Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Eliana's Dance Recital

I am a little "off the ball" this summer! I think I'm under the mentality that I am on summer break too because I can't seem to get my normal tasks complete - (like updating my blog) I really only feel bad about it for a few seconds, so if I can get over it I'm sure all of you are too... LOL!!!!

But better late then never here is a little recap from Eliana's dance recital -


For her birthday she asked if she could do dance class, and since she ALWAYS walks on her toes it seemed fitting to start her in ballet! With some help from her wonderful grandparents she got her dance lessons and outfits for her birthday and she was set! We signed her up at Kinetic Kids Gym and she had a blast learning all the fun ballet moves. Her teacher says that all that walking on her toes really has made her a graceful dancer ;)

Then recital time came and for moms who have done this before you just don't know what to expect - will she freeze, cry and run off stage, or be a total ham????   In the end she did great, she concentrated very hard on doing her moves precisely and keeping a smile on her face. We couldn't have been prouder! We don't need her to be the best, but we want her to do her best - and she did!!!!






So yay for ballet! The only thing that would have made it more perfect would be if I actually had it video recording the whole time and not just the first 20 seconds.. ha ha... tis life right??? LOL

Well have a great day and if your not having a good day turn on some music and dance! 
Shaking the booty is good for the soul ;)

Prayers and Blessings - Dawn


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

we HEART visitors!

Summer time throws me a little out of whack... I don't follow normal schedules and don't seem to get things done in the same productive time frame that I normally would... our main goal in the summer time is what outdoor adventure can we have??? And we have been having lots and really can't wait to share the adventures of the last month! But a part of our favorite events of the last month has been our guest. We had Austen visit us and travel back with us from the mid-west, and recently had our friend Rachel and her two kiddos Ammi and Brecken visit us from MO!

We really really love when people are able to take time out of their busy lives and find a way to visit. We know its a sacrifice and we appreciate it so much.  We hope each of our friends and family will get to visit at some point during our adventure here in VA!

When we have visitors we like to take them to our favorite places and try and take an adventure to a near by destination spot! here is a little peak at our time with Austen and Rachel:


Austen was brave enough to make the 14hr drive with us from Missouri to Virginia! And I was sooooo thankful because after 2 weeks away and traveling I was so glad to have a trip mate! And the kids were just as excited to have her along for the adventure!

- oh and I must tell this story : On our trip to Kansas we went through a tunnel and Owen thought that was the most exciting thing ever, from that point on anytime we went under an over pass or anything he would yell "momma GO TUNNEL"  
Once Austen joined us she decided it would be fun to teach the kids to raise their hands in the air when we "go under a tunnel" and so now every day for every over pass and every actual tunnel we drive through/under Owen says - "momma raise your hands GO TUNNEL!" 
Thank you Austen ;) we now think of you each and every day ;) LOL


We took Austen to our favorite burger joint for a peanut butter burger "The Elvis", shopping in the downtown shops (even found a fun dress), the farmer's market, and just all the 'Burg glory! 


We treated Austen to some of our favorite ice cream, and gave her a full day of nature on a mountain hike ;)



I was bummed to not take her to any "touristy" destination, but after the 2 weeks traveling prior I wasn't ready (and the kids weren't ready) to hop in the car and go anywhere! Plus I think we will just lure her back for a 2nd visit with the Beach, NYC, DC, and other destinations as a ploy - right Austen ;)

Then just 2 weeks ago we had Rachel, Ammi, and Brecken travel to see us. Rachel was brave enough to take the long drive, and after taking it myself I know it takes some nerve! We had a really great time and were sad to see them go!



Eliana was especially excited to have her friend Amberlie here for a few days!

Our biggest adventure was making a day trip for the beach! I could spend EVERY DAY at the beach and hope to spend several of them this summer! We had a great day and the kids (and adults) had a lot of fun!





Our friends got to join us for Church, it is always nice to worship together!

We did go on a "little" hiking adventure to the waterfall! A good workout and beautiful pay off :) 








The kids played so hard together and had so much fun!

We really enjoyed our guest and are looking forward to more family and friends visiting this summer! We hope they had as much fun as we did and will visit again!

Blessings and Prayers - Dawn


Friday, June 15, 2012

'burg mommy giveaway

Hey friends I am sponsoring a fun giveaway over on "mommies of the valley"  for all the mommies of the 'burg! Check it out - its my two favorite mom products : light up lip gloss and rhodiola! Its a super fun blog and would love for you to follow along!

Blessings to you all - Dawn

Friday, June 1, 2012

My heart overflows...


When we were first accepted into the adoption program with America World we knew we would be in for a long road. Along this road we know we want to grow in patience, expectation, and trust through the Holy Spirit. We also know that a part of our adoption journey (and future journeys) will most likely involve fundraising. So I have been thinking that while we wait I can plan... plan t shirt sales, blog posts, 5k's, golf tournaments, etc... So as you know we started by selling t-shirts. Not just for a fundraiser but also for adoption awareness. Todd and I went back and forth on how many shirts to order unsure how many we would sell. In the end we decided to go for it and order 200 and today I had to order more!!!!


 I'm overwhelmed by the generosity from family, friends, and even strangers! We have friends diligently selling our shirts using their personal time to help us with our dream. We have had strangers to our family purchase shirts and shirts already go out across the country (Puerto Rico, West Africa, Seirre Leon, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and on and on....). We have had friends sacrificially give of their own money to help further our dream. I can not put into words how grateful we are. I can not express how loved and supported we feel.  We know the road to foreign adoption and after is not going to be all sunshine and roses, we expect bumps, we expect mountains... But we also expect God's overflowing love, grace, mercy, to flood upon us! We expect him to provide what seems like a crazy amount of money, in fact we expect him to provide beyond that so we can bless an African orphanage, we expect him to continue to provide for our future adoptions and hopefully to help others adopt... We have a lot of expectations... And today my heart overflows as our expectations our being superseded... and we have only just begun!
This week we mailed not only shirts off but our mountain of paperwork off, along with our first agency payment $2000. We began gathering up information to host a 5k from others who have hosted one before or are well versed in the "running world".  And we continue praying for the mother of our child - I can't help but wonder is she pregnant now? What is her situation? Please Lord keep her healthy! What will bring her to have to give her child up for adoption? and on and on....
So with all that... my heart is full over flowing and hoping the love that is overflowing from us will touch others to fill them up!

Prayers and Blessings - Dawn