Things to Do When You're ICED In!

PLAY ON THE ICE WITH DADDY

MAKE SNOW (ICE?) ANGELS

SLED ON THE ICE

EAT HOT SOUP

TAKE A NAP

RUN WITH THE STROLLER

GRILL STEAKS (YES HE DID!)

WEAR YOUR FAVORITE BLUE FUZZY SLIPPERS

FEED THE DOG A POPSICLE

COUNT BLONDE CURLS

GIVE DADDY KISSES

GIVE RI RI KISSES

BE A BALLERINA

BE MESSY

BE CRANKY

BE HAPPY

BE BLESSED!

My Loves!

My little Todd!

Zebra Love!

Ri Ri and MK Reading Books Together!

My Crazy Little Wrestlers!

OK so I FINALLY got my new camera! Hip Hip Hooray! :) These are some recent pics from the weekend! We are currently getting iced in. Oh how I LOVE one or two days of being stuck inside with my family. That is of course if all my comforts of home stay on and my food doesn't go bad and my kids don't drive me crazy and my husband waits on me hand and foot.... Oh wait sorry I was dreaming. HA! No really we are so happy to have each other right now and are planning on enjoying our family time and staying warm! We know we are spoiled to live in this country and have everything our hearts desire. Already my eyes have been opened more than ever to the poverty and despair all around us in other countries as we research adoption.

My devotion today was so simple and wonderful. It was about Solomon and how he was called to rule a nation as a teenager. God told Solomon he could have anything he wanted and Solomon said this:
1 Kings 3:9a
"So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong."
That is so what I'm praying for right now as we continue forward on our adoption journey. We are asking God to give us the wisdom knowledge and understanding to know what to do, where to go and how to handle what we have been called to do. I was thinking about what a simple prayer that would be everyday for myself instead of some of the "Please God fix this and please God fix that" that seem to come out of my thoughts and prayers too often. Instead I hope to add a daily prayer of:
Lord give me a discerning heart to know what to do and to follow through with what I have been called to do.
So simple.
It's not supposed to be hard. We make it hard. I'm so thankful God is in control, not me.

Friends I can't wait to tell you our next step. A little hint for you....(It's in the title)
I just read an amzazing book called From Ashes to Africa about a couple named Josh and Amy Bottomly and their adoption journey. Read it if you get a chance. The honesty of the book is what truly spoke to me. There is no sugar coating on their story. It is real. Real is what speaks to others and they did an amazing job portraying their story. Click on the book link above right to view their From Ashes to Africa blog.

I'm off to enjoy my sweet family and to remember how blessed we are to be "trapped" together in this house right now with all our stuff to keep us warm and entertained. I am dreaming already of the day my precious little one will join us forever.....

The MOM I want to be....

OK I promise to start posting more pictures because that's what everyone wants to see of course. Who wouldn't want to see sweet pics of MK and Ri Ri. :) Actually you haven't seen anymore recent pics because my camera broke and we are getting a new one this weekend. Any camera suggestions you would like to send my way please let me know. And no fancy schmancy cameras people. I'm a mom on the go! I need fast and good! :)

I have to tell you right now that I have never been more thankful to have been "under the weather" these past few days. OK really these past couple of months but that's another story for another time. This has been one of those times in my life where I was sort of forced to let other people help me and I want them all to know how amazing they are. So right now a shout out goes to my awesome husband, my wonderful parents cute Chet and Karlann :), and the best set of number two parents a girl can have Marcia and Richard! I am blessed!

So with all this time I have really been digging into the adoption world (mostly these past two weeks) and friends let me tell you it is already changing my life! I have heard this and read this from numerous people and knew it would be lifechanging but before we even have our paper work? Before we even know where we are adopting from? Wow! God is good! He works in our lives in so many wonderful ways and I can already feel my heart breaking for these children but at the same time knowing the hope God has given these children through families that don't even know them but already love them.

And all this has led me to reevaluate my mommy role. I read the most amazing devotion this morning from Crosswalk.com. If you don't get their daily e-mail newsletters, they are truly the best! You can go to Crosswalk.com and then a little ways down on the left hand side where it says E-Mail Newsletters click on More Newsletters then under Daily Devotions on the right hand side Click on Encouragement for Today: Devotionals for Women and sign up! It's FREE and comes to your e-mail every day! The Encouragement for Today is my favorite! I was crying this morning when I read the devotion about not always being the mom you want to be. God has so been speaking to me about this lately. So many times I get wrapped up comparing myself to others, feeling overwhelmed, losing my patience, and truly not enjoying being a mother, the one thing I have always wanted to be. And yes friends as many of you know it goes so fast! My Mary Kate is 51/2 and we know we are heading for a big change as she goes to school all day next year! No more being at home with mommy for even part of the day. :( I am sad and yet I feel like I have not made the most of my time with her so far. Especially consistently nurturing her heart for the years ahead as she faces all those difficult girly things like friendships, self image, middle shcool, high school, etc. etc. etc. To all you mothers out there who are my number 2 moms I know you're smiling because it's all the same things you went through. You just want to protect your children and nurture their hearts. And I know I need to cover them more in prayer. Todd and I have been given these children here on earth to point them heavenward and that is the most important thing for us to do as parents! And I am so thankful for what God is doing in my life personally to make some needed changes as a mommy. :)

All this being said I am so encouraged by what God is doing in my heart through our adoption journey. What a wonderful thing this will be for our whole family. I have already been talking to Mary Kate about our baby and how God has him or her picked out just for us. And she has made me read the "Once Upon A Time" story 10 times already! What will this say to our children? Mary Kate will most likely remember what we went through to get her baby sister or baby brother and I'm so thankful for that! And now all Todd and I want to do is go on mission trips to help these countries in need! I'm telling you this is amazing! Thank you dear friends and family for letting me share my heart with you. Please pray for us on this journey. We are so blessed to have all of you....

The Beginning

Well here we are at the very beginning of our journey into adoption. I can't believe this is actually becoming a reality. And it's not just me folks. Todd has been talking to people and gathering information. I am soooo impressed. :) A friend told me recently I would know when we began our research where our sweet baby would be. We have an idea right now and when it becomes a true reality I can't wait to share where we will be adopting from. We are so excited to share this journey with you and are preparing ourselves for a LONG process! That's why we are putting this into action friends. God's timing is perfect and we know he has been stirring our hearts for a reason. More to come....

Once Upon A Time.....

Once upon a time there was a boy named Todd and a girl named Wendy who fell in love and had a beautiful wedding. And after three years of marriage God blessed them with a little Princess Mary Kathryn. Todd and Wendy loved Mary Kate so much it was hard to imagine they could ever love another person more. But three years later God blessed them again with their little Prince Riley Cordell and their hearts were full. Todd and Wendy could not believe God had given them a little boy and a little girl to love so much. But alas they knew something was missing from their family. They always knew in their hearts that there was another child in another world that belonged to them. And so began their journey of adoption.....