Monday, March 12, 2012

Congratulations...

...Lauren and Rhett for winning the familetime giveaway!!! 

Please email me (warrenandjill@gmail.com) and I will explain how you can redeem your win. I hope familetime becomes a wonderful way to share the milestones of your new baby!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Giveaway!!!

I am so excited to be able to host a giveaway for familetime...


familetime is designed to enable families to privately and securely share information today, while creating a web-based family scrapbook for years to come. Since we live hours away from both of our parents, Warren and I rely heavily on the internet to share pictures and  updates on our little blessing. With familetime we are able to do that in a secure format that enables us to share more than pictures...it enables us to blog, send announcements, have a message board, post our calendar, etc. On top of that, it is private and secure--only family members and friends you add will have access to this information. 


I'm thankful our family can stay updated with us on our blog....but, lets just be honest...as an adoptive mother, and because the "blog world" is so very public, there are only so many things I can post and talk about. To me, familetime is the perfect avenue to share important moments, pictures, and events that I don't feel free to upload on my blog. 


Their tagline is "Connecting Families, Collecting Memories" ...and they are willing to give away an annual premium subscription to familetime. All you need to do is reply to this post and share how you think you might use familetime to connect your family and collect your memories. I will draw for the winner Sunday night and then will reveal on Monday. 


Good luck!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Joy...

...joy...sums up these last seven days. Even in the midst of our move, readjustment, the challenging transition of moving from two incomes to one...there has been joy. God has been so good to us. He provided a buyer for our home in Georgia--and led us to put a contract on a great house in Arkansas. Our sweet baby boy is NINE months old today...



...joy! I am still in awe of the grace of God that allowed us the opportunity to be Baker's parents. Almost one year ago we received a call that Baker's birthmother wanted to meet us. How our lives have changed since that moment! It is pure joy hearing his laugh and listening to him babble (though he spends time all day with "ma ma" all he wants to say over and over again is "da da da da da"). I find joy in watching him grow and develop. Having the opportunity to wipe tears from his eyes, though it hurts my heart, also brings me joy (he has learned the art of pulling up and has recently become brave enough to attempt moving from one piece of furniture to the next...often ending with a thud on the floor). It brings me joy to budget and pinch pennies..all which enable me the opportunity to stay home with him. The love Baker's birthmother and birthfather have for him is a beautiful/joyful thing...they still call, text, and send him cards and gifts. We have a unique and special bond with his birthmother...likely because we have an open adoption...I am his mother, but he also has a birthmother that carried him for nine months and loved him so much that she took care of herself (and him) during that time--eventually making an incredibly selfless decision--sacrificing her own desires for his well being. Some may find it odd we are so close and open with her...but, it is our "normal"...and in that we find joy.

Praying God continues to allow me to find joy in my circumstances...to be aware of the silver lining...and to continue trusting He works everything for HIS good.

p.s. I will be hosting a wonderful giveaway tomorrow--so please stop by and enter!