Just becasue

I am bored…yes bored. But NOT complaining. These days, there are only fleeting moments when I can actually say I am bored and oh how I love them :)

I was just thinking that I have not updated the blog in a while, however, I am not in a mood to think. So…here come the pictures!
Can you really ever get enough of these cute little smiley kids (I know I can’t)!





And to finish it off...have you ever heard more beautiful yelling singing? You might need to cover your ears, just sayin'.

We have a 4th!

Wow! God has done it again. He has brought another amazing artist to our benefit concert. The incredible thing about these artists is that God has provided us with ALL of them.

Cait Plage is such a remarkable artist. She has a heart for adoption and a BEAUTIFUL voice. But don’t take my word for it, click here and see for yourself :)

Yay for a rockin’ concert!

From 2 to 3

I often wonder what it will be like when we go from having two children to three. For me, going from zero children to one was fantastic! When Taylor was born, I was SO ready to be a mommy. I was able to stay home with her; she was a great sleeper and a pleasure to be around. However, my transition from one child to two children was HARD. Noah was a great baby, but I was overwhelmed. Tay was 20 months old and still a baby herself. There were days when I would sit on our stairs and just cry. I had no idea how to be a mommy of 2. But as time has passed and as both Taylor and Noah grow, I am finding much more joy and beauty in this stage. Obviously we still have hard days, but the feelings of being overwhelmed have mostly subdued.

And now here we are, getting ready to add another to our family. I know there will be struggles, but I imagine they will be of a different kind. I find myself thinking about my strengths and weaknesses and how God will prepare me for this third child.

My heart overflows with love for children. Finding a special place in my heart for our new child will not be a problem. But then I think about the lack of patience I frequently have with our children. Or the amount of stress I often feel. These are the times when I don’t know how I get through the day with two children, much less three. These are also the times when I find myself on my knees acknowledging my complete and utter reliance on God and his grace. And since today is one of those days, I am thankful to know where to look when I realize I cannot do this by myself :)

Got chocolate milk?

In a previous post, I wrote about how much I love berry greens, especially for my 2 kids who are not big fans of vegetables.

This weekend my favorite brand of greens powder was on sale for half price at Whole Foods. While there, we came across samples of a chocolate version of the greens mixed with almond milk. After both kids chugged it down and asked for seconds, I thought it might be a good purchase. I know there is no substitute for the real thing, but this comes in a close second. Where else can you find wheat grass, spirulina, spinach, broccoli, carrot, and much more in one little scoop of yummy goodness? You can read more about the greens powder here. I most definitely recommend this one!

More than siblings

Over the past weeks, Taylor and Noah have become more than just siblings; they have become friends. I love to hear the laughter that carries throughout our home while they are playing. It makes my heart happy :)



These 2 pictures are from last summer. Do you see how chubby Noah was? And how little Tay looks? It is crazy how much these kids change in a year.

Wait List. Whoot! Whoot!

Do you see this? Do you know what this is?



When I checked the mail today, my heart skipped a beat. We have been waiting on our immigration approval because we knew at that point; we would officially be on the wait list with our agency.

I know that no one really says “Whoot Whoot”, but I am just so excited and those where the only words I could think of to convey my excitement. Being on the waiting list is something I have been waiting for since we started the enormous amount of paperwork. I knew that once we got on, it would mean that all of our initial paperwork was DONE!

It now all feels so much more real to me, like when you hear your baby’s heart beat for the first time. I know we still have a LONG hard wait, but now I don’t have to spend all of my time and energy on boring paperwork. I get to prepare for our child. I get to read books about adoption, think about names for our baby, picture our child, and wonder where we are on the wait list :)

Our agency does not have official wait list numbers. There are about 70 people total ahead of us. However, everyone has different parameters. Some are only looking for infant girls; some are only waiting for siblings. We are on the list for a boy or girl up to 18 months old or a sibling group. The average wait times for our agency are as follows:
Infant girl – 12 to 24 months
Infant boy – 10 to 18 months
Sibling group – 12 to 24 months

I know that it will be a while before I hold this child, but he is just as real to me as both of my children were when we found out were expecting. Being on the waiting list is just one more step towards bringing our baby home!

Beautiful stories

I am quite the sucker for a good adoption story. When the kids are napping, after they have gone to bed, or on a lazy Sunday, you can occasionally find me caught up in reading an adoption blog or watching a “gotcha day” video. Often times, there will be tears in my eyes or flowing down my checks.

Growing a family through adoption is not the “traditional” way to expand, but I have never seen so many miracles than the ones I see while on these blogs.

I am sharing a video that I watched earlier today. One of the most powerful lines to me is “orphan no more”. Oh how I long for the day when that is true of our child.

They are just different

I love to sit and watch our kids. Lately, I have been noticing just how different they are. Taylor will be reading a book while Noah is climbing in the toy box. Tay will be sculpting her play-do while Noah throws rocks. Taylor will push her baby dolls around in a stroller while Noah finds random objects to use as bats.



Some say that we “teach” our children what is gender appropriate. I have to disagree. For the first year of Noah’s life, he was pretty much surrounded by baby dolls, princesses, and everything pink. His version of “playing” with a baby doll is hitting it against the wall. I am telling you, he was born this way.


It amazes me how God perfectly makes our children. I am praising God for my 2 kiddos and their God given characteristics. 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

Hannah in the house

We are so excited to say that we have a third artist playing for our benefit concert. God has been so faithful to put amazing artists in our path who have a heart for adoption.

I first met Hannah Jeter at Sweet CeCe’s a few weeks ago. I was immediately drawn to her and her spirit for the Lord. A few days later, I found out she was an artist and knew that she would be an amazing talent to have at the concert.

We have already been so blessed by Hannah and I know that you all will be blessed by her music. You can find out more about Hannah here on her facebook music page. She will have music up by the end of summer.

God has brought three amazing artists/bands for our benefit concert. It has been so wonderful to see how God is bringing this benefit together in His perfect way.

Happy 4th!

Despite the loads of fun we had over July 4th weekend, I did not manage to get many good photos. There was a birthday party, a pig roast, a cook-out, bouncy houses, fire trucks, face painting and LOTS of fireworks.