Journey 4 More: July 2006

Quilt Block from Pop

After most of this afternoon at my sewing machine, here is the latest quilt block! Most of these fabric pieces are from my Dad. The hat was his pinkish paisley tie. The blue stripes on the smock are also from his tie. This blue tie was given to him from his father and was worn by my Dad when he married my Mom. The light blue on the sleeves and the rest of the dress are actually from my Poppa. Again, this is a piece off the shirt my Poppa gave me. The guitar & shoes are made from 2 different hankerchiefs that were my Dad's.

My Dad has always loved to play his guitar. Many of my fondest childhood memories are listening to him play. I am glad that he has always continued with what he loves.

CCAI Secret Pal Surprise!

Look at what arrived today! Our CCAI Secret Pal theme this month was "America Baby". This is the cutest little outfit, towel & bucket! Thank you so much CCAI Secret Pal!!!!! I can't wait to ger her and put her in it!

Letter About China's Orphanages

This letter written by Amy Eldridge was very good. It points out a lot of things that most people don't think about during an adoption. Thank you Amy for taking the time to open our eyes.

Letter by Amy Eldridge.

Kaleb & Brayden as Pirates

Thanks to a few too many Happy Meals, we now have 2 pirate hats and a couple of blow up swords. Cory tried telling the boys that they were bats, but they seemed to know better. I had to warn them that they would lose them if they used them against each other or our dogs. So far so good... It was a cute picture, so i thought I would share.

I Loved Her First Song by Heartland

I heard this song on the radio the other day and just thought it was so beautiful. Although we are still waiting for our daughter, it really touched my heart to think about the love of a Father and a Daughter.

_____________

Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world
I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first

How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first

From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first

My Wish by Rascal Flatts

This song was so appropriate....

-------------------------------------------

I hope the days come easy
and the moments pass slow
and each road leads you
where you want to go
and if you’re faced with the choice
and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one
that means the most to you
and if one door opens
to another door closed
I hope you keep walking till you
find the window
if it’s cold outside, show the world
the warmth of your smile
but more than anything…

My wish for you is that life
becomes all that you want it to
your dreams stay big,
your worries stay small
you never need to carry more
than you can hold
and while you’re out there getttin’
where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
and wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but
you never forget
all the ones who love you
and the places you left
I hope you always forgive
and you never regret
and you help somebody
every chance you get
Oh, and find God’s grace
in every mistake
and always give more than you take
but more than anything…
I hope you know somebody loves you

AprilDTC Secret Pal!

I was so excited to find my sweet AprilDTC Secret Pal had mailed me another surprise! This was the coolest stuff! The bib is so cute. The plate is so cool! I have never seen anything like it before. And the snack cups will be put to great use! Thank you so much Secret Pal! :)

Kaleb's 6th Birthday

Last week we celebrated Kaleb's 6th Birthday. I am still in awe that he is actually 6! Where did the last 6 years go? Kaleb wanted to take 2 of his friends (and their families) to his favorite place... the Railroad Museum. So, off we went! Despite the initial blood donation to the local mosquitoes, we had a good time. All of the kids got to ride a diesel train and seemed to have a good time. Then we went back to our house for hot dogs and cake. Every 6 year old's dream day. Okay, Kaleb's dream day. :)

To see all of the pictures, GO HERE!

Quilt Block from Poppa

Okay, here is my latest block. This one may take some explaination. The light blue material on the dress & the top sheet of the bed are from my Poppa. This was a shirt that he had custom made for him when he was in Korea visiting my Uncle.

The picture depicts a story I have heard a few times growing up. My Poppa is quite a joker. While in the Navy, one night he and his friends nailed one of his roommates bedroom furniture to the ceiling. The story is hilarious and it is just a perfect example of the antics he would get into. This girl is looking at the furniture nailed to the ceiling.

So this picture shows who my Poppa is. Not a jokester, although he is, but someone who focuses on the positive and someone who prefers to laugh and make others laugh.

Poppa, Thank you for providing me the gift of humor. I am so blessed to have you in my life. Love, Lisa

Quilt Block from Aunt E

In my desperate attempt to make each block personal, I had to redo block #1 from my Aunt Ellen. Ellen, your block was done just wondering IF I could make these blocks. So, I wanted to put more thought into yours. I ripped that little dog right off of the block and now it is much more suited for you. I know you understand the meaning behind this. :) Love you lots!

Look What was in Our Backyard....

What an exciting morning! We looked out our back windows to see not 1, but 2 armadillos! Even though we live in Texas, I have never seen one anywhere besides dead on the road. This was really neat. The boys were very excited. We spent the morning researching Armadillos online and learning that they eat, that they are nocturnal, and all the different varieties. We even determined which type these were, a Nine-Banded Armadillo. What an awesome homeschool opportunity. So much more real than reading about it in a book and having never seen one. I just finally printed a few of the pictures that Kaleb wanted to put in his picture album and Kaleb is in heavan. The first thing that Brayden told Cory when he got home tonight was that one type of Armadillo can roll up in a ball. See, they ARE learning!

Wedding Pics

This past week we had a wedding! My youngest brother, Peter married the love of his life, Kaela. My only problem is that I keep trying to type Kaela's name Kale... because I am so used to typing Kaleb. It has been funny! So, Kaela, please understand if I typo it. Sorry! My fingers just go on autopilot when I type in "K".

Here are a few of the pictures from the wedding. If you would like to see more, you can find them on our Shutterfly. There aren't any, or many, of the formal shots yet. Cory is still working on those (hubbie was the photographer). The rehearsal is yet to come also.

Here are a few of my favorites though...

Lisa & Kaleb

Cory & Lisa

James (brother), Jim (Dad), Kaela (new sister-in-law), Peter (brother), Nancy (Mom), Cory (my husband) with Kaleb (oldest son) in front of him, Lisa (me) with Brayden (youngest son) in front of me, Jennifer (sister-in-law) holding Addison (niece), and Thomas (brother).