My How Times Have Changed….

When we first met the Graysons, Lenora and Michael had just started PT school.  Chad and Lenora were basically newlyweds, and Michael and I weren’t even engaged yet.  A friendship was born at that time that has been such a tremendous blessing to us.  We have had so many wonderful memories together, and there is a never a shortage of laughs when we around one another.  Now, Chad and Lenora have been married 10 years, Michael and I have been married for 9, and we have 5 children between us.  The four of us have always had so much fun together, now it is awesome to see our children playing and laughing together!  We were so glad that they came to see us earlier this week!  Lenora and I have fun shopping and running around while the men tended to the kids for awhile!

Mr. Chad (the Big Kid) will all of the little kids!  My kids love Bro. Chad.  Myla just starts giggling when she looks at him.  He definitely knows how to make people laugh!

The kids had so much fun playing together.  They also enjoyed watching TV, but I’m not sure if they could see it.  Ha!

Selah had fun playing in Asher’s carseat.

Why are “non” toys always the most fun things to play with?

Annlee and Myla – Sweet friends!

Annlee and Selah – Annlee and Myla were sweet to include Selah in their playing

The girls!

The girls plus Deuce…obviously Myla thinks he is pretty funny!

Sweet kiddos!  I just love seeing them all together

And we can’t forget this precious one…sweet Asher.  He is the BEST baby ever!  He barely made a peep and just enjoyed watching the kids play

He is so adorable!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011!!!

I truly think this Christmas may have been the best one of my whole life!!  We had a wonderful time celebrating with family, and our girls just relished in all things Christmas!  We had already celebrated our “family” Christmases over the past several weekends, and this weekend our parents came to our house. 

On Christmas Eve we went to a service at our church altogether as a family.  It was a great service where we were reminded of the true meaning of Christmas – Jesus!  We partook of the Lord’s Supper which is always a somber reminder of the true reason Jesus came as a newborn baby…so he could later die for us.  Selah made it through the whole service very well!  There was no childcare so we could all worship together as a family.  The girls were in “grandparent heaven” having two sets of grandparents here at the same time!  Selah was ATTACHED TO SAE SAE’S HIP THE WHOLE WEEKEND!!  Bless her heart…she didn’t want her out of her sight!

Bodie and Mimi with the girls

Our little family…I’m hoping and praying that next Christmas we will be a family of 5!

Sis Sis with the girls

All of us together

Of course, later of Christmas Eve, Santa came to visit!  To me, it is so much more fun getting to BE Santa!   I couldn’t wait for the girls to see all of their stuff!

Soon enough it was morning, and Myla was up and at ‘em, ready to come down.  Daddy had to wake poor Selah up!

Myla checking out her loot!

The only thing she specifically asked for a was penguin pillow pet, so she was thrilled to see it!

Selah was still half asleep and wasn’t sure what to think about all that was going on!  It took her a minute to wake up and warm up to looking at her new stuff!

Santa ate his cookies, and I think the elf, “Lucy”, was worn out from all of the trips to the North Pole every night!

Myla loved her “Make a Face” sticker books!

Selah was content to sit in Sae Sae’s lap and watch Myla look at her stuff for awhile.

Myla quickly moved on to her stocking, and she loved her disco light microphone.

Selah finally started looking into her stocking, and she loved her microphone too!

Still a little unsure about what was going on!!

She finally got the hang of looking in her stocking!  She was most excited about all of her candy.  I think I could have just given her candy, and she would have been as happy as a lark!

Finding more candy!

Myla still searching through her stocking!

I think she finally noticed her other stash from Santa

Bodie helped the girls feed their baby!

Selah finally made it over to the chair with her Santa stuff in it!

I love this picture because you can see how full of candy Selah’s mouth was.  I think she ate Laffy Taffy for breakfast!

Selah loved her pillow pet too!  And, of course, anything with Sesame Street characters on it is a hit!

Myla loved her necklace from Mrs. Marie!

Selah opening one of her gifts.

Selah tried her best to get into her baby’s high chair!

CHAOS!!

Myla and Sae Sae working on Myla’s sticker book!

Selah LOVES the kitchen.  She has played and played with it.  While she’s playing on it, she will turn around and say, “I’m cookin’!!”

Mom, Sis Sis and Daddy enjoyed some coffee before church!

Bodie and Mimi

After playing for awhile we had to get ready for church!

Of course, we had to take “posed” pictures (which Michael loves)!!  Ha!  I think he cringes when I pull my camera out sometimes!

Sis Sis and the girls

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas!!

Welcome Home, Asher!!

This past Monday night Michael and I got to experience our first “airport homecoming” for an adoption.  Our dear friends, Chad and Lenora Grayson, brought home their precious new baby boy, Asher, from Taiwan.  It was a wonderful night, and I’m so glad we were there to experience it with them!  Now, I just can’t wait until it’s our turn!!!!!!!!

Big Brother, Deuce and Big Sister, Annlee anxiously awaiting the arrival of their Mommy, Daddy and new baby brother!

Of course, there were lots of signs welcoming them home!

Deuce had one too

Some of their church members made a big sign as well!

Asher had quite the crowd to welcome him home!

Everyone’s first good look at Asher!  Isn’t he a DOLL!!

Annlee couldn’t get enough hugs from her Daddy once he was home.  They had been gone almost 2 weeks!

And Deuce had his fair share too!

LOVE this picture!  The Graysons are seriously like family to us, and I think this picture shows the love we have for one another.  I know that’s kind of cheesy, but so true!  We are truly so happy for them!

Chad and Lenora with their families

Grayson…Now a family of 5!

Annlee loved holding Asher!

And I was so glad to get my hands on him. He is the sweetest, calmest, happiest little thing!

He just got passed around like a hot potato and he couldn’t have cared less!  Pretty good sport considering they had been traveling for almost 30 hours.

The couple in this picture is my friend, Alison’s, parents.  They are members of Chad’s church, FBC Tupelo.  It’s such a small world.  We’ve known Chad and Lenora forever, then I meet Alison last year through the adoption world, now her parents go to church with Lenora and Chad.  Crazy, huh?  God is in the details!

Us with the Graysons.  Lenora said this picture will be framed in their house, and I think it will be in mine too!  That is, whenever we have a house.  HA!

Loving on Asher!

Me and Lenora – Love her!

Mine and Michael’s hearts were just so full on Monday night.  I looked at Michael right before Chad and Lenora walked in, and he said, “My heart is beating so fast!”  I was crying the whole time just thinking about how good God is. Adoption is such a beautiful picture of the Gospel.  God loved us and took us in as his children, his heirs.  We were hopeless until He redeemed us.  We were fatherless until he adopted us.  Praise Him for His unconditional love for us, his children.  I am so thankful that Asher is ONE LESS orphan.  And I am so ready to welcome our sweet baby girl home!