The Kennett's Krazy Life: August 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Random

There are been a severe lack of blogging on my part lately. Don't really have a good reason other than, mainly, I'm just not feeling it.

I got several books recently and I've been reading at night after the family is in bed instead of blogging.

I read one of Max Lucado's classics, "The Applause of Heaven". I thought I had every book he's ever written, but somehow missed this one as well as "The Great House of God", which is on the shelf waiting to be read.

I also bought the Duggar's new book and read it. I personally love them.

I went to see The Help in the theater last week with my mom for my birthday and LOVED it so much. I went out and bought the book the next day. I started it after I finished the other 2 books, but only made it through the first 2 chapters, because my stack of bonding/attachment/cross-cultural/multi-racial adoption books arrived in the mail. So, I put The Help back on the shelf for later and started "Black Baby White Hands" last night. So good. Read a few chapters last night and hoping to be able to keep my eyes open long enough tonight to read a few more.

I've been planning to have a garage sale to benefit our adoption fund since we officially started the process in April 09. Best time to have garage sales are in the Spring and Fall. We have soccer every weekend in the Spring and Fall though, so I've been putting it off.

I thought we didn't have soccer this weekend, so 2 days ago decided to bite the bullet and throw the sale together. Later that same evening, after the garage had already been over taken by 50 something trash bags of stuff from the attic, that we do have soccer. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to miss one Saturday of soccer. But it BREAKS my heart!! I'm not one of those mom's who's just content to send Daddy with the kids for sports. No way-- if I'm going to live my life in a way that I (hopefully) won't have any regrets later on-- I'd better not be missing ANYTHING unless I have to. That's just the way we roll. But, I'm pretty sure we'll both survive and Daddy is more than capable of handling it with me for sure.

So, if you live around here, come see me Friday or Saturday from 7-1 and see if you can find something you want!! I have tons of ladies and kids clothing. I didn't realize I had such a nice work wardrobe until I started pulling things out to organize them for the sale. I had about 50 pairs of jeans/pants/capris/skirts in size 10 and 12. Guess that's the main size I was during those years! I also have quite a few in size 6, 8, 14 and 16. (Can you say yo-yo? Wow. Too bad I can't seem to stay one size for very long before I'm jumping up and down! Ugh!)

The kids are doing super great with school. They are all loving it.

My husband is my hero. He's been making a huge effort to come home earlier in the evenings than he's ever been able to so that he can help Rhett with his home work. Can't even begin to express the blessing it is to both me and Rhett that this is happening. My sweetie-pie-hunk0fahubby- has never made it home for dinner everynight for 2 weeks straight. Not in over 12 years of marriage. It's just so weird to me! But the best kind of weird. I'm afraid I'm gonna get to used to it and if he has to adjust his schedule drastically again, I will be grieving him being gone. I've been so used to him working so many hours all these years that it was just our normal.

I know he'll read this eventually: JK- I love you so much and I don't take a single bit of it for granted! You are amazing and you BLESS the socks off of me. XOXOXOXOXOXO

I'm trying to get caught up with my office work that I SO took for granted all summer by doing the absolute bare minimum. Sometimes I get caught up in the "I wish I could just be a stay at home mom and worry about my family and my house and not have to work" but MAN, is that DUMB and SELFISH! God has blessed us so much by allowing us to own and operate our own business for the last 6+ years. I'm trying to remember everyday what a blessing it is. Yes, we have to work hard, but yes it is so worth it.

Ok, I blogged. Back to work now :)

Friday, August 19, 2011

It’s a proud moment for a Mamma…

My husband took this video of our children with my phone several months ago. I got a new phone and have had quite a fun time looking through all the old videos :)

Yes, that is my family. And I love them. Every silly bit of them.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

First Day of School

Well, as of this morning, my life changed pretty drastically.

ALL 3 of my precious babies are in school!!! It kind of feels like a “I’m free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!” :)
Movie reference from one of my all time favs. Think Bette and Barbara :)

It is such a parenting milestone for me. So today has already been filled with such a variety of emotions.

Here they are—ready for their first day!!

So interesting to me how their clothing choices totally reflect their personalities. I could probably write a book about this :)

Kindergartener

3rd grader

5th grader

I woke him up and said, “Are you ready for your last first day of elementary school??” He smiled :)
He’s so ready to be the BMOC. He is so excited and anxious to sign up for the Principal’s school leadership team, science projects and all of the other awesome stuff the 5th grader’s get to do. He’s been chomping at the bit for school to start since school got out in June!

Here’s my baby girl, at her desk, ready for her first day!
She did so great and was so excited to be there!

I was a little apprehensive this morning because last night when we were saying bedtime prayers, Gracie prayed for God to
“take her nervous away”. She has been so ready and excited to go, but she realized last night that she was feeling a little nervous.
She woke up this morning and never mentioned anything about being nervous, but she was awfully quiet as we were walking to school and to her classroom.

Her little friend Kasey’s mom, (and my friend) Katt, took the girls to get their nails painted yesterday. While they were there, Gracie met the owner’s daughter and found out they were going to be in the same class.
When we got there this morning, that little girl’s desk was right next to Gracie’s!! When she saw a sort of familiar face, she seemed to relax right away.
God is so good!

Rhett and I had already said our goodbyes in the hallway and he said I didn’t need to walk him to his class. Well, his Daddy was able to show up after that and he wanted to go and wish him well. As Jason and I were walking down the hall, we heard what sounded like a party! We walked into the room, and they were all wearing party hats and blowing noise makers.

I was happy to see Rhett was sitting across from one of his friends from last year’s class and he had a smile on his face. What a great start to 3rd grade! This is such an answer to prayer!

After I snapped this picture of him and his teacher, I said my good-byes and I had to walk out… I felt tears welling up in my eyes. (here we go again…. as I type this… Kleenex, please.)

How weird is it that I was COMPLETELY fine leaving my little “just turned 5 baby kindergartener” out in the big bad world, but I couldn’t hardly hold it together to leave him there.

This sweet boy is the subject of most of my middle of the night prayers, he’s on my heart almost constantly, he is the one who struggles more in school, the one who hasn’t yet to have the “light come on” to love school, reading, etc. Anything pertaining to school has been more of a struggle for him through the years. If I could’ve bottled up all the tears we’ve cried over homework in the last few years… they would certainly fill gallon jugs.

I’ve been praying all summer that THIS would be HIS year. That he would begin to embrace it as a good experience and that he would not have to struggle as much.

Leaving was hard as I thought about all these emotions, but it was also easy because I know God is faithful and he hears our prayers. The tears were also ones of joy because to see him “partying” and leaving him with a smile on his face just felt like Jesus giving me a big ole’ hug and hearing him say, “It’s ok. I’m here. He’s going to be ok.”

I have one, and only one, year where all 3 of them will be in the same school. What a sweet blessing!

I can’t wait till the end of the day so I can hear all of their stories!!!

I am such a blessed woman.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Devils Den Camping Trip

Recently, we spent the weekend at Devil’s Den. We had a great time, as usual! We spent time relaxing, playing, and swimming too. Here’s some pictures!

First time down the slide!

Somebody’s about to get dunked…

Swimmin’ Hole

A friend came by the say Hi while I was watching the family swim.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

1 year

1 year ago today, we were placed on the official waiting list in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a little girl.

On that day, 8-9-10, I never thought we'd still be waiting today. I even had the audacity to believe that we might even have her home by today... The average timelines were much different a year ago than they are today.

My heart has ached for her for almost 2 years now- ever since God placed in me the desire to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia.

I'm thankful to have the love, support and encouragement from so many family and friends throughout this process. Most of all, I'm thankful for any prayer that is lifted on behalf of our family and especially our daughter.

Please join us in praying for her. I've said it before, but we love her so much already. There is a void in our hearts that only she will be able to fill.

Please pray that NO advances by the enemy to prevent her from having a family to love her will prevail.

We would also appreciate any prayers you would send up for our family as we wait. Pray that we will not be discouraged as we wait and that we would trust in God daily to carry out the plan that he has for us in this process.

We are still believing Him for a miracle in bringing us together!!! He IS able. Nothing is too big for HIM!!! I believe that with all of my heart.

Thank you so much for joining us in prayer! It means more to us than I could ever express.

I absolutely cannot wait to be able to share some good news with you all!!!

Until then, I guess I'm off to wait some more :) I'm getting pretty good at it by now.....