Boy becomes Fish!

School is out, but we've got some serious learning going on!

Yesterday afternoon Evan decided he was done "floating"...he wanted to swim like his big brother. So my mom (who is awesome when it comes to lessons like "how to blow a bubble", "how to tie your shoes" and "how to swim") gave him a quick lesson. And that was it! Within a matter of minutes, he was swimming the entire width of the pool.

Way to go, Evan! Your family is so proud of you!

My first GIVEAWAY!!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this has been an incredibly blessed week for our family!

Why has it been so special, you ask?

First, just a little something fun...my blog's hit counter rolled past 5000 hits earlier this week. I know, I know...this is small potatoes for many bloggers. I think it's a fun milestone though and certainly a reason to celebrate!

But now for the BIG news!
Very soon it will be time to submit our dossier along with a payment of $7700. We have been praying and waiting for the Lord to provide the funds we lacked.

Well, that He did! Just a few days ago, Kyle and I received an AMAZING gift. It was a donation to our adoption fund in the amount of $5000!! We are so incredibly grateful. We're grateful for the generous, obedient hearts of the people who gave us this gift. And we're beyond grateful for our God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)! Isn't He amazing?! Don't you just love it when He shows off?!

And if you read my post yesterday, you know that I received a very special surprise gift in the mail!

What a week...let's celebrate with a GIVEAWAY!

I'm giving away a few of my very favorite things.

#1 A book that changed the way I look at the gospel and thereby changed my life.

#2 This CD...love singing along to this {loudly} in the car. Track 2 is the best!

#3 A $10 Starbucks gift card. I love my Hazelnut Lattes and I love enjoying them with a friend!

There are three ways to enter...

#1 Leave a comment telling me what you would do with $5000. Would you put it toward your own adoption costs? Would you save it? Would you take your family to Disney World? There's no wrong answer!

#2 Become a follower of this blog.

#3 Tell your friends about this giveaway by making a post on your own blog or Facebook.

Simple as that...there are three ways to enter and each one gets you an entry. You can choose one way to enter or all three! Just leave a comment on this post letting me know how you entered. 

We'll draw for a winner (as demonstrated by my silly kiddos in the picture below) at 12:00PM (CST) on Saturday, February 12th. You have until that time to enter!

Hope you'll join in on the fun! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Firsts...

Yesterday I posted about Joshua's first lost tooth.

As you can imagine, the Tooth Fairy made her first visit to our house last night. 

Very exciting for all of us!

The Tooth Fairy wasn't the only person that visited us! The Kissing Monster (me) and The Tickle Monster (Kyle) also stopped by unannounced.

Kissing Monster and Tickle Monster is a game we play with the kids...

I sneak out the front door and ring the doorbell. As Kyle and the kids open the door, the kids always, without fail ask..."Who's there?" To which I respond..."THE KISSING MONSTER!!!" The kids squeal with a mixture of excitement and sheer panic. Kyle immediately turns into The Tickle Monster. Absolute craziness ensues.

We chase the kids through the house trying to catch them. And when we do...we smother them in kisses or tickle their tummies. Last night we were all having a blast...being silly and laughing until our cheeks ached. Until another first happened...this time it was a broken bone!

I was chasing Evan and Kyle was chasing Joshua. The boys were running toward each other on the wood floor. Their feet slipped and they collided...big time! I saw the whole thing. It looked like some of the clips from America's Funniest Videos.

(The monsters quickly made their exit at this point!)

Joshua got up laughing. Evan tried to get up, but couldn't stand and he was definitely not laughing. His little left foot was hurt! After a visit to the doctor and a few x-rays this afternoon, we found out that it's broken. He'll get a cast or a boot tomorrow morning...another first!

My poor little guy had a rough night. But once we got the pain under control, he started taking full advantage of the situation. He has made all kinds of requests today...Wii, Skittles, a Happy Meal for lunch! And, yes...the Kissing Monster has granted his every wish! 

On a happier note, we got something fun in the mail today! Olivia's first Poppy Dip dress! I'm thrilled with it...and so is she! And here's the best thing...our purchase of this cute little dress will help bring a little boy home to his forever family! 

Last but not least...

February 1st is going to be the start of something very exciting for our family and for our adoption. More details soon!