our abundantly blessed life

SUMMER....the highlights so far!

2009-07-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

I know I always say that I'm having a hard time keeping up, but it really is the truth. This summer has FLOWN BY, and we have had so much going on. There are days that I literally think my head might spin off my shoulders! It is all good things, but crazy busy nonetheless. Here are just the highlights of what we've been up to...

Camped on Memorial Day with our best friends, the Coffmans.

Opened our new business...Suds Express Laundromat!

Celebrated Noah's 7th birthday at Climb Time

Watched LOTS and LOTS of baseball...go Levi and Noah!

Celebrated Levi's 10th birthday...double digits!

Went on a missions trip to Monterrey, Mexico to love on the orphans.

Watched Levi pitch amazingly in All-stars!

Went to the 4-H fair and LOVED it!

Went to Florida with my best girlfriends!

What a great summer so far!!! I am thankful for how God has blessed our lives.

Easter 09

2009-04-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today I am so thankful for Easter and all that it means. I had the priviledge of singing on the Worship Team at church on Easter Sunday morning, and it was just a wonderful reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the amazing miracle of his resurrection! Because He is alive and has saved me from my sins, I can live this life with hope and with the knowing that I am made perfect through HIS blood. Thank you, Jesus, for your priceless gift.

Easter Sunday was a a relatively relaxing day, despite all that we had scheduled! Chris did a wonderful job of getting all 3 kids ready for church, since I had to be there early. I was so proud to have my family walk through those doors...I just love them all so much. After church, we went to lunch at the Country Club with my parents and my brother and his family. Gracie thought she was hot stuff because they had a little miniature cup of mousse that was just her size.

After lunch, we took Gracie home for her nap, and Chris and I took a nap, too!! I don't often take naps, but sometimes it's nice just to curl up in bed during the middle of the day! Unfortunately, I must have needed more sleep, because I was still exhausted when I woke up!

From there, we went over to my mom and dad's for an Easter Egg Hunt! All the kids loved it and Gracie was just like a pro! It did make me wonder how much longer my boys will enjoy participating...I hope for a long time, but I'm afraid the years are numbered now.

I just can't believe how big they are getting. Here are a few pics from the day:

Spring Break 09

2009-04-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on our Spring Break trip to Redington Beach, Florida! I am so thankful for the quality time with my family, beautiful weather, lots of laughter, and fun times with friends. For the last several years, we have gone to the same area with about 8-9 other families...all with kids the same age as ours and all friends that we love dearly.

Last year, it took Gracie 5 days to even TOUCH the sand...this year was a different story! She loved the sand and the ocean. She kept saying, "Come on water" and would love to feel the waves crash up on her legs! Aren't these pictures just pure joy?

Me and my girl

Daddy's girl!

Is that my shadow?
Building castles in the sand...

Noah skim boarding...

One of my favorite pics of all time...

Love those boys...

One of our favorite things to do each night after dinner was go to the Ice Cream store for a treat! The Candy Kitchen and Pinky's were our 2 favs!

My love...

Spring has (finally) Sprung!

2009-03-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Man, am I glad that Spring is finally here!! I don't know about you, but it seemed as if Winter would never end!!! We have all had our fair share of cabin fever around here, so the kiddos were so excited to get out of the house the other day! It was a beautiful day, sunny and upper 60's, so I decided to take the kids to the park after we picked the boys up from school. Here are a few cute pics from the park:

Love my kids!!!

2009-03-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth....Noah lost both his front teeth within 2 days!! Look how cute he is!

Miss Gracie sporting her bow, PJ's and her new sunglasses...too cool!

Gracie has never really loved for me to take her picture, but now she is giving me this really "wonderful" look every time I get the camera near her...isn't that lovely? Do you love the outfit...that day she had to wear her Belle dress PLUS a tutu on top of that!

Gracie really, really loves her brother Levi (Bi-bi)!

A Mountain Top and a Valley

2009-03-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Right now I am experiencing a mountain top and a valley...all at the same time!! Three weeks ago, I had surgery on my foot. I have had plantar warts on the bottom of my foot for about 12+ years. I have needed to have them taken care of for so long, but I simply didn't want to deal with it or go through the pain. It had been giving me a lot of pain lately when I walk, so I decided it was time to take action. It is especially scary to deal with something on my foot since I have juvenile diabetes....healing is slower, infection is more prevalent, complications can arise, etc. This is where my "valley" comes into play.

I have had to stay off my foot for much of the three weeks because the pain is so intense....extremely hard to do with 3 kids, a house to run, and a real estate business!! I still cannot put pressure on my foot, which requires me to walk on my heel with a significant limp or walk using crutches. As a result, I am now experiencing pain in my back, legs, knees and heel. To top it all off, I have a sinus infection! I know I'm sounding like a total complainer, and I'm really trying not to be, but to be honest...I'm getting really discouraged. My hubby has been a wonderful help, my family has pitched in, and friends have been helpful, too...so for that, I am thankful. But, I just really want my normal foot back. We are supposed to leave for our beach vacation in Florida in 10 days and I am so nervous that it will not be healed in time. I am praying for God to heal this foot....quickly!!!!!

Enough of the whining...now onto my mountaintop moments!!! Through all of this, I have had to rely on the help of others and Gracie has been forced to cope with that. As a result, she seems to be developing another level of security that she previously did not have. Up until now, she has still not let anyone put her down for nap or bedtime, won't let anyone change her diaper or get her dressed, and Chris and I have not been able to leave her with someone else without sneaking out the backdoor. During the first full week after my surgery, my mom came over most every day to help take care of Gracie and I. During this time, Gracie learned to let my mom put her in her carseat, change her diaper, get her dressed, take her to gymnastics and.....put her down for NAP!!!! This is huge. I mean, really huge. The day they left the house for gymnastics, Gracie actually walked out the front door and said, "Bye, Mom". What a big moment for my little girl!!! I was so proud of her and SO happy for the door of security that she was walking through. The biggest accomplishment was that she let someone else put her to bed other than Chris or I....major, major accomplishment. Later that week, I had to go do some showings for work and Chris had to drive me (since I still couldn't drive with my foot). My sister-in-law, Stacie, came over to babysit and Gracie literally RAN out to her car to greet her! She waved goodbye to Chris and I and said, "Goodbye Daddy and Mommy". Stacie put her down for a nap and Gracie wimpered for a bit, but eventually gave in and did really great. Again, serious progress. I was just so proud of her and so hopeful that this would continue to be a building block of trust for her.

I know that all things work together for good...I believe that to be so very true.

A Baptism Day to Remember....

2009-02-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, January 25, 2008, there was a party up in Heaven for Levi and Noah!!! Levi and Noah decided to give their hearts to Christ about 2 years ago in the back of Chris' pickup truck and on that day, they made the most important decision of their life. We were so extremely proud of them and so thankful that their salvation was in Jesus Christ. We have talked with them ever since that day, that Christ asks us to be baptized after we ask for His salvation, as an act of obedience to Him. Levi is very nervous to get up in front of people and just really didn't feel comfortable being baptized on stage at church quite yet. I didn't want to pressure him, so I just kept offering it up to him every time a baptism was scheduled at church. I felt like he would make the decision when he felt comfortable with it. So, in January, we found out that another baptism was being offered and both boys decided they were ready and wanted to be baptized!! Chris was able to baptized both the boys and that made it even more special. I was so proud of them for taking that step of obedience.

Here is Noah being baptized:

And here is Levi....

Later that night, Levi came up to me, gave me a hug and said, "Oh mom, I just can't believe I got baptized today!" How sweet is that??

Visiting Cousins in Colorado!

2009-02-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

Last week, my mom, Gracie and I went to Colorado Springs to visit my cousin Angie, her husband, their twins (Caleb and Carissa) and my Aunt Sharon (who was also there visiting!). I had not seen the twins since they were 4 months old (they are now 2), Angie had never met Gracie, and my mom had never met the twins. So...it was a wonderful family reunion!!! We stayed for a week and had made some lasting memories together! The kiddos played so well together and had an absolute blast!! It seemed like Angie and I were behind our lenses all week trying to capture all the fun times we had! We have determined that it is nearly impossible to get a great picture of 3 toddlers together at the same time!! Here is one attempt:Gracie pushing her baby...look at the beautiful mountains in background! We spent an afternoon at the Garden of the Gods park...absolutely gorgeous!
Me, my mom, Aunt Sharon and Angie

Another attempt at capturing the 3 toddlers!

A morning at the park...

Making music together...

Me and the "girls"

Angie and Gracie making cookies...yummy!

A successful attempt at catching all 3 with a smile!!

We spent a morning at "Pump It Up"...a place full of indoor bounce houses! Gracie and Caleb absolutely LOVED it...Carissa was not so much a fan!

Angie and I were having just as much fun as the kids!!

Thank you, Angie and Jeff, for hosting us! We loved being together!!!!

Let's play catch up!!!

2009-01-28T12:40:00.001-08:00

Oh my goodness...have I been a terrible blogger or what??!! Good intentions, yes. Follow through, not so much. "Update blog" has been on my "to-do" list for about a month now...can you tell that I'm still having trouble catching up with life?? I really do wish to do better. I really am going to try. There is so much to catch up on, so I'm just going to highlight the last month...

*On New Year's Eve, we went to Ohio to spend a few days with our best friends, the Coffmans. All our kids get along so well and we had a blast!! Our time was spent just relaxing, eating lots of yummy food, talking and lots of laughter!! All our kids are about the same age and they all get along great...it truly is a blessing to have such good friends. Good friends are good medicine.

Gracie LOVED her blue ring pop...can you tell??

*Mid January, we had our first big snow and our first snow day from school. I love snow days. I always love an opportunity to have my kids home from school. I know some moms who can't wait for their kids to go back to school from summer break or who hate it if the kids stay home from a snow day...I'm just not one of those moms!! That afternoon, we went sledding and Gracie got her first taste of playing in the snow!!! At first, she was very excited about being in the snow and going sledding, but as Chris was pulling her on her sled to our destination, the snow was pelting her in the face and the bitter temperature of 10 degrees was a bit much for her!! I don't blame her! She quickly wanted me to hold her and she suddenly had no desire to go sledding. We walked around for a bit, but then she wanted to go back to the car! We waited for the boys to finish sledding...at least they had a good time!! *Gracie girl is growing and changing each and every day. She continues to amaze me and is becoming such a little girl. Here are a few things she is up to:

She seems to have a new favorite movie each week and her world then revolves around this movie. First, it was Ariel and The Little Mermaid movie, then it was Woody and Toy Story, now it is Belle from Beauty and The Beast. She LOVES movies and is even sitting through movies at the theatres with us....we can finally go to the movies again as a family! Also, we have a tradition of having "Friday Night Movie Night" at our house and she loves to be a part of that!
She has really enjoyed drawing, watercoloring and playing with playdough lately. Playdough is probably her favorite and she can sit very contently for a long time. Winter is seeming very LONG right now, so we are trying our best to find fun things to do inside.
She loves playing with Mr. Potato Head, her princess barbie dolls, her baby dolls (she is very sweet how she rocks them, feeds them a bottle, then puts them down for a nap), her princess dress up clothes and her kitchen.
She loves, loves, loves to help me in the kitchen and asks to "see" whatever I am cooking on the stove. Her favorite thing is to help me stir and she is very proud of her results.
She is very much about saying her name right now. When asking if she can do something, she will say, "Ni-Ni ____" (that's how she says Gracie!). She is also very aware of Mommies and Daddies. She wants to know who everyone's mommy and daddy is, even people in the movies or cartoons. I'm not an adoption expert, but that seems to be a pretty important adoption developmental milestone. I love that she recognizes that there are mommies and daddies and that their job is to take care of their babies.

Very serious about her playdough...

*About 8 months ago, I got a new camera, a Canon Rebel Xti. It is a great camera and it takes 3 pics per second, so I finally have a chance of catching Gracie looking at me! To be honest, I still don't know much about my camera and I have only used the auto function. I just have not found the time to sit down and read the manual. I did ask for several books for Christmas about my camera and photography, in general, and I am hoping to learn more. I am very fascinated by photography and I would love to improve my skills (or lack thereof!).

I just think this is a really pretty picture of her.

*I do have a few "Goals" for the New Year. I guess I like to call them goals instead of resolutions... it feels like it gives me a better chance of achieving them!!

Learn more about my camera and become a better photographer.
Blog more often so that I can better journal our lives.
Live a healthier life...excercise, healthy diet, drink more water, etc.
Be in the Word on a more consistent, daily basis.
"Play" with my kids more (put the daily chores aside if needed!!)
Get our new business, Suds Express Laundry, up and running!
Get Gracie to go down for nap or bedtime by someone other than Chris or I!!
Begin paying off our debt.

These goals are in no particular order, especially not by orde of priority...just random thoughts of things I would like to accomplish in 2009. Now it's out there for all the world to know!!

Merry Christmas To All!!!!

2008-12-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

A sleepy "Snow White"...opening all these presents is hard work!!!

Pure Wii joy!!!

Pretty little princess...she was THRILLED with her earrings!!!

We have had such a wonderful Christmas and we feel so incredibly blessed by the love of our families, our friends and our Lord. We actually celebrated Christmas 4 times, so it was a bit busy, but every celebration was meaningful and super fun!! We started out by heading down to Kentucky the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with Chris' relatives....Saturday with his dad's side of the family and Sunday with his mom's side. We ate TONS of yummy food, had great fellowship and the kids had lots of fun playing with cousins!!! Then, Chris' mom, dad and sister (Nana, Papa, and "YaYa") came to our house on Christmas Eve morning to celebrate! We opened presents then I made a "Christmas Eve lunch" with ham, cheesy potatoes, green beans, etc. That night, Stacie and I sang at church in our Christmas Eve service. It was a very special time of worship and celebration of our Lord! After church, everyone (my family and Chris' family) came back to our house for appetizers...more food, just what we need!!!! Ha! Of course, the kids got to open their traditional "one" present on Christmas Eve and then off to bed!!! Christmas was a little different this year as BOTH boys stopped believing in Santa!! Can't they stay little forever? Please??

Christmas morning was great and all three of the kids were super pumped!!! Chris and I have always had a tradition of setting out ONE present on the coffee table, unwrapped, and this is the present from "Santa". It is always super exciting to see the kids run into the living room to get that first glimpse of their gift!! Chris and I weren't sure what to do this year since the boys didn't "believe". Do we still leave a gift out? Do we just wrap all their gifts? Anyway, we decided, as we were loading up their stockings, that we would add a little "magic" into the morning!!! So...we chose one gift to lay out on the coffee table, just as we had always done. Then, Chris wrote a letter with each gift that said something like, "I heard you like ____. DO YOU BELIEVE???" and then signed Santa Claus. We thought it might just be fun! Noah came out, read his letter, looked up and said, "Um...NOOO!" We all got a good laugh!!!

I had a relaxing time of opening presents and then ate breakfast casserole and homemade muffins. Once we got ready, we headed over to my mom and dad's for our final Christmas celebration!!!! We spent the day over there...opening presents, playing Wii, laughing, and eating a wonderful prime rib dinner!!

The kiddos were MORE than blessed with all their presents and Gracie was a total HOOT this Christmas!! The boys got plenty of new video games for their Playstation2 and DS and they were very excited about getting a new Wii!! Gracie loved opening all her presents and got the hang of it very quickly!!! She kept jumping up and down saying, "Yeah, Yeah!!". She loved her books, her Cherry Blossom market, her Disney princess dresses, her princess jewelry (esp. her earrings!!), her dolls, her cradle, and the list could go on and on!!!!

We are so very blessed and are so thankful that God sent his son, that we may celebrate HIM!

The best surprise EVER!!!

2008-12-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

So, December 5th was my 35th birthday and my incredibly sweet hubby surprised me with the BEST surprise in the whole world. It started on Thursday night...I had just got home from Levi's basketball game, Chris was still at work (at 8:00 at night!!) and I had just got all the kids in the bath. I was just getting ready to start washing Gracie, when I heard the back door open. I thought to myself, "Oh, I am so glad that Chris is finally home and can help me with the kids". Then, I turned around to not only see my husband, but also my bestest friend in the whole world, her 3 kids and her husband!!! Jenny lives 4 hours away so I don't get to see her all the time. I was so shocked that I immediately started screaming, then instantly broke down into tears. I just couldn't believe it. That alone was incredible.

After I had a moment to get over the shock, Chris then told me that Jenny and I were going to spend the next day (which was my birthday) at the spa!!!!! Isn't that any girl's dream?? So, the next day we went to the spa, enjoyed a 2 hour massage (yes, I said TWO hours!!), got our hair styled, ate a relaxing lunch at Olive Garden, shopped at Target, then topped it all off with a coffee at Starbucks!!!!!! Seriously, one of the best days ever.

Jenny and her family were able to stay until Saturday and we all had a blast together. It was just good medicine to my soul to be able to spend time with her. You know there are just a few people in your life that truly know your heart...Jenny is that kind of friend to me.

Chris did a really good job with this one. This is a birthday I will never forget.

The night she arrived...

At the spa...

Future Olympian???

2008-11-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

I have been taking Gracie to a "Mommy and Me" gymnastics class for about 3 months now. Let me just say...she absolutely LOVES it!! She wears her cute, little leotard and walks into the gym like she is a little miss! It is a very age appropriate class where they do the same things every time in the same order (stretching, 2 obstacle courses, trampoline, give out stamps for a job well done). She is extrememly proud of her stamps after class and has to show anyone we come in contact with that day! There are 5 toddlers total in her class, so she has an opportunity to interact with other kids her age, too. Her biggest challenge is sitting on her "carpet" to wait until it is her turn! She is even making progress in letting the teacher lead her through the obstacle course and not always needing me to be right there holding her hand. I am very proud of her! She has great balance and loves the balance beam, the bar, doing somersaults and the trampoline the most! Will she be a future olympian????

The Heart of a Child

2008-11-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

Everyday, I am reminded of how amazing my kids are. The other day, I was blessed to have a conversation with Noah that was as sweet as any other I have had. To really understand the conversation, I feel like I need to give you a little background to the story. Several months ago, my mother-in-law read a book called "Reckless Faith" about a missionary in Mexico who has 9 children (3 bio and 6 adopted) and primarily serves the children in the orphanages. She gave me the book to read, as well, and it was a wonderful book. The book prompted all of us to start talking about going on a missions trip to Mexico to love on the orphans. I have to say, that after adopting Gracie, I think all of our hearts are very tender to the orphans of this world.

Noah seemd to be one of the first ones to really jump on board this idea of going to Mexico. I am always trying to talk to my boys about how blessed they are and how so many kids don't have anything....no toys, no food, no mommy and daddy, etc. Noah started talking about how he would like to go to Mexico, play with the kids, and bring them toothbrushes!! How sweet is that? This conversation took place a few months ago.

Then, just last week, as we were driving down the road, my boys saw 2 men walking down the road and asked, "Do you think these men are homeless?". I wasn't sure but, again, it prompted a discussion about how blessed we are to have a home, a warm place to live, a car, etc. Noah then said, "Mom, I really want to go to Mexico or Vietnam. I want to give the kids some toothbrushes and some of my toys that I don't want anymore". I told him that I wasn't sure when we would be able to go, but that we would definately go someday. He said, "YEESS!"

So, just a few days ago, we received a newsletter magazine from Back2Back Ministries about the missions programs they offer. One of Chris' good buddies from highschool works for this organization and we have attended one of his fundraisers. The missionary in Mexico who wrote the book "Recklass Faith" also works for this organization. Inside the book were all sorts of pictures of orphans in Mexico, India, and Nigeria and as Noah was looking through the book, he just kept going, "Ahhh...look at the kids mommy". He really has a tender heart for them. He then looked at a picture with all the Mexico staff and said, "Who are these people?" I explained to him that some people work for this organization from the US (like our friend in Cincinnati), but some actually LIVE in Mexico and help the kids everyday. He said, "Well, that's what I want to do someday." It was the sweetest thing I think I've ever heard.

I'm not sure what God has planned for my Noah's life, but I'm sure it's going to be something amazing!! Maybe he will go into full time missions work someday and if he does, then I couldn't be more proud. Maybe he will adopt someday. Maybe he will go on many, many missions trips. Whatever it is, I am thankful for his heart and I pray that he will always follow where God may lead him.

T W O

2008-11-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

She's two everybody!!! It is hard to believe, but my little baby is 2 years old. I can't really say that I ever felt like we had the "terrible two's" with my boys, but this one may be a different story!!! Ha! Don't get me wrong, she is a super sweet and obedient little girl, but let's just say...she loves to test her boundaries and has a bit of a super strong will!!!! Sounds like a typcial toddler, huh? Here is a rundown of Gracie at 2 years old:

Developmental and Language skills:

~She is right on track...she loves to run, jump off the ground with both feet, twirl, dance, climb

~Her language skills are growing every day. She mainly uses one word at a time to say what she wants, but occasionally she will use 2 word phrases. She will repeat almost ANY word you say and her vocabulary is increasing at a rapid rate! I probably hear the phrase "What's that?" (Wha dat?) about 500 times per day!!!! Oh, the curiosity of a toddler! Some of the cute things she says right now are:

*"Me Me" (Excuse me): she will say this after she burps/farts (ha!) or if she needs for you to move so she can get through. It is cute that she uses the phrase at the appropriate times.

* "B": She can recognize the letter B, but she also thinks that ANY letter or word written on ANYTHING is a letter B! If she sees words written on a box, for example, she will point to each letter and say, "B, B, B...". Again, very cute.

*"Na Nu" (thank you): She is now saying thank you when she is supposed to and even during times that are out of the ordinary. For example, we were leaving gymnastics the other day and as we walked by the front desk, she waved her hand up in the air and said, "na nu"!

*One word I love to hear her say is "Too"...whenever I say "I love you" to her, she will always respond by saying "too" (meaning...I love you, TOO). It simply melts my heart.

*Almost everyday she talks about earrings. I know it sounds crazy, but the girl is obsessed with earrings and jewelry, but especially earrings. She will point to my ears and say, "Ewring" and then point to her own ears and say, "ewring?". She will then say, "Ouwie" because I have told her that it hurts to get her ears pierced. How funny is that?

Socially and Emotionally:

~She has come leaps and bounds in feeling comfortable around other people. She is still very shy and feels most comfortable with family, but she doesn't have to cling around my neck while in a group of unfamiliar people.

~She is very particular about who she lets get close to her, touch her, hold her, etc. Typically, that is only reserved for close family members. However, I have seen some milestones lately...Chris and I had lunch with a friend of ours and at the end of lunch, he asked Gracie if she would give him a hug. Normally, she would say no, but this day, she walked right over and hugged him! Also, she is starting to let her teacher at gymnastics lead her through the balance beam, etc. by holding her hand instead of always having to have me right there doing it. Big progress!!

~She is clearly feeling much more secure and safe in her everyday environment, but there are still things that trigger fear in her. It seems that sounds, mostly, are at trigger for her. If a particular sound frightens her, she will immediately throw herself on the ground with her face down and start crying. All it takes is for me to pick her up and reassure her and then she is fine.

Activities and Interests:

~She LOVES anything princess, girly or PINK!! She loves Disney princesses, makeup, purses, high heel shoes, dresses, tutus, dancing like a ballerina, jewelry, babies, etc. Her favorite princesses are Cinderella, Belle, Ariel and Tinker Bell.

~She loves Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street and HAS to watch it every morning!

~She still loves her bottle, although, she only has one at nap and one at bedtime.

~She adores her brothers and lights up when they get home from school.

~She really adores her daddy and is wrapped around his finger!!!

~She really loves almost any food and is a great eater.

~She loves going to her gymnastics class.

~She loves to pretend play in her kitchen. She makes great "coffee" for mommy!!

Here are a few pics from the other day....

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T19:40:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween to everyone!! We had a great day! The day was a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day...perfect Fall weather. The boys had a great day at school, Gracie had fun at home, and I had fun making chili all day!!! Here are some cute pics of the kiddos after the boys got home from school:Gracie is STILL one of the most difficult kids to photograph...sometimes I think she makes it her personal mission to dodge the camera whenever possible. Seriously, she will see me get out the camera and she will turn the other way. When I say, "Gracie...look over here" she acts like she doesn't hear me and WILL NOT look at me for anything!! This is a picture of her trying to run from me in the kitchen because she knew I wanted to get a picture! Rotten girl!!On Halloween night, we invited about 22 people over for Chili! We had regular chili, white chicken chili, pumpkin bars, apple struedel, and apple cider...I just love Fall time! We all ate and had a good time and then went trick-or-treating together! One of the families we invited over is Levi's best friend's family, so Levi was exceptionally happy to have his best buddy to go TOT'ing with!! Gracie LOVED her first Halloween and it definitely did not take her long to figure out the whole TOT'ing thing! She loves candy!!! Once she got down her "little system", she was on the move! She would have either Chris or I hold her between each house and then when she got to the end of the next driveway, she would want down. She would say, "Bye" and then take off up the driveway to the door, all the time saying, "Candy (na-ne), Candy". If there were kids in her way on the porch, she would say, "Excuse Me (Moo-me)"!! She held out her bucket to get candy and then would say, "Thank you (na-nu)", run down the driveway and then say, "Hold you". We would pick her back up, walk to the next house and do it all over again!! She was a HOOT!!

Our MEAN football player!!

"Plo Koon" from Star Wars...aka Levi!!!

Gracie and her friend, Khoa (also from Vietnam!) after getting some candy!

The boys and all their friends!!!

Gracie being "Abby Cadabby" from Sesame Street!

Gracie and her cousin, Colton, handing out candy at the door!

Trick or Treating is hard work....Noah is all tuckered out!!

A Very Special Day

2008-10-27T18:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a very special and emotional day for our family. We started the day off by getting Gracie dedicated at our church. We have been wanting to do this for quite a while, but just haven't been able to find the right time when it would work well for all family members. In the end, though, I think it was the perfect time. Why? Because last year, at exactly this time, we were in Vietnam with our baby girl. It seems very fitting, then, to dedicate her to the Lord during this time. We had all our family there and many friends to support and pray over us. When our pastor, Chris, called us up on stage, I almost immediately started crying!! He asked me how long we have had Gracie and all I could do was raise up one finger...I was crying too hard! I'm just so overwhelmed by this whole process, how amazing God is, and how incredible it is to have her here with us...I just can't help the tears!! It all STILL seems so surreal!! This is a picture of us at church just after her dedication...Later in the day, we finally had the opportunity to celebrate her 2nd birthday with a big birthday BASH!!! Gracie loves, loves, loves Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, so I planned an "Abby" birthday party!!! The day before, my mom and I decorated her an Abby cake...I did the decorating and my mom made up all the icing...we were a tag team on an extremly tedious project!!! I kept thinking..."Why didn't I just buy a cake from the grocery?"!!! However, when I got home with the cake and saw Gracie's reaction, it was all worth it!!! She loved it and kept saying, "Abby"..."Bite". I tried to explain that we had to wait until her party and she handled the news pretty well!!! Here is the finished project...

I went a bit over the top with her birthday outfit and I LOVE IT!!!! I sooo love the tutu and she loved it to. Every time we get in her closet to pick out her clothes for the day, she points at her tutu (I've had it bought for about a month!) and says, "What's that?" I will say, "That's you tutu...you're going to wear it for your party!". Well, she finally got her chance to wear it! When we got it out of the closet, she said, "Tutu...daddy". It almost made me cry! You see, whenever Gracie gets dressed up in a dress or knows she is going to look "pretty", she always gets excited to go show her daddy. She KNEW her daddy would want to see her in this one!! It was really very sweet.

We had about 40 people at her party, both friends and family, and I wasn't exactly sure how Gracie would do. Sometimes, when she gets in an environment with a lot of people, she can get kind of clingy, shy and quiet. But, she did really great!!! When each person would come to the door, she would take their present, walk across the room with it, and put in on the hope chest. She got a total kick out of it and it was so cute!! She loved opening all her presents and actually did a good job of saying "thank you" (pronounced "na-nu") to each person. When we sang Happy Birthday to her I, again, got emotional. I saw her sitting there at the counter, looking so beautiful, and I looked behind me at the 40+ people all around her singing to her and I just thought..."Wow, last year on her first birthday we were holding her for the first time in her tiny, little, dirty orphanage with no fanfare and no party and now she is here, like a little princess, with all these people that love her so much". So much to take in. To be honest, both birthdays...the one so simple in Vietnam with no cake, no streamers, no tutus...just us, was one of the most memorable and special birthdays I will ever remember...And then, this one, having her being HOME with all our friends and family who love her and the sparkle in her eye, is also one I will not soon forget! Two vastly different kind of celebrations, yet both amazing in their own special ways. She seriously loves ABBY!!! Thanks Aunt Sharon and Aunt Melly...she loves her Abby doll!!!

Gracie riding her new bike that Nana and Papa got her...thanks for helping to push me

Aunt Stacie (Ya-ya)!!

The Pumpkin Patch and a new puppy!!!

2008-10-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, the five of us went to a local pumpkin patch and we had the best time! It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and a perfect day to enjoy being together. The kids loved picking their own pumpkins and Gracie loved her first experience finding her special pumpkin. This outing to the pumpkin patch was especially meaningful to me because, at this time last year, Chris and I were in Vietnam getting Gracie and the boys were home without us. One day after school, the boys were having a hard time with us being gone and my mom took them to this same pumpkin patch. She said that it lifted their spirits and gave them a good distraction. I am just so thankful to be able to share it with them this year and also have Gracie with us....it felt very complete!!!

We are also having a blast with our new puppy, Duke!! We got him last Wednesday from a wonderful breeder in Pennsylvania!! He is 16 weeks old and is a yellow lab. My boys had still been grieving so much from the loss of our lab, Blue, and I can tell that the healing process has already begun!!! He is a great puppy and is already sleeping through the night without any accidents in his crate!! I do feel like I have TWO toddlers in the house now...Gracie seems really easy now compared to Duke!!! I don't love the whole potty training and chewing stages, but we will get through it!! Here are a few cute pics of the pooch....

What a difference a year can make....

2008-10-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

October 18, 2007

Our Giving and Receiving Day

"The day we became a FAMILY forever!!

Gracie playing with one of her balloons she received at the airport when we came home on

Nov. 10, 2007 Christmas Morning 2007
January 2008
Valentines Day, Feb. 2008
March 2008
April 2008May 2008June 2008July 2008....Happy 4th of July!August 2008

September 2008

And, one year later...October 2008
I really wanted to post this on the actual day of our Giving and Receiving Anniversary, but it just didn't happen. Oh well! As I look back on the last year, I am reminded of how much she has changed. She doesn't even look like nor act like the same child. God has done an amazing work in her life and has brought her so far. I would be lying if I didn't say it was probably the hardest year of my life, but it has all been so worth it!

When we took Gracie from that orphanage on that day one year ago, she was a scared, confused, abandoned, grieving little baby. She would pull her hair as a self-soothing technique, she would wake up every 30 minutes in the middle of the night and scream in terror, she would literally cling to me with arms around my neck and not let me put her down...EVER, she had sores all over her face, practically no hair, and little to no sparkle in her eyes. Through LOTS of love and patience, she has become a happy, funny, spirited little girl who loves her family, feels much more safe and secure (most of the time!), sleeps over 12 hours per night, takes a great nap in the middle of the day, eats like a champ, has beautiful skin and uniquely beautiful BROWN hair, and has the most contagious laugh!

We are so blessed that God KNEW, even before Gracie was born, that she would be part of our family FOREVER!!!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2008-10-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

Can our little Gracie girl be 2 years old already? Is it possible that an entire year has gone by since the day we first held you in our arms in that tiny Vietnam orphanage? Could I ever have imagined how much our lives would be changed for the better because you are in it? You are a miracle. You are a blessing. You were chosen by God to be our little girl and we love you with all our hearts, Gracie girl. We could never imagine life without you. You are perfect. You are loved. You are our princess. You are amazing. Your smile can light up an entire room. We met you one year ago today and you changed our lives forever. I remember it like it was yesterday, yet it seems like ages ago. Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet girl.

In the kitchen playing with your maracas on your birthday!!
Eating cheesburgers and fries at The Lemon Drop for your birthday dinner!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACIE-MAI!!!

Fall Break, Camping and Horses!!

2008-10-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

During our Fall Break (which was actually 2 weeks ago!), we went to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. This is probably one of our most favorite places to camp and we try and go there every October. Normally, we meet up with several of Chris' relatives from Kentucky and we have about 4-5 campsites all together. Too much fun!!

This year, we were blessed to have an exceptionally long Fall Break, so we got to camp for 6 days!!! I love it! The weather was absolutely perfect in every way...low to mid 70's during the day and mid 50's at night! There is always some type of Horse Show going on when we are there, but this year was the best ever! There was jumping competitions, dressage, carriage drives, and a very cool carriage cross country event! It seemed like everywhere you looked, there were more horses! My kids (and ME!) were in Heaven!!

Gracie LOVES the horses and she got to ride a pony for the first time. Not surprisingly, she didn't want to get off!! She loved it!! She would wave to her bubby's and say, "Hi bubby!".

Some of my favorite memories of the trip were... sitting by the campfire, listening to Noah and Uncle Darrell play and sing the "Bullfrog" song, watching Gracie ride the pony, seeing Levi play football with his dad, watching all the horse events, visiting with family and simply being together. I love camping.

Random Cuteness....

2008-10-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit of random cuteness from my boys....

Noah...the rock star!

More silly cuteness....

And here's a little dose of "Gracie cuteness" to share with you....

This is her in a hand embroidered dress we got in Vietnam...she looked like an angel.
Kisses anyone???
Say "Cheeeeeeeese"!
I LOVE this picture!!!!! Probably one of my favorites.
This is the face she has started giving me when I ask her to smile!!! Funny girl!

A cute thing that Gracie has started saying....

Whenever I say to her, "Gracie, I love you", she will say, "Too" (as in, I love you too!)

How cute is that? It seriously melts my heart when she says it.

A Day at the Zoo

2008-09-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Gracie and I went to the Indy Zoo with my brother and his son, Colton. Colton is just 3 months younger than Gracie, so they have a lot of fun together.

It was a great day in Indiana...mid 70's, nice breeze, blue skies. The perfect kind of day to be enjoying the zoo!! Gracie has never been to the zoo, so I was very excited to take her. Let's just say....she LOVED it!!!

I have never been to the zoo when all the animals were so active! When we arrived, the seals were climbing up on top of their rocks and making all their fun noises. Gracie immediately wanted out of her stroller to get a closer look. The monkeys were swinging from their branches, elephants were drinking from their ponds, and we even got to feed the giraffes!! I bought the food and thought Gracie could just watch me put it in the girafe's mouth. Oh no...SHE had to be the one to put it right on the girafe's tongue!!! It was great!!! We even got to see the elephant's get their bath, which was actually a show in itself. Gracie got to pet the elephant after the bath and she kept saying, "More, more". Needless to say, it was a great first experience at the zoo.

Down, Set, Hike....

2008-09-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here is Levi getting ready to kick!

The faithful fan in her Princess chair...she IS the princess!

Levi is the one on the right hand side ...you can see the "4" of his #34 jersey

Does he look tough or what?

Both boys are playing Football this Fall and are loving it! Gracie, of course, is their biggest cheerleader and faithful fan! Bless her heart, she sat at the football field for 5 hours last Saturday watching her brothers play!

Levi is playing Tackle Football this year for the first time. He has had practice EVERY night for the last month, but finally practices are down to 3 times a week, plus games. He is playing on both the offensive and defensive line and is also the team's kicker. I wasn't sure my "tender, sensitive" Levi would like tackle football, but he is LOVING it!!! And, he is really good...if I must say so myself!!

Noah is playing Flag Football for the first time this year. Chris is coaching his team and Noah is always very proud of that. Noah plays a lot of positions, but is really good at quaterback and running back. He is also quite the scrapper on defense. At his first game last Saturday, he was the first kid to pull a flag on the opposing team. He is not afraid to get in there and fight!! He looks up to his brother so much, so he is loving being able to play football like Levi.

I love watching my boys play and I am so proud of both of them!

Gracie updates...23 months and counting!

2008-09-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

I simply cannot believe that Gracie is almost 2 years old. I know I keep saying it, but I really can't believe it!! Time really does fly by! Her birthday is not only special to me because it's her birthday, but it is also symbolic because it marks one year of her being our daughter. We had the priviledge of meeting Gracie ON her first birthday last year and becoming her forever famiy 2 days later. So...after she turns 2, she will have been with us longer than she was in the orphanage! Praise the Lord! We made it through the first year....praise the Lord, again!!

Here are a few fun things about Gracie lately:

*She has 2 phrases that absolutely crack me up...if she wants me to pick her up, she will say, "Hold you" instead of "hold me". I love it! Also, if she wants something and is asking for me to give it to her, she will say, "Happy"....as in, "it will make me happy if you give that to me"!!! She is so funny!

*She had her first dentist visit and she was NOT happy! Actually, I had to get my teeth cleaned and I wanted the dentist to look at her teetch, too. I had noticed some dark spots on her back molars and wanted to be sure they were not cavities. She sat on my lap while I got my teeth cleaned, but she was not at all happy when the dentist wanted to look in her mouth. Luckily, he said that everything looked just fine!! Yeah!

*In the last month, I have attempted to begin her weaning from the bottle. As many of you know, Gracie LOVES her bottle!!! I mean, she LOVES her bottle! It is her source of comfort and security, and to be honest, it was all she had for the first year of her life. She didn't have a mommy and daddy. So, I knew this would be a big struggle. I didn't want to take away her security, but I also didn't want her sucking on it all day. She had become very accustomed to having the bottle in the car, while watching TV, if she got upset or hurt, etc. About 3-4 weeks ago, I decided I would begin with baby steps. I only give her the bottle first thing in the morning (she can drink 4 oz. of milk and then has to give me the bottle), before nap, and before bed. The first several days were VERY difficult....lots of whining, crying and throwing fits. However, I stayed strong and she is doing MUCH better. Now, if she asks for a bottle and I tell her no, she says, "otay". She is able to comprehend so much more now and I can remind her that she only gets her bottle at nap and bed. We are making progress!!!

*She is absolutely LOVING gymnastics! The first 2 times, she had a bit of difficulty sitting still to wait her turn or following directions. But now...she is totally catching on! She loves to jump on the trampoline, do somersaults, hang on the bar, and walk on the balance beam! It has been a really fun thing for us to do together.

*She loves to draw circles! Anytime her brothers are at the counter doing homework, she has to get out her own "tablet" and draw circles. So cute. She is beginning to know some of her colors, too.

*We attempted potty training for ONE day and then I decided she may not be 100% ready!! She had been showing quite a bit of interest in going "pee" and had actually told me several times when she had to go....before it actually happened! She pees fine on the toilet and is very proud of herself when she does. However, she is not bothered AT ALL by having wet panties. That is in issue. Also, once when we were on the toilet, you could tell she had to go poopy. She got totally freaked out and started hopping off the toilet. She has yet to want to pee in the potty again! So...I think we'll wait a bit. No big rush.

*She has become very obsessed with her baby dolls. She loves to take them with us in the car, on our walks, etc. She wants to put diapers on them, she rocks them, she pats them and she feed them a bottle. I swear it is the cutest thing.

We love our little Gracie girl!!!

Here we are....

2008-09-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are at my NEW blog!!!! Welcome!!! I have enjoyed so much over the last two years being able to journal on our adoption website, that I decided to continue that journaling on this new blog!!! It is a great keepsake for me and my family, as well as a great way to keep our friends and family involved in our lives. Since our other website had a fee for using it and "Blogger" is free, I decided to go with Blogger! So, that is what brings us to this point.

To be honest, I don't know much about Blogger yet, so bear with me as I try and figure it out!! I am going to try and post as often as possible, so keep watching! I will continue to journal about our adoption process, as it is always on ongoing journey. However, it will not JUST be about that. This blog will help chronicle our every day lives...the ups, the downs and the abundant ways that God continues to bless our lives.

Hang on for the ride........