A Week in the :Life

Some weeks are busy and then there was this one...I actually thought that compared to last week this one was going to be a little quieter...not really. Oh well, we love a good and busy week. It started out with Dennis and I out at Noah's taking down this beautiful backdrop and the chandeliers and the ceiling (ok, not the whole ceiling just the fabric.) Tuesday morning found us at the Chandler Y for "A Morning of Prayer". Dennis had been asked to speak there and it included food so off we went. Boy were we surprised, and most pleasantly, when we realized that our morning of prayer breakfast had for the keynote speaker...wait for it...scroll down...

Herb Sendek...Arizona States Head Basketball Coach. He is a great motivational speaker and it was fun to hear from him. Dennis told a story about a great football coach who predicted his team would go undefeated and that they wouldn't let allow a combined total of 50 points the entire season to be scored against them. He then turned to Coach Sendek and said, "Any predictions Coach?" He did have a prediction, "Undefeated and NO POINTS SCORED" We'll see!Then Thursday afternoon Bekah and Ruby dropped in right around 4ish and when Tyler out they were here he high tailed it for a quick visit before heading off to school. (Normally Tuesday and Thursday he goes straight to school cause home is a little too far out of the way.) That was fun...he is obviously in heaven. How about that bow! Love it!Friday we had a fun visit with Nathan while his mom and dad and two brothers went to a special play or something (OK I know I'm lame, I can't remember what they went to although i have asked them several times) the important thing is we got to have him hang out with us for a few hours. Dennis was holding him and he said, "he is such a gorgeous child!" he really is, those dimples are AMAZING! We had a great time with him playing with trains, and watering the garden and doing puzzles. He is a good little boy. Love YOU Nater's.

This last post is of some of the things I have done to my house lately...we got new furniture in our living room recently and I went on a quest to find a nice coffee table. When Laurie was visiting with me she joined the quest and we went far and wide and either I didn't really like the table OR it was to darn expensive. I finally found the one I wanted at DI...yup, i brought it home had it repainted and I LOVE IT. Since then I have had my painter "Galdino" (maybe that is how you spell it?) paint lots of stuff for me. The following is a montage of my newly painted old stuff!

Kitchen Table and Chairs...love it!

Dresser that I keep in my entry way...love it!

Sofa Table...and I painted my lamps and got new shades! Fun stuff.

Little garage sale find that I painted with my own can of spray paint! YUP, I did.

Here is the little DI table...found out that Nikki has one just like this which is probably why I knew I liked it when I saw it AND she told me it was a Pottery Barn Table. Sure enough when I went through their catalogue there it was...well a similar updated version. Mine is painted different however...I like mine better!

Yard sale coffee table...super cute! Like the other tables just painted and changed the hardware.

And here is my living room! I really love it and it seats a whole lot of people which is good since from time to time we have a whole lot of people here!

The End.

On to Next Week

We are SO blessed.

Oh the things I could write about the events of the last month.  That would be totally redundant, however, because Bekah has chronicled it beautifully on her blog.  See list to the right.  But I am going to write down a couple of my reflections about Ruby and Cassie and Tyler and Bekah and post a picture or two that haven't yet been posted.  (Nothing like the one week ones Mary Jordan took.)

The past month seems like something of a blur.  It started with such excitement and anticipation which led to the usual waiting and wondering when that baby would finally arrive. Now nearly three weeks later it seems like there was never life without Ruby and all the waiting, worrying, wondering, nervousness, excitement,waiting, worrying, elation, pain, waiting, sleeplessness, waiting, happiness, yes the entire mix of emotions we all went through are somehow kind of fading away and have been replaced by pure joy.  We are all new to adoption and it is going to take some adjustment and possibly some blundering to make sure we always express what we mean the correct way.  Are we sensitive about such things as people asking "How is her mother doing?" Yes we are because unless you are referring to Bekah I think you meant to say her "birth mother".  None of us had ever really considered what was proper adoption etiquette before but we sure are now.  We will learn.

I know this picture is terrible quality but it was the very first time I ever laid eyes on her I was so excited.  Debbie and I were waiting outside for Tyler and Bekah and Ruby to show up...it took a long time.  The anticipation was a killer but the end result was AWESOME.

 Cassie asked Bekah if she could buy Ruby something to wear home from the hospital.  Of course, she wore it home and quickly pooped all over it.  It cleaned up perfectly and Bekah is going to keep it to show Ruby what Cassie chose for her some day.  Cassie is such a sweet and thoughtful girl.

 So excited.  Tyler couldn't quit touching her and looking at her skinny little legs!

 Love those cheeks.

 Chase and Lauren were so excited that they were up in Utah when Ruby arrived!  They had gone for a friends wedding but Lauren said she was mostly there for Ruby.  They loved to hold her. (Look, my baby holding Tyler and Bekah's baby!)

We have felt the love and prayers of so many and have added our prayers for Cassie and Jeremy (b-dad).  The gift they gave is unbelievable and yet it was part of the plan and always meant to be.  Every time I see Ruby she has changed a little and looks more and more like her mom and dad.  Oh how grateful we are for the opportunity we have ahead of us to watch that little girl grow up.  We love her so much.  I asked Dennis how long it took for him to feel like she was totally ours.  Immediately.  Never any doubt.  She was always meant for our family.  I feel the same way.  We all love her right to pieces and will FOREVER be grateful to Cassie and Jeremy for their selflessness and for their love for little Ruby.  I know they could not have done it if they hadn't loved Ruby totally and purely.

What seems like the end of a chapter is actually just the beginning.  Now we get to begin watching her grow and develop into the beautiful little gem that we all know she will be.  We are so blessed.



Family Pictures

We recently got our Family Pictures taken by Stefanie Cross. She did an amazing job and put together this video of some of the fun times and great pictures she captured!

Tyler and Bekah's Adpotion Blog BUTTON

I am so not good at the blogging thing. It's a lot like a journal (which I am also a failure at) so I guess it's no shock I struggle. Today, however, I have a little time (cause I'm not watching the Superbowl or is it Super Bowl?) so I thought I would do some blogging. Bekah had mentioned that one of our sweet friends, Stefanie Cross, made a "button" for Tyler and Bekah's blog that links you into their adoption blog and if you are interested in putting one of these cute buttons on your blog and helping with the whole adoption process you can do so by going to Tyler and Bekahs adoption blog (just click on my snazzy new button) and then highlight and copy the url onto a new widget in your blog. Thanks to everyone for the support!

xoxoxox