Then Sings My Soul - Every Time I Breathe

It has been a while since I have participated in "Then Sings My Soul" - and that makes me a tad bit sad, cause it is my favorite!!! I LOVE music - it ministers to me in ways that nothing else can ever reach. I have said every week "this week..." and then this week comes and life happens and, well, you know the drill.

But THIS WEEK ... I resolved to not let this week get away from me.

So, the song I have chosen is Big Daddy Weave's "Every Time I Breathe". I have to tell you that the first time I heard this song I was in my living room on a Sunday morning - very early because I was singing and had to get to church early. Sophie was just a tadpole, so the nights were rough - which, as you know, makes the days a little rough as well. The night before I had been trying to pray as I was feeding her and trying to get her back to sleep. I was thinking that something was missing in my relationship with God - and I knew it was me. I had been having a hard time getting into the word or praying or really much of anything too deep without falling asleep. This song came on and I immediately loved it, so I let the words soak in. I just closed my eyes and listened.

By the end, I was crying and just reaching hard to Him. And THAT was what I needed. To breathe and reach. And to let Him reach to me. To let Him get close. To stay in His warm embrace - basking in the Glory shining from His face...

I hope you enjoy!

Every Time I Breathe

I am sure all of heaven's heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard

But day by day
Without fail
I'm finding everything I need
And everything that You are
To me

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way
That's less than all I have to give
But by Your grace I want to love You not with what
I say
But everyday
In a way that my life is lived

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble
Yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I'm finding
I am free
You are marvelous God
And knowing You is everything

Bring On The Gates

Sophie has never showed much interest in crawling. She learned early on that if she sits up and bounces - yep, BOUNCES - she can pretty much bounce or scoot anywhere she needs to go. And she has never gotten all that far.

To be honest, I have never really pushed the whole crawling thing. And when our niece Chelsea got down on the floor and tried to teach her to crawl, I actually cringed with fear. You see, I have know from the very beginning that Sophie will be a curious one. Give the girl and monkey and name it Boots, 'cause I got a full on explorer on my hands. She can open almost any thing that ends up in her hands and she can find any toy that you try to hide - we have tested it. She will be a Hide-N-Seek GENIUS, mark my words.

So, imagine my nerves when, yesterday, we started this:



AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!

But look how proud she is!


Pretty soon I will have to pull out this little number (which is how Hattie learned to walk!!)


It is still a newly discovered/trial and error skill, and already we are havin' issues. Just yesterday she emptied a baby wipe container, pulled all of the DVD's out of the cabinet, pulled all of Hattie's toys off of the table (onto herself!!!) and pulled every diaper and tube of cream or lotion out of the cupboard where they are kept. And it isn't like I was not paying attention. This was happening while I was doing things like, oh I don't know, CLEANING UP THE LAST MESS!!!!!!

So, I have sent out the baby gate SOS. We priced 'em out last night and the ones for stairs are kinda steep (tee hee, did ya catch that one?). Already we have heard back from one Ms. Becky R. at church - who, by the way, told me a couple of months ago that I was in trouble when this one got mobile! And she was right.

So, bring on the gates ... and let the games begin!!!

(Speaking of games, the Olympics are KILLING ME!!! I can't stop watching 'em, and the morning comes early when you stay up til the wee hours watching Michael Phelps rock it out!!! Or watch the women gymnasts try to pull it out - as a mother my heart just breaks for them!!! Especially the one girl who fell off the beam and then tried her hardest not to cry the whole rest of the night. Hey, I know, let's stick a microphone in her face and ask her how she feels!!! Stupid reporters!!!)

Slow Down and Drive!

So, yesterday morning I had a meeting at church. And, in a strange twist of fate, I left the house ON TIME!!! No rushing today! What a concept.

But, I guess taking the scenic route was not my brightest moment, it took a bit longer than I thought it would and suddenly I found myself running a bit behind. So I hurried it up a bit.

So as I am driving down the road in this:

(yep, it's still painted up for the adoption!)

I see this

(of course, it didn't look EXACTLY like this, seeing as how I don't live in Mayberry - or, ya know, 1955!!)
***I have been informed that this model is more in the mid 60's era. Shows ya what I know!!!***

passing by me in the opposite direction. I take the obligatory glance at my speed-o-meter and see (yikes)61mph!!! In a 45mph zone. Whew, good thing he was going the other way!

Apparently, they can radar you even then.

'Cause, as I looked into my rear view mirror I saw him making a u-turn. So much for being on time.

Now, let me say that I truly have the utmost respect for officers of the law. Truly. One of my best friends is a retired police woman. Retired due to an injury in which she jumped a wall in hot pursuit. A wall which was a lot steeper on the down side than it had been on the way up. HOWEVER, she continued the pursuit, caught the perp and took him in BEFORE addressing her injury. An injury to her knee which has required MANY surgeries since then. She is also married to a cop - a canine officer whose partner dog was killed last month in the line of duty. Plus, I have a cousin who is a police officer and HE was shot in the line of duty about 4 years ago. So, I am not kidding. I REALLY respect those who put it all on the line for our safety.

But, needless to say - even though I respected him - I was none to happy to see this guy.

He waltzes up to the car and peers into the back seat window where the girls are sitting playing in their car seats (this after I specifically told Sophie that now would be a really good time to start wailing!). He looks at me and asks if I know why he stopped me. I sheepishly said "I think I was goin' a little fast", to which he responds "yeah, a little".

I hand him my licence and as I am looking for the insurance and reg. he asks me "how's your driving record?" I say "actually, it's really good, I am just running late".
"For what?" he asks.
"A meeting at church" - again with the sheepishness.
He goes back to his car, does the computer thing and eventually comes back - where I am frantically trying to figure out how I am gonna explain to the Hubby why we suddenly have to pay for a ticket and driving classes! He hands me my licence and says "you're good to go" and walks away.

What? No ticket? Really? WooHoo!!!!

So I quickly started the car and sped away before he changed his mind. Yep, I sped away at the lightening speed of 44MPH. One under the limit, just to be safe!

Picture Perfect Monday - A Little Early

('Cause I just couldn't wait!!!)

After we were finished up at the court house on Friday, we went to Aunt Weezer's house for our OFFICIAL ADOPTION FAMILY PHOTOS!!!








(this one is my favorite!!! I love the look on BOTH of their faces - especially the way my man is looking at his little girl!!)

Adoption Pictures

Here are some of the great shots that Auntie Weezer (Hubby's sis, Melissa) took of the adoption proceedings!

Waiting our turn: Chelsea & Kayla


Sophie & her boyfriend, Mr. Darcy



Grandma & Grandpa


In the court room

Notice SuperModel on the witness stand! She chose to sit there so she would have a good view of me CRYING!!!


Celebrating afterwards!! Our wonderful Judge!


The fRamily who came to share our joy (please ignore the fact that Hattie is trying to Houdini her way out of the stroller - which she was in because she kept trying to run away - and in the mean time is showing her princess undies to the WHOLE WORLD!!!).


A family group shot.
There will be more to come on "Picture Perfect Monday", but I knew if I didn't get some up before then I would be in BIG trouble with my Mommy!!!

Sweet Abundance, Indeed

Today, our abundance got a whole lot sweeter! The courts FINALLY acknowledge what our hearts have known all along. Our sweet girl is now - and FOREVER - known legally as Sophie Lee B....! And all glory and thanks goes to the One who brought her to us from the very beginning. Thank You Father God for this Blessing.

Hubby's sis Melissa was - as always - our official photographer for the event. Which means pictures are "to come". I have a few that we took, but the ones of us all gussied up for court, in the court room and afterwards will have to wait.

Some hi-lights of the day:

Sophie had her famous smile beaming the whole time!

She also "chatted it up" during the proceedings, which was fun.

So many of our fRamily were there to share the joy with us - Hubby's mom and dad, sister Melissa, nieces Chelsea and Kayla, SuperModel & her hubs (Amanda Jo & Darcy - who also happens to be Sophie's boyfriend!!), The Christian fam - Eric, Mary, Caleb & Cassie, Cheri & her cute boy Owen, Kathy & her sweet Evy as well as one of the caseworkers - Dawn (who is preggars and as cute as can be with her baby bump!!). Thank you all for coming to share our joy!!!

Hattie, in a fancy dress she picked herself, was such a sweetie all day (well, until about noon when we realized that because we had had to wake her up at 6:30, she was not up to eating breakfast and had had NOTHING to eat all day. THUS the melt down. A little bit of mall food court pizza and she was good to go!).

The Judge was so nice and let everyone sit ANYWHERE THEY WANTED!

SuperModel chose a seat right next to the Judge! And when all was said and done, the judge let her hammer the gavel to declare it official! She was so cute! Alas, no pics - and that makes me sad:( But it is a fun memory that I will have FOR-E-VER!

After court we decorated the car to let the world know of our joy:



And then we headed to the mall where Sophie adopted her own someone special!
Meet "Flo Mingo"!!



Notice any resemblance?



Yeah, I thought so too!!

We had such an amazing day! Thank you all for your prayers and your support! We are so Blessed to have such an amazing fRamily - not to mention all of my lovely and wonderful Siestas!!!

We love you!!!!!

Praise Him...

... today, she becomes ours FOREVER!!!



Thank You, Sweet Jesus!

Two Days!

So, yeah, Sophie's adoption will be final in TWO DAYS!!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I am so excited!! Friday morning (bright and early) we have us a date at the court house!!! (I fully realize that there are more !!!'s in this paragraph to get passing marks from any English teacher in the free world, but seriously, y'all .... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't stop myself!) (and, I just said "y'all" - like I am Beth Moore or something!!!) (BTW - Beth, if you are reading this - 'cause, ya know, we ARE PBFF's - you are totally invited to the adoption!!!)

My buddy SuperModel took me shopping last night. She is like having my own personal Stacy London/style guru. She sent me into that dressing room with more clothes than I currently have in my closet - well, OK, not really, but at least more non t-shirt/non sweats/non hoodie/non jean clothes! (lookie there, another !) We found a very cute outfit in a store that is closing this month. Everything was half off the lowest price. Can I get an AMEN? Original sticker value of said clothes (a blouse, pair of pants, bracelet and hoodie shirt) was $143.00, the markdown sticker price was $76.96, I got 50% off of that - plus a coupon for an additional 50% off of THAT price for the blouse. All told, I paid $32.82!!! Seriously, does anyone else hear the angels singing in the background? And, I really think that it is because SuperModel totally prayed over the clothes before I went into the fitting room, and because God cares about the little things too, He answered our prayers! And I even got to head over to payless to get a pair of shoes - very cute black heels, that in every other size cost a dollar more than they cost in my size!!!

Even the small stuff friends!

Plus, the outfit totally coordinates with the dress my mommy got Sophie for the adoption. Oh, yeah, He is just cool like that!

And, yeah, Sophie is 11 months old now. I can hardly stand it. She is more of her own little person every single day. She is fun and funny and sweet and charming and loving and social and ... I could go on. She is less of a little baby every day, and that makes my heart weep a little, but seeing who she is becoming is an adventure that I would not trade for anything it the whole entire world.

I love you Sophie Bug!!!!

And, finally, today is my sister Marla's birthday! My sister is A-MA-ZING!!! When I was a little girl, I just wanted to be her. And, in many ways, I still do. She is beautiful in every way and everything that a big sister should be. She has a blog, and is absolutely sure that I am the only one who reads it. (Therefore she hardly ever posts) So, if you wouldn't mind heading over HERE and wishing her a happy day. And, tell her to post a stinking picture of Duncan already!!!

I LOVE YOU MARLA!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Summer Fun

Those wonderful women over at 5 Minutes For Mom are having a photo contest. This time they are celebrating the magic of summer. PLUS, you can win $500! That is Five HUNDRED American dollars! That is about half of what it is gonna cost to get all four of us to the big AZ for Steven's wedding in November.

Umm, people at 5 Minutes For Mom .... I could really use the dough! Hint. Hint. Nudge. Nudge!

Here are a couple of possibilities (what kinda mom would I be if I could choose between my girls?).


I know that you can't see their faces, but the wonder of a little girl (or two) facing a big 'ol hunk of water is just sweet. Even sweeter when that little girl (or two) holds a big 'ol hunk of your heart!

But, I s'pose I gotta pick one picture, and one picture only. How impossible is that?!?!?! But if I gotta choose ... ... all my kiddos, down by the water, is the way to go. My girls heart their big brothers BIG TIME!!! And, it seems, the feeling is mutual! I liked it so well, I made it my header!

(So, again, I beg of you - lovely people at 5 Minutes For Mom - Please help us get to biggest brother's wedding!!!)

Picture Perfect Monday - Cuteness Warning!!

So, for Miss Sophie's 1st Birthday/Adoption party we are having a luau (ALOHA!!), so we had to take some special pictures for the invitations!!!

****WARNING: The following images are likely to cause you to want to hug, and possibly even kiss, your computer screen!!!***







(Can't say I didn't warn ya!!)

Pool Side Fun

So, Hubby and I (finally) put out the pool that our neighbor gave the girls a month or two ago. It was Sophie's first time in a pool. Every other time we have been to a pool, there was a LOT of action, so we kept her out of the way!

But this time the water was calm and safe. So both girls went for a dip. And both girls LOVED it!

Here is how it went down:

Sophie - Whoa! Little bit chilly!

Hattie - Hey "Soapy", try the slide. That is some REAL fun there!!

S - Naah, I think I will just sit here and play with the balls.

H - C'mon ya make a big splash at the end!!!
S - I know! You splashed ME!! Not so sure I'm liking that.

H - FINE, I'll just splash on THIS side!

S - Cool, that means I got this side all to myself!

S - Wait, now I'm lonely

H - Me too.

(Cue sad music)


After Sophie's teeth had been chattering a few minutes and her lips started turning blue, it was time to come out.

Sophie was willing.

Hattie was defiant.
She thought she was getting away with it,

But then I told her she was next.

Then she screamed the whole way up to the bath tub.

Good times!