Cuties!

Summer Highlights . . . and Now it's Fall!

It's been a few months since I posted . . . summer came and went, and now we are in full swing of fall. I thought I would share some picture highlights from our summer as well as a quick update . . .

These pictures are from our trip to the Albuquerque Zoo . . .

We got to spend some fun time with grandparents and cousins in New Mexico.

Lindy loved cousin Gracie

One of the last pictures with her two front teeth!

Joy's dream came true when she got to hold a butterfly!

Gazing at the aquarium.

Silly brother Dean!

Silly brother Jake!
 

School began, and although we homeschool, this year the girls and I are involved with a co-op. I am teaching the kindergarten class two days a week with 7 other kids, and Mia is in the 8th grade class. Our co-op meets on the campus of a private Christian school, so the kids have to wear uniforms . . . but they are oh, so cute in them!

 

 

The girls love going to kindergarten, but they also love to do school at home!

Such concentration . . . this girl is working so hard.

Always happy!

Always creating . . . this smart little cookie has so many big ideas!

Ta da!

We recently got to help support another family's adoption with our "Found" shirts. We are so thankful that we are found in Christ . . . and we are so thankful that these two precious China dolls have been found and grafted into our family! 

 



 

We are also celebrating a very special adoption right in our own extended family . . .

more to come soon!

 

"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10





Re-Adoption Day

Yesterday, we went to the county court to finalize the re-adoption of our little girls. The adoption in China is completely legal, yet now the girls also have been adopted on U.S. soil. This means that we can receive a document that is equivalent to a U.S. birth certificate. (It basically meant paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork!) It was all very official walking into a courtroom, being sworn in, and talking with the judge, who was so kind. He expressed what a privilege it is to sign his name on our adoption decrees. It was a day to celebrate, and it felt like complete closure to our adoption journey. 

Here are some pictures in the courtroom . . .

Being sworn in . . . 

the girls looking very serious . . . 

talking to the judge . . . 

getting a little bit silly . . . 

and more silly!

Our whole family!

It's official!

Adoption here on earth is a beautiful picture of what God has done for us by adopting us into His family. We stand in awe of Him and His goodness! 

"In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves." 

Ephesians 1:5-6

Happy Homecoming, Lindy!

Our little Lindy has been home with us for 1 year! What a precious gift she is! She officially stepped foot into our home on July 12th, and her Gotcha Day in China with Daddy and Mia was June 30th. Here is our adorable girl now (she just lost her first front tooth)!

Today we had a fun day of celebration with "China food" for lunch . . .

followed by a trip to Build A Bear . . .

and finished off with an ice cream cone!

We love you so much, Lindy! Your life is a treasure, and we are so thankful that God gave us you! 

Happy Homecoming!

Father's Day

 These 5 kiddos have been abundantly blessed by their heavenly Father for the gift of their earthly father. 

Happy Father's Day to the most amazing Daddy! We love you!

"Happy Birthday, Lindy!"

Our beautiful, big girl turned 6 today! 

This is her first birthday home, and we are so happy to celebrate her precious life together as a family! She decided that she wanted a princess party theme with Rapunzel (her favorite princess) and her favorite colors, yellow and pink. She opened up a Rapunzel costume this morning so that she could wear it at her party. Of course Joy and the cousins were more than happy to join in the dress up fun!

Lindy wanted to eat pizza, watermelon, and yellow princess cupcakes, and she wanted to drink 

pink Cherry 7 Up!

Lindy is not necessarily a fan of being the center of attention. She handled herself very well, though, and we were so proud of our gracious girl. She humbly received her gifts and was very polite. She carried this Rapunzel doll around for the rest of the evening, and she is now safely tucked into bed with her. She was very happy to receive her very own scooter, and she is looking forward to trying it out tomorrow!

We love you, sweet princess Lindy! And we celebrate the wonderful gift of your life!

Arthrogryposis

Arthrogryposis. This is a big, fancy, medical word which means that a person has multiple joint contractures (stiff joints) or dislocated joints in the body at birth also affecting muscle tone and strength. It is often caused by impaired fetal movements in utero, and it is not progressive. Since the day we met Joy, we have wondered if this would be a correct diagnosis for her. We suspected that this diagnosis would shed some light as to why her hip and knee joints are the way they are. Our orthopedic surgeon hasn't been convinced that Joy has arthrogryposis because it often presents itself not only in the leg joints, but also the feet, arms, and hands. In its most severe forms, it affects every joint in the body. Since only Joy's hips and knees are involved and she is fully mobile, our doctor calls Joy an "all star" in this camp. These are pictures of how her legs looked before her surgery a year ago.

And these are recent pictures of her legs. You gotta love the pose! Her right knee was never straight and even hyperextended. Due to surgery it is much straighter, it bends in the right direction, and it is continuing to get more flexible. Her left knee did bend, but not much. With physical therapy and without surgery, it is much more flexible. Both hips were dislocated, and they are now both resting securely in their sockets.

We saw a geneticist this past week who has now confirmed that Joy does has a form of arthrogryposis (there are over 200 types). This news is not surprising to us and is even somewhat anticlimatic. It doesn't change anything that we have already done for Joy medically, nor does it change the physical therapies that we will continue to do. It just helps us to gain a deeper understanding for her condition and the specially made, unique little person she is. God knew exactly what He was doing when He made her! Joy is continuing to make good progress physically, and her cognitive development and growth astound us. So, we continue to move forward encouraging Joy to accomplish her maximum God given potential. We also know that God uses our weaknesses to show His great strength!

"The joy of the Lord is our strength!" Nehemiah 8:10