Mother's Day

Mother's Day was wonderful and bittersweet all tied together

with smiles and tears...

Wonderful and smiles because I have SO many blessings~

Last year with no ShayleeJoy

to this year with her forever momma!!!

My precious family minus Savannah, Josh, and Will.

My sweet ones right here around me~

The love of my life that swept me away 25 years ago~

Craziness that goes on even in the midst...

and gives me joy~

My mom (SO amazing), dad and siblings~

My sister and her family~

My brother and his family~

ALL the children in our family with Will on the way~

Sweet, sweet Addie who was dedicated this Mother's Day~

And mostly for the privilege to be a mom~

to my married daughter and her new husband...

to my two beautiful teenage daughters,

to my two adorable Chinese daughters,

and to a little Chinese son far away on this Mother's Day...

sure to be in my arms this time next year!!!

My heart is so full...

of all that's wonderful and smiles

as well as bittersweet and tears.

Nothing could have prepared us for what we would feel

the day after the wedding but know for sure,

no matter how hard it was to let her go,

Our dreams came true when she gave her heart to the very one

we prayed for so long...

the one that now holds her heart in his,

the one that we dearly love just like our own~ Our BIG son!!! :)

So you see,

"Real tears are not those that fall from the eyes and cover the face,

but those that fall from the heart and cover the soul."

~ Unknown

My soul is covered and I am oh so thankful for every smile and every tear...

if not for both, there would be no love.

I wouldn't change a thing!!!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - excerpts from 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

A Lovely Mother's Day Weekend!

My Mother's Day weekend was one of the best because our family was together... the girls and my sister's family... all home. Saturday began with our yard sale- huge success and then home for a day around the pool. cookout,
and homemade ice cream!



Sunday was filled with church, food, and family. Days like these are my favorite because lots of pictures are taken and memories are made.



I LOVE Mother's Day... not because it's about me being a mom but more about the daughter's that have made me a mom. If ever I had a calling... it is to be a mom. Family is so important and my mom (top middle) is so precious to me. She taught me unconditional love above all else... and allows me to love my children the very same way. There is no higher calling...


Our families: Marcia & Chris, Mama & her children, Jason & Amy

I LOVE everything about it. I love taking care of my family.



I love listening the many stories the girls share.



I love sharing in their interests and obsessions... :) LIZARDS!!!

Ek has wanted to catch a lizard for weeks now and finally Sam was able to get her one. Can you see how much she loved it? She is such a little animal lover! Thanks Sam!!! :)

It was such a wonderful weekend and a reminder of the immeasurable blessings I have in my life. I want to say thank you to my precious husband who has always said yes when it came to our children... yes to Savannah, Amelia, Rosemary, EllaKate, ShayleeJoy... and my daddy who said yes to my mom!!!



The cards I received from each of the girls were so precious to me!
I will always cherish them!!!
The sweetest thought given to me in Scott's card was...
This time next year our ShayleeJoy will have her forever mom.

And with that comes thoughts of the two precious women far away in China that gave birth to my two beautiful daughters... without their selfless love, I wouldn't know the love of these two beautiful children. I pray God gives them peace that passes all understanding to KNOW their daughters are completely safe and loved beyond measure with an unconditional love given to me by my mom and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I praise Him for all He has chosen for me.

To Him be the glory for the things He has done
and continues to do in my life each day!!!

Blessings,

A Happy Mother's Day!

Today is a Happy Mother's Day for me because I am on happy mother!!!
I have new pics of my precious baby that lives here:



Can I just say my heart was POUNDING out of my chest this morning for my email to open and then for the pics to download!!!

This was the first: Look at her precious lip poking out.


Second: Love her winter outfit with little pink sandals!


Third: My Favorite!
Love it because she is standing with her nanny...
the person in SJ's life most like a mother.
I am happy she is safe and loved.


So now I have new pics to hold me for a while.
I will stare into those serious eyes and pray for her heart:
for healing and for preparation to leave all she knows to start her life with us.
Please pray with me!!! To God be the Glory!!!

Blessings,

Defining Motherhood...

Kristen is doing a giveaway where you are supposed to link up pictures that define motherhood.

I am a very blessed mom!
Motherhood for me can be defined 3 different ways...

My three beautiful daughters that grew in my body and live here on earth.



My two precious babies that grew in my body and were healed in heaven and live there with Jesus.

And now my two adorable daughters from China that grew in my heart~
one with me now and one waiting for us in Fujian China.



To me there is no difference when loving a child from your body or your heart...
it is just like the LOVE we receive from God.
He loves us all the same.



There is nothing more beautiful that the miracle of motherhood.
I am so very thankful to love and be loved by such beauty!!!
I am so thankful to be a mom!!!

Blessings,

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Today was a very sweet day! I woke up to spend the day with my four precious daughters and very best friend. There is NOTHING more rewarding than being the mom of my sweet girls. I LOVE being their mom, hanging out with them, laughing with them, crying with them, praying with them, shopping with them, just being with them. We began the day at our church and then headed to Greenville for lunch. We went downtown to eat at Trio's but it was closed (Sunday) so we ended up at Wild Wing Cafe... it was actually pretty good. We ended the day with a spin in the boat. EK wanted to swim and A&R wanted to tube. We shot some wonderful images from the day. Here are a few.

Isn't She Lovely???













It was one of the best days of my life! Thanks Scotty, Savannah, Amelia, Rosemary, & EllaKate for making my day so special! I am truly blessed!!!

Blessings,

Mother's Day

There is nothing more wonderful than being the mom of these 4 beautiful girls!!! I am so blessed by each one. The words written in their cards brought me to tears and the love in their eyes took my breath away. They are each so unique and amazing. Watching them mature into the young women God wants them to be is my privilege each day. I am so thankful to be their mom and receive their precious love. I love each of you sweet girls so much!!!

I am the mom I am because of my mama. She is such a precious person and we all love her with all our heart. I don't have a lot of pictures of her- she always tries to be in the background. I usually have to sneak and take them of her. I went back and found this picture of her in October. She probably won't like it but... she is looking at EllaKate. This picture sums up the love she has for each of her children and grandchildren. They are her life and she puts them ahead of herself all the time. I love you mama and want you to know how amazing you are to us!

A Family

EllaKate and I ventured out in the yard early this morning while everyone else was still sleeping. We let Fisher out to play, swung in the swing, and walked around. She saw a flower growing in our back pine isle all alone.

EK: Look Mommy, he has no family (pointing to the flower)
Me: Oh that's sad
EK: Oh!!! There's his family. A mommy, daddy, and some sisters (pointing to my neighbor's flowers)
Me: I am so happy.
EK: Me too.
I took a minute to watch her figure out how a solitary little flower could have a family. That's the best Mother's Day present of all. After two years of constant love and care, EllaKate knows what a family is and what it means to be loved by them. What more could a mom ask for?

Mother's Day

I think Mother's Day becomes more precious each year. What is it? Maturity? Growing children? Memories? Blessings? A little of all those things. Being a mom to my girls is such a priviledge. I was brought to tears Sunday as I read each card and looked at each daughter indiviually. What amazing girls they have become. God is so great! It is all His work I see in them. They are loving, caring, generous, kind, hardworking, beautiful inside and out. I read a great quote from an article written by a mom who had adopted a sick daughter from China. She wrote, "It's tempting to think that our decision was validated by the fact that everything turned out O.K. But for me that's not the point. Our decision was right because she was our daughter and we loved her. We would not have chosen the burdens we anticiapted, and in fact we declared upfront our inability to handle such burdens. But we are stronger than we thought." I am thankful for my healthy children, and I am thankful for my two that went to heaven instead of living with us. God knew best and loves them way more than I do. I am who I am as a mom because of each one of my children. One is not more important than the other. Each one is unique because of the fingerprint God placed on them when He formed them inside of me and chose her from all the babies in China. I am so thankful to be a mom, and most thankful for my precious mama, who above all taught me how to love!!! Thanks Mama!!! Happy Mother's Day to all!!!

Mother's Day

I want to thank these five people Scott, Savannah, Amelia, Rosemary, and Ella Kate for making this an amazing Mother's Day. I wouldn't be a mother without these precious lives to be with each day. Being a mom and being a wife are the two most important and happy things about my life. I LOVE getting up each day to see each one and help them with all the great things they do. I love making them breakfast and getting a lunch ready for them. I love getting each one off to work or school. I love waiting for them to come home again. I love being a stay at home mom with Ella. What do we do all day??? Take care of each other and love the others all the way back home each day. I love hearing about their day and we always have to tell at least one good thing that happened. I love the end of the day when everyone is getting ready for bed and a new day tomorrow. God has truly blessed me with the sweetest husband and the most precious children in the world - all of whom I love to pieces and thank God for each and every day!!!