Leaving The Nest

We have witnessed this particular bird's nest for several weeks now.

It is in a very inconvenient location, directly above the back door. But, that's beside the point.

Yesterday was the big day!

Four precious babies, with mouths opened wide could be seen stretching above the rim of their meticulously made home.

Their parents can be seen flying loudly in a circle as they keep watch of their proud additions.

Two of the four have decided it was time to leave their comfortable home. And, the last two will soon take that leap as well.

The whole scene had me thinking.

Hubby and I have worked for many years to have a loving, safe home for our babies.

We have fed, clothed, guided and protected.

At times, we probably felt like those daddy and mommy birds as they chirped loudly as anyone came too close to their precious babies. After all, God's greatest gifts to us are our children!

Soon, our oldest baby bird will be leaving the nest. She will spread her wings and take flight.

We can only pray that she continues to seek God in everything. Our oldest baby bird is a strong young lady with a beautiful spirit who adores her younger siblings.

Although, she is only headed off to college, we know the importance of this time in her life.

We love you, Abby!

Spread your beautiful wings and FLY with God as your guide!


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Look What I Saw

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Blessings Abound ~ Pay It Forward

Maylee has been talking about getting a haircut for a couple of weeks.

She couldn't decide how short that she wanted it.

The other day I told her that if she got enough hair cut that she could give her hair to a kid who had lost their hair because they were sick.

I will not forget the smile that beamed across her face as she emphatically shook her head.

Pure delight!!

So, yesterday was the big day!

She was a little nervous.

But, then her joy was apparent!!

Look at my girl!!

 

Another really cool thing happened yesterday, as well.

The haircut came at the close of a very busy, fun-filled day.

The 2 littles had a ball game, so we rushed to the beauty shop, glistening with sweat.

We were the last appointment for the day.

Needless to say, the 4 kiddos that I had with me at the time were famished.

So, we decided to pull in a nearby Waffle House to grab a quick bite to eat before heading home.

Sam David had fallen asleep in the car and I could never arouse him to even eat his dinner.

Other than that, it was a fairly typical meal.

After we had finished eating, I asked the waitress to bring me a to-go box for Sam David's bacon & eggs, since he completely slept through dinner.

So, when she returned, the waitress told us that our bill had been taken care of.

WHAT??

She told us that the man sitting in the booth behind us had paid for our bill!

By this time, he had long left the restaurant.

So, to the kind gentleman who paid for our dinner: THANK YOU!!

You certainly brightened our day!

So, that one kind gesture got us thinking...

What can we do for someone tomorrow that would brighten their day??

Take time out of your busy day.

Pay for a meal of a stranger.

Let someone go in front of you in the grocery line.

Send a card anonymously to someone in the mail with some encouraging words.

The options are endless....

What will you do today?

Make A Difference!

 

Senior ~ Class Day

Abby's Senior Class Day was full of more excitement and pride for our eldest child.

She is truly beautiful, inside and out!

We are so proud of the caring young lady that she is turning into daily.

The VERY LARGE Senior Class

Receiving her award for honor roll

Abby received several awards, including honor roll, MS Scholar and 2 highly honored choir awards.

 

Abby & her future college roomate

That's our girl!! We are so proud of you, Abby!!

TCA Awards Day

School is drawing to a close.

Seems like just yesterday that it began.

Today we celebrated the accomplishments of Bennett & Heidi at their Awards Days.

Bennett's class along with some other elementary students

Receiving his 1st of several awards

another award

2 more awards

Heidi & SD enjoying Elementary Awards Day

Part of the Jr High/High School

Heidi receiving an award for all A's

Receiving an award for Duke's TIP program

Another award

cleaning out the locker

Goodbye 7th Grade!   Hello Summer!!!

Get Out Of That Boat

Believe it or not, even though I was adopted, the thought of orphans never really crossed my mind even 6 years ago.

When I heard the word "orphan", I thought of the movie Annie.

God began to change my view about 5 years ago. 

We knew that God was calling us to adopt a little girl from China who happened to have spina bifida.  (that's another long God-filled story for another day...)

But, what we did not know was that through this one little girl, our whole lives would change....

...for the better!

You see, God rocked our world that day back on December 3, 2008.

We had only just received our precious China doll 2 days prior and we were returning to her orphanage for a visit. Somewhat of a closure for her, but also a glimpse into her past for us, her new family.

What we saw that day...

Changed us!!

I will say this, she was living in a very large government run orphanage.

It was very clean.

There were even a decent amount of toys.

BUT...oh, the faces....

These were REAL babies, REAL toddlers, REAL children.

It is one thing to read the statistics.

147-210 MILLION orphans worldwide

BUT

That all changes when you SEE them with your own two eyes.

You hold them in your arms.

You stroke their hair.

You whisper to them that they are loved.

The time is now!

We must make a difference!

Everybody can work together to end the orphan crisis worldwide.

What can you do?

~support a family who is fostering by bringing them a meal

~offer to babysit to give foster parents a night out

~financially support someone you know who is in the process of adopting

~start an orphan/adoption ministry at your church

~really the ways are endless

Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act.
Proverbs 24:12

The little girl who started it all....

My precious baby boy in a cold, metal crib with a piece of wood for a mattress.

Orphans NO MORE!!

What is your next step?

Will you step out of the boat?

Brief Time Away

I promise that all 7 of us went away for a quick trip to the beach, but it was so quick that I only had time to snap a few photos. The rest of the time was spent at the pool and eating meals with Mike's co-workers.

Once a year, the company that Mike works for treats their employees and their families to a bonding get-away.

This is the 1st year that we have all been able to attend.

It was a quick 2 night get-away to the coast and was most appreciated by each one of us.

 

Me & My Best Friend

Looking for crabs

As I am taking this photo, Heidi is singing: "Knee-Deep in the water somewhere..."

This boy loves the water!

He just loves when I take pictures of him! :-)

Beginning of the End

It is beginning to sink in.

In just a few short days, Abby will be graduating from high school!

Did I just say that?

Time has flown and it has been a joy to watch Abby blossom into a caring, compassionate young lady.

............................................

It was a joy to attend Abby's last choir performance of her high school years.

She has been in choir since the sixth grade and absolutely loved every minute of it. 

They did an outstanding job, as always!

Hard to get a great shot of the entire choir

Abby & Abby ~ Friends since Preschool

Mary & Abby ~ Future College Roommates

Beautiful girls, Inside and Out

The girls with one of their teachers

The Altos ~ minus Abby and Jessi

Abby with one of her choir teachers

Summer Cut

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