I love. Original post 9.27.06.

I just found this while browsing thru my printed blogs. I love it. Not much has changed since the original post. Ü

****************************************

I ♥ that my adorable 5 year old calls me "sweetie".
I ♥ that my precious 2 year old smiles non-stop. And I mean non-stop.
I ♥ that my 1 year old is a girl & that she is so darling & irresistible.
I ♥ this crazy internet, even though I never wanted it.
I ♥ that my husband has more patience with me than my 'parents' ever did.
I ♥ that my husband is one of the best people I know.
I ♥ love pink roses.
I ♥ dreary, rainy days.
I ♥ swinging in my hammock.
I ♥ driving around for no particular reason, with no where to go.
I ♥ love vacations & staying in expensive hotels (thanks hubby).
I ♥ bathing my children.
I ♥ that my brother is finally living a life he deserves.
I ♥ that my brother married the coolest girl on earth.
I ♥ that my children are happy, sociable & well behaved.
I ♥ the fact that I ♥ doing things with my children that other people complain about doing with theirs.
I ♥ love that I'm a great mom.
I ♥ that I can't get enough of my children.
I ♥ when my toes are painted immaculately.
I ♥ a fresh haircut.
I ♥ backrubs from my husband or children.
I ♥ that my laundry will never again be caught up.
I ♥ that it doesn't take much to make me happy.
I ♥ that I have an insanely dysfunctional family (mother, father, oldest brother) & that I couldn't care less.
I ♥ that I choose not to live that way anymore & that I want no part of it.
I ♥ that I'm going to heaven.
I ♥ Jesus & what He did for me (if you don't know what I'm talking about, email me!)
I ♥ that I have a tremendous amount of faith.
I ♥ that I'm an extremely hard worker.
I ♥ a clean house.
I ♥ to clean.
I ♥ that * I * have 6 birthparents.
I ♥ that my heart hurts incredibly when I see abandoned orphans in various countries.
I ♥ that I want to bring every single one of them home.
I ♥ friendly people.
I ♥ that I'm goofy, silly & witty all rolled into one.
I ♥ who I am & what God has created in me.
I ♥ winter & having fires in the fireplace.
I ♥ tiny, chocolate covered donuts. And tiny, powdered sugar donuts.
I ♥ to see people helping other people.
I ♥ to help others.
I ♥ a clean, comfy bed.
I ♥ to sleep.
I ♥ putting on makeup & doing my hair.
I ♥ to shop.
I ♥ 7th Heaven, HGTV, Oprah (fun shows), Dr. Phil & funny comedies/sitcoms.
I ♥ that I've met a crazy, fun, sincere group of friends called the Grace Girls.
I ♥ Sonic Diet Coke.
I ♥ that I am a true, honest friend.
I ♥ to watch my children have a blast, whatever/wherever that may be.
I ♥ seeing excitement in their eyes.
I ♥ jewelry.
I ♥ my cute dog.
I ♥ taking everlasting photographs.
I ♥ Florida's beach.
I ♥ working in the yard and/or flower beds.
I ♥ that God has blessed me more than I deserve.
I ♥ that I'm learning to not sweat the small stuff.
I ♥ that I'm amazed at how smart my 5 year old is.
I ♥ love that my children are my mini me's.
I ♥ that I take nothing for granted.
I ♥ that I cherish every single moment.
I ♥ how my children can make me cry because I love them so very, very much.
I ♥ to hear "I love you Mommy".
I ♥ to have my 5 year old sleep with me, even though I hate it.
I ♥ that I love to go to church.
I ♥ to see my husband walk across my clean floors with shoes on, & then run back to the rug when he gets caught.
I ♥ that my new car has a sunroof & a dvd player for my children.
I ♥ looking at/in new houses.
I ♥ being organized & that I'm a perfectionist (most of the time).
I ♥ that I can laugh at myself.
I ♥ that people call me "bubbly".
I ♥ any & all animals.
I ♥ that I am blessed enough to be a play-at-home mom for my children.
I ♥ that I can't stand being away from my children.
I ♥ house projects.
I ♥ getting together with others.
I ♥ to decorate.
I ♥ that I cry more since I've had children.
I ♥ anything related to adoption.
I ♥ being spontaneous.
I ♥ to laugh. And laugh. And laugh.
I ♥ that my children are so funny & make me laugh all the time.
I ♥ that my husband has not bailed on me, due to all my 'baggage'.
I ♥ that my life is fun.
I ♥ that I am an honest person.
I ♥ that my husband is the best father in the world.
I ♥ hearing my children scream "Daddy!!" when he comes home from work.
I ♥ dropping Bentley off at school & him saying "I'll miss you today".
I ♥ picking Bentley up from school & him immediately asking me "soooooooooo, what'd ya do today?" before I have the chance to ask him.
I ♥ bargain shopping & saving money.
I ♥ the thought of someday moving out of Texas.
I ♥ that I don't give a flyin' flip what others think about me.
I ♥ that I am thankful & very content with what I have.
I ♥ that I hurt so bad when my children hurt.
I ♥ that life is one amazing journey.
I ♥ that life doesn't get any better than this.

Snowday! 2.11.10.

Lots of photos! Ü

Jaguar. She was down, more than she was up!

Mercedes lost her shoes about 6 times.

Our dish was loaded with snow (& probably in shock :) which means we had no tv for 6 hours! Gasp! Hubby came home & saved the day. He is such a jack-of-all-trades. Well, not really. The guy can barely hammer a nail. But we love him. ♥

Double shirts, pants & socks = dirty shirts, pants & socks + dirty gloves & hats = lots of laundry!

A few more photos tomorrow! Ü

(no snapshots. all manual.)

Snow!

You may be able to take the girl out of the north, but you can't take the north out of the girl.

Moments.

(Psssst: Love the below - she got excited & started to say something - so cute!)

(snapshots.)

Adoption. How our journey began.

My husband & I adopted (domestically) 4 children in 6 1/2 years. I thought I'd offer some insight as to how we got started.

Building our family. It became my full time job. (I was not working outside our home at the time - fortunately I had quite a bit of time to devote.) I was obsessed & I was determined. I am a hard worker. I love to work & I give 150%. So I made building our family my new job. I did all my own networking & it was not easy, by any means. Our adoption journeys were exhausting, heartbreaking, expensive, depressing & emotional. Way back in the beginning (2000) someone once told me "Strap on your seatbelt - it's one hell of a ride." I couldn't have said it better myself.
I hear so many couples say "but I'm so tired, no one chooses us, I'm just ready to give up". I understand. I was there myself so many times. But I soon discovered, giving up was not an option. For whatever reason, this is the path God has chosen for us to build our family. Your baby is out there & your baby needs you. You can't stop. You can't give up. There is no quiting. When you're down & out, you pick yourself right up, you dust yourself off & you keep on trucking. There are thousands of couples waiting & wanting to adopt. Your competition is fierce. Fight the fight because believe me, it's worth every exhausting step.

I prayed for a baby & I prayed specifically. At the beginning, it was a rather simple prayer "Lord, please let us adopt a baby soon". Good. Dandy. But as time went on & we were presented to more birthparents, I prayed more specifically "Please Lord, let them choose us. Please!" When it didn't happen, I began getting angry. At that time, my prayers became even more specific. Desperate, in a way. When presented to a possible match, I would get down on my knees. "Please Lord, let this baby be ours. We have been praying for a baby. This is a perfect match. You know all I've been through. I'm tired. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of being told 'I'm sorry, they chose another couple' & I'm so ready for a baby. I just want to be a mom!" Years ago, I touched on this very subject on an adoption board I'm a member of. The moderator actually contacted me & they published my writing. I'm pretty sure I printed it out - I'll see if I can find it & I'll post it at a later date.

****************************************

(The paragraph below should be moved down - but Blogger is not letting me copy & paste so I'll just separate it, then pick back up.)

If you are currently waiting to adopt, this is what I/we did:

If you seem to be stuck in a rut with little activity, consider updating your adoption profile. Tweek it. Time & time again. If you have a website - update it. Tweek it so it matches your profile. Add more photos. Birthparents love seeing photos. Add gobs of them! About everything pertaining to you & your life. Let me stop here & say - if you don't have an adoption website, get one! The internet has become a very valuable tool (even moreso today than 2 years ago) in the adoption community. Many matches are formed because of & via the internet. (Once you have built your profile on-line, research adoption websites (such as ABCAdoptions.com/ParentProfiles.com) & inquire about advertising your profile on their site. This can be done for a monthly fee - some sites less expensive than others.) Google adoption sites & view other profiles. Get some ideas, but don't copy. At one point, years ago, I discovered that a couple had copied my entire adoption profile. It was almost verbatim. Changing the personal information, of course. I was livid! I had spent years (literally) writing & tweeking, writing & tweeking. How dare they copy my profile! I contacted the "Christian" facilitator we were working with. Let's just say they couldn't have cared less. All that said, be sure your information in your profile & on your website is yours. Unique. Interesting. Humor if there's a place for it. Speak honestly & from your heart.

****************************************

Rebecca asked the quetion "How did you adopt 4 children in such a short amount of time?" I can't tell you how many times I have been asked this question. And believe me when I say, I don't have an answer. I honestly don't know. Like you, I know so many couples who have waited years just to adopt one child. Why were we blessed 4 times in 6 1/2 years? We are no better than anyone else. We're not special. We don't have a fancier house, we don't drive more expensive cars, we are just a normal couple/family. It's terrible when I get asked that question & answer "Honestly? I just don't know." I won't know that answer until I can ask God myself.

When we began searching for our own child, we requested a full CC baby, either gender, no drugs/alcohol/mental issues. Adoption is a learning process - every day it seems you can learn something new. When we were searching for baby #2, I had a little more experience under my belt. We then made the decision to become more lenient; we were open to considering different situations on a "case by case" basis. By the time we were ready for baby #3 & 4, we were open to mixed races & would consider drug exposed situations. We were never open to alcohol - I've done a lot of FAS research & for us, we just weren't comfortable with that.

The more open & flexible one is to considering different types of situations, the less your wait time will be. There aren't near as many couples waiting for bi-racial/AA children as there are couples waiting for full CC babies. The same with drug & alcohol exposed situations. Those can be frightening situations & couples tend to shy away, which is normal, especially in the beginning of the adoption process. Because we lowered our expectations of what type of baby we desired, I feel we didn't have to wait as long. As time pressed on, we finally realized - we just wanted a family! God could work out all the details. And He did. Just perfectly. Ü

I have such a deep passion for all facets of adoption. I have offered my assistance (though, I am no professional) to many, many couples. If I can help you in any way, please shoot me an email. I'll be more than happy to help any way I can. Ü

100 Interesting Facts About...Me! Original post 3.28.06.

Maybe you won't find them that interesting. Baha! Even though things have changed since that time - I'm not going to alter anything. I ♥ these! Ü

Ready? Go!

1.) I LOVE my life! :)

2.) I am almost 39, but people think I look younger. Yippee! :)

3.) I am VERY witty. VERY. I am also my biggest fan. LOL! :)

4.) My husband has a LOT of patience when dealing with me. For that I am thankful. :)

5.) I have major OCD. Major. I am counseling myself because it's cheaper. :)

6.) I do not have a lot of patience! Some days are better than others. :)

7.) I want braces. :)

8.) I was almost kidnapped at my very 1st apartment community when I was a leasing agent.

9.) I became a very young apartment manager at the age of 23. :)

10.) I have never been fired from a job. :)

11.) I have never done a single drug in my life. :)

12.) I have been married 4 times. No, that's no typo. :)

13.) I was not a Christian until I was 30.

14.) I WAS going to hell.

15.) I am NOT going to hell! :)

16.) I pray I can help to keep others from going to hell!

17.) I LOVE people! I have never met a stranger. :)

18.) I am addicted to US & In Touch magazines.

19.) I am definitely an extrovert. And proud. :)

20.) I hope & pray my children are all honest, friendly, sociable, hard-working, affectionate & happy.

21.) I am an animal lover. :)

22.) I am a birthparent advocate! :)

23.) I am a 'black or white' person. To me, there is no gray. I'm working on that. :)

24.) I had a horrible, horrible upbringing.

25.) I love diet coke! :)

26.) I am an extremely finicky eater.

27.) I ONLY drive black vehicles. :)

28.) I have had sculpt nails on approximately 732 times. LOL! :)

29.) I want dark hair, but my hair refuses; no matter what, it always goes blonde again. Ugh!

30.) I used to be a member of a Bass Club. Quit laughing. :)

31.) I used to get up at 2:30 a.m. to fish in tournaments! :)

32.) I finally wisened up & discovered I LOVE the mall instead of an icky day of fishing. :)

33.) I LOVE to shop & I LOVE shopping for my children's clothes! :)

34.) I have two Dooney's - but I refuse to carry them because I prefer my Target purses. :)

35.) I have a bubbly personality. :)

36.) I drove into a cement wall once (um, in a Lexus!) because I was looking at a shopping strip. :)

37.) I have terrible depth perception.

38.) I am an awesome driver - though my husband would argue with that one. :)

39.) I have road rage! Very severe too I might add. I seriously need some help. LOL! :)

40.) I love working in flower beds & keeping an immaculate yard. :)

41.) I love decorating & keeping an immaculate home. :)

42.) I LOVE to clean! :)

43.) I am one of the best, true friends you will ever find. :)

44.) I have very few friends because they aren't "true".

45.) I do not like ice cream. :)

46.) Occasionally, I like something chocolate. :)

47.) I love vacations & staying in expensive hotels (that's my husband's fault!). :)

48.) I love HGTV. :)

49.) I love the color pink! My favorite color. :)

50.) I "won" Best Looking all 4 years of high school. :)

51.) I was Homecoming Rep. my Junior Year, & Homecoming Queen my Senior Year. :)

52.) I don't look like that anymore. ROFL! :)

53.) I love to help others. :)

54.) I love to laugh! :)

55.) I wear visors (hats) all the time & have almost my entire life. :)

56.) I was born in Peoria, Illinois. :)

57.) I HATE Texas! :)

58.) I yell a lot. I'm working on that. :)

59.) I expect everything to be perfect. I won't settle for less. :)

60.) I have been on nightly medication for Classic Migraines for 14 years.

61.) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my babies! :)

62.) I have been blessed by God immensely. More than I could ever deserve. :)

63.) I quit working when hubby & I got married 10 years ago. :)

64.) I LOVE working! :)

65.) I began working at age 15. :)

66.) I got married the 1st time at age 18. :)

67.) Infertility has been my greatest blessing. :)

68.) I am addicted to the internet. :)

69.) I never wanted the internet...hubby did. Thanks hubby! :)

70.) I like & hate to fly. :)

71.) I have 4 piercings in each ear. :)

72.) I would love to have a tiny tattoo. :)

73.) I HATE stepping on toys!

74.) I love taking photos. :)

75.) I love the rain. :)

76.) I love cold weather & I hate hot weather. :)

77.) In high school, I was angry at my hair & slammed my hand through a glass window. I ended up at the hospital. I refused stitches. Because of all that, I missed my senior class picture!

78.) I have had way too many stitches. :)

79.) I love driving around! :)

80.) I love going to the lake & I can pull our boat very well. :)

81.) I have only 4 cousins. I haven't seen them in over 25 years.

82.) I am a child of an alcoholic.

83.) I drove an ugly, nasty, piece of junk GREEN car as my 1st car. It shouldn't even be classified as a car. My dad didn't even pay cash for it - he traded some blinds for it. LOL! :) (wasn't funny then)

84.) I called that piece of junk Kermit. :)

85.) I am quite "frugal". :)

86.) I love jewelry! :)

87.) I am NOT a morning person. :)

88.) I love being in bed & I love sleeping. :)

89.) I am VERY frightened when I am alone at night while hubby travels.

90.) I want more babies! :)

91.) I barely graduated from High School due to my upbringing.

92.) I love to have fun! :)

93.) I am very spontaneous. :)

94.) I am not fond of little critters (i.e. snakes, lizards, spiders, etc.)

95.) I found a snake in my house one time & called the police. Duh. :)

96.) I called the gas company out because I smelled gas coming from our new oven...our oven was electric. Duh again. :)

97.) I thought someone was breaking into our house & I called the fire department. :)

98.) I'm really not that dumb! LOL! :)

99.) I won First Place in a typing competition but couldn't go to national finals because I failed English.

100.) I can 10-key faster than anyone you know. :)

101.) I am absolutely, positively terrified that my children will grow up hating me. That is my greatest fear!

****************************************

So fun to read what I wrote almost 4 years ago! If you've known me long, you can tell by this list that I am a very honest person! LOL I ♥ that.

The only discrepancy I noticed was #60. That # should have been around 16 or 17, I think. I've been on that medication for close to (or over) 20 years.

This post received some very funny comments - I'll have to find & post those at a later time.

So - did you find any of these things interesting? Ü

What is Audi doing tonight?*

He's had a bad day. His night is not much better. He just spoke to his Uncle on the phone. And was instructed by dad, not to mention his (*Uncle) divorce. And he did. Gasp! Think before you speak, Audi! (He's cute sitting here, heh?) Ü

(Hey! Photo is not a snapshot - woohoo! I can still shoot on manual! I thought so. :)