Lots of catching up

Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t blogged in almost a month!  I’ll just post lots of pictures and try to fill you in and keep this as short as possible.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Charlotte as always.  We love spending time there at Thanksgiving with everyone.

Good Food

 

Fun Times     

       Need Rest

Oh, and did I mention midnight shopping?

Here are some pics of the boys trimming the tree

Breakfast with Santa

Our first time at the Spring Hill Christmas Parade

Matthew’s Christmas Program

Sean went on a field trip to J.A. Biz Town and got to play the role of CEO of Dollar General for a day.  His only comment when he got home was that he should have taken a stress ball, lol.  Here he is with his first paycheck in Biztown Money.

He also played in a Championship Soccer game this Wednesday.  His team was fighting for first place and by the way they played they wanted it bad.  Sean was on fire as goalie but in the end the other team came out ahead.

Danny lost his job last week but we have decided to turn lemons into lemonade.  He’s been working hard to get someone else ahead for a long time now and we have decided to go ahead and start our own plumbing business.

If you need a plumber please call him.   He’s honest, reliable, and affordable.

SMC Plumbing

615-302-8800

smcplumbing@charter.net

Gas pipe certified, Backflow Certified, Pex Pipe Certified
References available

Whew, I think that’s it, lol.  In case I don’t get back here before, Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Walker's Christmas Card and a Blurb

My friend Carrie allowed me to make her family Christmas card this year and I think it came out so beautiful that I wanted to share it with you.  All of the papers and pieces used to make the card were created by yours truly.

It's not too late to get your card orders in.  We are heading out for a weekend trip to Charlotte but I will have the laptop with me and will finally have help with my kiddos so this weekend so it is a great time for me to work on them.

Not much to report on our adoption progress.  I'm still waiting on some references from the agency so in the mean time we are just saving, saving, saving.

And since tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day I wanted to take a minute to say what I am thankful for.  This is not all by any means but I do have to keep my post at a reasonable length.  I am thankful for a God that loves me regardless of my imperfections,  for a husband who is also my best friend, our provider, and a wonderful father, for my children who keep me on my toes and fill my heart with joy.  For my family who no matter what are always my family, and for my close friends for being my accountability in life.

What are you thankful for this holiday?   Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Go Go Godzilla!

This is what I found in Matthew's room!

My kids are so technologically inclined

I guess I spend too much time on the phone because Matthew will walk around with his toy cell phone carrying on a conversation with someone and will tell me "Shhh, I'm on the phone".  Ha ha.  Even my one year old knows what to do!

This is them "texting"

They are too much!!

Christmas Cards = giving an orphan a forever family

I spoke with an attorney today about whether or not Nicaragua is an option for us and I am so thrilled to say that it is!  Nicaragua is a fairly new program (just began in January) but they currently have four couples going through it right now that have/are submitting their dossier's.  We are still waiting on a few call backs but I really liked the feel I got today over the phone.  So assuming we do take this route the first financial hurdle is for the Letter of Intent and the Application Fee.  It's just the first step but requires a good chunk of change  because there's some translation that will have to be done and seals on the document from the state, Nicaragua's seal, and postage itself is outrageous.  $100 just for postage!

So with Christmas just around the bend I'd like to make your cards for you.  I can make them in either 4x6 or 5x7 so that you can have them printed at Walgreens or wherever without the increased cost for special sizes.  $7 for one card design or $12 for two different designs.  Just email me your photo(s) and wording you'd like on them. I'll design the card and tweak it until you are pleased.

Your cards will be custom made and one of a kind.  Nobody else will have the same cards as you this year!  Here are some examples of what can be done but keep in mind the options are endless.

 

 

You can email me your photos and requests to tabby.9906@gmail.com

Please grab my button and post it in your blog sidebars to help me get the word out:

You can just highlight the text and press Ctrl+V to copy and then paste this code into a Java/HTML Widget and the button will appear in your sidebar already linked to my blog.

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Thanks in advance for your support!

Fear not I am with you… Isaiah 41:10

Answering The Call

Over the past few months God has been softening my heart to the idea of having another child but not necessarily giving birth.  Danny and I have been tossing around the when, hows, and ifs of the idea and we feel that God is putting us on the path of adoption.  There have been signs all around us and the most obvious of them happened this past week.  I was reading my bible and while turning the pages to get to Galatians I came across an excerpt on adoption.  The story was about a family that had 3 biological boys and then answered the call to adopt a baby girl.  I was/still am blown away by the clarity of His answer!  God was saying, "here's your sign".

Oh, and we didn't know this Sunday night but it was International Orphan Sunday!  I hate that we missed out on so many opportunities for knowledge.

We aren't sure yet whether our path will be Domestic or International but right now I can tell you that we are researching the possibility of Nicaragua.  I've got some calls in to a few agencies and am waiting to hear back.

Will you please pray for our family as we begin this journey to finding our child and bringing them home to our forever family.  Pray that God will be working in the child as well to prepare them for what their future holds.  Pray that we will find the right agency to work with us, one that will be a strong advocate for us, and that will know the ropes and ins and outs of the process wherever we end up.

Fear not I am with you… Isaiah 41:10

Halloween Pics - Yes, I know they are late

So I'm a few weeks overdue on getting these up.  Better late than never right?  Chase didn't get to go out and trick or treat since he was sick but Sean and Matthew did.  Matthew really got the hang of it this year.  The funniest thing was the first house that we went to Matthew tried to go inside when they opened their door.  After that though he had it figured out.  Now Sean,  I just don't understand.  Three streets and he was ready to quit.  When I was that age I'd walk the whole neighborhood.

Their costumes looked good and they had fun though.  I can't wait till next year when Chase will get to join in on the fun.

 

 

Lessons from Him

I'm doing the Heart Like His study by Beth Moore with a few women from my Connect Group class on Monday nights. We haven't been able to meet in a few weeks due to life (sickness, schedules, etc.). I was anxious to get together last night and see what God had in store for me. Well, He spoke volumes!

I'm not always as transparent in my life as I should be and tend to put on a happy face for most people but things just aren't always that hunky-dory. Last nights study touched on our relationship circles and the different levels of transparency we have within those circles and how our inner most circle should have one person in it, God. Well I've been stuck at the level just above that one. I've been looking to my closest friends for advice, talks, and getting me through my day to day stuff and that's just not working. At times I feel like a lunatic the way I fly off the handle. Petty things get me all worked up and out of sorts.   Beth did a wonderful job explaining that if I were only taking things to the next circle that God would take care of my woes. And it's so true. How can I expect someone else, another human, to "fix" my issues. So here I say, I will make time to meet God daily in His word. Where I can speak to Him and more importantly, listen to Him.  He is my resolve, my comforter, and my healer.

The lesson also let us take a look at the way David felt at the loss of Jonathon and Saul and how he grieved that loss. I'm telling you, we ladies shed some tears last night. I love the women in this group and loved being able to share and hear their struggles. While I have not been dealing with grief in the death of a loved one, I have been grieving for a loss.

I have not had a relationship with my father in over a year. It has been hard for me because I wonder what Jesus would do? How would he handle things? I know I'm supposed to forgive but that's hard when my kids are involved. The gloves come off at that point. In this past year I've built up a wall around my emotions when it comes to my dad. I don't want to confront the situation because it makes me angry. It's easier to just be mad than to deal. I know it's wrong, but I am human. I haven't been home to Florida for way too long because of my unwillingness to confront the situation. He's been trying to reach out to me some, to make things right, but I'm afraid to let my guard down. He tries to talk to me a bit when I call for my mom but I keep it short and hurry to get her on the phone. Well last night's lesson made me realize that I do have grief over this. I'm really going to try hard to break down my wall and rebuild this relationship. It will be very difficult and painful for me but it's what Jesus would do right? Jesus ate with the sinners. I need to shine in His grace. I'm thinking of the song "He Took The Scars" by Brothers Keeper. So please pray for me that I will find the strength to swallow my anger and reach out to my dad and pray for me be the person that Jesus died for me to be.

Thanks for reading my blog. Your comments and prayers are always welcome.

Fall Photos

We found an abandoned barn not far from our house so I decided to shoot some photos of the boys there. If you'd like any of these photos let me know which one(s) and the size and I will send them to the Walgreens nearest you to pick up.

Beach Photos

Here are some more photos from our trip to Destin, FL

This was the view from our back door

 

 

This condo was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Matthew celebrated his third birthday last Tuesday while we were vacationing in Destin.  His grandmothers from Orlando drove up to spend the day with him.

Here are some fun photos of the day

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - Turn it up!!

Matthew's First Soccer Game

Here's a little snippet of Matthew's first game!  It was fun once he got over crying and not wanting to go out on the field.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Favorite Foto Friday/Weekly Update

Well we are back into the busy time of the year. I'll give you a little snippet on what's been going on with us.

Sean has gotten the hang of 5th grade. He's done really well about getting his homework done right away and doing is 20 minutes of reading every night. Now if I could only get him to pick up the same book each night so he'd finally finish one! Sometimes helping him with homework is hard because the terminology for things has changed so much since I was in school but so far we are doing okay.

Matthew starts KOK next week. He is so excited about going to school. All he talks about is doing his homework and getting his backpack. It's soooo cute! He also has started playing Pee-Wee Soccer for the YMCA. The first game is Saturday so you can believe I'll be there with camera in hand!


Chase still isn't walking but he's trying! He talks two steady steps and then squats down to crawl. He does have a push walker that he fly's full speed through the house with. I'm giving it another week or two and he'll be taking off.


And we are counting down to our vacation!!! Woot! We leave for Destin in 8 days! This is the first week long vacation we have ever taken! Yes, i said ever!! In twelve years! We definitely need to do this more.


Well that's enough stuff for now. I'll be back soon with pictures from the game.


Have a blessed day!

Sean's Baseball Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Under Construction

I'm redoing the blog so please bear with me while it undergoes some changes. Your getting a sneak preview to my newest kit too!!! I just love the shades of blues, greens, and browns and how they come together. Don't you?

So stay tuned for the new look!

My first digital scrapbook

I have finished Chase's scrapbook of his first year and I'm so excited to share it with you! The hard copy is on order but here's the online version for you to view.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Our blog is going private

Hey everyone. I've been thinking about some things over the past few days and I have decided to make our family blog private. It will only be able to be viewed by those that have been invited. If you'd like to receive an invite please leave a comment here with your email address or send me an email to tabby.9906@gmail.com

I'll leave it public until Friday but then we are going to be hiding out :)

So leave me your email so you can continue to receive all updates!

Birthday RAK

My friend Amy at Scrapable made this cute birthday layout for me using Chase's birthday photo. She did a great job with it. She used the Birthday Boy kit by Shanmomto4. It's on my list to pick up. Thanks Amy for your RAK (random act of kindness.

Happy 1st Birthday Chase!

It was one year ago yesterday, July 25th, 2008 that we were blessed with the arrival of Chase. He's truly been an angel from the very first moment and it's hard to believe that an entire year of his life has already passed.

We celebrated today with a Mickey Mouse (his favorite) themed party at home among family and friends

Isn't he just the cutest mouse you've ever seen?

Are they really letting me do this? Let's see how long I can get away with it

Oh yeah, this is good. So good it even went up my nose.

Hmm, lets see if I can get dad in on it


New toys too? This day rocks!