Up at 11:48.

I just gazed over at the clock and realized its 11:48pm. I pretty much run on coffee all the live long day because I'm always tired, but for some reason it's worth it to have the alone time in my dark house! So most nights I am up. And what am I always doing you may wonder? Well, lately I am thinking about our adoption, praying about our adoption and imagining life as a family of five. I think in some ways it's like being pregnant. You can't sleep even though you are exhausted and instead you just stay up and imagine life with this new unknown person. You go from overjoyed to "oh my gosh, what on earth will life be like with another one!?" and then back to overjoyed and then to "how will I ever love another baby as much as the two I have!?" and then back to overjoyed! You get the picture! I would ask if this was normal, but I know that it is. Most of my friends are on kid two, three or four by now so I am resting easy knowing I'm not a crazy person and we've all been there! 

BUT, been there or not adding another human to your family is CRAZY! And not just crazy because this little human will be coming from another country and will be the product of some hard stuff, but also because we are ADDING another person! When I put the whole adoption stuff out of mind, stop obsessing over fundraising and all the "what ifs" and just think about waking up each morning and changing three diapers, doing breakfast for three little people and then mommying THREE babes all day actually it gives me a tad bit of anxiety. Like anxiety about logistics. Like, I spend a LOT of time with a baby in each arm. I don't have a third arm. Just saying. On the flip side however, even if we were matched with a baby tomorrow we wouldn't have her home for the better part of 8 months SO two children or three I think my days of carrying around Z & N all the time will be done. But still. Crazy. Good crazy, but crazy nonetheless! 

But on the flip side of the anxiety, I think of Z & N having a sister. I think of cheering over this new little one pointing to her nose and eyes and ears when we ask here to "find them" and waving hi and bye for the first time and I die of excitement! I think of having a new little bundle to rock at night, likely right around the time my current two will be about over mommy rocking them at night, and I die. So happy. I think about how hard it might be, but I also think about how much we will cherish every hug and smile and embrace because it will probably be a journey for all of us. Yes, I am anxious. But I am so excited too! 

We don't know when we will be matched, but I mailed off every last update and even got the final draft of our homestudy today. Which is a story in itself. They were, ummmm, quite generous with their adaptation of our family! That or God really stepped in! I think it's the ladder, because I was astonished at how well the girls were during the homestudy. I truly think it was the best behaved they have ever been a day in their lives. Almost the second the social worker left they both ran outside in their beautiful little smocked outfits and jumped into the water table and then Zoe pushed Nora off into the mud and both started screaming. Yes, that's real life but man I am so happy that wasn't in the report! 

But once that homestudy makes it's way across the country into the right hands we are a family waiting for "the call". So starting in about a week I will likely never have my phone more than a foot away from me! And as SO very sad as it is that once we are matched we will still be separated from our child for 8+ months, it's probably going to be a blessing that we are going to have about the length of a pregnancy to get our act together! 

If you could please be praying for:

1. Wisdom for me as I learn how to parent my current two while trying to keep all this adoption stuff afloat

2. Fundraising. I think money was meant to be stressful. Pray that we can find a way to cover the rest of our costs that are still well over $15,000. Yikes! 

3. Pray for our daughter. We don't know if she is born yet or not. But I would venture to say someone is pregnant with her right now at the very least. So much to pray for here, and so much loss to come for her and her family. It's hard for me to even know what to pray. So I just pray for her and her sweet mommy. I just know she has a sweet mommy and my heart breaks for her. 

So there ya have it. My thoughts at 11:48 now turned 12:18! I'm officially going to bed!

Night night! :) 

Here we go....

Oils came in today! Stay tuned! Yay! 

www.mydoterra.com/oilsforethiopia  

Essential Oils adoption fundraiser. Its a WIN WIN people! :)

So I am super pumped UP about what we have decided to do for our adoption fundraiser. I have been a believer for months now in essential oils & even sat through an awesome informative course and was totally sold on the whole concept. However, with our life and adoption and ya know me quitting my full time job and having twins, one that keeps racking up medical bills, I couldn't swing the $150.00 to get the kit! But I have been praying and praying for God to provide a way for me to use oils with our family.

My little Nora struggles with chronic skin issues due to her vast array of food allergies and my little Zoe struggles with ear infections, and lets be real, that girl struggles with teeth coming in, an ant bite on her foot, any little issues and Zoe comes undone! Poor angel!

As I dose my girlies up night after night for what sometimes seems like weeks on end with tylenol to ease teeth pain, or start Zoe on yet ANOTHER round of antibiotics for ear infections resulting is awful yeast infections because the good bacteria is just flat gone in her little gut, I have often thought back to what I learned about oils and wished I could dig up that $150.00 for my sweet girls and for Lance and I!

Well, a sweet fellow adoptive mommy was introduced to me (thanks to the wonderful world of blogging) and she is also adopting from Ethiopia and actively uses oils in her home. She came up with a grand plan to help multiple mommies in our shoes raise funds for our adoptions while truly helping others. I cringe at the saleswoman aspect of anything like this, and have no desire to SELL you anything! I have a desire to see healing in my family and in yours and to raise money to bring my precious third daughter home. Period.

Who's excited!?

We are still waiting for our oils to come in the mail. I am so excited and can't wait to share our journey. I am not an expert and am learning as I go. But I believe in this and believe it can help you too! I mentioned on facebook that I would like to feature families that purchase oils from us on my blog, because in my heart I feel like this is going to be an awesome story of healing and health for many families. I can't wait to see what God has in store and how fun will it be to see how the things that God created from this earth can keep us healthy!?

And disclaimer, we do believe in Western medicine. Believe me! But now I believe there is more and I can't wait to share it with you!

If you would like to purchase oils please feel free to visit my page. 100% of ALL profits will go directly to our adoption. This means airfare, referral fees, medical fees and so forth. If God provides us with more than we need, because He can do big things like that, then we will put it towards adoption in some capacity. Whether it is helping another family, supporting local foster care or maaaaybe saving for our next adoption. Its never to early to start saving up for the next adoption right!? Kidding...for now. ;)

Here is our site:

www.mydoterra.com/oilsforethiopia

                                                                      (made me LOL)

Go look through and see what you think and follow along as we start this journey! :)

Love,
Lance, Kayla, Zoe & Nora

Phone dump

In honor of my new iPhone, and the ease at which in can upload to blogger, here is a quick phone dump post of our week post Vacay! Actual Vacay post in the works!

Crib silly time!

Love those horsies!

Zoes new "glare"

See!? 

Sweet pea on her horsie playing a few tunes.

Grapes are our fav!

Sissy is finally up.....thank goodness, mommy is boring!

Cool chicks! 

Lounging.

Dinner this particular night was a lesson in dipping chips in guacamole! Hence the blanket & only bc mommy was already in nasty scrubs! 

 This is why I can't give up this night time bottle! Precious, perfect moments. But I WILL this month!! Their toes stick out of the sleep sacs too. I think it's time we shed some baby garb. Tear. 

Because some nights I sneak in and take pictures.

I just can't help it!

Nora being quirky & Zoe demanding "nanas"! Love!!

Late night bedtime stalling!

Worth it? Yes! 

While mommy looks away for.....

6 seconds! 

"Hi there little babies!" 

She got this red face syndrome from mommy.

Because they love each other!!

On our way to mops... My sweet pea!

That face. 

In the time it took me to load Zoe. Don't worry these naked vagabonds weren't getting out of the car. 

Trying to make mommy react by doing things she knows annoy me! Oh Zoe....life may be hard for you! :)

There's our week!

Always an adventure!! 

"Me time"

After becoming a mommy I heard a lot of this term. "Me time". I guess when you become a mom it becomes apparent that this sacred alone time is pretty much gone. When I worked, I didn't have much "me time" until 5pm, and then I suppose it was all about me until I walked into my office the next day. However, as this mommy thing goes on I have some thoughts on this whole..."I just need some me time" thing.

My days with the girls are so full. So fun. So wonderful. Things are kind of crazy and my house is a bit atrocious, for real. But I have found that I feel fulfilled and content with this mommy job. I have been so blessed by adopting this new idea that "me time" doesn't necessarily have to mean time away from the girls. It doesn't have to be a daily search to find a minute away from them or a girls night out every week. These things are good and necessary. I mean, I will NOT pass up a margarita and bowl of queso with friends if I get the chance and will sprint out this door and not look back. Let me assure you.

But I have been feeling convicted lately that I can include them in my "me time". We can find things to do together that make us all happy. They are only 15 months old, so I know what you are thinking. But I am talking about handing them a book and practicing all the animal sounds while we all drive through starbucks, or finding the children's story that lines up with what we are studying in our small group and reading it to them or singing songs and dancing to iTunes while I cook and they munch on grapes.

Now that I am looking for things that make us all happy, I am finding I am less stressed and worn out at the end of the day. It's not all about them but it's not all about me either. In this season of life it is about "us" and I am so happy it is! I think as mommies it is so easy to get so bogged down in the daily grind. The diapers, and fussing, and crying, and finances, and runny noses and trips to the doctor.

But I am noticing that when I am making a conscious effort to look at our days together, look at what makes us ALL happy, and try my best to not just survive mickey mouse club house, and cooking and cleaning, but actually enjoy it, I can go to bed and smile thinking about the day to come as opposed to wanting to curl up in a ball and wish a magical fairy would swoop in and be mommy for a day.

Just my thoughts today. :)

Gone are the days where I sat propped up dictating recipes to people to cook for me, water on my belly, remote next to me! But maybe I can find a happy median in this whole "me time" thing! Ha!

(found this and had to post....I was one SPOLIED pregnant person!! And, whoa there are lots of patterns happening in this pic!)

Baby selfies

How did I live 28 years without this little selfie loving face! Love that little mug!

Third & final homestudy.

'Today we updated our homestudy and as I suspected, it was no big deal. Aside from the lovely check that always seems to accompany any adoption related endeavor. 

The girls were perfect. Like, strangely perfect. They were just bouncing from inside to outside flashing big smiles and waving. They would come in sit in our laps and just smile and munch on snacks and then hop down and play on the floor. They weren't scared of the social worker and weren't trying to get her to leave assuming she was a babysitter. The women complimented them several times and even said, "Wow you are very blessed!" Yep, yes I am. 

I now have a to do list this week that involves updating fingerprints, background checks, ordering the girls birth certificates (pretty sure we should have those but we don't), physicals, and notarizing about 10 things. But man, this is NOTHING compared to the pile of stuff we had to do first time around! However, I'm pretty sure it's going to be quite a week trying to get this all done. If you would like to come and watch my children this week I will welcome you with open arms and even order you a pizza. And if you like ice cream I'll buy your favorite. With hot fudge! ;) 

So once we get this homestudy finished and my week of "to-do's" behind me, we are just waiting on our immigration appointments to have those fingerprints redone....so many fingerprints....and then we are just waiting. We are pretty much just waiting now, since they know we are about to have everything updated so I think if the perfect baby for our family came through we would get the call. So we just wait. I suppose it could be in a week or 6 months. 

Curazy!! But so exciting. Below I linked a song that came on the radio a few months ago when we were really trying to decide when we would go through with the adoption and it touches me so much and spoke SO much truth! We are by no means changing the world here, but we are trying our bests to be a light where it's needed and be like Jesus. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3IrwujyAJ4&sns=em

And because what's a post without pictures, enjoy these of the girls today! 

Zoe at the Girods riding away on her little car! 

Nora was LOVING being Sully. She stayed in this forever until she was finally sweating so much we had to take it off her! She loves a good head covering! 

Family selfie after the social worker left. I think the girls are thrilled!! But really, I believe God was with us today because I have never seen them be so nice to a stranger in our home!

Nora's new favorite thing is to lay in the baby stroller and have us swing her around! 

They will crawl onto anything! Before we knew it they were both IN the water table soaked head to toe in their beautiful little outfits. I had to snap a shot as Lance rushed over to keep anyone from busting their heads open! 

Oh girls...you keep us on our toes!! :)