Time for Football

Hunter suffered an injury to his shoulder early in the season and has had to sit on the sidelines almost all season. I love watching football, but when your kid is out on the field it changes things up a little. Now after the injury he had last season most people didn't agree with our decision to let him play again, and the only thing I can say to that would be as a mother I want my children to be happy!!! The neurosurgeon in charge gave us 100% clearance for Hunter to play again, I prayed about it and decided that I would let him play again. Football gives Hunter a special glow in his face, and being a part of a team I think is good for kids. I am very proud of Hunter and he has really improved in the sport he loves so much.

Haven and Hadley's Room update

We've gone PINK, I can't believe we did it. I like the color pink, just wasn't to sure about it on the walls but I think it turned out OK and Haven loves it. We converted her little bed into a full bed, added stripes to her wall, and beautiful art work (thanks uncle James). Her comforter is from Pottery Barn and I have to say that Haven did a good job picking it out, with a little help from myself. I need to add the painting that my brother-in-law did for the girls room.

Update on Hadley

 I haven't had a lot of time to tell you all about our adoption progress so here it goes.... I applied for graduate school last November in hopes that I would get in along with my Mom, and complete my dream of becoming a family nurse practitioner. I wasn't to hear back from them until late March early April. April rolled around and my Mom called to tell me that she had been placed on the waiting list, I too found out that day that I had been placed on the waiting list. My mom was adamant that if she got in and I didn't she wasn't going, and I informed her that she indeed was going if I had to drive her to Hyden and drop her off myself. Now as the deadline came closer and closer I had the feeling that I probably wasn't going to get in. My mom found out that she was accepted and I was so proud of her, she agreed to go without me after much deliberation. After a lot of praying and soul searching I decided that going to graduate school may not be the plan God had for me. It made me really question whether or not I would have enough in me to pursue adoption and go to graduate school at the same time. The deadline to hear from school was two days away and I felt so much peace about not getting in that I told Brian it was time to start the adoption process for good. We bit the bullet this past May and submitted our initial application to AWAA. I checked my email every minute. It took 2 days to here back from them, Brian was at work and I had just got home from the store and was putting up the groceries when the phone rang. It was Brian on the other line "have you seen your email?" he asked, "no, what does it say?" I was so overwhelmed with emotion waiting to hear that we were accepted into the adoption program. "Congrats, you got in to school!!!". " What the  @$#**$# " (sorry for the language) those were not the words I was expecting to hear. So I am now in Graduate School and we are going to adopt a baby. Unbelievable!!!!! The next email I got was from AWAA and we indeed were accepted into the waiting children program. Brian and I just can't do anything simple you know. Over the next week or two I manage to order birth and marriage certificates, fill out over 100 informational form, send off for our passports, contact our social worker, send off for police records, and many more other little details we needed to finish.  So we started to get the house ready for Hadley to come home, which was a lot of work by the way, I haven't done a real good job of organization since going back to school you see and the house is very lived in by 4 little people and 2 dogs. Here is the timeline:

1.   05/03/2012  Submitted application to AWAA
2.  05/11/2012   Accepted into program
3.  05/14/2012   Sent agreement to AWAA
4.  05/25/2012  "Welcome" from Aimee our family coordinator
5.  06/13/2012   Orientation meeting with Harlan our social worker
6.  06/13/2012   applied for passports
7.  06/16/2012- 06/24/2012  Family vacation
8.  07/01/2012  Preparing for home study/ gathering papers
9.  07/13/2012-07/16/2012   Church camp
10.  07/20/2012  received physical forms back from doctor's
11.  08/2012   kids start back to school, continue to get ready for HS
12.  09/08/2012  Meeting with Harlan for Family Interview
13.  09/07/2012  Home Inspection with Harlan
14.  10/03/2012  drove to SOS office to certify documents

So we have made progress, even though I wish we were further down the road, I am learning to trust God's timing. Next steps include, finishing the certification of 23 more documents at the county, state, federal, and Chinese level. The major hold up now is getting a letter of employment, I didn't include the job situation we have been dealt on 09/05/2012, but all I can say about that is "there is nothing that the Devil can do to cause me pain and sorrow, that my God won't turn around into a total victory." I will get to China by row boat if I have too. I do have a new job, and I am in my second term in graduate school. I will finish up with this little announcement, after the tragic loss of my wonderful, and beautiful aunt Sue on 08/10/2012 Brian and I finally decided on a middle name for our precious little girl:  Hadley Caroline Merrick 

P.S. Sue I wish I would of told you that you have a niece being named after you, but I'm sure you know that now in Heaven.

Photoshop

Attempting to enhance photos;

My first time

Here are some of the photos I had the privilege to take for my niece Taylor. She is such a beautiful girl and we had so much fun taking them. This is the first time I've attempted to do senior photos, they didn't turn out to bad if I say so myself.

Playing catch up

Tomorrow my second term in Graduate school begins, and I know that the next 11 weeks will be crazy. I will be starting my new job at the VA in the next couple of weeks too. I'm more scared that I'm not going to have time to get stuff done around the house, and for the kids over the next 3 months. Even though I have tried to get organized and get caught up on much needed chores around the house I still don't think I'm ready. I have cleaned, organized the kids clothes, and tried to prepare for the next term. However I know that just because you prepare your self for a disaster, doesn't mean that you still don't end up with the after math of a disaster. So by Christmas it will be nothing short of a miracle if we have the house decorated, the gifts taken care of. Oh well, what can I do about it???? Tomorrow I will start back in survival mode, and that's just the way it is..... Harrison started soccer back up this fall, Hunter had an injury to his shoulder and has just started to play in games this season, Haven has been enrolled in dance, which she LOVES, and Hagan will be playing upward basketball this winter. Harrison had his second music recital and I am so impressed with his self confidence, he got up on stage and acted like no one was watching. We celebrated McKenna's birthday party at a pottery painting place and all the little ones seem to love it. Finally Brian and I our heavily involved with cub scouts and we are the Den leaders for Hagan's grade. I have several post that I need to add on my blog, most are concerning the extreme tragedy our family has endured over this summer. I have been collecting my thoughts, and deciding what I want to say. I also have a few updates about my new job, and most important posts about the progress in our adoption journey. I will try to get them on hear, but remember I will be in survival mode soon, so we'll see...

Summer 2012

Been way to busy to post.........