First Day at the Beach

And, We're Off!!!

We are off to the beach! I am so looking forward to relaxing (hahaha) and spending time with my husband and my TWO KIDS (woo hoo!) at the beach! This has turned into an annual trip with four other families. We all go in together on renting a big house and every family gets a bedroom and a bathroom. We had a blast last year and are looking forward to another fun week! My next post will be from the coast!!

"Heartaches We Go Through...

...are often blessings in disguise."

When Michael and I were married (7 years ago, where does the time go?) we had a video montage made to show at our rehearsal dinner. Not unlike what many families do, ours had pictures of us growing up and then pictures of our dating and engagement. There were 3 songs on it and one of those songs was "How Could I Ask For More" by Cindy Morgan. It honestly was the last song we threw in there because we just needed a song to space the gap between the music and a few other pictures. Michael and I were at a loss about what song to choose and my mom suggested that one. We listened to it and it sounded fine and meaningful, so we gave a copy of it to the couple putting our slideshow together.

When Riley turned one I made a video montage to document his coming into our family and also the first six months he had been home with us. I don't remember intentionally putting this same song into his slideshow, but it seemed to fit and so it is a part of his video, too.

The other day I was driving home and I turned the radio on and I caught the end of this same song. I was struck by the words in the last verse and how fitting they were to describe the life that Michael and I are blessed to be living.

So if there's anything I've learned
From this journey I am on
Simple truths will keep you going
Simple love will keep you strong
Cause there are questions without answers
Flames that never die
Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise
So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord
How could I ask for more

Beautiful girl

Our beautiful girl has now been home one month!!

Uncle John--the graduate

Yesterday, my brother John graduated from high school! I can't believe it...I'm not even his mom and I think he grew up too fast! It is crazy to think that when Michael and I first started dating John was just starting the 4th grade. We are so proud of John and can't wait to see how God continues to use him for His glory.

John was the student body president at his school, so he got to welcome everyone and present a scholarship. Here are some pictures:

Mom and Dad with John

John welcoming the guests

Getting his diploma

Uncle John with Mary Kenzie and Riley

Strawberries, Soccer, and Sleeping Beauty

Right now I am enjoying the splendid, sacred seconds of solitude...Mary Kenzie is napping and Riley is napping and our dog Bismarck is napping and Michael is at work and I am sitting here just savoring the silence. It is wonderful! ;)

Sleeping Beauty
I really think that Mary Kenzie has the sleeping down pat! She has slept through the night now for 6 nights in a row. She is taking 2 naps a day for anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2...occasionally 3 hours. We are into a great routine! What a difference a week makes!

Strawberries
On Saturday we had a family outing and went strawberry picking! I love picking strawberries and eating them is even better. Look at my amazing man...it takes skill to bend your 6'6" frame down to pick strawberries while balancing a 20 pound lovebug on your back!






Soccer
Riley just finished his very first soccer season. He played on a Y league with 3 and 4 year olds. He and his cousin Jacob were on the same team. It was a little crazy but Riley seemed to have fun and especially loved playing goalie. At the end of his last game on Saturday, he was surprised and excited to get his very own trophy with his name on it!

3 weeks

3 weeks ago today we were handed our sweet Mary Kenzie for forever. We are continuing to adjust. Mary Kenzie continues to be a happy and laid back baby. We are still trying to get into some type of routine with naps and bedtime. The beginning of the week was hard with a few days of no naps or very, very short naps. The last day or so has been much, much better. Today, she took a 2 hour afternoon nap! Mary Kenzie has slept through the night for 2 nights in a row! What a difference it makes for this mama when I can sleep through the night!

Here are some more pictures!

(Michael and I really are the ones who feed MK her bottles but Riley really wanted to help one morning, so I let him and had to take a quick picture!)

Dedication Sunday and Mother's Day

Yesterday we dedicated Mary Kenzie at church. It was very surreal to me to actually have my baby home for Mother's Day and then to be able to dedicate her that same day, too, was absolutely wonderful.

The verse that we chose for Mary Kenzie was John 1:16 "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." That is truly how we feel about our daughter...she is a blessing that we have received from the Lord. I hope that we never lose sight of the gift that she is...that we have been entrusted to by God because of His grace.


After church, we had brunch with my family at my parents' house. Everyone was there except for my sister Meredith who lives out of state (we missed you, Mere!). Everything was so much fun except that while at church my sister Karoline's car which was parked in front of my parents' house was the victim of a hit-and-run accident.


Later in the afternoon, we met up with Michael's family at a local park for a picnic lunch. It was so nice outside and we had a great time gathering with them, too!


Here are some pictures from our day:

The Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. For those wanting to get away from it, it is nearly impossible to avoid. In the stores there are huge displays of chocolates and flowers and gifts and greeting cards. Commercials on tv boasting of the perfect gift for Mother's Day. Families tomorrow gathering in homes or going out to eat to celebrate.

For many, tomorrow is one of the hardest days of the entire year. It is another reminder of an unfulfilled dream, a longing that has yet to be met. It is a day that for several years (other than celebrating the moms in my family) I just wanted to skip entirely. For several years I especially wanted to avoid church...I hated when all of the moms would stand and be honored...it felt very uncomfortable to me because I wanted to be one of the women standing but I couldn't because I had yet to become a mom. I hated the jealous thoughts that were in my heart as I saw friends become moms one by one...leaving me in my own club of married with no kids.

Mother's Day was a day that I honestly felt even more infertile than other days...I felt like there was a neon sign above my head that was flashing saying "unable to conceive."

Tomorrow will be a very special day for me...as my good friend Leann pointed out this will be Mary Kenzie's first holiday with us. Tomorrow we also will have our baby girl dedicated to the Lord at church. And, tomorrow will be a day of celebration because God has given me the desires of my heart by giving me children to call my very own. Children not of my womb but of my heart.

For those of you for whom tomorrow is a very dark and lonely day, I want you to know that I am praying for you. I am praying that God will you give you the desires of your heart. I am praying that He will meet you in the pit that you may find yourself in and that He will be your hope. I am praying knowing that:
"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

Nightmares and Dreams

**Thank you for continuing to check in on us...I am sorry I have been slack in updating lately. But, I actually have several posts already scheduled to come out over the next few days, so please continue to stop by!!**

Nightmare
A few nights ago I had a terrible nightmare. Michael and I had traveled to Korea to get Mary Kenzie. When we got there we found out that she was actually with a foster family in South Carolina. We got on the first flight we could and flew all the way back home. It was a Thursday afternoon when we arrived home. We decided we would jump in the car and drive to South Carolina to pick her up. Because of all the communication problems with our agency, I told Michael to call and make sure that we could get her the next day. When he talked to our contact at the agency she said that she was so sorry but things had changed again and we couldn't get Mary Kenzie until the next week or the following week. Then, I woke up.

I think that we had so many communication problems with our agency this time that I have post adoption stress disorder. (I am really just kidding!) I was very relieved to wake up and know that my baby girl really is home!

Dreams
Tuesday was Children's Day in Korea. This is one of the biggest holidays in Korea. We usually celebrate by going out to eat somewhere that Riley would enjoy and giving a special gift. This year we went to a local hot dog and ice cream shop which is Riley's very, very favorite place to eat. We had a fun night! Here is a shot of our children :) in front of the restaurant.

On the way to the restaurant (I had Riley and Mary Kenzie. We were meeting Michael there after work), Riley started talking about more babies. He said he thought we need to have 5 babies in our family. He said that we really needed a baby brother next. He said "where do we get our baby from?" I said, "You tell me." He said "from Jesus!" I told him that was right and if he wants another baby he needs to ask Jesus. He asked if he could pray right then! This is what he prayed:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for this wonderful day. Thank you for me, and mommy, and daddy, and Mary Kenzie. And, Jesus, could you please give us a baby brother really soon? In Jesus' name, Amen."

Sweet girl

Laughing girl