The rest of our week…..

A picture I found of Joy when she first got her glasses!  The girls swinging last week!

 

It is now hot in Houston – ugh!  Swimming season has started.  Our official adoption decree arrived in the mail!

This is what I get to see when I pick up my sweet girls from school:  :)  <3  

Lizzy had to go to the dentist – she has 2 new abscesses in her gums under one of her crowns.  She will have that tooth extracted next week.  Then we went and got her hair cut.  I’ve been promising her that when her bangs grew out we would cut it, so we did!

Bella turned 18 months and of course there was playing going on…….
We experimented with a coconut – fun, but not as yummy as we expected!

 

 

Jason is learning so much about this new camera – he is having a lot of fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heading off to Dads and Donuts at the elementary school.  What fun for the three of them!

 

 

 

Cute Joy – pretty, on the phone, and dancing to My Neighbor Totoro.

  

Last year when I lived at Texas Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House was my life line.  I am so grateful for that place – that calm in the storm.  Sammi has been collecting soda can tops for them since then.  She wanted to take them down there herself and I told her she could.   I go to TCH all the time, but always with a full crew, so I can’t just stop and go to the 4th floor.  Since the girls and Jason were coming down to visit on Saturday, Sammi brought her tops with her.  During their visit, we walked them over there.  They were so sweet to her!  They thanked her and told her that they had never seen so many.  I don’t know if that is true, but it sure made one 11 year old happy!  I was able to take the girls on a small tour of the RMH.  I about started crying walking around there.  It was almost like being on sacred ground for me.

The girls were angels while Bella and I were in the hospital.  Jason had a work crisis so he worked all Saturday and the kids held down the fort.  They cleaned the whole house.  Becca kept up the laundry and the dishes.  I am so grateful for my kids!  They are awesome!

Mother’s Day

It’s been an interesting Mother’s Day.  There was no breakfast in bed surrounded by adoring children handing me cards.  Instead I woke on a couch (hooray that it’s there!) and hoped that we would go home today.  I spent hours waiting for an ambulance.  I held my baby.  We got home and I briefed Jason on Bella’s new orders.  Then I threw on a dress and rushed to church.   The girls were supposed to sing at church for Mother’s Day.  We didn’t make it – they sang to me in the car instead.  :)  We came home and I headed off to the pharmacy for Bella’s new meds.  Of course, they didn’t have it.  So off we headed to find these drugs.  I came home and checked on my baby and am now, finally, eating.  But I’m not complaining.  Today I was told a million times “Happy Mother’s Day!” from the doctors, the nurses, the EMTs, the pharmacists, and my beautiful children.  I held and kissed my babies.  What a blessing!  Today I am grateful for the mothers of Joy and Bella.  I get the recognition for being a mother, but they gave them life.  I get to hold them and kiss them, but their arms are empty.  Today my heart is full.  Full of gratitude that I am a mother.

Sheltered Life

Warning- I am stuck in a hospital and finally have internet access. I may ramble a bit..... :)

I hang out with fire fighters, EMTs, and Paramedics. It's where I am in life right now. The stories I hear! The experiences these men and women have had blow me away. But at the end of the day, I lay down in my cozy bed in my safe neighborhood next to a kind man who has never yelled at me or hit me. I drift off to sleep completely confident that my six girls are safe and secure. Their bellies are full. Their hearts still very innocent. Bella's doctor is a specialized pediatrician. She worked Critical Care Medicine before working in the Special Needs Clinic. They also run a clinic for CPS. All of the things that I see and hear remind me what a sheltered life I have lead and live. And I feel grateful for it. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for my life - not because it's better than anyone else's, but because I am safe. I am loved. I am sheltered from so many of life's storms. I thank Thee. I am grateful to my parents for working hard to give me a good and safe childhood and a good education. I am grateful that Jason works so hard to provide for our family. I am thankful for my sheltered life.

Happy Birthmother Day

Did you know that Birthmother's Day is the first Saturday of the month of May? Purposely placed the day before Mother's Day? There has to be a birthmother before there is an adoptive mother. Although they probably won't read it here, I want to publicly acknowledge and thank my girls's birthmothers, their first mothers as some say. Without them, we wouldn't have Joy and Arabella in our lives. Our lives would not be as rich and beautiful nor as fulfilling without them. I cannot understand the depths of the emotions they must feel, but I know that I am grateful for them. You have my thanks and my respect. Happy Birthmother's Day and Happy Mother's Day.

Visiting Bella

Jason brought the girls down to visit Bella and me tonight. I have been missing everyone so badly - I was so glad to see them!

Jason stopped and picked up Nit Noi - pad thai, tiger cried, satay - yummy! Yes, we had to eat it on the floor. I know for a fact that floor was mopped today, but still..... :)

The girls watched An American Tail and part of 102 Dalmatians and then they had to head home. Wow - the silence after they left was deafening! Bella was asleep before they were even out of the parking garage, I'm sure!

Another Song I Love

While I'm Waiting

John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

The Rest of Our Week

Our celebratory dinner after Bella’s adoption was final – Cheeburger, Cheeburger.  We ate at home.  We didn’t think it would be right to go out to dinner and leave Bella here with the nurse.  :)

I love these pictures of Joy – they make me laugh!  She LOVES soda!  Can’t you just see it in her eyes – “You think you are getting this away from me?”  Joy adores french fries – but she finally meet her match.  She couldn’t eat every fry she saw!  :)

 

I’m not the only photographer around here anymore, so it’s always interesting to see what turns up in the picture gallery come Sunday.  Love this one of the little girls – and then our door, our random door with art, the prayer chart, pictures, and the First Presidency.  I figured I’d include it – in 20 years it’ll make me smile.  Then there’s Lizzy practicing.  She is the only one I don’t have to remind – yeah!  And finally, after everyone left after Bella’s blessing, this is happy me rocking Bella.  We needed some time to calm down from all of the excitement.  So grateful for her special week!

Saturday was Sammi’s last softball game.  I hope she learned a lot.  I love the picture of Joy cheering on her sister!

 

My friend, Rachel White, had twin boys recently.  Every Wednesday while Jessi or Lizzy have their piano lesson, Becca and I go around the corner and hold the babies!  The idea being that we would help out Rachel for a half hour in whatever she needs.  So far we haven’t done much helping, but we have sure had fun!

 

Our one sad note of the week.  Our Bevo has gone missing.  We think that he must have wandered off to die.  He was starting to act really strangely.  We are sad.  We notified the pet liaison in our neighborhood and put up signs, but there has been no word and Monday makes 2 weeks.  Sammi has been the hardest hit.  She was really sweet – one of her biggest concerns was how do we tell Grandpa?  Bevo was Grandpa’s dog.  Rest well Bevo.

Our Outing

Jason and I are hoping to take Bella on more outings now.  Her finalization has removed a very tangible layer of worry.  Today we went to one of our favorite parks.  Her O2 needs were actually worse at home than while at the park!  We think she really enjoyed her outing - and Jason got some great pictures!

        

Bella’s Blessing

What a special time.  Bella wore the same gown that Becca, Sammi, Jessi and Lizzy wore.  My Mom made this dress years and years ago.  Bella looked so beautiful!  We kept the gathering small – on purpose.  Bella tends to be easily over stimulated.  We had our family, my parents with Nathan and Mandy, of course, our Bishop and our neighbor, Nancy Hecker.  That was enough, though.  She was crying and over stimulated just from that and the blessing itself.  Poor thing.  I am grateful, though, for those who came – and for those who didn’t because they understood Bella and her needs. 

She will now be on the records of the church!  I am so excited to see her name listed under ours!  The biggest thing that I got from her blessing, besides that she is a special daughter of Heavenly Father’s was that while her trials may seem hard to us, she is just happy to be here.  She doesn’t see them as we do.  Her blessing was filled with how joyful and happy she is.  We love you little girl!  Congratulations Arabella Michele Hope Turpin!

Our Priesthood :)

Bishop Hair, Daddy,  and Grandpa Ball (holding Grandpa Turpin on the laptop)

Our Skype pictures – everyone loved talking to and seeing Grandma and Grandpa Turpin on the computer!