Cute Tees

I've posted about our friends Rachel and Landon before. They are in the fund-raising stage of their adoption process. Their home study is done. They are ready to bring a child who needs a home into their family. They just have to be able to afford it.

So Rachel set up an Etsy shop where she makes adorable accessories and sells them to help with funds. Right now she is selling a couple of super cute tee shirts. She has to get her pre-order for them in by Friday and gets a lovely bulk discount if she sells about 20 more before then.

If you'd like to order one of these shirts head on over here!

Rock Your World and Adoption Changes

Sometimes I feel like God puts situations in our lives to rock our world. To make us think. To ask us, "Do you REALLY trust me?"

This adoption process has been one of those.

Then yesterday morning I was reading something that just fit what I needed.

Write out in detail your will for a situation facing you. Write out definite instructions for God about how you think He should handle it. Then write across it in red ink: Surrendered to the Father. Do Your will in Your way at Your time. Then pray this way: Father, here is my will. You know that I have a will and expectations in every matter, but I choose to lay my will down and not settle for anything less than Your wonderful will. I trust Your love for me and Your wisdom in this situation. Not my will, but Yours, be done.

Whew. I needed that.

So here's where we are with the adoption. We're going domestic. That's a HUGE shift for us. But it's where we are and we have such peace about it.

We are also nearing the end of our home study. We have one more visit scheduled for the beginning of June, some reference letters to receive, and a couple doctors letters and then we're DONE!

Then starts the profile creating and grant applications and all that good stuff. But at least at that point we will be approved to adopt and can move forward with things.

Costco: Your Neighborhood Tattoo Parlor

I have to preface this little story with a tidbit about Evelyn. She hates leaving the house. It's usually a huge ordeal of telling her that she HAS to go. Once we are gone though, she usually gets upset when I tell her we're done running errands and have to go home. "One more store mommy! Please!" I don't get it. Anyway....

When I tell her we have to go to Costco she runs to get her shoes on. She loves Costco. The big aisles to run up and down (yes, that's my crazy kid that I'm letting run) are a great way to burn off a little energy. But it's not the aisles or giant packages of food that are so fun. Oh no. It's the smiley face.

If you're a Costco regular you know that they check your receipt on your way out the door. If you have littles with you, they draw a smiley face on the back for them. They will also draw a smiley face on your child's hand if they ask. This is the pinnacle of the shopping experience for Evelyn. It's worth leaving the house without a fuss for.

So we are at Costco this afternoon to pick up an 800 lbs. bag of potatoes and a bag of chips large enough to feed the neighborhood and Evelyn happily hands the receipt to the checker to mark it for us. He draws her a smiley face on the back. She lets him know that it's for Annabelle and that her smiley face belongs on her hand. His response, "oh I'm sorry honey, I only have a permanent marker and that won't wash off!"

WHAT?!?!

My 2-year-old is sobbing and inconsolable. That smiley face is a big deal in her little world.

But are you kidding me? Not wash off?

I used to teach middle school and know how much pubescent early teenagers love to color on themselves. I can assure you that the girl who once was in love didn't love Demetrius forever and that her arm won't have to say so the rest of her life.

And the adult who accidentally gets sharpie on his hand didn't have to live with that slip-up forever.

For goodness sake there would be no tattoo parlors if you could color on yourself (or get it done in bulk at Costco in the check-out line) and have it last forever.

Rant over.

The trip was solidified as unpleasant when I walked out of Costco with my mess of a sobbing daughter looking like complete grunge myself and ran into Scott's boss. Awesome.

Evelyn Reading

No, don't worry, I didn't buy that ridiculous "Your Baby Can Read" program.

Today while I was nursing Bella, she got out the book "Are You My Mother". Love that book. Grandma Evelyn would read it to us 50 times in one sitting if we asked.

Little Evelyn's version went something like this...

Baby bird fell out of the tree.

See the hen? You my mother? Nope, nope, nope!

Otay.

See the cow? You my mother? I no think so.

Otay.

Made my afternoon. She fits the definition of girls being sugar and spice so well. This is a little glimpse of the sugar. It's needed every now and again to help me put up with her spice.

Home Again, Home Again

After 2ish weeks spent visiting family and attending weddings in Iowa, we are all back home again.

It feels nice to have my little family all back together under our own roof.  We cherish moments with family and friends while in Iowa, but Kansas City feels like home.  A couple years ago I questioned if I would ever say that.

Here's a little glimpse of our time up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I'm off to spend the rest of my evening relaxing with the hubs because Monday morning will be here way too soon!

My Girls Have a Daddy

If you spend very much time around my daughters you will probably conclude that they are both indeed, "daddy's girls".  They adore their father. 

 

They crawl and run to the door when he comes home from work.  In church, Bella wants daddy to hold her instead of mommy.  When Evelyn gets hurt during the day she will often ask for daddy to come home to comfort her.  She much prefers having daddy put her down for her nap or bed for the night. 

It's not coincidence though.  It's not some fluke that these girls look at their dad with such admiration and love.  

Scott has invested himself in their lives.

It starts first thing in the morning.  He is the one that gets up in the morning with the girls so that I can catch a little extra sleep.  He comes downstairs with them and makes their breakfast.  They spend time playing and talking.  

He comes home for lunch whenever he is able to.  That way he can be here to put Evelyn to bed for her nap.  And he doesn't just put her to bed; he talks with her, reads to her, and prays with her. 

 

When he gets home from work he pours his time into them: holding them, talking to them, playing with them.  It continues until nighttime when gets Evelyn ready for bed and repeats the pre-sleeping routine from nap time.  

On the weekends if he has errands to run, he takes Evelyn with him whenever possible.  He involves the girls in whatever it is he needs to do.  

 

If he has to work extra, he tries to do it only during nap time or after the girls are in bed for the night.  

 And if Evelyn wakes in the night, it is dad that is the first one there to comfort her and help her take care of whatever it is she needed.

 

So while some people say that they are both such a "daddy's girl", I say that my girls have a daddy.

And the Winner is...

Thank you so much to everyone for entering my raffle!  I'll admit, when you start this kind of thing there is a fear in the back of your mind that no one will enter.  That was certainly not a problem though!  

So without further ado, the winner of the felt food raffle is...

Becky Kenyon

Congratulations and thanks again to everyone for entering!!!