Happy Birthday Brooks

Our baby boy is now 11. I can't believe how quickly time passes. He has grown into such a nice boy. He does well in school and makes me proud each day. Soccer is still is favorite sport and baseball comes in a close 2nd. If a mama can say so herself, he is growing into such a handsome young man. If only I could make time stand still for just a little while!

Flag Football

Reese had his first football game this morning. He played hard, but unfortunately his team didn't win. He had a huge run, got 2 flags, and blocked like the best. We were very proud. He plays again next Saturday.

First Day of Preschool!

Hanna started preschool yesterday. She was so excited. We signed up in the spring and ever since she's yelled, "Mom, there's my school!" whenever we drive by it. (It is just down the road from our house!). We prayed and worried about her first day and God certainly listened. I never imagined she would have reacted the way she did. Tuesday night picked out her clothes, got her lunch box, and her purple pillow/blanket for nap time. She chose to wear a pink dress so Miss Lana (not my friend Lana) would think she looked pretty! Wednesday morning we got a fog delay and when she woke up, she was actually singing, "I get to go to school!" We got ready, took pictures (I'll add soon), and left. In the van, she was a little nervous, but as soon as we pulled into the driveway of the church, she was excited again. She went right in, had Miss Lana show her where to put her pillow/blanket, lunch box, and backpack. Then she went with Miss Lana into the classroom to meet the other kids. I followed her and said that I was leaving and that dad would pick her up after her nap. She hugged me and said, "OK mommy!" Amazing. I prayed for her to love it, but never expected it. I fully expected tears (from me too), but none. I wanted to, but I was afraid the boys would laugh at me. :) She had a great day and never cried. She was happy to see daddy when he got there and is excited to go back tomorrow. She's going to on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Thank you God for giving her the strength and courage one would never expect in such a tiny girl! She is such a big girl...at heart anyway!

Pictures...Finally!

I finally sat down and put our summer pictures into a movie. I hope our friends in China can see it. We had a wonderful summer and the kids have grown so much.

Back to school time

We are officially back to school. It is hard to believe that Brooks is in 5th grade, Reese is in 2nd grade, and Hanna will soon be starting preschool! I don't know where the summer went. It was so fast, but we had a wonderful time. The weather was not the best and we didn't get to swim nearly as much as we wanted, but it is still nice being home as a family for 2 months. We are extremely lucky.
The big highlights from the summer include a trip to Kings Island. We had a wonderful time. Jerry and Brooks ran when the gates opened to ride the Diamond Back - the new big, fast roller coaster. They loved it. Reese didn't like the big roller coasters, but he enjoyed riding the smaller ones. He and Brooks rode the Fairly Odd Coaster (formerly the Beasty) several times...even in the front! Hanna's absolute favorite was Swipers Sweeper. It is a small oval that whips around the corners. She just giggled and giggled while riding. She still talks about it whenever she hears Kings Island! She cannot wait to go back. Much to Jerry's dismay, we'll probably be going again next summer. :)
Hanna continues to amaze us every day. She is just our daughter who happens to have been born in China. You would think that she's been with us forever and not just 10 months (it will be 10 months on Aug. 21). She can write her name as well as many other letters. We think she is advanced, but we're her parents and we're supposed to think that! ;) I promise I will update some pictures. I know it has been awhile!
We continue to pray for her China family and hope they are doing well. We think of you often. We are so thankful you were in our daughter's life. You are a blessing to us all. God Bless

Happy soggy 4th of July

Wow, what a day! This picture pretty much sums up everyone's feeling for all the rain. Hopefully we'll get to see fireworks tomorrow.

Father's Day picture

I just realized that I didn't post the picture I took of Jerry and the kids on Father's day right before we left for church. The dogs weren't asked to be in the picture, but it turned out great! Happy 4th of July! We'll be enjoying baseball all weekend. Brooks plays tonight, 3 games tomorrow, and at least 1 on Sunday! I can't wait to see some fireworks.

The boys are excited today. We are finally joining the 21st century and getting dish network. We've been using rabbit ears and converter boxes, but it is just awful. If a semi goes by, we lose reception and sometimes we lose it for no good reason. We're worried about them watching too much tv, but we'll set time limits or something. They are supposed to be here between 12 and 5. It's 2:30 now and no sign of them yet. I hope they don't let us down. The boys will be very disappointed (and me too! I finally get HGTV!).