A not-so happy to HAPPY Birthday!

November 25^th 1982, was the day Kristopher Alan Simpson blessed his family with his arrival.  And 20 years later this man began to bless my life in more ways than I can count.  November 25^th has been a very special day in my life for 9 birthdays now.  And although Kris isn’t a huge fan of celebrating his birthday, I make him know how very special he is to me, Oskar and George and my family.  My hubby is truly one-of-a-kind and he should be celebrated.  

Kris as a newborn

And 21 years later, we celebrated his birthday for the first time together. 

With that being said, I think he and I both have a birthday curse.  Things never seem to go right on either of our birthdays and this year was no exception.  He will now tell you '29 sucks'.  It turns out, 29 doesn't suck, just his actual 29^th birthday.

Here are some 'before his birthday sucked' photos: 

I made him open his present first thing in the morning!

You see Oskar? He never misses opening presents...

 

He LOVES it! 

Happy 29th Birthday to the love of my life!

This year Kris’ birthday fell on Black Friday and we had no idea how this would limit our plans for the day.  We set out to play a round of golf (he plays and I’m his cute caddy), go to the shooting range so he could teach me how to defend myself (something he’s wanted to do for some time but I let my fears hold me back until now) and end the evening with a nice dinner.  We’ll those were great plans in theory until we drove to the golf course we intended to play only to find out they had no open tee times.  So we moved on to plan b, another golf course of our liking, only to hear the same story.  Finally at 2:30 p.m. we arrived at a municipal course desperate to play as planned.  Of course there were open tee times here because they don’t even schedule tee times!  Finally he was able to play some golf and all my poor birthday boy wanted was a couple of beers to celebrate the day.  Guess what – the café was closed and this course had no beer cart – that means no beer for anyone.  So we high-tailed it to the gas station, grabbed some beers and finally headed to the links.  He played 10 or 11 holes and we were having a good time, but it was getting late, so we decided to pack up and head home to get ready for dinner. 

Dinner… Really wish that wasn't another story to represent the birthday curse, but it is.  Kris decided he wanted to go to the mall after dinner to check out the Black Friday deals for me.  Yes, my sweet hubby always thinks of me before himself even on his own birthday.  In my defense, I didn't know he wanted to shop for me until we got to the mall and then I felt guilty shopping for myself on his birthday.  We ended up at what is supposed to be a nice Italian restaurant in the Woodlands (close to the mall) called Luca and Leonardo.  Don’t waste your time or your money – DO NOT GO THERE!  The meal started off nice with delicious bread and a tasty salad, but then our entrees arrived...  My pasta tasted like tomato paste and grilled chicken – there was no flavor and I certainly could have made something better at home and saved the $24 it cost.  On top of that, my poor birthday boy’s meal was the size of a kid’s meal for $28.  Let’s just say we ended up at Taco Bell that night for him after spending money on a ‘nice’ dinner. 

We were able to laugh off all of our bad luck throughout the day, but I just felt so guilty about the way the day turned out.  Our day was wonderful prior to leaving the house – maybe we should have just stayed home!  I told Kris the night of his birthday that I wanted to wake up the next morning and re-do his entire birthday.  He was reluctant, but agreed and I’m so glad he did.  The next day we spent the afternoon doing whatever he wanted to do and we ended the evening at one of his favorite restaurants, El Tiempo, followed by seeing our favorite country music star Cory Morrow at the Firehouse Saloon.  We had a blast and ended his birthday celebration with a bang!  

Cory Morrow came back from his encore to sing our wedding song - Always and Forever.  It was a huge surprise and such a treat. I think that was the perfect way to end Kris' birthday. Couldn't have planned it better myself!

Happy Birthday to my always loving, always thoughtful husband who I'm thankful for each and every day.  I love you 'always and forever'. 

Benjamin Matthew Woolley

If you know me, you've heard me talk about Jenni and Ben many times before.  Jenni has been a huge support system for me throughout our fertility and now adoption journey.  Our paths are similar yet very different as all stories are.  I've admired her grace, strength and most of all her faith throughout her journey to Ben.  And Ben... We'll, he is just the most precious baby boy who warms your heart every time you look at him.  He is my signal of hope.  The day he was born will be a day I will never forget for two reasons.  One, it was March 17th, the day our baby was supposed to be 'conceived' through IVF.  And two, March 17th was a long awaited dream come true for Rusty and Jenni.  Their journey was over and Ben, the baby God always intended for them, was born.  I'll never forget talking to Jenni the following morning and she telling me that Ben was finally here.  I joked that our baby could have been conceived on the same day as her baby was born.  How amazing would that have been?  My other line beeped while we were talking and it was Dr. Dunn only to tell me that my eggs unexpectedly disintegrated; a roadblock none of us could have foreseen and we wouldn't be able to have a biological child.  This was the most devastating time in my life to date.  But, every time Ben has a monthly 'birthday', I don't think about that time in my life, I think about our future.  I think about how one day we will be celebrating these milestones with our baby; the baby that God always intended for us.

  

Ben is my signal of hope. 

I'm thrilled beyond words to say that Jenni and Rusty's journey to Ben is officially complete.  Yesterday, they were declared by a judge at their adoption finalization as a forever family.  Benjamin Matthew is officially what we have always known him as - a Woolley.  

Kris and I were honored to have been a part of this very special day in their family's life.  It was a very happy and emotional day for everyone involved.  

I just love this one. Such a happy and loving family. 

I see a mom that is so proud of her son, Rusty.

  

I just love seeing all of these smiles. 

Those are all happy tears. I don't think there was a dry eye in our crowd.

The judge gave Ben a stuffed animal. I'm sure if will be a forever keepsake. 

The Woolley Family!

Rusty, Jenni and Ben with their families. 

Benjamin Matthew Woolley - could you be any cuter?!

I love this sign Jenni made. 

This is Erica, Jenni's best friend and saving grace.

You can see how much love Aunt Erica has for Ben. So incredibly sweet. 

This is my favorite picture of the day.  I see so much love and happiness between three very special people.

Either poor Ben's ears are bothering him or he's a huge Mickey Mouse fan. I think both. 

Jenni - I can't thank you enough for sharing your life and your journey with me.  Without your story, your support and your love, I wouldn't be half as strong as I am today (I’d be in therapy that’s for sure!).  I’m so thankful God made us neighbors – He sure knew what He was doing!  We love you guys and are so grateful for your friendship and all the ways in which you have been there for us.  

Congratulations Woolley family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place”

~C.S. Lewis

This year I’m most thankful for every unexpected blessing in my life.  I may not appreciate or even understand them at first, but over time I've realized that out of each trial we experienced, came a blessing.  And I’m grateful for each and every one. 

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Happy 'Friendsgiving'!

On Sunday, we had our very first Thanksgiving with friends that one couple coined 'Friendsgiving'.  I like it.  'Friendsgiving' is a start to a new tradition that Kris and I will now look forward to every year.  Twelve of us squeezed around our dining room table (room for 8 normally) shared great conversation, flowing wine and who could forget the delicious meal prepared by all who attended.  It was a wonderful night and we even got to celebrate my hubby's soon-to-be 29th birthday.  Thank you all for coming and for your generosity.  Kris and I are thankful for each and every one of your friendships. 

I had plans of taking pictures of everyone throughout the night, but after everyone showed up, there was lots of visiting, preparing the meal, enjoying a glass of wine (or two!) myself and well...the camera got forgotten.  But, I have before pictures!

 

Here we sang Kris 'Happy Birthday' and someone reminded me to grab my camera. But  it was too late...

With a baby in hand and at the very last second I got two crummy photos of the night with no one 's face in it.  Oh well.  I had the fixed 50mm lens on and no room or time to adjust.  

It's officially Kris' birthday week and I have 2, possibly 3, other celebratory days in store for him and more photo ops to come.  I will remember to capture those memories. 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Enjoy the holiday with your families and cherish those sweet memories. 

Happy National Adoption Month!

For those of you who don’t know, November is National Adoption Month.  I’ve been meaning to post something regarding this very special topic, but between planning an adoption event for Gladney, planning our own Thanksgiving with friends this month and lots of life happening in between; I’ve been a little busy.  It’s only November 21^st, so I made it just in time!

A friend recently shared with me this blog, 30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days and I think it’s the perfect way to not only educate those unaware of the many different perspectives of adoption, but also celebrate the miracle of adoption.  You can read the adoption stories of birth parents, adoptees, adoptive parents and waiting adoptive parents just like us.  Reading these stories may give you chills, these stories may bring tears to your eyes, but in the end, families are formed and that should leave you with a smile. 


30 Adoption Portraits in 30 Days

Nov. 1: The Waiting is the Hardest Part by Merrin Donahue
Nov. 2: Lost Connections by An Anonymous Birthmother
Nov. 3: Being the Adopted Kid by Kim Wilkes
Nov. 4: An Unpredictable Journey of Faith by Debbie Mumm
Nov. 5: I Drove Home Without Her by Jill Barber
Nov. 6: We Nearly Decided To Give Up by Rob Duval
Nov. 7: Adoption Would Protect Her by G, birthmother
Nov. 8: If Not Me, Then Who? by Dawn Berger
Nov. 9: I Found Out I Was Adopted Because of Facebook by Andrew Cadieux
Nov. 10: I Had Missed the Call by Cathy J.
Nov. 11: Pain Among Beauty by Gretchen Helgeson
Nov. 12: The Lifelong Detective: Still searching for my birth family by Marian Rogers
Nov. 13: What Dreams May Come by Diana Perrone
Nov. 14: Katie's Custody Day: A Strong Girl from the Start by Carrie Goldman
Nov. 15: Real Life, Not the TV Version by Kat Szmit
Nov. 16: A Strange Bird Cry Announces Our Daughter by Jeremy Cressman
Nov. 17: My Oldest Daughter And I Shared Our First Hug by Amy Conn
Nov. 18: Afraid of Being Left Behind by Melissa Miller
Nov. 19: The Reality Started to Set In That I Was Never Going to Be Pregnant Again by Jodie Tallman
Nov. 20: When the Name "Mother" Has Multiple Meanings by Sarah Werthan Buttenwieser
Nov. 21: A Cast-Aside Child Comes Home by Alice Bengel
Nov. 22: Where Are The Babies? by Jennifer Allwood
Nov. 23: Could I Open My Heart to Trying Adoption Again? by Deb Bart
Nov. 24: He Can Make You Smile Even On Your Worst Day by Josh Graham
Nov. 25: Not All Adoptees Find a Happy Home? by "Rachel"
Nov. 26: We Are Not Complete by Dana at Life Unexpected
Nov. 27: I Had To Do What Was Best For All Of My Children by M, Katie's Birthmother
Nov. 28: An Adoption Postcard From My Side of the Edge by Kim Strickland
Nov. 29: The Big Problem Facing Foster-to-Adopt Families by Betsy White
Nov. 30: When Adoptive Family + Birth Families = Happiness by Collen Walsh

Shopping for Baby

Yesterday, my mom and I set out to purchase the baby bedding and crib mattress for Baby Simpson.  We have had both picked out for some time, but Nest and Cot (the store we purchased from) mentioned last month that we should wait to purchase the items if we can and use the Holiday Card.  If you don’t know what the holiday card is, look no further.  You can purchase this card for a minimum donation of $70 to the American Cancer Society and with that you can save 20% or more at hundreds of stores in the Houston and surrounding areas.  It really is a glorious card.  

Anyway, one trip to Nest and Cot to purchase the bedding and crib mattress led to a mini shopping spree for Baby Simpson.  I just couldn’t help myself!  After all, I’ve been waiting for over two years now to shop, plan and prepare for our baby’s arrival and now the time is finally here.  

Baby's new mattress

The boys had a little fun in there!

I really hope our baby is not allergic to doggies or I'm in t.r.o.u.b.l.e. 

George liked it so much he needed a rest. 

Oskar is into everything that we buy for his future brother or sister. 

Here are a few of the new baby clothes that I purchased for our baby.  It is extremely difficult to find gender neutral clothes, but I tried my best.  Really I just want to have a few things so that if we get a call and only have a moments notice to pick up our baby, I want to be as ready as I can be.  That's the plan anyway...

This one is my favorite - they are mini Oskars!

Baby's 1st UT gear!

I’ve walked upstairs no less than five times to look at those baby clothes today alone and last night while Kris was in Canada for work, he jokingly told me not to sleep in the crib now that we have a mattress.  Can you tell I’m excited?!