Frost, Food, and the "F" Bomb...

We went camping.
There was frost on the ground.
I could see my breath.
I got stuck in a freezing cold shower - I heard the "F" bomb fly from my mouth.
The girls ate breakfast outside, while wearing winter coats and gloves.
I shivered as I sat by a campfire.

We slept in a borrowed camper, with the heat on full blast.
We ate peanut butter and banana mountain pies, chicken corn potpie, a potroast, pancakes, bacon, smores.
We drove around in a golf cart and acted like rednecks.
I watched two little girls have the time of their lives.

Was it worth it? Absolutely.







Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. M for the use of the camper (and for setting it up and for letting us use your new, silky pink sheets, and for not worrying about how much damage two little girls *could* have done to the place)! We truly appreciate it!

Scenes from a Dream...

I love Trick-or-Treat night, and this year was no exception. Both of the girls were so excited, we had perfect weather, and we have such a nice neighborhood to trick-or-treat in. I still feel the way I did last year...blessed and happy to see these tiny little girls running, skipping, bouncing, and twirling around the neighborhood. Ellie was happy about getting "treats" in her basket, but about half way through the night she asked someone, "What is it?" and the lady said "It's candy." Ha! She had no idea she was getting candy in her basket the whole time. You should have seen her face. She started jumping up and down and yelling "Candy, Candy, I got candy!" That was priceless. I wonder what kind of "treats" she thought she was getting! Here's a quick snapshot of our evening. These pictures feel like scenes from a dream to me...a wonderful dream that came true!

Halloween: A Recap

After reading my last post, I realized that it provided an incomplete account of our trick-or-treat night festivities. Don't get me wrong...it was perfect, but it wasn't without some drama and a few tears. Here's a quick recap:

Perfect Tinkerbell Costume bought on ebay didn't arrive in time.
I cried.
Kate told me it was going to be okay.
I asked her if she wanted to be a princess.
She said "Nope. I'm going to be Tinkerbell."
Obviously, she's either very optimistic...or clueless. I think its the later.
Steve picked up woodland fairy costume on his way home from work.
I vetoed it...UGLY!
I stopped crying briefly to call my neighbor.
Miracle of all Miracles...she has a Tinkerbell Costume in Kate's size.
It was green and it passed Kate's "twirl test."
Drama Over.

Did I mention that Kate LOVED her costume? Loved it!

Then this little frog arrived (AKA, Baby Blake) for his first night of Trick-or-Treating

He thought he was big stuff and he kept smiling this huge grin every time I looked at him!

And we're off...

Here's proof of how happy I was...

And Ellie was pretty happy, too...

Trick-or Treat (or Tick or Teet as Ellie says).

Finally...checking out the goods.

Yes...there was drama. But it was still perfect.

A Dream Come True...

Five years ago, Steve and I drove through our small town, watching all the little trick-or-treaters out our car window. It is a moment I will never forget. Neither one of us said anything. I silently wiped away the tears that were streaming down my face, and Steve held my hand a little tighter than normal. I had just had my second miscarriage that August and we had officially been trying to have a baby for over two years at that point. Even though there was no known reason why we couldn't get pregnant (or stay pregnant), our doctor had suggested just weeks before that we try Invitro (IVF). Anyone who has ever struggled with infertility knows how difficult it is to believe that you actually need to do IVF. It feels like a last resort...the end of the line. We were overwhelmed and scared. And watching those sweet little trick-or-treaters skip and twirl and run down the street just reminded us of what we didn't have...what we feared we may never have. And I can't tell you how desperately we wanted to walk down those streets with a little princess or batman, firefighter or fairy. I wanted it so much. I remember pleading with God that night, begging for the chance to trick-or-treat with my own sweet children someday.

This week, on a beautiful fall evening exactly five years after that sad night, I watched again, as two sweet little girls skipped and twirled and ran down the street, their wings flapping in the breeze. But this time, they were my girls - the children I had prayed for and pleaded God to send me. I know that five years ago when I was crying and sad, God already saw this day...this perfect day. He already knew how happy I would be. He already knew the blessings that were in store for Steve and I. And they are truly the most amazing blessings.


I have a lot more photos to share, but these are just two of my favorites. They seem kind of "dream like" and they remind me of my dreams from five years ago. But to be honest, even in my dreams I never thought I would be so happy to be their mother!