Day One in Florida

Well, we have had a great first day in Florida!!!!! It's just the beginning...we have 10 days to go!!!!

The girls are having soooo much fun swimming and the adults are having a ton of fun too. The boys went deep sea fishing all day today and had such a great time. They caught about 15 fish. They weren't very big fish, but man were they tasty!!! We had fish and steak tonight and made dirt cake (Jeremie's fave!) for Jeremie's birthday celebration tonight!

Tomorrow we're off to Boca Grande to South Beach for lunch and a day at the ocean. We are very excited for that. We will post again when we get some more pictures, but in the meantime, here is a pic of the guys with the fish they caught.

Procrastination

I have a list a mile long of things to do before we go to Florida tomorrow morning and yet I am still finding time to post on my blog. Procratinating???? Probably.

I have managed to go to lunch, go to a garage sale, watch Game Show Network for an hour, talk on the phone for an hour (or maybe longer if you compile all of the conversations I have had today), get into a quick (and pointless) argument with my husband, look at blogs, check my email, buy a recliner for the nursery and now post on my blog. NONE of these things were on my list! So here I sit, posting on my blog while the minutes go by and I STILL have a mile long list of things to accomplish. I should probably get to it, but for some reason, I am not feeling very motivated. I wish my bag would pack itself, my clothes would wash themselves, my house would clean itself, my rent would pay itself and my list would disappear. Then I would have plenty of time to shop, go to lunch, watch Game Show Network and play on my computer!!! :) What a dream world that would be! I had better go work on my list...

On a brighter note, I think our EXTREMELY loud, annoying, obnoxious neighbors (who live directly below us) who spend there evenings yelling and partying outside and shooting off fire crackers got evicted!!!! I am not sure, but all of their stuff was being moved out onto the lawn by our management this morning and is still just sitting there, and they can't be moving out already because they just moved in about 2 months ago. Cross your fingers for us...their noisiness wasn't going to be the most convenient with a new baby. We will find out for sure when we return from Florida I'm sure.

I will try to post from Florida, but may be too busy basking in the sun! :)

Going to Florida!

Well, we leave for Florida on Saturday with the Knutsons! We are so looking forward to getting away and clearing our minds. We'll be gone for almost 2 weeks, so we'll have plenty of time to do that! Sean and Jeremie are looking forward to golfing and going deep sea fishing (I kinda wish I was going...it sounds exciting!) and Sara and I cannot wait to do some shopping and just lounge by the pool with the little ones! It's going to be a great time for Sean and I to stop thinking about what is to come in our lives and just enjoy! Although, Bethany Christian Services does have the phone number in Florida so that we can be reached if need be. This may be Sean and my final vacation alone before we enter a new chapter in our lives of spending more family time than we do alone time. We are looking forward to the new chapter, but want to enjoy this current one while it's here. It won't be hard to enjoy it while basking in the sun in paradise! :)

I have a couple days of work to keep me occupied and then a couple days of preparation for the trip. I know all of you are praying for patience for me because I have been feeling extremely patient these last few days. I would appreciate your continued prayers, on that topic especially, as I still definitely have moments of impatience!

I am sure I will have TONS of fun pictures to post when we get back from our trip and I will probably update you all on all of the fun we're having with a post or two while we're down there!

NEED SLEEP!

I can't sleep...

I thought I would just surf the net for a while and now I am bored doing that, so I decided to post on my blog. I have nothing to write. So here I am just rambling.

Last night I was awake practically all night. I was up about every hour and then had a pounding headache nearly all day today. Finally my headache subsided and I was able to get through my work day. Sean had dinner made for me when I got home (thanks to What's For Dinner!) and we ate and then sat outside on the deck and enjoyed the cool breeze and talked about the excitement to come. I think both of us are in a world of our own and probably will be until we meet our baby. It's so hard to think of anything else.

I should be getting sleep now while I can! I know when our baby comes, I am going to be praying for sleep! So now I am going to head back to bed, close my eyes and give it my all. I had better build up in that category so that I have some on reserve when I need it. Wouldn't it be nice if that was possible?!

10 Week Old Fetus

  

You may be wondering what this picture is all about and what it represents. Well, the little feet are the size of a 10 week old fetus. To really get a good idea of the size, the penny is a good comparison.

The pin represents so much to me. It represents each and every person that is alive. We were all at one time 10 weeks old in our mothers' wombs and we were given a chance at life and happiness. EVERYONE deserves a chance at life and a chance to be happy and at even at 10 weeks old, we were all living people, we were babies from the moment we were conceived and we were part of God's plan. In Jeremiah 1:5 it says that God knew us before he formed us in our mother's womb and he had a plan for us. We all were given the opportunity to fulfill our purpose in life and I am SO GRATEFUL BEYOND ANY WORDS that my baby's birthmother is allowing her unborn child to have a chance at life and a chance at happiness in this world. Sean and I cannot wait to meet this life that God created for us and help to point it in the right direction so it can fulfill it's purpose in life. Thanks to all birthmothers! I've been told that something good always comes from something bad. We all make mistakes and I know that these women that are making an adoption plan did not plan for this to happen to them. This will be probably the hardest time in their lives and the hardest decision they will possibly ever make. I hope that they all know that there is good coming from this. I hope that they can some day see that they have given an adoptive family a chance to fulfill their dreams of being parents and that they can see that there is no gift as precious as the gift of life! I am going to bed a very grateful soon to be mommy!

By the way...THANK YOU , Maren for such a thoughtful gift! I hope you know how much it means to me! Every time I look at it, it touches me deep in my heart! Thank you for one of the most meaninful gifts I have gotten!!!!!

Our Social Worker

Carol, our social worker is FABULOUS! I cannot think of the words to describe her, but just that. She is such a genuinly kind, caring, christian woman. I went into Bethany Christian Services today just to talk with her and I guess I needed some reassurance. She did just that. I expressed to her my problem with patience and how we are anxiously awaiting her call. She assured me that the waits for adoptive families haven't been long and that our profile looks great, so she doesn't forsee us having too long of a wait for our baby. She said that it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for us to get a call within the next few weeks or even few days, so we have every right to be on the edge of our seats ever time the phone rings. She is so comforting and is always there to listen. She said that prayer is what is going to get us through this waiting period. She said that she will be praying for us and for patience in me. She reminded me that God knows which baby is ours and we need rejoice in that and know that our baby may come in 2 days or in 2 months, but he/she will come when the time is right. Carol is wonderful and I am so glad that she is our social worker. I look forward to some day hearing her voice on the other end of the phone line saying, "are you sitting down?"...that's what she told me she always says when she is calling adoptive parents with good news.

By the way...Sean told me last night that he's had a feeling for a long time that we'll be getting a little girl! :) He's so cute! We'll see if he's right. Whether he is or not, we will be overjoyed with a boy or a girl!

Content!

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
—Romans 12:12

I am making a conscious effort to do this. I have prayed more in these last 3 months than I have in the last 3 years! In doing this, the blessings in my life have been more apparent now than ever. What a blessing this process has been for me, my relationship with Sean, and my relationship with the Lord. Every day, I am still learning new things and I know He is not done teaching me yet. I am constantly reminding myself that I am not in control and the events of my life will happen in God's time, not mine. I had many plans for my life, and I can say that the majority of those plans didn't pan out, but looking back at the plans that I once had, I am so grateful that they didn't pan out! If everything in my life happened according to MY timeline, my life would probably be a mess! How blessed I am to have realized that I AM NOT in control! I am more than happy to hand the reigns over to the one who knows what the plan is for me, becuase I sure don't have a clue! And I am content!

Brigg's Birthday

 
 
 
  

More Pictures

 
 
 
  
Well, we had a wonderful celebration of Brigg's 5th Birthday on Thursday. Then we celebrated AGAIN on Friday and then the family celebrated AGAIN on Saturday. What a lucky boy he is! :) I was unable to attend the celebration on Saturday, but heard it was quite an eventful gathering. I was sad to miss it, but I had to work. :( The pictures are of the two celebrations I was able to attend. I think that it should be a regular thing to have 3 days of celebration for birthdays. Brigg had so much fun and got a ton of gifts. I can't believe my first nephew is 5!!!!!! He is such an appreciative and sweet little boy! He thanked everyone for his gifts and was truly overwhelmed with exitement as he opened each gift...even when he opened the cards he had gotten in the mail, he was ecstatic! He is AMAZING! It has been an honor to say he is my nephew for the past 5 years and I can't wait to watch him grow into a man! I love him more than words can express. I am so blessed to have all of my neices and nephews, and thank God every day for them!

I need prayer...

Despite my efforts to keep myself busy, I am finding myself overwhelmed with impatience. I guess it might not be impatience, but anxiety possibly. I have filled every minute in my day doing things to keep my mind off of "the wait". I started to different bible studies (one on patience!) and I have gotten on a roll with my rug, which is looking FABULOUS, and keep plugging along on my blanket as well. You would think that I wouldn't have time to think about "the waiting", but that is WRONG! While doing these things such as the rug and blanket...I am left sitting in silence to think. Thinking is BAD for me right now!!!! All I can do is think..."maybe my profile isn't good enough!" , "is that other couple's online profile better than ours?", "I don't have a diaper bag yet, I need to find one so I have one when we get the baby!", "we don't have a rocker/glider yet, and I will want one right away when we get the baby so we should go get one.", "what if we don't get a baby soon and I run out of projects to keep me busy!", "what if Sean is so busy with school and work that he has trouble finding time to be with us and to bond with the baby!"

And those are just a few of the thousands of thoughts that went through my head just today! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I NEED PRAYERS! I know that a lot of these thoughts are silly, but in the moments when I am thinking them...they don't seem silly at all. I have CONSTANT butterflies in my stomach and can't stop thinking about the adoption. I am not only thinking crazy thoughts...don't get me wrong, I have excitement and happy visions of the future in my head, but I am afraid that all of these thoughts put together are going to drive me to that unbearable impatience that I am desperately trying to avoid. HELP!

On a brighter note...I am going to be with family this weekend and am soooo looking forward to seeing Brigg for his 5th birthday! I can't believe how fast 5 years has gone by!!!! Then, in a couple short weeks, Sean and I are vacationing to Florida with the Knutsons for 11 days! That will be so nice to get away and relax...hopefully I can clear my mind while I am there!

Online Profile

Our online profile is up and available to see on Bethany.org, so just go to the box that says "Family Profiles" and go to Iowa and we're on the 2nd page. Check it out!

The Wait

I know that Sean and I have been waiting for a baby for a few weeks now, but today the "official wait" started. The reason is because we have absolutely NOTHING left to do through Bethany Christian Services. The next time we hear from them...it should be good news!

Today we had our in home study. Our social worker came to our home for a couple of hours and spent time asking us questions and finishing our study. It went very well! Shortly after that, we got a call from the Bethany director telling us that our Criminal checks had come back and to be checking the family profiles on the Bethany website this week for our profile.

Bethany has placed 2 children since the 4th of July! That is so wonderful! One of the waiting couples that we know was place with a little boy about a week ago and we are so happy for them. Everything went smoothly for them and their experience was great! We pray that we could be so blessed!

I began making a rug today for the nursery and WOW it is TEDIOUS!!!!!! I am going to keep at it though. It will definitely be keeping me plenty busy as I realized that it is a slow moving project and takes a TON of time to do. It will be very satisfying to finish though. In addition to that, I am still finishing up the blanket I am crocheting, so I have plenty of projects to keep me busy. :)

Sean is getting more and more excited about our upcoming adoption, too. It's becoming extremely real for the both of us as each item on our list is checked off. I don't think it could feel any more real than it already does...that is until we get the baby! The wait continues...

Adding to the list...

I am adding another project to my list of "Things to do before the baby arrives". This weekend I looked for a rug for the nursery and found it extremely difficult to find a rug in the correct color and size that I needed. The one I did find was not that large and it was $129.99! SO, I am making a rug for the nursery! I am going to buy the necessary items tomorrow and hopefully start it soon. I have never made a rug before, but am anxious to give it a try. I got directions from Melissa's mom and saw one that she has made before and LOVE it, so I think I will attempt the task! :) I'll post a picture when it's done...although it may never get done if we get a baby before it's finished. So part of me hopes it doesn't get done. :) Apparently it's a tedious task and it takes a while, so it may not get finished, BUT it will keep me busy!

Bode's Birthday Party!

 
 
 
  

Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
 
  

 
 
 
  

As you can see in these pictures, Bode didn't really like his cake that much! He could barely choke it down. Looks like Chris and Brenda have a health nut on their hands! HA!

It was hilarious watching Bode eat his ENTIRE cake. He LOVED it and then chugged his whole sippy cup full of milk! He is definitely a Stewart! Then he stayed up to party with the adults until after 10:00 pm. It was a GREAT party!

Parallel Play!

 
 
 
  

Parallel Play was great! Everyone had so much fun! Grandpa danced and Cassie got up with the band and sang. A great time was had by all!

2 Items Closer to Impatience!!!!

 
  
There were several things that I have been doing to keep me busy while we await the arrival of our baby...looking for the perfect lamp, working on my "art project" to hang on the wall, buy a glider/rocker, hang all the pictures and finish crocheting a blanket for the baby. Well, in the last couple of days, I completed 2 1/2 of those tasks. I've hung 1/2 of the pictures, bought the PERFECT lamp and finished my art project. These are a couple of pics of my lamp and art project. Hopefully the other items will keep me busy until we get a baby, otherwise, we may end up with a nursery full of "art projects" I had to do to keep me from getting impatient. :) Ha.

Just bored...

I am sitting at my computer...awake. I wish I was tired. Sean is sleeping and I can't for some reason. I have read everyone's blog that I know and so thought I would post on mine!

Today was a good day. I worked :(. Then Sean and I went to Chris and Brenda's and grilled and hung out with them and Poleys. It was a good time. We watched Rock Star SuperNova and played with Bode and Landon. Then Sean and I headed home and did the final cleaning out of the nursery. It is ready for baby!!!! Although, I bought a lamp today from Pottery Barn Kids for the nursery and I was sooooo excited! It is PERFECT in the room...but when I took it out of the box, I noticed that the lamp was chipped. :( Then I had to box it all back up again and will be exchanging it for a new one tomorrow. I think that God is just keeping me busy so that I can't get impatient! :) And I am completely okay with that because I have yet to stray from the patience I have had regarding the adoption. Once I get the lamp in the room, all we have to do is get a glider and I am working on a small art project for the room too, OH, and I am also crocheting a blanket for the room. If all of those things get done and we STILL don't have a baby...I may become impatient! Pray for me! :) No, I won't let that happen, I'll just take on another project if that happens.

Looking forward to family time this weekend. Times spent with family are my favorite times! I can't believe that Bode will be 1 this weekend! WOW! Time flies! Also, looking forward to watching Parallel Play (Chris's band)!!!

Bode's First Zit!

  
This picture does not do the zit justice at all! It was pretty big for such a little boy! Just before I popped it, I snapped this pic so we could all have a keepsake of his first zit! Ha. He's turning into a young man!!! :)

Bode's 1st Haircut!

 
 
 
I gave Bode his 1st haircut today! He was sucha good boy and now he looks so old!!! :) I took a good 2 inches off the top of his hair, so he was in need of a haircut for sure! He is too cute! 

The nursery!

 
 
We got the nursery pretty much done today. We hung the adorable pictures I got from mom and it looks so great in there! I know I posted pics of the crib a few days ago, but thought I would let everyone see the dressar and pictures too! Now we are just awaiting the baby that will make the picture complete! :) 

Weekend family fun!

 
 
 
  

 
 
  
We had a great weekend this weekend. We went to Colo for some family time on Saturday and stayed the night and then went to church this morning before we headed home. Sean's Dad grilled yummy food and we hung out and played a board game and played with our niece and nephew Leah and Tyler. Aren't they adorable??!!! They grow so fast! I got both of them some 4th of July pj's and so we had a photo session with them in their new pjs. Too cute! It was a great time!