Day 21: Happiness

2012

Day 21: A photo of something or someone that makes you happy

This assignment was SO easy to create! My beautiful and amazing daughter Abby has spent the last 9 days in Virginia getting spoiled by her Nana and Poppy and playing with her cousin Dorothy Anne. I know the trip has been good for all parties involved. My parents get to spend some one-on-one time with Abby and since they live 5 hours away they only get to see her every 2-3 months. Abby also gets the chance to become a little more independent and has time to bond with her cousin (who is 10 months younger than her). I grew up close to a lot of my cousins so I would love for Abby to have that same opportunity. It has been good for my husband and I as well as we have had some downtime just the two of us and we were able to have conversations that didn’t include diapers or SpongeBob.

Thankfully today is the day she comes home! I honestly may kiss her cheeks completely off! I miss her smile and the sound of her laugh. I even miss hearing “Mama, what are you doing?” 4872 times a day and getting kicked in the wee hours of the morning when she has made her way into our bed. I miss this face so much:

It is through this beautiful miracle that I have learned so much about God’s love. She has taught me what unconditional love is. Through her God has taken something ugly and broken and made it beautiful and abundant. Words cannot describe just how thankful I am for being allowed the chance to parent such an amazing little girl!

What is making you smile today?

Filed Under: adoption, blogging, family fun, motherhood Tagged With: 30 Day Blog Challenge

Day 5: 2 Years Ago

2012

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Day 5: A photo of yourself from 2 years ago

Talk about a walk down memory lane! When I think back to two years ago, I was still a relatively new mom. Abby wasn’t quite a year old but was learning so many new things and growing like a weed! I was in the final semester of seminary. I was working full-time, going to school, learning to be a mom, and still searching for answers to my health issues. It was a very busy time in our lives but it was still such a blessed time! We still had trouble believing that we were so blessed to be chosen to be Abby’s parents!

So glad that this was the topic of the day as I needed a reminder of all the wonderful things in life I’ve been blessed with even in the midst of pain!

Filed Under: adoption, chronic illness, Faith, health, motherhood Tagged With: 30 Day Blog Challenge

Day 4: My BFFs

2012

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Day 4: Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

My husband is most definitely my best friend. Not to go all Jerry McGuire on you but he most definitely completes me. In many ways we are total opposites which allow us to bring balance to one another. He’s a total extrovert where I am definitely an introvert so he helps draw me out of my shell and embrace new experiences whereas I help me to see the benefit of taking time to be quiet and still. I cannot believe that 10 years ago we were these young college kids running up our parents phone bill during Christmas break as we really got to know each other and talked about everything from how we liked our eggs cooked to how we understood the Trinity! We have definitely been through a lot together and God definitely gave me a husband that was everything I needed to get me through these hard times. I most definitely think that when God made John that He was thinking of me.

this picture was taken the week before my hysterectomy in 2008 for our adoption profile book as we were getting ready to start the application process!

I’m going to cheat and have two pictures but following behind my amazing husband as a best friend is my mom. I’m really close to both my parents and would have no problem spilling my guts to either of them (and have done so many times over the years). I wrote before about the trip my dad and I took to the Coca-Cola 600 last year and how much it meant to spend time one-on-one just the two of us. I share the same bond with my mom. Even as a teenager, I always felt extremely comfortable talking with my mom. Our bond has gotten even stronger now that I’m married and a mother myself. Even though there are things we don’t see eye-to-eye on necessarily, there is still that respect for one another. We talk almost daily. Whenever they come to town to visit, its common for us to go shopping together and while we both really enjoy shopping, it is more of a time to just be together and catch up. I cherish our relationship so much and hope and pray that one day Abby and I can have the same relationship that I have with my mother.

this picture was taken Christmas Day 2011 when Abby insisted that we all needed to wear tiaras