I'm a big girl now!

It's so hot here today. Abby and I sat outside with the little pool for over two hours. She loved splashing and pouring and I loved reading my book and watching my adorable daughter laugh. I'm in relaxation mode and we've settled into a routine together. Later tonight I'm headed out to dinner with a friend. Can life get any better?

The picture with Abby raising her hands was taken a couple of nights ago. We were out on the back porch and she was telling me what a big girl she is. :) The picture by the pool was taken this afternoon in the heat of the day.

What a Beautiful Night!

Abby and I were so busy today. We started out with a bike ride to my parents house. I'm working on my masters and taking a statistics course which is scaring me! My mom is a math wiz and said she would help out. I know how to find the average and median, but the standard deviation stuff just confuses me more. Abby was able to watch Dora while we tackled the grad class. We were both able to take naps this afternoon. Mine was only half an hour, but I woke up totally refreshed. It's days like this that remind me why I love my teaching job. After a trip to Meijer for groceries, we played in the front yard and chatted with our neighbors. My parents came over for dinner. It's nice to have them over more and to actually have the time to cook for them. We sat out on the deck for the evening. Here's a picture of my dad and Abby looking for frogs in the backyard creek. My parents are truly the best! Sometimes I can't believe how blessed I am to be a part of their family. God is indeed a good and gracious God!

Holland State Park fun...

Beth and the family stayed out in the trailer this weekend. We ventured out to visit this afternoon. We splashed in the water and build sandcastles. We even got to see a huge barge go through the channel. It's just so fun to spend time with family! Here are the four girls who were inseparable all day. :)

Lauren wanted to play around with the camera so she got to take pictures of Abby and me. I usually don't get my picture taken because I'm usually behind the camera. I think this one turned out great! Good work Lauren!

Lauren and Abby just hanging around. They played in the sand endlessly. Everyone had a shower and sand filled the tub. Ahh...summer fun!

Here's Dad and Sophie at the end of the day. She "konked" out early.

Cousins ROCK!!

This weekend we had my sister and her daughters up for a visit. We absolutely LOVE it when they come. Abby adores her cousins!! We spent hours playing with Lauren, Julia and Sophie. Here are some fun pictures of our Friday night fun!

Two peas in a pod

We just said good night to some great friends. We had Miss Trisha and Ellie over for dinner tonight and we all had a great time! Here's the latest picture of Ellie and Abby. We spent most of the night sitting in our lawn chairs in the middle of the cul-de-sac just watching our girls run around. They had the bikes out, the sidewalk chalk out, the baby scooters out and even the balls. It was such a beautiful evening and my driveway looks like a crime scene with all the chalk drawings. I loved being able to just sit and connect with an adult. It's amazing how much I've missed adult conversation. Trisha and Ellie are truly awesome friends. I've come to realize that God blesses us in so many different ways. It was kind of a fluke how our two families reconnected, but I'm convinced God was watching out for both of us. Friends are truly a blessing from God!

Look Mommy a sticker!!

So, it's been a couple days since our last post. Life here has just been rolling along. Father's Day was quite eventful and fun! I had my parents over for Sunday dinner and then I had the whole family over later in the evening for the official Father's Day dinner. I'm so glad that I had bought a new dining room table because we definitely need the extra space. Abby had fun with all the cousins and the fruit kabobs we made were a huge hit. Seth, my nephew, couldn't keep his hands out of them. It was fun to watch. We got my dad a new Hope College sweatshirt. It's a bright orange hoodie. He looks so good! He wanted a new one to wear to the Hope football and basketball games. I think he'll go to quite a few games with my brother Dave. It's a good activity for them to do together.

I also found time to go to the eye doctor for a check up. My eyes are severely nearsighted. They're so nearsighted that my exam could be billed medical which is a blessing because I don't have vision insurance. I've also ordered both new glasses and some contacts. Sometimes life just gets so expensive! Ouch!

This morning we were at the optical center and the man helping us asked Abby which country she was from. He has four adopted children from Bangladesh. Abby's reply was adorable! She looked at him and said, "Jesus". I'm so proud of her! She knows that she was formed by the King. She belongs to him!!

Here's the latest picture of Abby. She's busy working on her coloring and putting stickers all over her book while I write. She just woke up from a nap and is in a much better mood. :)

All you need is a candy necklace

Just take a look at her face! It's covered in candy. Our neighbors just got home from vacation and brought Abby a candy necklace. She loved it! Take a look at that smile, can it get any brighter? As I watched her gulp down the candy, I started thinking about candy necklaces. I'm pretty sure the world would be a better place if we all had a candy necklace to chew. It's the little things in life that make you happier.

Abby also played with the bubbles, ran in and out of her pool and played with our neighbor Jake all day. She was so tired she took a nap which lately has been hit or miss. I spent the morning cleaning out the garage and washing down all of the summer toys. On the way home from babysitting for a friend, Abby was talking to herself and singing in the backseat. Lately she's been attached to the Hillsong CD. There's a song on it titled " He's real". Abby kept repeating it over and over and then proceeded to say, "Mommy, Jesus is real!" It really touched me. Here's a two year old who is walking by faith convinced that Jesus is real. It's a real conviction that I need to have a childlike faith at times, especially since I'm still working through our Ethiopian adoption choice and finding it harder and harder to wait. Thank you Lord for the reminder from the mouth of a two year old! :)

I don't have any new news on the adoption front. I haven't heard anything from USCIS. However when I checked my bank account tonight, my USCIS check for fingerprinting was cashed, so things must be happening. I was wondering if it arrived safely, but a cancelled check speaks volumes! Yeah God!