weekend update.

 

I  mean, right?!

Obviously, it didn’t matter that I wanted to have another baby by the time I was 30.  Or that I thought that baby would come from my belly.  The Lord’s purpose.  Now that is a plan right there.  And, I can’t sit and call him and be like, Hey, God?  So, about that baby…  I wish I could :)  So, I guess that’s the best adoption update I can give you right now.  It’s not about my plan – it’s about His purpose.  And, won’t the day that His purpose is made clear for our family be a day?!

We’re just living life around these parts.  Trying hard to muddle through January.  It’s just one of those months you get through.  It’s cold and dreary.   You’re combatting the let down from all that holiday momentum.  Suddenly you’re like – oh, you mean we don’t have plans EVERY minute of every day OR a fridge stocked full of appetizers and cookies anymore?  And the loss of the glow from the Christmas tree.  And the soft sound of Christmas music floating through the house. I miss that.  Then I try to think of all things shiny and new and I get excited about spring.  Which, naturally, leads to thoughts of summer.  Ahhhhh, summer. 

Wishing my life away.  But trying hard not to.

Becks and I have spent our time indoors arts and crafting.  Totally up my ally.  Leave all that superhero stuff to his daddy because this mama loves to be at a table with all sorts of markers, glue and paper in front of her. 

  

 

I’m still trying to balance working out and eating.  I like to do both, you know.

 

Though, I’ve done a lot more eating and a lot less working in the past week.  I got the FLU.  Even after getting the flu mist – which I will never do again.  I’ve always had the shot and haven’t had the flu since 7th grade.  Henceforth, only shots for me.  Flu = 5 days of a miserableness. 

So, happy-end-of-weekend.  Have a great week!

Filling my time, not my face.

So, decidedly, I am going to either get fat and/or go broke as we wait for that fateful phone call.  All the running and working out I’m doing is completely cancelled out by the fact that I immediately come home and eat an entire can of Salt-n-Pepper Pringles.  Thank goodness there are no Girl Scout cookies in the house.  Yet. 

I also find myself wanting to shop.  Like every day.  I could tell you the placement of every chevron patterned item in Homegoods.  And, how much the boots are that I want to buy from Zappos. ($135. Plus shipping.  That’s outrageous.)  And which shelves have been recently restocked at Kroger. 

I’m not kidding when I say that He is teaching me patience.  And faith in His timing and perfect plan.  It’s hard.  It’s challenging.  But, I love Him for it anyway.  I will praise Him in this storm.

I’m committed to choosing a healthier habit, that will hopefully keep me out of the store and the Oreos.  It’s called READING.  I tend to forget how much I like it.  And that “getting lost in a good book” is a rather real and time-consuming phenomenon.  So, I’m stocking my shelves.  And, not the ones in the pantry :)

          

   I’m almost finished with Where We Belong.   My neighbor lent it to me after learning we were planning to adopt.   So many interesting coincidences in this book - from adoption, to the mention of my maiden name, to the protagonist’s love for Michigan.  It was like I was meant to read it.  How true is it to the actual experience of adoption?  I’m not real sure, but it’s a good fictional read.

Jesus Calling was recommended by a sweet friend in my Life Group after I shared that I have difficulty just picking up the Bible to read.  I just purchased it today.  There’s a short and sweet devotional for each day of the year, along with a passage from the Bible to look up on your own. 

Bloom is a memoir by the amazing and talented and inspiring and thoughtful and funny and gorgeous (and I could go on and on) Kelle Hampton.  She blogs at Enjoying the Small Things, and she makes every day living beautiful and inspiring.  She keeps it real.  This book is in my cue at the library. 

So, that’s a start, right?  And, non-caloric.  Plus, mostly free.   A win-win!

Happy Sunday night, friends!

All kinds of no plans.

There was no real game plan for weekend.  Just how I like it.  So, we had an impromptu spaghetti-dinner-sleep-over with the cousins.  They stayed up waaaaay too late for being in the under-6 crowd.  B had to walk across the hall to lay down the law once or twice.  I woke up suddenly a little after midnight, shocked to not hear little voices.  I snuck over to check on them, and PTL everyone was sound asleep on the floor.  Seeing them all snug makes me long for the day that Becks has a sibling to stay up late with :)

      

Earlier today we visited the Cincinnati mecca of all super markets: Jungle Jims. 

Jungle Jim’s is a crazy big super market mecca of everything. Like forty dollar ostrich eggs.  In case you ever need the equivalent of 36 eggs.  In one egg.  {Sidenote: that completely grosses me out.}

     

We bought Becks that coconut.  I have no idea what we’ll do with it.  He’s pretty excited about taking a hammer to it, though.  Sullee and Chels went with us, too.  Dang, she’s cute.

They have an entire mile of the store dedicated to candy.  It caused a lot of internal debate for Becks as he had to choose from a wall of a thousand Pez dispensers.  #kidproblems

  

We had a lot of fun.  I felt like a tourist.

     

The day ended with dinner at my parents house – pinto beans, cornbread, and mustard greens.  SO YUM.  There might’ve been a little flying the friendly skies via Papa Airlines, too.  Oh, to be four.

 

  

Then we came home and Becks decided he wanted to sleep on the floor again. I let him.  What’s another night on the floor?  Plus, there will be a day when he doesn’t sleep on the floor, in a spot I made, with Snoopy and the gang.  And, I’ll miss it.  So, sleep on the floor he will. 

I love having no plans weekends :)

Remembering 2012

This past year has been no less than incredible.  God worked in my life in ways that I once never thought possible, and all I can do is reflect {in awe} of His plan.  I’m happier than I’ve been in years, and can truly say I’ve felt his presence during some very dark and difficult times over the past 12 months.  I owe Him all the glory, as I don’t think I could’ve accomplished anything without Him leading the way. 

I’ve never considered myself to be very outwardly “religious.”  I’m certainly not preachy, and there’s nothing that intimidates me more than someone with questions about faith that I simply cannot answer because I don’t know.  But, I just felt it on my heart tonight to tell you that He loves you, is there for you, and he wants a relationship with you.  He wants to hold your hand and lead you through the good times and bad.  He wants to be all up in your 2013!

Just thought I would share :)

* * * * * *

And, now, for my year in pictures – in no particular order - with an explanation in words afterwards.

1.  I bought a unitard.  Remember?!  I mean, there is no better way to start 2012 than in an adult onesie.  Let’s be honest.

2.  Though I graduated in December 2011, I didn’t receive my new certificate until this summer when my pay raise could go in effect. Yay! 

3.  Brandon and I began fertility treatments.  That pick was taken by a sweet waitress at First Watch before our second IUI.  Though it wasn’t successful, it was certainly a challenging time for us as a couple and we grew stronger because of it. 

4.  We had our first “official” family pictures made!  LOVE THEM!  Those boys just make my day.

5.  B became a stay-at-home dad.  A great decision for our family.  He makes some world class enchiladas and cinnamon chip snickerdoodles, keeps up on laundry better than I ever did, and rocks the parent pick-up line at preschool.  So proud of him.

6.  My marriage became stronger, and my love for my husband grew with each passing day.  He’s such a great guy and genuinely makes me the happiest girl <3

7.  I went to Chicago and met up with my favorite online friends!  I can’t say enough about their friendship over the past year, and I’m so grateful to have finally met them in person!  Looking forward to our next gathering already :)

8.  On December 23rd, yours truly turned the big 3-0!  B worked together with my friends to throw me a surprise party two months before the big event.  So. Blessed.  I cannot even wait to see what my 30th year will hold!

9.  My pumpkin continues to be the love of my life and we’ve shared a gazillion silly moments over the past year.  He never ceases to crack me up {or test my patience!}.  He’s one of a kind and I just love him!

10.  I left the classroom, and became our school’s Title I teacher.  I LOVE MY JOB.  Moreover, I work part-time, allowing me to spend more time at home enjoying my family and life.  I can’t tell you how happy this made me, and give a whole lotta PTLs for this opportunity!

11.   We decided to discontinue fertility treatments and pursue adoption! What a blessing! I pray every day for our sweet baby and his or her mother, and can’t wait to share the news that we have a wee one in our home again.

So, there’s 2012 in sum.  What a fantastic year!  2013, here I come!

Adoption Post

How I wish the title could be written backwards: Post-Adoption.  Won’t that be a great day?!

I can’t believe we’ve been a “Waiting Family” for 25 days.  Twenty-five looooooong days.  I’d be lying if I said that waiting for that phone call doesn’t’ cross my mind a good 25 times an hour.  It does.  It TOTALLY does.  I try to pray about it anytime I think about it, asking God for patience, but also letting him know that we’re ready, too!  Ha!

I always wonder how I will receive that magical call.  Unless you’ve been through the adoption wait, you probably can’t relate to this level of crazy, but I constantly come up with all the different scenarios and how it might play out.

Maybe I’ll be at school and miss the call.  Our social worker will call B, who will then call school and have me paged over the intercom.  I’ll be all caught off guard and break into tears in the middle of the office when B gets to share the good news with me. 

Maybe it will be a day that the house is a disaster and I haven’t left my pajamas.  And there’s a foot and half of snow outside, making it almost impossible to leave the house, let alone go pick up diapers for a baby that’s waiting for us at the hospital.

Or maybe it will happen over the summer, while I’m out of town and unable to get home quickly.  We’ll have to pack quickly and get home from vacation to pick up one of the greatest gifts we could ever imagine. 

Or maybe the call will come on an ordinary, boring day, where we’re just going through the motions and receiving our “matched” call is the furthest thing from my mind. 

The truth is that in the back of my mind – and sometimes in the forefront – is the thought that every passing day was supposed to be the day.  But then it wasn’t and I’m back to wondering whether the next day will be the day.  Sigh.  I wonder if it ever gets easier?

* * * * * * *

I’ve really appreciated reading all of your comments – the well wishes, sharing in our excitement, or telling your own adoption story.  I love reading them and feeling the hope that others have been there or are right there with us or are just praying for our family. 

And, for those who’ve asked, we’re doing a domestic infant adoption.  Our agency says that placements usually occur anywhere from 6 months to 2 years after the completion of the home study (which we’ve completed), but, of course, it could happen at any time.  I’m faithful that God knows the best time for it to happen for us, but I’m only human and can’t help but wonder when that time will be!

If you or someone you know are considering adoption, you can check out our agency, our profile or the profiles of other amazing waiting families by clicking the picture below.  Our agency is also doing great work in Guatemala at the Hope for Tomorrow Children’s Home and assists many other families with domestic and international adoption. 

Have a great Sunday, friends! 

Christmastime

In some ways, I’ve looked forward to a December like this December for a few years.  I wanted to enjoy the holiday to the fullest extent, starting from the day that the local station started playing Christmas music.  In October.  Christmas day is great, but nothing beats the build-up.  The months-long preparation, the decorations in Target, the random acts of kindness, the holiday cheer, family time, carols, ugly Christmas sweaters, parties.  Really, I could go on and on.  I just love it!

    

     

Oh, and did I mention that I turned the big 3-0?  As in THIRTY? As in I am no longer a 20-something?

It’s true.  And I’m so okay with it!  Twenty-nine ended up being a pretty crazy-amazing year, and I believe that God has a few things up his sleeve for 2013, too.  I can’t imagine what, but I’m going to keep the faith.

Until next time, here’s a few pics of my boy over the past two days.  And, no, he hasn’t been out of his jammies since Christmas Eve at 8:30pm. 

  

Merry Christmas 26th!

What he’s up to.

The boy child of ours is the best.  He’s full of personality and we laugh at him and with him all day long.  He is usually disguised as a super hero or ninja or firefighter on most days.  He went to the gym with me in Spiderman jammies last night.  Some battles just aren’t worth fighting.

   

He has a crazy-good imagination and tells stories so elaborate and detailed, you’re pretty convinced that preciptinator is a word and that it is used to blast bad guys out of this universe.  I believe him.

He can write is name and loves numbers and letters.  He tells us he loves us fifty-five-forty-nine-eight-one pounds on the regular.  I don’t know how much that is, but it must be a lot.

He also looooooooves our dog.  Leland.  And, yes, she’s painted like a tiger.  Did I mention B went to dog grooming school?  Different story for a different day :)  But, yes, Becks and Leland are BFF.

His Christmas program was yesterday and he had a speaking part.  So proud. 

I’ve gone back to work part-time and am getting to spend lots of lovely time with him.  So blessed.

Happy Tuesday :)