She’s a SENIOR!

 Wow! How time flies! It seems just yesterday that I posted about reindeer cupcakes in first grade!  How is Anna a senior, graduating in a week!?! Yesterday was “Gotcha” day! I spent a good part of the day remembering the adoption process. God truly had His hands all over the proceedings and constantly held me throughout it all. Looking back I can see where and how He moved to orchestrate such a beautiful union. So thankful she calls me Mom! I am so blessed by all three of my children. Thank you Lord for allowing me to be their mom.             Happy Mothers Day!

  

                        

 

CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS...

Rudolph cupcakes for Anna's 1st grade class. Luke also had a batch for his class. Anna is pictured here with her teacher, Mrs. Doherty.

Anna enjoying the Christmas parade.

Luke loved pretending to be Santa!

One of Anna's and Luke's favorite people...Santa Claus!

CHRISTMAS CARD

The children had fun with this "Silent Night".

All was NOT calm, but oh, very bright!

Our wish for you is Peace, Joy, & Love

As we celebrate Jesus, God's gift from above.

MOM'S BIRTHDAY....74???

WOW!!! Can this pretty lady be 74??? The picture of grace and beauty, my mom is definitely an example to follow. She can run circles around me...if I'm only half as fit at this age I'll be doing good. I'm so proud of her inner strength...she has handled so many of life's challenges so gracefully. I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

DAVID'S HOUSE OF HOPE

Dad, Jamie (David's Wife), and Mom in front of the door of David's House of
Hope. My brother, David, had a heart for Inside Out Ministries and the Healing Ranch (a place where people who are hurting, who have habits and hangups, can come for healing). David worked very hard in helping to build this house, and he poured his heart into the vision and mission of Inside-out Ministries. We visited the ranch today for a time of fellowship and dedication. Above the door the sign reads "David's House of Hope". I know that my brother would be honored. My prayer is that anyone who enters that door will indeed find the hope that they are looking for....that hope being in Christ Jesus.

David's House of Hope....consists of 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, living area, and kitchen....not yet completed, but well on its way. The beautiful cross in front is stain-glassed; the picture doesn't do it justice, but it's gorgeous. This piece was created by Jan Chipps. She also has many other pieces of art...pottery, metal, cloth, etc....that are simply beautiful, and for sale...proceeds going towards Inside-Out Ministries.

Jamie Sharp giving her testimony and sharing David's heart about the Ranch and

Inside-Out Ministries. She spoke beautifully...even though her heart is

still breaking over the loss of David.

Anna and Luke enjoy their day at 'The Healing Ranch'.

John Mark's Senior Ring!!!

John Mark shows off his senior ring! We sent him on a treasure hunt November 2nd. The hunt consisted of clues which led him....eventually....to the prize, the "senior ring". It was a lot of fun, especially because it was raining outside, and John Mark had to search in the rain! The last clue led him to the kitchen where he was to look in the dishwasher. Inside was a beautifully wrapped gift....which held another gift bag, and another , and another, and another. After a lot of laughs, John Mark finally claimed the prize.

And of course, the little siblings had to see if it would fit on their finger. Luke thought it was very nice....he kept saying "awwww". John Mark had a hard time getting it back from Luke....and the chase was on, with Luke yelling, "MINE!"

Anna enjoyed herself trying on Big Bubba's ring.

HALLOWEEN 2010

Anna was a little rodeo queen and Luke was "Woody" from Toy Story. They had such fun trick-or-treating downtown Smackover. They came home with way too much candy...enough to last til next Halloween anyway.

Fall Fun!

Anna's Cartwheel

Hug or Choke-hold?

Rodeo Bound

Anna and Rio

John Mark showing Rocky at Fair

18 Already?!?

OH MY GOODNESS!!! How time flies. It seems just like yesterday that I was bringing this bundle of joy home from Children's Hospital! I can't believe that he is 18 already. Although he thinks he is quite ready to be an adult, I'm not quite ready for him to be.

I'm so proud of John Mark and the way he always finds something to smile about. He has taught me so much about life and love and how to be truly grateful. I love you John Mark and wish you a very happy birthday!

ABC's and 1,2,3's....

Anna and her 1st grade teacher Mrs. Doherty...Anna
is doing very well in school. She just brought home her
first 9 weeks report card and she had 2 A's!! One A for
reading/literacy and one A for Math. Yippee! Way to go
Anna!

Luke and his Preschool teacher, Miss Brittney...Luke
loves "Miss Nitney" so much. He leaves the house each
morning jumping up and down saying, "Nitney, Nitney"!
He is doing great. He is learning his colors and recognizing
and saying many picture names. His teachers are proud of
what he is accomplishing. I know they are amazed, unlike
me, because I know how smart this boy is. Keep up the good
work, Lukey!

ANNA'S First Riding Lesson!!

What a natural!!! Anna had her first riding lesson today. The horse she rode was named Rio. Anna learned how to make Rio go, turn, and stop. She learned how to sit up straight on Rio's back. She also learned how to make Rio trot!! She let out a little yell when Rio started trotting, but the scared look soon turned into a big smile:) I think horses just may be in our future.

LUKE...Future Rodeo Champ!

LUKE couldn't let his big sister outdo him. He had to show everyone that he could ride just as well as Anna....even if it was on a horse swing! He does try to do everything big sister does. Maybe it's because he is only 2 inches shorter and only 6 pounds lighter than her. He enjoys chasing her around....probably just so he can get close enough to get a handful of that beautiful hair of hers! All kidding aside...he loves her and his Bubba so much and he is learning so much from both of them.

I really want to know where he learned to throw so well! Today he threw my cell phone into the pool....yes, that's the 3rd new one in a year. John Mark thinks Verizon won't let me have anymore! I must clarify that only 1 of the (swimming) phones is Luke's fault. The other two were completely my fault....one went swimming in Dr. Pepper and one went swimming in Sprite. Cell phones do not like to go swimming!!!

More Summer Fun!!!

JOHN MARK has had a ton of fun this summer. He attended FFA Leadership Camp at Camp Couchdale, close to Hot Springs. He just returned home from Camp Aldersgate where he spent a week at Med Camp for kids with heart or kidney conditions. He had a blast! He brought home towels in the 'to be washed' bag.....does this mean he actually took a shower, or is he learning how to keep mom happy? Let's make it look like I used the towels! The guys in the picture
were counselors and campers from Camp Aldersgate..John Mark in the white Camp shirt.

He is also staying busy on the farm with his show animals, Rocky the goat, and Miss Piggy, the pig. We've just acquired another show pig, Mr. Hammy.
John Mark works at the Hardware Store one day a week....when Jerry can talk him into it and he can fit it into his busy schedule. He says he's ready to retire like PawPaw!!!

John Mark will start summer band practice next week. Where did this summer go?

BIRTHDAYS IN JULY...2010!!!

WOW! How time flies...and flies, and flies!!! Can't believe it has been 2 years since last post. Oh, so much to do and so little time. We've been so busy making memories that I forget to share them. My youngest two just had birthdays. Luke turned 4 on July 3rd and Anna turned 6 on July 9th. Luke had a really fun carnival party, complete with games, popcorn, cupcakes, and even a carnival ride (to see all of the farm animals). We can't have a party for Luke without the animals. Anna had a swim party at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house with many of her friends attending. We enjoyed the pool (especially the slide), a pool cake, and an unplanned trip to the barn to see the animals. Yes, Anna loves the farm too! Birthdays, for these two anyway, seem to come around way too often. I know I can't keep them little forever but these days with them are just so sweet. I love these years of sweet innocence.

Six Weeks Later......

Anna loves horses....and they love her too! This is one of her favorite horses, but she's pretty fond of my dad's miniature horses....more her size!!
We made a trip to the Little Rock Zoo for John Mark's Heart Reunion Picnic (Arkansas Children's Hospital). We all enjoyed the giraffes and elephants. Anna can name almost all the animals in English!
At home.....just acting silly!
Princess Anna reading a bedtime Bible story.
Having fun with John Mark (Bubba). She adores him, and the feeling is mutual.


WOW! How time flies....everyone has been asking, "When are you gonna put more pics on the blog?" I think....didn't I just do that yesterday? Well, it was several yesterdays ago and I apologize. We've been quite busy with our little ones and it's been a lot of fun! Our little princess loves chips, cookies, chicken fried rice, yogurt, riding horses, swimming, helping mom fold clothes (at which she's quite good), but mostly, she loves hugs and kisses. What a match! We love those things too!

We're Home!!! Here are some pictures of a Kyrgyzstan Princess!

Combing my hair at the orphanage.......gotta look good when I go out into the big world.
Dad and Anna (yes.....she's got him wrapped tight around that little finger; she's a Daddy's Girl)
Here I am.....playing at the SOS Clinic in Almaty, waiting on my appointment with the doctor.
Lookin' cool in my dad's shades.
Mom, Dad, and Anna in front of US Embassy in Almaty.....check out the mountains in the background.....and of course I was on top of a mountain after our interview with the Embassy.

(Getting dressed at Orphanage on Gotcha Day)

WOW! The last 36 hours have been a blur! Many of those hours spent on airplanes. Anna was a super flyer. I keep saying she's my "Go Girl". She loves to go! We arrived home around 9:30pm last night. Needless to say, it was quite late when we went to bed. Everyone was really excited. The "brats" (brothers) adore their sister. And yes, we're already having sibling rivalry between Luke and Anna. You can't hold one without holding the other. That's OK ....we have big laps!

Thanks everyone for your prayers in this journey. We really felt them while we were away. Please continue to pray for our family and the adjustments that we'll all make.

Love you all,

Melody

Embassy Visit....

Our interview at the Embassy lasted only 5 minutes......I was afraid for nothing. The consular asked very few questions. He asked Anna if she wanted to go to America and she grinned her biggest grin and giggled. He said, "I'll take that as a yes!" We're ready for our trip home beginning in the morning 3:45 am time here. Long trip home!

We're having trouble with phone cards so John Mark check your email ...
Love you all,
M & J

"Gotcha" Day!

Tuesday around 3:00pm here, we arrived at Tokmok Orphanage and woke up our little girl from her nap. They asked her if she was ready to go to America and she said "Dah"! That's yes of course. We drove back to Bishkek, and then to Kazahkstan border. Everything went smoothly at the border. The only question that was asked was , "A boy named Anna?" They thought she was a boy. Her hair has grown a couple of inches, she just needs hairbows! The trip from the border on to Almaty was 5 hours. Adam drove slowly because Anna was quite car sick....yes, she initiated me into motherhood, again, from the top and the bottom. Oh well, that's what moms are for. We arrived at our apartment in Almaty at 11:30pm. We all had baths, ate a midnight snack and then went to bed. We slept very well.

Today we went shopping......Anna loves shopping; she will definitely be a girly-girl. I'll have to get her Aunt Mary and Cousin Shelley to take her shopping. The prices here are outrageous.......a dollar doesn't go very far here. We also went to the SOS Medical Clinic. Anna doesn't like people in white coats. She took one look at a nurse in a white coat and had a melt down. You know, the orphanage workers all wear white coats......that could have been the reason for the crying. She tells Chinara she doesn't want to go back!

Tomorrow, Thursday, we pick up her visa from the embassy here in Almaty and then wait for 5:45 Friday morning to fly home!!!!

The boys are doing great. I hear the band concert went well.....way to go John Mark! Luke had fun with Mrs. Donna while Mawmaw and Pawpaw and JM were at the band concert.

We love you all,
Melody, Jerry, and Anna

Maple Avenue Baptist Church Donation........

Our church, Maple Avenue Baptist in Smackover, has been collecting needed items for the orphanages in Kyrgyzstan, to be distributed by missionary John Wright. We were able to collect a duffel bag full of tylenol, creams, ointments, vitamins, etc. for the children in the orphanages. The pictures are of the mission team accepting the donations from our church. Our prayer is that these items will open doors for John and Julie in their missionary efforts to help the needy children of Kyrgyzstan.

Dinner With Mission Team From Canada.....

Tonight we had a wonderful time fellowshipping with John Wright and a mission team from Canada. We had dinner at the Metro Bar & Grill (good Christian hang-out....ha-ha). It really was great sharing dinner and conversation with fellow Christians. Their stories have an inspiring message. You can read about their missionary work at John's blog. This is that address. http://www.actofkindness.blogspot.com/ . Here are some of the pictures from the evening. Tomorrow around noon we will leave Bishkek for good. We will travel 1 hour to Tokmok for our "Gotcha Day". We will pick up Anna and then travel 4 hours to Almaty, Kazahkstan. We will be in Almaty until Friday morning and then we come home!