Ears Pierced and One More Plug for the Science Museum

September 25, 2016

Sophia had been asking to get her ears pierced all summer, and we were not against the idea.

I did a little research and finally with one week left in our trip we took her in. 

This is her a little bit nervous face...

 She did great and the people at the shop were fantastic.

Meanwhile these rugrats were doing what they do best...goofing off.

Okay, is that it? Its over? No big deal. Honestly, she reacted worse on our 'girls night out' when we went to a candy shop and she ate a super sour candy.

Though I have actually never been to the Greensboro Science Museum I have to make another plug in support of it. Poppy and CC took them one last time and the kids LOVED it...
What is not to love....take a peek:

Police officer Tobin in a real police car .

Afternoon tea on a train?

Make your own pizza, play restaurant.

Magformers. Enough said.

 And the coolest.....the cockpit!

Coker Royals...Sept 2016

 These are just fun pics of the family modeling old Jerseys from when David was little.
Poppy sponsored a team when David and his sis were growing up called the 'Coker Royals'.

Here is the newer generation:

at right fullback, little G.

playing every position and loving the limelight: The Tobinator

 The crowd, including Ryan and Seth...getting close to a full team!

 With two great midfielders, Sophia and Bella ready to put the ball in the back of the net.

Sophia's U.S.A. Soccer Game

Even though it was late September, this was one of the hottest days of our summer.

Sophia's soccer league was a big step up from the 8 and under age group. The fields were almost full size and the games were longer. 

Each of our children surprised us in their soccer debut. We honestly didn't know quite what to expect. Here they were with folks they had never met (Soph's team had been playing together awhile), folks that looked like them but live worlds apart. I love that they had no fear in this regard, they joined these teams and made friends quick!

Our practices in China consist of David teaching them on and off throughout the years, usually on the small concrete road behind our house.  Will it translate to real, organized soccer? It did! The few key things he honed in on did help them get a good start. 

I think what surprised us the most, especially in Sophia's game, was her sheer tenacity. 

It was HOT. Non-stop running was involved (though many players were walking). Soccer is not a sport for the faint of heart. And these kids (Sophia, Bella, and Tobin) showed they had heart. 

 In this game, Sophia worked hard, she had some opportunities, but her team did not win.

 And she kept on running, and making plays.

 She loved every minute of her hard work, even when it did not translate to victory.

 This was just a huge life lesson for her and for us.

 Yes, she does have skill, but more than that she has perseverance.

 Running almost non-stop for over an hour was perhaps the hardest physical thing she had ever done, and yet, when she looks over my shoulder now as I type, she says: 'that was SO much fun!'

Great work girl.

America: Baking and Soccer...

September 2016

 I love that CC always has the patience to get all the kids involved in the kitchen.

 A casserole in the making...

More Bella Soccer shots....she had the most practices and games of all the kids!

With the Craft cousins behind the chair. These kids have fun everywhere.

Tobin's soccer game...

 And the girls practiced while Tobin played

They found someone who spoke their language. He was in shock when they spoke Chinese to him.
WHATTT???

 And the Cousins were there which made it all the more fun!

We are a soccer fam.

The Georgia Tour-Sept 2016

We first visited our family clan in Villa Rica, from which I have zero pictures! 

They made us a feast and played so hard with our kids. We always have a mega nerf gun war. They also threw a party for Gabrielle. This was another special time of connecting well into the night. 

Next stop was Aunt Beth's.

 This chair!! Aunt Beth gets it out for our arrival and we love it.
Aunt Beth's house is always exciting for our kids, literally on a mountain, they treasure the bear stories and animal interaction (she has lots of dogs).

 "I love coming to Aunt Beth's house" was a quote from Sophia.

 Tobin's grin shows that his mischievousness follows him everywhere.

 Aunt Beth is a trooper to host our crew. We went to the local park and let the kids play in the stream.

 The water was cold.

Our third and last Georgia stop was to visit my grandparents and cousins!
We got to meet Caleb and Casey's new little girl, Campbell.
Instant love here. Pure cuddly cuteness.

Hearing her story was such a picture of the gospel to me.
There is nothing easy about adoption, but their story of leaning into Jesus and trusting and then receiving this gift was a blessing and taught me a lot about my own weakness and areas where I lack faith.

Casey and Caleb also have a dog that our kids fell in love with (they really want a dog!)

 

We had a sweet visit with my grandparents and then spent the night at my Cousin's house.

 A.DOR.A.BLE.

I love this girl and her sister, Chelsea. (my cousins!)

 We don't connect a lot throughout the year but when we meet back up we dig right into the nitty gritty discussions of life, struggles, joys, ministry, faith, and future uncertainties. Our 24 hours with this family while short, was counted as one of our favorite stops on all of STAS.