Busy Weekend

It has been a very busy but fun weekend. Saturday we got up early and met our friends Dave and Kellie for breakfast. They have 2 beautiful children, Ashlyn and Carter. We then all went to Celbration City. Emma took her first ride on a Merry Go Round and absolutely loved it. She kept saying, "ooooh, oooohhh!"

Later in the day I got a Drumstick ice cream cone (my favorite.) Kevin was holding it out for Emma to take some licks when she reached out and took it! It was so cute because she was sticking her whole face in it. I think she was surprized by how cold it was because after taking a bite she would shudder a little bit and make a funny face.

After that wholesome nutrition she had her first few bites of cotton candy, too. It was not a good day in Mommyville but I figured, "Hey, that's what amusement parks are for, right?"

We left the park around 2:30 and went home to change for a wedding. Kevin had to head in to work so he wasn't able to come with us. One of the nurses I work with was getting married and the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Emma did pretty good with only a few outbursts. It's asking a lot of a one year old to sit quitely in a pew for 90 minutes so I was really happy with the way things went.

After the wedding, we stopped by my friend Christen's house to wish her a happy birthday. We finally got home around 8 and Emma was pooped.

This morning we went to Sunday School and church and have just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. I'm pretty sleepy and will probably turn in early tonight. Ugh, it's back to work tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!

Happy Birthday to my Big Girl!

Last Friday my sweet Emma turned 1! I can not believe how quickly time has passed and how much our lives have changed. She is the greatest blessing given to me and I'm so thankful for this awesome privellege to be her Mommy :) We celebrated in Wichita with Kevin' family and had a wonderful time. Her Grammy and all her aunts and uncles love her very much and spoiled her proper. She got some cute outfits, shoes, and fun toys. She LOVED her birthday cake and did her best to eat every crumb. It is so cool to see the bond she has with family; I think that even babies have the instinct to sense those they are safe with, that love them and are familiar. She loves her family and they love her; for that I am thankful.

We also celebrated the upcoming birth of Kevin's sister's baby. Mae is due the first week of November with a sweet baby girl and we can't wait to meet her. Unfortunately, the Mommy and Daddy will not share the name with us but they're playing a little game that allows us to guess. Given the current clues, I am guessing the baby's name is Abba Babba. :)

Mae looks glowing and beautiful and the pregnancy is going as it should. The family will be traveling to Wichita for Thanksgiving to meet the sweet girl and give her lots of kissies.

In other "baby" news, the physician I work with adopting from China has returned home safely with their new daughter. They have all bonded and are adjusting tremendously well. She is a beautiful and sweet 6 year old girl and we are so thankful to God for making them a forever family.

And...yes, there's another 'and', our friends Brad and Missy have their sweet boy from Vietnam. They are hoping to return to the States on Friday. Trust me when I say he is so gorgeous. I can't wait for them to bring him to church so we can all "ooh" and "aww" over him. Please pray that God continue to bless them on this journey as they finalize paperwork and travel home safely.

I think that's enough for now. Hope all is well with each of you!

Toto, I think we're back in Kansas

We are headed to Wichita, KS today to visit with Kev's family and do some celebrating. First, it is Emma's 1st birthday and 2nd, we're having a baby shower for Kev's sister Mae. It will be so nice to get away for 5 days and re-connect with everyone. I'm also pretty stoked to add another state to my list of places visited (I've never been to Kansas.)

Please pray for safe travels for all of Kevin's siblings (we're blessed to have the shortest commute). I'll definately have lots of fun pics to post when we get back!

Good Morning Vietnam!

We are so excited to report that some friends of ours from church have received approval to travel to Vietnam and adopt their son. The wait has seemed like forever but the time has finally come. We are so thankful to God, for bringing Brad and Missy to this point and can not wait to see the things he has in store for their family. Congratulations, guys! We will still be praying for the three of you and can't wait to see that sweet boy in your arms!

Drum roll please..........

It's a Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Emma will have a baby sister. Everything looked good today. Baby is growing as she should be. I'll try to post an ultrasound pic tomorrow after I scan it.

Celebration and anticipation

This weekend was very exciting because Kevin's sister, Genevieve, came to visit us in Springfield. It was an extra exciting visit because it was her first time meeting Emma! Gen is a surgical PA and lives in Miami Beach. I know, we're jealous too. She stays pretty busy but we're so thankful she was able to come to town for Labor Day weekend and spend some quality time. Emma loves her aunt Gen; I think she knew right away that she was family and loved her instantly. We're hoping to take a trip to visit her next summer.

We also have much anticipation tonight because we are getting our first ultrasound tomorrow! I can't wait to see our baby's little face and find out if Emma is going to have a baby sister or baby brother. My appointment is at 2pm tomorrow and I will be counting down the hours. I pray that our baby is healthy and growing well. Time is moving so much quicker this time; I feel like we waited for an eternity to have our ultrasound with Emma. Now, it's almost alarming how quickly the days are going by.

I will be sure to post the big announcement tomorrow evening. Stay tuned! (by the way, please say a prayer that we're not having twins!)