handsful

Did ya’ll think I totally forgot we had a blog?

About 2 weeks ago, we hosted a birthday bash here for Marley, Payton, and Ethan and their friends.  I was going to blog about that…and, then remembered that I failed to blog pics from Lainey and Dylan’s party with THEIR friends a couple of weeks before that.

So, we’re going back in time a bit.

There’s a cool place in Charlotte called Bounce U, with lots of indoor bounce houses, slides, and climbing walls.  Perfect place for a bday party with 6 and 7 year olds!

This was a big hit…the kids climbed through layers of fabric straps (kinda like webs) inside this very tall structure, and then slid down a slide.  Out of all the kids there, Lainey, Dylan (prosthetic leg) and their friend Anna (born with spina bifida) were the only ones to make it to the top…several times!  So impressed with their “never give up” attitude!  (that’s Dylan at the top in the pic)

The cupcakes were Batman theme (the kids choice), so this was just right for the party :)

Marley joined in the fun, too!

Make a wish!

Batman mask…loved it!

Thanking her friends for her presents…

Everyone agreed, it was a fabulous place to “party” for your birthday!

Approximately two weeks later…the trips finally found a date where they WEREN’T busy, and we had their birthday party.

They started the evening with a neighborhood scavenger hunt…oddly enough, no pics of that.  They were divided into 3 teams with about 6 kids on each (Marley, Payton, and Ethan as a captain on each).  We drove them to a near-by neighborhood with a list of things they had to either find and bring back OR take a picture of on their phone.  They experienced some very friendly neighbors (all three teams came back with a t-shirt) and some very unfriendly ones (a couple of doors slammed in their faces).  In the end, EJ’s team won.

Once back home, they scarfed down 6 pizzas (the kitchen looked like this, or worse, the whole night) and then it was time for the game Marley planned…

We put out sheets to cover the floor, paired everyone up guy/girl (a couple of girls paired up because several guys said “no way” to this game), and broke out the make-up and blindfolds.

Girls blindfolded, guys endure the agony…

This next part we’ll call…”the guys revenge”

After filling a trashcan full of make-up stained baby wipes, it was time for…Cake!  As usual, EJ wanted a cookies and cream ice cream cake, Marley wanted a vanilla with buttercream frosting (that her and her friends made that day), and Payton wanted a warm apple dessert.   They requested a “group” bday song this year :)

M’s cake close-up…tie dye!

Anyone up for charades?

It was around this time (midnight or so?) that I was fading fast…Randy always takes the “night shift” with these late nights, so I bid everyone goodnight.  The kids split up into two groups…one watched a movie, while the other went down to the Shop and had an impromptu dance party.  In the morning, I was up early(ish) and put out a quick breakfast for everyone cause most of us were due to be extras at a movie set at 10am.  :)

So, with July gone, the 5 birthdays are over and done with.  The next family birthday will be Jack, the top dog around here.  He’ll be 11 in September…or 77, however you wanna look at it.

The lemon cheesecake, took literally hours of preparation on Saturday.  And, on a scale of 1-10 for taste, it’s easily a 20.

Bravo to the chefs!

Head chef, D’Qota…

and, one of his trusty sous chefs, Dylan…shown here, working very hard!

Payton couldn’t be reached for a photo, he left early for a friend’s house.

However, before that, the boys had an experiment to try out.

Anyone know what happens to an egg when you put it in a microwave?

Yeah, that.  Instant scrambled eggs.  All over the microwave.  How many moms would allow their boys to do this?!?  I’m so cool.  Heh.

Good thing the guys were good at cooking AND cleaning…

Now, please excuse us while we eat.

Last Saturday, we invited teens to our house for the day.  Not to just hang out…course, they did some of that.

But, to work.

We’re still in the process of getting the building  on our property renovated for Randy’s bi-weekly “Shop” meetings.  We want the kids to be fully involved in getting THEIR building ready.

The plan:  build acoustic panel frames and get the stage installed.  And, gather wood for a bonfire.

Done.

Next up, lots of pizza.  Nine in fact, and by the end of the night, only ONE piece was left.  At least they brought the snacks and sodas!

Fed and happy, it was time for the Shop meeting…a little worship first, and then Randy taught the lesson.

Bonfire time…

We love opening our home to teens…yes, it’s loud and crazy.  But, we feel blessed to have a place that they can hang out, have fun, worship, and grow in their Christian walk.

Before we headed home from FL last week, we had to make a quick stop to have breakfast with friends.

Dylan’s BFF, Hope, lives in Orlando so we met at a breakfast place to eat, talk, and hang out with friends we all wish lived closer (hint, hint Amy…)

In the past, Hope has been a little hesitant about hugging Dylan, but this time she met us at the door (after her mom said she called out “it’s my Dylan!”) and gave him an immediate squeeze. Suhweet!

Dylan grudgingly ate most of his breakfast quickly, and then headed off the play. They were all over that play place.

There were lots of requests for posing…

Even for the moms, in this shamefully blurry photo.

Despite the approximately 9 hours between us, we WILL find ways to get these kiddos together…every chance we get. :)

We’ve been amazingly blessed by the friends we’ve made so far here in NC.

Hollyn and Anna’s families, for instance. They’re both in my homeschool group, and Anna’s family also goes to our new church. Anna and Hollyn are both from China, and both have special needs just like Lainey and Dylan.

Anna has spina bifida, the most severe form actually. But, her family accepts her as she is and knows that God chose her for their family no matter what might lie ahead. She’s doing great, and has the most sweetest smile.

Hollyn was born with limb differences. She was born missing 1 bone in her lower right leg and has a deformed foot. She received an amputation and foot surgery, and is doing…well, great! She calls her stump “Nemo” – because of his small fin. Her prosthesis is “Dory”. Love it.

The girls perform “Jesus Loves Me” for us. Lainey loved playing with her new girlfriends!

Time to decorate the cookies! Both Anna and Hollyn’s families have older children that our older children are friends with. How cool is that?!

Hollyn had her surgery at Shriners in Greenville, SC…the same hospital that we’re using for Dylan. Hollyn went through the same surgery that Dylan will. Hollyn and her mom allowed us to see her leg, her prosthesis, and answered tons of our questions.

We miss Florida. But, we are so meant to be here in NC. We see it over and over again.

Making friends with others who walk the same adoption road that we do – and that we love hanging out with! That God would care so much about us that he’d line us up with friends that can support and educate us about the road we have ahead with Dylan – amazing. God is so very good!

Our friends are in Ukraine right now, adopting this beauty named Nadia.  We’ve been friends with Jim and Kristin for years…they have 3 other children and felt called to add Nadia to their family.  Their youngest child, Josi, has Down syndrome and so does Nadia.  They found her on Reece’s Rainbow (www.reecesrainbow.com), which is an international Down syndrome adoption ministry started by the mom of a child with Down syndrome.  We are so happy for our friends, and even happier for Nadia – her future held little hope until her forever family found her.  Now, she’s a member of a very blessed family. 

Follow the rest of their journey at their blog – listed in my sidebar as “Kristin – Nadia”.  :)