take one senior photo shoot!

where are they going?

Andrew turned 16 the end of March and I still haven't recovered from the all the party fun we had that weekend! 16-how did that happen!   We borrowed the Galloway's farm (what a fun place-they shared with us)  I have so many pictures to share and stories to tell but had to take a minute to write before these feelings move on!

The last few weeks have moved fast with parties, work, sports, two proms,dental appts, wisdom teeth appts.,  caroline with strep throat 4 times,  church service and just life in general. Today at school they had a senior meeting for senior pictures and I got to sit it on the meeting  While I was there my life kinda stood still for a small moment.  The photographers showed a slide show of the cool photos they would take and my stomach started doing flips...could it be really....a senior...what....NO!!! I called Steve and told him...sad to say he will be no support since he said "stop talking about it-makes me too sad!"  It is such a bitter sweet feeling to be happy they are  healthy, successful and good but then why is there a  the pit in my stomach that felt like the day they started kindergarten and I left them with Sandy Sisk (our kindergarten teacher) all day every day!     The thoughts keep going through my mind...have I taught them enough..are they strong enough to withstand...my time of teaching while they live at home is almost over. Life sure does fly when your having fun.

More pictures soon and hopefully not a month away!

 

Prov. 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

So thankful for my calling as a mama...wouldnt' trade these days for anything ever in the world!

Looking for a home

We had the priviledge of having these two boys in our home over Christmas break. They are good boys full of fun and life.  They have lived through some unfortunate events and are in need of a home.  We prayed and prayed about becoming their family but couldn't feel peace with the decision.
SO

I wanted to advocate for them and help them find a family. They are with a wonderful family that just sort of "came upon the situation" and took them in while an adoptive family can be located.

We are praying for these guys to find a good mom and dad that love them.

Here's the link.

Tennessee State Wrestling Weekend

Parade of Champions

A weekend full of fun, victories, win, joy, loss, saddness, endurance, pain, tears,  determination, and reward. I still can't write about it because it was so emotional for our whole family. 

Blake placed 6th in the state of TN in the 160 lb. We are so proud of his accomplishments and hard work.   

He was surrounded by those who have helped him, helped him prepare and cheered him on. It really does take a village! We appreciate our village. 

 

whooo wheee 19 years

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep

because reality is finally better than your dreams."

~ Dr. Seuss~

Happy 19 years!!

Region V Champ!

He did it!  So proud of our kiddo! 

Best match award!

Thank you Blake for an awesome weekend!  One more week of wrestling for our family.  State begins on Thursday afternoon. We are so excited for this blessing and opportunity for Blake.  

Long time no blog!!!

Life moving in the fast lane these days. I feel like since I became the mom of teenagers years ago that time moved from fast to speedy!  I wonder where the time goes!

I think Christmas just ended and it's already Feb! 

So I won't try to catch up but I will put some highlights of the last little bit. 

Cabins with the Hale family.  It was quite different this year missing William. Our oldest nephew is the first on the Hale side to leave the coop.  He is serving a full time mission. He is teaching people in Montana about Christ.  He is dedicated all his time and money to serve others. Missionaries don't even come home for the holidays so it was our first without him at the cabins!

Nana-(mom) just accepted a part time mission here in the Nashville mission.  We are excited to get to be a part of her service here and hear the neat stories.  It is good for Blake and Andrew to hear of all the neat stuff she is learning. 

Our family got a new little puppy. Blake named her Nike after the Goddess of Victory!  Ha...leave it to Blake and his books!  She is  a little golden doodle.  Perfect for a family with dog allergies.  She doesn't shed and she is learning fast and so smart.  The girls are really loving teaching her and playing with her. 

 Young women New Beginnings was a fun night for Leah Beth!  This is my 2nd New Beginnings as Yw president.  It was easier this year since I feel like I'm getting used to the calling finally!  I loved our speaker.  She related to the girls so well and I was really touched by the girls musical number "I walk by Faith".

Blake and Andrew cracking me up parked in the driveway jamming out!

A quick trip to St. Louis for New Years. Blake and Andrew got to go to stake dance with cousin Makela!  Next time Leah and Kai will get to go!!!

The end of Caroline basketball season. She made her first goal this season. Fun times for me since I love basketball...but not for Blake and Andrew since they are lovers of wrestling!!!

Blake taking the gold at the dawg pound tournament 2012.  Awesome day for him. 

 Blake has really been training for regional and hopefully state this year.  His freshman year he made it to state but lost Papa the day of state so he missed the tournament.  Sophomore year he got the flu at regionals. He ended up placing and going to state but he was so weak.    This year he is really preparing and trying hard to do well at regionals.  This Friday and Saturday is the regional tournament.  We can't wait. Our entire family has been trying to help him prepare.  Leah and I decorated his room with pictures and motivational words. Leah did an amazing job.  I'll take pictures maybe!  We've been trying to help him with healthy foods. BUT- This week Andrew has had the flu and Leah the stomach bug.  We are keeping Blake as far as we can from them.    He has been doing 3 workouts a day and eating so healthy while maintaining straight A's.  I can't imagine.  The funny thing is he LOVES the work outs!  We sure don't have to make him work out we try to get him to back off a little!  I love his determination and I am excited to see him this weekend. 

Andrew has had some unfortunate luck on the mat again.  During this match in Jan. He was wrestling away. 

The other kid did this move...

Then this which is not a legal move...

This was the result...along with a 911 call and ambulance ride and a very worried mom!

This was not a pretty sight. Last year it was the other arm but this was a much worse break. It was hard to watch and it just stinks. 

So here's my kid in his cast again!

Same month...different arm!!!

Kindergarten is going so well. I am so proud of my smart little people. I am blessed to be teaching these sweeties and I love it when they learn something new.  They are really challenging me to push them harder. I love the differentiation part. I love to see them blossom into their own little readers! It's really a rewarding job.  It doesn't really feel like a job (except for the evaluations)  I feel so blessed. I love being at school with my own children too.

Adoption news....well there isn't any....our home study expired the last week of Dec.  We are trying to take a little break and then revisit it in a few weeks. We are just praying about what to do and hoping answers will come for our next step.  I've had such mixed feelings...frustrations and hope! 

The strangest times

The Christmas spirit didn't fill my heart this year as it has so many years in the past.  I could never get all my family together for a family picture so I didn't do Christmas cards!   I found myself grumpy and undecided what to buy for people not wanting to spend unnecessary money on more junk when I feel that I'm busting out the seams of this house.   Seems that since we lost good ole' Papa Christmas for me hasn't been the same. Every year at Christmas he gave me money to go buy mom gifts. It was one of my favorite things to do for him.  I miss him.   The grieving process comes in the weirdest spurts! I think the holidays bring back so many memories because we spend them with those we love.     My Christmas break has been forced oil changes, ortho appts, doctor appts,  shopping and more shopping and wrestling matches. We've had stomach virus-I lost my 3500 camera and spent 7 hours looking for it. We've been praying about another adoption situation and I've found myself wanting instant answers to prayers! BUT back to the point of the post....I had planned to relax, watch Christmas movies, bake cookies and sleep!

Today it finally hit.   I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things  and while I was there I had this peace, incredible thanksgiving feeling that came over me.  All the hustle and bustle of people in the grocery store going by me and  it was like I was moving in slow motion!!! Ha!   I'm so thankful for my sweet blessings. Oil changes mean we have vehicles that run, ortho appts mean we have the means to put braces on our children's teeth,  a found camera means I work at the most honest school ever-it was sitting in the cafeteria right where I left it and the last place I thought to look,

  shopping means we have family to buy gifts, stomach virus means we get well in 24 hours instead of dealing with Christmas in the hospital or waiting on the next test to come back from a doctor like our sweet friends the Caten family, wet and soiled clothes dropped off at the back door means strong sons that have enough work ethic to run and train for state even in the rain,

 and a husband out shopping because he LOVES giving me gifts and many more blessings that I take for granted every day.  I am so ready for Christmas to get to be with the people that I love the most! Most of all I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ and for His life, the perfect example for us to live by. I am blessed to know that He lives and loves me. 

Merry Christmas!

2011 favorite Christmas song

Some years we all have a separate favorite but this year......pa rum pum pum pum....We have a family favorite song.  I love it when old songs give new meaning or maybe we never paid attention to the words close enough.   "The Little Drummer Boy"  has made it's way into our hearts this season.

Our favorite line is......"I play my best for Him".  Our new family goal....to play our best for Him in whatever we do to give it all we got so He can smile at us too. 

one year ago-celebrating the big year mark!

*One year ago this week I was preparing to graduate college!

*One year ago this week I got a new calling at church as young women president!

*One year ago this week we were almost finished with our home study for our adoption-we turned in our very last document from the vet! 

*One year ago this week I got my first job as a teacher!!

What a wonderful year of change and blessings in my life! I've learned so much and been stretched even more...I am so thankful for this past year of people that have come into my life. Somehow I've been so touched by so many people of all different ages...2nd grade, kindergarten, college age, yw teenage, and 2 year old!

adoption and such

So....right after Brent and Colin left our home another case with another agency that had our information contacted us.  A birth mom in Arizona had picked our family to adopt her seven year old son.  I thought it was meant to be Steve not so much.  I prayed and prayed and even though I wasn't getting clear answers I was sure that I was just scared so it was ok to move forward. Steve was not getting the same feelings.  We talked to the mom in Arizona and she was the sweetest lady. She had been through a lot and desperately wanted to find a good home with siblings to adopt her son.

It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I had decided to fast with prayer.  The agency wanted us to book a flight to come out and meet the little Arizona guy. We went to watch the boys wrestle and while I was there I ran across a friend that has adopted three of her children.  She is so experienced in adoption.  She was answering my prayers as we talked but she did not know it! The things she said pricked my heart.  I was beginning to See he wasn't really our son but I just wanted it!     I woke up at 3 AM in the night sick, sick, sick.  I got up and reread the little Arizona guy's profile over again.  I had read it 20 thousand times (***note***when we got Brent and Colin I only read their profile once)  It was as if words jumped off the profile that I had not seen before.  I was so sad. I wanted this to be it.  Finally, the chase for the unknown child we had so desperately prepared for and prepared for to be over!!!!  There were things in the profile that I knew our children would not mesh with. There were many things that I knew would be hard for me and things I had stated in the beginning that I didn't think I could handle if I were choosing.  SO....I felt like this was an answer to my prayers.  Steve agreed and we called it off. Yes, it was hard for me to call off something I wanted but I had such a peace that felt so right.  The mom in Arizona had another family on back up in case we didn't pull through. 

Next, since I was fasting I just decided to finish it out. We usually fast  for 24 hours.  Steve and I talked about how it would not be a crazy idea to fast for Brent and Colin to come back if it was the Lord's will.  Although we had fasted for that before since I was fasting...why not. 

I ended my fast on a date with Steve that night and we talked about them and decided until we feel like we felt with them....like we feel with our own children we would just wait about adoption.  We really felt like they were just as much our children as our biological kids.

Thirty minutes after our date the phone rang...it was Amanda. She said that they had gotten a call from Stephanie(their mom) that day and she really wanted her boys to be with us.  I instantly started crying and the kids started praying.  I felt sure this was it.  The agency gave her the weekend to think about it and for everyone to get their thoughts together.   Wow!! what a story this would be if they returned. 

BUT-they didn't!  She really does feel like they need to be with us but she doesn't really have the energy or fight in her to do what it takes to get them to us.  She has a LOT in her life and although she may feel like they need to be with us she has many steps to go through to get them with us.   We still have hope and we feel ok to pray about it if it's the Father's will but we are not dwelling on it!

I am not sure why but since this I have had such a peaceful feeling.  I am sure the Lord is aware of us and our feelings.  We are not sure which way we will go or if we just take a break or what we will do I guess just wait for a little while to decide.    We will probably renew our home study next year some time and decide what to do.  I have had other thoughts but I'm waiting for the rest of the family to come up with those thoughts on their own!

whew! what an event

Since the beginning of our married life together, Steve and I have had a family tradition to put up our Christmas tree on Grandpa Solomon's birthday on Dec. 3.  Since he passed before we had children this is a way we can remember him.  Sometimes we read letters he wrote about his family and other times we just put our tree up and remember it was his special day.

This year we had a trillion things going Dec. 3. but we still managed to get our tree up just not completely decorated.  Whew...I had no idea getting teenagers schedules together and putting up the tree was such a big ordeal! 

Leah sang in her school chorus program at the Bethlehem marketplace.  This is the neatest program put together by another church. It was amazing and real!

 So Sunday we dedicated to put the decorations up and finish the tree after church.  Well we ended up getting four or five things...we had to do...visits to us, extra church meetings, ooops forgot homework,  the boys were asked to do more church visits and while I realize these things are important part of life-I only wanted an hour of two of their time! Steve and I kinda got in a disagreement before..so we were not in the best mood.  Nice how Satan can sneak in when you are trying to do good stuff!   I finally got them together tired and dreary and not exactly in the mood to do a tree. BUT oh did they pep up! 

Our sleepy elf!

Here's the crazy crew!

So the boys found joy in torturing Caroline by hanging non ornament objects on our tree.  We found duct tape, wii control, plastic forks and other things.  As fast as she could take them off, they would put them back on. Poor kid

Andrew keeping it real...singing to us!

Dear ole' Dad unpacking it all and trying to keeping his patience!

Finally we finished our tradition, watched the Christmas program and heard the beautiful messages of the prophet and ate sugar cookies!

So thankful for my crazy kids in my life and that I get the opportunity to be a mom!

***check out our little Christmas tree!  A few years we bought this tree when our house was for sale over the holidays...we never replaced it with a bigger one!  Blake and Andrew are almost as tall as the tree!!!****

Blake's year to light the star!  It was a true event!!!(HA  HA)