My precious birthday baby...

Well, this is how we started out almost five years ago with our beautiful Lili. This picture below was actually taken just as we got off the airplane after a grueling 36 hour trip home from China to adopt this little monkey. She hadn't smiled too much up until this point...didn't smile too much for quite some time after this either. It was a pretty rough transition for this little angel.
Now, here we are five years later...celebrating Miss Lili's SIXTH birthday. I can hardly believe it!!! She has grown ...a little bit...still pretty tiny!!! She has grown up...so smart and so amazing. She has turned Six and I could not be prouder of my little Lima Bean...I am so blessed that God chose me to be her Mommy and I can't imagine having missed this precious little life!!!!


Smiling as we set foot on Tennessee soil!!!!


The six year old budding artist with her new markers.


Oh man...Dora cupcakes...does it get any better than this??? No, REALLY...does it get any better????


"The Face" I love this face...she makes this expresion all the time and I love it!!!


Liliana and her Daddy Man. She requested Cracker Barrell for the birthday dinner.

While we waited on our table...Lili enjoyed honing her Xylophone skills. Love the "Chinese Squat"

And now here we are five years later and look at the amazing little beauty she has become.

~Thank you Father for my beautiful and amazing children...please let me be one day be worthy of them!!!!!~

In HIS Mighty Grip~

PS...please let us know you stopped by!!!! The comments are open and appreciated and I'll be sure to pass on any Birthday greetings to Miss Lili!!!!

Summer update...

Sorry I have been AWOL most of the summer. We've been sick (understatement of the century!), and also very busy getting geared up for Aly to start Home School in two weeks. Ah...the planning!!!

Anyway...David reminded me the other night that the opening picture on my blog was still Obama from my last post and that I needed to blog again if for no other reason that to get that picture off of my homepage!! That was enough motivation for me!! :-)

So, scroll down and see a little bit of what we did this summer...

We are learning to play the piano...THANKS AUNT BABS AND UNCLE HENRY FOR THE KEYBOARD!!!!!! They play on this thing ALL DAY!!!

We SERIOUSLY enjoyed the bumper crop of Stawberries this year!!

We let Bailey in on the fun too...she loves loves loves to swim in the pool!! Sometimes she just sits on the top step and cools off.

Daddy Man lounging in the pool with his little fish!

The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Proverbs 19:23

Hi Daddy Man...love your new birthday hat from the girls!!

Sometimes you need a drink of water...and POOF...there appears a garden hose just in the nick of time!

"Indeed the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

"This swimming thing is AWESOME!!"

My beautiful baby girls...who are SO no longer babies!!!

Can you believe how much she has grown? My amazing Aly!

Mom and her little Tiger Lili...ahhhhhhh

The ladies of the Swindler house...who is that DARK child hanging on my back?

Eating a late dinner while we wait for the July 4th fireworks to start.

Daddy Man waiting for the show...look at tha ominous looking sky! Yes, it did POUR down rain and we had to make a run for the car, but just in time it stopped and the show was worth the wait!!

Daddy Man on his birthday with his 4th of July do-rag buddies!

I LOVE that look on Lili's face...she is so proud of the card she made for her Daddy!

My little 4th of July biker chick.

Girl loves her some watermelon!!

Belly-laugh Lili! So pretty and so precious!

My beautiful Aly!

Good times! Sister memories to last a lifetime!
"From the lips of children...you have ordained praise."Psalms 8:2

I had to include a picture of "Scuba Boy" cleaning the pool~

It is not often in Florida that we get rain without the thunder and lightening. But when we do, the girls hit the driveway and have more fun than you can shake a stick at. They LOVE to play in the rain!!!

Absolutely SOAKED and loving every minute of it!!! Thank you God for the rain!!

"Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom!" Psalm 145:3

Aly loves to read from the Bible...here she is reading with her Daddy man.

I THINK I can climb this tree.

I WILL climb THIS tree!!

Aly has a sketch book. She takes it outside most days and draws something in it. She dates it and writes what it is...her drawing is getting better with every entry! This day she was drawing a bamboo plant on the carport.

Sometimes "Scuba Boy" makes me get out of the pool when I don't obey. I really don't like it when he does that!!!! But I know that he LOVES LOVES LOVES me!!

The child that loves to laugh more than she loves oxygen and food!!!!

Daddy Man feeding the fish!

CANNONBALL!!!!!!!

Don't you just LOVE my hat??

David loves times like this more than just about anything else. His baby girl asleep on his chest.

Aly reading to us. She is reading so very well...we are so proud of her!!!

"The Bamboo Girls" photo shoot

...and the dismount!

Lili getting some lovin from her Poppi before bedtime.

While "Scuba Boy" is not looking, I think I will swipe some of his Sun Chips...he won't mind!!

There just are no words for these two ...

"...may our daughters be like graceful pillars carved to adorn a palace. Psalms 144:12

You know, they used to take my picture all the time. I had to beg Mom to take this one. Just call me "Bailey...the Red Headed Step Dog!!!!" ARGH

Cause the laundry basket makes a GREAT place to watch tv????

Cinderella's work is never done!!

The girls are now in LOVE with their cousin Jill. Jill and her Mom & Dad came to see us for a few days earlier in the summer and the girls STILL ask when Jill is coming back for another visit!!

Aly attended THREE Vacation Bible Schools this summer. She had such fun!!! This was during the first one. Lili and I went to see her program on the last day.

Well, there you go...I think that is enough photos for one day. I hope you enjoyed seeing a glimpse of our summer fun. I think we spent most of it in the pool, but as hot as it has been...that was fine with us!!!

It is almost time for homeschool to start!!! WHOOO HOOOO...we can't wait!!!!!

In HIS Mighty Grip...