The Graduate

Today was Andrew's official last day of 4-year-old preschool. He is ready for kindergarten thanks to his two precious teachers.

Mrs. Rogers:

 Mrs. Whorton:

 Proof of completetion:

What godly, loving, caring, and tender women Andrew had as his teachers! Andrew is better for having been trained by them!

Quick trip downtown...

...armed only with my terrible-picture-taker-camera yielded great results--because we had so much fun together!

"We are 5, 8, and 6!"

It was a happy day of rest!

Outside Chores...

...feel more like play time when the chores include swimsuits, soap, and water.

Busy times

This week we saw Andrew graduate from his VPK 4-year-old class. This quiet boy has blossomed! Here he is during his program:

Telling me he loves me:

Singing proudly:

And with complete gusto:

Giving his all:

Sweet boy!

Then, Hope was in a program with her Pioneer Club class. Up on stage, she seemed quite comfortable. Here she is telling daddy she loves him:

Giving her all:

And saying all she had memorized

(Psalm 23 and the books of the Bible):

Nemours visits can be stressful, but the volunteers make this brave little girl smile between appointments:

Cherish got her teeth bonded. Yay! Here she is recovering. As she was coming to, the movie that was playing was "Beauty and the Beast". Cherish--still not conscious--began doing ballet motions (arms and legs) to the music. Priceless!

And, some sweet folks donated items for our adoption garage sale.

Cherish and I began pricing items today to prepare for next week's sale.

We are excited about all that this next week will bring!

There are lots of changes and opportunities ahead for us....

Ballerinas...

...and their new costumes.

 Cherish is always encouraging Hope:

(Cherish has been on dancing restriction for over a month until the roots of her broken teeth settle into position. Beginning next week, she'll be back on her game!)

You two ballerinas can do it!

* Pictures taken by the girls' dance teachers.

Hope's Dedication

Sunday we dedicated Hope to the Lord. May she one day come to know Jesus as her Savior and be used mightily by Him!

Pastor praying for the family:

 ..and praying for Hope:

(Special thanks to Ted Kosters for taking the pictures.)

Hope's 6th Birthday

On Saturday, Hope turned 6-years-old. We actually celebrated her birthday for 4 days, spreading out the celebration since Cherish was sick with a fever.

The weekend began Friday afternoon with a tea party, movie night, and slumber party in the living room. We had dinner--as the tea party--in the living room with tables and chairs set up. (Cherish worked very hard to make it extra special.) Then, Hope got to pick out a movie for the family to watch, and Derek pulled mattresses off beds and set up the beds in the living room. We camped out together for the night.

The next day we took Hope to get fitted for new shoes. At 8½ Wide, Stride Rite was the only store for her. She got a new pair of shoes to make her feel like a princess.

Then, we were off to Chick-fil-A for some play time on the playground and the first of Hope's birthday cake time. Pappy and Nanny were able to join us.

Cherish was so excited to know that Hope was going to be joining

her in the Barbie-make-believe-world!

Hope finished off the decorated butterfly cupcakes before we got a picture...

With Cherish's energy drained and Hope wanting to play with her Barbies, we headed back home for the girls to play together. Andrew and his trucks joined the girls and took their Barbies for truck rides. J

Hope took some snacks to Sunday School the next day to celebrate with her class, and Monday we were still celebrating her! I mean, why not?

Happy 6th Birthday, Sweet Girl!

We hope this year will be your best yet!

Update on Daniel

We received an unexpected update on Daniel--which we are so thankful for! Little guy is allergic to egg whites, egg yolks, soybeans, and milk. We also received a new photo: