If that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, later that afternoon we got a call about 2 girls that needed an immediate placement.  We had already discussed taking them for the summer, but they needed to move that exact day.  oh my!  We weren’t really ready, but they were coming anyways.  ”Belle” and “A.J.” arrived around 6:30 that night.   A.J., a beautiful, happy 14 month old and Belle, a very active, sweet and playful 2 1/2 year old.  Those 2 girls have sure rocked Cruz’s world lately!  It has been a huge adjustment for our household.  The garbage, the laundry, the dishes, the meals, the messes.  Ugh!   But, the girls need parents.  

I know that God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts.  He planned long ago for us to have these kids in our home and in our family.  I only wish there were some way for everyone to understand that we are choosing adoption, not for lack of fertility or anything like that, but because we love kids.   God has a heart for adoption and redemption and in a way, adoption is like rescuing kids.   I love the idea of being a rescuer, bringing them into a safe place where they are loved and accepted just as they are. It’s a beautiful thing created by our Father God. 

I pray that our family continues to grow a little bit more…I would like to be pregnant once.   No hurry though   I am amazed at the women I know who had 5 or 6 kids.  I don’t know how they did it, I have a hard enough time keeping sane with 3!  I love them though, and pray that God brings them closer together quickly, for Cruz’s sake.  This is probably the hardest on him.  It breaks my heart to see him struggle with the shared attention spread among the 3 of them.   He’s a special boy though and I know he will be a wonderful brother to those girls.  He loves the baby and calls her “Sugar” like his daddy.

1.  Getting “lovin’” (hugs and kisses!).

2. Disney Channel-we are watching the cutest shows!  (Sunny with a Chance, Good Luck Charlie, etc.)

3. Kids clothes-they are so cute!!

4. T-ball-best way to spend a Saturday!  I get to watch boys learn how to play one of the greatest sports ever created!  (I recently saw Cruz’ first attempt at sliding into homebase….adorable!!!)

5.  Getting to see Cruz take on our traits and attitudes!  He copies my faces I make and says things that we say.  The other day he told Seth, “That gotta hurt,” about his hurt finger!  hahaha  On a more serious side, his sweet prayers are so refreshing.  He says some things that we say when we pray, and others are just sweet expressions of his heart. 

There are a lot more reasons, but its Friday afternoon and my brain is gone!  Long day!

1. It’ s near the end of a cul-de-sac.  I always envied kids that lived on cul-de-sacs.  Their houses were always the cool ones where all the kids gathered to play in the yards and play ball in the street. 

2. There is a bar on the island…another thing I didn’t have as a kid.  Not that Cruz should eat dinner and watch t.v., but I am not gonna lie.  He does on occasion   And it’s great for having family over for meals…added seating!

3.  The master has two sinks and a tub…who doesn’t love that!

4. The washing machine and dryer are in the house!  No more cold nights going in and out of a carport to do laundry.

5. A patio for grilling.  Seth used to have to grill in the carport. 

6.  A wooden fence around the backyard for privacy.  I can lay out this summer and no one has to see me

7.  Cabinetry. 

Father God,

               I thank you that can do more than we ask or imagine!  You’ve done that in my life, blessing me with incredible parents, family, friends, and a home.  My desire is that you would be glorified and honored in this home by Seth, me, and all the kids that are raised here.   Let it be a place where those who visit are drawn to You and feel your presence and your peace as soon as they set foot on our property.  Use us to be a blessing to our neighbors and an encourement to the believers we meet here.  God, you are so good to me.  Thank you for being such a loving Father to me, Amen

2. Do something different with Cruz. 

3. Go to the thrift store in town…try to find some deals

4. Start finding baby stuff for when we get the next call about a baby in foster care.   I’m tired of saying no!   Bring on the babies!

5.  Think of more stuff to do! I sound so boring!  I’m sure there will be lots of HGTV and Disney channel watching too

5 Random things I never want to forget:

1. The way that our 3 year old puts his arm around me when I lay with him and then kisses me on the shoulder.

2. How hot it has been the summer of 2009-so far, ten days over 100 degrees!

3. My first date with Seth to Walnut Circle…new outfits, a borrowed cars, flowers, and a teeshirt from Mexico.

4. How delicious Mom’s rocky road cookies were as a kid, warm, right off the wax paper.

5. The excitement of having  a garage sale, as a kid getting to eat doughnuts and see what kind of odd people showed up, and as an adult seeing how much we can make getting rid of our junk.

If You’re Not from Purvis

If you’re not from Purvis, then you don’t know the Tornadoes.

You couldn’t know how the whole town comes together on hot Friday nights in the fall

to watch the Nader’s play.

You wouldn’t know how every store in town sells purple and gold teeshirts

and displays a sign in the window supporting their athletes.

If you’re not from Purvis, then you don’t know the Tornadoes.

If you’re not from Purvis, then you don’t know small town country livin’.

You don’t know about ropin’, rodeos, or huntin’.

You wouldn’t know what a pretty house is because the two acres around it lie between a foul smellin’ pig farm and a dilapidated shack.

If you’re not from Purvis, then you don’t know small town country livin’.

If you’re not from Purvis, then you don’t know Southern dialect.

You wouldn’t know what a winda, a weddin, a pilla, or wudder is.

You probably wouldn’t see the beauty of a sun tanned four year old in scuffed up cowboy boots saying, “Yes ma’am,” to his momma,

If you’re not from Purvis, then you surely wouldn’t appreciate Southern dialect.

But, if you are from Purvis, then you know the name of everybody on your old dirt road.

You can’t go to Anderson’s Drug Store or Movie Star Restaurant without seeing a friend.

You know that the town is early to rise, and goes to bed in the same manner.

“Y’all have a good night,” can be heard from hospitable store keepers as they lock the doors under an unset sun.

If you are from Purvis, you and your family will most likely stay in Purvis

Because no where else can you enjoy the safety, charm, and character of a town like Purvis, Mississippi.

Ashley’s Furniture

Where did our love for Ashley’s begin? I remember getting a Papasan chair as a Christmas gift from Seth during my engagement period. I remember another time, before we got married, coming back to Mimi’s house from a weekend away and returning to new couch pillows, curtains, and a new furniture set up as a surprise from Seth. Those were the times I realized what kind of man I was marrying. Unique, talented, and slightly unlike what I had imagined my husband being. Our first big purchase together as a married couple was a kitchen table. Seth was so involved and considerate of what would be most aesthetically appropriate for our style, dining area, and home. Although Hattiesburg has countless furniture stores, something drew us to Ashley’s. Was it the constant commercial advertisements? The mailers? Or just the name? I wish I knew.

The table was rectangular, sturdy, and black. The chairs had a tall back and a thick soft leather cushion. Over the past few years, and having a food obsessed dog and now a three year old that eats like a college rugby player, the table is used and abused frequently. Our three year old’s chair is typically sticky with a crumb here or there from the latest hot dog or cookie. Since Easter, his place at the table stands out with a bold Spider Man place mat. My spot at the table is recognizable by the pile of papers or books in my place. Papers to grade, books from which to find inspiration or encouragement. Seth’s spot is cleared, unless my things overflowed into his.

It started with the table, but as our home and family grew, so did our furniture needs. Not too long ago, we determined that we needed a new dresser, since our original one had drawers falling out, water marks on top, and was just plain ugly. With a husband like mine, that could only last in our bedroom for so long. So, we determined a trip to Ashley’s was in order.

After falling for the black dining room table, we knew black was sort of our thing. Elegant, but comfortable. Stylish, but inviting. We were drawn to just a few dressers with, of course, black. We especially loved the ones with a multitude of drawers, considering the small size of our bedroom. There is certainly no room for a chester drawer* or nightstand. So, we settled on the perfect dresser. The top was brown, the bottom black. The handles were the new style, I guess called cup pulls, perhaps satin nickel. Sleek, sexy, and mature.

Could we stop with just the dresser? No. Ashley’s had a special that day. (Shocker) If you spent a certain amount, you would get $500 in gas cards and a $100 prepaid Mastercard. Who can turn down a deal like that one? I could, but my Seth could not. We left the store not only purchasing the dresser, but also a new designer couch. Realizing our current recliner didn’t match, we sprung for a new one of the same style. And I bet you can guess the color of the couch and recliner.

We are now known for our strong support of Ashley’s. As we are trying to save money with a growing family, we are perfectly content now going on a date to Backyard Burger followed by a walk through Ashley’s Furniture. The salesperson’s know our faces and don’t mind that we treasure the times we get to explore their store and dream about our next purchase. Or purchases.

* Chester drawers is a Mississippi term for “chest of drawers”

Having said that, this is all the writing for tonight    I have an adorable, sweet, handsome husband waiting on me to go to bed.  I hosted a premier jewelry party tonight and I am tired.  (But, it was worth it for free jewelry!  Gotta love that!)  Anyways, be looking for more posts to come!

Enough of that. I have a 10-12 page paper due early next week. The class is Libraries in a Multicultural Society, and I got to choose my topic. I don’t know how it came about, but I decided to write on library services to foster families. It is so much more enjoyable to write about something I am genuinely interested in. I have never previously considered bringing the two together, but I do think it is a great thought. I’d love to do it myself if given the opportunity. (and time!)

Now that I’ve got 3 pages written tonight, its time for a break. Card games! I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving. We have so many things to be thankful for.

Today was a good day, yesterday, not so good. It was a Monday and I hadn’t prayed over my day, so it was rough.  It is so important to cover your day in prayer, before you begin it.  My students’ lack of concern and inattentiveness just got to me.  I told another teacher that I had been yelling all morning and she said, “You yell?”  Yes, I do yell.  I don’t like to though because it does not come naturally at ALL, and I usually end up jumbling my words and saying something that doesn’t really make sense.  Fortunately, most days I can get through without raising my voice too much. 

I have been pretty busy lately, but that’s how I roll (as some of my boys would say).  We are planning a retreat for our college/young adult group for December 5 and things are finally falling into place.  There is still plenty of work to do, but the main things are taken care of. (location, speaker, sign up info, etc.).  My friends at church are also starting to get excited about it, whichs brings so much joy to my heart!  I want our group to delight in the Lord and sharpen each other in Christ when we are together.  I am praying this retreat will do a work in our group to inspire those types of relationship.

We did get our foster care paper work turned in.  Finally!  We should have a home visit in the next week or 2, so we have some work to do in our home   Anyone want to come over and clean, paint, etc?   Ha, ha.  Actually I love to clean, so I will get to it. 

I better go, the election results will be coming in later and I’ve got an assignment to do for class.  

P.S. If you haven’t seen the movie, “Fireproof” you should.  It was wonderful!  Seth and I already have a great marriage, but it inspired us to want to make it even better and serve each other more unselfishly. 

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Eph. 4:32