Wednesday, August 31, 2011

a very special lady...

Kaz's grandmother recently passed away. She was such a special woman who loved God more than anyone else. She was 93 years old. She had 7 children, and watched 6 of them pass away. Through all the trials, her faith remained so strong, and she made sure to tell everyone she saw about the Lord. I truly enjoyed every time I got to see her, but my favorite time was 3 weeks ago when she got to meet Annie Rice for the first time. It's a visit that we will always cherish. She had been praying for little Annie for many months, and was so happy to meet her! 
I ALWAYS loved seeing Kaz hold her hands. I have taken pictures of them holding hands at every visit we have ever had with her. It was so special to me. 
Her funeral was nothing but a celebration, because we all know exactly where she is....the only place she has wanted to be in a long time! What an incredible example she set....She was a very special lady and will be greatly missed.

 Annie Rice loved sitting her in wheel chair...




 Matias and Annie Rice played on her bed with all the pillows!





Tuesday, August 30, 2011

He IS faithful...

This past weekend we celebrated babies AND the Lord’s continued faithfulness. Below are my 2 cousins, Jessica and Tyler. Both of these women struggled with infertility at the same time that I did. We had many conversations, text, and emails encouraging one another in this process. We all wanted the same thing for each other...a baby or babies! It brings such JOY to my heart to see the Lord answering our prayers for each other. 
Tyler had twins at the beginning of the year, we got Annie Rice in June, and Jessica is due in October! We celebrated at Jessica’s baby shower and the twins dedication!
I hope this brings encouragement to you, but especially to all you waiting moms. I say waiting moms because I know in my heart you are already moms...Just waiting for that special baby to enter your family! I can honestly say the Lord HAD/HAS BIGGER PLANS for us than I ever could have asked or imagined. I remember and can even picture me and Kaz holding our hands out in church each week while the pastor read Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do more than we ask or imagine...
We held out our hands KNOWING He would do great things, BUT I never imagined they would be as great as they are. HE is so faithful, and my heart grows more and more thankful everyday. 
Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord and HE will give you the desires of your heart. 

Monday, August 29, 2011

so special...

Kaz's cousin wrote this beautiful poem about Kaz's mom Anne, and Annie Rice. I have cried every time I read it. It's so special.

How you came to be with us
Is no mystery at all
For the day before you graced this earth
A new angel came to call

Her stride was full of grace
She stood so tall and sure
Yet humble in His presence

She joined the heavenly chorus
Her voice so strong and clear
Unmistakable the sound...
Of angels triumphant tears.

She praised God for his glory
For all those she holds dear
For this incredible journey that is this life
No matter the pain or fear

She thanked Him for the hard times
For the precious moments so sweet
For all that she learned here
Especially for Cy, Kaz, and Pete.

It was the middle of this celebration
That to the heavenly nursery she went
Praising God and thanking Him
As His ear she bent

"there is a special couple
Waiting down below
Hearts full of love
For a baby they've yet to know

I see little Annie there
And I know she needs them too
Tomorrow is her birthday
They will love her through and through"

God smiled and took her hand
And said , "I've heard their prayers,
Now come with me, the time has come,
Please wait in this rocking chair."

For moments or hours
It's really hard to say
But your grandmother rocked you
On your very special day.

How you came to be with us is no mystery at all.
For the day before you graced this earth,
A new angel came to call.
By: Anna Crowley Redding

catching up...

whew...It has been a busy busy week, with another busy one coming up! It seems like I have been on the road non-stop! I’ll try and catch you up to speed:)
Thursday, I had to go to Charlotte for a whirlwind day of pictures, which meant Annie Rice had to stay with a babysitter[aka Aunt Brittainy]. I prayed and hoped that she would do ok and I’m told she did. I got a few pictures throughout the day, but this one was my favorite! Annie Rice has recently started cuddling to her blanket. She LOVES it and it makes my heart so happy!
She also learned how to say Bye Bye or sometimes BaBa. In the last 2 weeks she has almost completely stopped saying Mum, and says DaDa all the time in all different voices! Her favorite is whispering it! She found a new favorite toy: the toothbrush:)
 this picture just about made me cry! so sweet...
On Friday night, she went to her first football game! She had a great time especially with cousin Ethan! 





On Saturday, we went back to Charlotte for a busy weekend of baby celebrations! It was such a fun weekend but when we got home last night, I was absolutely exhausted! We got to spend a lot of time with family, which is always so nice! 


Last week, I started trying to plan outfits for this past weekend because I knew I would need two really nice dresses. I have a favorite dress that I haven’t worn in about 3 years. It’s a blue and white seersucker dress from Banana Republic! I decided to try it on last week and couldn’t believe my eyes! Needless to say, I wore it this past weekend:)
These are pictures from the last time I wore this dress...
[engagement]
 [easter]
this past weekend...

I have a lot of unpacking to do, then more re-packing to do, BUT we have a very fun weekend ahead!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

my sweet little girl...

I'm traveling all this week BUT had to share a few pictures of Annie Rice! I just can't take enough of her:) 









Saturday, August 20, 2011

where He leads, I'll follow...

There are 2 things that I have really grown to love over the last several months: writing and prayer. 2 things that I honestly have never done a whole lot of. I’m not the best in grammar or writing[just ask my husband or college roommate Anne], and prayer has always been something that I knew I needed to do but didn’t really think it mattered...That’s sad to say, but the truth. 
Several months ago, the Lord gave me such a new perspective on prayer and writing...He encouraged me to be bold with my request, He gave me the faith to really believe what I was praying, and He gave me a time to pray that was different than I’ve ever had. It became my “must have” of the day...A few months ago, I started walking everyday for about an hour and that became my time to pray instead of listening to my iPod. I started praying for things that I didn’t really know why I was praying for...things that at the time didn’t seem important but would later make sense...friends and family, bloggers who I’d never met but knew there needs, etc. I literally drove 35 minutes everyday just to walk in a certain place because that was my favorite place to pray...the ravenel bridge. When I think of that bridge or drive on it, that’s my first thought. There have been a ton of prayers lifted up on this bridge. I prayed every single day for our sweet baby who at the time we had never met.
Kaz and I have been through a lot. I wouldn’t change any of that...the Lord has shown us His faithfulness, His goodness, His desire for us to know Him, His blessing, His presence, etc. Those things weren’t always pleasant to see, because the times where I’ve grown the most is when I’ve hurt and struggled the most. For so long, our constant prayer has been for a baby. And I’m not going to lie that I thought once that happened, life would be much easier. I love our sweet Annie Rice more than words can describe, and the Lord has brought us so much joy through her. But lately, He has been stirring my heart in ways that scare me. He has been doing things in our life that I know are meant for good, and once I see the bigger picture will make a lot of sense. He has given me a sense of discernment to see some of those small things that wouldn’t phase anyone else...BUT they scare me. Every morning, I pray to see what the Lord is doing in all of this...I pray for answers and knowledge. Some mornings it’s easy for me to leave it at His feet. Other mornings, I call Kaz after my walk and just bombard him with questions wanting to know what he thinks, etc. My heart can be so anxious. I have cried every single day this week because of how scared I am for this next step I feel like the Lord is calling us too. I cry because like most women I imagine something happening[long before it happens.. if it even does happen:)] and cry because I can already picture the scenario. Silly, but the truth. 
My heart is scared, anxious, sad, excited...AND I am so thankful that I have a God that I can call on at anytime. That even though I make a mess of my life, He is faithful. I’m thankful that I am one of His sheep and He leads my path. I’m thankful that when my words seem like mumbo jumbo, He understands my needs and can calm my heart and mind. What a huge blessing it is to know Christ. To have a relationship with Him, and to be able to lay things at His feet no matter how many times I take them back. I’m beginning to see that my blog title, Our Journey Together, is more than just about adoption...For we are on a crazy journey, that He is leading...That’s what I have to keep trusting. 
Psalm 18: 1-6; 32
I love you, O Lord, my strength. 
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliever;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. 
32 It is God who arms with me strength and makes my way perfect. 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

my little crab....

My parent's church recently had a shower for Annie Rice! It was so nice of them, and we received so many wonderful gifts! I absolutely loved Annie Rice's outfit that she wore to the shower, so I had to post a few pictures:)





Our sweet friends Liz and Todd came all the way from Columbia to the shower:)


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

a little encouragement...

Friday night, Kaz and I went on a little date while granddaddy and mama watched Annie Rice:) I have been wanting to wear this one dress all summer but it needed a lot of ironing and I have just put it off and off, SO I FINALLY decided to wear it on Friday night. I specifically remember the last time I wore that same dress and the outcome wasn't very pleasant! It was at our friends wedding in Jamaica, which I had pictures from! What a difference a year makes, lots of running, and eating healthy for the most part! It was definitely encouraging to see the difference and has motivated me each morning on my run!