Grandpa & Grandma Come to Town

Troy’s parents called a few weeks ago and said they were thinking about making a trip to our area in the near future.   We knew that Silas would love this since they live seven hours away and we don’t get to see them often.  We were happy to rearrange our schedules a bit, and this past weekend we enjoyed a great time visiting them.  Silas got spoiled just a tad, but I guess that is what grandparents are for:)

We started off the weekend by seeing an amazing train display at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  A co-worker of mine recommended that we take Silas since she knew his love for trains, and I am so glad we went. 

 

The pictures we took don’t really do justice for the exhibit. We were told it took twenty men six months to build it.  

 

One of the many bridges that were part of the display. 

 

My dad used to be an engineer for Norfolk Southern railway so I took this one for him:)

 

Silas and daddy.  I think we enjoyed this exhibit for about 45 minutes which is a long time for a 2 year old!

 

A snapshot with Grandma and Grandpa

 

It was a bit of a struggle to keep this boy out of the water! 

 

Family picture(can’t wait until we have a beautiful baby girl in these pictures!)

 

After Cheekwood, we went home for naps before we ventured out again.  We definitely kept Grandpa and Grandma running.  We went to a local home and gardens store to get pumpkins, to the park to play, and then Silas had his first visit to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate his upcoming 3rd birthday.  As you can see above, he was getting into the games and rides. 

 

Chatting with Chuck E.

 

He couldn’t bypass the opportunity to ride on a bulldozer!

 

On Sunday, we went to church and then a tailgate party hosted by our church.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures at that event, but Silas had a blast on the inflatables.  Later that evening, we decided to carve one of the pumpkins Grandpa and Grandma bought us!

 

Hard at work while Grandpa and Grandma take it all in

 

Our finished product.  We asked Silas if he wanted a face or a cross(we had to keep it simple as we know the limits of our abilities:))  He chose cross…it didn’t come out too bad.

 

All three of our pumpkins on our front porch…..as Troy reminded me tonight, I should have gotten one for our daughter.  I may just have to go back and do that!

 

Just had to include this picture.  Troy found these glasses with no lenses while mowing one day. They have become one of Silas’ new favorite toys.  We have no idea who they belong to but the kid loves them! 

 

One of many hugs for the many quarters that Silas got from Grandpa over the weekend. 

 

Grandma wouldn’t let him get away with just giving Grandpa a hug

 

After supper, Silas got to open his birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa. 

 

I’ll end with this great picture.  Thanks for a fun weekend filled with lots of good memories Grandpa and Grandma!  Even though we are separated by distance, you are never far from our hearts!

Surely, two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grandparent. ~Donald A. Norberg

Football & Fellowship

Troy and I are blessed to be part of a local orphan care ministry, The 1:27 Call, which hosts Forever Families Fellowships about four times a year for anyone interested in or that has foster parented or adopted   This past Saturday, The 1:27 Call hosted a tailgate tent prior to the Homecoming football game of our local University, and then the majority of us in attendance went to the game.  It was so fun to see all the beautiful children adopted from various countries running around.  I always feel like I get a small glimpse of what heaven will be like when we attend these events.  I also love that Silas has a unique bond with the children that I hope he’ll grow to appreciate as he gets older.  Below, you can enjoy some of the cuteness I got to witness at the Fellowship:)

Mary Leigh with her cutie boys, Bates and Brodie

 

Sweet Jordyn and Layla

One of many attempts to get a picture of all the children of the core group of members of The 1:27 Call

Benjamin recently came home from Rwanda and he is adjusting amazingly well. I love to witness the transformation of children who were once orphans to thriving once they are placed in a family.

Silas’ good buddy, Elijah.  He was not letting go of his football!

Silas and Haven(who was also adopted from Ethiopia)

Davis was so kind to give me a good smile

I really think Silas is going through a growth spurt(Troy gets tired of hearing me say it), but he is constantly saying “I am still hungry”.  He was enjoying his 2nd hot dog of the night followed by some popcorn that he talked daddy into buying him

This sweet girl had her parents camera and took lots of pictures of us throughout the course of the night(and sadly, they were better than half the pictures I take!)

Love these two boys!!

I’ll end with a picture of me with my precious son.  We had a great day and I definitely think the event was a success.  AND..to top if off, our team won a very close game!  I am so glad God opened our hearts to adoption and orphan care in the summer of 2008 because our lives have been completely changed for the better because of it!

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!

August Number

We received a call from our caseworker today, and our official number for August is :

We are knocking on the door of single digits! This coming Monday, August 22 will mark 13 months on the waiting list for us.  It seems to have flown by in some ways, but in other ways not so much.  Regardless, God is in control and He will faithfully reveal our daughter to us in His perfect timing.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Gymnast In The Making(and a fun family visit)

For the past 6+months, it has not been uncommon for Troy and I to catch Silas walking his feet up the wall in attempt to stand on his hands, doing forward rolls, or jumping down from anything he can find that is elevated. So, we decided that a weekly gymnastics class might be a great outlet for some of his energy!  I did a little research and found a gymnastics place that is close to our house,Christ centered, and one of the main guys that runs the place has a heart for orphan care/adoption!  We did a free trial class and Silas loved it so we decided to enroll him.  I have enjoyed watching him in a different context and seeing how he attends/responds to other adults.  I also love the fact that they pray at the beginning of each class. It warms my heart to witness the innocence of each child as his/her prayer request is spoken.   It is a weekly reminder that I never want to cease in striving to have a child like faith.  My sister, niece, and nephew came to visit during this past week, and my sister tried out her new camera at Silas’ gymnastics class.  You can see a few pictures below:

Silas sitting on his ‘shape’ as he waits for his turn

 

Not sure what he’s looking at here

 

Getting instruction from his teacher

 

Jump time!

 

Moving through the obstacle course

 

After the class, we went to a local park to continue visiting with Aunt Amy, Kennedy, and Ross.  The one thing I miss with living in this area is not having family close by; however, I am thankful for technology in that regards because it makes it easy to keep in touch! We always enjoy when family comes to town.

My nephew, Ross

Silas stealing some of Kennedy’s gatorade

Ross was so proud that he conquered the monkey bars!

I’ll end with this of picture my sweet boy!  I can’t believe he’ll be 3 in less than 2 months!  God has been good to us!