Memorial Day!

 I could not have asked for a more perfect Memorial Day weekend!

We spent Saturday at the 500 Festival Parade, it was Lydia's first parade experience and she did really well until the last 10 min or so when she was so far past her naptime that she lost it. Nothing a little walking around in her stroller didn't fix. She loved the balloons and the bands though and I can't wait to make this a family tradition.

after the parade with a passed out Lydia

We then left Lydia with my mom and dad so we could go to the Indy 500 on Sunday. I never went to this growing up, I grew up going to our lakehouse or hanging with my cousins while our parents went to the race and we listened on the radio. Now I married into a family that the race is a way of life, my father in-law grew up in Speedway, minutes from the track and it holds a special place in his heart and now in ours. What a fun day!

It was the 100th Anniversary so they had some of the old cars out for parade laps before the race started

Today was the first pool day of the season and we had a GREAT time, Lydia looked adorable in her new suit and hat. She floated around in her intertube and played with water bombs. She was so happy and it was great to spend the whole day with a happy and smiley Lydia (she had been missing for a while if you read my last post, we found out that she had Roseola, poor girl broke out in a rash Friday and I called the doctor. sure enough that's what it was) But today she was a million times better and we had a great day at the pool.

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekends and took some time to remember those that serve our country, those that give unselfishly of themselves to fight for our freedom. THANK YOU!!

Life with Lydia Lately

 Life with Lydia lately, has been a bit of a challenge. She has all signs of more teeth coming in (clear runny nose, temp), she had her 1 year appointment and vaccines last week and I think she is having a reaction to one so we've been fighting a fever and a grump fussy pants.

I feel awful for her but I would be lying if I said I didn't like the cuddly baby that she is right now. Last night she laid on the couch with me for over half an hour and watched Nick Jr. shows, for a girl that has 2 settings most of the time (Go and asleep) it was nice to have my baby back. BUT if I could make her feel better I would do it in a second.

My view most evenings this week

Stats from her 1 year appointment :

23 lbs. 50th percentile
30.5 inches 90th percentile

Long and lean. I love her so much my sweet Lydia bug!!

Love my sleepy little head

10 Years

10 years doesn't mean we forget, 10 years doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt, 10 years doesn't mean there still aren't tears.

10 Years does mean I smile more often and laugh at the memories we have of your spunky little personality, 10 years does mean that it is 1 year closer to the time that we will all be reunited again, our whole family.

I know you know this but we are OK your family is strong, your sister is up for homecoming queen next year at Purdue (amazing right? she is a beautiful girl), your brother has his own business cards for the summer (I know you are not surprised) your parents spoil my little one and I am so proud to have them as my family. Your mom still brings the largest and best spread EVER to family get togethers.  

I know you laugh at these family get togethers because they seem to get more entertaining as stories from high school  and now college start to surface.

Sweet Robbie ... RB ... your memory lives on and you are in my thoughts on a daily basis. I love you buddy and cannot wait to see your smiling face again!!  I love you I love you I love you a million times I love you!

Happy Monday to Me!

 I have been blogging for over a year now, I have entered a gazillion giveaways, linked up to so many link parties to be entered in a giveaway and I have never won. Now, it's not always a bad thing, I usually find a couple new blogs to follow or meet some new friends through this process, so I guess I wouldn't say I'm a loser but you get the picture, I just keep doing it hoping one day I would win one.

Well wouldn't you know, I FINALLY WON a giveaway :)

$25 to Kelly Joy Boutique! 

http://filledwithpraise.blogspot.com/2011/05/kelly-joy-boutique-winner.html

Thank you Amy @ Filled with Praise for the awesome link up party last week at the last edition of My Week in Review.

Happy Monday to me and to all of you! I hope you have a fantastic week.

My Week In Review (Last one)

 Amy over at Filled With Praise is having her LAST "My Week in Review" link up party. I am so sad because I just discovered this only a few weeks ago. I totally understand why she is ending it though, go check out her beautiful family, she is a busy mamma!

HIGH

Getting my new job offer is definitely the high of my week. It is something that will lead to great things for our family and something I am so proud of myself for achieving. I don't say that often and I don't often think I am capable of big things and this felt good! Hoping to be able to put ourselves in a better situation for our future children and especially the adoption, since that was one of the major set backs for us (not making enough in our jobs)

LOW

My hubby started class up again this week and that made me sad. We had him home every evening for a whole week and it spoiled us, that is for sure! It was nice to actually head out and run errands together or cookout and go for a walk as a family. Now back to the grind of reading, homework, and class. Although, the day that he graduates it will all be worth it. We are so grateful that he is working so hard to make our life better.

Lesson Learned

I think we learn this lesson a lot throughout our lifetime but truly life is so precious! God can decide to call us home at anytime and we are not guaranteed another day on Earth with our family and friends. A wonderful family that is involved at my church growing up, has kids that went to school with my sister and brother, they lost their sweet daughter and sister this morning. (only a Junior in high school) It has been encouraging to see our community rally around this family for the last few years as Katie fought cancer with all her might. I want to go home and love on my family and not take one moment of time here on Earth with them for granted.



I DID IT!! & help bring Caroline Faith home!

 BIG Changes for this mamma! I just got a new job and put my notice in today. I have been in my current position for 4 years and I started 2 days after I graduated college, so needless to say it is all I know and I am excited/terrified/nervous/anxious/ready for the change!

Time to clebrate!!!!!

ALSO

Go check out the store Poppie Lane  and if you happen to see something you looooove (which you obviously will because it's so adorable!) please go ahead purchase it, beg for forgiveness don't ask for permission on this one because it is the LAST DAY that proceeds are going to help bring Caroline Faith home. Alison over at Lovin Much, is a sweet sweet mamma to 3 beautiful kids and they are anxiously awaiting to bring Caroline Faith home from Ethiopia. Lauren at Poppie Lane chose them to be her partnering family this month and I am thrilled for them.

So head on over, shop, and feel good about helping bring Caroline Faith home, her family already loves her and well so do I :)

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!

Adoption: Garage Sale

 Saturday was our garage sale, it was actually our neighborhood garage sale and after living here for 3 years it was finally time to participate and what a better time then while we are trying to raise money for our future adoption!

We basically priced everything to go...we didn't want much left over. We had a lot from my mom, my aunt and matt's mom. So needless to say we had enough stuff on our own so add in 3 other families "treasures" our garage would be bursting at the seams if we didn't sell most of it.

They were calling for rain all weekend and we were a little nervous because there was no way we could fit everything in our garage with enough room for people to browse the tables and boxes for goodies. What do you know, God shined his beautiful light via the sun and made it a BEAUTIFUL morning!

My mom came over to help with the Lydia bug, she took her on a walk around the neighborhood, picked her up a cute little tikes car for $5, planted flowers, and ate a blueberry muffin. Thank goodness for moms!!

We made almost $300 to put towards our adoption and we only have a couple large items that we will save for our fall garage sale and a few knick knack things that we will either pass along to another sale or just box it up and donate it to Goodwill.

Now for the best part of this whole day:


So not only did God bless us with sunshine but with the joy of meeting another Adopting family!! We hung a sign at our sale letting people know that all the money raised was going towards our Ethiopian adoption. Through that sign we met a family that lives a few neighborhoods over that is adopting as well. They actually have a daughter waiting for them in Korea. They were taken by this sweet one on their agencies waiting child list and are trying to scurry around getting paperwork finalized and money put together. HOW FUN?!?! I was so scatter brained at the moment because we had so many people standing around waiting to pay or asking questions that I almost didn't give them my phone number but then like the crazy person I am I chased after them down the street holding up my pants and yelling for them. (good mental picture huh!) BUT they didn't think I was crazy, they love that I was a stalker too and I gave them my phone number and we will hopefully have some good things to donate to their sale and become a support system in our little community, a safe haven for an adopting mamma and daddy.

So that is our garage sale story and I only took 1 picture.... FAIL but it's a cute one.




Pay the Baby!



Random thoughts and pictures today

 #1 Had to share this picture of Lydia from last night, she was just done drinking her bottle, fighting sleep but wanting to sit at the back door watching her daddy cut the grass.

#2  Here is my new furry niece Izzy, my sister just adopted her a couple weeks ago and she is fabulous! She is so cute and her paws are huge so she pretty much clomps around the house like a clumbsy horse. Our family is in love.

#3 We are having our Garage Sale this weekend to raise money for our future adoption! I am excited, we have family members and friends who have given us stuff to sell and my brother is going to help me pick up some stuff we have storing over in my Grandma's basement and get everything ready for Saturday. It is just a neighborhood garage sale but I figured that would be a good place to start because our neighborhood gets so busy on those days. I might put a jar out with an explanation of where the money is going so people will at least know what their $1 or .50 purchase is going.

#4 A family that I find myself praying for often and has truly been an inspiration for me entering this whole new world of orphan advocacy and adoption just arrive home with their new baby boy Wes! He is so sweet and will make a great addition to this already amazing family. Go on over and visit, say Welcome Home and then swoon over this adorable kiddo and his family. WELCOME HOME WES!!

http://weloveourlucy.blogspot.com/

Finally

 Finally we have been able to get out some and enjoy sun and no rain! It's hard with a little one who just started walking to let her outside if it's too wet because well that is just a mess as she falls... A LOT.

So last week we went to my cousins soccer game and Lydia was in love. She kept yelling ball, ball, ball. She wanted out on the field running and playing with the big kids but I had to keep distracting her with goldfish and my sister's new puppy.

Once the game was over she was in heaven, we let her cross that spray painted white line and GO. She kept trying to run but then would fall, we would start laughing at her little giggle so she kept doing it. Run, fall, stick her butt in the air and plop back down. Then look at all of us laughing and be so proud of herself.

I love my crazy little 1 year old.

Summer is coming!!

Summer is right around the corner, my car said it was 80 degrees outside yesterday and that makes me HAPPY!!

So I started to think about all I want to do and accomplish this summer, so here it goes!

- Books I want to read:
            Hunger Games (my book club loooves this series) Anyone read it yet?
            Radical
            Adopted for Life
            Fields of the Fatherless

- I want to learn to make a Knot Dress

- I want to take Lydia to the State Fair

- Lots of late afternoons @ the park with Lydia and the pups

- Summer evenings at the horse track

- And of course... plenty of weekends at the pool

I also have a wedding in June that I am the Matron of Honor in, our 3rd wedding anniversary and my 26th Birthday!!

Here is to a fantastic Summer ahead :)

Mothers Day

Mothers Day, it is not just for moms with children of their own but for those that long to be a mother, those that are waiting in the adoption process, those that chose life for their children as a birthmom, those that have lost children, and those that are mother figures to so many (godparents, aunts, grandma's, and great grandmas)

Yesterday I celebrated my first full year as a mom. This Mother's day although I wasn't at home with my mom was special because I wasn't sick and in the hospital like last year. I could hold my daughter, I could rock her while she watched the cap and gowns of University of Dayton graduates, and I could enjoy hearing her laugh, cry and talk during our road trip home.

As I think about how everyone celebrates mothers day differently, how many different motherly roles there are I think about how we learned all of these traits of a mother figure. It comes down from generation to generation. Whether it is picking up on something you never want to do as a mom (I guess that counts too) or in my case it's learning from the most loving, giving, unselfish mom of my own.

My mom taught me what it means to sacrafice for your children, what it means to work hard so we could have more, what it means to love with all your heart, and what it means to be proud of your role as a mother and truly embrace the gift that God gave each of us as Mothers, and she learned it from her mom, my grandma and Lydia's GiGi.

I am thankful for these women and what they have taught me about being a mother. I am thankful that being a Mother is one job that I am guaranteed to have for the rest of my life!

My Week In Review

 This is a new link up for me, thought it sounded fun and Amy over at Filled With Praise always has great prizes and giveaways! Go check her out.

So here is my week in review:

HIGH:

Watching this precious girl celebrate her 1st Birthday! I have gone on and on all week about her birthday so I won't say anymore but that this was my high, celebrating my beautiful daughter.

LOW:

Dealing with soaring gas prices. My work is not super close to my house so it starting to get expensive :( Not sure how we will survive if it keeps going up. 

via

LESSON LEARNED

Keep your options open, listen with your ears and you heart for what God is telling you. He might be trying to answer a prayer that you have been praying for a long time and you don't know it. Be open to where he takes you, be open to his timing, your plan is not always (rarely is it ever) your plan.



National Day of Prayer

Yes today is Cinco de Mayo but it is also the National Day of Prayer and I would love to pray for you.

Leave a comment with a prayer request or what you plan on praying for today!!

I will start:

I will be saying a prayer of thanks for new babies: My friend Lyndee had baby Tinley yesterday and it truly puts everything in perspective to think of a brand new life being brought into this world, such a miracle!

I am also today and always praying for the fatherless, that God will place them in loving families and that they will feel those lifting them up in prayer from all over the world and for their families who are waiting to bring them home, patience and faith in Gods perfect timing.

I will say a prayer for our country, things seem to be scary and unknown and I pray for wisdom for our leaders to make good decisions out of the best interest for our country.

I pray for healing to all those hurting.

Please leave a comment and I would love to pray for you too!!

12 Months...1 Year

 Lydia,

Today you are 1 year old. It is a hard day for this mommy as sometimes I wish I could go back to when you were a teeny tiny 7lbs 12 oz and hold you again, hold you while you are all wrapped up in your sleeper and blankies,  I want to take in your newborn smell again and watch you just close your eyes and drift off to sleep a deep newborn sleep.

BUT I would never trade this last year for the world. You have changed my life. You are completely and 100 % responsible for the new deeper relationship I have with our God. The God who has blessed me with the joy of being your mommy here on this Earth. I get to watch you grow, learn, discover and enjoy all the fun of being a kid. It's unlike anything I have ever felt before. You have taught me what it feels like to have a piece of myself walking outside of my body, to think of someone before myself 100% of the time. You have taught me more about the love that God has for us as his sons and daughters than any sermon, book, or song could ever teach me.

You my dear are a bright, funny, loving, sassy, picky, crazy, and breathtaking little girl and I cannot believe that your daddy and I helped to create you and that God knew exactly who you would be before I even knew I was expecting you.

Your milestones:

* You are walking! I mean walking walking, carrying things with you as you go (little people school bus check, sippy cup check, baby doll check!)

* You can now say Layla but it comes oh Yaya, you like to repeat it after us and will call for her out the window (you say Dog and then we say that is Layla and you say yaya!) cute cute cute

* You now take a big girl bath in the tub without your newborn/toddler tub. You seem to like the freedom and you still love the baths like no other! I can't wait to see you in the pool this summer.

* You have 8 quite possibly 10 teeth (you are a drooly mess right now and I'm pretty sure that is the other 2 breaking the skin)

* You threw your first tantrum where you sat down and folded yourself over with your head on the floor and screamed.... daddy and I laughed because quite honestly you look funny when you do it.

* You celebrated your first Easter and although we didn't do an egg hunt you looked adorable and loved all your Easter goodies!

You are so special and I pray that this next year is just as special as the first and that you remain healthy and happy. I can promise you that I will do all I can to be the best mommy to you and to take care of you always.

I love you sweet Lydia,

Mamma!

1st Birthday Party Fun!

This time one year ago....

 On this day one year ago  I spent the day watching movies, playing UNO, taking walks around our court, and timing contractions! Stopping to get in a comfortable position everytime one hit. They were all over the place from 8-10 min apart all the way to 15-20  min apart. Finally around dinner time we called the Dr. and he said come on in! I was already to 5 cm and ready to be admited. I got situated in my room (iv took 4 tries..yikes!) got my epidural and settled in with my hubby texting friends and family and watching Hockey and Cars.

You can read the rest of  Lydia's Birth Story here.