Our Journey to Adopt

Greetings!

2011-01-20T21:14:00.018-06:00

Hello friends and Happy New Year! We are alive and well despite our absence. We made it through the holidays though they went by WAY too fast. I would be a terrible momma if I didn't show a few pictures so here ya go...

Kissing cousins! Lilah and Caroline get some love in at GG and GrandB's.

My big girls who are growing up to be very musical and artsy! They got their wish of ears being pierced (Sam) and Nintendo DS (Liz) and all is right in the world!

I did not get the Sony bloggie but instead took a giant leap from the cheapest cell phone available into the world of the smart phone. Now I wonder how in the world I survived without this thing. Phone, camera, video recorder, internet access, phone book, dictionary, facebook, text messaging, you name it (!) all in one device. Hello convenience! I don't think I will ever be without my cell phone again. Those of you who know me well know that this is a huge statement for me!

So it's a new year, and certainly a new start this time around. I've been away, yes. I've been readjusting, thinking, trying to wrap my brain around where we are and where it is we are going. It's usually all about the girls around here. If you don't mind maybe this time it will just be about....well, me.

In this time of unexpected change there has been much confusion in my mind. I've needed a map...surely enough people have been here that one has been created, no? But no, there is no set direction. No one to tell me for sure what is the right or the wrong thing to do. So I have wandered. Really I still do. Two constants have been my family and my faith. My mom in particular has spent HOURS on the phone with me. Time for which I am forever in debt to her because it has been invaluable. And then there is Church of the Highlands...wow what a Godsend. I really can't say enough about how week after week I am renewed in this place. And really this is all that matters. God is good, all the time.

It's hard to look at my big girls and then think on where our family is now and see how that fits in to God's plan...but I trust and have faith that His plans are larger than my own understanding. I have to believe that. I have to. This is a tough one, I'll be honest, but we are surviving. I can honestly say we are HAPPY even! It's a process. It is a time of self-reflection and on-your-knees type of praying...but we're making it through.

There have been some very positive changes in my life. One such change has been an investment in people. It's amazing how there have been certain people in my life for YEARS that I have never taken the opportunity to really know. Situations have arisen where some of these people have shared stories of their life with me and I have been blown away by the experiences that have changed and enriched them, and thus me by listening to the wisdom they've gleaned from their trials. One of my favorite moments like this was with our babysitter. After sharing so much about her life's journey she told me: When you get through all of this stuff you are going to have an incredible testimony that will bless so many people who are going through the same thing. Before you can have a TESTimony, though, you have to go through the test. THIS is your test.
Wow. Yes, absolutely. This is certainly a test I want to pass and it was wonderful to gain this perspective...to be able to see that even life's biggest challenge can be turned around for God's glory and someone else's gain {eventually}.

The hardest for me has been being at a starting over point as a 30-year-old mom of three. I've thrived as a wife and mom. I've wanted nothing but that. Now that half of that is missing...I don't know...there has been such a question mark. What do I do? What do I want? Does it even matter what I want? The correct answer is: no, it should not. Yet I am human and my mind, heart and soul seek. I don't know what to say beyond this. This is where we are. This is where I am. This is what is real. As before, I hesitate to publish because maybe it's too much exposure but at the same time...what else is there to say?

Oh it doesn't show signs of stoppin'

2010-12-15T10:13:00.005-06:00

And I've got some corn for poppin'...

We are not big fans of the cold weather though we do welcome snow if it's gonna be cold. We are counting down the days over here until Santa comes!

I know that repeatedly torturing Lilah with visits to Santa seems cruel but I will remind you that I have been involved in none of this. This time it was Granddaddy and Mimi who took the girls to see St. Nick! {I will claim responsibility however for allowing my toddler to sit on top of the table, eating popcorn and drinking (luke-warm) hot chocolate from her sippy. I'm sure all of those things are no-nos in the parenting manual, however, we threw that book out long ago!}

Lilah really does like 'Ho-Ho' just not when he's up close and personal:

Our dear Santas are as follows:
Samantha's biggest wish: Getting her ears pierced and earrings. We are growing up people!
Lizzie: A Nintendo DS. This is the third year she has asked and though my initial response was the same, "We aren't getting a DS." I had to question why I was saying 'no' for the third year in a row. No reason. WE ARE GETTING A DS! Can't wait to see the look on her face Christmas morning!
Lilah: ? She likes best unrolling toilet paper and pulling spices out of the cabinet so I'm pretty sure she will be happy with anything.
And for me? I think MAYBE I will find this under the tree. I'm still reading reviews though...if you have opinions let me know.

Samuel

2010-12-09T14:03:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to introduce Samuel for such a long time now. SO without further ado, meet Samuel.

Samuel is a child our family sponsors through Compassion International. He is fourteen now (which blows my mind). He was nine when I first "met" him. Samuel lives in Uganda with his father, mother, and siblings. His mother, along with approximately 1.2 million others in Uganda, is living with HIV/AIDS.

Words can't say how humbling it is to know this kid. I sit over here and live my American dream and this young boy, in whatever his circumstance, writes to me and asks what he can pray over for me. It knocks the wind out of my chest.

He has told me he thinks of me as a second mother. He asks will I be able to come one day to visit him. Several years ago his sister had a baby and what did they name her? Jessica.

I am absolutely undeserving of this level of affection from Samuel but I'll take it and love on and pray for him and his family in return. He has been such an unexpected blessing in my life.

Compassion is an incredible program that not only allows you to correspond with your child but also arranges group visits to the various countries they support. In the five years I have sponsored Samuel, I have known of two group tours that Compassion arranged (to Uganda). One of those was while I was in nursing school and one was just after Lilah was born. It just wasn't in the cards.

I will go one day.

I can't wait!

The new year is coming up. Along with it many resolutions. Maybe, just maybe you might be looking for a way to make a difference in someone's life...to take action in something that is bigger than yourself. If so and even if not, I challenge you to think and pray over sponsoring one of these children. I believe it to be life changing. To all parties involved.

This is what it's all about, right?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-07T08:44:00.003-06:00

It's beginning to look a little bit like Christmas around here.

A toddler calls for toning down of decorations but that does makes life a whole lot easier.

Lilah believes me to be a wretched woman because I will not let her play with the nativity set. The donkey and Gaspar still have a way of disappearing now and again but thanks to this set:

we're doing pretty well.

All the normal holiday stuff is in the works complete with parties and school activities. GG took the girls to the first Christmas party of the season this past weekend. It was put on by the state for current and adopted foster children. This was snapped:

Just so you know, it will go directly into a frame where it will stay and be brought out every Christmas for the rest of her life. Is it bad that I love it so?

In other news, we went right on through November without my even mentioning Adoption Month ! Congrats to those of you who had adoptions processed! Especially to my friend Kelly who added four {you amaze me!}. For those of you still waiting on forever keep patience about you. It can be so tough! TPR happened for us in late October and we had great hope for an adoption on National Adoption Day. It wasn't until seven months later though that our day came. I don't know if that is encouraging or discouraging (!) but it is meant to be the former:) Your day will come!
Philippians 4:6

If I owe you an email it is coming! Thanks so much for your kind words, prayer, and support!

So Thankful!

2010-11-25T19:57:00.008-06:00

Today we give thanks! We girls are thankful for the big things of course: An incredible family, our God, good health, freedom, friends, and plenty of everything we need. But we are also thankful for the small things.

{Girls with Aunt Debbie}

Sam says she's thankful for: thanksgiving, my teacher, water, this world, my neighborhood and neighbors.

Lizzie says she's thankful for: air, a place to go, plates and bowls (are you all laughing too or is it just me?), words, and toys.

{Two of my favorite people in all the world}

Lilah is thankful for: the ability to say her favorite word "no", ears (especially mine), O's (which is any variety of cereal) and her ba-ba (paci).

{At least Kit stayed awake for the ride home}

And I say thanks for: sunshine, fall colors, a two day work week, Auburn Tiger football, and adoption of course!

Hope yours was wonderful.
Happy Thanksgiving!

This one is tough

2010-11-16T09:42:00.005-06:00

More so than any other.
The truth is I would rather shut our blog down than stand before you exposing what has been broken. The bigger part of me, the less prideful part, recognizes that there are so many of you who have followed our family's story for years and have wrapped us in your love, thoughts and prayer. Why then, when we need it more than ever, would I take that away?
Though staying vague for the protection of my children, I will reach out for your continued love and support of our family.
I've been long on thought and short on word as I have tried to make any sense of the difficult changes that are going on in our home. After months of searching and coming up empty, I have given all to my Savior and trust that He is standing here beside me and that His plan, as a dear friend recently reminded me, is more than I could ever imagine. He remains my one true thing. He and my three precious little girls.
I know in time His love will pour into our hearts and make us whole again. For now, we are working through it.
Please above all else remember these three when you speak to God today.

It's that time of year...

2010-10-25T10:05:00.003-05:00

Well almost. We decided before this beautiful fall weather disappears we would put on our Christmas clothes and attempt to catch something useful for a Christmas card. Me being the smart mom that I am also knows that we might do this 5 or 6 times before we find something we can use:) Might as well start early! Let the Christmas photo shoots begin!

Christmas Photo Shoot #1
Action!

As long as they were in motion it seemed to go okay...

But of course that's not the kind of shot I was going for. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

Individually we did okay...

{Well, most did okay individually:)}

We did get a few good ones in but you can't see those until Christmas!!!

October

2010-10-22T12:52:00.006-05:00

Dear month of October,

Oh how I love thee!

Your blues skies and sunshine, cooler temperatures, fall colors, and beloved Halloween make you my favorite of all the months.

On this 22nd day of the best month, I was able to start bright and early with my new routine of morning running. Breathing in all that fresh air and watching the bright sun filter through those orange leaves must have cleared my head because it occurred to me that I have not fully given you the appreciation you deserve. And now you are almost gone!

That's not to say that we haven't enjoyed you!

We have yelled War Eagle!

We have put on warmer clothes (and some of us have decided that these warmer clothes are for the birds. Humph! Get them off!):

We have said "Boo!"

And Trick-or-Treat

We have rolled around in your fallen leaves

Wonderful October please don't go!

7

2010-09-14T06:03:00.015-05:00

This little girl turned seven recently.

She chose to go to Atlanta to celebrate just as her sister did in March.

She chose Kit.

Like her older sister, this little girl is changing rapidly before my eyes. {Wasn't it only a week ago that she was four-years-old in my Ben Harper t-shirt painting at the kitchen table? Where does the time go?}

This little girl is my fashionista. Skirts and dresses only please. And make-up. Oh, how she loves make-up.

This little girl always remembers to pray for Samuel's mom (our sponsored child in Africa who's mom has HIV/AIDS) at meals and bed time. Always.

This one is my song bird. Always singing and making up songs.

This little girl has a friend at school who is a boy (we won't say boyfriend) who she talks about all. the. time.

This little girl is learning to ride a bike but loves best to swing when we are outside (and sings constantly while swinging).

This little girl is taking dance for the very first time this year and if you know her this makes you snicker just a little. Grace.

This little girl is mischievous! She is always up to something.

And her smile! Goodness it lights up the room!

She is sunshine!

Happy Birthday Lizzie D!

Outtakes:

{My mom was with us as well but was the photographer:) Thank you GG!}

Peace

2010-08-16T20:41:00.003-05:00

My mom recently sent me some photos from the beach trip.

Do you remember me saying that Lizzie has grown fond of throwing up a peace sign?

I'd like to share:

This little girl also lost a front tooth on the way home from the beach. I took a picture and, yep, you guessed it...

peace.

I'm not sure where she learned this but it cracks me up.

I'll also tell you that I have a weakness for missing front teeth. To me it's one of the cutest looks around (on second graders, that is!).

I couldn't deny her a thing!

And they are off...

2010-08-11T08:28:00.001-05:00

To second and third grade:

I will miss them but I'm pretty sure she is going to be lost without them during the day:

Back to the Beach

2010-08-01T08:43:00.010-05:00

We're back at the beach...with GG this time.

Thank heavens for GG's camera because I have yet to take a photo. Plus GG has video on her phone. For some reason this is the only one I have been able to upload. Plus it's showing up sideways. I have alot to learn here!
Please Note: Baby Lilah was promptly apprehended after the video was so hastily cut. She sure thought it was funny running from her momma and GG!

The ocean is clear and beautiful! No oil!

Lizzie throws up a peace sign for every picture these days:

GG plus two:

Lilah found her nostril while we were waiting in line for Sea and Suds. We girls got a big kick out of that:):

Sam relaxing:

GG and Lilah spending a late night (for us) at the Hang Out:

At Lambert's. Samantha is showing off her throwed roll:

GG took the girls night swimming:

Happy Birthday!

2010-07-26T21:13:00.002-05:00

To my dear sister, Jaime, today!

And because we share a birthday, I too have turned another year older today. This is a big one. I'm rolling into a new decade. 30!
Were you also surprised to look at yourself in the mirror and say 30? I'm okay with it and all, it's just hard to believe I am here! Crazy!
My only want is for another 30 years (and more of course) as wonderful as these 30 years have been!

The girls all went to Mimi and Granddaddy's this weekend. I'm told by the grandparents that Lilah said "Granddaddy" plain as day. And poor Lizzie was stung by a bee. That makes twice this summer!
We're heading out to the beach later this week, then Six Flags when we get back (me and the big girls with JD and the youth group) then it's time to wind down the summer.

I too will be starting back to school this fall (nurse practitioner). I'll be taking it slow though as I'm in no hurry to leave the work schedule I currently have once I get done.

Lilah will also be going to mother's day out at our church this fall. How cute is that?

So we are all getting ready. Don't you just love the beginning of a new school year? I do! It always feels like a new start!!! And fall. Oh how I love fall! But let's not wish time away...

Hope you are staying cool and enjoying your summer!

Lilah

2010-07-23T21:25:00.002-05:00

I want to tell you a little bit about my one year old.

But first, let me show you a few photos from her first birthday that I haven't posted yet:

{Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you}

Thank you to all of you who were there to celebrate with us. Just a quick funny...Jonathan called me at work the next day in a panic that Lilah had blue poop. A quick rewind made me suggest that it may have been the black icing. Several hours later he texted that, "yes, it was definitely the icing."

Moving on...

I know that all momma's think that their baby is the cutest, but no kidding, mine is. I could just eat her up. I'll also admit that she came from the high maintenance aisle at the baby store.

She goes down in her crib every night but by the morning she is in our bed. I'll tell you a secret...we really don't mind too much. She's a really good snuggle bug.

She is tiny although I know I've mentioned that here before. At 12 months she was 16 pounds but she's also tall, being in the 75% in height. One of her favorite activities is throwing food from her high chair into the floor. She also "shares". She always holds out her food for you to take a bite.

She recently cut four teeth up top. Until then, these two bottom teeth were all she had. And they are crooked which I find adorable.

She's loud and has lots to say. Her favorite is "Hey!" Sometimes we have a conversation of saying 'hey' back and forth for minutes at a time. She's a real charmer. While in the grocery store she'll stare at people until she catches their eye then say, "Hey!" in her really cute voice and then blow a kiss. It gets them every time.
She blows lots of kisses understanding that it is a communication but not that it is an endearment. Many times in anger she'll slap her hand to her mouth and in her maddest tone yell "MUAH!" and throw her hand out. That cracks me up! She's expressing herself:)

She just in the past week started preferring walking to crawling. She's perfecting her step and, as my mom says, still has the Frankenstein walk.

She adores her sisters. She can be entertained for a long time just being in the same room with them. And lucky for her, they love her just as much. I have left her with them several times to shower, etc. and come back to find her dressed from head to toe in dress up clothes. Crown, shawl, you name it and she's got it on...just standing there smiling at me.

She also prefers their toys and who can blame her...

She's a little bit quirky too. One of her quirks is putting things on her head. From hats to toys to her sisters' training bras, it all goes on top.

So many things about her right now that I want to lock up in my memory. She is precious!

License Renewal

2010-07-14T21:04:00.004-05:00

We got a thick form from DHR a few months ago with lots of papers for us to update to renew our foster/adoption license. The forms have sat in a drawer but the idea of them being there has definitely sparked a little fire in my heart and mind.

Last week I checked my voice mail (for the first time in a month or so) and had two messages from a state social worker wanting to do our semi-annual home inspection to keep our license current.

Semi-annual = twice a year right?

We'll forgive them for being a year or so behind:)

I talked to the big girls about the social worker coming and how now it wasn't about them but about other children. I asked them how they would feel if we ever had more children here. They were beside themselves with excitement at the possibility, which honestly I was surprised about.
Later, Lizzie asked when the sisters were going to be here.
"What sisters?" I asked her.
"The sisters the worker is bringing!"

Silly girl.

Our house was checked and we changed our status from 'adoption only' to 'foster and adoption'.

I won't lie, the desire to foster right now is definitely there. I also know that we aren't there just yet. Knowing that doesn't mean I wouldn't be tempted if we got that call. Luckily I have a husband who (kindly) pulls me back down to earth, but also promises that we'll reevaluate in the fall/winter. It's certainly something to pray over.

In other news, we are revamping the big girls room. We've got a bunk bed on its way and in the mean time, we are going though every box, shelf and drawer to sort: keep, trash or donate (with an emphasis on trash and donate). I feel lately that the girls have so much stuff, they don't even know what they have anymore. It all gets lost in piles.

Anyway, Lilah and I made excellent progress today while the girls were in music camp. I'll post pictures when we get the bed up.

Hello!

2010-06-30T13:07:00.008-05:00

From the Gulf of Mexico!!!

There are tar balls everywhere and the water is awfully sudsy but we couldn't pass up an opportunity to be here! Don't think too badly of me for letting my babe splash around in this (non)toxic wasteland...I had to let her have a little beach experience before we camped out at the pool.

There are four (little) girls down here getting brown, eating good food, and having lots of fun! The two moms supervising are trying to get some R&R in:)We're looking forward to GG getting here tonight so ALL the girls in this family can be together.

I wish I could keep you all up to speed, but the blog seems to be the last priority. Here's a whirlwind tour of our summer thus far:

Sam had a dance recital and did a wonderful job! Lizzie has decided to take dance with her next fall. We'll see how that goes;)

Aunt Jaime and EK have come to stay twice and we took a trip to the zoo.

Lizzie lost her very first tooth (or rather, the dentist pulled it because her big tooth was growing in behind it...if you remember her sister lost her first two teeth the same way).

Hope you all are having a safe and happy summer so far! For now I must go and watch three fairies (decked out in every ribbon and bow and other hair thing available) put on a show.

Happy Birthday!

2010-06-06T07:02:00.001-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday to this sweet baby girl!

Memorial Day!

2010-06-03T21:15:00.003-05:00

Look at all these cousins!

(Lizzie, Lilah, Carson, Ella, Caroline, Samantha)

I've told you I like going home, right?

I think it has rubbed off on the kids too!

GG's is a pretty fun place to be.

Lilah even got dragged into the mix.

Dryer times

Of course there was watermelon!!! I think this girl might have eaten a whole one herself:)

Lilah decided that she preferred to be held by Carson!

And walked around by her daddy (she's getting closer every day!).

Aunt Jaime said Lizzie looked like she was ready for a Widespread Panic concert. How would you know what that looks like Aunt Jaime? :)

We have a first birthday coming up this weekend! Happy Birthday Lilah!

Spring Fever

2010-05-07T11:56:00.011-05:00

School and activities are winding down. Hallelujah! Every week seems to bring a ceremony or program of some sort. Let me reiterate that we will be doing ONE activity outside of church next year. The big girls did way, way, way too much. You live and you learn. There were several times, especially here toward the end of the year when one or both girls would express a desire to be home as a family rather than going to whatever activity was going on. That was a big wake up call for me that just because you can afford your children to do whatever activities they request doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best thing for them. Again people, I'm a late bloomer but my kids are helping me learn:)

This girl

has grown up so much this year. Physically she is, to me, almost unrecognizable when compared to the child who walked through our door 2 1/2 years ago. And with her maturity in looks has also come a maturity in mind. She's thinking more abstractly this year and recently has had a lot of thoughts and questions about adoption. I'll admit this has been very difficult for me for many reasons. One being that I want to be honest with her within the realm of what is age appropriate. This can be a struggle. So many questions that it's hard for me to answer. Absentee fathers, children born out of wedlock, a brother unaccounted for...how do you answer these questions? This isn't second grade information we're talking about but the questions remain. I want to answer her honestly so that she feels comfortable ALWAYS to ask and talk about her birth family but also so that she doesn't have a romanticized idea of what it was because the untruth in that would be to her detriment.
The second reason these conversations are difficult (and this sounds selfish but I know other adoptive parents understand) is because I have emotions wrapped up in this too. Ugly emotions, namely jealousy. I don't want the past to matter. In a sense, I wish we could pretend like she was always mine/ours. I know that would not be healthy and that will never be our angle but it is what it is. It just pains my heart for her to be confused and sad over a situation that she cannot understand or control. These moments are very few and far between but they do come up. So, we talk when needed. I show her a picture when it bothers her that she has forgotten and I do my very best in the in between to let her know that she is loved and just as much a part of this family as anyone else.

And as for this one

heaven help, this one keeps us on our toes but you all know that already. She continues to excel academically. She's reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe right now. In first grade! This blows my mind.
Despite her intelligence, the school year has been a roller coaster. Not that this is anything new. She has a teacher that adores her and this is such a lucky thing for both Lizzie and for the sanity of Jonathan and myself.
We're working on organization, impulsiveness, focus, and peer relationships. We met with a wonderful counselor at APAC mid-year and look forward to working with her over the summer. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this counselor as she helped us understand that Little Girl's behaviors are typical for a child who's life experience is what LG's has been. She listened to our concerns and frustrations and affirmed what we are trying to achieve as parents. We talked about reactive attachment and about how crucial a child's first five years are. The first four of those for Lizzie were spent bouncing around from one place to another. We talked about how all this comes in to play and how as Lizzie's parents it is our job to discipline and correct her (this is obvious I know but sometimes when you spend days on end disciplining and correcting you start to question) while also helping her heal.
God is always merciful though. We go through stretches, as we are right now, when little girl does GREAT! Her teacher has recently sent multiple emails about how WONDERFUL she is doing, how much she has matured this nine weeks and it feels like we are on the right track. These times are so glorious! My happiness as a parent stems from my children's happiness and to see sweet Lizzie smiling when I pick her up and to know she's had another good day is so rewarding! If we can just keep it going!

This is L-O-N-G and if you made it this far I am impressed. I haven't talked about adoption stuff in awhile and I don't want to give the pretense that this "stuff" doesn't come up. It does. So there it is: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I wouldn't have it any other way:)

Sunshine and Happiness

2010-04-27T13:36:00.005-05:00

I have no intention of staying away so long. Really I don't. There is lots to say and update and write but the time escapes me...over and over again. Away from the blog though...in our home and life I feel like I'm on a role of accomplishment.
Lilah has been here for almost a year and the girls two and a quarter and I feel as though I am finally (FINALLY...for the first time in two years!) hitting my stride as far as balancing my roles in life. I'm a late bloomer folks.
We've been purging lots and lots of unused things. Getting organized. Our house is getting more "together" which makes me feel like a new person all together.
We are all very much looking forward to summer though it's gonna be a busy one. We had a little preview this past Friday when the girls were out of school.
We visited the park:

Between the water and the play area the girls stayed busy for hours.

Lilah refused her morning nap and did her darnedest to keep up with her big sisters.

A few minutes in the swing and she was out.

While her sisters played on behind her.

Be back soon!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T19:14:00.002-05:00

Hope you all had a very Happy Easter! My girls visited with the Easter bunny on Friday:

Much to our surprise Lilah LOVED the Easter bunny and pitched a small fit when her time with him was over.

Everyone looked beautiful on the way out the door to church Sunday morning.

{Anyone know why blogger cuts off the right side of my photos or how to fix that?}

And a little sample of why you don't usually see all three in the same photo:

But sometimes you do get everyone smiling and looking at the camera:)

After church Jonathan took the girls to Nana's (my grandmother) for lunch and an Easter egg hunt (thanks to Jaime for the photos).

And I was delighted that I got off from work a little early and got to talk to my girls about their day. When I tucked Lizzie into bed I told her, "He is risen!" And without missing a beat she exclaimed, "He is risen indeed!"

Happy Easter

Greetings!

2010-03-24T14:04:00.016-05:00

From our house to yours. We've been spring breaking it up in Northeast Alabama with my family and the girls and I had to come home to tell daddy (not for the first time) that we're ready to move back to where my roots are:)
Times are always good when we are up there!

The State Park with Granddaddy, Mimi, Aunt Jaime and Cousin Ella:

Sweet Lizzie girl who yelled, "Momma! Take my picture!" at every fun thing she found at the park.

Granddaddy and Lilah

Mimi and Lilah:

Three little monkeys!

We hiked to a cave and even went inside!

Wading in the water. It was COLD! The girls' feet were red by the time they were done.

Aunt Jaime and I found treasure in a log at the cave. We signed our names in the box, put Lizzie's necklace in it and hid it again for someone else to find.

The girls waited all day for the nature center to open and spent lots of time looking at each animal in the cabin. They even donated the quarters granddaddy had given them to the nature center to help buy more food!

Lizzie helping the ranger feed the birds. This is a man-made replica of an eagle's nest. Pretty impressive, huh?

Some fun in the sun at GG's:
GG graciously offered to keep the girls while Aunt Jaime and I did some shopping. You can really improve your wardrobe when you don't have three kids in tow!
All four girls played outside in the sunshine all morning. When I got back Lilah whispered in my ear that now she understood why I've been so excited about the weather warming up!

Three peas in a pod! Every time we are around EK I think to myself that we could just add her into the Dills family so easily and barely even blink an eye. Hmmm...maybe we need a five-year-old little girl???? {No worries, we're taking a break this year from adding on to the family:)}

Lilah even got to enjoy a little sweet treat just like the big girls!

It's back to the grind again but the girls certainly enjoyed their break (and I did too). We are already looking forward to next spring break...we have some really big plans!!! The girls don't know it yet (and won't until next Christmas) but we are planning a small adventure for our family of five!

Happy 8th Birthday!

2010-03-08T10:03:00.004-06:00

This Friday we celebrated:

Our big girl, sweet Samantha, is eight years old!

Cousin Ella, Aunt Jaime, and GG came to the American Girl Store with us in Atlanta:

We ate with the dolls. Lilah was happy to share her cheerios with a friend just her size:

It was just Samantha and me in our car for the last hour of the trip. She told me she felt very lucky to have had this day and I agreed that it was a very special day indeed.
We are very lucky to have this big girl of ours. We hope all her birthday wishes come true!

{Sam closing her eyes and making a wish before blowing out the candle.}

The Death of a Tadpole

2010-02-18T20:48:00.006-06:00

Tragedy struck our home this morning when Big Girl discovered this:

He/she was BG's favorite Christmas gift and was supposed to turn into a frog. We had already had a false alarm last week when it wasn't moving much which resulted in hysterical behavior from BG. So although I knew the little creature was dead (by evidence of his body log rolling as I swished around the water), I told Sam we would give him the rest of the day before we decided whether or not he was really dead.

I delivered the bad news after school. It went over better than I had expected.
We had a little memorial service in our backyard:

Big girl really held herself together until she gave the eulogy. Her little face crumbled:

Lilah laughed at some point and was harshly reprimanded by her oldest sister. She responded a little something like this:

We recovered quickly and headed for the trampoline.
R.I.P Lukey 01/10-02/10

Adoption Story

2010-02-18T07:54:00.002-06:00

Alright...you folks know that I love a good adoption story so here's one I had to share. These parents are so inspiring. Like angels here on earth. What a blessed thing it is to answer God's call again and again (and again and again and again and again). Not only that, but finding a passion...stepping up and speaking out for drug addicted babies. Wow! How many people will be reached by this family and how much change made. I don't know these people but from the outside looking in, it looks like they are truly living out the Word. Take a few minutes and listen to their story:

Baby Love

2010-02-04T10:55:00.007-06:00

Lilah is two days away from eight months and is busy exploring her surroundings. Her favorite toys are those things that aren't toys...the things she shouldn't play with at all...empty cups, my car keys, any kind of paper!!!, and on and on. She's been slow to learn to crawl but she's finally getting the hang of it:

She's pulling up on things and standing with support:

Look mom! I can do it with only one hand! (My heart rate spikes:)

She has found that there are all kinds of exciting things to find on table tops (like tinkerbell pez dispensers):

She's still pint sized but growing at a steady rate. Just this week she has started wearing her 6/9 month clothes.
She says bye-bye (buh-bye) occasionally but I'm unsure if there is a connect between word and meaning.
Every now and then (when I'm lucky) she'll lean in and give me a big opened-mouth "MUAH". Her kisses are so sweet!

I know, I know, every momma thinks her baby is the cutest but just look at those big baby blues (and lashes!):

And that sweet smile:

I could just eat her little cupcake head up!

Happy Gotcha Day!

2010-02-01T20:41:00.006-06:00

Today our family celebrated two years. It's really hard to believe it hasn't always been. All morning yesterday (our official day) while at work, I kept watching the clock thinking about that morning two year ago. Thinking about how I was in the middle of painting the ceiling (of all things) when the phone rang and changed all of our lives forever. Thinking how the faceless, nameless "two little girls sitting down here who need a place to go" are the same beautiful girls resting upstairs now. My children.
They are my kids. Plain and simple. And just like it may be hard to imagine that your child would ever have been in the custody of DHR, sitting at desks all day waiting for a place to go, with clothes too large, wompy hair-cuts and bruises where they don't belong...it's also hard for me now to imagine that that was once my children. But it was.
This may make me sound like a looney toon, but I can remember after Lilah was born I would catch myself thinking, "Was she adopted or were they?" I know this sounds crazy but it's true. I had just pushed a child out of my body but I couldn't differentiate one from another. It's the same. No matter how they came to me, they are all the same in my heart and mind.
I've learned alot over the last two years. It hasn't been the glorified version that maybe we all expect parenting to be. It's been the real version. It's taught me alot about myself. My true colors. Jonathan and I are learning as we go and always striving to be the best parents we can be. These girls (all three of them) are what I have always desired from life. I can only hope that Lilah will grow up to be as sweet and loving as her sisters are.
They have shown me what life is all about. They make me laugh alot. They've made me want to pull my hair out at times. They fill our house with chaos and noise and love. Most of all, they show me over and over again what God's love must look like. They are so quick to accept, so quick to forgive, and so willing and eager to love and be loved.
My prayers today are of thanksgiving but also for the families and children both in our nation and throughout the world who are waiting and praying and searching for one another. What a blessing adoption is!

2010-01-26T20:56:00.017-06:00

Christmas 2009 was much fun!

We hung out with family:

Ate lots of good food:

Played with the kids' new toys:

Spent time together:

Looked cute:

I mean really cute:

Met new cousins (who we can't wait to play with again!):

Opened lots of presents from Santa (and family):

While daddy and Lilah watched from the sidelines:

We also talked about the birth of a Savior, of course. I hope your holidays were merry and bright!

Still Alive

2010-01-23T07:24:00.004-06:00

We did survive the holidays...I just haven't been back around here yet. I'll be back soon with a brief Christmas in photos and then we'll get back to regular scheduled programming. Here's a few until then...

Maintaining

2009-12-17T11:01:00.010-06:00

Are ya'll surviving out there? 7 more days until Christmas! We went to a Christmas party two days ago (childless) and I ate almost to the point of being rude. I'm not one to skip a meal but I've learned that eating becomes secondary during the holidays when you have three...so when given the opportunity, I jumped!
I feel like my load is small potatoes though when I got the chance to have my weekly chat with a sweet friend from church who just had #7 AND home schools (four different grades right now!). That always puts things into proper perspective for me.
In all reality, things are chugging right along here. Somehow my oldest two wound up this year in ballet/tumbling, cheerleading, choir, Wednesday night Bible study (JAM), AND Daisys. I'm not sure exactly how this happened as our original rule was one activity (not including Wednesday night church activities). Oh well. I'm looking forward to the break over the holidays!
So much is going on...

programs...

parties...

firsts...

still battling this...

(God love her. It's all her mother's fault. I know what I need to do but I can't do it. I asked my mom if she would mind just letting her cry this Friday when she spends the night. She replied, "Absolutely not. I'm not doing your dirty work for you." Sigh. I can't do it either. Just look at that face! Tell me you wouldn't run to her aid, snuggle her up, and maybe even nurse her if she whimpered in the night!)

We are READY for Christmas in every way. Big girl tells me something new it seems every time I ask what she wants for Christmas. Maybe I should stop asking:) JD gets his wisdom teeth out on the 23rd. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to use up your insurance for the year. This is the life we lead folks:)

This post is everywhere but so is my mind:)

***p.s. We are so grateful for the family and friends who have asked us to let them watch our children for small increments of time. What a blessing!***

Santa's coming!

2009-12-10T21:32:00.005-06:00

And we're finally ready! We had a set back last week that brought our world crashing to a halt. I won't give details but just know that of the insignificant things that can turn your world upside down, this has been the biggest one thus far in our family's life. We're past it now though, up and running...all healthy and thriving and ready for Christmas!

The big girls' biggest wishes:
Sam- a nativity set. Yes, my almost eight-year-old will be getting a little people nativity set for Christmas and I'm just fine with that. We'll also be taking her and her sisters to the live nativity tomorrow night. She's into it folks!
Lizzie- checkers. She's had a really hard time naming specific things she wants but she told me that she asked Santa for checkers. I'm willing to bet he went out that very day to make her Christmas wish come true.

Lilah would like some bottom teeth and to sleep through the night again (every night preferably). She would also like to crawl if it's not too much to ask.

I've been plugging along in my Disciple Bible Study. It's an amazing study if you ever get the chance to take it. I have previously had an embarrassingly small amount of knowledge as it pertains to the Old Testament and though I could take Disciple I three more times before I was solid in the OT, I have learned so much. It's been tough, you know...equating the God of the OT with the Savior that I am largely familiar with. It's been a struggle in my mind making them one and the same. As we finish up with the OT portion of our study and look forward to entering the New Testament, I can't help but look at Christmas in a whole new light. Never before have I been so ready for the birth of our Savior.

A child, a child, sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light...

My Dear Lilah Girl,

2009-11-30T14:05:00.004-06:00

In one week you will be six months old. SIX MONTHS! Half a year! Time has never gone by so fast. You are such a joy...a wiggling, giggling, little joy. We are buddies, you and me. Very soon I will have to play the mother role and direct you from right and wrong but for now we play and smile at each other and all is well.

Now for what I really want to say: The sleep thing. In general you've done well. Great in fact until we took you off your cradle and into the flat surface of your pack 'n play. It's been a fight for a few months but you have gone over a week sleeping through the night again in the pack 'n play. Aunt Jaime asked me over Thanksgiving why I didn't want you in your crib and I explained to her that I did (!). I just didn't want to put you in there until you were sleeping through the night. After all, it's much easier to just reach over in the middle of the night than to get up and walk to your room to rescue you.
What I realize though is that that Aunt Jaime is one smart cookie. I think she realized something I did not because now that your through the night again and ready to go to your room it's hard for me to let you go (and daddy is no help either...he'd let you move in our room permanently if it were up to him). At first my argument (with myself) was that you would go in the crib after my work weekend so that I would be assured good sleep. But now that the work weekend is over, anxiety is high about putting you in your crib. It's only a few feet but it seems so far away!

Tonight you will go though because you are ready. Even though I'm not, you are. With this tiny letting go, I am suddenly aware of all the letting go I will have to do in your life. Today it's the crib and one day it will be college.

Forgive me, baby girl, if in between I hold on a little too tightly.

Love, mom

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T20:29:00.002-06:00

From our family to yours.

A morning in the life

2009-11-09T13:14:00.009-06:00

of a mom of three...

1:30am: Squawker starts squawking which results in one (unsuccessful) attempt at being plugged with the paci and then straight into bed with the parents because, let's face it, I'm ready for some rest after my work week(end). Tough love will start tomorrow night. promise.

3:30am: Little girl slides into our bed announcing that she has thrown up in her bed. Quick pass off of squawker and then downstairs to make a sick bed on the couch with a promise to return shortly. Pepto in the belly. Mouth rinsed out.

3:40am: Bed is stripped and now in the basement washing sheets and comforter. Thinking: I wish Little Girl hadn't seen Baby Girl in bed with us. Also thinking: Why didn't I put the baby back in her pack 'n play instead of handing her off for her dad to snuggle? Am I an enabler?

3:55am: Back to the couch with Little Girl. Her head at one end, mine at the other. "Leg cuddles" I tell her.

4:30am: Hear squawking. Go upstairs to feed baby. Put her back in the PACK 'N PLAY. Look longingly at my comfy bed and then head back to the couch for more leg snuggles.

Unknown time: Wake up to sunlight. Head upstairs. A tousle-headed Big Girl is getting dressed and tells me "I must have fallen back to sleep." Realize it's 7am and a quick assessment tells me BG woke up on her own and only thinks she "fell back to sleep".

8:30am: Getting a shower with a curtain separating me from squawker playing in her bouncer and Little Girl rummaging through drawers and chanting "Bub-ble Bath" and "Straw-ber-ry" over and over again. I realize unintentionally that if I plug my ears and put my face into the water I can hear absolutely nothing. Amazing. I store this in my memory bank.

8:35am: Get out to find Little Girl with a gob of antibiotic cream on her forehead on a non-existent boo-boo with now-greasy hair flopping over into her face. I ignore my unpleasant thoughts and cover the spot with a band-aid.

9:20am: On laundry load #3 and think to myself...even on the bad days/nights it's really not so bad.

How's your Monday?

5 months

2009-11-06T16:48:00.004-06:00

It's truly something new every day these days with Lilah! She absolutely LOVES her big sisters and laughs any time they laugh. She watches them very closely:) She has learned to jump in her johnny jump up. She has tried sweet potatoes (and liked them) and bananas (doesn't like so far).
We've had a regression in the sleep department. She has been in the cradle on top of her pack 'n play since birth and as she was reaching the weight limit, we took it off and let her sleep on the flat part of the pack 'n play. Not going so well. She (for the past week) has been in our bed by 3-4am for the past week. Yikes! I do not want her to be a co-sleeper. Not. At. All. Don't get me wrong...I love the snuggles. But #1: it's not fair to the big girls for Lilah to get to sleep in our bed and #2 I have visions of a two year old Lilah still refusing to sleep through the night in her own bed. We'll keep working on this!
She belongs to all four of us. My "little mommas" help me so much and they are just crazy about her. This past week on our way home from the dentist. Sam said, "Mom do you know why I'm crying?" I hadn't know she was crying but I turn around and see that she is. "Why?" I asked. And she told me, "Because Lilah is so cute and I don't want her to grow up. It makes me sad to think about her getting big" I'm not sure why she feels that sadness at seven but I can relate. I had to remind her of all the fun things Lilah would miss out on if she stayed small forever. I reminded big girl (and myself) that watching babies grow and change is fun not sad.
She (lilah) is very lucky to have such sweet sisters!

Look what I can do...

2009-10-30T08:41:00.005-05:00

She's not much for rolling over but she's getting better and better at this sitting thing.

Also a favorite past time is sitting in her bumbo on the table digging through the big girl's snack bowl. This and watching her rip up napkins is our entertainment every night as we sit around the dinner table.

And by the way, this is how she ALWAYS sits in her bumbo whether or not there is a bowl or napkin to entertain her. I don't know why but she's not much for sitting straight up in it. I guess she's always looking for something to do/grab! It sure does make feeding a challenge (and a mess!).

October

2009-10-29T10:55:00.017-05:00

The best month of the year, I say. We're glad most of the rain has passed and we have had some fun at the Halloween festivities going on around here.

This month for us last year was life altering. Do you remember?
Very early in the month I found out that #3 was on the way. It has been such a blessing to love on this baby girl. I hold her and know what it was like to rock ALL THREE of my girls to sleep at night.

At the end of the month last year we found out that we would be able to adopt our two big girls. It seemed like it took forever to get to that point, didn't it? And speaking of forever...it felt good to finally say it...Read Here.

Looking back, bringing the girls home was more stressful than I realized at the time. Trying to find a balance between loving them like they were my own and guarding my heart because they weren't was difficult. But our reality was as natural to us as it is to any first-time parent. I haven't always gotten in right. That's an understatement. I guess all parents feel that way sometimes. These kids are such good kids though. They can make me laugh like no other! Like yesterday Samantha giving her chest two quick closed-fist pounds and then throwing out the peace sign and being totally serious about it (I hope you get the mental image so that you can laugh too! Where do they get this stuff??). They humble me in the way that they love me and are so eager to please.
They say, "I want to be just like you when I grow up." And wow, what an undeserved compliment that is. I'm reminded of how unworthy I am of the gift God has given me in these children. I'm blessed to be chosen as their mother.

It is not uncommon for Jonathan and I to look at each other in any given situation and say...tomorrow we'll wake up and she'll be 18.
Here's to trying to remember daily how quickly it will all go by!

Over the river and through the woods...

2009-10-21T14:43:00.005-05:00

To GG's house we went.

Working weekends has kept us away from North Alabama and my family:( This past Friday we headed that way after school. We were SO happy to be at GG's to visit! Lilah had her first sleep over (without me) on Saturday night and everyone arrived back at the house happy, bathed, and sad to see GG go on Sunday.

I had a blunder on my way back to Birmingham Saturday morning. I made it to Trussville before I realized I needed gas. Off the interstate I went and was pulling into the gas station when it occurred to me that my wallet was in Lilah's diaper bag a little over an hour away. I would like to say that is where my cell phone also was but the truth is the cell has been lost for weeks probably somewhere at the house(haven't I said I'm terrible with the cell phone?). Anyway, I didn't panic thinking surely there was some cash in the car. Nope. I was certain they wouldn't take candy or children's books as payment...I had plenty of that/those. SO, a kind man who was purchasing a cap at the gas station at 8am lent me his cell phone so that I could call my husband (who had been up all night for a youth lock in at the church) to come bail me out. He was there in record time and didn't say one think to me about it (other than, I think you can make it on time). I can say with confidence that anyone who knows me well would agree that this incidence isn't terribly surprising. I kinda do things like this. That my husband doesn't rip my head off about it...about having to drive half an hour after no sleep to buy my gas...about having to call my work FOR me because yet again I don't have a cell phone on hand...really humbles me and makes me question how I would have responded had the roles been reversed. Not so gracefully I can assure you.

Anyway, back to GG's:
(1)It feels good to be "home" even if I never actually lived in the house where my parent's now live. It's always good company and good times.
(2)When GG's around I actually exist in photographs.

Even if it is a photo of the baby crying and myself in pj's. Who cares? There will be proof one day that I was there too...that I held these babes in my arms once upon a time.
(3) When I'm there I get to be the daughter and my mom takes good care of me:) She even had a lunch packed for me. How sweet is that?
(4)She has a fun house with a closet full of toys and fun activities planned for my kids.
(5) She loves everyone the same:)

How is it already the end of another week? My mantra these days...where does the time go?
Be back soon with some Halloween fun!

Yum-Yum!

2009-10-08T10:31:00.005-05:00

She's four months ya'll!
And because you can at four months, we tried rice cereal. Can you see the surprise on her face?!

I read a variety of things about rice cereal before giving it. The summary: Rice cereal was created in a time when formula wasn't fortified with iron. Thus, rice cereal was introduced to ensure babes were getting iron. Now formula DOES have iron and breast-fed babes get iron from moms anyway SO rice cereal isn't necessary. On the harsher (word?) more granola end...rice cereal is perhaps a bad choice as it is mainly sugar and starch. Oh well. It has calories and is an easy was to transition into solids as its consistency can be diluted/thickened and it has a low allergy possibility. We're doing it (but not stressing over it).

I also had questions about vaccinations. Questions that were firmly but nicely put to rest by our pediatrician. Bottom line to keep things short, for the most part, I'm done with the research as it relates to these things...food, shots, etc. I love this baby and want to do the best thing for her. I trust and respect our doctor. He is highly educated and competent. I will ask his advice and follow his lead as long as it feels right. All this reading and research amounts to unnecessary concern and confusion. My mom told me last night that I started rice cereal at two weeks. I'm fine. I'm not obese. I make good food choices. I have no food or drug allergies. None of the red flags for starting food early were true for me. I also got all vaccines with no ill effect.
So I'm done with that.

Lilah's stats at four months:
Length: 24 1/4 (50-75th percentile)
Weight: 11 pounds 5 ounces (10th percentile) tiny but no concern from our doc
Head circ: 16 inches (25-50th percentile)
Sleeping: typically from 7p-4:30a at which time she has a quick eat and then back to sleep until around 7:30a

Eating and MJ

2009-10-05T08:03:00.006-05:00

Our little baby girl will be four months old tomorrow and she is showing all the signs that she is ready to move on to something a little more solid to eat. She's become really interested in what we are putting in our mouths at feeding times and then cries in protest until she is fed (even if she ate an hour before). This baby is hungry! Here she is staring intently at her big sister from her Bumbo:

And while we've got a photo going of big girl, let me say that she loves Michael Jackson. Her "BFF" at school has introduced her to the King of Pop and she writes and talks about him often. I can remember listening to my sister's thriller record at around her age so it's kinda neat to show her the Beat It and Thriller videos (and yikes Thriller is scary but no bad dreams and she begs to watch it again!). It's amusing that I will be buying my oldest child a MJ album for Christmas this year. If only we had kept all those old records!

Little girl is having better days. Still doing her thing...attempting to cut clothes, drawing on her hands with marker, etc while at school but she keeps such activities to a minimum. For this we are thankful!

And some mornings are just like this...

2009-09-24T08:31:00.004-05:00

We've had a tough time with Lilah in the church nursery on Wednesday nights. It's her fussy time if she isn't with me and her nonstop crying in the nursery made me fear that I would have to quit my Bible study. I couldn't concentrate in class knowing she was upstairs crying. Others let me know that she would get past it and to carry on but I was pretty sure I couldn't let her "cry it out" week after week. I took last week off and have prayed HEAVILY about this situation. Last night we got to the church for supper at 4:45pm (very early!). We ate, I took Lilah to a vacant nursery room, fed her, changed her, rocked her to sleep, swaddled her and delivered her to her teachers peacefully with 20 minutes to spare (yes!). I did sneak by the nursery about five times in that 20 min to see if I heard any screaming (I didn't) and during my break from class (no crying). Success! Two hours, no screaming. This was a big deal to me folks.
A church member joked, "Ha! Now she'll be up all night."

Nah.

Well kinda.

She was up between 3a-5a. Well, not up but I laid her beside me so that maybe I could get some rest while she worked out her wiggles and it went on for two hours this way: Quiet, paci falls out, "sqawk!", paci in, quiet, arms flail, paci out, "grunt!", paci in...you get the picture.

Then at 7:08am I wake with a start realizing we've overslept.

To the girls room and rush, rush, rush we get ready.

And it is at that point I realize little girl has drawn (with marker) on her new headband/bow. This is a big deal because...
Anything that detaches form LG's body can cause her problems (trouble) in school (bows, ribbons, shoestrings, belts...you name it). These detachable items however are fun things. Things that we wish she could wear but are wary of because we want to do our best to keep her out of trouble. BUT yesterday I had let her wear her new headband because it was a birthday gift from GG. It was her trial run and she promised me she would not take it off of her head.
And then I find that not only did she take it off but she drew on it (big spot!) with red magic marker on purpose (although this did happen at church and not at school to her credit). This, my friends, is my middle child. This is the kind of thing that she does that just perplexes me and breaks me inside because I want so much for her to make the right decisions and it's so frustrating when she doesn't. And honestly, I think she WANTS to make the right decision, it's like she's just incapable of stopping her impulses sometimes.
And so, this morning that is already off to a bad start gets even worse because her father has to get involved to discipline her. I don't know about you but I like nothing less than sending a child off to school after a bad morning at home. It just feels yucky inside.

So that's where we are at 8:51 this morning. Feeling a little defeated already but it has to get better, right? Some mornings are just like this.
This post needs some happy so I'll give you a little of that too...

Miss Sassy Pants shaking it in our front yard in what she believes is THE most beautiful outfit a seven-year-old could hope to find herself in (taking part in picking out clothes this year means that this skirt is worn weekly by one of the two big girls...thank goodness the school says only tennis shoes are allowed at school or I can guarantee we'd have these bad boys on every day).

Most mornings are much more like this with sleepy-eyed, smiling faces looking back at me. This is why it is usually my favorite time of the day. Everyone looking so sweet, myself with renewed energy and the promise of a new day full of possibility.

We'll say to little girl tonight as we tuck her in (as we always do when there is big trouble that day), "Everyday is a new day."
A chance to start over.

Procrastinate

2009-09-09T12:11:00.002-05:00

P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-E
Procrastinate.

Yep, we understand that around here. Alright folks, if you are so inclined to contribute to our school's fundraiser (and help my kiddos win prizes that they will play with for approximately 1 day before they are forgotten) please click on this link:

Innisbrook

Our school # is: 112140

Big girl's seller # is: R132127E
Little girl's seller # is: R132080E

I believe they will ship directly to you BUT orders are due tomorrow, September 10th (that's the procrastination part:).

The girls thank you!

3 months

2009-09-09T09:52:00.003-05:00

Tell me that picture doesn't make you want to smile right back at her! We're working through my going back to work and how that effects us all. I'm loving being back but JD and Lilah are very slowly finding a groove. He says she won't let him put her down...I've been there so I understand but *HOPE* they'll work through it. GG's having an easier time of it on Sunday. I'm definitely finding that it's challenging settling back into a routine with her on the weekdays. By the end of the week she's going down easily at night but on Monday and Tuesday (etc) she's *fussy* going down and this week slept for three and four hour stretches at night instead of our 7-9 hours that we're getting used to. What's that about?!? Anyway, it's all a part of it, I guess, and I'm just glad that it's only two days a week that I'm working (also glad for the help and loving care for my kids on the weekend!).

Speaking of work...
Let me preface this by saying I don't watch the news because I think that it's largely full of stories to induce fear in the public. I'm aware that not watching the news makes me ignorant to many current events or political leaders but I'll take the trade off.
So saying that let me just say...I've tested a whole lot of positive flu type A (swine flu) in children these past few weekends. Enough to make me feel like my big girls are covered with germs when they come home from school. Enough to make me fear that it might find it's way into our home. It doesn't help that the Alabama Dept of Public Health sent all health care workers a magazine size handbook entitled "Preparing for Pandemic Flu". For the love of all that is good, reading through that makes you feel like the world might come to an end (ie: it tell you to store up all this food and water and to prepare to not be able to leave your home for weeks on end EXCEPT if you are a health care worker and then you should basically prepare to live at the facility where you work while you 'do you part' in nursing the sick back to health).
SEE, this is why I shut the news out. Instead I should go read Matthew 6:27, right? We'll survive, I'm sure;)

October is coming soon, ya'll! Yea for fall!

Alright facebookers...

2009-09-01T20:51:00.002-05:00

Jonathan challenged his youth to put out this message (or something like it) as their facebook status tonight at 9:30pm:

There are 125,000 orphans in America and 300,000 churches. That's less than one child per church. We should be able to fix this. Visit project125k.org. READ James 1:27.

It's 8:52pm and already there are over 30 kids who have got the word out via facebook. That's exciting ya'll!

SO, if you facebook...don't be shy...change your status and let your friends know.

busy, busy

2009-09-01T13:38:00.003-05:00

If you blink around here you might miss something important. Life and time move at warp speed when kids are involved, no?
JD's been doing some home projects, kicking off the fall with the RUMC youth program, and gearing up to start seminary. Isn't he cute!:)

I am back at work (as of last weekend). It is totally stress free as GG is here with the girls when Jonathan is working. I don't even think the big girls missed me and Lilah was an angel until the 7pm hour and beyond. We'll work on that!
I've also gotten to celebrate with one of my oldest and dearest friends the coming birth of her baby boy (Turner). Congrats Jill!
I started Disciple I on Wednesday nights. All you Methodist people know this course is challenging, and tough, and time consuming. I've been wanting to do it for awhile. I'm excited and hopeful to make it through and learn more about the Bible!

Sam is pulling teeth like it's her day job. I begged her for maybe six months to wiggle her loose front tooth. Then all of a sudden she pulled a tooth three nights in a row. The tooth fairy is broke and I'm begging her to lay off the teeth pulling for a while.
She is a social butterfly! When she is dropped off at school in the morning I always hear someone calling out to her to say hello. She is WONDERFUL with her baby sister (and all babies really). She's started ballet and, my heavens, this child is a ballerina at heart. She loves it!

Lizzie celebrated six! This year at school is much better so far than last. She has come home talking about friends from day one which is a change from last year. That she is growing her social skills makes me a happy momma. She's still Lizzie...talking when she isn't supposed to, having to be told what to do three or four times, etc but it's getting better (and it could certainly be much worse). She started tumbling class and we practice at home:) She loves trying to kick-up into a handstand.

Lilah has gotten so big this last month. We've finally said good-bye to all the newborn clothes and are in 0-3. She's blowing bubbles, arching her back when she's mad, and sleeping 7 and occasionally 8 hours at night. We like it! It's amazing to watch how much she grows and changes. Lately, we all crowd around her in the morning before the girl's get off to school and watch her smile, kick, and coo. PRECIOUS!

happy birthday lizzie d!

2009-08-27T09:40:00.006-05:00

Six years ago today I was living in Atlantic City, New Jersey working with the Covenant House through Americorps. I was also in the middle of a new relationship with my Jonathan who was 3000 miles away in Seattle, Washington, fulfilling his desire to live a life of hiking and camping.
We were falling in love with the life we were choosing to live and with one another and were utterly unaware of the miracle that was taking place down South. Our second baby girl was being born into this world! We don't have photos but I like to think she was a chubby, smiley baby!
I wish I could have baked a cake for her to smash her tiny fingers into on her first birthday or to have watched her blow out the candles at two, three, and four. But more than anything, I'm THANKFUL for the birthday memories with her that I do have and all the one's to come.
Happy 6th Birthday Lizzie D! Today we celebrate the {happy} day you were born and the sunshine you bring into this world!

Our Future...

2009-08-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

Create change.

It's that time again...

2009-08-20T12:28:00.007-05:00

Fall Kids Consignment Sales are going on everywhere! My heart races when I think about these...they are so much fun and where about 90% of my kid's clothes come from. Sadly though all of my girls' closets are overflowing so I can't go as crazy as I would like. We do need some Christmas dresses so I'll be on the look out for those. Plus we have a little babe and few baby toys so I better go stock up, right?
AND as if you needed another reason to go and support these sales...many of the contributors donate their unsold clothes and KIDS MARKET (which is the queen of all consignment sales) donates lots of their clothes to foster families/children in need. Now that's a cause I can get behind. Good for them!
I've been to only three of these (Kids Market, Kids Wear Plus, and TNT---all great sales) but I'm sure they are all just as great as the next. There are lots more in Birmingham but these had easy to find links and are in or right around the Hoover area.

Twice as Nice
August 21st-22nd
Thanks for the tickets Stace!

Kids Wear Plus
Hoover, AL
August 24th-29th

Giggles and Grace
Asbury UMC

Bargains on the Bluff
Bluff Park UMC
Hoover, AL
September 18th

TNT (at Riverchase United Methodist)
Hoover, AL
September 17th-19th

ready*set*grow
Liberty Crossings UMC
September 18th-19th

Kids Market and Mom
Old Academy Sports Building on Green Springs
September 21st-October 3rd

Kids' Korner
Mountain Chapel UMC
Hoover, AL
September 24th-25th

Washed in the Blood

2009-08-16T22:04:00.012-05:00

Last week all our sweet girls were baptized. JD participated with our Pastor Jim Savage which made it even the more special. God has blessed us in caring for these children and this day was all about giving them back over to Him and promising before our family and friends that we will raise these girls up in the ways of the Lord. We had ROWS of family there (thank you!) and it was SO good to have everyone together. The girls were themselves. Big girl shy before the crowd, little girl just taking it all in, and the baby...well, we'll say she was crying out her praises to the Lord:)
Thanks to my cousin Erin for the photos during the service and my mom for the one's at our house afterward (the only problem is she isn't in any of them!):

{us}

Little Girl, EK, and (great)Aunt Kelly

Lilah and Aunt Jaime

Jonathan and his (wonderful) summer intern. I'm not sure what they are doing but it seems pretty typical. We're gonna miss him here in a few days when he heads back to Auburn!

Grandaddy (my dad) hanging out at the kid's table.

And playing later on.

The great grandmothers with their great grandchildren (Lizzie, Mamaw, Lilah, Sam, Marley, Nana, Ella).

Samantha and Marley had SUCH a good time playing together! We look forward to Lilah being able to sit up and play and laugh like this!

Having kids gives us lots of excuses to get together with our family. We like it:)

Maybe I'm crazy...

2009-08-12T09:50:00.002-05:00

The big girls are off to their first day of school. I'd be a liar if I said I haven't been looking forward to school starting back up. Not just for the break but for the structure and routine it brings. Plus you just get that "back to school" feeling and who doesn't love that?
So I spent yesterday writing down what seems like a million things that I want to get done while the girls are in school this week. It's really exciting to think about being able to go into a grocery store or clean house (almost) uninterrupted. Ah, to be productive again (not that the big girls have ever stopped me from being productive, but the big girls + one baby girl has proven to make productivity difficult).
First things first, I check my voicemail for apparently the first time in two weeks given the dates of the messages I was receiving (can I say again that I'm never good to reach through cell phone). The last message was from DHR (yesterday) asking us if we would be interested in fostering because they'd "just had some kids come in". This has been our first call since the girls. The obvious answer is no (we just aren't there yet) but when I called JD to tell him about the message, I found myself saying, "Well, I am home everyday." He swiftly reminded me that he will be the sole parent all day on Saturdays. I laughed at the thought of him flying solo with five or six kids and went back to that place of 'we aren't ready for that yet'. But where I wonder if I'm crazy is...for a second I considered it. Our family has grown so fast and sometimes I question if I handle the three I have as well as I want and already I'm considering welcoming more into our brood. Duggars here we come! Just joking.
What I know is this: I love kids and I love being a mom. We have a good, happy, safe home. There are kids who need a place to go. We could easily be that. Sure it might put us out a little but at what gain to them? The cost to our three is what brings me down to earth.
But for a minute it sounded like fun.

We survived...and other stories

2009-08-06T18:04:00.005-05:00

I know you are all shocked to know that we survived the check-up and the shots:) It wasn't as bad as I had anticipated though I did come darn close to crying when Lilah scrunched up her face and let out her loudest possible scream. The crying lasted seconds. Nothing being picked up, loved on and then plugged by her favorite paci couldn't fix. She weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 4 oz (20% percentile) and is 21 3/4 inches (25%).
Now on to this sister...

Have you met my middle child? Little girl and her daddy both talk at top volume and have to be reminded often to "turn it down". Little girl is also impulsive and rambunctious. She wants so badly to be a good girl and is always so proud when she receives compliments but, bless her soul, trouble follows this child like a storm cloud. Because of these characteristics you can guarantee there will always be a this-is-not-funny-now-but-will-be-later moment in our day. Two from the beach:

(1)The girls were swimming and I was in a lounge chair. Lizzie yells (and remember the volume thing...YELLS), "Mommy somebody's breath is about to stink." I look up and see that she is only playing with her big sister so that must be who she is talking about, right? So I respond, "Oh yeah?" And she says, "Yeah, and it's a man."

Pause.

My mind flashes instantly to the discussion we've recently had about all the reasons you shouldn't smoke. The same discussion where for some reason the girls latched firmly onto the fact that you will have bad breath if you smoke.

Unpause.

I see in my periphery a man, the man who's breath is about to stink, standing by the gate and I'm sure he's smoking but I don't dare look over just in the off chance that he may think that comment wasn't directed at him. I lift my sunglasses and give Little Girl the ole stink eye so that she knows she's been inappropriate. When I think it's safe to look, I glance over and sure enough the guy is standing over there smoking AND he's looking directly at me and I feel as if he's letting me know that he got the message.

(2) And then there was the incident where I told the girls they could have some crunch and munch but not to pour the whole bag and little girl (because she has to be the first to do anything and without any help) dumps the entire contents of the C&M all over the table and into the floor. My mom hands both girls a plastic bag to gather up what has spilled onto the table. Those plastic bags of C&M made their way back to our house and the night we got home I dipped into one and popped a few into my mouth. What I tasted along with the caramel taste was something fruity and it was chewy too. Yuck! I take it out of my mouth and find that it is little girls already chewed gum...it had been in the bag she collected. Gag! She always saves her gum while she eats.
She keeps us on our toes!

Check-up

2009-08-05T20:57:00.003-05:00

Look at those BIG baby blues! Lilah will be two months old tomorrow. She's growing and changing so much every day but she is still a tiny little thing. She still fits in most all of her newborn clothes. My guess is that she is weighing in at about 9lbs and I will find out for sure tomorrow at our 2 month check-up. This particular check-up is bringing tears to my eyes every time I think about it. Lilah has to get three shots and that breaks my heart. I'm DREADING it!
We'll have to give her lots of extra love and kisses tomorrow. That shouldn't be too tough. This little baby is SO loved!

You are invited...

2009-08-04T22:20:00.002-05:00

If you are in the Birmingham area consider going to...

We are home. We are tired but glad for the fun we had and safe travels home. We are thankful for a GG who acts as a nanny on vacation so that everyone can have fun while the baby is watched and loved on. You are the best mom!

Want to Adopt?

2009-08-03T09:36:00.002-05:00

Click on this button and add the site to your favorites. Someonone might be waiting on you!

Pictures from the beach

2009-08-02T13:03:00.020-05:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words I shouldn't have to say anything, right? I think you all know the cast of characters. The place: GG and GrandB's condo. The time: now! One last hoorah before school starts back!

We're off to Lulu's!

One hour

2009-07-29T08:06:00.003-05:00

Until this train leaves for the beach! We are PUMPED. I'm looking forward to a week away from house work and other distractions from my kiddos. Family time:)
Packing for this adventure on the other hand is quite the task. This is little girl and baby's stuff along with our beach toys.

There are three other people in our family = a ton more stuff. We could survive for a month on all of this, I think.

West Virginia Recap

2009-07-27T10:21:00.011-05:00

So much is going on and so little time to update:) School will be back in before we know it and though it will free up more time for me, I know I will miss hearing the girls running around all day long and I'll wonder where the summer went!
Our dad has been out of town all week on the Chicago mission trip and though he is back to us he isn't all in one piece. He and most of the boys passed around a nasty stomach bug while there (he's feeling much better now but not quite 100%) and sadly he was banished to the downstairs bedroom on the night of his return (last night). We miss him but this family wouldn't function if I got sick plus we are headed to the beach (!) in two days and nobody wants to be feeling yucky for that! He got back after we were asleep (4am) and we are all eagerly awaiting his waking so we can see his face. We've missed him!

West Virginia was a quick trip but really good. The nine hour ride up (and then back) was surprisingly not too bad.
The new Leapster was brought out and played by one or another girl probably the entire time we were on the road:

The babe slept alot but was so good to us most of the time when she was awake:

Of course the big girls slept too and I couldn't help get this picture of little girl (click to enlarge and notice the drool down the chin and even her left shoulder! Now that's some good sleep!!):

The wedding was perfect. The bride was beautiful:

And the girls were on their very best flower girl behavior both at the rehearsal:

(Lilah and cousin Logan snoozing)

And at the wedding:

It was a too quick of a trip. We are so thankful to Grandma Dills (JD's grandmother) and Grandpa Rog (JD's dad) for letting us stay and play with them! Grandma Dills even sent the girls home with the coolest dollhouse ever made (by her by the way) with every furnishing you could possibly imagine needing. It has been the girls most favorite play thing and I'm sure it will stay that way!

the orphan

2009-07-23T15:10:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned before, Jonathan is on a mission to adopt out every orphan in the world. Yep, every one. In the whole world. He's started up a group within the youth to educate our young people on how the Lord called us to care for orphans (James 1:27) and is encouraging them to increase awareness, etc. He's inspired. Anyway, after seeing the trailer for The Orphan he commented that the movie wasn't helping his cause. I agreed.

Alabama Heart Gallery sent me a link to this clip in response to the movie. I liked. Thought I would share:

There are no unwanted children. Just unfound families.

Little Girl Says...

2009-07-21T11:36:00.003-05:00

Last night she said: Mommy, I wish you were a little girl.
Me: If I was a little girl I couldn't be your mom.
LG: I'm gonna cry, because I want you to be a little girl. We could play all day long.
Me: But if I was a little girl who would feed you and tuck you in at night? Who would put band-aids on your boo-boos?
LG: GG
She's got it all figured out:)
I can't be a little girl, of course but I can play. So this morning while big sister was at music camp little girl and I played (with Lilah strapped on to me in the baby bjorn...what would I do without this thing??? She loves it and so do I!). I'll have to admit, with a newborn around I haven't "played" with the girls as much as before. They haven't seemed to mind at all...they are quite often in their own little world. BUT Lizzie definitely still needs mama's lap and lots of my attention. It's good this week to have special alone time with her while BG is at music camp.

We've been working on picking out clothes lately (when we are just going to be hanging around the house). This can be interesting. Big girl is pretty good at this. Little girl...well that's another story. I often get a good laugh when she comes walking down those steps in what she sees as a beautiful ensemble. For example (ignore the hair...we hadn't quite gotten around to that yet):

I asked her why she chose this. "Because it's so pretty," she said.
Duh, why else?

I'll be back soon with West Virginia news.

To West Virginia we go...

2009-07-15T21:45:00.002-05:00

For my sister-in-law's wedding. Congrats Steph!!!

It's gonna be a whirl-wind tour. We leave tomorrow (Thursday) on the 8-hour trek. We'll be there Friday, then leave after the wedding Saturday. Then poor JD! We'll get back in town in time for him to go to bed, wake up (bright and early), and head out from the church, Chicago-bound, for a mission trip. Pray that we have as little of this as possible (both in our travels AND while daddy is gone):

One month

2009-07-12T21:40:00.005-05:00

Our baby girl is growing! She was 4 weeks on July 4th. I took her with me to speak with my nurse manager about getting back to work (August 29th) and I took advantage of the pediatric scales while I was there. She weighed 7lb 15oz. Still just a peanut but growing!

I go for my 6 week check up tomorrow morning. I'm really looking forward to getting clearance from the doctor to do everything I could do pre-labor and delivery. I've had an itch to run lately. I haven't ran much since my one and only race in 2007 (the 1/2 marathon in Nashville).

I told JD my goal is to run the half in Birmingham (Mercedes Marathon) which is in February. He quickly reminded me that I work on weekends so that could be a problem. Oh yeah. I'm still living in the world where work doesn't exist so I forget about those things. Anyway, I feel sure I can work out the details of getting off between now and then. So I'm putting it out there...13.1 miles in 7 months.

Big Girl

2009-07-08T07:54:00.006-05:00

S*a*M*a*N*t*H*a

I failed to mention that this precious girl was diagnosed with mono the day we came home from the hospital with the baby. GG took her to the pediatrician and it was determined that the taker of her appetite and the culprit for those swollen tonsils that made her voice sound so funny was nasty ole mononucleosis.
Days later she came to me in the morning complaining of epigastric pain and bilateral flank ("kidney") pain that was worse when she walked. This ER nurse mama was more than a little concerned about this development and, believe me, it takes a lot to freak me out when it comes to sickness. As it turns out, a quick call to the pediatric nurse confirmed that she most probably had a swollen spleen. Good gracious!
She rested, drank lots of fluids, and recovered quickly.

While we are talking about my big girl for sake of my documentation I'm gonna throw out a few things about her right now at age 7.
* She loves to sing, dance, and in general perform. She's going to take dance (ballet) this school year and I hope she loves it and sticks with it.
* She has discovered youtube and likes to watch the Jonas Brothers perform various versions of their music. She honestly swoons. No comment.
* She is so thin but is starting to get into some 7/8 clothing (cinched as tight as possible around her waist) meaning she is getting too big for the 4-6X section of clothing. This makes me very sad. In case you don't know, when you get out of 4-6X, the clothes start getting very grown up looking. Luckily she will still put on most everything I lay out for her. I have a feeling that will change this year.
* She has a lot to say to me. A whole lot. It is incessant at times. What a change! She was our quiet girl in the beginning and though she is still reserved with strangers, she is coming out of her shell...becoming comfortable in her skin.
* I can not even express how kind and helpful she is. She asks me out of nowhere at least a few times a week if there is anything she can do to help me/is there anything I can clean for you. She never complains if I ask her to do a chore. She is WONDERCHILD in this area and I realize my luck.
* She gets eaten alive by bugs. We have to use OFF! Deep Woods and still she'll come in with bites.
* She is getting very brave on her bike and often comes in skinned up without a single complaint. Again, very different from the big girl we knew a year and a half ago.
* She finally (FINALLY!) is starting to eat normal portions of food for her age and size and no longer seems to obsess so much about what and when we are eating next. She has also slowed down considerably when eating and I've even had to ask her more than a few times lately to "please concentrate more on eating than talking." I secretly delight in such a "normal" reprimand.

She is such a joy, my easy child, my nature lover, compassion to the core. To think just months ago I had some parenting struggles with her...how was that possible?

Last Call

2009-07-05T21:21:00.003-05:00

I had previously mentioned that the girls' social worker had left DHR for another job just prior to the adoption. She had worked with the girls since they had entered the system and they were the only kids she had seen go full circle (which took several years). For this reason, even though she no longer works for the state and even though she no longer is our social worker, she was at our adoption hearing. Other than that, however, there was no representation from DHR at court that day. There was us, our family, the judge, our attorney, court reporter. Nothing about this struck me as odd, however. I mean, lets be honest, I had had a baby five days before and the fact that we even MADE it there was the important thing. It never occurred to me that no one else from the state was there.
So...last week the phone rang and it was the SW who had taken over our case. We had met with her the month prior for a normal home visit (and she was nothing but incredibly nice and helpful by the way). The first thing she asked (on the phone) was if we had a new baby. "Yes," I told her, "she was born on the 6th."
SW: Oh, wasn't that when you were supposed to have court.

And it occurs to me for the first time that no one at DHR has any idea that this adoption has even been processed. This floors me. It shouldn't but it does. Two kids who have been in the state's custody for YEARS no longer are and nobody even realized that. Granted it had only been a month, but still. This has to be a glimpse of how kids fall through the cracks. Workers change, events happen (bad or good), no one is there to notice.

I quickly assure this worker that we did have court and that the adoption was final and she let me know she would make a last note in their chart and close their file.

Such a conflicting feeling. On the one hand we are done. Finished. Finally. It feels good. I'm on the opposite side of fighting to keep these children. Those of you who have been on that side or are currently on the side of fighting to keep "your" children prior to a TPR understand what it is like to want to come through the phone at someone/get on your knees and plead your case to someone/cry,kick,scream, etc. You know what it is like to W A I T, to hope, to be frustrated, to feel like the people who are supposed to care don't.
But then when "your" children finally become your children and that animosity that has fueled your fight is no longer necessary, well...you forget. Kind of the same way contractions can be the worst pain in the world but once the baby is in your arms you forget.
What I'm trying to say is...the system that brought me my first two children is terribly flawed. But it is, in fact, the system who delivered my children into my arms. And now that we are where we are I have almost forgotten how flawed it can be. Almost.
It reminds me that although we have fulfilled what God has called us to do in our family (for now), we still need to be strong advocates for these over-worked social workers and most importantly for the waiting children they serve.
Everyone needs reminders every now and then.

I will now step down from my soap box.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T08:15:00.003-05:00

We love the 4th of July around here. At present, dad and babe are asleep on the couch and I hear the scampering of feet above my head of two little girls excited to head to north Alabama for the day. To grandmothers house we go....
They may be almost as excited as I am:) This has always been one of my favorite days of the year.
Be safe (and patriotic!).

This week

2009-06-27T22:21:00.007-05:00

Dad: Is back today (safe and sound and tired) after a week long youth trip.

We say: PRAISE THE LORD! We have missed him!
Tonight I heard him listening to the video from THIS post. I asked him why. He says because it has become his goal to see that every orphan in our country gets adopted. I say that's a lofty but wonderful goal.

The children
I typically don't allow the girls to watch much tv. Maybe an hour on weekend mornings. But with summer and the new baby there has been a little more tv allowed by default. Any time an infomercial-type commercial comes on big girl calls me into the room (wide eyed and very excited) telling me how much we need whatever it is they are advertising. Usually it is cleaning products and she takes great effort in telling me why I should buy it...how much it will help me.
The big girls have spent the week outside with neighbors. They come in sweaty and dirty just the way kids should on summer days. They stay out until after dark (collecting fireflies).

Baby girl is loving her paci but not as much as I'm loving it. It turns her sweet from sassy is seconds flat in the evening. She's growing and changing all the time. I'm trying to hold tight to these days. She really is such a good baby. Despite the latest phase of evening tantrums that can last a few hours, she's such an easy baby. I'm sleeping 7-8 hours a night combined. She wakes up once or twice a night. We've been lucky thus far.

Kindness:
Most of all kindness from my mom. She came and spent the majority of the week with us while Jonathan was gone. Again, she did all our laundry and countless other chores. She helped bathe and feed the big girls at night while Lilah fussed and held my attention. She loved on Lilah while I took the girls to the pool THREE DAYS IN A ROW! Thank you so much GG!

Also, kindness from our church family for keeping the dinners coming while we were short a daddy. We had delicious meals all week. We thank you!

Firsts:
This makes me laugh. She's too small for it but liked it anyway. "Hello" she says through the arm hole:) (please excuse the flash that made for a horrible photo...you get the idea though):

Today...fussy baby

2009-06-22T20:33:00.009-05:00

Things started out well. Waking up at 5:30am to get everyone ready to go for Lilah's check-up actually proved to be quite beneficial. I felt well rested and had an hour and a half of uninterrupted time to do some things around the house. Score.
Got to the doctor on time (victory!) and learned that she has gone from 5lbs 13oz (at the last appt...4 days old) to 6lbs 12oz. Yay!

Then the heel stick for another PKU. She was not happy about that.

Then around lunch time she just couldn't get content. She's not a baby that cries often at all. Even at night when she wakes up she just grunts and flails about but boy did she make up for it today. I knew all that fussing was because of that darned PKU test. We called the nurse to see if/what dose of Tylenol we could give. Around 5:30pm the nurse called back with an okay for the Tylenol. So in between this is what we did (she did not want to be laid down so we were glued to the couch or the porch swing):

Big girl read to the baby from her book of prayers (and boy did we need them:):

The girls took turns taking pictures with my camera:

Little girl "called the nurse" on her cell phone:

We sang every song known to man on the back porch swing. I tried the baby bjorn so that I might actually be able to get some things done. No luck. BUT the girls had a grand time taking turns holding the baby and reading to her. They really are very helpful and sweet little things.
All of this on the first of daddy's five nights away. Thank goodness GG is coming to save the day!
At present, the Tylenol is on board and my sweet little angel baby is once again a sweet little angel. I do not look forward to the vaccinations that come with our next doctor's visit (at two months).

Note to self: Say a huge prayer of thanksgiving tonight for having a typically good and easy going baby.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:17:00.002-05:00

To our #1 man!

What we've been up to...

2009-06-20T21:51:00.014-05:00

Vacation Bible School X 2 (once at our church and once at Mimi and Grandaddy's):

The girls served me a wonderful breakfast one morning this week:

The girls are still doing really well with Lilah's arrival. It's probably harder on me than them because I am forever thinking I need to be giving someone more attention. If I'm honest I think everyone is getting what they need. I just wish there were more hours in the day:)
Lilah is still sleeping well. We get a combined 6-7 hours of sleep per night! No complaints there.

Changes in Lilah every day! No more cord stump:

Learning to take a paci (or papsi as the girls say). We're still working really hard on this one:

Having some fun with all the girls:

Smiling! She smiles ALOT and this is the first one we caught on film:

Taking her first bottle (today). Daddy had never given a bottle before so this was a first for him too. Both did great!:

Hope you are having a sweet summer too. Cheers!

Visitors

2009-06-17T09:36:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone who has come to visit us. We have loved showing off Lilah to you! Some of you we unfortunately didn't get photos of including our wonderful babysitter (and dear friend) Candace and one of our pastors (John Ray).
We appreciate your love and support!

Labor and Delivery

2009-06-16T09:42:00.008-05:00

As I write this the big girls are at Mimi and Granddaddy's church for VBS, JD is at work, and the baby is napping in her cradle. All is quiet. Everyone is settling in well. We took Lilah to church with us this past Sunday and she did GREAT! The girls are being very helpful and loving on the baby all the time. The biggest challenge thus far has been nursing. It is a learning process for both mom and babe but well worth it. Lilah is sleeping quite well. She's going to bed late and waking up once throughout the night. She's a really good (and precious!) baby.

So, now that I have a free moment I'll give you our labor and delivery experience:

The girls were at the beach with GG, Aunt Jaime, and Ella so Jonathan and I had went out on our last date before the baby came. We went out to eat, to pick up the pack and play that we had ordered (thank goodness!), and to Barnes & Noble. We weren't at B&N too terribly long before I declared I was pooped and we needed to head home. I commented to Jonathan that I didn't know how in the world I was going to survive this weekend at work (luckily I didn't have to!).
Around 3am I woke up with cramping in my belly (not terribly unusual as I had been having this feeling off and on for a few weeks...but this was stronger) and went to the bathroom to find another sign that labor and delivery were close at hand. I immediately fired up the computer and read up on what was going on and what it all meant in terms of how close I was to L&D. During this time I continued to have contractions. Around 3:30am I woke Jonathan up to tell him I thought I was in labor and what he thought we should do. I think he said something like, "Are you serious?" As if I would wake him up at 3:30am to joke about such things:)
We timed the contractions for about an hour and then decided to get up, get showers, get things together and then head to the hospital if things continued on. They did so I called into work and we headed to the hospital around 6:30am. They hooked me up to all the monitors and did a check showing that I was 1.5cm dilated. I had been to the MD on Thursday (two days before) and hadn't dilated at all so I knew that meant some progress. Two hours later after another check which showed no change, they told me that my contractions had become irregular and that I was safe for discharge home ("come back in two hours if you have consistent contractions"). This was a major disappointment and of course got me thinking that we were headed for adoption day and birth day colliding! Plus, we were so excited that this was the day we would meet this little one. And to hear 'probably not' was a big let down (to put it mildly).
About the time we got home I doubled over with another (much stronger) contraction. We went upstairs to bed and I (for two hours) timed contractions that were 2-5 minutes apart. It was all becoming quite unbearable but when I called L&D to tell them that I felt like I should come back, the nurse assured me that she had done this for 3 weeks with her first child and that "you should look for a change...stronger/closer contractions (had I not just said they were?), unbearable pain (check), water breaking (none yet)." I called my mom, consulted with Jonathan, and though I felt like a moron for turning around and going back to the hospital I knew that this was real labor and that no human alive could have felt this for three weeks. Back to L&D. A different nurse this time (the one who ultimately was with us throughout our delivery) and guess what...when she checked me I was dilated to 5cm. I cried when she told me that news. I was so relieved that pain relief and my baby would be here soon!
To L&D room 2 we went where a whirlwind of events took place. IV started (I'd never had one), a minuscule amount of pain meds to tide me over for the epidural (again something I had never had...it was interesting having a med in my system that I give to patients nearly every time I work...it gave me crazy thoughts when I closed my eyes, like dreams but I was awake...weird...but it did help with the contractions). Finally the anesthesiologist came in to make my world a much, much happier place. After the epidural was in place (which really was about 45 minutes after our second arrival to hospital) things were Easy-Peasy. We waited and chatted and visited with family. The MD broke my water when I was dilated to 9cm and told me we would be pushing in 45 minutes.
Around this time my mom, sister, and the girls arrived at the hospital. The girls inspected me THOROUGHLY and wanted to know what all the wires and contraptions were. I couldn't wait for them to see their new sister and hold her in their arms!!!
Soon after everyone was shooed out and the delivery part happened. It was easy for me and my photographer husband stood by my side flashing pictures every so often. I was very proud of how brave he was during Lilah's delivery:)
She came out a little past 6pm screaming to the world, announcing her arrival. Only a week later I look at those first pictures of her and have already grown nostalgic for the first time I saw her face.

There has never been a moment like that. Never. All of a sudden nothing else mattered. Me, my man, and my three little girls. Let the world fall away...this is what matters.

CLICK HERE FOR L&D PHOTOS

Oh Happy Day!

2009-06-13T16:04:00.008-05:00

We are officially a family of 5! What a relief to have had our day and to say forever. It's been a long wait! The girls looked beautiful on their special day and were up with the sun so excited for court. Our judge told us that he too was adopted so adoptions are very special to him. How cool is that? We raised our right hands said our promises and then the fun began (complete with wearing the judge's robe, pictures, lunch, cake, presents, and balloons!). The girls ran into the VBS program that night so excited to tell their teachers that today was adoption day!

Introducing our girls:

Samantha Penney

April Elizabeth

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Praise be to God!

(with the judge, Grand-B (my stepdad), GG (my mom), our family, Mimi(my stepmom), Jay (my brother), and Grandaddy (my dad)...Jaime (my sister), Ella Kate (my niece), and Mamaw (my grandmother) also shared this special day with us but are not pictured. These are just a few members of our wonderful family who have given so much love to our family and these girls. Thank you!!

Tomorrow

2009-06-10T20:31:00.001-05:00

Guess what! It's here!!! Adoption Day is tomorrow. We are VERY excited. Our dresses are picked out and ready. Cake ordered. Family in town. We're ready! So say a prayer for us tomorrow around 12 noon. We'll finally be a forever family!
I'll update soon more about baby girl. It's a busy week!

Here's a peek

2009-06-07T19:26:00.003-05:00

of our precious baby girl.

Wide eyed and alert just after her birth. We can't stop looking at her:)

***Had to edit to say when I talked to Lizzie D. tonight she had to whisper a secret to me before we got off the phone: "My heart is so happy...to be a big sister to Lilah."
Couldn't have said it better myself:) We are filled with joy!

Guess who arrived today!

2009-06-06T20:51:00.003-05:00

Lilah Elliot!!! We are so happy to say that our new baby girl has arrived. She is healthy and perfect in every way! She was born at 6:13pm on her uncle Chris' birthday and her GG and Grand-B's anniversary. She weighs 6lbs 2oz. We are so in love with her already!!
Pictures to come soon!

Baby Update

2009-06-05T11:23:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to the OB for a weekly check. No dilation but our baby girl has dropped and is in position for delivery. I have read that with first births babies can drop around two weeks before labor begins. That would be great timing! Jonathan has informed me that he has written (in pen mind you) on his scheduler that I will go into labor at 2:30pm on June 11th. He figures this gives us time to go to court, sign adoption papers, celebrate this long-anticipated adoption with extended family at lunch with just enough time to get to the hospital and deliver this baby! Ha! I told him I would let our little one know that she is expected to appear around that time (but not a second sooner!). We'll see if she listens.
Yesterday the doctor did advise that I have an ultrasound to check fetal growth. Ultrasound was all booked up yesterday so I went this morning. We had the same check three weeks ago as my fundal height has been slightly below average. Three weeks ago this sweet girl was 4lbs and 4ounces. Today she was 6lbs 14ounces! Although this time they did report her as being a bit small, she is growing lots and looks healthy! Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks. It's getting close and we are so excited to welcome our third daughter into the world!
The big girls have been at the beach since Wednesday with GG, Aunt Jaime, and Ella. I'm jealous to not be there too but their absence has afforded me the time to get the house and nursery in order, do some last minute exchanges and purchases and get my bag packed for the hospital. It's also allowed me a few extra hours of sleep and some reading time which I have appreciated greatly!
Here are some photos my sister sent of the girls on the beach:

So JD and I are off to our last date tonight before we become a family of 5. He (my sweet husband) is officially appointed as a minister today! Yea for him! He now is an employee of the conference rather than our church. Hopefully they will not find any reason to transfer him to another church. He assures me this is not going to happen. I trust him:)

GRRR....

2009-06-03T19:18:00.002-05:00

Monday was one of those days that I wanted to snuggle my kids up and hide them away from this cruel world.
The situation:
Leaving Wal-Mart I ran into a co-worker who I chatted with briefly. As we were walking off I told Big Girl that that was "J's"(who was in her class this year) step-dad.
BG: 'J' has a step-dad?
Me: Yes.
BG: That means his parents are divorced.
Me: Yes.
BG: I didn't know his parent's were divorced. He must want that to be a secret because he's never told me that.
I explained to BG that it probably wasn't a secret but something that was normal to him that he didn't feel like he would need to let everyone know.
Me: For instance, J probably doesn't know you are adopted, not because it's a secret, but because it's something you've never thought to tell him.
BG: He does too know that I am adopted.
Me: Oh yeah, how does he know?
And here it is...
BG: Because 'M' (another first grader) was in my face yelling one day (imagine sing-songy voice) "Sxxxa is adopted. Sxxxa is adopted." And then she was saying to me, "Did you know you were adopted?"
Me: (Totally shocked by this revelation but trying to remain the same amount of calm as my child who had endured this ugliness) What did you say to her?
BG: I just said "Yes" (she did know) and "so."
Me: Was she being mean? (I know the answer is obvious but Big Girl wears her heart on her sleeve and if she understood how ugly this child was being to her I have no doubt she would have come home crying the day it happened but because she didn't and because she was being so nonchalant about it I wondered what her thought was.)
BG: Well she was saying it like she was being mean but I don't know why.
Translation: Our child's normal has been moving from one place to another. Adoption is not seen in any way as a negative thing. Being told, "You are adopted" for her at this point is no different from someone being told, "You were born." In our house it's a happy thing...something we hoped for for quite some time (as you well know).

So many things about this: (A) The thought of someone being ugly to my child absolutely breaks me in two. (B) That one day someone might say something similar and for one second she would ever feel shame for how she came to be a part of this family. (C) I can't always protect my kids.

The situation is tough. We know 'M' and her family well...from school, from church, from our neighborhood. What do we do? What do we say? Will we know if it happens again?

I struggle with whether or not to even post this because it's just all so hateful but it is reality. Because so many of you are adopted, have adopted, or are in the process of adopting I felt like it was an opportunity for sharing/relating.

*And to reiterate, big girl (shockingly, but thank the Lord) had absolutely no hurt feelings over this incidence. We talked about it as best you can in the parking lot of WM and on the way home but as she seemed mostly unaffected by the whole thing I didn't want to make it an issue to her. She does know to let us know if that happens again. And she also knows that I'll be on the playground to drop kick 'M' on the first day of second grade as payback. Just kidding.*

Name Change

2009-05-29T21:09:00.004-05:00

It was decided by little girl, JD, and myself several months ago that when the adoption was finalized she (little girl) would go by the new middle name that she chose: Elizabeth. It took calling her Elizabeth a grand total of two times to realize that Elizabeth is a VERY long name to say 100 time or so a day so we shortened it to Lizzie. We've been calling her Lizzie more and more at home and the day school was out we switched over completely. She is now Lizzie D! If we slip up and call her 'A' she will let us know. "Call me Lizzie!"
We know that it's awkward (for those of you who know us)to start calling our child by a completely different name. It has become very natural to us (even big girl) to call her Lizzie but it does feel uncomfortable when we get around school friends and our church family who may not know that (a) the girls are being adopted (this is mostly school friends) or (b) why in the world we are calling our child by the wrong name. We'll have alot of explaining to do in the near future:)
It will be an adjustment but it is a decision we have made and one that we are all very happy about!

So thankful for....

2009-05-26T21:22:00.012-05:00

These three:

A healthy and very easy pregnancy. Plus two little girls who already love this sister so much!

Celebrating five years of marriage and knowing even more than I did on the day we were married that there is nobody else I would rather spend my life with!

(we were alone...not even a child around (thanks mom!) so this is the only photo of our evening. Aren't they pretty though?:)

Summertime:

Big girl and cousin Carson

Little girls (and another one coming soon!):

Watching them in action and knowing their childhood is a happy one:

Spending a day with our growing family. That's my favorite kind of day!

Being with our extended family makes me happy and grateful! Wish we were closer.

Have I said this before?

2009-05-20T09:37:00.002-05:00

Or maybe it's just that I've thought it a million times, but here is a small ARG! moment:
As I said, our SW has recently left DHR for another job. A few months after we got the girls (Jan '08) this same SW went on maternity leave and we saw NO ONE from the state for FOUR MONTHS! NOBODY! We were surprised but new at the whole thing so we just went about life.
With the adoption coming up in a few weeks and with previous experience, I kind of assumed we wouldn't be having any more home visits. Oh the unpredictable DHR:) So I received a message yesterday from a SW taking over for our previous SW, "This is so-and-so and I was calling to schedule a meeting to visit with the foster children living in your home." The foster children living in our home! This kills me!
It goes without saying but these aren't our "foster children" but OUR children and they aren't living in "our home" this is THEIR home. For the record, I understand that the new SW meant nothing personal by what she said. She is simply doing her job and calling about a case that she is largely unfamiliar with. But because I am familiar and it IS personal to me it gets under my skin.
Foster care is something that I have been passionate about for quite sometime so it has taken me by surprise how much the term "foster child" when used to describe the relationship between myself and my children ABSOLUTELY DRIVES ME NUTS!

Okay, that's all. Just had to get it off my chest.

We are just so ready to be normal. To share last names. To NOT have people coming into our home to "check up" on us. So ready.
Just a few weeks!
Again, please pray with us that this new baby coming and our adoption court date doesn't try to happen on the same day (or within a few days with one another)!

straight from the mouth of babes

2009-05-19T07:44:00.008-05:00

Little girl crawling into bed with me right around wake up time on a school day last week says immediately on seeing my eyes open:
LG: Mom, I want an X-ray machine for my birthday.
Me: An X-ray machine?!
LG(wide eyed and VERY excited): Yes! You can stand behind it and see your bones!

Now for big girl. This past weekend our yard was hit by teenagers. This sort of thing happens sometimes with a youth minister husband, ya know. String was tied around trees, the front porch, our mail box, you name it. Easily solved. The worst part...flour and cereal poured on our porch and in various places in the yard...on a night when it POURED down rain! Yuck. The girls were glued to the windows VERY interested in what had happened in our yard the previous night. Big girl became quite upset about the whole thing. Probably the most passionate I've ever seen about anything in our time together! "HOW RUDE! WHY WOULD SOMEONE DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?! YOU NEED TO CALL THEM AND TELL THEM TO COME CLEAN THIS MESS UP! AND TELL THEM THEY AREN'T INVITED TO OUR HOUSE ANYMORE!" If JD and I were going to have gotten upset, well, it would have went out of the window right then. She was too funny! "WHY WOULD ANYONE DO SOMETHING SO MEAN TO US!?!" (this really went on for several minutes). So I explained to her that sometimes (a lot of times) teenagers do things they thing are funny but that aren't really funny to everyone else. Without hesitation big girl says, "You mean like when you got that thing down on your back when you were a teenager but you don't think it's funny now?" Yes dear, just like that.

Happy Tuesday!

May is...

2009-05-12T12:41:00.004-05:00

NATIONAL FOSTER CARE (AWARENESS) MONTH

There are almost half a million kids in the United States foster care system (and about 127,000 of those are waiting on adoptive families)! Luckily there are places like Big Oak Ranch and The King's Ranch right here in Alabama to take in the excessive amounts of children who have no foster home to walk into. If foster care isn't in the cards for your family, think about donating to these two wonderful facilities. They do great things!

For more information on how to become a foster parent you can go here:
Adopt US Kids
Foster Care Month
Foster Care Alumni

------------------------------
We are thrilled that our chapter of "fostering" our girls is drawing to an end and becoming something permenant. With two adoptions and one birth coming up in June we plan on stepping out of foster care for awhile but I can't imagine we won't be back...one day. It's been an incredible experience. A challenging experience. One I feel good about and wouldn't change for the world. So many people have said, "I've always thought about doing something like that." You should! If it's in your heart PRAY about it. Doors, hearts, and minds will open!
-------------------------------

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
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What the church can do:

Happy Things!

2009-05-08T20:08:00.002-05:00

We have an Adoption Day date!!!! June 11th. We are so excited. We are also prayerful (and hope you will be too) that our baby girl, who is due the very next week, will cooperate:)

Jonathan was accepted into grad school at Asbury! Luckily we won't be moving to Kentucky (he'll be doing distance learning)! This man could not possible fit any more onto his plate! He's a hard worker and we are VERY proud of him!

No contest

2009-05-04T19:43:00.004-05:00

(33 weeks)
I've got her beat! In fact, I think where I have grown, she has shrunk.
She was VERY excited to take this picture! Can you tell?

Sickness

2009-05-04T16:00:00.005-05:00

Have I ever told you our oldest daughter has a small case of hypochondria? Probably not because it's not such a nice thing to say but it is true. It has gotten better. She has gotten better about pointing out small scrapes or bumps (and seriously I mean inspecting her body from head to toe for any unknown injury that may exist and then pointing it out. constantly.). She still makes comments like, "We should take our temperature every day because we may be sick and not know it." BUT we don't hear those things quite as often as we used to. That's not to say they don't still happen. Take today for instance:

Getting into the car after school...
Big girl: Did you know there was a swine flu going around?
Me: Yes, I did.
BG: It's all over Alabama and the United States.
Me: I know.
BG: I probably already have it.
Me: No, you probably don't. You are a healthy girl and you most likely won't get it.
BG: MOST people are going to get it.
Me: No, MOST people will not end up getting it.

I know I will be humored by these conversations later in life when (hopefully) she shakes her fascination with sickness but in all honesty this is one area of parenting where I struggle with her. I know there has to be a line somewhere between tough love and insensitivity that I may be crossing but it has become like the boy who cried wolf.

I want to be thrilled with her being more conscious of hand washing and germs when there is indeed a flu going around but instead I'm more aware of another ailment that she will fixate on. As I type that I'm aware that it probably sounds ugly. I'm just being honest.

I want my girls to see health as a WONDERFUL thing. And, if anything, be thankful that they are NOT sick children. Again, we are making progress. Both of us. She in not talking incessantly about sickness or injuries. Myself by constantly reminding myself that she is her own person and practicing patience.

In the meantime we'll wash our hands to keep swine flu germs away;)
Stay healthy!

THIS makes me laugh...

2009-04-30T09:08:00.001-05:00

Changes

2009-04-29T11:40:00.004-05:00

I'm sleeping alot this week and much more lethargic throughout the day. Ick! I had just went through a period of having to force myself to go back to sleep every morning after I would wake up at 4am and now after I get the girls off to school I'm wanting to come home and nap for another hour. I prefer the other to this. Hopefully it will flip back soon.

We start birthing classes tomorrow and the girls are really excited to spend some time with Nana while we are there. I have great hope that these classes will prepare JD and make him more comfortable for what is coming. He's not looking forward to the labor and delivery part. He's been a trooper and hasn't much mentioned his concern of passing out (during delivery) while I've been pregnant but he said it plenty before the pregnancy that I know his fears:)

Little girl cried (big time) today walking out to the car saying she didn't want to go to first grade next year. She's afraid of leaving kindergarten and Ms. Armstrong, "because she's nice and because I'm good for her." I've also had some concern lately about her starting all over again next year with a new teacher. She's definitely one to test her limits. BUT I have to say, as usual, signs of positive attachment in either of these girls is such a wonderful thing to see.

We had out monthly visit from our social worker two days ago. She let us know that she has two weeks left at DHR before she goes to a different position elsewhere. We are sad to see her go but very thankful that she has been able to see us through to the end. She says that our adoption petition/file is before the judge so while the clerk was not able to tell her an exact date for our case she did say it was the second week in June!

It's gonna be a busy summer!

Updates

2009-04-21T20:21:00.003-05:00

* Our adoption petition is filed and according to our attorney the court clerk is trying to get a hearing date at the beginning of June! F-I-N-A-L-L-Y! Are you all saying that with me:) We could not be more happy than to enter the summer as the legal parents to our big girls and new parents to a baby girl.

* I've started my new baylor position at work and have decided that THIS IS THE LIFE!!! I love it and can assure you that my husband and children are benefiting greatly from me working only two days a week.

* Big girl had her very first sleep-over last weekend! It was such a good time for her:) As always, I'm going to have to put in a comment about how big she is getting but it's true! Just tonight she sat at one end of the couch and me on the other reading our books. She's reading chapter books (her first one right now!). And all of a sudden she no longer has to read out loud...although she does like to read out loud to me the points she thinks are exiting, sad, or otherwise noteworthy. I love that she is loving to read! That's my kind of girl.

* Little girl is busy being little girl. She excels at school in a way that truly amazes me. Behavior at school is touch and go but lately we have many more good days than bad and that is such a blessing! I'm soaking up the last few months of her being the baby. I'm sad about that a little but I suppose that's normal. JD and I know it's gonna be hard for her to share my lap but there's always room in mama's lap, right? :) I just feel lucky to have the opportunity to love and snuggle and rock and "hold her like a baby" (as she says) while she is young enough to still want and need that.

* JD is a busy bee working at home and at the church. I think he's nesting with me! Plus he did an awesome job with the girls while I worked the weekend. He was in charge of taking pictures of the girls on Easter and while I did get some like this:

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I got some like this too:

I just wish there was one of the three of them!

Baby Shower #2

2009-04-16T14:09:00.009-05:00

I had to rip some pictures from one of our youth's facebook account for this one (thanks Maddie!). This was a shower held by Jonathan's youth and parents at our church. Jonathan got to be in on this one and got some much needed education on baby items. Again we had some delicious food, wonderful fellowship, and some adorable little pink things that are making us anxious to meet our little girl!

Me and my honey:

RUMC senior high youth:

Some of the girls and me:

One of our wonderful host:

Gifts:

JD and some of the guys:

Baby Shower #1

2009-04-15T19:27:00.010-05:00

We are so blessed to share this special time with family and friends. We certainly feel loved and cared for. You all have filled our hearts and nursery! Here are a few pictures from our shower:

With the hostesses (in front of the adorable diaper cake made by Stacy):

The cake:

My sister and our girls:

With my mom and sister:

A few guests and apparently the kid table:):

Opening gifts with LOTS of help:

A gift from my big baby to the new baby:

We are all so excited to meet this new little girl!

This is a home where children live...

2009-04-11T08:09:00.003-05:00

There is so much to update but life has been in full swing over the past week. I'll be back soon but today we have to go to an Easer Egg Hunt and get ready for that bunny that's coming to town.

This is my last week as regular full time at work! Tomorrow will be my first day as BAYLOR!!!
Yea for five days off EVERY week! Whew! Our family needs a full time mom for sure!

SO having worked my regular three days this week and now plus Sunday, having two baby showers, and doing all the regular stuff in between, our home looks like a tornado has blown through. I keep passing by the little piles of mess and going about the more important things and knowing that (very very soon) this too shall pass. I refuse to let it stress me out (just promise not to come visit us in the next two days:).

This poem is where I'm letting my mind settle today:

This is a Home Where Children Live

You may not find things all in place,
Friend, when you enter here.
But we’re a home where children live,
We hold them very dear.

And you may find small fingerprints
And smudges on the wall.
When the kids are gone, we’ll clean them up,
Right now we’re playing ball.

For there’s one thing of which we’re sure,
These children are on loan.
One day they’re always underfoot,
Next thing you know, they’re gone.

That’s when we’ll have a well-kept house,
When they’re off on their own.
Right now, this is where children live,
A loved and lived-in home.

Don't you just love adoption stories?

2009-04-01T20:46:00.005-05:00

I do. They warm my heart and make me thankful for both adoptive families and an awesome Savior that adopted me as His own.
A friend of a friend has just adopted a beautiful daughter and I hope they don't mind me sharing their story with you (it was just too good to keep to myself:):
Sophie's Story
Read about them and pray for their new family. What a blessing!

Praises

2009-03-27T20:48:00.003-05:00

I am so excited tonight for a friend I have gotten to know through foster care and adoption. This friend and I met through an email two weeks after I had gotten the girls. She too was interested in adoption and I have been blessed to get to know her as she has been going through her journey to adopt. This morning she got the call we foster/adopt moms all wait on (but are nonetheless shocked by:) and tonight she, her husband, and her son are welcoming home three little ones (for a little while or longer).
I am so excited for you Melanie! I couldn't stop smiling after we got off the phone. God's plan is revealed in His perfect time as always! I'm praying for you and all those kiddos tonight!!! Get some rest!

Yes and No

2009-03-26T14:51:00.003-05:00

As my belly gets bigger more patients and other people that don't know me personally are asking:
"Is this your first?"
Even the nurse at my OB asked me this morning.
It's a normal question but obviously the answer is not so straight forward in our family.
Sometimes I say yes because it is my first baby.
Sometimes I say no because it's not my first child.
Sometimes I explain the yes and no of it.
The yes and no explanation brings ALOT of questions:
Are the girls sisters? (yes)
Did you know them before? (no)
Were you planning to get pregnant? (yes) (I got this ALOT from co-workers in the beginning and even some friends...I think some folks must have thought the family boom was too crazy to have been planned:)
Did you think you weren't able to have children? (We had never tried)

I don't mind these questions at all. I love talking about my girls and about adoption. But WOW am I having this conversation alot lately. Who knew?
Our family dynamic is a tricky thing:)

A Cradle for Baby Girl

2009-03-22T20:53:00.005-05:00

Remember this:

Now take a look:

My mom took this project into her own hands which is a good thing because it was done much more quickly and with much more care that way:) Thanks mom!

Also a peak at the nursery (do you see an obvious problem here?):

This picture was taken the first time Felix was found in the crib. I'll admit, I thought it was kind of funny.
It's not so funny anymore.
Anytime the nursery door is left open we find him there. We're working on it.

Have a great week!

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-21T20:33:00.010-05:00

To our #1 man who turns 31 today. His only birthday wish (every year) is to watch unlimited amounts of basketball all weekend. Wish granted:)

Several of you have asked for new belly pictures which I always intend to take but never do. My mom followed me around Chuck E. Cheese last weekend at Big Girl's birthday party with the camera and got this glamorous shot of me:

(26 weeks)

And speaking of the birthday party...here's one of the birthday girl:

With Chuck E. and friends:

(school friend, cousin EK, Little Girl, Big Girl, school friend)

Typical little girl:

A disciplinary moment (also very typical with this one):

Two things had just happened.
One: LG had just told a birthday guest (and her mom) that we already had the mermaid barbie the friend gave as a gift. ARG!!! So the conversation we had on the way to the party about how to handle this kind of thing was not absorbed. Again.
She's only 5.
She's only 5.
She's only 5.
Two: She picked up tokens that weren't hers. Was called out by token's correct owner. Was made to give them back. Flipped out because she didn't know where her tokens were. All while her sister was trying to open gifts.

I had to laugh when I saw my mom had caught the moment of redirection on film. Thanks mom:)

Adoption Update

2009-03-12T20:20:00.004-05:00

So as I mentioned in the previous post, the signing at DHR last week went really well. We got complete records from when the girls were born (whole charts from the entire hospital stay). We also got complete records of all previous pediatrician visits as well as ER visit records. It was interesting reading charting written by doctors and nurses that I currently work with in the ER about my children long before I had met them. They were taking care of my babies before I could.

We learned that little girl has had a couple of febrile seizures (!!!!) and has a family history of seizures. Wow! Good thing to know. We also got a more complete history (medical and social) of the biological parents.

The meeting was very much like signing papers when you are buying a house. We sat at a table with our social worker and her supervisor and passed papers and signed, passed papers and signed. For an hour! We signed saying we intend to adopt the girls most importantly but lots of others (times two...one for each girl).

We are using the same attorney who represented DHR for the TPR case for the girls. We like that she is familiar with the case and have heard only good things about her. I spoke with her today and she feels like we will have our court date in late April or early May.

It feels good to be here!

Happy 7th Birthday!!!

2009-03-06T21:18:00.002-06:00

Doesn't seven seem SO much older than six? Today it seems that way to me. We've had a really good day. I'll share soon about our meeting/paper signing at DHR. Along the many other papers we got today was birth information. We now know that our oldest child weighed 6 pounds and 1 ounce on the day she was born and she was 19 1/2 inches long. We've waited a very long time to know such simple facts!

Big girl got to wear the "birthday suit" today (as she called it...ha!). Both girls wore it on their special days last year and I'm sad to say that this will be the last year for big girl (next year her legs will be too long). She's growing up so fast!

TNT and adoption update

2009-03-05T20:18:00.005-06:00

TNT is this weekend at our church. I worked and shopped today and got LOTS of baby gear. Of course I also got the girls some clothes too! Big girl is getting right outside the cute little 4-6x sizes which makes me really sad:( I'm not ready for her to be in big girl clothes yet!

And speaking of our big girl...she has a special day tomorrow. She'll be 7!!! It's gonna be a big day. JD and I also head to DHR tomorrow morning to sign our intent to adopt! So we're looking at about a month (...hopefully...fingers crossed...) until everything is finalized.

Snow Day!

2009-03-01T20:53:00.003-06:00

I couldn't get one of them together when they first went out. They were all over the place! This is at 7:30am:

An hour and a few clothing changes later, a photo with our neighbors:

Stay warm!

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-26T08:11:00.003-06:00

That's a picture of little girl praying at an Upward game although this post is all about our big girl.
She learned about Mardi Gras this week at school (king cake and all). I thought it would be a good time to also talk to her about Ash Wednesday as it falls right behind Fat Tuesday. She told me that she remembered me and her dad going to Ash Wednesday last year (the fact that this stands out in her mind from LAST YEAR gives me this thought...her in a new home for less than a month and these strange new parents coming to get her from the church nursery with black crosses drawn on our foreheads. Bless her...she probably thought we were crazy).
Anyway, she got really excited about the whole concept of Ash Wednesday and wanted to go with me to the service. Little girl did too but I thought this would be a special little date just for me and my oldest child (and, let's be honest, little girl in big church...we just aren't there yet).
BG wanted to sit in the very front row, which we did. She was on the edge of her seat the entire time listening to Pastor Jack . This child is definitely her father's child. She was most excited to hear Jack say that the ashes came from the palm branches she (and the other kids) waved last year on palm Sunday. She was VERY proud of her ashes (and cried for a good two minutes when they came off when she changed her clothes for bed).

She has always been receptive to church and all that she learns there. She is into it. She has lots of questions. Questions that often times I have to send her to Jonathan to answer because they are too complex for me to explain. She'll stay on a thought for days, turning it around in her mind and asking everything she can think of until it's right to her. Watching her last night be so excited to get all that knowledge while her friends around her wrote on offering envelopes (as I did too as a kid!) made me really excited for her future and hopeful that she will continue to be curious and grow to be a strong Christian women. It makes me want to be stronger in my faith, not just for me but for her too.

She's an amazing kid...her dad's child through and through. She's our easy child but even still, our personalities clash sometimes and it's been a chore lately in patience with me in mothering her. I hate that.
Last night was so special. It was a night with the word 'repent' strong in the air. The Lenten Season will probably be more meaningful this year than it ever has for me. We've been busy this past year with so many changes going on and I really have fallen back in my prayer and my study. This is reflected in everything I do and that's not a good thing at all. We have a new baby coming and these wonderful two at home already. Last night it weighed more heavily on me than ever the responsibility I have to serve and love others (especially my family) by Christ's example.
I'm pumped and ready for these 46 days leading up to Easter. Instead of giving anything up I will be adding to my daily life prayer and study. I'm ready for change!

***Big girl wanted to give up water for lent...we talked about it and decided that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Learning will be enough for her this year. No need for any sacrifices just yet:)***
***Little girl wanted to know if we had gotten tatoos on our heads and is really looking forward to experiencing this service next year:)***
***JD has been at Camp Sumatanga for (Pastor) Licensing School all week. We miss him terribly! He's fighting a stomach bug, has no cell service and says he's never been so homesick:( Hooray for tomorrow when he'll come home!
***Baby girl's room will be painted tomorrow by our GG while I'm at work? Have I ever told ya'll how wonderful GG is?