More Alabama

Hardy is a real fish


Ryan Is Now Taller Than Both Rylan And Curran

Poppa and Hadyn Enjoying The Pool


Girl Talk


Gracie with Aunt M and Abby

Visiting Everyone In Alabama

Gracie really enjoyed the girl cousins

These boys are growing up

Family

Abby and Megan

We all jumped on a plane and flew from Dallas to Alabama. The R.M family drove up from Florida and we all invaded the M.M family for the weekend. Mike's parents picked us up from the airport and we just hung out the entire trip. We hadn't seen anyone in over a year, so it was so great to see everyone and just catch up. We did a lot of eating talking and swimming in the pool. The kiddos had such a great time and we were so thankful we were able to all get together

On The Road

When we're on the road one of the places we always have to stop and eat is Cracker Barrel. The boys always get breakfast.We left N.J. and are heading to St Louis to look for a house and pick up the (sanctification station) camper. Every sin you have will be revealed within the first few days of living in this thing with 4 boys and a 2 year old, I'm just praising God we don't have the pets. We left them in Germany and will have them shipped within the next month. We are praying to find a house in the next week and then pull the camper to Dallas for 6 weeks while Mike has training. It is going to be a crazy summer,but I am so thankful we can all be together.

On The Beach In New Jersey July 2008

Hanging out in NJ

We arrived from Germany July 1st and it has been a year since we have seen everyone. We hung out most of the time and spent the day at my sisters in Medford Lakes. The boys love going to the lake and taking their canoe out. They have 2 girls and a little guy Mac. Poor Macguire had some kind of funk and was sad the days we were there. The girls are growing up and Hadyn and Eamon had fun with them. They spent a lot of time pushing webkins down the slide in pink and purple barbie cars. They just don't get to do this much at home.

Happy Birthday Rylan!!

It was 16 years ago today that my little boy was born, two months early and not expected to live. God provided so many miracles those first few days of his life. One Korean man stayed up all night making an oxygen hood from kitchen utencils so Rylan could breathe. Rylan only spent a month in the hospital. The first year was so hard as a new mother and living in Korea so far from all of our family. I had to keep him indoors in a single room with an air filter and air conditioner for the first month we were home. Now he is 16 and has been truly blessed by God. It is so easy to live each day at a hectic pace and not relish all the miracles and blessings God bestowes on his people. Today I am so grateful for the gift of this precious child. He will be our first arrow to be sent out and we pray daily for God to direct his path and that he will truly glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Switzerland

This is the trip we all look forward to every year. Our church has a family retreat in Switzerland. We all load up our vans with all kinds of American junk food and head for the Alps. It is always such a great time of fellowship and teaching. The kiddos have fun just hanging out all week and there are all kinds of activities planned, hiking,biking,swimming,para gliding and shopping at the broken stubbas(thrift shops) The ladies got some great deals on our shopping day!!! We went down early again this year with the two M and B families and we just hung out the first few days. It was so great not having to cook, as all the meals were provided. Mike did have a great find fresh raw milk!! It was in a little village at the botom of the mountain and the farmer had it set up vending machine style. You put your money in and set your bottle under the machine and out comes fresh milk and it was the best milk we have ever tasted. I'm sure the farmer was wondering who was drinking all the milk because we went through lots and lots of milk while we were there. We would take turns making milk runs down the mountain. The view from the bible school looks out over a crystal blue lake and is at the top of the mountain. It is incredable. Switzerland is the most beautiful place we have ever been. This is our third year on the retreat and we have so many fantastic memories. It was sad to think we will be leaving this great church and all the people we love in a few short weeks. Knox Chamblin came and taught from Jackson Reformed Theological Seminary and had so much wisdom to share. His wife taught the ladies at two night sessions and she gave us all a grater passion to serve God and others. We always come away feeling refreshed and always wanting to stay longer.

Switzerland Church Retreat June 2008

More Switzerland!!!

Puppies!!

Our Yorkies had puppies !!! They look like rotweilers but they are yorkies.
Grace loves the puppies. She will tell you they are her babies. She gets up every morning and checks on them and she gets upset when they whine and cry. She is going to make a great mother.

Happy 1st Birthday Sophie

We all rode our bikes to the Bike In and got ice cream and sang to Sophie for her birthday tonight. We so wish she could be here with us spending her special day together. We are counting down the months, when she will be home playing and being loved. I don't think they celebrate birthdays in China, so I think for Sophie it's just another day. I wonder for her birth mother what today is like. I am so thankful that she gave her life and placed her where she would be found.

Trinity Field Trip

Coop is officially over and now a bunch of our children are asking, What are we going to do on Tuesdays??? We can't just stay home and do school,no the weather is finally warming up and the dreary winter skies are replaced by bright sunshine. What is a mother to say??? Field trips, we will plan field trips. Mrs. M is my official social coordinator and she does an excellent job of planning and organizing all sorts of events. The official Trinity trippers field trips begin. Trinity is the name of our church and there are many families who did coop and now want to join the field trips. Mrs M contacts everyone and we are ready. Our first outting is to the Wildlife park and bird show. It was a great time of fun and fellowship.

Trinity Field Trip

Homeschool Coop Classes

This year the boys and Gracie took some homeschool coop classes. They all had a great time and had wonderful teachers. I taught in the 2-3 year old class with Gracie, where the little ones sang, danced and played, but the most enjoyed activity was snack time!! All the little ones were so cute and it was a joy to watch them all interact with each other. I also enjoyed the adult conversations with the other moms. The older boys learned a lot and really looked forward to coop day.

Homeschool coop classes

MORE PICTURES OF SOPHIE

Ken just sent us new pictures of Sophie. She is back at the orphanage and her lip surgery went great. I can't believe how wonderful her lip looks and only one week after surgery. I love this picture of her looking at Ken. They are finishing up the news special on Hearts and Hands International and we can't wait to see what else they filmed. It is so wonderful to be able to have these pictures and see Sophie being loved. I want to get on a plane and bring her home now,but having these updates helps make the wait a little easier.
I think Sophie may be a thumb sucker like her big sister.
Ken holding Sophie. We hope we get a chance to meet him. It has been such a blessing to have Ken contact us with all the updates and pictures.

Mrs Feng the orphanage director said the surgery went perfectly and Sophie was a real trooper. In a few months we will be hugging and kissing that sweet face!!!!

XinHui News Special

Xin Hue News Broadcast at Sophie's Orphanage

The Xin Hue news station is doing a special in China about Hearts and Hands International while Ken is in China. Our little Sophie is in the end of the video as she is leaving to get her cleft lip repaired. They are going to finish the special on April 30th. We heard they followed Sophie to the hospital and filmed there as well. They were filming at the orphanage again on the 30th and we can't wait until Ken posts it on You Tube and we are hoping for new pictures soon!!!! We received our I 171 and the Assistant Stork is sending it to our agency this week. We are praying we will be DTC next week and be able to bring Sophie home sometime in Aug. or Sept. The waiting is the hardest, we want to jump through the screen and hug Sophie everytime we get a new picture. We are so blessed to be getting these pictures,updates and videos, it makes the wait a little easier.

Our Sophie had her lip surgery

We are praising God for the wonderful news. Sophie had her surgery on Thursday and we got the report that it went very well and she should be released from the hospital in the next few days. We are so grateful to Ken for being able to be there with Sophie and send us the update and photos of our cutie. It was so hard knowing she was going to have this surgery and we would not be there to hold and comfort her. We are so thankful for these pictures and for Ken's ministry, Hearts and Hands International that provivded the surgery.


W
We found out about Hearts and Hands ministry through a lady who was on the Xin Hui Yahoo group. Her daughter had been in the orphanage there and they live in the same home town as Ken and his wife Nita. They had wonderful information to share with us and got us in touch with Ken. He saw Sophie's picture and knew this was the baby he had scheduled and funded the surgery for. He has given us updates and pictures and it has been such a blessing.
Sophie is beautiful and we were surprised at how chubby she looks in the pictures, especially since she was only a little over 3lbs at 10 days old.
Mrs Feng is the orphanage director at Xin Hui, she seems like a wonderful lady who has such a heart for all the children in her care. She went to visit Sophie in the hospital and arranged for an Auntie to be with Sophie 24 hours around the clock while she was in the hospital.

My baby boy is 9!!

Eamon had his birthday celebration this week. We had a family party on the actual day and he opened family gifts and had an icecream cake. We were in China last year for his birthday, so he really wanted to have all his friends here for a sleepover. We all went to the Monte Mare pool and the kids had a great time on the slides and going off the high dive. Then we had everyone back to our house for dinner and a bunch of boys spent the night. Rylan made a fancy and very yummy 4 layer oreo cookie chocolate cake with chocolate and sour cream frosting. After cake all the boys wanted to run off all that sugar in the backyard. It was sooo wet outside from all the rain we've had, but this isn't a concern when your a boy. They had a lot of weapons they can't use inside and so they had to go out to the woods behind our house. It's really not a party for boys if there are not weapons involved. They were soooo muddy when they were done, but I was told this was the highlight of the night. I got in bed around 1am and it sounded quiet upstairs, but at 6am they were all awake and I could hear them playing the Wii boxing. I'm so glad Eamon had his last birthday in Germany with all his friends before we move back to the States. We are all going to miss the great families and friendships we have had here. It is going to be sad to leave, but I'm glad we have all the memories.