Triumphant Hope.

Could you survive life's obstacles without hope?

One of my girlfriends sent me a note today with a saying that just sent chills all the way through me.  She has adopted a beautiful little girl and is in the fight of her life to bring her daughter home.  The fight is getting harder, but she is forging on.  She and another adorable friend of mine received an enormous set back, punch in the stomach, rejection, blow that no one saw coming.  They have triumphant hope, and while in a dark spot pray for my family.  The friends I have made on this journey are enough to sustain me. 

It is easy to close some chapters and move one, but they fight and believe and have triumphant hope that God will prevail. 

What is triumphant hope?

It is when everyone else tells you to move on.  "Let's be realistic."  "You are not seeing reality."  "This is going to fail."  But you see God and His son and you refuse to let go.  You trust in Him and realize that although you did not see this coming, it is His battle, and He will fight it. 

No matter what happens I fight with them.  In the midst of tears I told her that we would invest in some killer sleeping bags and take residence in a certain state that could help them.

My sister called me this week and although she is older and usually gives me all the advice...she asked me a question.  "If all the signs point to no, do you give up or keep trying?"  I had to think about it.  Then I looked at our adoption and that of our close friends.  "You keep going.  You fight and let God fight and if you think He wants this for your life, you give up on nothing." 

We asked for a miracle and being the "very unrealistic" person that I am assumed God would present that later on in life...

Until the day we set our eyes on our new daughter.  And with "Triumphant Hope" we will be her forever family very soon.  We never thought we would see the day where our sons would be reunited with their sister. 

How great is our God. 

Cealyisms

I should never have been so mean to my older sister about her obnoxious great organizing techniques, because I birthed my sister.  I am talking growing up with a sister who had pictures of her shoes on the outside of shoe boxes in order to distinguish them.  Weird.  Mine were all in a pile and always took me about 10 minutes to find a matching pair.  Well anyway...

Cealy comes marching in my room this evening:  "Mommy!"  "Yes, but don't use that tone with me."  "Well I found a pair of my undies in my sock drawer."  "Yes I didn't know you had a sock drawer that was so different from your undie drawer?"  And she responds: "You cannot put undies and socks together mommy.  Just put them on my bed and I will put them in their drawer."

She is not yet 4.

I was reading her a book before bed, Ladybug Girl and Bingo, which is her favorite as of today.  I point to a wolf and say, "Oh My! I hope they get away there is a wolf!"

"Mommy that is a fox.  It is red and has a long straight tail.  A fox mommy."

Good times.

Highlights of Summer:

Pool most everyday.  Cealy loves to swim.  Sebastian likes nothing about the water.  Typical right?

Sebastian runs the opposite way of where I am always and has the biggest smile on his face.  I can't figure out why Danny Jr. likes causing so much trouble.

I had the best time with my girlfriends from college last weekend.  I have decided to stop calling them my sorority sisters, because it sounds like we are still 21 and I am a ripe 31 year old.  One of my girlfriends read us an article that said the best thing for a woman's health is to have good relationships with her girlfriends.  I agree.  The most hilarious part is the article said a man's health is significantly improved if he is married.  Makes total sense.  Women need friends and Men need a woman to rely on.  Love it.

I love playing outside until bedtime.  Could life be any sweeter?  

Mother Hen Cealy takes care of Sebastian like a champ.  She even buckles him into his seat and gets him out every time we go somewhere.  Yes, I know.  This chick is so awesome.

Danny has to work all hours of the day.  All hours.  I pray for his sanity, because the guy walks in the house, goes to bed, and starts a new day.  So that leaves me and my kitty cats.  Before I could ask Danny to do one chore a day.  We are having friends over this weekend and the fish tank looked really neglected and I certainly didn't want us to look lazy so killing all our fish was a better bet...Yes, every.single.one.  One swift cleaning and I was out pushing the kids on the swings, feeling pretty high and mighty.  "This girl can clean, cook, use tools, pay bills, take care of the children..." I was so prideful that only Jesus could bring me back down to earth.  So we walked in and all four of our girls were floating.

We have a big appointment coming up and news so BIG to share that you will need to sit down in order to hear it.  I will get back to you all very soon, but I will warn you: You may not believe me so you will check back often in order to really take it all in.  Happy Thursday!  :)

To Endure.

My favorite question @adoption is definitely, "What is taking so long?"

I just needed to document that one.  Do you ever wonder why something that should be so beautiful is so hard to endure?  I was reading the bible yesterday when Dan was re-mowing the lawn (see earlier post about how much this guy loves to mow the grass...geez).  Jeremiah was asked to endure for a very long time, and let me tell you it was not easy.  "Endurance is not a common quality."  Amen Jeremiah, this girl is losing steam.  Jeremiah endured.  I want to to kick, scream, and cry, which on occasion I do.  But for now I must endure.

Anyway Summer is super fun around here.  The weeks were a little more laid back until my besties got off for the Summer and I have to fit in meeting them everyday somewhere.  Totally not healthy but that is my mindset.  If I don't meet them today soon it will by Aug 1st, and they will be back in school!  Plus my kids love theirs so it works out.  That is how I feel about Summer too.  We have to play outside, because soon it is going to snow and we will have to be inside all day so we have to spend every moment outside, again not healthy.  Take a chill pill Amanda.

Cealy is getting big and usually hangs around with kiddos older than her.  The other day one of her friends was running towards the swings yelling, I call that swing!!!  Cealy says, "You call a swing?  That's weird."  And I just want to hug her little innocent self.  Listening to music in the car one of her buddies says, that she doesn't like baby music.  I could just see her face fall.  Yes we listen to kid cds and not the radio.  But let me tell you that is how she learned the days of the week and months of the year.  Yes mam.

She tells Sebastian he needs to work on his Jesus heart a couple of times a day.  He is a boy and a lettle rougher than the average kid.  She is pretty much a little mommy.  Today Sebastian went down for a nap and Cealy was suppose to have book time in her room.  She started yelling down to me, and I was getting mad and dramatic.  I said, "Cealy leave me be for a good 15 minutes until I can sit down and eat some food."  Her response: "Well you can eat as soon as you put brother back in bed, because he jumped out of bed and is running around in my room."

That is another thing.  Sebastian jumps out of everything and I am so exhausted, I end up laying by his door waiting for old yeller to fall.  One of my girlfriends put a gate up in her son's room and I think we are going to have to do that.

Nana is hidden in the background and clearly not allowed to be holding Reese and Abby without Sebastian needing love too.

Sebastian kept hitting Pop's hand off his cake plate.  Pop didnt want it to end up on the floor and Sebastian didn't want any cake to end up in Pop's mouth.

We found a hidden park that we will tell no one about..hehe.  No one is ever there and the park is huge with lots of land to run and play games! We have a picnic every time and the kiddos love to run down the hills.  Funny thing is my best friend from middle school lived next door and we hung out at this park for years.

And So Summer Begins...

We are off to a fabulous start.  We enjoy it all and run around crazy.  Everyday I am waiting for my sister to call from Swizerland and tell me I have a new nephew or niece and that is way too exciting to handle. 

Ceal still dresses like it is winter.  This morning she came in at approx 6:40am already dressed.  She was wearing a dress with jeans and her snow boots.  When I asked her to put her jammies away she asked me if I was real life and it was too early to clean her room.  I may say that line too much.  She usually tells me who she is around 7.  And by this I mean what her name is for the day.  Today she is Sarah, 60 years old, and has 22 kids.  One has diarrhea and the others are sleeping.  Yikes.

Anytime she learns that a child has no mommy or daddy she wants them to come live here.  "Why can't they live with us mommy?  I will be their sister and Sebastian will be their brother?" She is getting frustrated with our adoption and the fact that Malachi and Dominic are not home yet.  Me too, but God is getting me through.  We have had a tough week with adoption news and let me tell you my family and friends are the world's best!  Crying with me, quotes, bible verses, and prayers.  I feel so blessed to have so many people around me care about our family and our boys.

Sebastian will not swing on a baby swing anymore because he is 3 or so he thinks...

Best part about Summer: My besties have the Summer off and are SO MUCH FUN!!

We decorated cookies for Courtney's 22nd +10 birthday!

Sebastian loves Avery, because she may be the sweetest little chick ever!

We went to the zoo with this fabulous bunch.  I feel super blessed to be a small part of these two sister's lives that I love so much.  The four in the middle are all cousins and about the best kids ever.  Yes Max is Sebastian's age and may just play basketball with the best of them. 

My besties try to get each other out for dinner and maybe a drink.  We found a band we think is super fun and listen to them play while watching people dance.  Most of our time together is with 6 kids so when we are childless we can actually listen to each other. 

Sebastian loves to tackle everyone, still won't watch a single minute of TV, and refuses to listen to directions.  He will run around screaming and throwing something one second and then run up and give me the sloppiest kiss you ever had the next.  Wrapped this kid has me.