Avery's Seven!

 My Baby, my first born had a birthday....she is seven now!  When I really stop and think about her, I marvel at how good God is.  She most definitely filled a hole in my heart I didn't even know existed.   Though I was not convinced I wanted to be a mom, the moment I held her, all that changed.  I'm so grateful she made me a mom...she's been a delight since she took that first breath.

She is quiet and happy.  She's insightful and detailed, cautious.  She is serious and responsible but balances that out with her enthusiasm and zest for life.

Avery is helpful and hard-working, and motherly towards her little brother.  She has a heart for Jesus and an insane memory.

She loves to read and play and swim and ride her bike.

She is like me in so many ways...Shaun often says 'she is her mother's daughter'...its both scary and humbling to see myself in her.

To celebrate, Shaun and I took her out for some trinket shopping and ice cream while we were in Outerbanks on her actual birthday.

She loves to shop and has an incredible sense of style (both of those she did NOT get from me :).

We went to the college a couple blocks from our house to do a mini photoshoot.

I told her I'd graduated from here in 2005, the year she was born.  In the spring semester I was very pregnant and in the fall semester I left a tiny baby home with her daddy or grandma.

Shaun and I love getting one-on-one time with her.  She is such a little lady and just a joy to be with....and she helps keep us straight.  :)

Classic Avery look that she was literally born wearing.  Always thinking, always processing.

Grateful for these seven years we've had with her.  Forever grateful.

Project 365, Week 28

Just a word of warning, this post comes with lots of pictures and words.  To be fair, I probably shouldn't even call it a P365 post, but that's what it is, just super-sized.

I feel like every week I say how insane it was....give me just a little bit more time as I come to grips with our new insanity.  :)

With all that you'll see pictured here, its also important to note that Shaun has been working about 90 hours a week getting the apartments ready.  Didn't know there were that many working hours in a week, didya?  It pretty much means we don't see him and he doesn't sleep a whole lot.

Some pretty major stuff happened this week and through it God's goodness and blessings were tangible...I'm so grateful for His presence that takes me through each day.  Life is good, God is amazing.

July 8

The kids and I crashed a birthday/baby party at my sister's house.  It was her husband's side of the family, but we pretty much consider them family as well.  I loved watching my BIL Colombo (middle) and his two brothers hanging out enjoying each other.  My nephew snuck in whenever he could, too....he's getting SO big.  :(

Always the promise of plenty of children when we go there.

Sweet Baby Renna is getting big, too.

We left there and headed over to the apartment house to help Shaun with the yard project.  Z took ownership of getting the walkway fixed and did a great job.

Aiden stayed busy as well. (Avery took these next four)

Amanda, well...

After her shower, Avery came down all bundled up and with her hair done, ready for bed (the house was 82 when I took this).

July 9
Daddy was on the porch talking Amanda through some of her concerns about school.

Back to the house to work.

We finished up!  I don't have a before picture, so you'll have to take my word for it that we did a lot of work....and Shaun rented one!

July 10
Fun at Uncle Nathan's.  The entire day is posted on 10 on 10

July 11
I hope to do a more detailed post very soon, but for now I'll just say that we have Z's sister for 5-6 days while her foster family is away at an out-of-state funeral.

I had training all morning, got home at 12:45 and 10 minutes later the social worker was dropping off this four year old, "A".

We had two hours to play and get to know each other before hopping in the car and going to voice lessons and dropping the kids off for the weekly visit with their mom.

July 12
Water fun at the river/splash park (and my personal favorite, free lunch for the kids :)  My sister Bethany met us there for a bit, so I got to be in a picture.  Its completely surreal to me that these five are my charges.  How did that happen??

Shaun took some time off so he could be with the kids while I did a (previously scheduled) photoshoot.  Shaun did dinner and bed with five kids, one who had only been in our (my) care for 24 hours and he didn't even flinch.  He is one in a million, that one!

Awesome night for a photoshoot....it did feel weird to be all by myself, though.

July 13
Aiden's birthday!

The agency we are with had an annual picnic with face painting, bouncy house, games, crafts, etc.  The kids were super excited about it and Aiden thought it was for his birthday.

The picnic was fun...it was beautiful to see all the families interacting.  When I look at us, I just see a family doing what they have been Divinely compelled to do.  When I saw the other families, I saw people who are putting it all out there everyday, who have willingly exchanged a sense of "normalcy" for a roller coaster ride of helping hurt kids.  It was emotional to see all of us together, knowing we are in this together, just doing our best everyday.  Hard to explain.

The face painter gets an A for quality but an F for efficiency...Avery and Z were the only ones who made it in before the line was cut off.

From there we went to cousins for a swim...

...and then Daddy met us for a fun time at the beloved C.E.C

July 14

I had a very mini high school reunion...these are the offspring (two babies are missing from this photo)

There were 37 (I learned today) in my graduating class.  During highschool I tried to be a friend to all, but this group tended to be a little closer than the others.  (we're missing two girls and a couple guys).

The one in the black, the one I'm standing next to and I went to school together all of K-12.  By chance, the one I'm standing next to, my closest in-school, girl, highschool friend is named Amanda.  :)  When I was with them I thought of this quote and how much of it applies...loved being 16 again today.  :)

To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters classmates.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other's hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  We live outside the touch of time.  ~Clara Ortega

And THAT is our week...hope yours is great!

Normal Day

I have so many wonderfully eloquent posts drafted...in my head.  Life is swirling and I just cannot justify sitting here to update my blog....which is an important distinction from "I don't have time".  Not true...just like all of you, I'm still getting 24 every day, life is just ever-changing.

I love this quote I read recently by Mary Jane Iron:

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are...Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.  One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in my pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

July's 10 on 10

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month! {Document a snapshot of your life...find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!}

This isn't quite 10 on 10, but just use your imagination with me.  :)

5 AM
Up, dressed and heading to the gym.

 7 AM

I was sitting on the porch, enjoying my coffee and the quiet of the morning when I was jolted by the "f" word...two girls were involved in "casual" conversation as they walked past my house.  Yeah, its a great  apartment...the rooms are really big with f@&*@#wood floors.

The very next verse I read was:

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

Proverbs 10:31

Struck me funny.

Oh, the Starbucks cup?  I reuse that kind of to go cup because it keeps my coffee warm for the entire time I'm nursing it.  A DD cup can last about three weeks.  I'm crazy, I know.  :)

 8 AM
I'd been promising Avery a birthday photoshoot, so we went to the local college campus and spent some time together.

 9 AM
We weren't home five minutes and Amanda had changed her clothes to match what Avery was wearing.  When I told her something she crossed her arms and put on her biggest pouty face.  She couldn't bring it back when I asked to get it on camera.

 11 AM
Amanda, and all the other soon-to-be first graders had to do some testing this week and next.  We played on the playground while waiting for her and the janitor brought the kids a little treat.

 12 AM
Proud, happy school girl.  "The test was SO easy!"

 Here we can insert lunch, naps/rest, work and crazy amounts of social worker/other foster mom emails and phone calls....Lord, give me grace!

4 PM
We headed to Uncle Nathan for some trampoline time.  The kids had earned some extra fun time and I wanted to pay my debt.  :)  This particular game is called Popcorn.

 7 PM
Shaun took the kids and I met with some wedding clients.  They are getting married on New Year's Eve...fun!

Then 9 PM dinner and bedtime.....

Just For Today

The day was just barely kicked off, the sun not even all the way up and already I was in awe of all the things that were going to be demanded of me today.  Self-doubt creeped in and a wave of overwhelmed-ness washed over me and I was brought to my knees...literally.  And then I started to remember some of God's promises for me and I told Him, just for today....

I'm going to trust that You are God


I'm going to thank you for the work and people You have given me


I'm going to believe that my strength comes from You


I'm going to be brave and courageous, knowing Your spirit gives me power


I'm going to count it ALL joy


I'm going to do my work as unto the Lord and not to men


I'm going to give You thanks and praise, because You are so worthy


I'm going to speak that my help comes from You


I'm going to rest in the knowledge that I am Your child...and You love me

Project 365, Week 27

Is it me, or does it feel weird having a holiday right in the middle of the week?  Even though Shaun and I both worked that day, it still made the week feel different.  Maybe its just because this was our first full week of summer at home with no school.

I thought it'd be harder getting back into things after a week away, but thanks to the laundry facilities in our vacation house, there wasn't a ton to do when we got back except jump right in to real life.

July 1

My dad invited us to a picnic they were having at his church, where he is pastor AND chef.  :)

 July 2
Early morning drop off for our church's kids camp!  This was Z's first time doing a camp of any sort and he wasn't quite convinced about the whole thing, but the older cousins have been several years and know how much fun it is.  This was the first year Allie was old enough and next year Avery will be. :(

 When Pop and Kiki learned that Z would be gone for five days, they offered to take our kids so we could have a little break...SO thankful!  Ideally, we would have loved to have gone away overnight because its been quite a while, but instead we used the time to work extra hard.

Three of four apartments in one house are vacant, so there is a bit of a sense of urgency.  :)  Because I didn't have the kids, I was able to do my work AND spend some time helping Shaun.  It was fun to be working along side each other.

July 3
More of the same.

July 4

I shot a wedding.  It was a second marriage for this widow and widower and they kept it to just immediate family....small but lovely.

Then it was to my dad's for good food, cousins and slip-n-slide (on steroids!)

 July 5
Great Grandpa is rehabing at the same nursing home that we visit.  It'd been a couple months since we were there because I've been using the "visit old people" time slots of our week to visit him at his home.

Anyway, it was good to be back!  We are like celebrities there and it was fun to see all our old favorites, both residents and staff.  Sadly, we learned that our very favorite-est resident had passed away.  I'm so grateful that I talked to her about Jesus the last time I saw her....I believe I will see her again!

 I wish I had it on video...Aiden was getting dirt in his shovel and then dumping it in the wheelbarrow...just like Dad!  That kid is a worker bee!

July 6

Aiden and Daddy out working in the shop.  Shaun is so, so good about incorporating the kids wherever and whenever he can...such patience!

We picked up Z from camp...turns out, camp is kinda fun.  :)  We went to McD (its against my religion to go there, but its also Z's favorite place, so...) to celebrate him being home.  They had a playscape and free face painting so my mom stayed there with the kids while I went to *Bucks to meet with potential wedding clients.

I booked the 2013 wedding (my third confirmed for next year!) and the kids had a blast.  Avery was hoping the wedding was later that evening so she could stay with Grammy longer.  :)

For McD, amazing, right?  I told the artist that she was right in line with the face painters at Disney...then I tipped her really well.  :)

July 7

We walked down to the apartment building on a mission to help Daddy.

 My hard-working crew!

 Shaun and I got three "quiet" moments together.  :)

Have a fantastic week...its SUMMER!!