2 years, 6 months and 10 days

It's been 2 years and 6 months and 10 days that our lives were forever changed when we made the decision to raise a little girl as our very own. 2 years, 6 months and 10 days that we have been blessed to be called Mom and Dad to a beautiful girl. 2.5 years we have loved another little being as our very own. 2.5 years of bonding, millions of cuddles and kisses given, hundreds of books read and more giggles than can be counted. 

922.5 days of praying for her every single day. 922.5 days praying for the day we can become a legal family of five. 922.5 days that my boys have had a sister and that we have had a daughter. We've celebrated 3 Thanksgivings, 3 Christmases and 3 Easters as a family of 5. Wonderful memories made.

Watching tummy time turn into crawling turn into taking first steps. Watching first steps turn into racing around the yard chasing 2 brothers. Hearing first words turn into complete sentences and belting out lyrics to "Let it go." Watching independence set in with wanting to wear a Princess shirt daily. And witnessing the sweetest bond develop between 2 brothers and a little sis. Along with the silliness and laughter :). 

To say this waiting has been incredibly difficult is an understatement. 
To say this has drawn us closer to God than we have ever been is the truth. 
To say we have gone through significant ups and downs with our emotions would be honest. 
To say we will persevere through this waiting is 100% correct.
To say we can't imagine our life any other way is real. 
To say we are blessed is spot on. 

We don't know what the future holds. We do not know the potential day we may be able to pass through the storm of this specific unknown. We do not know the questions that will come up one day nor will we know exactly how to answer them. We do not know what tomorrow holds nor what the next hour may bring.

But what I DO know is that we serve a Mighty God who knows the future. We know that He hears our every single prayer and cry out to Him. We know that He does know the time of the passing of this unknown. He understands our frustrations and our anxiety of the unknown. He holds us up with His mighty right hand as stated in Isaiah 41:10 "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."

We know that we don't need to worry about tomorrow because He has already taken care of tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." 

We know that God has never let us down and is not going to start now. We believe Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." He has good plans for us. 

We believe Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." We will continue to pray for wisdom, peace, patience and joy in this storm of the unknown. 

We will continue to be patient and press into God's promises for our future. We know there will always be hard days when worry sets in. But we do believe God will be there every step of the way. We are grateful for encouraging family and friends who surround us and pray for us. We will continue to trust in God's perfect plan in this.

Lovingly,

Jamie :)

Girl time

A couple of weeks ago I attended our "Women's Connect Rally" at Church.

It was amazing and such a fun time! 

My sweet parents and my Aunt and Uncle came to be with the kiddos for the day so I could go to it. My Mom came for part of the rally, too. 

The beautiful decorations were all over. Although the rally was at the Church I attend, I felt like I was somewhere else. The decorations were so pretty and feminine! 

And there was a "Photo booth" area where you could "Snap a Selfie." I loved it! How clever and cute!!

There were different frames to hold up. Cutest idea ever. 

These gorgeous rustic doors were on the top of the original Church's doors. I mean, how pretty is that? A friend told me "I want to get married here!" That's how pretty it was!

This is a photo of my sweet friend, Rose, and my Mom. 

In the sanctuary and in other areas of the Church there were beautiful speakers to listen to and worship music for us. There was delicious meals for us women and even dessert at the end of the night. It was so lovely.

 I smiled, laughed and cried.::Joyfully cried:: It was amazing and just what I needed. Have you been to a Women's rally or to Women of Faith? I went to Women of Faith a couple years ago and I think this was like that. I loved every minute of it.

Romans 12:2 was on the side wall of the sanctuary. I Love that verse!

And I was so grateful to have went and feel so refreshed! 

Jamie :)

T-I-M-E with the kiddos

Kids mostly just want our time

That's really it.

"Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time."

-Ephesians 5:15-16

I've been doing "The Love Dare for Parents" and there's a day devoted to time with your kids.

And I'll admit that, sometimes, I look at my phone too fast. Like when I hear that I have received a text message. But lately, I've been putting my phone on silent and putting it away. So, that I can't hear it or see it. Especially after Austin gets home after school. 

So, when Austin asked me to read his comic book to him the other day...I said "Yes" 

(Yes, I will read it even though it gives me bit of a headache because the print is so teeny tiny and I have no idea what kind of language they are talking in nor do I know how to read some of the words.)

I didn't say that additional stuff to him, of course, just the yes.

Welcome to the land of "Ninjago." 

You're welcome ;).

And he loved that I read it to him! Time spent cuddling together and reading. Because, to be honest, he asks me a lot for me to read his comic books. And I'd usually say "No", "Not now", "later." I was glad to make him happy which made me happy.

And here was a day that I was pre-occupied with cleaning up at home in preparation for company when my sweet 3 year old wanted me to stop and play "Magformers" with him.

We had such a fun time! First he wanted the "map"=directions. 

Then he looked so serious while he was "reading" them. He wanted to build a tower like his big bro had the days before.

"Mom, I want to make that!"

He was all "WOW" and amazed that he did that!

Great job, Troy boy! :)

But I also want to spend my time wisely by teaching him about God's love for him. 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your strength. 

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on our children. 

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

-Deuteronomy 6:5-7

I love those verses! We can talk about God any time of the day. We don't need to set the perfect tone and time for it. Anytime is a good time. When we're in the car I'll talk about God and his goodness. Or when we see an ambulance I'll tell the kids that we should pray for whomever is hurt. When we are sick I will pray out loud that the Lord would heal us and I will not forget to give thanks to Him when we are healthy, too. While we are lying in bed I will tell the kids that we are so blessed to have a warm home, comfortable bed and food to eat.

Have a super awesome weekend! It's going to warm up here in MN! Woot Woot! :)

Jamie :)

It's Friday!

The winner of "The Love Dare for Parents" is...

*Crystal B*

Congrats friend! I will send you a copy of the book asap. You're going to love it! xoxo!

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Tonight we are having a "Bye Bye Blanket" party for my 5 year old! 

He's excited and so am I ;).

Here are some photos when he was a little cute toddler with his blanket! Awww!!

 It is so worn out now, which is why I want to put it away before the poor blanket is completely worn out. 

Little A is fast asleep holding onto the monkey. That monkey corner is his very favorite. Always has been. 

Visiting Great Uncle Lynn and lying in his bed with his blanket.

Picnic on his blanket!

I will definitely post more details about it next week. It is going to be one awesome party :). 

Celebrate little things that are actually the BIG things in life!

Tomorrow morning we are going to relax together as a fam. Maybe go to the Library. We are going on a vacay next month. So, I'd like to get some books about airplanes for the kids. That way we can talk about them, see pictures of planes and read about them. The last time we were on an airplane Austin was 2 years old and I was 20 weeks pregnant (I think). Anyways, Austin had a little bit of a hard time at first. The pilot was super sweet and let him come in the front of the plane to check it out. Pretty cool! We went on a cruise and it was a blast! Absolutely beautiful!

I have a Women's Connect Rally at Church tomorrow evening. I am beyond excited! There will be desserts, prizes,worship, prayer and small sessions. The topic is "Who I am in Christ." My dear friend & Mom are also coming. Woot Woot! I will also share a little about that next week. 

I hope you have some fun stuff planned for the weekend! I'd love to hear about it!!

Jamie :)

Shine!

Let your light shine

"Let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven"

-Matthew 5:16

One of my favorite verses right there.

Everywhere we go we can be a light to someone else in their lives. I try to. But I know that I fail too much. I've missed opportunities when I'm rushed. 

Just like last week. I picked up Austin from school, we rushed to Walmart to get some shopping done and then I dropped him off at a friend's house for a birthday party. Rush. Rush. Rush. And I missed things that I needed at the store. But as I was checking out, I used the self check out. And I don't know about you, but when I use it I always need someone to help me and they punch in their code. Because "an unexpected item is in the baggage claim area, please remove...." (you've heard it I'm sure ;) ) and I didn't put anything unexpected there. I'm told it's because my kids lean on it and the weight sensor is touchy. I was getting so frustrated. The reason I went there in the first place is because there were only 1 or 2 lanes open but they were full with people waiting in line. And I, of course, wanted to speed up the process. And I think I  could've been a lot nicer to the sweet cashier who helped me get back to checking out. Instead I just said "Thanks" and went back to my checking out. 

To my point....I missed opportunities. 

Opportunities to smile at someone or ask how they are doing. 

We don't know what others are going through. And just think...YOU may be the person who can make a difference in their life. Maybe it's a smile or a kind comment. Anything. Something. Have you heard that quote...

“To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world.

― Bill Wilson

 I heart that quote. It is the total truth. 

Jamie :)