Time flies....

We have been home from Haiti for almost 3 months now. It is crazy how time flies! I'm amazed at the transition the girls, and our whole family, has gone through in that time. I had always prayed for a smooth transition. I prayed that the Lord would prepare all of our hearts for the arrival of our children. I prayed and He has answered!! Although I had prayed for all of this, I still expected a few issues. Who wouldn't expect some issues when bringing two children into your home? In all honesty, I thought it would be harder than it has been. Praise God for answered prayers! He has given us strength and joy! He is so faithful to us!

Don't get me wrong, we are CRAZY busy!! ; ) It is just as I said prior to them coming home, "glorious chaos". I have more work now than ever and I rarely have a moment to sit, but I wouldn't change a thing. I force myself to sit at the computer occasionally to check e-mails and obviously post an update. I do more laundry than imaginable, but I'm reminded of the blessings who wear all those clothes. I cook; I clean; I teach; I read; I pray; I kiss; I wake up and do it all again, and I wouldn't change a thing. Oh, maybe I would hire a maid, but other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. ; )

The other day we went to Pump it Up, a local inflatable play land. The kids had a "Back to School" party with their friends from church. I'm not sure if you can tell from the pictures, but they kind of had a good time.

Race day better than ever....

Well, I didn't run.

Before you think, "WHAT!?!? All that talk and no action?!?!" let me explain.

On Wednesday evening I received a call from my mom and she had decided to join me in the race. She had just registered and would drive down Sunday morning. Knowing we would be walking, I asked Jordyn if she would like to join us. So, this morning at 7:00am we set out for our Race for the Cure. Three generations of girls joining the efforts to raise awareness and the finances needed to find a cure for breast cancer.


The morning began with the Parade of Survivors! It was such an amazing sight to see 1100 survivors from less than one year to over thirty years cancer free! I'm sure I'll never truly understand the feeling they had as they marched along knowing there are many women unable to join them; women who, unfortunately, lost their battle. We were overwhelmed with emotion as Mom walked by in celebration of the life she has!












We also were able to walk in celebration of Jeremy's grandma who had a fight of her own against breast cancer and won. Grandma Butus, we all thought of you today too!!

So, I didn't run, but I have to admit that race day was better than ever! It would not have been the same without Mom and Jordy there. Yes, I would have run. I would have burned more calories. I would have walked away with a nice time to celebrate, but today I walked away with my mom and my daughter by my side, celebrating the simple fact that we were alive and well.

Missing a few things......

I love having my girls home, but I must admit I am missing a few things. One, actually, but in that one...so many others.

Like times like this....

And most definitely times like this....

This face....

And these little toes....

I miss doing simple things like this...

And seeing silly things like this....

Oh, and how I miss that smile....

Noah,

I miss you from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. You are missed by every member of our family. We long for you and pray for you; we remember all the funny things you did. We think of your laugh, your smile, your voice, the funny sound you made when you would chew your food, and even your fits. We search for the strength in the Lord to go through each day without you and Noah, our God is faithful. He brings us joy in the midst of our pain.

If there was a way to tell you in this moment how much we love you, I would. I would tell you about all the amazing moments the Lord gave us together, and how in each of those moments He would confirm time and time again that you were our son. Noah, I think it's important for you to know that we have never and will never give up hope that you are going to come home to us. We are just as sure today as we were in September of 2005 that you are indeed our son.

We praise God for you, and we continue to trust in our faithful God to bring you home to us.

I love you, son, with all that is within me,
Mommy

In Honor of My Mama!

On September 21, 2008, I will be running a race in honor of my amazing Mama! It's only a 5K which doesn't even come close to being hard in comparison to what she endured. Thankfully, her diagnoses was great and after treatment she was cancer free!! We thank God for giving the doctors the wisdom and knowledge to treat this horrible disease. We rejoice in the fact that she went to a doctor that used a special type of mammogram that would see the spot. We were told an ordinary mammogram wouldn't have shown it and it would have had more time to grow before being detected. We praise God for this!! The Lord has been so good to us!

I've decided to run this race and try to raise awareness and money, so there can be more daughters with stories like mine. Daughters who will be able to say, "My mom is a breast cancer survivor!" I love you, Mom, and on Sunday, September 21 @ 9:00am I'll be running for you!

Click here to help!

1 down, 179 more to go......

Not that I'm counting down or anything. ; ) Today was our first day of school. The bell rang at 8:00 and in they came so excited to begin their first day. They had all been sitting outside the classroom for half an hour waiting for me to be ready. I don't imagine that will happen everyday, but it was great to see them so excited to get started. Here's a few pictures we thought we would share from our first day!

This was actually taken last night. Hope was pretty happy to finally have her own desk! Not sure if you could tell that or not. ; )


Camden, bright and early this morning, sorting through his supplies. As you can tell, it's a very serious job!

Check it out, I happened to catch a moment when they were all working on something!!

Jordyn hard at work! It's hard to believe my baby is in middle school! Where does the time go?

Here's Alexis sporting her comfy capris, pink tank and brown jacket.
Dressed for success? For sure!! Fourth grade looks great on you, Ali!

Mia was pretty excited the entire day. As you can see from the blur of the pencil, she was definitely all about doing the work! When we were finished she asked if she could stay at her desk and color for a little bit. How long do you think it will take for her to not want to stay in school longer than she has to?

All in all, it was great day!!