Just a glimpse to be Thankful

As my boys have gotten older the glimpses of what life will be like very soon seem to come my way more and more often- The moments when we are all together, even in one room, seem to be coming farther and farther between........No longer does mama call all the shots for her kiddo's but instead work (for my boys) and everyday commitments seem to get their say too. 
I hold those moments that the 5 of us are together, all doing the same thing, closer to my heart.  I tuck the mental images away and even go as far as to take out my camera so that the image can live outside my head

Thanksgiving morning, it was just the 5 of us at home, getting ready to head to Matt's family's house for our Thanksgiving meal.   Ellie was up from her nap, Ryan and Matt had finished peeling the 20 pounds of potatoes, Eli had made his way into the living room by this point and I was finishing up cleaning the kitchen. 

I don't know who got down on the floor first- I am guessing that Elle's dragged Hee Haw her horse over by her daddy and got on......her daddy probably got off the couch and down on the floor by her first, encouraging her as she rocked back and forth- Her brothers probably followed suit........hearing the laughs I walked into the living room and stood by- Watching, letting my heart absorb the scene- Feeling the beautifulness of  my family.....

Thank you Heavenly Father for my family.  Please forgive me for the times I forget to appreciate and instead grumble.

.

Em, Elle, and Duck Dynasty

Heather snapped a picture at our Church's annual Soup Supper last year of my niece Em and Elle....
She snapped the same pic this year.........precious!

My boys have a new favorite show (I'm not getting what they see in it but hey...each to their own right?)- We had some good laughs when we made this on their (Duck Dynasty) facebook app tonight!

Thank you Heather for these pics!!

17 Months Old

Dear Elle's,
You are almost a year and a half old!  You weigh just under 19 pounds and are 29 inches long.  You have 8 teeth (4 uppers 4 lowers) and wear a size 12 months clothes (certain name brands still 9 months). 

Some things you like to do are:

• You love riding Hee-Haw your horse- which stays, for the most part, in your pink play house (that you really like playing in).
• Picking out my shoes every morning and wearing your own shoes (especially your boots)
• Buckling and un-buckling things.  The buckle on Ryan's lanyard will keep you occupied for a half hour.  You will sit on the ground trying to figure out how to put it together- once together you will come hold it up for us to 'un-do' and then try to put it together all over again.
• Playing with pots and pans 
• Helping  'cook'
• Coloring

New things this month:

• Started saying 'socks'
•  If your high chair tray is not on your high chair you can now climb up on it and then climb up on to the kitchen counter (YIKES!)
• plugging in and unplugging things (this is not always a good thing)

Favorite Foods:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Still loving your sour cream and ketsup
• The baby food that is squeezable (it's awesome!  they can hold it themselves and squeeze it into their mouth- the price is not so awesome)
• Hamburger or Meatloaf

Happy 17 month Birthday today Elle's- We love you!!

Already multi-tasking!  Riding Hee Haw while looking at a card :)

From the high chair to the counter- Gotta keep the tray on!!

Posted this one just because it is so cute- this girl loves her daddy!!

Tell Ellie I love her...From her birth mom Heather

Tell Ellie I love her!

 

Dear Elle's-  Mommy talked to your birth mom Heather last night for a bit.......We talked about how she is doing (which is good!) and how our family is doing (which is good also), We talked about how big your brother Caiden is getting (your birth mom Heather, who is petite just  like you, is able to fit into his socks and he is only 4 years old!!).  When we were just about done talking (we were talking back and forth private messaging each other on facebook) she said.........tell Ellie I love her!

 

It is such a blessing having an open adoption and being able to share with you these sort of things......

 

Love,

Both Mommy and your birth mom Heather

 

 

Caiden, Ellie, and Heather (June 2011)

 



22 Months & 333 Blog Posts

This is my 333 Blog Post written over the course of the last 22 months-
Almost 1 for every day of the year :)
When we began our adoption process in June of 2010 I put together my very first blog post- It featured a bit of information and some pictures of our family- We figured the link would be easy to access and pass on to potential birth mothers.  I really thought that would be the one and only post and the blog would be deleted as soon as we adopted.........I did not post again on my blog until Jan. 2011- to which I only posted 1 post...Breakin' in the new year.  By Feb. 2011 a personal decision had been made that I would try to blog about living in Hawaii- Since then, 331 more posts have been written and here we are almost 2 years later!

Hope you are having a wonderful Tues.......And to my friend Janelle, if you happen to read this
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A picture from my first 'official' blog post in Jan. 2011

The Dock at their Lake House

A few day's back we received a 'we've moved' photo card in the mail from my  Uncle Reid and Aunt Anne- Along with announcing their new address is a picture of my Aunt Anne and Uncle Reid with their children/grandchildren.....In one of the pictures they are standing on the dock at their lake house with the lake behind them- When I saw this particular picture It started me thinking.........

 

This afternoon I went fishing on my computer to see if I had saved an e-mail that I sent to my cousin Rebecca (My Aunt and Uncle mentioned above's daughter in law) in Dec. of 2010.  Matt and I were 9 months in to our adoption process (no prospective baby but we were in the 'waiting for placement' profile with both our adoption agency and our attorney in Hawaii).  Becca was about 2 months pregnant at the time I sent this- What I did not know at this time (nor would I know until we were matched with our birth mom Heather in April of 2011) was that our birth mom was also 2 months pregnant with Ellie at the time :)

 

___________________________________________

 

   Sent: Fri 12/17/10 7:36 PM
 

no baby news..just saying 'hi'

Becca-  Thank you so much for every text, call, prayer, word of encouragement, etc... you get the deep side of adoption w/o words being spoken- you know how to be on a journey with a friend and do all the right things without even being asked- Thank you! I pray God's complete blessing on you as are you are carrying His precious creation- 

A couple of nights ago I had the most vivid dream (I am not one of those people that believe dreams tell the future- I am just telling you this one cause if it actually happens- then to God be the glory)-

We were sitting on Uncle Reid and Aunt Anne's dock at their lake house next Sept. (2011) it was only the 2 of us- sitting on chairs facing the water- tears (of joy) streaming down our faces, not saying a word- in a front pack sleeping on you was the most adorable little boy and on a front pack sleeping on me was the most adorable little girl :)

________________________________________

 

Like I said above, we were matched with Ellie's birth mom Heather in April of 2011

Our Ellie was born in June of 2011 (almost a month early- Heather's original due date was 1 day later than Becca's)

Becca's Claire was born 3 weeks later in July (Becca had a girl....smile)

While we did not get a picture on the dock at my aunt and uncle's lake house we were able to snap this pic right after our girls were born............

 

July 2011

 

Hair Bow Boy's

I heard the laugh's all the way down in the kitchen (my boys were up in Ellie's room on the second floor)....... They had found Ellie's Hair Bows :)