Kingstons 1st Academy Game

Kingston has the chance this year to play up in his age group.  He gets to play with older kids.  I was so sad to miss his first game as I was sick with the crud.  Luke went and took pictures.  It was a super hot day.  He said Kingston played hard.  You can tell by these pictures he is a determined little player.  Chris would have been just beaming at him playing up in his league.  I'm so proud of him and can't wait to go to many more games! 

Saline County Fair and Rodeo

We took Kingston to the fair on Friday night.  We let him decide on 1 ride and he chose the fun house.  We then pigged out on all things fair food.  We got corn dogs, nachos x 2, chili cheese fries, and burgers.  Luke and I got fried pies which Kingston was not impressed with.  We stopped by and saw Mr. Dennis and his bees.  Kingston loved learning about bees and seeing them live in person.  By that time it was time for the rodeo. It was super hot Friday night and I felt bad with some bug, so we didn't stay through the whole rodeo.  We watched several of the events though.  It was a fun night.  We ended our evening with ice cream at the Dairy Queen. 

Mother's Day.....

I've tried to ignore the day that's coming up.  The one where Mom's are celebrated everywhere.  While I want to celebrate my Mom, and all the amazing women in my life, this one day seems to be a constant reminder for me of what we have lost and yet yearn for all at the same time.  For three years, I was a Mother.  Was it everything I dreamed of- ummm no.  It was horrible, traumatic, and at times had it's good moments.  We struggled as a family and in 3 short years and 9 months of attorney struggles it was all taken away from us. 

So, I tease with Luke that there aren't any "Happy Mothers Day to used to be Moms" cards out there...or at least none I could find.  I try to cover up the sadness I feel over this day, but it's still hard and a constant reminder of what we have lost.  It's also a constant reminder of what we have to gain.

Right now, in our adoption process, we are simply waiting.  Waiting on God's timing and on His will to be done.  Can I say that this is easy?  Heck no, it's just plain awful.  It's hard having a match and dreaming of becoming a Mom only to have that bio Mom change her mind because she didn't like you.  I know it wasn't in God's plan, but it still hurt all the same. 

We are doing Beth Moore's Believing God study.  I have learned so far through it that I can believe God for a miracle. He's still in the miracle business after all.  He has a plan for my life.  As Beth has stated we can believe these 5 statements of faith:

1. God is who He says He is.
2. God can do what He says He can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. I can do all things through Christ.
5. God's word is alive and active in me. 

So, I know God is more than capable of giving us a baby in His timing.  I know He called us to do this yet again.  I know I can stand up and wait- even in the hurting times, and I also know I can do that because He is with me. I often wish our journey wasn't so hard in this area, it seems like it has been a pretty constant struggle for us.  I also know that we serve a loving God and that even through this heartache He is wanting us to learn something and draw closer to Him.

So this Mother's Day, I will celebrate my Mom and the amazing woman she is.  I will remind myself that this is just a day to celebrate what we have- not what we do not have.  I love my Mom and am so thankful for her.  She taught me my love for animals, cooking, and having hospitality.  More than that though, she taught me to love Jesus.    So, Happy Mothers Day Mom!  Maybe someday I can be a Mom just like you are to Chris and me. 

Decorating the tree....

This past Friday night, we decorated the Christmas tree with Kingston.  He had fun looking at the ornaments he made in Kindergarten.  Every time I went to put up an ornament, he would hold the tree still.  It was really sweet.  We ended the night with hot chocolate and watched the movie Elf. 

Motley's Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend, we took both boys to the Pumpkin Patch.  The weather was nice and cool.  We ate lunch there- chowed down on burgers, popcorn, and nachos.  The boys had a blast jumping on the giant pillow and playing on the pirate ship.  They each picked out a pumpkin and then we came home to carve it.  Kingston decided on 3 eyes and a giant mouth.  Grayson went for a more traditional look.  It was a fun afternoon.

Happy 7th Birthday Kingston

It's hard to believe you are 7.  Seems like just yesterday we were going to the hospital to await your arrival.  Luke and I fixed hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixings to celebrate your birthday.  We even put up streamers in the kitchen.  At first you just wanted to eat cake- but quickly realized that you couldn't have cake without some protein first.  You were surprised to see I actually made you Minecraft cookies- just like you asked.  I also fixed chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.....because the other day you told me you wanted just that.  We love you more than you will ever know.  Happy 7th birthday Kingston.