tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81088783503187713462024-03-18T22:06:55.725-07:00OneMooreMinoronemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-30689416981872886502012-06-24T13:09:00.001-07:002012-06-24T13:09:20.816-07:00Babies, buggies and tea sets oh my!This week Sk has been into baby dolls. She runs around the house with a baby carriage and her baby in it. She puts her fake purse on her shoulder and begins pushing the stroller through the house. She then takes her baby out and tries to give her tea from her teacup and fake cake and cookies also from her tea set. She has become quite the prissy pants this week.
She is saying thank you and please every time she wants something and then gets it. She says baby and duck duck duck. She also now knows where her eyes and mouth are in addition to her nose and belly button. She likes to show people her belly button too. She's hilarious.
We have been going twice a week to toddler play time on post and she has enjoyed playing with other children. They have a kitchen set there and she loves it. She cooks and cooks all morning. She also likes the baby dolls and play house too. She will lay her babies down in the play house and give them a bottle.
Her ability to learn and comprehend more and more each day amazes me. Everyday it seems she blossoms a bit more and learns something new. I am so enjoying spending this time with her as she grows and learns.onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-68352114997371276962012-06-24T13:08:00.000-07:002012-06-24T13:08:08.310-07:00Lord have mercy, we are in for it!In the past two weeks, Selena Kate has done some serious changing. She now hands me a book and says "book". She also says Ming Ming (the duck from WonderPets). She also has completely quit using bottles and only uses her sippy cup. She has become even more opinionated and now will put herself in the corner when she misbehaves; we are in for it now! (I'm thinking this isn't an effective discipline tool). She is eating with a fork and spoon pretty well and thinks its funny to "feed" her baby dolls and purple stuffed monkey. When she's watching Dora she makes monkey noises like Boots does in the beginning. She dances around the living room during Dora or any music for that matter. At almost 18 months she amazes me with what she knows and learns everyday. We are about to move to Alexandria to be closer to my mom and dad, so we are looking forward to that. Everyday is just another fun day with my silly and sweet girl! Love love her and our life.onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-76418695768131402022012-05-31T12:47:00.002-07:002012-05-31T12:47:45.794-07:00Mommy Michelle :)As I mentioned in my previous post, Selena Kate and her birthmom got to spend quality time together over Memorial Day weekend where she met her brother Aidan and spent time with her Gammy and Nana and Uncle Michael too. When we went to Michelle's house and Michelle walked out of the room, Selena yelled: "Mommy" right at Michelle. We refer to Michelle as "Mommy Michelle" so this melted my heart! Selena went to the park and the beach with everyone so here are some additional pictures from that weekend. <br />
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<br />onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-73969411441409009252012-05-28T17:28:00.001-07:002012-05-28T17:28:32.256-07:00Memorial Day Memories!What a great month we have had! Although I resigned from my position to go back to school full time and have been sad from that, we have had a blast as a family! SK and I spent Memorial Day weekend with Grandy and Granddady and Auntie Em in Merritt Island. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to old and true friends. We were able to see SK in her element with all the attention on her and all the cookies she can eat! (What are grandparents for, right?) We also got to spend a whole day with her birthmom and Gammy in Vero Beach. We had an amazing day at the beach and taking pictures of our wonderful amazing adoptive family. SK was able to meet her brother, Aidan and spend time with him at the park. Sk is beat and exhausted from the go go going we have been doing.<br />
A highlight on what SK has been learning...This week she has been saying "Cookie" pretty regularly and knows where they are kept. She tells you, sssshhhh right before you put her to sleep. She knows how to put her bottles together!! And she is loving a little kitchen set Grandy got her and stirs and stirs with a whisk in mixing bowls. She is also obsessed with make up brushes and knows what to do with them. Here are some pics from this month!<br />
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SK in the naughty tree corner because she was hitting and there was no corner at the park<br />
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SK and Mommy!<br />
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SK playing peekaboo<br />
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Running with sticks, oh my<br />
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Michelle, SK and me<br />
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Gammy, Aidan and Michelle<br />
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Sk playing at play plus in Melbourne<br />
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This was her favorite toy.onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-25634079366899557802012-05-14T18:59:00.001-07:002012-05-14T18:59:33.888-07:00Peter Pan MomentNow that I'm staying home with SK, I get the joy of seeing her grow each day. As I mentioned yesterday, she's become very independent and has her own little mind and temper to match. Today was a gem of a day though as we hung out at the park and swam in the kiddie pool in our newly renovated backyard. At the park, she discovered her shadow and literally chased it giggling for about 8 minutes. Then she got mad because she was trying so hard to catch it! Silly girl. Later, we went to get in the pool and I began to rub lotion into my legs and I look down, she's gotten some lotion and is rubbing it on her legs too. She is copying everything we do now. It is quite endearing right now, hopefully we don't teach her something we wished we hadn't. I watch her try to figure things out, like how to open the baby gate and I can just see her wheels going in her head. I am so happy to watch her get up very crankily in the morning, devour blueberries, watch Mickey mouse then run run run until nap time at noon which she now naps in a toddler bed. I just put her in her bed and say night night I love you, and she smiles, kisses me and rolls over and goes to sleep! This cannot be this easy, but for now it is. And for now, I am savoring my baby girl!onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-71548029604491450402012-05-14T10:52:00.000-07:002012-05-14T10:52:27.607-07:00It's Good To Be Back!After a much too long hiatus from blogging (who has time when you work and are gone from your home 10-11 hours a day??), I am back to blogging. You will have to excuse the recap on our lives, for those of you who keep up with me other ways. I want to keep my blog current for Selena Kate to maybe go back and read someday.<br />
Today was my second mother's day. I woke up to a happy and not cranky girl, who has been sleeping through the night in her big girl toddler bed. She snuggled on the couch and watched Sesame Street with me this morning (something she never does). Chad made me chocolate chip pancakes and gave me some awesome Blvgari perfume and lotion and he and SK "wrote me" the sweetest letters. I was waited on hand a foot all day and got a relaxing day watching "The Vow" and spending time in our newly re-done backyard; On a side note, we decided to RV redneckify our backyard (hey we are in LA) and put astro turf (Chad's idea) and tiki torches and lanterns to create that real RV campground elegance! :) We have had a blast spending time outside by the fire pit in our redneck RV style retreat!<br />
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I have gone back to school full time at the University of Southern California for my MSW (Master's in Social Work) and am still working on my Master's in Nonprofit Management. I am missing my work at BeauCARE terribly though but have loved being with my girl during the days now. I know this was time I was not getting back so when USC called me and told me no more deferments, I knew I needed to just go for it.<br />
Selena Kate is 16 months now and feels like she's in her terrible twos already. hr favorite word is NO and she throws herself on the ground several time a day in fits of rage or crying. Its actually comical as she rolls all over the floor yelling NO and hitting the ground. Her little anger outbursts are concerning to me but if it gets bad we put her in the corner,otherwise we ignore her and do not even look at her. She stops as soon as she realizes we do not care or want anything to do with that! She pretty much runs everywhere now and has been scraping up he knees left and right because she's 90 to nothing all day everyday. She can go down the stairs now on her belly and thinks this is hilarious. She also stands on the couch, tables anything really and yells "Sit down" while shes doing it! We have our hands FULL!<br />
I am looking forward to this summer and spending time with her outside at the pool and Toledo Bend Lake (our new place). We are also looking forward to Grandy and Grandaddy moving here soon! We still cannot believe they are moving here but are so excited and cannot wait.<br />
That's it for now. Stay tuned because I plan to have more time to blog :)onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-20631790761275982732011-09-24T19:46:00.000-07:002011-09-24T19:56:04.277-07:00Life without the beach...wah wah waaah :(<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHZNWUP8lZB-D-LoDuSfjEZszs2pAK0u3P0IRj5JPD2yQfiS8lL_ZDNNtdmNYkcUFRjsOfP-HxRbXThq-hNGFzoVNUIKyBmhRopXS4NA53ckq2vAKz2ibd5-SMAnR9USwhy7i9SMnddmh/s1600/Navarre_Beach_Florida_sand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHZNWUP8lZB-D-LoDuSfjEZszs2pAK0u3P0IRj5JPD2yQfiS8lL_ZDNNtdmNYkcUFRjsOfP-HxRbXThq-hNGFzoVNUIKyBmhRopXS4NA53ckq2vAKz2ibd5-SMAnR9USwhy7i9SMnddmh/s320/Navarre_Beach_Florida_sand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Navarre Beach, FL</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-FcRX2BKsj-_2yrNaXdmqpHZW2ksg7hY-fwVlexa8T8Bh-ZbmjmG2ifF3V0EDXKIxhxxIciNKCmel-FO9AJGrvhXFHN-GM29gazx1OTYsv2ULg7LE2oZEQa1kLEC_fOdBP6mbwlrfUuw/s1600/navarre-beach-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-FcRX2BKsj-_2yrNaXdmqpHZW2ksg7hY-fwVlexa8T8Bh-ZbmjmG2ifF3V0EDXKIxhxxIciNKCmel-FO9AJGrvhXFHN-GM29gazx1OTYsv2ULg7LE2oZEQa1kLEC_fOdBP6mbwlrfUuw/s320/navarre-beach-photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Navarre Beach, FL</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKRfnCAZwSM1VMSlMH_osYqOeLtIVY_ZD1idsfFiLI_J0-p4c-ui6zP1ZO4J9sY8z02JcUDOtr5XRsJe35gzm9M9bVR56R82VhGLV6LI9voXgA1sba5I66HpgkjYDa_SfGszRUyAMk64Z/s1600/MelbourneBeachSunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKRfnCAZwSM1VMSlMH_osYqOeLtIVY_ZD1idsfFiLI_J0-p4c-ui6zP1ZO4J9sY8z02JcUDOtr5XRsJe35gzm9M9bVR56R82VhGLV6LI9voXgA1sba5I66HpgkjYDa_SfGszRUyAMk64Z/s320/MelbourneBeachSunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Merritt Island, FL</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Do you see the beach??? Not near me! </div>I thought I would be fine away from the beach, I really did. I went to college in Mississippi for years and LOVE the mountains. I have unfortunately been reminded today of what one of Chad and my very best friend's Mike told me. He said, "Amy, you pretend you do not like the beach or the sand or the hot weather, but secretly you do. I do not think you could ever live without it." I, of course, told him he was right but not to tell anyone that. <br />
I have, over the years, taken where I grew up for granted and pretended that the beach, the islands, the water, that it all is nice but I do not NEED it. I like to travel, right? I like the mountains, the snow, anything besides the hot, humid, sand in all the wrong places, beach! Today was one of those days, you know the kind where you realize you are an utter fool and need a Marga-daquiri-screw-a-lada-on the beach (country song)! Honestly, I have been a bit blue since moving here. While my daily mood and acceptance of my new life here is steadily improving, I cannot shake the feeling that something is missing. <br />
It has come to my attention, since moving to Louisiana that I am, and will always be, an Island girl. As much as I want to say I am a country girl who likes the woods, wherever they are, it is not completely true. While I will always appreciate all types of nature and the setting it offers, my heart feels a bit empty with no ocean, no real body of water near me. Is that nutty or what? I have heard of people with seasonal affective disorder, you know the one where the winter seasons make them become clinically depressed? (My feeling on the validity of this diagnosis or even reality of this disease can be saved for later) I am seriously wondering if there is a disorder for being depressed when you are away from that Island life. ( I know Kenny Chesney would agree) Maybe I am just homesick, but when I think of that life, it is not necessarily my hometown I miss. It's all of it, anywhere with the water, the beach and that laid back little tiki bar where everyone knows you and crappy bands play but you don't care because the setting is perfect! <br />
Due to this newfound exploration of my beach life depression (BLD), I have been channeling Kenny Chesney (always a bad idea, for me at least because it usually means I am contemplative). He makes it even worse! My mom gave me a CD that was burned from a family friend's wedding and it is all of his beachy, laid back life songs. It was my CD that I would ride down Navarre Beach, through the National Seashore, the perfectly white beaches, and green clear water, and just BE! <br />
We have two, maybe three years here in LA and I am hoping to find ways to be at peace away from the water. I am a military wife, and will not always have the luxury of being an Island girl. How I will shake this need to be near the water, I just do not know. One thing I do know is, I have sincerely taken my life growing up, my hometown and even the beginning of our marriage in Florida for granted. I misjudged my true nature and pretended I was a bit of a gypsy and could adapt where we went. I think I will always adapt, as we have no other choice when we are married to the military. Unfortunately for me, there will always be a little piece of my heart missing when I am away from that sweet, sweet Island time!onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-23424515957421357622011-09-20T19:36:00.000-07:002011-09-20T19:36:58.359-07:00Are we really making a difference?!I have started a new job at a non profit and feel so blessed to be moving up in my career. It only took me a month to find a great job with a great company, with a great mission! I am back to working with kids ages 6 -17 years on a daily basis through after school programming, teaching life skills classes at the alternative school and teen events on the weekends to offer a positive place and activities. Although this job is quite possibly my most challenging job yet, I am in awe as to how much influence we have on these children's lives in only spending three hours a day with them. Most of our programming is grant funded and the rest is paid out of afterschool program fees. What I am floored by, is our thoughtfulness in planning and tailoring our program for each kid regardless of what they have going in their life. We make an effort to work with the children that are struggling in other parts of their lives; whether at home, school or elsewhere.<br />
<br />
I stumbled upon another amazing blogger through a friend. She is also an adoptive mother of eight! That deserves some recognition! On her main blog page she has a quote by an anonymous author: <br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">"Sometimes I want to ask God why he allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when He could do something about it...but then again, I am afraid He might ask me the same question." </span><br />
<br />
<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">So this quote has lead me to some contemplating tonight. I am so glad to be back in the realm of working with children. I have been working with teens and young adults facing unplanned pregnancies. I still and always will have a huge heart for this and adoption but my new opportunity has given me the chance to once again work with the younger ages too.I am working with children from so many walks of life, many of whom have already faced tragedy, trials and tribulations. With all we have going on in our lives, and boy do I get it (sometimes I leave my house at 6:45 am and do not get home until 8:30 pm), what do we have left for others? I know as mothers, employees, daughters, sisters, etc. that we have so many people and responsibilities, and there are only so many hours in the day! But, what are we really doing? What are we really giving back? I used to volunteer for a mentoring program, similar to Big Brother's Big Sister's with two children whose mother was incarcerated. I made every effort to be at church and help in Sunday School; I collected items and even rescued many animals for foster care and placed them in forever homes. I did this not because my arm was twisted into it. I did this because I wanted to. It seems though that once I became a mother, moved out of state away from friends, family and my favorite volunteer activities, that I simply have not had the energy to become invested in my community again. As a military wife, it is so difficult finding a good balance. Additionally, sometimes (although most won't admit it) we hold back as military wives and do not give our "all" to life, community, friends, others. Partly, because we have lack of support systems in place but also I have found a real reluctance to invest myself, my energy, my time. I think this is because I am afraid. I am afraid to move again when I have invested so very much energy into something I have fallen in love with. What I realized this week, tonight even more so, is that I LOVE what I do! I love my work, my new friends, and I am beginning to love and accept my new life. What I do not love is my reluctance thus far to really invest in my community. I have thrown everything into my new job, my new daughter, my new life without really thinking what my new community needs. What can I do, that I am not doing? Where can I help or do more? Why have I not found a church, found a group to attend and volunteer with? After reading this lady's blog tonight and thinking about what it means to really "give back", I realized that it was a real fear. A fear of putting everything I have into something to get nothing back and leaving before I ever see the results! This fear is not only selfish but ridiculous. We have a duty as Christians, or even as good, moral, ethical people to always be striving to do more. This does not mean you give so much of yourself that you burn out, this just means thinking outside of the box and finding your niche. This means finding what you are good at, what you have to offer and going with it. I am so happy to once again be working with children. While adoption will and always will be one of my many passions, working with kids everyday is where I need to be. Where do you need to be? What do you have to offer that you are not offering?</span>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-88310128863219147702011-08-12T12:55:00.000-07:002011-08-12T12:55:03.857-07:00The wild ride is slowing but not stopped YET!We have finally gotten settled here at Fort Polk in Louisiana. We accepted a house on post in order to conserve finances and also due to the nature of the homes in the local community (I will leave it at that). For our first 1.5 weeks, we stayed at the Holiday Inn on Post, which was fine for the first week, but with one vehicle at the time, it became old being stuck in the hotel. The post is 100,000 acres, and many of them are wooded, so walking was not much of an option. Once we settled into the new house, Amy accepted a job as a Youth Development Program Manager at Beaucare in Deridder, Louisiana. Beaucare is a non profit that offers youth development, mentoring, tutoring, physical and recreational activities and summer and day camps for at risk and in need individuals. We are excited about this opportunity. Selena Kate is staying with a newly made friend who is orginally from, and still has family in, Pensacola! SK has taken to the baysitter well and does not cry a bit. In fact, she launched herself into the baysitter's arms on the first day and on the second day, waved bye bye to me for the very first time. This girl was born to socialize and Mama, apparently, has become boring. <br />
Chad has settled into his new job and routine which includes what I term as "war games" where they simulate war time scenarios prior to army deployments. Chad can work long hours due to this so we are all adjusting to the new rotuine but are thankful because he is not scheduled to deploy for several years. This is a welcome change since we were coming up on his sixth deployment!<br />
Selena Kate now crawls, waves bye bye, can almost pull herself up on her own, has two teeth, prefers adult food to baby food, although Mama doesn't give in to this, and is quite the social butterfly. She kisses herself in the mirror and kisses her babydoll if you ask her to. She giggles hysterically when you allow her to fish hook your mouth with her finger. <br />
We have been through some large ups and downs in this past month, that include two ER trips, two trips to the doctor, getting lost in Louisiana in the middle of the night and ultimately leaving ym car in a parking lot because I was so violently sick, driving to and from Pensacola in two days to pick up our Civic, renting our house in Navarre and hopefully (as of today's acceptance of our counter offer) selling our home in Gulf Breeze. We have more hills to climb though. We still have to get the bank's acceptance of their offer, to learn the ins and outs of our new jobs and I am sure much more.<br />
We are looking forward to time with our family in the fall when we baptize SK and hopefully during the holidays as well. All in all, it has been one of the most difficult times but somehow, we are getting through this "wild ride" and are doing so with humility and support of one another.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_asw-PHB_-DR0b9N5GsPfgR3FOD51lotHJoKZWOuUO0ZvecINtYBIpnj36eRZbO3pYn4-mB04Y1hyY7iqiKzGVqkzyNJo10VmHep0VNWVQ1ss_5LyzvRpjD5J5AlYsR8HQ9K6O6pNjQY/s1600/july+2011+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_asw-PHB_-DR0b9N5GsPfgR3FOD51lotHJoKZWOuUO0ZvecINtYBIpnj36eRZbO3pYn4-mB04Y1hyY7iqiKzGVqkzyNJo10VmHep0VNWVQ1ss_5LyzvRpjD5J5AlYsR8HQ9K6O6pNjQY/s320/july+2011+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">6 months!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc9Lh4gnZEhQ-dqpw_-OKSM3ziWgmZCJqTYOLcJCmCI3mxZBvHiMXx5ogZHO5UufE9C-iec-5HBc1_ddDqYRaYgeavDzcikeMoIzSKnYgfpOk9_-acdiP6kMrYr2ySkx60cfXGGLXRvqd/s1600/july+2011+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrc9Lh4gnZEhQ-dqpw_-OKSM3ziWgmZCJqTYOLcJCmCI3mxZBvHiMXx5ogZHO5UufE9C-iec-5HBc1_ddDqYRaYgeavDzcikeMoIzSKnYgfpOk9_-acdiP6kMrYr2ySkx60cfXGGLXRvqd/s320/july+2011+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxRpB87OnDF3SU8vukfdvbBL0LfQgyMEkuly6wyDcWxe6IofzbML8WfRmZf45o_ItFePkj8P99GaYdMIjqdkMcJmNf2ovppXUsN0Nk6znXVcdIKTU3XAcIgX__QlUzl39GXYhcJQTFyCQ/s1600/july+2011+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxRpB87OnDF3SU8vukfdvbBL0LfQgyMEkuly6wyDcWxe6IofzbML8WfRmZf45o_ItFePkj8P99GaYdMIjqdkMcJmNf2ovppXUsN0Nk6znXVcdIKTU3XAcIgX__QlUzl39GXYhcJQTFyCQ/s320/july+2011+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">July 4th</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQgiq-JOGFeQ5OyZqGxG3oY-FodKnRqzTsZ7iLNtYHR1SlGJ67elZVVsVhtbVaHtcb8LMJhwhszImUBqJ0k0g5guLVjOkqziuhyphenhyphenC6diLm-ZG3W2vccBlBuwov3rh9D5YYtIt0Pwy5Wbsg/s1600/july+2011+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQgiq-JOGFeQ5OyZqGxG3oY-FodKnRqzTsZ7iLNtYHR1SlGJ67elZVVsVhtbVaHtcb8LMJhwhszImUBqJ0k0g5guLVjOkqziuhyphenhyphenC6diLm-ZG3W2vccBlBuwov3rh9D5YYtIt0Pwy5Wbsg/s320/july+2011+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE2KsANAFoiqMkbNKIXBnq0-cUugEBgsUKW36CZ31SHclBFKfnsa92a-Zn4mpOtFnidOepmOh6we1igm49SvznSuqk0d_-9bwTUWzv6V96uGg1ag-_DaluyDwDG5NLq6FfpLffgxzfzUE/s1600/july+2011+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE2KsANAFoiqMkbNKIXBnq0-cUugEBgsUKW36CZ31SHclBFKfnsa92a-Zn4mpOtFnidOepmOh6we1igm49SvznSuqk0d_-9bwTUWzv6V96uGg1ag-_DaluyDwDG5NLq6FfpLffgxzfzUE/s320/july+2011+025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">new house!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6ahLRfQPrTrgZYb95MO7yESUAhDje87ebGMXqbANFAUZUtRtpcwW2a7sKlp_PxJPucZIvkOHg1viQckQ_gYFiASA05YBYuwjeJ4wYBpFngxwOXwK7XaaHxYbssGJw-Fn9ASwyBGff3nD/s1600/july+2011+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6ahLRfQPrTrgZYb95MO7yESUAhDje87ebGMXqbANFAUZUtRtpcwW2a7sKlp_PxJPucZIvkOHg1viQckQ_gYFiASA05YBYuwjeJ4wYBpFngxwOXwK7XaaHxYbssGJw-Fn9ASwyBGff3nD/s320/july+2011+026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Playing</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RDohpst-Bt7iuzG93LtuEH0irb4L0d6G9WXvRg0RYkZFSgjq534yq_Fgf4UxHP-AFN3meOn6B2FwTXB6nl_v-mxoHOO7PZiP2ISCZetSZL8H5jnPZ7Ti6KE1fV2A5HKTr4cEi_rgGODQ/s1600/july+2011+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RDohpst-Bt7iuzG93LtuEH0irb4L0d6G9WXvRg0RYkZFSgjq534yq_Fgf4UxHP-AFN3meOn6B2FwTXB6nl_v-mxoHOO7PZiP2ISCZetSZL8H5jnPZ7Ti6KE1fV2A5HKTr4cEi_rgGODQ/s320/july+2011+047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">playing when I am supposed to be in bed!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpKraqRIiU2cS8IUDs0AGDyiG2DtAtqmtvw2S9LcF-Xo85nOl_KYjs6q58LXhFyxpfxqlmW0bWRVZEmphObpCBTlLbWveYriq0JAF_xgTR_rTMiEncLpqU5k2cvd4agwlKPSf9ZbAFwUm/s1600/july+2011+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbpKraqRIiU2cS8IUDs0AGDyiG2DtAtqmtvw2S9LcF-Xo85nOl_KYjs6q58LXhFyxpfxqlmW0bWRVZEmphObpCBTlLbWveYriq0JAF_xgTR_rTMiEncLpqU5k2cvd4agwlKPSf9ZbAFwUm/s320/july+2011+050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Winking at Mama</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1J8MFjmIMyGFVcFz-7MWV5G_8GlzTTGnjicKHNNwhdlGt5jQaw0umYgVEzRlNzpchkXBNxi1ZyqsXMMz-Inmfj2SqS6DmG8Qo5MCi5D6cVFteS1NTm4eIcmNrvpJjZEUS5PUZAZBKTo9/s1600/july+2011+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1J8MFjmIMyGFVcFz-7MWV5G_8GlzTTGnjicKHNNwhdlGt5jQaw0umYgVEzRlNzpchkXBNxi1ZyqsXMMz-Inmfj2SqS6DmG8Qo5MCi5D6cVFteS1NTm4eIcmNrvpJjZEUS5PUZAZBKTo9/s320/july+2011+058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">7 Months and crawling</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP7qmTVe2f-QaMKf6_r0nGyGD2WYi1_GPp6uCW_R3uDWkBOEis2zG1E7b30NpB2CdLfPqSBrHHufvkiNonQBworaLLiYgtYuPy6HDa_q-D9MeZBmZp4h-kGYgyNGZkuneFxAfKikderjY/s1600/july+2011+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP7qmTVe2f-QaMKf6_r0nGyGD2WYi1_GPp6uCW_R3uDWkBOEis2zG1E7b30NpB2CdLfPqSBrHHufvkiNonQBworaLLiYgtYuPy6HDa_q-D9MeZBmZp4h-kGYgyNGZkuneFxAfKikderjY/s320/july+2011+057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Girl!</div><br />
onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-12738254548497697552011-06-28T12:08:00.000-07:002011-06-28T12:08:09.520-07:00Whirlwind!!!The remaining portion of May and all of June have been one whirlwind after another. We received orders to leave Hurlburt Field and our home in Gulf Breeze, FL to move to Ft. Polk in Louisiana. Yes, this is an army base. No, I have no clue why they would send an Airmen to an army base. What we do know is that there is a unit there that works with all branches of the military and that is what Chad will be assigned to. On top of the awful news of having to move from a place we have grown to love came with the uncertainty of myself not having a job. I have prayed, my whole life, to be a stay at home mother. I have now gotten my wish, as the community we are moving to is extremely rural and job opportunities are scarce. Trust me, I have tried. For me to gauge the value of me being away from Selena Kate, I have to know that what I am doing is what God is calling me to do, not just a job. It is more valuable to be at home with our precious blessing than to just go get a job. I am excited at this new prospect of being a stay at home mother. I am excited to have this time with my family. <br />
Chad and I went to visit Leesville, LA (the town immediately outside of the post) and it was small. There was a nice square area, that was very southern and reminded me of the town my grandfather lives in in Georgia. The town does not have much to offer but does have a Wal-Mart, some fast food restaurants and a very small movie theater. I am hoping that this transition will help Chad and I to "get back to the basics" and focus on what are God's desires for our life. I am hoping this will remind us of our true priorities and how to make some sacrifices in order to have our family strengthened. We will be living "on post" and tried to see the inside of the houses but the housing office would not allow us. I found this frustrating and kind of annoying as we will be downsizing our square footage significantly from where we live now, and I need to know what kind of layout and rooms are there so I know what furniture to bring! But housing would not budge on this issue. To add to the stress of this, there is a wait list for housing of up to two weeks and you cannot be added to the list until you arrive at Ft. Polk. This means, myself, SK, Chad and our two dogs will be living out of a Holiday Inn for up to two weeks. I am praying diligently that this will not last two weeks and will be given a home. <br />
Onto the next thing, we are selling our home, (that we love so very much) in Gulf Breeze so that we can be confident in our move from two incomes to one. We have not had much luck on selling it thus far and are praying very hard that God will provide a buyer for our home. So LOTS of changes are taking place. We are trying very hard to stay positive and view this as an opportunity to strengthen our family life. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxTkN89vd3ApowE_3-Flv_VICEO813I-g9rwmeK55EfbkqnHq6K0XAt-M17Eb2Xi62S_mkTow7CMgkUwJi30IvsvyGyT_jN5ihvC8AeT1y9bcZIY3FbKa-And98LrdCXDLZhPlK635foc/s1600/sk+chad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxTkN89vd3ApowE_3-Flv_VICEO813I-g9rwmeK55EfbkqnHq6K0XAt-M17Eb2Xi62S_mkTow7CMgkUwJi30IvsvyGyT_jN5ihvC8AeT1y9bcZIY3FbKa-And98LrdCXDLZhPlK635foc/s320/sk+chad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chad's First Father's Day!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tuX5V4_hIRcapREORYvNv7TJXPlPBcQH0VapV3jawcOqBbvdvR-LAvk8xYHFFLKsl-E18VqheJy0iGoVyW9SNOTjLJWrJRyfye4HZyl3MNRdw8hXqWF1LfZC0izOEhF6nQ5-2Ili8zNY/s1600/sk+polks+dots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tuX5V4_hIRcapREORYvNv7TJXPlPBcQH0VapV3jawcOqBbvdvR-LAvk8xYHFFLKsl-E18VqheJy0iGoVyW9SNOTjLJWrJRyfye4HZyl3MNRdw8hXqWF1LfZC0izOEhF6nQ5-2Ili8zNY/s320/sk+polks+dots.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">SK posing for the camera!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Uv9L_KFNjKsF3X-ISqPJOjiSy4fe46ON8L0eds4o1EQSBrQnjtagj_rzSqQds6K4YPyjPy1LCuHs6q7tFinP2h2LtoS4ckvWlkpjp2B79AmkVjsg2moTtnoH5v46FfkRfhssNRBC5Mjj/s1600/sk+smile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Uv9L_KFNjKsF3X-ISqPJOjiSy4fe46ON8L0eds4o1EQSBrQnjtagj_rzSqQds6K4YPyjPy1LCuHs6q7tFinP2h2LtoS4ckvWlkpjp2B79AmkVjsg2moTtnoH5v46FfkRfhssNRBC5Mjj/s320/sk+smile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Laughing at Marley</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEtud_86IhyphenhyphenM0nfwOZ7JGnP319mlpbrC-E2hKzyk_iTEYB0nvSmWDIW9FPUmXgU4Roz_mqtFyFmJ8Yqh8mmqzQxKNz5NGdjIaBjptbP1c_1Q4Ro7HmaIAAvHluOFVhDiOi2EjXmd3ukbH/s1600/sk+watching+tv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEtud_86IhyphenhyphenM0nfwOZ7JGnP319mlpbrC-E2hKzyk_iTEYB0nvSmWDIW9FPUmXgU4Roz_mqtFyFmJ8Yqh8mmqzQxKNz5NGdjIaBjptbP1c_1Q4Ro7HmaIAAvHluOFVhDiOi2EjXmd3ukbH/s320/sk+watching+tv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lounging and watching Mickey Mouse</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMkstHOlk39YWmNfcvnsAP9ptxf9Dd1yqeUGkTOhy_6tbAilf6Ni03Hp2eShRDteixhfEHu8vul1VaLyb1xB-c4Rfjk0Qkj1S9JdXe7PrZ8Qcr9wXAjk4wdXbjXk6UJSNbXqnUd55AVa8/s1600/259838_235327679816765_100000186050110_1210452_3079689_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMkstHOlk39YWmNfcvnsAP9ptxf9Dd1yqeUGkTOhy_6tbAilf6Ni03Hp2eShRDteixhfEHu8vul1VaLyb1xB-c4Rfjk0Qkj1S9JdXe7PrZ8Qcr9wXAjk4wdXbjXk6UJSNbXqnUd55AVa8/s320/259838_235327679816765_100000186050110_1210452_3079689_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BUSTED! Having too much fun in the excersaucer ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD251lKV8m-2QEUnOYLeV8_r1NrlVT7ElbgnagddN6103odK6Jog72i3LWEQF06v3N2k3GGk-4g5-Pi25MGqVGN9eqexYyn26zcKKX_HicG1cqOE-ZV-ekUsx6BGMzFoHCH90VB0_XN58Q/s1600/SK+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD251lKV8m-2QEUnOYLeV8_r1NrlVT7ElbgnagddN6103odK6Jog72i3LWEQF06v3N2k3GGk-4g5-Pi25MGqVGN9eqexYyn26zcKKX_HicG1cqOE-ZV-ekUsx6BGMzFoHCH90VB0_XN58Q/s320/SK+beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Taking pics on Navarre Beach</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Selena Kate has blossomed in so many ways. Her hair has thickened up and is growing so much. She is in her 6 month clothing and she is not even 6 months yet. She is happy and smiles all day everyday. I could go days without hearing a cry and she is even teething and does not cry much. Her first bottom tooth cut through this week and it has made her uncomfortable but she has not been overly fussy. This month she learned that rolling was her best mode of transportation and that since Mimi (Chad's Mom) and Grandy (Amy's Mom) have been with her and us for the last 2 months that she does not have to be put down. She has gotten quite accustomed to being held or having some sort of motion and this may be tough to break when we get to Ft. Polk and Mama has things to do around the house. Whew! We have a long ride ahead of us! She LOVES bath time now again and loves her toys in the water with her. She even figured out how to pull the chain on the drain plug. STINKER! She is just the light of our lives and we cherish every moment with her. <br />
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While this move is stressful for us, it has also been stressful on our families. Our mothers have been in our homes residing with us as we prepare for this move and have been an immense help. We could not ever express the gratitude that we have felt for their presence and support. They have been Selena's best buddy on top of that. We are anxiously awaiting the movers coming to pack us up on July 6th and this day will be the day, my mother has to go home as well. What a sad day that will be! Somehow though, we have to hold on to the hope that this new place is a new chance for us to build the beautiful life we have always wanted that focuses on God, family and just being in HIS presence wherever you are and whatever you are doing.onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-59404276802124715622011-05-06T11:13:00.000-07:002011-05-09T15:45:18.102-07:00Along for the crazy ride!These past two months have flown by so very quickly. In April, we made two trips to Central Florida: one for a conference with Bethany where SK was able to stay with Grandy all week and the following one for SK's finalization court date! Selena is still a trooper when it comes to traveling via car but as she is now very alert and inquisitive, she tries to crunch here abs and sit up out of her car seat. Of course, she cannot because she is restrained by the seat belt portion and this makes her frustrated!<br />
On the day of her final court case, we traveled with Amy's family and SK to the Orange county courthouse and waited for what they call a "cattle call". This meant that all family court cases including divorces and adoption were seen in no specific order but all are asked to arrive at 9 am and wait for your name to be called. We arrived at 8:30 to be sure we had plenty of time and waited patiently in the outer lobby area. Selena was a doll the whole time we waited and did not even make a peep. Finally, at 11 am our names were called and we entered the court room. As we were being sworn in, Selena decided this would be the most opportune time to throw an utter fit. She was not hungry, wet, dirty or tired. She just decided to voice her opinion as well. We could barely hear what our lawyer was asking us and it was difficult to keep her under control. Nevertheless, she did not give up the crying and all of the hearing<br />
included her tantrum as well as many of her pictures. As soon as were dismissed from our hearing, and walked out of the courtroom, she smiled! STINKER! Then she proceeded to fall asleep. <br />
After this, we took pictures of the momentous day where Selena Kate officially became our daughter in the eyes of the law. What an amazingly beautiful day. We were truly honored to be chosen to raise this precious sweet girl. We celebrated with Amy's parents before they flew to Mississippi for Easter. Chad, myself and SK spent the Easter weekend in Merritt Island lounging by the pool.<br />
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On a side note, we have received orders to move to Ft. Polk, Louisiana and are scheduled to leave in July! This news was unexpected and of course saddened us as we have built a life here in the Panhandle. Although, we knew the day would come when the Air Force told us it was time to move on, we sure were not thinking it was anytime soon, nor would it occur so very quickly. We are excited about what the future holds for our family but the impending move is bittersweet. This is the longest we have ever lived anywhere besides our homes in Merritt Island and Byhalia and we had grown to love this part of Florida. The Pensacola area will always hold a piece of our hearts and we hate that Selena will not have any memories of it. We do know that our memories made in Louisiana will give her another perspective that we can only hope and pray is as wonderful as the time we spent here. We are trying to remind ourselves that "happiness is a choice" and "home is where you make it". Although those statements are a bit cliche, it seems to be the only thing keeping us optimistic as we plan for this upcoming move.<br />
Mother's day is this weekend and I am thrilled to finally be celebrating it for the first time as a mother not just a daughter. I had no idea how emotional and excited I would be about having that day. It really does not matter what we do, or where we go and seeing as though we need to save money for a move, it looks like we will be hanging out doing things that are free. Which by the way, I love especially historical tours and the beach..dare I say it...I have grown to love the beach! Still do NOT like the sand, but the beaches here are prettier than anywhere I have ever seen including the Keys. So as Mother's day approaches, I am reflecting on my amazingly strong and supportive mother who always has been there for me AND on my time spent longing to be just that: a mother! It is finally here and I plan to cherish every moment, no matter what comes our way!<br />
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Pictures to follow soon!<br />
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<span style="background-color: cyan;">Update: We ended up spending Mother's day weekend with my sister and Selen'a Aunti M (aka Meredith) in Orange Beach, Alabama! What an amzing weekend with family...only thing that would have made it better would have been to have our mother there!</span><br />
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Here are tons of pictures of the last two months since we have slacked at posting:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 months and smiling. P.s. I am getting two teeth!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am learning to jump in the bouncer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the finalization for adoption</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worn out after the court hearing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNNgS9Eyu2CcIqVqTnrZXF-BtPTqIzf0PgcgrdhPO7iPH37REJP3FC8FWpb-SVPIkcxBElCPyQIxNZ4Wu1rnLxM4Uu_oR05_dKPkGIahW8R1bLbc3rm7tTE3n_0qwl74QP2MVKh9UXLCT/s1600/DSC_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNNgS9Eyu2CcIqVqTnrZXF-BtPTqIzf0PgcgrdhPO7iPH37REJP3FC8FWpb-SVPIkcxBElCPyQIxNZ4Wu1rnLxM4Uu_oR05_dKPkGIahW8R1bLbc3rm7tTE3n_0qwl74QP2MVKh9UXLCT/s320/DSC_0660.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the courthouse with the grandparents!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7fAQI-gRd1fdKBkNIEW8Up7e8jj6drMtbIIWKDN9LLzAUef-k0ujQHxNauedOXORlUmOJlMzUzso6FMoRtWpHnX-hXmJkRJ5Lc0W3Q0yJ5_1JVyqB90O6VwGLK1JvUPzoDP5z3lXZfqd/s1600/DSC_0667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7fAQI-gRd1fdKBkNIEW8Up7e8jj6drMtbIIWKDN9LLzAUef-k0ujQHxNauedOXORlUmOJlMzUzso6FMoRtWpHnX-hXmJkRJ5Lc0W3Q0yJ5_1JVyqB90O6VwGLK1JvUPzoDP5z3lXZfqd/s320/DSC_0667.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Picture 4/20/2011</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCM4pyLvbSPjgYH1G5LsRk_jY58RGK5Q6Ocowgi_M9JkRBGuj4leZ-bF7YsfV3UC4I9X4ybMEJ0SQY1Fx8vI2-ih2pa-8PH5H7NvwlS9elkFkbYTwjREGDRndVAMdUsVgvTVKVia3xmmCb/s1600/DSC_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCM4pyLvbSPjgYH1G5LsRk_jY58RGK5Q6Ocowgi_M9JkRBGuj4leZ-bF7YsfV3UC4I9X4ybMEJ0SQY1Fx8vI2-ih2pa-8PH5H7NvwlS9elkFkbYTwjREGDRndVAMdUsVgvTVKVia3xmmCb/s320/DSC_0689.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy easter! This is my Easter dress Grandy got me!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHmsDTTcxlhN8lG73oxkD6jvygo6ID4AV5B_H92e5rdF0HBMAXC-lkl0IkNI7DYo4MEZjz7T0mxaLEemruwlglk87f1F_XsCX60HoRPJDDlEcGQkxrnOJUD2oFyKo38xSt5OW9uowna_c/s1600/DSC_0698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHmsDTTcxlhN8lG73oxkD6jvygo6ID4AV5B_H92e5rdF0HBMAXC-lkl0IkNI7DYo4MEZjz7T0mxaLEemruwlglk87f1F_XsCX60HoRPJDDlEcGQkxrnOJUD2oFyKo38xSt5OW9uowna_c/s320/DSC_0698.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And my First Easter PJ's my Great Great Aunt Kaye got me!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FL5xBNATGcdTNAIamFU31hrVBNfyn7uT7XeIQfUkK3Rh6AG2CKrR9-HQoiprWroCutPZnMkIjV54mVIFbyzUA-meKsLWZ7GIqEOFMQtzqYFLtg2pQuxPOMsKLY9U0pzBnsiGOysoXPIc/s1600/DSC_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FL5xBNATGcdTNAIamFU31hrVBNfyn7uT7XeIQfUkK3Rh6AG2CKrR9-HQoiprWroCutPZnMkIjV54mVIFbyzUA-meKsLWZ7GIqEOFMQtzqYFLtg2pQuxPOMsKLY9U0pzBnsiGOysoXPIc/s320/DSC_0704.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the standard issue polo and white shorts prepping for a day in Destin!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXgacYPseF4TGlV5XfbIa2dxFAoMpZ_eY0yZPqjNWF_2aCCgvtQLVLCBdeD2pOk0emD2mrFW9459-wq5uRvab1BiNHNwfI4OkcdL-C_XvJ_P7PshRg8bZLW34xnbJdnZYxyShCIUqXWIt/s1600/DSC_0723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXgacYPseF4TGlV5XfbIa2dxFAoMpZ_eY0yZPqjNWF_2aCCgvtQLVLCBdeD2pOk0emD2mrFW9459-wq5uRvab1BiNHNwfI4OkcdL-C_XvJ_P7PshRg8bZLW34xnbJdnZYxyShCIUqXWIt/s320/DSC_0723.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love to DROOOL!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebMZpZOfkjOZWqB9bFjU1eQDhpWFnHpxUQsG8bsDnJpKjbT5qL2drYdNWIiCmECSxe1_G50TdyEp61yZj5sq-KCJmSnlAGLoA_7vOAUwFiVWWayXIi0XgLhjzadcwVKxP0wepWnzDtqB9/s1600/DSCN0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebMZpZOfkjOZWqB9bFjU1eQDhpWFnHpxUQsG8bsDnJpKjbT5qL2drYdNWIiCmECSxe1_G50TdyEp61yZj5sq-KCJmSnlAGLoA_7vOAUwFiVWWayXIi0XgLhjzadcwVKxP0wepWnzDtqB9/s320/DSCN0203.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Auntie Em at the Hangout in Orange Beach, Alabama!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqctnDxbMh_hyfEIms-RAl-oIZcFA8uAB_K1uueSBWpZSN1JGjpDFu_Ue_xPhCJCkv32w6riJnokFiZwgq-SSmg_UhpgYquhnbRdoPWkv1O9a_PUWnpJUSxUorE1af9uxJIAKLjpUfT1CJ/s1600/DSCN0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqctnDxbMh_hyfEIms-RAl-oIZcFA8uAB_K1uueSBWpZSN1JGjpDFu_Ue_xPhCJCkv32w6riJnokFiZwgq-SSmg_UhpgYquhnbRdoPWkv1O9a_PUWnpJUSxUorE1af9uxJIAKLjpUfT1CJ/s320/DSCN0194.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auntie Em decided this was the perfect spot for me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-6509029247668531152011-03-25T08:39:00.000-07:002011-03-25T08:39:00.544-07:00Month 2Selena Kate turned 2 months on March 12th and this month has been packed! Grandy came to visit and spent quality time with SK; Mimi and Papaw came to visit and did the same; Sk got her first set of shots much to my and her dismay; Chad has been in Airman Leadership school which has kept him busy and away from home a lot; Melanie came from Jacksonville for a beach weekend with us too! WHEW! Lots going on!<br />
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SK had her first photo shoot at the end of February too. She was such a sweet little model for Rachel. And if you have not checked out Rachel Wade Photography on Facebook. She is amazing!!!!<br />
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SK has been staying with friends for daycare which has been a lifesaver. I could not be more thankful for that because there is nothing worse than feeling awful about leaving your baby girl to go to work but then doing so with someone you do not know. I cannot imagine doing that. I am blessed beyond belief to have amazing people in my life and such a great family too that keeps my spirits up when they get down.<br />
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This month has been trying to say the least! SK has been an angel of course but between work and Chad having class daily from 6 to 6 sometimes, I have felt a bit like a single mom. My best friend, Lauren, which by the way just had her 2nd daughter Sunday night has been the most amazingly calm single mother. I realize, I am not a single mother but this has given me even more respect for Lauren. I have always thought Lauren was super woman. She managed to work 2 jobs and finish her business degree while managing to keep Taylor, her daughter out of daycare and with friends and family. Now she is doing this ALL over again and is again someone I can only look up to with her positive attitude and I cannot fail mentality. I wish I had more strength in me to be this way regarding all in my life. Thank goodness Chad's class is done and I have had a ton of help from friends and family while he has been in it.<br />
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April will bring a busy month for us as well. SK has her final court date in Orange County where she will officially (in the eyes of the law) be ours! She is already our and has been entrusted to us by the most amazing friend and woman I know, Michelle, SK's birth mother! We are anxiously awaiting April 20th and the significance this day will bring. While I contemplate the exciting and busy things happening in our lives, I still am reminded of the sanctity and preciousness of life. The joy that is brought to us may bring pain to Michelle. I hope that Selena will never question just how much love is there for her. And with that thought (because you all know how my thoughts flit around faster than I can even process) I am thinking (praying) for my other best friend Shannon who is in on bed rest with her son. He is not full term and they are trying to keep him from being premature. Please send prayers her way because as much as I cannot contain the excitement that all my friends and I have children within months of one another, I do not wish a preemie on anyone!<br />
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As far as Selena's milestones, this month has been a busy one! She can successfully hold her head up; sit in the bumbo; sit in a high chair (although we do not feed her solids, she likes to sit at the table with us!); She babbles NON STOP; Smiles ALL the time and even decided that it was time to giggle in Mass 2 weeks ago! So funny and of course Chad and I could not pay attention to mass because she had never laughed before!!!!! She weighs 11 pounds and 7 oz now and is becoming one cute and cherub-like little baby. She has been to the beach twice already and loves to sit under the umbrella in her swing and just look and listen to the waves. She adores walking around the neighborhood in the stroller and has a very contemplative look on her face, almost as if she sees the clouds and is wondering what they are! Ok, here are some pictures from this past month. Enjoy and do not forget that life is precious and family is everything!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOuT8MDp1KdSNi9aXoIozPS09o-x5V5D-5tl5Qi6nWtpvswEzGMbmzbZVCBFAPY4o3734QzJty6BRvp-ZI23pwqY2Rhe4SGt3DUAk9JcOorytNs_Dc38FexP73zCLWxZEb4wHnww5s2PN/s1600/DSC_5512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOuT8MDp1KdSNi9aXoIozPS09o-x5V5D-5tl5Qi6nWtpvswEzGMbmzbZVCBFAPY4o3734QzJty6BRvp-ZI23pwqY2Rhe4SGt3DUAk9JcOorytNs_Dc38FexP73zCLWxZEb4wHnww5s2PN/s320/DSC_5512.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-33536274660177636852011-03-02T08:33:00.000-08:002011-03-02T09:09:59.033-08:007 weeks and growing everyday!These past 7 weeks have been a whirlwind that we would not change for a minute. February was a busy one for sure! We finally got settled into a routine in our home with Selena Kate, Chad went back to work, Amy went back to work and Selena Kate went to a babysitter. The day Selena went to day care was a tough day because we were not ready for our big girl to be with anyone but us. Luckily I only work 3 days a week and Selena is in great care with a close friend. We have been so very blessed with friends and family taking such great care of us. During our time off before we went back to work we celebrated my 27th birthday with friends, went to the beach and had a lot of fun playing dress up with Selena Kate. She has grown so much and is out of her newborn clothing and into her 0-3 month clothing. She is about to grow out of her newborn diapers too and is now eating 5 oz. every 4 hours. She has blessed us by sleeping for 6 hour stretches at night and we are so proud of what a big girl she has been sleeping in her crib too. She adores her swing and her nap nanny too! Here are some pictures from this past month's outings and events.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-msRDJz1HLDn2tU474q1QLZJor-S2HfdbA3uuG0CUNeG1CFtjZfNfdPbNwa04rlRePYf25l84aO8QOJSmNJ90GyXi8Xpns_yZQVdQJPNu-8jbOd12bijePeyKZCL2FK6M2ctJZWCRTMn/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-msRDJz1HLDn2tU474q1QLZJor-S2HfdbA3uuG0CUNeG1CFtjZfNfdPbNwa04rlRePYf25l84aO8QOJSmNJ90GyXi8Xpns_yZQVdQJPNu-8jbOd12bijePeyKZCL2FK6M2ctJZWCRTMn/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+007.JPG" width="320" /></a>SK in her purple outfit Michelle got</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJFd_SETqX77GkXT3knHdsQVQYjglnGYdlRVMDJFu8ToZ3qhyphenhyphenSskhIE87GBFkiRgEAl6XMJCS3VrXUcu7k49_T5UbYYh1bcnXxFlkSPd2zzbapXFFCHp17yBGc7YvQqZ8SrHj9meZHIMK/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJFd_SETqX77GkXT3knHdsQVQYjglnGYdlRVMDJFu8ToZ3qhyphenhyphenSskhIE87GBFkiRgEAl6XMJCS3VrXUcu7k49_T5UbYYh1bcnXxFlkSPd2zzbapXFFCHp17yBGc7YvQqZ8SrHj9meZHIMK/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+020.JPG" width="320" /></a>Her preferred place to sleep</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiHJ7iEcXQaza09tpI3aKt_bj5xBoZ_me1cG_qKQH5oksbXITJq3OwVAPnAyECriFjaRPw4rQwcFSbSGxFolG7F6IDSYsb_iwQ4ahCrjQ-Bf-HewATVIyaTyyCrFpxCkKNwutj4B66CTj/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiHJ7iEcXQaza09tpI3aKt_bj5xBoZ_me1cG_qKQH5oksbXITJq3OwVAPnAyECriFjaRPw4rQwcFSbSGxFolG7F6IDSYsb_iwQ4ahCrjQ-Bf-HewATVIyaTyyCrFpxCkKNwutj4B66CTj/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+025.JPG" width="320" /></a>Loves to sleep on her tummy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge89g_FhzCNQbgBf7CYQNNUxvD1iLLnmJXacWxySFdLZL-tU0asjYRk7y-YgvXDwkEWIsFD__juqL77_CkVTWVik67Okmq391oCEVeSHljX-iB2jltI7sxFIA6XAVxUC-SkAONb2euW7u_/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge89g_FhzCNQbgBf7CYQNNUxvD1iLLnmJXacWxySFdLZL-tU0asjYRk7y-YgvXDwkEWIsFD__juqL77_CkVTWVik67Okmq391oCEVeSHljX-iB2jltI7sxFIA6XAVxUC-SkAONb2euW7u_/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+029.JPG" width="320" /></a>Navarre Beach. First Beach Day</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5OROyKqnwa6_IsFxXb8dEF7HG5Q8qHu-Pnt2PjiM5Htt14LrVGhSRXSXLUJhrr_IzWc1NZK1fZ0gYbzhzR8iPGBl_7QPvw1Yblqg1yfy_jejsb2ut1XPkHxfTSQRkkkou6W11lqIR0-Z/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5OROyKqnwa6_IsFxXb8dEF7HG5Q8qHu-Pnt2PjiM5Htt14LrVGhSRXSXLUJhrr_IzWc1NZK1fZ0gYbzhzR8iPGBl_7QPvw1Yblqg1yfy_jejsb2ut1XPkHxfTSQRkkkou6W11lqIR0-Z/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+035.JPG" width="320" /></a>The beach has worn her out!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpUxHbu9iHuRLAGuqX2zGRqbk8Vt0Jn-dB2-f1CvyU3BK5E1CaG7BC4AR6bcFWcoELXm15IeIqNtoDdVYopQ3NQcgrKTa2gpsl8LNcfiZtKV-_z8ueZk01O6qslT2XIn4SmFxeC666P2p/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpUxHbu9iHuRLAGuqX2zGRqbk8Vt0Jn-dB2-f1CvyU3BK5E1CaG7BC4AR6bcFWcoELXm15IeIqNtoDdVYopQ3NQcgrKTa2gpsl8LNcfiZtKV-_z8ueZk01O6qslT2XIn4SmFxeC666P2p/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+049.JPG" width="212" /></a>Selena all dressed up for Mama's birthday</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtWKJ3qOCWbDxaFOW8ZMz7Oxl5HStS_xpLvyn0gr-6RHs-ZIFAVY-G_NtX7KzJs942eCJ6AAWw1_5wJDsoyVKAr4SJSub9I_QcCHHrnxYDMYqGky5WyDpeeUwrjvVI_5N3b67JlRgvyg_/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtWKJ3qOCWbDxaFOW8ZMz7Oxl5HStS_xpLvyn0gr-6RHs-ZIFAVY-G_NtX7KzJs942eCJ6AAWw1_5wJDsoyVKAr4SJSub9I_QcCHHrnxYDMYqGky5WyDpeeUwrjvVI_5N3b67JlRgvyg_/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+051.JPG" width="320" /></a>Birthday dinner with Mama and friends</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZV6vG0Xry7YmbbZMtuow5KwyHc-uc22-lcTkci-Vh_EPS8oYDzF1j3d5DDH-ho72kmngpizloLo4AW-QWGAitoheeuUQhbWiB-q_1LAhNpbV5XAIbT12hhWCOEUhHryh1fcAPnjjEsf5n/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZV6vG0Xry7YmbbZMtuow5KwyHc-uc22-lcTkci-Vh_EPS8oYDzF1j3d5DDH-ho72kmngpizloLo4AW-QWGAitoheeuUQhbWiB-q_1LAhNpbV5XAIbT12hhWCOEUhHryh1fcAPnjjEsf5n/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+052.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lindsay and Kellan and Mama and Selena</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdMGVEDkgKGRHFCTP11trV0YYNJujT6yBqZNDM7jFLwK4r2WXQjmD42jQNuKZg6VDWMGHfxDELtLzfiZ-Yg1Mrkh0FDr9L8BQH7v1h2ZI4KZt9K-jCmhSx6ATLOL_ggFaDx39jAVQhfQ-/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdMGVEDkgKGRHFCTP11trV0YYNJujT6yBqZNDM7jFLwK4r2WXQjmD42jQNuKZg6VDWMGHfxDELtLzfiZ-Yg1Mrkh0FDr9L8BQH7v1h2ZI4KZt9K-jCmhSx6ATLOL_ggFaDx39jAVQhfQ-/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+063.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mommy's little sweetie!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-uOrJLUEvn5D_h0L0crcpRCFodkHbIh9rR4qAlQDLQwdHHlQjZGVfHoziFzvsehylUPu4hZeO6z4_fZZMG08iz34UStrSPYR-68sCOAgOQc1vdn4KD-yLCbCp4zdEI1dAvdIkhn5Py0X/s1600/Feb+and+March+2011+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-uOrJLUEvn5D_h0L0crcpRCFodkHbIh9rR4qAlQDLQwdHHlQjZGVfHoziFzvsehylUPu4hZeO6z4_fZZMG08iz34UStrSPYR-68sCOAgOQc1vdn4KD-yLCbCp4zdEI1dAvdIkhn5Py0X/s320/Feb+and+March+2011+068.JPG" width="320" /></a>Holding hands <3</div>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-60265472248100721012011-02-14T22:41:00.000-08:002011-02-14T22:41:14.725-08:00Bubba Singing To Selena<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nGs0tt1da1A?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-79821390941759301632011-02-14T22:40:00.000-08:002011-02-15T20:04:34.274-08:00The Adventures of Selena Kate and MamaThis week has been a whirlwind and quite adventurous and exhausting! We had planned a trip to Byhalia, Mississippi to visit our families and show Selena Kate to the rest of our family who had yet to meet her. Due to the stupid Air Force, Chad was unable to go with us. I set out Thursday morning with Selena Kate. The morning itself should have let me know that this was the beginning of an adventure that would exhaust us both by the end of the weekend. Thursday morning, we both got up and got Selena Kate fed. Chad left for work and I began to pack the car. Minor problem...Where were my car keys? I ALWAYS put them in the same pocket in my purse but they were nowhere to be found. After over 30 minutes that included dumping my purse, checking my pockets of the previous days pants, I decided I had better look outside...maybe I left them in the car! Nope! I was baffled so as I went to go back in the house to call Chad and inform him I had lost my keys, I spot them in the front door! Very safe! The front door had been locked the previous night but apparently I forgot to take the keys out of the front door and had left them outside and available to the world! Great! Once, I recovered from my very unsafe move I was ready to finally begin packing the car. I had planned well. I made a ice coffee and ha everything packed except for SK who was waiting patiently in her car seat. I decided that I could grab her car seat handle on my arm AND hold my iced coffee and get out the door. NOPE! I spilled the whole coffee on us both. So yet another trip was made back inside in order to change my clothes and Selena's too. After this, we finally made it on the road. I got around 21 miles from our house only to realize I had left my coat hanging by the front door. I would not have normally returned for this but there was snow on the ground in Byhalia. I was not going anywhere that had snow without my jacket. I turned around, went home and got the coat. Now I got on the road for REAL! <br />
The trip took 9 hours and usually takes 7.5. Selena is the best little traveler and does not make a peep unless she is hungry. When she did get hungry, I would stop and pull over and feed, burp and change her and we would be on our way. We arrived in Byhalia at dinner time Thursday night and were greeted by Sha, Helen Grace, Ben, Trish and Bubba. My cousins, aunt, uncle and grandmother. Helen Grace who will be two this May kept saying: "Pretty" and "baby" and she would rub Selena Kate's hands and belly and feet. She also spent a lot of time staring at her while lying on Bubba's bed. <br />
Friday was spent with SK's "Sissy" and Auntie Em as well as cousin William, Ant Di and Uncle Bill eating pizza. She also visited with her Mimi and Papaw (Chad's parents). On Saturday, Bubba, Trish and Sha hosted a Sip and See for people who had yet to meet SK to come and see her. This was so beautifully decorated and everyone in Byhalia it seemed showed up to catch a glimpse of our sweet girl. She was an angel and stayed asleep the whole time for the most part.Later that night she visited the CrawDeLis restaurant with Amy's family. On Sunday, Selena Kate went to church and then watched myself and Bubba open all the gifts we were given from the Sip and See! We have been so very blessed with an amazing amount of generosity and gifts and have so much for Selena that I do not think we could ever run out! Today we drove back home and after a slight detour to get Chad ribs from Dreamland in Montgomery, we spent our first Valentine's Day as a family together. We arrived home to tulips and these beautiful glass bottles Mama has been eyeing at Celebrations in Pensacola and even a Valentine's sleeper for SK all courtesy of Papa. Chad also got sushi for dinner which was amazingly yummy! We are so glad to be home and settled. We have enjoyed our adventures and many travels but are happy to be back. Selena Kate was one month old on Saturday and we cannot imagine our life without her! It has been quite an adventure and we are looking forward for many more to come, but they will be occurring closer to home for awhile because Mama is exhausted from all these adventures!<br />
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We did finally get on the road to Merritt Island at 10am! We arrived there at dinner time and got settled for the weekend. Saturday, I hosted a baby shower for my best friend Lauren and SK was able to attend with Chad and Grandy and Grandaddy (this was a couples' shower). SK had her first experience with Florida Seafood in Cocoa Beach! On Sunday, Grandy's friends gave us a baby shower and spoiled us rotten with McKenzie Child's rocking chair, clothing, picture frames, and all sorts of beautiful goodies! Sunday night, we drive to Vero beach and ate dinner with SK's Birthmom Michelle and her mother "Gammy" and friend at Ruby Tuesday. This was SK's first trip to Ruby Tuesday as well. The girl ate out (well not really) all weekend! On Monday, we drove back to Gulf Breeze to stay settled in for a week or so before we make the trip to visit family in Mississippi. <br />
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This week Chad has to go back to work... BOOOO! This weekend, our friend and former roommate, Mike will be coming in town as well and Selena told me she cannot wait to meet him! No other real great news this week. Selena has been more alert and focused and responds by looking at you when you say er name. She can put her hands together in almost a prayer like position and can suck her fingers and thumb. Here are some pics from this weekend and week so far!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBtXcXRD8znXy7w3UKZnkvmkfNvtaF-53zvB0SkbfTPzVJu2sMa1ZYJBsH1J60WiUuGyhiDS5b1QLzwLgq31XvA3vf0VQBDx8nqnIMMxjvNwgfm4NfWtyoLUeQOuy4gFncgAo5nU9j8jX/s1600/DSC_0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBtXcXRD8znXy7w3UKZnkvmkfNvtaF-53zvB0SkbfTPzVJu2sMa1ZYJBsH1J60WiUuGyhiDS5b1QLzwLgq31XvA3vf0VQBDx8nqnIMMxjvNwgfm4NfWtyoLUeQOuy4gFncgAo5nU9j8jX/s320/DSC_0218.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-37780080111626892702011-01-26T19:21:00.000-08:002011-01-26T19:21:06.665-08:00It has been 2 weeks!I simply cannot believe that it has been 2 weeks since Selena was born. She had her 2 week check up today at the Naval Hospital Pediatric clinic in Pensacola. The Dr. gave her an A on her health but we do still need to follow up with the cardiologist for her heart. Selena Kate has gained 1 lb. and grown 1 inch! Crazy! I knew she was getting bigger but I did not realize this would happen so quickly in just 2 weeks. Our time off with her feels like it is flying by and I just want it to slow down! <br />
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This weekend, we are headed back down to Merritt Island to throw my best childhood friend, Lauren a baby shower. Her daughter is due in March. This is exciting for me to imagine our daughters being as good of friends as we have been for 23 years. Selena Kate will also get to see Grandy and Granddaddy and also her birth family. The following weekend, we will be making the trek up to Mississippi to see Chad's parents and Amy's extended family and grandmother. Selena Kate is quite the traveler in her first month of life! We know how very important it is for all of our family to meet her and are so excited to take her to the place where her Mama and Papa met and dated. <br />
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As I look back on my life and all of its many eccentricities and crazy turns in the road, I cannot believe that we are where we are. I would not have believed anyone if they had told me 10 years ago what, where and with whom I would be spending my time and energy. It is not that I would not have agreed, I just would not have believed it. Life can change in an instant but my life has evolved in perfect preparation for a plan that only God could see. There were so many times in my early adult life that I thought there was no hope for my happiness. As I look back on this, I feel so silly. God intended for me to be happy. There was no way I would truly appreciate this happiness for His glory, if I had not gone through years of what some may call unhappiness. Do not get me wrong, I am and always will be a happy person. We, as a couple, are happy and stay that way most of the time. I just mean there is a difference in being happy in trusting God's plan for your life and forcing yourself to be happy when you do not truly trust or have faith. <br />
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As we contemplate and discuss our adoption experience, we know that adoption is our call to ministry. Chad and I have seen that through adoption your will WILL be refined and fine tuned to hear and be open to God's plan for your life. Through adoption, you fulfill God's call to his people to take care of those in need. The amazing thing that occurs during this though, is that you end up the one who has been taken care of!<br />
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"You'll find success in life when you stop trying to include God in your plans and Instead ask God to include you in His." - Rick Warren<br />
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Here are some of this week's pics so far. More to come from our trip this weekend.<br />
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</div>Selena Kate's first week with us has been busy to say the least. She has been from Vero to Merritt Island to Gulf Breeze. She has gone to Chick Fil A, Target, the pier on Navarre Beach, and even Ft. Pickens for a ride down the beach! She of course has not seen any of our chilly weather because she has either stayed in the car or had the bundle me on. This is a neat thing made for car seats to zip up around them in the car seat. <br />
She has spent time with her Grandy and Grandaddy and Auntie M (Amy's Mom, Dad and Sister) as well as her Mimi, Papaw and Sissy (Chad's Mom, Dad and Sister). She has had plenty of baths and LOVES her hair washed. She moves her head all around under the water. She loves her MAM pacifiers and super soft blankies that our neighbor Kristy gave us. She has met all our neighbors and their children and become Marley's (our daschund) new snuggle buddy. <br />
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We have determined she is allergic to Pampers with drymax and have had to switch her to Huggies natural care. She is still able to wear her newborn clothing as well. She has been spending a ton of time being held by grandparents and also in her new glider, compliments of both set of grandparents.<br />
She has a doctor appointment at the Naval Hospital to establish with her pediatrician this week and then will receive a referral to Nemours Clinic in Pensacola to see a cardiologist. The cardiologist from Arnold Palmer stated that the hole in her heart was small and would be expected to close by her 6 month check up, but we plan to follow up with the cardiologist here as well.<br />
She has made herself a nice schedule of feeding every 4 hours and would honestly sleep through the night if we let her. She sleeps in the bassinet next to our bed at the present time but will transition to her crib as she gets a bit older. <br />
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This week has been an amazing week of firsts for all of us. We are so blessed and in complete awe of this precious angel we have the privilege to raise. Tomorrow is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday and this is so very special to us as we think how her birth mother chose life for her daughter and made a life plan for her as well. How awesome is it she CHOSE us?! At night when we pray, we wonder what we did to deserve this beautiful child. We wonder how we could ever let her biological mother know how very brave she is. What we DO celebrate is a continued relationship with SK's biological family. This gives us comfort in knowing we will be able to show and tell Selena the love that has been for her from the beginning. We will always be able to show SK her roots and this will help her grow in a positive way with the confidence in knowing she is loved beyond a shadow of a doubt! Here are her week in pictures!<br />
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</div>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-85267508341262565522011-01-17T20:26:00.000-08:002011-01-17T20:29:32.514-08:00Selena Kate was worth the wait!On January 12, 2011 Selena Kate was born in Vero Beach, FL. She was 6 lbs, 12 oz and 19.5 inches long. She has dark hair and brown eyes and is the most beautiful little girl we have ever seen (although we are biased). Her birth mother is the most amazing woman we have ever met. She stayed awake along with her biological grandmother "Gammy" the whole hospital stay and we were shocked to see how natural she was with her daughter. As the moment came for our birth mom to entrust Selena to us, the emotions became indescribable. There are simply no words to express the beauty that occurred in the moment or the pain that was felt by all parties. We could never understand the heartbreak that our birth mom feels. We will never know that loss or emptiness inside. We do know that our heart breaks at the thought and sight of her pain. We do know that she is brave, courageous and amazing. We know that God had a plan for Selena's life and brought together two families that were perfectly strangers into a large "chosen" family. We know that the covenant we have between Selena's birth family and ours is something that only God could have designed and so we give thanks for this with every breath and being. <br />
Selena's first few days have been spent ta Amy's parents home. The first night, she woke up every 1.5 to 2 hours. This was difficult, but we quickly realized we did not care if we were sleep deprived because this amazing little girl was with us. The 2nd day and night were a little less tiring and by the third day and night SK has made herself a little schedule all on her own!. Selena has been eating very well and has a laid back personality. She is most alert in the morning between 7 and 9 am and just looks around taking the whole world in! We take this time in the morning to give her mini photo shoots :) She loves her bouncy seat too! She had a pediatrician appointment today because the doctor at the hospital detected a heart murmur. After her appointment, Dr. Gonzalez suggested we take her to Cape Canaveral Hospital for an echo cardiogram. She was hooked up with little sticky pads and cords and placed on a big hospital bed. Boy did this make her look even smaller. The results from this test are not back yet but the preliminary results show she has a ventricular septal defect: in lamens terms this means a small hole on the two lower portions of her heart. She will get established with her pediatrician back home and need to see a pediatric cardiologist regularly to monitor this. We will keep all updated on her progress but hope this resolves itself as some cases do.<br />
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We are preparing to make the 8 hour drive back to Gulf Breeze tomorrow and get settled in for a few days before her Mimi, Papaw and Auntie Mindy arrive. Here are some pictures to highlight the first 5 days of her life :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXcl4Zlf2PllPQdmDOqcqS2J9W3P9AfNr0R9om89RNjapYO4PDelzmkSNdPSytkQBVGAXM2K1lBt0CN8dSG3MpJhNN862C21zMqKPsIhaA1dl9ZSHrHsbLX8rOrUGMPLRglGnJ9kuxSvW/s1600/DSC_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXcl4Zlf2PllPQdmDOqcqS2J9W3P9AfNr0R9om89RNjapYO4PDelzmkSNdPSytkQBVGAXM2K1lBt0CN8dSG3MpJhNN862C21zMqKPsIhaA1dl9ZSHrHsbLX8rOrUGMPLRglGnJ9kuxSvW/s320/DSC_0034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-80081984840936797462011-01-12T20:35:00.000-08:002011-01-12T20:35:51.529-08:00We are headed to meet Selena KateWhen we woke up this morning and all mornings since SK's due date on the 9th, we wondered if today would be the day we would meet our daughter. Around 9 am, we were called and told to head South because our birth mom's contractions were 5 minutes apart. Amy began scrambling around in circles until she realized the car was packed and that she had already created a checklist to use when that call came. Once Chad arrived home from work and packed ( Amy still cannot believe he was not packed yet!) really?... Amy has been packed for 2 weeks and had the car packed for a week. Anyways, once Chad packed, we got in the car to head down. We were updated once about our birth mother's progress but the next call was to tell us Selena Kate had been born!<br />
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As we were on I75 headed towards my parents and then the hospital, we were reminded that God's timing is His own and not ours. Through an emotional and joyful ride with the amazing news of our daughter's birth, we kept thinking of the grief that would come for others for our joy. The grief that our birthmom would and is feeling as she recovers and prepares to entrust her beautiful daughter with us! On a bigger picture note, we are calling to mind that one year ago today, there was a devastating earthquake in Haiti and all of the lives lost. After this earthquake, Amy's faith was renewed again in the greatness of God. How you might ask would Amy think God is good in all of that mess and devastation? Just like some may ask how can the sadness that all biological parents who make a life plan of adoption be something positive? But during that time one year ago today, we saw the amazing people who put their lives, jobs and safety (including Amy's father) on the line to travel to Haiti and help those in need. We call to mind the orphans and widows that were left to fend for themselves and the pain they felt from that deep loss inside. What does any of that pain have to do with the joy and excitement of our travel to meet our new daughter and we say...everything! James 1:27 states:<br />
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"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."<br />
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We realize the word "orphan" does not always apply to the circumstance or the meaning that most think. We realize that Selena Kate is NOT an orphan, she is LOVED by twice as many people than a child born biologically to us because she will be born into two families that have a covenant with one another to raise her with as much love from as many people as possible. But there are orphans out there, even still in Haiti one year later. There are orphans affected by AIDS in Africa, who have lost both parents. There are orphans in America as well. There are children in foster care, who may never know the love that Selena Kate will experience from two families. Then, there are orphans from God, people who have lost their way or Faith in His power. We can assure you that He calls us to lead them to a place of safety and unconditional love. Strive today to find a moment to reach out to someone who is orphaned from God or consider getting involved in the many orphan ministries or adoption domestically or abroad. <br />
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And today we give praise and Thanksgiving for the blessings in our life! <br />
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Pics to come :)onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8108878350318771346.post-51793469239319633772011-01-02T14:30:00.000-08:002011-01-02T14:40:50.759-08:00Our wait for Selena Kate!On Veteran's day 2010, we were contacted by our adoption agency (also Amy's company) Bethany Christian Services to be given the news that we had been selected as a match to an expectant parent in South Florida. As we were walking on the new pier on Navarre Beach, we realized we would be parents by 2011. At that moment, we decided to pray and give thanks to God for blessing us with a match with a birth mother. By the following week, we had driven to meet our birth mother Michelle and were in awe of how amazing and smart she was! By December, we had an ongoing email contact with her and went to spend time with her and her family again before Christmas. During our time in the fall, we completed Selena Kate's nursery with Amy's parents and readied ourselves for the one thing we have wanted for the past 4 years!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMcxcRbcvdnl-TYcGmuOEzibSxDkFOV2AY4Tbnri7iWMfQoCdtZIS232fm4LmBahS8TxnRv-JVKVy73Pn0NhWsE2lwJQbiPruopvyahhAufOGXC_HReQE5RDPQT9Z3ZlRIcsxZDOzVLVO/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMcxcRbcvdnl-TYcGmuOEzibSxDkFOV2AY4Tbnri7iWMfQoCdtZIS232fm4LmBahS8TxnRv-JVKVy73Pn0NhWsE2lwJQbiPruopvyahhAufOGXC_HReQE5RDPQT9Z3ZlRIcsxZDOzVLVO/s320/035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DxPujZq9xXF9bbwDrIl6tWpW9qV6LHzUl4SbQSm6rdPszQ3DIFImh022sQ5JqoTkpkX4AQal_vyC2d0krfOQuXx4nX2FaLC1WAGuJkvBwrBbFcoPIdf3X7lP3ibQtBF6I_RrtQMgvjD_/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DxPujZq9xXF9bbwDrIl6tWpW9qV6LHzUl4SbQSm6rdPszQ3DIFImh022sQ5JqoTkpkX4AQal_vyC2d0krfOQuXx4nX2FaLC1WAGuJkvBwrBbFcoPIdf3X7lP3ibQtBF6I_RrtQMgvjD_/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As we approach Michelle's due date, we anxiously await the news that Selena Kate has been born. There is a sense of nervousness in our home as we try to wait patiently (most of you reading this know that patience is not a virtue Amy has). No matter what will happen when she is born, we remind ourselves of the great way God has made this adoption process so very sacred and meaningful. For example, we knew even before we tried to have children that we would like to name our son or daughter after a family name. When we were contacted by Bethany Christian Services to be told we had been selected as a family, we were asked if we would consider the name Selena. We of course said yes, why would we not honor the wants and desires of the woman who would give birth to the child we would raise! Yes yes yes! Little did we know that Selena was the name of Chad's great grandmother. We would only later find this out as Amy begun a family ancestry project online. So as we "patiently" await Selena Kate, we keep this and all of the other blessings in mind! <strike><strike></strike></strike>onemooreminorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00668470656238633614noreply@blogger.com2