Visit to Nashville & House Decoration!!

Well, the snow dance worked last week! We got out Friday :) It was such a nice 4 day weekend!! I spent most of Friday cleaning and trying to get the skunk smell out of our house. A week later it is better, but still there!! I ran some errands Friday afternoon and got some really cute lamps for Marshalls for our bedroom. I am super excited to get started on painting and decorating our house!

We traveled to Nashville to celebrate my sister's birthday on Saturday. They had heard about an opportunity to foster some puppies for the weekend and asked if we would mind. I said of course not!! I love puppies :) When we showed up the lady had told Leslie she would be taking a 4 month old yellow lab. However, she ended up giving her 2 eight week old pups! They were cold, hungry and thirsty when we picked them up! But once we got them in the car they were wide awake and moving around! Then the brown one pooped in the crate....GROSS...and we were ready to be home!!!

After a nice bath and a little cuddle time they were ready to go! They were so sweet and cuddly, and I have to admit....I REALLY wanted to take one home. That did wear off eventually though when I realized they weren't house trained, chewed on things, and would keep me up at night. Not to mention, Hank was not a huge fan! I think he didn't like them because they liked to grab onto his ears and tail and chew on the hair :( Poor fella!!!

Hank and Duke didn't know what to think!!!

 

 

We spent most of the afternoon hanging with the pups! After much debating we decided on the names Sampson (brown one) and Jack (white one).Then we ate dinner at Cinco De Mayo for Leslie's birthday. After that we came home to watch the Broncos...Tim Tebow didn't do so hot :(

Jack & Sampson hanging in the crate!

Precious pup

I was so sad to leave, but Monday Thomas took them to another foster home. I hope they get adopted soon!!

Sunday morning we went to church. Leslie leads worship there and it was awesome! We came back to the house and ate pizza then got on the road. I started reading a book Sat on the way down called The Bungalow. By Sunday evening I had the book finished. It was incredible!! One of the best books I've ever read!! I literally couldn't stop reading!! It had so many twists and turns that I was captivated :)

Monday my buddy Amanda had to get a cavity filled so I watched her son Noah for a bit! He's one of the coolest kids ever :) She said he was very excited about me coming over, and that morning he put gel in his hair and sprayed cologne! HA!!

After that we did a little shopping. We walked into Home Goods and I saw the table I have been looking for! It was an extremely good deal and a beautiful table!! We did some more shopping there and Hobby Lobby and I got several things for our house :)

It looks great in our kitchen!!

I got these for the top of our cabinets!! I love the colors :)

I went to Noah's hockey practice and then we met Allen and Matt for dinner. Allen had to bring the truck to get our table home. I made Allen eat dinner at it Tuesday night. It probably won't get used a whole lot until we have kids or have company over, but I am so glad we found a nice table for a really good deal!! Hank also got a new basket for his toys. I think he really likes it better than his old bucket because he can actually see all of his toys :) HA!!

Tonight I tried out a new recipe...chicken & cheese lasagna. Vanessa gave me the recipe. I am always hesitant to try new things because a lot times I end up not liking what I cook...BUT tonight I loved it!! It was a little bland but very tasty! I think I'll add some garlic next time!

Before the oven...chicken & cheese mixture rolled into the noodles. Spaghetti sauce on the bottom.

Add sauce to the top and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake @ 375 for 30 min! YUMMY :)

Still no adoption news :( We are praying for God's wisdom and guidance and that HE will direct our paths and lead us in the way we are supposed to go. I really hope we have a baby soon.

Right now I am doing the East TN teacher Snow Dance :) Living here the weather is so unpredictable!! We are in the valley so most of the time snow just passes over us :( As a teacher with 10 snow days BUILT IN to our school year (we lose them if we don't use them), I am all about getting out for some snow :) Anybody who wants to give me the speech on all the time off I have all year, I'm not listening ;) Anyway, the temperature has dropped very quickly tonight and we are supposed to be getting some snow. I would love to have a 4 day weekend!! We are going to Nashville this weekend to celebrate my sister's birthday so it would be nice to have a few extra days off!

This was our "surprise" snow last week! We weren't in school yet so we didn't get out :)

Last weekend Amanda came over and helped me pick out colors for the rest of the house. She also gave me some decorating ideas and told me some different things I'll need to buy. I'm very excited!! We have to paint the nursery first, but after that I'm hoping we'll be able to paint the kitchen, living room, our bedroom and bath. The colors we chose are: Raw Cinnabar for the kitchen (a darker red), Macchiato for the living room/entryway, Saffron Strands for our bedroom (sort of a goldish color), and Roasted Nuts for our bathroom! (chocolate brown). I got these 2 really cute framed pics from Kirklands the other day. I am going to hang them above our night stands!

I seriously think I could spend an entire paycheck in Kirklands or Hobby Lobby! They have such great sales and adorable things :) After Amanda helped me pick colors, we met her husband and Emily and James at Soccer Taco for dinner. The wait was outrageous but very worth it because it was so yummy!!!

The girls

On Saturday we went to lunch at PF Chang's for Vanessa's birthday. Little Hannah is such a ham! She is growing up so fast. She has such a sweet personality :)

Hannah and Auntie playing with the iphone :)

Saturday night we went over to Allen's parents and ate pizza and played Just Dance! Well, Allen, Vanessa and I played!! Nobody else would dare do it :)

 

 

 

 

I love this pic! Check out her face :)

 We are still "waiting" to hear on our private adoption. We did find out earlier this week that the BM still hasn't told her father, and that is all we are waiting on. Once that happens then they will make the final decision and let us know. I think it was really hard for me this week because it has been a month since we were told about this baby. I was very hopeful that when we received the news that we would move forward from there, and instead it has still just been a waiting game :( I know God is protecting us or teaching us patience still, but I am so ready to know something. I want to start decorating the nursery :) Hopefully we will hear either way in the next week or so considering she is due the end of February!!

Last night after church I came home to a not so pleasant surprise....... Sadie had been sprayed by a skunk! This is the second time this has happened. The first was during the summer so we didn't have to worry about cold weather and it seemed easier to get the smell out. This was horrible!! It must have sprayed her 25 times!! Anyway we bathed her in vinegar and apple cider and then some skunk remover shampoo. Then we had to leave her in Hank's crate overnight so she wouldn't try to get on our bed. She thrashed around and cried a lot
during the night, and between that and the strong smell I barely slept :( Needless to say I was exhausted  today and a little embarrassed about smelling like a skunk. It didn't seem too bad at first but throughout the day it somehow got stronger...how is that possible??? I love the girls I work with :) Have I mentioned that? They were so sweet all day about my skunk issue! I tried not to spread my smell too much HA! Allen was able to buy a odor reducer bomb and so he came home during lunch and set it off and took Hank to work with him. When I came home this afternoon I had to open all the windows to try to air out everything. It got a little chilly in the house!! I really hope the smell goes away soon. Well, still praying for snow this evening!! The forecast says up to an inch possible and its going to get really really cold tonight!! So....we shall see :)
I'll leave you with a pic of my favorite little buddy! This was one day over Christmas break during his noon naptime. I mean, really, do you know a dog that sleeps like this, in a chair??

And yes, he is asleep!!! I love my sweet dog!!

Christmas and Mom's 60th!!!

Well I have to say that I am very sad my break is coming to an end :( I have really enjoyed my time off, especially spending time with family and friends!! I am so glad I have tomorrow off...I think I am officially instituting pajama day tomorrow ;) The whole break I have been so busy and had so much to do that I have not had one day to just stay home and relax. So, that is what I will be doing tomorrow!!

I guess Christmas started for us on the 22nd when we celebrated with Allen's family. His sister had to work Christmas Eve so we had to open presents a few days early! Little Hannah is still the cutest ever. She is walking, or running everywhere now! And into everything!

Allen's family is way too generous at Christmas! They always spend way too much on us!! This year I was really wanting some new shoes....so...that's what I got :) His parents got me the black boots and the TOMS and his sister got me the brown leather boots. I have gotten so many compliments on those already :)

Our presents to each other

Christmas Eve Allen and I did a little shopping. I needed to return something to the mall (HA!) and he wanted to go to Bass Pro Shops!! YIKES! It actually wasn't all that crowded. We went ahead and drove up to the outlets in Pigeon Forge! Allen bought me the Wii game Just Dance 3 for my stocking, but he let me open it early. We had so much fun playing it. Allen always beats me no matter what, and this game is no exception!! :(

We had a blast playing this with everybody we hung out with over Christmas though!!!

Even Hank got an early present :)

Christmas morning we woke up and exchanged gifts! As usual, Allen did way too much!! He got me some Nike shorts, a jewelry box, an Amazon gift card, Forever 21 gift card, and the cowboy boots I've wanted for a while!! Allen loved his AE shirts I got him! He also was very excited about his wheels for his BMX bike! I got him some Nike tennis shoes too. We got ready and drove to JC to meet up with my family. We dropped Hank off and then went to Kingsport to have Christmas with my dad's family. My grandparents were there and it is so weird to see them slowing down. My Papa has a very hard time doing anything by himself :( I love them so much and wish I could see them more often. We had lunch and opened some presents. It was wonderful to visit with all my aunts, uncles and cousins, and of course my cousins kids! I still cannot believe we are old enough to have families of our own. It seems like just yesterday we were kids ourselves. I always loved spending time with my cousins around the holidays. We would spend all day together and then usually go to a movie or go shopping the day after. Now that most of us have families of our own, or in laws to visit with, its usually just a few hour visit and then we go our separate ways. It is nice that we can still get together.

One of the best parts of the trip was getting to see my best buddy Laura!! They live in Canada now and she had a baby in July named Grayson. I was so excited to meet him and to see her little girl Claire. They can only come in once a year so it is so strange to think a year has passed since we last saw them. I went over to her parents house Christmas night to give the kids their presents, and then Laura, her husband Charlie and Grayson came over to my parents house to hang out and play Just Dance. We also went shopping with them the day after Christmas and visited one more time the morning we left. I was so happy to get to spend so much time together! I miss Laura sooooooooo much!!

They are such sweeties! Claire loved her Princess Barbie and Grayson loved his book!

Claire showing that she will be 3 on her bday!!

My bestie!!

Auntie Beth and sweet Claire and Grayson

I didn't take any pictures of my Dad, Glo or Nick :( BOO!! But we had an awesome time with them as well!! They got us some wonderful new sheets, a PF Chang's gift card, a couple of other little things and some cash to help with baby expenses. We all went in together to get Nick a guitar and I think he was really surprised. Allen even gave him a Blue Chip Pick and a box to keep it in with his name engraved. We had some fun times hanging out, playing the Wii, and we even watched The Help! Glo even hooked us up with a few boxes of formula in case we have an adoption happen soon :)

We left JC Tuesday morning and our original plan was to stay the night at home and then get up Wed and go on to Indiana for Mom's bday and Xmas. But Allen decided he would rather just drive on up Tues night, so we stopped off at home to pack a few more things and grab some more presents and headed on to Indy. We got in about 9 Tues night which wasn't bad at all! We were definitely ready to get out of the car!! Wed morning we went over to my brothers house. Anne and I made some things for Mom's party and we got to hang out with sweet Grace. I swear, I have the most beautiful nieces. Grace is 7 months old and is already pulling up on her own. She even stood on her own a few seconds while we were there. Look out world, she will be walking soon!!

Our co-pilot, Hank

Aunt B with Grace (she is wearing the bib I had made for her!!)

Leslie and Thomas got into town Wed afternoon. We all ate pizza and opened gifts at Shane's house. We draw names now instead of getting everybody something. Leslie drew me and Anne drew Allen. Leslie has such a creative gene and made me this beautiful wall art for our future nursery!! I love love love it!!

Thursday we did a little shopping. My Forever 21 gift card was burning a hole in my pocket :) I got a cute dress and some jewelry! We had dinner at Mom's Friday night and played the game Quelf. I don't know if anyone has heard of it but it is a silly nonsense game, but actually a lot of fun. If I drank I think it would be hilarious. You would almost have to have some alcohol in your system to really enjoy it! We had a lot of fun playing tho! Friday was my mom's 60th birthday. I personally think she is the best looking 60 year old out there! I really really hope I continue to look as good as her as I get older :)

Me and my Momma

We had a party for her Friday night. Instead of gifts my mom wanted donations made to a local pit bull rescue. She has always had a love for animals and felt this was a way to give back. My sister made an awesome slide show that really recapped all of the animals in my Mom's life so far. She has always had dogs, cats and horses it seems, and has passed on that love of animals to her kids. Shane, Leslie and I all have rescued pups. Leslie had the pictures blown up and hung them above the donation table. It was really really neat! We had desserts such as puppy chow, cupcakes, fruit and sugar cookies in the shape of fire hydrants and dog houses. The party went really well. She had lots of friends show up and I know the pit bull rescue was very grateful for all the donations.

Mom, Grace and Me

Mom and her 1st grandbaby

Mom, her kids and grandbaby

Grace was getting sleepy!!

Mom with me and Allen

Mom with Shane, Anne and Grace(yep, she's asleep!)

Mom and Dan with Thomas and Leslie

My Dad and Gloria gave this picture to Mom! So of course we had to get a picture with the picture. I'm looking real chunky in the picture  :) HA!! 

All in all it was a wonderful week of fun times with family and friends. We got to see sweet Grace one more time before we left Saturday morning. She is such a cutie pie!

I hope you and your families all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The New Years party we usually go to was canceled, so we spent the evening eating pizza, watching E.T. and Super 8 (Allen's fascination with BMX bikes), and watched the ball drop. Then watched those crazy men on ESPN jump motorcycles and snow mobiles really far distances :) HA!! Hoping 2012 brings many blessings your way :)

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas! It's hard to believe that Christmas is in a few short days!! Temperatures here are in the 60's...seriously...I wore leggings and no coat today! As nice as that is, I would love a white Christmas. Not looking like that is going to happen this year though :( It's been a busy few weeks around here. Last week I went to see Breaking Dawn again, this time with the girls from school. Amanda bought Twilight stickers for us all to wear on our faces! HA! I have to say the movie was just as good the second time, if not better. I was able to notice more and I really really like the soundtrack :)

My girls!!

Check out our cool Twilight stickers!

And Amanda brought in candy AND a drink! She learned that from us ;)

Friday was our last day of school before Christmas break. We had pajama day because we let the kids watch Polar Express! And what would pj day be without some really cute baby goats?? :)

Okay..I know that was random! Missy, the one in the middle, has baby goats. So we really wanted to see them and asked her to bring them in! This in no way ties into our curriculum...we just wanted to hold cute little goats!! And cute they were! This is Bonnie and Clyde and I totally wanted to take them home :)

How much cuter can ya get???

Amanda has taken on the task of helping me pick out colors for our nursery and some ideas for the other rooms in our house. We have decided on a pewter gray for the nursery because it will be a good neutral color. If this private adoption of the little girl progresses, then I am going to go ahead and get my bedding and crib. Amanda had some great ideas for decorating and I cannot wait to get started. I know it still may not happen like I have planned, but I have been waiting for almost 4 years to decorate a nursery!! I really am so excited :) We also want to paint our kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. Amanda and Noah came over yesterday and she helped me decide on colors for these rooms. Then I went to Home Depot today and got some samples to look at. We are going to paint the nursery first and get that finished since that is the most important. I am very excited to paint and re decorate our house though!! Here are some colors I picked out today:

We are going to do a red family in the kitchen to go with our coffee theme. We are looking at a lighter brown to beige color for the living room, a gold for the bedroom and a chocolate brown for our bathroom!!
I picked up these throw pillows at Marshalls today. I loved them both but I ended up getting the brown ones. They are soooo cute :)

I also picked up this adorable onesie at Target!! Since we are known as the "rock star" team, I thought it was fitting if I have a little girl!!

Allen and I sort of kicked around the name Delaney the other day. We still really love Laney Grace, but I think Delaney is pretty unique too. I guess we will just have to wait and see once we know we are having a little girl. I don't mind changing the middle name either, since we already have a Grace in our family, but I just don't know what I'd use. Kate and Grace are great middle names but they are already used by both of my nieces :) HA!! Oh well...maybe I'll take a poll on here once we get closer to knowing what's going to happen :) Right now I am just hopeful that we will be adopting in 2012. Whether its this sweet baby girl due in February, or another baby, I am hoping and praying that God will answer our prayers in the new year!

On another note, sweet Hank got groomed today! He absolutely hates getting in the car now. I guess he thinks we are going to leave him somewhere...poor fella :( So needless to say, it took them hours to bathe and trim him. I know it was hard on him and on the groomers. All he has done is lay around the house tonight!! I know he's exhausted after fighting it all day!! But he smells good and looks so clean :)

I love the bandana they put around his neck :)

This picture sums up how he feels when he gets home :)

I think I have finished all of my shopping and I wrapped a lot of presents today too! I have a few more to finish up but that should be about it. Tomorrow night we are having Christmas with Allen's parents and sister. I still can't believe it is already that time of year again :)

I absolutely love seeing our Christmas tree lit up with presents underneath it!! I think it is so beautiful and magical :) I cannot wait until next year, when HOPEFULLY we will have a precious child to share this joyous holiday with. And although I love the tree and the presents, I cannot wait to share the real reason for the season with our children; Jesus!! HE is and was the best gift of all!! Merry Christmas!!

Officially "waiting"

We got an email yesterday saying that our profile fee and form were received, so I guess that means our profiles are ready to view :) We are praying for God's will to be done. Whether through this agency, or a private adoption, we pray the Lord will bring us a sweet baby really soon. I hung up our adoption announcement at school today and was flooded with encouragement all day. One teacher was even in tears!! I am so amazed at how much everyone is praying for us. I know we are loved and that between our family, church family, and school family, us and our baby will be taken care of!! Just wanted to add to our timeline a little, mainly so I don't forget :)

Thursday, Dec 8: Sent profile check and form
Friday, Dec 9: Received phone call about a possible private adoption of a baby girl due in February
Monday, Dec 12: Lifeline received our check and form. We become an official "waiting" family :)


CANNOT wait to see what God adds to our timeline in the next few days/weeks/months :)
Also we have been tossing around names...actually I've been doing that for about 3 years!! HA! We have always liked Laney, but today I kicked around changing it to Delaney...still has Laney but with a twist. What do ya think? We have plenty of time to decide, but I love imagining what our sweet child will be named!!