Youtube Video Must Watch

Thank you to my friend Amy for sharing this very moving video.  I needed this today.  God has a plan for us all and Emmanuel is proof of that.  Thanks for inspiring us Emmanuel.

Another year older

We have celebrated both Tatum and Reid's birthdays this month.  Our youngest daughter and our youngest son.  What a joy these two have brought to our family.  They are so loved.  Happy Birthday Month Reid and Tatum.

Now some party pics!

Dinner out with the fam to celebrate Reid's turning 21!

 The Birthday Princess

 Decorating their own cake.

 Jenga by the fire after a late night swim.

 Ice Cream Sundaes and Shakes

 The Sleep Tent

Breakfast Cereal Bar

To Reid- Thanks for bringing such laughter to our family and being a wonderful loving son. 

To Tatum- Thanks for giving us so much joy and helping us to see life in a whole new way. 

To you both- you are loved more than you will ever know.  We are thankful that we were given the opportunity to be your family.

Celebrating!!

This past weekend we celebrated two of our children.  Our son Turner graduated from college and we could not be prouder.  We are proud of his accomplishment but, also of the man he has become.  He has always been a young man of adventure, with a free spirit.  He is loving, kind, passionate, and  hardworking.  God has given him many gifts and we know that God has a great purpose for Turner.  So, congrats "T", we are so proud and love you greatly!!

Our daughter Briley had her first baby shower, hosted by some of her closest friends.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful shower.  Briley is due in October, the same month in which she was born.  It seems like yesterday that I was eight months pregnant with her, now she carries her own little girl.  We are looking forward to the arrival of our little Bess Mary.  I know she will be just as precious as her mother.  We will continue to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Bess.  Congrats Briley and Matt you are going to be amazing parents!

Yikes, Little Girls with Big Question

It is the one question most adoptive parents dread.  "Why did my mommy who carried me in her tummy, not keep me?"  That's how the question was asked this morning.  It was the usual Sunday morning, the girls laughing and singing together.  I told them how lucky they were to have each other and their older siblings.  Tatum quickly ask "Did my mommy carry me in her tummy like Briley is carrying Bess?"   With the excitement around our house of a new baby, our girls must be thinking about their births. We have always been open with Tatum when she ask questions about whether are not she grew in my tummy.  I knew we were working up to "the question" one day.   I have read everything I've come across and everything given to me about adoption.  I knew one day our girls would ask but, how do you truly prepare to answer such an important question from your child.  I didn't really expect it so soon.  I think I expected that the question would come from Kenley. Being adopted at an older age, her knowledge of where she came from is obviously greater than Tatum's.   I have listened to Kenley as she has told me about her life in China.  At this point I feel she had not been told anything about her birth parents or how she came to live at "The House" (as she calls it).  The way  I look at it our girls are lucky to have two sets of parents, one that loved them so much that they gave them life and loved them so much they allowed them to be adopted so  they could be given a better life.  Then the one who loved them before they knew them and wanted them so badly that they traveled half way around the world to bring them in to their family.  Without a doubt I know that the girls were born to be our children, born to be a part of our family.  This was without a doubt God's plan.   My prayer is that they will be secure in the love that comes from their family, that they will be strong women who love Christ and that they will  live out their lives for Him.  I have prayed for the girls birth parents before, cried for them that they will know their daughters are safe, loved and cherished.  Kenley's question today was a reminder for me to pray again and to continue.