Can You Help Me Choose?

My friend Daiquiri just did another photo shoot of Prince Charming. I love all of the shots she got of him but I can only afford one print this time around. I want an 8x10 for our wall but I can't decide which one to pick.

Would you go look at her new photo blog and let me know which one you would choose if you were me?

Thanks for helping this indecisive mama! : )

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That's How I Roll!

My friend Jennifer was over the other day, so I put Prince Charming down on the floor on his back while we talked. I was deep in conversation and not paying attention until I looked down at my feet and saw this:

HE FINALLY DID IT!!! He has been ready to roll over for months but was a stinker about it because he prefers to play on his back so he can reach his beloved toes. Now he's pretty proud of his accomplishment and rolls over all the time.

I'm afraid crawling isn't too far away. There goes the easy life for Mommy!

He sure is a lot of fun these days. I love his little giggle. : ) I didn't take very good pictures. I'm still learning how to use my new camera, but Daiquiri took the cutest picture of him last weekend. You can see it here.

Have a great day and thank you so much for all of the understanding and support regarding our adoption decision.

Love,

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Closing a Chapter in my Life- The Adoption Journey Ends

I had to write a tough email today. I sent an email to Acres of Hope informing them of our decision to stop our adoption process. In the email I asked them to move us to inactive status.

The decision to stop the process has been made for awhile, but I could not bring myself to accept the finality of it. I procrastinated making it final with AOH, and I have been procrastinating making this announcement on here.

Earlier this month, we reached the two year mark of trying to adopt from Liberia. I was so hopeful and excited when we began the journey. I couldn't wait to get our little boy home to us. Many of you reading this have been following our adoption process from the beginning. We have met obstacle after obstacle along the way, and lost two referrals for two little boys who will forever be my spiritual sons. I just kept pushing on, though, thinking we would get there someday. Then more obstacles have come up recently- we missed immigration deadlines, our homestudy update couldn't be completed before our I-600A approval expired. So many doors have shut, but I kept wanting to keep going.

People who have adopted kept telling me, "Obstacles are a part of this process. You have to keep pushing forward to get to the blessing. Don't give up!" But family members gave up a long time ago, some believing it never was God's will for us to adopt and all of the closed doors and obstacles were His way of saying no. One friend felt it was crystal clear to her what the decision needed to be, but nothing was clear to me.

I was so confused. God loves orphans. It is clear in the Bible that His will is for us to take care of them. We wanted to and we tried to, so why didn't He let us. All of this shook my faith a little. Maybe I never really heard His voice. Maybe I made this all up. Maybe as it has been suggested, I only wanted to adopt to fill the void of the losses of my biological babies.

It was only after I finally realized that my husband was ready to move on with our life, that this had become about Becky trying to make something happen, that I knew I needed to give up. Adoption can not be something that only one parent wants to do.

I also realized that part of my motivation to continue included proving the naysayers wrong. I wanted to show them that I did hear God's voice. He did tell us to do this. I did witness those miracles that got us on this journey in the first place. I didn't do this to fill a void. I did this because I was being obedient and sincerely had a desire to adopt. Both of us did. Throughout this process, Pat and I have talked a lot about how we knew we were in God's will. The journey WAS God's will for our family. The destination just ended up in a place so different than I expected. We always said we knew we were on the right road, we just didn't know where that road would end.

So, as strange as it is. As much as it is beyond my understanding. God's will is now for us to no longer try to adopt a child from Liberia. I don't understand, but I do trust.

I just can't say enough how much I have valued and been grateful for the love and prayers that have covered our adoption journey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for supporting us through it all.

All my life I have wanted to have children. I looked forward to it. Planned for it. And now we've decided that we are finished building our family. It is time to just BE a family. It is such an odd place to be. It's the closing of one chapter of my life and the opening of a new one.

I can say without hesitation that I am so very, very, very grateful for the three precious kids God has blessed us with. All three are my miracles.

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Basketball Debut

Our little basketball star had her very first game on Saturday morning. First grade girls who have only had two practices before their very first game ever make for great entertainment. : )

I was impressed with how well the YMCA ran this game. The rules they had in place made it fun for the girls and cut down on chaos. : ) The first 15 minutes was a teaching clinic.


Then they had the girls put on arm bands that matched the color of a player on the other team. That way they knew who they were supposed to be guarding. They were told to stick with their other team player even if that meant running after them into the parking lot.



Of course there were no penalties for double dribbling or traveling at this age and they couldn't steal the ball away from a girl unless she was dribbling the ball. They all had a blast! And I was surprised by how many baskets were actually made.

Our little star got to be the point guard and dribble the ball down the court. We need to teach her to dribble to the basket, not the sideline, though. : ) And she got a great pass in to one of her teammates who scored a basket.


She was happy with her first game. Her favorite part?

Snacks afterward.

This is going to be a fun six weeks. : )

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Chance to Win a Great Prize

What a bad blogger I've been lately! I'm sorry. I've just been so uninspired lately.

Thank you to everyone who has checked in on me. I am feeling a lot better and the blues are lifting. I still really need our inversion to go away and our sun to shine again SOON!!! The weather girl said maybe tomorrow!

Madeline Grace, one of my favorite three-year-olds in the whole world, mailed me a picture of the sunset that she colored. She knew it was my favorite color and sent it to cheer me up. Boy did it! Thanks Madeline!

In other news- : )

I wanted to tell you all about a giveaway one of my blogging friends is hosting this week. Dani at icrafty.com just wrote her 100th post and to celebrate she is giving away a $30 giftcard to either WalMart or Old Navy. All you have to do is leave a comment and say hi to be entered in the drawing. Tell her Becky sent you. : )

Leave me a comment, too, just so I know you're all still there even though I've been such a bad blogger. : )

I'll be back soon!

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Entering the World of Sports

Some time in October, my oldest daughter came home with a form from school advertising YMCA Basketball. She wanted to play sooooooo badly and kept begging her dad to let her do it. Everyday after school, she'd come in the house and ask me, "Has Daddy decided about Y-Ball yet?"

He told her she could play "next year." But what she didn't realize was Y-Ball started in January which was technically "next year." So for Christmas this year, she opened up a certificate telling her she was all signed up for Y-Ball and the bottom of it said, "we can't wait to cheer you on."


She was so excited and has been counting down the days until it began. I'm glad we waited a little bit to get her involved in sports until she decided which one she was the most interested in. I have a feeling basketball's appeal has a lot to do with how much she looks up to my 15 year old cousin, Krista, who plays basketball. Krista is the epitome of cool around here. : )

Her first practice was last night and she made three baskets during practice. She can't wait for her first game.

She has a birthday party to go to next week for one of her classmates. She said, "I know what I can get Emma for her birthday present! TICKETS TO MY BASKETBALL GAME!"

I'm sure that's just what Emma was hoping to get! Ha Ha!

Love,

- Her Biggest Fan

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The Fog Won't Last Forever

My plan to get more sunshine is going to be seriously challenged this week. These are pictures of the sky around my house today. Aren't we having lovely weather? : )

Unfortunately, this inversion is trapped in our valley, so the fog is here to stay for the rest of the week.

As I was snapping these pictures this morning, I noticed the sun trying to break through the fog and I felt so hopeful. I was reminded that this is a season and won't last. Spring always comes and spring here is so beautiful.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement after my last post. It means a lot to me, and I can feel them.

I'm so thankful that because I belong to Jesus, I never have to go through anything in this life alone. I am carried through every challenge, every trial, and every January when the winter blues come rolling in. : ) I could not do life without Him, nor without the people He's surrounded me with that love me.

Loving you back!

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Fighting the Blues

2009 hasn't been such a happy new year for me yet. I've been in a funk that I'm trying so hard to get out of, but it isn't easy. I felt the clouds rolling in about mid-December, and it just got worse as we went through the Christmas season.

I've been trying to put my finger on the cause so I can find a cure, but everything affects each other so much, it's hard to know what to blame- hormones, lack of sleep, lack of sunshine, lack of exercise, chemistry, etc.

While I was talking to my friend on the phone, she said something that I thought was great advice. She said, "Just remember to think about what is true and real."

When she said that, it just hit me how much I've been looking at life through a lens of how I PERCEIVE it lately, not as it ACTUALLY is. Weariness and sleep deprivation have a way of clouding things, making hurdles seem like permanent problems.

So right now, I'm taking some time so think about what is really real about this little trial I'm going through- not what my hormones tell me is true, or what my circumstances feel like, but what is really TRUE.

I'm also trying to eat better, and as I'm looking at this upcoming week, I'm going to schedule some sun time (or at least be outside even if the sun doesn't come out) and some exercise time and see how that all helps.

I've also just been going through a time of resisting prayer. I don't know why. Prayer time is so important to me. I need it so much and always feel so good after spending time with God, so why am I resisting something that I love so much? Making that a priority is another goal for this week, too.

Here's to a better week! : ) I'm sure thankful Spring is on its way. : )

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This Morning's Gift

I know I told you that sunset is my favorite color, but sunRISE is awfully amazing, too.

I'm so glad King Charming called me from work this morning to make sure I didn't miss this. What a way to start the day. : )

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

- Psalm 143:8

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This Doesn't Look Comfortable!

My little sleepy-head. He's worn out from keeping his mommy awake all night long. : )

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He's Definitely NOT in the Doghouse

Remember this post?

I just wanted to let you know that although I did not get a steam mop for Christmas, King Charming is definitely NOT in the doghouse this year. I should learn to stop asking for stuff. Left on his own, KC is the most thoughtful gift giver I know.

We were married almost ten years ago, but we've never had a picture of our wedding to hang on the wall. An 11x14 photo was a part of the photography package we ordered, but being the Queen of Procrastination that I am, I could never decide which print I wanted enlarged. Immediately after our wedding, I started a new teaching job and by the time I remembered that I needed to order our print, our photographer had moved or gone out of business or something, but I couldn't find him anywhere. All we had was an album full of proofs.

But for Christmas this year, this is what I opened:



He found the photographer! : ) He also got me a new digital camera. I'm a spoiled girl. (Plus, I have a suspicion that he'll find a way to get me a steam mop later)

And since I'm already bragging about my husband-

I loved seeing this today:




I'm sure Cinderella's Fairy Tale Wedding is not high on his "can't wait to read" list. We're lucky girls around here.

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My Girls Love Their Baby Brother

Hey...go here to see my photographer's cool new website.

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