A Sweet Reminder

Hope loves the outdoors and one thing she constatnly reminds me to do is to s"top and smell the roses." She loves to touch and smell the flowers. Funny how the Lord uses her to remind me to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life.

A Smile, A Purse & Her Food

This sweet "thang" is nothing but girl!!!!! My every purse have become her favorite toys and she'll leave anything and everyhting in them for me. When I tell her "lets finish gett'n ready" she'll go to my jewelry box for a bracelet and my closet to pick up a purse. Yesterday we happen to be going shopping for an Easter sweater so she must have thought she needed it all. Lord knows He picked the perfect little chic for me as she loves to be prissy too!

20 Months Going on 3...WOW

Getting a good picture is not as easy as it use to be...however her same beautiful smile never changes. Our big girl is just that...she continues to make us laugh and challenge us to be consistent with "Shepherding her Heart". We pray for wisdom each day ! Her new favorite song is THE BIBLE...before it gets to saying BIBLE...she's already yell'n it. She's starting to really understand habits and routine although she's had them since birth. She now carries herself from place to place knowing what to expect. My favorite is when she reaches for our hands to pray before meals, or before one of leaves out the door, or before we go somewhere in the car or at night. She's one smart cookie and its a pleasure to watch her grow. Hard to believe we could love someone so very much!

at 19 Months...

This month has had me truly contemplating and reminscing about how short life can be, it goes by so quickly. Hope is really coming into her own sweet self and learning new things everyday. Her little feet seem as though they've traveled the states this month and she handled it so well.
She's going potty on her own several times a day, this is not my doing she began this and I have not discouraged it. She caught on quick that if she goes, her favorite "gummy bear" will be right on the tip of her tongue. Please forgive her morning shot reading none other than a Redhead Hunting Magazine.
Then there's a shot of my niece and HVN at my childhood table, it's been tucked away in mom's stamping room and looks like its been through the mill.
Next, daddy had out the camera and caught HVN in a redneck moment...pj's on, unzipped and her "Future Hunting Princess" camo hat on. She's gonna kill me for this picture one day.
This is the month she literally fell in love with Barney, I got her his ABC dvd and the rest is history...her eyes glowed and teeth shined when she met him in FL and got to play in his park. I never thought I'd allow my child to watch the purple dinasour but this dvd is a good one.

Lastly, I say this often and it's so true that there is nothing sweeter than watching her fall in love with her daddy. She will find him across the room and go a shouting "da-Da-Da-Da and all know that is her Daddy.
She is now in her 24 mont clothes, she 33 1/2 inches tall and weighing 27 lbs 10 oz.
Se loves to color, play outside, wrestle on the pillows, snuggle, she loves to be read to several times a day and she giggles beautfiully as we sing, dance and play hide and go seek.
Her taste buds love fresh fruit, not canned fruit as she knows the difference but fresh blueberrries, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, oranges, grapes and raisens. She's not much for sweets but will help herself to several bites of your ice cream. She enjoys oatmeal, eggs, cheese, toast with butter, peanut butter, fishies, water with ice and most of all she LOVES her some PIZZA and spaghetti.
My favorite times with HVN are bath time as she makes a game out of splashing, cuddle and reading time anytime of the day, playing outside, when she learns something new or as she loves to hold my hand while walking or while daddy is pushing the stroller. That's my sweet girl....my wish come true.

Loving the Sunshine

Daddy did not tell her she could pick Hunter up for a date this day, haha. They do have fun playing together and we have more fun watching!

...to grandma's house we go...

We took a trip to see the cousins and MaMa one day! Seems as though this 19th month has been packed with travels, all for good reasoning.
You'll notice in these pictures that HVN has four girl cousins right above her. The oldest is 5 in the purple, then these's a 3 year old in red, then there are the twins who are 2 in hot pink...then there's my sweet Hope. She's received many cute clothes from all these girls but now as you can see she is as big as they are. Does this mean I have to start passing down?
I love this picture of her on the stump, she watched my 5 year old niece get up there and she followed right behind her. Of course I ran to be a shield and she got up there all by herself...thinking she was a big girl. I guess she is and I can't stop it.

March 11th, Our Forever Family Day

On March 11th of last year God allowed our wish to come true by making HVN our daughter for life. She truly is a little piece of heaven for us.
From the first day we got the call in 2008 the love began to stir in our hearts and who would have known that she'd capture us so deeply.
We're thankful that God chose us as His children. Today we specifically thank Him for making HVN our daughter so that we could be a Forever Famiy.
Secondly, we are grateful to HVN's birth mother for choosing life and for choosing us to be HVN's parents. We love her and think of her often with thankful hearts. We will never stop praying for her as she's on her journey with the Lord and her family.
Lastly, thank you to all of you who love HVN, pray for her and encourage us in this great responsibilty of parenthood. These sweet picture mark HVN's birth, our Adoption Day, her 1st birthday and our most recent Christmas together.
Pslams 62:5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone for our HOPE comes from Him.

Mommy's Helper

...especially when she can play in the water!

New Discovery...She LOVES Jello

So Happy to be Outdoors

The YP Summit sent us to Universal Studios one afternoon and thankfully it was Monday, I think HVN was just happy to be outside. She loved the sights as she pointed, laughed and talked just about all day.The picture of her with her hands folded over the boat is my favorite. She's just so happy and relaxed. We got many comments this day on how friendly and social Hope is, we get that often. I think she's been watching her daddy who never meets a stranger. It's normal for Hope to put her hand up and wave to each one that walks by, especially to children.

Not So Sun Shiney Florida

Out of four days we were awarded one sun shiney day on our recent trip to FL. Hope and I accompanied Rick to the Youth Pastor Summit. I was able to attend a session with Rachel Lovingood, who is the wife of Jeff Lovingood who has a youth group that is booming in TN. It was so nice to get warm for a day, the other days were windy, 50 degrees or lower, raining and not so nice. I've never in all my life seen people in coats, gloves and jeans in FL. I literally took skirts and flip flops. Thankfully I had packed Hope a couple pair of jeans and sweaters and on the way out the door I grabbed her knit hat, which she wore each day as it felt like VA.

Picnic'n in the Hotel

Whileon our recent trip to FL we had a family picnic in the hotel. I had no idea HVN would love the ranch dressing as much as she did! She did have a few veggies with the dip.

Please Lord, Don't Let Her Be a Bull Rider!

This has to be the best Western Store we've ever found, not that we are "a farm'n family" but it was a really cool place!