Rachel went to church

2 creative kiddos!

My dad and step mom got Rachel this adorable dress!! It was so much fun seeing her in a cute dress this morning!!

We have not been to church since before China....wow, I can't believe it has been that long!! We did not have daycare for Rachel until June so mommy has been working weekends so I could get in most of my hours and keep her at home. It was so great having a weekend off!! Now I am back to my every other weekend schedule. Maybe James also gained a little confidence today by seeing that she did well and he could handle both on his own on the Sundays I do work. I am sure he would have lot's of willing helpers at church if needed:))

May Happenings

The Month of May

If I haven't mentioned it before this girl puts away the food!! She loves to eat!!!

We got a slip n slide and here they are enjoying the water and sun!



Miss Rachel did not like sliding or getting too wet...
but Taylor loved it!!

Taylor had a pet turtle for a night....not really, but James brought home a little turtle that ended up being a baby snapping turtle and we didn't have any live stuff to feed it so we released it the next day. Being Taylor has never had a pet we are saying this was his first.


Today was my Grandmother's 84th birthday. These are her grandchildren and great grandchildren that were there today.

And lastly a little trip to pick strawberries, we were only there maybe 45 minutes but the kids liked it. Rachel picked all of hers by the flesh of the berry so most of hers were squished. We did enjoy our strawberry shortcake that night!! Yummy!

Fun with the fam

Looking good as we are leaving to go out to eat.

My 2 favorite guys!!

Taylor is such a guys guy...he loves cars and had never driven/ridden in a go cart...until tonight!! And of course he loved it!

Rachel loved watching, which made for a good photo op!

Even though they raced in the only double seated car out there, it was the fastest and they won!! Good job Taylor!!

Our family

Where does the time go?

Rachel and Taylor with my their soon to be 83 year old Grandmother.

Well I can see I might get this thing updated once a month. Having 2 kids has given me alot more to do. Things are going great here. Miss Rachel is adjusting well and her and Taylor's relationship seems to be getting better and better every day. We have met with early intervention and our local family doctor has seen Rachel. Our family doc doesn't believe she has mild cp. She may be a little delayed just from being in the orphanage but she is catching up quickly. It is amazing what she can do today that she couldn't when we got her. She walks, run, climbs and has taught herself to use her spoon. She is trying new words and sounds all the time. We had an appointment scheduled for Vanderbilt for next week, but I canceled it. Our local doc and I agree that for now there seems to be no need. Of course we can always reschedule if needed. We may utilize Early Intervention to help her with catching up developmentally. So she might be getting PT starting really soon. So, here are a couple of pics, which I know is what you really want to see.

Bow Bows 1

Two friends of mine that are sisters made Miss Rachel lots of bows and a bow holder. Aren't they precious!! In this picture can you spot the cupcake bow, the ladybug, flower, dragon fly, or butterfly? Check the posting below for close-ups....and a cute ladybug dress they made!!

Bow Bows 2

In this first picture you can see the cupcake (which is upside down), the ladybug, flower, and dragonfly.

In this one you can see the butterfly bow.

They also made several head bands that you can attach bows to....isn't she adorable!! No more calling her a boy!!

And lastly, I don't even think they knew the significance of ladybugs and adoption, but they made this little lady bug dress with matching bow. I think she may have to get a picture made in this one!!