Vacation 2018 - Part 2 (Raleigh)

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!  

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. 

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. 

We visited the hospital where she was born. 

We ended up staying at the very same hotel where we brought Kate "home" from the hospital.

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.

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?".

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.

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. 

Vacation 2018 - Part 1 (Lake)

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.  

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. 

Kate has determined she wants to be a professional tuber and has no fear when it comes to the lake. 

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. 

We made a quick pit stop for gas and popsicles. 

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.

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. 

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. :)  

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.

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. 

And that was just the first few days of our vacation! It was definitely off to a great start!

Sabbat: to rest

Have you ever needed a "reset" in your life?  Maybe just a little time to pause, reflect, rest, relax and enjoy the blessings you have been given?

No? So that's just me?

Recently I helped lead a women's Bible study at my church by Priscilla Shirer called Breathe.  The entire study focused around making time for the Sabbath.  The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word "sabbat", which literally means "to pause".  By studying the Sabbath, we didn't spend our time talking about a specific day of the week. However, we spent 5-6 weeks digging into how vital Sabbath rest is in our lives.  In fact, it's so important that God gave us an example of its importance right in the very beginning of it all.

God spent 7 periods of time on creation and on that very period of time, what did He do?  He rested. He didn't need rest for Himself. God CREATED rest on that seventh day- for us!  It was an example of what we need.

On the seventh day God had finished His work of creation, so He rested from all His work. (Genesis 2:2)

(If you're looking for a great Bible study, I highly recommend this one. It's is about creating space in all areas of your life - not just with time!)

Anyway, life has been crazy lately and I really just needed some time to do all of the above. Pause. Reflect. Relax. Rest. And for the first time ever, I took 2 full weeks off of work.

We borrowed my parent's lake house for a bit, took a few day trips, made a quick trip to the beach, and spent a lot of time together as a family. It was needed and it was great.

And you know?  I'm really learning that the when the Bible tells us that we need something, and when God actually creates that specific thing for us, and when He gives us an example of it Himself, that kinda means it is important.

What does it say about us when we think that we know better than God?  Why are we (Moms especially) so convinced that we need to do more, work more, make more, serve more, sweat more, live more, spend more, or BE more, when God has already told us that He is enough.

We think we can do ALL. THE. THINGS.

• We're the room moms 
• We're the schedule keepers
• We're our kids sports coaches 
• We always feel like we have to sign up to bring things
• We make dinner 
• We teach Sunday school 
• We take sick kids to the doctor
• We remember to cut the crusts off the sandwiches
• We are the taxi driver to all of our kids functions
• We wouldn't dare miss an awards ceremony 
• Or a poetry picnic
• Or a school field trip
• Or an end of year performance
• We're the sippy cup filler 
• We're the birthday party planner 
• We throw baby showers for our friends 
• We're the holiday present buyer
• We bring dinner to the new moms

I mean I'm just stopping there because the list could go ON AND ON AND ON. And that list doesn't even mention our 8-5 jobs, for those of us that work outside of the home too.  

But somehow we think we can do it all and we continue to pack our schedule and our lives with things that don't do anything but wear us out. Sure those are all good and important things, but we can't do them all.  We weren't created to work 24/7.  We need rest.

Because you know what? When we're so busy running from here to there, and doing this and that, we never have a moment to pause and soak in the goodness of God.  We never have a chance to reflect on what He has given us and how He has blessed us.  I don't know about you, but when I'm jumping from one thing to the next, and trying to keep all of the balls in the air, I'm surely not whispering "thank you" to Him.  In fact, my attitude is FAR from thankful.

When we're THAT busy, we're not worshiping him.

So maybe you want to join me in making an effort to create time in our schedules to sabbat, or pause, each week.  Maybe we can't let our kids play 4 sports and take music lessons. Maybe we can't sign up to bring something every time our kid's teacher sends out a request. Maybe we can't coach the soccer team this year. Maybe we need to ask for help (gasp!).  Whatever you have to do to make it work, let's make sure that our lives are not so packed full of things, that we forget what truly matters.

"Sabbath-keeping: Quieting the internal noise so we hear the still small voice of the Lord. Removing the distractions of pride so we discern the presence of Christ." -Eugene Peterson

K & K's Clubhouse

When Kate was around 1 and a half, we bought a used wooden swing set off of Craigslist. It was perfect - for a 1 year old.  Over the years both Kate and Karsten have loved it, but honestly, they've outgrown it. We kept saying that we would add on to the set, but never really got around to it. Sounds like life, huh?

Well, back in April I was on Facebook and saw someone in my hometown post an ad for a spiral slide for sale for $50.  They are usually hundreds and hundreds of dollars, so I quickly said that I wanted it without even talking to Kevin.  Clearly everyone else saw the value too because the lady told me I was like 10th in line and she'd only posted it 5 minutes earlier!

Anyway, long story short, she sent me a message the next morning and said that they had gotten tons of messages, with people saying that would pay way over the asking price, but since I was next on the list that I was welcome to come get it. Um, yes please.  So after church that morning, Kevin and I drove to pick this slide up.  And then that gave us (Kevin) the motivation to get the swing set addition rolling.

So without further ado, here is Kevin's masterpiece. Karsten has started calling it her Clubhouse.

This was all him.  I mean I helped hold things, and probably put in my opinion a little more than he wanted, but he came up with and basically built it all himself.  The girls are IN LOVE. 

Today after church, we added a little plastic kitchen set and I mean, their faces say it all. (Sorry for the blurry/dark iPhone pic.)

We got them changed out of their dresses and then it was back outside to play. 

Probably one of the best things about this is that the entire thing is in the shade pretty much all day long. I can see lots and lots of fun being had out here over the next few years. 

Father's Day 2018

I don't often write blog posts about Kevin.  Usually this cyber space of mine is filled with little updates on the girls; their milestones, school progress, and development.  And of course, I give updates about our open adoptions and what those look like since let's be honest, that's probably why most of you are here reading in the first place.

Today is Father's Day though so I want to take a moment to share this guy.  He is my best friend. He's the one that encourages me and motivates me.  He knows that when I have problems, I don't usually want him to give me an answer; I just want him to listen.  He knows that candy is my love language, and he'll fill my snack drawer at work with kit-kats, twix and snickers every busy season. Hey - unless you are a tax accountant, don't judge!  He's my person and today is his day.

Kevin is hands down, the best Daddy ever for Kate and Karsten.  He is a provider for our family and takes care of us in more ways than we can count. He grew up having very little and so his mentality has always been a "do it myself" kind of mentality.  If there is something that he can do (or something that he can look on YouTube and figure out how to do), he will do it.  He is handy.  He will change the oil in our cars, rotate our tires, and do all kinds of car stuff that I know nothing about. He builds swing sets for our girls, tucks them into bed at night, and reads them stories. And the icing on the cake?  He knows how to fix BOTH of their hair in the morning. He's pretty great.  And we love him.

First Grade Completed!

On Wednesday morning, I drug Kate out of bed for school for the last day of her first grade year. Nearly every school morning has been the same, so I'm pretty concerned at what the teenage years my hold!  It's not like she is a late sleeper, she just doesn't like to be woken up (but who really does??)

She specifically asked to wear a dress for her last day of school.  Love my girly girl!

In the past year, Kate has learned a crazy amount with her awesome teacher.  Her reading level just keeps going up, she loves math, but of course her favorite part of the day is recess!  They've done tons of science experiments and I often find myself riding with Kate in the car and hearing "Mom, did you know __________".  Up until this year, it was usually things that I DID know but lately, the kid knows more than me! 

What a difference a year makes! 

And on the very first day of summer break, Kate was up out of bed and watching TV before my alarm clock even went off.  Typical, huh?  Such is the life with kids.

Happy summer, y'all!

Friday Favorites

I thought I'd do a quick catch-up of some of my favorite things that have been happening around our household in the last few weeks.

First up is the swing set addition.  For a while now, Kevin and I have said that we wanted to expand the swing set because Kate was sort of starting to outgrow it and we knew that Karsten would be in the same situation before too long. I found this purple tube slide on a Facebook buy/sell site for $50 and knew I couldn't pass it up! Because our weekends are always filled with activities (or laundry), we spent a few week nights and got most of the addition built. The girls love it so much! We still have to add a roof (and in this picture, the floor wasn't done yet). When we're finished, there will be sort of a clubhouse on the bottom and they will have a roof on the top.  We're determined to have kids that love to play outside. And even if they don't love it, at least they'll have somewhere to go when we tell them that they HAVE to play outside for a while.

FINALLY it is warm enough to start our after church tradition on Wednesday nights.  Last summer we started taking the girls to get ice cream after church on Wednesdays pretty often. We'll sometimes go to Dairy Queen or Sonic. These pictures weren't on a Wednesday night but just a random weeknight. We'd eaten dinner and Kate had already put on her PJ's to get ready for bed when we told them to go load up in the car. I think they approved.

I lead a women's small group Bible study that meets about 3 times per year.  We do 6-8 week studies and meet in the fall, winter and early summer on Mondays at 8pm. It is such a great time of fellowship. I'm so excited for our upcoming Bible study that starts next week! I can tell you, this is one that I definitely need. I mean just listen to the descriptive of the study: 

Women today are in bondage to busyness. One of the greatest challenges among women in our culture is taking time to cease from all the activities and just breathe. We constantly strive to complete the limitless to-do lists that hinder us from experiencing all that God has for us. This June we'll be starting a 6 week study by Priscilla Shirer called "Breathe" to explore how we can build margin into our lives for God. If you are weary, worn out, and exhausted, the concept of Sabbath will change your life.

Kevin and I are part of a small group for 20's and 30's.  We have been together for so long, this has actually turned into the "20's, 30's and then some" small group since some people have aged out!  Anyway, Kate caught a yucky stomach bug that had been going around and so she and I missed our last meeting before we break for the summer.  It was Mexican night (my favorite!) and thankfully our sweet friends sent home food for me so I didn't miss out!

Karsten has become the queen of excuses for getting out or bed at night.  You name it, she has used it.  On this night she said she needed some cuddles, so who am I to complain about that? I mean she isn't going to want them for too much longer so I better take them while I can and just ignore the fact that it was 10:30pm. 

Kate and Karsten will soon be wrapping up swim lessons for the year and yet again they have had a BLAST.  Here they are, ready for their 2nd to last lesson!

Ever have a song that just speaks to you every single time you hear it? This is one of those for me. I love it. 

Y'all.  Last Wednesday as we were leaving church, I got a taste of the teenage years. I looked over to see Kate (who is SIX), propped up against a car, talking to her friend Connor.  They are 4 months apart in age and go back and forth between being best friends, and fighting like cats/dogs. You'd think they were siblings.  

And that's just a taste of what's going on around here. Life is busy, but FULL in the best possible ways. And just THREE more days till summer break! Woohoo.