Oh!

{after a few years hiatus, I decided to just write when inspiration strikes, so here ya go!}

Our pastor preached on these verses this morning (with my picture above) and it was such a good reminder of who God is - and what our response in worship should be! The illustrations of an iceberg and the Grand Canyon were used in the sermon, but Hampton leaned over to me and said, “more like Mammoth cave”. And it was like a "mic drop" in my brain! Perfect.

The Mammoth cave system has over 400 miles of excavated, explores caves & tunnels. It’s the largest cave system in the world. AND YET - experts estimate that there are 600+ more miles of undiscovered, uncharted caves & tunnels in that system alone! There's SO much more than meets the eye, so much that is completely unsearchable, unknowable.

In the same way, the depth of the riches & wisdom & knowledge of God are SO MUCH MORE than what we see. What comfort! What joy! What peace!!

Knowing what I know about God, what He's done & who He has revealed Himself to be - then, reflecting on how much I don't know leads me to AWE and worship and faith. HE IS SO MUCH BIGGER. HIS WAYS ARE SO MUCH HIGHER. He is infinitely MORE than what we can even imagine.

For further study: (from our pastor) Daniel 2:20-22, Job, Revelation 5:11-14; also Isaiah 55:8-9, Ephesians 3:20-21

say her name

Part of our morning routine is changing the date on our menu planning calendar board...this morning as Luke moved the slider over, I casually mentioned that it was his biggest sister's birthday in heaven and she was celebrating with Jesus today.

He asked, "what's her name?"

It was such a simple and profound question. We've talked about our girls before, but Luke is finally getting to the age of starting to understand these more complex matters of life and death. And it makes my heart swell with joy to hear him say her name.

"Her name is Joanna...she lives with Jesus now."
"my sister, Joanna" (and some more complicated conversation followed...)

Saying her name out loud and hearing others say it reminds me that she LIVED. She had a short, abundant, beautiful life and then was swept away for eternity with her King.

Happy Birthday, sweet Joanna!

emotional days...

Feeling emotional today for a number of reasons, so I decided to write about it. Certain times of the year can be more sentimental or emotional than others and sometimes those emotions sneak up on me and hit me hard. 

This morning I read Isaiah 10:5-34. Check it out for yourself. Not exactly the most inspirational passage. But it does teach us something incredible about God. He is sovereign and He is powerful and He is in control. Nothing happens without God moving or approving. And this gives me comfort on an emotional day when this broken, sinful world and the consequences of that sin are affecting everyone - big or small, black or white, young or old. 

Everyone feels the effects of sin in the world. Sickness, natural disasters, drought, famine, war, oppression, the list goes on and on...and it can be frustrating and lead to bitter, angry thoughts. Or it can remind us of our own personal sin (the list is long here, as well) and draw us closer to the God who forgives, the God who created, the God who loves, the God who gives. 

God gives us so much in this broken world. The beauty that we see around us in nature, the blessings of parenthood and marriage, so many gifts and talents for service and worship. We are infinitely blessed with His wisdom and love and grace and mercy.

Today is an emotional day, maybe you’ve had those too. Don’t let it take over who you are. Don’t let it define you. Remember your identity in Christ. Remember who He is.

Because this world is broken, find your peace, your rest, your joy, your satisfaction, in Christ alone. 

Saying YES to #3

Did you guess by the title??

We are amazed and surprised and so blessed to announce that we are adopting a baby girl! Yes, another baby. Yes, another newborn. Yes, a girl. Yes, yes, yes.

In Part 2 of Seth's story, I mentioned being obedient to God and saying yes when we felt His peace. That's what we are doing here. It's an absolute step of faith and desire to be obedient in response to God's amazing grace and mercy in our lives.

Let me answer the big question:
**WHY NOW? Why would we adopt another newborn baby at this time, right after adopting Seth?

We are saying YES to this baby girl because that's what we feel led by God to do. We don't feel obligated, we feel peace. We don't feel like we are "rescuing her", we feel like she is part of God's plan to rescue us from ourselves, from our natural bent towards selfishness and self-centered living. God knew about this baby, just like He knew Joanna, Rita, Luke, and Seth - before they were born, when they were being fearfully and wonderfully made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth (Psalm 139).

Baby girl's birthmother requested us specifically. Her birthmother is Luke's birthmother. Yep, Baby Girl is Luke's birthsister. And that's an amazing reason for us to say yes - to give Luke a link to his birth family, to provide opportunities to minister to this birthmother, to give another baby a loving home with her very own brother.

Some facts about adoption #3:
   *Baby Girl was born on July 13 (Hampton's birthday, so cool!), don't know birth weight yet
   *Our social worker told us about Baby Girl on Friday, July 17
   *We prayed and talked to a couple of advisors/mentors in our lives, then we said YES on Saturday
   *Baby Girl is currently staying with the same foster family that had Luke for a few weeks before we adopted him (such a great connection with their family!!)
   *We are waiting on paperwork and hoping placement will happen this week!
   *If you haven't figured it out by all of the "Baby Girl" references, we do NOT have a name yet :)

You may be thinking: those McClendons are CRAZY. Nope, just normal people following Jesus.

You may be thinking: how are they going to handle three kids under three years old? With lots of prayer, and many humble calls to family and friends.

You may be thinking: Wow, they are going to have their hands full! Yep, hands full of AWESOME.


Seriously, guys. We are so BLESSED. We have always wanted a big family, and we have always wanted to adopt. God is doing such a work in our lives through these "crazy" circumstances. However, we pray that when the world sees our family, they don't see "crazy" - they see the gospel.

To truly understand what God has done for us is to understand 

the heart of adoption. As believers in Christ, as followers of Jesus, 

we are adopted into His family. 

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of ADOPTION as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." ~Romans 8:14-17

Picture Story

God really does amaze me all the time. Not just in the big stuff, but in the everyday-look-at-My-sovereignty-and-LOVE-and-GRACE stuff. He is so good.

Here are some pictures of Seth!

Our first meeting!

Getting to know Daddy!

"Cute as a Bug!" Even with an ng tube and monitors!

Posing in his sleep

First day without ng tube (first day WITH g-tube)

Discharge Day! Thanks T family for driving us from the hospital!

Big brother, meet little bother!

"I'm going to be an awesome, awesome, awesome big brother!"

"What?? I can't get in the swimming pool with my big brother??!!"

"I'm thinking about becoming a doctor, just like Daddy."

Maybe not.

Swinging outdoors!

"Oh Hi mom! Just having a little tummy time here."

Seth's Story - Part 2

People that have been around us during this adoption have said many things to us. Good things, mostly. A lot of questions, a few strange comments, and plenty of praise for Hampton and me. Fortunately, this always gives us a chance to give glory where glory belongs - to God. 

One particular comment that many people have said is that they "could never do what we're doing". 

They're wrong. 

YOU'RE wrong, if you're thinking that. Because what we're doing is simply being obedient to the call that God has on our lives - as parents, as husband & wife, as believers, as adopted children of God. You CAN do it, because God works through you.

Only by God working in me and through me and around me was I able to endure the next part of Seth's adoption story.

So there I was in CA alone, visiting Seth as much as I could, learning as much as I could about him, helping as much as I could with his care, asking the questions of the doctors and nurses, telling our story to anyone who would listen. But I wasn't really alone. Not only was my prayer and quiet time ever more "tangible" (more on that in another post), but God was sending real live people to be a blessing. 

First, while Hampton was still in CA with me, God sent an amazing godly couple that we had known in MS to minister to us and encourage us and truly CARE for us while we were there. It was such a blessing to be able to talk to someone face-to-face who knew us personally and who shared in our joy. And they continued to bless me and Seth after Hampton went home. Praise be to God for B & T. (The Navy didn't know they were sending you to CA just so you could be a blessing to us!!)

Then, time after time, God sent strangers to speak truth into my life. Nurses, other families at the Ronald McDonald House, blog posts, even songs on the radio. I love how God can orchestrate people around a situation just so. Amazing.

After a week or so of being in CA, a family came to stay at the Ronald McDonald House who had an accent that I pegged pretty quickly as Southern. They were from New Orleans! We bonded instantly, over discussions of sweet tea, college life in Mobile, and all of the sights to see in the Big Easy. They helped me with several practical things while I was there, but mostly they provided a sense of family in a situation that could have been very lonely. And they did this while still dealing with their own situation, their own reason for being there at the children's hospital, thousands of miles away from home. Amazing. Thanks T family! Love you guys!!

As you can see, Seth's story is made up of so many more people than just Seth and his parents. It's important to me to recognize these people because we don't live life alone. We are not in a bubble. We cannot pretend that what is happening to someone else doesn't affect us. We must SEE people. And that's what these people did. They SAW me. And Seth. And Hampton back in FL (for the love of RBBC, thank you thank you thank you). And Luke staying with grandparents. We were all SEEN and that matters so so much. Thanks to everyone for letting God use you as a blessing in Seth's story.

Some practical matters at this point: the hospital days went by SUUUUPER SLOW. I lost track of time and what day it was, and being in a different time zone did not help. At the hospital, I was in the Seth-zone. Outside of it, I was trying to help Hampton navigate the house-closing business. (We are NOT writing about that mess. We closed. We have a wonderful new house. End of that story.) 

Seth was feeding better and better each day, and we thought he might improve enough to be released without any feeding help. However, as the days turned into weeks and his progress plateaued, the decision was made to give Seth a feeding tube. He had surgery and was eating again the next day by mouth. This step in Seth's care was a pivotal one, because it meant that he would be able to be discharged as soon as I was comfortable caring for and using the g-tube.

After 6 weeks in the NICU, Seth was finally discharged on June 15. I had been there for 3 weeks and 3 days at that point. We received our final paper for the interstate adoption process and we were cleared to fly home! 

Tuesday, June 16 we flew home and began our new life as a family of four. We are all adjusting to this new life, with feeding tubes and bags and pumps and syringes, with stairs in our two-story house, with big brother learning how to be Big, with our new extended family in China, and with new adventures just around the corner. 

Seth is doing well, still struggling to eat by mouth as much as we want him to, but so healthy in every other aspect. We are so blessed and are excited to see how God is going to use Seth for His kingdom and for His glory.

New baby, new house, new family, new normal. Amazing!

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

~2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Seth's Adoption Story - Part 1

Sometimes I can't believe my life. It's amazing to see God working through our family in such miraculous and distinct ways. Praise the Lord!

Seth's adoption story begins with a simple message on our online adoption portal asking if we wanted our profile to be shown to the birthparents of a Chinese newborn baby boy with Down Syndrome born in California. At that point, we knew a few things: (1) we had previously decided to say YES to all showings unless we felt unrest about an adoption inquiry, (2) interstate placement requires at least one parent to stay in state until the paperwork is complete, (3) we felt prepared to parent a baby with special needs. With these in mind, we messaged back and said yes, show our profile. It was scanned and sent to CA. This was a Friday afternoon.

Sunday, I received confirmation from our adoption social worker that our profile was in CA and being reviewed by the birthparents. 

Monday, May 18, I received a phone call from our social worker with the news that we had been chosen by the birthparents. We were matched!! I talked with her for a few minutes, she passed along contact information for the social worker in CA and laid out the logistics for me - we would have to travel across the country later that week. Of course, my brain went into overdrive at that moment...Hampton's schedule, flight prices, someone to watch Luke, closing on our house (oh, did I forget to mention we were buying a new house?), what to pack, what to buy here or there, who to tell first.

I called Hampton and gave him the great news; then we started planning - and packing - and TELLING.

The TELLING is my favorite part. I love sharing the amazing news that God has created a new little human being and has orchestrated HIS plan for our lives in such a way that we get to be parents again!! SO.AMAZING.

We booked a flight for CA and made all the appropriate arrangements for Luke and Hampton's schedule. It all worked out, of course, and we flew to CA on Friday, May 22.

Friday afternoon we met the birthparents at the Bethany office. Those details are so precious and so private that I cannot possibly post them here for the world to see. Just know that these birthparents love their son dearly and wanted the best life for him possible, which meant choosing adoption. Meeting them and sharing our lives with them has already been such a blessing to me. I am forever thankful for their gift of life for their son and there are no words that could adequately express our emotions or theirs. (I'm also very thankful for the translator who did such an amazing job helping us communicate!)

After our meeting, we all signed a bunch of paperwork. There is a very practical side to adoption, amidst the emotions and the feelings and the JOY - there is a ton of paperwork. I'm so very thankful that we have worked with an organization that takes adoption seriously and works with all parties involved to insure the best outcome possible for the child. I would sign a million pages. 

We decided to wait until Saturday to go to the hospital to visit our new baby boy. We navigated the check-in process, security, and finding the right room...and there he was. Our precious little baby boy, wrapped up like a burrito in a hospital blanket, hooked up to several monitors, but doing so well and sleeping so soundly. The nurses welcomed us and let us hold him. The birthparents came later and we awkwardly passed baby boy around. 

We sat down with the doctors and talked about baby's diagnoses and health issues. He had surgery and was recovering well, but not feeding completely on his own. That was our major hurdle to getting him out of the NICU and home with us. 

SO, the days passed. The birthparents flew back to China. Hampton flew back to FL. And I moved into the Ronald McDonald House - settling in for the long haul, not really knowing what I was in for.

MORE TO COME! Stay tuned for the rest of Seth's adoption story. I promise it will only be two parts. :)

No idea...

So, I haven't blogged for 21 months.

Luke turned two today (!!) and I have been very reflective the last couple of weeks of how God works in such mysterious ways. Here are some of my thoughts.

On March 25, 2013, as my precious son was being born to his first mother, I was sleeping. Recovering from a week-long trip to Canada to see our new-missionary friends in their new-mission setting. It was an exciting trip, a great vacation, and some terrific bonding time with my husband. I celebrated my 31st birthday, visited with friends, drove through mountain ranges, rode ferries, hiked on snow for the first time, and zip-lined across amazing vistas. We arrived home from that vacation the day before our son was born.

And I had no idea.

No idea that my little boy had been growing inside his birthmother's womb for the same amount of time as we had been in the adoption process (go ahead and do the math from the time we submitted our preliminary application to his birth date).

No idea that as we were completing paperwork and interviews and fingerprints, our little baby boy was seeing light and hearing sounds for the first time, kicking his birthmother, hiccupping, and growing and growing in that precious womb.

No idea that we were already Luke's parents in God's eyes.

Long before we knew, He knew.

And He KNOWS. He knows exactly who our 4th child will be (read about our girls here). He knows exactly how long we will wait to receive this incredible blessing. He knows all about the waiting and the heartache and the pressure and the stress and the longing and the hoping and the disappointment and the bitterness and the joy and the peace and the comfort and the faith.

God knows.

And what a comfort that is! Many people in our world, in our society, cringe at the thought of a Sovereign God. I relish it! I cherish it! To God be the glory for His Sovereignty!! I'm so thankful that He is in control and that HE KNOWS.

So, we are waiting. Adoption #2 is in progress. And once again, we don't know what will happen or when it will happen or how it will happen. But God does.

God knows. And that's all I need to know.

"But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." 

~Psalm 115:3 

 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, 

according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church 

and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, amen."

 ~Ephesians 3:20-21

 "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, 

for those who are called according to His purpose." 

~Romans 8:28

Luke is 3 months old!

So, I know I promised an "All About Luke" post right after we brought him home, and I totally dropped that ball, sorry! But I am making up for it by posting this update. :)

Here's Luke at about two months old. He was just holding his head up well for a minute then.

Luke is now three months old, as of June 25. He has quite a personality already and LOVES to smile. He is just beginning to laugh - a little cackle that blesses my heart so much. Luke rolls over accidentally sometimes from his stomach to his back.

He was smiling big at his Mimi!

 Everyone always asks how he is sleeping . . . Luke prefers to sleep on his stomach and is sleeping about 5 or 6 hours in a row at night. This is great, considering when we first brought him home, he was only sleeping 2 hours at a time!

Sleeping in the carseat, which is the only time he'll sleep on his back! :)

Luke likes to sit in his bouncy reclining seat and he loves to watch me do whatever I'm doing. If I'm not talking directly to him, he usually makes sounds to get my attention. He loves to "talk", ranging from the traditional goos and gahs to more eccentric squealing and interesting gurgling sounds.

Luke eats formula. Hampton keeps threatening to give him a "taste of sweet tea" or a "little bit of this french fry" - but I'm making him wait to taste real food until he's 4 months old. We'll see how he does with some healthy mashed carrots or oatmeal or cereal in a few weeks!

One major event that many of you saw on facebook was Luke's first time in the swimming pool. He was really apathetic about the whole thing - didn't smile even once, just let me hold him in the water. Hampton even swam around with him some and he didn't bat an eye. I think he was kind of sleepy, so we'll have to try again when he's more alert. Good to know that he didn't hate it though!

Just barely a twitch of a smile here. I think he liked it.

Hope you have enjoyed this update! I will try to keep these going and blog about some other stuff again too! :)

God's Timing

Right after getting in the pool for the first time!!

As I was pondering my precious boy being 3 months old yesterday (wow!), I started thinking about God's timing of our adoption. 

We have been so blessed to only have waited 5 months for a placement, while many families wait years for a child. And we were blessed to be matched and placed with Luke before our move to FL, which turns out to be a big relief - saving us a bunch of additional paperwork and a good amount of money. But another timing thing occurred to me last night that had me praising my great God for His higher ways.

Check it out . . .

Luke was born on March 25, at 38 weeks into the pregnancy. 

Somebody go ahead and do the math. You know you want to. 

The first week of July 2012, God was knitting our little Luke together in his birthmother's womb. 

So, why is that significant? 

July 3, 2012 - we submitted our preliminary application to the adoption agency.

That's right. Let it sink in . . .

GOD WAS FORMING LUKE'S BODY AS WE WERE APPLYING TO BE HIS PARENTS!

Mind. Blown.

As my husband would say: You're welcome.

Adoption Day!

As our sweet little Luke snoozes away in his swing, I'm so excited to share with you about our Adoption Day. Before I go into the details that I can share, please understand that there is a lot I cannot share here. 

Our little boy was loved from the moment of his birth and his birthmom chose adoption for him in love. We are incredibly thankful to her and to God for this amazing gift!

Monday evening I was able to talk to the foster mom who had been caring for Luke. She told me all about his little personality, his schedule, and how he likes to sleep. Luke was 6 weeks old exactly on Monday, and he had even visited the pediatrician. Healthy little man! It was so helpful to talk with the foster mom and I will cherish her part in Luke's life forever.

Tuesday morning, Hampton and I drove to our adoption agency office to complete the final paperwork that would make us legal parents of Luke. We had a great conversation with our case worker and signed all the papers in just a matter of minutes. We were excited and nervous and anxious, yet God reminded us of his perfect peace that surpasses all understanding. He also gave us a special blessing right there in the agency office that morning. A group of ladies from a local church were volunteering there and asked to pray for us before we drove the rest of the way to get Luke. It was such a special time of prayer and fellowship with ladies we had never met before, but we KNEW because of our common bond in Christ.

After many well-wishes and loving thoughts, our case worker sent us to the other office another 2 hours away to meet our little boy. 

We arrived at the office before the foster family, so we sat and talked with the pregnancy counselor there who had worked with the birthmom. She gave us medical records and all kinds of information that brought us a little closer to knowing our little boy.

Finally, they were here! The foster mom walked in with Luke and with tears all around, she placed him in my arms.

I was overcome. We have a son! 

There were many pictures and more tears (not as many as I thought there would be), and we were left alone with our little boy.

 

The next few minutes were spent oohing and gooing at Luke, as he opened his eyes and saw his new parents for the first time. The foster mom and her son prayed for us and said goodbye. We gathered our things and then, just like that, it was time to go. Time to take Luke home!

 

As we loaded him the the carseat and into the backseat, I was still in shock. We are going home with our son!!! 

We had decided that I would ride in back in case Luke needed anything. The 3-hour trip home was mostly uneventful. Luke slept for most of it, we stooped once to change him, he gulped down a bottle, and then got antsy the last 30 minutes from home.

We finally pulled into the driveway and unloaded all of our stuff. I carried Luke inside in his carseat and he was finally home!

We are incredibly blessed to be a three person family! 

I'm looking forward to sharing some of what we have learned about our Luke in the next post! 

Adopted!

Wow! The last 36 hours have been a whirlwind. It all started Monday morning at 9:50am when our adoption case worker called my cell phone. I knew something was up. And the kind of questions she was asking made me more suspicious: Is your husband there with you? (No, he was at work out of town, of course) What is your work schedule like this week? (Mine, flexible as usual...Hampton's, crazy busy as usual) Is this a good time to talk? (Yes, yes, yes, of course!)

After the evasive questioning, she finally got to the point: we had been selected! And then the surprise twist: our baby was already born - over a month ago actually! And then the big shock: we want to place your baby with you tomorrow!

Tomorrow. As in, Tuesday? Like the next day? Oh my gosh.

So, after some details about our precious boy, the case worker told me to call Hampton and then call her back if we would be able to go to get our baby on Tuesday.

Yeah. I lost it with emotion at this point. I mean, wow. We had a baby waiting for us! 

So, I pulled myself slightly together and called Hampton. He had his usual work voice on and could spare a few minutes he said. I told him the news and he was floored of course. We talked through the details and he got off the phone to straighten things out with work. He called back 30 minutes later and was on his way home! I called our case worker and confirmed that we could pick up our baby boy the next day. I got a bunch more details and then ended that conversation just to start an epic phone marathon for the next 3 hours.

"Hi, beloved member of my family or dear friend, yeah whatcha doin? Not much here, just found out I'm gonna be a mom tomorrow."

So, that's not exactly how most of the conversations went, but you get the idea. Lots of excitement and emotion, and plenty of surprise! 

The rest of my Monday was a blur of preparation, including a BIG shopping trip, assembling a pack n play, and several loads of laundry. Oh, and a little bit of sleep before the big day.

So, as I sit here typing this, I'm listening to the precious sounds of my baby boy sleeping on the other side of the room. Oh, he is so precious!!!

I will be sure to recount the details of our Adoption Day in another post. 

For now, introducing Luke Thomas McClendon...

Love. Pure love.

Web Profile . . .

Our adoption web profile is up on the Bethany website! I sent it in last week and have been checking the site every day to see when it would be up. Our profile books are also AT the agency, which means we could be shown to a birthmother any day now. Woohoo!

Here's the link: (feel free to share)
http://waitingfamilies.bethany.org/home/mississippi/hampton-and-nicole

In related news, I'm mobile blogging today, which is weird because I can't seem to change that link above into just words! It's also fun, cause I'm learning how to do more stuff on my Christmas gift, an iPad. :)

Speaking of Christmas, I know I haven't really said...errr, written much about the holidays. I'm not purposefully avoiding the topic, but I really just didn't have time to write about it and now it seems too late. Suffice to say that we had a great Christmas, was able to see almost all of both of our families, and rung in the new year quietly, just the hubby and me.

So, while blogging mobile-ly is convenient, I really miss all of my formatting buttons, so this probably won't happen much. Anyone else blog via tablet or phone? Suggestions are welcome!

I CAN add a picture, though. So, here ya go! You know I love flashbacks! This is Hampton and his brothers when they were obviously much younger!

Approved!!!

Adoption Update:

WE ARE APPROVED!!!

We got our official approval letter from the agency . . .

AND . . . we've finished our profile book. It is being processed right now and should be at our agency by Wednesday, the 9th.

So, what does all this mean?

We are officially a waiting family. At this point, our profile will be available for viewing by birthparents and we will be eligible to be matched with a baby (or at least their birthmom). As you can read in the letter, there isn't a specific time frame given, but we are trusting God with that as with everything else!

We are so excited to be at this point finally! We are eager to grow our family and are super-excited about God's plan for the future. We are asking for your prayers of course, but specifically that we will stay focused on what we are called to RIGHT NOW. We know that God has each of us exactly where He wants us and we want to be faithful to that calling.

In conclusion, we want to share our profile book here, which we feel is part of our testimony and part of God's story in our lives. We are excited to share our story with as many people as possible, so feel free to share with others, as well.

Adoption Profile Book

(It uses Flash player, so if you're viewing on your phone, it probably won't work.)

Hope everyone is having a great 2013 so far! I know I'm late in posting about resolutions and such, but that is coming. I'm taking a different approach this year. :)

Merry Christmas!

 

More Shopping Fun . . .

So, after my early morning shopping adventure, Saturday afternoon, I created another method for avoiding the craziness of  shopping on the eve of the eve of Christmas Eve. Strategically, Fortunately, I have a dear friend who is a manager at LifeWay (shout out!!) and I gave her a call to see if she had a certain gift I was looking for. She was TOO kind to actually go look on the shelf and pick out several things I asked for . . . then, she even took my credit card info over the phone and made my purchase for me! To top it off as one of the greatest friends of all time, she brought my purchase to me at church the next day! WOW. Talk about personal customer service!! Love you, girl!

Sunday evening, I couldn't avoid an actual in-person store visit. (It'd be hard to order a veggie tray online!) So, I went to a local grocery store that actually wasn't very busy at all. I picked up my veggie tray and some extra carrots (gotta have plenty of those!), then my eye caught sight of a HUGE gift card display. I perused my choices and actually got a couple more gifts off my list! Woohoo. Then, I asked a store employee if they carried batteries, and she was actually standing right in front of some - perfect! THEN, she pointed out an ad in their sales paper that gave me some free batteries along with the ones I was already planning to buy. Double (A) woohoo!

So, overall, it's been a great shopping experience this Christmas season. I've got to make a quick stop today for giant gift bags (for giant gifts that I don't want to wrap, of course), drinks and bread for Christmas dinner with the in-laws, and ONE more gift. Nothing like Christmas Eve for last minute shopping! Ahhh, procrastination . . .

I couldn't find another Christmas flashback, so here's a summer flashback from Sandestin!

New Christmas Tradition . . .

This year I procrastinated as usual and did my shopping at the last minute. However, instead of fighting the crowds on one of the busiest shopping days of the year (Saturday before Christmas), I went REALLY early Saturday morning to avoid the crowds.

I'm talking super early . . .

So early, it seemed like Friday night still . . .

In fact, I never went to bed Friday night . . .

I just left a Christmas party around 12:30am and went shopping!

A couple of disclaimers: For this to work, of course, I had to go to a store that was open 24 hours a day. AND . . . I didn't find everything I was looking for. So, I'll have to go out on another day to find a couple of leftover items. AND . . . I probably don't have to shop for as many people as others do, so that makes it easier to do most of it in one night in one store. 

Overall, my shopping experience was GREAT! 

--I didn't have to fight any crazy moms (or dads or grandmas or whoevers) who just have to have THAT new toy for their kid.

--I didn't have to squeeze through crowded aisles or maneuver around thousands of other shoppers that all seem to need something in exactly the same spot at the same time.

--I didn't have to wait in any black-friday-esque lines outside OR inside the store.

--I walked right up to a register and actually was blessed to be able to let someone go in front of me that only had one item. (I had a buggy-full.) Otherwise, no waiting!

--The store employees were actually kind and courteous and helpful!

SO, shopping from approximately 1am-3am on the Saturday morning before Christmas will be a new tradition for me! I absolutely loved it.

Christmas Eve 2007 - our first Married Christmas!

 

Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or both?

Update and Christmas flashback . . .

For the last two weeks, I've had Friday, the 21st in my head. Not because of the Mayan calendar or because the world was supposed to end, but because that was the deadline our case worker gave us for completing our home study - on her end.

By Tuesday of this week, we had everything turned in and it was just a matter of waiting. Friday morning arrives and I receive a phone call from our case worker with a couple of last minute questions. Then, I ask what will happen next. She explains that although she will have our home study completed, it has to pass through the director of our agency office first . . . THEN, it can be approved.

So, we are still a couple of steps away from being ready for placement.
       1. Home Study Approval
       2. Complete our Profile Book

I've started working on the profile book using MixBook. It's really easy and makes the whole thing look very professional. I am looking forward to visiting all of our family over the Christmas break to get up-to-date pictures! Be forewarned, family members, I need your best smiles! :)

Christmas Flashback! 2009, Black and White Party

In 2009, we had a black and white party. Everyone wore black and white clothes, we ate black and white foods, and we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" (best Christmas movie ever) in - you guessed it - black and white! It was a lot of fun and something I would definitely do again.

ShareTime: Do you have a favorite "grown-up" Christmas memory?

Remembrance...

This morning I will be walking with some friends and praying for the families of the children and teachers who lost their lives in Connecticut last Friday. If you're reading this, please take a few minutes and pray for those families and the friends of those who were killed.

Baby Room

We've started the baby room! Technically, it was started when we first moved in (4 years ago). We painted the walls green then and had the idea that one day we would decorate when we knew we were having a baby. When I was pregnant with the girls, we didn't get very far in decorating, so the room pretty much stayed an office and still has a bunch of junk in it.

I wanted to do something different for our third child...something that allows him or her to be unique. We haven't gotten very far, just paint colors and fuzzy ideas. All I know right now is there will be yellow and white, and we are repurposing some old furniture to use. I saw a really classic looking nursery on Pinterest that was yellow, white, and gray. We might go that route. It would work for both girls and boys.

Saturday, I started painting the largest piece of furniture - this beautiful wood bookcase that was given to me for free back in college. It will serve wonderfully for baby books and baskets of toys. Here's a before and after: (still have to paint the bottom two inches and two more shelves)

We are moving slowly with the buying of baby items. There are some things that we could easily buy now and hold on to for months and years, if needed, but we are trying to be realistic about what we should buy right now. I've started a registry, but it's slow-going. There are so many choices!

If you are an eager family member or friend, we will welcome practical baby gifts, if you just can't help it. :) A friend of mine wants to throw us a shower, so that might be in the plans for a few months away. It's exciting to think about!

Small adoption update: all of our paperwork is in and we are simply waiting for approval. yippee!