An "Almost First Grader"

For many years, I attended my nieces and nephews concerts and often wondered ..."Will I ever attend MY children's concerts?" Last night we attended Lilly's Kindergarten concert!! So many emotions ran through me and I couldn't stop the tears from forming. My baby girl ... is almost done with Kindergarten and the world is at her feet. She grew and matured this school year and has already informed us that she is an "almost first grader!"

Mrs. Kelley (her teacher) and Mrs. Piatrowski (K para) were amazing!

Our "almost 1st grader"

This picture is from Mother's Day! A day that has INCREDIBLE meaning!

All Done!

Today was the final step in Joshua's adoption - his US birth certificate! Kirk and I went to the Juvenile Hall of Justice in Detroit (yes, that is a bit of an experience), showed all his adoption paperwork and received the seal of approval from the courts! This is it ... we are all done with the paperwork for Joshua! Feels great and we have an amazing son! We pray that our children grow up to love and serve the Almighty!

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord ... plans to give you a future and a hope!"

WE ARE BLESSED!

The Buzz

Josh got his first "buzz cut" today! It really makes his beautiful eyes stand out even more.

What a handsome little man!

(The "Before" look)

Off-a-ler

Josh and Jessica can't quite pronounce "Oliver"

So they call him "Off-a-ler" :)

"Off-a-ler" continues to prove that he is a great dog ... a puppy that does all the puppy things ... but a great dog!

He is 11 weeks old in these pictures.

I watched this beautiful moment today! Ollie laid down right next to Jess and rolled over on his back. Jess rubbed his tummy for a long time and he just laid there. Good boy Off-a-ler!

Joshua nd Oliver seem to have the same love of trains. Unfortunately, Ollie likes to eat them. They are still great buddies!

If you look back to our first post of Oliver and Lilly together (March 27), you can see how much he has grown in just a month. Yep ... he'll be a big boy!

Jess and Oliver are about the same size ... for now!

Sweet Oliver!

A Blessed Easter!

Praising the Lord for the risen SON!

Happy and blessed Easter!

Uncle Ken, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Karen, Uncle Greg, Aunt Pam and our cousins came over. We had a blast with our Easter egg hunt!

Stephanie (holding Lilly), Chad (holding Joshua) and Nicole (holding Jessica)

Enjoying our treats!

Alll dressed up for a day of worship!

What a handsome man!

A beautiful little lady!

Another beautiful little lady!

Hippity, hoppity, EASTER's on it's way!

We had a FUN time coloring our eggs today!

Oliver just enjoyed chillin' - Yes, he is sound asleep in this picture!

Happy Gotcha day Josh!!

Gotcha Day ... March 30, 2009 - Joshua's wonderful foster parents!

One year ago today, sweet Joshua Sheng joined our family! I spent some time rereading my posts from China and was in happy tears many times! There were difficult times in China; missing my girls, missing Kirk once he left and Joshua missing his precious foster grandparents. The first couple days were tough! But the joy from this little man was worth every difficult moment in China! It is hard to believe how Josh has grown in a year, both physically and emotionally. He bonded to our family so quickly! He is a happy little man, full of life, full of snuggles and even quite stubborn at times. All things that let us know he is HOME! We recently received a beautiful letter and handknit sweaters from his foster parents. These are priceless to us! The Foster Care Network (and Joshua's foster family in particular!) have a love for Christ and for the children in China that is amazing! We pray the Lord will continue to bless their amazing ministry! Because of their love towards Joshua, we have an amazing little guy today!

Joshua ... one year later! Below is the sweater made by his foster grandma.

WE LOVE YOU SWEET JOSHUA AND ARE BLESSED BY YOU DAILY!

Praising the Lord!

And dear Robin Geddings ... thank you SO much for taking time from work and joining us on this amazing and difficult journey. I cannot imagine making this trip without you! Thank you seems inadequate! I love you dear friend!

Robin, me and Joshua in China!

Welcome home Oliver!

Oliver is an 8 week old chocolate lab. We brought him home today! He has a very calm personality and is a HUGE snuggle bug!

Jessica loves to read Oliver her princess books.I think he'd rather eat them.

Josh and Oliver have become fast friends.

Lilly finally has her "big dog"! And yes, we think he'll be a big boy!

Jessica's first real haircut

Jessica got her first real haircut this weekend. She looks so adorable and grown up with her bangs! Plus, we were able to "save" the curls in the back.:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Sweet Valentines!

Hugs and Kisses!

I received these beautiful flowers from my Valentine!

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010 - The Year of the Tiger

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The children wore these outfits to church today. I purchased them in China when we brought Joshua home. People thought they looked adorable ... we agree! The red envelopes in their hands (filled with money - a quarter in our case) are a tradition in China and are given on New Years Day. It represents a prosperous New Year. We already feel incredibly blessed!

SNOW DAY!

WE LOVE SNOW DAYS!!

It's still hard to make good choices when your 6

The day before Lilly's 6th birthday, she asked me, "Mommy, what's it like to be 6?" Of course I gave her the biblical answer :) ... "6 year olds obey their parents, are kind and loving towards their brother and sister, follow directions the first time asked, keep their room clean ... " and so on. As I was picking her up from school the day after her birthday, she said, "Mommy, it is still hard to make good choices even when your 6!" I laughed and told her that it is hard to make good choice our whole lives.

Later that evening I realized the depth of that comment. As a believer in Chirst, I know what I should do, how the Lord wants me to act, I'm not always kind and loving, I'm not obedient and yes, sometimes my room isn't clean. It is still hard to make good choices! I am thankful that our Heavenly Father realizes our shortcomings and is always forgiving ... even though I am a little older than 6. :)

Words of wisdom from a 6 year old.

Once again, a blessed mama for sure!
Brenda

A Sweet 6 Year Old!

Happy 6th Birthday Sweet Lillian! We love you very much!

You're a GREAT big sister!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Five years ago today, Kirk and I were married! A lot sure has happened ... just got back from China bringing home Lilly, birth of Jessica and a second trip to China to bring home Joshua.

Tonight my sister is watching the children while we go to dinner at the Thai restaurant we first met. How does time go by so quickly? This time I won't be making "panic" calls to Elizabeth and my mom on my way to meet Kirk for the first time. We're driving together this time.:)

It's been a blessed 5 years! Thank you Heavenly Father for my amazing family!

Brenda

Blessing ... Lillian

Blessing ... Joshua

Blessing ... Jessica

Blessing ... Kirk!

(photo taken by Lilly)