The Big Day!!!!

After celebrating pretty much all weekend, Land's big day finally arrived. He loves these white meringue cookies that he refers to as "Land Puffs" so I surprised him first thing Tuesday morning with them. I made them after he went to bed on Monday night so he had no idea that they were waiting for him when he woke up. I know you are not supposed to have cookies for breakfast but since it was his birthday I made an exception!!! This picture shows all that were left by Tuesday night!!

As always, the birthday boy (or girl) at our house gets to plan the whole menu for their big day! So for Land the dining room was transformed into an Italian Bistro!! Here is the Chocolate Layer Cake he requested for dessert. I had to run home after school on Monday to bake this because of course he wanted fudgy homemade frosting!!

These little bread sticks are in the pewter cup that Land was given when we brought him home. All of our children have one of these with their name engraved on it. They are so very special to us and it was the perfect compliment to our table. Clara Beth could not stop eating these!!!!

This Chocolate Raspberry Cake was a special little surprise from Anna Kayla. Land can NEVER have too much chocolate cake!!! It was the perfect size for him.

Here is his favorite meal....................Baked Ziti covered with melted Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese, warm garlic bread, and a salad with homemade Creamy Italian Dressing!! YUM!!

Here is the birthday boy feeling quite full after several helpings of the Ziti!!! During our meal we all took turns telling special or funny stories about Land. We had such a great time remembering different things he had done over the years. We all laughed and laughed, that boy has given us a lot of material to work with over the years!!!

With help form our resident Barista(Anna Kayla worked in a coffee shop while in college) we set up a coffee bar for Land because he absolutely loves coffee. We had flavored syrups, creamers and sugar to make it extra special.

Getting ready for the coffee!!!

Here is Anna Kayla surprising Land with the Chocolate Raspberry Cake as we all sang "Happy Birthday"!! He was very surprised!!! It was a great compliment to his Chocolate Mint Coffee!! I told you he could never have enough chocolate(much like his mom)!!

A happy onlooker hoping for some delicious cake!!!!

Land decided to dive in like he did on his very first birthday, face first!!!

Mr. Chocolate Face!!

Then it was present time!!

After dinner we were entertained with a concert. Land played his trumpet and was accompanied by Emanuiel playing a Lincoln Log and...........................

Clara Beth tooting a Tinker Toy!!! All in all it was a wonderful evening spent with the ones I love!! I can't believe my Land is twelve years old!! He has brought such laughter and joy into our lives(along with some hair raising moments) and I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything!!!

For him I am forever thankful!!!!!! My heart's desire is to help him become the man that God would have him to be.

The steps of the Godly are directed by the Lord,
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will not fall
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalm 37:23-24

I pray that my son will follow in His steps today and always.

Until next time....................

Robin

Pictures That Won't Make It On This Year's Christmas Cards!!

Heading out for the big photo shoot!!!

Playing around in the grass between shots.

Clara Beth looking at something she found on the ground, Emanuiel trying to see what she is doing and Land totally uninterested!!

Whoa!! Where is everybody going, we are not finished yet.

An almost good shot but someone's eyes are closed.

Hey, we're missing a few people...............

Just a minute something seems to be wrong with my tummy!!!!

Clara Beth you just crack me up!!!

Wait a minute, I'm making sure Bubbie's head is just right!!!

Hurry Emanuiel, let's try to slip away.........

Oops! Someone's shoe is untied!!!

Maybe we could get a few shots at home.................

No, I'm not being goofy!!!

Mei Mei put your dress down!!!

Oh yeah!!! We do love each other!!!!

We may not have gotten a lot of great pictures to choose from but boy did we have a good time trying!!! It was a beautiful day and as always I was in awe of the beauty that God surrounds us with. May He fill us all with His goodness and grace and give us the eyes to see the many things He does for us each day.

This is the Lord's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:23-24

This week marvel and rejoice in His wonder!!!

Until next time.................

Robin

Somebody's Got A Birthday Coming.............

My handsome boy has a birthday next week!! I can't believe he will be 12 years old!! We have two friends coming home from school with him today. The birthday celebration has begun and will continue into next week!!

My wish for him is this:
Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

Until next time.........
Robin

Wordless Wednesday (1 Samuel 1:27)

Seeing Friends Old And New

This past weekend we headed to one of our favorite southern cities........Charleston!! We were able to visit our good friends the Sargents(see earlier post about Bobby's surgery) and I am happy to report that he is doing great the doctor's are amazed and so were we. God is truly answering prayers for this family. While there we had some great seafood and did a little shopping on King Street(impossible not to). Then we headed out of town a little ways to meet up with a sweet family that also adopted from the same orphanage that Emanuiel is from. We spent time with them this past summer at Edisto before we traveled to China to bring Emanuiel home so this was the first time they were able to meet our little fellow. Can you tell by his face that he made himself right at home(as always).

He was very happy when he finally managed to hoist himself up on this little swing!

He was very determined...........

and tried many times before he was successful.

Here are our two little hostesses..............Moli and Grace. Even though we were only able to visit for a short time the children made the most of it. They jumped, climbed, and slid up a storm!

Land even got in on the fun!!!!

Clara Beth couldn't decide what she liked to do the best so she tried it all!!

Have a great Tuesday and GO VOTE!!!!!!

When you do pray that:

Psalm 18:32-36 - Pray that the Lord would arm the man of His choice with strength; that He would guide him in battle (this election), and that He would sustain him and give him victory.

Until next time.................

Robin

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from my little pumpkins!!!

Be a good pumpkin today and..............

Say "thank you to the Lord for being so good,

for always being so loving and kind.

Psalm 107:1

Until next time..........

Robin

Pssst, Mommy's Been Tagged!!!

Yes, it's true, I've been tagged!! Stefanie at http://www.nihaoyall.com/ tagged me. I've never done this before but I think I am supposed to list seven random facts about myself so here goes. Very boring I am sure!!!

1. Like Stefanie, I am also cheap(ahem, frugal). I can't stand to pay full price for anything and I don't. I LOVE, repeat LOVE pretty clothes but I will not pay ridiculous prices for them because to me they are disposable items. This is true for my children also. I love the hunt for a good bargain. I don't get to do this as much as I used to because of the little ones but when I do it's GREAT FUN!!!
2. I think peanut butter is an absolutely delicious treat especially when licked directly from the spoon! I was recently "CAUGHT" in the kitchen doing this by Emanuiel and Clara Beth. What could I do but grab two more spoons and let them enjoy also, now when Emanuiel wants this special treat he just goes and grabs the jar out of the cabinet and starts licking it!!
3. I detest the sound that Styrofoam makes when it rubs against things especially in cup holders. Ugh, the thought of it makes me cringe!!!!
4. I can't stand (hate) Play- doh. I know, I know, I am a kindergarten teacher for goodness sakes!! But in my classroom I use colored clay because the smell of Play- doh makes me gag!
5. I love to vacuum but hate to dust. I love vacuum cleaners, Dust Busters, Dirt Devils, etc, I even got a Shop Vac for Christmas one year(yes, I did ask for one). The more powerful the better.
6. I love chocolate(not surprising) of any kind, even the little cheap chocolates that you get in the $1 Valentine's boxes. I have been known to buy these for myself just so I can indulge. Yes, I do bite them and put them back in the box at times. No, I am not embarrassed to admit that!!
7. And finally, I always look at people's pocketbooks. No, not to see what kind they are(that doesn't interest me at all) but to see if they match what they are wearing. I do not like to see pocketbooks that do not go with one's outfit so you can imagine my embarrassment right now because I am sporting a cute canvas summer bag people when in just three days it will be November!!!! I MUST find the time to change!!!

Now you know all(most) of my crazy little quirks!!! Now I am supposed to tag someone else so here goes:

Lisa (I am sure you have done this already) http://thelongroadtochina.blogspot.com/

Nancy http://joyofchina.blogspot.com/

Kim http://www.catecomeshome.blogspot.com/

Tara http://www.eastandwestkids.blogspot.com/

Adele (new bloggy buddy, you may have done this too) http://makingmemorieswithmalloryandmeredith.blogspot.com/

Karen (my great photographer friend) http://www.kholubek.blogspot.com/

That's all for now!

Until next time......................

On a more serious note, please pray for a precious family that traveled to China with us. Bekah Grace's daddy is having surgery on Thursday. He found out in July that he has cancer of the esophagus. He has undergone chemotherapy and radiation and this is the next step in his treatment. Please pray for peace and healing for this family. I love them dearly.

Isaiah 46:11

The Lord proclaims"Yes, I have spoken; so I will also bring it about. I have planned it; I will also do it.

Lord, proclaim and speak your healing over Mr. Bobby and provide peace and comfort to Lynn as she also endures the long wait through his surgery. They are expecting it to take from 8 to 12 hours. Please everyone who reads this pray................You can see Mr. Bobby and Bekah Grace decorating their pumpkin in our slide show below. Jeremiah is also Bekah's big brother.

Robin

****Update*****

Bobby's surgery went very well, the doctor was able to do every thing she wanted to do. Continue to lift them up because the next 24 hours are critical. God has already answered so many prayers and I know He will continue to do so.

Halloween Party Fun

Some Cuteness and a Question

Who would have ever thought that brushing your teeth could be so much fun!!

Taking turns with the toothpaste.

Brushing away!!!

Need a little more toothpaste!!!

I don't think there's anymore in here. I guess we're done now! Time for bed!!!

Just a quick question for all of you that visit our blog..................On our trip to China(and back) we racked up quite a few frequent flier miles which we plan to use for a fun vacation next summer(or sooner). We are trying to decide where in the continental U.S. to go. I would love suggestions for fun, fabulous, child friendly destinations so if you have one please leave a comment and tell us where you think we should go. Even though we LOVE Disney World(numerous trips there and we will be returning very soon) we want to use this for something else. We want an adventure somewhere we have never been before!! So please bring on those suggestions we have to make a decision very soon!

Until next time may God bless you abundantly today......................and always.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us.

Psalm 67:1

Robin

Too Pooped For Words Wednesday!!!

With all my heart, I will celebrate, and I can safely rest.
Psalm 16:9

Until next time....................
Robin

Not Much and Party Pictures Update

Here we go up, up, up the giant climbing, sliding thingy.
Waiting at the top to take the plunge!
Emanuiel having a ball! I know it's out of focus, but you get the idea. He was much too fast to catch with our camera.
In the jumpy thing!!! This was Clara Beth's favorite. One of them was always jumping out of the picture frame so that's why we only got part of Emanuiel in this shot.
And what Monday post would be complete without "dinner in a dash". Tonight it was so cool and crisp outside that it was a perfect night for Turkey Pot Pie, corn on the cob, and of course broccoli.

And as if the Turkey Pot Pie wasn't crusty enough, we had Easy Apple Pie in all of its gooey, buttery, crusty goodness.

This picture kind of sums up our weekend, not much going on, just very relaxing. We spent Friday night at home(it was raining) so we had a pancake supper and then game night. If you can imagine trying to play a board game (on the floor) with the two little ones climbing on, over and around the entire time! Somehow we managed and it was actually FUN! Saturday Land had a birthday party to attend(it lasted ALL day) so the rest of us did a little shopping. Saturday night we had dinner with friends. I can't tell you how nice it was to just eat and talk, talk, talk!! Of course we had two big ones and three little ones running around, but they didn't bother us. The meal and the company was delightful. On Sunday after church Anna Kayla and Greg joined us(at our favorite Mexican restaurant) for lunch. Sunday afternoon, Emanuiel and Clara Beth had a birthday party to attend. I'll post pictures and more about that later. Let's just say that our little fellow had as much, if not more, fun as the birthday boy. The party was at one of those places full of jumpy, sliding things. Emanuiel jumped, slid and rolled with the best of them. Miss Clara Beth was a little more cautious and had to have her mommy accompany her as she jumped, slid and rolled. Let's just say that I AM sore this morning. This body is not used to to quite that much activity in one afternoon. It was worth it though. I really liked all of those jumpy, sliding things!!!

So even if you are like me and wake up a little stiff this morning, I hope you have a hallelujah in your heart.

Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you:
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
"The Lord be magnified!"
Psalm: 40-16

Until next time...................
Robin