We're Expecting!

We are proud to announce that our daughter is on her way.  Our little lady should be joining our family next summer from half a world away.  Our daughter is being adopted from China.  After a great deal of prayer, we feel called to take a leap of faith and adopt internationally. 

"And who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this?” Ester 4:14

Many doors have opened, and others have closed, which has lead us to where we are.  Our experiences as a family have also prepared us and opened our hearts.  We are once again trusting God's timing and plan and relying on him to take care of all the details concerning this adoption.  We are thrilled that Liam will have a sibling, but especially an adopted sibling.


The entire process "should" take between 12-15 months and our daughter will most likely be between 10-15 months old when she comes home.  We are adopting a special needs child, which means she will most likely have a minor or correctable health concern, such as a heart condition (similar to Liam's) or a cleft lip & palate.  Because this process is quick (compared to other adoptions) our daughter may have already been conceived, if not born.  Even though we have not received a referral (her picture and information), we love her!  We are praying for her - that God would hold her in his arms until we can.  We are also praying for her birthmother - with thanksgiving for her choice of life for her daughter - and that God would direct her path.


We are in the process of updating our homestudy to China's specifications, which we hope to have done in May, and are starting our I-800.  This summer I will be going into fundraising mode.  Our first fundraiser, a garage sale, has already been scheduled for June 8th-9th (more information to come).  We still have a lot of work, and paperwork ahead of us, but are very excited to be adding to our family.


Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this adventure.  It is truly by God's grace that  our family is being blessed.  We have learned that nothing is our own, but entrusted to us from God.  We are so thankful he is entrusting another child to us and enlarging our family. 

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory forever and ever! Amen." 

Ephesians 3:20-21 

Verona's Baptism

Our beautiful niece and Goddaughter was baptized on Sunday, April 15th. Welcome to God's family Verona!

Disney World

Going to Disney World as a child is fun and exciting, but going as a parent, and watching your child's face as they see all the wonder and amazement, is by far, the best experience. We were so happy to have the opportunity to go to Disney World. Liam was ecstatic to see all his favorite characters. Dave and I admit that we got choked up several times while watching Liam's reactions to everything he saw and experienced. We created many memories that we will remember for the rest of our lives.


Day 1 - Liam went on his first flight. He was such a trooper. Security at the airport was painful (staying still and waiting in lines are not among Liam's favorite activities). I almost turned around to go home when they took Liam's Mickey away to put it through the scanning machine. Liam was not happy. Once we got on the plane and settled into our seats, Liam did really well. He LOVED flying and even said, "Wow!" when we experienced turbulence. Other than Liam throwing up on himself, it was an uneventful trip. We brought plenty of activities and toys to keep him occupied. We were hoping he would sleep most of the trip, but he didn't fall asleep until we started landing.

Once we got to Orlando, we quickly changed out of puke clothes and got on the bus (another first for Liam) to head to our resort. Thank goodness there was a TV with Mickey cartoons playing.

After eating and resting, we headed to EPCOT, which is right behind our resort. Liam played on a playground, met Chip and Dale, and then we went on the Finding Nemo ride and to the aquarium. We found a fountain that Liam thought would be fun to swim in. When he started undressing, we took that as our cue to leave. We ended our busy day at one of the pools at the resort. Liam is becoming a great swimmer - I think it's time for classes this summer.

Day 2 - We started the morning at a Character breakfast at our resort. Liam was so excited! He thought Goofy and Donald were funny, but was especially smitten with Minnie. 

We then spent the rest of the morning and first part of the afternoon and Disney's Holloywood studios. We saw Mickey Mouse Clubhouse live, which Liam was crazy about. We ate at Pizza Planet, played at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids park, and met some Pixar characters. After Liam took a nap in his stroller we watched the parade. It was so much fun to watch Liam's reactions to all the characters he saw in the parade.

That evening we took Liam to Magic Kingdom to watch the light parade and see the fireworks. Liam recognized the castle from the beginning of his Disney movies. Liam was so excited to see Mickey on the float during the light parade that he actually starting shaking. Liam thought the fireworks were amazing.

Day 3 - We started the day by having a private meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie backstage in their dressing room (this was a gift from guest relations in regards to the letter I wrote them. They also got Liam his own personalized Mickey hat). We let Liam run down the hall to greet them and then we took pictures in their dressing room. It was a dream come true for Liam.

We then went on classic rides at Magic Kingdom like the Dumbo ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, the carousel, and the Winnie the Pooh ride. Liam loves rides. He will be the one to go on roller coasters with dad when he is older.

Liam enjoyed an ice cream Mickey, a short nap (with Christopher Robin hat), and then lunch with Winnie the Pooh characters.

We ended the day with more swimming at the resort and a relaxing evening in our room.

Day 4 - We spent the morning at Animal Kingdom. We got some family pictures taken by a photographer. We're hoping some turned out, since Liam wasn't really in the mood for a photo shoot. We then looked at animals and met some characters.

We ate dinner at the Rose and Crown in EPCOT (one of our family favorites) and enjoyed some live music. Then, Dave and I left Liam with Grandma and Grandpa and went with Rem to downtown Disney for drinks at the House of Blues and did some shopping.

Day 5 - Sadly, we had to get packed up to go home. We did manage to fit in some swimming before heading to airport. Liam swam for a little bit in the private beach at the resort and then in the pool, which had a sandy bottom and buckets and shovels to play with.

We had such an amazing trip. It was truly magical!

Happy Easter

Easter is such a great day of celebration for us. This year Dave played the timpani in church and Liam and I enjoyed the service with Uncle Rem and our friends the Castens. My men looked so handsome. I was thrilled to find matching ties online.


Christopher and Connor were with us in spirit and memory. We bought a purple hyacinth in memory of them. The beauty of the flower reminded us of the beauty they are experiencing as they celebrate Easter in heaven. We love them and miss them, but are so comforted that we will all celebrate together some day. Alleluia!

Liam is 2!

Our little man turned 2 on April 8th. This year we had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed party. Liam loves all things Mickey, and with our trip to Disney World during spring break, this was an appropriate theme for Liam's 2nd birthday. We started the day by giving Liam one of his gifts - his own, official Mickey Mouse hat. Liam said, "Wow, I'm Gickey!"

I had so much fun preparing for the party. I was sure to laminate the decorations I made, since I am sure we will have another Mickey party at some point. My mom and I even found Mickey plastic plates and bowls on sale after Christmas.

I was a bit ambitious with the food this year, but it turned out well and was a lot of fun. I made a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake. Fondant is a wonderful thing!  I also wanted to try to make my own edible fruit arrangement. We received a picture of one with pineapple Mickey ears. I thought it would be cheaper to make my own. This turned out to be more work than the cake.

During the party we had a craft time - the kids could make their very own Mickey or Minnie ears. They turned out really cute.

Liam opened his first gift and was so excited about getting a push Mater truck with bubbles, that he wasn't interested in opening any more. He finally opened his gifts and was so pleased with all his new toys!

Because Liam's party was the day before Easter, the kids searched for eggs in the yard.

We enjoyed the food, fellowship, and of course the cake! Liam did a great job blowing out the candles, but needed just a little help.

Liam really loved all his new toys. He even thought he should hide, so he wouldn't have to share them.

We were blessed with beautiful weather. It was a great day! We were so happy Liam enjoyed the party.