Giveaway Time!

In case you missed it, I'm getting to be one of three featured Bloggers on Everything Great.

The awesome people at Great Clips are doing a great job highlighting positive things around the ole internet.

I'm so excited to get to be apart of it.

And you should be too.

Because me being featured means a chance at some great free swag for you!

I was thinking I'd have maybe a gift certificate or two to throw at ya, but Great Clips is way too cool for that.

Here's what's up for grabs:

1 woman’s SexyHair t-shirt, 1 men’s SexyHair t-shirt, 1 Control Maniac product, 1 Quick Change product, 1 Liquid Curling Gel product, 1 Root Pump spray mousse product, 1 Volumizing Dry Shampoo product, 1 What a Tease Backcomb in a Bottle product, 1 Powder Play product, 1 Smooth & Seal product, 1 Slept In texture crème product, 1 SexyHair tote bag

That's a whole lotta Big Sexy Hair products!

And if you've ever bought a salon line of products you know they aren't cheap!

So here's the deal, I'm gonna make it easy on you.

First, you have to be a Follower to win.  

Second, I wanna know what your Greatest Summer Activity is???

When the temps soar, like they are here in HotLanta, what do you do to not melt???

Next Wednesday I'll pick a random comment and this entire goody bag will be on it's way to you!!!

Check out Everything Great for a ton more giveaways!

* Following is easy.  Just hit the "Follow" button right on the sidebar!

Embrace It

Whoever told us that building the pool would be a waste of money must not have anticipated the memories these two would make.

Love them.

So Much.

Embrace It

CEO

WOMEN WHO MAKE

A HOUSE A

HOME

MAKE A FAR

GREATER

CONTRIBUTION

TO SOCIETY THEN THOSE

WHO COMMAND LARGE

ARMIES OR STAND AT

THE HEAD OF

IMPRESSIVE CORPORATIONS.

-GORDON B. HINCKLEY

I was driving home from a meeting last Thursday, planning out the rest of our day in my head.

I was calculating the exact time I would need to start dinner in order to be out the door by 3:30 so I could hit the gym before Josie's ballet class.

We'd need to eat as soon as we got home so that we could fit bathtime in before the kid's bedtime.

I knew I needed to finish folding all the laundry and washing the sheets since the next day would be spent working on packing for a trip out of town and the evening was set apart for some quality time with Andrew.

We had parties both Saturday and Sunday so I needed to get gifts.

The next 4 weekends are stacked full of fun stuff with my husband and the week days are full of doctor appointments and meetings to get us set for TPR.

I was thinking of all this on our short, 10 minute car ride home.

And when I reached the end of my Mind Dump, I had to laugh.

I used to think being a Stay At Home Mom was going to free up some of my brain.

But, looking at my life, I'd have to say I am more of a business woman then I ever was in the working world.

So I came up with a list of Job Titles that I am currently holding.

Of course there's the obvious Mother and Wife.

But I'm also a teacher, a laundry mat operator, a counseler, a career advisor, and a travel agent.

I plan meals like an executive chef.  Planning what we eat based around what activities we have each day.

I'm a taxi driver and a personal shopper.

I am a moral compass and a lover.

I am a manicurist, taking care of a total of 60 nails.  Plus a dentist and a hair stylist.

I field phone calls and balance budgets, which pretty much makes me a secertary.

I organize impromptu get togethers, making me an Event Planner.

I'm a photographer.  And a maid.

And most times I feel like a Pack Mule, but I'm not sure if that is a valuable skill or not.

Now that's an impressive resume!

Obligatory Child Picture:

If you give a kid a camera

Gotcha!

Gotcha Days are one of my all time favorite things to celebrate around here.

Few things remind me of God's Great Plan more then remembering the day He dropped each of my babies on my back porch.

Well, technically God dropped Gabe at an Interim Foster Home and we snatched him up from there, but you know what I mean!

Yesterday was Gabe's official Gotcha Day.  

One year home with us.

He's been uber grumpy lately so we almost skipped the celebration.  But then we decided parties are more for us then the kids so we went for it and just put him to bed when he'd had all the fun he could take.

Since it was thrown together so last minute, a lot of friends couldn't make it.  We missed them all, but had a fun night.

Swimming, hot dogs, and my personal favorite, Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake.

This was the manliest cake I could find.

Gabe made it til cake time but, as you can see, hit the sack immediately after.

What a party pooper.

We seriously have the greatest friends ever.

I had to laugh reading their statuses talking about "celebrating our baby's Gotcha Day."

Gabe has become a community baby.

All of them are praying just as hard and love him just as much as we do.

They are so supportive and we love getting to share our Gabey with them!

And if any of them would like to come take this Grouch home, I'd be more then willing to share!

Wrapped Up In You

A year ago, we were at the beach.

Celebrating our Anniversary.

Watching Josie conquer the Ocean.

Playing Dominos with The Mabrey's.

Taking Old Baby for walks on the beach and Josie to see Toy Story 3.

And then, my phone rang.

And the rush to rent a car and pack our bags and rearrange our entire lives began.

Because we had someone waiting for us.

So we drove 8 hours, from Myrtle Beach to Thomaston, and picked up our Sweet Baby Boy.

Yup, it's been a year already.

A year of Fat Kid Laughs, Mischevious Grins, and Baby Snuggles.

A year of DFACS Meetings, Court Dates, and Birth Parent Visits.

A year of being totally wrapped up in him.

Josie's Best Friend from his first morning home.

Andrew's Little Man

And my Little Stud.

We didn't even know we were missing him, but we were.

Our family just wouldn't make sense without him.

It's been a year since Baby Gabe casually came on the scene.  Wrapping all of us around his chubby little fingers and making his place known.

He's come a long way this past year.  From a grey, wheezing newborn to a healthy, rowdy toddler.

And we are so, SO very proud of him!

Happy Gotcha Day Sweet Gabriel! 

Hi There

Some how this past week just ran away from me!

I didn't break out my Usually Attached To My Hand Camera at all.  

And no pictures equals no posts.

Luckily I did break out my camera phone so I do have some eye candy for you.

We've had a busy week and lots of exciting things going on.

Anniversaries, Gotcha Days, VBS, and lots of Family Time.

Andrew successfully taught Josie how to swim in four 15 minute lessons.

The man should start a Swimming School.

She is now Floatie Free and diving like a pro.  Swimming with her face in, with perfect 4 year old form.

no Josie's were injured in the shooting of this picture

VBS done kicked my hiney and then we followed it up with a photoshoot for Mattie Fran Designs.

My Amers is doing awesome making these hair bands and necklaces and needed to update her site.  I can't wait to see the pictures Kelsey Nichols Photography got.  

If you want an insane deal on some original accessories head over and show the girl some love.

And while you're out checking her out, go check ME out at Everything Great!

I get to be one of three featured Bloggers on the new Great Clips venture and I'm super excited!

And you should be too, because I just found out that I'm going to be having some really awesome products to give away really soon!

I'm also helping The Grand Gourmet with their new site and blog AND just interviewed for an amazing position with Adoption Discovery.

It's a total work from home job and I am way qualified for it.

Plus, it's helping people navigate through adoptions!  Seriously?!?!  Dream Job.

Not to mention it's only 10 hours a week so I can still spend lots of time tanning and shopping... I mean, cleaning and rubbing Andrew's feet.

Amber and I got our hairs did this week too.  

We bond over our prematurely grey hair.

Ms. Jennifer makes house calls which is perfect for those days we need pampering but there are no sitters to be found.

And speaking of Amber, she is a genius.  

I tell her my grand plans and she makes them a reality.

Like my photo wall that I couldn't figure out for the life of me.

It's perfect.  

She also turned my otttoman and magically transformed my cramped, awkward living room into my favorite spot in the house.

And just wait until she reveals her new entry way.  Oh boy, you're going to freak.

In other HAPPY NEWS, our caseworker surprised us by having us sign all our Intent To Adopt Paperwork on Wednesday!

They seem to have zero concern about the TPR being granted on the 15th.  

So we are getting the conversion from Foster Home to Adoptive Home out of the way and after TPR, Gabe should be stuck with us pretty quick.

Although after learning what it truely means to be a Little Brother, he may want to request a transfer far away from all Princess Loving Dress Up Sisters.

Oh, he was so so sad.

Don't worry, I freed him.

After I got a good picture and texted it to the masses of course.

And lastly, Andrew is taking a little hiatus from school.

It was getting to be so crazy that we decided it was best for the family if we put it on hold for just a little bit and focus on spending time together.

In our 9 years of marriage, 11 years together, Andrew has never not been doing at least 5 huge projects. 

Ministry, starting companies, counseling, work, school.

The man likes to stay busy.

So this new slow pace is taking some getting used to for all of us, but having him home more is having hugely positive effects on all of us.

And Gabe likes to eat.

Sorry Buddy, that bites not for you.

So there's an Iphone Pic Catch Up.

I have to scoot now, we have a Gotcha Day Celebration in a couple hours which requires a run to DQ for some ice cream cake!

See you all next week!

9

I didn't wear a big fancy dress.

I didn't walk down a flower covered isle, link arm in arm with my Dad.

We didn't spend months planning or send out invitations.  

In fact, I don't even know what time of day it was.

But 9 years ago today, I married My Andrew.

Man, I look at these pictures and we were such BABIES!

I see 19 year olds now and think, "they are WAY to young to be getting married!"

And even though Andrew and I both agree we may have been a wee bit young to strike out on our own, we have no doubt that we were each others forever.

Nobody else could put up with my excessive need for order or his extreme need for change.

We are total opposites that, by some strange miracle, function only with the balance the other person brings.

(I laugh every time I see this picture!  Andrew looks so excited and I look slightly over it, clutching my Marriage License.  It was a long road to get here!)

This past 9 years has been full of ups and downs.

Job changes, infertility, mortgage payments, too many bills and not enough money.  

We had to learn how to fight without crushing the other persons spirit.

We've moved 6 times and built a house together.

We experienced the unbelievable joy of watching a car pull into our driveway with our Josie Kathryn sleeping inside and the racked nerves of Gabriel's case.

All of it, side by side.

I'm more then excited to see what the next 9 years holds for us.

I feel like we have arrived at a spot where we know each other so completely and life just works and flows and we are in perfect sync.

I'm so very thankful that I reached over and grabbed his hand back at Summer Camp in June of 2000.

We've come a long ways in 11 years!

Happy Anniversary To My Most Favorite of Favorites!