House Building for Rookies: III

FRIENDS! Fret no longer! I have not abandoned ship and left you to meander the tumultuous path of home building alone! We are, however, in survival mode so bear with me :)

As you can imagine, as LOT has happened since I left you  :) Let's get to it:

The basement is already proving to be a hot spot for friends/neighbors. One of the major reasons we wanted to build was for people to fill it! Notice the beams/posts. Gotta have those things sporadically to hold up the upper floor...think about that when you are thinking about your future basement and that layout. The beams/posts affect that. This is step 1 for the framing crew. 

 Next comes subfloor! Dangerous time to be bringing children (or clumsy adults) around. Also, for the first time the house seemed huge!

 WALLS! THOSE ARE WALLS! And this is where it all changed. It finally became a house (to me) that's not a legal description! :)

Trusses (the framing portion that creates the roof) are custom made off site and brought in. They are set with a crane. Fun to watch. The boys and I sat in the car munching chicken nuggets & watching the live movie! :)

 THAT IS MY HOUSE! Taking shape now, for sure. Framing is quite a process but wow! Makes a huge difference!!! After the framing is done foam board (the blue stuff) is attached to the 2x4's and then covered in Tyvek, then covered with siding. That's it....seems weird, no? Plywood is added over the trusses to create the roof. Felt is laid and then the shingles. Also got the front entry beams/gable done which is super fun! Columns come later. Such a muddy muddy mess! When the framers feel like it they come back and put in the windows and temporary exterior doors. Temp ones are used so the pretty new ones don't get banged up. Also true of the interior stair way. Right now it's a temporary staircase/railing. Better than the gaping hole that caused me GREAT anxiety with the kiddos around.

 And now let's take a tour inside and play a little game: name that space! Based on only the framing see if you can guess which spaces are which. Answers below. Please notice the puddle of water on the floor. When you don't have a roof and it rains the inside of your new house gets wet. It's a little alarming but apparently ok. Also notice the blue foam board that is now the exterior AND interior of your home. There are parts of it that are super muddy from people stepping on it and such. Apparently that's part of your house forever...not a big deal but a strange thought nonetheless. GAME ON:

 Name that space: 1 What areas do you think Zeb and Silas are "cleaning?"

 Name that space: 2 Silas (shirtless because construction workers leave A LOT of 1/2 full energy drinks around. Silas found one and dumbed it on himself) is peering out of???

 Name that space: 3 What have we here? And why the red boards? That I don't know, btw...

 Name that space: 4 Hint: it's where the "magic" happens. Or so they say...

 Name that space 5: If you can't handle the heat....

 Name that space: 6 Obviously that's the stairway....what's to the left & right?

 Name that space: 7 Who shall rest their head here?

 She's pretty. I hope she comes with the house :)

Name that space: 8 More wee ones MIGHT rest here

ROOFING!

 SIDING!

And as of tonight, the drywall is hung! Waiting for it to be mudded and taped! Before they could drywall Seth had to insulate the walls & spray foamed pipes & wires going through the attic/exterior. Plastic is stapled over the insulation and drywall over that. Can't wait to get pics -- that REALLY changed things. I can't see through my whole house anymore! We have windows and doors and hoping to wrap up siding this weekend! We also now have a driveway. A lot of stuff can go in different orders depending on who's available when (driveway/sidewalks/siding/garage door/etc.) Siding wouldn't normally be done unit later but since Seth is doing that he's already started. We will also get to work on the deck ASAP so we can get some sod down before the snow flies! 

A few product notes: 
-WINDOWS: we went with Pella windows and Seth does use Pella for most of his jobs. He's not opposed to other brands, but does believe Pella is quality product with lots of options. 
-SIDING: for our sliding door we opted to have blinds IN the widows because let's face it: vertical blinds are a HUGE pain and I HATE curtain shopping. Easy peasy. Another product Seth HIGHLY recommends: Hardi siding. Cement board siding: maintenance free/durable! We opted for a pre finished product because "ain't no body got time to paint" :) haha. But in the end we did discover it ended up being a few hundred $ cheaper to go that route. Something to consider. 
-EGRESS WINDOWS: we did the metal window wells but had we known the cost we would have done poured. I do hate those corrugated metal window wells. Ah well....I won't look.

And now...the moment you've all been waiting for: ANSWERS!!!
Name that space: 
1. Zeb is standing in the living room & Silas is cleaning the dinning area.
2. Silas is standing in the pantry in the kitchen. To the left is the master bed/bath/closet area.
3. Mud room. Entry from garage on the left side. Washer and dryer will be on one side of the window and sink/cabinets/lockers on the other side.
4. Master bedroom!
5. Kitchen! Pantry on the right, bar/island thing straight ahead. Dinning area beyond that.
6. Front entry to the left of the stairs, closet to the right and kids wing (bedrooms/bathroom) after that.
7. Grace's room/big closet!
8. Boys' room!

Oh you guys, you're fun :) I'll try to update again after this weekend so they don't get so long next time! :)

House Building for Rookies: Part II

We officially broke ground on July 31st, 2014. This is what breaking ground looks like. I was pretty disappointed when I found out there are no gold shovels and photographers involved.

So they dig and make a giant hole in which your new house will fit.

It's everything I dreamed of and more :) Next they pour the footings. You know...footings. No idea what that means except they are made out of cement and look like this...

I thought about going around with a tape measure to make sure the poured them all right because if those footings are wrong...the whole house is wrong. Seth informed me that wasn't necessary. He'll be sorry if our house ends up smaller (or bigger).  Those big...things standing up there would be the forms they will next set to pour the foundation walls into. I didn't see them go up or come down, but seems like quite a system they have. Once that's done you have a basement and can really start to envision what the house will look like. Naturally, it has to be sprayed with some sort of tar concoction...I assume that is related to water? Maybe I should update these things when Seth is awake to explain stuff to me? Nah...I mean this is supposed to be a rookie's prospective... Rock is dumped (via a cool machine thing) around the outside of the house (for drainage) and in/on the basement floor.

I will say that at this point, I freaked out because the house seems so small....I'm looking from wall to wall thinking of everything that has to fit, but Seth assured me it will be ok. We'll see Seth...we'll see. Seth and his dad spent a weekend in the muddy trenches to put foam board around the outside of the foundation. Next the plumbing had to be 'roughed in' which basically involved PVC pipes in the basement. Just this past Monday the basement floor concrete was poured and the garage was prepped for concrete. They should be doing the backfilling tomorrow and then maybe we can stand closer to the house :) Framing is SUPPOSED to start Monday so pray for no rain and timely contractors!

In between we've been keeping these cuties alive

and making tons of decisions. Here's a sneak peak at what may or may not appear in the new house:

Hoping for exciting updates next week with framing and such! Stay tuned for more sneak peeks...

House Building for Rookies

We're about to start building a new house. In order to document the journey, provide some insight, tips, etc. and to keep the nosy people out there informed, we'll be keeping a blog as we go along. Let's DIG in! Get it. Dig!?! HAHAHAHA! :) You're in for a treat!

So, as you can imagine MUCH goes into house building before any building takes place. First of all you've got to decide if you want 2 story or ranch and how many bedrooms/bathrooms you want where. We knew we wanted a ranch since that's what we had lived in for the last 7 years and loved it. [[Helpful hint: 2 story houses are cheaper to build because there is less foundation and roofing, which are the spendy parts of the house.]] We knew we wanted 3 bedrooms on the main floor and at least 2 bathrooms, ideally a 1/2 bath for guests. We wanted a split plan so the kids bedrooms were on one end of the house and ours was on the other. You can then start searching till your eyes pop out of your head. We have literally spent years combing house plan after house plan. You've got to find one that is close to want you want and your builder can make changes and re draw it to your liking.

Things to look for/my advice:
-Avoid a front entry that opens right into the living room. Even a tiny foyer makes a big difference. Our last house opened right into the living room -- hated it.
-Watch closet space. I kept looking at plans thinking "where on earth will I store my vacuum?" Things like that can be easy to overlook, but you're going to want and need plenty of storage.
-Bedroom sizes/number--I was surprised by the sizes of most bedrooms in the plans I saw. The kids' bedrooms at our other house were so tiny we were looking forward to having bigger bedrooms for them. We also knew the boys where going to share: which seems to surprise people. They are 19 months apart...why would they need their own room? Plus, the square footage that each kid having their own room would create would pretty much deplete any other living space. So, we ended up finding a plan that would allow us to add some extra space onto the bedrooms. 
-Sinks: I know the whole 2 sink thing is a huge deal right now and that was originally in our plan for the kids bathroom. I couldn't imagine 2 (or more) of our kids using an actual sink at the same time. So we opted for 1 sink and more counter & closet space. In the master we did do 2 separate vanities...but that's just so I can prove that Seth is the messier one :) Anyway, something to consider...just because it seems to be the thing to do doesn't mean it's what'll work best for your family.
-Best use of space: our original plan had a fairly large covered patio on the end of the living rom. Being that space still required foundation and roof...seemed like a waste. So we enclosed it to be part of the house which made the living room very long but we then added in some custom shelving & columns so it should work out nicely. And we'll still have a deck so I'm good with that. 
-We were also a little concerned the dinning room might be tight so we bumped it out into a bay window shape to give a little more room. Cheap fix. 

We knew early on we loved the craftsman look and ran with that. Thanks to Pinterest & Houzz we've gotten so many ideas! Truth be told: we have a friend who was/is an interior decorator & she is amazing. We give her our general ideas, she narrows things down, approves/disapproves, gives new ideas, etc. and has made decision making SOOO easy for us. We've got everything picked out already except 2 lights and 3 ceiling fans. Even furniture! Not bad, eh? It has been a lot of fun for us. We don't argue about anything--we each kind of have a couple areas we are passionate about being a certain way and we respect that. I also respect that this is Seth's area of expertise and I let him do his thing. Despite popular belief, there are a lot of things I just don't get too worked up about. Paint colors, flooring, etc...I don't like certain things and beyond that -- I'm pretty flexible. 

So...here's a glimpse and what (we hope) the house will look like :) Keep posted to see the end result...

Say whaaa???

Yes, it's true. I am 20 weeks pregnant. Yes, we were advised by professionals to not try again, yes we were trying to prevent it, yes, SOMEONE else had another plan...

We sold all (most) of our baby stuff at a garage sale in May (clothes, stroller, car seats, bottles, etc.) In June, we moved from a mini van to an SUV crossover--all the while knowing we'd love more kids but knowing IF and when another option came up it would be several years. HAHAHAHA says God.

I felt pretty sick the whole month of August and when I went to the dr. they ran some lab tests on hormone levels and what not. She wanted to give me a shot but said we had to make 100% sure I wasn't pregnant. I assured her I wasn't but she said to wait 2 weeks, take a test and then we could proceed with the shot. I bought a 3 pack of tests on the way home and the next day decided I might as well take one. I didn't think anything of it but as I washed my hands I glanced down at the test and saw it. That second pink line. It was definately a double take moment followed by, "OH S**T!" and "What are we gonna do?" and "Why?" and then the hysteria. We got into the perinatal center right away and Dr. Mandsaager (who is probably the most serious & intimidating person I've ever met) reminded us of the dangers, promised to do all they/we could to make this one different and said he would want to deliver at 28 weeks to prevent any sort of tragedy. He said at 28 weeks there is a 90-95% survival rate with no complications (obviously the baby would be in the NICU for quite sometime) but those odds are far better than what the past has shown us if the baby sticks with  me. His main concern was another abruption because even if I was being monitored in the hospital and the placenta abrupted there is a very good chance they wouldn't be able to save the baby.

Soooo...I am 20 weeks and going strong. Everything looks great so far, baby measures on track, blood pressure has been stable, etc. I have been pretty sick the whole time and SUPER SUPER DUPER nervous. That's why we have waited to tell people but are ready now to beg and plead for your earnest and fervent prayers! This has already been an incredibly difficult journey. Trying to find a balance between guarding our hearts and finding hope. We KNOW God is capable of amazing and wonderful things (we have 2 miracles to remind us everyday). But we also know the deep pain that comes when you live in a fallen world. We know God can knit this baby to a healthy, LIVING 28 week angel and we pray He will. Until then, we are clinging to and living on the prayers of family and friends. PLEASE, join us!

January 17th will be 28 weeks....less than 2 months. But as we know, A LOT can happen in that time. Pray for our hearts, pray we can cling to hope, and that the peace of God would fill us. Pray that God knits the precious one together to be healthy, pray for our plans, pray for our arrangements with a baby in the NICU for several weeks and 2 at home. Just pray...we are weary and in need of our fellow believers to carry us through!

Thank you so much!

Ask and you shall recieve...

Well the requests have been flooding in for a Lorntson family blog and I'm happy to report that I'm here to make all your dreams come true!

I was on a blogging hiatus for quite sometime because I didn't want to write another negative post, so I thought I'd wait until I had something positive to say. Buuuuuttt...I got nothing.

So we are back in our "old house" now and are happy to be home. We were HOPING to start remodeling this month, however, as hope would have it in our case...it's not going to happen. Through a series of stupid & unnecessary circumstances we can not do work on the house until (hopefully) spring. Yet another jab in our still bleeding wounds. And here comes the drama....I don't even care so much about not being able to work on the house, I don't really care about the THINGS we have lost this year or the THINGS that haven't gone our way. It's more the constant stream of things not working out that has gotten me down. I'd confidently say that this has been the worst 10 months of my life (Seth feels the same). From Zion to houses/moving to applying for insurance to refinancing our house to switching cell phone companies...EVERYTHING has been negative and complicated. I don't want to answer my phone or check my email because I feel like there will be another bout of negativity looming, another rejection or complicated version of what we hoped would happen. Again, it's not the things that have me down - we have a house, cars, AMAZING family and friends, a successful business, a miracle daughter and anyTHING we could probably want...but you can only be knocked down so many times before you just can't get up anymore. I'm a fighter and I don't have the energy to fight anymore. I feel like God pushed us into a big hole. Sometimes he comes to check on us, throws us a rope and just when we get so close to reach it, He pulls it back and walks away. ***Nobody panic here and put your sermons away, I KNOW that isn't the way God works but MAN! We were trying to be so diligent in letting God be in charge of our lives. Welp, that led us down a series of failed endeavors. But, hey! Tomorrow is a new day and we know God is capable of miracles...however, I'm not asking for one cause...well...I can't handle more dissapointment right now.

Poor us I know, right? :) Let's move on to the more upbeat part of the blog, eh?

Here are my latest qualms with life:

#1. I am again going to bring up rug pads. My bathroom rugs are sliding all over the place and it is rather frustrating. I don't understand why they don't make rugs with the rug pad already attached. I mean, who WANTS their rug to move all over!?!?

#2. I am going to pull out my liberal card with a shocking proposal. I am suggesting we ban thank you notes. Think about the times in life you have to write thank you's. Graduation, wedding, babies...all times in your life where you do NOT have time to write hundreds of half (if that) hearted, cliche messages to people, knowing that they will open it, read it and toss it in the trash. Waste of time and money if you ask me. If you give someone a gift don't you assume they are going to be thankful? If you don't think someone would be thankful then don't get them a gift! A simple text message or phone call with a "Hey! Thanks for thinking of me." Would more than suffice for me. Who's with me!??!!?!

#3. You know those word verification boxes you have to type in when you log on to your prison email? No? Oh, well they also have them for purchasing concert tickets or various things. It's supposedly for secreity reasons...is that because criminals can't see real good? ;) I don't understand how that helps...enlighten me.

#4. I suggest watching America's Got Talent. Good, clean, harmless laughs and it makes for great conversation. I would not recommend the Bachelorette (though I do watch it).

#5. Flip flops for kids under the age of 10 should not be allowed. They do NO good. They cause more spills, scraped knees, fits at the park because there are "rocks in my shoes!" blisters between toes that cause infection/blood poisoning. Bleh! Save the drama. I would recommend Crocs. Easy to put on, can get wet, easy to clean, closed toe to save on tripping, comfortable, affordable, cute (some of them:). Can't go wrong.

Moving on to "highlights of life with my 3 year old daughter" portion:

*Today was the day. Grace pulled out the, "You're not my mommy!" card. Just the beginning of 1,000's more to come I'm sure. I'm SOOO looking forward to her teen years!
*The other night Grace yells from her bed, "Mom! I want a customer to come sleep with me." Again, looking forward to the teen years.
*I may have cried a time or two in the last week. Both times Grace caught me, climbed up to my face, started me down, started stroking my hair saying, "Shh...don't cry mommy. It's OK. Don't need to cry." Once she sang, "Don't cry in your bed. Don't be sad, in your bed." Though my favorite was, "It's ok mommy! You can just get up and play with me!"

*She has also been sharing a story about a time her and I went to the forest and saw a bunny.

*Whenever she does something she's not supposed to do she tilts her head to the side, looks at me and says, "That's alright mommy. That's alright I do that."

*Grace started a 2 week session of dance classes yesterday, swimming lessons next month and soccer camp in August. Yes, she has more of a life than I ever did.

Oh golly, I'm sure there are tons more things but it is 2:44am and I may have to resort to Ambien CR for some sleep tonight. And now that you've gotten to read a blog from the Lorntson's you can sleep easy too!

God Speed (what does that mean, btw?)

When the family is away...

...I will find time to blog...

Indeed, it has been quite a while since the last blog and, as you can imagine, a lot has happened. Please, allow me to enlighten you.

Seth and Grace (along with Sissy, Jack and Brooklyn) are visiting great grandpa in MN. I, of course, stayed home in case the baby decided to arrive. After a month of watching two additional 3yr old girls...I was much looking forward to the "break." The silence has been amazing and the house is sparkling clean! Laundry caught up, errands ran, nap taken, mani/pedi tomorrow...yep, it's been a treat. However, I am REALLY ready for them to be back now!!!

So yes, I watched two girls this past month while their parents finished up their school year. 3, 3 year old girls = well...a lot of things. LOTS of laughs, lots of milk, cat fights, LOTS of questions, Princess dresses and dolls galore and one tired Sonya! It really was tiring but I enjoyed it. The girls made me laugh a TON and Grace loved having someone her age to play with. Katie and Lauren will be coming back in the fall when school starts again too!

Seth has been busy lining up summer projects and trying to figure out how to balance work and his demanding wife :) He does a great job...he's quite the guy! And I'm telling you...he's getting funnier and funnier!

So, we moved. Again. Basically our house was not selling and the owners of the home we were hoping to buy started feeling the heat of having to close the deal. So, we decided to move back to our "old" house which is about to become our "new and improved" house. At first we were both really upset and just felt lke another dissapointment had found its way into our lives. But once we got back into our "old" house, it felt like home (at least I thought so...Seth is still working on it). We are settled in and ready for this new baby to come along. We've decided to make this house work and therefore, we are going to be doing some remodeling/adding on. The plans are all underway, we hit the bank Thursday and start knockin down some walls Friday. That's my plan...Seth says that is not the correct order of events for such project. I will post pics periodically to monitor the progress of "Operation Old House Transformation" (OOHT) for your viewing pleasure.

So...Grace...Yes, THIS Grace-------> turns THREE on Friday! THREE!?!?! Are you kidding me?!?! I can NOT believe the time has gone this fast and with each day she becomes more and more of a blessing. I am so unbelievably proud to be her mommy! She also says that I'm her best friend and I always will be. She also wants to marry me though...or Jesus. I can see how that would be a tough choice :) Grace has been very clear for a couple months now that for her birthday she would like a Princess scooter, a helmet and a Princess horn (easy enough). She also shared she wanted to have a purple party with purple polka dots. Well, someone at Hobby Lobby heard her cause they were all set with purple polka dot paper plates and napkins :) Along with the fact that her gamma/Oma will be here...she is pretty darn excited about this gig! She also knows that after her birthday she gets a baby brother AND she gets to do a dance class. What a life, eh? Oh Grace, the light of my life!

Baby....baby? Baby! Haven't heard much from Jennifer lately. She is waiting to be transferred to Oakdale so that when she goes into labor she can go to U of I hospitals. She isn't thrilled about being there, apparently there is less freedom. She says she has made is clear to the baby that they aren't to be there long :) When we last visited her (a week ago) she had just seen the dr. and he said he didn't think it would be much longer. So...I'm very patiently waiting :) But, since it's 2:14am...the honesty is pouring out and...I gotta say...I've been struggling. I go back and forth between moments of sheer thrill and excitement to crying my eyes out trying to fight a feeling that it's all going to go terribly wrong. I'm struggling with prayer...I feel like I don't know how to talk to God anymore....like if I ask for something it will be taken away, if I say something, the opposite will happen. I love God with all my heart and trust Him as my Lord and Savior...but (much like in marriage) I'm struggling with how to communicate with Him right now. I've been panicking for most of the night tonight assuming something is going to go wrong and that we are going to lose another baby. Everyone says/assumes/thinks "Oh! It'll be just fine! I know it! God wouldn't do that to you." But He might...God is God and he can do whatever He wants. He allows things to happen...ugly things, horrible things. And thanks to sin the in the world there is no bounds to what might be allowed to happen...in which case I guess we can only find peace in the promise that God will bring us through. Anyway, I know...I know...I'm being negative. But this past year it seems that being positive has only led to disappointment and heartache. It's easier this way. I don't know what tomorrow holds. Maybe I'm tired and missing my family. Maybe I'm realistic. Maybe I'm crazy. But...I am tired. So that is my update for today...hopefully next time we'll be talking about the new baby :)

Heaven is for REAL!

As confirmed by 4 year old Colton Burpo in the book called, "Heaven is for Real." Which I would STRONGLY recommend for ANYONE to read! It's cute, uplifting and makes you think! Colton had a life threatening experience and "died" for 3 minutes and over the course of a year or so he describes different events to his parents, who had no idea what happened until they were able to piece his stories together. Precious! Read it! Available at Wal Mart...

Now, I'd much rather picture heaven than real life these days. With so much going on, so much that is NOT in our control...sometimes I just feel like I can't go on. We run 100 steps forward then everything comes to a sudden halt and where we thought God was leading, we start to question. No, don't be alarmed we are still on track for the adoption and foster parent classes, but this house business is getting a little out of hand. Money is getting really tight and without selling our house we can't close on the "new house" and therefore can't pull money out to put in the kitchen or finish the basement...and with the baby coming we've got to get that done. Of course, we knew all this could very well happen and we took the risk willingly...the frustrating part is just that with every single step we were diligent in prayer and waited for God to open a door before going through it. I'm sure there are lessons to learn about trusting God to provide, taking leaps of faith and being patient to the end, etc. But...in the meantime...I just cry a lot and fill my time with crap like the Bachelor to keep my mind occupied. Please, please, please as your begging friend and sister in Christ...PRAY our house sells ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But life goes on and God does provide...sometimes in unbelievable ways. The past few weeks has been a surreal series of events that again prove that there sure is a God and He sure is good! A couple weeks ago we were in MN with our families when we got that call that in fact, Jennifer was going to have...A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will we finally get our precious earthly son? Stay tuned to find out :) After talking on the phone several times we went to Mitchellville on Sunday to visit Jennifer. Now that was an experience. As we pulled in the parking lot and approached the security building a panic attacked formed in my throat and then a variety of emotions flooded...from laughing to crying to being scared, etc. And that was before we even met Jennifer. We walked into the visiting building and saw a room filled with tables, each with an inmate, other family members and children EVERYWHERE. And that's when the tears came. all these children...visiting their mother...in prison. Made me sad. Grace immediately scampered off to the toys. She found a bucket of blocks and sat down at a table with an inmate and her family. Which I didn't mind at all...except that maybe she was a little TOO comfortable in prison :) Anyway, we met Jennifer and I can't say enough good things about her. I sit there talking to her and can't help but wonder what happened...why she was here. She seems so down to earth, sarcastic, intelligent, etc. She refers to the baby as ours and calls him by the name we said we'd picked for him (which you will know in June:) She walks around with our picture saying, "This is the baby's parents!" When we ask her what she wants to happen after the baby is born she says, "It's your baby! Whatever you guys want! I"m just carrying him." She talks about mistakes she's made and is very aware that she is where she needs to be. She talks about her relationship with the Lord and just beams from ear to ear talking about how excited she is to be able to give us this gift. She sends us cards a couple times a week and sent Grace a special princess card. Again, it's all very surreal...God's fingerprints are all over this and I, for one, can't wait to see how it all pans out. Cautious optimism is our new motto in life. We are certainly excited about this, but aren't jumping to put a crib up! Of course we ask for continual pray that the pregnancy would remain healthy and everything would go smoothly!

That's about all the energy I can muster up for the day...

God bless you, one and all :)

Grace-isms for the week/weeks:
*I laid in her twin bed, 1/2 covered with stuffed animals 1/2 covered with her and me teetering on the edge. Grace grabs my arm and says, "Don't worry mom. I won't let you fall."

*Since her and Seth went to the father/daughter dance at our church one of her favorite past times is putting on a dress and saying, "Dance with me daddy!"

*(GRAPHIC NATURE) Grace points to her Barbie's chest and says in a whisper, "Mommy, what's these? What's these." I said, "Grace you know what that is and it's inappropriate to talk about. You can talk about it with mommy and that is all." Grace: "They're boobs mommy! (hehe) Girls have boobs! (hehe)"

*I've tried to teach her about seasons and we talk about how it rains a lot in spring. We haven't talked about it in quite sometime but today it was rainning and Grace starts yelling, "It's spring mom! It's spring!"

Also...I am PRETTY sure my life would be much easier if she wasn't soooo darn cute. Right? :)

Babies! Babies! Everywhere???

Be careful what you wish for...

I am sure most of you hop on your computer daily to see if there is a Lorntson Family update and it has been killing you that it's been nearly a month since the last one. Well count your blessings because today is your day! And...be careful what you wish for :)

So we are in full swing adoption mode. A stack of papers to fill out, fingerprint cards, background checks, reference letters, home study, essay questions and all....let the games begin...or continue. So, a little over a week ago we got a letter in the mail from Jennifer! It was so great to have our first communication with her and she just expressed her excitement and made sure we knew that she is taking good care of the baby. An excerpt from letter #1:
"I'm not exactly sure what else to write as this is a new area for me! I'm very very excited to be giving you this gift and Jane made me feel comfortable after meeting with you. Oh, I mentioned to Jane that I can have 2 people in the delivery room with me. Sonya, if you'd like to be there as my 2nd person that would be great. Sorry Seth, no men :)"

And then late last week we got a phone call from Jennifer! I was really worried that a phone call would be awkward, but it wasn't at all! She was super bubbly and sounded soooo excited about everything. She was sarcastic/funny and we totally hit it off! She said her ultrasound was supposed to be last week but because of the weather it got postponed. We are anxiously waiting to hear. We didn't get to talk long since they have a phone allowance of sorts, but it was great to hear her voice...it made things so much more real.

Today we got another letter and a really sweet card from her too! Excerpts from letter #2:
"Here is a bit of exciting news, I'm feeling the baby 'flutter' more & more now. It started a couple of days ago. It was very active until I started humming and singing to it. I talk to the baby and so does my roommate. We are constantly telling it he's a BOY! :) I'm trying as I really want to give you a boy!"
Thank you for all the prayers you have passed on to me, maybe they can pray for that appointment too! LOL! I pray for you all also as I'm very blessed to have found your family to give the happiness and love this baby so deserves. I tell people what I'm doing as I consider this baby yours and call you the baby's parents...."

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right??? I am just in awe of what God is doing through this woman! We are just thrilled and are PATIENTLY awaiting June :)

In the meantime we still have 2 houses to worry about and 1 feisty toddler! A few Grace moments:

--Saturday am she goes in the bathroom, shuts the door and is "hiding from a monster" which apparently actually means pooping pants. I'm getting her cleaned up and she's being all giggly and I said, "Grace, I'm kind of upset that you pooped in your pants." She touches my arm and says, "Oh mom. I'll sing you a song so you feel better. Twinkle twinkle ok? Twinkle, twinkle little star........."

--She was having lunch with a little buddy whom I was watching the other day. They take a few bites and she yells, "STOP! Stop! We need a pray. Dear God, thank you so much a day. Thank you a friends. Amen. Ok, you can eat now."

Just a couple highlights...or I would never stop. She's pretty great! And a bit of a challenge from time to time! :)

Oh, hey, since we don't' have enough going on...we have decided to get our foster care licence! Looong story but when it comes down to it, after a couple random visits with friends who had been or are foster parents, I laid awake one night very aware that that's what we were supposed to do. So, why not jump in feet first, right? We're hoping to start the 10 week series of classes in March. Wooohooo!

So hey, if that didn't fulfill your drama quota for the week, let me know and I'll be happy to load you full of unnecessary drama from my latest addiction, "The Bachelor"

Good night and God speed! :)

Herrrreeeeee we goooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Update #600793

House(s): We now live in the Jensen house and LOVE it. Rothmoor house still has not sold, please buy it :) We ended up getting a realtor, so we're hopeful that will help...and cost more $. At this point...we just need to get it off our hands so we can move on. I had a brilliant idea that someone could buy it and rent it out....so spread the word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's get this done :)

Mayo: We went to Mayo Clinic this past Monday to see a perinatologist to try to get some more answers and a glimpse to the future of our baby making future. Dr. Rose was AMAZING! He was soooo knowledgeable, honest, helpful and compassionate. He said that aside from street drug use, drinking and smoking (which obviously, is me in a nutshell:) there is no rhyme or reason for what happened with Elijah or Zion. He said more often than not it strikes perfectly healthy people for no reason. Therefore, there are really no preventative measures. He said IF I did get pregnant I would need to be seen every week starting at 20 weeks. If my blood pressure started to go back up they would give injections to speed the baby's lung development...but that would only prolong delivery a couple weeks. (Because early onset preeclampsia, as with Elijah) is at least 40% likely to reoccur. So, there is a good chance we could only get to 30 weeks at best...maybe a 3lb baby. Which then presents it's own problems. Then there was the fact that both preecalmpsia and placental abruption are potentially fatal to the mother. After long discussions and thoughts from family and friends....we made the decision to NOT try again...ever. Too risky for my health and the odds of ever having a healthy baby aren't very good. We feel blessed that God gave us the heart for adoption and that we are OK with not having biological children, whereas some people would rather not have kids if they can't have their own. So, we are taking that and going with it. We are still hoping for a surrogacy try someday but for now.................

Adoption: We met with Jane tonight and found out that Jennifer and Jane had decided WE are the couple to adopt Jennifer's baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jane assured us that Jennifer does not want to/nor can she keep the baby and is excited to be able to give us a baby. We had met with our lawyer earlier this week to see what the process would entail. So here goes: we will hire a Certified Adoption Investigator who will meet with/counsel Jennifer and hunt down the birthfather to get his signature. There will be papers to sign...that's about it. We are planning to be at the hospital when the baby is born and bring him/her home then. Jennifer does not want to see the baby or have any contact after it's born. As with Grace's adoption there are a few waiting periods: the birthparents can NOT terminate their rights until 48 hrs. after delivery. Then they have 96 hrs. after that to change their mind...no questions asked. Once that period passes, we should be in the clear. Obviously, we will have a counselor working with her to do everything we can to ensure she won't change her mind. Jennifer is 37 (same age Grace's birthmother was when she had her) so is at a much easier age to handle these kinds of choices. We are optimistic that she won't change her mind. The harder part, for us, is waiting to get through the pregnancy. She is only...maybe 16 weeks along right now and we sure now how things can change. PLEASE, PLEASE join us in praying for Jennifer. For her decision, her mental health and for a health pregnancy. She is due June 17th and will deliver in Iowa City. We are cautiously excited, to say the least. She will have an ultra sound here in the next couple weeks and we'll get to find out the sex of the baby and see pics :)

And so our dramatic story goes....
God bless you for reading this and praying, and joining us on our journey.

Oh, HOPE!!!

Let me start with some funny/cute quotes from the day.

*I get out of the shower, pull my underwear out of the drawer and Grace exclaims, "Hey! Jack has those undies!" Looking at the undies with the black lace and tiny pictures of lipstick I ask her to confirm . "Are you sure Jack has these same undies?" Grace: "Yes!"

*As we are rounding the corner to Jack's house. "Whoa! Hang on to your helmets everybody!"

*After going potty Grace says, "I don't have a butt." We tell her this often because her pants don't fit because she has no butt :) I asked her where it went. "It fell off in the potty."

*As I was trying to get Grace to sleep she is blabbing on and on about nothing and suddenly once again points up and says in a whiny voice, "I want my brothers come down. I want them to sleep with us." I teared up and she rolled over and gave me a big kiss.

Moving right along, you will be surprised to find out that this is a blog about HOPE. I've been thinking a lot lately about all the people I know who have lost babies and loved ones and thought, maybe, just maybe God wants us to share about the HOPE that has sprung from tragedy in our life. So here goes nothing. It's probably about time I say something positive anyway :)

I was reflecting tonight about how HOPE, in fact, came to us in the form of a baby. A baby, from the moment of conception is a tiny bundle of HOPE. HOPE for their future, HOPE for the love you will share, HOPE for the life they will lead. The HOPE of salvation for all mankind was indeed, a baby....

A baby = HOPE. Until that HOPE is shattered. I remember very well the horrific, immobilizing pain that took over me after we lost our first son, Elijah (and obviously with Zion too). I remember wondering if I would ever smile again, if I would ever feel happy or grasp HOPE, if I would ever be able to stop wiping tears from my eyes. We prayed and prayed and prayed and were being lifted up in prayer too. We repeated Philippians 4:6-7 over and over and over again.

"Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to the Lord. And the peace of God which transcends all human understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Focusing on the peace of God. We needed that. And one day, it came. The peace of God came over us. We couldn't explain it, but it came. And it felt good. And it didn't make sense. But we took a deep breath and forged ahead. Now the pain was not (and never will be) gone, but it was surely a lighter load to bear. We held on to that HOPE and followed where God led. At that point we had NO idea that what God had in store of us would be a joy so much greater than any other emotion ever known. But on June 3rd, 2008 we found out. HOPE was born, that day through a woman named Betty who selflessly decided her daughter needed more than she could give. Betty saw something in us that lead her to allow us the honor of bringing her daughter, our daughter, Grace Eliah home. And in that 3 minute phone call we indeed, felt more joy than ever could compare to the sorrow that overtook us just months prior.

"Cause the pain that you've been feeling can't compare to the joy that's coming..."

(Before the Morning by Josh Wilson)

We met our daughter and saw Elijah in her. His life and death had brought us to this most amazing moment. HOPE was alive. In a tiny baby. God had never left us, but was rather, orchestrating a grand plan, His plan, a plan to save lives. We like to think of ourselves as Elijah and Zion's birthparents. We carried them, delivered them and then "let" them go to a better home. (I'd say the main difference is we didn't choose to let them go and honestly I don't know if given the choice that's what I would have picked.) But we can live every day with the HOPE of heaven, the HOPE in knowing that Jesus is holding our precious loved ones and the HOPE that we will see them again.

Believe me, I KNOW that often times HOPE seems far far away, like a dream. But with every ounce you have cling to HOPE and don't let go and I promise that someday the pain will be a memory and joy will overcome you and HOPE will fill your heart again. Imagine being a poor virgin woman and trying to explain to people how you got pregnant. I imagine there was a time of great pain for Mary and what she was going through. But the HOPE that was born months later was certainly, I think, worth it! So we have to hold on and believe in God's grand plan, cling to HOPE and pray for peace.

That being said, I'm still struggling quite a bit with the loss of Zion. I'm having a harder time this time clinging to that HOPE. I know it's there and I know that's what I need...but maybe I refuse to hang on because when you choose to live by faith, sometimes you get hurt. But then...sometimes...you get a miracle.

May you search and find the HOPE in the Christmas season, cling to that HOPE in your life and may HOPE be restored to all mankind.

I've also been thinking for a while about a top 10 list of sorts. A funny/sarcastic but yet true list of things to say/not to say to someone who has lost a baby, struggling with infertility, etc. Here goes. PLEASE note this is meant lighthearted and though they are true, it's just meant as a sarcastic thing...read accordingly :)

DO NOT SAY:
#1. Well at least __________ (fill in the blank. ie. you have one child, you have your health). NO! There is no at least! I want a baby and I don't have one so shut up!

#2. Yeah, it's probably a good idea to wait a while. Umm..no! It's not a good idea, it's necessary. I don't want to wait to try to have more children, I am being forced to against my will. Maybe it's a good idea for you.

#3. God has a plan, trust God, etc. I am well aware of God's plan. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior a long time ago and I am well aware that He has a plan and it's better than I know...but you don't have to remind me. Sometimes, I just wanna be mad.

#4. Well on 16 and pregnant...or teen mom....or any of those other stupid shows. No! I do not want to hear about some kid who got pregnant and is now making money by exposing and glamorizing that life. Some of us fight with all we have for a baby and you accidentally get pregnant and get a show about it. Gross.

#5. He/she is in a better place. Yes, I know. And honestly that is sometimes all that gets me through. But again, you don't have to remind me. I want him HERE, in this place. So unless you can make that happen, hush!

TO SAY:
#1. That SUCKS!
#2. I'm sorry.
#3. You can have my baby.
#4. Oh, here is $50,000 so you can adopt or otherwise pursue a family.
#5. Wow! You look good! :)

I think I deterred from my original HOPE message, but I hope that if you've lost a baby, struggle with infertility (or whatever the case may be) you can find HOPE in stories like ours, in everyday miracles and in the HOPE that was born in a lowly manger so many years ago.

Quick update/prayer request

Hello all and thank you for following our crazy journey!

Just a quick follow up/update from the last post:
I have contacted Jennifer's friend, Jane and requested she meet with us and at least give us a chance to adopt this baby. She agreed and said she would be in contact sometime next week.

Please continue to pray that first and foremost God's will be done and that Jennifer can find a family that she feels comfortable with and trusts with her precious baby. Of course, we hope and pray and beg and plead that family is us, but we aren't in control of that. Pray for patience for us and, again, that Jane would see who we are: a family in love with Jesus and with open arms ready and waiting for another baby to love.

I had really struggled with the fact that we got so far along with Zion. Wondering why, if we were going to lose him it couldn't have happened much earlier...why not until we had put up the crib, etc? After hearing about this adoption opportunity and praying about that, it suddenly hit me...if we had lost Zion earlier (or later) we'd would be at a different place in life as far as grieving and the future of our family. But because we lost him when we did, we have this amazing opportunity...I am choosing to believe that is not a coincidence.

We can't thank you enough for your support and prayer!

Hoping for a Christmas Miracle

Just wanted to throw out a quick update on the possible adoption situation. Apparently there were three families that showed interest in adopting the baby. One was ruled out by Jennifer's (birthmother) friend (Jane) and apparently Jane had already kind of decided on this other family. However, the secretary of the church (who has been my only contact point) Jane goes to asked her to at least interview both couples. Jane agreed but the interviews won't be until after Jan 1. Of course, my heart sank upon seeing that Jane had already kind of decided. Now, we are on our knees begging for an interview and that Jane would see how much love we already have for this baby. Please, PLEASE, pray that God would work in Jane and Jennifer's heart, to see our love and chose us to raise her precious baby. We are begging for a Christmas miracle. Please, join us!

We have also decided to postpone the surrogacy for at least a year for financial reasons. It's a lot of money that we just don't have and can't guarantee at this point in life. It hurts to have to do that and while outsiders continue to say, "Oh! That's probably a good idea." or "Yeah, understandable." the fact is, we should have our baby boy here now. The fact that we don't have $30,000 at our disposal shouldn't be the reason we can't bring our newborn home from the hospital. But there isn't much we can do about it. We obviously made this decision not knowing if the adoption would pan out or not, but at least having that hope helped ease the pain of having to postpone the surrogacy. In the midst of so much uncertainty and hope that is seemingly fading I can do nothing but cling to my Savior and hope for the best.

The best Christmas gift to us would be to pray! Please, pray for us!

I'm Thankful?

Sure.

As Thanksgiving was closing in on us I couldn't stop thinking about Zion and how I should have been packing up all the goodies a newborn needs, for his first trip to NE Iowa. I thought about our house that is not selling and getting harder and harder to keep clean. I thought about this baby, growing in a mother's tummy while she's in prison. I thought about how badly I want that baby to be part of our family and how little control I have over that. I was having a hard time being thankful. Yes, I KNOW...I have a house, food, clothes, an amazing family and friends, Seth has a job, we certainly don't lack any material things. But those aren't the things that are important anyway, right? I kind of feel as though we're frozen in this mid-leap state. So much of our life right now is hanging in the balance of something we have no control over. Will our house sell? Are we putting so much work and time into this new house in vain? Will this mother choose us to raise her baby? Will we have more children through surrogacy? Will I lose my mind trying to figure this all out? Probably, though it's not really for me to figure out. All I can do is hang on to my faith and wait. That's not so easy. The thing is, this could all work out SO wonderfully but it could also all go very poorly and based on our recent past, I'm stuck in the negative realm of assuming it will turn out badly. So, I guess I'm most thankful for my faith. I'm thankful for the road that led me to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, because without that, I really might find nothing to give thanks for this year. But because of Jesus I have hope and I am clinging to the promises of peace and good. Sometimes, that's all you can do. Sometimes, even that is hard.

In other news: Anyone want a dog? We got Hammer just a couple weeks after Zion passed away and I'm thinking that was an emotional decision. We had our puppy, Bella when we lost Elijah and I was thankful she was there to keep me company and cuddle on my lap. I think I was just hoping for that again, maybe a puppy would ease the pain? Welp, let me tell you what...I was WRONG! Hammer is actually a really good dog and super cute :) But the mix of a 2.5 year old/moody girl and a puppy is enough to put me over the edge. Grace spends most of the day antagonizing Hammer until he nips at her, at which point she kicks him, cries and throws him outside. Hammer comes back in and the cycle repeats. Constant whining from one or the other. I suppose this is much like having 2 kids, however, I don't like Hammer. We never really bonded so I don't really like him and see him as more of a pain in the butt than anything. Yes, I know I am a cold, heartless person, please forgive me! I admit it was a mistake, based on emotion. It happens...right? Plus, when we got Hammer we didn't know we'd be moving (hopefully) to a house with ALL new flooring, new furniture, no fence, etc. So anyway, Hammer who is a 5 month old Shorkie could really use a new home. If you have any interest, please let me know and I'll give you details. Also, please forgive me and don't judge me :)

We don't know much more about this pending adoption but really ask for prayers. I'm trying my hardest not to think about it and am even having a hard time praying about it because I'm so guarded and scared. So, I'm relying on the prayers of others for this one :) We hope to meet with the Pastor and the mother's friend, Jane here in a couple weeks. PRAY PRAY PRAY!

Grace is HILARIOUS! She's been talking a ton lately and making sense too. Some of my fave quotes.

The other day when Seth came out of our room ready for church: "Ooo, daddy handsome!"

I was laying in bed with her the other night and my stomach growled. (Gasp!) "Mommy! That come out of your bottom? Say cuse me!"

Talking to Hammer about having a party. I asked her what the party was for: "JESUS!!!"

I put her Vikings shirt on her the other day: "Oh! My team shirt! Go Bikings!"

Oh, there's lots more but that's what I remember right now.

That's all I got for now. Trying to get Christmas presents finished up, keep up with 2 houses and 1 moody toddler. I guess when it comes down to it I don't have much to complain about.

The plot thickens...

My mom keeps pleading with me to try to keep our lives on a more even keel... BUT when you live by faith (or at try to) that isn't in your control. We apparently prefer things REALLY high or REALLY low...no in between.

A couple of days ago someone asked us if we would consider adopting again, OF COURSE WE WOULD!!!!!!!!!! We called the Pastor who had the information and know the following: there is a woman going to prison who is 1-2 months pregnant and looking for someone to adopt her baby...don't know much more than that. Doesn't matter, we've jumped on the opportunity and so we will meet with the Pastor and the birthmother's friend here in a few weeks who will pass info along and then the birthmother will choose a couple to adopt her baby. Of course we are jumping out of our skin, giddy, can't sleep excited about this opportunity and are super anxious to see what God has in store. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for this situation. Pray that, (God willing) the Pastor, Jane (bm's friend) and birthmother would see the love we have for children and they would trust us with this precious life. Pray for the birthmother too, she has a lot to deal with and no matter her past deserves love and prayer. I'm crying my eyes out as I write this, in awe of God's provision and splendor at just the thought of being able to adopt again. Next to our bed we have a shelf with a picture of each of our precious angel boys. I look at Elijah's picture and I see Grace. I see how his life was a sacrifice for hers, I see how God worked for the good. I look at Zion's picture and pray that his life would save another! Weather by bringing someone to faith or by adoption, whatever the case may be. We are super excited about the surrogacy and chose that path to provide hope, but the beauty of adoption is being able to help someone else. If both (adoption and surrogacy) were free and we were guaranteed a baby we would choose adoption but in this situation we felt we had more control and less risk if we went with the surrogacy...but WHO KNOWS what God has in store. We know there are more children in our future and we pray that the journey to get there would be blessed.

"My friend, you know how this all ends.
and you know where you're going
you just don't know how you'll get there.
So say a prayer and hold on
cause there's good for those who love God.
Life is not a snapshot
it might take a little time
but you'll see the bigger picture." -- Before the Morning by Josh Wilson

So please, friends...pray for us and our journey!

Of course, we'll keep you updated :)

Here, there and everywhere!

Completely random thoughts, ideas, feelings, stories & questions.

#1. Instead of making/selling rug pads separately to prevent your rugs from slipping...why don't they just make rugs that don't slip? I mean who WANTS their rug moving all over the place?

#2. Tonight Grace had the hiccups. For the first 10 or so hiccups she very politely said, "Excuse me." after every single hiccup.

#3. I laid next to Grace to pray with her before bed...she rolled over, gave me a hug and said, "We friends mommy. We friends." I cried...

#4. I am losing my voice...that has NEVER happened. I suppose after 29 years of talking, it was bound to happen.

#5. Last weekend was a little rough. I was sick, Seth's truck broke, then wasn't broken, then his saw broke, but wasn't broke, and my mom was here and she was sick and we were all thinking about how we should have been home with our new son by now. So...Monday am rolled around and Seth headed to work and Grace and I went about our normal routine. We were headed to Target (we were literally OUT of toilet paper) and stopped to see Seth, at which point he informs me his saw broke and said, "I feel like the world is crashing in on us. Why can't SOMETHING good just happen." Seth, is not exactly a dramatic person so I knew he meant business. For some reason I burst into tears, Seth got upset, packed up and we all headed home. Except to our "new house" After about an hr. there, I realized we weren't upset anymore. We were laughing and having fun. As the week went on and we spent more time at the "new house" I realized that there is a different feeling there. Of hope and happiness. Our house is filled with memories, but the ones that stand out the most are bad. We bought this house as newlyweds, both employed full time, on the go, never home, 20-somethings. We made it our own and grew into it as a family. But we aren't those people anymore. We need more space and mostly...we need to get away from the baggage here. The 2 rooms meant for our 2 sons, where they will never lay. It also makes me miss my job and all the students I worked with! At the new house, I see a constant flow of friends and family, a room big enough for twin babies :) and table to eat at! It gives us something to look forward to and...it's strange...I'm not big on "energies" and "vibes and what not...but there is definitely a different feeling....a good one. We love being there. Someone, please come buy our baggage :)

#6. Did you know there was an election on Tuesday? Of course you did! Well, I heard something very simply, yet profound on the radio on Wednesday. "The answer to America's problems is NOT political. It's spiritual." Wait a minute! You mean ONE man/woman can't solve the worlds problems? You mean, we SHOULDN'T put all our trust in another sinner's hands? You mean there is something greater than Obama? Could it be? Shesh...what if we gave up talking about Republicans, Democrats, who voted for this, who voted for that, should the government control this, should the people control that...they/we ALL suck anyway. What if instead...we prayed. Because the God I believe in is far more powerful than even Obama or the Supreme Court. The God I believe in cares about people and morals, not popularity or money. The God I believe in can fix ALL our problems with no debt, no voting and NO political commercials. Next time, let's all vote for Jesus!

#7. Flannel sheets are amazing.

#8. CHRISTMAS IS STUPID!!! That's right, I said it! Christmas is stupid. Let's be honest here, while the intent of Christmas is great and I am a BIG fan of the reason behind it what Christmas has become is pathetic and stupid! I really get a kick out of terms like "Religious Christmas cards" or "Religious Christmas decorations" I mean I thought Christmas was a religious holiday. But really Christmas is OUR holiday. It's about US, who has the best Christmas decorations, who can throw the best Christmas party, delicious food, Christmas bonuses and of course, presents. What does any of that have to do with baby Jesus being born? Other than the Wisemen brought gifts....TO JESUS...not themselves. I propose Christmas all year round. I would rather see something at a store that reminds me of someone and give it to them to simply say, "I thought of you. I love you." I propose we gather together as families on a regular basis, not because it's a holiday and we have to but because we realize the true gift of family and we want to be together. I propose hosting a Christmas party in the middle of January to get friends together to fellowship. Business should give out bonuses for citizenship and achieving goals. I've attempted to boycott Christmas the past couple years to make a point about the commercialization of it all...but when everyone buys us presents I feel pretty bad not getting anyone else anything. :) I'll confess, I like Christmas. The warm, fuzzy feeling of family in a warm house (unless you are a Shonley:), Christmas Eve church, watching my daughter's face light up with every present she opens. BUT, I don't like the worldly Christmas. I guess I'm pushing for the "Religious Christmas."

#9. Church Shopping. We've been trying to find the "right" church for us for a while now. Seth grew up in the same church his whole life where his family still attends and after working as the youth director at GLC for 5 years the concept of choosing a church to attend is still a little odd. Just trying to find out where we fit in together...as our family. I think we've finally stumbled upon something...time will tell.

#10. I LOVE Crossword puzzles. Just call me Stanley :)

#11. Yeah...my brain is slipping...enough randomness for today!

Found this in our flower boxes. WHAT THE HECK IS IT??????????????