Isaac's Lego Party!

I had so much fun putting this party room together and was very happy with the outcome.

Party favor bags

The cakes that did not look as cute!
This was my first ever attempt at doing my kid's birthday cakes.
I will likely NOT be doing that ever again!

They guessed how many legos were in the jar (131) and the winner won a Lego book.

The boy's first activity was to build their own Lego man.

My friend Ashley brought her 9 year old and helped take care of Jasmine which was a BIG help.

The second activity was to build a lego vehicle.

Time for Lego Brick Pizza!
(made by Dad...who did such a great job!!)

Then it was out to the pinata!
Isaac knocked it down on the first try....SO we moved it over to the swing.

Ashley and I joked that this looked more like a fraternity initiation than a birthday party!!

Time to sing Happy Birthday and blow out the candles!

After cake and icecream they played "Pass the gift". I wrapped a Lego movie DVD like 25 times and when the music stopped, the kid holding it had to unwrap it...leaving the final kid holding the DVD to win it! They loved this and were shouting every time it was still wrapped. It got rowdy!!

Isaac then opened his gifts!

We ended the party with watching a Lego movie and having popcorn and mini candy bars.

This was the easiest and most laid back party I have ever done. We loved that all the moms (except Ashley!) dropped the boys off...so we didn't have to entertain and feed a bunch of adults too!

It's Official!

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart...
~Jeremiah 1:5

She is ours forever...even though we already knew that!

Billy's mom was there to celebrate and take pictures for us. We got some good family shots...as you will see in the following photos it is not easy to get 4 kids to all look at the camera and smile!

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. ~Psalm 126:3

Waiting to go into court...

And more waiting...

It was actually our shortest wait for all our adoptions!

And our judge was the nicest we have had. She gave Jasmine a little bear (seen being held by her). And as previously noted...4 kids...smiling...looking at the camera...at the same time...NOT easy, people!

Adoption rocks!!

Checking out the suspicious bear.Hope deferred makes the heart grow sick, but when dreams come true,
there is life and joy.
~Proverbs 13:12

Adopting Once Again...

In a few hours, I will be standing in a court room officially adopting my fourth child. I can hardly believe it myself! In 7 years, since we began trying to conceive, the Lord has seen fit to provide me with two sons and two daughters. I am often overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude when I think of that and how far I have had to come.

My best friend tagged this photo of us awhile back on Facebook. Here we are in college. You can see she is holding her Bible, I am holding some kind of note taking journal. We look so very young. This might be the day we were baptized, dunked in the same water.

I think we both had the same reaction to seeing this photo. Sure, we had known sadness and suffering. But this was before LIFE hit us hard. Smack. Me with infertility, her with a life long chronic illness. When this picture was taken, the world was ours to behold! God sat in his rightful place as Lord. We trusted. We hoped. And our worlds came crashing down. Our faiths were shaken. God had to become more real to us than He ever had when we sat around and sang, "Better Is One Day" and "The Old Rugged Cross". We sang those songs with passion until the day we became all too personally acquainted with HIS grief through our own intense suffering.


In the past week, I have heard two pastors use the phrase "be fruitful and multiply" to describe those of "us" in my stage of life. People laughed, cheered, and clapped at the Biblical reference because it so obviously was true about the groups I sat in. I didn't. For me, those words still have a sting. I was neither fruitful, nor have I multiplied.

MY contribution to this world cannot be seen in the passing down of my DNA.
But, I have seen the glory of God manifested in a way I never would have had my children come from my body. HE gets the glory for the life that I have lived. I have said before, I would have just been ordinary. One more Mom in a sea of Moms. And that is okay. But the Lord had something extraordinary for my life.

MY contribution to this world comes in the lives of the sweet tan and brown faces reflecting God's redemption, mercy, hope, joy, LOVE.

"Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home." Isaiah 60:4

Happy Adoption Day, Jasmine Faith!

This Weekend

THIS child will be adopted and THIS child will turn 7 years old!

I am quite preoccupied with getting through the weekend and will blog again when I can.
I have lots of ideas for posts but cannot organize my scattered thoughts long enough to type anything out!

Chuckie Cheese With Jayden's BFF

With both our husbands working all day Saturday, Jayden's best friend Cooper's Mom and I decided to head off to Chuck E Cheese for lunch. It was long overdue cause our husbands usually get together to do things like attend a Cowboy's game, racquetball, and who knows what else...but we never really seem to make time to hang out other than family lunches after church on Sundays. But, we finally did and it was a blast!

Cooper's favorite game was basketball! LOL!

Jayden ate so much pizza I lost count!

Vivi is still deathly afraid of Chuck E. She screamed and lept over the stroller to get to me when he started to make his rounds. It was sad and hilarious all at the same time!

Vivi and Cooper riding a simulated movie.

Baby's First Trip to Chuck E. Cheese!

PJ's and a Movie at Church

A friend of ours at church organizes playdates for Moms and their preschool aged (and younger) kids. Last month it was a morning brunch in their pajamas.

The kids loved doing fruit kabobs!

Then we watched Tangled! One of our favorite movies.
(If you look closely at the bottom of the screen you will see Jasmine in a fit cause I put her down to take pictures. This is my life these days!)