l just love this picture...thats all!

Merry Christmas 2008

Kennedys Birthday party

Night Out!

Four Christmases it was and it was super cute. Topped off by dinner at O'Charleys, a couple coold beverages. Night complete

This didnt just happen overnight, but seriously having a 2 year old is proving to be a challenge! I cant seem to get anything done around my house lately! She follows me around everywhere and if she thinks I am gonna do something without her, she starts crying and throws herself on the floor! Im not sure but I think she may be spoiiled, now I just have to figure out how to un-do it!

We have a date night Friday night, we are going to dinner and a movie.
Some options are
Four Christmases
Marley and Me
Twilight

We have been having freezing rain and the roads are soooooooooo slick. Me and April both made it in to work so after we finished our appts we did each others hair! I got some mean low-lights!!

Kennedys 2 year old pics

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!!

Today is Kennedys 2nd Birthday! I cant believe how much she has grown since she joined our family!
Kennedy you are such a treasure I love you so much Happy Birthday Sweets!!!

Introducing...Cash Wyatt

He arrived on 11/28/08
6lbs 13 oz
Pure Perfection!!




Seriously, isnt it ridiculous how pretty she looks and she just gave birth a few hours ago in this picture!!




This is a sweet picture, Jerry is such a proud Papa

A bit of Perspective

I have to stop and put things into perspective. This year Thanksgiving was such a wonderful experience for me. I still have days where I have to pinch myself to make sure this is not a dream.
From the day Brian and I were married almost 14 years ago, we knew we wanted to have a child. We began trying about a year into our marriage and when a year later we still werent pregnant we sought help from a fertility specialist. We tried various treatments and medicines off and on again until the only thing left to try was in-vitro fertilization. This was a $15,000 procedure that would have given us about a 20% chance of becoming pregnant.
After much prayer and many breakdowns trying to come to terms with the fact that I may never be a mother, Brian and I both decided that becoming parents was much more important to us than me actually giving birth to a child. It was harder for Brian than it was for me, I simply wanted to me a Mom, the way it happened wasnt as important to me. The days of trying and failing month after month brought such deep despair for me, I felt like a failure and it was so incredibly hard to watch our dear friends grow their families even though I was so happy for them and excited to see their dreams being fulfilled. It is so hard for anyone to understand wanting a child so desperately and feeling so out of control of the situation.
It is so miraculous to me that out of the deepest disappointment month after month, year after year has come THE SWEETEST BLESSINGS FROM GOD. Even now after Two years with them, sometimes in a store, I walk past a toy or see something and for only a brief moment I feel that pang of emptiness because I dont have a child to share it with, only to remember that those 11 years I felt that feeling day after day are OVER!!! I do have a child, and not only one but 2!! It was only 2 short years ago it was the saddest time of my life. My sweet Mom had just passed I wondered if I would ever be able to feel happiness again. So this year on Thanksgiving I have to stop and give Thanks for my many blessings!
What a glorious gift from God are Logan and Kennedy. I feel like I have won the lottery every day only so much better, these children are so much a part of my life it doesnt matter to me that I didnt give birth to them. I could not love them anymore, it brings tears to my eyes to think about how very much they are loved. I pray that each and every person who has a desire to become parents and cannot get pregnant will consider an avenue of adoption. Take it from me every time they wrap their tiny arms around your neck or you hear them say "Momma I want you to hold me" you will be forever glad that you did. Adoption is a gift that gives back to you every day of your life!!!!

Pictures from Thanksgiving Day!!

I am taking pics with my new lens trying to get practice for taking our Christmas picture!!

Here are the pics on my living room wall



What r u doing Kennedy???

There are so many things I could say about this picture...but all I will say is that I love Logans creativity and I love that his Daddy encourages it by cutting him a hole to see through!

Four Years old ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you Logan

Can you beleive hes wearing shorts on Thanksgiving? Is it really almost December I dont know whats up with the weather but I love it!!

Brian hard at work on our Southern tradition...Deep Fried Turkey ..mmmmmmmm

Well...He finally did it!!!!!

After church we headed over to the mall as Pam and I were there the day before and I saw SANTA!!!! I came home and reported the sighting to Logan so it was the most natural after church destination!!
We stood in the already formed line for about 15 minutes before his arrival, me fully expecting to have to break a sweat trying to catch Logan as he screamed and ran at break neck speed with the chase ending at abouut Baby Gap (An exact repeat of last year)

BUT

My big boy climbed right up the stood and assumed his place on Santas lap to give him a detailed list of his hearts desires! He has scoured every toy catalog, Toys R Us, Penneys and Target to make sure he explored all his choices before deciding and finally declaring
"Momma can I have everything" or "everythang" in his little southern slang voice =) I dont know where he gets that!!! ;)

FYI Kennedy was just as much the Princess as she always is, I sat her on the available knee and though she did look a little nervous (think ELMO at Haloween) she managed a smile and we got the picture I have hoping for!!
This is the 3rd Christmas Logan has been a blessing to us and I finally got it!! It makes me proud that he is growing up!!!!
I'll scan and post the picture later!!

Thanksgiving

A few things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving

That I am a child of God
My husband and children
Our home
Fabulous and supportive friends
Terrys recovery

AND

That gas prices are $1.58 cents a gallon and people can actually afford to have their color done =)

Sleep Number beds

My new Macro camera lens (an early Christmas present) Thanks Brian!!!!

A new arrival!!!

We are officially on Baby Cash watch!! The much anticipated event will be sooner rather than later it looks like.
Please pray that baby Cash will be born healthy and that Krystal has a smooth delivery and quick recovery!! He is a bit earlier than we would like, she is 35 weeks. Its looking like he will arrive before Thanksgiving!
We cant wait to meet him, we are just praying that the Lord will protect them both!!

Brians new creation!

Last weekend Brian started building a swingset for the kids, its almost done now and they enjoyed the warmer temps this afternoon its the first time they got to play on it!!

Logan is such a good big brother!

2 Years

Its been 2 years today that my beautiful Mother departed this world! I think of her every day and love her dearly! I am so thankful for the wonderful memories and the time we had together I only wish she had been able to meet our babies!!

Sweet

About a year ago, a friend from our online adoption group, Rachel told me about a couple who were expecting a baby and needed prayers. I checked out the blog and fell instantly in love with the familly, their strength and faith in God was ever present throughout their struggles. Their daughter Reese was born with complications they knew her time with them would be short.

Of course I dont know them personally but their beautiful testimony has been so inspirational to me. I was checking for Halloween posts on the blogs I read and when I looked at theirs, I learned they had lost their beautiful baby girl. She went to Heaven on her 1st Birthday. They are a lovely family and I would like to ask you lift them up in your prayers. If you would like to see their story
their blog is
http://www.kostjuk5.blogspot.com/

pam and kennedy

At the beginning of Halloween planning, I wanted to dress them both in Two things that went together, well little did I know that Logan had his mind made up, it was the web slinger. I had a hard time deciding on a costume for Kennedy a bumble bee or a pumpkin. In the end it was a pumpkin, hands down but here are pics of both

She talks about Elmo ALL the time but poor Kennedy, she looks sooooooo nervous in these pics

The costume we didnt choose! She looks so cute in it too but she was the cutest pumpkin I've ever seen!!!

Without muscles

With muscles

perfecting the art of web slinging after completing Daddys class: web slinging 101

Trick or Treat

Halloween is over! My little trick or treaters are tucked in their beds. We had a great time, we went church, they had tons of stuff for the kids to do. A bouncy castle, candy, clowns, scooter races but my kids were looking most forward to seeing ELMO!! Logan has been talking about it since Wednesday, I had my doubts, but he assured me he was going to have his pic made with him so we stood in the long long line and when it was my little Spidermans turn...he changed his mind!!!! =) An exact repeat of Santa last year LOL, he pleaded with ELMO to talk, ordering him almost, "Talk, Talk" I guess since the poor guy dressed as Elmo knew he couldnt duplicate the infamous Elmo voice, he opted not to talk, thus Logan didnt get any closer to him than 5 feet or so. Oh well, maybe next year!!! Kennedy didnt get a chance to say NO, Brian plopped her down in his lap and stepped away, she seemed a bit confused although, her new favorite word is Elmo, she carries him around the house, watches him on DVD so I am proud to say I got several great shots of her sitting on Elmos lap!! Thank goodness we didnt stand in the line for nothing
We left there and went to some friends house for a visit and we ended the night with a delightful dinner at the always delish O'Charleys!!
They enjoyed themselves so much, I hope you guys had a great time too I will post pics tomorrow!
----------------Happy Halloween------------

Dont be alarmed...its really Logan


See!!!

SO, I couldnt bring myself to commit to bangs BUT I did finally razor a few angled pieces so we can avoid her hair hanging in her eyes all the time! Pretty cute right?

---- ----

I think Kennedy wanted a loan!

Logans Birthday fell on a Tuesday so as not to totally ignore his actual b-day we headed over to his fav hangout spot Chuck E Cheese. We played games and ate pizza

"Babies Don't Keep"By Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth. Empty the dustpan,
poison the moth.
Hang out the washing, make up the bed, Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo. Dishes are waiting and bills are past dueLullabye, rockaby, lullabye loo.
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew.
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo. But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo. Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrowBut children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Scenes from Logans 4th Birthday Party!!!

Logan was pretty amazed with the slide going up! (So were we)

Logan... eat the cake, not Spiderman!

Kennedy sat in Krystals lap for an hour

So when the slide guys arrived they told us that they have never put a slide into a backyard before that they have only rented it to companies before. We were glad to be the first, it was such a huge hit with all the kids!!! I heard several kids protesting when Mom said it was time to go!!!

We had big kids, little kids, and babies a really great

turnout for Logans party!

Billie Jean, Kennedys teacher was awesome with

all the kids she was so much fun!

Matching dimples!!

The kids thought it was the coolest when there was

an adult on the slide...there were very few who wanted

to slide down so those of us who did took a barage of kids
down with us each time!!!

These are Logans Big Sisters (22) and (16) Proof that slides are fun for everyone!!!