Summer Nights!!

I love summer!! I have dreamt of taking the family and playing at the park and taking long walks and that's just what we did tonight.

We took Farrah to the park tonight and she has so much fun!

Sliding with mommy



Watching the ducks with daddy



Swinging with mommy





I could have swung all night holding Farrah. She doesn't sit very long these days and she just sat so still and just rested her little head on me....a little piece of heaven right there.

Happy Father's Day!

What a great Father's day weekend! We celebrated last night with my family and today with James' family. It's so wonderful to be surrounded by such wonderful godly men! James, my dad and my father-in-law are all wonderful men of God. And it doesn't stop there...all of our brothers are great fathers as well. It is so much fun to be apart of a wonderful family.



Farrah had a great weekend with her daddy. She is the apple of her daddies eye and I love it!!

James teaches Farrah so many things...
like how to dig paper out of the VCR/DVD player that she put in.



like drinking out of a straw in a big girl cup.



How to eat speghetti all by yourself.



How to drive a car one day



And how to play in the rain.


James we love you so much and are so glad to call you ours!!! You are a wonderful daddy and I love watching you be the father that I knew you wanted to be.

Working again

What a day! For the last two weeks I have been helping at my brother-in-laws dental office. I haven't done this job in 15 months and I was a little nervous. Didn't know if I would remember all the tricks and scheduling and patients but it came back so fast...as if I never left. Before this time I was kinda starting to miss the outside world of work but after the last two weeks I really realized I LOVE being home with Farrah. At work I find myself wondering what Farrah is up to and that its nap time and did she have her snack?? I hate leaving her and when I do she just gets so upset. Every time the doorbell rings and its Allison, Farrah takes one look at her and starts crying. The crying doesn't last for long and Farrah plays with Allison all day...I have the greatest babysitter! This makes a mommy feel great!! But man when I come home Farrah is so happy to see me and she is on my hip pretty much the rest of the evening.

It's been good for me these last few weeks. I am really learning a lot about myself as a mother, wife and friend. It's been really hard but I always walk away and learn something. I have a whole new respect for working mothers. When I get home I am so tired and I still have to cook, clean, give Farrah a bath and then it's time for bed. My evenings really fly by. I for sure know now that I am called to stay home in this season of my life. I do miss working but I miss my little girl even more.

As a wife...I really appreciate James for working so hard for us. I don't tell you enough. Thank you for letting me live my dream of staying at home. Thank you for coming home and listening to me, it's pretty much the only adult conversation I've had all day and I talk your ear off.

As a friend...I have really struggled with this. I feel like I have lost touch with my closest friends and I hate it. I feel left out and then I realized that this is an attack and I am failing at this battle. I have also realized that I haven't check on a friend that has been on my heart for weeks and found out today that she had to leave her husband and go back home and I may never see her again. Yes, I will talk to her but I never called to check on her and she is going through the roughest time of her life and I wasn't there to encourage her or love on her.

Sorry...this is not what I intended this post to be about. But it's real and it's whats on my heart. Do me a favor....that friend you have been thinking about lately, give them a call. It's for a good reason. Don't miss out on an opportunity to shine some love on them.

15months!!

I say it every time but my word where does the time go! Farrah you are 15 months and one busy little girl!

You have so many words that I can't remember them all. You love to say no! Ha! You are doing great with your baby sign language. You are learning more everyday.

You finally say mama, but now I can't get you to stop saying mama...hahaha and I love it!

Your are wearing mostly 12 month clothes all though you can still wear some 9 month clothes.



You are eating real food....well what you will taste anyways. This has come a big challenge but you are working at it.

You love to read and play. Your favorite toy is still a ball. I will lay out your toys and the first one you choose is a ball. This makes your daddy awfully proud.

You also love for us to chase you, tickle you and wrestle with you. You are at such a fun stage.

We do have our challenges....you have a mind of your own and once your mind is made up there is no changing it. We don't go to many restaurants. You will not sit still and when you get mad you start screaming so we get to sit in the car a lot. They tell me this will pass and this one thing I hope it passes soon!

Your 15month stats.....19 pounds and 30.5 inches long. Tall and skinny!!

And one year ago we made it official...You were adopted one year ago. How you have changed from one year ago to today. I will never forget that day as long as I live. You are the greatest blessing and gift that we could ever ask for. We are so proud to be your mommy and daddy. The thing you do amaze me and how smart and loving you are. You are so much like your mommy and daddy that it blows my mind! We love you with all our hearts!



To celebrate her adoption day we bought Farrah a Cabbage Patch Kid. Thought it was a great idea since Cabbage Patch Kids are adopted and so is Farrah. She picked out a girl and her name is Lilia. Farrah is already feeding her and throwing her on the ground. We have a little work to do on how to love and not throw the baby....haha!

For Uncle Lance!

Ok Uncle Lance this post is for you. Sorry I've fallen behind on posting pictures of your niece so here are a few for you.

Playing outside! She was not wanting to come in after her car ride. She was so cute. She had her hands on the steering wheel and would honk the horn.



This is our cheese smile.



This is our get out of the way mom...I'm watching Handy Manny look.



Farrah getting her shades on.



Ok Uncle Lance this should give you a small fix of Farrah pics.

Moving!!

Yesterday was a great day! We signed our life away and couldn't be happier. It was 11 years ago when we bought our first house and man I forgot all the paperwork we had to sign. Does anyone really read all that paperwork? Just to fly through all that and just sign and not read any of it took us about an hour.

After we signed we watched a thank you video for buying one of their houses and at the end of the video the entire building stood up and gave us a standing ovation....I think James and I both jumped so high because our backs were facing them and we never saw it coming. It was really special. Then as a house warming gift they gave us a bible with Fortner Family engraved on it!! This is an amazing company and if you ever want to build a house I highly recommend Betenbough!

Now I'm trying to get a cute moving photo for our family moving card and this is what I'm getting so far.....



Stayed tuned!!!

It's been to long!!

So sorry!! It has been a crazy two weeks!! We moved out of our old house and moved in with some friends for two weeks and close on our new house this Wednesday!! Praise the Lord! We are so ready for lots of room! We moved from a 900 square foot house into a house that is over 2,000 square foot house. We took Farrah over there the other night so we could see the progress and she just walked around forever. She laid on the carpet and was just the cutest thing! At our old house we had stained concrete floors and this house had carpet..the funny thing is is that Farrah just laid on the carpet forever. I think she is excited about having carpet.

Farrah started walking all over the place! Ever since Easter Farrah has taken off. We spent the majority of our weekend outside and I wouldn't let her crawl in the dirt or grass. She is getting better everyday! She is so funny when she tries to hurry cause she is still a little wobbly.

James and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary! I can't believe its gone by so fast! I was looking at our wedding pictures the other day and we were such babies. I can't imagine being married to a more godly man then James. James we have grown so much in twelve years. I wouldn't trade one minute of all the ups and downs we have shared. You are an amazing husband, father and provider and this family is truly blessed that you are leading it! Love you!

We will be moving in our new house this weekend and I will post more pictures soon. Sorry grandparents and aunts and uncles I don't have any pictures of little miss. I will take some soon I promise!