Thankful Thursday - Celebrating Brianna!

This thankful Thursday, I celebrate Brianna. On Sunday, October 11, she turned 15! How can that be possible that my firstborn baby girl is 15? Some girls dream of becoming a doctor or starting a business, I dreamed about becoming a wife and a mother. With the birth of Brianna, those dreams came true.


Brianna, it has been so much fun being your mom. I love your sense of humor, your competitive spirit, your servant's heart, the way you are a true friend to your friends, your laugh, your smile, your goofiness, your serious side when times call for you to be serious, the way you are a great big sister and the way Jesus shines through you! I am so proud to be your mom.

Brianna at 3 months! Wasn't she adorable?

Brianna at 2 1/2! Easter 1997
First day of 8th grade.. 2008Brianna and her love of cats!

Brianna loving on Claire..

Volleyball 2009..Go Trailblazers!Brianna with some of her friends from volleyball..

Beautiful girl inside and out!
This was taken on her birthday while visiting Georgia..
If you look closely at her shirt that she made you will see some of her sense of humor. Her shirt says "Me Be Home Teached" She is always making us laugh!

Happy Birthday, Brianna! I love you, Mom

Wordless Wednesday - Our basketball girl!

Thankful Thursday - Caleb's Story

This thankful Thursday I want to share how our adoption of our little guy came about. Enjoy Caleb's story. I am thankful to be able to share it with you.

I guess Caleb's story started when we adopted Claire. Gary and I just knew that she would not be the last child for us. God really took our desire for more children and turned it into a heart for orphans. Due to this heart for orphans, I would check the photo listing on Rainbow Kids occasionally and I saw several Korean children through Holt International. So I started occasionally checking Holt’s site, they also have a photo listing of waiting children. We decided with the upcoming move to Alabama we would just wait especially since we will only be in Alabama for less than a year. Well, God had other plans. On a side note, Brianna had said several months ago “I think we need to adopt a little boy from Korea and I have the perfect name for him. Do you want to hear it? His name is Caleb.” When she said this we were still thinking Uganda would be where we would adopt from next. However, the seed had been planted. I started feeling nudges that we were supposed to pursue Korea first before Uganda (I don’t know if Uganda will ever happen but the desire is there). Well, on May 13, I felt like we needed to apply for the waiting child program through Holt. With Holt, you can apply and pay $50 and that will allow you to view children’s files and see the photos on the password protected sites. There was a photo of a little baby boy that I was sure was ours so when I sent the application I requested his file. The next evening, Gary and I went to an Agape Pregnancy Center fundraiser and while the speaker was talking I suddenly had a strange sensation and a little boy’s picture flashed through my mind. I almost started crying because I was so overwhelmed with what had just happened. The picture wasn’t of the little boy whose file I had requested but of another little boy that I hadn’t even considered before. When I told Gary on the way home he said you know what that means, we need to ask for his file. I immediately emailed Holt when we got home and requested his file. We received the files of both boys the next day. We both felt such peace about pursuing Caleb (Korean name is Ho-min). He has significant special needs (at least more than Claire has) and we have talked with a doctor several times but nothing we heard changed our mind about pursuing him. The following week we let Holt know we wanted to pursue him. We then had to fill out questionnaires so our family could go before the committee to be selected as his family. As you know, we found out June 4 that we were approved. Korea doesn’t require a dossier just an approved home study. Once we have an approved home study, we can get him usually 3-5 months later. We are so close to finishing our home study. Our social worker comes for our home visit on Monday!! God has faithfully provided the funds thus far for his adoption and we are trusting Him to provide the rest of the money needed. We are also considering some fundraising ideas. If any of you know of any successful fundraising ideas please let me know. His full name is going to be Caleb Joseph Ho-min. Caleb means faithful and I really think God has been faithful in finding a family for him, he has been waiting almost 2 years and Joseph means God will add and God really did add him to our family. This little boy wasn’t even on our radar screen until May 14 and June 4 we find out he will be ours, only God could do that. We have both felt God saying to us, “Are you going to trust me on this, he is my child, will you step out in faith and bring him home.” How could we say no to that? Could you pray that we bring Caleb home soon? He has been hospitalized several times since June related to his special need. We need to get him home and seen by doctors here and started on consistant medicine and therapy.

Since I can't show you his face yet. Here is his adorable hands and feet!!

Another side note, Brianna told me she had a dream this week that we were at the hospital picking up a new baby. She said we named him Benjamin! This girl is scaring me!!

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

~Making it through almost 2 weeks of home school!

~That we found a home school band for Brianna and Nicholas to continue with their music.

~Brianna's American Government class! I love finding her working on her government class with her Bible in her lap as she looks up verses about what the Bible has to say about government and laws.

~I love that one of the books that is sitting with Nicholas' school work is his Bible!

~Watching Hunter as he is gaining confidence with his school work.

~We have a speech evaluation in Birmingham tomorrow for Claire. I am thankful that we are getting closer to finding services for her here in Alabama.

~And finally I am thankful for tornado sirens. I know that seems random with everything else that I have listed this week. Well, yesterday the local sirens went off twice. I am thankful for the sirens that warn us of possible danger so we can seek shelter. I am thankful that the sirens give Nicholas a chance to trust God to protect us. He did get worked up yesterday but he is learning to relax and turn his worry over to God. You are never to young to learn that lesson.

Thankful Thursday

This Thankful Thursday I am thankful for:

~The first official day of school! I am now a homeschool mom and I survived the first day and so did the kids! I got the kids new PJs for the first day of school. They wore them all day!

Hunter ready to work.. Brianna working surrounded by her Nick Jonas collection..
Nicholas taking a break to smile for the camera.. Claire wanted me to take her picture too! I couldn't say no!

~The wonderful weekend we had with our Georgia family! We are loving living so close to them!

~Fishing! We went fishing this weekend and all of the kids caught some fish. Nothing beats spending time with family especially if the fish are biting!

Claire caught the first fish of the day. She was thrilled with this whole fishing thing.
Nicholas and his catch..Michaela..


Even Gary got into the action..

Brianna..
Mallory..

Hunter...

Alisha with one of her six that she caught...

Claire with Turner..look how proud she is of the fish she caught with her Batman pole..Priceless..

What are you thankful for?

(Make sure and check out Hunter's birthday post below..)

Happy Birthday Hunter!!

How did my baby boy get to be 9 years old already? I just can't believe it! Our little miracle baby is growing up. Happy Birthday, Hunter. God has big plans for you, I know He does. Just look at how you have grown and how healthy you have been. Kids with kidneys like yours aren't supposed to do as well as you do. At least, that is what the doctors tell us but God has protected you and kept you well because He is going to do great things through you. Stay faithful and see how God moves in your life. I love you!!

Have you seen a cuter baby?

Hunter lovin' on Claire..

Hunter enjoying the spotlight at the beach house..

Time for cake at Aunt Teresa's and Uncle Wayne's house..

Hunter and Mallory (plus Lexie and Bernard!)

Hunter and Michaela (2 peas in a pod!)

Happy Birthday, Hunter!

Thankful Thursday at the beach!!

This Thursday I am thankful for:


~The wonderful week the kids and I have spent at the Outer Banks in North Carolina!
~The time spent with old friends!
~The time spent getting to know new friends!
~The beauty of God's creation - my favorites are the ocean and the mountains!
~Lastly for this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for Hunter's birthday tomorrow. Tomorrow he turns 9. I will be doing a birthday post when I get back home but until then Happy Birthday, Hunter!

Brianna and Claire enjoying the pool..
Friends enjoying the hot tub..
Claire gets some air!!
Hunter being goofy..
The surfer boys at the beach..Claire and her new friend, Emma..

Together again..

Claire loving her sand box!

The big boys enjoying theirs too!

Best friends forever - Brianna and Caylee

What are you thankful for?