More of this and that...

Sorry for this awful layout--I tried cropping my pictures and it almost ruined this post..I won't do that again---PROMISE.

This is Emy and my papa.

Emy & my parents "Ma and Pa"
Emy playing dressup AGAIN.

Luke or shall we call him "spike"

We've been using imagination AGAIN!

These kids are so STINKIN cute!

MY birthday party--I turned 37 on Nov 6th!!

Choc cake, choc icing, choc ice cream--do y'all notice a general theme??

Oh yes, and chocolate coated children (after they poked holes in my cake to sneak a lick of yummy icing!)

We had pizza too!! Thanks Darrell...it was GREAT!

Luke & Emy LOVE cheese pizza.

Emy--my sweet girl.

Luke loves his monkey--Emy picked it out for him.

Luke wanted his hair spiked up (or "piked" up as he says it)

Emy LOVES dress up, did you know?

LOVE the purple hair.

Crazy hair day at school--to signify that drugs make you do CRAZY things. .

This is an even better shot of that

Trials and Triumphs

Should I go with trials first or triumphs??Okay, I will save the BEST for last--first of all, y'all need to be praying for me. I have the worst sinuses this side of the Mississippi--no lie--really I do. I have been having head pressure/sinus pressure/headaches since mid-August and have had 1 head CT, 2 sinus CT's and one Brain MRI to rule out some very scary stuff...and they have ruled out alot--everything except I NEED SINUS SURGERY soon. I have yucky sinuses and lots of nasal/sinus polyps. . I am scheduled for this on Dec 5th. . the reason for the delay is that I also have been blessed with sleep apnea and they refuse to do surgery until I have this under control. So, sleep study here I come!! I will be sleeping on a monitor one night next week--hopefully get something to help with my apnea--then after 2 weeks of that therapy, go for preop and then eventually under the knife--UGH!

I have real anxiety issues with the anesthesia thing--I know they do it everyday, but I feel very anxious and nervous even now as I am typing this. Anyway, I have had to take some pain meds for my severe headaches (which I hate) because they make me feel very weird. So I try to get by with plain old Tylenol and some days that just don't CUT it!! I have had alot of pain lately, and haven't quite been myself. I have had to miss a lot of church, especially the night services, because my pain seems to be much worse in the evenings. Okay--I am done complaining and belly aching--I just want the surgery over with so I can get on with mending and life in general--hopefully PAIN FREE!!

Here are the TRIUMPHS YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT:
Luke is talking so well these days. . He is initiating more conversation and speaking very clearly. I understand EVERYTHING on most days and almost everything on others. . he is a very bright child who is blending in very nicely with our family. . . he even has a temper which goes along with us as well...LOL--I mean, stamp his foot, throw down tantrums..whew.. most of the time, though, we can tickle him out of his bad moods. . and if that don't work, time out does the trick (or vice versa).

We had family portraits made today--can't wait to post one for y'all to see--Emy & Luke both did great--Darrell was my problem--that chewing gum kept getting in the way--LOL!! Thanks Carrie--you did GREAT!!

Emy got her first report card--let me tell you--that girl is grade A!! She had so many checks, check +'s, and S's and S+'s and quite a few O's (outstandings)--conduct got a S+!! WE are SO PROUD OF OUR GIRL!! So proud, in fact that I took her to Walmart where she proceeded to pick out a gift for herself (and for LUke) because she is such a good big sister!!

Also, as most of you know, we got a little financially behind with our 2nd adoption and God has worked out a way for me to earn some extra money at nights and on weekends. I am doing some medical transcription at home for a family practice. . I love it. . it's hard to find enough time for everything but Darrell has been so good to help with the kids and cooking, and housework on the weekends. . it is really helping us. Hopefully, it won't be a long-time plan but for now, it is a God-send. . pray for my strength as I have needed it these last few weeks with my sickness and having the extra work.

Thanks in advance for the prayers that I know you will offer. .

Later y'all...Enjoy your Sunday and what is left of the weekend with your families.

Some of this and some of that!!

NC STATE FAIR--2008--YAY!!

Luke, Emy, Ma, Pa (w/ lots of crowds in the background)

Emy & Luke racing
So cute!

Luke loves "motorcycles"

Mommy says "WHOA"--Luke and Emy LOVED this ride so much, we rode about 6-7 times--Ma rode with Luke & Emy some too!

GOAT

YUM

Daddy & Emy on the coaster.

Ma & Luke swinging

CHOO CHOO

Dragon coaster!

My beauty queen

Before the face paint and tiara buying.

My two boys.

On the merry-go-round.

FOOD--the burger is as big as she is.

That's us--on the ferris wheel ride!! Thank goodness we were in Duke Blue and not UNC colors--whew!

On the way to the fair.

Luke enjoying Josh's birthday CAKE

Getting ready to blow out candles--JOSH turned 12 today!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??

He is such a sweet boy--Luke adores Josh!

The whole crew.

Wolfpack===ALL THE WAY!!!

The 3 stooges.

Mommy's Boy

Camp fire w/ Josh's friends.

Emy LOVES dress up.

Emy is doing so well--she can READ these books to Luke--He loves it!!

I love to hear her read..

Emy is dressed up for school pictures.

Luke is in jammies, ready to go to Nanny's.

I once was told.

I was just thinking about this today and wanted to share it. I once was told that I would more than likely never be a mother. I have "female" problems that just won't allow it, he said.

Well, I am.

A mother, that is.

Just not the way he intended. . This doctor just assumed that the only way I would want children would be biologically--NOT.

There is NO way that I could love biological children any more than I love mine. Do you ever just sit and watch them sleep? Their beauty and innocence just blow me away! Emy is always the fighter, always kicking and tossing and turning and yes, even talking in her sleep (smile). She cracks me up (and my ribs) all day and all night. . Luke is, well, the same. And sometimes we all end up in the same bed (Thank God above that we bought that KING sized bed way back when). . .

We say everyday, tonight's the night, they are going back to their beds (actually Emy is in her own bed EVERY night now for a while). She gets up every once in a while to crawl in with us. She likes to have a night light on and she likes for me to pray with her before we go to sleep. . Luke likes to pray too. . every "in JESUS' name" gets an "AMEN" from Luke!!

Back to my story. . . sometimes Emy wants to be white (like me, of course). Well, I have ALWAYS wanted to be brown. . just ask my mama. . we would try to bake in the sun and it just never turned out quite the way I planned. I had more episodes of red, burned skin than brown. But look at my girl--she is a beautiful little brown princess who is the PERFECT color for me...(she told me one time that Jesus made me white, I needed to talk to Him about being brown--LOL)...I adore children--any color, any shape, any size. Kids are just PLAIN FUN no matter what they look like or where they came from. Yep, even yours.

Emy is my artist. She is a very promising photographer. She colors the BEST pictures and she draws some pretty good ones too! That is my new rule. Every weekend we are going to start doing something creative. . arts and crafts. . and Luke LOVES to get his hands in whatever we are doing. And more READING, of course!! The weather is getting COLD down here in NC, let me tell ya--35 degrees tonight---(teeth are chattering, literally--Hey Angie and Ma--yep I'm laughing and chattering at the same time--pure, raw talent).

Last week, Emy & I took a half of day (I left Luke at daycare) and we spent it looking for Fall leaves and making collages. . . so fun!

Luke is my little brown prince (Emy says he is "light" brown) but brown nonetheless and I love him so much. It is truly amazing how fast and how completely you fall in love with these babies.

Did I tell you??

Once, he got away from us at a campground and I nearly went insane. For a total of 1 minute, he was lost and he didn't even know it. . He had ridden his bus down a couple of campsites "looking" for Ma & Pa. When he saw the white car, he stopped (it wasn't their car, but he stopped and (thankfully) that is when we found him). . He is just a happy little thing, scooting around on whatever he has and that is so good for his legs so we usually let him go (but usually I have a watchful eye on him)--I wasn't on watch that day--I won't tell you who was--but I guarantee you, we haven't lost him since....BUT the point is, he had been home a total of 5 months when this happened and MY HEART FELL...I could not believe the total and complete LOVE and HEARTBREAK that I felt when we were searching--that minute felt like hours!

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, mothers out there!

Now, who will fess up and let me know you've lost sight of your child(ren) at one point in your life??

Love y'all. .

Have a blessed week!

FALL is HERE!!--Part 2

Emy's self portrait on her pumpkin--See the clouds and sky? And the precious little brown girl with RED lipstick--and there is an apple tree on there too! She won a BLUE ribbon at the county fair--YOU GO GIRL!! Luke's pumpkin--he won a BLUE ribbon TOO!!

I am a very proud mommy! He won $5.00 total.
Emy also entered two crosses and a painted picture. She got a RED 2nd place ribbon for the cross on the left, a participation PINK ribbon for the cross in the middle and a WHITE 3rd place ribbon for her painted picture. . . She won $7.50 total.
Ma, being silly--at least her eyes are opened in this one!!

Luke in Emy's cool specs.
Angie Pangie and Greg (it was Greg's birthday--41 this year)
Cristian is the OFFICIAL center on his football team--YOU GO BOY!
We LOVE cheap entertainment--paper bag? We have some imagination in this house.
See what I mean?
My sweet husband took this picture (lots of smiles on this one)
Happy Birthday to you!

EMY'S MEMORY VERSE

LUKE 19:10

For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.

Emy's version:

For the Son of man is come to seek and save the witch that was lost.

Which works because EVERYbody needs saving!

Y'all--I just about split my gut laughing at her this morning. . .

My jaws hurt too!

CFHusband

Y'all please pray for Tricia--she is back in the hospital at Duke with pneumonia. She is the mother of Gwyneth and wife of Nathan. Please click on their blog (to the right) CFHusband to meet them...I think they are a miracle family.

Fall is HERE.

We had a lovely picnic after school last week!!

Complete with white sugary powdered donuts...Emy's favorite.
And pork skins (one of Luke's faves)
Nope, she's not really a chicken. And THAT is not an orange EGG!!

Aren't my pumpkins lovely--thanks MA!!!

Haylei, Emy & Luke painting their pumpkins.

What I'd Like for you to know about adoption

This is a post from "Rocks In My Dryer" and all adoptive parents will probably appreciate this post. Wanted to share it.

What I'd Like For You To Know: Adoption


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