Summertime!!

Can it really be that August is almost here? Where has summer gone? Our family has been keeping busy and yet we are trying to enjoy the days of summer that are going by too quickly.
Austin graduated from 8th grade and will soon be heading to high school--Yes, I did say High School. We can hardly believe that our oldest is already 14 and going into high school. He is very excited and is also going to play football this fall. He is looking forward to this and wants to give it a try. He has had a lot of fun this summer wake boarding and hanging out with friends.
Mariah finished up with softball last weekend. After the regular season finished she played on the All-Star team and had so much fun meeting new people and playing ball. We are so proud of her as she played very well and learned so much. She has been a big helper to mom this summer and watches her sister when I have some work to do. She hangs out with friends and enjoys baking too.
Nolan just turned 7 last weekend. Can't believe that he is going to be a 1st grader in just a few weeks.He loves to be outside and has been catching frogs in the pond (swamp ) behind our house. He also had a lot of fun playing baseball this summer with Kevin as the coach!
Anjali has been home now for 8 months. She continues to do well and is growing a little I think! She plays with a little girl in the neighborhood and they have lots of fun together. She has adjusted amazingly well since coming home. She had a blast camping and is learning how to swim. We love her so much!!
Our friends from Canada (Conrad, Rhonda and their son David) were in town this past weekend and we had a awesome time with them. We are so blessed by their friendship and we are thankful that they were able to come and spend some time with our family.
We thank God for his many blessings and praise Him for them.

Anjali's special day

I can't believe over a month has gone by since I have posted last. I have really good intentions some days and it just gets busy and I need to tend to other things. We had a great vacation in Florida and enjoyed the family time--It was so fun to hang out at the pool and beach and just to be together!
Anjali was baptized in our church on 4/26 and it was a very special day. She did so good and did not seem to mind the water as it was dripping down her face. It was a great day for our family to see her welcomed into our church as one of God's children. She is so special and knows that Jesus loves her. As I sat there that day I thought of how God has adopted us all as His children and how he loves us all no matter where we are from or what color our skin may be. We thank God every day for the blessing of Anjali and our other children and the fact that he "adopts" us all into his forever family. I am so thankful for the love God has for us and for the many blessings He has given us. I am so thankful that He chose us to be parents of our 4 special kids and that they love Jesus.
Anjali wore a dress for her baptism that we had purchased in the market in India. She truly looked like a little Indian princes that day and seemed very proud. We are so proud of her and the way she has adjusted to life with our family. She brings alot of joy to our family. It's hard to believe that she has been home alomost six months.
Austin has been keeping busy with school, baseball and track. We can't believe that he graduates from middle school in a little over 3 weeks! He has been having alot of fun with friends too and enjoys getting together with them on the weekends to hang out.
Mariah has also been busy with school and softball. She is having fun playing pitcher and catcher on her team and is doing a great job.
Nolan had his first game last night and the team won by one run. It was so fun to watch him pitch to kids and play catcher too. He had some great hits and runs fast around the bases. Nolan graduates from Kindergarten on 3 weeks--I can't believe he will be going to school every day next year. It will be an adjustment for him as he really enjoys being home with Mom and Anjali a couple of days a week.
Kevin and I can't believe how fast time goes. We try to cherish every day and know that each day is a gift!

We're ready to go!

To Florida that is! We are leaving in the morning for a family vacation to Florida for Spring Break. We are very excited for this opportunity and look forward to spending time together and our first vacation with the six of us. The kids are excited to be missing out on school tomorrow as they were scheduled to have a full day. We are praying for safe travels and nice weather down there and some fun and relaxation. We are all ready for that!
Life has been very busy around here but so much fun. Mariah is enjoying her Girls on the Run after school a couple of days a week. She is also excited about softball starting after Spring Break. Austin made the school baseball team and is looking forward to playing on that. He also likes to be on the I-touch! Nolan is also ready for baseball and is glad his dad is able to coach the team. He is learning to read and that has been so much fun to hear him put words together. Little Miss Anjali continues to bring so much joy to our family. She is talking so much and really understands most things we tell her. She loves going to BSF, singing songs and playing outside. And she loves her new little kitty. No-it's not real although she may wish it was. She hugs her kitten and even takes it for bike rides on her bike.
We are so blessed to have her in our family and thank God that her adjustment has gone so well. She is a sweetie!
I am so excited to celebrate Easter in a little over a week. It is amazing to think of the great love God has for us that he would give up his only Son to die for us and then to rise from the dead so that we may be saved. That's love!!

I think Spring is coming

Spring officially arrives 2 weeks from today and we are excited for that. It is truly beginning to feel like it around here with temps in the 50's. The kids are playing outside today and Nolan is trying to fly his kite. I think we need just a little more wind for that. Anjali loves to play outside and still insists on wearing her hat and gloves outside. It is going to be so much fun to be able to be outside with her more as it has basically been pretty cold since she arrived here.

We continue to keep busy and are looking forward to the baseball/softball season starting. Things get really crazy when the 3 older kids are involved in that. School is going well for the kids and they are looking forward to Spring Break which starts in 4 weeks. We are heading to Florida with the family and are excited to have some R&R. Anjali is excited to go swimming! We pray God will bless us with nice weather and a safe trip in the car.

As I was thinking of the seasons changing and the uncertain times that many people find themselves in, I am reminded that there is one thing that will never change or be uncertain--God's great love and faithfulness to us His people. He will take care of us and continue to guide us!!

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23.

A very special day!

Helping mom in the kitchen baking cookies

Being silly

Our Indian Princess

Nolan and Anjali with their fake teeth--Thank goodness they are not real--

Mom finds me in Mariah's bed some mornings

I know that each day is a gift to us but today is an extra special day to celebrate this little girl who joined our family almost three months ago. Some days it seems like she has been here with us for a long time and others it seems like we just arrived home. This was definitely meant to be. We were all meant to be together and we know that God designed our family this way. Today we celebrate Anjali and the gift she is to us.
We often wonder what her first 4 years of life were like but we are just so grateful now that she is HOME and we treasure every minute. We treasure the moments that she sits on our laps and cuddles close to mom or dad and falls asleep when reading books and when she sings "Jesus Loves Me" as we walk through the grocery store. We love to listen to the giggles that come when she is playing with her brothers and sister. We laugh with her when she when she does those silly little things that girls do. We continue to be amazed at how much she has learned in less than 3 months and we are thankful that she is adjusting so well. She is a joy and we we are so thankful for her life. What a treasure she is!
I think today too of the woman who carried Anjlai and made a choice to give her life. I would want her to know that Anjali is in a family that loves her more than ever and that she is doing so well (and that she is so adorable). I pray that she is safe and that she would come to know Jesus the one who created her and the beautiful child we treasure!
So on her 4th birthday we celebrate her life and the incredible joy she brings. We love you so much Anjali!!!! Happy Birthday!!!

A few pictures

We're still here

I guess we have been having so much fun in the last couple of weeks that I haven't had much time to post. We had a great time over Christmas break and a good start to the New Year. It has been busy with school, sports, church and every day things.

Austin is playing on the school's 8th grade basketball team so he has been at practice every day after school for the last couple of weeks with games starting next week. We can hardly believe that he will be in High School next year! How time does fly by! Mariah is keeping busy with school, piano and friends. She is reading a lot this month as it is a special month to focus on reading called Bring on the Books. She is so dedicated to her school work and is doing well. Nolan starts a new schedule next week of two full days and 1 half day. He is excited that he will now be able to eat lunch at school 2 days each week. Mom is looking forward to not having to be home each day at 11:45 to get him off the bus. Anjali continues to amaze us. It is hard to believe that 2 months ago she was speaking primarily Marathi and Hindi and is now speaking mostly English. Sometimes when she is playing she will talk or sing in Indian but then if I ask her to do it again she usually doesn't. We were so blessed this week when I received a call that she was placed in a class at the bible study I attend once a week. She was able to go with me this week and it was so precious to see her playing and interacting with other kids her age. She loves mac-n-cheese, ice cream, Little Bear videos, singing and dancing, playing the piano, painting her nails and writing on paper (and the walls every now and then). She is such a joy and we thank God every day for the gift of her and the love she has. We are so blessed and know that it is a privilege to have all of the children that God has given us. We are enjoying some time too as family on these cold (freezing)winter nights--thank God for our warm home! We have so much to be thankful for!