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:

Gearing up for May 23!

A Super Special Weekend!

This past weekend was a very special weekend. It began on Friday morning with Hope and me baking Andrew some goodies to take to his school on Monday to celebrate his birthday with his classmates. As you can see, Hope (and I) had a blast!

When we were finished baking, I joined Andrew at his school for "Mother's Day Tea". Andrew had made me some very special gifts and performed for me in a show. He did great! Then, he served me ice cream, brownies, and a drink.

Afterwards, we hopped in the car and went to Grandma's house to see Aunt Jen, Aunt Michele, and Carolyn--who had come to visit for a short time. While on the drive to Grandma's house, we received notification that all our adoption paperwork had passed inspection and was on its way to China.

The look of happy relief:

Aunt Michele and Carolyn:

Cousins:

Aunt Jen and Andrew:

Sisters...finally getting together:

Getting closer:

Feeling somethin' ain't quite right:

Still not right:

Aww. Better!

(Thanks for the block to stand on, Jen!)

The next day we went to a Science Museum to begin celebrating Andrew's birthday. (We purchased a year-membership so we could enhance the children's homeschooling experience.)

Funny daddy!

Lego time!

These two figured out a very hard puzzle!

The next day was Andrew's birthday. Cherish, Hope, and daddy decorated the house by hanging streamers and paper construction trucks from the ceiling. At the same time, Andrew and I made a "dirt cake" (brownies with chocolate icing) together. His construction truck theme came together:

 And, he ended the evening with a shower + some of his construction costume:

Cute kid!

Happy Big 5, Buddy!

WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

What a FABULOUS weekend with our loved ones!!!!