Happy 6th Birthday my baby girl!!!!

Our precious Little Miss Alyson is 6 years old today!!! WHOOOO HOOOO!!! Time has flown so quickly and she has grown up so very much. She is an amazing child and since I just posted all the pics from her 5 years with us, I thought today I would post pictures from all the birthdays so far.

Alyson...you are beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I am so very thankful to God above for giving you life and for placing us in your life!! I am so very thankful to your birth mother for giving birth to you and for seeking out a plan for your life...a plan that included us!

I remember her on this day...surely she is remembering you too on this special day!! I cannot imagine that she is not!!

My prayer for you is that you would continue to grow in God's love for you. That you will always show mercy and have a compassionate heart. I pray that you will develop a self-esteem that is rooted only in the realization that you are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus and that you will allow God to direct your life accordingly. I pray that your heart will always be courageous in character and actions! Finally, I pray that you would always turn to God for refuge, strength and restoration throughout your life.

We love you baby girl!!!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!

Mommy & Daddy

Last year...5th Birthday

Aly...looking very 5 yrs old!! We had so much fun at your party. It was very warm outside and we gathered with friends at the park to celebrate with you.

4th Birthday...

We spent your 4th birthday quietly at home with just family and Hello Kitty.

3rd Birthday...the 36 hour birthday!

We woke up VERY EARLY in Beijing that morning...heading for the airport!

Everyone noticed that it was her birthday from her passport and wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY. She was loving every minute of it.

Yeah...she is smiling now...but we are only just beginning the longest day EVER!!!!

It's all good...I'll just sleep from Beijing to Japan...no problem!!

At the airport in Narita, Japan...this is fun, but are we home yet?????

Okay...so now we are leaving Japan...this day is going to FLY!!!

I must be tired...cause this CANNOT be comfortable!!!! Are we home yet????

We finally made it to Detroit, Mom gave Lili and me a bath in the bathroom, changed our clothes, fed us and then I fell asleep in the chair at the airport before boarding our last flight. Okay...this is starting to get ridiculous!!!

I was greeted at the airport by all my friends bearing balloons, gifts and lots of hugs for me on my birthday!!!! WHEW...36 hours is just TOO LONG to celebrate being 3 !!!!!

2nd Birthday!!

Oh yes oh yes...Dora cake with lots of orange icing and nobody telling me how to eat it!!!!

I think I am going to like this whole Birthday thing!!!!!

1st Birthday...two days after Gotcha!!

Um...what exactly is that??

Me and Mommy...doing some serious birthday bonding!!

Don't you just love my first birthday cake????

Okay...so there are the last 5 years in a nutshell!!! I hope you enjoyed Aly's birthday journey.

Happy Birthday Baby girl!!!!

"I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in truth."

3 John 4

In HIS Mighty Grip~

GOTCHA!!!

It is hard to believe that 5 years ago this very day, David and I became parents for the first time. In a crowded conference room, in a hotel on the other side of the world, a precious bundle of joy was placed in my arms and the earth seemed to stop moving for a moment. Tears flowed, hearts swelled, knees went weak and we finally had our beautiful Aly!! That little bundle of love was clothed in four layers of clothing and one very dirty diaper!

I cannot, in my wildest dreams imagine having missed this in my life and I know David feels the same. To have been "chosen" not just once, but twice to become an adoptive parent, is the greatest blessing of all. To those of you who have experienced the miracle of adoption, you know exactly what I am talking about.

To my precious Alyson Ming-Lian ...The miracles that brought you to us are great indeed! We are so thankful for your love and for your very life. We are so blessed to watch you grow each day...growing in the love of Jesus, growing in Grace and definately growing in Beauty!! Always know baby, that you are loved more than you could ever imagine and that you were chosen twice...once by your Daddy and me and the second time by your Creator!!!

I love you!

-Mommy

Our first few moments together!
GOTCHA!!!

our first evening together!!

The end of one very long day for all of us!!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."

These two pictures are amazing to me. Less than one week as a family.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful, I know that full well!"

Aly getting to know her Poppi (Shelley's Dad)

Aly and Hunny (Shelley's Mom) bonding over a clementine

"My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place."

"when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed
body."

Be ver-we ver-we quiet...we are hunting wabbits!!

"He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy!" Job
8:21-22

Great Allie (Shelley's G-mother) and her namesake...Alyson

God love her!!!!

Fun with washable markers!!!

"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before any of them
came to be!"
Psalm 139:13-16

"Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can
fathom."

Aly and her Igma (David's Mom)

"One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your
mighty acts."

"They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your
great deeds."

"They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your
righteousness."
Psalms 145: 3-7

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"
Psalms 37:4

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this."

Psalm 37:5

"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in
perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago!"
Isaiah 25:1

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ..."

"To him be glory both now and forever! Amen "

2 Peter 3:18

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

In HIS Mighty Grip

Happy Lili Day ~ December 18th,2009!!!!

Wow...I cannot believe that it has been three years tomorrow since we were handed one of the two most amazing children on the planet. Somehow God chose to give them to us...we still don't know what we did to deserve this little screaming Tiger Lili, but THANK YOU GOD FOR HER!!!! Check out our travel blog to see all the posts from our trip three years ago.

I have never met a child who talks more, who cries more, who gets her feelings hurt more, who pouts more, who talks more, who laughs more, who snuggles more, who talks more (did I say that already???) and who loves more than this little Liliana Grace MinQin Swindler. December 18th, 2006 is most certainly the day that our lives were forever changed by a God who loves us so much and chose to give us the gift of this precious baby.

I added a bunch of pictures from those first few minutes, days and weeks when she first became a part of our family and some at the end taken just in the last few weeks. She has grown so much and we just love her more and more with each passing day!!!

My precious Lili...thank you for joining our family. Thank you for letting us be your parents. Thank you for being who you are...we love you so much baby girl!!!

In HIS Mighty Grip

Mommy & Daddy

Ah...those first few precious moments before the screaming started!!!! LOL

Aly was desperate to get that first Cheerio into her little mouth. We had no idea that she had never had any solid food and would have absolutely NO IDEA what to do with a Cheerio yet!!

Aly had waited so long to be a big sister. She wasn't going to let Lili down now. Aly's poor little arm fell completely asleep while Lili was passed out on it. But she wouldn't move her arm because she didn't want to wake Lili. Okay...let me hear it all together now...AWWWWWW!!!!

My little wombat with her tear stained face. We just got over a total meltdown. I am quite sure the next one started within seconds of this photo!!! LOL

Daddy and his baby girl at her first Dr. apt a few days after coming home.

And here we are three years later!!!!


Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!

In HIS Mighty Grip~

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!

Today is Liliana Grace MinQin's FOURTH birthday!!!!! WHOOOO HOOOOO....dinner tonight...party Saturday...life is GOOD!!!!

Thank you Father Abba for all your many blessings on our family...not the LEAST of which is our beautiful and amazing Tiger Lili!!

We hope you enjoy these pictures of her over the last few years.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

~Happy Birthday my precious baby girl!!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much and we are so glad that God has shared you with us for this time!!!!~

In HIS Mighty Grip~

The post Thanksgiving update...

I do hope that you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day...with lots of turkey, pecan pie and wonderful traditions...all wrapped up in many many moments of Thanks to our Father who gave it all to us!!!! We had a day just like that and we made lots of wonderful memories that will last us a long long time!!

I have pictures from the day, but I will have to share them later as they aren't uploaded yet!!

For now I will share some memories from the last couple of weeks... Aly is here with me and she wants to help comment on the photos...so here goes! Oh...by the way...there are more photos and fun on the homeschool blog (link on the right sidebar)

A good friend stopped by with a gift of some yummy fruit and other goodies for us. The girls made short work of it all for lunch the next day!!

We made muffins for breakfast one morning only to discover... that if you tilt your head slightly to the left, you will meet our new friend...the blueberry Muffin Man!!!

Aly decided to write and illustrate a story..I'll let her explain it...

"Super Person" by Aly Swindler

A girl was walking one day...

BOO! Out of nowhere, a skeleton appeared and she screamed "HELP! HELP!"

Super Person appeared and said, "I'm coming!"

Super Person took care of that skeleton for the girl!

Super Person saved the day!! The End~

Could it be??? Daddy's Little Princesses???? Yep!!! It's them!!!

Ahhhhhhhhh...happiness!

Ahhhhhh...craziness!!

eyeball girls to the rescue!!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever" PS 107:1

in HIS Mighty Grip...

Flu shot anyone????

No? I didn't think so!!

Tiger Lili...

So we were zipping through the grocery store this afternoon when Lili pipes up out of nowhere with, "Mamma, what makes YOU such a GREAT teacher?" I wasn't quite sure what the emphasis meant at first so I said, "Well, I don't know...do you think I am a great teacher?" She let out with a resounding "NO!!!" (Okay...now I know what the emphasis meant!!)

"Well, Lili...why do you think that?"

"Because you are a MEAN teacher!"

"What??? I'm not a mean teacher Lili! I do make you do things you don't

want to do sometimes, but that's not being mean."
"Why do you think I'm mean?"

"Cause...you make me do mean stuff...like go to the bathroom!!!!"

Gotta love my little Wombat!!!!

"...I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love..." Philemon 1:8-9

In HIS Mighty Grip

I have no greater joy...

There are so many things I wish and pray for my children. As their mother, and keeper of their little hearts and minds...that list seems to grow daily.

I pray that they will always look out for each other...

I pray that they will be leaders...not just survive the world, but change it!

I pray that they would grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ...

I pray that they would go boldly into the world armed with all that God has for them...


I pray that they would find beauty in all of God's creation ...


I pray that they God would bless them with perseverance and purpose in all they do ...

I pray that they would be blessed with Godly friendships throughout their lives...

...that they would develop a self esteem that is rooted ONLY is the realization that they are God's Workmanship and are created in the image of Him.

I pray that they would always choose faithfulness over successfulness...

I pray that they grow to be women of moral integrity...full of grace, mercy, forgiveness, love & faithfulness with freedom from the trappings of theft, lying, greed, drugs and sexual impurity...



I pray that they would always be able to see the good in people..

...and that they would always remember to have fun...

..that they would be good learners with a desire to grow in God's grace and wisdom...

...always find time to smile...

...and be patient as they wait for the best things from God...

I pray that they will always WAIT for the best that God has!!

...and that they would know the best when God puts it before them!!

...that they would savor the sweet moments that God showers us with daily...

...that God would help them to always have the proper respect for everyone and that they would understand the fine line between "being in the world but not of it"!...

...and that they would dive in head first when they know it is right!

that they would always try...

...and try...

...and keep trying...

...and try again...

...because even if they fail...there is good to be had in the trying!!!

I pray that God will bless them with big dreams and passions...

That they would be content in all things...

even if they have to hold their arms up all day...

and keep holding them up ...

I pray that when they experience pain and suffering in their lives, they would work hard to remove the "rocks in their shoes" and turn to God for refuge, strength and restoration...

That they would be both active and annointed in sharing their faith with all who will listen...

and that they would lead prayer-filled lives...because communication is everything...

...that God will use them in mighty ways...let them swing HIGH Lord!!!

...that they would love justice and act justly!!

...that they would always show mercy and have a compassionate heart...

...that their sleep would be peaceful and restorative...

...even if it is face first in a plate of pizza!!

"I have NO GREATER JOY than to know that my children are
walking in the truth."

3 John:4

In HIS Mighty Grip

Numbering our days oh Lord...

Struggles abound for sure. Life is crazy...not at all like we planned. Frustrations creep in...fear starts to take over parts of rooms. I wonder what is coming next...for us...for all of us. I pray..."Come quickly Lord Jesus" ...part of me wants him to come right now...a small part, not so much.

I look at my husband and my beautiful girls. I am so thankful that God gave all three of them to me. I look back at where we have been and what we have come through together as a family...to BE a family. God was in it all. God was right in the middle of it all. He still is...all of it!

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom...Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." PS 90:12,14

Oh my beautiful children! I still get comments occasionally from people telling me how their lives have been blessed by our adoptions. My girls know that they were chosen...that they are special...that God did a mighty thing in their lives. They know that miracles happened for us to be together. They are as grateful as David and I are. I know that their understanding of it all will change as they grow, but my girls have an amazing ability to understand big concepts long before they understand the details of those concepts. I believe that God gave them that ability and that he has mighty things planned for both of them

Recently Lili was putting her change into their "gratitude jar" It is an old butter tub that they decorated and put any change they get into. The plan is to fill it and then send the money to Show Hope to help other families bring their children home through the miracle of adoption. The girls are very faithful in saying what they are thankful for before they drop any coin in the tub. Lili started putting money in and said her usual stuff...I'm thankful for my toys, my Mom, my Dad, my sister, etc...then she stopped and I heard her say, "Im thankful that I'm not an orphan anymore because You gave me my Mommy and a Daddy" Whoa!!! Talk about a flood of tears...and a level of understanding far beyond her 3 years!!

I pray that they both always know how amazing the miracles were that brought us together. I don't know the circumstances that caused them to be abandoned, but I know that before the foundation of the earth, these little girls were planned to be my daughters.

Abba...teach us to number our days...to make each one count ! Show us the joy in all the little miracles you work. Show us YOU in all we do. Show us YOU in all YOU do!! Give us wisdom as parents, as spouses, and as friends. And give wisdom to our children that they may highly regard and recognize your love for them each and every day that we have left on this earth!!!!

Lili came in and got up on the water bottle and said, "Ride'em waterbottle!!!" Um...okay

Then she reached down, patted the waterbottle and said, "Good water bottle...good boy!" um...okay.

Okay...if I had a Mac truck I could drive it in between those precious little toes!!! I just love her little feet...

Yep...those were Lili's toesies!!

Then we have Monkey foot...our 5 year old!! I swear she could write, and wash the dishes with those toesies if she had to!! What a crazy little monkey~

Yep...that would be the owner of Monkey feet...Miss Alyson!

Playing at the park with Daddy Man~

Geeeeeze...you would never know it was Autum around here...look at the sweat that child is pouring out. The humidity has been unbearable this year!!

Aly plotting their trip through the trails at Vaill Point Park

Come on Dad...it's this way!!!!

What is that hiding in yonder tree?

Yep...you guessed it...a CRAB??????

A lovely view of the intracoastal waterway from the dock. What an amazingly beautiful day it was!

What is that hanging over David's head in that tree? Look...

There it is again..what is it???

Yep...that would be a Banana Spider that was about 3-4 inches long !!!! AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH Okay...I never said I was a nature girl...NEVER!!

Okay...I LOVE this picture of the girls...so peaceful and serene

Chinese Moon Festival time...here we are putting the "mooncakes" into the oven. I don't have a mooncake mold, so I opted for the easier version of shortbread cookies with Strawberry jam in the middle. The girls helped me make them and they were SOOOOOO YUMMY!!!!

A beautiful Moon...what a shame it was so unbelievably hot outside and the bugs were celebrating too...I think they were celebrating the fact that WE were outside and were providing them with FRESH MEAT for their dinner!!!!

I made the girls put on leggings and long sleeved shirts to keep the bites to a minimum. They still had fun!!

What a cool picture...

Hot apple cider and moon cakes...Yum Yum!!

"Aly...I love you!"

Lili practicing her back walkovers. She would do this for hours if we let her!!

Aly was trying to figure out what to do with her toes while she was reading. A common problem I hear! She thought and thought and finally decided that they would make GREAT book holders!!

Yep...works great!!!

"...Surely the Lord is in this place..." Gen 28:16

Good night all!!!

In HIS Mighty Grip~

Fun times!!!

Sunday afternoon our friends Eileen and Joe came over with their kids to spend the afternoon swimming with us . We were having a blast when someone suggested that we should go up to Clark's Fish Camp for dinner. So......Everyone piled out of the pool, got dressed and off we went!! Boy...was that a GREAT idea!! We had so much fun!!! We had never been there before, but we WILL be going back!! Enjoy the pictures~

Sorry for the foggy pics. It was so very muggy outside and I had just stepped out of the air conditioned car. Anyway, I was trying to get a good pic of the girls in front of the place, but Lili wouldn't cooperate.

We tried again, but then she went from "non-cooperative" to "non-compliance". Rather...she started to pout!! I just LOVE it when she pouts!!! NOT

Finally Alyson decided to help by forcing her to smile!! Lili still refused to smile but everyone standing there in the parking lot was smiling and laughing from ear to ear!!! :-)

Aly, Lili, their friends Sarah and Elizabeth posing in front of one might big stuffed cat!!! The whole place is full of 'em!!! (Check out the link for some more pics )

Joe, Eileen and their beautiful daughters Sarah and Elizabeth.

The Swindler Tribe...

Lili had to check out the catfish we were bringing home to Poppi (my dad)

Lili after she got to taste the catfish we were bringing home to Poppi!!

This was the view right over our heads...I kept waiting for Tarzan to swing through!!

The camp is right on the banks of the St. Johns River and this time of year they get a good bit of flooding. This day was no exception. Only a few hours before we arrived, the majority of the place was flooded. They seem to take it all is stride as it is pretty normal for them. When you pull up to the front you literally either go straight on into the water or take a sharp left into the parking lot!

Anyway, thanks Joe and Eileen for the really really fun evening and the

reat company!! We had a ball!!

Oh...that reminds me. Quick Lili story...When we got home it was late and the sky was very clear and we stood in the driveway for a few minutes looking at the most amazing display of stars in the sky. Lots of oooohs and ahhhhhs and finally Lili said, "Mamma...it's darker than chocolate out here!!" I love that little little wombat!!!

Have a great Friday!

In HIS Mighty Grip