Firsts and Changes...Take a Deep Breath

I feel like this should be my mantra these days. Inhale, exhale. Deep breath. So much change, so many firsts. I adore the excitement surrounding Back to School, but it is always an adjustment. And usually it ends up kicking my rear big time. I'm sure this year will be no exception with all four kiddos once again attending four different schools (at least Caleb's and Isabelle's are in the same campus!). This morning went very smoothly, but Jonah doesn't start until tomorrow, so we'll see how the "real thing" goes. I have made a life or death oath to myself to pack as much of the lunchboxes as I'm able to the night before. I believe this will save me from a long, torturous demise over the long haul. Don't think I'm kidding.  =)  What ever will I do when my counter no longer looks like a little assembly line of lunch boxes and sacks and water bottles?

Entire outfits are arranged neatly in their storage hanger-things in every closet except Ethan's. (I suppose a high school freshman does not need his clothes to be laid out for him each morning. Hey, whatev. ha ha Not a great deal of effort in t-shirts and shorts anyway...) This makes me downright giddy. It's right up there with perfectly sharpened pencils and white socks straight out of the package. Once a teacher, always a teacher I guess.  :)  Homemade waffles-- the good ones with whipped egg whites added to the batter-- is a long-standing tradition in our family. My mother always made them for my brother and me on the first day of school, and I love making them for my children. Imagine if generations from now, my great- great grandchildren are making waffles for their children on this day, all because of what my Mom and I started. That's a really neat thought!

Jonah and I enjoyed a little trek through the woods our local Audubon Society after getting the other three off to school. It was pretty hot and sticky, so we were sweating buckets by the end! Jonah wanted to go see the birds of prey and the owls on display there, so we left poor Ryder in the car for a couple minutes and he howled and howled the entire time. He has such a weird cry/howl/yawning kind of squeal-bark...silly dog. One of the owls acts like it talks to you, looking you right in the eyes, blinking slowly and making this strange-but-adorable clicking sound with its beak. It's so cute I can hardly stand it! Jonah loves animals, and I wonder if he'll be like Jeff Corwin and travel the world to study them. I hope he'll take me with him sometimes. Especially if he goes to Africa. I've wanted to see safari animals in the wild for as long as I can remember.  :)

This past Friday, we loaded up a car full of Ethan's friends to celebrate his 14th birthday up at the resort (we had family over on his actual birthday the week before). It was so much fun! I think they all had a great time, and they were extremely entertaining to watch, and listen to. 14 year old boys are crazy fun! On Sunday, Ethan and I left church early because we weren't feeling well, and I ended up making a huge feast for dinner. I haven't had that much fun in my kitchen for quite a while! I made more delicious rolls -- I'll have to share the recipe. They are so, so good!

Now it's getting late and I'm really tired! Snacks and much-of-lunch are ready to go, outfits have been chosen, kids were cleaned and now sleeping soundly, so I think I'm ready to hit the hay. Good night!

Oh yes, I'm so sorry...I forgot about the giveaway yesterday. Nicole-Lynn, you are the lucky one! I will email you tomorrow. Congratulations!!

Baby Essentials GIVEAWAY for FRIDAY!

It's Friday!!! School doesn't even begin until next week and soccer schedules are already dominating the family calendar...and I love it! Thank you for reading my thoughts about adoption and grieving loss in this post. Today it's all about fun stuff! Time for a giveaway! I have no idea if 2 or 200 or nobody (boo, so sad) will be interested in this, so if you are that ONE person who leaves a comment, this will be your lucky day!=)

I also have this item available in my Etsy shop HERE.

Sweet, adorable Baby Essentials for you or someone you know!

This Gift Set includes:

1 Baby Bib has 100% cotton front, ultra soft and absorbent warmwear backing, and adorable ribbon ties.

1 Burp Cloth//Lovey Blanket is superbly soft and cuddly, snuggle flannel and fluffy warmwear. Measures approximately 8 x 17 inches. 

Machine wash warm or cold/ tumble dry low or warm. 

This, and all items in my shop, come wrapped neatly in tissue paper and natural raffia.

A small gift card is included at no extra charge, and this can be mailed to you or directly to the recipient.

I know the standard protocol is to get as many chances based on how many outlets in which you share the love. So we'll go with that.  :)  If you already follow this blog- thanks!- let me know when you comment; otherwise, follow along and introduce yourself. Tweet it, Facebook it, Blog about it...or don't. Whatever you want! Leave at least one comment {pretty please!}-- you know you want to!  =)

I'll pick a winner on Monday! Good luck & have a fabulous weekend!

ADOPTION and Grieving Loss. And Moving Forward.

That title doesn't seem to match up with all the pictures, but I suppose it does show that life moves on, even in the midst of loss and grief. All day yesterday my mind just played and replayed the events of the past week, the ones where my heart was ready to explode with happiness because of our new baby girl and all of the details surrounding her soon-to-be birth, which all seemed so incredibly perfect. The joy very nearly erased the pain of waiting these two long years, eased the pain of rejection after rejection from birth families who were looking for something, someone, else. Browsing through aisle after aisle of newborn girl onesies and socks and sleepers, all because I could. I was in heaven! It has been over ten years since I've had an infant in our home, and I'm glad I was alone in the store because I was probably squealing louder than I thought I was. =) I loved every moment I had shopping for Isabelle and making her little outfits, but the circumstances of her adoption were extremely different, and we did not have the first 19 months together. We were tossing names back and forth (I've always had my favorites...now just to get the other person on board, ha) and setting up furniture in our bedroom. Dreaming, quietly and out loud, celebrating, counting down the days, finding airline tickets, making plans and lists for parents who will take over in our absence...

And then, the phone call. Not the good one, the bad one. The one that leaves you breathless, desperate, confused and heartbroken. There are so many details that I can't possibly explain them all here. There were several calls that day, each progressively less hopeful. And by the end of the day, we had our answer: No. No, this adoption could not happen. No, there was nothing we could do about it. No, this was not our baby. No. No. No. We have so much to be thankful for, and even through this pain, we feel God's presence and protection over us. My heart aches for those who endure these trials without knowing God's peace and love because it makes all the difference.

So the good things? A beautiful trip to the ocean with my Mom. A new clothesline and sheets hanging out to dry. Gaggles of turkeys waddling through the yard in the early morning. Late-night hot fudge sundaes for the newest member of the high school soccer team after three days of intense try-outs (Go Ethan!!!!!!!). Doing girly things with my girl. Laughter with friends. And quiet times. Discovering new things I enjoy sewing, and even knitting again! **At the recommendation of family and friends, I'm going to sell some of the baby things I'm making, so I'm adding some things to my shop...let me know what you think!** I know everyone faces grief and loss for all sorts of different reasons. Some people shrink and withdraw and become bitter, others move forward with joy and grace and hope. I hope I'm more of the latter. If anyone who is reading this is struggling today, know that I am praying for you. I want to do something else, too-- if you're waiting on becoming a mother either though adoption or pregnancy, or simply dreaming about it and wondering if your dream will ever come true, I want to encourage you to hang on! I don't have any specific answers for you but I do believe with all my heart that God knows you AND your dreams, and He is faithful and wants THE VERY BEST FOR YOU! I remember a special little outfit I had gotten for Isabelle during the long wait to be with her, and every time I looked at it and held it close to my heart, I felt hopeful. I would love to be able to offer a little bit of hope to someone who is struggling right now, so I'm going to do a giveaway from my Etsy shop tomorrow. This can be for you or someone you know, a coworker, neighbor, sister, close friend.... anyone! Stop by tomorrow and I'll have the details.

Have a wonderful, hope-filled day!

Winners & Weekends

Whoops! The whole week flew by and I completely forgot about my little giveaway...sorry! And the winner is...SARA! Thanks so much for playing along (thank you everyone!), and you get to choose your favorite print from my shop! Email me or leave me a comment letting me know. 

It's just about dinner time, it's Friday, and I've had all four lovelies home with me all week long. Did I mention that it's Friday? Have a super weekend!

Ultimate Blog Party 2012...Hello & a Giveaway!

Hi there, welcome to our family blog!
I'm so glad you stopped by today!
I may as well let you know right now that my life is perfect.
I never argue with my husband; in fact, there is no bickering whatsoever amongst our brood.
I can eat chocolate like it's going out of style without ever gaining an ounce.
Everything I cook comes out looking like it should be on the cover of a magazine.
And my kids never eat junk food, and never make messes!

{a certain someone gets really excited about all that healthy food!}

Speaking of children, mine are always squeaky clean.
They also know better than to goof around when I've got my camera in hand, pleading for a group shot.
And nothing in my house ever breaks or gets misused. Ever.

We think children should never, ever have to do chores around the house.
Especially cute ninja kiddos.

And of course have really expensive toys to keep them entertained.

{certainly they're still clean as a whistle!}

We try to develop good hygiene skills at an early age.

And excellent sleep habits.

No one ever whines or cries.

Or gets sick.

 {poor baby}

Okay, so I'll admit it...we aren't perfect. I bet you're shocked!
But we're a family, and there's always someone close by ready to give a hug or a smile.

 And share an adventure or two.
Or a picnic in the living room.
Or stargazing and roasting marshmallows in the backyard.
Sometimes even a special dance.  =)

We've recently begun a mission to live simpler, more purposeful lives. I see homemade laundry detergent in my future. And more trips to the local park than the mall (or Target, gasp!). And possibly chickens.

I love photography and I love to sew...so I finally opened an etsy shop last year- Growing Paiges. Of course I had to come up with a title under duress, so I'm thinking about changing it...the whole permanent thing, yikes!
 Anyhoo.
I'm giving away one of my 5 x 7 prints to one of...YOU! Simply follow this blog and leave a comment, and at the end of the week, someone will get a beautiful picture! I share project ideas and tutorials, recipes, and the occasional review or giveaway, so you could just follow along for fun. The more the merrier!
**OOPS! I just realized I didn't update my shop last week as I had planned...I've got some great prints going in TODAY!**

Most importantly, though, we love Jesus with all our hearts, and rely on His mercy and grace every.single.day.
 Adoption changed our whole life- for the better!! We may have some exciting news to share, which may include having to change the name of this blog....  :)

Thanks again for visiting...I hope you'll stop by again sometime! Click here or on the badge below to return to the party & make some new friends!

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY and MEDICINE DONATIONS!!

I'm up for a challenge...are you up for a challenge?

If you've been reading my ramblings for a while (thank you, by the way!), then you know that our adoption really emptied our bank accounts. Is our daughter worth it? Oh you bet she is!!!!!

However

Now that we're getting back on track I can't help but think of those who are in poverty, sickness, abuse, and desperation ~ God is keeping these things on my mind and in my heart for a reason I believe, and that is where you all come in...

We can make a difference

A huge difference

The difference between life and death

I'm going to do something here that I am not really comfortable doing, but I'm trying to be- I'm relinquishing control and acting on faith.

But I need your help! The more comments left, the more donation dollars given- just a heads up Bill, my loving, adoring, and trusting husband, but God is r-e-a-l-l-y stretching me on this one...soooooooo...

World Vision: Provide $490 Worth of Medicines

Our family will donate $35 of medicines through World Vision for every 35 comments left

And

I will support FAIR TRADE consumerism by giving one lucky reader

This...

Or this...
Or any one of the following items...

(there are a couple of color options for this one-
click on the FAIR TRADE link above to see and then let me know your preference!)

(I bought a necklace just like this last year in Guatemala, and it's one of my absolute favorite pieces!)

All you have to do is leave a comment (please!...even if you NEVER leave comments, please leave one today!) telling me which necklace you'd like to receive...and spread the word!

***UPDATE***

Thanks so much everybody!!

This is bringing up a lot of insecurities for me, so I really appreciate each and every comment left!

***********

Make sure I can reach you via email, because, as you know, I am not that computer savvy, ha!

That's pretty simple, right?

Let's Make a Difference Today!

If you want to become a follower of the blog, or if you already are, then go ahead and make a second comment letting me know, and that will count too! Isabelle will choose the lucky winner on Saturday!

Blessings,