Happy 12th Brithday Coy =)

Twelve years ago today I became a mom for the first time. I am so proud of the young man Coy is growing into. Thankful today for my blessings.

This is sure to be a memorable birthday, but for the wrong reasons :( Coy was diagnosed w/strep throat yesterday evening. He's been feeling pretty rough today, but is beginning to feel a little better. He even asked me for his birthday pancakes =)

Gloria Grace has also been sick :( She started w/a fever last Saturday. I thought it was her teeth, as she is cutting 4 molars. I took her to the doctor on Tuesday, and she said it was a viral infection that would have to run it's course. Her mouth is full of little ulcers & her gums are very irritated :( She has been one miserable little girl! I took her this morning thinking maybe she had strep too. She does not have strep, so hopefully we are at the tail end of her virus.

Coy's First Mission Trip

Coy & I leave "dark & early" (4am) in the morning w/the rest of our LifePoint Church Medical/Dental team for Mexico. This will be my 10th trip & Coy's first. I am over the top excited to have the privilege of watching God work in & through my first born this week!

Here are some things you can pray specifically for:

Our families while we are away.
Our team members from Smyrna: Dr. Rick, Agnes, Sherry, Darby, Jim, Jacob, Kelly & Coy
Our partners in Mexico: Pastor Pedro & Maricarmen.
Travel mercies & safety.
Making it through customs with all our supplies.
The people to be ready & the work to be fruitful for God's Glory!

Wrapping Up Our First Year Together =)

It is hard to believe that it has been a whole year since God blessed us with Gloria Grace.

I think this is my most favorite picture ever! Seeing the excitement & smiles on my boys faces (Tim included) makes my heart happy.

July 19, 2010

Here we are a year later. Still smiling BIG!

July 4, 2010

Proud of My Boys

I feel a little guilty as I look back, and realize I haven't posted about the boys in a long time. Especially when they are up to big stuff lately! The last full day of school was last Wednesday. Coy just finished 5th grade, and his last year @ David Youree. I am now the mother of a middle schooler! YIKES!!!!!

I couldn't be more proud of the year he has had. He has become a much more independent student. He worked hard all & made Honor Roll all year long. He has been asking for a cell phone for a couple of years, but we've told him "maybe when he goes to middle school." Tim & I talked about getting him one for his birthday (which is the week school starts). We decided to go ahead & get it now~as a reward for his hard work this year.

The last full day of school we put it in his bed & called to wake him up =) He was happily surprised!

Here he is with his medals for honor roll & art club:
Seth has also done very well this year. He just finished 2cd grade. His teacher gave him the award for The Most Improved Student. After he received his award, the teacher let him come sit with me for the remainder of the assembly. The first thing he did was put his award on Gloria Grace. He is such a good big brother =)
The boys got their report cards on Friday, and our local Krispy Kreme Donuts gives up to a half dozen donuts per child for A's. I think the boys will continue their hard work next year~~That was a good HOT~Melt in your mouth~dozen donuts.

June 1, 2011

One short year ago we saw the sweet face of our precious girl. You can read the whole referral call story from last year here. Oh how our lives have been blessed over this last year. It's a little crazy how fast this time has gone.

Gloria Grace is about to be 16 months old. She is so full of personality. She's smart, funny, sweet, loving, cuddly, sassy, spunky, adorable, beautiful...the list could go on & on & on.

The sweetest new thing she is doing is participating in prayer time. When she folds her tiny little hands together and says amen when we finish praying...it simply melts my heart.

So blessed to be her mommy =)

I Wish I Could Tell AGB Happy Mother's Day

As I rocked my sweet girl to sleep tonight, I prayed for her birth mother (AGB). I do this often, but tonight was one of those times I got teary eyed. How blessed I am to have the privledge of rocking sweet Gloria Grace, kissing her soft forehead & telling her how much I love her, and how much Jesus loves her.

Praying that AGB is able to have a wonderful Mother's Day Celebration with Gloria Grace's Colombian siblings.

Pray for Mexico

I'm leaving bright & early in the morning~~~actually more like "dark & early." Dr. Russell & Agnes will be here in about 4 hours (@ 4am) to pick me up. God has blessed me with yet another opportunity to share what He has given me with the beautiful people of Mexico.

I remember the first time I was preparing to go. September of 2005. I was a nervous wreck thinking about leaving the boys. Coy was 6 & Seth just 2. I'd never been away from them for more than one night. They did wonderful, as did Tim. This time, I am leaving my sweet Gloria Grace for the first time. I am sure she will do just as wonderful. After all~~She has so many to love her while I am gone :)

Thank you in advance for praying for my family, the people of Vera Cruz, Mexico, our dental/medical team~ Dr. Rick & Agnes Russell, Callie & Matt Ford, & our partners from the church in Nuevo Laredo.

She'll Probably Be Walking When I Come Home

This weekend I will be going on a Women's Retreat w/47 other ladies from church. I am super excited, but a little nervous to leave Gloria Grace for the whole weekend. She's been taking a lot more steps, and has even stood up by herself in the middle of the floor & taken some steps. She'll probably be walking/running all over the place when I get home Sunday.

I guess I'm going to take this as preparation for the week I will be gone to Mexico, which is only 2 short weeks away. I remember the 1st time I went to Mexico--September 2005--I had not been away from the boys for more than overnight! Coy was 6, and Seth 2½. I was a nervous wreck to call home. I wanted to talk to them, but I was afraid we'd all start crying and I'd have to buy a ticket & come home early :)

God provided-- We were just across the border in Nuevo Laredo, and we could pick up the US cell signal from our room in the church. I was able to call, and talk as long as I needed to. The best part was--NO ONE cried :) The boys did so well--even Tim ;)

I've wondered if Tim wishes he hadn't done so well that 1st trip, as I have been to Mexico 8 times. I'm blessed to be able to go again in 2 weeks, and in July Tim & Coy will be coming along for their 1st missions trip!

We are blessed!!!

She Might Just Walk Yet =)

This 1st Video is from 03/16/11. She is taking a couple of steps at a time, and walking all over the place while holding your hand.

This is Today 03/26/11. This video is only 3 seconds, so be ready =) She's now taking 4-5 steps at a time. Look at the smile on her face--she's proud of her self. :)

The Many Words of Gloria Grace :)

I have certainly not been doing such a good job with this blog. I am going to make an attempt to start blogging weekly, at least updating what the kiddos are doing. I will start tonight, with The Many Words of Gloria Grace. She is becoming quite the little mocking bird :) I told the boys they better watch it, because she would soon be telling on them :)

Here is her current list of words:

• Dadda
• Mamma
• Yes
• Hi
• Thank You
• Hot
• luv u
• Uh Oh
• Eye (as she pokes you in the eye :~P)
• Woof Woof (When you ask her what the doggie says)
• Kitty & Meow
• Ball
• Bye Bye
• Night Night
• Poop -- (I should probably be a little ashamed that one of my sweet little girls words is Poop, but she does have 2 brothers :) & it is really funny to hear her say it :~P
• Stop (Which she has heard me constantly yell at the boys) :~P

She has also said once or twice--baby, pretty, & Coy :)

ICBF Wait List

Here is the new ICBF waiting list for Colombia. This is for families adopting through ICBF, not Casa Privadas--as we did. When we began our paperwork w/Gladney, this was the only option we new about. No one told us that we could submit our dossier to a Casa Privada, until we were ready to send ours to Colombia. When we were ready to submit our dossier, the wait time for ICBF was between 30 & 40 months. We were accepted @ Chiquitines May 2009. Look at this list. We would be NO where near having Gloria Grace home. I love God's Timing, and His plan!!!


Age of Child ------- Date of Application Approval by ICBF

Child 0-12 months ------ Jul - 2007
Child 13 - 23 months ---- Jul - 2007
Child 2 years ----------- Aug - 2006
Child 2 - 3 years -------- Mar - 2007
Child 3 years ----------- Jul - 2006
Child 3 - 4 years -------- Nov - 2006
Child 4 years ----------- Dec - 2006
Child 4 -5 years -------- Aug - 2007
Child 5 years ----------- Aug - 2009
Child 5 - 6 years ------- Nov - 2008
Child 6 years ----------- NOT LISTED ON NEW FORM
Child 7 years ----------- Feb - 2011

2 Siblings 0 - 4 years --- Dec - 2007
2 Siblings 0 - 5 years --- Nov - 2007
2 Siblings 0 - 6 years --- Jan - 2009
2 Siblings 0 - 7 years --- Oct - 2009
2 Siblings 0 - 8 years --- Dec - 2010

The list applies to non-Colombian families adopting through ICBF only. It DOES NOT include special needs children. The definition of special needs are children with disabilities, children over 8 years of age, and sibling groups of 3 or more.

Praying for the waiting families & children.

Happy Valentines Day From Gloria Grace :)

Happy 1st Birthday Gloria Grace

Gloria Grace has had a wonderful 1st Birthday! She started the celebration this morning with her birthday pancakes :) Of course she loved them....she loves everything, well she didn't exactly love getting messy w/her smash cake :~P I will post pictures, from her party soon, but for now---here she is enjoying her birthday pancakes :)

Birthday Pancakes

I can hardly believe that tomorrow I will be making birthday pancakes for our beautiful, sweet, perfect for our family, little Colombian Princess' 1st Birthday!!

As I look back to my journal from this time last year, and see all the talking I did w/God about when I thought he should grow our family, I realize how perfect His timing is, and how He really does know what he is doing.

We will be celebrating BIG, with friends & family tomorrow evening at church. I'm excited to see what Gloria Grace does w/her very own birthday cake :) There will be lots of pictures to follow :)

While we are celebrating, I can't help to think about Gloria Grace's birth mom, "AGB." I wish I could talk to her, and say thank you for giving our daughter life. I can only imagine that the decisions she had to make were not easy. My prayer for her, is that she has no regret. That God has filled her heart with peace.

6 Month Post-Placement---Already?!?!

Seth turned 8 on January 17th, and had a total of 3 celebrations. This is a picture from the 3rd celebration. We went ice skating with friends:

January 27th, Tim celebrated his 41st birthday. His parents & my parents came over for fruit salad. Tim decided he'd had enough cake @ Seth's 3 celebrations :)

I've been so caught up in birthday business that 6 months came & went without me realizing it! I got an email from our social worker the other day reminding me it was time to do another post-placement visit....What? I thought, post-placement visit....we just did that. Well it seems like we just did it :) Then I realized that January 19th marked 6 months, since Gloria Grace was placed in my arms! Oh what a sweet day July 19, 2010 was for our family, and we are currently living "happily ever after."

Next Saturday is Gloria Grace's 1st birthday. We are going to celebrate with family & friends with pizza & cake @ our church.

Sunday after church we will have our second post-placement visit, and send pictures of our sweet daughter to our agency. I think there are 2 more visits after this one.

Here is Gloria Grace modeling her birthday outfit. This is one of the pictures I'll probably send in :)

Happy 8th Birthday Seth

I ♥ this sweet kid.

What a nice weekend we have had celebrating Seth's 8th birthday, and to think it's not over yet :)

He has chosen ice skating for his party this year, and the 2 ice rinks near-by both were holding tournaments this weekend. We will have his party next Saturday, but this weekend we celebrated w/grandparents and Amanda (our cousin) @ Logan's. The waitress let Seth pick any dessert from the menu, and announced to the whole restaurant it was his birthday. He was embarrassed, but loved every minute of it.

We started out today (his actual birthday) with our traditional birthday pancakes. Then tonight we had grandparents over again for Seth's favorite dinner--Chicken Pot Pie. A few friends from the neighborhood came over after dinner, and helped us eat some cake.

Tomorrow, Seth is bringing donut holes to share w/his class, since they were out today for MLK day.
They boys love to spread their birthday celebrations out as long as possible :)

I am happy to let them.