Twenty Days

20 days.
480 hours.
28,800 minutes.

And we'll be on a plane. 
Headed for Africa.
To meet our son.

Feelings of
excitement
fear
joy
love
and impatience
are all mixed together.

I've imagined our first meeting a thousand different times...and soon, it will be a reality.

I've been told he gives great high-fives...
And I can't wait to give him one myself.
And a hug.
And a kiss.
And to hold him.
And let him know we are family.

Family.
A mom and dad.
Two sisters.
Grandmas and papas.
Uncles, an aunt and some crazy cousins.
Lots of family.
Church family.
And friends.

He has no idea what he is getting into.
And how much he is already loved.
And how many people have prayed for this day.

But soon he'll know.

20 days.

Lauren

The State Fair

The state fair.
Food.
Food.
Animals
And rides.

For some reason (I obviously was out of my mind), I thought it'd be great fun to go with the girls and grandparents to the state fair on my birthday.  Seriously - no idea what I was thinking.  Remind me next year to go to the spa or get my hair done or such.

First, we started with the animals.
Petting zoo - check.

The rabbits - half check.

The poor bunnies only received a quick walk-through.  P-U is what Jenna had to say about that...

 She quickly grew tired of holding her nose and made it clear that it was time to GO.

And just like that, it was time to go on the rides.  The girls had a one-track mind....rides, rides and more rides.

They started with the carousel - a safe first choice.

Then it was time to visit the roller coaster...once and then once more. 
Followed by walking around to see what else looked fun and exciting.
A water ride captured their attention...four times.  They did not even mind waiting in line because it was so fab-u-lous.

After that, it was time to go on a slow ride...and they both decided to share a ticket with Papa and Mommy.

The ride chosen - the ferris wheel.

And just like that, it was time for lunch.


Fried green tomatoes.
Corn dogs.
Chips.
Pizza.
Sausage with peppers.
Cheeseburger.
Funnel cake.

Seriously, fair food - nothing like it.  Worth the trip every time.

The girls had seen the slides while in the ferris wheel....so the next stop had already been decided.

Watching their faces...their joy...their glee - priceless.

The girls went back to the roller coaster to use the remainder of their tickets.  By the end of the afternoon, they were putting their hands up in the air like roller coaster professionals.

And what is the state fair without visiting a booth for a chance at a prize.  We stopped at the floating ducky booth....guaranteed prize every time. 

We ended up with a stuffed puppy dog and penguin to keep us company on the way home.

All in all...a great day.
Perfect day.
Spending the day with the girls.

Think I might do it next year...

Lauren

P-R-E-S-C-H-O-O-L

SO....big sister had her first day of pics shared last month....and this last week, it was lil sis' turn for her first day of school. 

Surprisingly, she was excited. 
She even wanted me to take pictures of her.
And even more so, she wanted her first day of school card which contained money.

Money is important to a four year old.
Very important.
Money is important to a mommy, too.
Very important.
Guess that runs in the family.

Anywho, she posed for me in the rocking chair....rocking her big grin with the missing tooth.

She picked out her own clothes for the first day.
Actually she picks her clothes out for every day.
But she had to be especially fancy for the first day of preschool...
It's a BIG DAY you know.

So after we had taken enough pictures per J, it was time to go to school.
While she did not think a picture by her cubby would be "cute enough", she did decide to take a picture by the windows...she's a fan of natural lighting. 

Have I mentioned my girl has a mind of her own? 

She knows what she wants...
And she never leaves you guessing as to what she's thinking...
Nope, she'll tell you whatever is on her mind.

So what do you think of the fancy outfit?

She's a pretty fancy fabulous four-year old, huh?

Lauren

Bedtime Prayers

Bedtime prayers...you gotta love 'em.

I love listening to my girls talk to God. 

Their prayers are so sweet...
So simple...
So filled with that child-like faith that I desperately try to have.

Take tonight for example...

Big Sis T's Prayer: 
Dear God - thank you for mommy and daddy, this beautiful day and my sister Jenna.  Thank you for the world and everything you created.  Thank you for little brother.  Keep him safe and healthy.  Let him sleep good tonight and let him have a good day tomorrow.  Keep daddy and little brother safe when they come home.  Amen.

Lil Sis J's Prayer:
Dear God - thank you for mommy, daddy and Taylor.  Thank you that little brother has clean water and not dirty water.  Please let mommy and daddy help him get rid of the worms in his belly because worms are yucky and we don't want any worms in his belly when he comes home.  Thank you for clean food and non-sick bugs.  Please let little brother come home soon, very very very soon.  Amen.

From the mouths of babes....

Amen.

Lauren

Officially Ours

Did you see the title of this post? 

You may need to re-read it....I know I've had to pinch myself several times.

But it's true.

He's officially ours.
Officially.
Ours.

We have a son!  We're a family of five!

We received the call late Thursday night.  Yes, I'm talking about the call. 

The call we'd been waiting for...
The call that stopped time....
The thank you Jesus call.

Thursday, September 1st, the court in Africa issued its final judgment.  The life-changing judgment.  The it's never gonna be the same judgment.  The this is the journey God has us on judgment.  The he's now a Ham judgment.

And.
I.
Cried.
And thanked Jesus.
And cried some more.

One very important step complete...several more steps to go.

I think I'll be holding my breath until he is home...in the United States...right where he belongs...because this is Africa - something could still happen. 

But God is faithful...God is good...and God put us on this journey for a reason.

And these several more steps will provide several more opportunities for prayer...and some of those opportunities I will share with you soon.

But today, I celebrate.
Today, I'm thankful.
Today, I'm a mom of three beautiful children.

Lauren