New Beginning...

I can't believe it's been over 2 years since my last post...I have missed writing so much--SO much has changed in the last 2 years....We are now a family of 5! Can you believe it? Our journey to starting a family was so hard and dark, but the Lord had a perfect plan laid out for us that we just couldn't see at the time. The newest member of our family since my last post is our sweet little boy, Finn(18 months). He is the sweetest little thing ever! I'm in love with his red hair and secretly pray it stays red. He smiles all the time, makes monster sounds constantly, has a mouth full of teeth, and loves his "blanket". 

Life is busy-Some days feel like they will never end, but yet when I blink, we are in a different week, month, year-Time flies. The girls are growing up SO fast. Annie Rice is 7! She is Miss Personality, doesn't meet a stranger, and has such a sweet spirit. She is so much like me-She cleans just like me and loves to make up beds. Actually, she doesn't even sleep under her sheets because she doesn't want to mess them up! I call her my commercial queen. Earlier today, I was scratching my arm and she said, "Mommy, you need some gold bond relief. It's supposed to be the best for itches."  She literally memories commercials and when we are grocery shopping will fight me on the brands I choose to get:) 

Maggie will be 5 in 2 months! She is my mischievous, curious one! She can be very shy around people, but when she finally talks, she TALKS! She keeps me on my toes constantly but is also my snuggler. She loves to hug or be next to you. Sometimes she will say, "Mommy, I just want you." It doesn't get better than that:)

I feel so blessed to be a mom to these 3 sweet kiddos. Some days are hard, some days are easy, some days I cry, some days I can't stop laughing...each day is different and we are constantly going through different seasons as they(and I) grow and change. The path the Lord has laid out for me with homeschooling/parenting isn't easy and some days I want to throw in the towel, but I'm thankful that His grace gets me through each day. Writing has always been a huge part of me and it's made me look at things in a different light than when I just keep it inside. I'm not sure where this blog will go, the topics, how often I'll post, etc but I'm thankful for this outlet. I'm thankful for each of you sweet readers, who even when I stopped writing, still reached out to me, followed me on Instagram or Facebook. I'm looking forward to this 'New Beginning'. 

PS-Kaz proof read this and said I was rusty and that I still had a "country grammar" 

Ha! I'll get better;)

back after a long time...

It's been a LONG time since I've blogged...I actually sat down several months ago and wrote a "good-bye" post thinking it was my last time writing...but thankfully Kaz encouraged me not to post it. Over the last few weeks, the Lord has been giving me little "signs" of encouragement to start writing again. I've missed it. He confirmed it last Monday. I went down to Charleston for a few days for some bridal sessions. My 1st session wasn't until Monday afternoon, so I had several things I wanted to do that morning, one being running the Ravenel Bridge. This bridge is very special to me...After our first failed adoption, I started running the bridge every single day. It took me 35-40 minutes to get there, and 35-40 minutes to drive back home, but that didn't matter. It was my "special and favorite" place to talk to God. I prayed for our child more times than I can count on that bridge. The bridge always reminds me of a hard time in my life, but it also reminds me of God's faithfulness to me and our family. 

So last Monday, I was so excited to run the bridge again. I constantly kept checking the weather, hoping it would be sunny. I drove to Mt. Pleasant, parked, got out my car, stretched, and in my mind, I was going to conquer the bridge...but the Lord had other plans. I started running the "up hill" part of the bridge and felt great maybe the first .3 miles, then the wind came. It was so strong it pushed me back and literally made me stumble several times. I kept going and then the rain started...it poured. I kept going and could barely keep my eyes open. It was miserable, so I turned around halfway up and ran back down. The whole time I kept thinking of how I quit. So at the bottom, I turned back around and ran up for the 2nd time. It was no different. MISERABLE. Pouring rain, strong winds, and a lot of strange looks from other people coming back down the bridge. I'm sure they were thinking, "Why in the world is this crazy going the opposite direction of this monsoon." BUT I kept going. I couldn't run uphill the whole time...the wind was too strong. I walked at times, barely moving, but after awhile I reached the top. When I finally got to the top, I turned around and started down hill. It wasn't easy, but got easier the farther down I got. By the end, I was in a full sprint. I had different plans for that run...I thought it would be fun and relaxing, but the Lord used it to remind me of the storms in life. It's not always easy. We aren't promised an easy life...but when the wind and rain come and almost knocks us down, He IS faithful. When it's hard to keep our eyes open or focused on Him, what He wants and requires is that we keep moving towards Him one step at a time. And when the storm passes, our view looking back is a beautiful reflection of His FAITHFULNESS. 

The Lord encouaged me so much on that run, and it is definitely the most memoriable I've ever had. He not only used it to show me truth, He used it to encourage me to write again...

I'm thankful for each of you who have followed our journey over the years, and who have encouraged us so much! The girls are growing up so fast...faster than I would like. AND we started the adoption process again last year, and have been on the waiting list since October 2014. So we are excited to see what the Lord has in store for our family:)

I'm drinking from my saucer...

I heard a song last night that is so true about my life. I really don't need to explain anymore..The song lyrics speak for themselves...

I've Never Made A Fortune

and It's Probably Too Late Now

but I Don't Worry About That Much

i'm Happy Anyhow

and As I Go Along Life's Journey

i'm Reaping Better Than I Sow

i'm Drinking From My Saucer

'cause My Cup Has Overflowed

haven't Got A Lot Of Riches

and Sometimes The Going's Tough

but I've Got Loving Ones Around Me

and That Makes Me Rich Enough

i Thank God For His Blessings

and The Mercies He's Bestowed

i'm Drinking From My Saucer

'cause My Cup Has Overflowed

o, Remember Times When Things

went Wrong

my Faith Wore Somewhat Thin

but All At Once The Dark Clouds Broke

and Sun Peeped Through Again

so Lord, Help Me Not To Gripe

about The Tough Rows That I've Hoed

i'm Drinking From My Saucer

"cause My Cup Has Overflowed

if God Gives Me Strength And Courage

when The Way Grows Steep And Rough

i'll Not Ask For Other Blessings

i'm Already Blessed Enough

and May I Never Be Too Busy

to Help Others Bear Their Loads

then I'll Keep Drinking From My Saucer

"cause My Cup Has Overflowed!"

my cup is overflowing

 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Psalm 23:5

Today was Maggie Ruth’s court date. She is our Christmas miracle. She is officially[by the state of SC] a Prikazsky! Everything went so smooth. Annie Rice of course hammed it up with the judge. Before we left the house, we told her we were going to see the judge. As we were walking in the door at the court house, the first lady she saw, she said “hey judge”. We explained to her where the judge was, and we finally saw the judge, she said “hey judge. Order in the court”. The judge couldn’t stop smiling. During the hearing, Annie Rice kept saying “Ho Ho Ho, Judge”. She talked non-stop. After the hearing, she got to sit with the judge and everyone in that room couldn’t stop smiling. I am so blessed by my 2 girls. Maggie Ruth is a miracle and we are so blessed to have her as our daughter! We had a celebration lunch at Chick-fila:)

My cup is overflowing..

finally back...

What a busy few weeks the Prikazsky's have had! Just to give you a little brief idea..We've had Maggie Ruth for 6 weeks. In those weeks, I've had 6 weddings[all which have been edited before the next], and 10 sessions. That's enough to keep me extremely busy without adding anything else to it. Kaz was out in Colorado for a week, and for the last 6 weeks, someone in our family has been sick. Maggie Ruth had a cold for 4 weeks, Annie Rice has had colds off and on, I got a really bad cold, lost my voice the day before I had 2 weddings[one lasting 10 hours, the other 9 hours], had an allergic reaction on my feet, both of our cars have been in the shop over the last 3 weeks, we had family staying with us for 2 weeks, the stomach bug....oh yea, and let me add being a wife and mom to that list! It's been a little C-R-A-Z-Y in our house, but things are slowing down...Well, as much as they can around the holidays!  We've also had a lot of really exiting things happen over the last 2 weeks. Our family was featured in LowCountry Parent Magazine and then also the Post and Courier picked up the story. It was pretty neat. I've also had the opportunity to share our story with several MOPS groups in South Carolina, and got to share with about 50 moms this past week. We've gotten some pretty neat phone calls from the articles and I've been recognized while out in town by some people. Kind of felt like a celebrity;) 

The girls are both doing good. I've enjoyed them so much. Annie Rice has the best personality and is becoming such a little girly girly. This morning when I put her dress on for preschool, she said "oh mommy, so cute." I asked to take a picture to send to Kaz and she immediately put her hand on her hip! I love the mornings with Maggie Ruth because she is so aware and smiles up a storm. They are such blessings to our family and I feel so honored to be there mom. 

the transition...

The last 3 weeks have flown by. I can’t believe Maggie Ruth is already 3 weeks old. I have loved being a mom of 2. 

Really up until we got Maggie Ruth, anytime I would think about having another child, I would get really worried. Fear would take over for a couple of reasons...1) Annie Rice wasn’t a newborn when we got her, so the newborn stage scared me. 2) I didn’t have brothers or sisters so the sibling thing scared me. 3) Sometimes I found it hard to get work done with just Annie Rice, and I worried with 2, I would never find the time to work. 4) I didn’t want Annie Rice to feel like I loved her any less. I really was so worried about these things and many more. BUT I’m so thankful the Lord took control of my fears and gave me a peace that Maggie Ruth was in His plan for our life and He would take care of all these things. When we found out about Maggie Ruth[which was about 3-4 weeks before she actually was born] I started praying some really big prayers. I prayed the transition would be easy. She would be a baby that slept a lot[I can be really grumpy without sleep so this part worried me]. I prayed that Annie Rice would love her and adapt really well. I prayed that things would just go smoothly. Those all may sound really selfish but everything happened so fast, I was worried about these things. The Lord was so faithful to us through the process, I knew He would be faithful in the transition and He has. Maggie Ruth has done so good. The first night we fed her at 9, 1, and 4 and after every feeding she would go right back to sleep. The 2nd day I thought okay, it won’t always be this easy. But it continued to go similar to this and now she’s up to about 9, 2, and 6. We’ve had 1 really hard night with her for about 3 hours where she wouldn’t stop crying. I think her stomach hurt because something just wasn’t right. When people visit, they always ask if she crys, because she rarely does. BUT she does:) She’s just been a really good baby, taken well to her formula and us, and we have loved this sweet little girl. I love my cuddle time with her and am so thankful to get to experience the newborn stage:) I attempted my first outing with both girls to the post office and Wal-Mart and it went pretty good. I told Annie Rice before we left that she needed to listen to me, and if she did and didn’t complain I would give her a sucker when we got back home and let her watch Mickey Mouse. She did well and got her sucker when we got home. I have continued to work about the same amount that I did before Maggie Ruth as far as editing...After getting Maggie Ruth, I had 7 weddings left for this year. I now only have 4. It has been a blessing. She definitely is a baby who likes to sleep "right now"[praying this continues:)]. Up until this week, we had to wake her up to feed and that was a challenge in itself. She's just so sweet...

Annie Rice has blown me away with the transition. We talked to her so much[well as much as we could in 3 weeks] about Maggie Ruth that when she got to meet her she was just so proud to be a big sister. She wants to help feed her and wipe her mouth all the time. Usually the first thing she says in the morning when I go to get her out of her room is, “Go see Maggie Mooth mommy”. That’s what she calls her, Maggie Mooth. 

The Lord has blessed us so much with 2 sweet girls. 

Annie Rice is in such a fun stage. She loves to play dress up. She has a couple pairs of play high heel shoes and she will usually put those on first thing in the morning and walk around in them all day. Someone gave us a blanket for Maggie Ruth and Annie Rice thinks it’s her “queen robe”. She will put it on her shoulders with her high heels on and walk around and wave like a queen:) She loves candy corn and instead of saying “pu” [pumpkins, puggles, etc], she says “hu”[humpkins, huggles, etc]. It’s so funny. When we walk in walmart she wants to see the “Humpkins”. The Lord has blessed her with a great memory. I have been working with her on bible verses and she can say 5 verses now[John 3:16, Proverbs 3:4-5, Gensis 1:1, The fruit of the spirt, and we are learning Proverbs 31:30 right now]. That is a gift He has given her at her age and I love hearing her say the word of God. I’d rather hear her say bible verses to me than the ABCs any day:) Every night before bed she asks to see “Twinkle Twinkle and Mr. Moon”. I love it. As I’m typing, she keeps coming over to me and kissing me on the mouth and saying, “so sweet mommy”. 

I love my 2 girls. I’m so thankful the Lord chose me to be there mom. He could have chose anyone, but He chose me, and I’m so thankful and blessed by adoption. To think a few years ago, my heart was completely against it. 

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a HOPE and a FUTURE. 

oh how I love her...

I promise to start back blogging and not just posting pictures, BUT these are just too sweet not to post:) So thankful for my friend Kristen for taking these amazing pictures of Maggie Ruth!