Seven Months of Forever

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In the mid-morning hours seven months ago today, we watched expectantly out of our windows….

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Watching and waiting, waiting and watching….until we finally saw their car….

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And just like that…. I finally, finally got to hold our precious Tate Owen for the very first time.

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This precious boy had captured our hearts over seventeen months before, and we had prayed and prayed and prayed for him.

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Since that first day home, Tate has filled our home with so much joy.

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But bringing a four year old home from a foreign country and all they have ever known does come with many challenges.

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There is SO much for Tate to adjust to and learn, and then we added all of the needed medical appointments on top of everything else.

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There have been a few times over the last nineteen months for Blake and I both that we have felt defeated….but never once, not even one time, have we questioned the Lord’s calling of our hearts and our complete daily surrender to these two precious children.

They deserve nothing less.

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Tate and Eliza both have come SO FAR.

The Lord is healing their hearts, and their physical bodies.

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We just simply are not worthy of the blessing of these two precious children of God.

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It is Blake and my prayer that we can do right by all of the children the Lord has blessed us with.

It is a HUGE calling, and we do not take it lightly.

It seems so cliché to say it, but I cannot believe Tate has been home seven months!

The time has flown by.

I cannot imagine what the Lord will have in store for the next seven months of Tate’s new forever.

But I do know for certain – what a privilege it will be to be a part of.

A Recipe//Bean Burritos

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Here is a quick, delicious, and low cost meal that is also filling and a favorite with the kiddos! I like to make this for lunch, or as a side dish to a bigger Mexican spread.

I didn’t think to take a photo until I packaged up the leftovers! Oops!
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Bean Burritos

1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow or red bell pepper, diced
2 TBSP oil (we use coconut oil)
1 can black beans, rinsed or 2 cups of homemade cooked black beans
2 cups of cooked brown rice (we use 3 cups and add more spices)
1 tsp cumin
2-3 tsp chili powder
1/2 to 1 cup of water

Saute onion, garlic and pepper in the oil in a skillet until soft. Add beans, rice, spices and water and saute for about 2 minutes more. Turn heat to low and warm gently to blend flavors.

Serve on a tortilla with lettuce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese. Or use as a side dish to a Mexican meal. We eat this at lunch on a bed of lettuce with salsa, guacamole and crushed bean chips on top.

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So yummy!!

Enjoy!!

Birthday Shopping With My Boy

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Sweet Lane.

Kayla told me at Christmas time that Lane’s love language must be gifts.

His excitement in blessing someone else with a gift is SO contagious!!

I planned some one-on-one time for Lane and I to go shopping and get a birthday present for Eliza.

Usually our gift giving comes out of Amazon boxes, so this was a new way to do things!

One-on-one time is something we purpose with these kiddos though. It is so important!

Our first stop was to clean the van. Lane was a great helper!

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We stopped at the library to pick up holds and Lane picked a DVD.

Then it was snack time! Snack time decisions are hard.

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Finally it was time to go shopping!

Lane picked out a bunny at Build-A-Bear to make for Eliza.

We were on a strict budget, so he only had a handful of choices to choose from. But that was no problem! He knew right away the one he wanted for her.

Then he stuffed it.

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I had already told the gal about our budget, and that we would not include any of the additions that cost money. The extras would have been a problem for our sensory girl anyway, because they were things like sounds and smells.

We were not charged for the little hearts Lane added.

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Lane typed in the info for the birth certificate, and named Eliza’s bunny Libby.

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We added a birthday shirt, and we were all done!

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The gal added two bows to each of the bunny’s ears, and then packaged it up in a huge box with handles.

Lane was clear excited!

Eliza will love this gift and be excited too!

We cannot wait for her birthday! Eliza is counting down the days!!

Fun Facts Friday!!

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Here are some random fun facts for you this Friday!

Some news from around home – Grant finally purchased a new car after totaling his first car in an accident in a snow storm at the end of January. So happy for him! That he has a new car, that is! Grant also will be starting a new job this Monday after two more days of driving an hour one-way to milk cows at his current job. His new job is five minutes away at our local farmer’s co-op! He is excited and so are we!

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Years ago a great middle school friend (who is still great, sweet, beautiful and my friend!) and I were consistent e-mail buddies. We were encouraging each other through homeschooling, mommyhood and life. She would share with me the things that she was learning from The Fly Lady. I starting doing the things she was sharing with me and I still do a lot of them to this day. Like shining my sinks, and wiping down the showers! I use a hand towel, that is headed for the laundry anyway, to wipe out the bath room sink, the tile in the shower, and the bath tub every morning after we are finished getting ready. I timed it! It takes me two minutes! Then when it is cleaning day those sinks and showers are super, duper easy to clean.

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The kiddos and I have been through this book in our Bible time more times than I can count. The older kids have most of the questions and answers memorized!

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I was wandering around Walgreens while waiting for one of the littles prescriptions one day, and a cute-much-younger-than-me Walgreen’s employee showed me this skinny eye-liner. Where have you been all my life skinny eye-liner? I know! You all are screaming “catch up with the times!” But just in case you didn’t know about skinny eye-liner, now you do.

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There is a great series related to adoption cocooning at A Beautiful Symphony. For any of you that are our family, friends, cheerleaders, prayer warriors, supporters…it is a must read. You need to know this stuff! Thank you in advance.

By the way, that great middle school friend and I met in Brussels, Belgium at the International School of Brussels! Cause that is where I grew up! In Brussels, Belgium!

Did you all know that I have one brother and one sister? And like this photo shows, I am sandwiched in the middle as the middle child! And, yes, I was too lazy to find the original file of this photo, so I took a photo of the front of the fridge. My girls are cringing right now.

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Looking for another good read? Hilltop Memories is very good. Very, very good. Like in a challenging yet encouraging kind of way. Scroll through her blog posts and you will see what I mean.

Last, but certainly not least, Blake and my anniversary is today!! Twenty-seven years today!! Life with this man gets better every. single. day. Love you, honey!

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WOO HOO!! It is Friday! My hubby has been gone traveling this week, so this weekend is sounding SUPER sweet!

Happy Friday, you all!!!

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