Thankful Thursday..(what, it's just a few days late!)

Can I just say right up front that I am tired of looking at moving boxes?! Ok, thank you I needed to say that! Despite the moving chaos at our house I still have a lot to be thankful for. I am constantly thinking about everything I have to be thankful for but just haven't had time for posting on the computer.

I am thankful for:

~moving boxes~I know I just said that I am tired of looking at them but I am still thankful for them because that means my husband has a job and we are moving together as a family. This move also gives my husband a chance to advance his career. Some families get separated by year long unaccompanied deployments so I am thankful we are moving together as a family!

~my anniversary~Gary and I celebrated 18 years of marriage on Monday! I can't believe it has been 18 years already, I don't look a day over 20! We celebrated at The Melting Pot. It was so yummy and very romantic. I gotta tell you I just love this man of mine! I can't wait to see what our next 18 years will bring us or where it will bring us (this will be our 10th move in 18 years!).

Gary and I at The Melting Pot! The flowers waiting on our table at the restaurant!

~our church family~We have been so blessed by our church family. They are such loving, nonjudgmental, helpful, hands and feet of Christ. I know as Christians aren't we all supposed to be like that? The answer is yes, but this church just embodies what it means to be a Christian unlike any other. Our church motto is A Passion for Christ and A Compassion for People and they certainly live that way. The hardest part of moving is leaving our church and this will be true here too.

~fast cars~I'm not really too thankful for them because I don't like to go fast but my kids think it is fun. I am thankful that they had the fun opportunity to ride in a Viper. A gentleman (Jim) from church offered rides for the annual VBS fundraiser auction. We signed up for all of the kids to ride (except Claire, Viper's aren't car seat friendly!). The had a blast and thought it was cool riding in the fancy sports car!

Brianna enjoying her ride!

Nicholas' turn!

Hunter is thinking "no pictures, I've got the need for speed!"

Claire got to sit in the car. That made her happy!

The Viper. Nice, huh!?
We have just over a week left before we move. I may try to post but if not I will let you know when we have made it to our next stop on this crazy ride we call our lives. Please pray for us during this hectic time. Thanks! I can't wait to hear what y'all are thankful for!

Happy Father's Day..11 months since Gotcha Day!

Happy Father's Day to the one of the best fathers around! I am so thankful that God made you the daddy that you are. You are loving, funny, fair, and some how you have learned how to balance the rigors of work with the importance of family. Thank you for being the rock and steady leader of our family.

Happy Father's Day!

On this Father's Day, we remember 11 months ago when Claire was placed in our arms forever. I can't believe 11 months have flown by already and yet it seems she has always been with us. Unfortunately, she isn't feeling well today. She started running a fever during the night and it has continued today. Despite her fever, she still has the same smile on her face that she usually does. What a blessing she is and continues to be!

Claire says "Happy 1st day of summer!"

Thankful Thursday Brianna Style...

Hey guys it's me Brianna! My Mom is up to her eyes in packing boxes and asked me to do Thankful Thursday for her. We move in less than 3 weeks! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

*In the 3 years that we have lived here I have been really thankful for FRIENDSHIP.

I have the greatest friends in the world! I truly value my friends and can't thank them enough for what they do for me!

Here are some of my best friends from school, Deborah and Danielle.

*I'm thankful for music. I love music! I love all types of music, Gospel, Pop, Rock, Country, Hip-Hop, I love it all! I find music so inspiring! I am so excited for August 16! My mom has bought me concert tickets to my favorite group, The Jonas Brothers!! THANKS MOM!!!

*I'm also thankful for our church family. I'm so happy to be in a church that cares so much for other people. We love getting together with the people from our church to have fellowship and play cards with one another. It's so great when you have a special bond with your church. We are so loved!

*I'm thankful for my 'Adopted Grandparents', Larry and Barb. They love us to pieces and hate to see us leave. They have come to all our special events in the 3 years we have been here and never miss out on a chance to have us over for dinner and a card game. They have been over this week helping us pack and they are always so lively and never wanted to stop working. I love them and will miss them when we move!

*Most importantly, I am thankful for my family! They are so much fun! I'm so thankful to be in a family that is so close and God driven! I love my parents and think they're the bestest! LOL! I'm grateful that they show me love and compassion and are always there for me!

My brothers are such wackos!

Claire is so full of life!

I can't wait for Caleb to come home from Korea! I can't wait to give him a bunch of hugs and kisses!!!

Thankful Thursday..

Today, I am thankful that school is out for the summer! I love the break from homework and having my kids home all day with me. I think next year homeschooling will be a fun experience for all of us. I am thankful that my kids are using their God given talents and excelling in school. I am so proud of them. We don't expect perfection but we do expect them to give their all and do their best.


Hunter received a reading award..

Brianna graduated from middle school and received awards in history and UIL art..

Nicholas received numerous awards including all A honor roll, AR reader for the 6th grade (he had the most AR points for the entire class, if you know Nicholas this shouldn't be a surprise to you. He always has a book in his hand)

Claire and her teacher, Ms. Tammy. She taught Claire's deaf education class. Claire loved it and she learned a lot of new signs!

Claire and Ms. Cindy. She taught Claire's speech class.

I am also thankful for our family and friends who helped us celebrate the kids accomplishments and celebrated with us after with food and gifts. The kids received gifts, Starbucks gift cards, and I-tunes cards! Thanks for the great year kids!

Claire got a talking Dora doll! Hunter got Jeff Gordon gear!
Nicholas got a Philadelphia Eagles monkey!
Brianna got a Nick Jonas wall clock!




Just a note, next year, we will have a high schooler, a middle schooler, an elementary student, a preschooler, and a toddler newly home from Korea! Can you say awesome! We are certainly blessed beyond belief!

Thankful Thursday (It's a BOY!!)

It is my favorite time of the week; it is thankful Thursday time! Did anyone even notice that I missed thankful Thursday last week? It was not intentional I was just really busy getting ready for our trip to Georgia.

Today I am thankful for:

~family~my parents and aunt and uncle visited us last week and we had a great time. Like usual the time went by way too fast!

My kiddos..

~God's creativity~We visited the Natural Bridge Caverns on Memorial Day. The caverns are beautiful! I marvel at the fact that God spoke and it all came to be. His creativity never ceases to amaze me.

My camera doesn't do the caverns justice..

~little boys~Especially the one waiting in Korea for us to be his mom and dad! Yes, it's true. We just found out tonight that were chosen by the committee at the adoption agency to be his family. We are very excited. God revealed him to us about 2 weeks ago and so we are stepping out in faith and pursuing our 5th child. Once we complete our homestudy we will be officially matched. Once we are officially matched I will post pictures. Trust me, he is adorable. He will be 2 in August. Our goal is to have him home before Christmas!

Here is a sneak peek!

What are you thankful for today?

Whew what a couple of weeks...

Our house has been crazy busy these last couple of weeks. We have had many school award ceremonies, graduations, family visiting, and travel to and from Georgia! (I am saving award pictures for another time perhaps for Thankful Thursday!) Last night, we arrived home after a whirlwind trip to Georgia for our niece, Mallory's graduation. We left Thursday night at 8:00pm CST and pulled up to their house at 4:00pm EST on Friday. We drove 1000 miles through the night and made it with 4 hours to spare before her graduation started! She was very surprised and happy to see us. She didn't think we were going to be able to come but we decided it was worth driving through the night to surprise her! This was also 2 of our nieces first time to meet Claire. Needless to say, Claire was loved on all weekend long!

Our nieces.. Mallory, Alisha, and Michaela

All of the cousins after graduation..Gary and I with the graduate..(we don't even look tired!)
Hunter and Michaela (best buds)
Alisha and her husband Turner...

On Saturday, Claire experienced playing with baby kitties, playing at the park, and being a cheerleader! They had 2 kittens that were about 6 weeks old so Claire got to hold one for the first time. She liked it until the nails came out! All of the kids loved the kittens and begged to bring one home. I had to remind them that Dad is very allergic! Saturday afternoon, we spent at the park. Everyone had fun playing on the playground and in the creek that ran through the park. At the park, my niece Michaela and her college friends put on a cheerleader clinic. Michaela cheers on a competition squad at college so they showed us some of the stunts that they perform.

Claire and the kitten... Brianna was in heaven. She had a kitten to love and a baby to spoil!
Brianna loving on Gavin (our niece's cousins baby)
Claire showing her monkey bar skills...
The kids in the creek...they stayed fairly dry until they found the waterfall!

That is Michaela in the air..

Michaela again...
Claire was showing Michaela her flip!Claire was so into everything that they did..the child is fearless..

Look Mom no hands!..

The following videos we took of them doing stunts. The first one is Michaela. The second one is Claire. Is Claire a future cheerleader? I don't know but this mom would prefer if she kept her feet on the ground! I was having a heart attack each time they threw Michaela up in the air and they did it over and over again!

Well, that is enough for now. I am up to my head in laundry and cleaning. Plus need to go to the store.

Be on the look out for school award pictures, Natural Bridge Cavern pictures, zip-line videos, and a surprise we hope to be able to tell you about really soon!