BJ is 12!

I can hardly believe it. I mean he was just a baby not long ago, now he's 12. Almost a teenager! Craziness. Time sure does fly. BJ is definitely the "goober" of the fam. He never fails to make me laugh. But one of the best things about him ( and more importantly), he has such a sweet and amazing heart. That is such an important thing, and I am blessed to call him my brother! Love you B.Happy Birthday!

We all agree that this is one of the best pictures of him. It was so sweet and candid.



Baby boy



The BJ and Dad



I hope everyone had a great Monday!
~P

Under the Sea

The fish I hope to one day catch, none other than the Blue Marlin!


Us, with our catch of the day, a Sea Bass.


On the Sound, as we were heading to the ocean.


This reminded me of Bubba Gump's Shrimpin' boat.


Ironic? Nah.




This may surprise you, but I really like fishing. Deep sea fishing that is! Fresh water fishing is boring, and the fish don't do anything. Deep sea fishing is an adventure, and you never know what you might catch. I went on my first real fishing experience a few weeks ago with my dad and brothers. We had so much fun, except we didn't catch any whoppers. :( Apparently there was a storm, which sent all the fish to the bottom. We still had fun though and even saw a barracuda. I was glad that I was not in the water then!
I have to say,I reached a milestone y'all. I baited my own hook!!!! Yay!
That is one of the pluses of salt water fishing. You can use dead bait, but it doesn't smell so good. Yea....needless to say, it smelled like...fishing.
~P

Creative Project

I am working on many projects, and this is one of my favorites, sewing! It is one of the more "creative" projects. I love how God gives each person different gifts and abilities, different ideas. Each person can see the same object, but think completely diverse things about it! Each person can be creative in various ways, and hey, we can glorify God in it too!


The pins that hold everything together, a definite necessity!


This is my jacket in an early stage of the "creation" process. :)




the pattern

I really love to sew. Especially era correct costumes for various events. For the past two years, I've been going to a Historical Ball. This gives me something to make a lovely,flowy dress for, and see what everybody else makes. Its super fun,and one of my favorite things to do each spring. (I can put up pictures later)
But I am working on this Victorian jacket, well, because I can! It's can be a bit frustrating,(my machine really tests my patience sometimes!) But overall, I love crafting up my own dresses and designing them. Sewing is becoming a lost art, which is really sad, but I'm glad that I have some friends who love it as much as I do!
Does anyone else enjoy sewing as much as I do? People daydream about all kinds things-food, clothes, styles, current events. Well, I think about, yep, you guessed it! Sewing! What my next endeavor will be, what type of fabric, what look I want, etc. It's true, Mollie. You were right. I am a tiny bit obsessed. Okay, maybe alot!
~P

Yay for 10-10-10!

I wanted to post something today, just because of the date. It's a pretty cool one alright. So, I do realize that my lil' blog has been quite dead. Well it's time for a rejuvination! Hooray! I have a notebook overflowing with scribbly ideas and notes. I have so much to write, so much to tell. Anyone who wants to climb aboard is welcome. Now, it might not start for awhile. Just know that things are coming!
~P

Swamped?

That's how I'm feeling. You too? Good. At least I'm not the only one.
Sometimes I feel like I'm barely staying afloat with all my schoolwork, plus the long to do lists that I have for each day. My goodness, are there not enough hours in a day?
~P

Today's Question

Here's to everyone who reads this blog, but never comments.
(I know who you are!) Leaving a comment gives feedback to the authoress, and can be quite helpful. So please talk, it takes one tiny little second. :)

Monday's Question
Would You Rather....
Eat a slightly burned cupcake, or a bowl of completely melted icecream?

(questions courtesy of AG magazine)

~paige

The Bees-Knees kinda day.

First of all, yes I'm still here. Life with 4 brothers and a sister is a new concept for me, and I love it! While it's been an adjustment for all of us, I wouldn' trade it for anything. I've been gone most of the summer, and that explains the lack of blogness here. This summer has been one of the best I've ever had, and to end it all, my 18th birthday! Woohoo, I'm officially old.:) I found a little clue that I might be getting a party, but after several dead ends to my "trying to figure it out", it all happened. I suspected something, but wasn't quite prepared. Dad and I went to lunch and did some shopping, and after several hours we finally went home. I didn't understand why Dad was taking his time in every store. I expected my friends to pop out at my in the restaurant, or in the mall. Nope. So I gave up, and we went home. No balloons, no cars in the driveway. But as soon as I walked in the door, it was a huge "SURPRISE!" Oh yes, it was a surprise party! I kinda expected it, but wasn't prepared for it. My Mom had been planning this party for me, and invited all my friends. Friends that I've grown up with, friends from grade school, and friends that have been put in my path more recently. We had a grand old time, ate some awesome food, playing some Ultimate Frisbee, and reminisced old memories.


The beautifully decorated car, thanks to the bros. :)



The initial reaction. Great face, huh? It was kinda a "Oh-my-goodness-what-is-going on?" face. I was truly not expecting this.



"I can't believe all of you guys came!"



The fabulous cake that Mama got 'specially for me. It's my favorite! And not bad lookin' either, eh?



Me and my boy. He had to be a little goober for the picture. :)


Ellie, Me, and Solomon. Love them both! Precious.



All my amigas. Love those gals :)


All in all, it was the cat's meow, bees knees kinda day. I'm so thankful for family, and for my friends. It's the realationships that matter, y'all. God puts certain people in our lives for a reason, and I'm so thankful for that!
~Paige

Introducing....the Twins!

Meet our twin boys. They are the best babies ever! They fit right in with our family.
Even though they've only been here a month, I can't imagine not having them. They are such a gift! They have been adjusting to their new life really well. They are silly, smiley, and happy babies.














~paige

Us Four (Now Six)

We went to DisneyWorld as a family, right before we got the referral for the twins. We didn't even know about them yet, but they were there, waiting for us on the other side of the world. We had a great time as a family in Disney. Disney did such a great job of having interesting and fun stuff to do. In Orlando alone there are tons of parks and attractions. You could even skip the whole Disney thing and go to Universal, Sea World, or The Holy Land. I know there is more, but I can't think of it. But for Florida, you name it they've got it. I can't wait to go back one day, when the boys get older. :)
~paige

Meet the Family Series

This shall be one of many pieces and parts. I want to do a post for everyone in la familia, plus our 2 new additions! I've been wanting to post an update, but we've been adjusting to life with 2 precious Russian babies. They are so full of energy, smiles, and curiosity. I am so thankful for them, they fit right in with our family.
I will post pictures of them as soon as I can. I know yawl are dying to see them. They are really cute!

Favorite Photo Friday, on Tuesday

The boys comin' up from sledding

Some sledding in the 'hood

Libbs and Levi



A tree blanketed in snow


Silly Bell


Skunk, or maybe fox tracks


Libby getting ready for the snow

Mom and dad left the snow here, to be in the snow in Russia. We got about 6 inches, since Friday. We've played in it literally all weekend. I think I'm ready for it to melt now. We haven't been able to go anywhere since Friday. Ahhh! The roads are still very icy. Our county schools are shut down, even today!

~paige

Welcome to our Family

Today was Court. All morning I waited, checking my email every 10 minutes. Rushing to the phone when it rang. Waiting, waiting to hear something. As we logged on to Skype mom and dad, we knew. We could see it in their faces. The judge had waived it, he did. That 10 day waiting period is no longer a worry. God is so good. We've been praying that God would graciously put it in the judge's heart to waive the 10 days. And He did. We knew that whatever the final decision of the judge was, it is what God has for us. This is all for His glory. We praise Him for everything He has done. He got mom and dad to Volgograd, right before it snowed, right before the airports were shut down.
Now, these precious baby boys are officially part of our family!

~paige

And They're Off! Trip 2

Baby boys, here we come! Mom and Dad left for Volograd, and us kids are "holding down the fort". Please pray that the judge will waive the 10 day waiting period, and mom and dad will only have to be Russia for 2 weeks. If she's doesn't waive it, then they will be gone for 4 weeks. We want them to be able to come home soon with the twins.

~paige

No Court Date?!

I jumped every time the phone rang, maybe it would be our case manager with our court date! I asked mom to check her email every couple of hours. Maybe she emailed it? Nope. We thought we were going to get a court date at the end of December. Then we found out that our Facilitator in Russia, couldn't go to her appointment with the judge, because she hadn't received some paperwork from Moscow. She now has an appointment on the twelfth of January. That was almost two weeks away! That seems like a long time, I thought. I feel about ready to walk to Russia and get the boys. Then I realized something, I have to wait. No matter what I do, the whole process won't go any faster. Because it's not in my control. It's one of those things where you have to say, "God it's yours, and I'm not going to worry about it". God has it all in His hands, I can't see the big picture yet. Waiting this extra time, will give us more time to prepare for their much awaited arrival. Our lives are soons to take a drastic turn, times two!
~paige

Updates

Sorry yawl, to keep ya hangin'! It has been crazy busy around here lately, especially since Christmas is almost here! I am so thrilled that I will be (Lord willing) getting my baby brothers, maybe after Christmas! What an amazing gift! I couldn't possibly want anything better! I love them to pieces, and feel so priviledged to be their big sister! It boggles my mind to think that 2 years ago, on my Christmas list at the very top, I asked that our family provide a loving home for an orphan. Since all four of us kids had been praying about this for so long, I thought it would never happen. But God has heard, and has graciously answered. Mom and Dad, had a great trip to Russia, they have some great stories to share about God's faithfulness, provision, and grace through Trip One. God has orchestrated this whole thing, and deserves all the praise.
~paige

For Mom and Dad

We wanted to show mom and dad how we are doing, so we had a little "photoshoot". It went pretty well. We decided to take a couple of shots every day this week, and pick the best ones to send to them. Here are some of my favorites from Sunday.

And They're Off!

They left for Russia. They traveled 5,648 miles to meet our baby boys. We have been very blessed to talk with them 5 times! They have met and played with the boys 2 times each day. I can't wait to see pictures of them, and eventually bring them home! God has been so good to us, He has blessed us with wonderful friends who have stayed with us, visited us, and came over to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We are so thankful for them. God has kept Mom and Dad safe while in Russia. He has done extraordinary things for them, and has blessed them with another American family to speak english to! They had a wonderful meeting with the Orphanage Doctor and Facilitator. Mom said the boys are doing very well. They played toys with Mom and Dad, and giggled and laughed. Baby M. can toddle if you hold his hand, and Baby N. is an avid crawler.
This Thanksgiving I'm so thankful for my family, I love you guys so much!

~paige

Speechless and Amazed.

Wow. I'm speechless and amazed. When our family took that initial plunge to adopt, we had no idea what we would face in November of
'09. We requested a baby girl. But God knew better, His plan was far greater than we ever imagined. Little did we know, as we submitted our dossier to Russia, God had something else in mind. But even though we requested a girl, we were open to whatever God had for us, no matter what it is and was. We want His will to be done in our lives. Surrendering your wants, will, and wishes, to God can be a scary thing but also a freeing thing. But God knows what is best. Being in His will is where we have the greatest joy and peace. So, He's given us twin baby boys. Yes, you read that right. We'll be getting two little 10 month old babies. This is way better than I ever imagined! They are adorable baby boys, and seem to be growing and developing at a normal-as-could-be-in-an-orphanage situation. After receiving the referral, a week later we were given a Medical Report with more information on the boys, except it was in Russian. Great. Who can read Russian? Not me! Thankfully our adoption Doctor could. He reviewed it, and saw something that could be an issue. One of the boys has a potentially terminal and fatal health condition. After much prayer,and Godly council, my parents are following the Lord's leading. They have decided to bring the boys home, to become members of our family. I'm sure glad I didn't have to decide. The hugeness of a decision like this is never fully understood until one goes through it. These past few weeks, we were reminded that no matter what happens, if that disease shortens his life, if God chooses to heal him, if he stays sick, no matter what, God is still so good. We were reminded by a very dear family friend that God doesn't care as much about little M's body, as much as his soul. Although "M" will get outstanding medical care, here in the USA, I realized that the most important thing for "M" was not necessarily treatment for his physical body, but for his soul. He will also get to hear about his Abba Father. I started thinking, everyone in this world has a terminal disease. Everyone. Whether they know it or not. We were all born with it. Sin. And one day, each one of us will have to die, because of the fall of man, and because sin entered the world. We can (for use of a metaphor) get "treatment" by believing in and accepting Jesus Christ. And even though we have to die physically, we get to live forever with our Father. In a place of no suffering, no sadness, no pain, no dying, no disease, no crying. We also realized that if we say no to these boys, who will say yes to them? Who will tell them about our God, and what Jesus did for him? Who will love them, and care for them, even with "M's" disease? Perhaps they would get split up. A family would take "N" and little "M" will grow up in the orphanage by himself, never knowing his biological brother.

So here is a piece of an awesome story that is still being written. God knows what the future holds. Maybe we won't get these boys (because God closes the door), or maybe we will. We are taking that step of faith and diving in! God has given us a "peace that surpasses all understanding" It has washed over us, and given me/us a sense of total calmness.

The other evening I was lamenting over all those children like my precious "M" who have a "defect". In the world's eye, they are not as good as us, healthy people. Or they are seen as throw aways. The sickly and others are almost looked down upon. Who will love those children? God has really opened my heart to those children that the world looks down upon. My heart breaks for them. I want to be able to minister to them. It isn't their fault they have disease, illnesses, handicapps, etc. The problem is sin. They need someone to advocate for them, help them, and love them.

~paige

Wordless Wednesday

It's Fall, Ya'll

Yep. That's right. It's finally here! The season for jackets, jeans, sweaters, and scarves. Woohoo!!! Here are some things I love about the Fall, or as some people say, Autumn.

* The fresh, cold, crisp air
* The vast varieties/shades of all the colors.
* The crunchy leaves
* No mosquitoes!
* The smell of smoke/campfire
* The new fashions for fall (this year is plaid,plaid,plaid,
scarves,animal print bags,cardigans and skinny jeans!)
* Knowing that God has given us yet another day, week,
month, and year, here on earth.


Sidenote: all the pictures shown here were taken by me, in my yard. :)

~paige