Meet Banjo

So, I got the best surprise EVER and ya'll I hate surprises! I really, really did not think Cody could surprise me either!! He didn't give me even the slightest hint.

So can I tell you the story?

Backing up a bit, Jovie Ming cried so hard Christmas Eve and we discovered the cause of her pain was her teeth. The worst time ever to get a toothache too. She has been absolutely pitiful and with a tooth infection she has a higher risk of getting an infection on her heart. We were in the urgent care for 4 hours getting her an antibiotic. Definitely not the surprise I am talking about, and if I could take this pain from her I would. It kills me to see her like this.

 

We had to wait until the dentist office opened and saw the doctor Monday morning. They could plainly see her tooth has a giant crater of a hole and said that she has at least two others with cavities.  We've always known her teeth are in trouble... her body did not get enough oxygen and her teeth certainly suffered. 

She needs surgery under anesthetic to have the tooth extracted, and with her heart history she will have to have that done at Children's Hospital at Eggelston so a cardiologist is present. We had to make an appointment to see the CHOA oral surgeon the following day. So, now it's Tuesday, and we are at Scottish Rite talking to the oral surgeon and she tells me Jovie needs to be admitted to the hospital right now, today. My mom had Ian and Mae, (with no car seats -- I have those) and I don't have a plan, bags packed or a clue, but okay. So I call Cody and tell him, "they are about to admit us, now". And he is all cool and says okay, all along he had this big SECRET with him waiting to surprise me. 

The scheduler calls Eggelston to make a plan for us and realized that with the next day being New Year's EVE we better not go because we would be sitting in the hospital for a long time.  So we have to wait several more days still... until Monday (Jan 5) for surgery. Good news is Jovie gets to spend her birthday at home (Jan 3), but bad she is still hurting.

So, I call Cody to tell him we are leaving the hospital and he asks, "so, what are you going to do now?". "I guess I better get Jovie and me some lunch." He said, "I am out running around and have an errand in Dunwoody, so I can meet you". So we head to closest Chick-fil-A, and as we are walking in he calls and says he's hit bad traffic and to go ahead and order him something. We sit down to eat and he calls again and says he's here now but has to jump on a work call. BUMMER -- I thought we would get to be with him and now I'm just his lunch delivery girl. We finish eating and walk out to his truck and he gets off the call and meets me half way and takes our pitiful and wilted Jovie Ming from me. He said, "I'll put her in the car, and you can get your bag out of my car."

I OPENED THE DOOR TO FIND THIS LITTLE PILE OF WRINKLES IN HIS FRONT SEAT.

I have seriously been campaigning for us to get another dog... and not just any dog, I wanted a french bulldog something terrible. I stalked owners of them on instagram and every time I saw one, Cody would receive a texted picture to his phone. I thought for sure there would be a puppy under our tree this year with my name on it... or I had hoped anyway.

Well, Christmas came and went and I did get a very awesome camera bag. As much as I had hoped it would be,  I really did not see this coming.  Plus, Cody insisted I would not be getting a puppy for a very long time. And are you nuts?? Like we don't have enough going on, right?

But here is this too-good-to-be-true, soft and wrinkly little baby.

We are all totally in love with him. All my dreams of owning a french bulldog puppy have come true... and he's even better than I expected.  He is the best puppy ever so far, potty training has been going great, he is so chill and laid back and spends 90% of his time snuggling right up to me. We are calling him Banjo, all but Jovie Ming... she calls him "Dogbunny". 

He fits right into this little family.

Hope is Alive

Ellie Holcomb is one of my very favorites and she just wrote a new song for this season. I have listened to it countless times and I hope you enjoy it too.

Candycane legs

Our house is filled of Christmas music, giggling children full of wonder, sparkling lights, and little girls in adorable candy cane leggings.  I have gotten teary several times just knowing the hope that Jesus brings, our God with us! Oh Holy Night can almost always do that to me. Seeing my grandmother's decorations on our tree and family traditions that Ian and Jovie have yet to know. It's really amazing as I look back to last year, knowing so well what the waiting and wishing for Ian and Jovie felt like. And now just the sight of their names on their stockings can make me all misty. You all probably know I am a tad emotional, but wow, this year really is full of all things bright and wonderful. My heart is so full to be able to share all this with these precious children God has given to us. Merry Christmas friends!!

Catching Up!!

It has been so very long since I blogged.  I hate so much time goes by in a flash.  We had a very sad event happen in our family and I haven't wanted to blog about it, so I have just avoided this... but time has passed and made it easier to say that our precious Griffin passed away in October.  There is not a single day that I do not miss him and Mae missed her best friend.  He is in almost ever picture we have because he was always by our side.  His life and presence was such a huge part of us. He lived to love us.

We will always miss Griffin, he is so special.  Cody and I decided after a few weeks of the house being a little too quiet that we were just dog people and that we wanted to have another dog.  Not a replacement for Griffin, there never could be a replacement, but a new friend and companion.  We contacted a breeder and got Rocket at the end of November, a few days before our NINE year anniversary. Rocket is pure energy.  He is like having four toddlers and a blessed hand-full.

Mae really loves her puppy but at times he can be a little too much.  She always wants to play with him and they do make a funny pair to see.  It seems that they have a little trouble-making in common (;

Christmas came and went in a hurry... I feel like we put a tree up to take it down. But Christmas for Mae this year was so very special.  She remembered a little from the year before... enough to have that excitement.  She understood the Christmas story and we did Santa for the first time.  Christmas is so much more fun with the wonderment of little ones.  

Rocket is into everything so not all decorations went out this year and it was a constant battle to keep the lower ornaments on the tree between Rocket and Mae. 

Santa brought Mae a red tricycle.

And her big present from Cody and Me was a doll house.

Later Christmas day we went to my dad and mom's house to see family and celebrate together.  Mae had decided that she had already had enough gifts.  She was not interested in opening anything else.  She would happily give the gifts that she had picked out for everyone though.  That was quite precious.

**MAE STARTED PRESCHOOL***

Mae started Preschool on Tuesday, January 8th!!! She was really excited to go but just a tad nervous too.  I can hardly stand how cute she is with her backpack on.  It seems so BIG on her.  She goes to school from 9:30-1:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I was going to bust to pick her up and she was smiles from ear to ear.  Her teacher said she did great and that the little girls in her class held her hand and took her around everywhere.  She has Chapel, PE, and Music along with lots of learning, reading and crafts.  Mae is in heaven and we are so glad we started her.

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Okay so that's almost it... we have one other very exciting thing to share.  WE STARTED OUR NEXT ADOPTION in the beginning of November.  We are so excited to add to our family.  So I have been busy, busy with paperwork again.  Please pray for us in this adoption process that it would go quickly and smoothly.  Please also pray for God's protection over our family and peace right now, as this is difficult to be out of control and know your child is waiting for you across the world. We were so blessed in our journey to Mae to have so many wonderful friends and our family so closely watching and waiting for her arrival.  She was prayed over by so, so many people and we know that Jesus was her healer and hope.  HE was there with our daughter even though we were not. 

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*Christmas*

Christmas day is a whole new thing with a little one, isn't it? We knew it would be. We didn't care about the same things this year.  The things that mattered were much more important. We made some new traditions for our home and tried to make Mae's first Christmas with her family a very special one.

Our traditions are probably like yours: 

I made an advent string of envelopes that Maebelle loved opening every morning leading up to Jesus' birthday. 

We have always gone shopping for our dogs on Christmas eve.  We buy them each a small yummy treat and new toy.  It was fun having Mae's help to pick out something for her buddy. 

parking lot of PetSmart

We have always had family over for Christmas Eve dinner and this year we decided to have a birthday cake for Jesus.  We've heard of many other people doing this and it seemed perfect.  Mae loves blowing out candles too.

Mae got to open one gift (of Christmas pajamas).  This way she got a little practice and cute new pjs to wear.

Christmas morning, one thing was sure different... Cody and I are normally up and opening presents by 6am.   (We get rather excited, plus we always tried to make it up to my mom's for breakfast.) Not this year, Mae was still sound asleep at 8:00 so we had to start making some noise (:  We got her up and she instantly knew to be a little excited... probably just by seeing her parents faces. We took her downstairs to see her beautiful pink kitchen.  She was beside herself, truly.

She is still a little small compared to it but that didn't stop her. 

We had a hard time getting her to open any presents, she was much too busy cooking.  My mom and dad came over for breakfast and we left to go to their house for a whole other Christmas (:

***** Boppy & Nonna's House*****

 Mae got more food and pots and pans for her kitchen. 

Mae loves her Uncle Jon!

The coolest car EVER!  (I now know these are called plasma cars.) This was the best gift by far. 

 As, you can see everyone enjoyed a ride and Mae loves having a companion!!!

Mae makes everyone a kid again (:

 My sweet grandee, sister, Mae and me.  All his girls.

We are so blessed by this family and the sweetness of our darling girl this year.  We love this season of celebration and look forward to a new year.  Happy 2012 friends!!