Favorite Foto Friday.....

One year ago exactly Lyza was placed in our arms for the first time. It is hard to believe it has been one year! My how she has grown. She was 10 weeks old the first time we saw her. What an amazing experience. Enjoy the photos!

I love my new sister!

Daddy and Daughter

I love how she looks for Madisyn

Sisters at last

Flowers are beautiful in Guatemala

Our First Meeting! Chris wouldn't give her up!

Here's our flight!

Chris and Maddy waiting to depart...

Cooper and Lyza

Gloria and Lyza

Way to go Madisyn!!!

Today we are ALL about Madisyn! WHY?? Because I am so proud of her! First you can check out her new blog page at www.maddysgab.blogspot.com/ !

Why am I so proud of her?? For the second consecutive grading period she has made the distinguished high honors list! Straight A's again....and in two classes she was pushing over 105%! Way to go Madisyn! We really are proud of you! Keep up the great work.

Madisyn also just started dance classes at a local dance academy. She is taking "Hip Hop" and well....her first night of dancing proved to be fun..but a lot of work! She even broke out in a sweat. It is a really cute routine but the other girls have been at it for 4 months already. So she has a lot of catching up to do. She is a really good dancer though and determined so she will catch up just fine. Her semester end performance will be mid June. It cost us an arm and a leg to get her enrolled and with all the fees, shoes, etc...well, it had better be a great performance. It will be worth it though and it is something she will stick with for the next several years. Yes, I got her shoes a size too big so that next year I wouldn't have to buy new ones! Always thinking aren't I? The academy is close to home and it is a great workout for her each week. She is involved in a lot of sporting activities, but this year we are taking the winter off so this is just what she needed.

We were also delighted to tell her about our upcoming vacation that we are planning in May. Chris booked his vacation for that specific week because he knew she would be out of school and it was a holiday weekend. What he didn't know is that is the week she was supposed to go to her grandparents in Wyoming! Whoops! In anycase we are trying to work out a new schedule for the summer to visit her father since her dance recital kinda messed up her normal visitation and we are trying to find a week to rebook going to Wyoming! She did not get to go last year due to Lyza coming home and all that chaos. However, her grandmother did come here and stay with us for just over a week when Maddy graduated 5th grade and while we were picking Lyza up in Guatemala. So she did get to visit.....it is just she loves the horses and the atmosphere there......so there is no way I will disappoint her this year by not letting her go! We will find a week no matter what!

We are also staying in a cabin over Christmas this year. This is something new we are going to try. We have our cabin already picked out and rented for the week of Christmas. Maddy is here this Christmas and we just decided we wanted something a bit different and fun. The cabin is very nice and is about 2-3 hrs north of where we live. My parents and possibly my brother and his family will come to our cabin to spend Christmas Day! We are so excited! It will be neat to put our tree up and decorate someplace different! Not to mention a hot tub, fireplace and all that coziness! It will be a long drive for Chris' family, so I am not sure that they will visit, but we will do Christmas either before or after the actual holiday with them. Of course they are more than welcome to join us at some point in time if they would just like to travel for the day and visit. Madisyn will leave from Indianapolis the day after Christmas for visitation with her family out East. It should be a good time.....and yes, we are planning our year pretty far in advance, but it gives us something to talk about and look forward to as well! I LOVE VACATIONS if you couldn't tell!

I think that is all I have for today........Way to go Madisyn and be sure to check out her new blog. I am not sure she will keep it updated every single day....but I think it will be fun for her and she had a lot of fun designing it tonight and writing her first bit of info! Thanks to her friend Kalley for inspiring her to do so!

xoxoxo

Misty

My Funny, Funny Girl.....

My little funny girl when the temps were in the 70's this week!!

Cheese Mama'!

What did you say??

I love the hammock! Wee.....is it Spring already?

Well, I'm a little confused by this weather!

Angel Eyes!

Cheese!

BIG Cheese! Look at those teeth!

Where did the farm animals go?

I love this Shoe...

Today we are ALL about Lyza! She had her first Dr. visit today for actually being sick! She has an ear infection and a chest cold. She woke up from her 1/2 hr nap screaming today...so I figured it was time for her to visit the dr. Glad we went! It was pretty quick and painless.

We survived the tornado and all the yucky weather last night...but it took the top right off our covered swing! Darn...I love sitting in that too! Hopefully my handy hubby will be able to fix it. He is really good at fixing things that seem unfixable to me! Lyza weighed in at a whopping 21.5 lbs today. Up a lb from her last well baby visit! The dr. said she thought most of it was hair. I have to agree! This girl...and her hair! It is an adventure each and every day. I wouldn't trade it for the world, it is super cute....but I have to wonder what God was thinking when he blessed me with a baby with hair like this! She is a funny girl....you can see in the "cheesy" photos she was even able to offer some humor while feeling ill!

I must admit, I am a bit jealous! My friend Jennifer and family are leaving for Guatemala in two days! I am so happy for them...but she got the pleasure of having a "Merry Maid" over today to help her tidy up so that when she gets home, things will be spotless! I am so happy for their family for finally bringing baby Gabe home.....but did you have to throw dirt in my face and get a maid too?? Te he he!!!

We also received an email from Gloria today! How great to hear from them! Can't tell you what all it said exactly, other than Lyza's photos were beautiful, they miss us and send their love! She is going to be surprised when she gets a big package from the family of one of her current foster babies this weekend.....AND Jennifer is taking her a package when she travels this week as well! Yippee! I can't wait for them to see how much Lyza has grown!

Tomorrow's post will be ALLLLLL about Madisyn! I have GREAT news to share about her! I am so proud of her! But I will post all the info tomorrow! We also just scheduled our first long family vacation together...to FLORIDA! I love the ocean......and we are going to get to spend a full week there in May! I can't wait!

xoxoxox to all!

Misty

Spring is in the air......

Madisyn and Lyza at the Horse Track this past summer!

Lyza pretty as a picture this fall!

It feels a lot like Spring in Southern Indiana! I have the windows open again today airing out the place! We are also having thunderstorms today......that should make for a nice, quiet lazy day at home....BUT, I have a sick baby who doesn't want to go to sleep.....so, we did not get much of an afternoon nap today! I am taking advantage of that though and cleaning the house....fun stuff! I scheduled Chris' shoulder surgery today...he will be going under the knife again on March 27th! Madisyn starts dance class tonight at a local dance academy here in town. She will be taking "Hip Hop" and tumbling! I can't wait to watch her! She loves to dance and is eager to start!

We are under a tornado warning....my hubby just called and it was crossing the highway in front of him. We are in our basement and taking cover!!! Tornados in January! Crazy! Chat with you later! Be Safe!

It's Monday.......

Well, our weekend was not the greatest...but we are surviving!

Friday night Chris came home from work sick. He went to the Dr. on site at work and was given a couple of scripts. He has bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection. On Saturday I woke up horrified to find "Speedy Gonzales" the lizard in our bathroom with two bright eyed and bushy tailed cats hoovering over him with their tongues hanging out! He was in shock, so I had no trouble picking him up and putting him back in his cage. The cats had knocked his cage over, spilling all the contents and thus he escaped because his lid was off. I then got Maddy's things together to take to her because she was going Ice Skating with friends. When I got to the end of the drive I was HORRIFIED to find "Maggie" our black cat flat as a pancake in the road. There is nothing as bad as finding your pet smooshed in the road. So I came back in the house and woke my groggy husband up and he dutifully scraped her up and buried her in our woods next to our other beloved black cat "Josie" who we buried exactly a year ago! Maggie was actually Josie's replacement when we found her smooshed a year ago. Needless to say....NO MORE BLACK CATS in this household! All these other barn cats we have hanging around and it is always one we kinda like that gets hit! Josie was our baby......we were in shock when she died last year the day before Christmas. It was terrible.

Saturday afternoon I started catching the "sickness" and I went to bed early.....and stayed there until this morning. I only got out of bed for a few moments yesterday. Chris took both kiddos to church alone and he cooked lunch and dinner....and did dishes! How lucky am I?? Last night Lyza got sick in the middle of the night so I am laundering all her linens today. Maddy went in her room this morning to get her before school and came out to tell me her room smelled like macaroni and cheese! YUCK! Really it smelled like sour milk! YUCK again! It is 67 degrees in Indiana today....WOW, so my windows are open and I am trying to air the place out!

I hope everyones weekend went a little better than ours! Much Love to you all!

Favorite Foto Friday

Baby Gabe is coming home.....

Just want to shout out a "Congrats" to the Wright Family! Baby Gabe is coming home! They will be leaving on Jan 12th to pick him up and will return home on Jan 17th! This day has long been anticipated! Hooray!

Happy New Year!

We have spent the last several days here at my parents! We decided on the spur of the moment to come visit...and stay until we had to go to Louisville to pick Madisyn up! The funny part? My parents weren't even home...they were in Tennessee! The other funny part? When we got here, my brother and his family were staying here too....so we had a huge slumber party...without our parents! I guess there really is ....No place like home! My parents got home yesterday and I had the mess all cleaned up and any evidence hidden....we have had quite a lot of fun with our little vacation "home"! Last night we played games with my parents, ordered pizza and set off fireworks...followed with the annual banging of the pots and pans at midnight!

My mother and I met some family members at the movie theatre last night and took Lyza to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. I must admit, after we arrived we wondered how in the world a new one year old would sit through a movie. She doesn't like loud noises...so I then wondered if she would cry when the lights went out. NOPE...she sat there with her popcorn and slushie and just clapped and danced through the entire movie! I don't know what was more entertaining.....Lyza or the movie! It was very cute to watch her. Ahhh...the joys of the firsts!

We will be leaving shortly to go to Louisville to pick Madisyn up! I do miss the girl! Can't wait to get her home! We will then be heading back home...to reality! Which these days is not so bad.....I love being home and just playing with the girls and soaking in their love and super cute smiles each and every day!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope this new year brings you much happiness, peace and prosperity! Looking back over 2007, I can't help but wonder how in the world could 2008 be better? 2007 was full of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows! But God is Good and when you look at the big picture..2007 was full of blessings all around us! I know 2008 will be even better now that our family is complete....I sit and stare in amazement each and every day that our miracle is home. I take in each and every moment with my girls, with my family and count my blessings!