But first...

Let me tell you about our biological kids.

Our firstborn is Emilee and she is simply lovely. She is 14 years old, loves Jesus, loves random facts, is very detail oriented (except when it comes to cleaning her room) and is extremely bright. She is a freshman in high school taking all honors classes and is doing very well academically. Her friends are a joy to be around which makes us very happy! She came into this world making a fuss, needing to be heard and is growing into a beautiful young lady that will always fight for what's right and make a fuss about it too!

Emilee doesn't particularly like sports but does play tennis. We're not sure yet if its because the outfits are cute or if she really enjoys it! I think she really enjoys it because it is an individual sport so she can be in control whether she is winning or losing. Either outcome is a result of the things she did on the court. Come to think of it, that's the way she likes to handle most things in her life. Group projects at school can give her fits!

Emilee has a heart for missions. She is very active in her youth group which does a great deal of mission related activities. Last summer she participated in a 300 mile bike ride with me to benefit the kids at HIS Home. She didn't ride her bike but rode in a vehicle marking the route and preparing snacks and lunches for us riders..many of which were youth. She really had to have a servant's heart that week and humble herself to serve her peers with little or no thanks. Those of us riding were more concerned about filling our tummy's and cramming in calories than who made our PB&J sandwiches! She shined in her role! And we were all quite grateful in the end.

This summer Em will be heading off to Kentucky to serve on an ASP team. (Appalachia Service Project) She will have an opportunity to work on someones home by way of a much needed project. We won't know until she goes what kind of job she'll have but it could include re roofing, building a wheelchair ramp, putting a new foundation under a trailer, or putting indoor plumbing in someones home for their first time! Clay will get to go along on this project and help.

Emilee got to visit Haiti with me in January. We spent a week with the girls and at the Orphanage. She hasn't been all that thrilled with the prospect of adoption and decided on her own that perhaps she would have a different outlook if she could visit there and meet the girls first hand. She was overwhelmed by the poverty in Haiti but at the same time excited by the ministry going on at HIS Home. She and the girls hit it off immediately (that's them walking together in the picture above) and while they may never feel quite like sisters, they bonded instantly over hair, nails, silly french television, and swimming. It was breathtaking to watch their friendship develop so deeply over the week we spent together.

Next time I'll introduce you to the world of Colin........