Our Adoption Video!

We wanted this video to not just tell our family's story, but to give viewers a glimpse of our daughter's birth country, the Ethiopia we've grown to love. We also wanted it to show how adoption mirrors the Gospel, as God has made each of us His children through Christ.

It's our prayer that our story will be an encouragement to those in the process of adopting, a sweet reminder to other adoptive families of the amazing experience of meeting their child, that it might help someone out there to understand the miracle of adoption, or that it might even inspire someone to prayerfully consider whether adoption might be part of God's plan for their family. Please feel free to re-post our video or forward it to your friends and family.

And now, without further ado. . . (please scroll down and pause (II) the blog background music before viewing)(and if Blogger is slow, click here to watch it directly on YouTube)

Dance Recital

Our dance school's annual recital was Saturday--a big event in our little town, as it seems everyone has a daughter, granddaughter or niece who takes dance classes at Miss Jackie's(she's a legend and has been teaching dance in our town for over 50 years!). It's a long marathon of a production, but no one seems to complain much about sitting for the 3 hour show that their special girl has a 3 minute performance in. Factor in the pre-show hair, make-up and costuming, and it's a full-day affair for the mamas involved! Add in three hours of chasing Miss K around backstage and I was plum exhausted by finale time! Miss A was excited to finally dance on the "big Nutcracker stage". So excited that she pretty much just basked in the moment--wearing makeup and a sparkly costume and standing on a stage in the spotlight--when it was time for her to perform. She did show off a few great twirls and toe taps and a cute pose. The preschool class is adorable whether they actually do the dance they've learned or not, their little antics are the best entertainment! Miss M's kindergarten class was excited to be able to dance with pom-poms, especially Miss M who really looks up to her teenage cheerleader cousins. She felt so grown up and knew every dance move and even every word to the song they danced to! Overall, the recital was a ton of fun and our girls had a great time! Here are some of the sweet moments we were able to capture. Precious memories! (please scroll down and pause (II) the background music before playing the video)

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 92nd Birthday, Honey!

Honey is Mr. B's grandmother. She was born on June 5, 1918. Today is her 92nd birthday! Although her home is in Colorado, she spends the winters here in Florida. Each year, "winter" gets a little bit longer. We're blessed to be able to have her with us until late June this year! We love having her here. It means so much to us that our girls are getting to spend lots of time and make lots of memories with her. I've never met another woman as elegant as Honey! These pictures taken by Big Star Studios a few months ago really capture her vivacious personality, great sense of style, charm and zest for life. She's beautiful--inside and out! Happy Birthday, Honey! We Love You!

"Her children rise up and call her blessed." Proverbs 31:28

Summer Sunsets

It's that time of year again (no oil or tar balls on our shore, praise the Lord! (and praying it stays that way!)) Sunday evening, we took Miss K to the beach for the first time. As soon as we put her down she clapped her hands and bounced on her chubby little legs as she listened to the rhythm of the waves before toddling--slightly out of control--toward the water. She was so excited! She helped her sisters build sandcastles. As her sisters searched for shells, she kept us busy cleaning sand and shells out of her mouth! She held onto my hands and let the water roll over her feet and her toes sink down into the warm, wet sand. She giggled as Daddy lifted her up into the salty breeze. She rode on daddy's shoulders as we took a sunset stroll to our favorite beach restaurant. She was such a trooper and happily stayed up way past her bedtime as we ate a late, leisurely dinner on Hurricanes' patio and laughed at off-key karaoke being performed at the Pass-A-Grille sandwich shack. We were even entertained with a fireworks display out over the water in recognition of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. We think she loved the beach just as much as we do. Listen to that happy little squeal!