Kaylee's Home!!!

Oh, it's been a busy day and I'm getting pressured to get caught up on my blog! Kaylee arrived home yesterday, in time for our family lunch after church. She had a great time and says she would do it again in a heart beat! She brought back the EXACT purse that I sent her for, and two others for herself. The trip was a success! She loved being a nanny for four little ones! I couldn't find a picture of her with all of them! She never called home the whole time, I think she was busy and very content. Today she had to have a baby tooth pulled after school, and was welcomed back to reality!

Scrapbooking Day

Today was my first day of scrapbooking! Kaylee has gotten me into this mess! She wanted to start, and before you know it...I'm in knee deep too! Michelle and I went together today-Kaylee is on her cruise, so she couldn't go! I missed her, but I am sure she was having fun buying purses in the Bahamas today! I'm doing a book of the last three months of mom's life. It was a very nice day, I thought I got a lot done for just starting out!

Our Girls

We just LOVE our little adopted girls. Grace and Claire are so much a part of our lives! They live very close to us and when we moved in this house their babysitter left for college. Our girls started babysitting them, and have been sold out to them ever since. Claire had just been born, Grace was about three. We had known their mom and dad for many years. Now, they are all a part of most every day of our lives and one of us always has a new story to tell about what one of them has done or said. Today we went to Grace's eighth birthday party. I have been thinking all day about our journey, watching these precious little ones grow in every way. We have been blessed to be a part of the process! Grace's party was supposed to be a pool party, but the weather didn't check on the party plans! We had a great time inside! Last week my girls went to Busch Gardens with Grace and Claire, the pictures are from Busch Gardens. I SHOULD have taken pictures today, but forgot my camera! I think their mom will be sending some from today, so I'll be able to put some on later. God has been so good to allow us to be a part of their lives, and for them to be a part of ours! We love these little ones SO much, and wish Grace the best year ever!

Spring Break-Game Night

Last night Josh and Jen came over to play games. We had SO much fun! Cary is on vacation this week, and so we waited till Carissa got out of her class and we were ALL able to be here! Even Spike wanted to play with the family! I shared my black jelly beans with Jen-that's why she has the funny look on her face! This morning Carissa and Kaylee left for Busch Gardens with friends. We spent today with our friends, John and Lisa.

Danielle is Home!

Danielle is one of our college girls that has just completed two years of serving in Africa. She arrived back in Ft. Myers late on Sunday night, actually early Monday morning! We wanted to be at the airport to welcome her back. The fine young man walking beside her is Nate. We had to put up with him being hopelessly in love with Danielle while she was in Africa. What we knew, that Danielle did not know, was that Nate flew to New York to meet her and fly back to Ft. Myers with her, arriving with a diamond on her finger! We are thrilled for both of them, love them so much and we are happy they are finally together! They have passed a great test and now look forward to a life together serving the Lord, probably in Africa.

Happy Easter, part II

We had a very nice dinner. We had 10 of us, more than are in the picture! We had turkey, dressing, potatos, gravy, ham, jello salad, deviled eggs, green beans, rolls, corn and chocolate chip pie. Most of the kids stayed and visited, and we had a wonderful time. When they thinned out a bit, we finally did Easter baskets. Carissa got a gift card like Josh and Jen had gotten early, and Kaylee got a memory card for a camera she didn't have!!! She had been looking for a PINK camera, and we found one, so we got the memory card for her and told her she had to buy the camera to go with it from me! Cameras are just a bit beyond the Easter Bunny's budget! Spike got his basket too! When he got tired of playing, he took his toy to his napping spot! Really, have you ever seen a cuter fur ball??? I didn't think so! Our day is not over, but I'll have to tell you more tomorrow!

Happy Easter

He IS Risen! What a wonderful day for us to be able to celebrate the FACT that HE IS ALIVE! Yesterday, Kaylee colored Easter eggs, Cary worked on preparing dinner for today, and I helped some! We are expecting a small crew in after church. We are missing our boy, and we had to take the traditional Easter picture without him! My day started off pretty quiet. Carissa had spent the night at Shannon's, Kaylee went real early with Cary (we had three services today) so I got ready and went by myself. It is a beautiful day here, real nice and not hot at all! On the way to church I heard my favorite song, "Shackles". It is the story of my life, and the song that I have made Kaylee promise to have sung at my funeral, and I have even told her I hope there is dancing in the aisles! HE alone has removed my shackles! What a way to start this day! Then I got to church and one of the songs we sang was a newer version of "My Redeemer Lives" and I love that song too! I've known it all my life, sang it for as long as I can remember, but I never knew until a few years ago that it was from a verse in the Bible in Job. I have always been fascinated with the story of Job, and somehow, when I found out that Job had said it, it meant even more than it had before.

From Job 19:25-27

I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

And, yes, I was reminded that my mom IS seeing Him with HER OWN EYES! I miss her a lot today. She LOVED this day and everything it means to us as Christians. She taught us the REAL meaning of this day, and lived her life as a testimony to all she believed! May I do the same!

National Championship

Tonight Josh and Jen came over for dinner. We had not had a relaxing evening with them in a long time, so it was fun. They are going to South Carolina for Easter, for Josh to meet some friends of Jen's, so they won't be with us for Easter. Since they won't be here, I decided not to do baskets for them and just gave them gift cards instead. They opened them tonight. After we had a little TCBY break, it was time for the National Championship game. Yippy! Shannon and Megan were here for the fun too. The best part about the evening is that they tell me this is the LAST game!