a little long read on adoption

“So, when will you guys get your baby from China?” I hate this question. I hate answering it. My answer 3 years ago was two years, my answer last month … 2 years. Explaining this delay to myself is difficult so trying to explaining it to others can be discouraging. I am not always sure what to say and our agency has no clear satisfactory reasons either.

Well this week I was lead to read this post. It’s all so clear now what the real situation in China really is.

What does this mean for us? I am not sure. We can’t switch to special needs. My man has a contract job so our health insurance is on us. We cannot afford insurance that would be suitable to take on a special needs child. This could change within a year but there is no certainty. I feel a bit discouraged.

We’re praying.

sweet girls

I love this little girl. She is so precious to me.

Now she’s a big sister and I could just eat this newest little one UP!

best pasta salad recipe EVER

This is a recipe that my bestie Jenn gave me years ago. I LOVE it. If one of us whips it up, we’re sure to save a bowl for the other.

Pasta Salad with Olives and Fresh Mozzarella

1 TBS olive oil & 2 TBS of salt (put in water when boiling pasta)
1 lb of pasta shells
3/4 cups of sliced black olives
1 cup fresh cubed mozzarella
2 med tomatoes peeled and diced
1 large cucumber peeled and diced
1 med red onion diced (I only use half)
2 bunches of fresh oregano chopped (we just sprinkle some dried in the mix)
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
3 dashes of hot sauce
salt and pepper (you’ll need at least 1/2 tsp of salt)
optional: 1 small jar of capers drained

Cook pasta. Make sure it is al dente. Cool it quick by dipping it in a pan of ice water.
While pasta is cooking, chop up remaining ingredients. Once pasta in cool mix it all together and taste. Add more salt and or pepper to your liking. Then YUMMY! It’s done!

It makes a lot so be nice and share!

mini daycare

Thursday my house was full of noise … joyful noise. 5 extra kids spent the entire day with us and 3 spent the night. Everyone got along beautifully. I wish I had gotten a picture of all of them together but they were so busy the entire day, I don’t think they would have wanted to stop playing and pose.

The girls always love crafts.

Little Miss K

“Hmmm. Pick a color, any color.” : )

down to 3

Big Girl is dead. What happened? I have no clue.

We’ve been gone for the past two days and on Monday everything seemed just completely normal with all the girls. Today my grandmother was coming up the path to visit and she smelled it. She knocked on our door and delivered the bad news. The girls got a little upset. I was shocked I really didn’t feel much. Chickens are definitely a different type of pet. There are no warm and fuzzy feelings with them. They seem to love me only because I am the treat giver but other than that, they show no excitement or sadness – really they have no personality. Don’t get me wrong. I love having my chickens it’s just not this terrible loss to lose one.

Grandmother and I used a shovel to lift her and place her in a bag. There was no blood and her head was still attached. Thankfully grandmother (my HERO!!) insisted on burying her for me. She was badly decomposed and I almost couldn’t stomach it. Not sure what the cause was. Hopefully we won’t lose anymore.

So … to Big Girl. You were the first of my chickens to lay an egg. I will never forget the moment I freaked out and jumped continuously up and down with joy the day you laid it. You egg color was extremely unique and they were especially delicious. You started at the top of the pecking order, constantly bossing baby coffee around but she grew up and became top chick and knocked your rating down to 3rd. Thanks for the memories and all the eggs. You’ll be missed.

Adolescent

A young woman

it’s legit

Our garden is like FOR REAL! I love it!!!

We have watermelons, which my friend Rena started from seed, growing like crazy!!! I am just tickled pink at how many these vines are producing. It’s SO much fun to see the progress week by week even day by day. Our zucchinis are NUTS. They grow at super crazy speeds. Miss picking one and the next day it’s gigantic. I need to post a picture of some of the monster ones we have harvested.

There are TONS and TONS of tomatoes on the vine but only a few have ripened. I think it’s time to give them a fertilizer boost. We’ve shared a good bit of what we have grown so far with other people but we are going to be stingy with the tomatoes. I want to can a bunch this year and make gobs of salsa.

I love this whole gardening thing and I LOVE doing it with one of my besties!

I can’t wait to eat it!

It’s a pumpkin!

his room

Since we have moved back to my hometown the kids have all been sharing a huge room down in the basement. Well seeing that we’ve chosen to stay put for at least a year, we decided it was time for #1 to get his own room. A contractor was hired to convert the basement’s one car garage in to a bedroom. They started working Monday and we’ve worked our booty’s off this weekend making it all come together. I can’t believe it but it’s now complete! (Well I would say 95% complete … I still want to add curtains on big window/door unit and some other things.)

While we were working we kept him completely out of the room until the moment of the big reveal. He was so THRILLED. I was jumping up and down I was so excited!!!! The girls were going NUTS and my man couldn’t stop grinning. THANKS to EVERYBODY who helped make all this come together. It’s my boy’s dream come true. He is so happy and we are too! Well … except the girls. When they laid down for bed tonight and few tears were shed. They miss big brother in their room already. Next week, we rearrange the room for the girls!

BEFORE: I am taking this pic standing in the garage opening. Normally there is gobs of toys everywhere.

My dad is so amazing. He showed up today and said, “What can I do?” He’s so handy. He hung around and did a TON! Mom saved me. She came and took care of the kids tonight so that we could finish it all up. Jonathan even showed up for the reveal! (Those are his legs in the background)

AFTER:

Those are Lego guys on the edges of the windows. (My man has AMAZING ideas. He’s so awesome and so creative!)

He loves it!

hot pink string

#3 loves strings. She LOVES strings. She fiddles with different strings to help her hands stay busy and then her mind can stay focused. Well today at Publix she tied a special string (hot pink shoe lace) to the buggy. I forgot it was there and so did she until we were pulling up to the next stop at Kroger. I hear, “Mommy!!!! Did you get my string off the buggy???” She then panics and begins to tear up. “Mommy we have to go back. We HAVE to.” I don’t have my cooler bags and it’s like 100 degrees out. My cold stuff from Publix is already in jeopardy and I still have one more grocery store to shop. I am not about to drive back over to Publix for a string. She begins to sob. I mean sob. #2 tries to console her but she is beyond being rational. I don’t fuss, argue or get irritated. I just get out of the car and enter Kroger with a crying 6 year old. She decides she is too upset to walk. She needs to sit in the big (not baby) part of the buggy. We pass the bakery. She rejects the free cookie. We approach the produce section and I notice she is pinching her arm over and over. I am shocked! Why would she hurt herself? She explained it to me with big tears rolling down her cheeks, “Landon says if you pinch yourself and you can feel it, you aren’t dreaming.” I reply, “Honey, are you that upset about your string that you wish you were dreaming so you wouldn’t have really lost it?” She just silently cried and nodded yes. My heart was broken. Immediately I knew what I had to do. I headed down the sewing baking, school supply, hosiery aisle and thank goodness that smack dab in the center of all that random junk, Kroger had shoe strings for sale. She didn’t notice me grabbing 3 laces off the shelf. I held them out and said. “Sweet girl, you may pick one.” Instantly A HUGE grin spread across her face. She picked out the laces with rainbow colored stars. Five minutes later she was out of the buggy playing with her siblings. Everything in her little world was at peace and so was mine.

praise God for answered prayers

This little miracle just blows my mind. Her recovery and progress is nothing short of a HUGE testimony of God’s goodness and grace. I am so thankful that she and her family live so close by. It’s so fun witnessing and celebrating her beautiful life.

She loves to tilt her head and say “Cheese”!

I remember so clearly thinking that we may never see her suck that thumb again. : )

freeze time

I wish there was some way to make time stand still … to linger long enough to ensure I never take certain moments for granted. To gaze into my kids eyes and soak every ounce of them up so that when memories get replaced and build on the past, I know for sure I won’t forget those little breath taking nuggets of time.

I am always asking my kids to just stop growing. I feel that to the best of my capabilities I am fully aware that these years with them all under one roof will fly by. The past ten have flown! I want to savor the laughter, the giggles, the mischievous looks, the silliness, the pouts and even their cries. I want it to be forever etched in my heart that each hug, each kiss, each squeeze is a precious privilege that I am so blessed to have.

My heart is full.

Here’s my first. My only boy. He gets me.

I love those summer freckles. I love those eyes. I love every little thing about him!