Updated Collage after figuring out the new program ;O)


I have been wanting to create a collage of pictures of Emma from her referral to the present. I found a software that I like (Wondershare Photo Collage Studio) and I have been working on it tonight. I am posting my rough draft. I take so many pictures that it is hard to choose just a few. I took over 3500 digital pictures in China! I cannot believe how much she has changed. For starters, she has doubled her "Gotcha Day" weight. When we first saw her, she was almost 10 months old and weighed not quite 14 pounds. Now she weighs double that and has these giant cheeks (and lips!). Her hair has become so much fuller and healthier. I really enjoyed looking back at all of the pictures and memories (kleenexes, anyone?). I can't believe how far we have all come!

First Day of School

Coleman said that 5th grade was just what he expected, Jack loves his teachers and had a great day, and Robbie was very excited about painting in his new art smock. I missed them and was so happy to see them at carpool time and so was Emma! She was all smiles when we picked them up. All in all, it was a great day!

Little Miss Emma is sassy, for sure! She loved the beach and the pool!

Coleman is so sweet and full of life

Robbie loves the water and can swim like a fish!

Jack Just Being Jack - pirates, fishing, sharks......

At the Beach

Well, it is that time of year again - the mad scurry of last minute haircuts, shoe shopping (only to find that your babies have grown 2 shoe sizes over the summer!), freshly sharpened pencils, and new back packs - yep, it is time to go Back To School! Last year saw many changes in our family with the adoption of Chong Si Yue, now known as Emma Grace or, as we affectionately call her, The Divine Miss Em. We have grown so much that our family, and our love, is bursting at the seams. We are quickly coming up on the one year anniversary of our referral for Emma and oh, how she has grown since we returned home from China last November. The boys adore her and she cannot get enough of them. I know she will miss them when they start back to school. We have had a busy summer with all four kids at home and with all of our vacations and summer activities. The house will be very quiet and it will take some getting used to. Getting back onto a regular schedule is a welcome change, but I will miss them so much! My little baby, Robbie, is starting PreK this year at the same school that his brothers, Coleman and Jack, attend. They don't stay little for long. We went for Registration last week and I have never seen a little 4 year old as excited about his "Good Start" package as my little Robbie. He jumped up and down and began talking so fast telling me all about the glue and tissues and markers and crayons and pencils, etc........ that were all in the little yellow box. It was like Christmas Morning! He could not believe his good fortune! Now he is counting down the days til school starts, much different from his apprehension of last week. He is ready - I am just not sure that I am!

This blog was created to keep our friends and family updated on what is going on as our family continues to grow. After journaling all about our travel to China, we have had so many friends wanting to follow us along at home too. This is the story about a family with four amazing kids!