Our weekend in Dallas

Last weekend we took a trip to Dallas. Our first stop was to pick up James' Uncle Dave and then when in Arlington we always eat at In N Out Burger!

Next stop was one of our favorite places on Earth, Rangers Ballpark!

We had a blast! The game was good with the Rangers taking the win of course! The kids were so good, this was the first game we've taken them to that we have been able to stay for the entire game and enjoy it. The weather was also so nice.

The next day we went to The Ft. Worth Zoo. This zoo is awesome!! I would highly recommend anyone going!

James and the boys went into the aviary and fed the birds.

Ridin' in style!

They had a pretty cool touch tank for the kids.

Christopher climbed to the very top of the rock wall and rang the bell!

It was such a fun weekend, it is always nice to get away, have some fun, watch some baseball and make new memories together.

New Family Pictures

I really have not blogged alot this year because I could not stand to look at the pictures that were on my blog. I was just so unhappy with the way my former self looked. I am so not the same person those pictures reflected. So when James asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day I told him family pictures!!
  Our sweet friends Chris and Tiffany Pirtle are amazing photographers and I am so in love with the outcome, I will share just a few of my favorites.
Thank you to Mary, from Bright Sunshine Designs for updating my blog!

Teacher and Staff Week

Last week was Staff Appreciation Week at the kids school. I love the idea of it not being just about the teachers but everyone who works with our kids on a daily basis.

Monday- For a very POPular teacher!

Tuesday-Thank you for helping me "Polish" my skills!

Wednesday- Thank you for being a Scent-"Sational" Teacher! James Henry took these for his Wednesday night teachers at church as well.

Thursday-I'm doing FLIPS that you are my teacher!

On Friday we sent a gift for the ladies in the office and the Principal along with our teachers.
We're NUTS about our teacher, staff, Principal etc.

I love Appreciation week, what a great time to show someone you are thankful for the hard work and time they invest.

 

 

 

 

Christopher's musical

This semester at church our children's ministry has been working on a musical. It was called "Jonah's Druther's" It was a cute western spin on a classic bible story. The kids worked so hard for months, they practiced every Wednesday night, we listened to the CD in our van for months and practiced the dance moves on DVD in our living room.
     They performed it in both services on Sunday. They did an amazing job!! I loved hearing everyone laugh at the funny parts and I did tear up at one point in the play. It's funny how a children's musical can move you. Our preacher mentioned the verse, Isaiah 11:6  (NIV)

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.

     This verse is so true, we can learn so much through our children. We are blessed by our church and the many opportunities it gives our children to grow in their faith and we are so very thankful for the sponsors and ministers that dedicate their time and resources to breath Jesus into our children's lives.

 

Adoption Progress

Whew! These last few months have been super busy! Since February we have:
-told our friends and family about the adoption
-Submitted our first round of mounds and mounds of paperwork
-James and I had our FBI background check
-all 5 of us had a TB test and medical screenings
-we submitted all of our references and our pastoral letter
-we had our fire inspection
-we had our environmental health inspection
-took a day long adoption training
-I renewed my CPR and First Aid certification
-completed more paperwork
-completed some on-line adoption training
-Last but not least we crossed off our final item on Friday, we completed our home study!!!

The last few months have been a whirlwind but we got alot done in a short amount of time and as of Friday we are officially "waiting"! We are waiting to be matched with a sweet girl who will be our daughter. There is no estimate on a wait time it could be next week or it could be a year and we are ok with that because we know it is all God's timing.

We are thrilled that we are at this point and trusting in God for his timing and provision for us to meet our daughter.

Easter week

This year was not a typical Easter holiday for us. On Friday night March 29th, my step-dad John passed away. By the Grace of God I was able to get a seat on the 6am flight out of Amarillo to Dallas and I then rented a car and drove the rest of the way. I was in my moms living room by 11:30am!
   James and the kids stayed behind for two reasons Makayla had her STAAR test (Texas state testing) and his mom already had plans to fly in and spend Easter with us. It was hard for me to go without them and miss Easter with them but I have an amazing husband and he put me on that plane and ran this house like the Super Dad that he is for an entire week! I never had to worry about things here and I was able to concentrate on my mom.  He is a huge blessing to me.
  James, the kids and his mom had a great Easter! Our church children's ministry had a surprise waiting on them Easter morning.

They loved it and had fun looking for the eggs!

My blessings on Easter Sunday...

2 good-looking studs

GG and her grand babies

       They had a great Easter and James cooked a big meal for everyone including my Dad.

James' mom aka GG stayed for a few days and they had a blast!

I know she was a big help to James and they really enjoyed spending time with her.

 

While I was home, I did find joy and perks in seeing and loving on all those nephews of mine!

 

John's funeral was on Tuesday April 2nd and it was beautiful.

You can view his obituary and photo gallery here:

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=John-Rowe&lc=4040&pid=163972835&mid=5478850

I am so thankful I was able to stay with my mom until Friday. John will be missed greatly. He was wonderful to my mom, he bought her love and happiness and my children loved him dearly. In times like these we can only lean on God's word and I am standing firm on it!

 Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I find peace in knowing John's homecoming was on Easter weekend, what an amazing time to go to Heaven.