The Legacy Begins

A couple months ago I mentioned some BIG news in our house.  D was chosen to be on Cabinet. 

It's a big deal simply because you get a shirt with your name on it, plus you get to speak at assemblies and over the intercom at school.  Maybe it's because I'm a ham, but I've always LOVED microphones. 

I'm proud to say, that while we have no shared DNA, we do share a love of all microphones.  We were both equally excited when D was chosen to have a speaking part at her first assembly last week. 

I actually got a bit choked up to see her doing this:

She stood there with poise and confidence.  As I looked over to her mom, I knew I had the same look of proud on my face.

D, we are SO proud of you.  Can't wait to see you do your first skit.  Love you sweet girl.

We Did Some Decorating

I thought, since I love Christmas decorations, that I would give you a tour of our home.  Plus, The Nester is hosting a tour of homes today.  I figured I would be better late than never.

The buffet in our dining room is full of fun stuff:  a present-shaped cookie jar, a reindeer name plate, a pretty candle, a frame with our Christmas picture in it and my favorite find, a cake stand with a verse from Luke on it.

Every year we have a birthday cake for Jesus, so I thought this would be a perfect way to display it.

This year I've also caught the quilting bug.  I saw this pattern by Sandy Gervais and I just had to do it.  It's called Adoring and it was so easy.


 

It's in my dining room so everyone can see it.

I love our tree.  It's a Martha Stewart tree, but you can't really tell it's not real.  Except for no smell and no needles, which is perfect for me.  I was informed by Zoe that WE.HAVE.TO.HAVE.A.STAR. on the top.  That's next year's plan.

We can't forget the actual nativity.  It's a Little People kind, which is so fun to play with.

We don't actually have a mantel, so the stockings are hung on the window with care.

A wreath from N's childhood!

A snowman star over our laundry room door.

A little bling for the kitchen.



Hop over to The Nester to check everyone else out.

The ATL Meets the GEG

My sophomore year of college wasn't too exciting.  I had contemplated not returning to Western Baptist because of some rules that I didn't agree with.  My mom told me that she wasn't paying for an extra year of college if all my credits didn't transfer, so I was stuck.  I went back not the happiest camper. 

One afternoon while I was working on a paper or maybe playing solitaire, I got a knock on the door.  It was a girl from down the hall asking if I wanted to run an errand with her.  Steph was someone I had always thought seemed like a super fun person, but was always imtimidated to talk to because she knew EVERYONE!  That day she asked me to run an errand with her.  I got her in Ford Fiesta and she threw a baggie on my lap.  As I unwound the baggie, I asked her where we were going.  She said, "Petsmart!"  As she said that I looked at the baggie and noticed a dead fish inside. 

"He jumped the tank and died, but he's under warranty so we're going to get another one."  I sat in the car, holding that dead fish, seeing spots and freaking out on the inside because there was only a small layer of plastic separating me from a fish carcass.  I kept my cool because I really wanted to be friends with Steph.  That is how Steph and I became friends.  It's a story that I was able to retell at her wedding and will share with all her children and grandchildren.  It's so touching, how could it not be shared?

After she got married to her amazing husband, she moved to Atlanta since that's where he lived.  I tried to talk her into a long-distance marriage so she would stay close, but obviously she really loves Kendall!  It's rare that we get to see each other because neither of us have private jets (which is a great Christmas idea!  We only need one between the two of us!).  When she came up to see her grandparents, I took a day off, loaded Zoe into the car and drove to wherever they would be. 

It was well worth it!  We got to spend time with Steph and her beautiful girls. 

It is such a blessing to have a friend that no matter the physical distance or the length of time between phone calls, we can still connect, still catch-up like it's only been a short while.  We've always said that our girls would be BFFs and guess what, they totally are!  They didn't even need a fish carcass to do it.  Progress!

Steph,

Thank you for being the friend I can always count on, no matter where each of us are.   Thank you for your constant support, encouragement and Modern Family quotes.  I'm not sure how many friends can form a live-long friendship over a dead fish carcass.  Honestly, you're the only person I'd ever touch a baggie with a dead fish in it for! 

I'm having N work on getting me a private jet so I can come to your neck of the woods and visit.  I love you friend!  Remember, your friends will run away if they're afraid of being chewed!

Kel

We Decked Some Halls

This weekend we were a full family.  All three girls were home so we decided to deck out for Christmas.  Because we were in Austin for Thanksgiving, our annual weekend after Thanksgiving decorating had to wait.  Honestly, it was great having three helpers this year.  Why I never realized we needed to tap into child labor is beyond me.  I don't think the tree has ever been put up so quickly before. 

Now that D and E are taller, the decorations can get put up higher.  For awhile the tree looked like Zoe did the whole thing because they were all at about the 3 foot level. 

We drank hot cocoa, listened to Christmas music, watched N break ice off the roof so he could hang his new LED lights and then we had a karaoke contest.

What?  You all don't do a karaoke contest post-decorating?  I'm proud to say I mastered a High School Musical song and am working on another one.  I actually think I do a pretty good job at being Sharpay.  I always wanted to be the mean girl in school.  That and she sings lower, so I can hit her notes easier. 

I'm waiting for the Grease version to come out.  I will totally rock those.  Maybe that could be for New Year's!

I'm a Whole, Not a Step

When you are expecting (whether through your womb or adoption), everyone tells you how rewarding, yet difficult it is to be a parent.  You nod, smile even and make some comment like "I'm sure it is!"  Yet you never really know what they mean until you're blindly wading into it.

When Zoe was a baby, I would be so tired of her every-two-hour feedings and her noisy sleep that I was sure we'd never get through another night again.  I'd get meaningful hugs as a woman whispered in my ear, "this will pass.  You'll get through it!"  I'd nod, smile even and not believe a single word she said.  Then, almost randomly it seemed, Zoe started sleeping through the night. 

As she did that, the next phase started.  The one where she knew what she wanted, but couldn't say the words.  There were moments of frustration for both of us when she just wanted something on the counter and her pointing didn't help me understand.  Then she started talking with clarity and I knew "nee-nee" meant binky.  I cannot describe how awesome it is to hear your child talk and actually communicate with you.  I felt gray hairs actually turning back to brown.  It was glorious.

As a step-parent nothing prepares you for what it's like to have children you love, children you want to impact and influence and yet you have no control over how they are raised.  You also don't go through the phases like you do with your own child.  You're thrown into pre-teen years without going through the lost teeth, the sleeping in a big girl bed, the skinned knees, the learning to ride without training wheels.  You're part of a totally different game.  It's a game where your heart plays in every inning without the benefit of having your name on the roster.

We are wading through some heavy waters right now.  As a mother my heart is burdened.  As a step-mother my mouth stays quiet to them and very continuous to God in prayer.  I want all my girls to know right from wrong.  I want them to all know that they can come to me with whatever they've done and I will lovingly accept them.  I want them to know that I will love them all forever and for always, but sometimes there are consequences for bad choices.  I want them to realize there are consequences for their choices, both good and bad.

Most importantly I want to be the mom each of them needs.  It's a fine line because two of our girls have a "real Mom" as they remind me often.  I think the hardest part is seeing, from the outside, how our girls' behavior is a consequence of someone's elses choices.  I'm powerless to stop it.  I can see the cycle and yet all I can do is love on them.  All I can do is show them, through my actions, that I love them, no matter what their choices. 

I can love on their daddy as he has to deal with this and the gray of his goatee gets a little more after each of these hiccups. 

I actually never knew how hard being a step-parent would be.  How emotionally invested you are.  How much you can love.  How little you can do.  I just pray that God shows me what He wants me to do and gives me the heart I need to have as their mom.  While society may put a "step" before my title, there is no "step" in front of my love. 

What to do in the Texas heat.

I'm a little teapot, short and stout...

...Here is my handle, here is my spout...

...When I get all steamed up hear me shout!  Tip me over and pour me out.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

She was born in the wrong state.