Empowered To Connect

Troy and I had the opportunity to attend the Empowered to Connect Conference that was held in our area yesterday and today.  I am always excited to learn more in regards to adoption and parenting, and I was blown away by the information that was presented at this conference.  Dr. Karyn Purvis, the director of the TCU Institute of Child Development, was the primary speaker, and I can’t put into words the amazing impact she has had on hundreds of children’s lives.   Her love for children and the Lord radiates out of her, and she is one of those women people are just naturally drawn to.

Troy and I had our eyes opened in regards to our parenting style, and we learned some practical strategies that we can start implementing right away.  My undergraduate degree is in Biology so I was also intrigued by the fact that everything that was presented is supported by scientific research:) Dr. Purvis has authored a book, The Connected Child, which has helped numerous families that have brought home children from hard places.  I haven’t read it yet, but it has been added to my growing list of books to read. If you are considering or have foster parented or adopted, the recommended resources from the conference website may be helpful to you.  They are available at this link:  http://empoweredtoconnect.org/resources/   I am hoping they will bless you as much as we have been blessed these past two days!

Silas breaking it down

On our vacation, we visited Charleston and stopped into a frozen yogurt shop.  After a few bites of candy toppings and yogurt, Silas got the itch to start with the moves.  Thank God he doesn’t take after his dad.  Funnier is that we were right by the window on the street and as people walked by, they were looking and smiling at Silas.  I recorded it on my phone so it’s not great quality … enjoy!

A Time For Rest & Official September Number

Troy and I have been saying that we would like to take Silas to the beach for the past year. We finally made the decision to go and last week we spent a wonderful week together in Seabrook Island, SC.  It was great to get away for some much needed rest(especially for Troy), and a good distraction as we wait for our referral for our daughter.  We also managed to keep it low cost by going in September(when they significantly reduce the rates), driving(versus flying), and taking our own groceries to prepare the majority of our meals. It was definitely a blessing to have extended time together as a family of three before our family grows to four.  Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the week:

Silas sitting on an ‘alligator’ at Freshfields Village

We spent a lot of time biking around the island(Silas got the pleasure of riding in the trailer), and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the various wildlife everywhere we went

Troy and Silas back at our rental after our family photo shoot that we did at the beach(Troy did all the picture taking with setting the timer, etc…so he got a work out:)

My sweet, sweet boy!

We were able to meet up with an old friend and her son during a visit to the North Charleston Fire Museum

Silas and daddy with their lake and castles:)

I got to enjoy reading a great book while Troy and Silas played.  Every now and then I would get a short visit from Silas:)

This is typical Silas…the dirtier the better!

Love this one!  This was our last day there and the weather was a little cooler and overcast so we decided to just search for seashells.  Silas loved running along the boardwalk!

Family footprints.  Can’t wait until we have another sweet little foot on there:)

They had a great saltwater pool that we took advantage of as well.

Silas and daddy looking for turtles at the lake

I think vacation caught up with him by this point!

On the way back, we stopped to see Silas’ buddy, Will.  These two were at Hannah’s Hope together, and they came home at the same time.  Will is only two weeks younger than Silas and they live less than three hours from us.  I love anytime we can get together with Will’s family, and this time I especially enjoyed the interaction between Silas and Will.  Definitely a God story. 

Finally, we received an email with our official number for September while we were on vacation.  We were pleased with our number as it was one lower than we thought it would be.  So we are now officially #:

Can’t wait to see what the next couple of months holds in store for us!  Have a blessed week!