CHI Reunion Picnic

Last Saturday, July 12, we attended our adoption agencies' annual reunion picnic. There were so many families there from all of the different country programs; it was very uplifting to see. We had a particularly wonderful time meeting up with some of our blog buddies from the Ethiopia program. There were even three little ones there that we had the privilege of meeting while we were in Ethiopia, before they had been united with their forever families. That was emotional for me! To see them loving on their family members and playing with other kids...it was amazing! I felt such a connection to these little ones, who I have held in my heart since the time I first met them, that I was overcome with emotion at seeing them again. God is good! It was really a wonderful day. Here's a few fun pics from the day...

Dedication

Last Sunday, July 6, we had Ash's dedication at church. My father, our church's founding pastor, dedicated him to the Lord. We also played the Steven Curtis Chapman song "When Love Takes You In" and quite a few of our family members were present to witness the event.




After church, all the family and some of our friends came by the house for a BBQ. The kids ran around the yard playing and we had lots of strawberry shortcake and rootbeer floats! Unfortunately, Ash fell asleep when we first got home from church and missed a good 2 hours of his own party. But, that's OK. He was smiling and ready to go when he awoke.

Active Baby

We now have a 9-month old infant in our home! Ash is army-crawling everywhere and just figured out how to pull up to standing. I discovered this in the middle of the night 2 days ago while he was crying in protest of sleep. I opened the door and there he was, hanging on with all the determination he could muster! He is suddenly very active and ready to go! He giggles easily and smiles at everyone. What a joy he is to have in our arms!

So, I figured it was finally time to start updating this blog a little more. I have some photos of us in Orlando, Florida during our 2-week vacation at my parents' condo. Ash had a blast. He was old enough to enjoy all the activity and young enough to still sit in his stroller and take naps on the go. It was a great age to do everything we did. He really is happy when he's in the middle of all the commotion! That makes a great fit for a very active family of 4 kids : ) So here 'ya go, a few photos of Ash.....