It Was Just Your Typical Day...

until we decided to have a family day...

outside...

in August...

cause we wanted to sweat have some fun together!

So we ventured out to a park...

a park under a bridge...

a park with a pier and some pretty cool views.

It was all fun and games until...

an unsuspecting family caught...

a stingray!

gasp

One of these days I will tell you about my run in with a stingray!

Let me just say that it ended with a week in the hospital, 2 surgeries and a hickman for 6 weeks - me - not the stingray!

Yeah...

Don't mess with stingrays y'all!

So anyway this unsuspecting family hooked a stingray and was clearly having trouble trying to release it while not getting hit by that barb!

It was not going well...

They needed help and my eldest who had just completed an internship at our local Aquarium knew it.

Now let me just back up a bit here and mommy brag fill you in on what Christian has been up to this summer!

Way back in the fall of last year, Christian was nominated by his teachers to compete for a paid internship position at our wonderful, local Aquarium.

He completed his application and his essay and was selected as one of 20 students to train once a month for 4 months.

At the end of that 4 month period, the students again had to write and present a paper that they had researched and written.

Ten students were then chosen from the 20 to actually participate in the internship this summer and...

my sweet boy was one of them!

This was a true gift from the Lord and came at a time when Christian was really struggling with the direction in which he was being led...

as in no discernible direction...

other than feeling as if the military was not where he needed to be...

until this internship!

Now my sweet boy has a clearer picture of where he needs to be and the path his life may take!

He loved his time at the Aquarium!

I have to admit that as much as I love animals, the ones he was working with...

tend to give me nightmares...

hehe...

but he loved it!

How awesome is the Lord to provide such a clear direction for one so young in age and in faith!

so, back to the family day that was interrupted by a stingray...

It had been one day since Christian's internship had ended and he felt like he was right back at work!

He sprang into action and knew just what to do!

He was able to release the stingray...

without anyone getting hurt...

remember...

barb...

hospital...

surgeries...

shutter!

And...  he got to educate the family a little bit in how to safely remove the hook and release the ray!

They were so grateful...

and I was so proud!

Thank you Lord for providing some direction.

Thank you Lord for reinforcing that direction by using the same animal who caused me some real life nightmares!

hehe

Just love watching Him work!

It took me a long time to be able to get back in that ocean but, over the years, the call of the boogy board...

overcame the fear of the barb!

*grin*

So our family day turned rescue mission ended with some ice cream, some pats on the back for my sweet Christian and one very happy stingray...

I think maybe we have earned some points in stingray land...

I hope so anyway!

Three Day Event

It was a three day event...

It started on Friday...

continued on Saturday...

and ended on Sunday.

This three day extravaganza included...

yummy food...

funny family...

a cute little puppy...

and one very beautiful princess...

Yep, it was my sweet Maggie's (aka Princess Ariel's) birthday and we needed to celebrate!

So celebrate we did!

It all started Friday night when we loaded up the gang and headed out for some Chinese food! Y'all, this was the first time that all of us had gone out to eat since Maggie and Lucy came home, almost 2 years ago, and...

we got to include some really wonderful...

really sweet...

kinda crazy...

and always fun family!

The festivities continued on into Saturday when we got to play and swim and picnic by the pool...

and ended on Sunday with an ice cream cake and...

a very cute little puppy to play with...

courtesy of my nephew!

Beautiful Maggie...

your journey has not always been easy...

sometimes, it has been down right hard...

scary hard...

as your story began long before we met you.

However, I know that the tragedy that began your life...

is known to the One who loves you with such a love...

My sweet one, He has claimed you as His own and with that, He has claimed your pain and your suffering and will continue to heal your broken heart and in that beautiful healing...

we are all healed...

and while we may not yet know exactly (or even approximately) how old you are...

we do know how well you love and how well you are loved.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2

After all that you have been through, you are rich in love my precious one...

He protected that beautiful heart, that joyful spirit...

and that is the best gift of all.

Happy birthday my beautiful Maggie!

Covered in Blessings

My girls are that is...

covered in blessings!

Thanks to a very sweet friend (Julia), my girlies are sporting the latest in So Loved attire and......

all the proceeds from sweet Julia's precious gift to my girls...

went to help adorable little Joy have the life saving surgery that she so desperately needed!

Thank you dear Julia and thank you Stefanie and Meredith and all those with So Loved and at Morning Star !

Thank you for all that you do for these beautiful children!

A Friend in Need and a Friend Indeed!

The need is real.

The need for forever families for waiting children is real.

The need for forever families for older, special needs boys is very real...

and this family...

the B. family, who stepped in the gap for 2 beautiful boys, is now in need to be able to step in the gap for 2 more precious little boys.

This precious family adopted 2 older, special needs boys about 2 years ago... 

and has just received travel approval to bring 2 more special needs little boys home! Imagine, going from no kids to 4 special needs boys in 2 years!

Auh-mazing!

However, this faithful family still needs $8000 to be able to give their 2 new sons a forever family! I have written about this family before as one of the beautiful boys that they brought home 2 years ago (Asa) is my Lucy's BFF. 

This precious little boy cared for, protected and nurtured my sweet Lucy when they were at the orphanage together, as well as the rehabilitation hospital. He decided that he was going to be my Lucy's self appointed big brother...

and Lucy was more than happy to become his cherished little sister.

Y'all, I cannot begin to tell you how this special family has blessed us these past 2 years! They live on the other side of the country, about as far away as you can get but Shanon has managed to make the distance seem very small. This sweet family home schools Asa and his brother, Gabriel and they have blossomed with the love and care that Shanon and her Hubby have provided them and...

 as much as they have taken on, Shanon always, always stays in touch, keeps the kids in touch and... has sent my kids countless care packages in the mail! 

When Shanon heard that my Hubby had lost his job, she sent an enormous care package full of everyday items (like toilet paper - yes!), items that you really miss when you don't have the funds to purchase, just regular pantry stocking stuff that does not make the cut when money is tight! She has also sent packages full of educational materials for the girls as well as little Chinese treats that made Maggie and Lucy so happy!

Again, auh-mazing!

 This sweet family is faithful y'all...

faithful to the Lord's call for these children and I am writing now, asking for help for this precious family. 

Please pray for the Lord to continue to provide all that they need. 

Please share and please, if you feel so led, donate! They need this money and they need it fast! It seems like a lot but as we all know, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD...

and they are definitely with God!! 

Please be His hands and feet for this sweet, faithful family!

Click here for their blog link, and here You Caring site and thank you for anything that you can do!