Beach Memories

We are spending this week at our favorite beach in St. George Island, Florida.  Last year, we came to SGI in June.  Since we were camping then, Trent and Reece drove the truck and pulled the camper.  The girls and I followed in the van.  It was during this drive that I first mentioned adopting again to Mary Ashtyn.  Trent and I had been praying and talking about "Frannie" for about a month, but we had not mentioned her to the kids.  Mary Ashtyn quickly said that she didn't think we could handle another little girl who couldn't walk.  I passed my phone over and she watched Frannie's videos and looked at her pictures.  That was the first time I heard, "can we get her, Mom?"  My sweet girl is so much like her Daddy and me, once she saw her...Mash wanted her.  Throughout the next 2 weeks, all three of the kids asked us over and over if we were getting her.

We spent that trip talking about that sweet little girl with the huge smile and dreamed about what it be like to have another little girl on the beach with us.  Could we really do this?  Two littles who didn't walk...could we REALLY do this???  Mary Ashtyn, Reece, and Lily were positive we could.  They begged and made promises about helping with her and they made lists of names for their new Mei Mei.  Piper was our favorite at first, but it didn't take too long for us to agree on Ava.

 A year later, we're back at the beach with that little girl that we talked about the entire trip last time!!  It's been an emotional trip.  Watching Ava see the beach for the first time, play in the sand, ride the waves, and eat in our favorite restaurant has almost brought us to tears.  Who am I kidding, I cried!!!  As we watch the kids, Trent catches my eye and gives me this look, the "I can't believe this is real" look.  Last year, it seemed impossible, but we made it through the difficult and it is done!  As we drove the golf cart down to the beach on our first night, Ava put her hand on Trent's face and whispered, "xie xie, Baba".  Thank you, Daddy.  Oh sweet Ava, we thank our Heavenly Father for you each and every day!!

Our sweet girl on the beach for the first time!!

Almost every year since we've been coming to SGI, we've had a mini photo shoot...

 

2010

Mash posing

BamFam4...no clue that we were missing 2!!!  (and Trent had hair!!!)

2011...waiting on Lily

Mash still  posing :)

We skipped a few years at the fountain, we didn't go to SGI the year that Lily came home...a body cast and Muscular Dystrophy slowed us down a little that summer. For some reason, we skipped fountain photos in 2013???

2013 Lily's first trip to SGI, dreaming of Ava the entire trip :)

For 2014, the fountain photos have returned!!!

This...

has turned into this...

Sometimes this...

She's still posing...

But now, so is she...

And her, too...

 

He still won't, but what a cutie...

All four of them take my breath away...

Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me!

Psalm 66:16