100th Day of Kindergarten

Ella Kate and her friends celebrated their 100th day of kindergarten by dressing up as 100 year olds. My original costume idea was to dress EK in an old school jogging suit and make her be a "mall walker," but I felt the concept might be lost on 5 and 6 year olds so we opted for a more traditional old lady ensemble.

Girlfriend is a fan of any excuse to play dress up!

Sweet old ladies!

They are about the most stylish 100 year olds I have ever seen...although EK is channeling her inner Duggar with that skirt!!!

It's hard to believe that this crew is over halfway through kindergarten! First grade will be here before we know it. Cue the tears.

And just for kicks, EK's teacher put their pictures in an aging app. I can't even deal. It's hysterical and extremely creepy all at the same time!!!

The Week in Pictures

Monday kicked off with a picture session with our friend Olivia. I can't wait to share the other snaps because they are too cute. I'm using a couple for a Valentine card since we didn't do Christmas cards this year.

Picture taking sure takes a lot out of them! It was a quiet ride home!

Tuesday night, J went to a soccer game so I was on my own for bed time. I knew things got quiet really quickly and then discovered this one made him self comfortable in my bed.

On Wednesday, we dressed in blue in honor of my sister Jordan's BFF Ashley's 1year anniversary of being cancer free. Yay!

We had a great night at church too.

On Thursday, we went to Madison to pass the time until dance. These two are really playing sweetly with one another. I have a feeling they are going to be thick as thieves.

We also had the chance to go have dinner at a sweet couple's house who also recently adopted. They actually got home the day before we left so it was such an encouragement to visit with them and the kids had such fun playing. Thankful for new friends!!!!!

Friday started out with our normal breakfast date. We had a extra little person tagging along in our date. Good thing she is so cute.

Friday night, we hit up the "kids eat free" at Brent's Drugs. They never disappoint and it was delicious! They even made Walker pancakes and "white coffee!"

When we got home from dinner, the kids wanted to have a sleepover. Sure, why not! All three were asleep by 8. It was glorious....until....Ella Kate got choked up coughing and threw up everywhere in the bed! So much for a relaxing evening!!!

Saturday was really low key. Mom and Dad got EK and W for a bit to give us a minute to get the house back in order. So thankful for our families that always help us out!!!!!

Sunday was our first orphan care ministry meeting at church. I was very encouraged because people actually showed up! It's exciting to connect with people who have a common passion and we are anxious to see what is in store for this ministry!

Now we are in full blown prep for surgery mode. Emma's first palate surgery will be on Monday. Prayers appreciated for our baby girl...and the rest of us as she has to wear arm splints and eat only soft foods for 6 weeks!!!!! She's not going to be a happy camper about her new diet!!!!

Last Week

I guess I never hit publish on this little post. This is what we were up to last week! Walker spent some time in Columbus soaking up all the undivided attention and ruling the roost. He was pretty pumped about getting to ride a horse and of course loved getting "white coffee" at Starbucks. It's his favorite treat!

While brother was away, the girls and I had a big time going to get ice cream and pizza while visiting with our sweet friend Olivia.

We all went to watch Sarah Katherine and Hunter Sykes play basketball at MRA. Thank goodness for the village we had with us to wrangle kids! All 3 were ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!

Things are rocking along this week with not too much out of the ordinary to report...other than my car having to go to the shop for some busted belts business that costs way more than I want to spend on something as boring as belts, an overflowing toilet episode while all three kids were brushing their teeth and J was not at home, and a dishwasher that although we had a repair man out two weeks ago seems to still be leaking all over the kitchen floor. Tomorrow is a new day, right?!?

Quick Trip to Columbus

J and a crew of CUMC students attended Breakthru this weekend. From what I hear, things went really well and Jesus did some big things in our students' lives. I am anxious to hear from my d group about their experience!! While he was away, the kids and I went to Columbus for a night. I was able to go to the orphan care expo in Starkville and the kids were able to get some fun grandparent time in.

Getting a picture of 3 kids is hard work!!!

I absolutely love getting to watch my kids interact and bond. They adore their little sister.

I think she is pretty smitten as well.

Before we left for Columbus, EK had a bday party at the jumpy place. I held Emma the whole time while EK played. Every time Emma saw EK on the slide or she would pass by where we were standing, she would wave so wildly that I thought her arm might fly out of socket.

They are pretty sweet....albeit a bit rough at times! I probably say "Be gentle! She's just a baby!" about a hundred times a day.

I know I'm partial, but she is a doll.

Of course, I think this one is pretty precious too. (As to not leave anyone out, Walker is precious as well, but he won't sit still long enough for a picture!)

My brother in law and his family came in to town for lunch and to meet Emma. It is always a treat to get to visit with the whole crew.

I love it when they all play well together. It gives me a glimmer of hope that one day some of the tantrums and not so pleasant-attention seeking behaviors might even back out to normal!!!

I was super excited to attend the orphan care expo at FBC Starkville. Meaghan has been a huge part in growing this ministry in their church and I was eager to pick up some tips to bring back to the ministry at CUMC. They had a super turn out and the speaker was really informative are challenging.

I am truly overwhelmed by how the Lord has placed such precious friends in my life who get me and share my heart for adoption and orphan care.  Love, love, love sweet Olivia and Heather...and the photobomb by Jones!

We had such a nice visit and only wish it could have been longer so we could have seen more of our wonderful Columbus friends. We will be back soon though!

Good Times and Good Friends

Dare I say we are getting into a rhythm around here?!? It was such a good week for the big kids getting back in to the swing of school.  They both had awesome weeks and it helped things to feel so much more normal at our house!  Yay!

Ella Kate had one request when we went to China...a fan.  She was tickled that we came through for her and she has put on MANY a performance with her beloved fan.

Emma found a little friend.  She had the best time admiring herself!

My sweet friend Laura brought us dinner the other night and the girls had a big time playing while we visited.

Is this not how everybody cleans the house????

In the orphanage, Emma had "TV time" scheduled into her nightly routine. So, we have watched an episode of Magic School Bus each night after bath time. I looked over one night and saw this.  They are the sweetest. 

Nana came yesterday for a little visited and she kept the big kids while J and I went to Frank's wedding. The kids enjoyed all the extra attention and I appreciated all her help!

Walker even convinced her to take him home for a couple of days.

We so enjoyed getting to celebrate Frank and Bethany's wedding last night. It was gorgeous and so Jesus filled. We love these 2 and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for their marriage! 

Emma went along with us to the wedding. She was an angel baby and loved picking up the flower pedals off the floor.

Baby girl wore of my favorite dresses to the wedding.  My Mamaw Porter made this precious dress for Ella Kate and it is so special to see Emma in it as well.

And this is something I am pretty fired up about! My friend Laura and I have both felt the desire to start an Orphan Care Ministry in our church. We attended some training and visioning time yesterday with some area churches and it got us even more excited about our first meeting in a couple of weeks. We have some amazing things in the works and are anxious to see how the Lord will use this ministry for his glory!

A Little of This and a Little of That

I came across a couple of pictures from when we were in China that were on J's phone and I wanted to make sure to have them on the old blog. This was on Gotcha Day. It's crazy how much Emma has changed since that day almost a month ago!

This is how sister girl sleeps. I can't imagine that it is terribly comfortable but it seems to work for her.

Emma is starting to warm up and even let Kay Kay rock her to sleep. Yay!

This is where Emma (and Walker) would choose to sleep all the time!  I do like all the cuddles but it would be nice if everyone would sleep in their own beds. One day maybe.

We tried to help the Dawgs in the Orange Bowl. Oh well. At least the kids were cute in their maroon. 

We have had a successful 2 days with the bow! Woo Hoo! Her hair and fingernails are growing like crazy. It's amazing what proper nutrition will do for you!

Robert's mom made this adorable quilt for Emma. It is absolutely precious and oh so special with her path from China to the U.S. stitched on it. LOVE!!!

We are having a really good week so far. I think getting back into our routine has been a positive for all involved. We still have some work to do in finding the balance in being a family of 5, but we are making progress!