My grandpa turns 92

Last weekend we celebrated my grandpa's 92nd birthday. I was so happy to get this picture of him with all 4 kids. I grew up 1/2 mile from my grandparent's and spent many hours at their house. I have so many wonderful memories of spending time with grandpa and grandma. My grandma passed away a year and a half ago. Grandpa continues to live on his own and take care of most of his own needs. He has always been in good health and we are all so thankful for that. It is such a blessing to watch him interact with my kids. He likes to play with them when we go to visit. I don't know how many more birthdays we will get to celebrate with grandpa, but I am just so thankful for each visit we have. He is a true blessing in our lives!

School Picture Day

Today is picture day for Hunter and Brylie. They looked cute before they left but you just never know what they will look like by the time they get their picture taken. I have no expectations for good school pictures. I hope they smile nice and their hair isn't sticking up and their shirts aren't all wrinkled, but I really don't expect all of that for school pictures. In reality it is a long assembly line of kids who get approximately 30 seconds each to sit on a stool, smile and move on. We'll see. :)

First day of school

Today is the first day of school for Hunter and Brylie. This day always gets me choked up. I love having all of my kids at home and miss them terribly while they are at school. This is such an exciting day for them though and I know that they will come home with all kinds of things to share with me.

Here is my Kindergartener and 1st grader.

New backpacks are always so fun!

A squeeze from mom.Brylie's teacher Mrs. Zens. Notice the terrified look on Brylie's face. She's not so sure that she will like all day Kindergarten.

Brylie found her best friends Hannah and McKenna and everything seemed better then. :) (they all look a little scared)

Hunter with his 1st grade teacher Mrs. Peterson. She taught Robb in Kindergarten.

Hunter has his cousin Booker in his class this year and they were thrilled to see that they both wore Star Wars shirts today! :)

Hunter asked if they could take a 'Jedi picture' too. I love it!

Favorite Ruby Photos of the Week

Pictures of Ruby

Jodi took some really great pictures of Ruby a few weeks ago. She posted a few on her blog here: JJW Photography Blog: Ruby. We used the first picture for her announcements. It turned out great! Thanks for the great pictures Jodi!!

Sisters

Ever since Brylie could talk she has been asking for a sister. I am so excited that she finally has her sister and a lifelong best friend. Ruby just lights up when Brylie walks into the room and Brylie can hardly wait for Ruby to wake up from her naps so she can play with her again. I love the bond they are forming and I pray that they will always be close.

Haircuts: Short and Sweet!

BEFORE

AFTER

The trip home to America

Knowing that we would be flying 20 hours in an airplane with a baby brought us some anxiety. Will the flight bother her ears? What if she screams the whole time? Will there be turbulence? I hope the weather is good. Lord please no delays! All of these thoughts crossed my mind several times during the days before the long flight home. She was such a good baby but being in an airplane for 20 hours is a lot to expect of anyone, especially a 5 month old! Well, as you can see from the pictures, Ruby was an angel during all 3 flights. She slept 8 1/2 hours on one of the 9 hour flights. We were so thankful and praising God for answered prayers!

On the first long flight we were fortunate to have an extra seat between us. I love this daddy/daughter picture! She looks pretty content, don't ya think? :)

This was the airlines version of a bassinet. We were so surprised that she slept 8 1/2 hours in this crazy thing! (we did feed her and change her in those 8 hours, she just kept sleeping through it all)

Favorite Photos of the Week

Ruby got some bling!

Last Sunday after having lunch with the Weelborg family we decided to get the girls' ears pierced. Destiny was first and she did so well. Little Ruby woke up just in time for her turn. The crying lasted about 1 minute and that was it. We didn't get Brylie's ears pierced until she was 3, and I thought that went quite smooth, but this was a breeze. She doesn't mind having them cleaned and never bothers them. Her little gold earrings look beautiful with her pretty brown skin. (thanks for the great pictures Jodi!) I didn't get a good after shot, but I will post a pic of her pretty earrings soon.

The Orphanage visit

On our last day in Ethiopia we got to visit the orphanage that Ruby was taken to after being abandoned by her mother. This was a difficult experience. I imagined how Ruby must have felt being put into a room with a bunch of babies, not knowing what was going on. She was less than a month old, but had only known being with her mom. I felt so many emotions on the tour.

This is Almaz, the wonderful woman who started the orphanage. She was very sweet and loves all of the children so much. She lives in a room right at the orphanage. This is the baby room where Ruby stayed.

Seeing the crib that Ruby slept in while at the orphanage, was very hard. I can't believe my baby girl spent almost a month here. These sweet faces pray for a mom and dad. My heart ached as I hugged them. This precious boy watched us as we drove away.

Visiting the orphanage was the hardest part about the trip. There are so many children in need of forever families. My stomach was sick and my heart hurt as we drove away. I pray that all of those children find a home very soon.

Favorite Photo Friday

Little Ruby is the sweetest baby that loves to cuddle with her mommy. This picture was taken in Ethiopia 2 days after meeting her. I am completely in love with this precious child!