Christmas Eve

Boy was there ever excitement in the air at our house on Christmas Eve. All four of the kids were bouncing off the walls, and I wondered if our house would ever become quiet as a mouse. When we got close to bedtime, I asked the girls to come into the den and sit down. I then passed out a gift to each of them and they began to open them.LeeLee's face says it all. They were so excited to get new pajamas for Christmas. Don't worry about poor Hunter....Hunter doesn't really like pajamas. He wears slick shorts and t-shirts to bed. However, the entire school decided to do Polar Express on the last day before Christmas break, and Hunter needed some pajamas. Since I already had everyone's for Christmas, he just got his a tad early so he would actually be wearing pajamas for school. I carefully picked out each of their pajamas to suit there personalities. Each of them were very excited with theirs. I wish I could say that at this point they all went to sleep, but the excitement was to much for LeeLee. She was up until about 10:30 before she finally fell asleep.

The End of an Era

Years ago, my parents found a cut your own Christmas tree farm in Russell County. It was one of those great down home experiences. They put you on a hay wagon and ride you out to the tree fields where you search for the perfect tree. Then, you saw it down yourself, tag it, then wait for the wagon to come by and pick it up. About the time the hay wagon gets you back to the front of the farm, your tree is being shaken and ready for loading. For several years now, the family that runs the farm has been saying it is their last year. We were hoping that would never be the case, but as you can see, our tree was the lone tree left in a large field. It was what you would call a reject tree. It was browning in a few spots, and it had a messed up trunk. But having the hearts we have, we saw it's beauty and didn't want it to go all its life without ever being a Christmas tree. I was so sad to leave the tree farm. It felt like a part of us, our life, our history was being left behind. Part of me was sad that we had come, because I would love to have my last memories be of the fields of trees and trying to find the perfect one. But then the other part of me is glad that Hope got to experience it so when the other kids say "remember when." she will actually have that memory to share with them. I think Hope is a little confused as to why we currently have a tree in our living room. Once the lights were on and plugged up, she looked at it and said, "Oh, so pretty!" She enjoyed decorating it too. I can't wait until Hope really understands what Christmas is all about. I look forward to the rest of this Christmas season. I love the excitement around the birth of our Savior.

Noelle turns 10!

She is halfway to 20, and this is a problem for me!! Noelle wasn't to excited to be going to school on her birthday. She ended up having a good day because they had a pep rally at school and Aubie came. Since it was her birthday, he signed her hand. However, trust me that this is a very forced smile in this picture because she was worried that I didn't have a present for her. She had asked for the American Girl Doll, Nellie. Nellie is retired, so her prices have skyrocketed on ebay, and I wasn't willing to pay more for her than she originally cost. Noelle had been watching ebay too, so she knew they were way to expensive. What she didn't know was that one day while she was at school someone had listed one with a buy it now feature for 1/3 of what they were selling for. So everyday after school she would continue to look for a Nellie. About two days before her birthday she realized that Nellie wasn't going to happen, so she picked out a current doll in the catalog and decided to settle for that. I told her I would do my best, but that if probably wouldn't be there by her birthday (which wasn't a lie since I never ordered it.)I had hidden the presents in the car, so when we went to dinner, Paul snuck back to the car and snagged them. She was so excited, and we got a genuine smile when she saw Nellie. We will have her party after the Holidays. Happy Birthday Sweet Noelle!!! You are such a delight!!!

War Eagle!

I am a die hard Auburn fan. I always go to the games and I feel physically ill if we aren't winning. This season, I have missed most of the games due to staying home with Hope so she wouldn't feel abandoned. However, after the amazing season we have had, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. My mom was gracious enough to keep the kids so we could go. I was so proud of Hope for being comfortable enough to stay, so I could go. It was an AUsome game too! I didn't have to feel physically ill at all, as we ran away with the lead early. Now we are headed to the National Championship game. Paul will be making the trip with a friend because I don't think we are ready for an overnight away from Miss Hope yet. So, I will be cheering us on loud and clear from the theater room in the basement. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a blessing my birthday was! I was woken up by the kids one by one bringing me special gifts. I got chocolate and lots of it (somebody must really love me), which is always my favorite thing. We then ventured out to Chick-fil-a for breakfast...another favorite. Then my mom came for dinner and brought my cake. It is the same cake I have gotten since I was a small child. It is still my favorite cake too! As the day came to an end, I was able to really reflect on life. I am so thankful for the life that God has chosen to give me. I am thankful for my amazing husband who truly is my hero. I am thankful that even though adoption was on my heart from the beginning of our relationship that God gave Paul the desire for biological children. I can't imagine if I had missed out on Noelle and Hunter. I am thankful that my heart never wained from it's desire to adopt. I am so blessed to be Hope and LeeLee's mom. For the first time, I feel like our family is complete. I won't say it definitively, because I don't know what God has in store for us. However, I am relishing in the feeling that my entire family is under one roof. Before, I always felt like someone was missing. Thank you God for another year. I am looking forward to seeing what you have for me.

Can we decorate now?

Those were the words that continually were coming out of LeeLee's mouth. It was as if Christmas couldn't come until our outside decorations were up. She was distraught. She even used peer pressure when she said, "All my friends have their decorations up already." We finally caved and put them up. She was so excited. The last thing before bed was getting the Christmas tree in the top window. Everyone always wants to know how we get it there. Paul and I actually lift it up and push it onto the ledge. Then Paul climbs out the girls window and into the middle window to plug it in. For some reason this year, he got stuck on the wrong side of the tree and had to carefully move with the tree leaning on his back. No worries though, it all ended well. LeeLee was finally able to relax, and believe that indeed, Christmas was coming.

A Welcome Surprise

As I searched for something that would stay in LeeLee's hair, I came across some adorable felt hair clips on Etsy. They were made by a lady in California named Derinda. She had an etsy store called EmmaLee's Boutique. I loved her stuff and ordered a few times. You may remember that last spring I won a clippie bouquet she had. I also referred friends to her who had Chinese daughters, because we all know how hard it is to get things to stay in their silky hair. Anyway, Derinda decided it was time to close up her store. I was bummed! Then, I got an email from her offering to send me everything in her store for free if I wanted it. I was so excited. She has blessed me with her generosity......and I am so very thankful! The girls love them and wear them everyday! Thanks Derinda!!!!!