So Long Dallas!

We are home with a big bag of dirty clothes, lots of pictures, and some tired sweeties. Michael and Matt both took the day off from work on Thursday and went to the Fort Worth zoo with us. Our dear friend, Laura, and her daughters also joined us there. We had soooooo much fun! The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, the animals were.....smelly.

Randy was attending an oil and gas cpa conference in Dallas, so we stayed in a much nicer hotel than normal. The Westin Hotel is actually connected to the Galleria Mall. We could walk down a hall and be in the mall for breakfast (or shopping!). The beds were wonderful and there was
Starbucks coffee in our room. I felt very spoiled :0)

I had to chuckle at our little ones. Randy paid for us to go to the zoo, and there were all kinds of animals that our children don't see every day. But.....the most loved animals there were a snail and a caterpillar that Molly found on the ground. The best things in life really are free.

Randy finished my pantry and I had so much fun this morning rearranging the kitchen. He also finished Missy's bathroom just hours before she returned from Colorado. One more room to go!

Here are some pictures of our Dallas trip. Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday.

Mary

A Wormy Kind of Day

What do you do on a beautiful Texas day after your mother has tilled the garden? You look for (and find) many earthworms. Molly, the worm-loving princess, has been in garden heaven today. The worms and snails in the backyard have all been relocated to Molly-created animal habitats. Mason and Madelyn have been digging for dinosaur bones in the soft dirt, and they are sure that they have found some. It will be a sad day when we plant our garden this weekend and the massive digging has to end.

Speaking of tilling the garden, I think I was insulted by the Home Depot tool rental guy. I called and asked him if he had a small tiller that I could handle. He replied that he had a tiller that was "simple" enough for a woman. Come to your own conclusions, but I believe I asked about the weight of the tiller, not the brain-power required to run one.

We are leaving tomorrow to see our sweet boys, Michael and Matt for a couple of days! I am looking forward to leaving home (and the mess) and escaping for a while. We are leaving Randy's mom in charge. She will let the tile guys in and out, feed the dog, set the alarm, etc.. Thanks Norma!!!!

Our sweet Missy made it all the way to Colorado on Sunday and is having a great week cleaning up the Young Life camp. She is a trooper! I guess cleaning up an entire camp is better than cleaning your room :0)

Here are some cute pictures of my snail, worm, and dinosaur loving precious ones.

Happy Mothers' Day!

Happy Mothers' Day to every sweet mom out there. I am so thankful for my mother and Randy's mother. We have both been blessed with sweet, encouraging moms who have made our lives rich and full.

Thank you Michael, Matt, Missy, Mason, Molly and Madelyn for the priviledge of being your mom. I love you all more than you will even know. You make my heart happy everyday!!!

Please pray today for my sweet friend Linda. She is an older woman who lost her only child 7 years ago. Every Mothers' Day is now very difficult for her. It has made me realize that this day is not a happy one for those who have lost a child or who have been unable to have children at all. There are women around us that need some extra love and encouragement. When we stop to call our mothers today, let's take time to love on those women too.

I love this picture of the girls. The other picture was taken last year on Mothers' Day when we were in China.

Have a blessed and sweet Mothers' Day!

Mary

Fun and Busy Saturday

I must be getting older - I can't believe that time is flying by so fast! Can it really be almost the middle of May? I love the Spring, even though it our windy season. The weather has been perfect, our windows have been open during the days, and the little sweeties are wearing their cute little summer pajamas at night. Can it get any better? Well, maybe when the concrete dust is gone, it will be much better.

The nice tile men are coming back on Monday and will be here for 3 more weeks - yes 3. They have already been here for 2 weeks working on the master bathroom. I will have to add those guys to my Christmas card list. They have spent more time in our home this year than our best friends.

Saturdays are donut days around here. Molly and Madelyn are obviously enjoying their breakfast in this picture :0) This morning I will start texturing the walls and ceiling of the pantry, take a quick bath and go to hostess a wedding shower. Then we will all go to lunch at my precious MIL and FIL's house to celebrate the college graduation of a special niece - we are proud of you Keyann!!!!!! Home again to finish the pantry and then off to church to get the preschool area ready for tonight.

Missy leaves tomorrow for Colorado to work at the Younglife camp, and while she is gone we will finish her bathroom. I will miss that girl! We will go see the boys in Dallas later in the week and then head home to work on the LAST room that needs to be painted. Whoopeee!

I am so longing for days and days of normalcy and quiet homeschooling, baking, and cleaning. I really think that in 3 weeks we will have a regular schedule again that doesn't include wall mud or paint brushes. This project will be worth it in the end, but it has taken a toll on my emotional peace. Enough whining - have a blessed weekend and hug your families!

I Got Invited!

Madelyn's sweet preschool class had a Mother's Day tea this morning, and it was precious. We made a handprint picture together and had yummy desserts. Randy usually takes her to school on his way to work, so this was a special day for us - I took her and stayed for almost an hour. Madelyn was so excited and kissed me and hugged me over and over again. Of course, I LOVED that! She also was very particular about the dress she wore today - it had to be pretty and have a LOT of flowers on it. :0)

Here is a picture of us and a video of the cutest song ever. Molly also learned this song 2 years ago and has entertained us at many meals with it. Michael and Matt, this song is for you!

Thank You Computer Guy!

Well, the remodeling finally affected our computer :( We gutted the wet bar aka computer room to make room for a walk in pantry (whoopee!). When we moved the main computer to the den, we realized that we had never connected that room to cable. The wonderful, wonderful cable man came today, and I feel like I have been away forever (or 3 days).

We had a fun weekend babysitting our sweet 2 year old friend, Libby. Her parents were singing at the marriage retreat our church hosted this weekend. She had never spent the night away from her mommy and daddy before except with her grandparents. When I told her it was time to put her pajamas on, she realized that I was public enemy #1. After that, she would only let Randy change her, play with her, etc.. They even took a nap on separate recliners Saturday afternoon - too cute!

Our precious Missy is home, and we have loved every minute. Every summer I wonder if she will be home the next. It is such a blessing when your college age children still want to spend their vacations with you. She is resting up to go to Colorado next week to set up a Younglife camp. Then she will be home to do an internship at church.

The 3 little ones are wonderful and enjoying the beautiful weather. I feel sorry for the earthworms in our backyard. Molly and Mason spend hours every day digging them up and putting them in buckets. They are released every evening (I hope!).

The master bath in really, really finished! I never thought it would be a pretty room - it was a real armpit when we moved in. I was just hoping for nice, but it is beautiful. I really may have a hard time selling this house - who would have thunk it!

Here is a picture of goofy Madelyn and some after pictures of the bathroom. It is good to be back!

A Year Ago

A year ago today, I was frantically packing and crying about leaving my children for 2 weeks. We were checking and rechecking Mason's adoption documents and making last minute phone calls to our adoption agency. On May 4th, we kissed our sweeties goodbye and began the looooooong plane ride to China to get our son. I think we were both a little apprenhensive about adopting an older child with special needs. What if he had behavior issues that we were unprepared for....what if we couldn't communicate with him....what if Molly and Madelyn didn't do well at home without us......?

Today, what a difference a year has made! Mason is a sweet precious son and brother, and his deafness really isn't an issue - we just sign to each other. God, once again, prepared the way for Mason and the rest of us to become a family. We love you Mason!