Reflections......

As our 3rd Gotcha Day anniversary with Lilli rapidly approaches, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on my journey as an adoptive parent. I think adoption chose me as much as I chose the path to motherhood.

I remember thinking about adoption when I was a teenager. I know that God had my course to being a Mommy already plotted out. I look at my infertility differently now. I have no regrets. The pain has vanished.

When I look into Lilli's beautiful, brown, almond-shaped eyes, I can't imagine another child as my daughter. I don’t see a nationality or race, just “my girl”. Like a puzzle, our family fits together. Perfectly.

I thank God for all of my unanswered prayers. She's my miracle.  I am so thankful that God trusted me enough to "mother" this magnificent, chosen child. What a gift!!
Wishing everyone a blessed Tuesday! ((HUGS))

My little DUKE fan!!

DUKE won the 2011 ACC Tournament against their rival team UNC this weekend... and what a fantastic, awesome win it was!

Lilli's "boyfriend" Kyle, is third from the left holding the trophy.

My lil' DUKE fan was cheering her heart out. This is pretty normal for DUKE games, but yesterday she cheered soooooo much, I had to go into another room to watch the game. Without her knowledge, I video'd a little of her cheering on her "boyfriend" Kyle Singler... I thought I'd share. Even if you are a fan of another team, you can't help but laugh. FUNNY!! She's my girl!!

(Make sure you pause the music at the bottom of the screen)

Congratulations to Lilli's team... ACC Tournament Champions!

WooOoo-HoOooOooo ~ Yeaaaaaye!!

Hope everyone has a awesome, Blue Devil day! ((HUGS))

Praying... praying hard!

Just like everyone else... I awoke this morning to the horrific news that a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, followed by aftershocks and several tsunamis.  I am praying so hard for the people of Japan.  The lives that are lost, the injured, the destruction to their infrastructure... the tsunami waves now pounding other areas of the Pacific.  My heart is heavy... it is so upsetting to watch the replays on the television.
Oh Abba, watch over these peaceful people in the days to come! I pray that peace will come soon.
If you can contribute... please make contributions to your local Red Cross chapter today, or visit their website at http://www.redcross.org/en/ to donate today.
Every little penny counts!!!

Times are tight, but every single one of us can help... we just need to dig a little deeper! PLEASE!!!

UPDATE:
I have found out that a very dear friend and her father are at the airport in Toyko. They traveled to Thailand to vist family and were on their way home. They are safe, but a little cold. Seems flights won't be heading out for several days. Please pray for my friend Esther & her father Preecha.
Also, I have a friend whose sister & her family are stationed in Okinawa, Japan. It appears they are safe as well... but all of this is based off of news reports. Right now, they can not be reached. Please pray for my friend Angel's sister Wendy and her family's safety.
THANK YOU PRAYER WARRIORS!!! YOU ROCK!!

"37 Things to Do at Home as a Family!"

Found the article below on http://www.engagedmarriage.com/
You will find below 37 things that you can do as a family on the next Sunday (or any day) that you find yourself cooped up with your young children (or just with your spouse). Not only are these ideas family-friendly, but they are essentially free so you won’t be putting a strain on your budget or hurting your plans to get out of debt!
Better yet, use these fun activities on a sunny day when you could easily be mowing the yard or running errands. I bet you will not regret it!
1.Watch an old movie you enjoyed as a kid.
2.Read stories to each other.
3.Make up a funny story and take turns adding the next line.
4.Play a good ole board game.

5.Let the kids choose an activity.
6.Invite Grandma/Grandpa over for cookies.
7.Talk about your favorite times from last week & what you look forward to next week.
8.Discuss the homily/sermon from the morning’s church service.
9.Have a real tea party.
10.Bake some cookies together.
11.Play hide and seek.
12.Grab an umbrella and take a walk in the rain (galoshes optional)!
13.Let the kids help make dinner.
14.Have a friendly family wrestling match.
15.Let the kids play dress up in your clothes.
16.Make sock puppets and put on a performance.
17.Draw a family portrait with each person drawing their own picture.
18.Construct a monster Lego project.
19.Paint a room together (only for the brave at heart)!
20.Create a huge tower using blocks or plastic cups.
21.Gather the whole family (in their PJ’s) into Mom & Dad’s bed and watch a movie.
22.Go through and check all of the kids’ toys and set aside the old ones for charity.
23.Have a Nintendo Wii tournament.
24.Sing karaoke.
25.Watch old family videos and share your memories.
26.Have a dance party!
27.Build a fort (pillows, blankets and chairs work well) and play Army or Knights/Princesses.
28.Dress up in your Halloween costumes whatever the time of year.
29.Play together in the garage or unfinished basement (roller skates, bikes, soccer).
30.Play a favorite card game.

31.Make paper airplanes and see who’s can fly the furthest.
32.Play I Spy.
33.Act out a favorite story.
34.Get out some pictures and make a family photo album.
35.Play Charades.
36.Build a huge puzzle together.
37.Go out and play in the rain!
There you have it. Next time you are faced with bored kids and restless parents, shift your thinking and look at the opportunity you have to spend quality time together. You can create long-lasting memories for your children, and even better memories for yourself!
What are your favorite things to do together as a family when you are home? What are some of your best childhood memories from long days spent around your house? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
Today is Thankful Thursday! I'm thankful for rainy Sundays... or anyday that I can spend quality time with my family! What are you thankful for today? Have a terrific Thursday, my friends! ((HUGS))

Wordless Wednesday - Blanket Pile-On!

He's a good Daddy...OH-YES-HE-IS!!  Danny has so much patience and he's a good playmate too!  How in the world did I get so lucky? It's a "God thing" for sure!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday! ((HUGS))

Peyton's Bowling Party

One of Lilli's good preschool friends celebrated her 4th birthday on Sunday - A BOWLING PARTY!! Danny took Lilli to the party, so I could have a little "me time"... What a good man!!!

Part of the 'preschool gang'... Lilli, Adyson, Peyton & Mason

Lilli's 1st time bowling! Such concentration... LOL

Looks like a STRIKE to me!

Mommy - I want one!!

Best friends & silly girls - Adybug & Lillibug

Who are you calling Adyson?

Yeeeeeaaaaaaye - CUPCAKES!!!

Peyton LOVED her new Dora the Explorer movies that Lilli gave her!

I'll have to admit, Danny did a great job taking pictures. I think I am going to have to hand the camera over to him a little more often. Maybe then I'll actually get in some of the pictures!
Danny said all the kids had a terrific time. I almost wish I had experienced this one! Three & four year olds bowling... What a riot!
Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday! ((HUGS))

Back to the Drawing Board... AGAIN!

I am going to make another attempt to get back to blogging. This time, I hope it's successful. I have so many folks asking me WHEN? When are you going to update your blog? Well honey, that's a loaded question. I wish I could say that I was going to be updating again, every day/every other day... but life has thrown us a curve ball. I know I need to do it... blogging make me happy & I need all the happiness I can get these days. So here's hoping for blogging success!!
We had a really nice weekend... the sun came out to play with us for a little while on Saturday. Enjoyed it and the warmer weather while it lasted... Lilli is all about playing outside, so she really enjoyed herself.

Danny's Mom continues to struggle with her cancer. It has been a hard month. Lilli is now aware than Grandma is sick, but doesn't understand the extent of it. Only that Grandma cannot pick her up and that she probably won't be getting better. She knows that Grandma isn't herself and that she can no longer play with her like she used to. A hard pill for a 3 year to take, but Lilli seems to be handling it like a champion! Please continue to keep Claudette in your prayers. We know nothing more about her prognosis... just that it's Stage 4 metastatic Breast cancer (attached to her stomach, lymph nodes and bones) and that her days, months are numbered. She got a hard road ahead of her!!
I'll try to do better blogging, my friends... thanks for your patience with me! ((HUGS))