Merry Christmas

Wanted to share this with all of my adopting friends out there. This song was written by the drummer of Third Day a couple of years ago. They adopted a little girl from China. Please listen to the words as I know they will touch your hearts like they have mine. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy8RW6aHXWQ

2010 here we come!!!

And I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions (usually because sadly I break them within the first month!), but this year I'm posting changes, hopes and dreams I hope to come true for myself and our family this year. Maybe if I put it on paper, I will be more likely to stick with them! So in completely random order.....

~ Volunteering/Supporting other people/families more.
We do participate in Relay for Life, Habitat for Humanity, support our local and national food bank and well as a local Christian radio station, however I feel like there is so much more we can do. I want to get more hands on and really open my girls eyes to how blessed they are. I want to help more in our church, community, state, country and world. I really pray we get even more opportunity this year to help in ways we could never imagine.

~ Stop worrying about the adoption.
I totally believe God's hand is in our adoption every step of the way. He has a plan, He knows exactly what is going to happen, He is watching over all of this. While we followed where God is leading us, I also need to let my emotions follow as well.

~ Be concerned with the NOW only
No more battling the past, no more worrying about the future. I want to enjoy everyday for the gift it is. I feel like I miss out on so much because my mind is not where it should be.

~ Work with the girls more on bickering and tattletelling
I'm sure all of you that already have children may be snickering at this one...I can dream can't I? :-)

~ Get in a comfortable place in my career
Not sure yet what this means.

~ Get our referral (and even better have our son home!)
Wouldn't that be awesome?!

~ Get Reece ready for Kindergarten by working on her reading.
Great on her letters and picking up her sounds nicely...now getting her to sit still to work on it longer than 5 minutes is another issue....

~ Have at least one romantic getaway with my husband
I don't care if it's down the road or far away, just one weekend...please!

I feel like this is quite a to do list, but doable at the same time (except for the referral--kind of out of my hands!)

Any big ones for you on this New Year's Eve?

Son

Ok, so I do really well trying not to think about the adoption when I am so busy on a day to day basis (a slight white lie here, but I'm trying!)...but these last fews weeks it's been harder and harder.

On Christmas, I was thinking about him...wondering what his birth mom was doing, if they were safe, warm, cared for. Yes, I know this is absolutley crazy to let your mind wonder about someone you have never even met and don't even know when you are going to meet, but I cannot help it. I'm guessing according to the timeline right now that his birth mom is pregnant with him. I cannot imagine the weight of the decisions she is making right now. She could have easily aborted him, but she didn't...and I know we both want to give him everything life can offer. The opportunity to grow strong and be loved and learn and become his own person.

I think about my very dear friend Meredith who is leaving next week for Ethopia to meet her son...all of the emotions, wonder, fear and love she must be feeling at the same time. To be with someone from beginning to end of an adoption journey has been absolutely amazing and inspiring...I cannot wait to get my hands on him and kiss him myself!

And it's not just me. Many many times out of the blue Kyleigh and Reece will talk about him. If we go out to eat somewhere, they will point out we will be a party of 5 when baby brother gets here...how much longer mommy...I want to save these stuffed animals for him...how big will he be...soon you will have 3 to clean up for mommy! (that one has been my recent favorite comment!).

For now, we sit and we all absolutely love and adore this precious child whom we have never met...who is on the other side of the world right now...who may be facing struggles and heartache we will never understand...and we wait....for our son to come home.

I've been trying to post.....

but we have been incredibly busy this past month! December is typically the busiest month for my job and this one proved no different. I cannot remember a crazier time than I've ever had this past month! So glad I decided to take a week off at Christmas because I sure needed it!

This past week off has been like no other. We went to our hometown last Thursday and stayed through Sunday. Luckily our parents live only 5 minutes from each other, so it makes those home visits very easy. The girls had a blast seeing their family and it warms my heart how excited they get over their grandparents. We are still working on the gratitude part of Christmas, much better than last year, but still slow strides as far as I'm concerned. I'm having a hard time finding the middle ground between them being young and enjoying the magic of Christmas, but also understanding that presents cost money and the time, thought and sacrifice behind them. It's a work in progress I guess!

It was just the girls and I for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I spent most of these days enjoying them, cleaning up, laundry and breaking up those squabbles that happen when you have spent WAY too much time with your sister a week straight! But, I have to say how wonderful it was to sit down every night and just relax. I honestly cannot remember the last time I really did that....not thinking about what was due the next day or how in the world I was going to get everything done. I just enjoyed my family one day at a time.

Bobby was off on Christmas eve and we decided to do a big family day of fun. We went to see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks (which was something. I haven't taken them to a movie together in over a year) and then we played putt putt. It got a little cold there at the end, but it was so much fun! I usually am horrible at putt putt, but ended up with 3 holes in one and each of the girls got one too (sorry daddy!). We got some ice cream and then headed off to the Christmas eve service at our church, which was absolutely great. We got home and left our food for santa and his reindeer and actually all went to bed without any problems! (last year Reece hid under the table in the living room...blankets and all!).

This morning was a flurry of wrapping paper and excited smiles. We didn't go crazy like we did in years past, lots of smaller things. Their big present was a radio/karoye machine...which much to our ears dismay has already had much play today :-)

Pugsley thought Christmas started much too early in the morning


Excited Reece


The vet Barbie Kyleigh wanted


Daddy showing Reece how to crush cars with her new monster truck!


I told myself all day to focus on the happiness of the day. It's so hard not to look back at last Christmas....and there are a lot of sad memories. This time last year I was putting out a missing persons warrant for my dad because no one could find him. Tomorrow he would go into the hospital and never come back out except to be moved to hospice only a week later because the cancer would spread so quickly. Today would begin 3 weeks of heartache and even harder decisions.

But, with all of that, I also have to focus on what was going on behind all of that. It's no secret my dad and I had a jaded past and had just reunited our relationships a few years past. So many feelings had resulted from our recent move and I was clinging to anything I could to make it through. Just two weeks before Christmas I wrote letters to my parents...my dad, my mom and my step dad. Very personal letters, letters of open forgiveness and sharing feelings I never had before. I was moved to do it. I let it all go. When everything started happening with my dad, I almost ripped them all up, thinking the time wasn't right. But it was. God starting moving in my life in a most awesome way last December (he's always being moving in my life, I had just been too blind to see it!) I gave my parents those letters and spent my last night with my dad....reading his letter to him, his eyes closed shut and tears coming out. I kissed him and told him how much I loved him, how much I would miss him, how thankful I was that God had brought us back together after all of those years. He wasn't able to talk or even open his eyes at that point, but I know he heard me. He squeezed my hand and I sat there with him and just cried.

After all of the presents were open this morning, we started calling everyone so the girls could tell them what they got for Christmas. I cannot lie I had to choke back a tear going past my dad's name in my phone (I just don't have the heart to delete it..as silly as that sounds). But, this Christmas, I don't have to worry and wonder where he is. He is in the safest place any of us could ever imagine, right in God's arms.

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and remember the most precious gift we have all received this very night....Jesus was born to save us. All we have to do is receive His gift. Won't you receive it tonight if you haven't before?

Sickness

Not sure what kind of funk is going around here, but it has hit our house. Last night, my lower back felt like I had been beaten with several baseball bats, I didn't even want a massage :-( After Alieve, hot shower, and snuggling in bed, I finally got comfortable enough to fall asleep. I'm so happy to be feeling a little better today. Poor Reece has had the runny nose for days now with no end in sight (and the red-raw nose and snot covered shirt sleeves that go along with it...how to you break them from using their sleeves instead of tissues that are right there anyway!!!!). Oh how I love winter! Hope you all are doing alright and missing out on this stuff!

And then I discovered what was REALLY wrong with the printer

So, come along a ride with me won't you? Crazy day back to work, workload tripled in a matter of 3 hours and now I had to do some sort of update to my computer and I am completely computer illiterate (those computers for dummies books were written for me!).

I'm trying to print out the IT translation of what I am supposed to do and my printer will not work. Again I try...again...again. Just that same annoying beep. Needs paper. I see paper there. Why won't it just take a piece and print?

Here's why.....



Need a closer look?


Yes folks, that would be my Reece's matchbox cars. Evidently my printer made the perfect garage :-)

Thanksgiving for all of the right reasons

You know, I'm as guilty as anyone in getting sucked up into the world's notion of what holidays should look like. Tree up by Thanksgiving, perfect looking food on our beautifully decorated table, everyone going around and giving thanks like we are reading out of individual Hallmark cards, sitting around watching football and getting ready for the next day's sales.

While our Thanksgiving was not straight out of the latest holiday movie, it was perfect. We had 11 people all together for Thanksgiving yesterday. While I could have gotten stressed out about the sheer number to feed or about the fact that there was one less since my dad was not here with us this year (Thanksgiving last year was the last time he would be able to visit us, the last time I would ever stand and hug him), I didn't. I was so grateful to have everyone come together from both families (Bobby's mom - "Grandma" and dad - "Big Papa", my mom - "Nannie" and step dad - "Papa", Bobby's brother - "Uncle John" and my two nephews came - "Bryson and Bryon").

I don't know how, but we got it all cooked and on the table only 30 minutes past when I hoped we would. The kids were a little crazy, but just excited to see each other I guess. Lots of running and screaming going on for sure! Bobby, his dad and brother were outside working on his car. A dad and his sons working together. Something to be said about those simple things no matter how frustrating the car was! It made me smile thinking about Bobby saying earlier that week that he wanted to put a car together with our son. I hope by next Thanksgiving we at least have our referral!!

The dinner went great, and while we didn't go around and verbalize everything we were grateful for, we didn't need to. If you looked around, you saw it. There was Kyleigh giving my mom (Nannie) a hand made birthday card and giving her a hug, my step dad (Papa) walking with all of the kids so they could get out and ride bikes and scooters around the neighborhood, Bobby's mom (Grandma) helping the girls with crafts or playing games with the boys, John under Bobby's car helping him, Big Papa getting attacked by my girls even though he had a hurt knee and the kids just so excited to see each other. Those little things are what mean so much. And this Thanksgiving I'm so thankful for each of them.

Uncertainty

Everyone who reads this blog should know by now I don't do well with uncertainty. I think it's a hard concept for any of us to grab onto...not sure what is going to happen from one day to the next, especially if you have your heart set on one big event or happening. It's something I've been trying to get better at.

I have a lot of friends right now going through some uncertain times. Some are having biological babies, some are adopting babies, some are needing financial questions answered, some are questioning careers, some are trying to sell their homes and some are just trying to start a new life and not knowing where to begin. The uncertainty of each of their situations is hard.

I just wanted to share a few words of encouragement for you today. This blog post is not about me or my family or my uncertainties, but providing hope and encouragement for yours. I pray you will comforted and the answers will come in perfect timing for each of you. My love and prayers with you always.

Be content with what you have, for God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid." - Hebrews 13:5,6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5,6

Anything God asks us to do he supplies us with the energy and grace to do.

My job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Running out of room!

I am defeated. My house has won. We haven't even been in it two years and the "stuff" has won out. I don't even want to open my closet at this point or walk into the garage. I like organization projects, but I just haven't had the time to take these on. Between the ever going adoption talk between Bobby and I and the new SAFE project I am now heading up (see link on the left side of my blog now for more information)...we are going to run out of room even quicker. We have a play room upstairs, which will become Kyleigh's room once the baby is here, and while we are A LONG WAY AWAY from that reality, I still find myself wondering what in the world I'm going to do with all of the stuff up there? And the garage. We cleaned out half of it after my dad passed to give his mustang a good home, but prompted shoved everything else to the other side....in all intentions of going through it soon too. That was January.

I am SO thankful to already be getting such a great response to the SAFE website and will have donations coming in from all over the state soon. I am still working with donation sites in Horry County, SC and hope to move calls to Brunswick county sometime this week. That said, we will need to store numerous amounts of stuffed animals. I need time to sort through them...to clean them before I can donate them. While my loving husband is supportive and loving about my new endeavor the question came "And where are we going to keep all of these in the process?"

So time to wipe some sweat off our brows to get it done. He's called his dad, who will be coming down this Wednesday to help get the garage cleaned out. Then we will be buying shelving for the garage and hopefully have it organized by next week. A tall order! Of course that leaves our closet and the play room, which I'm hoping I can put off for a little bit longer! Sounds like a good Christmas break project I can do!

Blog Award

So my blogger friend at http://aheritagefromthelord.blogspot.com/ has given me a blog award describing my site as "honest". Thanks Jenny! I really enjoy reading your blog and wish you guys the best of luck!

So now I get to pass the love to someone else..
Here's the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Copy and paste the logo on your blog.
Link the person who nominated you.
Nominate no more than 17 people (why 17?) who you love or think could use some love.
Write one word (you can only use a word once) about what you love about their blog.
You cannot nominate someone who's already been nominated - the love has to spread to all.
Post links to the blogs you've nominated.
Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated.


http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/ :Inspiring
http://ethiopiatowilmington.blogspot.com/ :Positive
http://inhishands-ouradoptionjourney.blogspot.com/ :Adorable
http://huntforrachel.blogspot.com/ :Sweet
http://lifeglimpsedthedenglers.blogspot.com/ :Strong
http://babystjohn.blogspot.com/ :Honest
http://createdtocare.blogspot.com/ :Heart-changing
http://thebosofamily.blogspot.com/ :Anticipation!

That's it! For those of you that read my blog, feel free to check these out!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Blessings

As Thanksgiving is approaching, I am just overwhelmed by all my blessings. I just took a moment to really think about it. So many times I spend wishing and praying for things to happen, but what if we spent time thinking about what our lives would be like without everything we have?

Kyleigh Bear


I am so blessed to have Kyleigh. Although we were only 4 months into our marriage, Bobby and I were so excited to be pregnant! That was probably the craziest year I remember....getting married, pregnant for the first time, graduating college, working full time, buying a house, getting in debt! All at 22! And it was the best year. Kyleigh brought my dad back into my life. She made me remember what it was like to hope, be thankful. She continues to bless us everyday with her sweet tender heart. Stubborn, talkative, tender, sweet, competitive, not tough at all. Oh, how thankful we are for her!

Reece a roni


I am so blessed to have Reece. You are never sure how pregnancy is going to go and with this little girl, we were kept guessing until the very end. I was diagnosed with a heart condition during my 5th month and my doctors had not seen this with pregnancy before and did not know how to treat it. I took medication that was not approved for pregnancy because I had no choice. I was told to take it or have a heart attack and both of us could die. I spent the last 4 months of my pregnant hoping, praying that we would be ok. I have never been more scared in my entire life. I was put into the hospital about a month before her due date and she graced us with her presence a week later...and everyone else in the surgical ICU! It was so peaceful. Even with all of the drama going on, she didn't cry...we just gazed into each other's eyes...meeting for the first time. What a blessing that Reece was completely fine and I ended up being fine as well! She is tough, a tomboy, gives the best hugs, loves everyone, so sweet and caring, very outgoing. We are so thankful for her!

Bobby


Every single moment we have had together in these last 11+ years has been filled with love. Even the stressful, crazy ones. I knew in the very beginning I wanted to be with Bobby for the rest of my life...and I still feel that way today, even stronger. He is a wonderful husband, always there for me, always understanding and loves me so much. He is a wonderful dad, he would do anything in the world for our girls and they completely adore him. He amazes me everyday. He is kind, thoughtful, caring, giving and my best friend. I'm so thankful for him!!!

And all of our friends and family. I wouldn't be me without you guys. So many times you have leant your support and kind words. You have been there. Your support these last few years has made a world of difference in my life. Thank you so much to each and every one of you!!

Old Christmas gone....welcome new Christmas!

So, Bobby and I have been thinking a lot about Christmas this year...and decided definite changes need to be made. Normally, we would be caught up in the whirl wind of Christmas lists, last minute shopping, making sure we have an even amount of gifts for the girls and I would even sell back my personal time to try and finance it all.

What exactly are we doing? We are stressing over making sure our girls have what they want because they've "earned" it by being good all year? I am selling back personal time for $$ instead of taking that precious time with my family? We are stressing over the "perfect gift" for everyone?

This year, it just doesn't seem right. I always take such pleasure every year in seeing my kids faces when they open those gifts that they wanted. They are so excited and happy! And where is that wonderful gift in a week? In a pile with the others or taken away because of the fighting over it. What are we teaching our girls? Happiness comes from possessions...all you have to do is make a list and you get what you want...a man "magically" brings gifts every year...mommy thinks it's more important to have money then time off..and you can probably complete the list.

We have already started a couple of months ago looking into volunteer opportunities as a family. It's hard to find something all of us can do together because of the girl's ages, but we have managed to find a few and are still setting some up. I want to set the foundation for my girls to understand....REALLY understand how blessed we are. I've found it's not enough to tell them at their age, they need to SEE it.

Although we are not able to help build, we have started cooking and providing lunches to our local Habitat for Humanity two Saturdays out of the month. This was a great opportunity for the girls to help and actually meet the people that do this. They even gave them a tour of the house, which they thought was so much fun! Not sure how much Reece understood, but from conversations with Kyleigh, she got it. To stand on that porch and physically have a life lesson to show them, and continue to show them, is priceless.

We are also participating in Samaritan's purse. Each of them picked out gifts for a girl their age to put in their shoebox and send off. I posted some pictures of this and the website at the bottom of this post if you would like to help too. I wanted them to understand not only can we help people that are right here in our community, but all over the world.

And I am most excited about the chapter I just started for SAFE. SAFE stands for Stuffed Animals For Emergencies. I will be the representative for North Carolina (and parts of South Carolina since I'm so close) for this organization. We will be holding stuffed animal drives to donate to local police, fire, homeless shelters, children's homes and children's services programs. These stuffed animals will be cleaned, sanitized and given to these groups to give to children to help ease their fears during a traumatic time. I am currently working with Horry county, SC to compile my list of donation sites and will be moving onto Brunswick and New Hanover hopefully next week. Then setting up a drive hopefully the beginning of December.

This is so personal and very close to my heart. For years I have been wanting to give back and help and just not sure how. When I was 8, I was involved in a traumatic abusive situation and was given a bear, which I still have. I have never forgotten that police officer or his kindness and what that bear meant to me at that moment. To be able to give a child that comfort is unspeakable to me. I will post more information on drives I will be doing, so if you are reading this and live in my area, please let me know if you would like to donate any stuffed animals!

My bear "MD"


So basically, this Christmas will not be filled with presents overflowing from the tree (although yes we will still do presents). It will not be filled with Christmas lists or a stressed mama and daddy. It will be filled with understanding of what Christmas is really about. It will be about giving back and realizing how incredibly blessed we are!

Reece's box


Kyleigh's box


http://www.samaritan.org/

And I wait....

For those of you that really know me, you know that I'm always the best at waiting....who are we kidding, I really suck at it! I'm not sure if it's just my nature, if I'm accustomed to this fast paced world, or if I'm just spoiled. Probably a combo of all of that. It's so hard to wait. You feel like you should be doing SOMETHING...ANYTHING. I mean, what are you doing when you wait? Nothing.

Absolutely nothing. Human is all I am. I wish that I could some how transform myself into this patient person that wants for nothing, but I've tried and miserably failed. Anyone else have a "get better at waiting" New Year's Resolution?

I found myself this weekend wondering why I am like this and I discovered that while I'm not physically doing anything while I wait, God is. He sees the big picture. It's easy to get caught up in the circumstances of what is in front of you...why do adoptions take so long? How much more of this job can I take? When are changes going to finally happen? When will I know the right thing to do? (Insert your own question you are wondering right now). While I am pondering these questions (and so much more), God hears, He knows, He is working...but in HIS time and in HIS way.

Sometimes when I am in these "funks", I remember what my life might be like if I got everything I THOUGHT was right for me back through the years. Everything in my life would be fundamentally different....and I would be heart broken. I love my husband with everything I have, my kids are my entire world, I have a good job and I am so blessed. So blessed. I have wonderful friends and family and great support. Seriously, I really stink at putting this whole life thing together because I cannot imagine a better one....and it wouldn't be this way if I would have had control so many times.

I don't expect waiting to get any easier and I probably will not ever get much better at it, but at least I understand the purpose behind it. I am being molded and so much is going on behind the scenes...and I probably wouldn't believe it now even if God himself told me today it was going to happen.

Isn't that a wonderful feeling? To know that even though you may feel like you are in the dark or unsure, you never are.

At this point, I am choosing to change my outlook on waiting. I want to look with anticipation and hope instead of fear and instability. To know that everything that is in store for me and my family is being worked out right now as I write this. All I have to do is have faith and wait for it.

Cute story to share thanks to Reece

So, I thought this was too cute and funny not to share. We were at Walmart on Sunday letting Kyleigh cash in her gift cards she got for her birthday. It broke my heart because Reece wanted something too and was having to watch Kyleigh put things in the cart, so I broke down and let her pick out one thing. What was her choice? Rock star barbie.

Reece has loved music ever since I can remember. She sings in the car, everyday. She makes up her own songs...and chorography. And she likes it all...country, christian, classic rock and of course radio Disney. She has a guitar, drum set, microphone, etc.

So we were stuck in the check out line waiting for a price check on an item when the check out lady was handing Reece her rock star barbie and telling her what a pretty barbie she was. Cue Reece's conversation below:

Reece: Yeah, and I'm a rock star too. I have my own band.

CO lady: Oh yeah? (At this point I fill her in on Reece's "band" which consists of friends from school)

Reece: Yup, Shane plays guitar, Brooklyn plays the drums and flute (yes, they have a flute in their band) and I play microphone.

CO lady: Wow! That's a pretty big band!

Reece: Yeah, and we are thinking of letting Travare in...cause he's our friend.

After the CO lady and people behind us stopped laughing at Reece's seriousness in the conversation, we moved on out. Who knows, she may be the next rock star out there :-) Dream big Reece a roni.

Happy Birthday Kyleigh!

This past Saturday we planned to have Kyleigh's 7th birthday party at the park. We were getting very nervous because they were calling for rain all week, but it ended up being an absolutely beautiful day!

You would not believe how excited Kyleigh was. Not only was her party this weekend, but her cousin Bryon also stayed the weekend with us. This kid was in heaven!

We are so greatful for all of her friends and family that came. Here are some picture highlights from her pumpkin decorating party at the park!

Tree of Life

30...that's right, I'm 30 today. I've been thinking a lot about what that means. My 20's were such a wonderful experience....I got married, graduated college, had kids, grew in a career, and lived a pretty sweet life. The "American Dream" in fact. Job, husband, kids, cars, house, bills, etc. I started thinking about what my 30's might look like.

I thought Kyleigh was strange at best for wanting to be a tree for Halloween this year, but she may be onto something. I'm thinking I want to be a tree too, but everyday, not just on Halloween. Here's why....

Trees have roots
They have a support system that keeps them standing strong throughout any storm life may bring. They get their nutrients to grow from their roots. My roots are in God and I hope to continue to spread them even further in my 30's. This past Sunday, I was baptized and I cannot even put into words what that means to me.

Last in line


Trees continue to grow

Trees don't reach a certain age and just stop for the most part, they continue to grow. They expand, reach out. I would like to grow even more these next few years...grow more as a parent, as a follower of Christ, as a wife, as a friend...and understand what all of these mean.

Trees have simple needs

Sunlight, water, love. Seems pretty basic right? Trees don't need to have fancy colors on their leaves all year or even be covered in leaves all of the time. They don't need bright decorations or to be in the best location to grow and flourish. I need to take a step back at my needs for life and re-evaluate what is a need or a wordly want.

Trees reach out

They reach up and out. Exactly what my arms should be doing. Reaching up in thanksgiving and prayer and reaching out to others.

Trees do not worry

Trees don't worry when the next rain is going to fall to provide for them. They stand in faith and just know it will. They don't pull out their calculators and factor things out. This is a big one for me. I need to walk by faith and not sight.

Trees offer protection and shelter

I want to continue to provide for my family, in whatever form that takes. To protect them, teach them, be there for them.

I never believed when I sat down and started thinking about how to make a tree costume it would be the light bulb moment I needed. I know it may seem kind of corny and symbolic, but maybe it's symbolic to follow a dream for my life that just isn't relevant anymore.

Here's to my 30's. Looks like you have a lot to live up too!

Only one person can fill my shoes...

So, I've come to the realization that I cannot do everything. Shock! I am completely overwhelmed and in over my head right now. Yes, it's probably the busiest time of the year for us...yes I have a problem saying no...yes I always take on more than I can chew.

Why do I think I am the only one that can do something? So this week, I have been working early/thru lunch/late everyday. I've also been trying to keep up with all of the house work because I know this weekend is going to be crazy and I don't like to spend my weekends cleaning...that's my time with my girls because lately it seems like all I do it work! Fall festival for girl scouts is tonight (yes, I signed up to run a booth and I am now just painting signs in between answering emails)-no clue yet how I am going to fit in getting off work in time, dinner and getting Kyleigh to scouts by 6. This has been a miserable fail the past 3 weeks!

Oh, and Kyleigh's birthday is this Saturday. I have to buy paper products and bake a cake...actually, 2 cakes and about 24 cupcakes and I haven't bought the stuff yet. And I need to get stuff together for the pumpkin decorating. And I want my weekend free because we have one of my nephews staying with us all weekend. And I have 3 high priority projects that have to be done in the next week at work.

Stressed yet? I am!

So, my wonderful husband seeing my stress level on his lunch break today offers to pick up the groceries I need for the cake tonight. All I have to do is leave him a list. Is he capable? Yes. Does he mind? No.

So here I am blogging about my inability to let things go instead of writing his shopping list. AH! Something has got to give. I need to give up my superwoman cape or my job or just the simple thought that I can be everything to everyone and give 110% to every little thing in my life.

Anyone else in my sinking boat???

Oh how I miss you Wilmington

So, I headed down to Wilmington Saturday afternoon for a wedding. OH how I missed you Wilmington! I even rolled down my windows going over the "big bridge" to take you in....the smell, the memories.

The wedding was well, beautiful. Aside from my own of course, it was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to, although not for reasons you would normally think. Although it was decorated very pretty, that wasn't it. You could feel the love there, it radiated from every person. It was the kind to make you laugh and cry at the same time. New, fresh, sincere. I was truly honored to be a guest there. I have been missing my Wilmington friends for a long time and this was the outting I had been praying for. I saw a couple of friends I hadn't seen for months...which is especially significant because they are pregnant and I've missed in sharing that with them. They looked so good and their babies are growing wonderfully and everyone is healthy, which is something to celebrate in itself. Of course we always say we are going to get together more often, but it's so crazy with everyone's schedules. I treasure the times I get to spend with any/all of my Wilmington friends.

I have to admit I was sad driving home that Saturday night, but I know we were moved for a reason and that is what I am concentrating on now. I'm still searching for that light at the end of the tunnel that will light the trail I'm supposed to be following. I'm sure it's a flashlight banging me in the head right now, but somehow I'm missing it. Maybe I'm not, maybe I'm waiting for courage. Maybe I'm ignoring it because I'm scared. Oh how I'm praying for strength and courage right now!

Weather Forecasts

Yesterday...61 degrees...chilly...wet...rainy...gloomy.

Forecast for January 13, 2009....41 degrees...cold...wet....rainy...gloomy

Take me back 10 months to sitting outside in the cold, wet, rainy, gloomy weather. Numb from the cold, numb from watching them pray over my Dad's casket. I'm masking it pretty well at this point. I've had my own private breakdown. I've got on my "it's all going to be ok" face. I'm the strong one right? While everyone else is crying or scemeing, I've got to be the one keeping it together.

Well, I'm still trying to tape my broken heart together. My heart hurt so badly yesterday. I'm sure we have had rainy cold days since January, but for some reason yesterday hit me like a ton of bricks. I miss my dad so much. There is so much going on in my life right now...so much to decide and talk about. I would love to be able to call him and see what he thinks. He was great about giving a no nonsense answer...whether it was what you wanted to hear or not. Everything seems to be in rollercoaster mode right now. Life is moving so fast. I just wanted to stop yesterday and remember him.

What a beautiful ending...

So, a very close friend of mine sent this link to me this afternoon (thanks for the tears Meredith!)

I wanted to share this. Everyone we have shared our adoption with always asks "why?". Why Korea, why now, why for your family, why not chance another pregnancy? I can only say that with our life changes that happened last September until now, we had a new awakening. Once the thought of adoption started in my mind, no matter what I did I wouldn't go away. We had completed our family..I mean "really completed" our family...but somehow we were not....someone was missing. I truly think my medical issues occurred with my last pregnancy because we were meant to adopt and we are so blessed to one day welcome our child home!

Watch this video and listen with open heart. Maybe it's speaking to you too?

I love weekends like this...

So, it's been a pretty stressful few months at work. I needed desperately to re-charge this weekend...to figure out what exactly it is I'm doing and supposed to be doing.

On Saturday, the girls had a play date with a new friend we made at girl scouts. They had a ball, especially Reece since this little girl had a little brother equal to the energy she has! And the best part? I made a friend too! It was nice to just sit down for a few hours and talk to someone face to face.

Well, when we got back home I guess Bobby was in the playing mode too and instigated a favorite game in our house...hide and go seek. You just have to love this guy. He is right there in the thick of it....putting aside any stressful day at work, putting aside anything on his mind and is right there playing with them. And having just as much fun I might add! Here are some pictures of the fun...

Is he in my room?

All laughs when Daddy pops out of the laundry room!

Reece deciding if she should get on the bed and help bring Daddy down...

And who was the winner you ask?

I'm so blessed I have a great husband and I look up to him so much!

Quiet Celebration

Last year, we removed ourselves from the stress of our everyday lives and celebrated our wedding anniversary at a log cabin in the mountains. This year..well, there is just too much going on to take a trip right now. These last few weeks seem like there is just not enough hours in the day!

That being said, I do feel bad because I think everyone no matter how busy should take the time to spend time with and enjoy their loved ones. I'm hoping we will be able to get away soon, even if it's just for the weekend together.

On a personal note, I am astounded at how fast these last 8 years have flown by and how our lives have come together around it. We have had babies, started an adoption process, changed jobs, moved, beat cancer, faced death, worried about money and everything else under the sun...and most importantly we have made it through all of it stronger and closer to each other than ever before.

I started dating Bobby right after my high school graduation. People do a tremendous amount of changing between 18 and (almost) 30. I am incredibly thankful to have found my soul mate and to be living in happiness despite what the outside world may bring upon us.

Happy aniversary baby! Here is to many more!

Afternoon routines

So, what routines do you do everyday? We've been trying to get better about ours. I will be the first to admit things get crazy around here sometimes and our best intentioned plans get thrown right out the window, but that's life isn't it? In a perfect world, I would get off work everyday a few minutes early, come back home after picking Reece up to cook a wonderful healthy meal, everyone would pitch in to help clean a bit, we would all stroll around the neighborhood or ride bikes and then come home to bath, books and bedtime....and mom and dad would go to bed at a decent time too.

WELL....that's not always how it goes in my house. My work varies day by day...some days it's slower, some days I don't even get to eat, which means some days I get to pick Reece up at a decent time and sometimes I am picking her up and coming back home to finish my work. Perk of having your work computer right in your bedroom huh? Sometimes I am just too plain tired to cook, or don't want to, or simply have been in my house all day with only the dogs to keep my company and want to be around other human beings for a bit. So, I probably don't cook as much as I really should.

As for riding bikes or walking after dinner, it's usually a mad scramble by the time we get off work to get everything together from the day and get baths going. I'm so bad for this. I'm going to try and make a commitment starting today to get outside for a bit everyday after dinner, no matter what....a short walk with the dog, throwing rocks in the pond, riding bikes, whatever. We live in a nice neighborhood and there is no reason not to get out and enjoy it!

One thing we do not ever skip on is our bedtime reading. Our girls love to look at books and Kyleigh is a great reader. They each have piles of books on their beds that they read at night even after we leave the room.

What routines do you do daily in your family? What do you stick to no matter what? Do you have the mad scramble sometimes going on in your house too? :-)

Holding on to a new beginning

Today I put two very important pieces of paper into the offering at church: our membership papers. We attended a Discovery class luncheon last week as the first step to membership at our church. We learned more about our pastor, our church and where the church was going and the basis of their beliefs. This honestly got me more fired up for Jesus because I realized for the first time during a "religious" conversation that I felt exactly what they were talking about. I was there. I was experiencing the relationship...REALLY experiencing it for the first time in my life. Years past, I might have gone to church because someone else did it or to make someone else happy or because it just seemed like the right thing to do. Now I go because I WANT AND NEED to go. I look forward to Sundays. I look forward to what I am going to learn and the lesson I am going to take home and how I can apply it to my life. Now more than ever, I am at peace with my life and my place. I am married to the love of my life who I couldn't bear to spend a day away from, I have two great kids, supportive family and friends, jobs and food on my table. Today I give all thanks to God who I am happy to say is in complete control of my life and I am happily in the passengers seat!

What's that thing on the fridge???

Yup. We now have a new and improved version of my previous chore charts on our fridge! This is Day 1. Here is how my program works....

Kyleigh and Reece each have their own chart with tasks that I think are age appropriate for them to accomplish. I included some chores (getting all school materials together) as well as behavioral items (no talking back), but it's mostly stuff they should be doing everyday anyway (putting things away, brushing teeth, etc.). There are 16 lines of activities or behaviors on each and they are expected to accomplish at least 12 or they don't get TV or computer time the next day. I put stars beside two behaviors that will automatically result in loss of electronics which are "Losing your temper" to include any yelling or fighting between the two and "Talking Back", which I pretty much have no tolerance for.

We were completely up front with them and they both looked over these and agreed with them and liked them (we'll see how that goes once they have a bad day!!) Other than Kyleigh looking at me like I was completely crazy for threatening to take her computer away if she didn't her 12 stickers a day, I think it went well and they both understand clearly what it expected of them. Along with their daily activities, we also added just one special "helper" chore a week. I put several slips of paper listing out activities around the house and the girls will randomly pick one a week to be there responsibility.

This week, Kyleigh is the bathroom cleaner (helps me clean the bathrooms on Fridays) and Reece is the Dishwasher helper (dries the dishes and I put them up, rinses them off for me to load the dishwasher). I sat down and explained what each of them meant in detail so they couldn't claim later they didn't know what to do :-)

What do you get for all of this hard work helping out around the house and being good you ask?

Money, but our allowance is a little different. If the girls get at least 12 stickers everyday that week, they will each earn $2 a week for themselves to do whatever they want with. They also will earn an additional $2 each "giving" money where they will get to decide if they want to donate to a cause, buy someone a gift, etc. They can only use this money for others. There is no telling what they will pick to do with it, but I think that is the fun part.

We hope we are opening the door for a lot of things with this....hoping they will learn to help out more, have good behavior, earn money, save money and also be giving to others. They were both very excited to start this morning and already very competitive! Imagine that!

Patience

I get on my girls a lot for not being patient, but you know if we are being honest here, I am no better. They probably learned their anxiousness from me. This is something I have been working on for some time, but it's still tough!

You don't realize how fast this world moves and how little patience you have to slow down and take the time to enjoy the journey and not worry so much with the end result. Life is not a race with check points you have to reach at certain times.

This adoption I'm sure will be my true test of patience. It feels like such a long wait, but in the big scheme of things, it really isn't. I want to focus not on how long our wait will be, but how God is preparing our family for it. I know that a referral will not come our way until we are ready, not just that we have our house ready for another baby, but our mind and souls are ready too. Being anxious just creates worry. It makes you so focused on the future and all of the different possibilities you might miss what is right in front of you. This time is a gift to us. I truly do not believe it was meant to be spent on worry and anxiety. Does that mean I won't still check my emails twice a day in hopes that a referral might come in? Probably not. But I am going to do my best not to worry about how long it takes or what might happen. I have to trust that everything will happen when we are truly ready to accept it.

I've also been bad about rushing through everyday things in life. Grocery shopping. I'm NOT a shopper. Never really liked shopping of any kind too much. I go do a big trip once a month. I used to be really good about seeking out sales and coupons and have gotten slack because I don't want to take the time to do it (either clipping before hand or strategically choosing my groceries according to coupons). In other words, I'm not being a good steward of our monetary blessings because it is an inconvenience to me. No more my friends. I took the time on Monday night to search and clip and took 2 hours to grocery shopping according to my list and coupons...and guess what? I saved $57.87 on our trip! Imagine what we could do with an extra almost $700 a year?

Being patient with my healing with my dad's passing is a work in progress as well. Today logging on and seeing that Patrick Swayze passed hit me hard. It takes a greater person to face cancer, even when you know they are scared, with open eyes and to be an inspiration to people. He worked all through his treatments and fought with positivity and grace. It reminds me so much of my dad's fight. Never missed a day of work and he never once complained. I know he must have been in pain, he must have been tired and weak, but he pressed on. He never let it get the best of him or affect the life that he still wanted to led. He probably dealt with things we will never know he dealt with. Today while the world remembers Patrick Swayze, I am remembering my dad and trying to be patient with myself, knowing it is OK to still miss him terribly....to still cry when I hear a song that reminds me of him...to know that my life will never be the same again, but in a good way for all of the things he opened my eyes to.

I will never be that person that doesn't know what they have until it's gone. I am incredibly blessed and I know it. Relationships sometimes come with unbelievable baggage, hurt and pain, but they are worth your patience with your own feelings and that other person. Sometimes everything works out, sometimes it doesn't, but time is a precious gift and can teach us so much along the way if we are patient to it's lessons. I don't think we all think about those grey times when we are in between one thing and another...just waiting for the next thing to happen. Those in between times are when our character is revealed and when we might learn a little bit about ourselves. Who knows...you may look back and remember these times as the most important. I'm learning **patiently** that it's not always the destination, but the journey that is important.

Just walking by...

Just walking by my stairs after I had told Reece "We have company coming. Please go put your cars back upstairs.

This is what her response to that was:

"What mom? You told me to put them UP the stairs?"

It was a long morning of trying to clean up! I have to admit, I was tired of nagging her and gave up and just did it myself. I have to be better about this. I am implementing the chore charts again this week and putting my foot down!

Sleep

Friends, sleep has been a big deal in my house lately. This mono has knocked me on my butt. As much as I am "playing it off" like I am OK and full of energy to do everything I normally do, I find myself completely exhausted by the middle of the day, my arms feeling like they weigh 50 pounds each :-(

I have worked around this several ways....no longer have I been cooking dinner at night (I did this one night, haven't since), but we have been eating out or, dare I say, having cereal/breakfast for dinner. The girls of course love this, but I feel bad and guilty. This has been a pretty busy weekend with travel, birthday parties, church and laundry to catch up with. I found myself on the couch again yesterday afternoon...watching it inch closer to dinner time and continuing to sit there. Ugh. I hope I am able to shake this soon! Bobby has been great and has been helping with dinner and laundry, etc. Just ready to get back to normal.

We have been going to bed early (9-9:30 most nights), which is good because our poor Haley pug itches all night...on the bed, on the floor, up against you (she has skin allergies which seem to be worse at night for some reason). If you put her outside the room she scratches the door and cries. Sigh. I was up for over 4 hours a couple of nights ago with her. I think we finally have her used to sleeping on the living room couch now and luckily we have had two nights of *almost* undisturbed sleep!

Reece has also been fighting sleep again lately (NOT a shock for those of you who know her!). Just when we think we are beyond this stage! She was so tired yesterday....and I mean soooo tired. As the afternoon went on, she just continued to melt...her attitude and patience growing oh so short. She fell asleep for a whole 5 minutes in the car and that was it, but at least she is going to bed at night and not getting up several times like she was!

As Bobby and I were sitting in bed last night, I wondered what it would be like when our 3rd child joins our family. This is in the center of my thoughts a lot now. I find myself with everything we do imagining them there, the same as I did when I was pregnant. I know the first few months are going to be rough as far as sleep goes. Maybe I'm getting used to being up for 4 hours a night for a reason!!!

Hope you all are having a great Labor Day weekend!

A long wait ahead...

#30

We found out last night we are #30 on the list, 29 families ahead of us waiting to get matched with their little ones. They are quoting a wait time for a referral as 14-16 months with another 4-5 months after that before they are able to travel over. So, it looks like we are praying to have our baby referral by Kyleigh's 8th birthday (2010) and our son coming home hopefully by the end of February (2011). Wow. That's such a long time when you write it out like that :-(

I know this adoption found it's way to our hearts for a reason and we are certainly in it for the long haul. We truly believe our family was meant to adopt and when they timing is right, our child will be able to join our family. It's going to be many many months of waiting and we appreciate your prayers not only for our family, but for the birth mother, the adoption agency, the foster family. There are so many people involved in bringing this baby to his "forever family" and we are thankful for every single one of them!

And, we are thankful for all of our family and friends who have supported us with this journey from day one. We hope that you will continue to follow us :-)

We began a new chapter in bringing our son home today!

IT Phone times and updates

So it's been a crazy few days.

My mom was transferred to Wake Med on Tuesday for further testing and to have whatever treatments they deemed necessary. Ends up she had a 75% blockage in the bottom of her heart and they put a stint in. She is home now and seems to be a little better. We are hoping that is the reason for her extreme fatigue and maybe her blood sugar will stop spiking so much (normal is 80-120 and hers was running in the 500s. We have no idea how she did not have a stroke or go into a diabetic coma). Only time will tell at this point. They also found 3 ulcers in her stomach/esophagus and she is being treated for those as well. Thanks so much everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

I was feeling pretty rotten on Monday and by Tuesday I was feeling so bad I actually went to the doctor (which is a pretty rare occurrence for myself). Ends up I have strep throat and mono. No clue where the mono came from! They said it would take me about 2-10 weeks to get over the mono if I take my time and let my body get better. Easier said than done! They gave me a steroid for my lymph node swelling (I could barely turn my head because my neck was full of swollen nodes!) and a Z pack for the strep, which has already made my throat feel better and I have my voice back. Oh well, someones way of telling me to slow down I suppose ;-)

Little Jolee has done great with her first round of chemo and will get to go home for two weeks before starting her second round. Thanks everyone again for all of your thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming...this little girl and her family have a long road ahead of them.

On a personal note, I would like to say I am shocked I can even work this blogger site because apparently I am IT challenged. My Internet went out Wednesday morning and I just got it back up and running this morning at 10am after several calls to IT at work, Dell, Linksys and my Internet provider. I have been on the phone for probably a total of 5 hours, no joke trying to get this fixed and have been sitting here at my desk for probably 14 hours in total. Lots of holding the phone patiently waiting for someone else to refer me to another person, but at least I could get humans on the phone I guess. Cannot have the internet down when you work regionally!

In EXCITING news, WACAP (our agency) had contacted us yesterday afternoon to let us know WE ARE APPROVED AND OFFICIALLY IN THE KOREAN PROGRAM!!! Yes! We should hear from the program coordinator next week on what our next steps are and how many families are ahead of us. Waiting patiently will now become our lives. Crazy to think that somewhere on the other end of the world there is a woman carrying our baby, struggling everyday with her choices. Please keep this woman in your thoughts and prayers as well. Please pray that she understands how much we want and love this baby and we will do everything in our power to give it the life we all want for them. Hopefully my next post will have a small number for the waiting list, but most people have been waiting a year for just a referral, so we know it's going to be a while. It's like we are pregnant and we have no idea when the due date is :-)

Hope everyone is doing well this week!

I will be on my knees for a while, hope you will too

It's been an intense few days complete with lots of praying for lots of different people. Every need listed below needs your prayers as well. Please keep these people/families/situations in your thoughts and prayers....

~Our home study documents did not go out last week as planned because our social workers' sister passed away. Please help this family understand and heal.

~My previous cube mate's niece has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma...at 17 months old. This little girl is a fighter. She was born very premature weighing in at only 1 pound 5 ounces and beat the odds then. Please pray for strength and healing for little Jolee and her family.

~A family close to us is struggling with martial and family issues. Please pray they will understand how important their family is and how small the other things are.

~My best friend's grandmother passed away last week. Please pray for strength and healing in their family.

~My mother was put in the hospital last night. She is a severe diabetic and it has been uncontrollable for many years. Her neuropathy moved to her bladder a few months ago and rendered it useless (she now has to cath herself). We have found out it has moved to her heart and she collapsed at church last night. We are waiting to hear if she has had a heart attack or what is going on. Please keep my mom in your prayers and pray we will know more about what is going on. Her body is tired and so is her soul. Please pray for my step dad to have the strength to deal with this as well.


Sorry for the depressing post, but I feel like this is more important to share than anything else. Please take the time today when you can to say a little prayer for everyone on this list.

Kyleigh: The 1st Grader

This summer seemed to fly by and today was Kyleigh's first day of 1st grade! She was so excited the night before and was up several times...nervous energy I guess. She finally tapped out in the bed with us at some point and took over my spot whenever I got up and got in the shower. Here is what I was up against trying to get her up this morning:


I lost to their "sleeping force field" for at least 20 minutes.

I finally got her up and I had made cinnamon buns for her, but she was so excited about school she only ate two bites and was done :-)

Da Buns...

I got up early knowing I had to make and pack lunch and get them both out the door on time, but still managed to be rushing somehow. Here is a shot of Kyleigh before we went out the door:

It's not the cutest shirt, but she picked it out and loves it

She did good going right in, sitting down and shoo'ing me out the door. We are really hoping we have a better year teacher wise than we did last year and are giving this school another shot. Her teacher seems very nice and on the ball, so our hopes are high!

Who missed her the most today? Well, yesterday I let her stay home and watch the new Hanna Montana movie and just have a relaxing day before starting school, which consisted of her snuggling with the pets.

At a loss for their snuggle partner, they had to settle for each other:

Reece has started in the Pre K class this week at her daycare as well. This teacher is known to be tough, so we will see who has the most stamina...her or Reece! So far, she has had two great reports and we hope she is back to being sweet Reece and not talking back Reece anymore!

Day 6 - Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom! This was also a park that I was looking so forward too. I wanted to get there early so we could be one of the first for the Safari that they ran (knowing that the hotter in the day it gets, the less likely you are to catch the animals out). We timed it just right and were able to get on fairly quickly. It was so great! You rode in a big jeep and they even made the roads feel like you were out on the back roads. The scenery was beautiful and I can just imagine how beautiful Africa really is. Check out the Savanna:

So beautiful to me...

Most of the animals were out and we got to see some really up close! There was even a giraffe that seemed to be following our jeep :-)

Animal Kingdom is split up into several different areas, but we explored Africa first. Not ever having been to Africa, I have nothing to compare it to, but I loved how authentic they seemed to make the buildings and all of the surroundings. I couldn't get my friend Meredith off of my mind, knowing she would be going to Africa soon to be joined with her little baby :-) At the center piece of Animal Kingdom was the tree of life, which had numerous carvings of all kinds of different animals in it. This was truly a sight and I cannot imagine how long it took to do all of that art. My picture does it no justice:

The Tree of Life from the outside

One of the carvings inside the tree

We took a train ride over to Rafiki's conservation island and we really enjoyed this because we could see some of the insects and amphibians a little closer. We even got to watch a bit behind the scenes where the vets were giving a physical to a set of small monkeys! They had a little petting zoo where you could brush domesticated animals, but they only had one kind of animal out at a time.

They also had conservation stations set up in each section of the park where the girls could learn different things and then stamp their books. We wanted to make sure to get all of their stamps!

Kyleigh being a good listener at the conservation station

After coming back over from the island, we decided to eat in Africa at a place called Tusker House. They had a mix of American and African food on their buffet. This was a little costly, but worth it to get to try some different kinds of food and also to look around at all of the character it had.

That's Kyleigh not wanting to pose

After this, we headed to Asia. I was excited to see if this had as much character as Africa did, especially after all of the reading I have been doing about Korea. It was so neat to see all of the buildings and the paintings on them, especially the tigers as they are revered in Asian culture. Bobby and I also took on the Everest roller coaster, which was a huge surprise, while his mom took the girls to Dinoland to play at the park there.

Playing at Dinoland

Tiger painting on the wall in Asia....and a random woman adjusting her pants

Running through the streets of Asia

Real fat and happy tigers

We met up and rode a few more rides at Dinoland and decided to hit "Nemo the Musical". We got there late, but ended up with really good seats! If you go to Animal Kingdom, don't miss this show!!

When we got back outside, we noticed it had gotten at bit darker (there was a 70% chance of rain) and we figured our time was going to be cut short soon. We scrambled to get the last few stamps for the girl's conservation books, and decided on the way to get the last one we would go see the show "It's tough to be a bug" in the tree of life.

Well. This was another one of those interactive, very realistic shows in 3D that started out cute, but ended up with my girls on the floor scared and several other kids crying. The beginning is really cute with Flick being the host, but then he starts talking about how we are outnumbered by insects and I guess they were trying to get even with us? So all of a sudden it was like different insects were coming at you....it felt like they were flying around your shirts (highly pressurized air) and looked like they were coming at you if you were wearing the glasses. The worst part was the buzzing and then something poked through your seat, like you were being stung in the back. At the end of it, you had to wait until the bugs left to get to leave (I'm not giving that surprise away). Again, while this might be cute and fun for adults and older kids, beware for your younger ones and maybe hold them in your lap and don't let them sit in the seats if you think this might scare them.

Once we got outside, the bottom let out! We barely got to our last conservation station when it was raining so hard the ponchos were not doing much good. We put them on anyway and tried to find our way out, but I have to say it was fun and really made the adventure more authentic. Everyone out there was pretty much soaked, just like if we had been in a rain forest anyway!

We ended up getting back to the condo earlier than what we thought, so Bobby and I decided to take advantage and get out just by ourselves and go have dinner and a movie at Downtown Disney. We figured it had been almost FOUR years since we had seen a movie together! I really enjoyed our dinner and date night and it was so much fun just to get out together.

Savings

Yup, no savings today :-(

What was your favorite?

Brandi: "the safari, all of the character in the buildings, the Everest roller coaster, "Nemo the musical" getting a date alone with Bobby"

Bobby: "the safari and the Everest roller coaster"

Kyleigh: "visiting the conservation stations and getting all of my stamps"

Reece: "the gorillas"

Dislikes?

Same warning for "It's tough to be a bug show" as in previous posts about these interactive shows and little ones. Bobby and his mom said the Primeval Whirl in Dinoland is really jerky, so keep that in mind. Of course, Kyleigh loved it.