A busy Sunday!

Today was the smoothest Sunday in as far as I can remember.  With the new year we decided to try out some new strategies.  Justice being a boy who only needs 15 minutes to get ready for church, woke up this morning at 6 and made breakfast, then at 6:30 he woke all the kids up and they ate.  This freed Tim and I up to shower and get ourselves ready.  By the time the kids were done eating they got dressed in the outfits that Becca (our fashionista) had helped me lay out the night before.  This way there was no last minute, "I can't find my socks!", "Is this a church shirt?", and the countless questions I get each Sunday when we are running around getting dressed.  By 7:15 I was doing little girls hair and last minute checks on all the little boys hair.  We were in the van by 7:45, which means we made it to church 45 minutes early!!!!!  It was great.  The kids played at the indoor play area with their friends.  Tim and I were able to fill out some paperwork that we have been wanting to get done so that we can start working in the children's ministry and also the junior high youth group.  We got our favorite seats and were able to just sit and talk for at least 15 minutes before church started.  It was so relaxing, which I think Sundays should be.  We will definitely be keeping this as our Sunday schedule. 

Beautiful Girl wearing her new dress!

Morgan our casual girl and Becca our fashion queen!

Since we chose to go to early service we got home around 11am.  Tim and the boys got changed loaded up in the truck and off they went to gather wood that will last us through February.  They brought home about 2 cords of wood.  They are my heroes!!!!  We love having fires every day and it saves us lots of money on our electric bill each month....BONUS!!!  So it was a huge blessings...did I say I have the bestest husband and boys in the entire world?  Well, I do!  Also, since it is snowing...again...in Georgia...we are going to love having the fire going tomorrow with all the sledding and thawing out we will be doing!

We also talked about Gabe (his birthday was today) lots and lots.  We laughed, we cried, we remembered....it was a good day remembering Gabe and his life. 

Today was also the two year anniversary of Josalynd coming to live with us.  We never in a million years dreamed that today Josalynd would be our daughter through adoption.  The past two years have been....wow....that's pretty much the best way to describe what we've been through as parents/daughter.  It's hard having a 19 year old come into your life with (at the time we didn't know this) a train car full of baggage.  God has been good though and through it all we have become strengthened and intertwined.   We are so proud of her and know that God has wonderful things in store for her.  She is an amazing woman who at 21 has overcome so many obstacles and still continues to grow.  I am truly proud to be her momma!  We were able to have dinner tonight just Josalynd, Tim and myself.  She chose Sonny's and had baby back ribs for the first time.  She loved them!

(We really enjoyed it!  Sorry there weren't pictures of us eating...we were talking to much!)

The snow has started and we are snug in our house.  All the littles are tucked in bed, the oldies are watching movies with us.  Drinking cappuccino's made with piles of whip cream and caramel made by the lovely Josalynd.  They are so yummy!  The weather is so bitter cold....but the kids are going to be so excited when they wake up and find out we have a snow day.  A day full of snow, sledding, hot chocolate, playing and best of all daddy, Josalynd, and Jackson will all be here with us.  So much fun!