School Starts On Monday :(

School starts for Miss Hope Marie on Monday and this Mom is sad…I love summer with my children and my grandchildren.  Even though this year was a little laid back around here for several good reasons we had a wonderful wonderful summer.  We only took one short trip, but we spent HOURS and HOURS in our new cheap pool.   It was a great buy and we have already gotten our money back in fun.  More about that later.

Hope is going to have an awesome year with Mrs. Joyce her second grade teacher, who by the way was one of her teachers last year also.  I think that is a good way to transition the younger kids.  In first grade the kids changed classes and one teacher did reading spelling and English and the other did math science and social studies.  Anyway the same two teachers who taught her in first grade will continue to teach her in second grade.  The only difference is that this year her homeroom teacher is Mrs. Joyce not Mrs. Betty.  Good idea whoever thought that one up needs a lollipop!!  I look forward to the year but am just sad that summer is over.  I will allow myself to be sad about that for about 24 hours then it will be “lets see what a great fall we can have this year”

Our beautiful, talented, awesome daughter will amaze us again this year just as she has for the past 4 and 1/2 years…yes it has really been that long.  What a blessing she is.  Our lives are forever changed for the better because of her presence in this family.

We love you Hopie Marie!  Have a great year!

Hope

Seems it’s been forever since I posted. It all started at Hopie’s birthday party when I was too busy to use my camera but Bethany took lots of pictures for me.  She then loaded them to her computer and I have not ever gotten them.  I have been so busy over the last year that finding time to post has been almost impossible.  I’m going to try and post from way back over the next couple of weeks so hold on for the ride…it’s been busy around here.  Tonight I will just post a couple of pictures of Hope and then get to the catch up later.  I have always meant for this blog to be a way for Hope to look back and see how she has changed and blossomed over the past few years.  She is a precious little lady.  I feel like she has always been a part of this wonderful family of ours.  We have been so blessed by her presence in our lives.

Hello And A Prayer Request

I’ve been having a hard time finding time to post and our internet connection has been the pits lately.  Ronnie recently reset our internet to a new tower and for now it is great!!!  Hopefully I can do some catch-up posts …we have been very busy around here.

I follow along on several blogs of families who have adopted from China and there is a little girl named Ivy Joy who was adopted a few weeks ago and brought home who had a very serious heart condition.  I will post a link to their blog at the bottom of this entry and I would just ask that you click on it and read her story.  She is still in real need of prayer she had another surgery today and has been through so much. Please whisper her name in your prayers and ask for her healing and complete recovery from all she has been through.  Warning she will steal your heart, when you read her story!  Pray for her family to have strength I cannot imagine what they are going through.

http://sammonsfamily7.blogspot.com/

Thanks

Becky

Four Years Ago Today…

After about 10 minutes of quiet…she started to cry… no scream!  The nannies from the orphanage helped us calm her and soon had her saying mamma and baba (daddy in Chinese).  After signing a few papers, we left the Civil Affairs office with our sweet baby girl and went back to the hotel.  It was a magical wonderful day.  The adoption process takes two days and the next day we went back to the same office for more paperwork and fees.  By the next day she  only wanted us and clung tightly to us and that was just fine by us. 

When we got her back to the hotel we introduced her to her sisters and other family members via a set of web cams Misty had set up for us to use before we left.   Then it was time for a bath.  It may have been her first bath…honestly…I think they mostly just wipe them off.  That set off another round of crying and screaming but soon she was calm again and took a nap while Ronnie went out to buy bottles and other supplies we did not know we needed.  Hope was still taking formula and in diapers at age three.   I believe the formula was the only thing that kept her going back then  she was so very skinny (19 pounds).  After we started removing the layers of clothing we were shocked at her size. Sleeping safe and sound with her new doll and the blanket her grandma sent with us to keep her all snug and warm. 

 

We are so blessed to have this precious little girl in our lives.   If you have ever considered adoption and think God might be leading you in that direction…just go for it… !   Hope has been a joy and beautiful presence in our family for the past four years and we are so very thankful we listened to that still small voice that led us to China.

We love you Hopie…with all our hearts!!!

Sunday Snapshot

I really wish I had gotten down on her level to get this shot but alas I did not…we were in a hurry running late for Sunday School.  Anyway these are the prettiest Morning Glories on the place this year with the drought these have survived only because they are close to the  pan where we water the dogs, oh and the reason the have grown up the wall there is because someone left the rake propped up there.  I told everyone do not move that rake until after the first frost!!!.  Next year I plan to put some chicken wire up to encourage more growth on this side of the house.   I just love these flowers.  They are kinda like me very perky early in the day and very tired by sunset!   It’s finally cool enough to break out Hope’s favorite fall dress…Zebras ... one is a girl and one is a boy.  How do we know that?  The one on her left is wearing a pink bow!!!  She thinks they must be in love.   Have a wonderful Sunday, enjoy your family today.

To see a lot of cute Sunday Snapshots visit the blog below.  Enjoy!