Aleia loves Alex, she got to spend a little time with him and his girl friend Meagan while we were in the states.
He is so good with Aleia. He understands when she needs space and understands just how far he can pester her.
It was great that yesterday she was able to talk to him and told him all about her Dora Super babies video.
We miss Alex terribly, he was able to help us so much last Summer and now that the Summer months are approaching we can't help but wish he was able to come back. He made such a lasting impression on our girls, our family, the country and on the church. We would rejoice at the first mention that he was going to come back to Vienna.
Grandma Grace traveled from Chicago to Michigan to help watch the girls for a week while I got everything prepared to move my family to Arkansas. She was such a great help and it made it much easier on me during the time she was there knowing that my girls were being taken care of.
Grandma taught Aleia a sweet song....Called "Mr. Sun, Mr. Sun." I find her singing it often, Grandma always makes a lasting impact on her.
My girls are blessed to be wrapped in loving arms no matter where they are. 
Aunt Karen, who is my Mother's sister.
She is the one who has taken the full responsibility of taking care of my Uncle Roger, Uncle Todd, Grandma and my Mom.
Her husband Robert has a big heart to offer to take them all in and I'm so grateful. They also recently adopted a little girl....Whitney Olivia, we fell in love with her while we were in Arkansas, she is a miracle and such a blessing to the family.Aunt Karen has a special song she sings to all the babies...it's called "By oh Baby", it's a magical song that puts the baby to sleep every time.
Brie Brie got to meet her Great Grandma Hickman.
Grandma loves her babies....she says that the love she has for one is no greater then the other.
She is 81 and such a wonderful, loving, godly Grandma.
Please continue to pray for her as she is still having to have a daily IV drip of Antibiotic for an infection in her leg. She is finally able to walk so this is an answer to prayer.
Aleia misses all her cousins! Before she went to bed last night she said " I have the bestest cousins ever Mama, I miss ALL my cousins, my boy ones and my girl ones.
I am so thankful that while we were in America Aleia was able to spend so much time with all her cousins...... Selah, Judah, Hadassah, Aaron, Mackenzie, Brooke, Madison and Ethan.
It is very important to us that she stay connected to her cousins as much as she can. She learned many things from them while she was in America. She learned that when you brush your teeth, you spit in the sink, she said that's what Brooke and Madison do's Mama. She learned what the word inappropriate meant, she almost learned all her A,B,C's:-) God bless her.
She was able to go to Sunday School with Judah and that to her was a blast. She continues to talk about what an awesome family she has....I hope she will always know that she has a wonderful family that loves her and prays for her, even though she is a long distance from them.
It was a hard and long journey but we made it back home to Austria safe and sound. The trip home was 7 1/2 hours with an addition 5 hour lay over in Amsterdam, then another 1 1/2 hour flight to Vienna. We had a few mishaps but over all the trip went well and the girls did great.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers during this challenging time in our families life. It all came together in a very short time and I'm so thankful. I will be posting more of the trip later, I just wanted to get a word out there so you all knew the girls and I were back home.
We are now just trying to unpack and get adjusted to the time change and the busy schedule we have to uphold here.
Happy Birthday to my adorable little niece who is full of life and who brings life everywhere she goes. Hadassah Elise turned 3 today. She is full of spunk and has a personality that has taken her parents by surprise. There is never a dull moment when in the presence of "Dassah" as Aleia calls her.
You hear it so often that time flies so quickly, but seriously it seems like just a year ago that she was born, but as I dressed the baby today I was reminded of the day Hadassah was born because I dressed Brienna in the same outfit Aleia wore when we went to see Hadassah for the first time. I know you all say "how can she remember what her 3 1/2 year old wore 3 years ago, when you can't even remember what you wore yesterday", YES!!! it's true I have a vivid memory, it's like my mind takes pictures and stores them in some data base until the time comes that I need it again.
The girls and I are packed and hopefully mentally prepared for the trip back to America, I thank all of you for your thoughts, e-mails, comments and prayers...it sure has helped. Thanks so much.
Aleia loves Alex, she got to spend a little time with him and his girl friend Meagan while we were in the states.
