Baby Wearing!

First of all, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your sweet, encouraging comments, texts, emails, etc. yesterday after I posted about our May number (still #11).  It really means so much!!!  We feel so "prayed for" during this time, and it really is so amazing to know so many people are lifting us and our daughter up in prayer.  THANK YOU!!!

Okay, now on to some "baby wearing" fun...

So, this was my FAVORITE Mother's Day gift that my sweet husband and kids gave me this year!

This is the sling that I am hoping to "wear" Caroline Faith in.  I honestly didn't do a whole lot of baby wearing with our other three kids.  The baby carrier I had really hurt my lower back, and so I didn't end up using it all that much.

I am hoping that Caroline Faith will really love this sling!  Baby slings/carriers are such a great way to promote bonding and attaching, which I know will be great for both of us!  This sling is super-cute too! It's reversible and one side is brown/pink polka dot and the other is plain brown.

I am planning on taking it to Ethiopia with us, so I can see how she likes it!  Hopefully, one day soon, we'll have some pictures of her in her sweet baby sling!

Can't wait to be a "baby-wearing" Mama! :)

New May 2012 Number!

We just got our email from our new AGCI case worker, M, with our May 2012 wait list number...

Yes, as ya'll can see, we are #11 (again) on the AGCI Ethiopia girl wait list!

No, this number is not quite as exciting as it was last month.  And if I am honest with ya'll, I will say that there were tears in my eyes as I read the email.  This will be the THIRD time in our 20 months on the wait list that we have not made any movement from month to month.  Each time, it has been really hard.  I am praying though, that the third time's a charm, and this will be our last month of no movement.

We knew that this was a possibility since we have not seen a baby girl referral go out with our agency in almost 10 weeks.  However, I am always praying and hoping for some surprise movement.

When I was younger (and still sometimes now), when we would see 11:11 on the clock, we would say, "It's 11:11...make a wish!" 


Okay, so since we have been 11 and 11 on the wait list for 2 months now, I am going to make a wish!  I am wishing (and PRAYING and HOPING) that we will NOT be number 11 next month. :)

I think it's pretty obvious how much the Ethiopian adoption process has changed in the 2 years that we have been in it.  With all the changing paperwork requirements to ensure the orphan status of every child that is referred, it has SLOWED down considerably.  Of course, we are 100% for ethical adoption, but it doesn't change the fact that the longer wait time is just plain hard.

In May of 2011, we were #39 on the girl list, and one year later, we are #11.  We have moved 28 spots in the past year, and I am so thankful for that!!! I am not even going to attempt to guess a timeline for when we will see our sweet girl's face.  But I will say this, even while recognizing the fact, that we could still be waiting a year from now...we are still ASKING God for that miracle!

The reading this morning in my Jesus Calling devotion was all about receiving HIS peace.  I guess God was trying to prepare me for this wait list news today.  I am going to have to make a choice every day in the wait to continue to trust HIM, hope in HIM, and accept the peace that only HE can give.  I know that He will be faithful to complete the journey that He called us on.

"And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because SHE CONSIDERED HIM FAITHFUL WHO HAD MADE THE PROMISE."  
Hebrews 11:11

Memorial Weekend WINNERS!!!

We decided to go ahead and draw for the Memorial Weekend Double GIVEAWAY winners this morning!

I had just used my favorite C4C mug, so I washed it out and put all the entries in it! :)

Carson drew for the first winner!  And the first winner is...

Melissa at Numbering Our Days!!!

And then Caty (with her cute "morning" curls!) drew for the second winner!  And the 2nd winner is...

Lindsey at Arms Open Wide!!!

YAY!!!  So excited for ya'll, Melissa and Lindsey!  Please email me at lovinmuch at yahoo dot com with your t-shirt size and address, and I will give your info to McCall.  Then she'll get your cute t-shirts in the mail to you soon!

Thanks for everyone entering and supporting McCall!  If you didn't win, remember you can still go purchase a t-shirt to help McCall and her husband raise funds for their upcoming mission trip to Uganda with Sixty Feet!!!   Click HERE to go to McCall's blog to see how to donate and order a t-shirt!

Ok, so I thought that we might be getting our new wait list number today!  I was thinking that this was the last day of May, UNTIL I was reading in my Life Journal Bible reading plan this morning.  I saw that there is another day in May!!!  Haha!  I am telling ya'll...my brain has completely "checked out" for the summer! :)

So, hopefully at least by tomorrow, we will have a new number to post!  Still praying for a miracle!!!

Summer Time High!

Ok, it's official.  I am on a "summer time high"...and lovin' it! :)

This is the first time I have even turned on my computer since last Thursday!  I kind of "unplugged" this weekend, and it was GREAT!!!  We had a fun weekend going to visit my parents, then having some sweet friends come stay with us, and of course we got in some serious POOL time!!!

Then, I took the kids back to the pool today!  We just can't get enough! Haha!  This is the first summer in 9 years that all of our kids can swim on their own, so Mama can actually relax a little!  Love it!!!  I am going to really enjoy this summer because, Lord-willing, we will have a little one at the pool with us next summer!

Caty is quite the little fish this summer!  She is all over the pool!!!

Sister-love at the pool!!!

Carson at the pool!  He always has either a water gun or some type of pool baseball or football in his hand!

Okay, so the question I have gotten numerous times over the past few weeks...(and I LOVE that everyone is always asking about our adoption process!  I never get tired of talking about our baby girl!)

"What number are ya'll now?"


My answer?  We are not sure, but we could still be #11.  There is always a possibility that we have moved and we just don't know it yet.  We should find out our number in the next few days, and of course, I will post it when we do!  Please pray that we have miraculously moved closer to our girl!  It makes me sad to even think about still being #11 for the second month in a row!  Come on TOP TEN!!!! :)

Oh, and please don't forget to enter our DOUBLE GIVEAWAY TODAY!!!  It ends at midnight tonight!! You don't want to miss your chance to win one of McCall's cute t-shirts!

One more cute thing...I saw this at a little store when we were visiting my parents...

Oh, how I would LOVE for Caroline Faith to be home by her first birthday!  And if she is, I just might have to get this cute dress!  So precious! :)

SUMMER TIME!!!

Today our big kids had a half-day of school, and now they are OUT OF SCHOOL FOR SUMMER BREAK!!!!

Oh my goodness, I am just so HAPPY to type those words! :) I took a few pics of the kids this morning on their last morning of school...

Callie Grace at the end of her SECOND GRADE year!!!

At the very beginning of her 2nd grade year!  She has grown so much this year!!!

Carson at the end of his (first) FIRST GRADE year!!!  (Our sweet late-summer birthday boy is going to do first grade again next year!)

Carson at the beginning of his 1st grade year!  WOW!!!  I think it's pretty obvious how much he has grown up too!!!

I am that crazy, emotional Mom that always cries on the FIRST day of school and the LAST day of school!  I was in carpool line today to pick up the kids and tears were rolling down my face!!!  I was watching all the teachers outside waving good-bye to the kids as the school buses left the parking lot.  Oh my goodness, I was a complete mess!  This same scene made my cry last year too! :)  So precious!!!

I was just overcome with how BLESSED we are!!!  Our kids go to the most amazing school with the most precious teachers and friends.  They have both had an INCREDIBLE year at school this year!  Our family is healthy, the sun is shining, summer is here, we have a home, we have food to eat, we are expecting a baby girl from Ethiopia, and I could go on and on...GOD IS SO GOOD!!!! 

Today, it has just hit me so hard...we are so blessed beyond measure!  My heart is so full of thankfulness to the Lord right now!  He is so good and so faithful!!!  I am smiling through tears right now!!! (I told ya'll I was one of those crazy, emotional moms!!!) haha! :)

Ok, I hope that ya'll have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!!!  Please remember to check out the post below to see how ya'll can help McCall and her husband GO on their mission trip to Uganda!!!

"The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works!" Psalm 145:9

DOUBLE Memorial Weekend GIVEAWAY!!!

Ummmm...I think my brain has already gone on summer vacation!  Ha! :)

Yep, I pretty much TOTALLY FORGOT that I was supposed to start this giveaway yesterday!!!  I didn't even get on my computer yesterday, so it didn't even cross my mind until 10:30 last night when I was going to sleep!  So sorry, ya'll!!!

But I promise, this GIVEAWAY is worth the wait!

Ok, so my sweet friend (and fellow Mississippian), McCall, and her husband are going on a mission trip to Uganda in July with one of our favorite ministries, Sixty Feet!!!  I am so excited for this amazing opportunity for them to go share God's love with the people of Uganda!

Well, as most of ya'll know, going on an international mission trip can be very expensive, and they are fundraising to pay for their trip.  And check out one of the ways they are fundraising...

here is sweet McCall in one of the super-cute t-shirts they are selling to raise money for their mission trip!!!

I LOVE this shirt, and I absolutely LOVE this Bible verse!

Check out this blog post from McCall to see all the details about this shirt that they are selling!  And ya'll can just click HERE to go to her blog to order a shirt or donate to help them go on their mission trip!  (Look for info at the right side bar on her blog!)

Maybe you would love to be able to go on a mission trip right now, but the timing is just not right.  Maybe you have small children at home or your health is not good or you can't get off work...whatever the case may be!  Just think, even though you can't GO yourself right now, God can use you to SEND another family on a mission trip!  Sometimes He calls us to GO, and sometimes He calls us to help SEND someone else!  And maybe He is calling you to PRAY for them on their trip...God can use you in so many ways to share His love with others!

McCall has so graciously offered to GIVEAWAY one these t-shirts to one of ya'll!  And I haven't told McCall this yet (I don't think she'll mind!), but I am also going to purchase a t-shirt to GIVEAWAY to one of ya'll too! 

So, there will be TWO WINNERS on this giveaway! Each winner will be able to choose the size of their t-shirt, and McCall will mail it directly to you!  Excited??? Me too! :)

Ok, here are all the ways to enter the GIVEAWAY:

1. Leave a comment about a mission trip you have been on or would like to go on one day!

2. Blog, Facebook or Tweet (or all 3!) about this giveaway and leave a comment letting me know you did! (Each will count as an entry!)

3. Purchase a t-shirt or donate to help fund McCall's mission trip!  (This will count as TWO entries!)

4. Become a follower of McCall's blog, or let me know that you are already following her blog!

5. Become a follower of Lovin' Much, or let me know that you are already following our blog!

So, there ya go! Ya'll have lots of ways to enter!!! This giveaway ends on Tuesday, May 29th at midnight, CST. I will announce the TWO WINNERS on Wednesday, May 30th!!!

Happy *Double Memorial Weekend GIVEAWAY* day, ya'll! :)

Dance Recital Weekend!!!

We just finished a weekend full of DANCE!!!
 
Which I love because I was a dancer (back in the day!), and I love nothing more than watching our girls dance at their end of the year ballet recital every year!

I have LOTS of pictures of our little ballerinas from our 3 full days of ballet dress rehearsals and recitals!!!

Caty on stage at her dress rehearsal on Friday afternoon!

Sweet little tap dancer!!! :)

The whole family came to her dress rehearsal because Carson and Jody had a baseball game the next day and couldn't come to the recital!

Aunt Erin and Ella Kate even came to Caty's dress rehearsal!

A kiss from Daddy!

Precious Catybug!!!

Mommy loves her little dancer!

And then on Saturday morning, it was time for Callie Grace's dress rehearsal...

Sweet ballerina!

Love this pose!!!

Erin and Ella Kate came back for Callie Grace's dress rehearsal!

Mommy and her ballerina princess!

So sweet!!!

We had CG's dress rehearsal from 9:00 to 1:00, then took a super-fast lunch break, and came back for Caty's recital at 2:00!  Busy day!!!

Then it was time for Caty's dance recital!!!  She takes the stage again!

Love our cute tap dancer!!! :)

Then on Sunday afternoon, it was time for Callie Grace's recital...

Beautiful ballerina!!!

Then it was time for her "Stayin' Alive" jazz dance!

She was ADORABLE in this dance!!!  It was her favorite! :)

Love this pose!  PEACE!!!

Mommy and her dancing divas!!! :)

The whole family together after a full and FUN weekend of dancing!!! :)

I was sad to miss Carson's game on Saturday, but I had to because it was the same exact time of Caty's ballet recital.  I think that is my first baseball game to miss!  He was ON on Saturday....a home run, 2 triples and a double!!!  So proud of our little slugger!!!  Baseball pictures will be coming soon! :)

Ok, get ready...it's been awhile, but I am excited to announce that we have another GIVEAWAY starting tomorrow!!!  Be sure to come by and check it out!!! :)