saturday shopping snapshots

try saying that 3 times fast....hehehe



max wore these frames with no lens the entire day....LOL.
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merry christmas, everyone!

believe it or not, it is TRUE......

.....tate is now wearing "cowboy super-wear" (if you have no clue what in the world i am talking about you can click HERE) AKA blue jeans! one day he decided he would get a pair and now he has 3. i think his friends from luoyang might pass out if they knew that their stretchy pant friend is now sporting cowboy super-wear. i had to get a photo of the first time in jeans just in case it might be his last....i wanted to document the event....hehehe.

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he is just so cute!!

introducing :: LUCY ::

meet the newest member of our family. isn't she absolutely adorable! elliott just loves loves loves all animals. paul and i knew it was important that elliott have a pet but we were reluctant because max has been terrified of just about all animals. we went over my friend patti's house and her son and daughter-in-law had their cute little dog there and surprisingly max did really well with it being in the same room so we just knew that now was the time to bring a four legged, ball of fur into our home. to see max and lucy together, you would never in a million years know that max was ever scared of dogs or any animal for that matter . just like our pastor talked about today....God is at work all around us....when we open our eyes and look for him we can see him working in our lives. God knew that it was important for elliott to have a pet and to see max with lucy is an absoulte miracle.

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this was a great reminder to me that nothing is to small and trivial to God.

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meet lucy _____?

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we are deciding on a middle name for our little cockapoo....any suggestions??? i thought maybe a chinese middle name might be cute but elliott didn't much want her to have a chinese name, he wants her names to be english names, so english names it is :-).

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okay, one more thing before the pictures.....tonight when viv and max were praying they both said, thank you God for lucy and thank you for cockapoo....hehehe.

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we have a house full of kiddos that are extremely giddy....okay, and a mom and a dad too!

sewing 101

since we added 3 more to our family this year, we are short 3 matching christmas stocking. i am not about to spend the money it would cost to buy 10 new stockings so i decided i would just go to goodwill and buy sweaters (went on a good day and got them for 50 cents each) and make my own. about 1 o'clock this morning the boys found my stack of sweaters, i told them my plan for them and they wanted to take part in the project.....so we got to it (who needs to sleep...LOL, i've never cared to much for it myself :-). they both learned how to thread the sewing machine and fill the bobbin, they both cut out and sewed a couple stockings each and while tate was sewing, elliott cut the neck out of a sweater and constructed himself a beanie....which he is very proud of....(me too, it is so cool)! they love a challenge of any kind. they both absolutely amaze me....incredible, incredible, incredible, is what they are!! blessed, blessed, blessed is what i am!!

elliott walked in the kitchen early this morning wearing his beanie :-).

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it was so late that i didn't get pictures of the finished stockings but i will take a picture of them all hanging. trust me, they look GREAT! who knows....you may see them on project runway someday :-) no limits here!!!

our thanksgiving blessings

+ 3 more (not pictured)....excuse me, 4 more, can't forget my precious new son in law...michael

:: 2 YEARS ::

two years....it's amazing how time has flown and how this little lady has grown, not only in stature but she has also grown to trust and love her family. it's hard to believe today the struggle she had those first few days in china. she is a bright and shining light to all who come in contact with her. she sees the good in everything and she LOVES life to the fullest and most always has a smile on her face....a lot like her great grandma jo (josephine) whom she is named after. miss vivi jo you are a blessing from God and we love you so very very much!!!

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of course she is sporting her traditional chinese outfit.

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after school she bakes her cake (this girl love to cook)....with a little help from tate.

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a quick pizza dinner before awanas

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it tasted better than it looks...LOL

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we gave her a small gift from her birth country.

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HAPPY TWO YEARS, SWEET GIRL!!!!!

and he sleeps.....

I know you are thinking that he will be so embarrassed that I posted this when he is older but by then he will be so use to me that it won't even faze him. Just ask Britney, Mark and Hayden....LOL

orphan sunday

today is orphan sunday....please take a moment to think....consider....pray.

(please turn the music off on my sidebar)

this boy.....

....has such a quick wit! this morning vivi jo and max had a soccer game. we were on our way out the door and i told tate that he should get his jacket because it was cold. he said, i'm okay mom....i told him that he was going to get cold and he said, no, i'm okay...it not cold. i dropped it and we left for the game. well of course mom was right...lol. we had a blanket in the car so he didn't freeze. during the game i said, i'm freezing, he said, it not cold, i said then give me your blanket if it's not cold. he looked at me with his adorable grin and said....I DO NOT KNOW ENGLISH.....HA HA HA!!!

i have had several ask me how the boys were adjusting....they are both adjusting better than i could have ever imagined. i have so much to journal that i don't want to ever forget....i have everything all written down and i will blog it eventually. they are amazing boys and are the perfect fit in our family!

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God is AWESOME!!!!!

BEARD WATCH 2010...you don't want to miss it!

My children....where in the world do they come up with this stuff??.... Hayden posted this on his facebook tonight.

Beard watch 2010: Week 8 and going strong. Memories of the clean shaven life are starting to fade like Tom Hanks social skills in Cast Away. But like Tom Hanks in Cast Away...i will continue to build my raft of beardom. May i press on.
"A woman with a beard looks like a man. A man without a beard looks like a woman." - ...Afghan Saying

then he posted: ‎"A kiss without a mustache is like an egg without salt."-Spanish proverb


I do miss him and his crazy antics! There is never a dull moment when Hayden is around!

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Here is a few of Hayden's beard pics.

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For Halloween, Hayden went as Tom Hanks in the movie CAST AWAY!

Great job Hayden!!!

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I am thinking, oh my that is one thick beard.....surely he colored it in....hummm

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I'll be sure and keep you updated on BEARD WATCH 2010

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This boy makes his mama proud :-)

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I LOVE YOU Hayden !!!!

go bananas....go, go, bananas!!!

tate and elliott have just about turned into a banana. i can't keep them in the house....they eat between 4 to 7 bananas a day EACH. i ask their doctor if they were eating to many...if that were getting to much potassium and he said no....no worries. i think we need to plant a banana tree in the back yard....LOL.

happy birthday max!

on october 27th, max turned FIVE!!!!....it is so hard to believe that our little guy is 5 years old. he is growing up way to fast! here are a few little max facts: he is in pre-school and loves it, he reads simple books, still loves and adores his mimmie (bear), he could be a couch potato if mama would let him...the boy LOVES television (which is limited), plays soccer, is very laid back, gentle and loving, he moves slow (i think that goes with being so laid back), he still wants mama or someone to carry him around (and we do...he's the baby....it comes with the title), sings in the children's choir at church, always looks forward to cubbies, loves music and is THRILLED that his brothers play instruments...he joins in most of the time, often his vocabulary blows us away, he is still a BIG time mamas boy and i hope that never changes :-), he thinks all 6 big siblings hung the moon and vivi jo is his very best friend...they rarely fuss because he is just fine with her being the boss :-), when he gets hurt or upset about something he ALWAYS says that he misses either, britney, mark or hayden, he has wonderful manners and tells people thank you LOUDLY so they will be sure and hear him, he loves people and is not shy, he will talk to just about anyone, he is deathly afraid of cats and dogs...most all animals but bugs are his friends :-), he loves to ride his bike, he is very cautious and careful, he likes to play outside if the weather is perfect....not to hot...not to cold (just like his mama :-), he sweats like a little pig, his smile can melt any heart, he is very quick to say he is sorry and forgives and FORGETS instantly when an apology is given, he is smart as a whip....he hears something one time and it's stored, he wants to learn chinese...his brothers are teaching him....their mouths drop at his progress, HE IS LOVED and IS A BLESSING FROM GOD!!!!!!
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look how max has grown....max at 2, max at 3, max at 4.
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birthday breakfast in bed....oh how i love those sweet little toes!

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wearing his chinese birthday hat

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we had his party on saturday and it was a barrel of FUN!!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH SWEET BOY!!!