Birthday Party-Round One

Eleenah had a great birthday party this past Friday. She had a Panda Bear Party. She had invited two of her sweet little friends, along with our neighbors and family. Our neighbors unfortunately couldn't make it on Friday, but we had her party anyway. Bailey one of her sweet little friends was there, and we stuffed Panda Bears. We then named them and gave them each a Birth Certificate. Hunter named his Poppy, Noelle named hers Panda Bear, Bailey named hers Seagone, and Bailey named Eleenah's bear Peachy. We then ate some yummy Panda Bear cupcakes. Eleenah was so cute. I can't believe my baby is two.

107 Squares for Eleenah

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! I was overwhelmed with the squares sent for Eleenah's quilt. She ended up with 107 squares and wishes! She is going to have a very bright and colorful quilt. The wishes are all so special too! I really want every one to know how thankful we are to you for wanting to be a part of something so special for her. I am shocked at how many of you found chinese fabric, and I love all the little lady bugs! She will also have two Hello Kitty squares which are meaningful to her past as that was the only thing on the wall of her Social Welfare Institute. The squares came from the East Coast to the West Coast. Then some of you sent them from Australia, Canada, Spain, and the Netherlands. This will be such a special gift to Eleenah. I will post a picture as soon as the quilt is finished. Again, thanks, she will truly feel your love everytime she wraps up in her quilt.

Where's LeeLee?

Where is LeeLee? Here she is! I always knew that Easter baskets had many uses. The kids had a great Easter. Easter is my favorite holiday. Easter is the reason that I am who I am. In the weeks before Easter, I always have a heavy heart. I think about all the sin in my own life, and how Jesus had to carry all of that on his shoulders all those years ago. However, on Easter Sunday, I am always reminded that he did rise again to show the world that he is the King of Kings. No matter how much I grow in my faith, when I look at what he did for me, I never feel worthy of him. I will never be able to thank him enough for his love and devotion to me. I strive to make him my prince as I go through each day. I love my Lord! Happy late Easter! I will post our formal Easter pictures sometime next week.

LeeLee's Actual Birthday

The day after Easter, we all fell apart at our house. Hunter and Noelle ended up with a fever virus (fevers that consistently hit 105). Then on Wednesday, I came down with it too. I also got a kidney infection on top of the fever virus, so I was miserable. Wednesday was LeeLee's actual birthday, and I felt so bad for her. She was the only one who wasn't sick, and she spent hours just sitting in this bathroom drawer playing. She often sits in this drawer in the mornings while I am getting ready. I keep wondering what she will do when she out grows it. We were completely blessed on Thursday and Friday when our college students took shifts taking care of the kids. I stayed in bed as they entertained Noelle, Hunter, and Eleenah. They were all starting to feel better when I got sick, so it worked out great. We are so thankful that Eleenah never got it.

Sleepy Children

We are so blessed that Hunter and Noelle are the best of friends. They love to sleep in Hunter's bed together, and this is how they end up when we let them have a slumber party. Hunter is such a little cuddle bug. He will always end up with his head on someone elses pillow.

Noelle and the Birds

This area of the zoo was so much fun. I just loved these pictures of Noelle. These days it is hard to get a genuine smile out of her, but these expressions were priceless.

The Birmingham Zoo

On Saturday, we went to Birmingham for a meeting that Lifeline was having. They were brave enough to let me be one of the speakers. As you all know, adoption is really a passion of mine. It has been ever since I was in high school, and now that our family has been through the process I am even more passionate about it. I have grabed ahold of James 1:27 which says that pure and undefiled religion is to take care of widows and orphans in their time of need, and keeping oneself from being polluted by the world. For our family right now, we were only able to take in one child, but I want to do what I can to see all children find their way into loving arms. That essentially is what that meeting was about. The goal is to equip families who have already been through the process to reach out to potential families, and to support families who are currently waiting. Please pray that this meeting will spur some families into really reaching out into their communties to educate people about adoption. I am looking forward to see what God is going to do through these new Life groups. After the meeting we headed to the zoo. I have never been to the B'ham zoo before, but I was very impressed. Enjoy the pictures.