JACKSON LEE

Dear Jackson, Today, the 14th of January, was the day that we were going to get to see you and hold you for the first time. We were looking forward to sharing our lives with you but God has other plans. So, we release you back to HIM, the ONE that loves you more than anyone, and we will pray that you will live your life to glorify HIM. We trust HIM and look forward to seeing how HE will turn ashes into beauty. Love, Me (the one who wanted to be your mommy)

Tenth Avenue North - Worn (with lyrics)

NOT WHAT WE HAD PLANNED

"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord." The past 2 days have been very difficult for our family. On Tuesday morning, we found out that the birthmom of our baby changed her mind. As shock has turned to grief, I have come to a point of feeling very weary and worn. The thought of staying in a process that has brought pain doens't appeal to me anymore. We are grieving and have constant reminders of Jackson Lee. Everywhere I look in my house, I see baby items. WE just put our suitcases away and are now faced with the decision of whether to keep trying to adopt. Our paperwork is expiring soon, so a decision had to be made. I want to quit but God has placed a passion in our hearts for adoption and due to His calling on our life, we will move forward. I heard this song on the radio and it resonated in my heart. Thank you to those of you who have loved us through this tough time. On Monday morning, the day of His birth, I will choose to rejoice that God spared his life and pray that He will be taught to know and love Jesus.

A Special Gift!

My boys and husband both enjoy "guns". They have taken gun safety classes and know how to handle and take care of their weapons. All gun activity is supervised with the boys and we have a gun safe. Dallas has been talking about a particular gun called a Muzzle Loader, that he saw at a men's retreat. It belongs to one of our pastors and out of the blue he called and asked if he could give it to Dallas and Brayden as a gift. This was such a generous, thoughtful gift and turns out to be the favorite Christmas present of the year.

I

Cousins!

It is great to live close to extended family. Sometimes we take this convenience for granted. Yesterday we celebrated sweet Wyatt's 5 year old birthday. He loves the movie "Cars" so many of his gifts reflected this. I can't believe he is 5.

The Cutest Playhouse Ever!

A couple of months ago, Jason and I found (on Craigslist) a playhouse for an amazing price. It needed some TLC and there is no-one who can customize something like my creative parents. My dad has spent days putting red shutters and an adorable red door on this playhouse. My mom made curtains and painted the wooden ladybugs. It turned out better than I imagined and the girls love it.

Corn and Cheese Chowder

My kids take turns helping me prepare dinner. I thought I'd share one

of our favorite recipes. Dallas helped me make Corn and Cheese Chowder. This is a perfect winter meal. Ingredients: 4 Tbsp butter 1 whole onion, diced 3 slices bacon,cut into pieces 3 bell peppers ( I use red, yellow and orange sweet peppers) 1/4 cup all purpose flour 3 cups chicken broth 2 cups half and half 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese 1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese 1/3 cup sliced green onions Directions: In a loarge pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Saute onions for a couple of minutes. Add cooked bacon and cook for another minute. Than add diced peppers and saute for a couple more minutes. Finally add corn and saute for 1 min. Sprinkle flour evenlyover the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3-4 min, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half and half then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 min. Stir in cheeses and green onions. When cheese is melted and soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bread bowls.

The Time is Near

In just a week and 2 days, we should be holding our precious baby boy. We are so excited and busy getting everything ready for us to leave. We will have to stay in Florida for 7-10 after his discharge from the hospital. About a month ago, we were able to meet his special birthmom to whom we will be forever grateful. What a gift we are about to receive.

Bringing In the New Year!

This year we decided to go camping with the Hixsons to celebrate New Year's. We went to Rancho Jurupa Regional Campground. This is a great campground with so many fun things to do. We played card games, disc golf, rode bikes, had a campfire, climbed trees, played on the playground, went to the Mission Inn and Spaghetti Factory and had a wonderful time. On New Years Day, Val and I spent the day relaxing in bed, watching tv and planning for the year.

Christmas 2012

FBC Christmas Program

Shine Christmas Performance

Making Caramel Rolls with Nana

Making caramel rolls with my mom is a yearly Christmas tradition. We make the caramel rolls before Christmas Day so that we can eat them for breakfast on Christmas morning as well as give them away as gifts. It is fun to have the girls learn and join in on a tradition that has been going on since I was a little girl.

Hemet Christmas Parade