Monkey Bread

I made a yummy dinner tonight and then after the kids went to bed I made my mom's famous Monkey Bread. My-my-my it is ridiculously good! Life doesn't get better than monkey bread.....seriously.

3 cans Flaky Hungry Jack Biscuits
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans are best)
1 stick margarine
1cup brown sugar

1Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray BUNDT pan with Pam, spread nuts evenly in bottom of pan.  Mix sugar with cinnamon in small bowl (I use a baggie, easier).  Cut biscuits in quarters and roll in cinnamon mixture. Layer in pan over nuts. Melt margarine in microwave from one minute stir in brown sugar. Pour over biscuits. Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Invert on heat proof plate. Serves 6 (unless you're me, then it serves 1) :)

Jackson and Nonna's Snowman

My mom and dad came up this past weekend because she just couldn't handle the peer pressure from Jackson. We got a heavy snow and he wanted to make a snowman WITH NONNA.  I swear the kid would not make one unless it was with her. I don't know where he even got the idea, we've never made one with her before (that I remember anyway). But after he begged for 2 days for her to come up in the ice, she did.  I must say it was absolutely hilarious listening to him talk to her on the phone.  He was saying: "it's just snow, not ice, it's not ice till the snow melts, Nonnna" "you can make it, just try" "just try, you can, I know it" "there is no snow in our driveway" (Jeff shoveled it all off that's why).  It was priceless. I guess he really really wanted his Nonna...and what Jackson wants, Jackson gets :)

Can you see Creighton's snowball in mid air?

She threw that one and then ran because Nonna was throwing one right back at her :)

They had fun and Jackson got his snowman...and we used the coloring squirt bottles again and this time with purpose.  It was a great time for all!

The final product and 3 happy people :)

This is a pic I snagged of my mom and Charleigh. I have to give it to you Nonna...you look beautiful...I love you. Thank you for sacrificing and coming up in the freezing cold and ice.

Letter to Charleigh

Well sweet girl you are officially over a quarter of a year old! It's hard to believe! Time has not slowed down since you came into our family. You are such a delight, the perfect addition to our family. I tell everyone you are my "redemption baby" because you are SO good. Your personality is perfect. You are cuddly, giggly, smiley, and all together just relaxed.  That is until you are hungry...then you get those lungs working, but you are quieted as quickly as you cry.  It seems we always know what you need, or at least what calms you down. You have bonded so well to all of us, and since I am writing this letter, I'll say it, I feel we have the greatest bond :) But that is because I cannot put you down.  I LOVE holding and snuggling you...and I think you do too!  When I put you in the MOBY, you immediately crash.  I think it's because you are held tight, warm and get to hear my heartbeat.  Either way, we both love the MOBY. 

You are giggling and gurgling and cooing constantly and tonight for the first time you had an audible laugh! I LOVED it. It filled me with joy to hear your laughter.  I did everything to get you to do it again, and you did, but only once more.  I have a feeling we'll be hearing it more and more as the days pass.  You are quite smart and I am pretty sure if you could you'd be talking in phrases already.  I think you'll master your words first. I can't wait, just absolutely cannot wait, to hear the first "mama" come out of your sweet mouth, with that sweet voice.  If you can't tell I am just in love with you and adore you more than I ever thought I could.  Life has been fantastic these past three months and I am so glad that you are here to spend it with us!

You are working on rolling over from your stomach to your back...I bet it would help if you weren't on my chest all the time.  But I am sure you'll get there soon.  You've done it, but shhhh, don't tell anyone, I helped you a little :)  Your neck is getting stronger every day and so is your upper body strength! I think you'll be thrilled to pieces to be able to sit up. We've tried you in the Bumbo a few times and you just haven't mastered the neck strength to sit in there longer than about 1 minute.  But that's a start. :)

Your most favorite toy is this musical kaelidescope that your Grandma Debbie and Papa John got you for Christmas. You already know how to turn it on/off and you do all the time.  Your big brother and sister like to play with it with you too.  They change out the "cds" in it for you to have different music.  But beyond that and your bouncy seat which is appropriately dubbed the "pooper chair" for you, you really like it when people entertain you.  You love it when Jackson and Creighton are home and they certainly love you!  I have to constantly tell them to get out of your face, but it's only because they love you.  When no one is around I snuggle and nuzzle your face too :) (shhhh!)

You are sleeping through the night like a champ and have been for some time. This my child is a miracle.  I seriously didn't think it was possible because neither your sister nor your brother did it till after a year old! Whew, I think that is one reason I am able to enjoy your infancy more because I have some rest in me :)

Well, you are sleeping...you fall asleep almost every night in my arms and then I put you in your bassinet.  You are the cutest baby I've ever seen, and I don't mind it a bit that everyone tells me we look alike :) I am glad :)  God chose you to be with us, to be a Berg, and I think He knew exactly what He was doing, down to the very last detail!

Love you sweet baby,
Mommy

My (newest) Snow Angel

Our second snow storm of 2010. The kids were "helping" Jeff shovel the driveway.  Charlie hadn't been out in any snow yet, so she had her 2 minute (or less) debut!

Doesn't she look just as sweet as can be in her little snow jumper? (thanks Tyler)

And the last 5 seconds, I decided she should do the snow angel :) I don't think she cared one bit.

Probably just thought I was crazy for moving her around and letting little snowflakes fall on her sweet face.  We headed in very quickly :)

RUN...

This might seem strange outside my thoughts within my head, but I thought I'd give it a shot!

When I run my life it turns into RUIN ("I" in "run")

But when I let God run my life it turns to GROUND ("GOD" in "RUN")

I think of the "GROUND" as like being grounded in faith, in love, in security and protection, in HIM

With the "I" it is also stuck in the middle, stuck in the present and can't see past it. With "GOD" He is before it, in the middle of it, and in the end, and also in that order...just like HE is, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!

COOL, HUH?! :)

I am weird I know...but I had to share!

Open Adoption Movie on Lifetime

http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/mom-at-sixteen/video

I watched this movie about this girl named Jacey who had a baby named Charley (a boy). It was about how she eventually placed him for adoption with a sweet family who had infertility issues.  It was so cool because it highlighted open adoption. It was a great movie...very lifetime-ish, but good. 

Letter to Creighton

My dear Creighton
I love you so much it hurts. You remind me so much of what Nonna and Papaw told me I was like as a little girl.  You are wild and crazy and fearless.  You are everything.  Truly.  There is nothing you cannot do, be, become.  It's unreal the potential I see in you. You are a leader and have natural tendencies and characteristics within you so young.  I love what I see, but I am also scared to death for you.  You will change the world, I have no doubt. I just want (and pray) you will change it for the good :).  You just have this personality...the only way I can describe it is to look within myself.  You drive me crazy a lot of times for this reason...we are way too much alike and we butt heads constantly.  But the Lord made you beautiful and precious and cute as a button...and that works in your favor. 

You LOVE to dance and sing and lots of things girly.  Lately, since we brought baby sister home,  you have been an excellent little mommy to your babies. Your favorite dolls are Lucy, Emma, and Charleigh (the monkey). Of course you ADORE your little sister Charleigh too.  But when you aren't amusing her, feeding/holding her, you are with one or more of your babies.  You typically have one of your cute little (or big) purses with you and you carry the most random things at any given moment, but never are you with a bottle for your babies :).  You are tender and caring and loving to them and that is so exciting for me to see.  You can be such a tomboy and yet so naturally mothering all at the same time.

You are strong Creighton...both physically and mentally.  Your physical strength is impressive for how little you are.  Again, you remind me exactly of myself.  You are like a dynamite stick: small but with impressive power.  You love to rough house with all of us and truly you can hold your own.  But then, you play Princess, and Daddy protects you and you love it when he does that too! You know all your Daddy's buttons too and you have him wrapped so tightly around your little finger:)

You and your brother are becomming best friends and I love love love what I am watching there. It's awesome. I desired that for you from the second we knew you were coming.  You love each other immensely, even though you do fight a lot too.  I think it's because of your severe stubbornness ;)  Oh but he loves you.  Right now you want to marry him and you tell him this all the time.  He currently would like to marry Emma Kate Howze and this drives you bananas.  I just love it that you have a sweet friend, your brother :)

Mommy and Daddy are still trying to figure you out...and its hard, but we are trying.  You love having everything your way, right then, and nothing else will do. If we'd give in to you, you'd be happy, but we can't do that, because quite frankly my dear, we love you too much.  You will grow up to be a phenomenal woman I know this...it's the between times that scare me to death.  I feel I can say all this bluntly because, well, with you that is what it takes, and nobody knows better than I... 

Just so you know, no matter what you do, get yourself into (or out of), I will always love you, always be there for you, always hug you and kiss you and hold you tight.  You'll make it. Keep your head held high, and continually seek your Maker...He's your only road Rae.  Don't divert from Him.  I promise it's worth it.  And because I know you, you'll probably try to prove me wrong.  I'll see you on the other side...when you believe me and trust Him.

I adore you little girl. You drive me insane, but I love to hold you. I love brushing your hair. I love your funky sense of fashion (or lack there of...like me). I love that you are bold and strong. I love that you still need me to help you. I love that you love attention. I love that you love to sing and dance. I love that you desire and have a will. Ilove that you don't ever back down for any reason, although this  is also the reason at times I don't like you (even though I will always love you through them). 

Currently the things you love are: Hannah Montana, Troy and Gabriella (HSM), microphones, telephones, talking non-stop, babies, DOGS and CATS (gross), art, coloring, writing (which you call working), painting, and making big messes.  You would change clothes a hundred times a day if I'd let you and you knew how to get all your clothes on/off by yourself, but thankfully you haven't mastered that yet :) Oh yeah, and PINK!

I love you.
Mommy

Letter to Jackson

Jackson,
I love you buddy with all my heart. You steal away so many kisses and cuddles every day and I am pretty sure that is my favorite thing about you.  You have such a tender heart and you are genuinely sweet.  You are so awesome with both of your little sisters, but you are in love with Charleigh right now. Every single time you see her you kiss her and gently nuzzle your cheek to hers with your eyes shut. I love it. 

You are getting so much bigger and more mature at each moment it seems.  You can do just about everything yourself and you like to too.  It's nice, but there are lots of times I miss doing things for you.  You still like to be read to at night and we have our little singing routine right now.  You love schedules and organizing things and for everything to be in its place.  You have 3 stuffed animals that mean an awful lot to you at the moment. The funny thing is none of them are really that special, but to you they are.  It's awesome!  You have a brown monkey named Spice that you got from the dentist who is the smallest of the three. You take extra special care of him and put him between the other two each night as you tuck them in bed with you. Then there is Snowflake, which is a brown bear with a white shirt on. We got him as a free giveaway in a bag at an event that we went to as a family for a financial planning company.  Who knows why you attached yourself to him, but he's been with you the longest.  He is the biggest of them.  Then there is a blue sparkle bear named Sprinkle, even though his name used to be sparkle, you changed it accidently and it stuck. I can't remember exactly how you got him but he appeared from someone and you fell in love and he was quickly added to the pack.  You talk to these "guys" (as you call them) all the time and it's pretty funny.  You kiss them gently before bed as you tuck them in tightly next to you.  You are using your blankies from your infanthood to cover them and pad them underneath. You are so good to them...it delights my heart all the more because I know one day you will make a terrific daddy, just like the one you have!

You are doing incredible in your pre-preschool class this year. You've matured leaps and bounds as far as that is concerned.  You are very smart and have the memory of a genius. We're still working on mastering counting after 15 and we are working on getting all of your letters down, but you are doing so well with most all of it.  Next year you will be in school everyday for Prek and I am sad about that. I love having you at home with me :)

Your most favorite thing in the whole world to do is to be in front of a tv either watching a movie or playing the wii with your daddy, just like your daddy! I don't care for you to have so much screen time, but you love it and you really don't get very much unless daddy is home. It's your special time. It's funny and crazy how good you are at it already so young! Your daddy LOVES playing video games and it's very apparent you are JUST like him in more ways than anyone knew.

You are a pretty good eater, and of course, you love your sweets, especially ice cream! You really like hamburgers and french fries. You love spaghetti and lasagna too!  I love cooking for you because you usually say really sweet things like I am the best mom in the world or I am a great cook or something like that to make my day.  You still love fruit, but not too many vegetables, although you've been known to have seconds on chicken pot pie and such sometimes..so you are getting them in you occasionally. 

I love some of the words you are saying wrong...and it's just too cute to correct right now :
glubs : gloves
atend : pretend
aminals : animals
atendo : nintendo
biddeos : videos
 
There are so many cute phrases and other words too, but I just can't think of them all right now.

Anyway, I love you with all my heart and you are the world's greatest little boy. You delight my heart!
I love you,
Mommy

Room Assignments :)

One of the things I asked for the kids' Christmas was letters to go on their walls.  I love them!  Jeff's sister Jennifer is who I have to give credit to for their designs.

The girls' names are so long it was a little nuts figuring out how I'd put them both on one wall but I think it turned out nicely!  I was happy with them and was proud of myself for figuring out how to hang them with precision (wax paper and a sharpie :)) because each letter has 2 nails in it!

Christmas at The Berg's and The Little's

We had our extended family over to my mom's for Christmas this year (we celebrated early) and it was very fun. Our tradition is to have shrimp gumbo for our Christmas celebration dinner...and I LOVE IT! It's so fun and festive with green, white and red being the major colors :)

all the kids got to open presents and then everyone left except for immediate family

Charleigh slept through this Christmas completely if I remember correctly, but either way, I opened up all her presents (fun for me!!!) She was given several CUTE pairs of Robeez

Jackson was hilarious this Christmas. He was so excited about EVERYTHING.  Comments like "this is what I always wanted" and "awww you're the best, thanks!" and more even when he opened clothes and shoes...and in this picture 2 pieces of candy....such a sweet loving boy he is!

that smile says it all. the boy is his father's son and LOVES to play the Wii. I only let him play when Dad is home...keeps it special and then I don't have to deal with trying to figure it all out...:)

Creighton was way fun this year too. She liked passing out presents!

This was Jeff and I's present from my parents and Jeff's mom and stepdad.  He LOVES it. We never did get a picture of him with it...but that might be because he is always watching it :)

Nonna was very excited to see all the smiles :) Thanks Mom and Dad!

My brother and his wife were there and they had there two kittens Mr. Fox and Rooster.  The kids LOVE playing with them. I hate cats so my mom got Creighton a fake cat...honestly I don't even like that one...it scares me! It like moves and stuff...weird and creepy...but she likes it :)

We had Christmas at Jeff's dads on the 23rd and it was very fun. Debbie took our awesome pics and then we didn't get very many other ones from opening time! But I think it was my job and I slacked this year...sorry.  But we were very blessed here as well.

Jeff and Jackson got lots of Cowboy stuff, like a limited edition football, the old stadium seats, a oldschool helmet, and some clothing.

I purchased these for the kids. Jackson likes his, Creighton's is a kitty cat and she doesn't really like to keep it on more than about 3 seconds, but that is true of just about anything in her world.

Creighton got lots of PJs for Christmas...in her true fashion she had them all on at different times throughout the opening of everything...

Charleigh slept through this Christmas too! She was very blessed with fun fun toys and clothes! :)  I love my new TOMS (all black) that I got, plus some new perfume and fun gift cards...and of course a NEW CAMERA for the family :) YAY! We love it!

2010 Snowman

The snowman with a mo-hawk!

cute lil snow angel

completed mr. man and the kids (and dad too)

cutest lil man on the block (or in the world...)

Cheap and Easy Fun

If you are anything like me, you are craving activities for your little ones to do at home.  This is breaking records in mass quantities as they are playing outside (without me) without fighting and having fun...it's been 30 minutes almost :) LOVING IT!

I purchased 97 cent squirt bottles filled with water and food coloring :) Snow has never looked so....um...pretty? :)

Charleigh 10 weeks

Sweet Charleigh Tatum is 10 1/2 weeks old and we went for her well-baby visit today.  Doctor said she is perfect! She weighed 10 pounds 12 ounces and was 23 inches long.  She is coo-ing, grasping for things, following things with her eyes, social smiles all the time, raising her head up during tummy time, holding her head on her own for short amounts of time, and has me wrapped around her little finger! I love this kid more than I ever though it was possible.  She is the best baby in the whole world and my heart flutters every time I see her and even more every time she smiles at me.  It just doesn't get better than this!

Charleigh,

You've only been in our world for a short time, and yet, it seems like you've been here forever. You were destined to be with us, to be loved by us, and to love us in return.  We adore you. All of us, in our own way.  The way you light up when you see us, especially when you wake up in the morning, is priceless.  You are already sleeping through the night and that my dear precious girl, is a miracle for this momma in so many ways.  You love to snuggle up on my chest and you absolutely LOVE your Moby Wrap and you sleep like an angel baby in it a lot! I can't get enough of you. I miss you terribly when I am away from you for even short amounts of time.  This was the best Christmas ever, as we were informed you were ours forever just two days before we celebrate Jesus' birth.  It seemed as though God wanted to provide another miracle though the birth of a child this season. We couldn't be happier and any more blessed than to have you as a part of our family: our Christmas Miracle.  I think more than ever, I know a similar feeling to what might have been going through Mary's head when she stared at her sweet baby.  You are getting bigger and are more aware of the things around you every day.  You are still the most laid back and loving little thing there ever was.  I love you more than a thousand trips to the moon and back! You delight my heart....Love, Your Forever Mommy

Wild Crazy Man

Jackson had his first ever 'program' of any kind this year with this pre-school class for Christmas.  It was very short and very entertaining!

This is his little class--7 of them :) His best little friend is Colton in the red plaid.  Of course I think he's pretty fond of Olivia too (in black).

He can go from this sweet smile....

...to this crazy man in half a millisecond! This picture truly scares me for his future :)

Right back to this loving little sweet thing....

Right back to his fun-loving self...it's crazy that those pictures were all taken in a matter of less than ONE MINUTE!

I love this kid.  He's wild and all boy, yet so gentle and loving all wrapped in one!

Christmas at the Clover's

Fun at Jeff's Mom's! This was Christmas morning! :)

This pic of Creighton was actually Christmas eve.  They each opened 2. Slippers and a toy.

Me and my boy

One of my favorite things! A new Nelle and Lizzy Ring with ALL THREE KIDS' NAMES (I love it!)

One of Jackson's favorite presents was his Buzz Lightyear costume (with the cool light up glasses)

Charleigh slept through Christmas but Pop loved holding her (and so did Grammy)

Jeff is absent from the pics because he was taking them~sorry.  But not to worry he was very excited about all the movies (TONS!) he got to watch on his new big screen tv (from my parents and his too) :)

Christmas Family Pictures!!!!

The Big Kids Got Treated--BIG

My mom and dad bought tickets for an early Christmas present to go see Curious George Live. It ended up being that my dad wasn't able to make it, so I went in his place. (lucky me)

It wasn't too bad, although I am certain that it is a much better grandparent extravaganza than a parent ;)

Both the kids had George dolls already and so they took them with us! They both really liked it!

Although I couldn't get them to smile and look at the camera at the same time...must have been the pound each of popcorn and cotton candy they had!

My mom helped them make a gingerbread house and they really enjoyed doing that too!  She had come up to help Jeff and the kids set up all the Christmas decorations while I was gone at a conference.

They really enjoyed putting up all the ornaments this year and all the festivities that this season brings! :) It's exciting to see them excited for the first time!

My dad came along too. His job was to take a nap with Charleigh. It suited him perfectly...and her too, apparently! :)

This is the sweet Christmas outfit my mom got for Creighton this year. She wore it today to school...so I snagged a shot before they walked out the door.  She's so pretty!

Thanks Nonna and Papaw!

My mother-in-love and father-in-love came over on Monday after school to bring over Jackson and Creighton's big 'together' gift because there would be no way we'd ever get it home otherwise, and then they could play with it early too (plus it'd been a month since they'd seen/held Charleigh).  So it was a win/win!

This is when they found out there was a surprise waiting in the living room for them.

When they first saw it!

It's a John Deere "gaydur"....do not get that wrong when you talk to Jax about it :) It's so funny! They rode it in the house for about...5 seconds...

before we moved it outside! It was FREEZING though so I didn't get many pics. They obviously LOVE it and ride it around the backyard as often as I'll let them out.  I hate that it's so cold. Today was nice though and they enjoyed again!

Loved this pic of my big princess in her winter gear!

Thanks Grammy and Pop!

She's smiles for the camera!

I got her not only to smile, but to smile on camera! :) ENJOY.  I sure am!

This is her belly laugh smile complete with the "you're kidding me hand" ! ahhaha

Sweet friend Melanie got her this cute little pink polka dots!

My mother-in-love had this made for her and I LOVE it.  If she wouldn't spit up so much, she'd be in everyday. I LOVE her name and I love the spelling and I love that it's on her so the world can see! :)

She was excited too! :)

Her eyes are still blue! She is smiling all the time even though she feels terrible. I can't believe this is her while she's sick...can't wait for her to feel better!  I bet then she'll be ALL smiles all the time.  And so will we!

Charleigh 6 1/2 weeks

Charleigh started smiling today.  She only did it a few times, but it's a start! She smiles in her sleep ALL THE TIME, but wouldn't ever really connect with a smile while awake.  She did it twice and then I got the camera and she was mesmerized by that so she wouldn't smile anymore for me.  But then she did again later in the day but I didn't have the camera.

She is doing so well...even though she is sick. I am taking her to the doctor tomorrow because she just isn't feeling well and is having difficulty breathing because she is so congested.  Hopefully they'll have some good news for us though...both Jackson and Creighton had RSV and that is NO fun.  I hope it's just minor.

I can't believe how much she is growing.  I still only have a few outfits that are small enough to fit her, but she is finally starting to fill them out...at least a little:) I have so many cute clothes that I can't wait for her to grow into!  When we had her weighed just before Thanksgiving she was 7 pounds 5 ounces. Over Thanksgiving break we weighed her on a "big people" scale by holding her with us and then not, and she was right at 9 pounds.  So hopefully tomorrow she'll be even more!  I love hearing their weights! It's something so fun and exciting that changes so fast over the first few months.  She is definitely getting longer too.  She is still a stick but is starting to have tiny rolls on her arms and legs...and they are SO adorable.

Her hair is still wild as ever.  It gets REALLY fluffy after bathtime...which she LOVES the bath! And then within a few days it's sticking out and right and left in every which direction!

Her eyes are doing much better and have stopped gooping.  That is a blessing for all of us.  I know she hated having the tear duct massaged...probably as much as I didn't enjoy doing it.

She is the best and most laid back baby in all the world. I just am in LOVE with her. I missed her so much while I was gone for 33 hours this weekend.  I couldn't stop kissing her and holding her when I got back.  She seemed to be glad to have her momma back too! :)

She has the sweetest little voice and I am loving hearing her cooing noises that come and go. I can tell she's gonna be a talker...like her big sister! Whew...bring it on!

Precious Baby Charleigh!

Thanksgiving Ramblings

We went to the Zoo today to get out of the house.  It was fun! It was such nice weather too!  I had Charleigh in the carrier and the other 5 kids were running around like crazy :) It was good though...Charleigh's first time and she did wonderful.  We got some cute (hopefully) pictures of all the grandkids (now 6) but I'll have to wait for home to post pics. 

After naps we did the traditional thing and went to Rhema for the turning on of all the lights.  It was probably my favorite year so far...and this time I mean it!  Normally I don't love going because it's so cold and crowded and my kids were always too little to have a clue what was going on.  But this year, I feel complete and the sparkle in my kids' eyes and the huge smiles and laughter were wonderful.  So even though I went with a less than perfect attitude, it was grand! :)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.  I have a new bundle to be thankful for!  But so much more...I am just loving where we are right now as a family. Jeff and I are doing really well and are more in love than ever.  The big kids are getting bigger and well, that's just a good thing for the Berg clan.  They are learning and growing and maturing and I love seeing small glimpses of the little people they are growing up to be.  When it's so difficult to press on and be consistent in discipline, it's nice to finally see some positive reinforcement for the parents :)  they are FAR from finished or perfect, but I love this stage that Jackson is in, and well, Creighton...she thankfully makes me smile and laugh more than she makes me want to pull out my hair.  Charleigh is such a good baby and is the delight of all of our hearts.  She is very content most of the time and is a good sleeper.  I am just thankful!  We are so very blessed.

We will have 'the' meal for dinner tomorrow night at 5pm.  My brother and his new wife will be here and then our home will be filled to the brink with love and wild wild wild little people :)  It's fun.  It's crazy, but it's family...we will do our other traditional thing tomorrow and go see a movie.  It should be interesting with everyone there...but I am hoping for the very best!

Good night all. 

New Extended Family

We met with Charleigh's birthfather on Saturday.  It was a really neat time with him and I think we all hit it off well. 

We are learning on this incredible journey all about Open Adoption together.  It's new.  It's scary.  But it's good. So good. We love family and have lots of it, by adding Charleigh to our family we've added even more! It's awesome.  I do believe this is the way that God would want this to be. 

Today

I wrote this yesterday...
Today was a hard day in our journey of adoption.  It was like getting hit by a freight train with no brakes after such a SWEET yesterday.  But, I will still praise the Lord. 

The birthfather needs and wants more information and wants to be a larger part of the process than we had orginally anticipated.  I am choosing to believe that in the end this will be a good thing. I want Charleigh to know who he is, and that is his heart's desire too.  We love open adoption and ALL that it holds...including hiccups...or whatever you want to call today. 

I do believe that the power of prayer was manifested in its full force today.  I could feel it. I could almost audibly hear the petitions on our behalf.  I know that nothing has changed in circumstance, but definitely in my heart. I have a peace that does transcend understanding.  I am claiming promises, claiming scripture, claiming truth.  God has a huge plan for this little girl, and one day, she will have an incredible story to tell. 

She has been loved by so many in the process and will continue to be, I know this.  No matter the outcome.  My friend Marci reminded me that He cares for her more than I (or anyone else) ever could. I will celebrate the life that she has been given, and I will celebrate each moment that she is with us.  We have from the beginning wanted what was VERY best for her, and I know that will prevail.

Thank you all for your prayers.  Please continue them as this is far from being finalized in any direction.

Dedication Sunday

This is my sweet family.  I love this picture even though it's not the 'best' of everyone.  It's certainly a LOT characteristic of each of us. 

Sunday was Orphan Sunday and also the day we chose to have the two precious girls dedicated to the Lord in front of the congregation...and our family.  It was a sweet experience.  It couldn't have been better, well--maybe if Charleigh weren't hungry right in the middle of it...but otherwise, it was fantastic!

Rod, our Pastor, prayed for each of them individually and our family.  They both did well, with only a few squwaks from Charleigh and me dropping her binky (twice).

I don't have any more pics of all 5 of us except for these few...I cherish them!

The neatest thing in the world happened after Rod prayed for the girls.  He presented us with a gift, a large gift! The Church had gotten together and have begun an Adoption Fund for future adoptions, and the first people to use it is our family.  We have been beyond blessed in this journey and this is the icing on the cake.  We will have little to no expense out of our pocket for our adoption now.  I mean really?! God is awesome.  Now there are so many people on this journey with us and that is how I like things...I enjoy people and Love...and we have an abundance! Thank you EVERYONE who is a part of this!

Charleigh

Charleigh is doing amazing.  She's gained weight nicely and yesterday weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces.  She is still smaller than eithe of my other two were at birth, but I feel like she's getting bigger by the day.  She is a really great baby, especially compared to Jackson as an infant. :) She had a really really terrible night on Monday and didn't let us sleep at all really, but last night she made up for it by already skipping a feed--6 hours is like heaven! :)  I don't expect it, but happily take them when they will come!  She is starting to be awake more during the day now, which is the goal...so we will never have another Monday night again...  It's crazy having one so little again...I barely remember what to do, what their next steps are in their journey of their first year...as I know they change SO much SO fast. 

We've talked to the birth family almost everyday since her birth and it is going very well.  I think her birthmother is healing well physically and emotionally for now, which makes it even that much better.  I can't wait to see them all again on Sunday for Creighton and Charleigh's dedication!

Creighton is wearing the flowergirl dress from our wedding (replica of my wedding dress) and Charleigh is actually wearing the dress I was dedicated in 29 years ago! I am so excited and both of these sweet girls and their sweet dresses mean so much to us!  God is good.  He has been so faithful and blessed our socks off!

Crisis Pregnancy Outreach has been INCREDIBLE to us.  They've checked on us on a regular basis and gotten us anything we needed and have just been great! I cannot tell you how much I would recommend this agency.  Their hearts are in the right place AND they are wonderful to the adoptive families as well. 

Sisters...

To the best of my knowledge these are in order.  She just cannot get enough.  I love their little sister bond. Pretty sure all these speak for themselves :)