First Baking Experience

After 2 days of doctor appointments, we needed to do something fun.

Fun.

Well, HG's idea of fun was to bake a cake.

She gets that from her NaNa.

So, here are pics from SH's first cake.

We showed her how to crack an egg, but she had other ideas.

She crushed it in one hand. It is fun to see her experience new things!

The Professional

The BEST part of the cake!

Enjoying their creation!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to wish ALL mommies, "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!"

Jeremiah 29 : 11 -13

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to proseper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'"

Hurricanadoes Strike Again!

I should have been suspicious when I did not hear any arguing for 15 minutes.

But, the water running in the upstairs bathroom was a sign.

As I walked up the stairs I could hear the girls whispering and giggling.

Entering the bathroom, I see a hot pink substance all over the sink, mirror, soap dispenser, and towel. HMMMMM!

Turning the water off, I follow the giggles to HG's room.

And there they were!

Soaking wet with the hot pink substance on their faces, hair, and arms.

Trying to figure out what had happened, I asked (in a surprisingly calm voice),"What in the world?"
HG smiles and states (ever so proudly), "Mommy, we were putting on make-up!"

I just looked at them. I couldn't speak.

Then, we all started laughing.

**At this point I decided to get the camera. I must also add that Greg bought HG the make-up set a few months ago. HMMM! Gotta love it!**

We have been teaching SH about praying.

I did not pose them for this picture.
I guess she thought it was time to pray. LOL!

Sometimes you just have to laugh about it!

Hard Workers

The girls planted flowers with NaNa today.

They had so much fun working in the yard with her!

Thank you, NaNa!

First "Professional" Haircut

We took SH for her first haircut.

Well, first U.S. haircut.

Well... first PROFESSIONAL haircut.

Since, SH "creatively designed" her own hairstyle, I was not very hopeful about this appointment. I knew she would be great, because she loves for me to play with her hair. But, I did not know if Mrs. Becky could "fix" her bangs.

I was sooo surprised!

SH and Mrs. Becky

She really enjoyed the big mirrors!
As long as she could see herself, she was very still.

She is a true PRINCESS!

Sarah is Hebrew for "Princess."
It is a perfect fit!

Loving the Beauty Salon!

YEA!

We have bangs!

Some Pics

Sorry it has been so long. We are too crazy, busy right now.

The following are some pictures from this past week.

My computer is uploading pics in a weird order... or maybe it is me. LOL!

Mama and SH
Keaton and HG
(They sure were great about posing!)

YOO HOO!

The girls' first yoo hoo!

Now they are hooked! You cannot beat a cold Yoo Hoo on a hot day!

Grandaddy and his girls

SH on her bicycle

We were told that a bicycle was one of SH's favorites in the foster home.

Aunt Cathy bought one for our Sweet Pea.

She loves it!

HG

The Park

Our Girls
HG

SH

We have heard that fresh air and sunshine are good for jet lag. So, we have been outside a good bit. We took the girls to the park. It was so much fun!! They both love being outside!

Praising God!

SH and Maggie
These are amazing pictures!
The orphanage director told us that SH was scared of dogs and cats. I asked her if something happened to cause the fear. She stated (through an interpreter), "She is just scared."
Well, apparently something happened. Every time SH saw our dogs she would scream, cry, and clutch onto us for dear life! She would find a blanket and cover her body completely. We started noticing that it was their paws and mouth that scared her. She would pet the dogs if they were laying down, not facing her. She would even sit by them.
We prayed and had friends praying about this! We love Maggie and Allie (our 2 miniature schnauzers)! But we love our daughter MORE! We wanted her to feel safe and secure in her home!
By Sunday, SH was walking around the house with the dogs. She is over her fear of our dogs!
We are so grateful!

Lovely Jet Lag

SH and HG

Well, we are still dealing with jet lag. Our nights and days are flipped. This picture was taken at 2:30 AM. We are having a wonderful time! We are just ready to be on Alabama time! LOL!

Please pray for us!

We are HOME!

We are HOME!

We are thrilled!

We stayed up until 6AM, unpacking and playing. We are still on China time!

I must share all of the wonderful things that occurred when we arrived home.

Our house was soooo clean! My mother cleaned our house while we were in China. She also painted our master bathroom! She is so great!

We were met by Norman (Greg's Dad), Nikki (Greg's sister), KayCee (our niece), and my parents! It was so good to see them!

We have missed our family!

Notice anything special about this picture?

Anything different about SH?

HMMMM!

Within 30 minutes of arriving home, SH found scissors and cut her bangs.

She did an incredible job! There is NO way to fix it, but to let it grow.

Then, the girls covered HG's carpet with powder.

And to top it off, they decided that the dogs needed their food and water combined in both bowls.

These are only a few of the adventures we have experienced since arriving home. I will not share the other stories, but they all involve the potty. You can only imagine! LOL!

Our life will NEVER be boring again!

The Red Couch

The Hurricanados!

Yes, that is what we are calling these 2!

I am not sure where this tradition started.

But, most families have their children pose on the red couch in the White Swan Hotel.

It took a lot of work to get these pictures!

The girls were having so much fun that they did not want to stop playing.

I am thankful that they humored me for a few minutes.

HG

SH

To God Be The Glory

This is what it is all about. Two little
angels sleeping next to each other. This is what I looked
forward to the most. It is my prayer that they will always
be close and love each other unconditionally. I know they
will have their battles (because they already have),

but I hope they will always trust each other and

know they can can count on each other. I hope
they have a bond that cannot be broken and will stand up for
each other, no matter what the cost. I hope that when one hurts,
the other hurts and when one is full of joy, it brings the other
one joy. I pray that they will both love the Lord more than
anything else and always take their stand as Christians, no
matter what. I pray they will love their family and have the
values that are taught to them. It is my prayer that these
two little girls will always be everything that God wants them
to be and that Steph and I will be the loving parents that God
has called us to be. To God Be The Glory!!!!

The Medical Exam

Today was SH's medical exam. We didn't know how
she was going to take it because HG screamed through
a lot of hers. SH did AWESOME!! No tears or whining.
What a blessing. And I must say again that Thomas is incredible!
We have heard that a lot of people take 3 or more hours for their
exam, but we were out of there in 20 minutes.


SH and Mommy. I love this picture!!

HG patiently waits as her sister completes her exam.

Such a sweet girl!!!

A Day at the Zoo

We went to the zoo on Sunday. The title is "A Day at the Zoo", but a more
appropriate title would have been a couple of hours at the zoo.
This picture shows how much fun they had. It was hot and humid
and these two little princesses did not want to walk at all.
I carried SH most of the time and I was truly worn out.
Too bad they didn't have strollers to rent because we would
have been pushing them around in it. We still had fun, but
it was defintely a reminder that everything is not perfect.

We did get a couple of smiles.

And a little bit of sillyness.


They loved the bears.

And the elephant. Imagine that.
Bears and elephants. What do they have in common?
Bear Bryant and Big Al. Roll Tide!!!

And the Lion was beautiful!!!

Old Friends

We visited one of our favorite shops on our first night
in Guangzhou - Susan's Place. We had tea with them and visited for
a couple of hours. It was really nice and they enjoyed seeing the girls!

Italian Food!!!

Last night, we went out to eat for the first
time without Thomas. We went into one restaurant and sat down.
They handed us a menu ad there were no pics and no English.
No one in there knew English, so we had to get up and leave.
You definitely do not want to order something over here if you
don't what it is. So, we had to get up and leave. It was
pretty funny. We walked around and looked at the menues outside
of each restaurant and found an Italian place. The girl that
greeted us knew English. An answered prayer. This is Vivian in
the picture with the girls. She was so sweet! She is a college
student and her major is English. She was such a wonderful
waitress. You are not supposed to leave tips here, but we had to
and we gave her 2o dollars. The food was excellent and I wish
that we would have found it earlier so we cold have eaten there
more than once.

HG eating her noodles.


There is no doubt what SH's favorite food is...NOODLES!!!

Daddy and his pumpkin pie.

That is what I call HG.

What a wonderful smile!