faces i love

need i say more?

catchin'

this post is for catchin' up,

catchin' fish,

and catchin' rides in the canoe.

fun times for sure!

can't wait to go back for more!

padre

last nite we celebrated padre's birthday.

only these 3 kiddos were still enough for a "cake pic" and as you can tell not one of them was actually trying to take a good pic for me (i.e. bug-eyed bri, not-gonna-look brax, and semi-cheese ty).

i love birthdays.

i loved celebrating my sweet dad. i know that if there is anything i need...he will do it. i know if something breaks...he can fix it. i know he is meticulous. i know he keeps the "most cleanest" cars in the county and probably the state which leads me to point out... i know if i drive my dirty monster of a car to his house...he will clean it. i know he loves the grandbabies. i know he loves and admires my joe. i know he loves Jesus. i know he is always ready to step up... no matter what it takes. i know he can do anything (which means so much to a kid). i know he always does his best.

i know he is amazing.

and i know i am blessed to be his daughter.

i love you dad!

we got our referral:)

yes! it's true and i am shouting it from the rooftops!


today at 1:20 pm our lives were forever changed.
today- we saw the face of our 4th child and i am in love.

details...
joe is home packing for a big adventure, i am gathering stuff upstairs for his trip.
my phone is downstairs near him.
it rings!
i really thought nothing of it since well -it just usually isn't my agency calling.
and you see lately every time i check my caller id and it wasn't them i was bummed.
but anyway, joey says... "it's CHI!" and answers it.
crazy thing was joey was home and literally we were in the same room together (our great room).
so...i'm not sure how i got downstairs but i did and our consultant asked if we were both there.
i put us on speakerphone and i started to cry. emotions folks emotions!
she told us we have a beautiful 7 month old baby girl!
i replied "Praise God!".
i know i thought but didn't let slip out the words... it's about time since tomorrow would be 15 months waiting.
anyways-
she gives a few more details and we hang up.
i cry.
joe and i (along with the bear) gather around the computer for our email about her and pictures.
ok, so we open up the first pic and are just amazed at her.
we open up the second and are blown away by her eyes. they are beautiful. she is beautiful!
amazing!
no really, she is perfect.
i am in love.
i can not explain the feelings of adoption. you wait so long for the call, the face. then you get it and it is beyond words. it's kind of like the incredible emotions i felt with my pregnancies and births. amazing love. love at first sight. wow!

for legal reasons i can not post pics of her online until after we pass court.
prayer requests now...
pray we get a fast court date with paperwork done perfectly and pass the first time.
pray we bring her home quickly.
my heart is in ethiopia!

what a journey!

i had a birthday

sunday was my birthday.

i love birthdays. not just my birthday, but any birthday.

birthdays celebrate people and what's more fun than that?!

i thought this year i'd get a crew together and go eat somewhere i'd never been.

we had a blast!

my amazing parents above and sweetest sister below.

and below a few more of my fun party-ers!

thanks to everyone for celebrating with me and for loving me:)

..........and my 2 most favorite presents came from 2 very special people in my life.

these 2 earned some $ from aunt dana and bought me bday gifts at a g- sale in her neighborhood.

these are treasures...

a cross necklace straight from the holy land from brax

and a shadowbox of seashells for our lil bathroom from bri.

i couldn't be more blessed:)

10 YEARS

10 years ago on April 8th i married the man of my dreams...
my best friend...

each day has been a blessing, each moment a cherished memory. i could not have dreamed it more perfectly.

God has truly blessed me with an incredible husband. i am excitedly anticipating the next 10 and the next 10 and the next 10!

we serve a RISEN SAVIOR

today we celebrated with friends and family the HOPE we have because
Christ has risen, He has risen indeed! hallelujah!

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all that is within me cries for You alone be glorified Emmanuel God with us

my heart sings a brand new song the debt is paid these chains are gone

Emmanuel God with us

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there is no greater gift.

and so, i want to live my life in praise and service to Him!

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such a tiny offering compared to Calvary

nevertheless we lay it at your feet

(excerpts from Mercy Me God With Us)

my handsome fellas. i am so blessed by theses "men" in my life.

sissy bear and her new grown up Easter haircut

waiting for the gates to be opened and the hunt to begin!

who could believe it was hot enough for the first swim of the year? we all decided we had never before experienced Easter swimmers! hot outside but oh so freezing water!

joe and t-dawg took the canoe out for a float. the river is perfect this time of year. i must say i was a wee bit nervous for this crew but it was a success!

and we can't celebrate without the annual egg dye!

a favorite time around here. this year the bear drank the pink dye, brax spilled the blue on his belly and legs so he bore the look of a bruised and battered victim, and everyone managed to stain their hands so bad i googled how to remove egg dye from kids hands and found out toothpaste works wonders! who knew?

this next year, may we remember the resurrection and offer our lives to Jesus daily.

what are you doing for Jesus?

one of a few...

today was one of a few hunts my peeps have got going on.

brax was on a mission to find his # on about a dozen eggs.

his class after the hunt took time for a quick pose. i have really loved his class. what a cool bunch of kiddos!

and to top it all off... the bear and i joined him for lunch.

and yes, we did end up sitting with sissy for a few minutes too!

big stuff

big stuff has been happenin' around here. but when is it not happening?!

both kids did a collection for their science project and both were so proud of the outcome.

the bad part about science projects at this age...it's more of a mom project.

not that i don't have enough to do already that i need schoolwork and all... just saying...

we got 2/3 of our haircuts completed for Easter Sunday, of course.

ran out of time for sis. but no fear her's will be friday.

after the boys cuts...

the promised annual sit in the Easter Bunny's lap for a pic.

joey and i were talking about this.

why do i insist they get their pics made every year with the bearded guy in red and the fake bunny? i mean really?

and when are they too old to do this?

we decided, well he decided, I did it b/c my mom did it and it's a memory to me. i love that she has pics of me each year in the laps of these costumed fellows.

and truly- i have no idea when i'll stop... maybe when the kids say...nope, not interested.

i'm pretty sure they will look back at the pics of them like i do of mine as cherished memories of childhood.

what about you... did you get your pics taken each year?

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and today was...

the next big thing, my sister's birthday.

i love you young 'un! you are a treasure to my heart! hope your day was awesome! so glad we could celebrate outside...yippee!

and for even more big stuff... hop on over here! thanks goodness aunt danedane took pics for me during my can't remember my camera few days.