Tuesday, May 31

Beach Trip Part 4

 Wednesday night Phillip's sisters and mom drove down to the Island to have dinner with us. We ate a a little restaurant called Daddy's. It was a Cajun seafood restaurant. I hated my food so I wouldn't recommend it but, Phillip loved his and would ;) I did how ever like the fried alligator. It was pretty yummy as long as it was dipped in the spicy sauce that came with it.

On thursday we took the kids to Schlitterban it was fun. It is a small park so after 2 hrs they were bored and ready to go back to the beach. They LOVED the beach. So we went back and spent the day digging hole, building castles and diggin' up crab holes and diggin' through their underground routes and tunnels.




Oil in the sand!! I guess phil dug to deep HA!









I Miss You

 Dear M
I miss you. We miss you. I know it sounds strange because we haven't even met. Well at least face to face. We have only met in pictures. I miss you everyday but, this last week I have missed you more then ever. There is an empty spot, a hole, in our family. My heart aches to be with you. For you to be with us. We get little bits of who you are through pictures, short little videos and update emails with your weight, height etc. You are so tiny for almost being 4. I cannot wait to introduce you to chocolate milk, cheese burgers, kool-aide, popsicles and all the other childhood favorites. I often sit and wonder what you are doing and what it going on in your everyday routine at the THouse. How many little friends you have that make you laugh and if the nannies there sing to you. I cannot wait to sing to you. I cannot wait for you to meet your sweet friends here and hear you laugh and play with them. This last week your dad and I were dreaming of you with us at the beach. We were looking at all the other little girls imaging what it will be like to take you to the beach for the first time and to watch you squish the sand between your cute little toes. There were times that it felt like you were there, I actually looked for you for a second and realized I must have been lost in my dream. I can't help but get lost in those dreams of you meeting your brothers for the first time, what will it be like to have you sitting in our house and watching you sleep in your little bedroom we are preparing for you. You are so loved precious girl. It is hard to explain how much we love you when we have only met you through the 13 little pictures we have of you. Why is it that your daddy and I miss you so much it hurts? We will come for you. Someday soon we will meet you and you will meet us. We will walk hand in hand into this new life.



Beach Trip Part 3

Finally!!!!!
We made it!!!!!
After a long day in the car it was great to finally make it to the beach! It was so fun to see the kids faces light up as we crossed over the bridge leaving Port Isabel heading towards Padre Island. Parker had been talking about this moment for weeks. And Finally!! He.Made.It!!

Here is the view from our Suites Balcony. It was beautiful! 

Parker was alittle scared of the Ocean at first. He was so worried about SHARKS and the undertow. Phillip had to hold his hand and reassure him that there was not going to be any sharks up this far on the beach and as long as he was with a parent and was holding one of our hands he would be fine. 
So Phillip grabbed his hand and walked his cute little feet out to touch the Ocean for the first time. I love the ocean (though I have only seen it 2xs) so this was a special moment for me.
My feet in the Ocean (or Gulf of Mexico which ever)


Beckham being sicked out by the sand.

He got over it HA!

Here is a funny Video of Beckham chasing the Sea Gulls. Watch him eat the bread the lady gives him at the end! He cracks me up!




 

Beach Trip Part 2

 After a long day pf driving and shopping and getting the kids to bed Phil and I were pretty pooped. We crashed fast. As we were getting ready to leave the Hotel room that morning Phillip stopped mid sentence and panicked. He realized he left the car parked under the awning infront of the hotel ALL night!!! So embarassing. I am sure the people at the Omni will always remember us as the crazies who just left their car by the hotel door all night like we were special or something!! HA!!

Any way... after shamfully walking past the front desk and the doorman we loaded up in the car, had a good laugh and hit the road. On the way to the Isalnd (which is 5 more hours away) we drove through a little town called Los Fresnos, Texas. Phillip lived here as a yound child and he wanted to show us his old 'hood. We drove past his old stompin grounds...the library, the playground where he used to get chased, the old store where he used to use his quaters to get a coke and a watermelon chili sucker. It was fun to see his excited about showing us where he used to live.



One of his Childhood homes...

One of his Childhood Streets....

Reminiscing on when he used to get chased. ;)

Beach Trip Continued....

Beach Trip

Phillip's sister graduated this weekend from Harlingen High School down in South Texas this past weekend. We decided to take advantaged of the time down there are take the boys to the beach. South Padre Island is only about 25 minutes from Harlingen (where we were going for the graduation).  We left last Tuesday for San Antonio. We decided to break up the trip with a quick over night stop in San Anton so we could do some light shopping and eat P.F. Chang's. Sooo Yummy!!! We went shopping in the fairly new La Cantera shopping strip right behind Fiesta Texas. It was so fun and soooo NICE! To my luck Anthropologie was having a HUGE sale!!! SCORE!!! I got several new outfits fro the summer and I got to use the gift card Phillip got me for Mother's Day. I also found M a couple of little things. I can't resist sometimes. She is too fun to buy for.


After we shopped we got to eat at P.F. Chang's they have on the strip. Then we headed to the hotel. We got the boys shower and lotioned up and put to bed. We had to get up early Wednesday to drive to the beach. The boys were so excited about the beach! They went right to sleep. Phillip and I got up before the boys so we could be packed and ready to go when we woke them up. This is what we woke up to that morning.....



It is so sweet to see them love each other. They love to snuggle and share a bed. It melts my heart to see their bond. (Even in the Love/Hate moments).

Beach Trip Cont....

Mini Tri-Athlete

 I think it is so fun and so awesome to watch my oldest son Parker want to be just like his dad. His dad is his hero and best friend. I love that God has molded my husband into a perfect role model for them. Parker wants to "spend time" with Phillip every second of the day. When Phillip gets home from work Parker is always beggin to wrestle or to spend time with each other or go run together. Parker is looking forawrd to the day he can run a tri with his daddy. He likes to go on little practice runs with him. I am praying that God will heal Parker's asthma and one day he will be able to join his daddy in his first triathlon. The other day I was getting ready to put Parker and Beckham in the bath and I noticed Parker had number written all over his arms and legs. See picture below.



I giggled a little when I recognized what he had done. I asked him what the numbers were for and his reply was "Mom, I'm running a triathlon like dad. These are my race numbers." He was so matter of fact about it that I couldn't help but laugh. He is precious and I love his spirit and ambition to be like his dad.
Parker has began to "Calorie" count just like his dad too. Last week in class he asked his teacher how many calories were in his Goldfish. HA! MY little health nut. I love that he eats nuts and dried fruits and granola yogurt. He cracks me up! This morning we had donuts for breakfast and he told me that he could only eat one because he didn't want it to make him fat today. 

I will leave you with a pic of my race ready boy! Go Parker!


Monday, May 23

Unite in Prayer

 I got word today that tomorrow (Tuesday) there is a huge meeting being held in Ethiopia between the Ethiopian Government and the MOWA on Adoption and or agencies. The specifics are un clear. I know that it is going to be an all day meeting. They will be discussing the reduction in MOWA letters (the letter you need to be approved in court) from 50 letters a day down to only 5. This is huge. This will drastically delay the homecoming of hundreds of sweet children that are waiting for their forever families this year. We are asking the you will be in prayer. I of course am hopeful that we will get news on our case and if court dates will be reissued this month. But I am even more hopeful for the Big Picture outcome of this meeting. Don't only be in prayer for me and my family and our sweet little one. There are 5 million of these little ones that need our prayers as well. Pray for these sweet kids and their chance at a forever family. Pray that the MOWA will see the heart in adoption and they will become sensitive to these adoptions and these waiting children and families. Pray for the government that they will have wisdom and the Holy Spirit will move in them and their hearts will be broken for these children and the scales will be removed. Pray that God will work supernaturally in this country. God is bigger than any power hungry organization, consular or government. Please join us in prayer for these children who wait.


Dinner Party

Last Friday I went to a dinner party to celebrate the 30th Birthday of a dear friend. My friend Melody is so deserving of this wonderful and beautiful party.

Brooke made the prettiest place cards and menus! She is so talented!



 I wish you all could know Melody. The moment you meet Melody she makes you feel loved. She is warm, gentle, strong, encouraging, loyal and so intentional about everything she does. Melody... you are loved and I felt honored to celebrate you!  Happy 30th!!

Follow Melody's blog here!!



I had to include a little picture of Lana trying to go into labor by washing all the dishes.... it didn't work :( COME ON SOHPIA!!


Friday, May 20

Buffman & Squeaky Triathlon

 My husband is so MACHO. I just need you all to know that now. I have been so impressed with him over the last year. He has amazed me to no end and continues to amaze me each day. Some of you may not know him very well but over the last 12 months my husband has made a radical turn around.  Last May Phillip and I made an outward commitment to follow Jesus and accept his Lordship over our lives by being baptized. Phillip best friend Jae (Lana's husband) baptized him and then Phillip baptized me. It was special, beautiful, intimate and just all around perfect! After that day the Holy Spirit began to remove radically in Phillip's heart as well as my own. We felt the calling to adopt and said YES, WE have stepped up in new leadership roles, our marriage is great and we have new discipline in our lives that we have never had before. I have blogger about most of the previously listed changes in our lives but I don't think I have mentioned the discipline.

Last Septemeber Phillip made his mind up that he was going to loose the weight he had been wanting to loose fro awhile and he was going to particiapte in a Triathalon! I nearly fainted when he told me that. I knew he could do it and I knew he would do it great. Everything he sets out to do, he does it great! So September marked the beginning of a new goal. Phillip totally believes that if it weren't for the disicpline the Holy Spirit has given him he wont have been as successful at this as he has been. He has trained in 0 degree weather, in 100 degree weather, in the crazy West Texas wind, in the snow (yes we occasionally get a few flecks of snow) and in the rain. He has trained when he has felt sick. He amazes me. I can't even run down the block. I'm tellin ya. I pray daily for just an ounce of his discipline and dedication.

Well...6 months and -80lbs later... he got to compete in a Triathlon! I was so proud of him all day! I wasn't able to be there. I had to man the 3 yr old class at church alone. (that is a race in itself... i'm just sayin) My heart was definitely with him. And he did SOOO good! Way to go BABE! I am super proud of you!



He still makes my heart Flutter!

images belong to Picture Mann Photos

I told you... He's totally MACHO!!

I've Been Featured

 So cool!! I was checking for new posts on my some of my favorite blogs this afternoon and I saw this little thumbnail next to one of the Bloggers posts on my feed. I thought... hmmm... that looks just like my chair. My goodness... It IS my chair!!!



She didn't write anything big about it but I still think it is pretty awesome to have one of my ideas featured on another decorators blog. ;)

Wanna check it out? Click the link below.





Reading Rodeo

 I had the privilege of volunteering today at Emerson Elementary. They were having their annual Reading Rodeo. It was a blast! I wish we had this when I was in Elementary school. I definitely gets kids reading. I was trying to figure out all of the details on how it works but from quizzing the kids it sounded like at the beginning of the year the kids are given laminated card that are number off 1-200 or whatever the limit is. The number represent points and you get points for reading books. The harder the book the higher the amount of points you can earn. Sounds easy right. Well theres a catch, after completing the book the kids have to take a test on the book (I am guessing this works kind of like a book report to prove if they really read it or not).

So at this Reading Rodeo the kids get to "spend" their points on fun things like, funnel cakes, snow cones, silly hats, cotton candy, games, posters, stick on tattoos or face painting. That is where I come in, along with 5 other wonderfully talented women who made my face painting look like poo doo. HA!




We arrived at 8 and 8:30 the kids began cashing in points for beautiful and fun painted faces. We painted all grades from Kinder-6th. It was fast and furious but a lot of FUN! The kids were so wonderful and so proud of their hard work. It was a rewarding day to sit and talk to all these amazing children from all walks of life.

As I painted I asked them about their school, if they had brothers and sisters, what their summer plans were and ever once in awhile I would get an insecure girl and I was able to share with her the Jesus loves her and she is valuable.

One girl in particular was really sad because some other kids had been picking on her for being the smallest kid in the 3rd grade. She said it was stupid to be small and that she hated it. She said that all she wants to be big so people would see her. It broke my heart. It sounds like such a small thing but to this little 8 yr old it was HUGE and it was devastating! She told me that she wanted to be a butterfly so that these other kids might notice and think she was beautiful. She was so adamant that I not make her face look silly. So as I painted a beautiful rainbow colored butterfly on her sweet little face I told her that God created her just the way she is on purpose and that he is very proud of the way she looks. I told her that even when people are mean, and people will be mean remember to love them and remember that you were made this way by the hands of God. I told her that when she feels sad because her classmates are mean to her, pray for them and pray for their heart. She told me that she loved Jesus and was learning about him at her church. I asked her some question about him and she answered them with the sweetest little heart. I love the innocence of children. Before she walked away I told her to always remember that she is worthy to be loved and she is valuable, that she has a Jesus who loves her with all his heart. She smiled and walked away. I figure if the teachers cant teach them about Christ's love then as far as I know, no one is stopping a little volunteer from teaching them about Jesus. I pray that her heart remembers those words.

So basically it was a great day and I feel so blessed to have been apart of it! Thank Melinda for thinking of me and including me in the FUN!!