Thank You Great-Gramma!

This post is for my Gramma in Michigan who sent Lauren a sweet gift today. Gramma I wanted you to be able to see her open your gift. As you can see, she loved it! She wanted to put it on immediately! :) She will be wearing this to church this weekend. Thank you! I wish we lived closer, we think of you often and love you like crazy!

Accepted My First Nurse Practitioner Position!

Well, one year ago today Danny, Mom, and I arrived in Beijing, China and today I accepted my first position as a nurse practitioner! Out with the scrubs, in with the business attire! :)

Summer Fun Playdate!

Our Last Homestudy!

Well, we said goodbye to our social worker, Nancy, today...she has been our social worker for the past 4 years and has been to our home numerous times for pre and post visits for our homestudies and today was our last homestudy. It was bittersweet saying goodbye. She has been so wonderful and is just a beautiful lady. However, it's a chapter now closed and our paperwork is officially done!

Above if just a random pic of Lauren being her usual crackup! :)

Our 11th Anniversary!

11 years ago today I married my best friend. What a journey we have taken together since then...the world is so amazing with Danny in my life. This past year we have grown even more in love and have taken on a new aspect to our relationship...parenthood. It has been one of the most challenging years of our marriage and one of the best years of our marriage. Sleep and money have been low, but our respect, admiration, and love for each other have grown. We layed in bed talking this morning about the excitement and love we had for each other 11 years ago today and how much more that love and excitement is there now.

Last year at this time we were counting the "sleeps" before we would head off to China to get our Lauren. Today we wake with her in the middle of us and are just amazed by what God has done in the last year. What a miracle Lauren is to us and what a beautiful gift God has given me in having Danny as my husband.

Favorite Saturday Morning Start

This morning I started my Saturday morning with my favorite start to the day. As Danny and Lauren slept, I got up as the sun just began to rise and I headed off to yoga. After yoga I got a coffee at my favorite local coffee shop next door and was home in time to kiss Lauren and Danny awake. Whenever I get myself to get out of bed early it always pays off...

While in class, my instructor read this excerpt. I thought I'd share it here.


Aparigraha means "nongrasping," and it can be a tough sell in this consumer culture of ours. But freedom from wanting more and more is just that: freedom.


"Aparigraha is the decision to not hoard or accumulate goods through greed but rather to develop an attitude of stewardship toward the material world, Before you bring anything into your home, ask yourself: Do I need this for my role in life? As a parent? As a spiritual seeker? Or am I just accumulating stuff out of my own fear and greed?" If you don't consider these questions, your possessions can take over. "Once you get so much stuff, you have to take care of and defend it, You start to get attached to it and identify with it. It's easy to start thinking you are your stuff, but the truth is that stuff comes and goes."

The idea is: Just let it go. "If our homes are filled with old junk that doesn't apply to us anymore, there's no room for new energy to come in, that holds true for the nonmaterial ideas and attitudes you cling to as well. "If you are hanging on to old beliefs about yourself or your relationships, or clinging to a career that no longer feeds you, there's no latitude to move in a different direction."
"Acknowledge abundance and practice gratitude. You don't need more and more if you are grateful and feeling fulfilled with what you have in the moment."

Haaayyyybatterbatter!

Happy Summer!!

Well, it's over 100 degree's today, so summer is officially here! Happy summer everyone!! :)

Passed!

Off To Take My Boards!!

Mother's Day

A dream come true...



My Mother's Day gift, come to find out...good things do come in small packages. :)

I have had an incredible day from the first moment I opened my eyes. My wonderful husband brought me Starbuck's in bed and Lauren shared a hot cocoa with me in bed. She then took my hand and brought me to the dining room to show me the roses she and Daddy picked out. As we dressed, I pulled out a matching necklace to the one that I wear often, but just a little smaller version. It is Mother of Pearl and has the Chinese character's of "Daughter and Mother" engraved on it. I put this on Lauren and she thought this was so, so special to be wearing a necklace like mommies. It was such a special moment and she wore the necklace all day today. We then went out for breakfast at my favorite, Mimi's. After breakfast we walked over to Border*s and I got a book from one of my favorite authors, Francine Rivers, "A Lineage of Grace". We then went to church and I enjoyed every minute of being with my precious daughter on my first Mother's Day church service.

Tonight, my mom, Lauren, Bailey, and I enjoyed a nice walk together through the pretty Sierra Verde neighborhood where there are waterfalls and wildlife throughout. Now, I am off to get Lauren into her jammies and I into mine and we are going to snuggle together until Danny comes home from work. (right now, I look down from typing and she is naked and has just strapped herself into her doll stroller and is putting on her sunglasses...better go!) :) Happy Mother's Day everyone!!

Let me not forget...

147Millionorphans.com

Truly Blessed~

As Lauren sleeps, I thought I would take the chance to post our morning. Lauren and I enjoyed breakfast with friends at "Lucky Acres" Farm. Suz & Dan invited us all and it was so fun and another event full of memories I will always hold dear to my heart. As I drove home and Lauren talked to "pretend Kailahni" :), I was just filled with such appreciation of all that God has given me. The friends who we have met on the journey to Lauren are so incredible.

It's funny, I am reading a "90-day renewal" devotional right now that I had done 6 years ago as well and as I read my prayers 6 years ago I see that I have been given so much more than I had ever imagined. My prayer 6 years ago today was that I would become pregnant this month...I thank God that I didn't or I would not have my precious Lauren. God truly blesses abundantly beyond anything we can dream. Below are some pictures of this morning and also of our time in Prescott a few weeks ago when the infamous Zoey was in town!! Love you all!

Our First Family Vacation!

We just returned from our first family vacation. Thanks to my wonderful mom who reserved a cabin for us as my graduation gift last December, we enjoyed time away in beautiful Oak Creek Canyon. The weather was perfect and we had the time of our lives. We hiked, spent an afternoon in Sedona, grilled, hiked some more, played in the ice cold creek, slept in, had a picnic in Flagstaff, laughed... and took in each minute of our time together. I've created my first movie to share our trip (you may need to mute the pink playbox on the bottom of the blog page), enjoy...

April 3rd

Last Saturday, April 3rd, marked our one-year anniversary of our referral call for Lauren. Wow, what a day I will never forget, the day I saw my sweet Lauren's face for the first time.

We celebrated by enjoying a breakfast with our friends. Over the 4 year wait, Mary, Terri, Suz, and I became friends and enjoyed spa days, etc. while we dreamed and prayed for our daughters. Denise is a friend who we met on our trip to China. She and her husband were in our travel group. Lauren and Emma (Denise's daughter) are from the same province. Pictured above from left to right: Caroline (Suz's daughter), Kailahni (Mary's daughter), My Lauren, Emma (Denise's daughter), and Gwyneth (Terri's daughter). This is our version of the "red couch" picture. :)



Suz made these awesome "carrots" made with goldfish, the girls loved them! Thank you Suz!!



Terri, Gwyneth, and Lauren



Emma, Kailahni, and Lauren enjoying their prized Easter gifts.



Lauren and Emma



In this picture, I think Lauren is saying, this is my peep, Kailahni...

We missed all of our awesome friends we have met through this adoption process, who mean the world to us, but don't live nearby. You are always in our thoughts and discussions whenever the Arizona Adoption Mama's get together..

Easter Weekend

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! I'm a little late posting this, but wanted to share Lauren in her Easter dress singing her favorite song "Hosanna". Last weekend was filled with cherished visits with friends and family. I will post pic's soon...Lauren and I just returned from a night run and she is wanting some ice cream, so I'm off to scoop up a bowl for my girl!

Weekend Fun!

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Springtime & Backyard Pedicures

Yesterday Lauren, Danny, and I enjoyed hanging out in the backyard blowing bubbles, barbecuing, playing tag, and soaking up the sun. I gave Lauren her first pedicure and we had so much fun together! Gosh, can I just say I LOVE being a mommy to such an incredible little girl!!

We're off to our community's carnival today, birthday dinner for mom and Kristy, and the back home for a "movie in the park" that our community his putting on tonight!

Happy Weekend everyone! :)

Approval For My Boards!

Lauren and I just returned from a night out with one of my good friends I met long ago and went to nursing school with. I was just discussing with her how long it is taking to get my approval letter to take my boards...I then come home and I have an email stating I've been approved and can schedule my date! woohoo! (I guess I'm going to have to get serious about studying now) :) I have been so glad to be done with graduate school and able to spend time with my little Lo that I have not been very diligent in preparing for the big exam...time to gear up!

p.s. March LIDers you will find this funny, the reason the AANP took so long to get me a date??...they had moved buildings..sound familiar! :)

Impromptu Visit To The Zoo!