Christmas '09

Christmas '09 was full of wonderful memories! Shelby took off work the entire week of Christmas so we enjoyed spending time together. It was a busy week but a great one. Angie, Joe, Gabe & Will came to town for Christmas...the first Christmas we spent at home with them since Will was born! He was feeling great (despite the fact that he had just been in the hospital the week before)...he's a trooper!

Here are Mom & Dad with all of their grandchildren...(left to right-Will, Mary Katherine, Gabe, Georgia, Caroline & Luke).

Caroline & Mary Katherine with their new "Bitty Babies" and strollers...little mamas already! You think Caroline is excited?! Look at that face!
Typical boys hanging out on Luke's bed watching a movie...couldn't take their eyes off the TV long enough to look at the camera!
Movie time...jammies and lots and lots of popcorn! Georgia will be right in the middle of it next year, I'm sure!
When we were little my Dad used to write out riddles and hide clues to special gifts. It became a tradition that we couldn't wait for each Christmas Eve. Now, he has started doing it for the grandkids...one for the boys and one for the girls. Angie read them the clues and they had a great time running all over the house looking for the next clue!
Andy always gets Will worked up. It's hilarious to watch him wrestle with Andy! Great memories...
Georgia got her first purse and cell phone from Andy, Kathy and the kids and LOVES IT! It's so cute to watch her face light up! Here she is playing with her Daddy...
After Christmas with my family on the 23rd, and finger foods and Candlelight service on the 24th, we left for Shelby's family's Christmas on the 25th. Here we are right before heading out. Georgia was not too happy...working on one of her bottom teeth. We got about an hour down the road and had a "blow out" in her diaper...after about a 20-25 minute wardrobe change and cleaning, we were back on the road! Poor baby...
Heather got Georgia this little puppy called "Scout". It's great...you can program it to say her name and download songs and games. I think it's obvious how much she loves it! She grabbed it and hugged it after it said, "I love you!"...sweet baby!
Barry & Paula bought her "Silly Town" along with other things. Here she is trying to figure it out...I love the looks on Shelby's and Heather's faces as she's checking it out...
Barry is a HUGE HUGE HUGE Edward S. Curtis fan, as we have all become, too. At the Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth they are displaying one folio of his Native American photography from now until May 2010. It was truly incredible...wish they had more! His story is really incredible how he took it upon himself to capture and document the dying Native American culture. Heather planned an outing, since Barry loves his work so much, as a surprise to him. It was wonderful and FREE! I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone!
Georgia in her Christmas jammies and Aunt Heather...precious picture!
Hanging out with Granbarry at Cheddar's for lunch...
And hanging out with Mimi...
We went to church this morning with Barry & Paula before heading home. As Barry said, "She did all of her tricks!" She smiled and looked adorable in her first dress from Nordstrom's given to her by Mimi. Being so cute is hard work, as you can see from the picture below...she fell asleep as soon as she got in the car!
I know I have said it time and time again, but we are blessed this year to have Georgia Claire. It's hard to believe that this time last year we were talking about adoption, but not knowing where to start, and now she is 6 months old! God is so good. We are in love and it is better than we could have ever imagined! It just puts things into perspective for Shelby & me...we are SO rich...not in earthly possessions but in the things that truly matter. We have a family that loves, supports, and encourages us. We have a church family that loves, supports, and encourages us. And we have a baby girl, who we love and cannot wait to support and encourage as she grows and is faced with life's challenges that are sure to come her way. God has trusted us with her life and we are humbled with the task of raising her in His ways.

Random Christmas Happenings...

These are some random pictures from the last few weeks of December...thought I would share!

Georgia outgrew the sling I had, so we bought this "Baby K'Tan" wrap and Georgia and I BOTH love it! This is her favorite position...I think she likes seeing things from my perspective! She's always SO happy when she's in it!

Santa Claus came to our church after a family supper and children's choir performance...by the looks of Mary Katherine's and Caroline's faces you would think it was a monster that came to church that night! Ha! This was taken right after Andy (their daddy) said, "OK, let's all go get in line to see Santa!" They were terrified! I think Luke was hiding in the bathroom at this point...
Luke and Mary Katherine before their performance...MK was an angel and Luke was a shepherd. There's something about sweet little voices singing "Silent Night"...SO SWEET!
I got to eat lunch with Luke the week before school was out for Christmas break. Double cheeseburger, fries with lots of ketchup and a sprite...and don't forget the Avatar toy!
I told Luke to make a "normal" face for this picture...such a ham!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! We are truly blessed this Christmas of 2009. Georgia Claire is the best gift we could ever been given and we have enjoyed having her to celebrate with us this year. We love you, Georgia Claire! I never knew how much love your Daddy and I could have in our hearts until you joined our family. You are an angel.

Christmas Eve...after the candlelight service at church...

Christmas morning...all smiles!
Gifts that Santa brought...
(I will post more later but we are going out the door to go see Granbarry, Mimi, Aunt Heather and Great Grandma!)

Six Month Check-Up

Georgia Claire had her 6 month check-up yesterday and the doctor said she looks great! She's almost sitting up on her own and is moving around when we put her on her tummy. "Baby Boot Camp" worked great because the doctor said she had a great arch in her back and was so strong in her shoulders and back! She thinks it won't be long until she's ready to be mobile! She now weighs 20 pounds and is 27.5 inches long...long way from 6 lbs 14 oz and 19.75 inches long when she was born! WOW! It's hard to believe she was this small just 6 short months ago...

And now she is this big...look at those thighs!

Waiting on the doctor with Momma...

And with Daddy...Shelby took the week off since he has been out of town so much the last 2 weeks or so. I was glad he got to go with us again. The last time he went to her appointment she was 2 weeks old! And yes, he "teared up" again when she got her shots...

Passing the time...

The nurse gave her a sucker when we were finished...the first one she's had and she LOVED it! She got it everywhere, but we didn't care because she loved it so much and it made the crying stop. She was NOT happy with me when I took it away from her! But, she got over it and gave me a big smile before too long. She fell asleep just as soon as she got in her car seat and we got the car moving. Going to the doctor is hard work!

She has been cutting her two bottom teeth for awhile now and we're SO ready for them to come on through...they really bother her in the evening. SO, I found these biter biscuits and she makes an ooey gooey mess with them but must feel so good! We also found teething tablets that are homeopathic and seem to really help. She's such a trooper. She's still sleeping really well at night, too. I know, and I don't have to be told twice, that we are BLESSED! =)

Six Months Ago Today...

Wow! Where does the time go?! Six months ago today our precious baby girl was born and I am still humbled and amazed by the entire adoption process. Julia gave us a new life full of joy with lots of kisses and laughs when she chose us to be Georgia's parents. As she grows and develops her personality we are falling more and more in love with her! She is THE BEST baby and is so happy! She has been Christmas shopping with me the last couple of days and has made many friends. I have been able to make her laugh and laugh and laugh both days...so much so that other shoppers come over to laugh and look at her! I love you, Georgia Claire! Thank you for making your daddy and me SO incredibly happy!

Pictures of her this morning right after she woke up. I always go get her, change her diaper, and then we play for awhile...usually in our bed.

She was laughing so hard in this picture that she had to turn away...
Playing after a morning of shopping...she LOVES playing in this and it allows me to get a shower each day! =)

Before bath time...just hanging out and drooling A LOT! Tonight I could see two little white spots on her lower gums. Those teeth will be here soon!
This past weekend Julia's family came for a visit. She wasn't able to come because of work, but she and her boyfriend Steven are hopefully coming after Christmas. We had a really nice time with Stacy & David (Julia's mom and step-dad), Lydia (David's mom), Dale & Vicki (Julia's grandparents), Michael Anne (Julia's aunt), and Troy, Steven, & Lydia (Julia's younger siblings). It was a rainy, yucky day, but they made the drive and came to our home bearing gifts. Georgia got lots of good loving and then we enjoyed supper (most of it cooked by Julia's family) at my mom's and dad's home with my sister Kathy & her family.

Vicki said she told a friend about coming to see us and her friend said, "How does that work?!" to which she replied, "It just does!" It is hard to describe our situation to those on the outside looking in. It does not seem "normal". I think some people worry about us and our open adoption, to which I reply, "DON'T!" I would have never thought that this was the plan God would have for Shelby and me...to grow our family through adoption. If I had it my way, Shelby and I would have 3 children by now, but thank goodness, I am not the one who is in control! (And let me just say that was a HARD thing to come to grips with, being the control freak that I am!)

In the last year I have realized that God chose us, even before we were born, to be adoptive parents! Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Even though my body is not able to have children, I KNOW that I am still wonderfully made. The problem I had was a birth defect...undetected until we started having problems getting pregnant! No one else knew, but God knew! "Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." -Psalm 139:16 The notes in my Bible read, "All the days ordained...the span of life sovereignly determined. Your book...the heavenly royal register of God's decisions." He knew even before I was born that I would adopt my children. He also knew that Shelby would be the BEST husband to me and father to our children. God doesn't make mistakes. His works are WONDERFUL and we KNOW that! How can we question His works when you look at Georgia Claire and the joy that she has brought to our life?! His will for us, Georgia, and her future siblings is being revealed to us more and more each day and we have learned and are still learning to TRUST in HIS works. Psalm 18:30 says "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." Thank you Lord for your flawless word and for your perfect ways! We are in AWE and gladly take refuge in YOU!

Christmas is in the air!

I love decorating, especially at Christmastime! Here are some photos of our home...ready for the holidays!

Living room...

I love this little tree that Shelby's parents gave me years ago. Some of the ornaments are vintage and some are new...
Christmas in the country...

Some of the Christmas cards we've received on an old farm gate...now it is fully covered! Thanks to all of my friends for the cards! We look at them every day!

Fresh wreath from the farm on our front door...

I love this old mantle and mirror...it was given to us! One day I plan to build our farmhouse around this piece! AND, I want to use these doors that Shelby and I found on our way home from Fredericksburg. That was when we had our Corolla and they would only fit if we pushed my seat way up! I rode with my knees in my lap at least 4 hours! Not fun for a girl who is 6' tall but SO worth it! I filled our old pots with glass ornaments and attached vintage Christmas post cards on ribbon and hung them on the doors.

Snowmen collection...
FINALLY...a mantle with THREE stockings hanging from it! Shelby found the stocking holders that spelled out "JOY"...PERFECT!

Oh Christmas Tree...

The theme of our Christmas this year is "JOY"! So, I decided to put Georgia Claire's pictures on our tree since she is the reason for all of our joy. I saw some frame ornaments in the Pottery Barn catalog but didn't want to spend $8 each, so I went to the Dollar Tree and spray painted 8 frames for a total of $8! Yay for thriftiness! Here are the ones we chose to put on the tree...so many to choose from!

I had this metal "JOY" from last year and when I pulled it out of one of my Christmas tubs I immediately thought about our tree topper!
My Dad really does grow the prettiest Christmas trees, if I do say so myself! Here are some pics of our tree. Georgia's pictures are scattered around all of our glass ornaments. Shelby's parents have given me the majority of our vintage ornaments...I've picked up a few here and there at antique stores and garage sales. I wonder if I will be able to use them next year when Georgia Claire is 1 1/2 years old and into everything?! I may have to have a table top tree next year! =)