This past month

It has been a while since I last posted! In this last month, we had a garage sale - it went well! A big thanks to both of our parents who came to help out and to all our extended families for donating to our garage sale! What a blessing our family is!

We did meet our birthmom this month as well. Please be in prayer about our adoption. Pray that everything will work out in the Lord's timing and that we will not feel anxious and rest in HIM!

Lilly is a pumpkin fairy for Halloween this year! She went to a Halloween party and we have taken her to our church's Fall Festival. She enjoyed a few things - the train ride (we went twice), the suckers, and the music. She also got a temporary tattoo that she enjoyed showing off! We tried Fried Oreos at the festival and let me tell you.....they were wonderful! If you ever get the chance to try them out - do! They are so yummy! (Lilly enjoyed the powdered sugar!)

Lilly with her yummy sucker!

We also went to an old church friend's little boy's birthday party - Tate turned 3! For favors, they gave away these instruments (clarinet, I think) and Lilly loves to blow on it and march around (here she is after the fall festival in tights, bloomers, my shoes, and her horn!)

It's Fall!

Well, what have we been up to lately? This last weekend, Nina and Papa kept Lilly. Brian and I went out to eat and saw Fireproof. This is a great movie and I recommend all married couples to go check it out, well, really anyone! It challenges you to examine your marriage and make sure you are on God's track and not our own track! There is a Love Dare challenge book that Brian and I want to do sometime. What a great time to reconnect with my Brian! Lilly is now 22 months old! She continually amazes us with new things she can say and do. She is playing so much more independently now - loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals (she loves to put her diapers on them and feed them and put them night night). She can say please (peaz), thank you, and bless you when you sneeze (bess you). I can't believe soon she will be 2!

We got Lilly a little table and chairs to do her coloring and play dough, instead of always sitting at our eating table to do crafts. I think she likes it, she is saying PINK! I think she likes that color.

Brian took Lilly to Chuck E Cheese's for the first time last night while I was teaching. I think they had a good time!

We are getting ready for our neighborhood garage sale this weekend. My parents are coming to help out too, which will be great!

This week we are going to meet our birthmom. Keep us in your prayers that everything goes smoothly!

We're Back!

So - we did survive. Our power came back on Saturday afternoon. I was in Tyler baking cookies and thought I would try our home number for the thousandth time to see if it was ringing. And oh my goodness - it rang! I called Brian back in Houston (he stayed for work) and told him the good news, I also confirmed with a neighbor. I high-tailed it back home on Sunday morning - how good it is to be home! Brian was so great and cleaned out our fridge, bathrooms, and floors, and all the debris outside! He is the best husband! Today the trash people finally came and took it all away! The only thing now is our fence. We don't have a back fence, so we have to either take Dakota out on a leash, tie her to our back porch, or take her for a walk. I will definitely take this small inconvenience compared to no power!

Interesting fact - we were supposed to have gone to Galveston the 18-21st (last Thursday-Sunday for a long weekend with my parents and Brian's parents). This obviously did not happen. Our condo is a wreck and Galveston in uninhabitable at the moment! Bummer!

Things to remember for next hurricane:
1. Buy trash sacks for yard clean up before it happens (we had none and had to stand in a 30 minute line at Home Depot and be escorted one by one into the store for supplies) :)

Thanks so much to Brandon, Katy, Lexie, and Emily for letting us stay for a week. We had fun hanging out with you guys - ya'll are so generous! Thanks mom and dad for a fun weekend - Lilly enjoyed the fair!

Hurricane Ike

Hello from Houston! We survived the hurricane with minimal damage, but still no POWER!! We lost power Friday night when the storm was starting around 11 pm. It was crazy to hear the power behing the storm and the wind. Lilly slept right throught it all! In the morning, we found we had lost our fence and had a little water in Lilly's room from the window. Other than that, just a lot of limbs and trees down and of course power. It is day 6 without electricity and boy, that is so something we have always taken for granted! We have been spending the night at Brian's brother's house since Saturday. They are so gracious to give us a room to sleep in, food to eat, hot showers, washing our clothes, and letting Dakota stay too. Pray we get power soon! More to come....

Update

This week we found out the due date for the baby has been pushed back to November 12th. We have not met the mom and expect to meet her some time in October. Please pray for all the details to work out and for the birthmom and baby to stay healthy.

So, nothing too much to report. For now, I have to Rest in Him. I need to be still, and reflect on the greater purpose of our lives and yield to our Creator. I am so not in control, and that is okay.

First Day of Mother's Day Out

Yesterday was Lilly's first day of Mother's Day Out! I have to say I was so nervous for her - she obviously did not know what was coming - so I was the one with the nerves. I packed her little lunch the night before and got all her things together. I tried to take a first day of school picture before we left, but she was not into that as you can see, she is constantly on the move and so hard to take a picture of! I did get one of her back and her lunch box. She also has a cute backpack and princess nap mat. Yes, they eat lunch there and take a nap. Her MDO is from 9:15 to 2:15, which is a very long time when you are not used to it.

She did cry when I left her and I did get teary walking to the car without her. I spent my time going to the bank, grocery store, and working on my school lessons. When I went to pick her up, I peeked in and she was not being held or crying - which I was so glad! She was actually playing and when she saw me, she was so excited! We got a little report card and she ate all her lunch, liked the playground, and took a 40 minute nap! All in all, I think a good first day!

I know this is going to be so good for her and me. She will get to play with other kids her age and learn, too! She is at a church, so I know they will pray there and teach her something about Jesus as well! My little Lilly is growing up and gaining some independence. She is very special!

Just some highlights

This week was a week of celebration and new beginnings. My wonderful husband passed a big test for certification for his job! Yeah! We are so excited! My niece, Lexie, accepted Jesus into her heart! How wonderful! I started back to school teaching with 34 students and 30 chairs (first come first serve) and we met Lilly's teacher for MDO which starts this Tuesday. Brian also got to go to Waco to Baylor's first at home football game (we did not win, but he enjoyed the crazy adventure with the guys). Fun stuff!