December in a lump post

December has been so busy. So busy that everything thing kept creeping up on me with no warning and I was left planning parties the week of or even a couple of days before. It was a fun filled month with a lot of fun memories and completed goals. We have had some BIG moments this month.

We kicked the month off with a fun and memorable Life Group Christmas Party where we ate lots of yummy food and played an embarrassing and entertaining game of charades.


The very next night we celebrated Phillip's Graduation! Finally after 6 long years he has graduated college. I get my husband back in the evening and the boys get their daddy back. It is going to be so great to have him home with us every night. He is excited to get to come home have a real meal (not a bag of trail mix with a water bottle while driving down the highway to Odessa), he gets to play with the boys, bathe them and tuck them in at night. It is very exciting. We celebrated here at our house with some of our family and very close friends. It was a blessing to have them celebrate with us. A few of us toasted Phillip with words of encouragement and praise for all of his hard work. My speech was  a big giant tear fest with the ugly cry face and all a little emotional. I had been crying all week because I was so excited to get to have my husband home in the evening for the first time in our marriage.

Its offical!

My speech

Larry giving Phillip a word 

Daniel Sharing a word God gave him for Phillip. It was POWERFUL

The next weekend I help host a shower at my house for a special friend that just recently adopted a 15 yr old girl out of our foster system. She already had 6 kids and is pregnant with her 7th. Two of her children are biological, one adopted from here, one adopted from Liberia, two fostered and one on the way and now a teenager!!  She has an amazing heart and it was an honor to get to bless her and her new addition with some things they need and to just show her new teenager how loved she is and how excited we are to have her here.

I think I have to cover her face because the adoption isn't final yet.  

All of the Yummy Food. 

Some of the people who came to show their love and support. 

In the middle of the week we had several company parties and bunco nights. Also, I was finally able to get all of our paper work done for our adoption. It only took me 4 months. (hear the sarcasm in my voice) But now I am finished with this part. We are paper ready and waiting on a referral. Which is a whole 'nother post.

The day before Christmas Eve Phillip and I got to help watch my friends kids while they traveled to Ethiopia to meet their little ones for the first time and have their court hearing on the 27th. It was a lot of fun. They played here at our house with our boys while I got ready for the day then we took all four boys to Mr. Gattis for some Pizza and Games. Taking our 4 boys to a place like that is an adventure!! They had a blast! We wanted to do something special since their parents were going to be gone for 8 days. We wanted to keep their mind off of missing them. I think that this was pretty effective! They are pumped and full of energy!!

The week of Christmas we flew Phillips sisters here to spend the Holiday with us. It is always great to have them here. We had Christmas eve at my parents house. We shared a BIG and YUMMY meal then we all attended the Christmas Eve service at our church together. It was a FULL house at the 5 o'clock service. They had to bring in extra chairs and there were still people standing. It was an amazing service. Then we went back to my mom's and exchanged all of our gifts with each other. I always love getting to see the kids get excited over their new toys. That night was hilarious when we got home. On the way back to our house Parker (4) kept looking our the car window for Santa and his sleigh. He kept telling us he needed to hurry home and get in bed so Santa would come. He thought he was hearing jingle bells and would panic. It was too cute. We rushed home, put on our special Christmas jammies, sprinkled reindeer food in the lawn (consisted of oatmeal and red glitter) and tucked him in his bed. He was out cold in 5 minutes. So sweet.

I am so sad that Christmas day I didn't take ANY pictures!!! I can't believe it!!! I even made my very first Turkey and Dressing and I didn't take pictures :(! I am so bummed. But we do have over an hour of video footage of Christmas morning. We definitely had a blessed holiday.

We got word yesterday that our friend passed court and the birth mother met with them and gave them her blessing. I cant wait for her to get home so I can hear all the details! I am still a bit jealous I couldn't go on this trip too.

The adoption isn't final until January 4th. Until then I put show their face. 

We are looking forward to 2011 and all that it has in store.