Wait, We Have To Do What?

Ok, our second homestudy is finished as of today! Yahoo! No more writing autobiographies, answering discussion questions about how to raise an adopted child... whew now to the paperwork. Right? WRONG? So I'm wrapping up my time with our social worker and she says, "Ok, now how far along are you on your reading and online work?" Mind is now racing... you mean the ones I've seen in the manual? The 8 hours of class online? But I casually say "Well I 've seen the online work, and we've begun reading the books." I've read approximately 75 out of 400 pages of the 1st of 2 books and Charles has been on page 32 of his 1st of 2 books since Thanksgiving. Oh you mean those 2 books? "Well" she says, "As soon as you are done with all of that we can schedule your next homestudy." WHAT?! At this rate we may not have a child until Maxwell is in second grade! So happy reading to us and please don't call, text, or grow overly concerned when you can't find us or we don't respond. We will be reading our textbooks in solitude. This too shall pass ;)

Happy Birthday Elliott!

How is it that another year goes by so quickly. This is my true reason for blogging, because I'm REALLY bad at keeping up with the cute stuff my kids do and say, so now I can write it on here and will have it to remember! I LOVE the time between the first and second year. It's so cute and so amazing how much they change in one year! So here goes Elliott's second year:

• He went from crawling at 12 months to only running by 2
• He went from 2 teeth at 12 months to finally getting them all by 2
• He stayed really huge. That didn't change.
• He went from my sweet little laid back boy to wild as a buck in a matter of minutes
• He went from having like 2 words at 12 months (I really don't even think he was say Mama) to a full blown vocabulary and will talk your ears off
• He went from sweet little baby toys to dinosaurs in one fail swoop. Missing all the toddlers toys like trains and balls and tractors. Thanks to a paleontologist for a brother. Well he still likes balls a little.
• He still cries every time we drop him off at church or school. Some things just don't change.
• And he still has very little hair. The "first hair cut" bullet point will have to come on his big moments next year.
• He is really quite a comedian and loves to make us laugh
• And last but not least, he is the cutest thing you have ever seen, and now we get asked more and more if he and Maxwell are twins. What?!

So Elliott's second birthday was, well, pretty much just like his first birthday party. That's what happens when you are born 10 days after Christmas. But he had fun and that's what counts. He got cake and presents and lots of love. The end.



 

 My cousin Kristin has a little company called Sweet Petits and she makes these awesome cake balls. And I have done them now as party favors for many a birthday party. Mainly for the sake of the parents! They are the best!

 Our entertainment was punching balloons. The kids loved them! And they cost around $4 total. Seriously cheap fun.

 

 And yes, the other entertainment was New Years paraphernalia!

 

 

 Elliott and his cousin Wells blowing their horns

 

 

Maxwell insists it isn't a birthday party without the party hat.

I love this picture. My mom and one of her best friends all growing up had me and her daughter Rachel around the same time. And now our boys are the same age. So we have pictures of all of us at each other's birthday parties. How fun!

2010 vs 2011

So I've been trying to reflect on 2010, like all deep thinkers and planners should. And I can't come up with much. I guess that's good? It was pretty uneventful? I'm pretty thankful actually. Everyone got a year older (Elliott turned 2 on Wednesday! Watch for pictures coming soon). The boys keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger... and now our car is getting bigger. But I really think 2010 was the year we learned to follow God in a new way. Beginning in January, Charles and I both heard God saying "now is the time to begin to think about adoption." So pray and think we did, all the way to finally beginning in November. I'm not gonna lie, this was the LONGEST WAIT EVER FOR ME! But fortunately for me, Charles was very much waiting for the Lord to give us a "go", where I was ready to "go" in January. But I know for sure that this process is in the Lord's timing, and by taking 11 months to move forward, He may have been saving us some heartache along the way. Who knows! We also led several Bible studies that moved us to a much deeper place with Him and with others. We made a goal to spend more time with friends. Trying to see what is important to God's heart and trying to make it ours.
I pray this is the kind of heart we have for 2011. Learning, leading and simply doing what He tells us to. Our church begins 21 days of fasting and prayer this Sunday, and last year I DREADED/ FEARED it. This year I couldn't be more excited. I know how much He has in store for us, and how my mind continues to get in the way of that. So to be in the quiet with the Lord for 3 weeks is pretty awesome. Not to mention how much better I feel physically! (And no, we don't totally fast, we do a Daniel fast. If you are curious, just ask me about it).
So now we move in to 2011. The year of the minivan. The year of adoption. And even quite possibly the year of home renovations. But most importantly, the year of SIMPLICITY! We've already started to purge stuff in the house that is just excess. Toys being a big one, before and after Christmas. But even things like too many towels or blankets, too many t-shirts and socks, serving platters we got as wedding gifts and never used, just a bunch of excess! So while we clean out our hears and minds, we are also cleaning out our space. We want to give more and have less. So you may read a post here or there on our struggle with this. How do we, as Christians in the U.S., live a life that doesn't look like excess, and points others around us to Him. I'm taking suggestions here...comment away.
Now enough deep thoughts, I'm going to bed.

Another Christmas Come and Gone

After a whirlwind of a start to December, we actually have had the most relaxing 2 weeks I can remember... how nice! The week of Christmas we just hung out and played (mainly indoors due to the freezing weather) and then Charles took the week off after Christmas and we visited lots of friends in Nashville and did nothing! And the biggest announcement of all... yesterday I became the proud (or not so proud but excited nonetheless) of a MINIVAN! No more crawling in the backseat to buckle seatbelts on booster seats and breaking my nails and almost losing a hand to the seat each day. yahoo! Seriously this info and a few (and I mean very few) cute pictures to show and I'm off. Happy New Year... and Roll Tide ;)
Oh and for those of you praying, we turned in our autobiographies, thank you Jesus! Now just 2 more sets of discussion questions and my flashbacks to school are over.

 The children's service at my parent's church. It was a hoot!

 Our very very dead tree that I promised a picture of...

 Our very own Iron Man with a little Light Saber for good measure

 Our best attempt at a sibling picture. Yikes!

 Cousin picture attempt #1

 Attempt #2, a touch of success while playing a DVD with Wheels on The Bus on repeat

(note the mama's on the bus go shhh, shhh, shhh)

 Elliott watching our "white Christmas"!

 And the cutest cowboy and grandad duo I've ever seen

Procrastination

So right now I should be making 4000 sausage balls. Not really 4000. But enough for a party tonight plus to freeze some to have Christmas morning. I'm also supposed to be writing my autobiography for our next homestudy. I told this to a friend today and she said "oh that's so cool. to really think about your life like that." I laughed. Cool. Really? I love having a grand old time talking with friends, going deep, etc... But writing, about my own life. Nope, not cool. Then I read her the 7 "cool" questions that are each about 10 questions wrapped into one, and she laughed. Agreed. Not cool. But I will prevail! I work best under pressure. Like studying for a test or reading a book the night before it's due. I will get this done. Just not before 3:00 pm today. I could also be folding laundry. But I did enough of that yesterday for an entire week. So I'm not too disturbed if the sheets and towels are wrinkled. They can wait. At least they aren't sitting mildewed in my washer. Just wrinkly in my dryer.
On another note, we went to the McWane Center this morning with the rest of Birmingham. That's probably why I'm now procrastinating. I just want to be online reading blogs, having "adult" interaction, ha! But we actually had a great time. It's so nice that Maxwell is now old enough to run around and play without me following his every move. Which is good, because I SERIOUSLY have to follow Elliott's EVERY move! Charles and I are talking all the time now about what great ages the boys are. We are constantly laughing at Elliott, age almost 2, because he's just really cute and funny. Then we love Maxwell's age, 4, because he is just really growing up! This is the first Christmas ever that will actually be "easy" with kids and we are so excited! No morning naps, no bottles, everyone can eat everything and play like crazy...
Did I really just write this entire monologue of rambling? Yep. Maybe I am in the writing mood, and should get crackin' on question #4. Or roll out some sausage balls. Or maybe I'll just go watch Dino Dan with Maxwell.