Seabrook 2013

A stroll on the beach.....

 MK - I adore the fact that she is so "girlie" by nature hence the holding of the dress:)

 Three handsome brothers....little do they know the impact they have on their sisters lives.

 The new trend, a jumping pic.  Pretty hard to capture but we tried.

 Precious Maddox Ren.  

 Giggly girls.  Love that Chloe's laugh is still the one I remember from the time that we met her in China as a baby.

 Sisters.  Maddox is squeezing like she never wants to let go!

 The windy beach look on Maddox.  

 A picture break.

 Ring Around the Rosie beach fun.  Love these three little girls and the journey they have taken our families on.

The Mohrs came to town and our crew was beyond excited to have them all to ourselves for a week at the beach....

 the girls took some time and reconnected during their first few hours on the beach....

 the boys were inseparable the entire vacation - they swam a bit, played a bit of MineCraft, watched a few movies, played on the beach, swam some more and they were always up for a snack....

 and Miss Maddox....well, this was pretty much her stance the entire week - full on, welcoming whatever was up next....she was delighted and kept saying, "Hey, I can touch!"

 a day of rest came and the girls were off to paint.....

 meanwhile, the boys participated in a fishing tournament and, with a last minute catch, Zack won!!!

 a day of riding along in the boat proved to be yet another adventure....

 Maddox was our navigator....

 and P pretty much sat back and relaxed the entire afternoon out....let's just say he was living the life!

 We all fell in love with "Lord Willin" and decided next year we may just give her a whirl!  

We are so thankful for the Mohr family!  From China to Nebraska to Georgia, we are all knit together.  

More Swimming:)

Summer swim team is not an option in our home.  So, thankfully, my children accept this and humor me by getting up super early during the bright summer mornings and making their way to our neighborhood pool.  At the end of each season, all of the swimmers are given an award certificate, some of which can have a little humor behind them.  For example, Colin's award this year....he received the Most Unpredictable title due to the fact that he left swim practice one week on top of his game and returned the next week to announce he would be unable to complete the season due to his shoulder injury....

 And then there are some swimmers who get awards for their character....for example, Pryce.  He received the Most Encouraging swimmer award for his happy spirit that often pumped his teammates up during a tough practice....

 and, to not be outdone, there is Maddox.  Maddox is only 3 and therefore, she was unable to swim this year.  Quite frankly, I truly believed she was going to be my child who would refuse to go under water.  However, she has taken us all by surprise and is now actively diving into the pool and swimming all over the place.  She even has a good-for-her-age freestyle stoke that is not too far from being right on target.  

MK is quite impressed by Maddox's success.  She has said more than once, "Hey mom, Maddox is swimming like the little kids on my team!"  

Our Swimming Sensation

Our swimming sensation was a bit apprehensive going into her big finale.  At the beginning of the summer swim season, MK had her mind set on one thing - "I want to go to that meet that I went to last year that my boys didn't go to."  AKA Allstars. 

 So all season, she worked HARD.  She swam HARD.  And she was very proud to tell others that she swam with the big kids during practice, the only six year old to do so.  She meant business.  And not once did she complain.  

And her hard work paid off.  Out of 190 Freestyle female swimmers, age 6 and under, MK placed number 5!  AND, drum roll, out of 154 Backstroke female swimmers, age 6 and under, MK placed FIRST!  

(It is also good to note that MK placed first in both backstroke and freestyle in our divisional meet that includes four teams.  The Allstar meet includes all area teams, a total of 21 teams, and takes the top 20 swimmers for a final competition.)

NOW,

I must continue....it got me last year and it got me this year, the emotion.  

I look at her, her competitive spirit, her determination to succeed, her goal-oriented mindset, and I can't help but tear up thinking of what her life would have been like had she not been deemed adoptable.  She would have never been given the opportunity to shine or even try to show off her capabilities.  Ever.  

Yet, today, at the age of 6, she is already defying the odds.  

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

NC Mountains

 The best of both worlds....my parents have a mountain cabin and Ryan's parents have a beach house.

 And each year, we spend a long weekend in the mountains, soaking up time on the ATVs, playing in the streams, tubing, strolling through the cute little town, eating at our favorite pancake house.....

 but this year was a bit different.  RAIN set in and our plans as we knew them were shot. Instead of doing the usual, we did the unusual and just relaxed.  

 Prior to the rain, our girls decided to give their seashells a bath....

 and Maddox cooked a bit with Pop's rocks and grass....her concoction was known to us as Rock Soup and she was more than proud of her invention.

 Sisters through and through....they are truly becoming the best of friends.

 And these four....our boys spent five days in the mountains with Gran and Pop prior to our arrival.  Oh how I missed them!  I have an admission to make....my boys are 13 and 11and in all of their years, I have never put them into a car for more than a thirty minute ride with someone other than me or Ryan.  Ever.  Maybe I am a bit protective.  Maybe.

The memories.  Yes, we are fortunate to have two homes to retreat to throughout the year.  But even more so, our children have two vacation homes to build a lifetime of memories in as they grow.  I am pretty sure their days of Mexican Train and Solitaire and just everyday fun are going to sit with them forever!

Beauty Rest

Being the baby of four is hard work.  With Colin, Pryce and Mason-Kate, I was religious about making sure they had a nap each day no matter what.  As a result, I was never really able to see what life with a child who was experiencing a lack of sleep was like.  And then came Maddox.  Unfortunately, Maddox's naptime is not able to be the number one concern in our family.....between practices and youth outings and games or just good ole' family time, her nap can sometimes be overlooked.  And when it is, we see what life is like with a child who has not had her beauty rest.  Last week was just one of those occasions.  We had been to the pool.  We came home and Maddox was so tired yet in complete denial of her need for a nap.  She cried big tears as I told her to go to her room and wait for me to come read to her.  Literally, in one minute, our home went from wails to total silence.  I was putting a load of laundry in to dry and when I finished, I walked around to go upstairs to read to miss Maddox, and this is what I found on our stairs....Maddox Ren, fast asleep with all of her favorite snuggly things and two hairbows.  Total sweetness.

Candybar

I went to do my nightly routine with Maddox at bedtime and she had taken the entire babydoll bed and put in into her bed, baby and all!  I asked Maddox what her baby's name was and she responded, "Candybar.  I named her Candybar because that is what I like.  Candy."  And that is the truth, candy is, unfortunately, the way to Maddox's heart.