tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24904683899123451872024-03-13T15:01:23.536-04:00The Big Long Wait (Our Adoption Journeys)A blog about our journey through domestic infant adoption through Bethany Christian Services in SC. Through two separate adoptions, we are now parents to two beautiful, energetic, hysterical little girls!Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.comBlogger678125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-52069081047900175522019-05-06T22:10:00.001-04:002019-05-06T22:11:34.532-04:00A New Website! I mentioned that I've been working on something.... and it's finally time to roll it out. I have a new website!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kelleyelders.com/">www.kelleyelders.com</a> </span></div>
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Don't worry. This website will stay "live". All of the "old" posts from this website will still be here, but they are also over on the new site.<br />
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It's been mostly ready for quite a while now, but I've been so nervous to share it and put it out there. I kind of just had to make myself do it tonight. :) </div>
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I'll be posting there from now on so go check it out! </div>
Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-80134035451202623072019-02-17T16:38:00.000-05:002019-02-17T22:05:04.255-05:00Blogging on Adoption & KidsIf there are any people out there who still read this blog of mine, you probably feel like I've forgotten all about it. It's not that I've intentionally neglected this blog. I've probably pulled out my laptop 20 times to write a post and started typing, but never finished for one reason or another.<br />
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This blog was and is my kids baby book of sorts. I started it when we first turned in our initial paperwork for adoption. We had so many people constantly asking for updates, that starting a blog seemed like the best option. If you've ever adopted, you know how hard it can be to repeatedly get asked "Have you heard anything?" when you really haven't and don't have any exciting news to share. So this blog became my place to share news when there WAS news to share.</div>
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And then we were placed with Kate. I had so much fun sharing all of her "firsts" with anyone and everyone who would read - her first time rolling over, or sleeping through the night, her first bites of new foods, her first time crawling, then walking, then running. I got to share the first time she said "mama" and my heart exploded. </div>
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But I also got to share about finalizing her adoption, and about meeting with her birth parents. I got to share about how our relationship with them grew. I got to share about how we were the family who was completely terrified about the term "open adoption" and then we became the family who would never change the fact that we get to live that term every day. I got to share about how God grew our family and grew our hearts as we lived out His plan for us. </div>
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And then we decided to adopt again. </div>
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The second time around, we were terrified that we may NOT get to have an open adoption again. What would we do if we were selected by a birth family who did not want to have ongoing contact? How would we explain to our second child that he or she would not get to know their birth family, while still having regular visits and contact with Kate's birth family? </div>
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And then we were placed with Karsten and God answered all of our prayers in ways we could only have imagined. Karsten has an amazing birth family, which we've had the privilege of getting to know better over the past four years. </div>
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This blog was the place where I got to share all of Karsten's firsts - the first time meeting big sister, the first time rolling over, her first bites of new foods, her first time going to preschool, and her first hair cut. Again, this blog became a baby book and I have loved having it to look back on. </div>
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But now my kids aren't babies anymore, so this blog is in a bit of a transition itself. What do I share? What is its purpose? I honestly don't have the answers at the moment. I plan to continue sharing bits and pieces of our life. I plan to continue sharing about adoption, because it's something that I am clearly very passionate about. I don't want this blog to be a hobby that I had for a few years and then one day realize that it's been a year since I last wrote a post. Blogging is clearly not as in vogue as it once was, but for me blogging was never about being cool or popular. I wrote for myself. And that's the reason why I plan to continue doing it. </div>
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So until next time, here's a quick picture to remind me why I started in the first place: </div>
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Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-72431607649993605302019-02-14T23:15:00.000-05:002019-02-14T23:20:55.846-05:00Valentine's Day 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Happy LOVE day from our family to yours! Valentine's day is not one that Kevin or I really care all that much about. However, I can't pass up an opportunity to dress my girls in pink. </div>
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For the first time in years Kevin and I actually did make plans. Tomorrow we had a babysitter lined up, and we were headed to dinner at a nice downtown restaurant. And then, a virus hit our house. All plans now cancelled. </div>
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It happens. We'll reschedule for another time when everyone is healthy and have just as much fun. So, here's hoping your Valentine's day was healthy, fun, and full of laughter! </div>
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-27932428383421564192019-01-25T22:28:00.000-05:002019-01-25T22:28:58.416-05:00Life <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">By human standards, they were unexpected and unplanned. But God had a plan. They are loved and valued. They have a purpose and a future. We are forever thankful that their birth families chose LIFE.</span><br />
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Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-89241044258321195542019-01-09T21:25:00.003-05:002019-01-09T21:25:46.718-05:00Karsten's Love Language<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">** Note - Amazon Affiliate links are used at the bottom of this post.</span></i><br />
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A few years ago, I wrote a post about <a href="http://thebiglongwait.blogspot.com/2017/05/kateism.html" target="_blank">Kate's love language</a>. The premise of a "love language" comes from Gary Chapman's book <u>The Five Love Languages</u>, which makes the argument that we all show love in one of five ways:<br />
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<li>Gifts</li>
<li>Quality Time</li>
<li>Physical Touch</li>
<li>Acts of Service</li>
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Essentially, your default is to SHOW love to other people in the way that you most feel valued. The book does a better job of explaining it but it is SO interesting. Whether the relationship is with a spouse, a child, or just a friend, knowing how the other person feels valued can help you express your love or thankfulness to them. With Kate, I recognized pretty early on that her love language was Gifts. She would often (and still does) express her love for you by giving you small gifts or trinkets. She picks flowers, or draws pictures, or makes a craft and will give it to you to show you how much she loves you. Because of this, she feels most loved/valued when I give her gifts too (but seriously, who doesn't love a good gift). It doesn't have to be anything big or expensive though. Just giving her $2 to get a Kona Ice at school because she was a good friend to someone is a MAJOR motivator to her.<br />
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Karsten has been a little harder to figure out but lately I've come to realize that her love language is Words of Affirmation. She is not stingy with her compliments at all! She will constantly tell me:<br />
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"Mommy you're beautiful!"<br />
"Mommy I love you!"<br />
"Mommy I like to cuddle with you!"<br />
"Mommy this dinner is delicious!"<br />
"Mommy you're so good at _______!<br />
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I have to say, I like her love language a lot too. :) Come to think of it, I may just love all of them. Ha!<br />
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Now that I realize how Karsten feels loved, it's made me realize things that I may do or say and how her eyes light up a little more or how her smile gets a little bigger. A simple compliment goes a long way. A "thank you" goes a mile. A "great job!" gets a humongous smile. And wow, when we pray with the girls at night and thank God specifically for each one, you can tell it makes her day. <br />
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So if you haven't read Gary Chapman's book on Love Languages, I highly suggest it again! I'll link below the regular edition (which is what I have read) and also an edition for knowing/understanding the five love languages in children (which I haven't read).<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=ouadjobethbil-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=080241270X&asins=080241270X&linkId=d969b6a96a1bbb314b7d18bb21ba1291&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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</iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=ouadjobethbil-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0802412858&asins=0802412858&linkId=0e87550e4d3ba33252f4eb51ec988036&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>
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Meanwhile, I'll just soak up all of Karsten's sweet compliments and keep them close to my heart so I'll remember them during the teenage years!</div>
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Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-38108943788960091122019-01-07T22:44:00.004-05:002019-01-07T22:44:42.381-05:002018 Recap - Part Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
And here is the remainder of our 2018 recap. What a year. We are thankful for HIS blessings and His grace. </div>
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<li>VACATION month! I took a full two weeks off of work, which was awesome and something I'd never done before. We spent the first week in my home town, and had some day trips spread throughout the other week. We visited Raleigh, NC and Kate got to see the hospital where she was born, and stay in the hotel that we brought her "home" to. </li>
<li>We took a weekend trip to Myrtle Beach because summer isn't really summer without a trip to the beach, right? </li>
<li>Kate's birthday isn't until August but we celebrated a few weeks early. She had 2 friends over to spend the night for the first time. She LOVED it. </li>
<li>As is typical of every summer, we had lots of lake days. </li>
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<li> At the beginning of August, our entire family went on a mission trip to a children's home in Tennessee. This was Karsten's very first mission trip and she rocked it. I love it when we get to teach our girls more about serving others, and they have a blast doing it! </li>
<li>Kate turned SEVEN and we celebrated on the very last day of our mission trip. After we got home, we celebrated by going to Red Lobster with my parents. </li>
<li>The middle of August brought back to school activities for both Kate and Karsten. Kate started second grade and Karsten started her 3K program at a local church. </li>
<li>The girls also started back to gymnastics, one of their favorite activities. </li>
<li>Not to be left out, in August we also celebrated Kevin's birthday and our 11th anniversary.</li>
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<li style="text-align: left;">Though his birthday was in August (the 31st), we didn't really celebrate Kevin's big day until September!</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Kate went on her first 2nd grade field trip, which I chaperoned. We went to a state park and the kids got to go on a hike and try to find creatures in a stream. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">September got FOOTBALL season really rolling along. My Clemson Tigers have had a great year and Kevin's Georgia Bulldogs were right in the mix of things too! </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Kevin finished building the addition to the swing set, and it got lots of good use when our small group met at our house! </li>
</ul>
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<li>Karsten turned FOUR on October 6th and we had a super fun unicorn party to celebrate. She had asked for a unicorn party for months, and finally the day was here! </li>
<li>Kevin and I took the girls to a Georgia game (a night game!) and we all had so much fun. Despite my Clemson loyalties, I can at least concede that Athens is a fun place to be on game day. </li>
<li>Halloween rolled around and we had fun trick-or-treating with Violet (from the Incredibles) and Buzz Lightyear, complete with light-up helmet. </li>
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<li>November was not our finest month. We said goodbye to a great man, Kevin's dad and the girls much-loved Papa. He was a man who loved Jesus and so we take comfort in knowing that at this very moment, he is in the happiest place there is - in the presence of God. </li>
<li>We celebrated world adoption day and took our annual picture with smiley faces on our hands! I have to say, this is the easiest one that we have ever taken! Finally both kids look at the camera and smile. </li>
<li>We took the girls to the Great Wolf Lodge for a quick weekend trip. Besides Carowinds, this is probably their most favorite place to go!</li>
<li>My niece, Rylynn turned ONE and had the sweetest birthday party! </li>
<li>This Mama caved and introduced Elf on the Shelf for the very first time to our household. We had lots of fun with our elf, Chrysanthemum (Chrys), in the days leading up to Christmas. </li>
<li>Karsten had a scare with some broken glass so we also had our first (and hopefully our last) trip to the ER. </li>
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<li>December wrapped up our year with a bang and a blur of activities! We had a great visit with Kate's birth mom and family at the beginning of the month. It was bittersweet as Kate's birth mama (Lori) moves to California with her husband's military assignment. </li>
<li>We visited SANTA!</li>
<li>Mid-month, we got to visit with Kate's birth dad. He is in the military and has been deployed for the past few years and is now stationed in Texas, so it has been quite a while since we have seen him! We are so thankful to have met his wife, step children, and brand new baby boy! Open adoption is an amazing experience. </li>
<li>We did some Christmas tree decorating, Christmas cookie decorating, and LOTS of other Christmas related activities, including wearing red every chance we got. </li>
<li>We celebrated Christmas with lots of family time and loved every minute. </li>
<li>And through out all of the activities, fun, sometimes chaos, and busyness, we made sure to remember the reason for all of the Christmas season - Jesus. Without that baby in a manger, Christmas would be meaningless. It would be just another day on the calendar. But WITH that baby, Christmas is a celebration of a lifetime. Literally. He is a life-giver and a life-changer. For that we are most thankful!</li>
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Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-42132064209777163572019-01-01T22:35:00.002-05:002019-01-01T22:35:34.164-05:002018 Recap - Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yet again it is time for my yearly recap and again I'm blown away at how much gets packed into a single year. In the daily grind, it often feels like "same old, same old" but when you look back, you can see how much your family has experienced, and how much you have all grown (in so many different ways!) For my own personal reference, here's a quick bulleted list of what we were up to each month...</div>
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<ul>
<li>Snow Day in the SOUTH! We got snow uncharacteristically early for us, and rather than a light dusting, we got a LOT of snow. The girls had a blast playing in the snow, building snowmen, having snowball fights and just having FUN. </li>
<li>(Bottom left) - Kate decided she wanted to go get groceries with me for my Sunday afternoon grocery run, so she got a hot chocolate treat for her help!</li>
<li>(Bottom right & Bottom left/middle) - Karsten FINALLY got potty trained. It was a big day in our house when it meant no more diapers to be bought! What finally convinced her that it was time to be a big girl? Well, I promised that if she didn't have accidents for 5 whole days (ignoring nights), she could get a manicure. My girly-girl was perfect from then on so she could earn her treat! </li>
<li>College football continued for both me and Kevin when our two teams both made it to the College Football playoffs. Kate is a people pleaser, and had to wear both jerseys to support Mama and Daddy.</li>
</ul>
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<li>Kevin took Kate to her school's Daddy/Daughter dance, while I took Karsten on a "date" of her choice- Chick-fil-a. (She is my kid, so what do you expect?)</li>
<li>For the days of February leading up to Valentine's day, I put hearts on the door each day with one characteristic we love about each of our girls. They loved seeing what we wrote about them each day. This is definitely a fun tradition that we'll keep around.</li>
<li>Instead of the Pinterest route, we went the Disney route for Valentine's day and man it is SO much easier. Pre-made Valentines + a piece of candy = Mom win. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Kate's first basketball season came to an end. She had a BLAST playing with a local church's league, and scored the very first basket of the season. </li>
<li>We were able to get together with both Kate and Karsten's birth families all on the same day. We loved spending a bit of time with part of our extended family! </li>
<li>Kate lost her very first top tooth. She is quickly leaving the baby face behind. </li>
<li>Karsten got her very first hair cut. Again the girly-girl loved the experience (and attention). </li>
<li>We went from snow days in January to t-shirts and shorts in March. It has been a crazy year of weather.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Kate lost her other top tooth and was officially unable to eat an apple or corn on the cob. Ha!</li>
<li>We celebrated Easter as a family - the biggest celebration of our faith! God is good and while we celebrate a risen Savior every day of the year, it is especially meaningful to be able to corporately celebrate Jesus with believers around the world. </li>
<li>Kevin and I got tickets to the Masters and in the middle of my busy season at work, I was still able to take a break and enjoy Augusta National. SO very beautiful. </li>
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<li>Both girls started swim lessons, which are some of their favorite weeks of the year. My girls are fish and they LOVE the water. </li>
<li>Kate took her swim lesson skills to the lake and finally gathered the courage to dive off of my parent's dock. </li>
<li>I celebrated my 8th Mothers day. As an adoptive mom, this is an extra-sweet holiday to be able to celebrate. With the JOY of being a mom myself, there also comes a bit of heartbreak in knowing how much my girls first moms love them enough to choose life and adoption for their girls. These girls are a gift that we ALL get to share. </li>
<li>Karsten had her last day of PDO (Parent's Day Out) and I had to do a double check when I saw how much she changed between her first day and last day. She was super pumped that she would be moving into K3 in the fall. </li>
<li>We visited the Children's Museum and it was no surprise that the girls favorite exhibit was the music room, where they got to play all kinds of instruments. </li>
<li>With the weather all warmed up, we spent many days visiting my parents at the lake. </li>
<li>Kate had a delayed allergic reaction to her allergy shots a few hours after we left the doctor's office. We ended up at MD360 and learned that she had hit her max dosage on allergy shots. Scary but we can honestly say that after a year of weekly shots- they are working! </li>
<li>Kevin started building an addition on the girls playground. They spend lots of time outside and this will be a much used addition!</li>
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<li>My parents came to town to celebrate their anniversary and we met them downtown for lunch, along with Kristi, Davis and Rylynn. What a fun time! </li>
<li>Kevin celebrated his 8th Father's day. </li>
<li>Kevin finished the swing set addition, and the girls couldn't love it more! Except, Karsten informed Kevin that it was missing a door with a real doorknob. </li>
<li>You're not a real southern kid if you don't spend summer evenings catching lightening bugs, right? So that's just what we did - mason jar and all.</li>
<li>Another southern summer tradition? Sprinklers! We pulled out the sprinkler on many hot afternoons.</li>
<li>Kevin and I took Karsten (along with a church group) to watch the Braves play. It was our first visit to their new stadium and Karsten approved. </li>
<li>Kate finished FIRST grade. Again the first day and last day comparison killed me. </li>
<li>We resumed our family tradition of going to get ice cream after church on Wednesdays, since school nights were no more! </li>
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And guys, that's just HALF the year, and only a small glimpse of what we fit into our days. Stay tuned. I'm hoping to post the rest of the year tomorrow. What a fun year it has been. </div>
Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-48530293432916731152018-12-26T21:17:00.000-05:002018-12-26T21:17:30.394-05:00Christmas 2018As an update to my update, I will continue where I left off and repeat that life is crazy. Here's a quick recap of the last few months. We packed up our home of 11+ years and moved to my home town back in November, a few days after Kevin's dad passed away. And then a week later, we packed our house up again and moved back home. It's been chaos the last few weeks. But, we are home, finally unpacked and very thankful to be here. We don't know what God has in store for us yet, but we know He is a God who loves His children and wants to use them for His purposes, so we're waiting until He shows us how that will be!<br />
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But like I said, we were home for Christmas. My parents came up on Christmas eve and we went bowling with the kids. So. Much. Fun.<br />
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We went to Olive Garden to eat and celebrate mine and my brother-in-law's birthdays. Mine is on the 27th and his was the 20th. There's not much better than Italian food.<br />
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On Christmas day, we told the girls not to get up before 7:30. In truth, Kevin and I were really just trying to avoid having kids that wake up at 4am and beg to open presents. At 7am, we heard them in their room and went to check on them. They were sitting on the side of their bed, talking, and waiting on 7:30 to roll around. :) So, we let them go ahead and get up and open their presents.<br />
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At 8:30, my parents and Kristi, Davis and Rylynn came over to open family presents, eat breakfast and hang out.<br />
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Later that afternoon, my mother-in-law Diane came by with Kevin's grandma to say hello and let the girls show off their gifts. We are so thankful for them!<br />
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After a crazy busy day, we had a low key evening. We ended up eating dinner in the living room and watched The Star. If you haven't seen it, it's on Netflix right now and really, really cute. It's sort of the story of Jesus birth from the animal's perspective - but Jesus' birth is really 1 of 2 story lines. It is cute!<br />
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When the movie was over, Kate read aloud the Christmas story from Luke before the girls headed to bed. Perfect ending to a pretty fantastic day.<br />
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-18690123060613997762018-12-05T18:05:00.002-05:002018-12-05T18:05:22.625-05:00Update #2Well. Life is crazy, and yet again our family is in transition. We don't know what the future has in store for us, but we know that God is good and every day He sends us more reminders of who He is and how much He loves us. Reminders like this one:<br />
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See that dress that Karsten is wearing? It's the dress that Kate wore to court when we finalized Karsten's adoption almost 4 years ago to the day. Even when things are ridiculously crazy, if we pay attention, we can be thankful and grateful for God's provision and blessings. He is good!</div>
<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-91303963397618843352018-11-26T22:13:00.002-05:002018-11-26T22:13:51.760-05:00Long Overdue UpdateOh. My. Stars.<br />
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What a crazy, emotional, exhausting few weeks. So much has happened that I didn't know what to write. And then more happened, and I kept putting it off. But this is my diary of sorts, and I don't want to completely let this blog fall apart, so here I am. And I still don't know where to start...<br />
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Back in late October, Kevin accepted a position at a church in my hometown. We are excited and looking forward to being back in a smaller town. We are praying God will use our family as only He can do, and can't wait to get all settled in. But with big, exciting changes come some of the more difficult changes, like moving away from people and places that you love. <br />
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Two weeks ago we said goodbye to our church family for the past 14 years. It was one of the hardest things we have ever done. The following are two pictures from our last small group meeting. I've said this quite a few times, but it is just so true - if you go to a church but aren't in some kind of group (whether that is a small group, a life group, a home group or a Sunday school class), you're missing out! These people became our family and we will miss them (and others) so much. Our kids grew up with their kids. We found accountability and real connection. It was more than just meeting together for a Bible study. True fellowship.<br />
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When we started this small group, there were 3 kids and all were under the age of 3. Now look at them! There are lots more, and they are so grown up! </div>
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So on Sunday November 11th, Kevin preached his last message, we gave lots of hugs, there were lots of tears and as tradition, a ton of us went out to eat together afterward.<br />
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On Monday, Kevin's dad was discharged from the hospital and sent home with Hospice. So what was supposed to be a week of us moving and settling in, ended up being a week spent with family and trying to soak in every remaining minute with his dad and with the girls Papa. Thankfully our new church family was gracious to allow us to delay Kevin's start date an additional week, and we were able to be at home with family when Kevin's dad passed away the following Monday morning (November 19th).<br />
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Daddy/Papa was one of the kindest, most generous people you would ever meet. He raised 4 boys, loved his family and his grandkids (and even claimed a few as grandkids that weren't related to us). He always greeted you with a hug. He loved us well and we all loved him. He will be missed. </div>
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On Wednesday we said goodbye and Kevin was able to do his dad's funeral service. He wasn't sure he would be able to actually do it, so a fellow pastor led the service, but somehow Kevin made it almost all the way through. It was truly a celebration of life, knowing that Don loved his Lord and while we were grieving, was already celebrating in eternity with Jesus.<br />
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Thursday, Thanksgiving day, we packed up the rest of our house and spent Thursday/Friday/Saturday moving. We ate Thanksgiving lunch at McDonalds because it was the only thing open. Ha! But we did get a good meal on Thursday evening (thanks Mom and Dad!). <br />
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On Saturday we loaded the last boxes into our car and drove away from our very first home. Kevin and I were emotional but the girls were all ready for the next adventure. If only we could be a little more like kids sometimes, right? This is the only home that Kevin and I have lived in together. It's the home we went to after we got married. It's the home that we put so much work into - we cut down trees, graded the yard, spent YEARS trying to get grass to grow, planted shrubs and flowers and landscaping, and put in hours of work mulching ever year. It's the home where we got a puppy together (Max) and then 7 month later got another puppy (Cooper). It's the home that we welcomed both of our girls into, where we watched them take their first steps, try their first foods, and say their first words. It was the home that hosted a few Thanksgivings, where we woke up to 12 Christmas mornings. It's where our girls had egg hunts each Easter. It was home to so many "firsts" for us, and so many great memories. And on Thursday we will list it for sale so a new family can love it as much as we did. Cue the tears. Again.<br />
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Yesterday (Sunday), we woke up in our new town and attended our first service at our new church. The girls had a blast and made themselves at home immediately, like we were pretty sure they would. They are good at things like that. We were welcomed by lots of new friends and shook hands with more people than I could count. We all had a great day and are excited for the future.<br />
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But boy, are we tired. I told someone that after the last 7 days, I think I could go to sleep for about 3 weeks!<br />
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And so here we are and now I'm all caught up in blog land. We are here and even though our boxes are still everywhere waiting to be unpacked, we are home. And we are thankful.<br />
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OH YEAH - I almost forgot. The girls started their new schools today. Kate is in 2nd grade and Karsten started daycare, which is a new adventure for her! If this doesn't show excited faces, then I don't know what does.<br />
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-6898453716376281732018-11-03T19:57:00.000-04:002018-11-03T19:57:49.012-04:00Halloween 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Halloween 2018 did not disappoint. It was, however, one of the first years where we did not have a Disney Princess in tow. This year's theme was super heroes and what could be more fun? Kate had determined that she was going to be Violet (from The Incredibles) and Karsten wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. </div>
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Kristi and Davis brought Rylynn over for a few pictures and to eat dinner with us before we headed out for trick or treating. Here is the sweet little lamb with our two super heroes.<br />
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We ended up going to a local church's trunk-or-treat with friends and had so much fun. It was great to be in one centralized place to let the kids run around from trunk to trunk, play games and eat candy. <br />
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-35869901955934242622018-10-21T20:31:00.001-04:002018-10-21T20:31:23.942-04:00Dawgs 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Karsten's birthday was a crazy busy day because not only did we celebrate her BIG with a unicorn party in the morning, but we headed to Athens in the afternoon to watch the Dawgs play football. We got tickets and planned it last minute, so had we thought it through a little more we probably would have decided that it was too much to pull off in one day. I'm glad we DIDN'T think it through though, because we had a blast. Our kids love football games and they thrive on the excitement of being at a college game. </div>
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Here they are, all ready to go! We thought they would nap on the way there since it was afternoon and we had a few hours in the car. That didn't work out like we hoped but wasn't really a big deal. We got to Athens, loaded Karsten in the stroller, and then started walking over toward the stadium. </div>
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It was a night game and we stayed until the beginning of the 4th quarter. Kate was ticked that it was time to leave. She LOVED it and was so into the game. She made me proud! Karsten on the other hand....</div>
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Let's just say that she liked everything up to the point of the football game actually starting. And then she didn't care about it at all. She was really good though, and I came prepared with the Leap Pad and coloring books, and of course tons of snacks. I know my girl well. And she's newly 4, so it's not like I really expected her to sit and watch a game. She did great! </div>
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We had SO MUCH FUN. This has inadvertently become a family tradition to go to one Georgia game a year, and I love it. Now we have to figure out which Clemson game to get over to this year! :)Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-65493177623754897072018-10-14T22:03:00.002-04:002018-10-14T22:03:41.595-04:00A Unicorn Party for a FOUR Year OldWhat little girl doesn't like unicorns? I mean it's the best of both worlds - horses and fairy tales. Naturally, Karsten decided that's what kind of birthday party she wanted and that's exactly what kind of party she got. So here's a little peek of our morning last Saturday, as we celebrated Karsten with all-things-unicorn. <br />
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-41186339875284695382018-10-07T14:30:00.000-04:002018-10-07T14:30:09.844-04:00Karsten is FourYesterday, the baby of our family turned FOUR. I'm still in denial.<br />
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We spent the day celebrating her and had So. Much. Fun. I'll write about it later, but for now I wanted to take a minute to put down on paper (screen?) what Karsten is like at 4 years old.<br />
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Karsten is the most on-the-move kid that I have ever been around. She is constantly running, jumping, skipping, hopping, twirling, bouncing, spinning, or SOMETHING. Walk is not a word in her vocabulary. She has wanted a watch like Kate's for months now, so she can track her steps. Kate has NOT wanted Karsten to get a watch because she said Karsten would beat her in steps every single day. I mean, when a seven year old realizes that you are active, you know it is true!<br />
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She is always smiling. Unless she is in trouble, she almost always has a smile on her face or is laughing at something.<br />
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She is so sensitive. When she DOES get in trouble, she takes it hard. A few weeks ago before church, she drew on our brand new refrigerator with an invisible ink pen that Kate bought at school. You could still sort of see where it was, but it wasn't a huge deal. The ink was washable so I just wiped it off, but I did have a talk with her about drawing on things and that we only draw on paper. I barely even fussed at her but she took it SO HARD and cried and cried about ruining our fridge. I calmed her down and showed her that it was okay and we fixed it. At bedtime, we were praying and she interrupted to say "Dear God, please forgive me for drawing on Mommy's refrigerator." <br />
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She is girly. She loves painted fingernails and toenails and would have me redo hers every day if I would (but I won't). She loves to watch hair shows on TV (Sunny Day on Nick Jr). She's always asking for her hair to be braided, or have twists or pig tails. A few nights a week we have started doing what the girls call "family movie night", where we just watch Little House on the Prairie together as a family. Karsten loves to sit beside me and comb and braid my hair. It's just her thing.<br />
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She loves her big sister with her whole heart and wants to be JUST like her. She'll even tell you that. I'll sometimes ask "Karsten, why do you want to ______?" and she will answer "Because Kate does and I want to be like Kate."<br />
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She is sassy, silly, sweet, cuddly and we sure do love her so. Happy birthday, Karsten. You are FOUR.<br />
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-70179331308386022062018-09-11T18:07:00.000-04:002018-09-11T18:07:27.343-04:00Painting Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These pictures are pretty old. I'm talking at least 2-3 months old. Yikes! But, since I print this blog out into a book each year, I didn't want to miss including them and remembering these moments. Kate has had this easel since she was 2 or 3 years old and it has gotten a LOT of use. However, the mean mom that I am, we don't use paint inside the house very often. So in the summer, I drag the easel outside and let the girls have at it. This was one of those days. Seeing how much fun they have doing this, I'm going to make a point of dragging it outside more often!</div>
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(PS- I promise Karsten has shorts on under her oversized t-shirt!)</div>
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-64852941328138331142018-09-10T22:28:00.002-04:002018-09-10T22:28:33.344-04:00Dream SmallI've posted before about songs - like that time I wrote about Johnny Diaz song Breathe <a href="http://thebiglongwait.blogspot.com/2016/01/best-good.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I'm in the car about an hour each morning - from the time I leave my house, take Kate to school, and roll into the parking garage at work it's been a solid hour. Kate and I talk for the first little bit, but then I've got some time to myself to listen to podcasts (yes, I'm one of those people!) or listen to music. Thank heavens for XM radio.<br />
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About once a year I hear a song that just gets stuck in my head. It's usually a song that resonates with me for one reason or another and lately I've got a few of those. This one is one of my favorites at the moment, and it's basically a subject that I've blogged about on more than one occasion in the past few years. (Remember <a href="http://thebiglongwait.blogspot.com/2016/04/you-cant-have-it-all-or-can-you.html" target="_blank">this post</a>?) If you haven't heard this song before, pull up YouTube and listen in. What a great reminder about how important the "small things" are in life. They change the world.<br />
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Dream Small, by Josh Wilson:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>It's a momma singing songs about the Lord<br /> It's a daddy spending family time<br /> That the world said he cannot afford<br /> These simple moments change the world</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i> It's a pastor at a tiny little Church<br /> Forty years of loving on the broken and the hurt<br /> These simple moments change the world</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i> Dream small<br /> Don't buy the lie you've gotta do it all<br /> Just let Jesus use you where you are<br /> One day at a time<br /> </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Live well<br /> Loving God and others as yourself<br /> Find little ways where only you can help<br />With His great love<br /> A tiny rock can make a giant fall<br /> Dream small </i></span></blockquote>
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<i><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-81316659498691017492018-09-06T21:26:00.001-04:002018-09-06T21:26:08.189-04:00Officially a Pre-SchoolerThe past month has been filled with lots of "first day of _____"s. Last week was Karsten's first few days of preschool. She has been so excited and looking forward to this day. It did not disappoint!<div>
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She will happily tell you that her teacher is Mrs. Bradshaw and she is in the jungle room! The first day of school, I walked her into her classroom and I am pretty sure I didn't even get a "bye mom!". She just took right off into the room and left me standing there. Ha!</div>
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The next day, Kevin took her to school and dropped her off in the car line, where she walked in like the big girl that she is. Baby no more!</div>
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She's just in 3K and only going to school 2 days a week, but I know these will be 2 fun-filled days for her! So far, she has loved it! I can't wait to see how much she learns.</div>
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Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-27569587612979993532018-08-29T22:11:00.001-04:002018-08-29T22:11:31.526-04:00Second Grade GirlLast week, Kate started second grade! Time is a thief!<br />
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She was so excited because second grade is upstairs at her school, so she really feels like a big kid. However, when we actually got in the car to drive over there, I could tell she was getting a little nervous. (So unlike her!)</div>
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The last 2 years, she's wanted me to drop her off in the car line on the first day and just be on my way. Both years I've told her that I "needed" to help her carry her school supplies in. Ha! Really, this mama just needed to do some mama stuff while I still can. </div>
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On this day though, she said "Mama, you're gonna walk me in, right?" </div>
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Yup, sweet girl. I sure am.</div>
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She found her seat, with crayons and a coloring page, saw some friends, and was good to go. So far we've done this 2nd grade thing a solid week, and seem to be off to a good start! Here's to a happy year filled with lots of good learning!</div>
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Oh and then after I dropped her off, I had to take a picture of what "back to school" looks like for all the non-students out there. This was my morning commute to work. Man, the summer drive to work is so much easier!</div>
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Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-15659460685416686682018-08-25T20:51:00.001-04:002018-08-27T21:12:24.264-04:00Mission Trip 2018At the beginning of August, our church always goes on a mission trip to Wears Valley Ranch in TN. It is a children's home and we do all kinda of projects. Basically, we do whatever they need. Landscaping? We'll do it. Roofing? We'll do it. Picking potatoes in the garden? We'll do it. Staining tables/benches? Yep. You get the idea.<br />
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It's a trip that started out for our youth group but has expanded to include parents and any (little) kids that they want to bring and be responsible for. I mean it IS a children's home so they definitely don't have a problem with us bringing kids.<br />
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Kate has gone 3 years in a row now, and for the first time ever, we brought Karsten. I love that we get to teach our kids about serving others in a tangible way that they can play a real part in.<br />
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Anyway, I'll leave you with just a FEW pictures. It's just a small snapshot of what we did all week but if I included every picture that I have from the trip, you'd still be scrolling next week.<br />
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First, here's a look back at the last 4 years of mission trips. Bottom right is 2015, bottom left is 2016, top right is 2017 and top left is 2018.<br />
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On the first day, some of the girls helped with staining benches that the campers use around the campfires in the evenings.<br />
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We had to check out the horses- so beautiful! </div>
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When we drove IN to Pigeon Forge, Karsten saw the big ferris wheel and that is all she could talk about for days. So on Thursday, we had some free time and took some of the kids to ride. This girl was in heaven.</div>
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Both of our kids worked hard (relatively speaking). There were a few trees down that needed to be cut up and cleared. Karsten helped gather up the smaller twigs and branches. </div>
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Kate took a turn with the blower and "helped" blow leaves. </div>
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This place is beautiful, and we love coming here each year. This church building was barely a shell last year. One of our jobs last year was to spread pea gravel underneath the foundation. Just a small part, but look at what it is now. So beautiful in fact, that one of our couples got engaged on the front steps of this building during our trip! </div>
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-87443801486153671352018-08-21T21:51:00.002-04:002018-08-21T21:51:57.854-04:00Celebrate KateEarlier this summer, toward the end of July, we gave Kate two options for her birthday party. We told her we could have a big party at home, and invite all of her friends and family. OR, she could pick 2 friends to spend the night for her first ever sleepover.<br />
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Honestly I thought it was a toss up as to which she would pick. She struggles with making decisions. So much that you can ask her something like "Which is your favorite, red or pink?" and she won't decide. She will say they are BOTH her favorite.<br />
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So I had no clue which one she would decide to go with, but in the end, she decided to have a sleepover. And it was so much fun.<br />
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We got pizza.<br />
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We had birthday cake (of course). </div>
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We caught lightening bugs. </div>
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And played lots of basketball. </div>
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We had ice cream sundaes with ALLLLLLL the toppings. And of course, movies on the living room floor. </div>
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They stayed up WAY late (no surprise) until I made them turn the TV off and go to sleep. And then, they were all up by 6am the following morning. So we hit up Chic-Fil-A so they could eat and blow off some energy in the playground.</div>
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Later that day, Kevin and I took the girls to a local waterpark. </div>
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So much fun. Kate loved it and the next day, she was already asking when she could do it again! We loved celebrating our girl and her big SEVENTH birthday. </div>
<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-31850005773345799892018-08-10T21:58:00.000-04:002018-08-10T21:58:11.618-04:00Kate is SevenToday is Kate's day, and she is officially a seven year old! <div>
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I promise it feels like the days, months, and years are going by at a faster pace than they did in years past. A few weeks we were visiting the city where she was born and Kevin and I were reminiscing about when she was a tiny newborn. It feels like yesterday. In a few weeks, she will be a second grader. </div>
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Kate is kind hearted and a nurturer. I can see her being a doctor or a nurse as she gets older. When Karsten (or anyone) is hurt, she is the first to ask to see their boo boo, and the first to try to find a band aid. A few weeks ago, I wasn't feeling so great so instead of cooking, Kevin was going to run out and get dinner with the kids. Kate just assumes that if you don't feel good, it means your stomach hurts, so before they left she went and got me a trash can and a coke, just in case I needed them. (I really just had a headache but I love that she thought of me.)</div>
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She loves babies, little kids, and despite her allergies, she loves animals. She watches Wild Kratz on PBS all the time, as well as animal videos on YouTube. Kevin and I often get filled in on random trivia about all kinds of animals. </div>
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She is independent and strong willed - both traits that can serve her well as an adult but cause many battles in our house over who is in charge! I think the teenage years will be interesting...</div>
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But because of her independence, I can see her telling me that I'm not allowed to walk her into school on the first day this year. Hey - she actually tried that with me last year but I told her that in first grade, it's required for parents to walk you in. Ha! I mean, I needed at least one more year to do that- for me, not her!</div>
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She is my girl, the one that made me a mama. She is the first baby that kept me up all night long, the first one I rocked to sleep, the first one that I got to see roll, then crawl, then walk and run. I love her so and while I wish each year would last a little longer, I also can't wait to see who she grows up to be. </div>
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Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-34148814936187392222018-08-04T22:08:00.001-04:002018-08-04T22:08:12.874-04:00Vacation 2018 - Part 4 (Beach)Toward the end of our vacation, we decided to go to the beach. We found a great resort area in Myrtle Beach and decided to spend a few days there to round out our trip. Myrtle Beach isn't typically the sort of place that Kevin or I would choose. We like the laid back, almost deserted, no-traffic, relaxing kind of beaches. Myrtle Beach is not that. But, the kids love it. To them, Myrtle Beach is excitement and fun so that's where we went.<br />
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All in all, this was a great addition to our vacation. We did relax some. The girls had a blast. We spent some good quality time together. Can't ask for a better end to our vacation.</div>
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-89647376026983738432018-08-01T18:08:00.001-04:002018-08-01T18:09:14.550-04:00Vacation 2018 - Part 3 (Lake Days)After our quick trip to Raleigh, we came back to my parent's lake house and just had a few low key days. We went to the park...<br />
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Of course we played in the lake...</div>
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(Karsten is a tree climber, if you haven't noticed. Doesn't matter if the tree has limbs she can reach or if she can't, she'll find a way to climb it.)</div>
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We walked around downtown and checked out the topiaries. </div>
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We went to a local splash pad, drove to a nearby town for pizza, went to another town to go to the mall, and generally just had fun together!</div>
<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-36174610839957116882018-07-23T21:55:00.000-04:002018-07-23T22:04:00.580-04:00Vacation 2018 - Part 2 (Raleigh)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
By chance, Karsten was born in the city that we currently live. It was 100% coincidence because with adoption, almost all personal information of birth families and adoptive families is private. So when we were chosen to be Karsten's parents, her birth mom had no idea where we lived. We could have been anywhere in SC. When we got the call that she had been born, we only had a 15 minute drive to get to the hospital! </div>
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Since Karsten was born local to us, we pass by her hospital regularly. She often yells out and points "Hey! That's where I was born!" Kate, however, had never been back to the place where she was born. </div>
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So, next up on our family vacation was a trip to a city that is very special to us. It's the place where Kevin and I became parents - Raleigh, NC. </div>
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We visited the hospital where she was born. </div>
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We ended up staying at the very same hotel where we brought Kate "home" from the hospital.</div>
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We potentially stayed in the very same room. Ha! We know we stayed on the same floor and side that we were on nearly seven years ago, but have no idea if it is the exact same room or not. How crazy would that be though.<br />
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What a difference (almost) 7 years make! Kate sure looks a bit different, but the hotel decor remains the same. This was about 5 minutes after we walked into this room with our newborn. It was pretty much the moment where we realized "what in the world are we supposed to do now?".</div>
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We also took her by the hotel where we spent 10 days with her, while waiting on NC and SC ICPC paperwork to go through so we were allowed to travel home.<br />
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It was a quick trip, but totally worth it. Now our girl knows where she was born, and where she spent her first few weeks of life. Our first memories as parents were in this city and it will always mean so much to us because of that. </div>
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2490468389912345187.post-66832113970381654102018-07-22T16:05:00.000-04:002018-07-22T16:05:31.913-04:00Vacation 2018 - Part 1 (Lake)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've got some catching up to do! I mentioned in my last post that I took an extra long vacation this year. We split the time up over a few different locations, but started off vacation at my parent's lake house. Because this was the weekend before the 4th of July, there were a lot of things going on in my little home town. </div>
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The lake is always the place to be on the 4th, and the weather was perfect. The girls (and I) got in some good tubing before the lake got too choppy with all of the boats. </div>
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Kate has determined she wants to be a professional tuber and has no fear when it comes to the lake. </div>
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And of course, Karsten wants to be JUST like Kate. She's too little for me to let her tube by herself, or tube with only Kate. She and I went a few times and she will wear you out! She doesn't really get that she has to hold on, so I had the task of keeping both Karsten and myself from falling off. </div>
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We made a quick pit stop for gas and popsicles. </div>
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Karsten is still in the napping stage and since we were out on the boat all day long, she missed her nap, but snuck it in on Daddy's lap.</div>
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Saturday, there was a huge 4th of July festival, complete with rides, games, food, and music. We went to check it out but it was a thousand degrees outside and I'm only slightly exaggerating. The kids had a blast. I think we sweat off about 5 lbs each. </div>
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Then Saturday evening, we took the boat out to the middle of the lake to watch a fireworks show at a different festival/event. I may be from a small town, but they know how to make a big deal of holidays. :) </div>
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The fireworks really were great, but it always seems like it is pretty much impossible to get a good picture of them. Just trust me. They were good.</div>
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See all of those dots/lights in a row? Those are boats. There were a million of them. We stayed right outside of our cove so we didn't get in the middle of all of that! I may have had a panic attack if we'd tried. </div>
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And that was just the first few days of our vacation! It was definitely off to a great start!</div>
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<br />Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02484412667691613024noreply@blogger.com1