Two

We have officially reached 2 weeks of waiting. It kind of snuck up on me with yesterday being the Memorial Day holiday. I was about to head to bed and realized it was Tuesday. So, here are some of our week two highlights:

The kids spent the entire past week in KY with Ryan' parents. They were here the night that we returned from Disney, and then they packed up and headed out with Nana the next day. So, they just returned home tonight. I missed them terribly, but I've enjoyed hearing some of the highlights of their trip which include- testing out the new rope swing their Pap hung for them, catching a crawdad and then dressing it in one of Lizzy's Polly Pocket dresses (yes it survived the fashion show), eating brownies for breakfast, and having a close encounter with a 4 foot black snake. I'm sure all of this fun would have been severely limited had I been on the scene. That's what grandparents are for- right? Someday I will get to feed my grandchildren brownies for breakfast.

I spent much of my week scrapbooking. I am such a scrapbooking wannabe. But, I have made up my mind that before the new baby comes, I will have some semblance of a scrapbook for each of my children. So, I have been power scrapbooking for the last week. I have decided that Creative Memories saying about how simple pages are completed pages will work for me. I am not going to win any awards, but I have managed to scrap the first 2 years of Lizzy and Isaac's lives this week. I just have Lily to complete and then I can move on to my next phase- a toddler to teen album for each of them. Those should be a little easier. The kids had so much fun looking at what I had already finished when they got home tonight. Going through all those pictures made me realize how big they are and how fast our time with them is flying by.

The other chunk of my week was spent at the NCHE conference. That stands for North Carolinians for Home Education. I know, it sounds like a real snoozer, but it's actually quite fun and always very encouraging. It's a great time for me to revisit why I do what I do. I am not a person who home schools in an effort to protect my children from the influences of the public schools, but rather to prepare them for a life of ministry in whatever way God calls them to serve. I found the public school schedule left us with very little time or energy to be intentional in discipling our children. This weekend I attended sessions on raising kids of character, mentoring your daughter, and reaching the heart of your child- just to name a few. It's also encouraging to be surrounded by over a thousand people who share your passion. It was a real blessing.

With the adoption being at a waiting point, it kind of seems a little distant or unreal. But, tonight, I was lying in bed with Isaac for a few minutes telling him how much I missed him while he was gone. I said, "You know, you're one of my favorite people in the whole world. You're actually in my top 5." I was referring to his daddy and his siblings However, he wasn't counting Daddy at the moment, he was thinking of the baby. So he responded, "Yeah, you just can't see one of us yet." It touches my heart how they are ever mindful of the baby. They often ask questions about what he may be doing or if I think he's born yet. They are faithful to pray for him. I love those moments!