My Baby Turns 6!

Today my sweet little Asa turns 6 years old. Asa was born 3 weeks early and only weighed 5lbs....boy how he has grown! I am amazed each day at how sweet and loving he is....we are so blessed that God gave us Asa...he is such a joy to have in our lives!

We celebrated with friends at his party this past weekend at the YMCA...which was a blast...but today was the really special day. I made the special birthday pancake for breakfast, took donuts to school for his class, and cooked his favorite meal...Beef Stroganoff...and chocolate chip cookies! Iris even surprised him with a gift from her....a FUSHIGI!!!

I can't believe how fast the kids are growing...it feels like just yesterday that they were babies!

Happy 6th Birthday my precious PONY(this is what Iris named him when he was a baby)...we love you!!!

Here We Go Again!

Don't you just love the snow!!! It's so beautiful...and the kids are having so much fun! Kelly even got his skis out!

The kids worked so hard on building their snowman which Asa named "Google"!

I dread seeing the snow go...we're really going to miss making the YUMMY Snow Cream!

Itchy Eye Syndrome

Having the kids go back to school this week has been sad for me. It is so quiet around here...believe it or not I miss the noise and the mess! Those two weeks they were home were so fun...my favorite part was having them climb into my bed each morning to snuggle and not having to worry about getting ready to be anywhere at a certain time! Asa is my early bird so I would love hearing his new "Luigi" slippers scuffling across the wood floor as he made his way to my room each morning around 6:30am...he loves moms bed...he says it's so "snuggly"!

Well the first day they went back to school Iris was ready to get back and see her teacher and her friends...but Asa was a little hesitant. He loves school but being home for so long with me made him a little sad to go back. When I picked him up that first day back his teacher told me he had a case of "itchy eyes" that morning. At first I wasn't sure what she meant...but then she explained that he had cried. No mom wants to see their child cry...but when they cry because they love you and want to be with you...well I can't help but enjoy that a little. Asa even told me that when he was lined up in the hallway with his classmates during the day he started praying that God would send me down the hall to come pick him up early. When he told me that I almost cried. I took it as a good opportunity to explain to him and Iris about unanswered prayers. I explained to them that even though we pray about something we really want...God will always know what's best for us and may choose to not answer that prayer. Even though Asa really wanted me to show up at his school God knew that it was best for him to stay and be there to learn what he needed to and not get behind in his work.

Our kids grow up so fast and I just cherish the time I have with them so much! We are counting the days until their next school break!

**Check out the picture Asa drew for me...soooo sweet! He says he's "mom's baby"!!!...I couldn't resist taking a picture...that way I have some proof to show him when he's 16 and doesn't have time for his mom!!

Like Mother Like Daughter!

Well it has finally happened...Iris Anne has her first crush...well the first one she has admitted to....and it is Justin Bieber!!! Yes I admit that back in the day I was crazy in love with Michael Jackson(before he got a little surgery happy) and yes there was a part of me that thought I could possibly be Mrs. Michael Jackson..ha! ha! I had the posters on my wall and the sequence glove, the collector doll(which I still own)...and I do remember camping out with my parents at a mall in Chattanooga to get tickets to his concert in Knoxville. And oh yeah, I did have a Michael Jackson birthday party...I still remember the cake that my sister Cindy made to look like him!

If you listened to my ipod a week ago it would consist of Christian rock music with just a few of my favorite M.J. songs that I had to sneak in there. But now, well lets just say listening to Justin Bieber does help me run a little faster and longer. Some of those songs are just so darn cute...it's hard to resist! I can see why Iris Anne is all dreamy over J.B....lets just hope he doesn't turn into one of those teen stars that goes all crazy! Thank goodness I did have that childhood crush on M.J....it helps me to understand what she is feeling...those first crushes are so fun! Maybe one day I can camp out with her to get those Bieber concert tickets!

We love you Justin!!!

Best Christmas Ever!!!

I must say this has been one of the best Christmas's I can remember! For one thing..the snow was absolutely beautiful....it just topped off the best day of the year! What better time to be snowed in...the kids got to enjoy all the new stuff Santa brought...toys, puzzles, board games, video games and an air hockey table. Somehow Santa must have known it was going to snow because he also brought us snow sleds....which was a BLAST! Being snowed in for a couple of days together just made this Christmas extra special...I will never forget it!

Christmas Surprises!

Friday the kids had their last day of school before Christmas Break. We didn't tell the kids but we planned a trip to Gatlinburg. First we went to their parties at school and then we were on the road. Kelly's mom went with us so that was a nice surprise for the kids! We had a great time! We went ice skating and shopping and had some really good food!!! On Saturday we went to a magic show. This was a first for the kids and to be honest I was a little weary about how good it would be...some of the shows in Pigeon Forge are kind of cheesy! Anyway, it was so GREAT! We were very surprised at how good the show was...Kelly's mom loved it too! We were shocked at everything they did...we tried our hardest to figure out how they did the tricks but we just couldn't! The biggest surprise was toward the end of the show the magician told about how magic isn't real...it's only an illusion...the only "real" miracles come from God above. Kelly and I couldn't believe the great story he told about Jesus and faith. All we expected were some magic tricks but we actually got to hear a great lesson with our kids! Oh, and at the end of the show he made it snow on the audience...as Iris said "it was magical!" On Sunday we went to the Christmas Dixie Stampede. Once again we were pleasantly surprised with another great show. The live nativity scene during the show was so beautiful...it actually made you feel like you were there when it all happened. This year has been the most emotional Christmas for me. Going through this adoption over the past year and really growing closer to the Lord...every time I see a nativity scene or hear a song about Jesus' birth I can't help but cry. For some reason I just feel something I've never felt before. I've always known the real meaning of Christmas but this year I just think so much about Jesus being born to Mary and Joseph and what that really must have been like...how His birth should mean everything to us. I will never forget this Christmas! I am filled with so many emotions right now...I am overjoyed at the blessings in my life but I feel a sadness for our waiting child...I can't wait to have them here with us next year(hopefully)!

Being in Gatlinburg this weekend and having the story of Jesus told at the different places we went made the trip extra special...we live in such a crazy world these days and it makes you think if it could be like that everywhere...we would be a much happier world. How do people celebrate without knowing the true meaning?!