Summer Fun

In the midst of this busy, hot summer we like to take some time every now and again to enjoy some fun in the sun with good friends, or else we would go crazy and so would our kids! We have to remember that summer definitely does mean work for us, but it also means a break from work for our school girl, and a little deserved playtime with friends is a must for both our kids and family!
We and about 4 other families decided to head over to Hawaiian Falls for the day! Afterwards we ended up at the nearby Sam's Club for dinner! Sounds funny, but they serve the big Nathan's hotdogs and drink for $1.50 as a combo meal! It was just what we needed! We are blessed beyond measure with such wonderful friends! We will definitely have to do it again before the summer is up :)
(All these photos were taken by my friend Jen. I stole them off of facebook )

Some of our kiddos coming down the big slide! FUN!

During craft time, the girls colored some wiggly little snakes :)

These smiles say it all!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!

And yes, that is my handsome husband sporting the biggest farmers tan ever! It's ok though, because he gets it honestly. He really is a farmer. He tried to even it out though. Now it looks like he is wearing an off-white shirt instead of a bright white one ;) Maybe next trip honey...lol!

NEWS!

This week has been one full of news! First off this Monday we received new pics and an update on our little guy. We hadn't seen any new pics of him since he was 5 months old. He is now almost 9 months old, so he looks drastically different! He is doing amazingly well! I am so thankful he is in a place where he is well taken care of, loved and thriving! He is a happy little guy, smiles all the time, and is such a handsome little CHUNK! I love chunky babies!!!!! He has the sweetest round face and most kissable chubby cheeks! PRECIOUS! Can't wait to squeeze him!
Another bit of news we got was 2 days ago, we received an email that we were given a grant for our travel costs!!!!!! This was such a major load off for us! We are truly in awe of how God provided every cent for this adoption. Some of it we had to work for, and some of it He provided unexpectedly. One of our biggest concerns when we started this adoption was how we were going to come up with the money. We didn't want to get in debt, and we struggled if it was something we were up to. It was a financial risk for us. Thankfully the Lord wanted this adoption for us even more than we did, so He was very persistent in encouraging us to move forward. All throughout this journey we kept hearing Him whisper "trust me;" "I am your provider;" I will make a way;" "listen to me, not man." Our trust in the Lord in this was all we had to lean on. He was our constant source of encouragement and strength, and He kept His word. He made a way and provided and led us to our son debt-free! Looking back the whole story is stunning! It's an epic love story really and a testimony of how personal and powerful God is, and a perfect picture of how He is relentlessly fighting for His children. If you are hearing that little whisper of adoption in your ear, don't let money or fear turn you away. All God is waiting on is for someone to say yes to His calling. It is for sure a calling, definitely not something you want to do on a whim. It was so clear to us that this was what we were suppose to do, that there was really no option not to do it. Pray about it, and if you get a clear answer, TRUST HIM, and move forward. It won't be easy, but I promise God knows what He's doing, even when you feel like you don't.
Another bit of news came this morning. I got an email that our case was filed in court yesterday (AHHHHH!!!) That is me screaming with excitement and admittedly a little nervousness mixed in! The nervous part for me is leaving my girls behind and being on a plane for a day's worth of travel (oy). I haven't been on a plane for more than 4 hours before, so this is a littly scary to me. But again, he's worth it! We will know our travel date in about 3-4 more weeks. We had been praying that we would get a court date before the end of July. August and September is their rainy season, so the courts totally shut down for these months. This means if we don't get a date before the end of July, we will have to wait til October. Please join us in prayer for this. We would really LOVE to have him home before he
turns 1.
So that is it for all the news we had this week. I thought it was definitely share-worthy!

What's 1 more candle?!

On May 26th we celebrated my Memaw's 99th birthday! Memaw is my dad's mom and she is 99 and still as sharp as a tack. Her short term memory challenges her a bit, but that's really about it. She's in pretty good shape for a 99 year old woman! She once told me the secret to getting old is to never sit down :)

We celebrated the evening with family and food, and just hanging out! It was a nice, relaxed evening!


We had to snap this picture even though she belly-ached about it a little! She doesn't care to have her picture taken, but she managed a little smile and we got our pic with the birthday girl! Happy birthday Memaw! We love you!

Olympic Day 2011

Alyssa's last day of school was celebrated with Olympic Day! The kids played games, ate snow cones and ended the day with my favorite part, the wet tug-o-war. I don't think I ever laughed so hard!
First up were the Kindergarten boys!

c'mon boys...pull hard, you can do it!

Ohhhhhh! And they didn't do it! This was the funniest thing to me. They were pulling with all their might! The funniest part is the other team that won, were all upset that they had won, because they didn't get wet :)

Next up were the Kindergarten girls! They had already watched and learned and I think were ready to lose so they could get wet. Well, at least Breanna was :)

Alyssa and Lauren let go of the rope at the end but little Breanna kept a tight grip and fell right on in, big smile and all! It was so much fun to watch! Such a fun age!

Sweet girls

Love these precious girls :)

A birthday and a graduation!

This is our first family of 3 photo taken on May 20, 2005.

Our little Alyssa Joy was born, and her arrival was not a quick one.

After laboring for 27 1/2 hours {whew} Aaron and I finally got to lay our eyes on the absolute cutest little baby girl we had ever seen:)
I cannot believe that she is already 6! This week we celebrated her birthday and her Kindergarten graduation all at the same time.
This year has been a year of big strides for for Miss Alyssa! She started and finished Kindergarten, learned to read and write, learned to ride her bicylce without training wheels, and can recite more verses in the Bible than I can. We couldn't be more proud! Our sweet girl is just that...SWEET! She can be sensative and tender-hearted. She has a quiet and gentle spirit (like her daddy), but is also very adventurous (like her daddy also.) She loves to play hard and isn't afraid to get dirty. I don't think she has met a bug yet that she is afraid of! I have to keep my eye on her and make sure she doesn't try to pick up any dangerous ones :) She is brave, but cautious, and sweet, but feisty at times. She has strong convictions and is well behaved and respectful. She was awarded at school for having superior behavior, no bad marks for the whole year (so proud)! She is as bashful and quiet as they come, (around others), but has no problem performing in front of people. If you ever say hello to her, you better listen closely or you will miss the ever-so-quiet hello back to you. She doesn't care about being the center of attention at all, and doesn't show her emotions too often around anyone. She enjoys spicy food, and she still loves rootbeer flavored anything. She has a new found love for pizza rolls and also loves cinnamon flavored applesauce and salt and vinegar chips. Her favorite vegetables are carrots and sweet potatoes and she loves raspberries. Alyssa is playful and loving towards her little sister, and prays for and talks about her baby brother all the time. She loves rollerskating, ice skating, swimming, riding her bike outside, and watching movies. She discovered Justin Bieber this year with the help of her new friends in Kindergarten:) but is still a Taylor Swift fan as well. She's just a fun girl and it's such a joy being her mom! I feel blessed everyday that God chose me to be her mom! I love her to pieces!


Graduation night

with her friend Ashtyn




Her principal. Mrs. Chapman, handing Alyssa her diploma

And some birthday party fun!





Happy birthday and graduation Alyssa Joy! You shine so bright sweet girl, and me and dad are so stinkin proud of you!

REFERRAL!

YES! We got our referral this afternoon!!!! We are JUMPING FOR JOY!!!We got the much waited and anticipated (and almost felt like it would never happen) phone call from Kathy at CHI! We couldn't be more excited! Words cannot accurately describe how grateful to God and overjoyed we are! God called and we said yes, and He literally guided our every step of this journey. Yes, some of the times weren't easy, but I wouldn't trade "the wait" for anything. For it is in "the wait" that we have been stretched in our faith, and drawn closer to the Father. Aaron and I have even become closer to each other, unified more than we have ever been. We have learned there is a season of waiting and sitting at the Father's feet, and trusting Him for literally EVERYTHING! I think the key lesson in "the wait" is TRUST! Even when things don't seem right or make sense, or even if others are against you, or fear or discouragement tries to creep in, TRUST HIM! So those of you who are still in the middle of "the wait," take heart, and keep trusting. God knows exactly what He is doing! Your time will come too, and we will be celebrating along-side you :)
As for us now, we begin our new "wait." We now wait on our court date once our papers are submitted. :)
Thank you to every single person who has been praying for us and our son! We are more than grateful for your prayers!