50 Shades of Pink!

Some of our good friends threw us a shower, and we got lots of pink stuff!!  I seriously had no idea there were so many shades of pink.  Haha.   Scott and I had a ton of fun and are so blessed to have such sweet friends.

Eric, Christine and Kurt were all at Brannen's baby shower too :)

The Kemp's know how to throw a shower
(and no, no kids were served!)

From the neighborhood group.... a pink potty!  A bit of an inside joke.

Our super talented friend Shelly made us a birthday banner for Harper.

With candles to add each year.... SO cute!!

She'll be ready for football next season... Go Cowboys!

Scott.... always hanging with the Housewives of McKinney

Julie and Scott grew up together back in Illinois.  They were also in show choir together in high school..... we made them reenact a little number for us :)

I would just like to point out the 3 pictures below. I gave Scott the camera to take pics, and they all have the camera strap in the picture!  Not sure how he managed to do that, but he did.  

It was such a fun night.  I can't wait to dress Harper in all her new clothes.  It won't be too much longer!

Birthday Gifts

 We sent Harper a birthday present, or birthday care package really.  It included a toy (the elephant), candy, a photo album of us, and a letter from us.  We also sent a USB so they can take pictures and send them back to us.  I cannot wait to see the pictures!  Wonder if she'll be crying in them?

So funny to see our pictures that we sent for her album!

Hyperventilating Y'all!!!!!!

Not 5 minutes after I published my last post, I got a call from our agency with our travel approval!!!!  They gave us 3 dates to choose from, the earliest leaving MARCH 14TH (which we have chosen).

Excuse me while I breathe in to a paper bag.

My mind is ALL over the place.  I'm thinking of all the things I want to get done around here before she's home, how to pack for  four  five people, what to do with our dogs while we're gone, etc, but most importantly, my mind is on thankfulness.

Thankful to God because all along I've been praying that we would be traveling over spring break so the boys, who are going with us, won't have to miss a ton of school.  March 14th is during Spring break, and although we won't be gone the full week of spring break, He still has answered my prayer.

He's answered numerous prayers.  

In the beginning we agreed we would take a little girl with a cleft lip/cleft palate.  However, I prayed for God to show us a little girl with a cleft lip who didn't have a cleft palate.   Not that we wouldn't take her if she did have a cleft palate, I was just praying boldly.    He's answered that by giving us Harper...... who only has a cleft lip.

Even though we set our age parameters for a little girl from birth to the age of 3, I really prayed for a 2 year old.  He gave us Harper.... who turns 2 tomorrow.

And, let us not forget Him changing Scott's heart on adoption.  That has to be the biggest answer to prayer!  Haha!

I am blown away.

I really cannot believe that at this time next month, she will be in our arms!  Wow.

Speechless.  

God is good.

Goose Bumps

We asked for an update on Harper, and along with it, we received 5 more pictures!  She still has the scared look to her.... and also a bad hair cut, both of which we plan to change :)    Griffin has already requested that we let her hair grow longer, because "girls like long hair".  I love how he's already looking out for her.

Looks like we'll have to pack some suckers to take along for her :)

Part of the update said she is shy and does not like to have her picture taken, as evident in the above photo.  Funny how she's already taking after Brannen!   This poor girl does not know what's in store for her.... her mom rarely is without a camera!  


Tomorrow, the 21st, she turns 2!  I hate that we won't get to celebrate with her, but we've sent her a cake and a present, and a little photo album of her new family.  So, in a way, we will be there, but it's just not the same.  With each new photo that is sent, it makes me want to travel to get her even more.

Let me introduce myself..... again

Dang does time fly by!  But, I guess if you're STILL trying to get paperwork turned in, have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a 9th birthday (Griffin's).... on top of all the "normal" activities....it should fly by.

Oh, let's be honest.  I'm just not that great at this blogging thing.

Anyway.....

We are now in the 'traveling' stage of our adoption.  We just sent off paperwork for our visa's and now are waiting.... once again.  Hopefully they will tell us our travel dates pretty soon!

To pass time, I had a hysterectomy this past week.   Haha!  Actually, my doctor and I have been discussing it for quite a while, but I kept putting it off.  I finally decided to bite the bullet since we'll have a two year old running the halls in no time at all.  I feel great but am supposed to take it easy for a while.  The 'taking it easy' part is about to drive me nuts.  

Since I now have seem to have a ton of time on my hands, I decided to post a few pics.   Finally.

Meet Harper Rae Henry (and no, these are not pictures of 3 different girls... they are ALL her.  haha!)

The first 3 pictures we call her "boy"pictures since her hair was cut so short, and quite frankly, she looks like she's dressed in boy clothes in the 3rd picture.  

 

The sign she's holding in the pics below says "Yang Yu Shan" which is her Chinese name.  I was SO glad to see her hair was a little longer!  

Not sure why they set her on the table like this....

I could. not. believe they sent us video as well!  She looks as if she has no idea what is going on, bless her heart, but oh how I love it!  

These last 4 pictures are the pics we got back in October.....  

I think that might be her foster mom behind her?

We even used her picture as part of our Christmas card this year.  Her first picture with the boys....kind of :)

As I am sitting here typing this, Griffin snuggled up to me and said, "I can't believe it."  I asked what he meant, and he said, "I can't believe I'll be her big brother".


How loved she is already!

Busy Month

We've been on the go this past month.  We've had so much fun, but it'll be nice to 'rest' at home for a while... at least until Thanksgiving!

Scott and I were able to get away for a few days and meet up with friends from St. Louis in Ft. Lauderdale at the end of September.  It was so nice just to relax, just the two of us.  We didn't have to rush anywhere, get anyone ready but ourselves... and sleep in!  The boys stayed with my mom and her husband, Big Mama and Jim Daddy, and had a blast.  I'm sure Mom and Jimmy were exhausted by the time they got back home in Houston, but we were so grateful for them coming up.

Hanging with the Heise's 

Sunrise from our balcony

Palm trees by the pool

Being Forest Gump.  We passed by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. one
morning, and Scott couldn't resist.

Not long after our trip to Ft. Lauderdale, I was fortunate to go with Brannen to 5th grade camp.  I'm not sure who had the most fun, me or Brannen!  I'm already hoping I can go with Griffin when it's his turn.

Allaso Ranch ~ Hawkins, TX

The weekend after 5th grade camp, Scott and I went back to Southeast Missouri (the college we went to and actually where we met) for homecoming.  Scott's fraternity brother Keith, from Houston, and our friend Christine, who lives around the corner, both went with us.  It was a fun trip, but a short one.

McKinney Girls!  

Go Cards!

The Delta House

Scott and Keith at the Pike House

A Pike and a Delta

I had forgotten how beautiful the campus was during the Fall.
Lots of trees turning colors.... something we don't get
in McKinney!

This was definitely a fun filled month, but the MOST exciting of it all, we got 4 new pics from China yesterday!  We had asked if they could send us one, but we got 4!  We aren't 'allowed' to post her picture until certain paperwork is processed.  Once we get that, we will introduce her to you!


Happy Halloween Y'all!