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We are ready to start the year! Grace is now in third grade and Mimi is in first! Mimi said she was so nervous to start because, to her, she hadn't really been in school yet because this is the first year with a number in it "1st Grade" . Now the real school begins! Go Mo Jo!!
Grace has a great teacher and class. The best news of the year is that her BFF and next door neighbor, Kenzie, are in the same class! Doesn't get much better than that! Also, Grace has had a crush on one very sweet big brown-eyed boy and he is in her class too!! Life is good in third grade!!
Mimi's teacher Mrs. "O" who is awesome and a good personal friend! It is so nice to know she is with Mimi everyday! We love Mount Paran and are so blessed to have such a great place to send our kids to not only learn but to gain such strong life skills. It is so awesome to know that if your child is struggling with something a teacher can stop and say "let's pray about that together" and also that the kids openly pray for each other and with each other in small bible studies during the day. That is God working in a big way! We appreciate this environment our kids are in each and everyday and know God is helping raise up a very strong generation who will be there to serve Him in a huge way!
My girls made me a card on the driveway for Mother's Day! It was so thoughtful and one of the few days of no rain....thanks girls you are very clever! I love my role as a mom to two awesome, God-filled, loving kids and know I am blessed!
Our last week of school was FUN, no stress, just, let's party! The girls got to "dress-down" for the last three days which is so different for them to wear regular clothes to school instead of a uniform everyday. I love the uniforms! ha
Grace participated in Chess Club after school during this past semester and received a trophy for placing in the top five for Blitz chess and 3rd place in Bughouse Chess.....she really learned alot and hopefully can teach us a few moves!We are officially on summer break! It takes me a few weeks to figure out what everyone is doing kind of "getting a flow" to our days...thankfully, my girls love an organized day "stuff to do", which we have plenty of things planned over the next month and then getting ready to leave for China in July (Grace and I), Dan and Mimi get a trip to the beach while we are gone.
We are prayerfully getting ready to "plant" our first orphan home in China and thank God for being so gracious in sending us the right people, as always, at the right time! Working over in China and exposing our family to what it is "really like" orphanages, etc... brings alot of interesting conversations between Dan and I and the girls. Mimi has been exposed to alot of conversation about China, but watching her begin the process of "who she is, her identity" is sometimes fun and sometimes very hurtful to experience. She has ALOT of questions and many theories about why, what and how everything happened for her in the first year of life at the orphanage. She said to Grace a few days ago "take a good look at my skin, my hair, my eyes, you, mom and dad are all the same, I am different...this is why I get frustrated sometimes and get mad at you because I don't fit in." Mimi is almost seven and I know, for us, keeping everything right out in front of her is so healthy, Chinese friends, learning the language, culture things...the confusion on her face sometimes as she tries to process "it" looks painful .....I do know that everything we do to "keep it real", as Dan says, heals her soul and continues to bring her a sense of peace. "Identity" is a big word, it's relevent at almost every age and what a huge gift you can give your kids by helping them find the tools to master the ability to find their identity.
I guess it's obvious at this point that we love the beach. We stayed at my mom and dad's for about 10 days and just had so much fun! We biked, swam in the pool, hung out at the beach, and played alot of cards! Since we are approaching the eligible age to buy a house in this retirement community, we actuallly talked about buying a place. We'll see :)
This is who Dan, Mimi and I spent our birthday's with!
We ate a ton of cake - great cake!
We wore birthday buttons for days at Disney World
Cool place to stay - The Grand Falidian - as the girls call it!
Happy and relaxed!
Mimi's class party - she turns 7!
Now everybody pose!
Best friends and think it's awesome because they are now 8 and 7!
More cake!
Our beautiful Mimi is 7 years old!
Tubing in Lake Alatoona!
John Robert and his mom (Karen) we have been really good friends for many years ... I know they are only in 3rd grade, but as parents we can only wonder! 
Our very good friends John and Karen.
What a fun day!
We are ready to start the year! Grace is now in third grade and Mimi is in first! Mimi said she was so nervous to start because, to her, she hadn't really been in school yet because this is the first year with a number in it "1st Grade" . Now the real school begins! Go Mo Jo!! 
Mimi's teacher Mrs. "O" who is awesome and a good personal friend! It is so nice to know she is with Mimi everyday! We love Mount Paran and are so blessed to have such a great place to send our kids to not only learn but to gain such strong life skills. It is so awesome to know that if your child is struggling with something a teacher can stop and say "let's pray about that together" and also that the kids openly pray for each other and with each other in small bible studies during the day. That is God working in a big way! We appreciate this environment our kids are in each and everyday and know God is helping raise up a very strong generation who will be there to serve Him in a huge way!
Shoots and scores! We had such a great trip to China, so much to do, but God has a big plan and we are ready to go to work!
Look at all these sweet faces we found along our way! 
Love the hat!
This little guy loved to throw the ball and throw the ball and throw the ball!!
If there ever was an angel that fell too close to the earth, we found her.....
Could be me in a few years!!
God has such a great sense of humor...who would think you could just run into, actually be seated next to someone you know from Georgia, in China? The Nolan's and our good friend Wes...we love you guys! Congratulations to you guys on the newest Nolan and on getting home in one piece!
A favorite during the summer around our house is building forts and then camping indoors!
One of my all time favorite things to do is garden and over the years I've developed many perennial gardens (which mean the plants come back on their own every season) I love daylilies and have found these to be one of the most successful plants in my garden. I just discovered a great local daylily garden called Kennesaw Mountain Daylily Garden 310 McDaniel Road, Marietta, GA 30064, which is just off Barrett Parkway near Burnt Hickory Road. You have to call (770) 429-0204 and the owners Bill and Diana Waldrop would be happy to show you their awesome gardens! This garden is all daylilies with many plants that they have cultivated on their own! I hope you have an opportunity to stop by to checkout this local treasure!
Life is good this summer and we are gearing up to leave for China in a few weeks - God is opening so many opportunities in China and as always, we are waiting to see where He wants to use us.
My girls made me a card on the driveway for Mother's Day! It was so thoughtful and one of the few days of no rain....thanks girls you are very clever! I love my role as a mom to two awesome, God-filled, loving kids and know I am blessed!
Our last week of school was FUN, no stress, just, let's party! The girls got to "dress-down" for the last three days which is so different for them to wear regular clothes to school instead of a uniform everyday. I love the uniforms! ha
I guess it's obvious at this point that we love the beach. We stayed at my mom and dad's for about 10 days and just had so much fun! We biked, swam in the pool, hung out at the beach, and played alot of cards! Since we are approaching the eligible age to buy a house in this retirement community, we actuallly talked about buying a place. We'll see :)
