Shooooooey. The last week/end was a DOOZY. If I'm being honest, I had a breakdown at the start of the week, after spending countless hours, 20 phone calls, and a physical visit to our doctor's office to ensure a CT scan we believe Bella needed was, in fact, ordered and covered by insurance. Thanks to our audiologist, pediatrician, and nurse anesthetist angels, I am happy to report that it did, in fact, happen. And thank goodness it did!!! But more on that below. Here's what we're saying CHEERS to this week/end:
Momma dates. One of my favorite things to do as a momma is to have individual Momma Dates with each of my kiddos, from time to time. Banks, Raleigh, and Harrison have had their fair share over the years, but Bella had never had one...in her entire life. She works SO hard every single week in all her therapies and is adjusting so well to her brand new life, that she was definitely overdue. So, last Friday, she and I went to Little Gym to try out a class. And we had so much fun!!! As she does, she first sat quietly and took it all in. Once she felt comfortable, there was no stopping her! I can't wait for our next Momma Date! :)
Family reunions. Last Saturday, we traveled to Irmo, South Carolina, for a family reunion. It was my father "in law's" "side" of the family, and I cannot begin to describe how special it was. Aunt Pam scheduled and organized the whole thing, and did an absolutely AMAZING job. She had games and prizes for the kids (and adults), breakfast and lunch arranged, and lots of fun activities in between. There was a photographer on hand to capture all the special, candid moments and a long table filled with the most amazing family heirlooms and photos. There was a slide show with all kinds of photos from back in the day ;), and it was so fun to see them all and hear all of the reminiscing and stories. I just can't say enough how much we enjoyed it - seeing so many different generations of family brought together for the day. If I know anything at all in this world, it's that family is EVERYTHING. I am so, so thankful for mine. <3
Surprises. Once we returned from the reunion, my hub and I headed out for the night for a surprise party for one of our closest friends. We had the best night enjoying tacos and tequila, followed by fun bowling shenanigans. Too.Much.Fun.! Happy Birthday, Britt. We love you!
Reading (and TV) for fun. It has been AGES since I picked up a book and read it for fun. Last year, I started reading Pretty Little Lies and was really enjoying it. I was about 100 pages in before life got in the way and with it, the book. But, earlier this week, I picked it back up, started over, and am loving it! I'm excited to watch the miniseries of it, too, once I'm done. My hub and I also switched cable providers lately and now have access to Netflix again; so, we started watching Season 1 of "Stranger Things" and finished it yesterday #snowdays. It creeps me out every episode (as in, hands over the ears, curled up in a ball), but it was pretty good! Good enough to give Season 2 a try!
Church duty. After adopting Bella, I took a few months off from volunteering in the kids area at our church so that I could focus on getting her acclimated and comfortable in her new world. <3 About two months ago, we started putting Bella in her class during church, and she has been doing GREAT! So, finally, it was time for me to return to my church teaching duties. I asked to be put in Bella's class as one of her teachers, so that I can follow her and her friends throughout their years in our church. Sunday was my first day back, and I swear Jesus himself found the 12 sweetest angels in all the land and put them in that classroom. It was so fun to be back around such sweet innocence and so special to begin introducing them to all things Jesus. :)
MLK Day. Our family spent the MLK holiday doing nothing special, which was just what we needed. We spent time together at home and both Raleigh and Banks shared all they had learned at school about Martin Luther King, Jr., his legacy, and the impact his life had on desegregation and our culture. <3
Answered prayers. We had some answered prayers this week, thanks be to God. On Wednesday morning, at the crack of dawn (we had to be there at 6:00 am), Bels and I headed to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, where she was sedated for a specialized hearing test. This has been months in the making and, finally, the day had come. Immediately after the test was completed, she was whisked away for a CT scan of her temporal bone. I fought tooth and nail for this CT, spending hours trying to prove it was justified so insurance would approve it and then working with the best nurse anesthetist on the planet to finally get it on the schedule at the very.last.minute. Anywho, I'll share more about the results from the hearing test and CT scan in Bella's six month post-adoption post, but I can tell you that, had the CT not been done, her findings on the hearing test would still be perplexing and the answers unclear. Now, we have potential reasonS for her inconsistent, failed test results and are moving forward with a new plan of action. <3
Summer planning. Even though we are in the dead of winter, we have been busy making some fun summer plans! There are a couple new camps the kids are going to try, some beach trips, and even a little getaway for my hub and me in the works, and I can't wait!
Snow days. While I was sitting in the Family Waiting Area at the hospital, the snow began to fall and it did not stop until mid-afternoon. While it was a littlescary terrifying making the drive home from the hospital, Bels and I made it safe and sound and just in time to play in the now accumulated snow! We got somewhere between 3 and 4 inches (much more than the 0.5-1 inch that was predicted!) and had so much fun! My hub took the big three out sledding earlier in the day, and then I got to spend time with all four kiddos in the snow that afternoon - sledding, snowball fights, snow angels, (attempting to build) a snowman - it was awesome! We were out of school again yesterday since the snow did not melt and the roads were a mess, which meant even MORE snowy fun! I am the momma who cheers when school is cancelled, so I didn't mind these extra days off one bit!
And that's all I've got, my friends. We have big plans of no plans for tonight, followed by an F3 race for my hub in the morning, a birthday brunch for one of my closest friends (Happy Birthday, V!), a playdate, and a basketball game, all tomorrow. Whew! And then, my littlest sister turns the big 3-1 on Sunday (Happy Birthday, Whit!), and I'll be headed out for a special dinner for a special friend that night.
Have a lovely weekend, y'all! Adventure awaits!
Momma dates. One of my favorite things to do as a momma is to have individual Momma Dates with each of my kiddos, from time to time. Banks, Raleigh, and Harrison have had their fair share over the years, but Bella had never had one...in her entire life. She works SO hard every single week in all her therapies and is adjusting so well to her brand new life, that she was definitely overdue. So, last Friday, she and I went to Little Gym to try out a class. And we had so much fun!!! As she does, she first sat quietly and took it all in. Once she felt comfortable, there was no stopping her! I can't wait for our next Momma Date! :)
Family reunions. Last Saturday, we traveled to Irmo, South Carolina, for a family reunion. It was my father "in law's" "side" of the family, and I cannot begin to describe how special it was. Aunt Pam scheduled and organized the whole thing, and did an absolutely AMAZING job. She had games and prizes for the kids (and adults), breakfast and lunch arranged, and lots of fun activities in between. There was a photographer on hand to capture all the special, candid moments and a long table filled with the most amazing family heirlooms and photos. There was a slide show with all kinds of photos from back in the day ;), and it was so fun to see them all and hear all of the reminiscing and stories. I just can't say enough how much we enjoyed it - seeing so many different generations of family brought together for the day. If I know anything at all in this world, it's that family is EVERYTHING. I am so, so thankful for mine. <3
The beautiful, 200+ year old family Bible my hub's aunt gifted us with <3
Surprises. Once we returned from the reunion, my hub and I headed out for the night for a surprise party for one of our closest friends. We had the best night enjoying tacos and tequila, followed by fun bowling shenanigans. Too.Much.Fun.! Happy Birthday, Britt. We love you!
Reading (and TV) for fun. It has been AGES since I picked up a book and read it for fun. Last year, I started reading Pretty Little Lies and was really enjoying it. I was about 100 pages in before life got in the way and with it, the book. But, earlier this week, I picked it back up, started over, and am loving it! I'm excited to watch the miniseries of it, too, once I'm done. My hub and I also switched cable providers lately and now have access to Netflix again; so, we started watching Season 1 of "Stranger Things" and finished it yesterday #snowdays. It creeps me out every episode (as in, hands over the ears, curled up in a ball), but it was pretty good! Good enough to give Season 2 a try!
Church duty. After adopting Bella, I took a few months off from volunteering in the kids area at our church so that I could focus on getting her acclimated and comfortable in her new world. <3 About two months ago, we started putting Bella in her class during church, and she has been doing GREAT! So, finally, it was time for me to return to my church teaching duties. I asked to be put in Bella's class as one of her teachers, so that I can follow her and her friends throughout their years in our church. Sunday was my first day back, and I swear Jesus himself found the 12 sweetest angels in all the land and put them in that classroom. It was so fun to be back around such sweet innocence and so special to begin introducing them to all things Jesus. :)
MLK Day. Our family spent the MLK holiday doing nothing special, which was just what we needed. We spent time together at home and both Raleigh and Banks shared all they had learned at school about Martin Luther King, Jr., his legacy, and the impact his life had on desegregation and our culture. <3
Answered prayers. We had some answered prayers this week, thanks be to God. On Wednesday morning, at the crack of dawn (we had to be there at 6:00 am), Bels and I headed to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, where she was sedated for a specialized hearing test. This has been months in the making and, finally, the day had come. Immediately after the test was completed, she was whisked away for a CT scan of her temporal bone. I fought tooth and nail for this CT, spending hours trying to prove it was justified so insurance would approve it and then working with the best nurse anesthetist on the planet to finally get it on the schedule at the very.last.minute. Anywho, I'll share more about the results from the hearing test and CT scan in Bella's six month post-adoption post, but I can tell you that, had the CT not been done, her findings on the hearing test would still be perplexing and the answers unclear. Now, we have potential reasonS for her inconsistent, failed test results and are moving forward with a new plan of action. <3
Summer planning. Even though we are in the dead of winter, we have been busy making some fun summer plans! There are a couple new camps the kids are going to try, some beach trips, and even a little getaway for my hub and me in the works, and I can't wait!
Snow days. While I was sitting in the Family Waiting Area at the hospital, the snow began to fall and it did not stop until mid-afternoon. While it was a little
And that's all I've got, my friends. We have big plans of no plans for tonight, followed by an F3 race for my hub in the morning, a birthday brunch for one of my closest friends (Happy Birthday, V!), a playdate, and a basketball game, all tomorrow. Whew! And then, my littlest sister turns the big 3-1 on Sunday (Happy Birthday, Whit!), and I'll be headed out for a special dinner for a special friend that night.
Have a lovely weekend, y'all! Adventure awaits!
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