Pictures of the Week 4/8-4/14

 Have I mentioned how much I am enjoying this project?

Another little cheat on the first day. 

Lindsey took the picture with my camera.

 I figure I need to show up once in awhile.

Catching a Smile

99 / 365

Although I am done with babies, it is nice to know that 
I still got the magic to make a baby smile. 
Easter Sunday was spent with good friends.

Not Much of a Gap

100 / 365

First tooth is gone. He gets the award for the 
earliest tooth lost at nature's hand. Age: four years old.

Sunset on the Beach

101 / 365

We decided to catch the sunset on the way home. 
Absolutely beautiful night on the ocean.

Sister Joy

102 / 365

So loved!

Going Solo

103 / 365

Looks who is ready to go - go - go!

A Boy and His Bark

104 / 365

"Why does my boat keep coming back to me?" 
An afternoon at the lake was a good way to end the week.

Ninety Pound Newborn
105 / 365

One day old - up close and personal. 
What a treat for the kids.

Whose Tummy?

 Stopped in to see the siblings this week.

 Are they cute or what?

 Trey enjoyed bumper cars. Mr. J-Man? Not so sure.

 Aren't twins supposed to know how to look at the camera at the same time?

 Joshua enjoys little kids. 

I wonder how much time he spent with the younger children in China?

 Does Micah know that Mr. J is his brother?

For sure and certain, he claims this sweet girl as his sister.

Then came the statement begging to be a question. 

Micah and Trey said, "We grew in your belly Mommy." 

I've been wondering and waiting when they would ask.

"No boys, whose tummy did you grow in?"

And so it goes. 

A little sex education. 

A lot of adoption love.

Life In These Parts

What I like about having a large family: 

There is ALWAYS something going on around here.

 The girls are helping to paint the basement rec room.

 Nothing like painting a septic pipe. So fun!

 Homemade pizza rules. Once in awhile, it comes out perfect.

 Remarkable because these two are each others nemesis.
You won't often find them in the same room,

never mind the same camera frame.

 Poor guy. He has had a hard few weeks. 

A fellow classmate died in a car crash and he has been reeling ever since.

 Sisters that play together stay together?

 Lots of people have asked me if they are twins.

Aside from shared genetics, I think they are as different as can be.

 Sweetness for a mother's heart.

After hugging big sister, Micah hugged the cat crate good-bye.

 I heard the vacuum and the piano going at the same time. 

Guess she couldn't resist.

What do we have here?

 Four years old and the first tooth is gone. 

We were fooling around and it fell out on the kitchen floor.

 The replacement is well on its way.

 Who knew that Kloey would be the one to convince 

Trey that he could do IT.

 Once he figures this out, there will be no stopping him.

 Could he be any cuter?

I've recently decided that we had to keep going 

until we found the right one to be the youngest. 

And Micah is definitely IT!!!

Happy Easter

I played the piano at church on Sunday. We have a rockin' worship team. Since we were blessed by a friend inviting us to Easter dinner, ( the true blessing was when she said I didn't have to cook a thing, think 11 extra people...) the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear that it might be nice to help our worship leader out and play for her so she could sing. One blessing deserves another.

The days are numbered: when I will have all my kids in one place. Forget having them all look at the camera. I am happy to have them in one room for an hour. After church, (equates to torture because the littles and not-so-littles are tired and hungry) we lined everyone up for some photos in our glad rags. Come on kids, I need a new header for my blog.

It's a very good thing that you all are so CUTE!

The chin on the hands almost worked...

They LOVE to dress up and each boy picked out his own color.

These three beauties picked out their dresses completely independent of one another. Who knew that peach/orange was this year's color. Gorgeous!

Our girls.

Our boys. Some big. Some little.

All on the same level.

In order for them to cooperate for pictures above, 

I had to promise a silly pose.

Boys will ALWAYS be boys!

Which quickly deteriorated to this.

And a "I'm oughta here."

Looking at all the pictures we took on Sunday made me realize (think about) what we've put these two through over the years. I believe with all my heart that they are better for it because they are amazing, smart, compassionate people.

Here we are. This week marks 25 years of wedded bliss. Jerrod helped me pick out the shirt and scarf. I was going for something to accentuate my crown of mature hair. Bob and Lindsey didn't care for it. That made for an interesting dance of conversation.

Happy Easter from our family to yours.

He is risen indeed.

Joshua - Docs Are Dropping Like Flies

Joshua graduated this week from a few more doctors. 

Monday, the GI doctor educated me about Joshua's enlarged liver. Blood pooling from the heart causes scarring in the liver. Good to know. Bad that we can't do anything about it. No magic pill. Watch and wait. And hope. There is always hope. Once every so often we will do some blood tests and a liver ultrasound. No flying red flags. Thumbs up.

We also discussed Joshua's immunity and how all his tests came back indicating that he is well protected. Which begs the question: Do we continue the prophylactic antibiotic? Joshua has not been sick. At all. The most he has had is some post nasal drip. An answer to prayer for sure because in our experience, the first year in a new place always brings lots of sickness as the child adjusts to different germs and the stress of the placement. While antibiotics do not protect Joshua from viruses, the doctor backed right down and said that she wasn't sure who would be brave enough to take him off the antibiotics based on what I was saying. 

Tuesday we saw the orthopedist and he said Joshua has a slight curve and no twist. Very good news. We will keep an eye on his back but no need to be followed unless something drastically changes. The doctor said it will never be painful and only becomes a problem when you get to the arthritic stage of your life. Don't think we will get there. That cloud is always there, looming in every conversation. 

After two doctor's visits in two days, we were off to the Children's Museum for a few hours. I wish you could have heard the sweet prayers of my little boys who prayed for a parking space as we approached Free Street. It is strictly on-street meters for Big Red who will never see the inside of a parking garage. God provided big time and we were able to pull in to a spot right near the entrance of the museum. Which means we didn't have to drag the strollers out. Someday soon we may need to apply for handicap plates because Joshua cannot walk that far and still maintain energy to play.

After the museum, we went out to eat at the buffet because Bob was on his way to North Carolina. Jerrod got to scavenge the refrigerator for whatever he could find. After we got out, we were inspired by the nice night to drive over to the beach and watch the sunset.

 We scavenged the van for hats, mittens, and coats.

 Turned out to be the best decision I made all day.

Something about that first step from the concrete onto the sand. Like you are transported to another world. Maybe it is the wide open space, the discoveries waiting to be made, or the ebb and flow of the water but spirits are lifted and calmed.

 Sharing a new find.

 Running to return an animal to the sea.

 Impossible to keep a three year old out of the water. 

I repeat, impossible.

 Discovering an old shipwreck at twilight.

My traveling pack for the day. 

A very GOOD day.

(Big camera malfunctioning. Small camera with dead battery. Ipod takes pictures, phew.)