Inquiring Minds Want To Know....

 All about Maryn Gentry.....Maryn is 22 months old and waiting for us in Guangdong, China.  We are told that she has a good appetite and her favorite food is chocolate....she likes to play with other children but will sometimes take their toys - ha!....speaking of toys, they tell us she likes anything that makes noise!  We are also told she is not fond of strangers so we are prayerful that her heart will be open to us when we meet her on Monday!

Meeting Maryn Gentry.....We will meet Maryn Gentry on Monday, June 23, at 2:30 pm China time....that will be in the wee hours of your Monday morning in the US.

Who is traveling.....This will be a very different trip for our family in more ways than one!  The most significant difference will be that our boys will not be along for the journey.  Instead, they will be embarking on an adventure of their own to Nebraska to visit our good friends the Mohrs!  When they are not visiting the Mohrs, they will be with my parents who will make sure their every desire is filled - well, within reason at least:)  Ryan, myself and the girls will be making the flight to China.

Where will we be.....Our entire stay in China will be in one city - Guangzhou, China.  There will not be any extra travel involved other than a train ride to Hong Kong at the end of our stay.

Our travel dates.....we leave TOMORROW!  We arrive in China Saturday, June 21, and return to Columbia, SC, on Thursday, July 3!

Father's Day 2014

Nine kiddos....nine grands....nine cousins....nine blessings....

The children kayaked, jet skiied, swam, went on the boat, repeat....and the parents relaxed, relaxed and relaxed:)

Cousins are some of the best friends....

Maddox has a huge heart for being "big"....she dreams of the day that she will be big like me!  In the meantime, she is doing everything possible to make sure that she is doing big things.  She has watched numerous times as the big kids have kayaked around the lake.  Not to be outdone, she convinced her cousin Kemp to take her for a ride....in the pic above, she is yelling, "Look mommy, I am kayaking! Can you believe it?!"

And then came the moment of all truths, the moment when Kemp gave Maddox the paddle.  The adults had some stomach hurting kind of laughter as we watched these two four year olds kayak....

and then there is the oldest of the cousins....he loves chilling on the lake!  

boating time....

So thankful for my father, my brother, my brother-in-law, and especially my husband who make our family possible!  

Monday came quick with two unexpected doctor's appointments and ended with two of our three swimmers in the pool for their first meet!  

And the final countdown to Maryn Day has officially begun....

Beach days are my favorite summer days!

Something about the air brings on happy children which makes for a happy momma!

The children spend countless hours catching minnows and these buckets are the home for many minnows until they are released back into the ocean.  This year the children upgraded and dug out an aquarium for their sea creatures....

When the children were not busy catching minnows, they were swimming, swimming, and swimming!  

Hours were spent riding waves in the ocean, and as if that were not enough, then the kiddos took to our pool! 

The children all enjoy each other's company whether they are constructing something, playing a game or just hanging out!

Jay-man is quite the baseball player and would be content to throw the ball back and forth all day....and the boys were spot on when he was looking to throw!  And when they weren't, Pop stepped in too!

The added bonus to playing ball with Jay is having him umpire the game as well....he LOVES to call people out!  

Maddox spent more time seaside than in the ocean....

This is a classic beach photo of my mom....her daily beach snack in hand and the hat to boot!  

And my dad with a handful of grands....he loves these kiddos!

Wynding Down, our home for one week each year.

The memories will forever be ingrained in our kiddos and in our own heads as we continue down this adventure called life!