Pre-Christmas Picture Post!!

Christmas is in full swing around here! The tree is up and there are (a few) presents under the tree. As is typical with this (my favorite!) season of the year, there has been little time for posting. I thought I'd get on here and at least post some pictures. Enjoy!!

 

Avery was not impressed by this waiting for Santa business.

 



 

But Mackenzie's enthusiasm made up for it :-)

The newest members of our household...

We have 2 new members in our household. His name is Sunshine and her name is Lola (yes, she is a showgirl-no, that joke is never going to get old). M is over the moon for these little guys but baby girl is not quite sure - I think they look a little too much like squirrels for her! We had intended on only bringing home one for M's Christmas present but when we got there to pick one out mommy wanted one too :@) I mean who can say no to these faces????

 

Sunshine

 

 

Lola

In other news - our family is being featured on the blog Reaching Hearts at www.reachingheartsblog.com . Shelly from Reaching Hearts is doing a series called 31 Families of Hope and we were chosen to be Day 15 which is tomorrow!! Pop on over and show us some love!

Also - there is still a couple weeks to put in your Thirty-One Gift order to benefit the Called to Adopt Fundraiser. Let me know if you want to put in an order! Get your Christmas Presents and help out adopting families at the same time!

Post again soon!!
~Jeny

Magical Families!

We had one of our favorite occasions this weekend - Magical Families weekend!!! If you're passionate about adoption and enjoy Disney this is the event for you!! It's a great opportunity to visit with some of our favorite people and meet new ones. Although the entire weekend was amazing I absolutely love the Mommy Meet-Up time. It's just a sweet time to spend with other mom's that are passionate about adoption and totally "get it".

We spent most of Saturday in Magic Kingdom and had the best time! We discovered Avery has reached the age where the characters scare the ever-living-snot out of her!! (Then again what doesn't!!) She did ok with the only "real" princess we met which was Tiana, but anything that looked like a cartoon had her climbing up mommy's arm. For the most part we had a smooth trip with very few meltdowns...WHEW!!!

I have tons of pictures to sort through but it's late and I'd like to go to bed now. I will post them soon I promise!!

~Jeny

Halloween!!

We had a wonderful Halloween yesterday :@) The girls were absolutely adorable!! M was a Cheetah (that was actually a leopard because for the life of me I couldn't find ANYTHING cheetah print!) and A was a puppy. A couldn't figure out why people were giving her candy, but didn't object for long. She did max out at 2 pieces though...one for each fist!! She also learned what a Kit Kat was before daddy had to wrestle it away from her :@) She's a big Kit Kat fan now BTW!

 

M had the cuttest little "cheetah" prance that she was using - she was also a very good big sister helping A get candy.

 

Overwhelmed with love for these people :@)

 

"Stalking" us!

Crazy Busy Us...

I feel like I say this everytime there is a lapse on the blog, but we've been crazy busy around here! In the last month, we've all been sick...again :@( Baby girl had the same bug that had us (ok, just me) freaked out, M has been sick and I have been sick (don't tell my hubby but I think he's next!)

We've also been working very hard on the next big Called to Adopt event that will be happening in February. It's PROM!!! Yep, grown up PROM! I'm so freakin' excited about it! Looking forward to a chance to get dressed up, dance with my sweetie and not to mention raise money to help adoptive families! :@) Many more details to follow, just know it's going to be a rocking good time!!

We also have another fund-raiser coming up at the end of November, a Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser. If you're looking for Christmas presents (or something pretty for youreself!) and you want to help a good cause, you can order here. Just click on My Parties and find the Called to Adopt link to shop. If you're in the area and want to attend the actual party, let me know and I'll send you a link to the invite.

So because we've been planning a prom, I've finally given in to Pinterest. :::GASP::: I know, WAY behind the times but I've been avoiding it because I knew once I did I would be totally obsessed...and I am. I'd like to blame this entirely on Prom planning, but I have an entire board dedicated to Christmas because I'm really jazzed about Christmas too!

Other than that we've just been living life. The girls are growing like weeds! Baby girl is talking so much more now. She's also starting to develop her sense of humor. She has a game we play where she'll stick her sock in your face and then laugh hysterically when you say "Ewwww, stinky sock!" She's also entered the dreaded separation anxiety phase - FUN!! She's good once I'm out of eye sight but puts up a huge fuss when I leave. Mackenzie has been doing great this year in first grade. I love her teacher and M loves her too! She's also been doing gymnastics which she loves.

Post again soon!
~Jeny

Blog Hop!!

I'm participating in a blog hop through One Thousand and One Tears. Check it out!

http://www.1001tears.blogspot.com/

If you found me through the blog hop show me some comment love! :@)

Post again soon!
~Jeny

The fever and the fear...

This weekend was long...and miserable :@( On Friday daycare called saying Avie had a fever. Boo. Last week she had her shots including her first MMR so we assumed that it was the 8-10 day fever that comes along with it. We made her as comfy as we could and hunkered down for the evening. To say she (and we) didn't sleep well would be an understatement. Luckily our pediatrician's office is open on Saturdays.

He assumed that it was just the MMR shot also but when he looked in her throat (a HUGE undertaking considering she remembered what happened last week) he used the words "red" and "pustules". Fun. Her culture was negative for strep meaning it was a virus so we got the oh-so-fun recommendation to "wait it out" and "keep her comfortable".

For those of you new to the blog let me fill you in on something. I panic when my kids are sick - like borderline inconsolable-pacing-the-house kind of panic. Hearing the pediatrician tell me to wait it out when my kid is rocking a fever of 103 scares the crap out of me. It doesn't help that I can count on one hand the number of times Mackenzie has had a fever - in 12 months Avery has blown that number out of the water! It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that losing Jack contributed SIGNIFICANTLY to my fear. I panic at the thought of missing another infection...it literally makes my blood run cold...but I'm getting better. I mean - I still hovered but not once did I have the urge to take her to the ER. (Been there done that several times already!!) That's a huge step for me.

Something the pediatrician said made me stop and think. He commended me on my good instincts. I didn't think about it until I was driving home. 13 months ago I didn't even know Avery - now I know her well enough to have motherly instincts. I know what makes her tick, her favorite foods, her fears (squirrels). I know that when she brings me the remote and says "MMmmmma" she wants to watch Doc McStuffins. To be totally honest when we started the adoption process a small part of me was worried about how I would love "someone else's kid". It sounds silly now considering I would give my left arm for her but I think it's what makes people so scared of adoption...the fear of the unknown.

Tonight in our community group we talked about how fear can hold you back. So I looked up some verses.

Psalm 27:1 -

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

 

Isaiah 41:1 -

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

What's fear holding you back from???