Rouse Adventures

Compliments and Criticisms

2012-01-26T10:58:00.001-08:00

Why do these things matter so much to me? I can’t help but think about what other’s opinions are of me. I try to act like I don’t care, that it doesn’t affect me- but in reality it does. I read an interesting thought in my “Made to Crave” devotion today.

“Don’t let people’s compliments go to your head and don’t let their criticisms go to your heart.”

But I do allow that. I do- but I don’t want to. The passage of scripture that relates to this is Colossians 3:1-2. Of course I love the message version-

“So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.”

Anybody have any real life application on how to do this??

I also liked this thought in the devotional-

“Be brave enough to accept negative feedback as a possible call to action but not as a definition of your identity. And while you enjoy the positive feedback refuse to get bloated by it”

I try to be open to negative feedback- for areas I may need to work on. I think I have a harder time with not getting bloated with the positive. The girls usually helps me with that though- when I’m on my high horse about what good girls they are, someone usually helps me out by attacking the other or working together to make a big mess - just keeping it real!

God’s calling….

2012-01-24T18:40:00.001-08:00

A quote that I first saw last year keeps coming back into my head.

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Hmmmmmmm- where would that lead me?

A new quote that was in my Bible study this week is-

“Our spiritual life is His affair; because, whatever we may think to the contrary, it is really produced by His steady attraction, and our humble and self-forgetful response to it. It consists in being drawn, at his pace and in His way, to the place where He wants us to be; not the place we fancied for ourselves.”

I’m learning more and more that it’s all about the process. The process of becoming who/what/where He wants me to be.

I’m so thankful for His drawing me nearer, for not giving up on me. Working on me to get me to the place where my deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet!

Easily entertained

2012-01-17T11:27:00.000-08:00

Some days my kids are easily entertained. Some days not so much……Here are a few things we’ve done recently that they have liked.

Necklaces

Sometimes they entertain themselves

Boats

Grandpa at the wheel of course- what do you mean you can’t tell… that stick person clearly has shorter hair!

I’m not very crafty but my kids LOVE it when I try!

Not related but I love this little face. This is her “I’ve got to tell you something in your ear”

Jesus is on the throne- Hallelujah!

2012-01-14T11:20:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite speakers- Angela Thomas spoke at our MOPS group last Tuesday. Every time I hear her speak I come away with something new & helpful. One of the first times I heard her speak she talked about how our kids need to see us praying and studying the Bible. That has made an impact on me. Where I used to put away my Bible and devotional if the kids got up early from nap- now I go ahead and finish while they watch TV. They know Mommy’s Bible study is important!

I loved the topic of Angela’s talk- 5 things I wish someone would have told me sooner. I want to remember these things!! Now I just took short handed notes and its been awhile since Tuesday so some of this is my interpretation of what she said…..

1- The most important gift to give my kids and my husband is to care for my heart. It is more important that the housework, the crafts, the outings. One of the things she said is that we should choose to grow spiritually- because if not God will choose for us and that might not be as pleasant.

2- Simple memories are the sweetest. She talked about listing the 10 things you love about each one of your kids- and asked do your kids know those things??

3- Don’t spend so much money on your kids!

4- Laughter will carry you through. She mentioned that your kids love to hear you laugh. Your house needs to be fun- you want them to want to be there- to bring their friends there.

5- Take no offense. Take everything as a compliment.

And then she kept going I was glad- I didn’t want it to end!

6- Never stop touching your children. Touch them when you walk by, touch them so much they expect it!

7- Comparison is so unfair! You are always comparing someone else’s best to your worst.

8- Tebow Em She talked about how you have to build character early & have strong boundaries. Help your kids memorize scripture.

Somewhere in there she talked about how in the big picture Jesus is on the throne. Even the things that seem like huge things in the moment really aren't. This is the thing that has stuck with me the most. I have a hard time in the moment of something that seems like a big deal, a “what in the world were you thinking!!!” moment, I lose my cool. I yell. I lose perspective. So I’ve instituted a new rule in our house. When something happens and I want to yell, to say “what were you thinking??!!”, or just feel myself getting frustrated at all of the little things, I say “Jesus is on the throne” and the kids say “Hallelujah!!” It breaks up my mad, lifts my eyes to Jesus, and perspective hits home. Jesus is on the throne! He is in control. One day we will be in Heaven with Him! Now the fact that they just took all the clothes off the hangers, put half the bottle of shampoo and a bunch of lotion in her dry hair, woke up her sister, or reprogrammed my computer doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. They are kids- and yes they need to learn not to do those things- but they need to see their Mom loving them, showing them grace, and putting all the focus on Jesus more!! So if you see me out and about and I yell out “Jesus is on the throne” and my kids throw their hands up and yell “Hallelujah”…. you will know what’s going on :)

Waiting

2012-01-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

Please excuse this post if it’s a little random and run-on….. My heart is on fire- my hope is restored, my God hears me! He hears what I pray, He hears what I think- what I don’t say. How awesome is that?? Recently I found a new favorite verse- Micah 7:7

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me. “

And He does. He does even when it seems like I’m not getting through. Even in the waiting!

Our adoption journey has been a lot of waiting so far. And I’ve struggled with that. All the roadblocks, the closed doors- I wondered did it mean we weren’t supposed to adopt, or not right now?? But the one thing I KNOW is that we have been called to adopt. And in my heart I know that. And we felt like now was the time… and so we’ve been going down the paths we’ve been led down. And someday, maybe soon, maybe not til heaven we will see His greater plan. Why things have gone they way they have. The lessons we have learned along the way. How He is glorified through it all. But for now we are waiting. Waiting for Him to lead us where he wants us to go.

I was talking with an adoptive mom this morning and telling her where we were- and how people probably think, and how I sometimes think about maybe this isn’t His will. That maybe God is trying to tell us something. But as I shared with her I KNOW that is not true. This is just a small piece of the plan. In my quiet time today I was reflecting on how I hadn’t believed that until I said it to her. I’ve never really had the Lord speak to me using my own voice before- but I think that’s what happened. And I am resting in the fact that He is in control. As I continued in my quiet time I was reading ahead for our bible study. I opened up to Habakkuk 2.

“What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon.
I'll wait to see what God says,
how he'll answer my complaint. And then God answered: "Write this.
Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
pointing to what's coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
And it doesn't lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
It's on its way. It will come right on time. “

WOW! And we go back to MY GOD WILL HEAR ME. He heard my questions, my doubts, and answered me- “It will come right on time”

So- we will continue waiting- in big block letters…..

We are waiting for God to bring us a child through adoption!

I can hardly wait

Day to day life captured by the cell phone…

2012-01-02T17:53:00.001-08:00

I’ve gotten more and more slack about carrying the camera around with us. I am thankful for my cellphone camera as it captures the pictures that tell stories of fun times, spontaneity and my girls growing up day by day. This is a smorgasbord of pictures… just day to day in our lives

Dress up happens almost everyday

A trip to the dentist. A little sister who was so concerned for her sissy. She stood watch and held her hand….

Jumping on the trampoline with cousin and aunt!

A fun night out with my 2 oldest brothers, sister in law and hubby.

Our second Christmas tree of the year…

Silly Spiperman

Helpful girls who folded all the hand towels

Stuck with daddy in a submarine

New hairstyles!!

Helping her little sister climb in a Chic-fil-a play place that was made for kids a little taller

Day at the zoo

Countdown til noon for New Years Eve

With their very first magic show!

Happy New Year!!

I love the ‘tude Piper’s showing in this picture… boy does she have it! And her personality and expressions kill me. Her most popular saying right now is “Puh LEAse”- with a furrowed brow…..wanting to do whatever you told her not to do.

And with this random post here is my non-resolution- to keep being random, spontaneous, and fun-loving. To teach my girls in the day to day how to be a Jesus girl, to show others Christ’s love and to have lots of fun doing it! I am so excited to see what 2012 has in store for us- only Jesus knows and I am so excited to walk with Him through it!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning started bright an early at 5:45- well it was still dark outside so maybe not the bright part….. the girls came downstairs with their eyes closed. Santa doesn’t wrap his gifts. Izzy got a dress-up chest and 2 dress up outfits. Piper got a baby doll cradle and a backyardigans circus set. Seeing their excitement is so fun!!

Izzy got a little mouse for the computer.

They were so excited about everything!

Izzy on her dress up chest. “I know why Santa put all these princess stickers on my dress up chest…. cause he knew I would love princess stickers!!”

Piper showing the headband for her new baby.

Flashback to last year- I just can’t help but notice how much they have changed!!

After our presents we set up the birthday cake for Jesus.

We sang and then blew out the candles “cause Jesus is up in heaven and can’t blow out the candles himself”

Then we dug in!! Both girls ate the icing off one doughnut and then ran off to play

Later on we opened our stockings

Piper concentrated so hard in getting the paper off every gift!

Raisinets were a BIG hit!!

My sweet big girl

I take snuggles any way I can get ‘em!!

After lunch we ate the gingerbread house… yum!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the new toys. Piper got these big heads to decorate… the girls had a blast with that!!

We also played several new games, read books, and took a long nap! In the evening we went over to a friend’s house and had dinner and some fun time hanging out together. Thanks for hosting us Spence’s!

It was a wonderful day! We went through the Christmas story several times and enjoyed talking about our Savior with our kiddos. God has been so good to our family. We are blessed!!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T17:49:00.001-08:00

As promised- I painted their faces My two little Rudolph's!

Our Gingerbread house

Reading Dora’s Christmas with daddy while she is breastfeeding her baby doll- note feet sticking out of shirt!

Christmas Eve we went to Izzy’s preschool for their spontaneous nativity and service. The girls wanted to dress up as cows- so they did. They were pretty excited!

As the Christmas story was read the kids got to go up on stage….

Yes my kids are dueling with the candles

We had a great time there!

When we got home the girls opened the presents they got for each other. A Dora backpack for Piper and a princess doll for Izzy.

Then Tim opened his presents from the girls. Chocolate dipped pretzel rods from Piper and a game from Izzy.

Other fun things we did on Christmas Eve were- eat at Tex & Shirley’s pancake house, go play at McDonald’s, eat ice cream at McDonald’s, take a dip in the hot tub, take a long nap, went to Donut World and got doughnuts for our doughnut birthday cake for Jesus, and I made my first prime rib- garlic crusted- and it was AWESOME!!! Lots of anticipation for Santa coming and for celebrating Jesus’s birthday (and eating doughnuts for breakfast) Fun day!!

Christmas in the Park

2011-12-24T18:03:00.001-08:00

A nearby town has a great Christmas in the Park celebration. We went last year and had a great time so we went again this year. It was A LOT colder last year- we wore winter coats, hats and gloves. This year we wore short sleeves and rain boots It was still a great family time!

Flashback to 1 year ago- on the same bunnies

Eating cookies and waiting for the train

Why do we yell in the tunnels again?? Because its fun and everyone else does it!! Izzy is all about Santa’s lap

The line for face painting was SUPER long so we opted to play on the muddy playground!

I love spending time and making memories together as a family!!

Anderson Family Christmas 2011

2011-12-21T04:12:00.001-08:00

Every year my side of the family gets together sometime between thanksgiving and Christmas to have our Christmas celebration together. This year I hosted and it was a ton of fun!!

Lots of wrestling with Uncle Dan

Playing with Grandpa

And reading books with Grandma

There were some dance competitions on the Kinect

And three cuties SO excited about presents

My mom bought us a singing Santa that sings “lolipop lolipop”. Izzy loved and loved singing with Aunt Emily!

games

Dress up outfits (it’s a gnome)

I got my brother a CD he wanted but got a prank gift box to put it in. The Pet Petter- never touch your pet again His face was hilarious!!

We made cookies and had hot chocolate

There were ONLY two major disasters The first one happened Saturday morning when Dan came out of the downstairs bathroom saying there was a problem. There was water leaking out of the vent in the ceiling. Tim and I went upstairs and two toilets water supply had sheared off from the wall and we had two geysers, two bathrooms filled with 3 inches of water, and lots of panic. My brothers and dad helped get the water up pretty quickly and we set out fans to dry where it got on the carpet. We are still waiting to find out the extent of the damage….

Piper loves picking on Grandpa

The second disaster came on sunday morning as Tim was watering the Christmas tree before he left for church. He noticed VILLAGES of bugs on the trunk of the tree. Needless to say he didn’t make it to church. I was so thankful to have other people there to help get the big infested tree out of the house!! Ewwww…. my skin is crawling just thinking about it!! It was a big ordeal getting the ornaments and lights off the tree and then getting it outside!! I was right behind then vacuuming up the bugs as fast as I could. There were even bugs on our second story window sills.

Even with our disasters I still count the weekend as a success! We had lots of fun, made lots of memories, and enjoyed seeing everyone! I’m hoping for more Anderson Family Christmas’s at the Rouse house

Holiday Tea Party

2011-12-16T07:00:00.001-08:00

I really wanted to organize a holiday tea party for Izzy and her friends at the O’Henry Hotel this year. So we set a date and I called O’Henry to give them a heads up that we were coming… well it turned out that they were all booked up for that day already. So we went to The Secret Tea Room instead.

The girls were pretty excited!

They enjoyed the Christmas books that were there

Enjoyed the lemonade

Izzy really liked all the goodies

Such a sweet group of girls!

There is the cutest place next door that is perfect for pictures!

Her new favorite “take a picture of my grumpy face”

I love my big girl!!

Gibsonville “redneck” parade

2011-12-12T17:53:00.001-08:00

On of my friends invited us to go to parade nearby. A “redneck parade” she called it. It peaked my interest and when she said last year they got more candy than at Halloween we were sold! With our recent parade let down I was hopeful. And man it was great!! The girls absolutely loved it!! I think every participant in the parade threw candy- Izzy was in heaven!!

I loved Piper in this outfit- she found the pockets and was so happy. She has her mouth open showing me she had finished her tootsie roll and was ready for more candy

Both girls were super excited to see Goofy! Izzy took off running to give him a hug.

They loved waving to everyone and saying Merry Christmas!

What do you mean “redneck parade” you ask…. well just take a look….

There were tons of horses at the end of the parade- which both girls LOVED. Piper keeps telling me she misses the horsies

Piper has a new trick…..

Of course Izzy can’t be left out of the tricks….

We had a blast! Thanks so much for inviting us Jennifer!!! We will be back next year for sure!!!

Breakfast with Mary & Joseph

2011-12-11T04:35:00.000-08:00

Last year we went to breakfast with Mary & Joseph and had a great time!! I wanted to go again this year and it didn’t disappoint! They have Mary & Joseph and the manger scene and provide all kinds of dress up stuff from their Nativity to dress up in and get your picture taken. My girls LOVE dress up so they were in heaven!!

Piper picked a donkey- Izzy picked an angel

There are lots of crafts to do- making necklaces, ornaments, and coloring.

And yummy food-biscuits, grapes and doughnuts!!

Even time for one more costume change!!

I love this tradition!!! So much fun focused on the real reason for CHRISTmas!!

Izzy strikes a pose

2011-12-10T16:24:00.001-08:00

My sweet, silly, pretty girl!

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-03T18:44:00.001-08:00

Caroline’s Promise, an adoption and fair trade organization had a breakfast with Santa fundraiser and we went bright and early and were the first ones there!

Izzy was excited but a little shy…

Piper didn’t want to sit in Santa’s lap but was happy to hold Mrs.Claus’ hand.

She got brave later and went back for a high five

Sooooooo excited!!

We went over to a friends house later and I took this CUTE shot. I love her so much!!

Grandma love

2011-12-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for both of these women! They are great grandma’s to my kiddos!!!

Izzy has her first Communion

2011-11-30T17:39:00.001-08:00

Izzy asked Jesus into her heart earlier this year. Since then she has been learning more and more about what it means to live for Jesus. She has an insatiable appetite for Bible stories and the why behind them. She usually goes to Sunday School instead of coming into service with Tim & I so she hadn’t been in a communion service at all. Tim was leading worship a few Sunday’s ago and Izzy likes to go in with me to see him sing. So we had listened to Tim sing and she had sat through the sermon when Pastor Don started talking about communion. Izzy asked me some questions so I started explaining what communion is and why we do it. She understood and wanted to participate. She was very reverent and held her wafer and prayed until it was time to eat it. She did the same with the cup (liking the grape juice MUCH more than the wafer). I am so proud of her. I love her little heart SO much. After church we told Tim (he was singing during communion) and we took her picture with him and Pastor Don.

I was a tearful mess at that point

I was trying to be sneaky and not disturb people when I took this photo of her holding the wafer.

She is getting so big!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T18:01:00.001-08:00

There are so many things I am thankful for this year. Me & God have a running list

First and foremost I am thankful for the relationship I have with Jesus- I enjoy walking with Him through this wonderful life I am living. I am thankful to live in a country where I am not persecuted for my faith. I am thankful that He knows what the future holds and is leading us day by day. I am thankful for my hubby and my kiddos. I am thankful for friends who are like family! I could go on and on. I am thankful for all the blessings!!

I’m thankful for fun turkey hat crafts

I am thankful for my little girl who is growing up more and more each day. I am thankful for the compassionate heart she has, her child like faith, and her never ending questions about Jesus!!I am thankful for this sweet 2 year old girl. I am thankful for her Piperness- she is her own little person

Thankful for yummy food!

And friends to share it with….

Game time- the Kinect is fun for all ages!!

The Lord has blessed us so much! And we are so thankful! A quote I see now and then reminds me to be purposely thankful. “What if you only had today what you thanked God for yesterday??”

Piper’s 2nd birthday party!

2011-11-20T16:43:00.001-08:00

One one hand I can’t believe Piper is turning 2- she’s my baby! On the other hand she runs around and talks so well people keep asking me if she’s turning 3. She is a joy, a handful, a blessing. We love her tons!!!

We had her party this weekend. Tim’s mom and my parents came to help us celebrate.

Her first present

Hugs for Grandma Diane!

A present from Uncle Dan- and then the petting zoo arrived!!!

Peeking in at the animals.

The man said the animals would follow him- well the grass across the street looked too appetizing

We got some time to feed and pet the animals before any friends arrived,

Piper had so much fun with all her friends that came to celebrate with her!!

These two boys weren’t sure what to think at first….

Hard to get shots of Piper opening presents with the crowd of pink coats- I love this shot!!Guess even tame bunnies are wild

Love these bunny loving sisters

Dora cake!!!

She helped sing Happy Birthday to herself

This is my two year old- with her headless Dora!!

Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate!!

Pilgrim cookies, French braid and a hippie

2011-11-17T17:34:00.001-08:00

Heard about these cookies from a friend (Thanks Shana!). They have all premade ingredients and were very easy to assemble. A must when you have two eager helpers! A fudge stripe cookie, yellow icing, a Reese's cup, and a Reese's pieces’. Put them all together- YUM!

Izzy’s hair is finally getting long enough to braid. Here is her first French braid. It made her look so grown up!

And my hippie She is her mother’s daughter. I love it!!!

AWANA

2011-11-07T10:10:00.001-08:00

Izzy is old enough for AWANA this year. I went as a kid and it’s something I really wanted her in. She loves doing her lesson each week and does a really good job memorizing her Bible verses. At the end of each month they have an award night which is also a theme night. This last one was PJ night. She was so excited to be able to wear her “new” (given to us by a friend) Ariel PJ’s!!

Several of her friends are in AWANA too

I love that she’s in AWANA. It goes a little later in the night than they usually stay up so Tim & I take turns putting Piper down and the other picks up Izzy and goes out for a special little date time- usually Feeney’s!

Costumes every day!

2011-11-02T12:24:00.001-07:00

We have had a ton of fun so far this fall! Several events all in one- so hold on for our costume wearing, candy getting fun! Izzy told me “Mom I love how we can wear costumes every day!!!”

This is Halloween night- I was a baby

Izzy was a princess, Piper was a unicorn. Several friends came over and they were- a reindeer, princess and a clown. And all 5 of them took off running.

Piper took her time a little more- but she was so cute just walking along behind…

Such a fun night!!

These pictures are from a local church’s trunk or treat. They had a pumpkin patch, halloween parade, trunk or treat and dinner!

My favorite pic of the season!! Piper got tired of the story and had fun wrestling daddy

Izzy needed a turn too!

They enjoyed the trunks- especially the princess one!

We had a hot dog dinner then sampled our goodies!

These next pics are from Izzy’s preschool party. Pumpkin doughnuts were a hit!

And spider suckers

Next two pics are from we went Trick or Treating at a nursing home.

This is from Izzy’s fall sing-a-long at preschool.

And the last pic is our girls anxiously awaiting “more kids” to hand out candy to on Halloween night. They really got a kick out of giving out the candy- and it gave them some time for the candy they had already ate to wear off

We had a great Halloween season!! I am excited about Thanksgiving. We are having Fall Global Celebration at our church this coming week and I am really looking forward to that!!

Piper Playing Animal Sounds

2011-11-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Piper loves to play Animal sounds on the Little People website. It drops down two animals and makes a sound. She has to pick which animal makes that sound. SHE LOVES IT!!! She asks to play it almost every day after nap. There are a couple of other games on the computer she likes too but this is her favorite. I love how excited she gets when we play so I got the idea to video it with out webcam. I love it!! I am so glad I could capture her little self right now. Now where is the pause button on life?? Hope you enjoy!!

More fall fun!

2011-10-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun at the pumpkin patch!

Friday night we had a fall fun potluck and campout!! Food, cookies & crafts were first.

Then a campfire!!

Piper LOVES roasting marshmallows!!!

Then bunking down for the night in the tent! We all slept pretty well

This was a picture I took of the girls in the morning- it was dark in the tent and my flash was a little bright!

Reminiscing….. this is Me and Izzy 2yrs ago. Can’t believe how big she is now!

passing the time….

2011-10-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Its always hard to get through the afternoon with short naps or no nap at all. Especially when its raining!! You can only go to the grocery store so many times….

So I decided I would be a fun mommy and we put on our rain/mud clothes on and went puddle jumping! The girls had a blast!!

My attempt to pre-clean them was a “clean puddle”. It happened to be in the middle of the street- I got some CRAZY looks Izzy loves read-along books.

Piper loves her baby dolls, feeding her baby dolls and her favorite- cleaning them with wipes!

Both girls love the crocodile game. I like it too- it is the easiest game to set up (open the mouth), supervise (none required), and clean up (close the mouth)!

I love spending the days with my girls- even the long ones

Pumpkin fun has begun!!

2011-10-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

I usually have so much trouble figuring out what to put as the title. I am quite proud of myself with the title :) We have started hitting the pumpkin patches and are loving it!!

We went to a local farm for some fun!!

HAY!

Corn pit- that is knee deep for me= LOTS of fun!!

Cow train

What a difference a year makes!!

I love this time of year!! I love the excitement, I love the smell of fall, I love these sweet girls!!

Adoption Update: Where we are….

2011-10-17T17:31:00.001-07:00

Not sure what everyone knows about where we are with adoption, or if you even knew we are hoping to adopt. Wanted to give an update so everyone would be on the same page and so you could be praying for us!

Tim and I both feel called to adopt. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!!

Earlier this year we felt the Lord leading us to pursue adoption through the Department of Social Services (DSS) foster-to-adopt program. Not what we had originally planned but we wanted to follow the Lord’s leading. We applied with DSS and after a lot of paperwork were accepted into the MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) class. This is a 10 session class that is required to become licensed with DSS. We completed the classes and began meeting with our social worker. From the beginning it didn’t look good for us getting licensure. At the second meeting we talked about the fact that we spank our children. The social worker told us she would have to speak with her supervisor regarding this. At the next meeting we were given the option to sign one of two papers. The first stating that we would stop spanking our children and the second stating that we wouldn’t stop spanking our children. After discussion Tim & I signed the one that said we were not going to stop spanking our children. (Spanking foster children is never allowed and that is understood). Several weeks later we received a letter stating that we would not be licensed by DSS. We were not surprised as that is what our social worker told us would happen.

So- where to go from here?? Well we are waiting on the Lord. We still feel called to adopt. I know that God has a plan for that. We are just waiting for some of that plan to be revealed.

We are at peace- we followed, we obeyed, we are waiting. That is all He asks us to do. That is all we can do. He will do the rest!

Please pray for us as we wait and listen for how the Lord will lead us to continue.

One of the songs that really speaks to me about following the Lord is this song-

If You say go-

And one of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”

So that is our update- I can’t wait to share with you how God works this all out!!

Enjoying life

2011-10-13T19:34:00.001-07:00

I love my life with my family I love spending time with my girls and I am so thankful to be able to spend so much time with them!! We went to the zoo a few weeks ago and had a really fun time. The girls zonked out in the car seats on the way home.

The girls have been having a lot of fun outside recently. The weather is perfect! We are getting a lot of use out of the Jeep. Piper likes to “drive”- well push the pedal down anyways. Has no interest in actually steering. So I am still jogging beside them trying to keep them from mowing down mailboxes And I love it!! I love being their Mom!

Maize Adventure

2011-10-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

We had a groupon to the Maize Adventure and we cashed it in for some “fun family time” (thank you Bernstein Bears) on Saturday afternoon. If you ask me it was a little disorganized and expensive for what they have- glad we had the groupon!! It is probably better suited for older kids too. But we had fun exploring and spending time together!!

Piper was unsure of the robotic scarecrow- Izzy wouldn’t get near it! She held her baby tight on the tram ride

They had fun uncovering fossils in the fossil dig.

The giant jumping pillow was a lot of fun- although a little crowded.

The maze was fun for a bit but they got tired of it pretty quickly. They enjoyed telling us which way to go Baby needed a snack

They both love riding on Tim’s shoulders! We had a fun time- but think we will look for a more little kiddo friendly place next time.

Random

2011-10-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

“My baby in baby sling”When I came home from work last weekend Tim had the girls outside roasting smores. They were having a lot of fun!!

Hairbows!!! Sometimes they let me do their hair

Busted

2011-10-10T06:15:00.001-07:00

Busted!!!

Can you open please??

She kills me with her problem solving Looks like we need to move the candy drawer!!

Dixie Classic Fair 2011

2011-10-06T05:54:00.001-07:00

Every year around my birthday the Dixie Classic Fair comes to Winston-Salem. I love the fair; I love the rides, I love seeing my kiddos love the rides, I love the food, I love the animals, I love the smells (not of the animals)…. I could go on and on. Tim took off a day and we had a family day at the fair!!! One of my best birthday presents EVER!!! The kiddos had a blast- we stayed 6 hours- WAY longer than I thought they would last!!

If you can’t see- Izzy & Piper’s arms are up

View from the top of the Ferris wheel

Getting sleepy at the end of the day- Piper fell asleep as we were walking out

GREAT FAMILY DAY!!!

Alaina’s art party

2011-10-05T05:01:00.000-07:00

This was out first Artquest party- and it was AWESOME! The girls had a really good time and we came home with lots and lots of art projects!

We loved celebrating with Izzy’s good friend Alaina- she is such a sweet girl!!

Rainbow

2011-10-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

There was an amazing rainbow today!! I’ve never seen one so perfect!! The girls really liked it- we stopped our van, got out and marveled at God’s handiwork!! And when we got to Awana- Izzy was so excited that the rainbow had “followed” us. I thought the picture with Noah’s ark and the rainbow was cool

Mommy airplane

2011-10-01T04:53:00.000-07:00

The whole time I was gone Piper thought and told everyone “mommy airplane” usually followed by “come home today”.

I can never get enough of looking out of the window on the plane. How could anyone look at this and seriously think that it just happens- that there was no creator- that there isn’t a God who is in charge of it all. I marvel at the beauty of His Hands!!

On our overnight flight from D.C. to Belgium we flew over a hurricane out in the Atlantic. I (adrenaline junky) loved it!!! The turbulence was excellent (or horrible depending on your opinion ) I wish I could’ve gotten a good picture out the window. You could see the lightening on the clouds below us. Totally amazing!!!

Missed these girls!!

2011-09-29T04:47:00.001-07:00

The hardest thing about being in Uganda was missing my girls!!!

I had never been away from them for more than 1 night before. God was good and took care of all of us! I did much better than I expected and the girls did great too! Since I’ve been back we have been snuggling a lot and having lots of fun together!!

Swinging, sliding, playing in the sand…….

Even got a nap with my big girl

I am so blessed! I love my girls and our family so much!!!!

Where I’ve been

2011-09-20T05:20:00.001-07:00

The most beautiful place I have even been!

With the wonderful people of Good Shepherd’s Fold

In Uganda

And that is where my part of my heart will forever remain.

Words can’t express how it was to be there- peaceful, wonderful, heartbreaking….

I am so thankful that I got to experience being there with the missionaries, kids and other members of our team. I know I will go again one day!

I don’t know what God’s plans are but I am so happy to have been able to go!!

You can see more of what we did while we were there at

http://westoveratgsf.blogsopt.com/

On the camera

2011-09-06T05:33:00.001-07:00

I have been lazy with our big camera recently- I haven’t been taking it places or using it much. I have just been using my cell phone. So I uploaded the pics and these are some I found!

I love that smile!!

Grandpa sliding

Beautiful girl!!

Chalk names

2011-09-05T12:43:00.001-07:00

I stole this idea from a friend on facebook. I am going to attempt it again on a less hot day. By then end the kiddos and I were both frustrated! Still cute though

Izzy’s first Pedicure

2011-08-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

I took Izzy for her first professional pedicure. I say professional because Tim has been painting her toes for awhile now

She chose pink- surprise!!

And heart details….

We went during nap time and she passed out in her car seat on the 3 minute ride home! She really liked it for the most part “except when they scraped my feet” (filed her toenails). Note the checked little purse. My mom gave it to her and she carries it everywhere!! I see many more mommy-daughter pedicure dates in our future!!

Girls all the way :)

2011-08-26T13:01:00.001-07:00

For the most part my girls are girls all the way! They love all things dress up, necklaces, holding hands, purses, lipstick (chapstick), shoes, dolls and babies. We do however enjoy some other not soooo girls stuff. I got Izzy to wear shorts! (gasp- all she wants to wear are “beautiful dresses”). We had a blast at the new jumpy place!!

We love to jump!

We do get messy (red icing)

And play in the sand!

They adore suckers and each other!! I love these girls!!

Grandpa’s visit

2011-08-16T05:25:00.001-07:00

My dad came for a visit to help us watch the kiddos for our foster parenting classes. The girls were absolutely ecstatic!! We had soooo much fun and I didn’t take enough pictures. We did go to Bumper Jumpers which was a blast!

We also styled Grandpa’s hair

Daddy- thanks so much for coming and hanging out with us and taking care of the girls. They loved it and so did I!! You are the BEST Grandpa I know!!!!

Playing in the creek

2011-08-08T17:48:00.001-07:00

We went to play at the park today and ended up playing in the creek. LA thought it would be fun to let the kids reach in the water and throw rocks…. my kids think there are two options in regard to water (1) you don’t get in the water or (2) get ALL the way in the water. So we opted for option 2 Glad LA talked me into it!!!! The kids had a blast and it reminded me of playing in the creek when I was a kiddo. SO we got super wet and dirty and then went back to the van. So thankful for some hand-me-downs from Amber that I STILL hadn’t taken out of the van (2wks after she gave them to me). So I got them in their “new” clothes and off we went to eat at Prissy Polly’s… YUMMO!! I love that place!!

Fun fun fun morning!!!!

Piper’s first haircut and a trim for Izzy too!

2011-08-01T06:13:00.001-07:00

She was a little unsure but did great!!

And just for comparison Izzy’s first haircut- at 2 yrs old.

The after shots

We love Mrs.Sue our “haircut lady”!!!! She comes to the house, is great with the girls, gives them hair clips, sparkles and lolipops!!!

Father-Daughter Camping Trip

2011-07-25T06:36:00.001-07:00

Tim & Izzy went on the Father-Daughter camping trip with our church this past weekend. They had a great time! God provided a MUCH cooler weekend than what we have been having which helped a lot!

They went on a hike to a little waterfall- I think Izzy was impressed.

Crafts, campfires and lots of snuggles with daddy They had a blast!

So thankful for the wonderful daddy Tim is to our girls. Piper was promised she can go next year and she is happy about that!!

2011-07-13T14:45:00.001-07:00

Big girls were so tired from Sprayground and then swimming. Little girls were loving the snuggles

Tim puts the girls in pretty dresses for church and always sends me a pic to work- I love the little things!!

I made “super skewers”…. bread, bologna, chesse, cucumbers and cherries.

Piper was a fan!

4th of July

2011-07-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

We went to a fun parade on the 4th! It was early in the morning and in the shade so it wasn’t too hot. The girls had a fun time and there was candy which made it even better! We had a few friends over for dinner and then went to the fireworks but I neglected to take any pictures during that time I did get some pics on my phone at the fireworks but the flash on my phone is SO bright everybody is squinting. Oh well! We had a fun 4th!!! So appreciative to all who have served, are serving or will serve to protect our freedom!

Inside & outside

2011-07-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

It had been so hot recently that we’ve been trying to plan our afternoons inside somewhere… free summer bowling is a hit!!

We do still play outside but mostly in the mornings and it still has to involve water!

And paint!!! And friends!!!!

We are so happy to have so many fun things to do and fun people to do them with!

Sunday morning sisters

2011-07-03T16:49:00.001-07:00

What do you do when you’re completely ready for church at 7:10 and you don’t have to leave until 9:00?? A photo shoot of course I love my sweet girls!!!

Footnote- I love these little feet!!!

Bay house 2011

2011-06-28T08:26:00.001-07:00

The girls and I went to visit my parents house at the beach. We had a blast!!

Lots of playing in the water…

Playing under the house

Reading books

And drinking coffee with Grandpa….

We went sailing…. Had to feed Piper juice and crackers to keep her awake on the way home!!

Lots of snuggling with grandma and grandpa

And sweet swinging sisters…..

We had an awesome week! Very relaxing and lots of fun!!

Getting dirty

2011-06-20T08:29:00.001-07:00

Playing in the mudhole made by the sprinkler

Eating sweets ~~sometimes~~ always gets us messy

We celebrated “doughnut day” in style!

Totally not related but Izzy has been sick recently and Piper is so sweet- constantly asking her “ok??” and rubbing Izzy’s back and holding her hand all the time

Butterfly Farm

2011-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to take the girls to the butterfly farm but we have never gotten to go before. A friend organized a trip and I took Izzy and the older Moodie girls. Annmarie stayed home with the little girls so they could nap. (Thanks Annmarie!!) We had a great time and learned a lot!

Izzy picked her butterfly dress for the occasion- which just happens to be purple- the butterflies favorite color!!

Izzy loves being around the “big girls!”

They learned about the lifecycle of a butterfly and Izzy volunteered to hold the sign

They got all wrapped up together and broke out of the cocoon. Then we headed in to see the butterflies!~ She was so happy when she got one!

They loved her flip flops and she was excited they were “tasting” her toes The butterfly dress and purple hair bows were also a hit. The butterflies just kept landing on her and she loved it!!

What a fun day- and so cool to see how intricately God made these creatures….. to only live 2 weeks!!

End of school- beginning of summer

2011-06-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

Izzy singing at her preschool

Princess night at chic-fil-a

Tim did great at the Star of Hope contest. He won in my eyes!

Fun with Grandpa!!

Faith like a Child

2011-06-05T04:18:00.001-07:00

Since Easter Izzy has been very interested in learning more about Jesus. It started with the Resurrection eggs which we did a lot the week of Easter. Well when Easter week was over I went to put them away but Izzy still wanted to play with them and tell me the story. So we kept them out for a few more weeks. My mom got Izzy a really good Easter book that we read a bunch. She could tell us the whole story and understood that Jesus came to die on the cross so we could go to heaven. She asked me all kinds of questions day after day. My mom came to stay with the kids for a class I had to take and Izzy asked her all kinds of questions about Jesus and heaven. My mom mentioned that she seemed ready to make a decision about asking Jesus in her heart. I wasn’t sure- she is still just my baby! But we kept talking about it. One day the next week we talked about asking Jesus in your heart and I asked Izzy if she wanted to do that and she then told me she wanted to be done talking and have a snack. So I left it at that. The next week I was having a talk with Izzy telling her how proud I was of her that she been kind and done the right thing even when others were not being kind. Then she said- “ell I have Jesus in my heart and He helps me.” Whoa wait a minute I thought….. here’s the rest of the conversation-

Me: Oh when did you ask Jesus in your heart?

Iz: The other day in the carseat

Me: Oh well what did you say?

Iz: Well I prayed- Dear Lord of Heaven and Earth, please send Jesus to live in my heart and help me be good. I love you God. Amen.

Me: speechless for a minute….. Yay Izzy I am so proud of you!!

Iz: You’re welcome Mommy. Now I will see Grandma Billy in heaven one day.

Me: Yes you will Izzy, yes you will.

Faith like a child…… she didn’t need me or Tim to do it with her- she just talked to God, just like we’ve taught her…. in the carseat

Thank you Lord for my wonderful daughter!!

Cell phone pics

2011-05-26T17:56:00.001-07:00

I will apologize now for the grainy cell phone picture quality. I recently got a new phone that actually plugs into my computer so I could download all my REALLY old pics. I also apologize for all of the pics….. but it was really hard to not post all 109 of them- so really I did cut down a lot These are random snippets of our life. The life I love so much and am extremely thankful for…. every silly part of it!!

Do you wonder if those are Piper or Izzy? All of the pics above are Izzy and some of them I had to look at the dates on to make sure……

This is one of my all time favorite pictures I have so many pics like this!

I get this look from Piper now (it is Izzy in picture)

Sweet sharing sisters

Sleeping Beauty

This is why I had to move Piper’s car seat to the back of the van- she always wants to hold Izzy’s hand. She says “Iggy hand”.Skittles at Savannah’s game

Dress up

Tea party with Grandma.

So glad to have some of my oldie but goodie pics saved forever on here. Now that I can hook my phone to the computer I won’t have to stockpile them

Carnival!

2011-05-18T05:39:00.000-07:00

There was a carnival put on this past week and we decided last minute to go one evening. I am so glad we did! We had a blast!!

Izzy even wore her hair with a special “little girl” hair bow

The liked the teacup ride- notice Piper’s pony tail over to the side- they were spinning fast!

Izzy loved the dragon ride- it goes up pretty high in the air!

Me and Piper went down the big slide too but we didn’t get a pic of that.Piper wasn’t sure about the Nemo ride at first

She loves her daddy Notice the huge ferris wheel in the background- Izzy wanted to ride it so badly but she wasn’t tall enough.

Piper was bopping Tim with her “ooo-ooo ahh-ahh” (aka monkey)

Piper was all about the Nemo ride the second time we came to it!!

It was a great night of family fun!!!

Emily’s Pinning

2011-05-17T05:26:00.001-07:00

I had the privilege of pinning my sweet sister-in-law for her nursing graduation! We had a good time seeing them and the girls even got to go to the beach for a little bit to play in the sand and ocean. I am so proud of Emily! I can’t imagine doing nursing school with a little one. So glad she persevered- she will be an awesome nurse!!

The kiddos soaked up some grandma and grandpa time

Strawberry picking

2011-05-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

A perfect match is now what Izzy is asking for when picking out clothes for her and Piper. Not just the same color shirt but the same color pants and if they have the exact same shirt that is even better

Sweet girls enjoying sweet berries!! I could eat them all up!!

When I can’t

2011-05-09T05:36:00.001-07:00

I get a devotion in my email everyday. Most days I at least read it, sometimes I forward it to a friend, sometimes I talk about it with Tim, sometimes I just delete it and go on with my day. The one today really spoke to me. When I can't do something- I need to simply bring it to Jesus and watch Him work. I want to remember this in the coming days, hours and even minutes- as frequently I get frustrated, discouraged, and just tired of trying to do it all. I need to remember- I can't do it all- I need to just bring it to Him. Here's the devotion-

“Bring them here to me.” Matthew 14:18 (NIV)

“Mo-om,” my six year old son called from the den where he was working on math, “I can’t do this!”

I was in the kitchen washing dishes. “If you can’t do it,” I called back, “Just bring it to me.”

In a whoosh, I heard God’s still small voice, coming in on the heels of what I have just spoken aloud. “Isn’t that what I say to you?” He reminded me.

When I am overwhelmed: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”

When I am angry: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”

When I am hurting: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”

When I am confused: “If you can’t do it, just bring it to Me.”

Thousands of years ago, the disciples faced a situation they couldn’t do. They couldn’t feed 5000 men and their families lunch even though the people were hungry. They knew that allowing them to leave would mean missing a great ministry opportunity… but their resources were sorely lacking.

Then one little boy stood up and offered his lunch. Jesus responded, “Bring them here to me.” He took that meager offering — the tiniest bit offered in faith — and multiplied it beyond anyone’s expectations.

I need God to do that for me every day. When I think that I can’t do something, I need to faithfully take what little I can do and place it in His hands. And then I need to stand back and watch Him multiply my humble offering into something amazing.

What are you feeling like you can’t do today?

Take on a challenge God is calling you to?

Respond to a ministry opportunity even though it is scary?

Stay in a marriage that looks over from where you’re standing?

Persevere in your efforts to pay off debt?

Offer forgiveness to someone who hurt you?

Whatever it is, know this: you are right. You can’t do it. So bring whatever it is to Him. Picture yourself offering it up, just like that little boy’s lunch. Then stand back and prepare to be amazed.

Dear Lord, I praise You for being my burden bearer. Thank You for always taking my “I can’ts” and transforming them through Your power and Your blessings. Help me to remember not to be anxious or worried when I face difficulties, but to simply bring my issues to You again and again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Family Circus

2011-05-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

No our family is not a circus…. although sometimes it feels like it!

Izzy’s preschool hosted a circus and we went with her class one day. Piper enjoyed it although she wanted to be held most of the time.

It was hard to get pictures but we had a really fun time!!

This is an unrelated picture- but it was Piper’s first time painting! It was kinda messy but the aprons helped!