Slippin' and a Slidin'!!

Gram and Gramps gave Sam a Slip and Slide for his birthday and it was a HUGE HIT with all the kids...they have had a blast with it! I love all the action photos!!

Singing in the rain, I'm singing in the rain...

I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain
What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again.
I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up above
The sun's in my heart, and I'm ready for love.
Let the stormy clouds chase, everyone from the place
Come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face
I'll walk down the lane, with a happy refrain
Singing, singing in the rain!

Goodbye to a stranger who left his love of life and family as a legacy...

Randy Pausch, the professor at Carnegie Mellon University who inspired countless students in the classroom and others worldwide through his highly acclaimed last lecture, has died of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

Since Randy Pausch gave his famous LAST LECTURE I have followed his fight against cancer. I have continually been in awe of his FIGHT to win more time and his LOVE for his family. He died just a couple of days ago leaving behind his wife and three sweet children.


If you haven't seen The Last Lecture here are some excerpts but it is WELL WORTH the time to watch the WHOLE thing.
abcnews.go.com/GMA/LastLecture

Sharing!

Sam really struggles with sharing...we constantly remind him that he MUST share with others...He had an ice cream sandwich and asked if he could eat it on the front porch and headed out to eat his frosty treat...I went out to check on him and discovered he AND Clarice enjoying his ice cream. The first thing he said was, "Mom! I sharing with Clarice AND she like it!!!!!!" Oh, she liked it alright!




It's my favorite treat...
that I love to eat.
Though I'm such a mess...
I couldn't care less.

The three little kittens...

The time has come to send off our precious kittens to their new homes. Cody went to Emma's friend, Eric's house just a mile down the road.


Butterscotch, now named Lilly went to our good friends that we see often and she is doing great and loving her new family.

We have had this book for many years and love this story...having these three little kittens has given us NEW MEANING to this story...it has been such a learning and loving experience for ALL of us! We are VERY thankful to have only had three kittens rather than 6 or 8...they are SO VERY NAUGHTY!!!

Sam is FOUR YEARS OLD!!

Our Sam sure has come a long way in four years! HOW could it be four years!?!? He is such a tough guy!

It is hard to believe that Sam has celebrated his FOURTH birthday! He was SOOOOOO exicited about his special day this year. We all enjoyed his craziness and he sang Happy Birthday for days PRIOR to his birthday and now days AFTER! We just love that CHEESY smile!



This tiny, LIVELY fellow has a personality THREE TIMES his size...he is such a blessing to our family.

Endless adventure

This is the bridge that love built
An endeavor bourne of imagination and whimsy
Where fairies live and tales are spun
grand feasts are planned and battles won
A gateway, from the Enchanted Forest
to endless adventure...THANKS GRAMPS!


This is the official work crew...Gramps, Emma and Mitchell made it all happen...and Sam? Oh, he is just along for the ride!!



Aaaaaah, this is our girl...pretty handy with a drill huh? She is SO PROUD of this project!!

Think OUTSIDE the safety zone...

We are blessed to have many adoptive parents in our circle and also an amazing support through our Loving China's Children group...one of the mom's shared this with me and I just wanted to share it with you.


You Know You're An Adoptive Parent If...

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.

2. You realize that DNA has nothing to do with love and family.

3. You can't watch "Adoption Stories" on TLC without sobbing hysterically.

4. The fact that if only 7% of Christians would adopt just one child there would be NO ORPHANS in the world makes you determined to share the joy of adoption with other Christians.

5. When people ask you where your child's "real" parents are, you smile politely and say "You're looking at them!"

6. You had no idea how you would afford adoption, yet you stepped out in faith and trusted God to provide (and HE DOES!).

7. You've flown in an airplane half-way around the world with a child you just met.

8. You believe that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this Earth.

9. You smile politely when others tell you how lucky your child is to be adopted, knowing full well that you are the one who is blessed to have this precious child in your life.

Nate at camp

Nate has been at camp this week and the house has been VERY quiet. Nate is so social, on the move and talks a great deal...we have missed him terribly this week. Scioto Hills posts daily photos of the activities at camp and we have loved watching the weeks activities. We had guessed that Nate would love camp and also guess he will be ready to go BACK next week if he could! We think THIS photo sums up how he feels about his week!