Happy Gotcha Day, Presley Lan!

"Little Fox smiled and then thought for a moment."

"Mama, will you be my forever mama?"

"Always and forever. No matter what." she promised. "This is where you belong. Here, with me, my sweet child."

"You are mine. The best gift in the whole wide world."

"I will always love you and treasure you and celebrate the day you came, the day that God found us you." ~ from the book God Found Us You

Happy 1 year home, Presley Lan! You are loved, cherished, and adored!

"We love because He first loved us!" 1 John 4:19

Back to School!

"For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Proverbs 2:6

Off To College!

Hello GCU (Grand Canyon University)!

It's here. The time has come. We sent off our first child, out of our home and into his future. Our precious Jake, our first born son. We are so excited for him to follow his dreams, and he is ready. But the emotions are real, and it was so hard to say goodbye. I just kept picturing saying goodbye to him on his first day of preschool, and I can't believe he is all grown up, a man. Jake is the kindest, gentlest, meekest guy you will ever meet. He is dedicated and focused on whatever the task, and he always works hard to accomplish his goals. He is a follower of Christ, and there is no greater joy than to watch him grow in his faith! Our greatest prayer for him is that no matter what, he will always trust in the Lord with all of his heart!

Jake will be working toward earning his degree in digital design with an emphasis in animation. He is an artist, and our creative God has given Jake an amazing ability to create. We are truly privileged to get a front row seat as we watch our sovereign God's plans unfold for our dear son! We love you, Jake, more than words can say, and we are so proud of you! Watching you grow up has been one of the greatest blessings of our lives. Now go spread your wings and always remember that we are your biggest fans!!!

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10



Family

Our biggest boy leaves for college in just over a week . . . savoring the moments!



First Ballet Class!

She absolutely LOVED it!!!

It was a wish come true for our little ballerina! What incredible joy we all felt as we watched our precious girl, healthy and whole, dancing her little heart out!!!



Quick Update on Presley

We have been "home, sweet, home" now for a week! Presley is doing amazingly well, and she is returning back to her normal self more and more. She is definitely getting louder each day, and we are back to having to shush her from time to time! Ha! But her loud little voice is music to our ears! And, I mean, just look at this face!!!

We visited our cardiologist, Dr. Davenport, on Monday, and she was very pleased with Presley's repair! She gave our little CHD princess a big hug, and Presley presented her with one of our "mended heart" necklaces. It was a sweet moment! Presley wore her special shirt, and everyone in the office loved it! This little girl just has something about her that draws people in!

It was a very extensive appointment, which is to be expected post op! We will have frequent visits for a while, but that just helps to make sure that everything is functioning as it should after such a major surgery. So far, so good! We continue to marvel at the fact that Presley's unique heart has been completely repaired. Of course, there are risks of complications in the future, specifically with her valves and conduit. But our trust is in the Lord, and He is the one who holds her special heart in His hands! Not a day will go by that we will not praise His name for the miracle of Presley's life!

Last night we signed up our little ballerina for her first ballet class, and she can hardly wait!!!



We're Home!

We woke up bright and early yesterday morning, on the 4th of July, and waited for our ride to the airport. Presley was so excited, as were we, and this little cutie was ready to go!

We had plenty of time before our flight, so we got some breakfast and just relaxed for a bit!

Presley did great on the flights, and she was pretty calm and tired. She wasn't eating much, but finally some Pringles did the trick!

Once we landed, we could hardly wait to get off that plane and get home! Dean met us at the airport, and Presley was so excited to see him. We drove through Chick-fil-A to say hi to Jake, since he was working, and to get a celebratory shake. When we pulled into our driveway, the girls and Papa and Nani were all waiting outside! Oh, the joyous tears we shed and we hugged and squeezed each other tight! The girls presented us with a beautiful "Welcome Home" sign! (It fell down before I was able to take a picture). We just enjoyed the evening together catching up and savoring the moments! I realize now that I didn't take any pictures because we were just so happy being together! Presley literally beamed the entire evening! We walked over to the park right down the street from our house and watched the fireworks. We are so, so, so happy to be home!

This morning the girls ate breakfast together and snuggled up with a Barbie movie! Presley is so happy to be with her girls, and they are so happy to have her home! (I did remember to snap a couple of pictures!)

We are so thankful to be home all together! Presley is doing great, and we will see our cardiologist on Monday for our first post surgery visit. "There's no place like home!"