Dear Mamaw and Papaw



 

Best surprise ever!

 

 

Knock on our back door anytime!

 

                                                              

 

You Don't Know it Yet

Dear Eli,

 

You don't know it yet, but on May 6th, they sent us your picture in an email. 

 

You don't know it, but you are loved as a son.   

 

You don't know it, but you have a mommy, daddy, and THREE sisters. 

 

You don't know it, but you have a bedroom of your very own. 

A  teddy bear is waiting against your pillow. 

 

You don't know it, but there are little boy sippy cups in our cabinet.

 

You don't know it, but little button down shirts are hanging in your closet. 

 

You don't know it, but you have buddies waiting to call you friend.

 

You have no idea, but this photo has melted us. 

We've looked at it, memorized it and looked at it again. 

That picture, and this 22 seconds, is all we've had of you. 



It has been enough though, son, to make us fall hard for you. 

 

You don't know it yet, but we've packed a suitcase with little shirts, socks and trucks for you. 

 

You don't know it yet, but we're coming for you, Eli. 

 

It'll probably be scary for you, so we are praying for your little heart.  We're praying that you'll sense our deep love for you quickly.  

 

We can't fully grasp it yet, but you are going to be a blessing in your own unique way to this team.  We trust that.  Lots of unknowns are ahead, but we'll walk the road together. 

 

You don't know it yet, but we've got some special times ahead.  Get ready, little man.  We're coming for you. 

 

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Jesse Bear PreK (BFIAR)

PreK is all kinds of fun.  Our plan?  To read our way through the classic children's books in the

Before Five in a Row book, expanding on themes and ideas. 

First up was, Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?, and Claire was instantly mesmerized by it. 

For science, we started a study of bears.

She learned the words hibernation and den under our dining room table. 

 

She did a lapbook from Homeschool Creations, sorted and counted gummy bears, learned to draw a bear and did some bear math.

My girls love a good "book party" so they planned a teddy bear picnic, complete with bear decorations and bear pancakes!

BFAIR is perfect for Claire, who loves books, and needs repetition. It's perfect for me because it is low key and a I love more classic children's lit. 

By the end of the week, our girl had Jesse Bear memorized and wanted to read aloud over and over. 

It was high on cuteness factor, and needed to be recorded to preserve her sweet four year old self. 

Love Without Boundaries

THIS ministry is saving lives every single day in China, and has saved the life of Evie multiple times.

 

 

 

It was started in 2003 by a few passionate adoptive mothers. 

 Their impact? 

Life. 

 

LWB recently made a thank you video for their supporters. 

A chuck of our heart appears at 2:01.

 

 

Evi

10 Things I Learned in June

1.  22 seconds can make all the difference. This boy. 
 

 

2.  Sometimes impromptu parties in a box are just what a girl needs. 
I learned to sometimes just show up.  Fussy advance plans aren't always needed. 

3.  If these are wrong, I don't want to be right.

4.  I realized that I prefer Instagram over FB, but am way too addicted.  Really just want to set the phone and the iPad down and be present with my family.

 

5.  Strangers are generous.  Thanks to Love Without Boundaries, our daughter, Evie, has an army of people praying for her and cheering her on.  We've been blown away this month with emails from big hearted people who love her.  Our first adoption donation was from a generous person we've never met who loves our girl.  All kinds of incredible. We'll be making a book for Evelyn of all the emails, messages and comments so she'll know that she never ever fought alone. 

 

6.  Sharing a root beer on the porch swing with daddy goes along way.

 

7.  I've been shown how creativity blossoms on lazy, plan-less days.

 

8.  I see now that instead of telling people, "If you need help let me know", I should just come up with a way to help and ask for permission.

 

9.  I've been reminded that I love to write, and have missed it. 

 

10.  Like it or not, God prefers to have us living well out of our comfort zones.

 

 

Connecting with Chatting at the Sky

He is STRONG!

Oh, my heart.  Such a gift she is with her tiny voice and big heart.
(Love her little "button" distraction!)

White Dust

Gloves? Who needs 'em?

Were you aware of Adam and Eve's interest in ice skating? Me neither. (Ever since we did our Jesse Tree, our little snow bunny has been obsessed with Adam and Eve!)


We had a bit of the white dust this week! It was barely visible to the naked eye, but we had fun with it nonetheless. We slipped around on it, crunched in it, and marveled at it.

After freezing our booties off in the "snow", we filled our bellies with hot cocoa.

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?" ~J.B. Priestley

What We Heard NONSTOP Over Christmas...

Don't you love her deep Santa voice? Hilarious!