Father's Day

I am blessed to be married to such a wonderful man.  My children are blessed to call him Dad.  Happy Father's day.  Thank you Troy for all you do for me, and for  our family.  Thank you for your sacrifices and all your hard work.  Thank you for loving us, and providing for us.  We LOVE YOU!!

Kyndahl and Thatcher brought this "sweet" card.  So fun, and thoughtful.

 Thank you for sending us the card Steve and Lynette:)  We loved it, and used it:)  Wren didn't quite understand that we were GIVING it to Dad.  She kept trying to take it back.  The girls each signed their own names, and I had the boys sign theirs.  I told them they could write something if they wanted to.  What they wrote made us both tear up:)  Sweet boys.    "Dad we love you very much & we pray for you. Love Harrison"  "#1 Dad ~ be strong, Sherman"   Not long or wordy, but oh so to the point:) 

Troy Grilled Chicken.....which the girls love....even Iley.  As long as the chicken is on the bone, Iley loves it.  If you pick it off and put it on her plate, you have to make her eat it.

 

This girl is fearless!!

    

This one.....not so much.

 

She would jump off and dive for the ring!

 Got it!

She is a fish! (this is Wren)

 Iley started out afraid to jump.........so jumped in with Sherm.

 Eivel Conevil?.........NOT.  The goggles  are purely for style.

Then she graduated to jumping holding on to Shermans hand.

Iley hopped out (one of many hops) to potty in the grass and completely froze up when she spotted  this friendly toad.  Even when we moved far away she could hardly relax enough to go.

We worry.......we really do.......hee hee

 They do have normal moments........but........:)

 These two came over in the evening and brought Troy a bottle of wine and some home made salsa.  Yum!

We are blessed.

Summer Days

Headed out the door, mighty pleased with her loot!  She comes in and says Mom, I want a snack!  I asked her if Wren wants a snack too?  She thought about it a second and said "Yep she wants one too."  I asked her what Wren wanted for a snack, and she said cereal. (trust me if Wren was requesting, it would be ham or cheese...NOT cereal!  She will eat it if there are no other options, but not request it)  I gave her animal crackers which suited her fine, but Wren came in asking for something else.  She didn't like them.  I'm not sure Wren had anything to do with the whole snack thing.  But this girl is all about her snacks.....especially if they involve sugar.

Isn't that a cute little brown baby:)

 Sometimes they have to just get away from the big brothers and do their own thing.

  

Oh how I love those wing tip eyes:)

 Every year the Chamber of Commerce feeds everyone in town, and has free swimming at the pool, and little train rides for the kids.  The girls LOVED the train!

 They went merrily off with out a qualm!  We've come a long way in a year!  They ran all over the park with a classmate, without fearing where Mom was the whole time:)

Enjoying the watermelon.

Chin dripping good.

 Do you see that one little black head in there with all that beef??  The girl is fearless!

You talking about me?

Someone commented that they didn't remember Iley being from Zhongshan too.  Here is the first picture I got of Wren.  I actually stopped a video and caught this picture.  The two girls in pink bibs are my babies.  I think it is just so amazing that they are both in this picture, and when I was looking at it at first I was so focused on Wren, that I didn't know that was my other daughter in the background.

 

I remember thinking what a forlorn little face......and it WAS! 

 I only have 1 picture of Iley smiling while at the orphanage.  Now that I know her I understand that!  She is a comfort seeker, an attention seeker, a one on one lover, a lap ornament if possible, a piddler, she would NOT thrive in an institutional, one of the herd environment.

The next video I got had Iley in it too.  It was one a friend sent me of her little girl, but I noticed Iley and asked her who it was.  She said she thought she had a family.  Well that was a good thing!  Always happy when a child is matched!! Then I got another video of Wren, and there was that cheeky little girl again!........I was more than a little smitten with her.  I look back now and wonder why?  She wasn't doing anything, just soberly eating her dinner.  The next video came........no little girl, I confess I was a little disappointed and looked for her.  Then out of the blue a friend sent me a video she had just received of her little one.....and there she was, front and center......and I was a goner!  I asked our agency who is that little girl, and does she have a family??  We also asked about a little boy.  He was already going to a family in China. Soooo We asked to see Iley's file and prayed God show us if she is ours...... if she is.....let something in her file be specific to us.  Her birthday!..... is on Troy and I's anniversary.  Pretty specific:) And God knew that she would be a perfect fit for this family.  He knew that Wren needed a sister.  He knew that she would love Wren.....and fight with Wren.............and no one cracks her up like Wren.....and get into trouble with Wren........just like sisters do.