Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends who we are not able to be with on this day! Lots of love and Jackson kisses...Troy, Amy and Jack

The Surprise Gift in the Mail

We got formula in the mail today! Not just one can, but two!!! What does this mean? Is this a sign we are getting 2 babies? I am going to hang on to them just in case, especially since they don't expire until 5/08. Hopefully we will have our kid(s) by then.

We Have Our LID!

YES! This is the day we have been waiting for since we began the process back in March. Our official LID (Log-In Day), our "place in line" is 12/11/06! Time to celebrate and shop! We thought we might decorate the "kids bathroom" in a rubber ducky theme. The walls are already bright yellow and Troy has always wanted this. It is also gender neutral since we do not know if we will be getting a boy or girl since we are open to either, AND TWINS!

6 Years Ago Today...

Troy and I got engaged at the Bethany Senior High Christmas Party! The host presented Troy and I each with a gift and I was to open mine first. Follow below to see it all unfold!

I am opening my gift only to find...

That it is an angel Christmas ornament with the ring tied to the dress!

Troy is trying to untie the ring from the dress.

And he gets down to ask the question...

With tears and all in front of 30+ youth...

I said YES!

Adoption Advice for Waiting Parents

Praise God for Eric and Mitzie Tibbets! Troy and I received the first copy of Shaohannah's Hope Today. This is a newsletter put out by Shaohannah's Hope, an adoption ministry founded by Steven Curtis Chapman to "mobilize the body of Christ to care for orphans". The following article by Eric and Mitzie was just what we needed to be reminded of during our wait for our child(ren).

Eric and Mitzie Tibbets- Parents to Bethany, Judson and Aleena (adopted from Russia 2005); waiting on Josiah from Guatemala

During your adoption journey you are likely to become child-focused instead of God-focused. You might even think more about the creation instead of the Creator. Let me challenge you that if you are longing more for the child instead of the Savior, you may want to pause and take inventory of your relationship with God. After many years of infertility and empty arms, it is easy to be impatient for the blessings of a child. I’d like to share a few truths we learned as we journeyed with God:
* You aren’t waiting on man, you are waiting on God.
* God isn’t going to send you where He is absent.
* God is not bound by geography, timelines, politics or finances.
* God hasn’t asked you to walk this path alone. Not only will He remain with you each step of the way, He has prepared many warriors to go into battle with you. You’ll be amazed at who He uses to meet your needs.
* Don’t put serving the King on hold. Waiting doesn’t equate to idleness. Invest in the wait, don’t waste it.
* God’s gifts to us are never late; they are always on time and far beyond what we could ever imagine.

Adoption is about stewardship. Your child and everything you possess belongs to God. During the wait, surrender it all to God, for His glory.

Storm Update Pt. 2

In this mornings paper, 18,000 residents are still WITHOUT power! Troy and I feel so blessed to have had power and only minor issues! So many of our friends have lost trees, have structural damage to their house, etc. It looks like a tornado ripped through the city, but only in winter. It was 38 yesterday and the ice melted from trees and power lines which has been good. We got another inch on snow last night and the high today is to be 20 degrees! It is to be in the 40's this weekend which is perfect weather to help clean up all this mess! We take so much for granted (power, heat, technology) etc. that this storm has made us reevaluate how we live and our priorities.

Winter Storm Update

Blogger is now working...so here are some pictures I was wanting to post earlier.

We are grateful to still have power, but 40% of Decatur still is without! After driving around town, it looks like a Siberian war zone. Trees and limbs are down everywhere...streets are blocked...power lines remain down in some places. It is sad, yet beautiful in its own way. We only have about a 1/4 inch of ice on our plants/trees, put the north side of Decatur has 1/2 to one inch of ice. It is crazy!

Happy Birthday Jack!

Jack celebrated his 3rd Birthday today and woke up to snow!!! He absolutely LOVES playing in the snow and demanded to be outside three times in the first hour he was up! I took him on a walk to access the trees and limbs down in the neighborhood and he had a great time bouncing in the snow! Troy still wishes Jack was 2, but says Jack is now 2+1! Next year Jack will be 2+2! Troy has a thing for the number 2! I will post pictures once I figure out this new blogger!

Operation Kirby, Whirlpool and Fans!

Just when I thought all was well with surving the ice/snow storm that has hit the midwest, I go to our basement. There I find a 6x6 soaking wet area of carpet near my crafting area! I call Troy downstairs and he ran to the sump pump only to find it not working!!! Last night we lost power for an hour and a half. No worry since we have a battery back up to our sump pump. Well...we were hit by lightning about 2 months ago and it damaged the surge protector and we never reset the back-up battery. Big lesson learned! Luckily the sump pump is now back in business. Since then, we have been busy doing some grape stomping using ALL the towels in the house and drying towels in between using the Kirby vacume cleaner which can suction up water. We also have a fan going at the same time.

Winter IS Here!

I am using a new version of blogger, so bear with me. I want to add pictures, but it is acting up.

It rained and sleeted on Thursday and we had a thick cover of ice over everything! Then came the snow early Friday morning! Here in Decatur we go 4" and it is beautiful! Troy and I are fortunate to have only lost power for an hour and a half. 50% of Decatur is still without power going on 24 hours now, due to the ice and falling tree limbs. Jack and I took a walk around the neighborhood and accessed the damage! Trees and limbs are down everywhere! School was canceled today and most businesses were closed. People were advised to stay in. All we heard were chain saws and snow blowers busy at work.