Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Embracing Our Journey
I've been thinking a lot lately about the road life has taken. There have been beautiful highs and devastating lows. But, when I look back over the years, I see what a blessing it ALL has been. If Lance and I hadn't had the rough patches in our relationship, we wouldn't appreciate the strong and beautiful relationship that has developed between us. If we hadn't gone through infertility, we wouldn't have Caysen (and soon Beckett too, Lord willing). Let me assure you that I am so thankful for the twists and turns that led us to the blessings of adoption.
As I've been thinking through all of this, I've realized that this is OUR journey and no one elses. Like snowflakes, each person's journey is unique and beautiful in it's own way. It doesn't have to fit into a mold or follow a specific path to be "good enough" or worthy of being called a blessing. God leads us down a path allowing us to choose whether to take the fork to the left or the fork to the right. We may choose differently from others around us, but that's ok. Differences are part of the beauty in life.
I think of Caysen's journey too and how unique and amazing it has been. He was born 3 MONTHS too early and many expected him to die. Today, he is a happy little boy who charms everyone he meets. He can throw a toddler tantrum with the best of them when he doesn't get his way, sometimes I think he can work my phone better than I can, he loves his dogs "Wee" (Zoey) and "Ka" (Max), he knows that cows say moo and horses say neigh, as far as he's concerned, life wouldn't be complete without his "kee" (blankey), and he makes the cutest scrunchy face on the planet. Some specialists want him to have all of the traits and abilities of a typical 2 1/2 year old (whatever that is), but we love him exactly the way he is right now. When we realized he was meant to be a part of our family, we knew there were many uncertainties about his future. But, we accepted those uncertainties and decided right then and there that we would love him through it all. Maybe he's a little peanut, and maybe he's not walking or doing other "normal" 2-year-old things, but we think he is perfect just the way he is. How could we possibly wish anything away when he brings us so much joy every. single. day.
With all of that being said, I'm thankful for the painful memories just as I am thankful for the happy memories. I am thankful for every piece of the puzzle that has led us to where we are and will lead us where we are going. I am finding peace and gratitude in knowing that our journey may not look like someone else's, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful.
As I've been thinking through all of this, I've realized that this is OUR journey and no one elses. Like snowflakes, each person's journey is unique and beautiful in it's own way. It doesn't have to fit into a mold or follow a specific path to be "good enough" or worthy of being called a blessing. God leads us down a path allowing us to choose whether to take the fork to the left or the fork to the right. We may choose differently from others around us, but that's ok. Differences are part of the beauty in life.
I think of Caysen's journey too and how unique and amazing it has been. He was born 3 MONTHS too early and many expected him to die. Today, he is a happy little boy who charms everyone he meets. He can throw a toddler tantrum with the best of them when he doesn't get his way, sometimes I think he can work my phone better than I can, he loves his dogs "Wee" (Zoey) and "Ka" (Max), he knows that cows say moo and horses say neigh, as far as he's concerned, life wouldn't be complete without his "kee" (blankey), and he makes the cutest scrunchy face on the planet. Some specialists want him to have all of the traits and abilities of a typical 2 1/2 year old (whatever that is), but we love him exactly the way he is right now. When we realized he was meant to be a part of our family, we knew there were many uncertainties about his future. But, we accepted those uncertainties and decided right then and there that we would love him through it all. Maybe he's a little peanut, and maybe he's not walking or doing other "normal" 2-year-old things, but we think he is perfect just the way he is. How could we possibly wish anything away when he brings us so much joy every. single. day.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Another IPhone Story
Last week, our documents arrived from Taiwan which meant I was on a mission. The goal was to get our documents apostilled and authenticated faster than as fast as humanly possible. First, I had to drive to Denver to have them apostilled by the Secretary of State. I didn't want to subject Caysen to a long car ride, so I decided to take him to a babysitter and drive to Denver and back in one day. My mother-in-law was willing to come along for the ride which made it so much more enjoyable. We left at 6 am and got to Denver around 12:30. Colorado road-trips in March aren't complete without a little snow:
We made it to downtown Denver, found a place to park, and walked to the giant cash-register building where the Secretary of State is located (locals know exactly which building I am talking about).
It took about 30 minutes to get the documents apostilled and we were on our way.
There was at least one 7/11 on every corner in Taiwan, so when I saw this 7/11 downtown, I had to take a picture:
With our newly apostilled documents in hand, we got back in the car and headed home.
After a night's rest, I woke up and prepared our documents for their next journey. I won't go into details, but let's just say getting the documents ready sounds like a simple task...but it's definitely not! After several hours, the documents were ready to go. They had to be overnighted to Kansas City to be authenticated by the Taiwan Embassy.
Our documents were overnighted back to us on Friday and I waited for the nice delivery man to show up all day today. He finally arrived with the goods at 3:30 pm. In order for the docs to go out today, I had to be to the Fed-Ex office by 4:15 pm, and I had a 30 minute drive. Caysen and I hopped in the car and drove as fast as we could (while abiding by the speed-limit of course) and made it to the Fed-Ex office just in time.
I'm happy to say that our documents are on their way to Taiwan tonight and should be there in about 2 days!!
Now, we're one step closer to bringing Baby Beckett home! :)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
IPhone Life
I thought it would be fun to post what we've been up to over the past couple of months in IPhone pictures (This post is pic heavy):
We finger body painted.
We celebrated Valentine's Day!
It snowed.
We crafted.
We had dinner with friends.
It snowed...again.
We sent a care package to Beckett!
Caysen Helped.
We had a sick day.
We read lots of books to pass the time.
We had dr. appointments.
We had noodles and bubble tea. :)
And we had raspberries and cool-whip; dr's orders!
We didn't want to go to sleep...
At least not without holding Mama's hand.
We got new shoes.
We drove our Kawasaki!
We re-covered the couch pillows.
We took a walk in the double-stroller ;)
And we basked in the warm spring weather!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Going For It
That's right, I'm making this photography business venture official! I'm learning more and more and hope to continue with my photography even after we raise the money needed to bring our Beckett home! I've been searching for a way to help the orphan and I think I have figured out a way to do just that through my photography business. More details on that to come. For now, feel free to check out my FB page and I'll keep you posted on the details. I'm nervous and scared and excited all at the same time!!
Here's my contact information:
Ella Belle Photography
Website (Under Construction): Details Soon!
E-Mail: leslie@ellabellephotography.com
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