Very busy week!!!

We had a very busy week!! First, it was the first week of school - Emma started an all-day Pre-K, and she loves it! Allie is in Kindergarten - I can't believe she's in school already! She had a great week too! Then, on Wednesday, we received our LOA!!! On Thursday, it was received by FEDEX, signed, and sent right back out!! We may be traveling sometime between Mid-November, and early December to bring our sweet Alyssa home!! Then, Friday was Josh's 23rd birthday! How in the world is my baby boy 23 already??????? On Saturday, my nephew was officially out of the Marines, so we had a family get together for him, then, finally, on Saturday evening, our wonderful friends the Browns, Anne, and Buster, were at Barnes & Noble (they moved to Newport News 11 years ago). Buster has had his first book published, and did a book-signing! It was so great to visit with them, and others who showed up - like a family reunion!! Enjoy some pictures from our busy week and weekend!!

Day 35 of the wait, and...

Sunday Smiles

I love these sweet girls!!

Allie had orientation for kindergarten tonight.  She loves her school, teacher, and classroom, and has already made a new friend.  Anyway, as the girls were walking back down the sidewalk at home, toward the door, they were skipping and holding hands.  Emma said, "Allie, I'm gonna miss you this year." and Allie said, "I'm gonna miss you, too, Emma!" - just warms your heart!!

Happy Gotcha Day, Emma!!!

Three years ago today, a sweet little baby girl was placed in our arms in the Civil Affairs Office in Nanning, Guangxi Province.  What a wonderful day - a day we had waited for so long, with such anticipation and excitement, just wondering what it would be like to have a little girl in our family.  We were so blessed, when after much back and forth with China, that we were allowed to adopt our precious little Emma Grace SiQi!  What a joy she has been to us, and to our entire family.  She is smart, funny, snuggly, sweet, loving, and so much more!  She is her mommies little "angel pie"!  Tonight, we had orientation at the school where she will go to an all-day preschool this year!  I can't believe she's ready for that, but she is so excited, and says she loves her school!  God placed this special little girl in our family, and we can't wait to see what He has planned for her life!  We know it will be amazing!  Here are pictures from the day we got her, and our gotcha day anniversaries since that first amazing, and wonderful day...

August 13, 2007

August 13, 2008

August 13, 2009

Today, August 13, 2010

I found another new picture of Alyssa!!

On a Chinese News site, there was another picture of our sweet girl!!  It was taken July 28!  She is in the lower left corner - I want her to be home with us NOW!!!

Church was awesome today!

We had a guest pastor today, Junior Hill - he is great!  He shares God's love from his heart, and so many made decisions today.  One special little girl in our lives, our friends 7 year old daughter, Lily, gave her heart to Jesus today - how awesome is our God, that He loves us all so much - that He loves every single one, and wants ALL of us to know the joy of being his child - adopted by Him, chosen by Him - that if He could have only saved one of us, He would have died on that cross anyway! 

Emma is now asking questions about what being saved means - when I told her it meant asking Jesus to live in your heart, following His will for her life, living for Him, and living with Him forever in Heaven - her sweet reply was, "but I want to live with you, momma!"  Then, I explained that since I was saved, and would live in Heaven one day, she would still get to live with her momma, it made her feel all better!  Don't you just love how their little minds work!!  So blessed that they keep us on our toes!!  That's all we want for our children - to belong to Him!

Sunday Smiles

LID 7/21/2010!!!