Yippeeee....We Won!!

I cannot even tell you how excited I am!!  Our family, with your help, won the photography contest!! 
We never win anything!  Seriously.  :)

But a HUGE thanks to everyone who voted for us. Now we will be able to have a professional photographer take pics of our entire family for us, something we haven't done in a long time.  And I will be able to change my blog header photo to one with everyone in it.... including our precious Gideon.

We are very excited!

Thanks especially to Four Sides Photography.  Visit her page on Facebook if you haven't already.  She does amazing work! 

Soooo looking forward to our session.

Vacation Bible School!

Tonight began one of my favorite times of the whole summer-- Vacation Bible School (otherwise known as VBS) at our church.  I have loved watching our kids participate each year just as much as they love going.  And this year, I am getting to teach!  I am the teacher for our preschoolers ages 3 to 5 and we started off tonight with a bang!!



Me dressed up as Sarah, my friend Amy as herself!



It is such fun watching these little ones with their eyes glued to me as I tell them a story, or lining up single file with their hands on eachother's shoulders to form a choo-choo line back into the auditorium, or to have one of them (sweet little Maddy) cuddle up against me in the pew as we all pray together.  Such great memories are being formed for them, and for me!  And I am enjoying every bit of it.



My room all decorated for the preschoolers



Some of Evan's artwork on the walls



And some more... Evan drew the lion.

This year is extremely special because we have Gideon with us now too.  It was awesome to look out my classroom door tonight streight down the hall to the craft room and see my new son busily painting and participating with the help of another church member.  It just made my heart swell at the sight of it.  Sweet Gideon who might have never known about the love of Jesus, now being taught just how much He loves him... and having a blast in the process!



Schuyler, Evan and Gideon getting ready for the start of VBS



It just reminds me how gracious and awesome our God is.  And it makes me so thankful that Tim and I get to be the ones to teach him about His awesomeness and His love.  We are truly blessed.

So to all of you who might have the opportunity at your church, or at one nearby, to take your children to VBS I say DO IT!  Your kids will love it and form great memories and an even stronger relationship with God because of it.

What a great kickoff to summer!

Vote for Us!!

Okay all my bloggy friends, here is your oppertunity to use the power of numbers to help our family WIN something fantastic!!

For all of you who are also Facebook users, we are entered in a contest on there to win a photography session with Four Sides Photography.  All you have to do is go to their page on Facebook, like their page, and then scroll down to our (very outdated) picture and like our picture.  The picture with the most "likes" wins and the contest ends TODAY!

We have yet to get a really good picture of our family since Gideon has gotten home.  The best we have is the one that was taken for our church directory.  :)

So come on friends, there is power in numbers!!  Go to Facebook, like Four Sides Photography and then like our picture below.  It is the 5th picture down on their  Facebook page, or it is the first picture on the top line if you click on the link below. (the one with the most kids in it! Heehee!) 
But you must "like" their pg before you can "like" our photo.


Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!  

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150233292509865.320110.347224449864

Happy 10th Birthday Georgia!!

Today is Georgia's birthday!  Our third daughter is turning double-digits.... which makes me feel doubly-old!

I can still vividly remember the day of her birth.  Calling Tim home in the afternoon because I was sure I was in labor. Leisurely eating lunch with him on the couch.  Then things kicking into high gear shortly after that, and it being some of the longest 6 hours I have ever had!



She made herself known from the very beginning, screaming quite loudly before she was even completely born.  She has been the attention getter ever since!  She is our actress, our drama queen, and a very funny little girl.  Yet she also has a heart of gold, so tender, especially towards babies and animals.  She is sweet and loves to cuddle.  She is our little Georgia Peacho Pootie -- a nickname given to her by her oldest brother shortly after she was born-- and we love her SO much!





Thank you God for giving us the blessing of our Georgia Hope.  We are so grateful to have her cheerful presence in our lives and don't know what our family would do without her!  It has been 10 wonderful years and we ask God to bless her with many, many more.  We can't wait to see what life has in store for you Georgia!



We love you Georgia!!  Happy Birthday to our sweetheart!!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!!!!

to all the great dads out there, especially my awesome dad Harry and another awesome dad, my husband Tim!

All you dads out there don't always get all the appreciation you deserve.  You are often looked over, trod upon, expected to give up your Sunday nap to make a home repair or your Saturday to drive kids to soccer games.

But I want all you dads out there to know how loved, respected and necessary you are!  You... the walkers of the dogs, fixers of the bikes, mowers of the lawns...

today is YOUR day!

I hope all you dads out there got some awesome homemade cards from the kiddos and some extra, well deserved hugs today!  Us mommas love you too and couldn't do it nearly as well without you. 

Thanks daddy-o's for all you do, and I hope you enjoy a wonderful day!

Take a looksie at this absolutely HILLARIOUS and oh-so-true video below!!

Homecoming Pictures!!

I just wanted to post some pictures today from our arrival home with Gideon!  A friend of ours, who is also a proud adoptive mommy, was sweet enough to bring her camera to the airport and take some shots of everyone.

Let me just say, nothing could have been better then seeing all our family and so many of our friends gathered there with smiling faces just waiting to welcome our new son home!  It was truly just the icing on the cake!  We are so extremely grateful for everyone who has supported us, and continues to support us, with this adoption.  We couldn't have done it without all of you and your prayers.  Thank you so much!

So without further adieu, some pictures from our arrival home!  (Sorry if a few are blurry.) You'll enjoy them anyway!!  :)

Evan was ready with the video camera and the girls had all made posters.

Waiting......waiting......waiting....... 

So many of our friends came to welcome Gideon home complete with red, white and blue ballons and leis

They see us!!

Yeah!  Here we come!!

Gideon does not know that all those people down there are cheering for HIM!

I was so surprised and excited to see everyone!

This one brings tears to my eyes.  Our first hug together and Tim's first time hugging his son!!

Introducing Gideon to his new mei mei and all the others too!

PROUD Baba!

Sweet Gideon Sage Lie Rowe

The kids so enjoyed making posters for their new brother



The whole crew!

We are SO happy to have you home Gideon!  These past few weeks have just flown by and we are feeling so blessed to have you in our family!  We love you!!!

Makes My Heart Melt

Tim and Gideon were playing around on the computer just now, talking back and forth with the help of Google translate and another translation site.  They got up and walked away from the computer and I walked over to get on and check my email, and what should I see on the screen?

I Love You

in big letters, written from Gideon to Tim inside the Google Translate bar.

I chased Tim out to the car and asked him "Did you see what he wrote to you??!!"  "Yeah," he replies with a big 'ole Daddy grin on his face.  Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!  Just makes my heart melt.