We can check that one off the list!

So we had our homestudy last night, and all went great! Our case worker was very nice, and made us feel at ease. Aaron and I did, however, spend a lot of time cleaning up the back yard, organizing closets and such to prepare for it, and she didn't even look in the closets or the backyard....figures. But that needed to be done anyway (although the girls will destroy their closets again within a matter of days.)She very briefly interviewed our girls alone first and all went great with them, then it was mine and Aaron's turn. It felt like she was writing our autobiography with all the questions we were asked about our past and present life, but it wasn't unpleasant at all. There are just a few odds and ends to tie up with the homestudy and we will be done. It will then take about a month for them to process all our information before we "officially" pass! In the meantime we will be putting our dossier together. When the sweet woman left she assured us that we had nothing to worry about...whew!! What a load off! We were so full of joy when she left! I think I did a toe touch in the kitchen followed by a little booty shaking....I couldn't contain myself :) Aaron just sat back laughing at me and enjoying the entertainment.
When I was writing out the check for the fee we owed, normally with a check that big, my face would be hot, and I would be sweating, but not this time! I felt such a peace and just plum giddy to do it! Whoo hoo! It just feels so much more official now! Thank you so much for your prayers if you had been praying for us!

Homestudy tonight!

Well, folks,
It is FINALLY here! We have our homestudy tonight at 7:00 pm. I am surprisingly calm. I have had numerous people tell me that it's not as big and scary as we make it out to be in our heads, so I'm good. I told Alyssa this morning we were having a woman come over tonight for a homestudy. She said," Mom, what's a homestudy?" I told her it's a step we have to take to be able to get our baby brother. I told her they just want to make sure we are a good, nice family before they allow a baby to come into our home. She looked up all puzzled and said,"but we ARE a nice family, mom." So there you have it! Nothing to worry about at all. This is just a step on the road that will lead us to our little guy! Please pray for us to remain at peace and to just be ourselves and let God do His thing! He's called us to do this, so He's got this!

Secretariat Private Screening

A friend of mine...Jen...writes an online article for "Today's Mama." You can find that at www.dallas.todaysmama.com. One of her perks for working for Today's Mama was 10 free passes to a private screening of the new Disney movie,"Secretariat." One of my many perks of being friends with Jen, is that she asked me, along with others, to go with her to the screening:) We just made a girl's night out of it. It was so much fun!
I have to say that I was excited to go to a private screening for free, but I wasn't too excited about seeing the movie. I loved the movie Sea Biscuit, but I just thought this movie would compare too much to it. Let me just say that it was nothing at all like Sea Biscuit. This was probably one of the best movies I have seen in a really, really long time. Another friend with us said it was the best movie she had ever seen. It really was that good! John Malcovich was the horse trainer in the movie, and he brought a lot of humor. So it was humorous, touching, exciting, and just a great story. It was an on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of movie. So I was pleasantly surprised, and I think you will be too! So go see it! It's one the whole family would enjoy!

A man that Leads (warning :a mushy post)

I think every woman longs for her man to be the leader. To support her, even through her faults, to stand up for her. There are for sure times when I, myself have needed to let my man lead me...to step back and let him be the decision maker. I am always so glad and blessed when I do. I am so thankful for Aaron. He is my quiet leader... so gentle and humble. I can't say enough that I am more than blessed to have this man as my husband. He is more than I could've ever imagined or asked for in a husband and father. He makes me feel so beautiful and cherished. He brings out the best in me. I love the way he leads us....going above and beyond as a father to our girls. He is our spiritual head, our covering...and he doesn't take that job lightly. He is smart and wise and always quick to listen and slow to anger. He is a rare and precious find, and I recognize that! He's not perfect, but he is perfect for me and my children! Lord, help me to be a better wife for my sweet husband, honoring him, so that he can always be his best for you, and don't ever let me take him for granted.

HOME STUDY!!!

Ok Folks....without further ado, I can FINALLY tell you that we are having our homestudy on Tuesday Sept. 28th at 7:00 pm. Of course I told you a specific time so you could be praying for us, and of course I will remind you again the day before :)
As you know, we had a very VERY busy summer,( Thank you Jesus for a great harvest!) and with all that winding down, we have been able to refocus on this adoption again. This makes me happy! There is a season for everything, and we are entering into our time of really pursuing this adoption full force. On October 30th we will be having our big fundraiser in front of our church. This should be a lot of fun! There will be multiple raffles, crafts for kids, face painting, hot dogs, popcorn, lemonade, games and candy, cake walks and bake sale, bounce houses, and a professional photographer taking awesome pictures of families at an amazing cost! And of course, she is donating the proceeds to our adoption :) We are also in the process of having some awesome t-shirts printed up to sell. See...I told you it was time for us! God's timing is perfect and the time is now :) We are so excited and nervous all rolled up in one! I really hope if you live in our area, you will come and have fun with us on October 30th. Hope to see you there! Keep praying for us and our baby boy! Pray God leads us straight to him and pray that we will pass this homestudy with flying colors!

Just for grins

I haven't shared a funny kid story in a while so I thought I would share one just for kicks. Every week in school Alyssa gets a new memory verse, that she has to recite to her teacher at the end of the week. This week's verse is "Depart from evil, and do good." Psalm 34:14. We were practicing going over it, and Alyssa kept on saying ""Defart" from evil and do good." Oh my goodness, it was hard not to giggle. I corrected her and said, 'Honey it's depart, not defart,'all the while trying to keep a straight face. She kept saying it over and over....and I would correct her. I hope she gets it down by Friday, or else Mrs. Smalley might be giggling too :) And I know all who read this story will never hear that verse in the same way again. Hope it makes you giggle everytime, for I know that Jesus was up there giggling right with my sweet girl thinking how precious she was!

Local Celebrities...uhhhh...sort of :)

Next time you walk into your local Market Street or United Food Store, you may be greeted by a poster of our family! Look for us and then look for some of our okra and go buy some :) Support your local farmer :) Hopefully next year we can re-do these pictures and have one extra little bug in the picture! That would make it just perfect!