Easter Weekend

Pastor Stephen and Lily - Check out the coordination!



We were trying to get a picture of Nay-nay (sp?), Gavin, and Lily



The two girls stood in the same spot for what seemed like 10 minutes, but not Gavin!



Check out the Eggs - Lily has one more year of this age group too! Watch out next year!



Still looking for eggs after they have all long been found



Trying to climb in a long dress with her eggs



Nearly lost all her eggs!



"Tabba" reading a "Resurrection Eggs" story



Listening intently



All business



Where's the rest?






I didn't even have to tell her to do this!



Hunt #2



They nearly ran over a lawn chair!

I didn't get a good Easter picture. I let Lily wear her Easter dress yesterday to Brookhill's Egg Hunt. It was a pretty nice day. She instinctively knew to hold it up in the tall grass and to run. She was amazing! Great hunter!

After the Egg Hunt, we headed to the Zug's house for outside play time. I decided to fill the eggs that Daniel, Lily, and Micah got from the hunt with their afternoon snack - popcorn. I told them they needed to find their eggs again to have snack.

Lily was prepped and ready for the Egg Hunt this morning at our church with the two practice ones yesterday. Boy, did she rack up with no help from Mom or Dad.

I am thankful (though not often enough) for Jesus' sacrafice and resurrection. I'm not sure where I would be without him. Probably in a heap a bunch of trouble!!! I pray nightly that Lily will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus at an early age. I think things/thoughts of God/Jesus are starting to sink in. She is starting to ask for forgiveness without prompting, but kindness is still a work in progress for her.

As you can see from the following, she needs a little work on her theology:

________________________________

Easter discussion:
Me: "Do you know why we celebrate Easter?"
Lily: "Yeah, Jesus died cross."
Me: "But he rose again, right?"
Lily: "No, he fell and bumped his head."
Me: "What did you say?"
Lily (looking very sad): "He's sad."
Me: "Why?"
Lily: "He died cross."
Me: "Did he rise again?"
Lily: " No."
Me: "He didn't?"
Lily: "He rosen."
Me: "He rose again?"
Lily: "Yes!"

_______________________________

Easter Morning
Lily: "You're pretty."
Me: A little surprised at first, because she has never said this before. Then I realize that I don't think she has seen me in a dress before. I usually go for comfort and pants. It blesses my heart that SHE noticed!

Children's Museum of Richmond

Too much fun



Slides are always a favorite



Very serious about digging





Lily required a change of clothing after this!

Driving a car



Gluing paper to her mask



The Art Room - Isn't it GREAT?



In the "hospital"



Taking her cashier job VERY seriously!

Lily raiding the bank vault



Go fast!



Changing out the muffler "like Daddy"



She checked all the fluids



Ready to race!

This was probably the highlight of our entire trip for Lily. She really could have stayed all day. She really enjoyed all she had a chance to try. She didn't have time to hit everything though. I can see a day trip to Richmond coming this summer!

The Virginia Zoo

Lily "roared" at the lion

Taking a picture for "Nana Susan"



Look carefully at the plant in the middle. Lily sat on it. I hope it perked up later!










Lily enjoyed the Zoo. The displays that they had were nice. It only took us about and hour and a half to see most everything though.

The Concert

We'll we have returned home and BOY are we tired! I was up to midnight on Saturday night packing and getting ready. We pulled out of here on Sunday morning at 8 am. The trip was, well . . . I was about to say uneventful, but that would be a lie! I had a very brief conversation with a Sussex County Police Officer and came away with a yellow slip of paper. I was really hoping for a warning, but although he was very nice - he was NOT that nice. I saw the speed limit drop at the last minute and hit my brakes. I even mentioned it to mom. I obviously didn't hit the breaks hard enough! He said he would "help" me out if I came to my court date. However, we have standardized testing that day and I can't miss school that day. Mom drove the rest of the way.

Lily seemed to handle about 1 hr 45 min of the car seat then she needed a break. We arrived in the area about 12:30 after two stops in addition to traffic stop. We hit the VA Zoo and then headed to the hotel for a late nap for Lily. We arrived at the venue just before 5 pm. The first couple hours before the concert were tough for Lily. She was very busy! Once the concert started, she enjoyed the music off and on. The DVD player from Nana Susan came in handy on several occasions.

I didn't have too many heart to heart conversations, but we had a TERRIFIC response to the sponsorship program. 154 people made their first month's pledge and many more took the packet home with them. SCC's daughter, Emily, was the Show Hope rep who walked us through the evening. Her previous best night for sponsorship was around 120! From the SCC concerts that I have seen in the past, it seemed like a small venue. Thank you all for those who were praying. The sponsorships just from the Norfolk concert will bring in somewhere between $5300 and $5500 a month for adoption grants and orphan care. Yeah, God!!!!!!

Lily was quite the ambassador. She didn't have as much that she could do this time around, but when she saw Mommy licking envelopes, she insisted on getting in on the action. Lily really took a liking to Emily! Emily is the second person to mention that Lily looks a bit like Stevey Joy!

Towards the end of the concert, Lily started saying "Hug him, Hug him." She was quite distraught when we told her that both MWS and SCC were working and she couldn't hug them. About the only that consoled her was when we asked her if she wanted to give his (SCC) daughter (Emily) a hug. They did not hold a meet and greet for the volunteers at this concert as we were the last stop on this leg of the tour before they headed back to Nashville (11 1/2 hours). Lily held up well until crashing back at the hotel around 11:00.

This morning we enjoyed a pretty lazy morning at the hotel before beginning our trip back. We had no more encounters with law enforcement and she even took two "cat naps" on the return trip. We went back via Richmond, so we could visit the Children's Museum of Richmond. More posts in coming days with pics from the Zoo and CMoR.

I better start getting ready for bed. None of us rested really well at the hotel. Lots of coughing and snoring. Neigher of which came from me - I promise! I am not used to sleeping in the same room with Lily!

United Tour - Norfolk

I would really appreciate your prayers tomorrow. As most of you know, we received a grant from Shaohannah's Hope to bring Lily home. So when Steven Curtis Chapman goes on tour, I get an e-mail requesting volunteers to help man booths for Show Hope.

Tomorrow, Lily, my mom, and I are travelling to Norfolk, VA (3 1/2 hours away) to assist at the concert. The concert begins at 7 pm, we arrive at the venue at 5 pm, and leave around 10 pm. Yes, I love getting to see SCC in concert (and Michael W. Smith this time too). Most important to me, though, is the opportunity to serve an organization that helped bring Lily home. Show Hope does so much for orphans around the world. Check them out here.

Check back here for pics and maybe some video if it will upload :)

Pray for:
- Safety while travelling
- Peace for Lily in the car
- Peace and calm for Lily throughout the evening (did GREAT job last time)
- Hearts to be turned to adoption or assisting adoption financially
- Words of encouragement might flow from God's heart, to my lips, and to the ears of those who need to hear them.

Conversations with a nearly 3 yr old

Lily: "You can't have my hair bow. I want my hair bow!"
Me: "Mommy just needs to borrow it today, please."
Lily: "NOOOOOO!"

I finally got her distracted, out the door, and into the car.

Lily: "Mommy, letter P, letter P!"
Me: Confused at first until I notice that the inspection sticker on our windshield says 9/09 which is seen backwards when you are in the car making it look VERY much like a capital letter P.

Me: "Oh, yes. That is a letter P. You are amazing, Lily."
Lily: "I make mommy happy?"

Me: "Yes, Mommy is very proud of you!"
Lily: "You can have my hair bow now." This was repeated several times on the way to school and returning from school to home.

__________________________

Me: (on the phone with my dad) "Bye, Dad."
Lily: "Daddy?!?"

Me: "Remember we talked about how Daddy is your Daddy and Grandpa is my Daddy?"
Lily: "Why?"

Me: ". . . . Um, um, Grandpa is mommy's daddy."
Lily: "Oh."

__________________________

We were reading "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes" the other day.

Me (reading the book): "How did they make this perfect match a world away? Do the Chinese people have a special window to my soul?"
Lily: "No!"

Me: "Who did it? Did God do it?"
Lily: "God did it. God did it purpose!"

Me: "God, did it on purpose?"
Lily: "YES!"

_________________________

There is so much more, but I can't seem to remember them all. That is precisely why I am blogging, so I can get at least some of them down. Lily's heart is so tender towards things of God. We met with our pastor just before Wednesday night church the week Steve was home. I tried to send Lily home with me, but she refused. She really WANTED to stay for church.

Has it really been TWO years?

I know I am actually 21 hours late (we received Lily just before 3 am EST), but I couldn't go to bed without recognizing this very special day for our family! More "Lilyisms" to come in the next couple days!