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New friends.

Yesterday was such a special day! I have a good friend {hi Kristi!!} that introduced me to a friend of hers last summer that was also in the process of adopting from China. They brought their little girl home not too long ago, and yesterday we were able to meet up for a fun play date for Lila and her new friend! They …

Preschool for the win! And Christmas is officially over. :(

Thank you for all of the encouragement and prayers yesterday! Lila Mei had a great day at preschool. The teacher said she only had to tell her “sweet hands” one time! You see, now Lila Mei doesn’t yell at new friends, she hits them! Yikes!! I really think it is coming from her not having words to say, plus I …

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First Day of Preschool

I am sitting here, alone in my house. My second pot of coffee is brewing {don’t judge} and I have the new Shane & Shane Psalms album playing. I don’t even know what to do with myself!!! Today is this sweet girl’s first day of preschool!!! Um, that face. Those cheeks. I can’t even! It was an easy drop off …

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Post Adoption- 5 Months

It’s been 5 months since we met our sweet Lila Mei. So much has changed in 5 months. We have settled into the groove of being a family of five. I’ve finally begun to live with the idea that we’re never going to be on time anywhere, and that we ALWAYS forget something wherever we go. Other than the big …

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Post Adoption- 4 Months

  This smile says it all… Four months in our arms. Four months with a home, a mom, a dad, a sister, a brother, and a family. Four months with fuzzy blankets and stuffed Minnie mouses and pizza and friends. Four months with love and tickling and M&M’s and slides. Four months experiencing new things like pumpkins and pumpkin bread and candy …

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Family of FIVE Photo Session

We were so excited to have Stacie of Stacie Tatum Photography come to the house to capture our first family of five photos! I found Stacie through Red Thread Sessions, an organization made up of photographers that are willing to donate sessions for adoptive families. She blogged about our time together here. Thank you Stacie for your time and talent! We are so thankful …

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Post Adoption- 3 Months

Where do I begin? This little cutie has now been with us for 3 months! Three months! That doesn’t seem possible, but at the same time, China seems like SO LONG AGO…truly a lifetime ago! Our sweet Lila Mei has changed so much since meeting her for the very first time. The timid, shy, bug-bite covered, skinny little thing is …

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Post Adoption- 2 Months!

This girl. She has captured our hearts. I have fallen head-over-heels, deeply in love with this tiny Chinese human. I LOVE HER. Sometime between June 29th and August 29th, my heart has been knit with hers. She is my daughter, I am her mother, one-hundred-and-fifty-million-percent. I can’t imagine our life without her. She is so perfect in every way. Before we met Lila Mei, the …

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First Day of School 2015

Well, it happened. Despite my efforts to stop summer from ending, the kids both started school! I cannot believe we have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartener. Y’all are gonna have to give me something when Lila Mei goes to Kinder. I will be even more of a mess than I was on Monday! The kids did great and both …

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Lemon Bliss Homemade Ice Cream 

I am not a huge ice cream fan. I like it, but I usually don’t love it. If I’m choosing desserts, I would choose a piece of rich caramel cake or a cupcake over ice cream. That is, before Blue Bell Lemon Bliss entered my life! It is one of their newer flavors and is only sold in the summer. …

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Summertime

We are enjoying the last bit of summer! I keep telling people that it feels like it just started. With packing for China and then being in China for three weeks, and then recovering from jet lag— I feel like we’ve only had a couple of weeks of real “summer”! And now school starts in less than two weeks. Have …

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Post Adoption – 1 Month!

Can you believe we met Lila Mei one month ago today? I can’t! It has gone by so fast! Lila continues to amaze us. She is still doing great and we are all adjusting well to our new normal. This month was full of so many firsts for Lila Mei! Here are a some of the new things she’s been doing. …

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My hero.

Two years ago today is the first date that we know anything about Lila’s history. July 24, 2013, our sweet girl was found abandoned. Two years ago, her birth mom gave up her tiny baby girl. Two years ago, a woman whose face I will never know this side of heaven became my hero. I don’t know much about this …

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Jesus, the Sweetest Name I Know

I thought I’d take a minute to answer some questions we get frequently! We have been so thankful to have so many of you be so supportive and interested in our adoption, and I love answering your questions. We always pray that through our story, you will each continue to be inspired to care for orphans and some of you to …