Heavy Heart......

My heart is very heavy today, having heard the news of two losses kind of close to my family. The first I am sure many of you have already heard about, the daughter of Christian Singer Steven Curtis Chapman was killed in a horrible accident at their home on Wednesday. Maria just turned five and is from China just like our Sha Sha. Our hearts just go out to this amazing family over their loss and the struggles they are now facing to recover from this tragedy. Even though we have never personally met the Chapmans, we still feel a connection to them trough the world of adoption. And hearing their story was one of the things that opened our hearts to the idea of adoption in the first place. If it wasn’t for their testimony we might not have our Charlotte right now so they are very special to us. Also we have listened to SCC’s music for a long time, I saw him in concert the first time in college and Jay and I volunteered for his Shaohannah’s Hope organization at a concert in April. He and his wife have been amazing advocates for international adoption and orphans around the world since they adopted their first daughter from China several years ago. They have set up a special fund in Maria’s name if you would like to contribute please click here. You can also leave condolences at this blog set up in her honor. Our prayers are with the entire family during this very trying time.

In our own lives this weekend, we made a little get away to Williamsburg and took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. We had a great time. Ethan has been before, but he is older now and was able to venture out on his own a little which was exciting for him. He really enjoyed the body board ride, see the pictures below. Charlotte LOVED the water, she had so much fun. It took her a few minutes to work up her courage, but after that she did not want to get out of the water. She loved playing in the fountains and sitting in the water even though her head was barely above the level of the water. She is definitely a little dare devil, comes from her independent, strong willed spirit. Enjoy the pictures, I was thinking the whole time how lucky and grateful I felt to be able to share all of this with Charlotte. Everything is a new adventure for her, so neat to see the amazement and excitement in her eyes. She is a special little girl and we are trying to soak up every minute we have with her and with Ethan. Before we know it they will be off on their own. Our time is so short, we have to be sure to live out each moment and not take a single second for granted.

Another loss our family suffered this week was the loss of a friend and pastor that we got to know at Great Bridge Methodist. Our dear friend Leonard went to be with the Lord on Wednesday. He was an associate pastor at GBUMC when Jay and I were first there. He and his wife Harriet have always been so kind and loving towards our family. He will be dearly missed and our prayers are with Harriet and his family.

So now on to a 3-day weekend I am so excited to be spending time with my family. Hopefully, we might even be able to take a dip in the pool, given it is warm enough. Enjoy your weekend, we love you all.