stitches of love

want to make a difference? take a look....

2012-03-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

This was my son's home. This could have been my son's story. Devistated it's the story of so many. Let's join hands to salvage humanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Saving Graces

2012-03-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

A baby who took a 3 hour nap Tuesday and woke up talking and laughing in his crib. Not crying!
Zumba!
New "friends" who get it.
A husband who cleans.
Clients who are understanding of our new 'normal'. My work has taken a huge hit and I'm so thankful for clients who are waiting out the crazy with me!
A trip to Riley Children's Hospital to the International Adoption Clinic. They gushed and gushed over Solomon. They're very happy with his transition. Honey to my soul to have a professional tell me we're doing a good job!
No poop blow-outs yesterday. (this has been a daily occurrence. I'm so thankful I didn't have to wash him down in the sink in public!)
A baby who slept through the night!
A rainy, gloomy day. Nothing to do but hang with my boys and crochet some super cute stuff for my up-coming niece. Feels so good to work on something girly!
This smile. no matter how hard our weeks, days, hours are, this smile melts me every.time.

Praising Jesus today for His saving graces. Only by Him and through Him.

Not alone.

2012-03-05T11:22:00.003-08:00

http://sharingadoptiontruth.blogspot.com/

I might be barely breathing, but I'm not dead : the Ugly truth

2012-03-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

   Saturday the 3rd marked being home 4 weeks. 4 very hard weeks. Gearing up for this adoption, I read a lot of adoption blogs, talked to several women who had adopted rather recently, and had done some research on attachment and such. I always heard adoption was messy. hard. not for the faint of heart. but no one ever gave me the ugly truth. Dealing with the feelings I've had, I've felt guilty. Almost too ashamed to talk about them. Maybe that's why people don't speak of it. Guilt.Shame.Fear. I am totally for adoption, obviously, but I do feel my ugly truth needs to be spoken. I'm not proud of it. Quite opposite. However, since I've become more vocal about my ugly truth, the more I'm hearing that I'm not alone. I only wish I had been told these feelings were normal first. Praying that my truth will help prevent another from feeling so caught off guard. {I'm asking for no judgement here. This is my story. No two stories are alike. Just because I've had trouble doesn't mean you will. This is where the Lord has me right now, and I feel He's leading me to share.}

   It seems as soon as I stepped foot on US soil, our honeymoon phase was over. Reality hit.Hard. I, litterally, felt like I had been hit by a truck. Here I am with this child. This baby that I've prayed for. 2 years I prayed for him. In my home. In my care. Looking to me to fill his needs. And I started suffocating. Never, in all my years of being surrounded by babies, would I have ever thought I would have a hard time adjusting to 2. Holy.Cow. I started longing for the routine that Trenner and I had durring the day. I long for a full night's sleep. I long to be able to walk out of the room to go switch clothes from the washer to the dryer without a baby screaming because he can't see me. I'm sick of dealing with 10 dirty diapers a day. I long for simple. I long for normal. I began to question our decision. I begged God to fix it. I felt like I had ruined our family. I became angry at God, asking Him why He had taken us on this path. In doing some research on the way I was feeling, Trey came accross Post Adoption Depression. I, undoubltably, have been suffering from it. I ~~didn't~~ don't understand why it's so hard for me to love a baby. my baby. Honestly, there have been times that I have SHAMEFULLY thought that if I could send him back I would. Sometimes, I have a hard time looking him in the face. I feel horrible that he has to deal with me as a mother. Like I'm damaging him more. I've never really understood why people pray and ask Jesus to come back right now. Now I know. All the shame, guilt, dirty, ugliness, selfishness I feel daily. I want Jesus to come back now. Once I opened myself up to doubt, the devil has been pouring in lie after lie. God knew what He was doing when He placed us at Brookhaven. He knew what He was doing when He placed me in my Bible study. He knew what He was doing when He placed me with my therapist 2 years ago. He knew I needed to be surrounded by people who would speak truth into my life and point me back to Him.

   Praise Jesus we have an all knowing Father because God knew I would be struggling when we got home. So He gave me truth to cling to. Solomon was meant for our family. The Lord made that very clear. The way He worked our referral out. Bonding with Solo on my first trip. Giving so.so much peace on our second trip. The judge hearing our case even without the missing signature. Answering very specific prayers at a time when I needed to know He was listening. A ruling given early with no problems. Peace He gave me when Trey had to leave. My time at the embassy and getting approved right on the spot. They way He changed my heart on that trip. No matter what lie the devil throws at me, nothing can shake that rock of truth that He set up for me. Solomon is my son. No doubt.

So now I pray for the Lord to open my eyes. I want to see my son the way He sees him. I pray for the Lord to open my heart. I long to love him the way He loves him. and I'm confident I will. Slowly, things are evolving. Good days are coming more often and bad days are less. My son crawls over too me with his huge, open mouthed, gapped tooth grin when I come in the room and my heart beats full of hope and joy now instead of dread. He's opening places in me I didn't know I had. Dark, ugly places full of spider webs and dirt, and He's cleaning them. minute by minute. It's hard, but I refuse to waste the hard stuff. This mountain feels unexplainably steep, but I know victory is coming. Painful step after painful step. He will give me victory.

h.o.m.e.

2012-02-05T15:55:00.000-08:00

Praising Jesus we're home safe and sound.

Praising Jesus we came home to this:

Yummy homemade goodness

A newly decorated nursery done by one of my dearest friends! Thank you, miss Brenda!

I love it! so so blessed!

Many of my bible study girls came over, decorated, showered us with love when we came home. So thankful for all of you!

Solo and I are beyond excited to be home, but exhausted. We're trying to re coop and get Solo on our schedule (Uganda is actually 8 whole hours ahead of us, so this is a little rough on his poor body). I'll be unplugging for a while so I can reconnect with the love of my live, peanut 1 and peanut 2. We're so thankful you came along with us on our journey and appreciate your prayers so so much! Thank you will never be enough.

xoxoxoxoxo,

2012-02-02T00:19:00.001-08:00

This trip will forever be the trip that my trust and faith grew leaps and bounds. I will forever remember the way He showed me how much He loves me.that He listens to each prayer.that He is faithful even when all I do is doubt. I've struggled with doubt and unbelief so much in the last few years. Loosing 4 babies in less than 2 years after fervently praying for the Lord to spare them did something to me deep down. A place I would rather not admit I have. A pit of self pitty and doubt.unbelief. Oh, I believed that the Lord was capable of saving any and all of my babes. I, however, was believing that I was undeserving of His mighty works. That I wasn't good enough. Looking back through all the pain, tears, heart ache.break, questioning, doubting, now standing on the other side, I see the miracles He preformed. I see Him stretching me, us. I was never out of His hands. He was bring me to a place that He needed me to be. I, unfortunately, doubted in pretty much every step of our journey to Solomon. Since my earlier prayers hadn't been answered in the way I thought they should have been, I didn't dare think this journey would be different. But one by one, day by day the Lord showed His character. He showed His love through a soft breeze.through mamas here at the baby home.through our judge.through Trey and Solo.through dear friends He placed to be here with me at this time. He's eased my anxieties. He placed the lonely in our family and has provided the child we've been praying for. He now has provided a flight home for us a day earlier than we originally thought. Which means I'll be boarding the plane at 11:30 pm Friday and arriving home Saturday afternoon. But He wasn't done there. Yesterday at the embassy I met a fellow adopting mom. This is her 3rd adoption and is no rookie (unlike me!) She happens to be on the same flight. And she happens to be going all the way to Chicago as well. He's taken care of every detail. He knew how desperately I needed this trip and all it entailed. His love and mercy are covering me. My heart is full of Him. I am forever changed.

He never fails

2012-01-30T11:20:00.001-08:00

Today was our interview at the embassy. It's one step in the visa process, and I have to admit that I was a bit on the nervous side. The embassy is very strict about what they allow you to bring in.... So before leaving the baby home I packed as little as possible. Bottle of porridge, diaper, wipes, two toys and our folder of papers. I put Solo in my sling and he fell fast asleep. He slept for about an hour and a half while we were waiting to be seen. When he woke, he was fussy and I could tell he had pooped. Unfortunately, he's been sick so it was diarrhea and some had leaked onto my skirt. Sooo we run to the bathroom and of course there's no where to change him, so I opt for the wide ledge window sill. I proceed to unbutton his pants and take his diaper off... But before I can grab the clean one he of course poops all over his clothes. Me, not wanting to pack too much, had failed to pack an extra outfit. Ugh... At this point they're calling my name to go to the interview.
Sooo all I could do was wipe him up the best I could and go into the interview with a child who's clothes are covered in poo and a stressed out me. Not fun! Oh, and pretty sure I have strep throat as well. The devil tried to get me down, but through Jesus, there was no way he was gonna win! I prayed the whole time I was in that interview. My words stumbled. I couldn't think. Solo was crying and I just knew they were going to make me wait for our approval. I asked the Lord to intercede and He was ever so faithful! They gave us approval right on the spot! I couldn't believe it ( then I remembered who was on our side and I could believe it!) I get to go pick his visa up Wednesday! And most likely Solomon and I will be flying out Saturday! (we want to leave some room in there in case anything needs corrected) Which means I'll be home Sunday! Ohhhh the Lord is good! So so good! May all the glory be to Him!

Introducing: Solomon Jude Walugembe Boswell

2012-01-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Sooo, guess how big our God is?!? He's HUGE!! Today I called our lawyer to find out what time she needed us at court tomorrow for our ruling. And this was her response:

"Oh, did my office not call you? The judge already ruled in your favor. I was at court today helping them type it up and all we need now is his signature. We should have it early tomorrow morning!" Then, I might have screamed...and Joel, the house manager, might have ran in asking if I just saw a rat. Onnnly in Africa...:)

So, today, Trey and I are now parents of 2 boys! We go from 3 to 4 (even though in our hearts we already were a family of 4). We've danced, screamed, jumped up and down, and praised Jesus name. We are overwhelmed.over joyed.in awe.

We now pray we can get the written ruling tomorrow in time to take it to the US embassy. (they are only open Mon, Wed, and Fri till 11:30am!) We are praying we will get an interview before Trey leaves at 7pm Friday. We're praying His will to be done. He is so.so.good.

Without further ado, I introduce to you our SON!!.....

Mama Lori- We're sooo thankful for her and the love she's provided Solomon!

He looooves her! as do we.....

Praising Jesus for the son we've prayed for for the last 2 years. So thankful He set the lonely in our family!!

Thank you for praying for us and with us! Praying to bring this sweet chubbacup home SOON!

quick update

2012-01-22T23:45:00.000-08:00

Not much is happening right now...just waiting. We have our ruling Wednesday!! Praying that there are no issues since the police officer no showed Friday. Praying, also, it doesn't cause a glitch in embassy stuff...love having you pray right along with us!!

sending much love,

2012-01-22T04:18:00.001-08:00

2012-01-22T03:28:00.001-08:00

Today a group of us celebrated Jesus Uganda style. It was perfect

Rejoice always, Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ- 1 Thes. 5:16

2012-01-17T04:03:00.000-08:00

Trey and I have been in a continual state of prayer since we got here. Last night we went to our knees pleading our case to our Ultimate Judge.n This morning I was writing in my journal, reading my Bible and praying. I needed to see Jesus. I needed to see Him through others around me.through things I asked of Him. I needed to know He was here with me. He proved He was.Time and time again. Let me give you a rundown of our day so far....

1st prayer: We prayed healing for Love. I needed to see Jesus in Love. I needed to know He heard our cry for our baby. When we went to pick him up to dress him up in his ohhh so cute suit, he was sitting up.eating.talking.standing.not laying down.not fussing. He didn't throw up his breakfast. You guys, this is HUGE. He's only been on meds since yesterday afternoon. This was all Jesus.

2nd (very specific)prayer: When we woke this morning it was super super hot. No breeze.nothing. just hot.stuffy.sticky. We've heard horror stories of families going to court only to wait outside for 5 hours before being seen. I didn't know where we would be waiting, so I prayed to see Jesus face in the breeze. We went to get Love, got him dressed and stepped outside only to be over come by such a sweet sweet breeze. It was one of the most comforting, loving feeling I've experienced. Only Jesus.

3rd prayer: I prayed the Lord would take my anxieties and turn them to peace. The whole way to court (which was covered in CRAZY traffic) I couldn't stop smiling. Not only did He erase my anxiety, He filled me with joy! Only Jesus.

4th prayer: That the Judge would show, have mercy on us, and see our case. He showed! We only had to wait about an hour (which is ahhhhmazing!) and went to his chambers for our case to be seen. The missing signature is a bit of an issue. He told our lawyer he wanted to summon her to come. We were prepared to pack up and head out to come back on a different date. But the Lord intervened. The judge wanted to go ahead and hear our case TODAY! He heard our case, will meet with our lawyer and the police officer he has summoned on Friday,and told us to come back on the 25th for our RULING! Only JESUS!

We are well aware there are many what ifs. And that we can't totally breathe a sigh of relief until we step foot on American soil with Love, but we're living in today. Today we are full of thanks. Today we've seen the face of Jesus.over and over. Today we are rejoicing for today. Oh how I hope you're rejoicing with us!

xo,

Drained.

2012-01-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Trey and I both love it here. Buuut, we're both drained. in every way. Physically.Mentally.Emotionally. It's so hard trying to spend time with the one we love, but also giving love to 46 others. We want to do our best in helping the mama's out who we respect so much. The work they do here is nothing short of amazing. and they do it day in.day out. We love each and every one of them.

A few days ago, a new child was dropped at the gate. He's about 2 years old. Our hearts have broken for him. Can you imagine being 2 and dropped somewhere, then thrown into the midst of 46 children?!? Trey and I have tried to spend as much one on one time with him as we can. Thankfully, today I got him to play a bit, talk, and even smile! Thank you, Jesus. Today, we also got to witness a child be reunited with her parents who have been fervently looking for her since the day she was kidnapped over a week ago. Thank you, Jesus! See- totally emotionally draining!

Unfortunately Love is very very sick. He's been throwing everything (and i mean EVERYTHING ie: water, porridge, dinner, formula, anything that gets in his little tummy) for the last 4 days. He's had a fever, very lethargic, bad cough since we've been here. Even a few of the mamas are worried. that makes me worried. Thankfully we have mama Lori here. Love loves her! and thankfully for this mama, she knows how to care for him right now in a way that I don't. It will be a hard, sad loss when we have to take him away from her and vice versa. We are cherishing having her right now, though! We took him to be seen at the IOM today by the Dr. and thankfully, he prescribed 2 medicines. Praying they kick in by tomorrow because tomorrow's the big day....

We try court again. We're praying the judge is here this time. We're praying he's happy with our case and praying he understands the urgency in our need to get Love home and healthy. We're praying for a quick and favorable ruling. (there's a chance that if the police officer doesn't sign the paperwork, he could suppina her. we're really praying he doesn't find that necessary b/c that will push our court date back again!) I know ya'll are prolly sick of hearing these requests over and over, but Holy.Cow. prayer works. And you better believe I'm stormin' the gates! Would love to have you as a part of our army. We're appearing before him Tues the 17th at 11 am Ug time (3am for all my Indiana peeps). "May He defend the cause of Love and give deliverance to Love and crush the oppressor"-Psalm 72:4 "For this boy I prayed and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord, as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:27-28

sending exhausted love,

Wahhh Wahhh Wahhhhhhh Welcome to Africa

2012-01-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

So......no Judge. Got a call this am from our lawyer (after we all were looking so 'smart' as they say here. Love looked ridiculously cute in his suit!) that our judge would be back from the judge's conference, but was now attending a lawyers conference. So, we wait. We are THANKFULLY rescheduled for Tues the 17th at the same time. 11:00am Ug time. (3am for all my Indiana peeps). I surprisingly didn't flip out! Great peace comes from knowing that no man and thwart His plan! I'm just along for the ride. Trey and I have been so absolutely blessed during this trip so far. Neither of us have ever felt the presence of the Lord like we are while here. We've been able to spend some valuable time with Love, but help out with the other 46 children as well. The mama's here were soooo welcoming, giving me hugs when we arrived. (answered prayer). They LOVE seeing Trey play with the kids! (ha! and they couldn't believe he would change diapers!!) We knew this journey would brake us.change us. but we didn't know to what extent. It already seems so huge and we're only on week one!! On the down side, I'm desperately missing my boy at home. He seems sooo big and grown up when i get to speak to him on the phone. He's always asking about Love. The first thing he said to me when I talked to him Monday was "Did love say he misses me?!?" I, of course, said yes! Thankfully, we do have the use of cell phones, computers, and skype(which i think we'll try tomorrow...chip and beth- we'll be calling you soon to set that up!!)

We're thankful for all the prayers that have been surrounding us thus far. We have felt them each and every day! Please continue to pray for our Judge, the missing signature in our case, that we make the most of our time here, and for His will to be done in us. Loving all of you so so much!!

xo,

big.big.day.

2012-01-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's the big day. Court. We're resting in peace knowing He's the master story teller. Knowing He's going before us and with us. Knowing He is for us. Going to Him in prayer for these specific things:

For the judge to show up.
For the missing signiture to not be a big deal.
For the judge to be happy with the work of our lawyers.
For a quick and favorable ruling.
For His will.

Will you pray with us?

xo,

feels so good to stretch my legs.....

2012-01-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

Welp, we made it! We got to the Babies home about 1am. It was exhausting, but good; Thank you, Jesus! The Lord has already answered some very specific prayer requests and we are so thankful for His faithfulness. We have a few more specific requests, and we would love for to you shake the heavenlies along with us.

At 11am our time (3am Indiana time) on Friday Jan 13th we will be in court and we're praying for these things specifically:

Pray the Judge shows up. There is a Judging conference going on and we're praying he will come and see his cases as he has said he would.
After meeting with our lawyer, we found out we're waiting for one signature for our case to be more 'open and shut'. Please pray that Margret (she the probation officer who has investigated our case) would show us some mercy and agree to sign paperwork our lawyer has already paid her for. The wording on one of her documents needed clearing up, which she did, however, she has yet to sign it. Please lift her up and pray she will sign in time for Friday.
Please pray for quick court and that our judge is happy with the investigation. We're told he's a very meticulous judge (which we're very thankful for!) but pray that he finds our lawyer's work satisfactory.We also are praying that he is satisfied enough to grant us a quick (and favorable!!) ruling.
Finally, we ask that you lift our friends, the Stonebrooks, up as well. The judge will see them right after he sees us. The Stonebrooks are adopting 2 children, one with special needs(and she needs to come home asap!). There are a few things that need to happen by Friday, so I ask that you pray for their case as well.

Love has grown leaps and bounds! I'm amazed how much can change in such a short amount of time! Trey is smitten and we can't wait to get that boy HOME! Please continue to pray that we can all come home together!

xo,

on repeat

2012-01-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

Turning this on repeat and making it my prayer. Only through Him.

xo,

'I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals'-Casting Crowns

2012-01-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

Last week sometime, Trey got a table, tablet and pen for me to put beside my side of the bed. Life.saver. My head has been spinning out of control. Paperwork.money.paperwork.Trenner.paperwork.baby Love.paperwork.packing.paperwork. So, with the tablet next to me, I can write down what's spinning around at that particular moment and actually sleep. The lists go on and on, but we're ready.

We leave tomorrow at 4:25pm from Ohare airport in Chicago. The time has come. It's make it or break it.

Right now I'm doing Beth Moore's Bible study Daniel. It just so happens to co inside with what I'm going through at this particular minute. (Coincidence? nope, don't really think so!) On day three of this week she writes "God's ways are unfathomable, His creativity untamable." and I couldn't agree more. Ever since we became face down in front of God, finally handing our lives to Him, letting go of control, He's moved in ways that have totally just blown us away! and right now, we're preparing to be blown away even more.

Sure, fear creeps in. Doubts arise. Past disappointments come to mind. But now I know better. My mind is set. I am steadfast in Him. Beth also writes the following: minds "Set your mind (referring to Daniel 10:12)- Our minds are the battlefield on which this fight is won or lost. Satan will tangle with us as long as we let him. A wavering mind writes an invitation in the sky. It tells him we'll let him in." You better believe I'm NOT inviting him to go on this trip with me! When he starts speaking lies, I'll speak truth. His truth. Beautiful sisters in Christ have armored us with scripture. It's the best weapon to have. I'm so grateful He loves us enough to share His truth with us.

Thankfully, through this past week, I've been feeling very peaceful. (if any of you know me, you know how big this is!) Only by prayer has this been accomplished. We've been prayed over at church by friends and strangers. We've both been prayed over at our Bible studies. There is absolutely NO way to describe being prayed over, overwhelmed and surrounded by love, being washed over by the Holy Spirit. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is better! Yesterday, I was prayed over by a sweet old/new friend and sister in Christ. (She was a part of my life while I was in Jr. High and High school, we lost touch, and now are so so happy to be reunited!) I was completely overcome with peace as she prayed. As she placed her hand on my head, tears flowed and peace came. Such a gift.

So now as we step onto this new path, the path to make our son forever ours, we ask that you join us in prayer. "Nothing shakes the heavenlies like prayer. Nothing moves the heart of God more than prayer."-Beth Moore Won't you shake the heavenlies with us? Here are a few of our requests:

Travel- we leave at 4:25 pm Sunday the 8th and will arrive in Ug Monday the 9th at 11:45pm. Please pray for no sickness, prompt flights, and rest.
Trenner- Trey and I have never been away from Trenner for this long. (actually, Trenner has never gone more than a night without one of us home) Please pray for his heart, mind, and spirit while we're gone. I know he'll have a blast with aunts, uncles, mimi, papaw, mam, paps, and friends. Pray for us. That we can hand our worries for Trenner over to the Lord. (He loves Trenner way more than we ever could and we know He has Trenner's back!)
Baby Love-Pray that we connect and rebond smoothly. Pray for Love and Trey's bonding. My heart has been aching for this very thing-watching Trey hold, squeeze, kiss, bond with, fall in love with the boy we've longed for for so long. Ugh. Makes me want to explode!
Court-We will be in court on the 13th. Pray for our Judge. We pray he will have a soft heart and that the Lord will reveal our hearts and character to him before we ever meet. We pray for a quick and favorable ruling.
Embassy-After we get our ruling, we will be working with the Embassy to get Love's visa to come HOME! Pray all paperwork goes smoothly. Pray for minimal type-o's. Pray they will have mercy on us. We pray that the Lord will reveal our hearts and character to them as well.
Finally- We are BOLDLY asking the Lord to allow all three of us to come home on January 27th if it is in His will. This is a huge thing to ask, but thankfully we serve a God who does HUGE things. He wants to know the desires of our hearts, and, welp, here it is! If He does not allow this to happen, we know it is for great reason. We know He has planned something better than we could ever imagine.

Thank you all so much for playing such a huge roll in this journey. We could absolutely NEVER do this without all of you backing us!

Our cups runneth over,

2012-01-06T09:58:00.001-08:00

Armored with scripture thanks to my sisters in Christ.

My boy will look scrumptious for court. Thank you aunt Janice and Jess!!

Soaking up time with my first born.

Two and a half days and feeling nothing but peace. Thank you Jesus!

armor

2012-01-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

"Remember that peace of heart does not come from denying that there is trouble, but comes from rolling your trouble on God. By faith you have the right to call on the One who is your brother, the son of man, who is also the Son of God. And if he is going to look after you why should you worry at all!"-A.W. Tozer

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ."-1 Thessalonians 5:16

"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply."-Hudson Taylor

"For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."-Ephesians 2:10

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity(anxiety/fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline." -2 Timothy 1:7

"A woman who fears the Lord will not run away from God to satisfy her longings and relieve her anxieties. She will wait on the Lord. She will hope in God. She will stay close to the heart of God and trust in His promises."-John Piper

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

"I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me, for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient!"-Hudson Taylor

"God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves."-A.W. Tozer

"The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."-Zephaniah 3:17

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."-Psalm 55:22

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."-Joshua 1:9

"Anticipate coming face to face with impossibilities; situations totally beyond your ability to handle. This awareness of you inadequacy is not something you should evade. It is precisely where I want you-the best place to encounter Me in My Glorious Power!"

"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trust in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a Fortress of salvation for His anointed one."-Psalm 28:6-8

"Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."-Psalm 62:8

I will cling onto the Rock.

2011-12-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

My sweet sweet friend, Katie, is the Thirty-One queen! She sells Thirty-One like it's her job....orrrr because it is her job! :) Welp, guess what?!? Katie offered to do a Thirty-One fundraiser to benefit our adoption! From now until January 15th, she will donate 30% of the sales from her event "Adoption fundraiser for the Boswell's" to us! How awesome is that?!? So, if your are interested in purchasing some amazing product {from an amazing company} and helping us bring Love home, please go here, click on 'My Events', choose 'Adoption Fundraiser for the Boswell's' and start shoppin'!

{And FYI: we leave in NINE days! That's right! NINE days! That means in twelve days, I'll be holding my babe once again! Trey will be meeting him for the first time. Lord willing, on this trip he will become legally forever ours. Oh.my.heart.}

xo-

Is she in my head?!?

2011-12-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, my SIL called me to tell me she was finishing a book I HAD to read! I Love You More (The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter) written by Jennifer Grant. Now, my sis in law reads.lots. Sometimes, I think with her English/Lit background, some of the books she recommends might be a bit beyond me. Then I read her review, (which you can see right here) and waited oh so impatiently for her to pass it on. I started reading it and was blown away. I remember saying to Trey, "It's like she's in my head. Literally reading my mind." Holy cow! The way she addresses and answer questions about adoption is amazing. Reading, I kept saying to myself "Yes! That's what I've been trying to explain to people. Yes! That's exactly how I feel!" If only I was as good as putting my thoughts into words.....As I was finishing the book today, a certain part stuck out to me as I was reading:

"If I've learned anything since adopting Mia, it is that trying to control the opinions of others is a fruitless pursuit. I can't control what others think of her. I can't protect her from people who may say something insensitive to her about her adoption. I can't help it that some people will only see the color of her skin when they look at my daughter. Adopting Mia brought my own limitations out into the light. I want to be liked too much. I doubt myself too much. I fear the disapproval of others too much. I coddle myself, lick my wounds, and I don't trust in God's love for me the way I should. I am quick to forgive others, slow to forgive myself. It's torn off the veneer and helped me to live a little more honestly-which to say, of course, that it's made life harder."

As I read these words, tears came. Her words went straight through me. Her words were me. Others opinions are always on my mind. I'm constantly thinking about whether others like me.agree with me.understand me. I realize I've cared too much about others opinions more than God's. And I'm realizing that with this line of thinking, I'm constantly setting myself up for failure. Am I truly trusting God? Do I feel He can use our story to further His kingdom? Absolutely! But do I constantly try to it on my own? Unfortunately, yes. Slowly and faithfully, He's changing my mind, thoughts, heart. Each day He asks me to let go of a little more. Let go of what others think of me. Let go of disapproval. Let go of control. Let go of control. Let go of control. (obviously, this is one that I struggle with ~~daily~~ hourly.) As time nears for us to board a plane for a 21 hour flight, fly halfway across the world to our son, stand in front of a judge who has the authority to make us Love's parents, reality hits. It's not, has not ever, nor will any of it ever be in my control. He has made this path for us. He goes before us and is with us every.step. He's asking for us to trust and obey. Fully. Is it going to be hard. oh.my.yes. Am I going to be uncomfortable at times? Yes. Will it be hard to leave half of my heart here in Swayzee? More than you can imagine. But He doesn't ask of us what we are not capable of doing. So step by step, day after day, through only Him and by only Him am I able loosen my grip a bit at a time and gain so much freedom in His promise.

***For what it's worth, I HIGHLY recommend this book! If you are connected to adoption, thinking of adopting, or are just fascinated by adoption, please please read this book! It will be making it's rounds around our family and I CANNOT wait for everyone to read it!

And the winners areeeeee.....

2011-12-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

We let Trenner choose so we wouldn't be accused of cheating! :)

So here you have it:

Hounds Tooth purse: Karen Key

18 Month Christmas Dress: Tammy Johnson

Vera Bradley Purse: Rachael Allen

2T/3T Christmas Dress: Julie LaPat

'Enjoy the Journey' Necklace: Joy Elzinga

Hand made Owl Hat: Stephanie McCracken

Thank you, so much, to all of you who participated and shared our story!

We made enough for almost 5 days stay in Ug*nda!

We are forever grateful!

xo,

Need an uber cute last minute Christmas gift?!? Welp, here you go......

2011-12-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

We are sooooo close to getting to our baby love! To help close the gap, we're having a give away of sorts. Wouldn't you love one of these sweets just in time for Christmas?

Vera Bradly 'Morgan' bag in 'Frankly Scarlet'

Handmade Hounds tooth purse made by my friend, Renee

'Enjoy the Journey' necklace from the paper roSe

Hand made, crocheted owl hat.

Beautiful size 18 month dress hand made by Brenda from the paper roSe.

Hand made dress size 2T/3T also made by Brenda.

Here is your opportunity to win one and help us out at the same time: For a donation of $3 you can add your name to the hat once. For a donation of $5 your name will be added twice. For a donation of $10 your name will be added FIVE times! To donate, use the Pay pal button in the top right corner and please,don't forget to leave your contact information. (If you would rather enter the give away with a check, please email me at bvboswell@hotmail.com) The give away will be open through Friday,December 16th. Friday evening Trenner will draw 3 tickets out of the hat and we'll contact the winners. (First name drawn will get to choose from all 3. Second name drawn will choose between the remaining two, and so on.) Gifts will be shipped out first thing Saturday morning. So, please spread the word and know we are forever grateful!

2011-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

Praising.Praying.Peace.

'The' email came....

2011-12-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my head just about exploded. not even kidding. Mid morning I received 'The' email. We, ladies and gentlemen, have court! Go ahead. Dance.Scream.Shout.Jump up and down. We did! Trey and I will be leaving for Ug around January 8th. Court is at the end of that week. The judge will hear our case and ask us to return on a different date for our ruling. At the ruling hearing, God willing, we will be Baby Love's legal guardians. Praise Jesus. We still have 4 weeks and lots to do. Our biggest mountain is funding. We still need to come up with a certain amount of money before we can go. It seems like a huge mountain to us, but thankfully, an ant hill to God! So, we're praying, trusting, and racking our brains on what we can do to make that number dwindle. If you have ANY ideas, feel free to pass them along. If you feel led to help by donating, you can use the PayPal button on the top right of this page or message me at bvboswell@hotmail.com if you would rather mail a check. Any and everything will help! Every ONE dollar adds up! Prayers are still very much appreciated. Please pray for our lawyers. Pray they work diligently and nothing in our case goes undone. Pray for our Judge. Pray the Lord will reveal our hearts and our character to him before we arrive for court. Pray for Love. Pray that he is feeling love and peace as he waits for us to come. Pray for Trey,Trenner and I. Please pray for peace of mind, child like faith, and for our funding. Please pray that the Lord will begin to prepare Trenner's heart for the time we will be away.

Oh what a glorious Christmas present!

praising Him,

Showered with Love

2011-12-05T06:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend baby Love and I were blessed beyond measure. One of my dearest friends, Brenda, hosted a baby shower for us. It was magical. Homemade scones and sugared pecans (made by Rich), individual breakfast casseroles, orange juice and milk served in old fashioned glass bottles with straws, fresh fruit, a coffee bar, and the most delicious chocolate cheese cake made by my friend, Lori. Brenda went above and beyond decorating. Magazine style. beautiful. I was showed with love by some of my closest friends and family. Loved ones who are invested in our journey. Ones who love our baby Love without even meeting him. Ones who make this crazy, emotional, heart wrenching, joyful, wonderful journey even better. So I say 'thank you' to all who showered us. The beauty and love you bring into our lives is pretty darn amazing.

{prepare for picture overload. my friend Liz took pictures and they were all too good to choose from.}

My beautiful and gracious host!

One of my bests...we date back to 1987ish. sheesh...

Room full of love. Is there anything more beautiful?

2011-11-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

"God redeems something by buying it back through the payment of a ransom. He gave the life of His Son as the ransom to buy us back from the clutches of sin. He has also bought back the rights to our past and all it's failures. If we cooperate, He'll turn every single one of those failures into something useful for His kingdom." -Beth Morre 'Daniel'

a little heaven in your mouth

2011-11-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

One of my most favorite parts of the holiday season is baking. I mean, like, from scratch.takes hours.flour everywhere.whole house smellin' good.kinda baking. One of my favorite items to bake is pie. Not just any pie, but sugar cream pie. Not just any sugar cream pie, but my mom's sugar cream pie. Seriously.good. And guess what? It's your lucky day because I'm gonna share not only the pie recipe, but the homemade crust recipe as well. So, grab your favorite apron and let's get started....

Fist- the crust.
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 Cup shortening (if you want extra flaky and yummy, use plain ol' lard. I get mine at my mom's (she owns it along with her 3 sisters) small town grocery, Hodson's in Converse, Indiana. If you love small town, ol'school hospitality, service with a smile, great product with a whole lot of choices, check Hodson's out. I KNOW they'd love to see you there!)
4 to 5 Tablespoons cold water (needs to be COLD. mom always adds ice to her water)

Stir flour and salt together. Cut in shortening (or lard) until pieces are size of small peas. (I use a fork only because I don't own one of those cool pastry cutters.) Sprinkle in water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring and kneading until the dough is moldable. You don't want to add too much water because it will make it too sticky and slimy. At this point, you can wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge until you're ready to use it, ooor, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and start rolling it out. (Makes enough for 1 pie crust)

Combining Flour and salt.

Cutting in the Lard

After sprinkling in 5 Tablespoons, kneading with my hands, and rolling around in bowl to make it into a ball

Rolling out on floured surface. {make sure you flour your rolling pin too! and don't forget to flip your dough to flour both sides! noting worse when your dough sticks to the counter top!}

mmmmm.... Homemade goodness.

Second-a little heaven on earth: the filling.
1/2 Cup flour
1 3/4 Cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
nutmeg

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. Heat cream enough to where it just starts to boil. Pour cream over dry ingredients and mix well. (I use a whisk) Add vanilla and pour into your delicious, just rolled out pie shell and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until set. Let cool completely.

Flour, Sugar, Salt

Mixed well with {almost boiling} whipping cream and vanilla

Sprinkled with Nutmeg

Baked and ready! {is your mouth watering yet?!?}

I love this pie cold! super creamy and the top gets a bit chewy. add a cup of coffee and wheew wee. your taste buds will do a happy dance!

Happy Baking,

2011-11-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

A fellow adopter and friend has put together an amazing blog post about places you can holiday shop with a purpose. In her words: "purchase for people you love while showing love to some you've never met." perfect. She has featured our "redeemed" bracelets from MudLove, and I am happy to say we will be taking more orders! We are taking orders from now untill December 1st. Go here to check out colors and the how to order. Also, please please check out Lovelyn's blog and show a little holiday love to others as well.

xo,

Where we are

2011-11-21T06:37:00.000-08:00

"So, where are you guys at in the whole adoption process now?"

Been hearing this question a lot lately. My fault. I haven't posted about our journey in quite awhile. Honestly, I'm still processing my trip. working through A LOT of emotions. loving my baby from afar. To be honest, it's been HARD. Experiencing parts of the adoption process with one of my besties, I thought I would maybe have an understanding of what I would be going through. Thought I had some good insight. Thought handling things would be a bit easier. However, nothing prepares you for a journey that is all your own. Emotions are raw. leaving a sweet little love half way across the world feels like leaving a part of yourself. living my life of luxury here knowing what life is like there. makes me sick. But, I'm dealing. day by day. Talking with a therapist helps a whole lot. someone who knows how to take and deal with my crazy. My Father placing His finger on parts of me that need to change. Working in me. my marriage. our family. while we wait. wait. wait.

Wait. That is where we are. We have received our I-171h approval form from the USCIS. We have been filed for Court in Ug. We have been assigned to a Judge. We now wait for our Judge to assign us a court date. Our Judge is on leave till December 15th and most likely will not take our case until after the holidays. We're praying for early next year, but knowing His timing is best. While we wait, I stand confident that my baby is feeling love. Love from friends who are there right now. Love from volunteers. Love from the One who loves him more than I ever can.

So, that's where we are. Waiting. Trying not to wish and waste this time away. Asking the Lord what He will have us do in this wait. and Trusting.

"mommy, my legs are so long because i'm 4 now!"

2011-11-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

I have a 4 year old. eesh. How did that happen?! It really has been a blessed 4 years! Trenner brings so much to our lives. ENERGY.joy.laughter.love.excitement.patients.sweet snuggles.tender heartedness.beautiful expression filled eyes.(with his daddy's amazing eyelashes!) and a whole lot of cuteness.

Trenner got a birthday celebration that spanned 3 whole days.and he love each and every minute of it!

Day 1. Birthday celebration with immediate family(and friends we consider family)

Day 2. Trenner Celebrated at school. I don't have pictures because he doesn't allow me to accompany him into school. "It's okay, mom. You can just drop me off. I'll kiss you goodbye in the car." Really?!?

Day 3. His actual birthday. November 15th.

Thanks for the Spiderman suit Dr. Rich and Miss Brenda!

Trenner wanted homemade Cinnamon rolls.

and they were delicious!

He chose to go bowling for his final celebration. He also wanted to take Aunt Ali along. They had a blast!

Ali celebrating

Daddy getting in on the action. I think Ali almost beat him... ;)

No, she didn't fall. Every time she rolled the ball she would do crazy moves to get the ball to do what she wanted. it worked every time!

You don't get much cuter than a 4 year old's bowling shoes.

More of Ali's crazy moves! seriously.funny.

4 whole years of fun. Thanks you, my love!

Tiny Prints came through!

2011-11-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. The time when we search desperately for the perfect family photo, to attach to the perfect Christmas card, to send to anyone and everyone who might like to see just how cute our family is. For me, it's a love/hate relationship. I love to be able to send cards to family and friends to let them know we think of them often. I hate looking for cards. There are a bazillion to choose from, and really, most of them are quite cheesy. But today, thank goodness, I found Tiny Prints! (cue the choir!) Holy cuteness! and NOT cheesy!! I could spend hours looking through the cards, only because I can't decide which is perfect enough. Not too busy, a little old school, quiet colors, classy. And guess what?! I found it! Drum roll please....

I love the colors! just perfect!
I love the font! Seriously cute!
I love the size of pictures. Perfect to show off my 2 loves and my hunky man and I.
I love that it says "Merry Christmas". Super important to me that it doesn't just say "Happy Holidays"
It's just Perfect!

Your perfect Christmas card awaits you, too. Take a look at all the lovely christmas cards here. Please, give yourself ample time, though,'cause I'm telling ya, you'll love em all!!

What a talented man...

2011-11-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

For any of you who have been in my home, you have seen the wonderful works of my very talented father in law. He has built many custom furniture pieces for us. Lucky for you, he's now starting his own business, Wooden Dreams. His motto is "If you can dream it, I can build it", and when he says that, he means it. All of the furniture pieces he's built for us have come from only a picture or ideas that we came up with on our own. His craftsmanship is wonderful and boy oh boy, does he work fast! So thankful to have him around, and thankful I now get to share him with you! Please go to the blog my talented sister in law, Beth, set up for him to check out some of his handy work. I know he would love to hear from you to help make some of your furniture dreams become a reality.

2011-11-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

"For when You did awesome things that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him."

-Isaiah 64:3-4

resting.waiting.

2011-11-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Orphan Sunday. Praying that many hearts are opened to the orphan. Praying for His perfect timing. Praying for the day we can say our son is an orphan no more.

2011-11-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

Last night, husband and I went on a little date to watch his cousins play in Section Finals at Western. We went with Mike, (Trey's dad) and Chip. (Trey's brother) On the way we stopped at a little place I often hear Mike and Chip talk about. Louie's Coney Island. I was a bit weary of the place at first, (thanks to Trey's description of the menu item called 'Bakes') but it ended up being pretty darn good. We met Brady (Trey's brother) and our nephew Maddux at Western. It was a great night for football. No rain. Crisp, cool air. No child to take to the bathroom, take to the concession, or to chase around. (thanks, Mom and Dad!) The game was a great one, but unfortunately Western lost in overtime. Besides the disappointing ending, it was seriously one fun night!

Louie's Coney Island.

The famous 'Bakes'. Not bad if you like a wad of hamburger rolled up like a hot dog. :)

Now these were good! Coney dogs. mmmmm.

Beautiful night for football!

Made me miss coaching cheer a bit. Until I started noticing all the motions that needed fixed. lots.of.work.

Snuggling up to my man for warmth. it got COLD!

2011-11-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

You CAN make a difference

2011-11-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

I've been praying a lot about the orphan crisis lately. The Lord has really layed on my heart that there is more I can do. I've been praying that He will open a door to me without me seeking. He brought this opportunity to my attention this morning. I will be taking a moment of my afternoon to lift these sweet lost souls to their Father. It cost nothing. Only a few moments of your day. Prayer is a powerful powerful thing. I beg of you to make this tiny sacrifice and pray as well. I will stop at 1:47 this afternoon and plead to my Father, my rescuer, the One who adopted me. Please. Join me.

2011-10-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last night my mom, a long time family friend and I went to the Cinema Center in downtown Fort Wayne for a special movie screening. My mom was invited by DSANi (Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Indiana) to view "Anita" and took us along with her. It was a blessing to see, but life altering. "Anita" takes place in Argentina in 1994. An adult woman with Down Syndrome lives with her mother a few blocks from the Israelite Mutual Association. One morning, Anita's mother leaves Anita at home to walk to the AIMA. Tragically, that day a bomb is set off at the AIMA killing Anita's mother and destroying Anita's home. In all the commotion, Anita stumbles out side bloody and confused and is put on a bus. She ends up at the hospital where they care for her wounds, but then she wonders off. She wonders for days, weeks. She's lost.confused. She's ignored by many. Helped by few. Finally in the end, she's reunited with her older brother.

Through the whole movie my anxiety was through the roof. I watched Anita and could only think of my sister. Lost, lonely, confused. Thankfully, we live in a country where she is welcomed. Thankfully, we live in a small town where most anyone knows her. Thankfully, she is loved, wanted, safe and happy. I was physically and emotionally shaken at the end of the movie. My mom says to me "It's only a movie." But, the problem is, I know it's not only a movie. For 147 million orphans world wide, it's reality. 147,000,000 children lost, lonely, confused. It's a tragedy. No other way to look at it. My mind races. We HAVE to do something. We HAVE to change it. Can you imagine your child, the one you tuck in at night. the one you sing to. the one you fix lunch for. the one who feels your love daily, being lost. Wondering the streets. Cold and hungry. heartbroken. The thing is, as a body of Christ, these are His children. Through Him, they are our children. I'm sad and confused. My heart is broken. wondering if what we are doing is enough. We're helping one. One out of 147,000,000. My mom says to me "But, your rescuing ONE. If we all just helped ONE things would be different." And I say "Exactly."

If you have a chance this weekend and are looking for a cheap night out, please visit the Cinema Center of Fort Wayne. Dare to be challenged. Dare to have your heart broken. Dare to face reality.

Tickets are only $3. Viewing times are Sat., Oct. 29, 7:30 P.M.

Sun., Oct. 30, 2:00 P.M.

Mon., Oct. 31, 7:00 P.M.

Tues. Nov. 1, 7:00 P.M.

You can go here to view a trailer of "Anita".

xo,

2011-10-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Analea. My sister. Perfectly and wonderfully made. The world looks at her as imperfect. All I see is beauty.

What is beauty to you? http://actsoffaithblog.com/beauty-is-as-beauty-does

2011-10-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

What did we do tonight, you might ask?

Well, I'm pretty sure Trey and I are gonna be in the running for The Parents of the Year award...

2011-10-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

Longing for a far-away place. A far-away land that happens to hold a dark skinned little love who clenches half my heart. Longing to see that dimple. Longing to see that smile. Longing to have him melt into me as I wear him and he sleeps. Longing to tell him we love and want him. So much longing.

who doesn't love pretties?

2011-10-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

I have pretties. I'm pretty sure you prolly want some too, right?! Well, guess what? You can have some!! I have these beautiful necklaces calling out your name. For only a $15 {or more if you're feeling extra generous :)} donation, you can have one shipped directly to you from me. These beauties are hand wrapped paper bead necklaces and were handmade in Uganda. Bought straight from the women who made them. I can't wait to send you yours! If you choose to use paypal in the top right corner of this blog, just be sure you leave your shipping address.

much love,

2011-10-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today, I've come across an awesome opportunity to be linked up to one of my most favorite blogs.ever. She's linking up with people from all over the world who are in the midst of adopting and need help paying the ransom for their children. You can go here to read all about the children and their families. Pray about it, and if you feel led, please care for an orphan and help their families bring them home!

xoxo,

proving faithful. over and over.

2011-10-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

I am home. Still trying to process what my eyes have seen, my heart has felt. Everything is still so raw. There is a lot to say, but right now I'm not sure I have the right words. I was asked to speak at church last night. Not a long presentation, but just a snippet of what God did for me this last week. So, until I have the right words to fully tell you about my week, here is what I shared:

Sunday was our fist day at the babies home. It was unbelievably overwhelming. As I walked into the room where the babies are kept, it's a bit dark and hard to see. The room is lined with approx. 15 cribs. I start looking around the room, looking for Love. As his mother I expected to know immediately who he was. I didn't. That worried me. When they handed him to me, I expected to become overwhelmed with emotion and an instant love. I didn't. That worried me. My mind started spinning. The doubt and fear crept in. What was i doing here? Why had I not noticed an immediate connection? I began questioning why we were even adopting in the first place. Back in my room, I cried and prayed. I asked the Lord all the above questions. and I waited. The Lord was so good and faithful. He provided, throughout the week, several times for me to be alone with Love. He assured me that Love was my child. He created that bond. I am happy to say that over the course of the week, Love and I fell madly in love with each other.

Working at the babies home is more than overwhelming. The mama's are intimidating. There are approx. 50 children at this home. Approx 20 of them are 18 months and younger. I was surrounded by babies covered in dirt and snot. Some with disabilities, some with physical scars, all with emotional scars. Again, I started questioning why I was there. Was I really doing anything to help these children? What good can 1 week out of the year provide them? I struggled with my purpose. Softly the Lord whispered in my ear, 'These are my children. You are being my hands holding them. You are My love in the flesh. You are doing a great thing.' Again, He proved faithful. I held crying babies. I comforted those who were hurting. I prayed over them and will continue to do so daily. I'm thankful they got to feel love, even if it was just 1 week.

On Thursday I came face to face with my biggest fear. Being somewhere with no way home. At the beginning of the week, Jade and I were able to do all the things on my to-do list, so we decided to take an earlier flight home. Well, do to some miscommunication, we missed our flight. I was devastated. It, my friends, was ugly. I called Trey looking for comfort. He tried his best, but he was half way across the world. I looked to Jade for comfort. Thankfully, she sprung into action. She held herself together and worked on getting us a way home. As much as she tried, I still didn't have comfort. It wasn't until I cried to the Lord that I felt peace. I prayed. Oh boy, did I pray. I asked the Lord to take my anxiety. I released to Him the thoughts that were holding me captive. I acknowledged that He had gone before me. He knew we were going to miss our flight. He had a plan. I prayed for an attitude reflective of His. Again, He proved faithful. He provided me with a supernatural peace and comfort. He provided a great last day for Jade and I. He provided a flight home the next day. He gave us seats on every flight. We are home. Glory be to God!

Trying to come up with the right words for my experience is something I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do. My sweet friend, Suzanne, gave me a notebook full of scripture and quotes before I left. Reading through it Sunday morning, a quote popped out to me. It is a perfect way to sum everything up:

"Anticipate coming face to face with impossibilities; situations totally beyond your ability to handle. This awareness of your inadequacy is not something you should try to evade. It is precisely where I want you-the best place to encounter Me in My Glory and Power!" -Unknown

2011-10-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

we're here. God is gracious. my baby Love fits perfectly in my arms. singing praises.

love,

2011-09-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving in just 2 short days. To say I'm nervous is probably the biggest understatement of the year. I'm nervous for the flight. I'm nervous we won't be on time for our connecting flights. I'm nervous my son won't like me. I'm nervous I will have a hard time adjusting to the food, time, culture, etc. I'm nervous. I'm packing and I hear the world saying to me "You don't have to go. Why put your life at risk? Why leave your husband and son for 9 days? Why step out of your comfort zone? You could get sick. Things can go wrong.You really don't have to do this."

And then I read this: " Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is true worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good and pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2

And I know. I need to go. have to go. My son is waiting for me. I have prayed for another child. God has handed us Love. He just happens to be half way accross the world. So I will follow His lead and go. I go knowing He loves my children and my husband and family more than I could ever fathom. Way more than I ever can love them myself. I go knowing He loves me. I am His precious child. He has plans for me. Big plans. I just need to do my part. It will absolutely be one of the hardest things for me to leave my husband and son here to go meet my son there. It will absolutely be one of the hardest things for me to leave my son there to come home here. However, I am reminded of this:

"Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me." - Matthew 10:37-38

Through this last week, I've felt nothing but peace. Peace in knowing that whatever happens, it's nothing out of His control. He has a master plan and my plan is to follow His. with a joyful and happy heart. He has already woven this story together in a way beyond anything I ever imagined. I wait anxiously for the next chapter. Untill then.......

I leave you with these sweet little pigs.

I'm not sure how much blogging I will be doing while there. My plan is to focus on my Father and my son. Prayers are appreciated and much needed. Thank you for playing such a huge roll in our story.

Forever grateful,

2011-09-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations.....He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised."- Romans 4:18-21

9 days.

Ransom

2011-09-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

Since starting this adoption journey, one of the hardest things for us to overcome has been the obstacle of money. Handing over our finances to the Lord has not been easy and it's a day by day decision. Our decision to fund raise hasn't been an easy one either. Through prayer, the Lord blessed us with great ideas and great people who support us.

Often I am asked about finances when the topic of adoption comes up. I tend to get flustered and words usually flee from my mind. I read this today and love it. Simple explanation and instruction. Please check it out!

I don't know this woman personally, but I love her heart. I love her courage. I love that she loves, advocates, and fights for fatherless children whole hearted. How can you not instantly love someone who has a heart like hers?

You can also check out her husband's blog here. Such a great source of info, inspiration, and perspective.

xo,

Sneak Peak

2011-09-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

First, let me give you a sneak peak of the sweet little hand I will get to hold, snuggle and kiss in only 17 more days:

Oh.my.heart. I seriously can't wait!

As you know, we are having a Zumba-athon on the 24th to help get the owner of this scrumptious little hand home ASAP. Remember, every person who joins us will receive a free raffle ticket. Bring a friend and receive yet another free ticket. Bring 10 friends, get 10 free tickets (plus when your friend pays, they will receive their own free ticket). Pretty amazing, right? So here are a few pictures of a FEW of our prizes to ~~bribe~~ entice you to come:

Chalk Board from the paper roSe. sells for $50

31 items. Cinch Sac, Thermal Lunch Tote, Coin Purse, and Pencil Pouch. Total est value: $52.50!

Vera Bradley. Large travel tote and Large Travel Cosmetic Bag. Est value: over $100!

Pretty awesome, right?!? And these are just a few of the prizes we will have.

So, come get your dance on, try your luck at winning one, and help bring Love home!

A big big thank you to:

Brenda Romine/ paper roSe

Katie Warnock/ 31

Sara Neal / Vera Bradley

love,

Sweat for a cause

2011-09-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna say it again. Just because I can. It's still a little surreal. I have a son half way across the world. Really. Sheesh. Gets me everytime. You know what else? I get to see him in just a few short weeks! So we're doing a fundraiser right before I leave. Here's what we're doing.....

Zumba-Athon

Saturday September 24th 8-10AM

Herbst United Methodist Church

2516 S. 600 W.

Marion, IN 46953

Cost is $7 for 1 hour or $10 for 2

Every paid entry will receive a raffle ticket. You can also earn an extra ticket for every friend you bring! Extra raffle tickets will be available for purchase as well. Raffle prizes include:

A '31' product
A Vera Bradley product
Mary Kay product
Items from the paper roSe
And MORE!

So come join us. Bring a friend. Bring 10 friends. Our goal is to pack the place out. I've seen close to 70 people in Herbst for Zumba before. Let's do it again! Get your weekend workout out of the way. Have mercy and help us bring baby Love home!

Hosea 14:3

"in you the orphan finds mercy"

my day.

2011-09-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today is a:

Baked Oatmeal

Fall Candle Burning

Pant wearing

~~Daily~~ Minute reminding

kinda day.

My kinda day.

Time flies

2011-09-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Last week Trenner started Pre School. All I can say is......

Good

Luck

Mrs.

Horner!

As Trenner gets older, he's looking more and more like Trey. Not a bad thing at all!

Faith Steps. One at a time.

2011-09-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Since we found out we're parents to another boy we've prayed about our next step. What a blessing it was to be matched with our child before traveling. What a blessing for God to hand him to us and trust us to parent him. What a blessing. We feel God has shown so much faith in us, we need to return the favor. So we've prayed and decided one of us needs to go to him. We need to show our lawyer and the orphanage we are committed to him. We need to show them we are willing to work on his behalf. One of us needs to get to him and love on him. We need to cuddle him and whisper in his ear he is loved. Tell him that even if we aren't there physically, he has a Father who loves him a whole lot more than we do. We want to tell him how wanted he is. Oh how I really just want to squeeze his cheeks!

After lots, and I mean LOTS of prayer, we've decided it's best if I go. Don't worry, I'm not going myself... my dear friend, Jade, has graciously offered to pick up from her life here to go with me. Thankfully she knows the ins and outs of Ug*nda. ( you can read about her journey here) I cannot express what a blessing Jade and Nathan have been to our family during this entire journey. They have given so much, prayed so much, and been our biggest cheerleaders. So.so thankful!

Today, we've taken a faith step. Tickets have been bought. We're praying, knowing God will be faithful. We know our funds will be provided. We're praying for protection over this trip. We're praying for Jade and I's families while we are away. We're praying knowing God will be faithful in bringing Love home in His perfect timing.

We are flying out on the 30th of September and will return the 9th of October. We will be staying at the orphanage and would love to take as many donations as possible. Here is a list of items the orphanage is always in need of:

* baby formula milk,
* diapers,
* baby wipes,
* Miltonsterilizing tablets,
* disposable gloves,
* plastic toys,
* durable books
* shoes for the toddlers, among others

Please pray about it, and if you feel led to donate, we would love to take as much as we can!
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

xoxo

in awe

2011-08-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

{Please forgive the lengthy post. Keep reading. It's worth it!}

Last Wednesday Trey and I had planned on going to Benihana's for dinner to celebrate our birthdays. (FYI, if you sign up for Benihana's chef's table they will send you a $30 gift certificate the month of your birthday. Both our birthdays are in August, so we ate for a total of 18 whole dollars!) Little did we know we would be celebrating for a whole different reason.

It seems like since we started this adoption journey, we've done nothing but hurry up and wait. Ugh. I just remember my not so pretty moments being angry at the Lord. Wondering why we were in the same spot it seemed we'd been in for the last 2 years. Waiting. Oh, but my Lord is forever faithful. I'm sure in all that time He was whispering to me, "Be patient, my love. I have not forsaken you. Trust. Be faithful. Know I am the Great I Am. Know I have plans for you. - Jeremiah 29:11. Abide in Me. Don't use this time I am giving you in vain. Grow in Me." This last Wednesday, my ever faithful, loving, big, big God showed Himself to Trey and I in a big, big way!

We've been trying to plan our first trip. This is the trip where we will stay at the orphanage, serve, and spend time with the children there. This is the trip we hope to bond, connect, and fall in love with our child. On August 10th we mailed all our paperwork to the orphanage director. We wanted everything to be in line and okay'd by the time we traveled. The orphanage received our paperwork on the 15th and we were told they would get back in contact with us once they had a chance to look everything over. So, we waited. for what seemed like for.ever. I emailed them back on the 22nd to make sure everything was there they needed and to see if there was anything else they needed from us. We expected to get a response in the next couple of days telling us when it would be best for them to have us come serve. Instead, we received a response with these words:

Trey and Bridgette,
We are pleased to tell you that you have successfully been matched with a child.

Say whhhaattt?!?!? We've been matched?!? We have a son?!? Trenner has the brother he's longed for.prayed for.wished for?!? I might have screamed. Trey might have thought I saw a mouse run across the floor. I might have read over the email 103950 times before it sank in. And then I prayed. Oh, I thanked my Savior for loving me. I thanked Him for going so above and beyond anything I expected. I thanked Him for being faithful. I thanked Him for being Him. This is nothing short of a miracle. This is the work of God and nothing else. I felt Him saying to me "I am here. I always have been. Let me prove it to you." And He did even though He didn't have to. And I stand in awe of Him.

You are probably full of questions just like we ~~were~~ are.
Does this mean there won't be a first trip?- We are praying about this question. Technically, we don't have to travel, but we are longing to meet our child and the people loving on him while we can't. So, we're praying.

What's his name and how old his he?- Please be understanding when I say I cannot reveal anything about him. We are still in the VERY early stages and have lots of obstacles to overcome. Thankfully, we have a big God who works in big ways, so we aren't worried. However, we cannot and will not do anything to jeopardise this process. So, for now we will call him 'love'.

Why is this going differently then what you thought it would?- Welp, all I can say is God. and it's adoption. No two adoption processes ever go the same. We knew going into this that ours would be different than anyone else's. Kinda like giving birth. everyone has their own birth story and this is ours.

As you can imagine, we are on cloud nine right now. There is a lot of work to do. There is a bit of money to be raised. Thankfully we have a fundraiser going on right now. Go here to check it out and know even a $20 t-shirt brings us a big step closer to bringing our Love home. Annnd, we have a few more in the works. Stay tuned. We need to raise close to $7,000. Thankfully, to God, that number is so tiny and we are resting in Him knowing it will be provided through fundraising, selfless hearts, and cut backs on our end.

We thank you in advance for any support you are able and willing to give. We ask for prayers for our sweet Love. We ask for prayers as we are filling out a bazillion papers. We ask for prayers about our funding. We ask for prayers about traveling and having to leave Trenner.

For now, we are standing in awe. With our hands lifted high in praise.

If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for You, waiting here for YouYou're the Lord of all creation
And still You know my heart
The Author of Salvation
You've loved us from the start

Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything You've promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

Singing Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

song of my heart

2011-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

This is the song of my heart today.

We serve a big big God who does big big things.

Singing Hallelujah.

Lifting my hands.

Adoring Him.

Thanking Him.

He is faithful.

so.so.faithful.

27 and only been kissed by a Man(n)

2011-08-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

My love turned 27 on the 14th! I would call him an old man, but I turn 27 on the 31st! Where does time go?!? We were so blessed to be able to celebrate Trey's life with a relaxing day and a bonfire with family. As I look at pictures I can't help but be overwhelmed with thankfulness that most of our family is close by. Trey and I have been apart of each other's lives for the majority of our years, and I'm so thankful for that. I'm so thankful that I feel as much apart of Trey's family as I do my own. I'm so thankful that my younger siblings have never known Trey as anything but a brother. (Pretty sure they like him better than they like me!) Thanks to all who were able to come celebrate someone as special as Trey!

Three generations of Boswell boys.

This little guy came by to pray for us.

27 and Hotter than ever!

Classic Brady!

Me and my man!

Trey's grandma. Makes the BEST lemon pudding cake! Thanks, Gaythal!

Not a party without a melt down, right?

T shirt fundraiser made a bit clearer

2011-08-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I hope you've loved our shirts! I hope you've been able to order one in your favorite color! I hope ordering wasn't super confusing. If so, no need to fear. I'm hear to clear up 3 of the most asked questions.

Question 1: In my opinion, the ladies shirts run a bit small. We all know I'm not super skinny and I don't like my shirts tight. So, I ordered a size up. You can go here to see the size chart for yourself. Measure yourself and compare. If you order a shirt and it doesn't fit, then return it. You can exchange shirts as long as it's unwashed, unworn, and still with tags up to 15 days after you receive it.

Question 2: In the spot on the order form where it says 'Player's Team Name' put Boswell Mercy/your last name. I will be delivering your shirts to you.

Question 3: Shirt orders will be placed every 2 weeks. Our shirt company will collect all the orders after 2 weeks, print them up, and ship em out. This enables them to produce in bulk and cut down on time. So please be aware that it will take a bit of time to receive your shirt. Patients is greatly appreciated! :)

If you have any more questions, please let me know. And please, please spread the word. Every shirt bought brings us a step closer to traveling. Won't you have a little mercy today?

2011-08-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

"Following Jesus is simple,

but not easy.

Love until

it hurts,

and then love more."

- Mother Teresa

Have Mercy

2011-08-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's finally ready! Our next FUNdraiser! I'm super excited about them, and hope you are too! After much deliberation we finally settled on this design.

Thank you, Joel Hudson, for your expertise and creativity!

Each shirt is Alternative Apparel and is a high quality shirt. Ladies, you may, however, want to buy a size up depending on how tight you like to wear your shirts. We also have many colors to choose from (from now on, you most likely will see me in this shirt everyday in every color available!) and as always, all proceeds from this FUNdraiser will go directly into our adoption account.

Go here to shop. Have Mercy and show a little Love.

Hopefully we will have an adoption update for you soon! Big things are brewing. I can feel it!

you make 27 look good.

2011-08-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to

My best friend

And Trenner's Best.Daddy.Ever.

We love you beyond words.

2011-08-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

One step closer {sore} but still one step closer.

how come i didn't think of that?

2011-08-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Lara is a cyberspace friend. She happens to be adopting from Uganda as well. She's been a wealth of information and a great support. Her friends came up with an amazing fundraiser. They are throwing her a cyberspace baby shower. How cool is that? Plus there are some really great prizes you can win. If you donate as little as $15 you will be entered into a drawing for a ridiculous camera among other prizes. Hop on over here to show a little love to Lara.

rejoice

2011-08-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

A little over 2 weeks ago I saw this....

and was broken.

The Lord really did a number on Trey and I's hearts. We fell in love with this sweet, lost, scared, beautiful girl. We prayed fervently for her and decided that if the Lord asked us to bring her into our home, we would say yes with a joyful heart. I emailed Reece's Rainbow and they put me in contact with the adoption agency we would use. I emailed them and was told they were in the process of checking her availability.

Today we are rejoicing as we have learned that sweet Teri Lynn already has a forever home. She has been adopted by an American family and, I'm sure, soaking up lots of love, hugs, and kisses from them.

As I am so thankful and so so happy that Teri Lynn is home, I can't help but nurse a bit of a broken heart. It is all so confusing. I'm not sure why God broke our hearts for her like He did, but I do know He makes no mistakes. As I was crying out to Him, asking Him "Why? Why did you bring this girl into my heart knowing she won't be mine?" I hear Him ask me why I'm being so selfish. Loving and praying for this little girl didn't have to do with me. It was all about her. He asked me to love and pray for her. For her. If a little heart break is the cost of lifting a precious, innocent soul to the arms of her heavenly Father, isn't it worth the cost?

I'm rejoicing that my Father is faithful. I'm rejoicing that He has a heart for the orphans. I'm rejoicing He loves me enough to point out to me my selfish behavior. A sweet friend said to me "The Lord never reveals to condemn, only to redeem!" How amazing is it that through the redemption of Teri Lynn, the Lord is redeeming me as well?! What a beautiful thing.

10 years in the making

2011-08-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

{You might want to get your gag reflex in check. this is a mushy, gooey, love overflowing kinda post.}

This is the love of my life.

It's not so often that Trey and I get to go on dates. alone. so we treasure the times that we get to. last week was one of those dates. and it was lovely.
He reminded me that this month we would be celebrating 10 years together. "10 years!?", you say. Yep, 10 years. we were just babes when we started dating. sophomores in high school. holy.moly. it feels like a lifetime ago, yet just like yesterday. where does the time go?
6 years ago on September 4th, we were blessed enough to call each other our one and only forever. And boy oh boy did we celebrate. {not to brag, but people stiiilll talk about our reception. seriously, one of the best times in my life!}
The last 10 years haven't always been easy, but have always been worth it. we are learning to cherish our time together. we are growing together. we are going in our faith, love for Christ, and in our relationship with God.

We are in an amazing place right now. Seeking His will, not our own. Being open to what He has for us as a family. We can talk about our future with great expectation of what He has planned. As our relationship with Him becomes deeper, so does our relationship with each other.
I love that we are apart of a church that we love and are excited to serve in. our friends are unbelievable. the support they offer is nothing short of amazing.

Trey Russell,
I'm so thankful for you. I'm so thankful what the last 10 years has brought us through. I'm so proud of who you have become. I'm so proud that you are still striving to be better. My heart overflows with joy when I watch you with Trenner. You are an amazing dad. I beam with pride when I hear Trenner say he wants to be just.like.you. I can't think of a better role model. luva you.

Signed,
the luckiest woman in the world

{love}

2011-08-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

my [not so much a baby anymore] baby falls asleep in my arms

2011-07-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is reality.

It doesn't have to be.

Help change it.

oh my heart.

2011-07-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

Looking through facebook tonight, my heart was broken. I saw a picture of a sweet girl who is available for adoption. She happens to have Down syndrome, happens to be 5 years old, and happens to be in an Eastern Europe country. The only thing is, when you happen to be a 5 year old with Down syndrome in Easter Europe, more that likely, your life is over. Once children reach the age of 5, they are aged out of baby homes and transferred to mental institutions. Once there, their heads are shaved, they are put in cribs, (sometimes even strapped down to the bars on their crib) and left.alone. Left alone to lay in their own bodily waste. Left alone to cry out and have no one to come. Left alone to die. 95% of these children will die. alone. starving. Starving for food, starving for love. When i ran across her picture, everything in me said "DON'T LOOK" I knew what i was about to see would hurt. What I didn't know is that it would hurt this much. Look at her face.

Don't you see the desperation in her eyes? don't you see the hollow void in her eyes? I do. So I am and will pray for her. I will pray her home to her forever family. You can go here and help this sweet baby from a life of misery. Help her to feel the love of a mother for the first time. Help her thrive. This, ladies and gentlemen, is redemption at it's finest.

Product with a purpose

2011-07-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm in love. meet Sseko Designs. I ran across their website and {Bam} i fell hard.in.love. Ssekos are leather sandals handmade by Ugandan women. Sseko employs women and gives them an opportunity to make money between secondary school and going to a university. Sseko is giving these women a future. Helping them to become Doctors, teachers, lawyers. anything their hearts desire. Go here to meet the women who are currently making these little rays of sunshine. then buy some. you won't regret it.

Oh.ahhem.annnd.well. you see. my birthday is a little over a month away. I mean, how cool would my feet look in Ssekos standing on Ugandan soil on my journey to find a piece of my heart.

let me know if you need me to spell it out for you.

These just so happen to be one of my favorites.

Preparing

2011-07-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Welp, we signed for our home study, made our final (gulp) payment, and it is now complete. What's that? You wanna throw a party for us? Sure! Go ahead! Anyways, having it complete is one huge step closer to coming face to face with our new baby love. Knowing we could be traveling soon makes me so so excited and so so nervous at the same time. I'm trying to prepare myself. (I'm getting that it's almost impossible to completely prepare). My mind races. What will I see? How much can my heart handle? Who will we fall in love with? Who does God have in store for our family? And I'm struck with a thought. Am I completely open to who God has for us? What if they aren't completely healthy. My heart starts racing. Then I wondered, "What if my sweet baby love has HIV?" My friends, it's a very possible scenario and I was struck with fear and lots of unknown. What if? So I've been doing research. Lots. And guess what? It's not as scary as you think. (as I thought). Through my research, I've come across some pretty great blogs of women who ~~care for~~ love deeply children with HIV. So rather than smack you with statistics and numbers, I'll let you read what it's like to live with HIV on a daily basis. I feel it's more real this way. You get a glimpse of a real life, not just text. Mandie Joy is an amazing person I've met via Facebook and oh.my. do I admire her. Here's a glimpse into her thoughts. It was pretty eye opening to me. And heart opening. May my life be not my own. May He rid me of my selfish thoughts and tendencies. May my heart be completely open to whomever my Father decides to bless us with. My baby love will be perfect for our family no.matter.what.

Have Mercy.

2011-07-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

I am aware that not all are called to adopt. I am aware, though, that we are all called to care for the fatherless. There are ways to care for the fatherless without adopting. Support someone who is. This sweet family is in Ug right now. waiting. Won't you join me in helping them? Won't you have mercy?

Hosea 14:3
"In you the orphan finds mercy."

2011-06-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

some thing's missing. i feel that way all the time. my heart longs. i ache. sometimes it's almost unbearable. like i should be able to just reach out and grab, but it's just beyond my reach. i feel if i stretch just a bit father, work a bit harder, i could get there. but i can't. so i long. soon. soon things will change. i'm not exactly sure how, but things will change. will i find what my heart longs for? will i come home different? i'm sure of it. am i open to His plans for us? something i struggle with. often. i want to be open. i want to be stretched. there is pain in the longing. but there is also beauty. He's making the longing beautiful everyday.

2011-06-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Busy

Making

Memories

Hope your summer is full of love and sweet memories.

Guess what came in the mail today?!?

2011-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'll give you one guess.....

Our bracelets!!! We'll be packaging and sending them out throughout this week! Be looking for your special package to arrive in the near future! Thanks so much for loving our family and buying one of these beauties!

Trenner sporting his favorite color. Thank goodness we are ALL redeemed through His blood.

Single Single Double

2011-06-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

I love Zumba. My husband might tell you I have a slight addiction. He, actually, will tell you that I probably need to go to a meeting. Have you ever done Zumba? It's just so darn fun! Pluuuus, it's beyond a great workout! Seriously, wait till you see pictures of my instructors. Holy.Cow. I go as often as I can so that maybe, just maybe, one day I will look like them. Since I love Zumba sooo much, I thought "Hey! What better way to raise money for our adoption than with Zumba?" So, the Zumba-athon was born, and it happened last night. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I was soo excited to see what kind of a turn out we would have. And wouldn't you know it, an hour before we were to start, we had the worst weather possible. Torrentiall down pours, ridiculous winds, hail. Really? I totally believe it was the devil trying to ruin our plans and my mood. Well, I didn't let him! We still had a decent turn out and we are now a little closer to being able to go to Uganda to see our sweet baby's face! I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you, to those of you who did brave the storm to come and support us! Laura Dodson and Tracy Carey, you guys totally rocked it! Thanks for being such amazing, selfless women! A big thank you to Roseburg Event Center (Toby and Diane Middlesworth) for donating the room for us. It was a perfect place for our first Zumba-athon! *If you have any special events coming up, Roseburg is the perfect place to do it! Annnd they cater!! Seriously, call em! Thanks, also, to Trey for being the money man and Chip for being our awesome sound man! There are no adequate words to say how thankful I am!

A little info for people to see and read while signing in. Thank you to Mandie Joy, Jade, and Kim for the wonderful pictures!

Have to be prepared just in case!

Laura even provided Zumba weights as a door prize!

Two very talented instructors, Tracy and Laura. One day, ladies, one day, I will be just as ripped as you!

My sweet brothers even came out to shake their tail feather! They weren't half bad, either!

Yes, they are always like this! :)

Go, ladies, go! Sally, I won't mention that your arms are doing opposite of everyone else's.

In action!

We're only 1/2 way through!!

Oh.my.word. I love Tracy's face!!

Some of my Awesome family came to support us! I'm so grateful I got to share my love of Zumba with them. I, however, don't think they felt the same way! *please ignore the wet collar. that's what 2 hours and burning 1,000 calories will do to your shirt.

Majority of our group. Some had to leave early, but let me say I appreciate EACH and EVERY ONE of you!

Just a heads up! If you couldn't make it to this Zumba-athon, do not fret! We will be having another one in the fall. Hopefully, this time with no tornadoes!

a little Q & A

2011-05-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

Trey and I have received several questions involving our adoption. Soooo, I thought I would just take a minute and answer some of the most frequently asked questions. If you have more questions, feel free to ask! We love talking about our journey.

Q; Why Uganda?
A: Well, hmmm. Why not from Uganda? There are children everywhere that need homes. Did you know this world contains an average number of 147,000,000 orphans? 147 MILLION! Uganda, alone, contains an average of 2,102,400 of those orphans. Our heart and eyes were opened to Uganda through these incredible people. No, we're not trying to be like them. (although, if it meant another child finds a forever home, who cares if we are trying to be like them, right?) We do feel, however, they were put into our lives for a reason. Our hearts have been broken for the children of Uganda. Through praying for God's will above our own, this is where we are being led.

Q: Do you want a boy or a girl?
A: If you ask Trenner, he will tell you a boy. He wants a brother! orr a brother and a sister, but no just sister! Trey and I feel it's not our call. If I were pregnant, we would not be able to choose boy or girl, so we are leaving this up to the Lord as well.

Q: What age of child do you want?
A: This answer is a little bit the same as the above question. We aren't quite sure. At this point, we are leaving our hearts and minds open to any child God has chosen for us.

Q: If you can fund raise for your adoption, can I fund raise for a new truck, car, home, etc?
A: We knew from the beginning that this adoption was in no way possible without God. There is no way we could fund this without Him. Thankfully, He has given us some pretty cool fundraisers to do and He has blessed us so much already. Asking for help and fundraising is not the easiest thing to do, but with God as or focus, we are very confident with our fundraising. So, if following God's will in your life involves buying a new truck and you feel He's asking you to ask for help buying it, by all means, go right ahead! :)

Q: How many trips do you have to take to Uganda and for how long are you staying?
A: The average number of trips it takes is 2. The first trip is an average of 7 days in country. Trey and I will travel together and visit different orphanages. Once we have met our child, there are various things we will do while in country (medical visits, lawyer visits). Then we will return to the US to complete more paper work and wait for court date. Once we receive our court date, one or both of us will travel back to Uganda. This trip involves going to court to get the legal guardianship ruling and visa appointment. The average length of this trip is 2 to 3 weeks (it could be shorter or longer. no guarantee) depending on God's plan for our journey.

Q: Where are you at in the process right now?
A: Our home study is almost complete. Our caseworker is hoping to have it done by the beginning of July as long as all our paper work is in. (TREY!) :) Once it's complete, then we can travel. Right now we are in a bit of a limbo as we are waiting for God's perfect timing. Plane tickets are quite expensive and we don't have the money to purchase them yet. We know God will provide the money when He sees fit. Oi, the waiting! So.Hard. But, thankful my Father has this journey mapped out for us!

Welp, I think this wraps up our most frequently asked questions. If you have a question I haven't answered feel free to fire away! Please, though, be respectful. We realize this is not every one's journey, and that's ok. We love to receive questions and concerns as long as they are brought to us with love.

Side note: We still haven't received our bracelets yet....sorry for the delay! I promise, we didn't forget to send them! They are all hand made and take time. We will get them sent out as soon as we receive them!

Come join us this Saturday for our Zumba-athon fundraiser! See previous post for details. This money will help buy our plane tickets to go meet our forever child! If you can't make it but still wish to donate, feel free to us the donation button on the top right corner of your screen.

Sending love and blessings to you all!

Shake a tail feather

2011-05-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Oh, I know you love to dance. I mean, really, everyone loves to dance, right? And how 'bout burning a few hundred calories at the same time? Does it get better than that? Having fun AND burning calories? Well, then, come join us at our Zumba-athon! We are hosting a Zumba-athon fundraiser on Saturday, June 4th. It will be at the Roseburg Event Center from 7-9pm. The cost is $7 for one hour and $10 for two hours. We are having two very talented instructors, Laura Dodson and Tracy Carey, who have graciously offered to lead. Every single penny raised will go directly to our adoption fund.

I know, I know, you probably feel like I've been shoving fundraisers down your throat! Well, here's the deal. We need help getting to Uganda. We need to raise about $6,000 and fast. We feel like God has provided us with these totally awesome fundraisers for a reason. We are so thankful for those of you who have participated thus far! Every penny helps! Seriously! $6,000 is quite a daunting amount when you look at it as a whole, but through God, totally do-able! Won't you join us on June 4th and help our dream become a reality?

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and earth, by Your Great Power and outstretched arm, NOTHING is too hard for you." Jer. 32:17

devil = lame

2011-05-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

The devil is totally lame. Seriously lame. he's a ~~butt~~ biscuit face. he's such a coward and he is, right now, trying to steal my joy. he knows my soft spots and goes directly for them all the time. he knows how much I love my family and he's using my insecure thoughts involving them as a way to try and steal my joy. he knows how insecure I am when it comes to finances and he's using money to try and steal my joy. he knows how my heart has been broken with the loss of multiple babies and he's reminding me of that hurt to try and steal my joy. he's telling me over and over again that my Father doesn't love me enough to see me through this journey and he's trying to steal my joy.

Ahhh, but he also knows my Father is the Almighty. he knows my Father has the last say. my Father holds the trump card. the devil's scared and working overtime to try and make my faith waiver. so I open my bible. I pray. I sing praises to my Rescuer. and I laugh in the devil's face. With Jesus on my side, the devil has nothing on me.

2011-05-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

I worry. He comes to me. I question. He answers. I talk. He listens. He talks. I listen. I am anxious. He turns it to Joy. I give praise. He showers me with love. I open my heart. He fills it. I need nothing, am nothing, without Him.

Who doesn't love shopping?

2011-05-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Seriously, who doesn't love shopping? Especially when it's all made or redone by someone local? This weekend is...(drum roll) The Paper RoSe sale! My friend and neighbor, Brenda Romine, is the owner and operator of this sweet little shop. Let me tell you a little about Brenda. She is one of the kindest, sweetest, loving, and cutest women I know. She is oh so creative and makes some pretty special items to sell. I especially love her jewelry, little girl skirts (which she makes by hand!) and her furniture! To top it off, she is one of the most generous people I know! She has offered to donate a percent of her profits from this sale to our adoption. Plus, she has allowed me to sell a few of my things, as well. The percent she is donating, along with all proceeds from my items that sell, will go directly to our adoption fund. Daily, I'm reminded of Christ's love through people like Brenda. I'm so blessed to call her friend.

A sample of some of the skirts that will be for sale:

One of her sweet necklaces:

Just a glimpse of some of the many pieces of furniture for sale:

Here are a few of the items I will have for sale:

Little girl Mary Jane's.

Many cute headbands. Most headbands and embelishment will be snapped together, so they can be mixed and matched.

One of the many eternity scarves. Some are silky, while other are made of T-shirt material. Perfect for cool summer nights!

S.u.c.c.e.s.s.

2011-05-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

Fundraiser Rummage was a huge success! There were moments throughout the day I just had to stop and take stock of what our loving Father provided for us. He provided great friends who donated some really great stuff. Things they could have sold and made lots of money. Instead, they graciously donated to us. They brought us one step closer with each item that was donated. He provided friends and family who helped me get ready. HUGE thanks to my mom and dad who provided the barn, and then the house when the barn started overflowing. Yep, their 3 car garage was not big enough. Luckily, due to construction, their kitchen was completely empty, so we were able to set up tables and tables of clothes inside. He provided a car. Mmhhmm, a car was donated to us to sell. A whole, working, nice car. I mean, really, how awesome is God? (so far we've had one offer on it. if you are interested in details, just let me know!) He provided great weather and an awesome turnout. We were steadily busy both Friday and Saturday. We sold a TON of stuff. He provided enough money for a plane ticket. Or for our stay in Uganda. How amazing is that?!? Guess what, though? We still have a TON of stuff left! So, we will be having another rummage in the near future if you missed this one! I can't say enough how blessed we are. Our Father showed up. Again, and again, and again. The exhaustion and excitement are all mixed in one. My body is bone tired, but oh so giddy at the same time. Patiently abiding under Him waiting for the next step He has planned for us.

Friday morning before the fun began. I got my shirt here helping raise money for this family. (CAN'T wait for our first family picture of more than 3!!)

The antique dresser on the right is still for sale!

Just a portion of the clothes that were donated!

*Anyone who says fundraising isn't earning money should have a rummage. Hard.Work. (but soo well worth it!)

just a little love

2011-05-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

best buddies

love

Trenner stiking a pose

The Funraising continues

2011-05-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

Fundraiser #2!! I'm super stoked about this one as well. We are having a HUGE, ridiculous, over the top, garage sale! We will be having the sale at my mom and dad's on May 13th and 14th. We will open at 8 am and close when people stop coming. The address there is 5569 W. Delphi Pike Marion, IN. They live on State Road 18 between Oak Hill High School and Sweetser. So so many people have donated an amazing amount of stuff for us to sell. We have loads of kitchen stuff, lots of purses (lots of great Vera Bradly), shoes, Christmas decorations (including a great tree!), furniture (a dining table and chairs my mom redid and upholstered), stoves, a refrigerator, and lots, lots more. All the clothes will be 'pack a sack' for $3, which means you can pack a Wal-Mart sack with whatever you like for only $3! So, come on over and pack a sack, and shop till your heart's content. Every bit of money you spend will go directly into our adoption account. We are so excited and in awe of what God has blessed us with. A HUGE thank you to all of you who have donated items! You have a special place in our hearts as you are helping bring our baby home!

Frigidaire refrigerator

Part of our purse collection

Men's brand new size 10 1/2 Nike shoes

A 'Silvertone' Guitar and amp

a 'telephone table'. if i had room, i'd totally keep this!

Not a great picture, but the table and chairs my mom redid

Wheew

2011-04-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here with a heart that is completely overwhelmed. Seriously. I can feel my heart in my throat. I feel like the Grinch, like my heart has grown 3 sizes in a day. Don't worry, though...it's overwhelmed a ~~good~~ totally awesome way. So far, we've sold 38 bracelets. Mmhhmm, you heard right..38 since Monday! I'm overwhelmed with the responses we've gotten. People who we have never met, showering us with love. Giving little pieces of themselves to help us bring our child home. Helping us to give love and comfort and joy and safety to someone who may never have an opportunity to feel those things. I think back over the last couple of years and I stand amazed. I'm in awe of my Father and the way He loves. He held every tear I cried in His hands. He counted each and every one of them. He used those tears. He healed us and made us stronger to prepare us for this. Holy.cow. Are you feeling overwhelmed yet? Honestly, I don't feel I have the words to adequately describe my feelings. All week, I've been feeling anxious. Waiting. (I know, I know, the waiting has JUST begun). I'm waiting to hear back from several baby homes. I'm working on a boat load of paperwork. Waiting. Today, I surrendered it. I surrendered it all. I got on my knees, put my hands in the air, and prayed. Out loud. Tears on my cheeks and a quiver in my voice. I placed my worries, inpatients, anxiety at His feet. He took it from me. This is His plan. It always has been. I'm leaving it up to Him. I'm surrendering and feeling so free. It's not for me to figure out. He already has. Thank you so much to all of you who have bought bracelets. Thank you so much to all of you who have donated to our HUGE sale.(Our next fundraiser.I'll post about it soon!). Thank you so much to all of you who are praying. You all make my heart want to explode.

Fundraiser or Funraiser. whichever way you choose to see it.

2011-04-25T05:47:00.000-07:00

Fundraising has begun. Won't you help us? This fundraiser is a.w.e.s.o.m.e. A sweet friend gave me a bracelet from this company a while ago and I love it. I love what is behind it, as well. Luke Wright, owner of Mudlove Pottery, graduated from IWU a few years ago. He is very passionate about helping people and serving God, so he donates 20% of all his profits to new water development in Africa through ICDI. He has graciously agreed to help us fund raise through selling his bracelets. All bracelets will say 'redeemed'. You will get to choose which color you want your band to be. And get this!! These beauties are only $12. By buying a bracelet, you will help us bring our baby love forever home, plus you will be giving someone in Africa clean water! How cool is that?!?

When you are ready to order one of these beauties just do the following:

Message, email me, or use the Pay Pal button (Top right corner of blog page) with what color of band you want.

          You can choose from the following colors:

           Red           Orange
           Yellow       Neon Green
           Light Blue   Teal
           Purple        Hot Pink
           White         Black
           Brown

Tell how many you wish to order
Leave me your shipping address
Mail me a check or use the Pay Pal button for your total order. No tax. No shipping. Pretty sweet, huh?

You can email me at bvboswell@hotmail.com, post a comment on this post, or use my Pay Pal button. I will process your order once I receive your check or pay pal confirmation. Remember, we are ordering in bulk, so it may take some time since they are all hand made. Thanks for blessing our family and helping our dreams become a reality.

All orders must be in by December 1st if you wish to receive in time for Christmas.

xoxo

homemade goodness

2011-04-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

In starting our adoption journey, Trey and I have been trying to find ways to save money. After doing a bit of online research, I decided to try my hand at homemade laundry detergent. Annnd I love it. I tried the powder kind and it was super easy. It called for only 3 ingredients and the hardest thing I had to do was grate up a bar of soap. The most awesome part is the total cost of the 3 ingredients. They only cost about $10. (You can make multiple batches out each box you buy) So, if you wish to try it along with me, here's the recipe. Enjoy.

1 bar Fels Naptha soap
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of Arm & Hammer washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda)

( I found these items at my mom's grocery store, Hodsons. I also found them at Meijer.)

Grate the bar of Fels Naptha finely (it smells wonderfully fresh)
Mix the Fels Naptha, Borax, and Arm & Hammer and poof, all done!

Use 2-3 tablespoons per load of laundry depending on how hard your water is. Fellow Swayzians, you most likely need to use about 113 tablespoons....well, maybe that was a slight exaggeration. I use 3. Here's to great smelling clothes.

Here goes nothing...no scratch that....here goes everything.

2011-04-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

      You guys might remember me saying here that our journey according to His will is to be continued. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the continuing has begun! Here it goes....after lots of prayer, lots of denying what He wants for us, lots more prayer, lots of encouragement from special friends, lots and lots and lots of prayer, we have decided now is the time for us to take a faith step and follow God's plan. We have started our journey to adoption! As a family, we have felt for a long time that we are meant to be more than a family of three. Through the devastation and heartbreak of having multiple miscarriages over the last year, we believe God was preparing our hearts for something huge. Through those hardships, we began seeking His will, not our own. And I'm super excited to say He has opened our eyes to International Adoption. We feel Proverbs 24:12 says it best, "....Once our eyes have been opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act."
      With prayer and the desire to seek God's will, we've explored and researched many options for adoption. God is making it clear to us what it is He wants us to do. Right now, we are focusing on finishing up our home study. Once that is complete (hopefully by July), we will be traveling to a babies' home in Uganda, Africa. On our trip, we plan on keeping our hearts open to whomever God has planned for our family.
      If you are wondering how you may help in our journey, here are things that will help us the most:
1.) Prayer

Pray for our marriage. Pray that we will remain steady and strong and continue to put God as our focus as a couple
Pray for our family as we move through this process together. Pray for Trenner. Pray his heart is prepared to be the big brother we know he wants to be.
Pray for our child that is waiting for us. Pray our child will be safe and loved while waiting for us to bring him/her home.
Pray for our funding

2.) Participate in our fundraisers

I will post about every fundraiser we are having. I feel each of them deserve their own special shout out.

3.) Donations

We humbly ask you to prayerfully consider giving a donation to help us meet our adoption expenses. We realize adoption is a costly adventure, and your donations will help give a child love, protection, and a family for the rest of his/her lives.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this lengthy post. We look forward to keeping you posted every step of the way. Please don't hesitate to ask questions, either. We are ecstatic with the work God has done, and is continuing to do in our lives and love to share about it. We know the road ahead is long, but with God as our strength and guide, we know the trials will be far outweighed by the many blessings.

Love to you all!

Trey, Bridgette, and Trenner

back to us

2011-04-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday the husband and i decided to take a day for us. my mom graciously watched Trenner for us aaalll day while we took a trip from the past and went fishing. together. just he and i. back to the 'original us'. we loved fishing together while we were dating in high school. Trey, actually, named his first boat 'Victoria' after me. now, i don't mind fishing. actually, i rather like it. however, getting up at 5:30 in the am, not so much. but in order to be a good wife, i found it necessary. the early bird catches the ~~worm~~ fish, right? we got up, staggered around, put on layers and layers of clothes (it was 32 degrees when we left but 65/70 degrees by the afternoon), and packed our picnic lunch. after stopping at a super cute little breakfast nook in Silver Lake, we hit the water. and trey did what he does best. fish.

i love seeing my man so happy.

it's beautiful seeing my love in his 'zone'. he's so at peace on the water. and he actually knows how to catch fish.
i didn't actually fish.

i mostly did this:

and a little of this:

these beauties will be for sale at the paper roSe sale May 20-21st

we enjoyed the scenery:

and each other's company. kind of. (while fishing, a lot of talking is frowned upon.) so, we soaked up the silence. (anyone who has ever been around Trenner knows we don't get much silence in our home)

we made it back to 'us'. and oh how lovely 'we' are.

You know you want it.

2011-04-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

My husband is selling his motorcycle. A sad, but happy day. We are selling it for good reason. I know it's going to be hard for him to say goodbye, though. Could you be the lucky one to buy it?!?! Just imagine: cool spring air blowing in your face, your hair swept back, the feeling of pure freedom, GOOD GAS MILLAGE ( I know this is reason enough with $3.83/gallon of gas!)!

It's a 2003 Yamaha Virago, 250cc.
We are asking $2,500.
It's in GREAT condition. We just replaced the battery on April 8th. It's an excellent beginner bike! Spread the word! Help us sell it!! Buy it! Something! I'll get on my knees and beg if you want me to.....

A well deserved shout out

2011-04-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Our whole addition is drywalled. Yep, you heard right. All drywalled. This definitely would not have been made possible without the help of all of Trey's brothers and dad. Each of them traded in their day off for a dusty, exhausting, dirty, but fun, day. It's so great to see all the boys together. They enjoy each other. They laugh at the most ridiculous things like farting. (We've had the discussion asking at what age are you when farting is not funny. Mike has assured us he is not at that age yet.) They all work hard and never complain. I'm so thankful for each of them and the work they have done. I am even more thankful, though, that Trey has great a great dad and brothers he can call friends.

Mike, Trey, Brady

The Brothers: Trey, Brady, Classic Chip

All the Boswell Boys

.......and Who doesn't need a little comic relief from Chip?

can i get a whoop whoop?

2011-04-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

Soooo...do you remember this post? Remember the last paragraph? Go ahead...read it again. Now, do you remember me saying that God has been working overtime on our hearts? Mmmhhmmm... yes He has. We've been praying for His will, not our own. He is faithful. I can't say it enough. God = faithful. period. Big things are coming. I just know it. I'm begining to see where He is leading. Will you wait in anticipation with me?

Jesus Calling

2011-03-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

"I have promised to meet all your needs according to My glorious riches. Your deepest, most constant need is for my Peace. I have planted Peace in the garden of your heart, where I live; but there are weeds growing there too: pride, worry, selfishness, unbelief. I am the Gardener, and I am working to rid your heart of those weeds. I do My work in various ways. When you sit quietly with Me, I shine the Light of My Presence directly on your heart. In this heavenly Light, Peace grows abundantly and weeds shrivel up. I also send trials into your life. When you trust Me in the midst of trouble, Peace flourishes and weeds die away. Thank Me for troublesome situations; the Peace they can produce far outweighs the trials you endure." - Sarah Young

Philippians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 4:17

Hammers and nails

2011-03-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that there has been construction going on in the Boswell home. Just walk into my salon and you can smell it. Feel it. See it. It's pretty obvious the Boswell ~~boys~~ men have been working double time. Day by day, making progress. Not a day goes by without something being done to further us along.

However, my friends, it's with an overjoyed heart that I can say our room addition is not the only construction that is happening here. God is working overtime on our hearts. Boy oh boy, is He working hard. He's healing. He's breaking down walls and barriers. He's chiseling away the old us. We're leaving the old us behind and being renewed, made better, in Him. He is taking such ugly parts and making them beautiful. Day by day, He is furthering us along. Down the road He had paved for us long before we existed. We can look ahead and know, without a doubt, His path is undeniably better than we could have ever imagined. I see His work in our lives day after day. And let me tell you, I have never seen anything more beautiful.

2011-03-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

"God is reasonable for whatever He has called you to do. That divine call is in itself God's pledge to provide everything you need to stand in that place and to meet every single one of your responsibilities. If God requires something of you, just the requirement itself is His assurance that the means will be provided." - author unknown

2011-03-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

Inspiring, absolutely. Humbling, um yeah. The heart of our Father in the flesh.

These people are astounding. Help pay their sweet baby's ransom.

http://theevergrowingvaughanfamily.blogspot.com/2011/03/africa-items-giveaway.html

Ahhhhh.... That new lumber smell

2011-03-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Welp, our construction is well under way. The boys have made great, great progress in just a few days time. In, really, just 2 Saturdays they've managed to:

Tear out all the old walls, ceiling, and attic.

Take the garage door down.

Frame in the doorway from my salon to the garage.

Put the new floor down.

The plumber installed our water and drains.

Frame in the new ceiling.

And are now getting ready to frame the interior walls.

Sheesh..I know right!

When these Boswell men work, they WORK!

Of course, Trenner has needed to be in on all the work as well.

(He wants to be JUST like Daddy. And boy oh boy, would I be proud to raise a son to be the kind of man my husband is.)

And it wouldn't be nearly as much fun without Chip!

In the midst of all of this, my thankfulness is overflowing.

I am so thankful for:

A husband who works hard all day and comes home to work hard all night.

A husband who allows his 3 year old to feel like he's apart of it. (and only gets mad or annoyed occasionally)

A father in law who is both the thinker and the worker. (I see where Trey gets his ability to work hard from)

A brother in law and father in law who not only give up weekends, but week nights, as well, to help out.

A mother in law who takes care of Trenner when things are just too crazy around here. (and makes dinner for Trenner and I and everyone who is here working)

Finally, I'm thankful to God for bringing me into such an amazing family.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to:

Mike

Lisa

Chip (and Beth, for giving up your husband for us! oh, and for fixing lunch last Saturday!)

My love, Trey

Truly, I am blessed.