8

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful,
and endures through every circumstance."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7


I'm a little late on blogging, but Happy 8th Anniversary to my sweet, handsome, encouraging, and hilarious husband. I love you.

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!

3 John 1:4

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
~3 John 1:4~

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.

Totally Charmin'

Happy St. Patty's Day!
(from my handsome little leprechaun)

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