Today is Abigail's GOTCHA DAY! 2 years ago today we brought our baby girl home and started our life as parents. Who would have thought then what would happen over the next two years. We have a lot of highlights just in this weekend. Yesterday we met with Tai's birthfamily in College Station, which is about the mid-point between us. It was a great visit, we ate at Chuy's then went over to the mall play area and let the two older kids run and play while we shared Tai with them. I'm sure Jenny will post more details about it, but I am glad that they are doing well and are still very happy in their decision.
Back to the two year theme, it seems like our life changing/family tree changing moments tend to take two years to accomplish. Getting out of debt took us two years and two weeks. Growing our family from Abigail's GOTCHA DAY to Tai's finalization day took us four days under two years. And we only had a three month break in between those two huge milestones. So I can only wonder what two year journey we will be starting next.
To Abigail & Tai - I can not begin to express to you how blessed I am to be your father. You are both truly amazing in your own ways. There are not enough words to describe the joy that you both have brought to your mother and I. I can't wait to be a part of your milestones as you grow. You are amazing children and I love you both more than you will ever know....Dadda
In Christ,
Jerry
Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers
Lilypie Third Birthday tickers
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Adoption Day!!
Yesterday as a wonderful day! Our family is officially a "family of four". After 6 months of home visits and evaluations we legally, in front of the judge and the state of Texas, adopted our son Tai Mikel Snider. What a wonderful blessing he is! God chose him especially for us and we are in awe of what our beautiful family has turned out to be.
We were at that same courthouse a year and a half ago with Abigail. I woke us yesterday morning feeling prepared thinking "We've done this before...we know what to do." We walked through security and went up to the 3rd floor. The hallway was full of adoptive families. I walked passed all of their smiling faces and beautiful children. Still...i was calm and focused on "mommy tasks". Then it was our turn to go into the courtroom. Immediately I was filled with emotion. This was IT! Our family would finally be OURS...complete! No more paperwork, no more technicalities, no more evaluations. We always knew these 2 babies were ours but it is incredibly nice for the State to recognize it and for it to be officially on paper. I was surprised by more emotions. I was so focused on Mommy duties and diaper issues that the emotions snuck up on me. Jerry and I looked at each other and just smiled with tears in our eyes. We did it! Eleven and a half years of marriage, years of infertility, doubts about our family's future, adoption disruptions, and a lot of waiting and praying... yesterday..all that was a distant memory because our family was complete. It was a wonderful feeling. It is only by the Grace of God and His promise that we are a family. There is no other explanation for it all. HE kept His promise and gave us the desire of our hearts.
My mom sent me a copy of her daily bible study from yesterday and look at how God was speaking directly to us.
************************
You Were Planned
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…"
(Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
What an amazing thought: God knew you before you were even born! He saw your unformed substance and said, "I have a purpose for this life. I have good plans for them!" Then He breathed His life into you and sent you through your mother and father. They may have had issues, but that doesn't have to stop you from becoming all that God intended you to be. You have been handpicked by Almighty God to be here at this time in history!
Sometimes we hear parents say, "We weren't expecting this child. They were a surprise. They were an accident." No, that child may have been a surprise to you, but they weren't a surprise to Almighty God. No child can be born without God breathing His life into them. You may think, "Well, Joel, I was unwanted. I was an unplanned pregnancy." No, you wouldn't be here if God didn't give life to your seed.
In God's eyes, there is no such thing as being illegitimate. Remember, He knew you before you were ever born! Find confidence in His love knowing that you are a person of destiny, and you are part of His mighty plan!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for choosing me before I was ever born. Thank You for knowing me and revealing Yourself to me. I trust that You are working in my life today, even when I can't see it. I stand in faith knowing that You have a mighty plan for me in Jesus' name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen
*****************************
Wow!!!I plan to print this out and put it in Tai's memory book! How amazing is that???
Thank you for all your prayers and for believing in our family. Those prayers are a huge reason we are a Family of Four.
(pictures will follow soon......)
In HIm,
Jenny
We were at that same courthouse a year and a half ago with Abigail. I woke us yesterday morning feeling prepared thinking "We've done this before...we know what to do." We walked through security and went up to the 3rd floor. The hallway was full of adoptive families. I walked passed all of their smiling faces and beautiful children. Still...i was calm and focused on "mommy tasks". Then it was our turn to go into the courtroom. Immediately I was filled with emotion. This was IT! Our family would finally be OURS...complete! No more paperwork, no more technicalities, no more evaluations. We always knew these 2 babies were ours but it is incredibly nice for the State to recognize it and for it to be officially on paper. I was surprised by more emotions. I was so focused on Mommy duties and diaper issues that the emotions snuck up on me. Jerry and I looked at each other and just smiled with tears in our eyes. We did it! Eleven and a half years of marriage, years of infertility, doubts about our family's future, adoption disruptions, and a lot of waiting and praying... yesterday..all that was a distant memory because our family was complete. It was a wonderful feeling. It is only by the Grace of God and His promise that we are a family. There is no other explanation for it all. HE kept His promise and gave us the desire of our hearts.
My mom sent me a copy of her daily bible study from yesterday and look at how God was speaking directly to us.
************************
You Were Planned
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…"
(Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
What an amazing thought: God knew you before you were even born! He saw your unformed substance and said, "I have a purpose for this life. I have good plans for them!" Then He breathed His life into you and sent you through your mother and father. They may have had issues, but that doesn't have to stop you from becoming all that God intended you to be. You have been handpicked by Almighty God to be here at this time in history!
Sometimes we hear parents say, "We weren't expecting this child. They were a surprise. They were an accident." No, that child may have been a surprise to you, but they weren't a surprise to Almighty God. No child can be born without God breathing His life into them. You may think, "Well, Joel, I was unwanted. I was an unplanned pregnancy." No, you wouldn't be here if God didn't give life to your seed.
In God's eyes, there is no such thing as being illegitimate. Remember, He knew you before you were ever born! Find confidence in His love knowing that you are a person of destiny, and you are part of His mighty plan!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for choosing me before I was ever born. Thank You for knowing me and revealing Yourself to me. I trust that You are working in my life today, even when I can't see it. I stand in faith knowing that You have a mighty plan for me in Jesus' name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen
*****************************
Wow!!!I plan to print this out and put it in Tai's memory book! How amazing is that???
Thank you for all your prayers and for believing in our family. Those prayers are a huge reason we are a Family of Four.
(pictures will follow soon......)
In HIm,
Jenny
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Busy month!!
What a busy month for us! So much has happened since the last post.
*Abigail turned 2 years old and celebrated 4 times with different family members & friends. Lots of cake!!
*We went to the rodeo twice where Abigail had a corn dog, funnel cake and cotton candy.*Tai was dedicated at church
*Both kiddos were presented at the Hope Gala (adoption agency fundraiser)
*We went to Jenny's family reunion and surprised some family members with our new "addition". :)
*Jenny had a birthday.*Abigail moved into a big girl bed
*We visited Jerry's Papaw at the cemetary and introduced Tai to Papaw.
*Halloween: Little monkey and a Ladybug (pictures coming soon...)
*Pumpkin patch
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Potty training!!
In 8 days our little girl will be 2 years old. I can't even believe that! We haven't really been "potty training" but we have been introducing it. Tonight I was bathing Tai and Abigail was in the bathroom with us. She was playing around near her pink potty and I asked her if she needed to go. I put her on it and continued bathing Tai. I thought she was just being silly as usual so I called Jerry to come get her since I was holding a slippery, wet little squirmy boy. He came in and picked her up off the potty and said "there something in there!". Sure enough she tinkled in the potty. Wow! What a big girl! We cheered and hugged her. So proud of our little girl. She is amazing and every day she does something new.
Tai is so active! He is so close to army crawling. He is a little inch worm now and loves to be on his tummy. (Total opposite of how Abigail was at his age.) He has 2 teeth and the biggest and best news I have...........He only woke up once during the night for the last 3 nights in a row. Woohoo! No, he is not sleeping through the night but this is SO MUCH better than it has been. He wakes up happier and is eating a lot of cereal thoughout the day. Praise God! Thanks to all of you who have been praying for the little guy and his mama! :)
I will post pictures soon. Both kids asleep now so that means.......Night night for Mama too!
blessings,
Jenny
Tai is so active! He is so close to army crawling. He is a little inch worm now and loves to be on his tummy. (Total opposite of how Abigail was at his age.) He has 2 teeth and the biggest and best news I have...........He only woke up once during the night for the last 3 nights in a row. Woohoo! No, he is not sleeping through the night but this is SO MUCH better than it has been. He wakes up happier and is eating a lot of cereal thoughout the day. Praise God! Thanks to all of you who have been praying for the little guy and his mama! :)
I will post pictures soon. Both kids asleep now so that means.......Night night for Mama too!
blessings,
Jenny
Friday, September 30, 2011
Synchonized nap times?...it is possible?
Yep, trying to synchonize naps is very difficult and even comical sometimes. Today, about 2 minutes ago, I put Abigail down for a nap and Tai was napping in the pack-n-play and I thought...Wow...I might be able to blog today. The very minute I walked back into the living room, opened my laptop, put my feet up in the recliner, Tai woke up screaming. Yep, I laughed outloud! So, I have him in my lap and am determined to blog a little today. Oh, wait, I just heard Abigail say "Mama" in her room. Haha! Maybe she will fall asleep. Anyway, this is a day in the life of a mommy with 2 little ones. I wouldn't trade it for the world! It may be frustrating at times but what I keep telling myself is those times are but a few minutes of each day. Ok, may a few minutes a few times a day but overall there are so many awesome ones. Here are a few recent things to post.
*Abigail is talking allllll the time. Her sentences are really coming together and making sense. We have real conversations now. It is adorable. Her newest sentence is "have a good day." She is quite the social bunny at the store. She waves and says hi to everyone. Most recently she started saying Thank You without being prompted. She also repeats everything I say. Oh boy, I better be careful huh?
*Tai boy pushed his second tooth through yesterday. He isn't even 5 months old yet!! Wow, how different the 2 of them are. He eats like a little piggy. He loves his cereal and boy does it give him some nasty diapers. woooweeee! He smiles all the time. In fact, even when he is up at all hours of the night he is still smiling and laughing. He "talks" so loud I am afraid he will wake up Abigail and Daddy. It is pretty cute even though I am thinking..."dude, go to sleep it is 3 am!". Speaking of sleep or lack thereof., the boy does not sleep very much. Ugh! It is exhausting, literally. He did sleep better last night and only woke up at 2am to eat. My biggest frustration is what to do. He doesn't seem to have a real consistent pattern. It is a challenge as a mom...for sure! But we are sticking to it and trying to work out a routine. I have started writing down his nap times and feeding schedules to see if I can make sense of it. Of course, teething throws everything off too. :)
*Tai's achievements:
rolling over both ways, push ups, giggles, knows mama and daddy's voices, recognizes big sister and loves to play, (we have caught them playing together when they didn't know we were looking...precious!), loves loves loves to suck his thumb, can move all across the bed, reaches and grabs stuff, even big sisters hair (yes, the first sibling hair pull with tears to follow), toes made it to his mouth, everything in the mouth
*Mommy's favorite time of day..
***With Abigail, right before bed when we sing our songs together. She loves to sing "Jesus loves me" , "Father I adore you", Abcs, Row Row Row your boat. It is a beautiful few minutes and I love it. I hope we always have these times together. I love her so much. Every once in a while she will take my hand or crawl in my lap and I just smile so big.
***With Tai, actually as much as I love to sleep those middle of the night snuggles are my favorite. He buries his head in my neck and I feel him breath. Also, he is starting to recognize me and when I come around the corner to pick him up out of bed he smiles, giggles, and kicks his legs with excitement. So awesome!
***With Daddy, when he gets home Abigail sprints to the door and says Dada home and after Jerry comes in he sees TAi and Tai smiles from ear to ear. Really, these are the moments that make all the screaming and poopie diapers worth it. These are the moments that God places in my day to remind me that I am so blessed by these amazing gifts.
Well, I must sign off. Sssshhhhh........both kids are sleeping I suppose I should get up and get a few things taken care of around the house. Maybe I will take time to love on the puppies since they don't get too much attention anymore.
Enjoy your day. God bless you!
*Jenny
*Abigail is talking allllll the time. Her sentences are really coming together and making sense. We have real conversations now. It is adorable. Her newest sentence is "have a good day." She is quite the social bunny at the store. She waves and says hi to everyone. Most recently she started saying Thank You without being prompted. She also repeats everything I say. Oh boy, I better be careful huh?
*Tai boy pushed his second tooth through yesterday. He isn't even 5 months old yet!! Wow, how different the 2 of them are. He eats like a little piggy. He loves his cereal and boy does it give him some nasty diapers. woooweeee! He smiles all the time. In fact, even when he is up at all hours of the night he is still smiling and laughing. He "talks" so loud I am afraid he will wake up Abigail and Daddy. It is pretty cute even though I am thinking..."dude, go to sleep it is 3 am!". Speaking of sleep or lack thereof., the boy does not sleep very much. Ugh! It is exhausting, literally. He did sleep better last night and only woke up at 2am to eat. My biggest frustration is what to do. He doesn't seem to have a real consistent pattern. It is a challenge as a mom...for sure! But we are sticking to it and trying to work out a routine. I have started writing down his nap times and feeding schedules to see if I can make sense of it. Of course, teething throws everything off too. :)
*Tai's achievements:
rolling over both ways, push ups, giggles, knows mama and daddy's voices, recognizes big sister and loves to play, (we have caught them playing together when they didn't know we were looking...precious!), loves loves loves to suck his thumb, can move all across the bed, reaches and grabs stuff, even big sisters hair (yes, the first sibling hair pull with tears to follow), toes made it to his mouth, everything in the mouth
*Mommy's favorite time of day..
***With Abigail, right before bed when we sing our songs together. She loves to sing "Jesus loves me" , "Father I adore you", Abcs, Row Row Row your boat. It is a beautiful few minutes and I love it. I hope we always have these times together. I love her so much. Every once in a while she will take my hand or crawl in my lap and I just smile so big.
***With Tai, actually as much as I love to sleep those middle of the night snuggles are my favorite. He buries his head in my neck and I feel him breath. Also, he is starting to recognize me and when I come around the corner to pick him up out of bed he smiles, giggles, and kicks his legs with excitement. So awesome!
***With Daddy, when he gets home Abigail sprints to the door and says Dada home and after Jerry comes in he sees TAi and Tai smiles from ear to ear. Really, these are the moments that make all the screaming and poopie diapers worth it. These are the moments that God places in my day to remind me that I am so blessed by these amazing gifts.
Well, I must sign off. Sssshhhhh........both kids are sleeping I suppose I should get up and get a few things taken care of around the house. Maybe I will take time to love on the puppies since they don't get too much attention anymore.
Enjoy your day. God bless you!
*Jenny
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