Wordless Wednesday

A Year In Pictures.....

January 2011 - MK turned FOUR, Daddy turned as old as mommy, we celebrated 13 years of wedded bliss, basketball season was full-on AND we had an unexpected amount of snow!

Not sure what happened to February. However, I do remember a trip to Seabrook to celebrate Colin turning 11, and I recall an unheard of amount of hoots and hollers when we FINALLY received word that we would travel to get Maddox - yay for TA, prep was in full swing with packing and assembling the crib and painting, etc.....

March brought on Colin's 11th birthday and unforgettable travels to China to meet Maddox Ren

Those sweet brown eyes.....so bright and full of questions. Thankfully, time agreed with her and the smiles were easier to come by!

April began with a day at the Masters with our boys, doctors appointments aplenty for Maddox, adjusting to life with our new family of 6, finishing up another successful year of homeschooling and

Maddox's first Easter.

We kicked off May with shouts of joy for Pryce! Nine years and counting for this "priceless" kiddo :)

May also brought on a meet and greet with Nannie Tisdale as well as standardized testing for the boys, finishing up Pre-K 3 for MK, palate surgery for Maddox and bottomless milkshakes.

With June came swimteam for Colin, Pryce and MK, continued recovery for Maddox, first trip to the beach for Maddox, friends, family and good summertime family fun.

Oh, and with the summer time came flip flops which means only one thing - 10 little beautiful toes being painted for the first time!

Beach with family,

beach with friends,

a little beach princess.

July rang in with a little ballet fun for MK,

our annual trip to Gran and Pop's mountain cabin....

and someone very special turned TWO.

With August came camp for the boys, a first day of Pre-K 4 for MK,

and because we just couldn't get enough of the beach, we chose to enjoy one last trip to our beloved Seabrook with great friends before we had to hunker down and begin a new year of school for the boys.

September

our annual Labor Day parade celebration with family in honor of Jay's birthday, Daddy gone for one entire week - not a huge deal for some but it was big in our lives! A trip to Atlanta, time with good friends....

and, Maddox has been home for six months!

October - MK mastered putting her hair in a ponytail,

mommy turned older than daddy - AGAIN -

MK graduated from speech,

baseball season was in full swing with Pryce on the pitching mound,

(I just love this pic of Maddox's little hands holding onto forever with her daddy)

and the annual pumpkin carving event.

November - the boys, Ryan and I being baptized in a family baptism service,

a trip to Nashville with Ryan, visiting with friends we met in China,

a Thanksgiving Feast with MK, celebrating 50 years of marriage for G-Mom and G-Dad, and the epic illness that swept through us all!

And, finally, December. This picture just says it all. Really. Yes, there are a lot of smiles, a lot of laughs, a lot of praising, obeying, a lot of lovin, but at the end of day, we are a more than average family who does have moments where we appear to be dysfunctional :) This pic sums each of our children up in a nutshell....Colin is being the obedient big brother, trying to get Maddox on his lap as quickly as possible despite the lack of cooperation; Pryce is done, the light is too bright for his sensitive eyes; MK is smiling because what else is a girl expected to do when there is a camera before her?; and Maddox, our sweet, happy-go-lucky-as-long-as-it-is-going-her-way two year old child.

Alas, thankfully, those moments are few and far between. December was spent with family, family and more family. We found the perfect tree, strung the lights accordingly, decorated each room, saw our fav Christmas Carol play, we were treated to a Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer puppet production, the children sang in the church Christmas program, we had friends for dinner, went to view the light displays, drank hot chocolate, decorated cookies with friends, made gingerbread houses, shopped and opened gifts, ate candy daily....

and through it all we remembered the reason for the season. Our God. Our Savior. We have been so thankful this year. Our family, together, home, under one roof. Ryan has a stable, job that has brought many opportunities for all of us. Our health. Thankful that we can give to others. Thankful for friends who supported us and continue to support adoption. Thankful for the friendships we made this year in China. Thankful for our adoption group. Thankful for parents who continue to be examples in our lives. Thankful for doctors and their diligence in treating our girls. Thankful for our homeschooling opportunities. Thankful.

Happy New Year 2012

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

Fireworks seemed the fitting way to go out with a bang and welcome the new year with a shout of excitement in things to come....

Our precious little Maddox, our highlight of 2011.

And the rest, how we love them so! (This pic is just one glimpse into how they are always looking out for one another even if there are a few spats here and there!)

Our family. 2011 brought us together under one roof and made us whole. Here's to 2012 for more fond memories of our precious time together. Happy New Year!