Post 2 for June

Father's day weekend we headed to Myrtle Beach to enjoy some fun in the sun and the nice ocean breeze.   Jacob LOVES the beach. 

 

Post 1 for June!

Haven't posted in a while and I have quite a few pictures to post so I will post in several different posts. 
First post will be the small family reunion we went to at Wayne's cousin Kay's house on June 11.   We had a great time visiting with family and watching the kids play in the pool.  Some of us big kids even enjoyed some time in the pool.  Wayne had a great time shooting water squirty things (they weren't guns) at his younger cousins and did his best to not get squirted back but he did.   He also braved the diving board and decided to go for a dive.   You can see a picture of it on his cousin Kay's blog.  

Puggles preformance

This past school year I helped lead a new class with the Awana program. We started the Puggles class which is the Awana class for 2 year olds. Jacob was part of this class. At the end of the year they have an awards ceremony. The Puggles class don't really get anything other than a cerficate of completion but they did get to perform a song and finger play for the parents.

VIdeo below

Below  is a video of Jacob on the last day of Vacation Bible School.  The kids performed for the parents but I was not perpared since I didn't know Jacob's class (2-3 year olds) were going to be part of the performance since they could only attend if the parent's volunteered and had a abreviated VBS.    I did have my cell phone but have no idea how to change the video from being sideways.  

Vacation Bible School Performance

Jacob turns 3!

Jacob's birthday was this past Saturday.   We started the day off with a birthday party at a local recreation center.   We had several friends and family who joined us to celebrate this special day.  He had a great time running around playing with his friends and the balloons.   He received some great presents- a steering wheel and telescope (for his swingset) from his Grandaddy,  a big Buzz Lightyear from his Grandaddy, a zoo membership and some little animals from his MaMa and PaPa, some cars, a nerf gun, some puzzles, several books,  and lots more stuff from his friends.   Wayne and I bought him all of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters (beanie size) and a Radio Flyer bike.   (Now we have to teach him to pedal).  

After the party inside the kids all went out to run off some more energy on the playground while we cleaned up.    We let Jacob play on the playground for a bit and then  went home and all 3 of us took a long nap.   After the nap we met Aunt Leigh (Lady), MaMa and PaPa for a birthday dinner at Red Robin.  We had a great time at dinner and Jacob enjoyed them coming over and singing "Happy Birthday" to him.  They also brought him out a hot fudge sundae which he had no desire to eat.   After dinner Wayne and I took Jacob over to the carnival rides at the Sparkleberry County fair.  Jacob had been asking for a few days to ride the ferris wheel and so we decided his birthday was a great day to go.  He enjoyed riding several of the rides to include the swings, water bumper boats, and of course the ferris wheel.    After the second to last ride he looked up at us and asked if he could go home because he was tired.  I say it was after the second to last ride because on the way out he wanted to ride the small train they had.  I think it is very safe to say that he had a great 3rd birthday.  

 Holding up his fingers to show us he is 3! (note he has 5 fingers up - guess we need to work on this)

Pinic at Lake Wateree

For a while now Wayne and I have talked about taking Jacob on a pinic to the park one afternoon after church.  Last Saturday we decided that on Sunday afternoon we would do just that.   We invited his MaMa and PaPa to join us.   We rushed home, changed clothes, went through the drive-thru to pick up a bucket of chicken and then headed to Lake Wateree State Park.   It was a little cooler than we had planned but luckily I had a jacket in the car for Jacob.   Jacob enjoyed tossing  "pine corns" into the lake, playing on the small playground, eating marshmallows, and playing with a catapillar that we found.   

a few pictures from our last visit to the zoo.

Nana and Grandpa came for a visit.

The first full week of April my mom and dad came for a visit.  They came during a great week, it was spring break for most of the schools in this area which meant all of our normal weekly activities were cancelled for the week.   We had a great time having them here and hated to see them go.   They came bearing early birthday gifts from everyone in Arkansas.  Jacob loved getting to open birthday presents early.  

While they were here we went to EdVenture Children's Museum, the Zoo, and went shopping.  We also spent a lot of time playing outside and just enjoying the nice weather. 

Pictures of the zoo will come later....need to find the memory card. 

Happy Birthday Nulsy Yolibeth Hernandez Cruz (Madison)!

We could not let this day go by without acknowledging that today is Madison's 4th birthday. We started this blog when we started our adoption process and so it would not be right if we did not remember Madison today. We have no idea why our process took us through three years and then ended without us bringing Madison home but we trust in God and his plan for our lives. We prayed before, during, and after adoption journey for his hands to be in the adoption and for his will to be done. We miss Madison every day and she will always have a place in our hearts and will never be forgotten. We loved her from the first time we laid eyes on her picture and fell more in love with her the first time we held her in our arms. We miss her very much and still have some broken hearts but we also trust that she is in God's hands and that gives us peace.

 

Our first visit to meet her in Guatemala City

Her first birthday!  We traveled to Guatemala City to celebrate this milestone with her.

Dear God,
We thank you for allowing us to meet and love such an amazing and beautful little girl.  We ask that you please continue to watch over her and let her know that she is loved more than she can imagine.   We pray that she knows your love and feels your arms wrapped around her on a daily basis.   Thank you for our journey to meet her, our lives will never be the same. 
In your name we pray,
Amen.