Happy 56th to Scotty~

Pretty sure the best birthday gift ever given to this beautiful soul is the beautiful soul sitting in his lap 7 years ago~

Couldn't resist a chance to snap photos of them together!
To celebrate we ate at 5 Guys and yogurt for dessert!
Looking forward to the BIG celebration this weekend with everyone!!!
Happy birthday honey~ you are SO loved!!!

My Kitchen Helper~

SJ always helps me in the kitchen even without being asked!
We are ALL SO blessed by her!!!

SJ's Forever Day~

Today we have loved SJ forever for 6 years~

We met SJ in one of the hottest places in China we've ever been in the dead of summer in Fuzhou, China.
We walked into a conference room in the hotel
and she was sitting in a big black chair wondering what in the world was going on.
She didn't come to us happy and safe.
She cried deep terrified sobs and didn't want us at all.
It wasn't long before EK and I had her smiling with bubbles and a beach ball.

Forever Day was one of the worst days of SJ's life and never would I wish any child to endure it
but we are SO thankful God chose us to love her through the hard days
and bring her to forever love~

She has smiles for days now, and we give every bit of that glory to God!
He chose her, He redeemed her, and He loaned her to us for time on earth.
She is His daughter and we will all be together in heaven one day!
THAT is the reason for all of this!

"There is no growth without change.
There is no change without loss.
There is no loss without pain."
~Rick Warren

Such is the story of Jesus' love for us!
SO thankful for this beautiful girl and the gift to be her mom!!!
Happy Forever SJ!!!

KidSpring~

Evie has had a terrible time acclimating to her class @ KidSpring

but said she would be happy if she was with the boys and SJ SO...

we moved her and Holly up yesterday~

Everyone did great and Evie LOVED it!

Thankful for a place she feels safe and happy!!

And just look at the cute matching girls!!!

Happy Sunday!

Sickies~

Two sweet ones went to the doctor today~

And weren't happy about it one little bit.
Both came home with strep diagnosis and meds...
SO time for spring to come and free us from sickness!!!

Weekend Catch Ups~

Saturday was just a day of hanging out doing whatever~

LOVED seeing SJ pick up the book we read a couple of times this week

and read it to WP... makes a mom's heart happy!

Sunday was church and the girls did even better this week.

They went in with Ms Ally and didn't even cry when they shut the door.

There was tears when I picked up because Evie didn't get to meet the pirate

in the video... she cheered up when we watched it again on my phone.

Just never know what to expect in these little trusting hearts.

Learning to expect anything and everything then just go with it~

AND I found all these awesome Leap Frog items in the $1 aisle at Target!!!

They have really come in handy this week during learning time!

Another Tooth Gone~

WP pulled another tooth {well dad pulled it}~

SJ noticed many things she and WP have in common...

~2 pulled teeth

~glasses

~wear patches

~heart surgery

~Fujian babies

Love that their similarities make them closer and God made them siblings!

Adoption is more amazing with each passing day!!!

R&SJ Family BD Party~

Big families have big celebrations and my biggest request for the day was a NEW family photo~

Could NOT be happier with it and the quote really says it all~

Family is everything!

Love Wins Again!!

Back to the birthday celebration...

Our house was FULL to the brim since cool, cloudy weather changed our plans for a pool party~

And I didn't even get photos of everyone!

The girls had fun opening gifts~

 and Making wishes over their birthday cake~

This little family certainly brightened up the day~

I am not kidding when I say I LOVE BC so much it aches

{a deep good ache}~

Isn't he scrumptious... 

love that little drool dripping from his face {sugar}! 

Having these 4 bigs home was SO fun~

They certainly bring out the excitement in the littles and are adored with big love!

Our church is always saying The Best is Yet to Come

and I believe it there AND in our family~

 SO thankful!!!

Happy birthday girls~

May we celebrate MANY more together!!!

Healthy Hearts~

Today SJ and WP {our heart babies} had their yearly cardiologist appointments with Dr. Lindsey~

 and got a perfect report... Healthy Hearts!

We took the whole crew and everyone did great...

as a matter of fact two were quite worn out from the whole ordeal~

We are SO thankful for good reports and no surgeries in the near future.

Thank You Jesus!!!

Sad to Happy to JOY~

SO the day started with another dentist visit for SJ to have her appliance adjusted 

and you can see how Sad she looked...

it had to be taken out and another made 

and the only way to bring on the Happy was...

FROZEN~

I'm SURE you know when the JOY kicked in???

We picked up lunch and headed straight to Savannah's to spend the afternoon!!!

Little buddy had just had his bath and just LOOK at that precious hair!!!

He konked out in my arms and how about the Polo boys?

A beautiful day all in all!

Forever ShayleeJoy~

Three years ago today was one of the BEST days of my life and one of the saddest for SJ.

I always think Evie's forever day was excruciating... SO WAS SJ's!

When we walked in, she was sitting in a black chair just looking around.

Our guide, Isabell picked her up and handed her to me thus began a deep, wailing cry of terror.

Nothing was going to change her mind until we made it back up to our room and pull out the toys/bubbles~

 It is excruciating for me to look back on this precious baby and see the blankness in her eyes.

NO idea what was in store for her... a WHOLE lot of loving...

And how we would rush her to Egleston 3 days after landing home

to go into open heart surgery for TOF repair.

What an awesome plan God had for our family and sweet Joy!

One year Forever~

Two years Forever~

AND Three years Forever~

She specifically asked to have her photo taken with us~

We couldn NOT imagine life without our Sweet Joy~

You are one of the best things that ever happened to our family!!!

Happy Forever Family Day ShayleeJoy JingJing Ankerich!!!

Celebrated tonight by eating ribs, going for blizzards @ DQ, and watching every! single! video! we shot in China when we got her.

I have to admit I had a big breakdown watching her gotcha and they handed me some tissues.

Thank You Jesus for this amazing JOY filled girl!!!

The August Birthday Girls~

We celebrated Rosie and SJ's birthdays today with their family party...

Hanging by the pool~

 Grilling, eating cupcakes/homemade ice cream, and opening gifts~

 And just spending time with our sweet family!~

 Happy Birthday August Birthday Girls!

May God bless you and keep you both!!!

ShayleeJoy~

This evening I asked SJ if she would like to go out for a few photos and she did NOT disappoint~

 She grabbed Princess Twilight Sparkle and popped a pose~

 Made some adorable faces~

 Asked if EK could be in some of them {Best Friends}~

 I think maybe we should change her name to Princess Sparkle ShayleeJoy!!! 

She sure made my camera happy and what you see in these photos is pure her...

Sweet, joyful, happy, carefree, girly, silly, always in a good mood!

{She asked if I would print all of these plus her Party pics.. Positively YES!}

Another Sickie~

SJ began a fever yesterday so I immediately suspected the flu.

Took her to the dr today but nothing was confirmed... not sure what it going on~

 

A little smile sparked today when an Amazon package arrived with hand puppets for everyone. We're home now and still running a fever. We will see how she feels tomorrow.

Just ready for warm weather and healthy kids!!!  

Instagram Love~

Thank goodness for my phone and Instagram these days.

Thanks Lori for this adorable outfit from Evie~

 My sister gave Payne a welcome home guess and I think you see how excited her was!~

 Evie really loves playing with her baby!

Dad draws a crowd when he comes up from his office for a work break~ 

Everyone watching a show before bed~

 We continue to do well.

 

SJ... the Author~

Most afternoons you can find SJ in the school room drawing, coloring, or~

Making a book. 

Today she made one called

The Stories of our House.

(Photo in the middle is EK, SJ, and EC. :)

She loved sharing it with everyone in the family and I'm sure she will creating more as the days pass.

SJ.... the Author!

Simple Sunday~

Just doing a little Christmas shopping exactly like their big sisters used to do. 

#lovethesparkleintheireye

Orphan Sunday~

November is National Adoption Month and today is Orphan Sunday. One of my favorite quotes~

“We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.” – Radical by David Platt.

There are two precious orphans waiting in China to come home to their forever and a precious friend of mine just happens to be in China right now adopting her son and MET EvieClaire this week!

 These were her sweet words:

Sharon, I was able to meet Wen Fan yesterday! She is adorable! A gorgeous little doll! She is so teeny tiny. Maybe 12 mo. sized clothes. She came out to see what all the noise was in the hallway and I spotted her right away. I got down on my knees and said "Ni hao" to her and she immediately started crying and ran towards her nanny. But she later followed me down another hallway and stood outside the door checking us out. When we walked back out again, I said hello to her and again she started crying. But instead of running to her nanny, she ran to another little girl named Xiaomeng (CHOW-mung) who is Annie's daughter. You know Annie, don't you? The two of them are buddies even though they're so different in age, height, development, etc. I was able to take many photos of her, but my Internet connection here in Zhengzhou is horrible so I can't get them to send, but I'll keep on trying. She is beautiful! A total doll. She is healthy and doing very well. She is a favorite of the nannies and they love to hug and kiss her.

 And now for the proof~

 My heart is exploding to hold and LOVE her forever!!!

The little girl in pink is waiting for her forever too.

I can't put into words what a blessing adoption has been for our family. There are more than 143 million orphans in the world, ALL deserving the love of a family and Forever! If there is anything I can say to you that will make a difference... PRAY! Pray for orphans to find their family. Pray for what God might be calling you to do. Pray for our family as we continue to raise funds to travel for our two orphans that will have their forever hopefully by the new year.

I know three littles that love has changed forever~

  and two more waiting~

On Orphan Sunday, Christians stand for the orphan. We are a people called to defend the fatherless…to care for the child that has no family…to visit orphans in their distress.

Sermons and small groups, concerts and prayer gatherings, shared meals and youth activities—each rousing believers with God’s call to care for the orphan, and what we can do in response.

From many sources, one voice. On November 4th, 2012, thousands of events echo across America and around the globe, all sharing a single goal: that God’s great love for the orphan will find echo in our lives as well.

Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse church, community and friends to God’s call to care for the orphan.
Francis Chan for Orphan Sunday

Halloween {Trick-or-treating}~

Trick-or-treating was on our mind all day so the time came to get everyone ready to go~

  EK... box turtle, SJ... kitty, and WP... tiger~ My Darling Little Zoo. :)

Our first stop was Memommy and Pop's with Max & Addie~

   They all walked away with great treats!

Next was our annual tradition in Susan's neighborhood and boy was it cold/windy~

 Kids didn't seem to mind one single bit...

LOVED seeing them so excited and happy!!!

Leaf Fun~

School was done and out the door they went into the blustery wind~

 To rake leaves and jump into them over and over and over.

Lots of Leaf Fun!!!