Locks*of*Love and Cousins Two

We went to the beach the other day after Jen's Locks*of*Love haircut with strict instructions for her - DON'T GET YOUR HAIR WET! That's a cruel thing to say to a kid at the beach, but we wanted to enjoy her fabulous cut for the rest of the day. This is the third time she has donated 10 inches of her beautiful hair to the organization, and it was a great reason to do something fun for the day. They gave the sand toys a workout on the beach while Ame and I sat and enjoyed watching them enjoy themselves. We finished the day with a gorgeous sunset as we walked back to the car. We're looking forward to spending a late afternoon at the beach again soon.

Hand Me Downs

We love hand me downs, especially when they are as cute as this one. We came home today and found a bag on the kitchen table that daddy brought home from work. Maryn took a look inside, found this dress and right away she wanted to try it on. I told her to put it on and give me a fashion show. She added the accessory, a purse that came from Jenny, and when I saw her I said, "You look like you are on your way to college!" I'm not ready for that yet. How about second grade instead. Last week we received two large shopping bags filled with cute clothes from the 14 year old across the street. I told her we will take everything she gives us and now that she's going into high school, that includes all the formals, too. We are set.

A Happy Father's Day

Tom enjoyed the day with his girls and his dad. That was special, and it was a great Father's Day.

WHOOPIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!

No matter your age or social status, a Whoopi*Cushion is going to make you laugh. Watching an 8 year old experience one for the first time, now that's a rip roarin' good time. Click on the arrow and enjoy.

You Had Us At Hello

I'll never forget the sound that a cell phone makes when it vibrates on a desktop. That's the sound we heard one year ago today when we received The Call from our adoption agency. It was 7:01 a.m. We were on vacation in a hotel, laying in bed, having just opened our eyes one minute before. Tom's phone vibrated, and we looked at each other wondering who would be calling so early in the morning. I picked up the phone, said hello and heard the words about a little girl we had waited so long to hear. It was a stunning surprise, and we were completely unprepared. There were tears to shed and there was paperwork to process in a short amount of time. Our favorite hotel desk clerk, Sasha, helped us tremendously, and, although we never anticipated he would be the first person with whom we would share our good news, it makes the story all the more special. It's impossible to believe it's been one year since that moment. The memory remains fresh, and we live everyday knowing we are truly blessed.

Rooted in His Love

Last Sunday the children performed their Easter program in front of the congregation. I don't need to tell you how sweet it is to listen to angels sing. One of them has been riding around in my car in recent weeks requesting the practice CD on most of those trips. It doesn't matter that she doesn't know the words, Maryn loves to sing, and she does it with gusto. On a recent roadtrip, the three of us were enjoying the music, and as the CD played the refrain I am rooted in His love, from the backseat Tom and I heard "I am weally, weally slow." However Maryn sings it, we are dazzled by her talent, and it's all the more touching when her daddy turns to me with a big smile on his face and says, "Don't you suppose God is smiling right now." I had to agree.

Lawns and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

It was a very chatty weekend at our house, so many new things going on, and there was a lot of conversation, explanation and repetition going on, too. By Saturday evening, I was talked out and looking forward to taking a walk with Toby and Jen's dog, Zoe, who was spending the weekend at our house. Oh, for a few minutes with just my thoughts and the quiet of walking dogs who are happy to be with me nonverbally. As it turned out, Maryn wanted to go with me, and I am well aware that's a great thing for a mother and daughter at any stage of the relationship. Besides, she is so darn cute, so I agreed. We were headed to the golf cart path behind the house, and I turned to Maryn and carefully said, "I'm going to run because I don't want Zoe to pee on the lawn." With that, I started to run, but I didn't get far. Maryn grabbed the back of my jacket, which caused me to stutter step, which caused Zoe to stutter step, which caused my foot to get caught in the flexible leash, which caused me to hop on one foot while trying my hardest to untangle my foot and keep from falling. I managed to right myself after about six large hops and finished running across the backyard. When we got to the cart path, Maryn's little hand was patting her chest signaling a racing heart. She told me I scared her. I said, "Because I ran?" She said, "No, you say lion." It didn't take me long to decipher that what she understood me to say when I told her I was going to run because of the lawn was that I was going to run because of the lion. I was slaphappy from a long day of talking, and all I could do was double over with laughter. She laughed, too. I spent a good part of the walk explaining to her that there are no lions living near us. No tigers either, no bears . . . you get the idea. We walked and we talked and talked, and if not for that I might not have remembered how special a walk with my daughter can be.