If you read this post PLEASE read the post under the "Wonderful Wednesday" post.
Thanks a lot!

God Bless,
Joy.

Wonderful Wednesday

Little C.R. at the Aquarium looking at the penguins.

On this Wednesday of late July we were blessed with being able to have an end of the Summer pool party then were able to eat out at CiCi's Pizza!!!! We had a blast! On the way there we ran into our youth Minister, Sunshine's Daddy and he came and ate lunch with us! We then came home and watched a good movie in the cozy living room!

Tonight I was able to go and work in the nursery with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Jr.! We had a blast! There were five boys, a three year old, two two year olds, a one year old and a four month old. We also had SunShine who is two! There were balls flying everywhere, playful screams, laughs and much more! We had our hands full but it is always such a blessing to see little ones who are happy and full of joy! I think seeing a little one does anyone good! I love how my Grandmother's face lights up when she sees a little one. It is so sweet. May we all follow her example and never take a little one for granted!

I hope that you had as blessed a day as I did, but, everyday is a blessing! May we never forget that!

God Bless, Joy.

HOPE

Please pray for Rose and her little brother and Mrs. Anita. Mrs. Anita is the lady that is in charge of the adoptions in Ghana through AAI. Mrs. Anita flew over there a couple days ago and she said that all of the children at Eban House were just PRECIOUS!

Every time I think of my new little siblings, all I want to do is fly over there and bring them home! It feels as though I know them and they have been away for SO long!

Lord, please be with Rose, Jack and all the other orphans around the world! Please give them all Cristian and loving homes! Give them Parents who will care for them and brothers and sisters who want to teach them about all sorts of things! Just as there is hope every morning when the sunrises, let the little children see a sunrise! Please give them hope and a family!
Please bring them all home soon!
Amen.

Picture Perfect

"Find Out Who You're Friends Are"

My awesome Mama and Daddy!

Monday afternoon I was SO EXCITED because I was going to get to go with Daddy and take the calves to freezer locker and a loggin' meetin'! I love sending any amount of time with my Daddy that I can! Well, Daddy got off early so we wouldn't be in such a hurry on the way to the freezer locker (A BLESSING)! Well, we got the calves loaded up in the trailer, told Mama bye and we started down the road taking our time. Well, the freezer locker is about 45 min. away from or house and we were about half way there. Daddy was on his cell phone and then he looked in his mirror and said,
"AH shoot, I got a flat tire!"

I thought that was what it was because I could here it but I wasn't going to say anything.

Well Daddy knew two people that lived close to where we were and one of them a loggin' friend of his. When we turned into Mr David's driveway, he had just gotten home from work and was walking to the house. He was hot, tired and dirty but when Daddy told him what was wrong, he never even hesitated to help him.

They looked around for while and finally found one they thought would work, so they took off the tire, and put on that one. Well, it was to big, so that to take it off and find another one. So put that one on and it did work!

A lot more went into putting that tire then you may think because it wasn't just the right size but Mr David never said anything. Me and Daddy thanked Mr David but had to run and just barely made it to the freezer locker.

Our God is SO AWESOME! He allowed us to have enough time, be at the right place so that we could get repaired!

Thank you Lord,

For taking care of me and Daddy all the time!

There aren't a lot of people left in the world that would done what Mr. David did for me and Daddy after a long, hard days work!

This song is called "Find Out Who You're Friends Are" and I know that Daddy has a true friend in Mr. David!

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor need a couch need a bus fare

This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie

{Chorus}
You find out who you're friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas get their fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who you're friends are

Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then

This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
Alot of folks jump off

{Chorus}

When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there

Mark 9:36

Then He placed a little child among them; and taking the child in his arms He said to them,

"Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming my Father who sent me!"

These two little boys in the pictures are Eben and Joel. They were adopted from Ghana this past January and are our cousins! A couple nights ago at the orphanage where they were from and where our little ones are (Rose and Jack), was robbed. I cannot put it into words but please, go to Mama or Aunt Renee's blog and read the story and please don't just read the story, please pray for the poor little children that are there and still do not have a home!

Joel and Southern Bell the week we were there! Eben and Little Man were buddies at the beach!

Grandmother

I will try to do a post about Grandmother but there is no way I could ever say enough about her! She is amazing! She is so patient and loving! I remember the day that she taught me how to sew. I don't know how old I was but she was so patient and took the time to make sure I did the right size stitch. She now and has taught me how to embroider but not only has she taught me how to sew and embroider, she has taught me to just do what I can. Not get in a big rush, like she says, "Slow down and you won't waist your step's." And that is so true!

She is the one that orders the flowers for someone when someone from our church is in the hospital. She is always writing cards and calling people to check on them and she is so funny! And one reason why she is so happy and healthy is because she does what she can and tries to not over do herself! I have to tell you some of the HILARIOUS stuff that she says!

Mama took that picture above because we couldn't believe that Buddy had gotten SO tall! When we were little it was the coolest thing to be as tall or taller then Grandmother! Well, right before Mama took the picture she said,

"I can tell people this is my boyfriend!"

And another,

As many of you know, we went on vacation a couple weeks ago! Well, she was at our house the day before we left and Hope was telling her about the new car that Papa had bought for her. Then right before she left, she told me,

"Now you tell Hope that I'll drive her car for her while she's gone so's it don't rust."

(Mind you at 87 years old she has never drove !)

And this is the last one that I will write!

Last night we went to an elderly friends birthday party. She was sitting by the birthday girl and her husband and after I got my dessert I went up Mr. Tim and asked him if he was making her mind her manners. He then said that he was trying but he just couldn't get her stop talking! Then she touched me and pulled down my elbow (without asking but in her sweet Grandmother way) and told me how much cake and how much "cream" she wanted. So I went and got it for her and when I gave it to her she said,
"Thank ya hun," then with a mouthful of cake she said, "I'll dance at ya weddin.'"

Lord, please allow her be at my weddin'.
Even if she can't dance at it I hope she can be there!
And thank You so much for all the inspiration that You have given me through her.
Thank you for her wonderful example of a keeper of the home and abiding by her husband!
Thank you again and again!

Adoption

Many of you may already of known this but any way,
adoption means a lot to me and my family.
I have five PRECIOUS cousins that have joined our family through adoption.
Two from Ghana and three from Ethiopia.
Their dad, Jim, who is also the Father of six biological children,
wrote an awesome post about the calling of adoption and going after that calling.
Even if you feel as though adoption is not for you,
it is still well worth the read!

This is the youngest that they have adopted.
When he arrived at the orphanage he was just barely longer then a dollar bill.
They then took him to the hospital and the hospital said there was nothing that they could.
They then attempted a second time at the hospital and he survived.
He was not here in America.
This was in Audis Aababa Ethiopia!
Though you may think not, Little Fella, is three years old!
He is a walking miracle!

Thank you Lord, so much for ALL of my cousins!

God Bless,
Joy.

An AWESOME week with...

The Cousins!!!

As many of you know, this past week our whole family was able to travel 400 miles and visit our wonderful cousins!
It was a blast!
With 22 people in the house there was always something going on and you could, in no way ever get bored!
We met our two new cousins, Eben and Joel! They are the sweetest little guys and fit in like they have always been in our family!
There were late night talks, early morning coffee drinkers enjoying each others company,
playing the Wii, riding bikes, going to church, going to the beach, the pool and water park and SO MUCH MORE!!!

Here is a small glimpse of our visit!

Resting with a great buddy, Peanut.

The Three Stooges,

Little Renee, Eben and Baby Girl!

Enjoying hamburgers and good company!

"RUNNNN!!!!!!"

"Why am I not getting anywhere?"

"Hee hee! Come get me!"

Dough nut's at 10:30 pm?
"YESS!!!"

Forever close friends!
Doodle Bug and Joel right before we got to the beach!

"AAHHHHHH!!!!"
Me and Southern Bell having a blast in the waves!"C'mon!!"

Noel and J.M.
Thank You Lord for giving us such an awesome week with the Cousin's!
Thank you for giving them to us as family!

Picture Perfect

Playing with the Cousins on the beach!!

More pictures are coming!

May We Always Remember...

The price that was paid and still is being paid to this very day and will continue to paid for so that we may celebrate Independence!
Thank you Lord for the Freedom that you have blessed us with!
Please awaken our country and may we turn bake to You!

My Little Brothers

Thank you Lord so much for my little brothers!
Though they might not be that little, they are such wonderful little brothers!
Thank you for allowing them to work with each other and always be there for one another!
Please keep them safe and in your hands!
Amen.