Catch up time, part 1: July 2012

Wow, it has been a loooooong time, people.  I am going to attempt to get everyone caught up with our lives since I last blogged back in J-U-N-E...as quickly as possible...mainly with pictures, because that's really what people enjoy right?  Here we go....

Chalin spent lots of time enjoying the sprinkler and his slip-n-slide.

Chad also enjoyed the slip-n-slide...and I'll admit I did, too, once I understood the concept of  "sliding" and not "jumping."

Chalin finished up his 3rd season of t-ball and took home the 1st Place Trophy!  We celebrated with the team at CiCi's Pizza.

The Cubs are the CHAMPS!

Hung out with our little turtle friend and spent hours on Chalin's playground.

I celebrated my 10 year reunion and caught up with some great friends!

I can't even begin to image how many hours we spent at the zoo this summer.  We love love LOVE zoo trips!

I ran my first ever Color Me Rad race with some great friends.  We had a blast and definitely plan on running it again!

Chalin loved drawing with chalk and became very detailed in his drawings...notice Chad's huge head and my enormous eyes?

Super hero play-dates at the Murray's!

More play dates with some superheroes.  Great buddies.

Quite the artist...sidewalk painting.

This quickly became a favorite activity.  I learned if you basically squirt the entire bottle of food coloring when mixing, you get some amazingly bright sidewalk paint!

Chalin and Chad had many "camping" trips right in our living room and loved every minute of it!

Yep.  I did it.  Judge if you must.  I love it.  I worked hard to find the perfect font.  I wrote it out on paper probably a 100 times to get it exactly how I wanted it, so it could be "my" writing.  It's one of my absolutely favorite verses.   Psalm 37:7.   It serves as a constant and permanent reminder to "Be still and wait patiently on the Lord..." no matter what each day may bring.  I really needed this after our adoption fell through in June and I don't for one second regret my decision.  It made it even better that I had some amazing friends to go with--thank you April, Anna, and Autumn!!!

Procrastination--27,496,281, Lindsay--0

Well, I guess I have boycotted Blogger long enough.  Chalin has refused to give me a good nights sleep all week--waking up 2 times, yes 2, every night, and this morning at 5:00, my body refused to allow me to drift back to sleepy town, and so now I blog.  (Yes, it is now almost 7...I can be a pretty stubborn person, so yes, again, it took 2 hours to motivate myself to get out of bed and be productive.)  So, like I said, now I blog.  With a big tub of Halloween candy beside me, just like I like it, while my two sleepy head boys are occupying my warm cozy bed....

I wouldn't be me if I didn't procrastinate and update the Blog by (hopefully) quick bullet points--ha, we all know I don't blog "quickly"....anyway, here it goes...

1.  I know I haven't been the best at updating lately, but we are still adopting!  We have been on the waiting list since the end of July, and there are some easy days and some hard days during the waiting process.  Each step involves some kind of waiting, so if you weren't patient before, through lots of hard work and trials, you learn to be patient in the end.  You wait to be approved to be on the waiting list.  You wait to get monthly emails from the agency updating you on how many birth families they are currently working with.  You wait to get phone calls about birth parents.  You wait to be "chosen" by the birth family.  You wait to meet the birth family.  You wait for the birth.  You wait for the court date.  So. Much. Waiting.  But--I know it's worth it.  So we wait.

2. (Some of these aren't actually "updates" but they are important enough to me to deserve their own number.)  First of all, isn't God amazing?  I know we haven't been "waiting" all that long, just a few short months, but it is so easy to doubt when those around you are getting chosen to be adoptive parents.  I specifically remember wondering and praying and questioning if I had misread God leading us to adopt.  Not because I was having a change of heart, but because I felt like something must be wrong with us since we weren't being picked or even getting any phone calls from the agency about birth families.  I prayed, "God, I really want to adopt.  It has been on my heart for a while now, but if this is not the plan you have for us, please let us know somehow."  Within the month, we have received 4 phone calls from the agency.  Thank you, God, again for sending me the sign, the encouragement that I so desperately needed to hang in there and have a little faith.....

3.  Through this whole Adoption Journey, we have heard some amazing stories and met some wonderful people.  I don't know what I would do without my Monday Night Waiting Moms group.  They are some of the sweetest, most amazing faithful women I have ever met.  We meet every Monday night at a cute little tea place to share where we are in our journey.  Most have already been matched and have sweet kiddos at home--I actually joked 2 weeks ago that our group should now be called, "The Adoptive Moms and the Waiting Mom, Lindsay."--some have adopted more than one child, some have both biological and adoptive children, and some just have one sweet adoptive baby.  We are all at different places and all have our own unique stories to share.  I can't stress enough how much I appreciate them and their constant encouraging words and stories. 

4.  With all that said above, we have been blessed with an amazing supportive family and friends that continue to shower us with love, especially through this whole process--whether it be prayers, phone calls, emails, cards in the mail, supporting my Scentsy business, donation of items, donation of money, donation of time, etc.  I hope all of you know how much we love you and appreciate you--I know your "segment" isn't as long, but we've known you all or most of our lives, so surely you know how much you mean to us?! :)

5.  We STILL have puzzle pieces for sale!  $15 a piece.  We are just under 200 pieces left, and I would LOVE to have this completed and hanging in the nursery by Christmas.  Chad is going to write all the names of those that have purchased a piece on the back of the puzzle so that we can share it with our sweet baby someday and show him/her all the family and friends that helped create their story.  Please help us reach our goal!!!  Email me or comment on this blog for details.  lrobertson614@hotmail.com

6.  My MIL has been busy busy BUSY quilting away.  She is making adorable table-runners for $20 a piece.  All proceeds go towards our Adoption.  Email or comment for details!

This is an example of a Fall one she made me.  I love it!

7.  The beautiful (yes beautiful) OSU quilt my MIL made is at $200 currently.  The bidding will close on Thursday, November 17th at 10:00 P.M.

OSU quilt

Close up.  How pretty!

8.  A guy from Chad's work donated this OU football and all proceeds will go towards our Adoption.  It has the Heisman trophy winners' signatures on it, except for Sam Bradford.  Signatures include:  Steve Owens, Billy Sims, & Jason White.  The bidding will start at $150.  We will close the bidding on Thursday, November 17th at 10:00 P.M.

The 'OU' and 'Sooners' (on the back) are not printed but stitched on the ball, making it look extra special and nice!

Ok, if you haven't noticed, it is NOVEMBER, and we know what happens next month.  I just gave you LOTS of ideas for Christmas presents.  You're Welcome. ;)  and I'll remind you again, along with adding a few extra:

~Scentsy!  There is Scentsy for everyone on your list.  What a GREAT gift at a low price! If nothing else, what great stocking stuffers for loved ones!  Gift certificates are available, too! 

~Quilted Table Runners!  For the newly married, your parents, your grandparents, your friends, etc!

~OSU Quilt!  I know I have lots of friends and family that are Cowboy fans!  What a beautiful one-of-a-kind blanket to give or receive as a Christmas present!

~OU Football!  What OU fan wouldn't want this awesome gift?!  Perfect for your husband, your son, your dad, etc!

~Knitted items!  I have adorable baby bibs & hats (perfect for your own babies, nieces/nephews, friends' babies), coffee cozies/mug sweaters (pair it with a cute mug and a Starbuck's gift card and you've got a great gift for your mom, grandma, sister, friend, your child's teacher, etc!), dish cloths (pair them with your favorite Bath & Body Works soap, and you've got another great gift for someone!)

I hope you are able to mark some people off your Christmas list SOON and support a GREAT cause while you are at it!!! :)

**Just for those of you curious readers out there, it is now 9.  If you didn't have the answer before on why I don't blog often, now you do.**

**And I do apologize for creating what I believe to be the Longest. Blog. In. History.**

Texas Vacation

This week, we traveled down to Texas to visit GREAT WOLF LODGE, LEGOLAND, & SEA LIFE.  What a FUN vacation.  This is the first real vacation we have had since Chalin was born.  We all had such a wonderful time.  Thanks Mimi & Pops!

GREAT WOLF LODGE!

A little glimpse of the fun...

Enjoying the view out the window of his Kid Cabin in our room.

Loving the Jet Ski!

They have the same smile!

Mimi & Pops trying to be kids again and taking over the "King Size" bunk beds!

Coming off the slide and trying to prevent himself from crashing.  Hilarious face!

Chalin riding a water slide with Mimi!

Enjoying the wave pool with Pops!

Racing down the slides!

LEGOLAND!

One of his favorites....in Legos!

Found the letters to his name just in time!  Off to see how Legos are made.

Enjoying the Bob the Builder 3D show!

Chalin and the Lego giraffe!

Riding a ride with Daddy!

SEA LIFE!

Walking through the tunnel...very cool!

Who is that cute little fish?!

Beyond Blessed

"Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." --Jesus, Matthew 5:48

Oh, how we have seen this verse lived out by the people that surround us, and it just makes my heart so unbelievable happy.

I have to write this quick post because I am beyond BLESSED with the most loving family and friends. Of course, I knew this before, but God has continued to show me just how wonderful the people are that he has placed in my life. Since Chad, Chalin, and I began sharing our Adoption Journey:

*I have had Scentsy orders placed just to assist with our Adoption costs--from friends, family, and friends/family of our friends and family!
*We have had friends and family share our story with others they know through blogging, emails, Facebook, etc.
*I've had a friend offer to donate a % of what she sells with HER business to us.
*I've had loving, supportive, encouraging emails, messages and phone conversations from anyone and everyone, including people that are going through or have gone through the same thing.
*I've had a friend offer to design things for us for FREE to help with fundraisers.
*I've had friends and family offer to help in anyway possible, whether it be making something for us to raise money (knitting, quilting), offering their awesome photography skills, or just giving us items that could possibly raise money for us.

I hope all of you know how TRULY special each and everyone of you are to us. I hope we can someday show you how much we really appreciate ALL of your ongoing love and support as we continue our Adoption journey.

*Side Note: Chad and I are currently working on some more fundraiser ideas with our friends and family, so keep a look out on our blog for more information coming soon!

Current Fundraisers:
1. OU SEASON FOOTBALL TICKETS!
2. Purchase from my Scentsy website!

Psalm 37:7

I have been putting off writing this blog post, waiting for the "perfect" time, and I can't be patient any longer.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."
~Psalm 139:23

As most of you know, adoption has been on my mind for a while now. Chad and I have been trying to give sweet Chalin a baby brother/sister for about 2 years. Adoption was always at the back of my mind, you know as a "back-up plan." I did not think I would ever need to use this plan, but it's always good to be over-prepared, right?

When Chad and I found out that our chances at having another biological child were slim to none a few months ago, I had a ton of emotions which I have already shared in a previous blog post, but mostly of anger. God knew how much we wanted more children--how could He let this happen? I always like having a plan, and now "my plan" was ripped to shreds.

"When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer."
~Psalm 94:19

I began a yearly Bible challenge back in January (yes, a New Year's Resolution that I actually planned on keeping!). I spent every day (and continue to) reading God's Word. I have always been a "prayer", praying not just at night but throughout the day, sending up quick prayers mainly of thanksgiving or "Please help me!" But after all that we were going through, I began spending more time on my prayers, not rushing and really pouring out my heart to God. I also began praying every night with Chalin before he goes to sleep and encouraging him to pray before our meals. I was beginning to feel this extreme closeness with God, and I wanted to share that.

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act."

~Psalm 37:7

As I have stated in my last blog post, too, I became very aware of adoption "signs." Still prior to this, I was no longer angry, but this close relationship with God had given me a certain peace, that I know only He can provide. I continued to pray the prayer of contentment, every day, throughout the day....however, every where I turned and no matter how much I prayed to be content, I was hearing/seeing/thinking about adoption. Adoption consumed my thoughts when I went to bed. I woke up with adoption consuming my thoughts.

I had told Chad that I wanted to know our "plan" by December, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I brought up the topic one night, and shared everything and more that I have shared on this blog. I would have to say that that "talk" ranks right up there at the top with one of the best and most meaningful conversations that we have had in all the time that we have been together. I felt that God was right there holding our hand, guiding us. To make a long story short (which we all know I'm not very good at), Chad said, "You are MY sign. What's our next step and how quickly can we get started?!"

"Light shines in the darkness for the godly."
~Psalm 112:4

I called Deaconess Pregnancy and Adoption Services on a Friday (2 days after Chad and I talked) after talking to a dear friend who recommended a few different places to check out. We found out that this agency offered 3 seminars throughout the year, and you are required to attend one of these. The next session was ONE WEEK away--after that, I believe we would have to wait until November. I was told that there was still room for the upcoming session as long as I could get our application filled out and turned in, along with a preacher/church member reference. Chad printed off the pre-application and brought it home Friday. We filled everything out, and Chalin and I turned it in Monday afternoon.

We attended the Adoption Seminar this past weekend, and learned so much. We were sure about our plans going in, but after the seminar, we felt even more sure and not just at peace, but extremely excited about our son/daugther that God has (is) prepared(ing) for us.

Isn't it AMAZING how God can change your heart if you just allow Him to take control? I can't even begin to tell you how we CANNOT WAIT to meet our sweet baby. Chalin is SUPER excited too, and talks about it daily.

We hope to turn in our next round of paperwork Monday. After that we will begin setting up our individual interviews and home study. AFTER that, our profile will be made available for birth families to view and pick if they choose. We are going to do our best to be patient as God works His plan. We could have our 2nd child in 3 months (or LESS) or it could take many many MANY months.

Ways YOU can help:

1. Please pray for our sweet baby and his/her birth mother--that they stay safe and healthy and that God works on the birth mother's heart, allowing her to feel at peace with her self-less decision to allow another family to raise her child.

2. Please pray for us to be patient and trusting in God's PERFECT plan.

3. As you probably know, the process of Adoption is expensive. If you need Scentsy, you know where to find me :) The money I receive from all of my Scentsy orders will be going into a special account that we will use just for this special purpose.
*I am currently in the process of thinking of other ways and items to raise money, so stay tuned!

God KNOWS

How many of you have your life planned out? You know you'll always live in the same house or at least the same area. You know you'll always go to the same church because it's the best church there is with the the sweetest people possible. You know you'll have 2 or more kiddos running around the house because your sweet boy or girl has to have a sibling to play with....

"I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course."
~Jeremiah 10:23

Let me just tell you that I had my life pretty much planned out perfectly. As most of you know, we used to live in Norman. Loved it. Had many thoughts about growing old in Norman, already had some elementary schools picked out for Chalin, imagined ourselves being that little old couple going to all the OU games and saying we've lived in Norman for 30+ years.....

We loved our Church in Norman, Alameda Church of Christ. Rusty Tugman is an awesome preacher. Bill Pink is an amazing worship leader. We had built many wonderful friendships and grew closer to God than we have ever been in that Church....

Well, let me tell you something you already know: Chad got a new job, and we relocated to Edmond. I was SO against moving out of Norman--I LOVED Norman. Norman was my home for over 7 years. I went to college there, had my first "home away from home" there, began the process of learning how to be a good wife there, got my first big girl job there, began the process of learning how to be a good mommy there....however, this new job & location change had it's positives--more money and being much closer to Chad, meaning he could actually make it home before dark, we can even meet him for lunch without it taking close to 2 hours in the car--which let me tell you something else you already know: that much time in a car with a toddler is NOT fun. For anyone. I didn't think I would like Edmond, and if I did, I knew it would take me a long time to adjust. God knew that it actually would only take me a few short months. He also made the process a TON easier by having one of my best friends in the whole wide world move about 3 miles away. The same month we moved. How awesome is that?

This new location meant a change of church, which I was TOTALLY not okay with in the beginning. I also knew that it would be impossible to make Edmond our true home without finding a new church we could call home. It took a couple of months, but we found it. It's HUGE. But we LOVE it. I never thought we could find another church we loved as much, but God showed us He can.

I knew I would have more than one child. I've known that since I was a little girl. Too make this long story a little shorter than it could be, I'll spare you all the details. I will tell you that for one reason or another, Chad and I have not been blessed with another child. It is not likely that it will happen unless there is a miracle. When we received this news, I was....well, words can't really describe it. Sad. Devastated. Mad. Angry. Confused. Shocked. I remember a day or two after the appointment, I began "bargaining" with God because we all know that works (ha!).... I heard this certain bird start making the most unusual sound that I hadn't heard before while Chalin and I were outside. I remember silently talking to God, "If this bird continues to do this sound for 10 more times, God, I know you will give me a baby no matter what that doctor said..." I stopped counting at 15. I was sooooo ANGRY. Why couldn't God give me that one sign? He knows how much I want another baby. He knows how much I rely on signs. He knows what an awesome big brother Chalin would be.

That Wednesday night at church, we were handed a piece of paper and told not to look at it. We were told that each of us had a life changing event/challenge on our card and when we were given the cue, we would turn it over and relate that situation to Jesus in the Bible. Here was the card I got:After class, I went up to the teacher and asked how many "challenges" he had handed out. There were anywhere from 35-40 people in the class with around 15 different "challenges" passed out. Coincidence that I received this card? I know it wasn't.

"...for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have...For I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."
~Philippians 4:11&13

You think God not only knows but cares enough about my silly "need" for signs? God's been hearing me all along...His plan might not be the same as mine, but I do know His plan is perfect.

I do not know what this means for my family and me. I do know since I moved here, people have continually been put in my life who are going through or have gone through a similar situation. We have encountered many people who are going through the process of adoption.

Just last weekend, I attended a Scentsy conference where all the raffle money was being collected and going to a certain non-profit organization. I debated for a while about going because that weekend was just too busy, but at the last minute, I registered and went. Guess which organization they chose out of all the possible options? Anna's House Foundation. Look it up. Not only did they share a very touching video, but a woman also got up to speak about her personal connection to this organization. Is it another sign from God? You know, I don't know. But I do know I will be praying very heavily about this situation over the next several months. I do know God will lead my family and me in the right direction. I do know that we have many loving family and friends that will be praying for us and will be nothing but supportive no matter what road God leads us down--whether it is a road meant for our family of 3 or a road meant for our family of 3 and more . Until then, I will continue to be forever thankful for the 2 boys that he has blessed me with already.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
~Jeremiah 29:11

Easter 2011

This year, the Easter Bunny visited Chalin early and came to our house on Saturday. He left Chalin all kinds of goodies--yes, he brought Chalin a new bike, which I realize is a big gift for the Easter Bunny, HOWEVER, he was only doing a favor for Santa, who "forgot" to deliver the bike back in December...

Chalin trying out his new bike. He loves it!

After he tried out his new bike, we decided it was time to color eggs. This was Chalin's first year to actually color eggs and he really enjoyed it!



With help from Mimi, Pops, & Daddy...here are the finished eggs!



A few weeks before Easter, I gathered all of my old Easter books from when I taught and all of Chalin's books, and we began talking about the real reason we celebrate Easter. We read an Easter book for several days before Easter to try and help Chalin to start to understand the true meaning and importance of the Easter Holiday.

On Sunday morning, we celebrated Easter at our new church, and they showed an amazing video. This is the link--I Will Rise--please watch it. The song is amazing, and these are real people from our church sharing their real stories.


After Church, we went to celebrate with family at the "Cow's House"--a.k.a. Papa John & Mamaw's house--we had a great time, and I can't wait to see some pictures. Unfortunately, it was rainy, so we didn't hunt eggs, but we still had so much fun visiting with family and eating good food!

Hope you enjoyed your Easter as much as we did!

20 random Chalin facts

Back in December (I believe), Chalin was in need of getting the rest of his shots, so we decided to find a new doctor in Edmond. At that appointment, the new doctor (which we love, by the way--I mean, he has the first name Mickey...of course, he would be an aahh-mazing pediatrician)--anyway, he went ahead and pretty much conducted Chalin's 3-year checkup since it was so close to his b-day......Me, being the worry wort that I am, decided to call the doctor again to see if he needed to check him again now that he is officially 3. They thought it would be a good idea to get him on track for his next "well baby check-up," so off we went to the doctor. I won't even get into how we actually had to schedule an appointment for pesky pink eye and they decided to combine the 2 appointments--yay for getting in quickly, but boooo to pink eye.

A.N.Y.W.A.Y.S.--man, I am having a hard time focusing.....I thought now would be a good opportunity to tell you how big Chalin is and some of his favorites right now. I could go on, and on, AND on, so I'm going to make this a

top 20 list of random facts about the 3 year old Chalin

and call it quits.

1. Weighs 34 lbs--69% heavier than children his age; over 3 feet tall (78%)
2. LOVES to watch Word World, Turbo Dogs, & Mighty Machines
3. Can spell a handful of words--that Word World is amazing, I tell ya
4. Puzzles are definitely a favorite and a must have for every day.
5. Would play Candy Land at every waking moment if allowed, but also enjoys Dominoes, Memory, & Yahtzee
6. Is STILL obsessed with construction trucks and emergency vehicles (and of course, mail trucks, any kind of bus, garbage trucks, etc.)
7. Knows all of his upper and lower case letters.
8. Recognizes numbers 1-10 and some numbers 11-20
9. Can count to 13, has a little mix up with 14&15 and gets back on track to 20 with some help
10. LOVES LOVES LOVES books--I don't know who enjoyed the recent book fair at his school more: him or me.
11. Favorite color: BLUE
12. Cannot pronounce C/K sound or G sound--when this finally happens, I sure will miss "Dut (duck), doh (go), tittle (tickle), milt (milk), Dute (Duke)"
13. Favorite part of T-ball is "hitting!" He will go hit buckets and buckets of balls off the T in the front yard, collect them all by himself (at his request), and start over.
14. Very shy & quite the observer, but then opens up to be the sweetest!
15. Still LOVES his Mommy's hair, at bed and whenever else he is tired. Sometimes, he goes out of his way to run his fingers through a few strands while he is playing.
16. One of his favorite things to eat is Egg Drop Soup...with a straw!
17. Other favorites: Cherry Balls & Yogurt Drinks (these have ALWAYS been a favorite)
18. He can work the iPad better than me. And most adults. Seriously.
19. Favorite song: "This Little Light of Mine"
20. He is really starting to enjoy Bible Class--he recently corrected me on how to pronounce Moses' mother's name: Jochebed. No Joke. He had been learning about Moses at Church, and he was very excited to share this story with Chad and me for several days in a row (as in reading the same story in his Bible for two weeks straight).


Like I said, I could go on, and on, AND on, but I'll stop there....for now. Chalin Cale--You are the BEST BLESSING EVER. We love you SO incredibly much.

Blizzard 2011

Here are a few pictures from the Blizzard of 2011. We had some good friends stay with us for a few days because they had a leaky pipe/mystery water in laundry room, and we had so much fun! (Thanks, April for sharing some pictures!)

Dressed and ready to go!

Snowball made and searching for a victim.

Practicing my camera skills

A view from our deck

Snow Ice Cream!

Chad the snowboarder....on old boxes from Christmas.

This was right before I busted...and yes, I'm still at the top of the hill.

Snowball Fight!

Snow Wrestling with Daddy

I LOVE this picture.

Mommies & boys

Daddies & boys

Big blue eyes

Taking Chalin for a ride on the box

Sliding into the snow!

Schafer sliding--love this face