More Snow Days!

Wrestling with daddy!

Bonding time...

Brrrr... I can't believe another burst of winter is on the way! It's supposed to snow and ice again tomorrow. Actually for the next few days! With all this chilly weather, the girls are going a little stir crazy. I've been playing "princess board games" with the girls by the fire, but that just doesn't seem to get all their energy out. Since we missed our dance party this Friday night (Keith had a meeting in downtown Atlanta), Keith and the girls have been thumping and bumping upstairs for about 45 minutes. He's wrestling the energy out of them. It's so funny see how I relate to the girls so differently than Keith and the boys do. I bond with them through playing games, hugging, kissing, snuggling, watching movies or reading to them. The guys wrestle, sword fight, play wii, or just banter with them. Alex and Drew were at the table eating lunch with the girls the other day and Alex said in response to Ellie's dis, "Well I'm gonna open your cerebrum and scoop out your brains and spread them on my sandwich and eat them." Now I know I should have stopped it at that point, but it was so darn funny to hear them come up with the most random things. Emma shot back with a quote from one of her movies, "Well somebody around here needs to shut their gob hole." The boys about fell out of their chairs laughing!

Why did you adopt when you already had 3 children?

I was talking to a friend of mine today and she was telling me that her mom was curious about why I adopted 2 little girls when my 3 sons were nearly grown. I know people adopt for a variety of reasons, one being they can't have children. That obviously wasn't our reason.  One reason honestly, was that I felt so full and blessed in my relationship with my husband and kids that I couldn't imagine not sharing it. Love is like that. It desires to share itself. When I was younger, I thought that all families were happy families like the one I grew up in. There was always plenty of food, plenty of fun, plenty of love, and it was a safe place. As I grew older, I became aware of just how rare this kind of family was. I learned that there are so many that grow up in broken homes, abusive homes, some even have no place to call home at all. When our youngest son was 2 we started fostering children. God was opening our eyes to all the children in the world who needed a family to love them. And there I was with extra food on my table, extra room in my home, and extra love in my heart. I feel like when God puts something on your heart... burdens it with a desire... it takes more effort not to do it then it does to do it. When God speaks to my heart it's like that commercial with the kid on that cartoon The Family Guy... He's standing there looking at his mother saying, "mommy... mommy... mommy... mommy... mum... mum... mum... mummy... mummy... mummy... Lois... Lois... Lois... mummy... mom..." And the mother is staring straight ahead like she's gonna lose her ever lovin' mind if he doesn't stop calling her. That's kind of what it's like. Well, maybe not quite like that, but ya know... the calling just doesn't stop. In fact the desire just grows stronger and the conviction deeper and you know it's one of the things you were created for. Anyway, I thought I'd just share that in case you were curious too!

Drew and his buds went hiking over his Birthday weekend...

Nick and Elizabeth came from Tennessee to visit us over the holidays!

Happy New Year!

The weather was beautiful today! The girls spent most of the day outside. Ellie is intent on teaching Emma to ride a two-wheeler. She makes her practice twice a day. Ellie is a really good teacher. She's so patient with Emma and is helping her overcome her fears. (The fears I think I put in her last year when I tried to teach her too early.) This afternoon I took the girls to the park and they got lots of energy out. Nick and Elizabeth came in town from Tennessee. It is sooo good to see them! We celebrated Drew's 20th Birthday today. It blows me away that all my boys are in their 20's now! Keith had to work today, so we weren't able to make it to my sister Jeannie's New Year's Eve party. When he got home, we had our own little party. We ordered Chinese take-out and had a dance party. There's a great site called grooveshark and you can put in any artist or any song and play it. We have a wireless speaker hooked up to our computer, so it sounds like a stereo. We've started a new tradition, Friday Night Dance Party. The girls love it! 
2010 was an amazing year! I'm looking forward to 2011! Happy New Year!