The Hippopotomus Song

So much for Silent Night, Away in a manger, or even Jingle Bells... my kids' new favorite Christmas song is the "Hippopotomus Song". They heard it on the radio and being products of a new era, they knew that I could find it on itunes... "Will you pleeeeeease put it on your ipod mommy?" :) Yeah.

So here it is, for your listening pleasure. The Hippopotomus song.

**UPDATE- The hippopotomus song has been removed from this site. Not only for the reason that Christmas is over, but for the reason that it was driving me crazy. You can search for it on iTunes, but be forewarned that it will get stuck in your head for the next 24 hours.**

Christmas Program

If you missed it last night, my big girl Ashley did such a good job in the Christmas program!!! She was so focused on Mrs. Barb, and she didn't take her eye's off of her. :)

She and all of the other kids in her class were dressed as presents at the bottom of a tree full of kids from other classes dressed as ornaments. It was precious! And very creative. :) Ashley's box was wrapped in Tinkerbell paper (of course!) and she looked adorable. It was really fun seeing her up there with her little buddies, Ellie, Christian, and Levi... this was their second Christmas program together. I don't have any pictures (my camera is broken, ugh!), but as soon as I have some, I'll post them. I'm sure the other moms got some good ones.

The second and final performance is Christmas Eve... I don't think they will be recording it but there is a small chance it could be on a live feed on the grace chapel website... maybe.... ?

I didn't get to see the rest of the play, I was a parent volunteer, but I'm hoping to get a peek Wednesday night. I heard it was great. Good job everyone!

And Merry Christmas!

The mom song

My sister-in-law sent this to me today... I LOVE this!
(Pause the song at the bottom of my page first)

Someone condensed everything a mom says in a 24 hour period into a 3 minute song.

Emily's hair...

Well... I'm assuming this kinda thing happens at least once in most families. A couple of days ago, Ashley decided it would be a good idea to cut Emily's hair. Hm. She took the scissors to the playroom, first gave a trim to a large stuffed horse, then gave it a whirl on little Em. They were both VERY excited about it until they came out and saw my face. Needless to say, they both got proper consequences, and after I shut myself outside where the girls couldn't see, I had a good laugh then back inside to quickly do my best to "fix" Emily's hair. I would have taken her to have it cut but between the adoption and Christmas, we're pinching every penny we can. So, besides the large chunks cut out around her face, the back is kind of a "gradual bob" for you chics out there who know what that means. Its not horrible... kinda looks like... well lets just say we probably won't be sending out a family picture this Christmas. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I'll try to post some soon. Its a really good thing she's so stinkin' cute and has those killer big blue eyes!

So HATS would be a good Christmas gift this year...

November birthdays

Yes, everything I do on this blog IS long overdue and a month behind. Oh well, it is what it is. I'm kinda busy ya know? :) At least I'm keeping up with it right? Now I'm runnin' TWO blogs and still trying to lead a normal life. ;) Haha, anyway, here are some pictures from Abby's sweet second birthday as well as a couple of shots from my own. :) Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who made it out to Abby's party, she was a LITTLE overwhelmed, but definitely had fun. And if she's anything like Sara Krikac, I know she'll treasure the pictures for years to come! :) (Thanks Brian!)

And yes, I'm the big 26 now. We went out for Hibachi and Sushi with my family and had dinner with the Spencer's to celebrate with them as well (my mother-in-law made me some yummy taco soup, although I forgot my camera for that).

Clearly the above picture was taken before Emily's little hair incident (oh but thats another post!).

Me and my big girl, Ashley!

Me and my Papaw

Four generations!

My brother and Dad enjoyin' some Asuka

Announcement :)

So I have an announcement that is well overdue. For those of you who don't already know, we are adopting! Yes, it sounds crazy, but when does God ever ask us to do something "normal"? Jake and I are beginning the process to adopt two little boys with Down Syndrome from Ukraine. Their names are Pavel and Oleg. They are absolutely adorable and they have stolen my heart.

Its a long story how we finally came to this point, but here is the "readers digest" version... in Ukraine (among other countries), kids with Down Syndrome are orphaned from birth because there is no society for kids with special needs there. And if they are not adopted (usually out of the country) from the orphanage by the time they turn four, they are institutionalized. Now, I don't remember where I read this statistic, (so it could be a little off, don't quote me on this) but somewhere I read that 80% of them don't live past one year once they've been transferred to the institution. Wow.

So God brought me across these two little angels. I was looking at their pictures for a couple of weeks before God spoke loud and clear to me. It was time to get serious and step up to claim these boys. Bring them home. So knowing what a huge responsibility and decision this was, I immediately went to His word. And what did He speak there? In the midst of my tears to the Father, this is what He said- Micah 4:9 "Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in your midst? Has your counselor perished? For pangs have seized you like a woman in labor. Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in birth pangs." Wow!! Then He took me to Proverbs 24:11 "Deliver those who are drawn toward death and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter." Hmm, I thought. Sounds like He's confirming it to me!

So through much prayer and conversation between Jake and I, we made the decision to move forward with this. My heart is so full, I don't even really have words. Its all very surreal right now. And I'm in paperwork up to my eyeballs.

For now, I need to ask for your prayers. Please pray that God would continue to orchestrate. Pray that the paperwork goes smoothly. Pray that the money would come in- we'll be sending out support letters soon. Pray that God would have His way in our lives.

I've also started an adoption blog where you can follow all of the adoption updates. www.bringinghomeboys.blogspot.com Check it out to see pictures of my little boys!

Up Close: A Mother's View

So most of you know that I'm kind of obsessed with Reece's Rainbow ;) and are seriously praying about adopting a baby with Down Syndrome. Well currently I am a Reece's Rainbow Prayer Warrior... which means that the girls and I have been praying for two little orphaned angels who have DS and live in another country. I STONGLY encourage you to sign up to be a prayer warrior for one of these sweet babys. Prayer is a powerful thing... since I signed up, the little girl we are praying for has been matched with a family!! Hallelujah!

To find out more about praying for your own little angel, click here. Or to check out Reece's Rainbow's Christmas Angel Tree Project, scroll down and click on the button to the right. (Or click here.)

SO... I'm also trying to win a book called "Up close: a mother's view". Its a book about family life with a child with Down Syndrome written from a mother's perspective. For a full book review click here. One of the amazing women who have already adopted through Reeces Rainbow (and wrote the above linked review) is giving away two copies to anyone who post's about it on their blog! So here it is!! You can also enter to win this book by clicking here if you'd like to. But if you win, I'll expect you to let me borrow it. :)

Note to family memebers- if I don't win this book, it would make a GREAT christmas gift! *wink wink, nudge nudge* :)

Kory

So, Kory is a dear friend of ours from way back. He's come to be known as uncle Kory around here because, well, he's around a LOT and he's family in our hearts. :) The other night he started this little game with the girls (among countless others) that I was able to catch on tape. If you look closely, Ashley is wrapped up in this blanket (and then later, Emily gets in). The FUNNIEST part to me is listening for Jake's laugh in the background!!! Then play it again and note the noises the girls make while they are being swung! Too funny. To all you facebookers out there who have already seen this on kory's facebook- ppbbtthhh! To the rest of you- enjoy! Oh and mom... don't watch. :)

(Scroll to the bottom and pause the music first!)

Halloween

Just a few pic's from Halloween... the girl's really enjoyed "trunk or treating" at church. Our church had its second annual "Trunk, treat, and tailgate" Halloween night. Emily went as a bumble bee, Abby was a ladybug, and Ashley was a pink angel. Although if you asked her daddy, she was "a pink explosion". :) (She had wings too, but didn't put them on til we got there.)

Pomegranates

So you were fore warned when you read the description of my blog to the right- this blog is a strange mix of all the ramblings in my head. This is one of them.

I LOVE pomegranates. And I am so happy that it's fall, because it means GOOD pomegranates. And pomegranate coupons! Hannah if you come across any, let me know! I have to thank my sister-in-law Stephanie for first introducing me to this fruit. Because now- I'm in love. Nothing makes me happier than getting up early in the fall, putting on my fuzzy slippers because my kitchen tile is cold, getting a cup of coffee, a spoon and a small bowl of pom seeds and checking my email. Yes Audra, this is the ONLY time of year I actually like getting up early. *wink*

Just looking at this picture makes my mouth start watering. I'm a weirdo, I know. I was also looking up nutrition facts for pomegranates, and they are like the healthiest fruit ever. What better way to kick off flu season, than with a bowl full of anti-oxidants! And look at that color! It screams fall to me. I think I'll paint my kitchen red next...

He's home!

Thanks for your prayers for my hubby... Jake and Brian made it home safely last night. It was an awesome trip and very productive. Looking forward now to our missions trip there next summer!!!

Jake

Please pray for Jake this week. He has gone down to Rancho Maranatha in Mexico with our friend Brian. Jake and Brian had originally planned on going down to scope out some ministry opportunities for our youth group next summer, among other things, but just a week or two before they left, a hurricane hit Alamos, Sorora which is basically the next town over from Rancho Maranatha. So they will also be trying to help in clean-up efforts as much as possible while they are there. Brian and his wife are our missionaries at Rancho Maranatha but are here in Tennessee for the time being. Check out my link to the right, Jesse and Levi, for their story. You can also click here to see more about the ranch.

This picture of Jake was taken by Emily. Not bad for a three year old photographer. :)

Matters of my heart- Part II

I just thought I would give a little update concerning my last "Matters of my heart" post... I shared some of my "passion" :) with Greg Buzek, the head of Grace 1:27, by way of email this week. For those who don't know, our church is going to have kind of a ministry kick-off for Grace 1:27 in January to raise awareness of the ministry and the needs. Called "Orphan Sunday". There will be lots of booths to give people information on all different areas of this ministry- our church connections with orphanages around the world- Mexico, Sri-lanka, Ethiopia, etc. and I believe there will also be booths for foreign and domestic adoptions, foster care, etc. I was planning on being involved with the Rancho Maranatha booth, our Mexican orphanage (Where Jake is right now, actually. Pray for him too!), but now it looks like I'm doing something totally different. (Sorry Rochelle, I'll still help!)

I'm going to have a booth for special needs adoption. :D I'm so excited!! I'm going to specifically emphasize Reece's Rainbow, but also raise awareness in other ways as well. I haven't fully planned out all the details yet, but I'm just so thrilled to finally start rolling up my sleeves in this area! To help make a difference. And not to "feel better about myself" but because my heart is TRULY broken for these kids, and I believe so strongly that they deserve to live in a loving home just like any other child. God loves these kids and I feel like He's calling me to raise up and be a voice for them.

Please pray that He will continue to lead me in exactly what resources and materials to have at this table. I'd love to have some actual pictures of kids who are on the brink of institutionalization. (Click here if you'd like to see them for yourself.) I'll let you know how it goes, but for now, I just need to give God the glory for orchestrating these first few steps. Thank you, Father!

Grocery Deal

Just thought I should pass this little gem along...

Cottonelle toilet paper is an "every day low price" of .99 for a 4 pack:

Click here to get an e-coupon for .50/1 coupon that you can load onto your Kroger card. It will double at the register and presto! Four free rolls of toilet paper!

*Bonus*: If you have the .50/1 coupons from 8/24 S or 9/21 S, you could stack it with the e-coupon and get .99 in overage per pkg! (Unless you really need the toilet paper, which we did!)

Note: You can only "load" one coupon at a time with a max of two times. But hey, I'll take free toilet paper the next two times I visit Kroger! Also, couponmom isn't showing these in the database for some reason, and I've already used all of mine, so I don't know when they expire.

Matters of my heart

Isn't it funny how sometimes, you just can't help what captures your heart? I feel like so many things in my life right now- ministries, friendships, even my very own baby... all start to point to the same thing. And though I don't know what it means yet or what I can do about it; I certainly can't ignore it. Jake and I had a long conversation about it last night.

I have an increasing passion for orphans. Specifically orphans with special needs. I'm volunteering with an orphan ministry in the works at church called "Grace 1:27". Pointing to James 1:27 which calls us to care for the orphans and the widows. It's still very much in the beginning stages, but we can all feel God stirring up something big. And not surprisingly- His Word clearly lays out His heart on the matter. Also, I've been thinking so much about Reece's Rainbow. (Which I've talked about on previous posts.) These little children break my heart. In the Ukraine, children with Down Sydrome are imediately given up for adoption, even by loving parents, to an orphanage because there is nothing for them in that country. No early intervention, no special education, no therapy, nothing. And so they fill up these orphanages (special ones for any and all babies with special needs), and if not adopted by the age of four, the ones with Down Syndrome will be sent to mental institutions. A life sentance. Which kills me because even though my own daughter isn't even two years old... I'm learning what amazing potential there is in this country for her! If you search the media- young adults with Down Syndrome are going to college and getting married! Leading full lives. And no, we don't know what God has in store for Abby- we will allow her to do whatever He wants her to- knowing that could even mean keeping her home with us as an adult. But that's another post. :)

The point is, my heart is crying out to the Lord on these kids' behalf. Who will take care of these kids??? What mothers will take them in and love them as their own? Jake helped me to see that the problem is so much bigger than what I can fix within my own home. :) I can't adopt and raise all of these kids myself. And adopting just one wouldn't satisfy my heart. (Not that we're throwing out that option.) But for now, I'm waiting patiently on the Lord to show me what He wants me to do with this heavy heart.

And until he does... can I introduce you to a little girl? Her name is Ginger. She'll be 6 in January. It's a miracle that this little girl has stayed in the orphanage this long, most her age have already been sent to the institution. If she isn't adopted soon, she'll go as well. This is a quote from a woman who was adopting out of her orphanage and saw Ginger while she was there.


"Ginger is the sweetest little girl. I held her often and she loved to snuggle and cuddle! She held on to me so tight and cried when I put her down. She is non-verbal (makes sounds but no words), but she has the sweetest little giggle and she is very ticklish. I was told she can follow basic commands." ~August 2008




For more information on Ginger,
or to see other kids from Reece's Rainbow, click here.

The Womens Retreat

This past weekend our church had our first ever womens retreat. It was amazing. We went to a state park in Alabama. I loved the place we stayed- every room had a lake view and the lodge was so cozy. The theme for the weekend was Ageless God... what an awesome time of refreshment we all experienced! Our theme verse was the one from 2 Corinthians 4:16: "though the outward man parish, the inner man is renewed day by day". Good stuff. For those volunteering, teaching, or decorating... I think we can all say it was a much needed retreat. We spent one afternoon just playing games... imagine 150 women of all ages playing bingo!! It was a blast. The Saturday night dinner was a banquet... Hannah decorated and it was breathtaking!! It put Martha Stewart to shame. :) The women were all so blessed. I spoke Saturday night after dinner and mostly shared my testimony about having Abby. And shared a few things I felt God has taught me though the experience. The other teachers were Teasi, Anne-Marie, Sarah (our pastor's wife), and Diane (my mother-in-law). They were all so rich and so good. Deanna, Amy and Sarah led worship... I just love the sound of the three of them together. The whole weekend was just completely refreshing. I did get a sore throat but even that couldn't keep me from enjoying the sweet time with the Father and with our beautiful church women.

I kept forgetting to take pictures, but here is one I did get... just a few of us girls...

My dear friends

My dear friends, can I just share with you from my heart for a moment? I've been cleaning my house all day, feeding my kids, wiping faces... and rear ends, doing laundry, dishes... I've been on and off the phone with my mom and my husband- making plans for the week and the weekend. I've been checking my email and Dad's site, keeping it updated and forwarding on sweet emails from friends and family to my mom so she can read them to Dad.

And I can't help but think- I should be so stressed out right now. And don't get me wrong- I'm exhausted. And I'm worried. But I can 100% honestly say... I feel so covered. I feel a strength within that I almost find surprising. I'm able to deal with the day to day stuff. And I'm able to think clearly (as clear as possible for me- you guys know me). I keep telling people that I feel numb... but that doesn't really accurately describe it. That sounds like a negative thing, but actually, it's not.

My relationship with my God gives me perfect peace. Not that I am perfect, but that He is. I can feel my God carrying me through this. My life verse has always been John 10:10 "The thief comes to steel, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you would have life and have it more abundantly." (Jesus speaking.) He IS giving me abundant life. This- what I'm going through right now- is the difference between the life of a born again Christian and an unbeliever. The hope and the peace and the (dare I say it) joy that I feel can only be from my Lord. He loves me so much and I'm choosing to walk in His blessings.

And I'm also well aware that so much of it has to do with the prayers of those closest to me. I have received so many encouraging emails and phone calls in the last week... I KNOW that I'm loved and supported and it makes me want to cry because I keep thinking about the service at church this past Sunday (I wasn't able to be there, but I watched it live online while I mopped my kitchen floor, haha). I feel like I'm living the life of relationships with other believers that Christ wants me to live. We aren't afraid to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. To really show sacrificial commitment.

We won't be able to make it to our Cheers group tonight because Jake and I realized on the phone today that we won't be able to stay home any other nights this week and our family needs to come first. So we're gonna hang out with our kids tonight. But, I want you each to know how much I love you. And I don't intend on my goofy Internet blog being the only way to let you know that. I want to show you. I want to be the friend that you all are being to me right now. Words don't really express the gratitude in my heart. I love you girls.

My dad

Most of you know by now about everything going on with my dad. Its been a really rough couple of weeks for my family, to say the least. I started a blog today to keep all of our friends and family updated on his condition. You can see it by clicking on the "Hows Greg?" link on the right. Please pray for us all as we go through this... and for Dad...

Holland

I love my kids. All three individually. They each have their own unique personallity. And though Abby has Down Syndrome, we try to keep it on the down low. It does not define my daughter, but its a major part of her life. Not long after Abby was born I found this little article. While I don't know that this is about Down Syndrome specifically, this is such a beautifully true description of what we experienced. I was thinking of this especially yesterday... most of you know I had found a little Ecuadorian boy on Reece's Rainbow, Josue :) who completely stole my heart. And while Jake was making "no way Josue" jokes, I couldn't get this little boy out of my head. So I was praying and praying about this today, I decided to take a step in one direction or the other and emailed his adoption agency. And within the hour they emailed back to tell me that he's already been adopted. He's home. :) Which is wonderful news for him and a final answer for me to put him out of my head. A door closed, which is exactly what I prayed for. And though adoption is a totally different experience- you know what you're getting into- still all day I've had this article in my head. Thinking of the day Abby came home to be a part of our family. This is exactly how I felt. It brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it because it hurt so bad to be in Holland. But when I read this now, I can appreciate that I've been to Italy AND Holland. And I LOVE both places. And it makes me smile...

"I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try and help people understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this....

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas of Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It is all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, 'Welcome to Holland.'

'Holland???' you say. 'What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.' But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you have been there for a while you catch your breath, you look around and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going to Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, 'Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned.'

And the pain of that will never, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't go to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland."

One more

Ok, so three post in one day is BIG for me. :) But I have this one last picture that I have to share... one of the girl's friend's, Lily turned three last week (a lot of birthday's, I know!), and I got this picture of Abby... it was a "Princess dress-up party", which you KNOW my kids loved, but I even dressed up little Abby. Its kinda hard to see her little outfit, but she looked so sweet and I think it really shows what a big girl she's getting to be. Enjoy. :)

Girls Night Out

No, not "the girls", but my friends "the girls". : ) Mindy and D'Arcy had birthdays last week and we've kinda made it a tradition over the years to go out for a girls night and celebrate their birthdays together. What a blast we had!!! We started with dinner at Cheesecake Factory and ended with a "picture schavenger hunt". (Which I won't show pictures of.) Anyway, dinner was great and we played quite a few rounds of "shout an emotion"... which I am reluctantly sharing with you. Anyway, we had an awesome night out with no kids, no husbands, and no worries. It was VERY refreshing. :)









Shout an emotion explains its self really... you shout an emotion just before you snap...

I can't believe I'm posting this. :)

Ashley's Birthday

Wow, what a busy month, and it still isn't over! Ashley turned five last week... yes FIVE. I can't believe how big she's getting. We had a little party at church with Bible study friends and then another party at home with just family. Here are a few pics from church-

Thanks to all for the sweet gifts and for being a part of this little milestone in her life. We love you all!

Reece's Rainbow

Ok, so I came across the coolest website today and just had to share-

In America, there is actually a really long waiting list to adopt a child with Down Syndrome. For a couple of reasons- mostly because there are a lot of families out there who know a child with DS, OR have one of their own, and have been so touched by that child, that they are waiting on lists to be a part of the life of another baby with DS. (On my Down Syndrome forum, many of the family's have more than one child with DS and I thought it was just because they "had the gene" but just kept having more kids anyway... and while that is the case for a very few, the rest of them loved their little baby so much, they've adopted more!) But the other reason that there are such long waiting lists is because there are women all across America who, when they find out that they are pregnant with a baby who has DS.... they make an unthinkable decision. (Which is WHY I have a DS awareness ribbon, to raise awareness that my little girl is a GIFT and I feel HONORED to be her mommy.)

Which brings me to my point. There is a website called Reeces Rainbow and they are a "connecting point" for American families to adopt children with Down Syndrome internationally! There are kids with DS all over the world (the rate of 1 in 800 isn't just in the US) who have been given up and need families!

Anyway, if you have time and this interests you, you should just scroll through the pages of little faces all over the world. They will melt your heart. Especially if you've ever had Abby blow you a kiss or heard her "tell a story" or squeal when she gets REALLY excited. :) These little ones need someone to love them back too...

http://www.reecesrainbow.com/

Some more info on this whole adoption issue:

http://adoptionblogs.typepad.com/adoption/down_syndrome_adoption/index.html

http://www.dsagc.com/adoption.asp

Updates

Well, what I was afraid would happen with this blog is happening... no time to update. :) Oh well, I try. Lots is going on though.

Jake got home from Ecuador safe and sound. They had an awesome time and many lives were eternally changed. I don't have any pictures at the moment, but I'll try to post some soon. I'm so thankful for my amazing, wild-at-heart, youth pastor/missions-minded husband, but the girls were so glad to have daddy home from "Ecka-door".

We had a birthday party for Emily last week. Can't believe she's already three. We had a nice little party at home with just family and her best friend, Lily. She was VERY thankful for all of her gifts, haha! (*wink, wink* to everyone who was there!) Here are some shots from that:

There was our annual "Barn Bash" at church- there's some great live music, lots of food, games and best of all, baptisms in the river... Jake baptised one of the youth girls who went to Ecuador with them.(Go Bonnie!) I hung out on our blanket with Abby and visited with friends while Jake spent most of his time chasing the girls around the blow up bouncy... things. :) The girls also got to play down in the river, which they LOVED. I didn't catch many pictures that day, but here are a few:

And besides all of that... I painted the living room this weekend! Aaahhh! Its VERY blue. And crazy. But I love it. As Hannah so eloquently put it, it makes my kitchen look less wow. :) It does. But I love both rooms now. It makes me really happy. I needed some fresh color in my life. I'll update with pictures of all that soon too, but its too late right now. I'm going to bed!!

My weekend journey

Well, my little weekend trip to Atlanta was a success, to say the least. I was able to visit my Dad (I can't even remember the last time I spent a Father's Day with him) and my step-mom at their very cool house on a little lake. We hung out, fished, my girls walked his "girls" (their two dogs) and just enjoyed a very lazy weekend. On the way back, we stopped in Chattanooga and surprised my step-dad. He and my mom were there for the weekend, so I was able to have a Father's day dinner with them, spent the night, and spent Monday at the Chattanooga Aquarium, which was great fun too!

Even being a single parent, as Jake is still in Ecuador with our "other" kids, :) it was actually very relaxing. My kids were great going down and coming back. The girls were pretty good, and it was so nice to spend time with each of my dad's, whom I love VERY much. Happy Father's Day to both of you!!

Abby's new table

What a blessing! We recently got a new little table for Abby, given to us (... well, loaned) by Abby's physical and occupational therapists- this table is a God send! I have such a hard time working on Abby's fine motor skills because, unless she's eating, this little girl doesn't really like to sit still! She "worms" around the whole house. And we are making very slow progress in getting her to bear some weight on her legs. But with this new little table, she can do both! It forces her to stand and kinda holds her there, while at tabletop working on coloring, puzzles, etc! And she really loves it. I try to give her only 30 minutes at a time so as not to wear her out to much. It really is strenuous work for her. (And it practically takes four people to get her into it.) It might look a little barbaric, but its great for Abby and we love it and we are grateful it's free!

Free Stuff

Many of you know that my recent obsession is "couponing". It is so much fun! I'm searching all the local grocery stores for sales every week and saving coupons like MAD. Its fabulous because I've found a hobby that actually saves us money! I love it. And weeks like this one just feed the obsession.

Every single item you see here was COMPLETELY FREE. Yes, that's right, between sales and coupons, I did not pay one single penny on any of these items. I've seen sites before where "couponing" women would find these amazing deals and post a picture of all their findings... and I always thought it was a little hokey. But when you save this much money, you can't help but be proud of it!!

And no we don't drink diet Sunkist, but because it was FREE, I bought it. And my youth group girls who are coming over tomorrow love diet drinks, so girls- this one is for you!

Ashley

I love my daughter. Well, I love all my daughters but do you know how as a mom, you have those moments when you just swell with pride for one of your kids in particular? I've been having a lot of those moments recently with Ashley. I'm really making a point to spend lots of one-on-one time with her... she spends so much time with "the littler girls" (as I call them), but she's maturing so quickly. I really want her to have ample time to have mature conversation. Even when Jake might be home with the girls and I have an opportunity to be alone, I sometimes take just Ashley with me to run my errands and whatnot.

She even looks more grown up than she did even just a few months ago. And she's getting tall! She's so expressive and has the funniest sense of humor. I just can't believe my first baby is getting so big and starting school in the fall. She soaks up everything, so I'm fully confident that homeschooling her is going to be a breeze. Pray for me in these years as I train this little girl to be a woman of God.

I love this kid.

(This photo was taken on vacation in Florida a couple of weeks ago. Thx Mindy!)

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, thanks for visiting. I'm hoping this will help keep you all up on the randomness that is my life and the Spencer household. :) Assuming that you are a family member or friend- feel free to browse this site, check back often, and comment as often as you can. Most of what I write will be just to vent, but if you'd like to encourage me or glorify my God, please feel free to do so! I'd love to read a Yes or Amen now and then! I'll try to post pics of the kids as often as possible. I know that's what my extended family wants to see the most!



For now- love to each of you...