Pure Joy!

Daddy Shaves

Brian shaved off his goatee for the first time since Rayna was a baby. Ethan wasn't sure what to think. The other kids had the following to say:
Molly--I did want you to shave it, but now you look weird. 
Rayna--Daddy, your face looks so handsome! 
Aaron--You do NOT look like our daddy!

Happy Adoption Day!

9 years ago today, we held our baby girl for the first time in Dong Ahn, Vietnam. This girl has blessed our family beyond words. You are cherished, Molly Grace Nguyen. Happy Adoption Day, Sweetheart! 



❤️🇻🇳

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First Day of School!

First day of school for the girls!  Molly is in 4th grade and Rayna is in 2nd grade.  We are excited for another great year at Union Prep!

 And the girls weren't the only ones that started school!  The boys started at Hines Academy Preschool.  Aaron is in TK (transitional kindergarten) this year and Ethan is having fun doing "school" with Aaron.  Aaron wanted to bring desks into the living room for their first day of school!  Ethan sat at his "desk" for about 2 minutes.  😀

5 Months Home!

Breakfast in China five months ago and breakfast today. I am floored at how much he has grown and developed in 5 short months. He seemed like such a tiny baby in China and now he is a full-fledged toddler with an opinion on everything! Brian and I often talk about how perfectly he fits into our family. Happy 5 months as a Hines, Ethan Si Lee! We love you beyond words!

Open House

 The girls had open house tonight.  Rayna will have her same teachers this year and she's happy about that!  She was excited to see the changes that had been made in her classroom and meet some new friends.  Molly has a lot of her same friends in her class again this year which thrilled her!  They were all excited to see each other.

We were driving home from open house and Molly says, "I'm SO excited to play with Ruth, Michelle, and Amber (pictured with her here) on Monday! But we have to make sure that we remember to include Elizabeth and Liliana. They are new to our school. I bet they are super nervous. I don't want them to play by themselves or eat lunch alone, ya know?" ❤️❤️
She's a straight A student, listens to the teacher, and always does her best. Those moments make me proud. But when I see the love of Jesus shining through her--my heart could burst. Such a beautiful child--inside and out. ❤️

Ethan's Baptism

Our sweet Ethan was baptized today.  Brian gave a beautiful fatherly prayer:

Ethan, a verse comes to mind when I think of you.  Psalm 145:13 "The Lord is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works.  Ethan, you are a blessing from the Lord.  In the process of adopting you, the Lord opened so many doors that seemed to be impossible.  He worked out all of the details.  You being here is a true testimony to His grace and works in our lives.  You have been such a joy to our family.  Our prayer for you is that you would one day come to know and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and make him known to all.

It was a beautiful ceremony.  It was the first baptism our new pastor has done at our church and it was our first one of our kids to not be baptized by Dean.  It was very special to have Adam baptize Ethan.

We are so thankful to God for bringing our sweet Ethan into our family.  He is such a precious gift. ❤

I had spent so much time looking for an outfit for Ethan's baptism.  It's hard to find anything for 3-year-olds but Nana came through and bought him an adorable outfit to be baptized in.  She even got big brother a matching outfit.  Our boys looked so handsome! 

Wedding

Our precious friend Marguerite got married today.  It was a beautiful morning for a beautiful wedding!

Growing!

August 2017

March 2017

I'd saw our little guy has had a growth spurt since coming home!  These pants fit him perfectly in China 5 months ago! 😂

Marshville

The three big kids earned "book bucks" from their summer reading so they were able to go to the library and "buy" books. The only sale we were able to make was to the one in Marshville. It was our first time to the Marshville library. It's beautiful!  It was worth the drive to Marshville! 😂

Trouble!

So today two of my little angels decided to strip ALL of the beds in the house and throw all bedding and pillows down the stairs. They also emptied the linen closet and threw all of the contents down the stairs. I made them clean up which took FOREVER. Afterwards, I was lecturing them. 
Me: .....so you need to think about the consequences of your actions. If you don't want to spend so much time cleaning up, don't make huge messes. 
Aaron: mommy, I will NEVER do that again. I had to clean and clean.
Me: good I'm glad you learned to think about consequences before you make choices.
Aaron: but you know it really was your fault.
Me: 🤔
Aaron: I told you that you should buy me a video game. Then I will sit in my little rocker and play my video game and not get in trouble anymore. That's a good idea, right Mommy?
Me: 🤦🏻‍♀️

Road Trip!

We started August off with a road trip!  The kids and I went to see our friends the Joyces in GA and then our friends the Hoovers in SC.  It was a great trip!  It was good to see friends and the kids were great little travelers!  ❤