Oh my goodness! I am so far behind, I do not believe I will ever catch up!

Olivia has been home for almost 13 months. There is not a day that passes that we do not thank God for her. We cannot imagine life without her. She fits so perfectly into our family and adds so much excitement.

Mya continues to grow and talk more every day. She is also potty trained, which is such.a.blessing! We have not had a break from diapers since Wyatt was born...almost 6 years ago! And a lot of that time, there has been 2 in diapers! Now we are down to just one, and I can see an end in sight!

Wyatt started playing soccer this week. Today was his second game. He is starting to get the hang of it, and seems to really enjoy it! And the really cool thing is that he is on the same team as his cousin, Tyler!

Today was also Brett's 4th birthday (more about that later)! I am constantly amazed at how quickly time flies. I mean seriously! 4 years??!?!?!!

I will add more pictures later. I promise! Right now, though, it is way past time for bed!

Thanks for reading!

Ashley

We were under great pressure,

far beyond our ability to endure,

so that we despaired even of life.

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the

sentence of death. But this

happened that we might not

rely on ourselves, but on God

who raises the dead. He has

delivered us from such a deadly

peril, and he will deliver us.

On him we have set our hope

that he will continue to deliver us.

II Corinthians 1: 8-10

Learning to swim

Yesterday I went to wake the girls up for so we could leave for swimming lessons. This is what I found....

The kids started swim lessons Monday. They are doing great! Well, everyone but Brett is doing great. He does great when he can go with

"the girl"

but totally looses it when he has to go out with

"that guy".

He did the same thing last year, but by the end of swim lessons he went with the guy. I thought he'd be over it by now, but I guess not. So you know that kid who is screaming at the pool? Yeah, that's my kid....

A month in review

I started this blog to keep family and friends updated as we went through our adoption process. It has changed over time and now I just write about our family in general (though not always very often). I keep this blog so our family can cherish our family memories. Here is what we have been up to in the month of June....

Fishing in our pond

Having lots of fun with daddy

Daddy having fun with us

Olivia in her new toddler bed

Mya in her toddler bed. No more cribs.

Taking baths

Lots of baths and hair treatments

Eating birthday cake

Trying to figure out how to blow out candles

Turning 2!

Opening presents

Exploring with friends

Camping and 4 wheeling

It's not that I don't want to blog...

..it's just seems like every time I finally get a chance to blog, my computer won't load photos. And what is a blog post without photos?

Trying to get a good picture of 4 little people can be so difficult! I had a bunch of pictures to put up...but they will have to wait for some other day.

One year ago today...

....we first laid eyes on our Olivia Jean Takelech Haynes. She had just come into a new orphanage, had her head shaved, and looked so sad. At first look, we were not even sure if she was a girl. We only received a vague medical report and three blurry pictures, but we knew she was to be our daughter.

It truly is amazing what 1 year and the love of a family will do! She hardly looks like the same child!

One Changed Life

Jesse and I are board members of a new, non-profit, sponsorship program for kids in Ethiopia called One Changed Life. We are still in the beginning stages, so we do not have a web site up and running yet. However, you can click here to read our flier, which includes our mission statement, goals and objectives. You can sponsor a child for $30 per month and provide them with food, clothing, medical care and the ability to go to school. I know there are many sponsorship programs and worthy causes out there. But if you or anyone you know would be interested in sponsoring or learning more, please email me at jnahaynes@potlatch.com Also, 100% of the proceeds do go directly to the children.

“But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.”

Psalm 9:18

A lesson to be learned

Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, but I have nothing for him to eat.' And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' But I tell you this--though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

"When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before."

Luke 11:5-9, 17, 24-26

I only had time to re braid her hair on top of her head. Here is my little girl with a Mohawk!

God's Chisel

I cannot get this video to load, but to watch God's Chisel Click Here

I especially like the part that says

"God, I've let you down so many times"

"No, you were never holding me up. I hold you up. Don't you forget that."

Mothers Day Fun!

Meet Summer

Here is Wyatt's new kitty, Summer. Brett also has a kitten which he named Willow, but I don't have any pictures yet.