Sunday Snapshot: "Baby Kam-Kam"

Kameryn, also dubbed "Baby Kam-Kam" by Kaya, is my third daughter. She is a perfect argument to the fact that children are born with unique identities. You would think with having two older sisters she would follow in their footsteps. Think again. They are all loving, compassionate, caring girls, but the similarities stop there.

At the age of two, she HATED having her hair done. When her 3-yr-old pictures came around, we went to war, & she won. And I am ever so glad that she did. I had the hair & wardrobe all planned out. Kam went into complete, total meltdown when I tried to get her dressed. I'm talkin' a whopper!! I finally asked her what she wanted to wear. She pulled out plain denim bibs & a turtleneck...no barrettes. God smacked me again with a 2-by-4 showed me in that moment that my girl is my girl & she's got a mind of her own. It is one of my favorite pictures of her.

Kam turns 16 this week. How does that happen!? She still loves critters, isn't afraid to get dirty, is comfortable in baggy sweats & keeps us on our toes. The girl is ornery. Really.ornery. For instance, this past summer, she drug her friend down to the creek with her for some exploring. A bit later, one of her brothers can be seen heading down the road with our big cooler. Huh? That girl can get her brothers to do just about anything, & now she's got them serving lunch? A little more time goes by & I hear her yelling for me to come out to the garage. I'm about ready to give her what-for for taking the cooler to the creek, when I get a load of what's in the cooler. I may or may not have said a bad word as I caught sight of a HUGE snapping turtle.in.my.cooler. It seriously took up the whole cooler. Once their laughter died down & my heart rate did the same, I finished giving her what-for for taking the cooler. And bringing a snapping turtle home in it.

Kam also loves basketball. She just finished her first year playing at the high school. They were a very young team, but that meant she got a lot of varsity playing time. Here's a few shots from her last game. Keep in mind that 1) I need a new camera & 2) high school gym lighting is crappy.

Notice the nifty headband thing...It's actually a concussion cap. After suffering 2 this season, we told her she could start playing like a sissy or get a concussion cap. She opted for the latter. Baby likes to play hard.

Point Guard

Kam loves her friends. She made two new ones this season...these sisters seem to be entertained by my girl's silliness.

Flanked by her two best friends...These girls have been buds since the 2nd grade. This is the one sport they still play together.

The Team

I am thankful to be this child's momma. I'm super excited because she is making the trip to Ethiopia with me. She may be ornery, but she's got the BIGGEST heart for people, especially the orphan. I can't wait for our "big girl bonding time"! (little inside joke there)

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Thankful Thursday--COURT DATE!!!!!!

YES!!!! Today we got that much anticipated phone call that we have a court date for our little boy in Ethiopia!! (I am smiling soooo big!)

But guess what else!?! It's scheduled for March 10th!

Know what's cool about that?

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Seriously, can you believe that? Honestly, my birthday has never been a day I look forward to. Not sure why, but you can ask Joe, I tend to just fly under the radar & have even been known to be a bit grumpy. Ok, really grumpy.

WELL, NOT THIS YEAR, BABY!!!

I am stoked! Maybe this was God's two-by-four gentle reminder that I should be celebrating this life He's given me. You know, where I've been & where I'm goin'. It's been a crazy ride, & it's about to get crazier........

And I am thankful for every day!

True Story Tuesday--Got Buns?

I was just meandering around blog world & happened upon this fun idea for a Tuesday post! I need me some fun after feeling yucky as of late, & you may get a chuckle (at my expense on this one) out of it! The idea is to share one of "those moments".

Last year, we were sitting at the table for dinner as a family. As usual, we were trying to get some details out of the kids about their day. Normally with Kade, this is like pulling teeth, but he was most excited to share.

Turns out, for their writing assignment they were to write about something they thought was funny. Well, that sounds fun. "What'd you write about, bud?"

Kade, with a little giggle, "I wrote about the time we were having hamburgers. Remember, Dad said, 'Our grocery store has the best buns.' And Mom said, 'Well, I thought I had the best buns!'"

Me (choking), "You wrote about THAT!?"

Kade, "Yeah, it's hanging out in the hall for parent-teacher conferences." By now, the other kids are in full-blown hysterics over the genius of their little brother.

Note to self: Think first, then speak. They may not remember what you told them to do 5 minutes ago, but they remember EVERYTHING else.

Checking In

Thought I ought to check in...this last week has been chock full of a concussion (Kam), a little pink eye & ear infection (Kaya) & I'm enjoying a bit of the crud myself. Nice.

In the meantime, I'm trying to continue liking my hubby even though I have not seen the top of my kitchen table for over a week because he has piles of crap everywhere while he organizes his side business stuff for taxes.

And while we're at it, I'm also trying to keep a smile on my face even though we are STILL waiting to hear of a court date in Ethiopia. Our little guy gets cuter with every picture we receive from other families that are travelling (we really have an awesome network of families through this agency!!!), so on one hand, it's great to see him in all of his cuteness, but on the other hand, it just makes me ache to get a hold of him!

Well, I guess this is it. My post for today in all its glory. Honestly, I've got several things about foster/adoption brewing in my brain as well as some other God stories I've been wanting to share, but I feel like poop & just don't much feel like trying to organize my thoughts. So, there you have it. Happy Monday! :o)

Sunday Snapshot: Be My Valentine

We don't go too overboard (okay, we don't really do much of anything) around here for Valentine's Day, but Mommy did decide we should make some cutout cookies & do a little frosting, sprinkle a few sprinkles, add to the mess that already graces my home today! :o)

You're getting the real deal with these pics today! Yep, that's Kaya sporting some summer clothing that she decided was appropriate post-church attire. It's pink, it'll work. Her pigtails saw better moments today. And that might be a bag from TCP holding new clothes for a certain little boy in Ethiopia! :o) I really ought to take that upstairs.

If you can't decide on which sprinkles to use, Kaya's method calls for trying one of each.

Of course, there must be a glob of frosting in place as a good foundation.

I think that cookie needs just a few more.

Ah-Ha...Mr. Bubby (Kade) decided to join Kyler & Kaya in the action!

Unfortunately, Baby Kam-Kam (as Kaya refers to her) is that lump in the background on the couch :o( She suffered a head injury in her basketball game last night & that's been pretty much her day...Hangin' on the couch. Poor Baby Kam-Kam. Oooh, & if you look close enough, you can even see the remnants of some of her teammates sleeping on the floor last night. Told you the place is a mess.

Almost too much to wrap your mind & taste buds around, isn't it?

Thanks for sharing the love with us today!

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Hope for Haiti

Okay, friends, here's an awesome opportunity to add to your wardrobe & help the beautiful people of Haiti all at the same time. The girls at Wild Olive Tees have designed this sweet t-shirt with 100% of the funds raised going to Haiti!

Here We Go Again

Oops, did that give you a little thrill? It occurred to me after typing the title that that statement could mean a lot of things for this family (hehe), but today it is in regards to ANOTHER snow storm hitting our area! We got slammed over the weekend...seriously, unless you had 4-wheel drive, you could not get down our street until late evening on Saturday. Well, today begins round two of another 8-10 inches on top of the foot+ we just got. The school officials wisely cancelled school in anticipation of the snow beginning, & sure enough, it's here. But the kids are lovin' it! The teens are chilling out, Kaya is LOVING life b/c all her people are home, & Kade, of course, is outside enjoying the free day with some neighborhood buddies!

Doesn't matter the weather, the boy's about playing some football!

This would be the MOUND of snow they shoved to the center of our cul-de-sac.

Works for climbing & sledding just fine (though it gets pretty ugly come spring!).

Good times with friends :o)

Have a happy day!

Another Step Closer

Happy, happy Friday! Went to the mailbox today, & there it was...the "Golden Ticket"! We got our 171H approval today, which is the "favorable determination" to obtain a visa for an orphan we adopt from another country. I am so excited to receive this already since we just had our fingerprinting done on January 26th. I have been told by some bloggy friends that their states are a little (or a lot) pokey with the process.

So, this was some very good news today. We are becoming more & more anxious to travel to bring our little boy home. Word has it from some adoptive families that have just returned that our little guy is sweet, loving, & super smart with a good dose of ornery mixed in.

Now, we continue to wait for a court date..........

The Answer Must Be Servant

Are you ever floored when God seems to reinforce a point through a variety of places all at once? I find it very, very cool.........

Just yesterday we were posed the question, "Are you a consumer-minded or servant-minded Christian?" (see previous day's blog post--it's short, I promise!) I know what He wants me to be; I know what I want to be; I'm trying to grow in my walk & my faith every day, so it is just soooooooo awesome when He meets us there with some encouragement to keep us headed in the right direction!!

So, you already know about the main point of the sermon yesterday (well, if you don't, shame on you b/c I TOLD you to check out yesterday's post & PROMISED that it was short!!). Then I read a kick-butt post about "Love is an Action Word" (I am so sorry I didn't bookmark that to share--if you happened to read it or are the author, leave a comment so people can find it, pretty please!).

Fast forward to this morning...my friend Amy has another kick-butt post on her blog here. It's a little longer than my post from yesterday, but seriously, you've gotta read it. (As a side note, this crazy blog world is something else. I have met some beautiful friends that push me & bless me all at the same time! Amy is one of several that I REALLY wish I could chat on a 5-mile walk with on a regular basis. They CHOOSE to say yes over & over again...but I digress...that will be a post for another day!)

Anyway, awhile after reading that blog post, I picked up my daily devotional, & this is what it had for today:

GREATNESS ACCORDING TO GOD

A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God's mysteries. In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one be found faithful.

~ 1 Corinthians 4: 1-2

How do you achieve greatness in the eyes of God? By making yourself a humble servant. Of course, being a fallible human being, you may feel the temptation to build yourself up in the eyes of your neighbors. Resist that temptation. Instead, serve your neighbors quietly and without fanfare. Find a need & fill it...humbly. Lend a helping hand & share a word of kindness...anonymously. Take the time to minister to those in need.

Then, when you have done your best to serve your neighbors & to serve your God, you can rest comfortably knowing that in the eyes of your Heavenly Father, you have achieved greatness. And God's eyes, after all, are the only ones that really count.

"So many times we say that we can't serve God because we aren't whatever is needed. We're not talented enough or smart enough or whatever. But if you are in covenant with Jesus Christ, He is responsible for covering your weaknesses, for being your strength." ~Kay Arthur

No lie, this was my devotional!! I mean really, I know it shouldn't be a surprise because God IS God after all, but it never ceases to blow me away when He seems to be working in so many hearts to be His hands & feet. Yep, it's very, very cool.........