go to story time most weeks, which is great for both of them and something I am less tempted to do with just Avery. She is really benefiting too!

2 years apart in age, but you'd never know it by their size. They have very different personalities and do tend to act more like siblings than friends, meaning they argue and fight over toys, etc. Plenty of good lessons to be learned for all of us.

I feel very blessed to be so involved in this little one's life. He had my heart from day 1 and I am so fortunate to be with him so much. I love that his cousins are some of his best friends, and vice versa.

We love being around to watch you grow, Tripp! Happy 3rd Birthday!

Spring Clean

It's been a looooong time since I've done consistent yard work. This spring I worked really hard for more than a week. It was awesome and I loved it. My kids are finally at an age where they can be trusted to play both indoors and outdoors, while I work. Plus my body is stronger and was able to endure days of work in a row without too much soreness!

Avery really enjoyed working too.

A whole new flower bed by the mailbox was a lot more work than I anticipated. Digging out grass and then making holes by a huge tree, is not easy or quick. But we love the results.

 Our garden was tended too. I am afraid not all the transplants were successful :( Time will tell.

We had several trees removed which mostly opened a huge can of worms as the underbrush is more visible now and needs some major attention. Good thing we are done inside the house (at least for awhile)!!

One important lesson learned, it require much less effort and time to trim and destroy, than to load and discard at the dump (with a loaner truck). At one point EJ might have joked I was the Tasmanian devil. 

The exterior of the house got power washed and it motivated me to clean windows. 

This girl, I love her, she helped with such joy.

My view from the kitchen, with dwindling mulch pile in background. 

Ryan loves bugs. Avery loves him. And I love spring (at least before the 2 weeks of rain).

Ryan turns SIX

This guy is SO FUN to celebrate and SO EASY.

 His first "friends" party, ever. And 3 weeks after his bday. Oh, the third child ;)

 We weren't the slightest bit surprised that he wanted a pottery party. 

Almost more girls than boys ;) This has never happened with his big brothers!

 The dessert isn't the highlight for him, so I kept it simple and easy! Blue is his favorite color.

 The guests were almost more excited than he was for him to open their gifts. Super cute. 

All are classmates from school.

 Girls make way better cards. Not that I didn't already know this ;)

He painted the puppy. The finger-painted plate was a gift from the store. 

Love these special memories.

I am certain he will always be small in my eyes. I suppose that's how you get stuck being the "baby" forever. I know technically he isn't anymore, but somethings just don't change in a momma's heart. I am ok with that and I am pretty sure he is too. He is my cuddling one, my creative one and MY biggest fan. My introverted/shy-self, learns so much from the way he loves and interacts with people, those he knows and makes known to him. His love of God is endearing and I look forward to all that God has in-store for him. Happy 6th Birthday, Ryan! We love you to the moon and back.

Happy Birthday to Yangcai

THIS week is Yangcai's birthday!! Lord willing, it will be his last without a family. On RYAN's birthday, a few weeks ago, we found out that a family in Florida submitted a letter of intent to adopt Yangcai. Ryan got to open this card along with his other gifts. Not only did the Lord answer our prayers but that we'd find out on Ryan's birthday felt like the cherry on top! 

His adoptive family has two girls from China ages 10 and 14. He will be a middle child :) I don't know how long the process will take, but the family is starting from the very beginning. I am guessing at least 9 months.
I can't tell you the weight that was lifted from my shoulders when we received the exciting news. (As if it was all up to me- good grief)
I am humbled, to think that I had been praying for less than 4 months (including his visit) for him to find a family and it felt SO long and at times hopeless. Compared to his 12+ years of waiting for a family... I can't even fathom. I have no idea what it's like to truly long for something, God has been so merciful to me.

IF your heart as been touched by this amazing boy and the journey that God has allowed us to be a smaller part of, please consider donating to his adoption fund. http://reecesrainbow.org/104570/jack
No gift is too small. The money is donated on behalf of the child, not the specific family, should anything fall through. Your donation will be tax deductible. Most international adoptions cost on average $30,000. I know for a fact, a third adoption was not on this couple's radar. However their hearts have been compelled and they are stepping out in faith. Please pray for them and Yangcai while he waits. Praise God with us, for this wonderful news! Our family has certainly be encouraged.

Spring Break

I am really slacking here on the blog. Nearly a month has gone by since spring break but I still want to get in on the blog since my memory seems only to be getting worse. The first portion of the boy's spring break was spent at home and then on Wed we traveled to EJ's mom's house. Each time we travel I am amazed at how simpler it seems. This was the kid's luggage :) I decided not to put their bags of clothes into a suitcase and it worked out well.

The first morning away is always a little too exciting.

EJ spent one day and night with his dad and grandma. While he was gone, EJ's mom and I took the kids into the city of Philadelphia. We road the train which the littles have been wanting to do for a long time.

We took a tour on "The Duck" a land/sea cruiser. Avery was freaking out about going into the water, I think she scared herself to sleep :( Of course she didn't sleep all of the 80 minutes and going into the river is the last part. Needless to say she had to practice some overcoming-her-fears strategies. The boys had a blast and we learned a lot too.

Ice Cream treats before dinner- crazy us!

Napping on the way back to Mim's house.

The next day we drove to this amazing playground, visited with friend's of Mims and went out for dinner.

We enjoyed our visit so much and as always Mim is a generous and gracious hostess. I am thankful that our kids are at ages now that travel isn't quite as exhausting and EJ and I can also enjoy ourselves.