rubba dub dub

{brown eyes in a ducky tub}
we’ve cleaned every crack and crevice.

now it’s time to put on a festive outfit and party it up.

the party with these weirdoes is tonight. {I realize in saying this I will probably be beat up when I get there by my sister. she’s a bully. I will take some blame because I am related to you, but…those of you who are not blood relatives are equally guilty.}
happy birthday Jesus.

wordless wednesday

final.

364 days ago we sent in our first application to the adoption agency, and today it’s final. 

the judge said, “and it will be as if she is was your natural born child.”
amen.

Today we went to the courthouse, and legally became a family of 3.
Larkin is 6 months, and 3 weeks old… and she now has 2 birthdays! June 1st is the day she came into the world, and December 19th is her adoption day into our family. her forever family.  

I am so happy to introduce you today.
Blog world; meet Larkin.

there are no words I could type to explain the way this smile makes me feel. and she pretty much smiles all the time, so you can imagine how awful my life must be.

now it’s time to get caught up on our last 6 months {check out the links below}

birthday
birth announcement
june
july
august
september
october
november

Happy Adoption Day sweet girl.
We could not possibly love you more.

peace.love.joy.

today is the first of our 8 Christmas parties.

 

and so it begins.
A holiday filled with family time.
Exactly the way I would want it to be for her.

where has the time gone

So, it’s been a while since anything has been published here. We will call it a little blogging siesta; in preparation for a blogging fiesta!

do I even need to say it?
okay yes. This time of year is cra-zy.

But on Monday {the 19th- Finalization Day! woot woot} I have oh, about 7 posts to publish from the last 6 months of Larkin’s life. So there will be more then enough to keep you occupied… and then we shall begin the posts full of holiday cheer.

Okay, now that is settled. See you monday.

the answers.

Jenna said...
I'll go! Now that you have a little family, do you have any plans for family vacations? Anything memorable from your childhood, maybe, that you want to share with Larkin? Or somewhere you've never been?
We did get to take Larkin on her first vacation when she was 6 weeks old! We vacation with both of our families in the summer; both “lake” vacations. We go to the same cabin at Okoboji that we went to when I was a little girl, and it was so fun for me to bring her there this summer! I can’t wait for her to make memories at the Beach House, and do all the same things I did at her age there.

Wade and I have both been to New York City once before, and are dying to visit again, probably without a baby in tow. So that is one of our ultimate vacation plans… for someday.  


Anonymous said...
Umm.... When will you show us all the CUTE pics you have taken of Larkin!?
Well anonymous, the answer to that question is SOON!  In a little over 2 weeks Larkin will officially become a Kroeze, and her sweet little face will grace this blog. The month-to-month posts are ready to go, and will be published on her finalization day.


Anonymous said...
Do you have any future plans for growing your family? If so, do you know what this might look like (for instance, adoption, foster care, etc...)
The only answer I can give to that is, Yes. We do plan to add to our family, but at this point we have no idea what’s next for us. (We’re just enjoying THIS baby today)  It will most likely include another adoption. We would love to have another biological child someday. We would love to adopt an orphan from the U.S. foster system. Should any or all of those situations/opportunities arise, we are praying we could take them on.


Tina Kroeze said...
Given everything you have been through - what is the best advice you can give regarding this precious gift called motherhood?
I cried so many times when I was pregnant thinking about all of the everyday, ordinary thing that I was going to miss about Jude’s life. I would have done anything to get up with him in the middle of the night, or to give him a bath.  I’m not sure I can give much advice on motherhood, but the thing I have learned is this: Laugh about it when it’s overwhelming. Forgive yourself if you don’t do it right. Enjoy the poop on your hands, and the spit up on your sleeve.

Don’t wish away the ordinary moments because you would miss them if they never happened.

Anonymous said...
If you plan on adopting again, do you think you will do another domestic adoption or will you try an international adoption?
We have lots of research to do, but we would love to do an international adoption someday. But I would not rule out another domestic adoption either…

Anyone see a 15 passenger van in our future?


Anonymous said… When life gets tough and gets the best of you what are your ways to cope?
writing. (preferably, in a dark, quiet house, late a night while everyone is sleeping. Maybe a candle or a cup of something warm to drink. Always music) Before blogging I scribbled my way through life in notebooks late at night in my bedroom.  driving around is plan B. Again, loud music involved in that one too. Wade knows when I’m pacing our house it’s time to grab the keys. Just drive and sometimes we talk. Sometimes we don’t.
A bath, a favorite movie, coffee with friends, lying in bed and feeling sorry for yourself are all on the list too.

Are you going to speak at an event about your story? I think this was mentioned in an earlier post?
I have done a little bit of speaking. It has been a terrifying, but growing experience. I wasn’t aware how much going out and talking to people face to face would bless me. I feel humbled that I get the opportunity to not only share my faith with others, but to talk to people about infertility, adoption & foster care, and our family. I am thankful for the experiences, but not necessarily searching for more public speaking opportunities at the moment… my blood pressure probably needs to go back down first.


Anonymous said...
what Christmas traditions do you already have that you will share with little Larkin? Do you plan on starting any new traditions for the holidays? Anonymous said...
I know you are big into holidays. What is your all time favorite holiday and why?
Well that’s easy. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I like to think of Christmas as more of a “way of life” then as just 1 day of the year. We celebrate Christmas for weeks. I think my love for all things Christmas stems from all of the great memories I have from my childhood. 

Traditions… Where do I begin? We do the tree, and the stockings, and the lights. We do the family get-togethers, and exchange names for gifts with our siblings and cousins. Every year I make a calendar for each of our Grandma’s and our Mom’s with everyone’s pictures from the last year. We watch Elf, and Home Alone. We (or maybe I) listen to Christmas music, constantly. I bake and bake some more… some old recipes, and hopefully some new.  I would say more than “traditions” we have a Christmas mode… and all of December, I’m in it. 

Anonymous said...
what has been the best thing about adoption? what has been the worst?
Besides the obvious, (that I can hear my daughter breathing heavily in her crib across the hall) the best thing about adoption has been seeing God work so clearly. I can honestly say that I have never been so sure of God’s existence, His plan, His grace, His goodness, or His provision as when we were waiting for Larkin to be born, and in the days following her birth. The worst was, without a doubt, the uncertainty. Adoption is never final until it is final (6 months after placement for us). At any point your life can be changed for the good, or the bad. You are putting yourself “out there” physically, emotionally, and financially. It was draining. I have often wondered what we were thinking jumping into adoption so quickly after losing a baby. We were in NO position to be risking everything like we were, and yet for the most part I didn’t ever feel afraid of being hurt.
how to you stay so spiritual after all the hurt that you have had to go through?
that is a hard question for me to answer. I guess the only answer I can give you is that I honestly believe that God was preparing me for the hurt before it ever happened. He gave me grace when I needed grace. He gave me self-control when I felt the whole world spinning out of control. He gave me hope when life seemed hopeless. He gave me amazing christian women, and friends in my life who prayed prayed and prayed some more for me. Someone told me when Jude died, “I know right now you don’t have the words to pray, so don’t. We’re doing that for you.”  I don’t have any answers for being “spiritual”, but I know that our God isn’t one who deserves to be praised in the good times alone. I will say that I could remain faithful in the hard times, because He has always been (and will always be) faithful to me.


Anonymous said...
I am also a mother of a little girl, and I would LOVE to know where you do your shopping. I am such a sucker for cute clothes and bows, and your little larkin is rocking them!
ohh, now this is a fun question. I shop anywhere and everywhere.
Stores (love the Gap, Gymboree, & H&M) online sights with bargain designer deals (zulily.com, totsy.com) handmade, original stuff ( etsy.com) and every used clothing store or garage sale I can find. My favorite trends for Larkin right now are leg warmers, fluffy skirts with boots, anything with owls, and a look I call “hodgepodge”… a bright colored onsie, or print T-shirt,  some leggings, a skirt on top and something giant on her head. Larkin does not try to pull bows, flowers, headbands, etc. out of her hair.  She doesn’t even notice them I think because she never goes with out. Most of her hair accessories I make. (go to Hobby Lobby, buy some silk flowers, felt, some rhinestones, small feathers, ribbon, and some elastic. Plug in the hot glue gun, and you will be amazed at what you can make)   

Anonymous said...
LOVE your blog and also love your pictures. I know you are an amazing photographer, but would you please share what kind of camera you use and maybe a few hints for a beginner.
Wow, that is very kind of you… thank you.  
My camera is never far from me, and I take pictures every single day.

My camera is a Canon, 60d. Love it. to death.
I almost always use the 18-135mm lens.  

Here are my 3 tips. (I don’t have many, so this is pretty much all I know to be honest, haha)  
1. Research your lenses. They make the world of difference… but they will cost you. Be sure you know what you will be using it for before you spend the big bucks buying them.
2. angle, angle, angle. If your photos seem boring, try a new angle. Get down to the level of your kids. Lie on the floor. Stand on a chair. (besides that this will probably get your kids to look at you and smile laugh, your pictures will be more interesting)
3. use natural lighting if at all possible. the flash is very useful (quick and easy) but my favorite pictures are ones with natural sunlight in them.

November 2011

{5-6 months}