Our Family Our Story

We've Moved!

2010-08-14T10:29:00.000-04:00

You can find updates to our blog at Our Family Our Story. If you follow our blog, please be sure to update your link and click on "follow" when you jump over to our new blog! :)

Sunday

2010-08-01T20:15:00.000-04:00

Church this morning, lunch at CiCi's Pizza, took the kids to see Despicable Me and then....... KRISPY KREME!!! (Marty looks like Bailey took the last donut. LOL)Marty and Brice have gone fishing and the girlies and I are now just hanging out together at home. Love days like this when we can share laughs together!

It's a BOY!!!

2010-07-29T10:44:00.000-04:00

No, we are not adopting again....not now....maybe again in the future. However, we are continuing to care for the orphans in China the only way we can right now. We are sponsoring another child at An Orphan's Wish! Preston is the little boy we sponsor and he is just about as cute as any little guy can be!! Check out his hair! :) I even gave him his name when he first came into the care of An

God's Heart

2010-07-29T10:34:00.002-04:00

Help Me Go To CHINA!!!

2010-07-19T12:09:00.030-04:00

I need your help friends! One volunteer from An Orphan's Wish will be given the opportunity to travel to China to visit the House of Love where all of our children live. For each person, family or group that I bring in to sponsor a child or children I will get a chance to travel to China. The decision will be made from a drawing of names. Each new sponsor who uses my name as a reference is

They Need Families!

2010-07-14T20:44:00.003-04:00

Posting this again because Ruby truly needs a family. I've posted it a couple of times on FaceBook. Maybe a blog reader will see it and recognize the face of their child. Ruby is so full of love and life. Just think of how much more she will sparkle if someone will just say yes and bring her home. "Olivia" still does not have a family. I "had a feeling" that I'd been given incorrect

Meeting A New Friend...

2010-07-08T19:20:00.000-04:00

Meet Hudson. Is he cute or what??? No need to answer that one because it's plain to see he is just too stinkin' cute for words! Our friends Jan and David recently adopted Hudson. He is their 7th child. Does this look like the mother of seven children? (Of course not!!) On this lovely HOT summer day Jan and her kids came over to play in the pool and have lunch with us. Everyone had such a

3rd of July

2010-07-03T18:36:00.000-04:00

We had such a great time with our friends the O'Cains & Kristen and Eric on the 3rd of July. Jennifer had to work on the 4th so we decided to get together for an early celebration.Hotdogs, burgers, sparklers, swimming, 4-wheelers and LOTS of laughter made it a wonderful evening! Pure Silliness! Fearless Wyatt O'Cain braves the dunking booth! (What? You don't have a dunking booth at your

One needs a family, one has a family...

2010-06-29T19:16:00.000-04:00

Please check out this blog and video. Maybe Ruby is your child! She is precious beyond words! Everyone knows that I have been advocating for this sweetie... I found out today that she is no longer on the shared list! If anyone knows who is adopting her, please let me know! :)

Weekend trip to Orlando!

2010-06-28T17:46:00.000-04:00

We left Thursday for a weekend getaway in Florida. We didn't visit any theme parks because of the heat. It was just unbelievably hot but we had a great time! The kids loved splashing in the ocean, visiting Downtown Disney and watching the sun go down over the ocean the evening we drove over to the Gulf Coast. Ready to swim in the hotel pool! They were ready to jump in! Can you see the

Carowinds In June!

2010-06-23T15:03:00.000-04:00

We knew Carowinds would be HOT but we went anyway! Crazy? Probably. Fun??? Definitely! We had a great time but wow......it was HOT! Did I mention that already???

Hope Is Fading

2010-06-18T14:33:00.000-04:00

Watch this video and imagine the words being spoken by Olivia. My heart breaks for Olivia. She needs a mommy and daddy and hugs and kisses and to learn about Jesus and being a part of a family. Hope is Fading from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.

Still praying! :)

2010-06-14T10:03:00.000-04:00

Shrek 3 in 3D

2010-06-14T09:39:00.002-04:00

We met our friends the O'Cains at the movies to see The Karate Kid. SOLD OUT! So, we went to another theater and saw Shrek 3 in 3D. Three parents, nine kids! Only one person ended up with gum in their hair. Not saying who! ;) Is this a cool crowd or what??? No, I didn't count wrong. Mason is not in the picture. Shrek is standing in for me and Fiona is Jennifer's stand-in! lol

Pink Shoes

2010-06-13T11:40:00.000-04:00

Brinley and Bailey love their new Chuck Taylors. Zappos had a great sale and I love their free shipping so I snagged these for my baby girls. They like that they don't have to tie them and yet they are narrow enough not to flop around on their feet. Perfect summer shoes to run around in!

Summer Fun

2010-05-31T23:06:00.000-04:00

Just a few photos from the beginning of our summer of 2010! School is out! :)

Bailey Graduates K5

2010-05-21T12:33:00.003-04:00

Today Bailey graduated from K5! We are so proud of her. There are 3 K5 classes and she was chosen to say the prayer for the ceremony. :) They sang the Tooty Ta Song! I missed the end of it but Marty got it all on video. Yes, I cried! Bailey and her teacher Mrs. Sanders. AWESOME teacher! Bailey's Class So very proud of Miss Bailey Shay XinRu!

Watch.

2010-05-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

Makes my heart hurt for Olivia.....

Make It Mine!

2010-05-06T10:18:00.007-04:00

Check out my new website! Very excited about all of my new listings! Click on the logo!

From Josh

2010-04-26T18:25:00.000-04:00

Josh made this Gotcha Day video for me and gave it to me on Bailey's birthday. I love it! It could not be more perfect! Thank you so very much, Joshie! I've watched it many times and I still cry each time. You did a great job!

Bailey Shay Turns SIX!

2010-04-25T16:11:00.002-04:00

The anticipation of the big day was almost more than the girl could stand!After all, turning 6 is a big, big deal. You have to use two hands to show people how old you are. How cool is that??? The big day Bailey had been driving us insane inquiring about constantly for the past month finally arrived! April 24 was to be the day of her Pirate Princess Party. That's right....PIRATE PRINCESS! No

Lola

2010-04-24T18:00:00.018-04:00

Today is my big girl's birthday. My Lola. :) I can't believe she is 23 years old! She had to work on her birthday. It was the first time in her life that I didn't get to give her a hug on her birthday. That made me sad. She did come to visit a couple of days before her birthday. I made her favorite Chicken Fettucini. She was happy. :) I love you, Lolee!!! Thank you for being you! I can not

Happy Birthday Ada Idell!

2010-04-18T20:41:00.000-04:00

This is my mother-in-law Mae. She was born 80 years ago today and given the name Ada Idell. For some reason her family always called her "Mae". It wasn't until she was a young adult that anyone even told her that her name wasn't Mae. Well, Mae...being Mae...promptly went to the courthouse, filled out some paperwork, paid some fees and had her name legally changed to Mae. Nothing more, nothing

Meet Olivia

2010-04-15T11:42:00.001-04:00

This is Olivia. She is 5 years old and she lives in an orphanage in China. Olivia is a waiting child.....just like Brinley and Bailey were. She is waiting for her family. Olivia has two fingers on one hand and three on the other. One of Olivia's legs is shorter than the other and she has three cute little toes on that foot. She doesn't let this slow her down AT ALL. She is at the top of

Hotdogs, Hula-Hoops, Fishing & Friends

2010-04-07T17:48:00.002-04:00

We had a blast at the pond today with Jennifer and her kids! The kids fished, colored, played with the hula hoop, ate hotdogs and drank LOTS of Capri Sun and water!. We all enjoyed the day so much! Noah caught a fish about 15 minutes after he got there.....and then caught three more! No one else caught any! Way to go, Noah!!! Snake. Yuck. Nice shades! (Sellers borrowed his

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T15:32:00.000-04:00

The new egg paint we used this year. We really liked it! At the church ready to find the Easter eggs! They were soooo excited! Boss and Granny Mae waiting to eat dinner at church. So thankful to have my mom with us for Easter! Kristen & Eric....I took some cute photos of them while they were at the house. Our new dog "Jack". Every time someone yells "Here Jack!" I think

Zoey

2010-03-15T11:24:00.002-04:00

Almost two weeks ago we adopted a sweet little puppy from our local animal shelter. We had her for three days. She got sick on the third day and passed away that night. In just 3 days we became very attached to her sweet little face and her cute little bark. She had parvo. We took her to the emergency vet clinic and did all we could for her. Our hearts have been very sad but we've decided to

As Time Goes By....

2010-03-14T08:00:00.003-04:00

I can't take credit for the insert photo of Bailey. This photo was on a poster at the Guilin SWI in early 2007. My friend Erin took a picture of the poster for us when she was there to bring home her daughter Meizhi. I didn't even think about this little glimpse into Xin Ru's life when I was snapping pictures of her last Sunday on the basketball court at church. Today I remembered it when I

Mary Did You Know?

2010-03-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

I hope Johnny's post about Mary will touch your heart as much as it has touched mine. :) Click HERE to read her story.

Who Do You Think You Are???

2010-03-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

Marty and I recently signed up at Ancestry.com to learn more about our family tree. I have always had an interest in this so it's been fun learning about exactly where our families came from. This new show coming on Friday, March 5 looks like it is going to be so interesting! I can't wait to watch it! Who Do You Think You Are??

And Then There Were Two!

2010-03-03T09:47:00.000-05:00

Kelly now has Piper! So far she's only posted photos and video on her DropShots site. Piper is adorable!!! Praying that Kelly will be posting soon about her beautiful Piper!

Samantha :)

2010-02-25T14:02:00.001-05:00

This is Kelly and her daughter Samantha. While we were sleeping in our homes last night Kelly was meeting this precious child for the very first time. Aren't they both beautiful??? Samantha made the scarf Kelly is wearing. Can I get an AMEN?!?! Wait.......how about another AMEN??? Kelly is in China to adopt TWO daughters! She will be meeting Piper soon! Check out her blog if you'd like

Mom's Turn

2010-02-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my turn for oral surgery. Not my idea of how to spend a rainy Monday morning by any means. BUT....it had to be done. Yesterday I was pretty much in a codeine induced stupor to ward off the throbbing pain in my jaw. Today is better. The codeine makes me feel like my head weighs 50 lbs and I haven't even taken any today! Just the lingering effects of yesterday. Now I am piled

A Day Off

2010-02-19T20:16:00.002-05:00

The girls' mouths were still really sore today and they were pretty tired this morning. However, by lunch time they were feeling pretty good. We decided to make it a fun day! We were hoping JieJie would be able to go with us but she had to work. First, we went to eat at one of their favorite places....Fazoli's! Bailey is still wearing her hospital bracelets because "they are cool". Coloring...

SMILE WORK

2010-02-19T09:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we traveled to Charleston for a day of dental work. Both of the girls were admitted to the hospital for the day and had their dental work done under anesthesia. We've never gone in for major procedures like this that I didn't take my camera. Yesterday I forgot it and only had my cell phone for photos. When we arrived at the hospital just before 6am both of the girls were in a great

Our Littlest Valentine

2010-02-17T11:55:00.000-05:00

School got out early on Friday because of the s*n*o*w so Bailey's valentine party didn't last as long as her teacher had planned. She was so excited about the valentine she was working on for mommy and daddy! I had to promise that I wasn't looking at it as she worked on it during the party. She is now able to eat "colors" because her behavior is improving so much! She is one happy little

Happy New Year!

2010-02-15T12:20:00.000-05:00

Lilly, Ellie, Bailey, Brinley, Cate & Lily These precious little girls were the reason we all gathered together last night to celebrate Chinese New Year! We had food, music, crafts, air hockey, Wii, Playstation2, football and lots and lots of laughter and silliness! Next year we will have two more Chinese children joining our growing local family! Kim's family is in the process of adopting

SNOW!!!

2010-02-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

Boy.....that was FUN!!! :)

Colds

2010-02-02T12:48:00.001-05:00

Brinley has a cold. This morning I asked her if she felt bad at school yesterday. "Yes, ma'am. I was coughing and bless you-ing a lot."

Bike Riding @ The Park

2010-01-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we played in the snow. This weekend the girls ran around barefoot on the playground at James Island. We scooped up little fiddler crabs and rode bikes and had a picnic. I love living here!

Snow Tubing At Hawk's Nest

2010-01-11T20:35:00.011-05:00

Keith & Brice checking out the slope. Yesterday we set out on an adventure to play in the snow in North Carolina. We stayed in Boone last night. Today we took Keith, Brice, Brinley and Bailey snow tubing at Hawk's Nest. IT WAS FUN!!! We all had a blast!!! Marty and the kids went down the snowy slopes over and over and over. I made one trip down and loved it! Unfortunately,

My Mom

2009-12-26T18:37:00.000-05:00

When the phone rings in the wee hours of the morning at our house something is usually wrong. Riiiiiiiiiinnnnggg..... My heart jumped as Marty answered the phone. "Here I'll let you talk to mom...." It was Josh and my mom was having a heart attack. She is fine now and she is home. Praise God!

Greetings From China

2009-12-26T18:31:00.001-05:00

We were so thrilled to receive a Christmas greeting from the Guilin SWI where our girls lived until we brought them home. :)

Polar Express Pajama Day

2009-12-16T09:25:00.000-05:00

BinBin was soooooo excited to wear her cute pink Christmas kitty pajamas to school today! All of the children in her class are wearing their pj's and their teacher Ms. Smith is going to read The Polar Express to them. They are having hot cocoa and cookies for their snack and this afternoon they will be watching The Polar Express movie. Fun, fun, fun!!! I almost forgot to get a photo of

It's Santa!

2009-12-11T21:44:00.019-05:00

Brinley and Bailey had appointments at the Medical University today. We left the building at about 4:30 and were enjoying our walk back to the parking garage. The girls were being very silly and I'd just said, "Girls, you need to behave." I looked up and saw Santa walking toward us and said, "I see Santa!". The girls were too busy being silly to hear me so in a much louder voice I said, "I SEE

It's A Girl!!!

2009-12-08T09:43:00.000-05:00

For my friend "E", that is! I am so excited I can't stand it!!! This family has been waiting, hoping, dreaming about adding another little one to their family and doors have opened and closed and hearts have been broken and healed along the way. NOW the perfect tiny little girl is going to be loved and snuggled and spoiled rotten by a mama who will love her to the moon and back, a daddy who will

Quilt-n-Mama Giveaway

2009-11-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

In honor of Abigayl's 5th birthday there is a giveaway on Quilt-n-Mama's blog! Abigayl has chosen a Deluxe Edition (including cd's) of The Jesus Storybook Bible. Jump over and check it out!

Sunday Snapshot: Keith

2009-11-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

Keith is our 16 year old. I didn't give birth to him so some may argue that he is not mine. He is. He and his dad came as a package deal when we were married in May, 2003. Yes, he has a great mom. I'm not his mom but he is still one of my kids. He calls me "YaYa". He has grown up so much since the day he was his daddy's best man and carried my ring so carefully. I am so proud of Keith. He never

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T16:23:00.001-05:00

So much to be thankful for....loved having our family here with us!

An Orphan's Wish Fundraiser!

2009-11-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

Please check out my friend Stefanie's blog. Ni Hao Y'all! She has all of the news about a fab fundraiser for An Orphan's Wish. I am so excited about this! I am going to donate some of Brinley and Bailey's outfits that I was going to save. I have beautiful photos of them wearing these dresses that I can look at any time. Letting them go will clear out some space here and the money raised will

Yep. :)

2009-11-07T10:05:00.002-05:00

I think Brinley's balloon pretty much sums it up. Life is good! Not perfect, not always what we want or what we pray for....but it is good. Living, breathing, loving, enjoying the world that God has blessed us all with and making it a better place for others. Life Is Good.

~~~S W E E T N E S S~~~

2009-11-06T14:36:00.006-05:00

Brinley's Prayers

2009-11-04T14:27:00.000-05:00

Last night Brinley was saying her prayers and she said, "Thank you for my mommy and daddy and my 'fambly' (family). Thank you for my teachers. HEY, I LOVE BOOKS!!! I LEARNED TO READ TODAY!!!" I thought it was awesome that she was sharing her big news with God. I learn so much from my children.

Daisy Scouts

2009-11-03T17:15:00.001-05:00

Brinley and Bailey are big girls now! Back in September they joined Daisy Scouts! Both of them are so excited about this new adventure!

Trick or Treat!!!

2009-11-01T15:47:00.000-05:00

I didn't take my camera to the church for the Harvest Festival this year so I don't have photos of that. We did have a lot of fun and Danielle was sooooo funny as "Granny"! For Trick or Treat the girls were invited to Ms. Michele's neighborhood. They had a lot of fun and saw lots of their friends. Bailey was a pink Power Ranger and Brinley had her red Power Ranger costume but at the

Weekend At The Pond

2009-10-25T15:53:00.009-04:00

We spent the weekend at the pond. The sky was overcast and the temperature was cool. We had some rain for a little while but it didn't stop us from having a great time! The girls and Brice were up early Saturday morning running around with their flashlights. We cooked "Beaufort Stew" one night and Kristen and Eric joined us for supper. Brice loves being over there at the pond. He says he

Fun At The State Fair!

2009-10-22T16:09:00.001-04:00

Marty knows how much I love Steven Curtis Chapman. So, this year for my birthday he gave me tickets to see him at the State Fair. The concert was wonderful. It happened to fall on October 21. The 21st is always a difficult day for the Chapman family because of losing Maria on May 21, 2008. Steven's grief is still so very evident when he speaks about his baby girl and longing to hold her again

Update

2009-10-19T18:00:00.000-04:00

Ever since I've connected with most of my friends on FaceBook I have been blogging less and less. I have an instant connection to most of my friends on a daily basis now. I can zip a message over to Heather (who adopted Leila the first Chinese baby I ever gave my heart to). I can read about my friend Roxanne in Texas and her family. I can keep up with my friend Michele who lives right down

Sweet Lavendar

2009-08-30T21:55:00.003-04:00

I found out today that Lavendar is now in the arms of our sweet Savior. I am utterly in shock that this beautiful child's life was taken from her.Sabrina Banks was at first denied the right to adopt Lavendar. After the adoption community went to bat for her, she was allowed to be her mother. Everyone was ecstatic! Lavendar would have a HOME. None of us had any idea that she was going to her

1 Hospital, 2 Little Girls, 3 Surgeries

2009-08-21T17:33:00.004-04:00

Greetings from the hospital! We arrived here yesterday morning at 5:30 am. The girls had to be here at 6. That means we left home at 4am. (yawn!) Bailey was scheduled for surgery at 8 and Brinley was scheduled for 10. When Bailey came out, Brinley was already sedated and ready to go. I went to recovery with Bailey and Marty stayed with Brinley until she was taken to the OR.Bailey ended up

First Day Of School

2009-08-17T18:22:00.003-04:00

I had fully 100% decided that we were homeschooling again this year. I bought all of the curriculum and everything we needed for the year.........However, today our children attended our local public school. I enrolled them last week. They all loved it today! They came out laughing and smiling! They are so excited about their new school! :)Both of the girls are scheduled for surgery this week.

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

2009-06-23T17:24:00.009-04:00

This week's photo challenge on one of my favorite sites is "Let's Hear It For The Boys".This is my sweet Brice last summer. I just love his little boy face. When he smiles it just melts my heart.

Business Trip With Daddy

2009-06-16T15:11:00.010-04:00

We returned Sunday night from a week on the road with Marty. He had business meetings in Illinois. Not much to do in that part of Illinois but the kids and I found things to do and enjoyed our time there. Brinley developed an ear infection but a call to Dr. Mac took care of that in no time.As we headed back down south toward home we saw a sign that mentioned Metropolis....home of the Giant

Lunch at Lonestar

2009-06-10T18:43:00.002-04:00

Hair Cuts At The Chop Shop!

2009-06-03T17:19:00.003-04:00

BinBin, Shay and I went today to visit Hayley at The Chop Shop. Just had mine trimmed but the girls' cuts are just too cute! I forgot my camera so I took these pics with my phone. Hayley is one of Kristen's sweet friends and we just love her!

Hunting Island

2009-06-02T09:01:00.004-04:00

Saturday we took a little trip down to Hunting Island State Park. We bought a State Park Pass and we are using it to visit as many of our state's parks as we can this year. We are really enjoying this new adventure and learning a lot about South Carolina.Almost there! Brinley yelled, "Open the window, Daddy!". She's smelling the pluff mud! That's my girl!Marty, Keith, Brice and Bailey made

Bin & Shay

2009-05-29T10:53:00.003-04:00

I think this pic of the girls is so funny. Brice was trying to take some pictures of them. He put them by the pool facing the sun. They both started fussing at him and looking 'not so princess-ish'. He gave up and told them to go play because he was going back to take pictures of birds instead. LOL

CAUTION: PROUD MOM MOMENT AHEAD!

2009-05-23T14:17:00.003-04:00

Just got Brice's (5th grade) Stanford 10 test scores in the mail. He did GREAT!! He scored "post high school" on 11 subtests, above 10th grade on three subtests and above 7th grade on two subtests!HOORAY FOR BRICE!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Early Anniversary

2009-05-21T10:58:00.004-04:00

Kristen & Cameron gave us a F*A*B*U*L*O*U*S early anniversary gift. They kept Brice, Bin and Shay for us one night this week. We dropped them off at Jie Jie's and headed just down the road to Charleston. We went out to eat at The Noisy Oyster. That was the last place we ate before he asked me to marry him 7 years ago. We stayed at a nice little place in Summerville and then headed downtown to

Shay shay

2009-05-12T09:22:00.001-04:00

It was cold in charlotte! Shay had to borrow a shirt from kit. Alltel has no control over, and is not responsible for,

So excited!

2009-03-30T12:06:00.003-04:00

Kristen and I are going to this! My friend Jan and some of the ladies from her church may be going too! Soooooo excited!

Camping!

2009-03-25T15:37:00.003-04:00

We made it home from camping! We went to James Island and had a lot of fun. Keith had a sore throat and isn't feeling well at all but he was a trooper and toughed it out with all of us. We visited Charles Towne Landing and went down to the marsh to find little crabs and shells. The girls and Brice had a blast! I'll post some pictures tomorrow. So glad to be home since it is raining but can't

A quick update

2009-03-22T17:23:00.001-04:00

We started homeschooling in February and it is going pretty good. Still trying to figure out how everything works but we are getting there. Brice loves it and he is trying so hard to do a good job. The science we started out with just did not interest him at all. For all of you who know Brice, you know that he is a science lovin' kinda guy. My friend Rachelle recommended Apologia Science and

Gotcha.....3 years ago!

2009-01-06T18:01:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Brinley's gotcha day in December. Here are a few pics I took that day and the next morning.Here is the video Josh made for us of Brinley's big day! It is amazing to think of how much she has changed. We love her to the moon and back!

Isn't She Lovely?

2009-01-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

Brinley picked out her own clothes. Her sister seems mildly amused. She insists that she looks fabulous in this darling ensemble. I think she is just about as cute as can be. Watch out Kimora! There's a new fashion diva on the horizon!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:18:00.000-05:00

Here in the south we are just not used to dealing with cold weather. It was COLD last night. Well, cold by our standards anyway. (Not bone chilling cold like they had in Time's Square! -10 wind chill. brrrrrrrrr!)We had a blast with our friends last night! We only stayed a couple of hours but it was a great time. We were all outside eating chili and chicken bog and all sorts of yummy snacks. The

The Meaning Of The Season

2008-11-18T11:10:00.000-05:00

Last year we started a new Christmas tradition. This was our youngest daughter's first Christmas. Even though she was 3 1/2 years old, she'd never received a Christmas gift or heard the story of Jesus. When I saw the Fisher Price Nativity set I knew that this would be so helpful in explaining it all to her and to her sister who was now 4 1/2 and had been with us for two Christmases. I called

Cub Scouts Haunted Woods

2008-10-28T15:54:00.016-04:00

Saturday night Brice and Daddy camped in The Haunted Woods with other Cub Scouts and families. B&B and I decided not to go and enjoyed a lovely time at home. We slept in the living room as our own way of camping. I slept on the couch and B&B slept on an air mattress on the floor. We decorated some of my yummy red velvet birthday cupcakes that Josh and Kit brought me for my bday. We loaded them

I Love Candles!

2008-10-25T13:25:00.004-04:00

If you love yummy smelling candles you should visit K & Kompany Kandles. "The candles are the nine Fruits of the Spirit, each is a creamy white and a different scent.Love ~ Sweet PeaJoy ~ Buttercream CrunchPeace ~ Cinnamon BunPatience ~ Vanilla GrapefruitKindness ~ Sage & CitrusGoodness ~ Midnight PomegranateFaithfulness ~ Pumpkin Pie SpiceGentleness ~ MulberryI just placed an order for some "

Born To Be Wild!

2008-10-25T12:34:00.002-04:00

This week Kristen, Bailey and I went out to do a little shopping. I ran in one store and the girls decided to sit this one out. (Kristen, someday you will LOVE shopping in fabric stores!) Kristen snapped this cute photo of Bailey while they were waiting. I love it! It is so very Bailey Shay!

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

2008-10-24T23:47:00.001-04:00

Brinley's class took a little field trip to a "Pumpkin Patch" sponsored by a local church. Bailey was soooooooooooo excited when Brinley's teachers Miss Cindy and Miss Melissa asked her to go along too! It was a lot of fun and the children were so well behaved. Daddy even met us there! The girls were so excited to see him when we arrived even though they'd just seen him when we left home.

Time Goes By

2008-10-24T12:23:00.001-04:00

This picture of Bailey was taken one year ago. I can't believe how much she has grown!This picture of Brinley was taken two years ago. It's just amazing to me how much both of the girls have grown and changed. I wish I could just make time STOP sometimes so that we could enjoy more of these sweet days.

My Husband

2008-10-19T21:15:00.005-04:00

I am so blessed to be the wife of this man. I never truly knew what it was like to be loved until I met him. He loves me unconditionally. He is my best friend. Sometimes I look at him and wonder how I got so lucky. He is handsome, smart, funny....and he loves God.As Bailey would say he "makes my heart happy". :)

Sweet girl

2008-10-14T16:33:00.001-04:00

I took this photo of BinBin after school recently. ShayShay was sound asleep in her carseat. BinBin and I were just talking and laughing and she looked so cute I just had to snap a picture.

Another Big Day!

2008-10-13T11:39:00.008-04:00

Kristen's boyfriend Cameron is a senior at The Citadel. He participated in the Ring Ceremony over the weekend. Kristen and Cameron's parents were there to join in the festivities. Cameron's sister Rebeccca's boyfriend Ken is in Cameron's company so it was one big family party! Friday night was The Ring Hop, Saturday families could visit the barracks to see where the cadets live. Saturday

Congratulations Josh & Kit!

2008-09-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

Our oldest son Josh and his sweetie Kit were married on September 28 in an outdoor ceremony. They chose a "Fall" theme and everything turned out so sweet. Josh's sister Kristen was the reception coordinator and she sang "When You Say Nothing" during the ceremony. Josh's dad was his bestman. His groomsmen were his best friend Reese, his brother Keith and Kit's cousin Ryan who was very proud to

Please Pray!

2008-09-16T16:08:00.003-04:00

There is a family in China right now battling for their daughter's life. Please, please pray for her and for them. They have listed their specific prayer requests on their blog.http://www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.comSusannah

Bailey Loves Hayley!!

2008-09-09T19:35:00.003-04:00

Bailey always wants Hayley to hold her. It doesn't matter if we are at church or at the school for a function, at a football game......doesn't matter. Bailey sticks to Hayley like glue!

Fun On The Field

2008-09-09T19:34:00.005-04:00

Brinley Loves Hayley!

2008-09-09T19:34:00.004-04:00

This is Hayley and boy but she is one very much loved young lady! Brinley and Bailey absolutely love her to pieces!

Jie Jie & Her Girls

2008-09-09T19:32:00.002-04:00

Jie Jie was able to be at the game to watch her favorite little cheerleaders!

Brinley Cheers

2008-09-09T19:31:00.003-04:00

Brinley attended cheer camp last week at school and Thursday night she and her friends cheered during halftime at the football game.She LOVED going to camp every day after school. Since Bailey is still not in school she couldn't attend but she was happy to wear her uniform to the game and cheer from the sidelines.

Carowinds

2008-08-12T14:50:00.002-04:00

Every year we try to take the kids to Carowinds the day after Book Day for their last fun day of the summer. This year Keith couldn't go with us because he had JV Football practice. Jie Jie took the day off from work to go with us and Kit met us there. We had a great time but we did miss Josh (who had a project due that day) and Keith.

Book Day

2008-08-11T14:46:00.001-04:00

Our school has "Book Day" every year right before school starts. Brinley got the chance to visit her classroom and meet her teacher. She was soooooooooooo excited!!!

I've been tagged

2008-08-06T11:11:00.001-04:00

A. Attached or single? Very much attached to my best friend/hubby MartyB. Best friend? See above....and Lola. She's my daughter and I couldn't ask for a better friend!C. Cake or pie? Carrot cake. Specifically my granny's carrot cake! YUM!D. Day of choice? Thursday. All of the kids are home that day with the exception of Josh and Lola.E. Essential item? Cell phone to keep in touch with my kids

Bin-Bin's Birthday

2008-08-02T16:19:00.003-04:00

Our sweet birthday girl!Brinley had a nice little birthday party Saturday at home. It was well over 100 degrees outside so we were glad we waited until late in the evening for the festivities.Our friends Jan & David came over with their kids Shelby, Katie, Ethan, Fulton and Lilly. (Ellie will be here next year with us!) Dee, Jie Jie and Cameron made the trip from Charleston and Josh and Kit

Fun Outside

2008-07-29T19:35:00.005-04:00

Playing outside in some of their "princess" dresses yesterday evening. I wish I'd taken the time to get my better camera but our convenient little one was on the kitchen counter so I grabbed it on the way out the door.

Who Are You?

2008-07-28T08:09:00.001-04:00

I know from my Site Meter that I have a lot of people reading our blog but very few ever leave comments.Just wondering who is reading our blog and where you heard about us. I'd love to hear from you!

What I'm Working On

2008-07-26T18:41:00.004-04:00

If you are interested in what I'm embroidering, just check out my other blog. I'm posting photos of what I'm working on every few days. My customers are loving seeing what their items look like before they even open the package! :)www.themonogrammedladybug.blogspot.com

One Year With Bailey Shay

2008-07-23T17:57:00.008-04:00

One year ago in China we finally met our sweet Bailey Shay. We had waited 13 very long months to bring her home and we were so excited to finally make her a part of our family.....the feeling was NOT mutual! However, a year later she is a happy, healthy and much better tempered little girl. She loves her baby dolls, her stuffed elephant, her bracelets and her family. She has gained almost 4

Our Family Our Story

We've Moved!

Sunday

It's a BOY!!!

God's Heart

Help Me Go To CHINA!!!

They Need Families!

Meeting A New Friend...

3rd of July

One needs a family, one has a family...

Weekend trip to Orlando!

Carowinds In June!

Hope Is Fading

Still praying! :)

Shrek 3 in 3D

Pink Shoes

Summer Fun

Bailey Graduates K5

Watch.

Make It Mine!

From Josh

Bailey Shay Turns SIX!

Lola

Happy Birthday Ada Idell!

Meet Olivia

Hotdogs, Hula-Hoops, Fishing & Friends

Happy Easter!

Zoey

As Time Goes By....

Mary Did You Know?

Who Do You Think You Are???

And Then There Were Two!

Samantha :)

Mom's Turn

A Day Off

SMILE WORK

Our Littlest Valentine

Happy New Year!

SNOW!!!

Colds

Bike Riding @ The Park

Snow Tubing At Hawk's Nest

My Mom

Greetings From China

Polar Express Pajama Day

It's Santa!

It's A Girl!!!

Quilt-n-Mama Giveaway

Sunday Snapshot: Keith

Thanksgiving

An Orphan's Wish Fundraiser!

Yep. :)

~*~*~S W E E T N E S S~*~*~

Brinley's Prayers

Daisy Scouts

Trick or Treat!!!

Weekend At The Pond

Fun At The State Fair!

Update

Sweet Lavendar

1 Hospital, 2 Little Girls, 3 Surgeries

First Day Of School

Let's Hear It For The Boys!

Business Trip With Daddy

Lunch at Lonestar

Hair Cuts At The Chop Shop!

Hunting Island

Bin & Shay

CAUTION: PROUD MOM MOMENT AHEAD!

Early Anniversary

Shay shay

So excited!

Camping!

A quick update

Gotcha.....3 years ago!

Isn't She Lovely?

Happy New Year!

The Meaning Of The Season

Cub Scouts Haunted Woods

I Love Candles!

~~~S W E E T N E S S~~~