Shoshannah's Journey and our Forever Family

SNOW 2010

2010-01-30T16:05:00.005-05:00

The girls have been praying for snow! And finally their prayers have been answered!Of course living here we are not prepared for cold snow. Only Shoshannah had snow pants, that actually belonged to Arielle when she was Shoshannahs age. But the girls had a good time playing..

City Girls in the Country

2010-01-21T10:46:00.005-05:00

This past weekend we went to GA and SC to visit family. On Monday we finally saw this bright warm ball in the sky and the girls were able to get out and enjoy some sunshine. My dad gave them keys to the small tractor and off they went. They had a blast. Danielle wants to buy one for our yard, and Arielle now thinks she is ready to drive the van....

The Boo Box Has Arrived

2009-11-02T14:50:00.002-05:00

A yearly tradition was started last year among Shoshannah and her Chinese Sisters (that is what she calls them). One sister starts by filling a box with goodies then sends it on to one of her sisters, who in turn fills a box and sends it on..until each girl has been blessed with goodies. Today, Shoshannah was blessed! Thank you Marie! The box was filled with M&M's which is her favorite candy!, a coloring book, some playing cards, glow sticks, slinky, hair bow, lip gloss (all her own), those put in water and watch them grow things... Wow so much stuff! She will be entertained for a while. I love the connection the girls have through us Moms. I feel very blessed to call these Moms friends!

Well if You Won't Give Me My Nap

2009-11-02T07:24:00.002-05:00

With a New born baby in the house sometimes naps for Soshannah fell through the cracks. On those few days when she was tired enough to put herself to sleep..

Sister Fun

2009-10-28T06:42:00.002-04:00

When Shoshannah and Danielle are in their room together you never know what is happening.

Danielle is such a wonderful big sister. She will still play dress up with Shoshannah. Here are a few pictures from the last dress up day.

Happy 4th Birthday to our Little Superhero!

2009-08-20T16:22:00.005-04:00

Yes, I am late posting Shoshannah's birthday pictures. Where has the summer gone??

Shoshannah doesn't mind being a princess but she would rather be a superhero. She is always saying, "Super Shoshannah to the rescue!" She is a hero. Such a little trooper. We are so madly in love with this bundle of loving energy God has placed on our lives.

On her birthday, breakfast was green eggs and ham. That Dr. Seusss book has been one of Shoshannah's favorites from the very beginning and we have read it thousands, okay hundreds of times. Shoshannah loved the green eggs and ham! It was hard for me to add that food dye to her food, especially since I spend so much time trying to avoid those dyes in her food.

Andrew, had to go to work so he missed her birthday dinner. But he gave her, her gift early and it was a Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle which she loves. Andrew and Shoshannah share the same taste in kids programming!

For dinner Shoshannah wanted, MacDonalds, she is so her daddy's girl!. So off we went and Shoshannah enjoyed her hamburger patty (doesn't eat bread) and drank her apple juice. Then home for the gifts. She had been asking for a bike and so she got one. It was too small so we had to take it back and get a bigger one, but she was happy. Then the girls gave her necklaces, bracelets, rings and a tiara (she must learn to be a princess). But the gift that gets used daily is her Handy Manny tool box. She loves that gift!. No kidding she fixes something everyday! several times a day, the same stuff over and over again! Money well spent.

Then it was time for cake. Since I know she won't eat cake I made Candy Bar Cake which the rest of the family loves. She blew out the candles took one bite of the cake and off she went to play.

We are looking forward to seeing what God is going to do with this special little girl. She has come so far in her life and we know that God is doing a great work in her for His Glory. We love you Shoshannah!

Talent Show

2009-07-24T08:01:00.005-04:00

This past week the girls were asked to showcase their talents at a local daycare center. Arielle played parts of some pieces. The one you are going to hear in this video clip is Sonatina in C Major and Danielle dances to "I Can Only Imagine" The dance she choreographed herself and gets there and finds the floor space is much smaller than she is used to so she had to re work some stuff as she was dancing. The girls then interacted with the children and all seemed to have a good time. Of course most of the boys seemed bored! I love the fact that my girls are out in the world sharing their gifts and blessing others. Shoshannah was introduced and adoption was talked about. Of course she is so cute that the kids loved her. Then we introduced Elijah (Jaylen) and talked more about adoption... A good day. I will try to get Danielle's Dance up soon.

And She is only 3

2009-05-31T12:06:00.003-04:00

I thought I should share our conversation from this morning.

Scene: The van on the way to church.

Mom, what are God and Jesus doing right now?

Well, they are taking care of the world, hearing and answering prayers, healing, listening to the praise of their people and creation.

Jesus is dead.

No, remember Jesus died on the cross for us, then HE was laid in the tomb and 3 days later He came alive again.

Jesus is dead.

Repeat of what I just said.

Jesus is dead,

Repeat again of what I just said just adding that He is alive right now and sitting next to God.

Jesus is dead,

Shoshannah, what have I been telling you?

OKAY, He is alive!

what is worship?

It is us praying, singing to God and reading our Bible and thanking Him for all that He is to us.

God is Lord.

Yes, Shoshannah that is one of the names of GOD.

Okay...

It was a very interesting ride to church. This at 3 I can't wait until she is a teen!

My Almost Perfect Mothers Day 2009

2009-05-12T07:38:00.005-04:00

My Mother's Day actually started on Saturday evening when my family took me out to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I love the Chicken and Dumplins there they remind me of grandmas. Then Sunday morning stated with Shoshannah coming in aroun 6:30 and wishing me Happy Mother's Day, then came Danielle and Arielle. Craig was so excited to give me my Mother's Day present, ipod touch. I am sure one day I will learn how to use it. Right now I do have 3 sermons on there to listen to. I look forward to downloading more podcasts of my favorite Pastors.

Then off to church we went. We came home had a quick lunch then off to discover a new park for us. We went to First Landing state park, walked part of one of the trails. It is very nice but dangerous due to bike riders who just fly down the paths. Then we went over to the other side of the park and discovered the Bay. It was beautiful and the water was only a little chilly. We walked for a while and some of the family played Frisbee, while others enjoyed the water. I just loved being with my family. I love to watch and listen to them. I feel so blessed to be their Mom. I thank my Lord for the calling me to this wonderful life. Some of my greatest joys come from being Mom. It would have been the perfect Mother's Day if only my other 2 children-Craig Ellis and Gina had been here in share in this day.So I guess the phone call was the next best thing. Oh yes Andrew bought me a few of my favorite things, A bottle of Pepsi, Snickers bar and a box of Turtle Chocolates!

I have already reserved an entire weekend next year for my Mother's Day. My children are growing up so fast and are traveling in so many different paths that I just want a weekend with my family.

First 2009 Visit to Busch Gardens

2009-05-01T19:26:00.006-04:00

Two weekends ago we headed off to Busch Gardens for the day. It was beautiful weather and the park was not crowded. We really did not have to wait for any rides. However by the time we made it around to the Sesame Street Town it was crowded. So we will save that for next time.

Shoshannah had a blast. The faster the ride the more she enjoyed it. I dont' ride any of the rides, but I love to see my family having a great time. I love these fun times.

Picture Perfect

2009-04-15T18:09:00.003-04:00

This is Shoshannah first professional photo shoot. I think they turned out great.

No Girly Girl Here

2009-04-11T10:33:00.002-04:00

Shoshannah has been so sick this week that yesterday I let her escape to the backyard to breathe fresh air and have some fun. Here is her idea of fun.

Having Fun with Big Sisters

2009-03-19T07:34:00.005-04:00

These are some pictures of Shoshannah goofing around for the camera. Arielle is behind the camera and Danielle was getting Shoshannah to pose. By the time it was over we were rolling with laughter. Life is GOOD.

Creative Juices are Flowing

2009-03-06T07:02:00.004-05:00

It is 6:15 am and Shoshannah is making a tent. What fun we are going to have today.

True Love Waits 2009

2009-03-02T11:40:00.005-05:00

ASBC High School Praise Team. Arielle on Keyboards.

The Pledge Cards tacked to a Cross.

Arielle and a few friends. Beautiful young ladies.

Arielle and Danielle waiting for ceremony to start.

Arielle and Danielle still waiting. Arielle said no more photos. Rachel doesnt mind the camera.

Girls and their rings.

Yesterday the youth of our church and many other churches made a pledge of purity. True Love Waits is a wonderful concept to get young people to make a pledge to remain sexually pure until God brings them into a Biblical Marriage. At our church we had 200 young people recommit to this pledge or take the pledge for the first time. Both our older girls participated this year, Arielle for recommitment and Danielle for the first time. While I believe it is the job of parents to teach and encourage Purity to all areas of our children's lives I appreciate our Church for their willingness to support our young people on this tough walk. The world is throwing so much garbage their way it is great that a a corporate body of believers we can come together and pray and love on these young people. We are proud of our children and their stand of faith.

Our BIG Snow Day

2009-02-24T08:54:00.004-05:00

We awoke last Monday to snow! Yes, all my northern friends this is what we call snow. Living here you learn to be thankful for even the smallest of dustings. The girls were excited and out playing at 8am, which was very good as it was melted by 10.

Andrew Has A Golden Ticket

2009-02-20T11:22:00.002-05:00

A Golden Ticket. well actually it is white, blue and made of plastic. But today marked another phase in this journey of life. Andrew obtained his driver's license. So watch out world! Especially those in Hampton Roads.

Great job Andrew!.

Not so nice ending to a Beautiful Day

2009-02-09T14:54:00.002-05:00

As I left you hanging on the last blog..We had a wonderful Tea and then one of Danielle's friends came to spend the night. The girls played and laughed the day away. Having a wonderful time. Then I told them it was time to clean up. A little later we heard a small crash above our heads but we had been hearing them all day. Then Danielle comes down the stairs, very pale, eyes teary and holding her right hand. They had been playing tug of war when the friend lost her grip and Danielle went flying, landing back on her outstretched hand. We put ice on it wrapped it, gave her some Tylenol and sent her to bed. (we have been through this before and being a mom of 5 I tend not to panic). But in my heart I knew it was broken. She slept through the night and on Sunday she still had pain and could not use it. So off to the ER we went. After a 4 hour stay she came home in a cast. Danielle broke her radius and possibly the ulna.

We have always said that Danielle is our butterfly because she just floats through life. We just wish she could float and not fall and break bones. This is now broken bones 4 and 5 for her. One week without dance and she can start back this week. Maybe tomorrow she will get to have the cast cut down to below the elbow. She has not had much pain and we are thankful for that.

Tea Party for the Ladies

2009-02-06T18:14:00.006-05:00

Danielle's birthday falls right in the middle of the Christmas Holidays. This year she wanted to invite a few friends and go to a tea house for Tea. Now please keep in mind Danielle does not like tea. But she wanted to experience a TEA. So on Saturday, January 31st, Danielle, a couple of her dearest friends, Arielle and I went to tea at With Flair Tea House. This place is a hidden gem of Chesapeake. Pam Fogle, the owner has converted a small older home into a charming tea house. When we arrived we were seated at a table with the china tea cups, crystal water goblets, glass plates and linen napkins. Pam brought out the tea menu and we each chose our own tea. Three of the girls chose Wild Raspberry, Danielle chose a lemon blossom, and I had Pomegranate Raspberry. We were each served our tea in individual silver tea pots and sugar cubes were plentiful, which is good. I am a southern girl and I like all my tea sweet. Then Pam brought out serving trays piled with wonderful food. Because we had reserved the Royal Tea, we had finger foods. Tiny sandwiches, and desserts. I will try to name a few; Chicken Salad on Croissants ( this was fabulous), Pimento Cheese on Wheat bread, Quiche, Virginia Ham on Yeast Rolls, Cucumber sandwiches, stuffed grape tomatoes, lemon bars, Raspberry Scones that were DIVINE, and two other desserts that were rich and sweet. It was a fun time and I know that Danielle loved her experience. I am thinking I am going to set up a luncheon there with some of my girl pals. I could go back and just enjoy trying each of the teas. Hey what a great idea! The day was a success. The night did not end well but that is another blog.

Chinese New Year 2009

2009-01-31T18:35:00.003-05:00

Arielle called it a work of art.

Craig loved the plating of the food.

The Girl loves her noodles!

We had a quiet Chinese New Year celebration this year. We stayed home and ordered in Chinese Food. So not much to blog on this time just a couple of pictures.

The Things They Pick Up

2009-01-16T15:52:00.006-05:00

Arielle, Danielle and I are memorizing Bible Scriptures this year along with Beth Moore and a couple of thousand other people. You memorize 2 Scriptures of your choice a month. On the first and fifteenth of each month you choose a Scripture verse, post it on Beth Moore's Blog, and then get busy. It is a such a joy to read the thousands of verses and feel a bond with these sisters in Christ. Anyway, on the first of January I chose Isaiah 43:1-2. So each day I repeat it out loud. Then this past week as the girls and I were reviewing, Shoshannah starts saying my verse. Not word for word but pretty close. Once again this just reminded me what little sponges these little ones are and how much they can truly learn. And what better thing to learn than God's Word. So, starting now we are going to include Shoshannah on our adventure. I have recorded her saying Isaiah 43:1-2. The facial expressions are great. Again remember to turn off the music at the end.

And the Emmy goes to....

2009-01-06T07:09:00.004-05:00

Okay before you watch this there is a warning. If you are a fan of the Disney Teen idols then don't watch. Don't read but if you choose to no offense is attended.
My girls thankfully are not Hannah Montana, High School Musical or Jonas Brother fans. They have not found these "teen idols" to be anyone they want to look up to. And they just don't understand what all the hype is about. But anyway, we watched part of Jonas Brothers show on TV and Danielle found the girls reactions funny. So being Danielle she has worked on and perfected her reaction to the Jonas Brothers.. Don't forget to go down and turn off the music before you play this video.

Happy 14th Birthday Arielle

2009-01-02T07:36:00.002-05:00

I am behind on the blogging. So we are backtracking to Monday, December 29. It was Arielle's 14th birthday. Arielle requested homemade donut holes for her birthday breakfast. So, Danielle and I arose early and made her donuts. Danielle and Shoshannah took her breakfast in bed and the day began. After breakfast we headed to the mall. Arielle's big gift this year was a docking station for her ipod which she got for Christmas. We found one right away and then we just walked the mall checking out what was going on. We didn't discover any big sales. It was very sad for us but great for the bank account. We decided to have lunch at Chick Fil A. We ate and then headed home. I put Shoshannah down for a nap then got that sick feeling you get when the food you eat is bad. Yes, Arielle, Danielle and I ended up with a slight case of food poisoning. WE took some supplements and prayed for the best. Not a good way to spend the birthday. But later that day we were feeling somewhat better. But the birthday girl did not want more chicken for dinner which is what she had requested. So instead we had pizza rolls and she did not want a dessert, but I couldn't let the day go by without something so I picked up one of those Oreo Frozen pies and it was just the thing. So she opened a few more gifts and we just hung out for the rest of the night.

Arielle is 14 but going on 17. She has matured into such a sweet young lady who is such a joy to have in our family. We love you Arielle, you are a blessing to us!

What a Wonderful Life

2008-12-28T15:13:00.006-05:00

This has been one of the most wonderful Christmas' times ever. Ellis and Gina came home on December 20 so I had all my children home. It was a great week, the kids played card games, Spit/Spoons, Clue came out a couple of times, they talked music, listened to music, watched movies together and did lots of eating and laughing. It made this momma's heart soar. You know when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your calling in life is to be a Mom then the things that bring you the greatest happiness are those things that involve your children. I am so proud of my children. They all love the Lord and each other,and are truly a joy to have around. When Ellis and Gina read this I hope they truly know the gift they gave me by being home for Christmas. I know as God directs their lives they will be moving far away to attend Grad school so each moment I have with them is precious. This is Gina's first year as part of our family and she just brought a freshness to our holiday. I am so blessed!

Of course, for our family this time also involves lots of birthday fun.Danielle turned 12 then we had Christmas Eve. We opened the family gift early in the morning as Andrew had to work in the afternoon. Guitar Praise was a big hit here. I think Shoshannah and I are the only ones who didn't get into that gift. But Shoshannah had fun with the box it came in. The game was played all day and they had a blast. Then we had our traditional Christmas Eve meal of grilled Steak, shrimp, baked potatoes, peppers and onions,and fruit. It was great and that evening our entire family attended our Christmas Eve service at church. Then home to snack and play more games. Christmas morning dawned and it was funny. Shoshannah chose to sleep in until 6:30 and when we walked outside my bedroom door there stood Andrew, Danielle and Arielle waiting to go down and see what Santa brought. Ellis and Gina were quick to be up.

We came down and Shoshannah's new baby doll high chair, bed and stroller were out. Craig told Shoshannah that while she was sleeping that Santa and brought her presents. Her reply.. I don't mind. So then we were off to opening. Shoshannah got a new doll that moves and says mama. I wish I had a picture of her face when the doll first spoke. Priceless. The gifts were opened and then everyone went on his and her way to enjoy all their gifts. I cooked breakfast then started on our late lunch. It was just a lazy day of fun!

Then Friday morning I got breakfast in bed from my girls and the family took me out for dinner. Hey that video camera that I hinted at in a previous post well santa missed his turn and Craig gave it to me for my birthday.

God has blessed our family in so many ways and we are so thankful of His unending mercy and grace. And we are most thankful for the gift of our Savior. As I reflected on Christmas morning and all that it symbolizes, God just brought to me that this was all intentional. Jesus knew when He stepped out of Heaven, that He was coming to give His life for me. He knew me then, He loved me then, He willingly left the splendor of Heaven to die for me. AMAZING! As I was sharing this with the girls that morning, I said I love my children more than words can explain and there is not one person I would willingly give my children for. Aren't we all glad I am not God??

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas with your families and friends. We have one more birthday for this year. Arielle will be 14 tomorrow. Oh My!

I will leave you with a few pictures, video to come soon.

Happy 12th Birthday Danielle

2008-12-23T18:59:00.003-05:00

Well, one of our Princesses turned 12 today. For Danielle it started with breakfast in bed, well sorta bed. She asked for Toaster Strudel and Pop Tarts for breakfast. So at 7am today I was making a run to Wally World. Brought it home and Arielle, Andrew and Shoshannah delivered it to her in her temporary room. She gave up her room while Ellis and Gina are home. Since, Andrew was working tonight he presented her with a book and she spent most of the day reading. Then Ellis took her to the library for some bonding time over books and movies. For dinner she requested, Chicken Alfredo over Fettuccine with Spinach and also yeast rolls. Then off to open presents and enjoy Candy Bar Cake.

Danielle, has always been a precious little girl. She has a servants heart, she loves so deeply and is truly just a wonderful light to our family and those who know her. I stand amazed that God placed her in our family and I get to be her mom. While I am not rushing her growing up I am looking forward to seeing what God does in and with her life. It is gonna be AWESOME!.

So Happy Birthday Danielle your family loves you!

Dancing

2008-12-18T12:05:00.004-05:00

Danielle, is taking two dance classes this year. Her Wednesday class in non recital (which she doesn't like ,but our bank account does!). Her teacher, Mrs Christine tried to set up with a local store for them to come in and dance a Hebrew dance they have learned, that didn't pan out. Then I tried to get it set up for them to go into a nursing home and dance but that too did not work out, so the girls just danced for their families on Wednesday. It is a cute dance and the girls did great. You are only going to get to see a portion of it as I didn't push the button on the camera in time to record the whole thing. I hope Santa brings a video camera for Christmas or maybe the day after??:)

Danielle as always you did great! Keep working hard.
Don't forget to go to the bottom to turn off the Christmas music before viewing!

Somethings Missing!

2008-12-11T07:22:00.004-05:00

Well, the beautiful season is upon us! Christmas is our favorite holiday. The weekend after Thanksgiving we began to put up the Christmas decorations. After moving and renting homes over the past 24 years we now own our home. Again this year we are using all our old decorations thinking through how we want our home to look over the upcoming years. This year I will be hitting the sales picking up pieces that fit with this home and the way I envision Christmas looking.

We put up the tree, the girls and I hung the lights and ornaments. After we had done that, Shoshannah got down on the floor, peered under the tree and said" Somethings missing!". I asked what? Her reply."PRESENTS" Now this comes from a little girl who for the first time , saw Santa in the mall (from a distances) and the girls told her Santa brings presents. So now she is trying to figure that out.

A few days later we started watching Rudolph. She turned to me and said Mommy turn it off, I don't like talking reindeer! She knows reindeer are not supposed to talk. She keeps us laughing.

This year we are trying to be faithful in participating in Advent. We are using a book called, Jotham's Journey. We are enjoying the story and hearing again the Scriptures that point us to why Christ came to us. We have very little talk of Santa in our house and try to keep the focus on God's love for us and His wonderful gift of His Son, Christ. We are a blessed people. WE have a Savior who just keeps giving Himself to us everyday. How Awesome it that!

I will close with a few pictures. We still have some tree work to do and when it is finished I will post more. The first two pictures were taken at the Botanical Gardens light show.

I pray for each of you this season lots of love and peace.

A Day of Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T07:30:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note this morning. The Bacon Family, wishes everyone a peaceful day. We started our celebration last night with a family time of singing praises, reading Scripture and ended with prayer. We are so blessed and God continues to rain down on us His unending mercy and grace. Today as time allows I will post more on our day of Praise and Thanksgiving.
Blessings

TAGGED

2008-11-22T08:12:00.004-05:00

Okay, I have been tagged by Kristen. I must now reveal deep, dark secrets about myself. Well, don't read this if you are looking for something juicy!

8 Favorite TV Shows

NCIS
Paula's Homecooking
Hidden Potential
Criminal Minds
Trauma Life in the ER
17 Kids and Counting
Adoption Stories
The Chef Jeff Project

8 Things I look forward to

Tomorrow
All my children being home at the same time
Chongqing Sisters Reunion
Heaven
Seeing all my children married, having children, and living for the Lord
Christmas
Gaither Concert

8 Things on my wish List

Another child
New Car
Remodeled Kitchen
European Vacation with my entire family
Extended visit to China
Lose weight while still enjoying eating
All orphans having a loving family
Winning the Lottery so I can make all these wishes come true

8 Things I did yesterday

Took the girls to the doctor
Went to the mall
Had a dinner date with my husband
Watched Celtic Woman Christmas DVD
Read a Chapter of my book
Ordered Christmas Presents
Talked with my sister on the phone
Planned my Weekend

8 Favorite Resturants

Carrabbas
Chick Fil A
Panera Bread
Cracker Barrell
Outback Steak House
Uno Pizza
Andrea's Pizzaria
My own kitchen

8 People I will Tag

Arielle
Rossette
Lisa
Sue
Denise
Beth
April
Marcella

Rules

1. Post the Rules on your blog
2. Answer all of the six items listed
3. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a message on their blog

Love to you all!

SNOW

2008-11-20T07:12:00.004-05:00

Yes, we had snow. Well, okay snow flurries that lasted 10 minutes. But for my girls it was a thrill. Living this close to the coast we don't get much so the girls are so thankful for each snowflake that falls.

Shoshannah said it was raining snow.

Snow is one of the beauties of God, that reminds me of just how awesome a Creator, He is.No two snowflakes are the same. Hmm, I think I will rest for a while in that thought....

On Pointe

2008-11-13T11:51:00.007-05:00

Well, Danielle has made it. This week she went up on Pointe Shoes. This is such a big deal for her. At the beginning of this year she was told by Christmas, then it was Thanksgiving, on her Wednesday class her instructor told her to come in early for her Thursday class. Danielle went in did some ballet moves, had her feet measured then told go get your shoes! So off we went. It took 45 minutes of measuring, fitting and instruction to finally get the right shoe. After handing over mega bucks (who knew cardboard and satin could cost so much) we went to lunch to celebrate.

This is big step for anyone serious about ballet, but for Danielle the victory is a little sweeter. Four years ago, three days away from recital, she fractured her right femur. She spent several weeks in a partial body cast and in severe pain. During this time she was such a soldier. Yes, she cried and screamed through moving and didn't sleep for many days/nights. We went in for a check up and discovered that the fracture had pulled apart. The first diagnosis had been a green stick fracture. But now she was off to surgery. The goal was to manipulate the bone back in place and give her a complete lower body cast. They did that, but after taking xrays, the doctor said it was not holding. At that time they inserted long rods and pins into her leg. Within 4 days of surgery she was out of pain!. Then within weeks it was time to begin physical therapy. So the pains started over, but Danielle kept working hard as she wanted to walk without the walker and more than that she wanted to dance again.

By December she was back at dance but having trouble with her knee where the pins were. The doctor determined the pins had to come out. So back to surgery and within two weeks she was back at dance. The rest is history for her. She has continued to dance and just keeps getting better and better. Danielle dances at a wonderful academy. They stress that the dance is for the Lord's glory and to be used to glorify Him. She is a graceful young lady who loves to dance.
We are so proud of her. Danielle, continue to dance for Him!

The Garden Revisited

2008-11-07T14:16:00.006-05:00

The girls and I took a visit to the Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful, crisp fall morning. To our amazement the Azaleas and Roses were still in bloom and the bees were busy gathering pollen from all the blooms. I love walking the gardens and just being awed by God's creation. I always ask,"How did HE think of that?". Of course I think the most beautiful creation there was my three girls.

Fall Festival 2008

2008-10-29T08:19:00.004-04:00

Sunday night our church held our Fall Festival. It is a well attended function. Over the past few years about 5000 people have come out to enjoy this event. This year I am not sure the numbers were as high. Several reasons maybe other churches in the area are getting in on this trend. Which is great because many more people get to hear the Gospel and enjoy some great, safe family time. And this year I am happy to say that our church heard the call and made it a free event. Well, almost free. Price of admissions one bag of candy and a non perishable food item for Thanksgiving Baskets.

So, knowing Shoshannah and how much stuff she could handle we kept the costume simple. The girls and I did this about 1 hour before the event. Of course by the time we to to church which is only 25 minutes away all the make up was off and we had to reapply. And within 1 hour it was off again. Oh well, at least I got a couple of pictures.

We have trunk or treating and the people who do this really get into this. Once again I don't have good pictures. My photographer (Arielle) was serving in the Chuck Wagon.

Shoshannah wasn't sure about walking up to people and holding out her bag. However, when she figured out that they were putting in candy, well she turned PRO. We only did part of that then moved onto the carnival type games. She played a few , then off to the pony rides. We were not sure how she would respond but she went right up and took a ride and loved it:)
Danielle got to ride also which is great as she was to old to get candy and play the games.

We then went inside for chili and hot dogs, praise music, fellowship with friends and then home. It was a great night.

Here are a few pictures.

The Box has Arrived

2008-10-24T12:34:00.005-04:00

Shoshannah has been boo'd. Anna Grace thank you for all the wonderful things you included in the box. Shoshannah was so thrilled to get a package. Before she knew who sent it I just told her she had a package. She said"OH thank you, Mommy,a package for me"

Then she got to open it and the pictures will show you how excited she was. Everything was perfect.

Anna Grace is a great shopper and she knew just the things Shoshannah would like. The Microphone is a big hit. We were just talking about getting one for her. Then Minnie Mouse coloring book, well Mickey Mouse Playhouse is her favorite show. Barrettes for her hair always a good thing as we are always misplacing them. Bubble Bath, socks, markers, and of course M&M's can't go wrong there!

So now the shopping begins...Who is next?...Stay Tuned....

Rossettee, thank you for starting this tradition for the girls.

Gotta Love'em

2008-10-23T14:16:00.002-04:00

Today we were talking about taking showers and baths. Shoshannah loves to take her bath. Well, she said when I get old I am going to jump in the shower. After repeating this a couple of times, I asked her"Shoshannah how old is old?" She said "You" She said it so sweetly and truthfully. So I am now off to wash that grey right out of my hair. Then off to the store to find the best wrinkle cream I can buy!:)

It's a Small, Small World

2008-10-14T14:29:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we headed South to visit family. Leaving at 5:37am Friday morning we headed to Swainsboro, GA to visit my parents. We arrived there about 5:00pm. It was a long trip, but Saturday was filled with nothing to do but sit around so we rested. Then Sunday morning we left and traveled 2 hours North to visit with Craig's Mom. A couple hours there then we went to lunch at Krystal's. Why don't they have this fast food place this far north? Then onto Columbia SC to see Ellis and Gina. We spent some time with them and then went onto the hotel to sleep. Leaving Columbia at 8am Monday morning we headed on home. It was as whirlwind trip but nice to see all the family we could.

On the way home we knew we had to be on the lookout for Chick fil A for lunch around 11ish. Somewhere in NC we saw a sign and went hunting, after driving off the interstate for miles and no sign of the Chick fil A we headed back to I 95 and continued on. By then I am just thinking find something. So I said let's do the next Wendy's we see. In a few minutes we spot the exit and take it only to find the Wendy's connected to a Truck stop. A no go, so back to the interstate.

Just a few more exists and WOW a Chick Fil A in Dortches NC. We take the exist and see the sign that says it is 4.1 miles down the road. You know when you are in a hurry to get home and still have hours to go you just want things to be quick. Well, we made the decision to find this Chick Fil A and we did. After driving for a couple of miles we found this really nice Chick Fil A and went inside. Now I have to say this was the best Chick Fil A. It was lunch rush, the manager started taking orders, he delivered our food to our table. In a few minutes an employee came by and gave us mints, another employee came by to see if we needed any refills. The service was exceptional. We are sitting there eating and over the high counter a lady stopped and asked how old Shoshannah was and asked what her name was. Then the questions (my mind was wondering was this some small town lady who had never seen a Chinese little girl and was wondering what her next question or comment was going to be) Then she said her granddaughter was 3 also and she was meeting her for lunch. Then she also said that her daughter was going to be excited. So I asked" Is your granddaughter adopted?" Yes, was her reply, from China. In walks her daughter and granddaughter and she calls them over. She introduced the little one as Lily. Shoshannah and Lily began to talk and the adults carried on our own conversation. It went something like this.. Where is Shoshannah from- Chongqing_ SO is Lily! What orphanage? Chongqing City. Where is Lily from Dianjiang which is near the Shicuan Province, but they stayed in Chongqing. How long has she been home> 2 years. US too! They flew home September 15 2006, we got home September 24, 2006. Shoshannah's birthdate August 4, 2005, Lily was born in July 2005. Lily's other grandmother lives on the Eastern Shore and they pass through Chesapeake on their way there. So, I gave them our address and phone number,they said they would call the next time they were traveling through. Lily and Shoshannah wanted to play,but our time was limited so off we went.

Craig and I got back in the van. Both kinda quiet thinking about what God had just done. Then we begin to talk. We don't believe in coincidences. We believe God orchestrated that meeting. And we are so thrilled. We hope to visit with this family again.

Have I ever mentioned that Shoshannah means "Rose"? There is a wonderful story behind that. Well, another way to spell Shoshannah is to leave the last h off. If you do it means Lily:)

The Young Man Loves His Mom

2008-10-02T09:58:00.003-04:00

I picked Andrew up from work last week and once he gets in the van he pulls out this lovely Begonia Flower. Oh my heart just took off and flew.

Andrew was never a cuddly baby, he never liked to be held and loved on. As he grew older he would avoid hugs and kisses for as long as he could. Many times "I love you Andrew" met with silence. Those days were very hard for me.

So, I just kept on loving him, hugging on him even when he didn't hug back, Praying for him and just being Mom.

Then, several years ago, the Lord began to do a work in Andrew's life. (actually, God had been working before it just wasn't obvious). We saw Andrew begin to take the faith of us and make it his own. He began to read his Bible because he wanted to not because we made him, He began asking the hard questions about what it means to be a follower of Christ. When all these inward changes began to take place the outward results were amazing to watch.

Andrew began to show love towards his sisters by putting them first and spending time with them. He began to "talk" more. He shared his faith and the things he was learning. He became passionate about what he believed about our Jesus. He responded to hugs and the words" I love you" became easier for him to say and he meant them.

When I reflect on Andrew's journey ...from little boy to young man. I stand amazed.. Amazed at this awesome young man who is going to change the world for his Lord, a young man who will be a great husband and father one day, a loyal friend, a young man who loves his family. Andrew is fun and makes us laugh. And I am proud that he is my son. I look forward to Andrew's future:)

I also stand amazed at the faithfulness of God. He stood right there with us through raising Andrew. He gave us this wonderful young man to raise as a warrior for Him. And His Words have rang true.

"Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should teach them to their children, That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children, That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments." Psalm 78:3-7

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the mater for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11

So while the flower continues through its life cycles in my kitchen window, each time I look at it I will be reminded of the sweet young man who in his own special way said" I love you, Mom" and made my heart glad.

Inspiration

2008-09-29T11:23:00.003-04:00

Shoshannah has a pair of earrings named after her! A creative friend has named a pair of her earrings after Shoshannah! Check them out.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_1&listing_id=15688021 Link to this if you would like to see any of Mary's other creations.

Thanks Mary!

Thank You, Lord for Blessing us....

2008-09-16T19:09:00.006-04:00

Adoption Day 2006
September 2008

Today, September 17th is our 2 year Forever Family Day Celebration with Shoshannah. Two years ago, in Chongqing, China we were handed this precious baby girl that God had ordained would be our little girl.

Our journey began 11 years ago in Bremerton WA when God planted the seed of adoption in my heart. However it took 8 years for God to bring Craig and I together on this journey. We began the journey together in December of 2004. In June 2005 all of our paper work was sent to China and then we waited and waited and waited some more. Then on August 1, 2006 we received that phone call...You have a daughter. In September 2006 we boarded that jet plane for China. And on September 17th we became a family of 7. IT was a long journey full of many tears, lots of prayers and crying out to God, and then the sweetest joy.

The baby we were given that day has blossomed into this beautiful, full of life 3 year old. She loves life to its fullest in every way. It seems like she has to pull everything in at a fast neck pace. She has blessed and grown our family. God is using her to teach me more about His Mercy and Grace. How it must flow from us each minute of the day if we are to be more like Him. Shoshannah brings a joy and liveliness that just makes each day new and exciting and tiring!I can never find the words to tell anyone what having this answer to prayer in my life means. I will use another blog to tell you how much she has changed and what she has taught our family.

Thank you God, for Shoshannah and may she bless you all the days of her life. To our family and friends thank you for your love and prayers. And to our travel mates who are now wonderful friends, we love ya'll and we are so glad to be sharing this journey with you. Give each of the girls a kiss from us and an extra squeeze from Shoshannah! To Shoshannah's birth family may you find peace in knowing that your little baby is safe, happy, and loved beyond belief. To the Nannies of Chongqing Children's Home, thank you for the care you gave Lanjiang for the first 13 months of her life. To the Chinese government thank you for honoring our request and letting us adopt this beautiful baby. To Bethany Christian Services thank you for all that you did in making this adoption happen, Special thank you to Jeanne, Shiyan, Joy and Michael you are amazing people.

How Awesome is this....

2008-09-13T15:56:00.001-04:00

I love how our God brings things back to Him and how His splendor is reveled in so many ways. Please take the time to listen..

Laminin

Dancers.....

2008-09-03T14:53:00.002-04:00

Today, dance began again for Danielle and anew for Shoshannah.Danielle has a gift for dance and she loves it. She is starting Pre Pointe this year and must take 2 classes which are 1. 5 hour each. So today is she tired after her first class but wait until she completes her second class tomorrow!

Durning the Wednesday morning classes Shoshannah started her ballet class. Her class name is the Shinning Stars. Thankfully, she has the sweetest teacher. Her teacher Miss Jessica is the daughter of Danielle's teacher Ms Christine! We have been so blessed with this dance studio. It is owned by a Christian couple and the studio is about teaching these children how to use the gift of dance to Glorify God. It is wonderful and I can't rave about them enough. I wasn't able to take pictures during class, so here are a few that were taken prior to going.

New School Year 2008

2008-08-27T11:03:00.004-04:00

The official start of the academic year has begun in the Bacon Household. I say academic as we believe every day is a day of learning. And school is about learning how to run a household, take care of younger children, cook, clean etc. In our house it is also learning how to nurture relationships with those around you.

We are so blessed to be starting our 18th year of homeschooling. Our thanks goes to the Lord, He called us to this journey. I love being able to be with my children on a daily basis. Thank you, Craig for being such a wonderful provider and encourager. Couldn't do this without you!:)

This year starts with Craig Ellis and Gina in college at Columbia International University. They are still in the beautiful honeymoon stage of life. Both are working and attending classes part time.

Andrew is officially a freshman at Tidewater Community College. I know he is taking computer classes but I can't tell you the names. (trying to let go) He desires to work in the computer field. He is also working part time at Food Lion.

Arielle, is a freshman in high school. WOW that is hard to believe. She is taking.. Algebra 1, Biology, Language 9, World Geography and reading Hamlet at this time. Also starting her 5th year of piano. She will also be acting in our Children's Ministry dramas and working on the tech team. She hopes to learn to sew this year.

Danielle is in the 6th grade. She is taking... Arithmetic 6, Astronomy, Learning Language Arts through Literature, New World History/Geography. She starts her 5th year of dance. She will be helping to lead worship on our Children's Ministry Praise Team.

Shoshannah..well, she wants to "do school" so we are playing around with letters, nothing serious. She can almost verbally spell, Shoshannah. We will see how the year progresses with her:) I may need lots of encouragement to continuing homeschooling her:) God will be working lots on me....

I will post a few pictures taken so far

Connections

2008-08-14T08:31:00.005-04:00

Andrew came home from Big Stuf camp, excited and full from his mountain top experience. He brought home this book, titled God's Blog's by Lanny Donoho. So he has passed it on to me. I am enjoying this book. I was reading a blog this morning and wanted to share it here.

Connections

Today I listened to millions of prayers. Many of them were from hurting people begging Me for intervention and asking Me why.

In order for you to understand, I 'll use the human vernacular for just a second and say that My heart aches for you so often.

I see and feel your pain and do what I know is best...and yet, I know

you cannot understand for now.

There is a concept you can understand though, and if you grab hold of it, it might help.

It's about your connections.

Many of you are unaware of your role in the universe and how important your every thought and word and deed are.

They are connected to others in ways you will never see.

People are put into your path. It is important that you notice them and that you talk to Me about them, and especially that you hear from Me on how to act and react to them.

Let Me tell you about a family that I see right now.

In a crib in Phoenix, Arizona, lies a little infant named Megan.

Megan was born a few months ago with a birth defect.

Her mother is sitting in a rocking chair in the living room of their little house praying to Me.

She is also feeling somewhat guilty that her child was born like this.

Let Me tell you what I see in the future of that little girl.

Her mother realizes she can't bear this burden alone. and she begins to rely on Me to help her.

Little Megan grows up surrounded by love, She hears her mother tell her Bible stories and stories about Me and My love. She attends a church where in spite of her " not being normal", she is loved by a youth group. I watch as she learns and grows and loves.

I watch her at her wedding where over three hundred people weep and smile and hardly notice any unnatural deformities because they are so mesmerized by her countenance.

Their smiles are there because they know her heart. Her life has given them encouragement.

Megan's mom has given them a gift. And many don't see the connection.

Her dad has given them all a gift. He loved her and sacrificed to be with her and didn't get his promotion at work. And that alone allowed him to stay home more.. and his constant presence made her feel more loved and more normal.

And all of that has caused her to be a loving servant to many. Many think it is sad that her dad didn't get to fulfill what he could have...and they don't see the connection, either.

All of this could be the end of the blog, and you could see how important it was to see the connection between a mother and father's love and how it impacts a child and how that child impacts the people around them. But I want to tell you more.

I AM here in Megan's present, and I AM watching more of the connections way in the future.

(we're gonna travel fast through the future here, so pay attentions and don't get lost.)

I watched Megan have her first son Daniel, and them I watched him listen to a lot of the same stories she heard from her mother. Daniel grew up and as nineteen year old worked in a Starbucks, where on a Saturday in April in 2045, Daniel, sat down with a fifteen year old and shared his faith in ME with that kid.

That kid-his name is Nathan- had an interesting future. By the time his life was over, he had used his platform as a speaker to communicate to over thirty million people. He communicated truth about ME that changed the world..in a way I really like.

Here's a thought for you to consider.

People are put in your path almost every day.

Some are quite unobtrusive and you might not even notice them.

Many are somewhat undesirable and you don't want to notice them.

Some are right in your path and you are forced to at least acknowledge their presence.

BUT

you make connections and the connections never die.

The thread just keeps unrolling through time- touching everyone, tying everyone together. It won't stop until you walk into eternity.

THAT'S why......

EVERY DAY MATTERS

EVERY PERSON MATTERS

You have been placed in circumstances somewhere far beyond what you would have chosen and could imagine yourself in.

Be aware of those circumstances...they could be another chance to change
the future of the universe.

Look Around. Very near to you is a person through whom you can change the future of millions of people.

People whom you will never see.. futures you will never know about..but I will.

And when we get together at MY place soon, I will tell you about them and how your connection made a difference.

And you will smile with ME one of those everlasting GOD sized smiles.

Okay more....

2008-08-10T21:56:00.002-04:00

More Photos

2008-08-10T21:53:00.002-04:00

Summer Fun

2008-08-10T21:33:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the weather was beautiful so I decided it was check out a new park! It is new for us. So, we grabbed some pre-made subs packed up the van and off we went. The park is actually less than 5 miles from our house. As we parked the van we heard the chanting and music of Native Americans. Wondering what we had stumbled upon we kept on heading into the park. There was a circle of NA's playing their drums and chanting. It looked to be about 3 generations of people. We continued on, found our picnic table and sat down to eat and listen in on the music. I found it haunting and lovely. After we ate we took a walk, found an old cemetery, stopped read the head stones and continued our walk. It was a very peaceful time. After our walk we let the "children" play on the playground then headed home. Our days for enjoying these family times are changing. Kinda sad, but I am creating memories that I hold near and dear in my heart:)

Here are some photos. Arielle played around with several shots and had fun. I think it will take two posts to get the best ones in.

Happy 3rd Birtthday Shoshannah

2008-08-05T11:31:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a busy, fun day for Shoshannah. In the morning we had playdate with a new friend. They didn't know it was Shoshannah's birthday, but Charity had made Zuchinni muffins, so they added a little icing and candle, and instant birthday cake! It was a very sweet time and I think the girl did very well together. I look forward to hosting them next month. Shoshannah's new friend loves to play with "My little Pony" well, I remarked we don't have any of those. Well, we come home and hanging on the door is a birthday present for Shoshannah. We open it and what do you think it was?? Yes, two My little Ponies and this really cute Chatter Ladybug. Our friends the Dalton's had dropped the gift by. Ty and Logan picked out the little ponies for Shoshannah. This a precious family that God has blessed with 5 boys. During our adoption process they prayed for Shoshannah and the boys were so excited when she came home to us. Just a side note, they are expecting a new little blessing and while we want God's will we are praying PINK, for this family:)
Then it was time for birthday dinner, so we gave Shoshannah a choice of pizza or hamburger and french fries. She chose hamburger and french fries. And being her daddy's girl, the place was MacDonalds. She ate then ran Danielle ragged in the playplace.
We came home to cake and presents. She loved everything!
I want to add that the blanket you see in the video was made by Arielle with a little help from Danielle.
We are so blessed with this little angel. We love you Shoshannah! I have to edit some pictures and will post them later.

The Call...

2008-08-01T14:53:00.004-04:00

Love that Face!

Two years ago today we received the call that changed our family forever. As an adoptive family you work many hours filing paper work, scheduling appointments, attending classes, PRAYING and mostly WAITING. And in our case waiting and waiting some more. But finally that calls comes in telling you that you have a new child. We receieved our call about 10am on August 1, 2006 telling us that we had a new baby girl to add to our family. She lived in Chongqing, China, her name was Yu Lan Jiang and her birthday was August 4, 2005. The joy and tears flowed. The following day on August 2, we went to our local Bethany office to recieve our pictures. What a beauty she was and what a beauty she still is.. We are blessed.

Thank you Lord that you found us worthy of having this child placed in our family.

Yours...

2008-07-28T18:22:00.004-04:00

Steven Curtis Chapman has released a new version of his song Yours.A new verse has been added since Marie went home to be with Jesus. The words of the song are true and I believe them and can sing them with all my heart. But I wonder would my faith hold and would I sing these same words with strong conviction should Christ ask me to give up something that I truly cherish, like one of my children.

Little Miss Spider

2008-07-25T07:45:00.002-04:00

Little Miss Spider books have been a favorite of Shoshannah's since we brought her home. Many of the books she can quote parts of the story. Well, on Tuesday our library had a visit from Little Miss Spider so we took Shoshannah. It was a cute time. They read a couple of books, sang some songs, had a puppet show and then a spider craft. Shoshannah participated in all the activities, but after a while I could tell that all the noise and people were beginning to get to her. So thankfully Miss Spider made her appearance. I had the camera ready, Arielle and Danielle were right there with her ready to snatch her up should she panic. But no, she went right up hugged Miss Spider and had to be made to come away. YEAH!

Another Milestone...

2008-07-21T21:23:00.002-04:00

On July 16th, Andrew turned 18 years old. According to the world he is an adult. But to me he will always be my baby boy. This year Andrew decided he wanted to have some friends over for a cookout and then they would all head out to see " The Dark Knight"The party took place Friday night.
I let Andrew plan his menu and this is what he chose: Grilled Hamburgers and Sausage, Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Chips, Cheese Balls with Crackers, Grilled onions and peppers, watermelon, baked beans, veggie tray (Mom's input) and four layer chocolate pie. So that's what we had. Well of the 9 people who RSVP'd yes only 4 showed up. So guess what my family is eating for the rest of the week:). The young people who showed up were a blessing and I think they all had a good time. Only the guys headed to the movies, Heather bailed out. I think she was smart!!
Andrew, has grown into an awesome young man. He loves the Lord and his family and friends. He has claimed the Faith as his own and this one fact gives me the greatest joy. So to my smart,funny,sweet young man, know that I love you and look forward to watching you grow in your relationship with the Lord. I am so excited about what the future holds for you.

Together Again

2008-07-04T07:27:00.002-04:00

We have had the honor to host the Brackett Family for the past couple of day.(Eric we missed you). Ava and Shoshannah had lots of fun playing together and seemed to bond so sweetly. They carried on many a conversation and we tried to listen in but as soon as they knew they were being observed they stopped talking. Christopher and Danielle enjoyed getting to know each other. I had a wonderful time talking with Conway. We covered so many topics, but I think we need more time to go deeper in those conversations! They are truly a sweet family.Here are some photos. The only problem I had was getting the girls to look at the camera at the same time.

Dancing Danielle

2008-06-30T07:04:00.003-04:00

Jazz Dance

Ballet Dance

Ms Christine a blessing in Danielle's Life
One of Danielle's passions is dancing. God had blessed her with poise and grace and she loves to dance. Ballet has always been her dance of choice, but this year she added a jazz class. Of course she liked it. In the fall she will move up to pre point and now must focus on her ballet. She has also joined the Worship Dance team at church (well if they ever get it off the ground).I was hoping to have some better pictures to post from the recital, but I don't have them yet so here are a few from her professionally taken shots. Her ballet was a Hebrew inspired dance and it was part of the mini ballet and Danielle also had a acting part in the mini ballet. For the past couple of years Danielle's teacher Ms Christine has written a mini ballet to tell a story of our Saviors Love. Then several of the studio dances are incorporated into the mini ballet.It is always a blessing and shares the WORD with those who are watching the recital.

For My Friend who finds Andrew's Antics Funny..your day is coming!

2008-06-20T07:21:00.002-04:00

Andrew did not want to wear a cap and gown when he was presented his diploma. So he goofed around. If I had a good picture you would see that he had on a Tee shirt, shorts and was bare footed. So now the cap and gown are put away and who knows where the diploma is?..

Arielle Tried...

2008-06-09T09:05:00.002-04:00

Yesterday,was Senior Sunday at church. The graduating seniors were given a Bible (version of their choice)and then they were in charge of the high school service. Andrew was the featured speaker. His topic was prayer. He did a great job. We are so proud of him. God is doing a work in Andrew and we can't wait to see the outcome! For those of you who have known us for many years, you know we have prayed for this so long. God is giving us the desires of our hearts where Andrew is concerned. So, I guess we will present Andrew with his diploma on Tues evening, go out to dinner. He has already recieved his graduation present.
So for now I will leave you with some pictures that were taken yesterday. Arielle, tried to get a serious picture for us to use, but alas, Andrew was being Andrew.

Okay just a few more until the other pictures get here!

2008-06-03T09:03:00.003-04:00

The Wedding Party

This wonderful cake was made by two of Ellis and Gina's friends. IT WAS DIVINE

The Princess had tried to escape was was captured

A Few More of My Favorite Pictures from the Day

2008-06-02T07:03:00.002-04:00

These are some more pictures from Ellis/Gina's wedding. Arielle was taking pictures, trying to stay out of the photographers way.

With Glad Hearts, We Present to You..Mr and Mrs. Craig E. Bacon

2008-06-01T18:15:00.002-04:00

God is faithful! Since we found out that I was pregnant with Craig Ellis we have prayed for the woman that God would bring into Ellis' life to be his Helpmeet. This weekend we had the joy to watch these two young people pledge themselves to each other and God. It was a beautiful, HOT day in Blythewood, SC. Ellis and Gina were married in a small country church with family and close friends there. The ceremony was sweet and precious. Several friends and family members read Prayers and Scripture. After I have had time to rest and recoup I will write more about the ceremony. As I have said before we are so blessed to have Gina in our family. It was such a blessing to see Ellis so happy. So for now I am going to post a few pictures.

No Name As Sweet As Mom

2008-05-28T19:10:00.002-04:00

The name Mom-has many different variations, Mother, Mama, Mommy. From the time my babies started babbling I awaited that special moment when they said mama for the first time. Then over time without prompting Mama, turns to Mommy, Mom or Mama still. Each and every one of these words is sweet and precious. A mother's love is so deep and knows no boundaries. I have been blessed with 4 precious children that I had the joy of hearing call me mama when they were only a few months old. Then God, chose to bless me again with the beautiful adopted daughter and while I missed those first 13 months with her, when I heard her call me mama for the first time my heart just burst with the joy of that word. Knowing that even though we were not blood related we were Mother and Daughter in all the ways that are really important. Now, once again I am being blessed with another daughter. No, Mama won't be the name she calls me but she has honored me by calling me Mom. This weekend as Craig Ellis and Gina enter into the covenant of marriage I am gaining a daughter. I am truly a Blessed woman. I love the name Mom and all that comes with that. I thank the Lord for all the ways He creates a family. I praise Him for allowing me to be MOM.

One of our Favorite Places

2008-05-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Craig and Danielle enjoying the view

Shoshannah and her instrument of choice

Shoshannah loves the Disney movie "Aristocats"

Lonely Bench

Where does the path lead
Once again, we took off for Botanical Gardens. The roses are in full bloom, but because of all the rain they were sad looking. But we had fun walking and enjoying God's beautiful creation.

A Day in the Park

2008-05-24T19:41:00.000-04:00

We have been so busy moving and settling in that I haven't taken the time to post recently. Last week, I had the chance to take Danielle and Shoshannah to the park while Arielle had piano practice. So here are a few pictures. Shoshannah loves the outside and would live there if given the chance.

Arielle finds new photo opportunities

2008-04-21T08:45:00.000-04:00

The children have named him Peanut

Arielle loves to photograph flowers

The elusive butterfly

Arielle had to rise early for this shot
Arielle, has found some great things to photograph at our new house. Our house backs to a small lake(they call it that, I would say a small pond) While we can't swim, boat or fish in this lake it does draw in some wildlife. So, I am sure there will be many more photos.

Friends

2008-04-21T08:38:00.001-04:00

We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our life. We hired a company to move our big furniture but we had plenty of boxes! So, on Saturday these wonderful friends showed up to help. Joanne, brought delicious chocolate chip cookies to share and she jumped in and started packing up the things we had left out. The rest of the gang moved boxes from one house to the truck, then into the new house. They were fast and good! We couldn't have done it without them. I didn't think about taking pictures until the last minute so there is one person missing from the pictures. Gary, gave us his morning then in the afternoon he went to help lay floors at another friends house. Thank you to everyone!

We have moved

2008-04-21T08:28:00.000-04:00

Danielle painting her room. YELLOW
My friend Denise lending a hand
Andrew trying to understand how Michaelangelo did it!
Arielle gets to handle the power tools.
Well after 8 years of living in Chesapeake, we decided to make it our permanent home base! So we took the plunge and bought a house. I never knew how much work it was!. We spent 2 weeks cleaning and painting just a few rooms, still many more to go. Then came the big move. We have too much stuff. Right now we are in the middle of boxes upon boxes! But we did have new floors laid in the entire downstairs and I have my list of future home improvements. The list is VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY long.
So here are a few pictures. As soon as we get settled I will take more.

Easter Day Celebration

2008-03-25T11:28:00.000-04:00

After church on Sunday we went over to a friends house and had lunch and fellowship. The "children" (7 college students, 1 high schooler, 2 middler schoolers, and Danielle) had an egg hunt. Mary (our hostess) had a special egg hunt for Shoshannah. The college students were funny to watch find their eggs then add up the money to see how much gas they could buy:)It is so refreshing to spend time with these young people. They love the Lord and are so polite and respectful. Special memories and new friendships were formed.

Act 2

2008-03-24T07:57:00.001-04:00

Andrew Easter Drama Act II

Acting in the Blood

2008-03-24T07:40:00.001-04:00

It seems that the acting bug runs in our family or at least so far in our boys. Throughout his years in youth ministry, Craig Ellis was on the high school drama team and Childrens Ministry Drama Team. Well, then along comes Andrew. He started serving as a puppeteer with our preschool ministry, then learned how to run the sound board, and then lights for our Contemporary Worship Service, and started on the high school drama team. He had been training to be part of the gymnasitics team and the leadership asked him to think about joining the drama team as they needed more actors. Andrew prayed about it and the rest is history! This past year he joined the Children's Ministry Drama Team. Our Children's Worship Hour is called Kids Thang.
He did hear through the grapevine that his performance last week had given him an "OSCAR" nod!:)
I do not have a video of that performance but do have video of Easter Sunday.

Andrew Easter Sunday Drama

We are so blessed

2008-03-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

Today we had the pleasure of attending our Easter morning services. For us as a family it is a day of service. Our older children served this morning in our Children's Worship hours.

Danielle is a memember of our Praise Team. I can't post video as it involves many children so you get a picture. Danielle loves to worship and it shows in her smile and praise.

First Egg Hunt

2008-03-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

We always have our Egg Hunt on the Saturday before Easter. I thought it would be only Shoshannah this year, but Danielle let me know that Arielle got to hunt eggs until she was 12. So, last night Danielle and Shoshannah dyed eggs. They had lots of fun with that. Today, Andrew and Craig hid eggs, Arielle took photos and Mom watched.

Last year, was Shoshannah's first Easter with us and she was sick. But this year she is really getting into the whole thing. Singing Hosannah and waving her palm leaf saying Jesus is coming. I love watching her learn new things.

But she really likes the egg hunt thing, she was quite the competitor. Following along behind Danielle and wanting the eggs Danielle found.

New Places to Visit

2008-03-14T19:12:00.000-04:00

We have lived in Chesapeake for almost 8 years. Today we ventured out to a new park about 16 miles from our house. It is the park in which Craig Ellis proposed to Gina. This park is in the boonies but a nice place especially if you like to hike. What we found is that the trails are not stroller friendly. But the kids had some fun.

Celtic Woman

2008-03-10T15:23:00.000-04:00

On Friday night I attended a Celtic Woman Show. They are awesome. Craig had bought me ticktes for my birthday. He was skeptical about going but he came away from the show impressed. If you get a chance to see them they are worth the cost of the ticket. I will try to attach a youtube video.

One of my favorites

Spring is Here

2008-03-05T11:45:00.002-05:00

Spring

2008-03-05T11:42:00.001-05:00

A New Spring Day

2008-03-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

The weather has hinted at spring for the past few days. So the girls and I headed out again to Botanical Gardens. Most The gardens were mostly bleak but with few signs of new life. We had a great time.

Chinese New Year Celebration 2008

2008-02-14T15:40:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we had the honor of attending our local FCC Chinese New Year Celebration. It was held at the Sheraton Hotel Oceanfront. The organizers did a great job. We were greeted with goodie bags for the girls and an envelope full of fun stuff. Local Asian vendors were there. The ballroom was decorated with balloons and lots of fun stuff and they had craft tables set up. Arielle and Danielle helped with the the crafts for a 20 minute time frame. Then we had annoucements and then dinner. Dinner was okay. There were noodles,rice,chicken and egg rolls then cakes for dessert. Then we had entertainment provided by the local Chinese Cultural Center. Overall a nice night but we think we will wait a few more years before doing it again. There was nothing there that held Shoshannah's attention. So before the night was over we had to buy her a new outfit as she destroyed the first one,she had pulled her bows out of her hair along with wads of hair. NO fun!

The Wonderful World Of Girls

2008-02-07T08:34:00.001-05:00

This past Friday night Arielle had some friends over for some girl fun. The girls made pizza, watched a Celtic Woman DVD, sang, crafted, played games, talked, laughed ate some more and who knows what else. Then finally at 4 am they fell asleep. It was a great night. Arielle has some wonderful friends. These girls are sweet, beautiful, talented and lots of fun!

Photos from Botanical Gardens

2008-01-08T08:49:00.000-05:00

2008-01-08T08:36:00.000-05:00

More Photos

2008-01-08T08:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Craig Ellis

2008-01-08T08:25:00.000-05:00

I want to know why children must grow up so fast. 2007 brought many changes to Ellis' life. Some trials and some happy times. He has now moved away from home, is engaged to a sweet young lady and is pounding the pavement job hunting. This is the first year we haven't spent together for his birthday. I missed it! Ellis we love you and wish you a wonderful year. Arielle wanted to go to Botanical Gardens for her birthday but it didn't work out so we went for Ellis' birthday. Here is a picture for you.

Happy 13th Birthday Arielle

2008-01-08T08:20:00.001-05:00

Our sweet little lady turned 13 on December 29th. I am so far behind in my posting. Arielle we love you and are so proud of the young lady that you are growing up to be. You bring peace and love to our family. Thank you for being Mommy's helper.

We love you.

The Celebration Continues.. December 26

2007-12-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

I have the best family! Today is my birthday not yesterday like my previous post reads. Sorry Conway. The weather outside was frightful so I really didn't want to get out into it. My children all wished me Happy Birthday with hugs. Shoshannah sang her version of Happy Birthday Mommy. For dinner the entire crew headed out to Paradocks to eat. It was fun to have everyone together. Then Craig surprised me with 2 tickets to see Celtic Woman in March. YEAH! I love having my family around. I am a blessed woman to have such a best friend and husband as Craig. And I must say I have the best children.Thank you Craig Ellis, Andrew, Arielle, Danielle and Shoshannah for making my life so beautiful!
I love you all

The Celebration Continues.. Christmas Day

2007-12-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought since the children were older and Shoshannah had no clue about the gifts that we would get to sleep in until at least 6:30am. But alas at 4:00am two of the children started making treks to the bathroom. Arielle couldn't sleep so she sat up to read at 4:00am. Finally at 6 I heard voices whispering. You know that whisper that reaches across the entire up stairs. So I woke Shoshannah and Craig up and the other children woke up Craig Ellis(after all he is an adult now). The children had a great time opening gifts. I think each of them was pleased. Shoshannah loves her kitchen and Craig hates the mess it makes with all those little pieces.After gifts were opened and the trash picked up, Ellis headed back to bed and the rest of the crew played or read. It was a very relaxing day.
The celebrating continues today with my birthday. Then we are birthday free until Saturday when Arielle will turn 13. On Friday night Gina will join us so the family will be complete for this year.

My Beautiful Children

2007-12-24T18:49:00.000-05:00

Before we left for Christmas Eve Service my children dressed up, well almost all of them did. And we are missing Gina. She will be here the end of the week and we will take more photos then.
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family. We love you all

The Celebration Continues.. Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T18:38:00.000-05:00

These are just some pictures of how we spent more of our day. The girls made sugar cookies,the boys watched several episodes of The Muppet Show, Craig took several naps. There was even a few games of Uno played. Then we had lunch and got ready for Christmas Eve service. We went to the 3pm service and Shoshannah sat through the entire service:)YEAH. Then we came home and cooked our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.. Grilled steak, baked potatoes, salad, and popcorn shrimp. It is wonderful.
We will end our night reading the Christmas Story from the book of Luke.
And of course tracking Santa for my older children! Shoshannah has no idea who he is.

The Celebration Continues... Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

One of our family traditions is that we open a family gift on Christmas Eve Day. Usually it is a game and or movie. This year we opened three gifts. One being a new Ono game, Pictionary on DVD,Disney Version, and Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We will be watching the movie tonight. And playing the game when Shoshannah goes to sleep.

The Celebration Continues..Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T18:26:00.001-05:00

For her birthday, Danielle wanted to go to Chick Fil A for dinner. Well, her birthday fell on a Sunday so we said we would go on Saturday. Alas, she was sick on Saturday. Bright and early this morning we piled into the van and headed to Chick Fil A for breakfast. I am thinking we should add this to our traditions.

Let the Celebrations Begin... Happy 11th Birthday Danielle

2007-12-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

Eleven years ago in Bremerton,WA, I gave birth to our fourth child. A beautiful baby girl we call Danielle.She is so lively and easy going and brings much love and joy to those who know her. We thank you Lord, for giving us the gift of Danielle. Happy Birthday baby girl. We love you!

The Outfit can make the woman or in this case the girl

2007-12-16T16:39:00.001-05:00

Notice the presents under the tree? We snuck a few in to see if she would notice..So far so good.

These pictures just show a side of our classy, sassy little girl. She wore this outfit to church this morning and was the hit of the toddler department. Even her Sunday School teacher said she was more sassy acting. Hmmm was that a good thing??

A Christmas Gift for Shoshannah's Sisters

2007-11-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

In honor of Annalee, Ava Brackett, Ava Bogen, Gracie, Anna Grace and Marie we made a donation today to World Vision. Since most of our girls came home with Giardia we know how important clean water is. So here is the gift..

Water sources at Angolan and Kenyan schools are often contaminated, causing frequent diarrheal infections that keep children out of class and can endanger their lives. Your gift will deliver enough water treatment tablets to provide safe drinking water for up to 250 children for one year.

May God bless each of you in a special way this Christmas Season.

With love,
The Bacon Family

www.worldvision.org

Our family is Growing Again!

2007-11-23T19:19:00.000-05:00

It is with Happy Hearts that we announce the engagement of our oldest son, Craig Ellis to Gina Marie. They will be married July of 2008. We thank God for the addition of Gina to our family. Please pray for them as they plan their lives together.

A First....

2007-11-08T06:45:00.000-05:00

Well, this Sunday is the first time Shoshannah made it through the morning leaving the bows in her hair!. These pictures were taken 10 minutes after I put the bows in her hair. She tried pulling one out on the ride to church, we put that one back in. When I picked her up from her Sunday School class she still had them in. But alas, on the way home she pulled them out. But I am so happy with her progress! Maybe I will have a girly girl after all...

Ah... To Be Young Again

2007-11-01T07:59:00.000-04:00

Do you remember the days when you were first making your way in the world? Here is Craig Ellis making dinner for some friends at school. Then Ellis with Gina. Dressing up, eating dinner with friends, laughing, have a great time! Great memories. May they create many more.

More Photos

2007-10-24T11:48:00.000-04:00

Here are some more photos

A Day in the Gardens

2007-10-24T11:41:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share some of our photos from our venture to the Gardens yesterday. All the photos are taken by Arielle, except for the one of her! Hope you enjoy. She took over 200 photos yesterday.

What Do You Get When You Kiss A Frog

2007-10-23T20:04:00.001-04:00

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens has a wonderful Children's area. Shoshannah had a great time today. She was playing in an area with these 5 frogs and they spurt water at different times. This is her reaction to kissing her first frog...

PUT THE EDITOR ON THE PHONE

2007-10-18T08:49:00.000-04:00

We are teaching our children that they are never to young to try and change the world around them. Looks like Shoshannah has read a cartoon she doesn't agree with and is calling the Editor of the paper! If he saw that face he would cave in and give her whatever she wanted:)

New Words

2007-10-09T07:22:00.000-04:00

Why do we teach our children new words or phrases and then complain when they use them too much? It all started when the girls would be playing with Shoshannah and she would become frustrated and start screaming. So we taught her to say"Please Stop". Well, now everytime they come near her she says "Please stop". And now she is using it on everyone. "Please stop" changing my diaper, Please stop, telling me what to do. PLEASE STOP, PLEASE STOP. We are tired of those words. And now she has added GO AWAY all on her own! OH the power of words.

Then and Now

2007-09-21T19:18:00.001-04:00

Who would have known that one year ago this little girl would be placed in our arms and change our family forever. This has been a week of reflection. One year ago on September 17, 2006 we left our hotel for the long ride to the Chongqing Children's Home. There we walked up three flights of stairs to where our baby girl awaited us.It was the end of one journey and beginning of another. We waited around until they called our names, then we walked up to the gate to be handed this baby who became our 5th child. Precious child, her world, the only one known to her was about to be rocked. This is a time of celebration. Shoshannah has brought so much joy and love into our family. It seems as if she has always been with us. We are looking forward to many more years of celebrations.

Shoshannah's Journey and our Forever Family

SNOW 2010

City Girls in the Country

The Boo Box Has Arrived

Well if You Won't Give Me My Nap

Sister Fun

Happy 4th Birthday to our Little Superhero!

Talent Show

And She is only 3

My Almost Perfect Mothers Day 2009

First 2009 Visit to Busch Gardens

Picture Perfect

No Girly Girl Here

Having Fun with Big Sisters

Creative Juices are Flowing

True Love Waits 2009

Our BIG Snow Day

Andrew Has A Golden Ticket

Not so nice ending to a Beautiful Day

Tea Party for the Ladies

Chinese New Year 2009

The Things They Pick Up

And the Emmy goes to....

Happy 14th Birthday Arielle

What a Wonderful Life

Happy 12th Birthday Danielle

Dancing

Somethings Missing!

A Day of Thanksgiving

TAGGED

SNOW

On Pointe

The Garden Revisited

Fall Festival 2008

The Box has Arrived

Gotta Love'em

It's a Small, Small World

The Young Man Loves His Mom

Inspiration

Thank You, Lord for Blessing us....

How Awesome is this....

Dancers.....

New School Year 2008

Connections

Okay more....

More Photos

Summer Fun

Happy 3rd Birtthday Shoshannah

The Call...

Yours...

Little Miss Spider

Another Milestone...

Together Again

Dancing Danielle

For My Friend who finds Andrew's Antics Funny..your day is coming!

Arielle Tried...

Okay just a few more until the other pictures get here!

A Few More of My Favorite Pictures from the Day

With Glad Hearts, We Present to You..Mr and Mrs. Craig E. Bacon

No Name As Sweet As Mom

One of our Favorite Places

A Day in the Park

Arielle finds new photo opportunities

Friends

We have moved

Easter Day Celebration

Act 2

Acting in the Blood

We are so blessed

First Egg Hunt

New Places to Visit

Celtic Woman

Spring is Here

Spring

A New Spring Day

Chinese New Year Celebration 2008

The Wonderful World Of Girls

Photos from Botanical Gardens

MORE

More Photos