February, 2013

There was lots to "LOVE" in the month of February:

February 5th was Eva's Referral Day!  Hard to believe that it is was 3 years ago that we saw the face of our precious baby girl for the very first time!!  Every time I look at that referral picture I'm reminded of how very far she's come.  Gone is the blank, empty, expressionless, numb look that was once there.  So very thankful that now when you look into her eyes you see nothing but joy, happiness, love, laughter and peace.

I thank God for His faithfulness over the years we waited and for His clarity and confirmation that she was indeed our daughter while we reviewed her file.  Can't imagine life without her!!  

Basketball is still going strong!  So exciting when Nicholas made his first basket of the season!  Hope there are many more to come!!

A highlight of the month was celebrating Chinese New Year with our local Friends with Children from China!  This year we added a family with two boys from Vietnam.

Year of the Snake!  

Kids enjoyed the craft of painting a wooden snake,

and parents never get tired of sharing and hearing each others stories!

Of course there was the annual photo op...

So fun to see how everyone is growing and changing year to year.  I love catching up and spending time with  these families!  Next year we will have two new little ones joining our group!! 

Some beautiful Springlike weather brought us out to the park to play!  Eva is starting to be a little fearless and everytime we go she tries something new!!  She's always so proud of herself when she accomplishes it.

 

 

Thanks Mar-Mar for the wonderful cookie recipe!!  We enjoyed baking Valentine's for Eva's class.

Daddy and Eva had a special date afternoon at the Father/Daughter "Heart" Party at church.

Noah participated in the school talent show this month.  He played three pieces on the piano and looked quite handsome doing so!!

He's also very excited about a new sport he's recently taken up...wrestling!!  He definitely has the personality for it...intense and competitive, but it leaves this Momma a little nervous to watch!!  Especially since at the first tournament he went to two kids broke their arms and one got a concussion!  I just keep telling myself accidents can happen anywhere and pray a lot each time he gets on the mat!

Eva had her first sleep over when baby Lakeyn came to spend the night!  This is "Nana Dawn's" foster child that she is hoping to adopt.  Eva calls her her baby sister, since we won't go back to China and get her a real one like she keeps asking for!!

 

 

Lastly, since the beautiful weather continues, we ended the month with a trip to the zoo about an hour away in Lafayette.  Had fun with Eva's classmate, Max and his mom.

 

 

 

and it just wouldn't be SW Louisiana without the alligator!!

January 2013

Happy New Year!  Hard to believe the first month of the new year is already over, and that I'm so behind on blog posts!!  For anyone who is still interested in what's going on us with us I do plan to catch up the posts from last year and hope to post on a monthly basis this year!

Eva has enjoyed getting to play with her Christmas gifts.  She loves being Doc "McEva" and has a very sweet bedside manner!

She loves baking with her new Easy Bake Oven and we all agree that her treats are quite tasty!!

 

 

This month was our beloved neighbor, honorary grandmother, and Eva's BFF,  Mrs. Sue's 60th birthday!  We celebrated by surprising her with a girls birthday luncheon. 

 

Basketball season is back in full swing and Nicholas is on the court playing with his school friends on team

Rockets!

Noah participated in the school Science Fair.  His project, Can You Read Me Now?, had to do with the effect of text color on background color.  He placed 1st in the Behavioral Science category and will move on to regional competition next month at McNeese State University.

 

Of course, we can't leave out Toby!  He enjoyed his first trip to the local Dog Park.  We have to do something to help him use up some of his puppy energy!!

 

 

We hope your 2013 is off to a great start!!

Double Digits!!

It's happened again...another one of our children has hit the double digits and this time it is Nicholas!!

We could think of no better way to celebrate his birthday weekend then by cheering on his beloved LSU Tigers!  

This boy was literally born a Tigers fan!  At the age of 2 he told us that his favorite colors were purple and yellow, and that his favorite animal was a tiger.  Since then he's never faltered in his love for the LSU Tigers and that is where he wants to go to school one day to study Veterinary Science.

Mike the Tiger was pacing and anxious for the game to begin!!

Fortunately we didn't have to wear these "fashion statements" but once, and not for long, during the game!

 

The Tigers got the win and we had a great time!!

 

Sunday morning, Nicholas's actual birthday, he woke to a few gifts waiting for him at the hotel...

 

and then we made it home in time for a birthday lunch with the grandparents at his favorite Japanese Hibachi Grill.

 

 
Happy Birthday Precious Nicholas!
We are so proud of you and the young man that you are becoming!!

Love You!!