Wow – time sure does fly! Matt has been home for a year – he is such a blessing, and wonderful part of our family. We love him so much, and are so happy to have him here! Here are a couple of pics from his day – we had a party w/ our Sunday School class, and he enjoyed playing with his friends. :)
Wow - it is hard to believe that Matt is 2 today! He is growing up quickly! A year ago today, Rob and I were headed home from our visit trip to see him.
Matt has now been home for just over 8 months, and it seems like he's been here forever. He is a bundle of joy & energy, and we are enjoying watching him grow. Here are some pics of how he's grown so far - Happy Birthday Matthew!!
Erika & Matt were able to participate in their first Christmas program on Sunday - Erika was a sheep, and Matt was a donkey. Here are a couple of links to pics & video that we were able to get. Erika wouldn't actually go on stage (mommy was on the front row helping w/ the children's choir) but we got a little of her, and a good bit of Matt. Enjoy!!
Well, we got a little snow and the kids enjoyed playing in it for about 2 minutes - here are a few pics I was able to catch - Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25811913@N07/sets/72157610615829116/
Well, we had our annual Christmas pictures taken last night - turned out pretty well I think :) Click here to view!
Also, we got the pictures from Erika's birthday up as well - you can click here to view those - Enjoy!
It's hard to believe that our little girl is 3 - she is getting so big! She is very excited about it being her birthday today. Anyway, to start the day I thought I would start w/ some pics showing how she is grown. So, here are pictures: first from her referral; 2nd at her 1st birthday; 3rd at her 2nd birthday, and last just the other day. I'm sure we'll have more pictures from the day coming later as well. Enjoy!
Here are some pictures from today - Matt received his new chair from Nana & Papa, and LOVES it - also a couple of pics of the first egg nog of the season - in honor of the Bears :)
Yesterday we ‘hung out’ as a family and spent some time walking around the UT Arboretum with the kids.
The weather was beautiful and we all had a nice time walking around… and Erika just *had* to sit on the benches…
And here’s the full collection (if I’m able to do this right)
I took the kids to the park last week, and thought I'd try to post a few pictures - Enjoy!
Somehow, by the time they were done, we decided that they had consumed enough and didn’t need an actual cupcake :)
Click to see the entire album
Sometime Friday morning we decided it would be a good idea to make a quick run down to GA to see the family and to do some work at my father-in-law’s company (needed some computer work). We had a great time, got a lot done, and the kids had a great time. I snapped the following on the way back… I suppose a if a picture is worth a thousand words…
Interestingly enough, yes… Erika *is* sleeping in that picture… I’m unsure how she decided that was a comfortable position and/or why she decided to stay like that for an hour.
Those who know me well know that I'm not a very sentimental kind of guy... but this last week has been a bit different... I've run into some old friends on FaceBook with whom it has been great to catch up (although I'm feeling very old about it all), and I have to admit it has caused me to be a bit reminiscent.
Today is even more so... Two years ago today Julie and I received Erika into our arms forever. We knew we would not have to give her back, she was forever part of our family. It is, in many ways, hard to believe that it's been two years - time sure flies.
Last night we had a very small party with some friends here in Knoxville, and tomorrow we are heading to Missouri to spend the week with my family and I'm sure we'll celebrate a bit with them - we are certainly looking forward to seeing them again.
During the entire adoption process, we spent so much time praying (and asking many of you to pray) that God would answer prayers and work through the various roadblocks that came our way, I'd like to again turn and thank God for those answers to prayer, and the blessings that He so graciously bestowed on us both in our daughter as well as in the process of adoption.
Today is Erika's 2nd Gotcha Day! It's hard to believe that she's been with us for two years. She is such a joy, and such a wonderful daughter for us.
Here are a couple of pictures I took today - enjoy!
Well, sorry for not getting a few posted earlier. Here are a few pictures from our vacation with Julie's family (Gran & Grandpa). Grandpa rented a cabin in Sevierville (near Pigeon Forge) on Douglas Lake, and the whole clan was there! We enjoyed it thoroughly!
