therefore be imitators of God...

Valentine Morning 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:25:00 +0000

Here's what our Valentine's morning looked like this year! Hart is so sweet! He made some delicious banana pancakes and cut some out like hearts! He helped Micaiah make his 2nd marker's art piece....a Valentine for mommy, and somehow we both bought each other sappy romantic DVDs as gifts. Seriously, this was funny! Hart got me Twilight and I got him Fireproof... is that not hilarious? And Hart wrote a note on the inside that said "I love you more passionately than Edward loves Bella."

That made me laugh out loud.

Hope you are with those you love today and that you are seeking after the One that loves us most.

Asleep

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0000

Getting an actual picture of him asleep is more difficult than you might imagine (without waking him up)! As soon as I was like, yes, I'm going to actually get one. FINALLY! He pulled the blanket over his head! I guess I will try again soon! Haha!

At almost 17 months, Micaiah sleeps for about 2.5 hours most days. Sometimes longer. Sometimes shorter. I go crazy on the sometimes shorter days, but am thankful for good naps most of the time. He wakes up happy and is usually content to lay in his crib for a little bit after, but lately I've been getting him up right away, so that I can get him to poop in his potty, not his diaper. If I leave him in his crib, he will go in his diaper.

More on how potty training is going tomorrow.

Hiding Things

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Micaiah has been in a funny stage where he has enjoyed hiding things. Like the time I couldn't find any of his mega blocks and discovered literally ALL of them had been underneath his dresser! It is curved just enough to put them all in through the slot.

The other day, after playing with markers, he put all of the pencils underneath the rug.

He also loves hiding UNDER things, too.

Pretty funny to us.

Where we are at in our Adoption stuff!?

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:23:00 +0000

I wanted to write and let you know where we are in our Adoption process. This will be one of many updates, I am SURE!

In case you missed it, we are adopting through the Department of Social Services (DSS).

We FINALLY sent in most of our paperwork this past Thursday. We have been able to scan in and email most of all of our documents to our social worker, which has been nice.

So far, we have turned in our:
-Application
-Background check papers
-Went and gotten our fingerprinting done
-Filled out a Discipline Agreement (saying you won't hit/spank a child while in the DSS foster care system)
-Our Family History Information
-Completed and Sent our 10 page Autobiographies (both of us had to do this 10 page thing!)
-Send in all secure identity documents
-Made and sent our collage up there, which I will also print out and give to them in person. We are supposed to have 2 pictures of our family and home.

We have left to complete our:
-Financial Form (waiting on a more accurate picture when we do our taxes)
-14 hours of training
-Our child factor checklist (waiting on meeting with our social worker to go over what this overwhelming piece of paper really means i.e. what we can/can't accept in a child)
-Do our Medicals

Then we will have a home study completed, a sanitation check, and a fire inspection.

EVERYTHING is paid for by DSS, except for our medicals, which we pay for however much our insurance doesn't pay for. This will be somewhere around $100 for both of us.

---------------------------

After I sent that first email with most of our documents the fist thing that we got a reply back on was not the most encouraging, actually. I was slightly taken aback at first, because basically our social worker just wrote back saying she was hoping we would reconsider our age range, because it could take SEVERAL years to get a child within the 0 - 1 year age range and even getting a child 0 - 2 years is difficult.

I guess I had hoped our first email back would have gone a little something like this: Welcome to the DSS Family! We are so happy you are adopting! (insert stuff about paperwork here).

I called Hart and vented at first. Hart, we were so excited to send all that in and then that response came! I wasn't expecting that...where you? Is this a bad sign already? (insert him making me feel better and I realize how emotional I already am)

We wrote back explaining how we already have a 17 month old son and that we want to keep his birth order and we are fine adopting any child under his age range, so long as he is our oldest. We explained that we are beginning our paperwork now, because we knew it would take a long time.

Thankfully, our social worker COMPLETELY understood the birth order thing and was really sweet. She said that we should understand the it would take AT LEAST a YEAR, if not a little more.

Okay....THAT was more what I was expecting. It was clear that our social worker had just skimmed things over and saw our narrow age range. SEVERAL years seemed like forever...ONE year still seemed like forever, but a pregnancy is 9 months, so not too much more. And as a sweet friend said to me already... you NEVER KNOW what God will do!

How you can PRAY for us:

-Please pray that we will have a positive experience when we actually meet our social worker and that we will "hit it off". This is someone we will interact with a lot in the next year or so and we just pray for favor in this relationship.
-Please pray that we would be able to get in to see our VERY busy doctor and that we will get our medicals complete
-Please begin to pray for the child/children that we will be adopting into our family. We have said 1 - 2 children in the age range of 0 - 1 year. Please pray that this child is kept safe and God will be protecting it whether it is already in this world or going to be conceived soon.
-Pray for our hearts to accept whatever God's will is for our family!

Love in Christ,
The Traylors

1st Time with Markers

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Cai, the little artist, had a pretty good time with real markers a few days ago. It was his first time and he had a blast and actually did quite a good job!

He wanted all the lids off of ALL the markers and he learned how to pull off the cap. Uh oh...I'm in trouble!

Good thing they are washable! Haha!

Hiring Agents at The Mather Company

noreply@blogger.com (Hart Traylor) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:03:00 +0000

The company I (Hart) work for, The Mather Company, is hiring real estate agents. Are you currently looking for a job? Maybe you're ready to make a career change? Or maybe you have family or friends who are looking for a job? Then you should consider (or tell your family or friends to consider) becoming a real estate agent at The Mather Company! All you'll have to do is take a 2 week class and pass an exam, and then you can begin your new career in real estate!

Below is a video that lists several of the benefits of being an agent at The Mather Company. You can also find out more information if you go to this link: http://www.themathercompany.com/hiring-real-estate-agents/

The Mather Company's Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide quality service to our clients, and to perform above and beyond their expectations. We will conduct our business in a professional manner by committing ourselves to hard work, honesty, and integrity. We believe our emphasis on teamwork will set us apart from other real estate companies. Our ultimate goal is for God to be glorified through this company.

“Trust in the LORD forever, for in God the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.” Isaiah 26:4

“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” Proverbs 24:3-4

“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1

The Mather Company's Vision
Our vision is to sell you not only your first home, but your second, third, and fourth.

Weekend Together

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:19:00 +0000

How's your weekend going? We've already been rather busy, yet able to enjoy life as a family of 3, too! Here's a glimpse!

The first picture there of Cai and the guitars...well, I asked Hart to grab Cai some pants and he came back with camo ones....He was already wearing a green tractor shirt....he looked SO redneck! And he pooped on our guest bed this weekend (RIGHT NEXT TO ME!) It was pretty hilarious and thankfully only on a throw blanket that was easily washed.... lesson learned!

Going across the row left to right: We have almost completed our adoption paperwork! Hooray!

Cai and Abe played outside a lot and on our hammock! We set up our fingerprinting and have that this coming week! Another hooray!

I attended a Ladies' Brunch at church and loved my friend, Elizabeth's shoes...they were from India! Her parents are missionaries there! Aren't they fun?

I also made a new friend (Laura!). Hart showed her and her husband houses this past week and I got to meet her at the brunch! We like them lots!

Hart teased me with that new look up there. He told me he was leaving his side burns that long. YUCK!!!

I worked on some hand embroidery in my free time...lol...what's that!

Then, we went to Buy Buy Baby and bought a portable fold up potty for the diaper bag and a potty book for Cai. And let me go ahead and mention here that I did NOT mean to rock the boat as far as early potty training goes! Cai is not telling me he has to go yet, but I am trying a little bit each day to get him to go on the potty. My hope is that he will catch on sooner than later. He normally pees in his potty (for an M&M) about 2 times a day right now, but sometimes more. I will let him run around naked for an hour or two at a time, but also put a diaper on him. We talk a lot about going potty and that as soon as he recognizes the "potty feeling" he needs to tell mommy, but I know he doesn't understand me right now or get it. I say things like "Poop goes in the POTTY" a whole lot right now. I'm trying not to pressure him, but I do know he is more aware of his body than I give him credit. He will get quiet when he has to pee or poop and I have to be ready to "catch" him when he does!

Lastly, we ate at mi favorito...Casa Linda for dinner tonight! Fue muy bueno! I love Casa Linda and Hart found me a coupon on living social for $10 for $20...they ended up giving us our entire meal free, which has happened two times there now. Maybe it is a little secret that they don't know how to work their own coupons? Yes, I think it is true.

And we "ran around" everywhere looking for Hart some new running shoes.... he's interested in the Vibram Five Fingers, but isn't completely convinced if they are a fad or whatnot.

I also figured out some camera dslr secrets, which led me to practicing my dslr skills like mad...wanna know what they are?

Lenses have sweet spots...usually 1 or 2 stops higher than the lowest aperture. So instead of shooting wide open all the time, try shooting a couple fstops smaller (larger aperture number) than the lowest one.

I use my Canon 50mm all the time now, but was a little frustrated with why some of my pictures will turn out kind of blurred just a smidge and after I started shooting in my "sweet spot", I could really tell the difference. The other little secret is that apparently there are rules for your shutter speed and what number you should not go below according to each lens you use. With the 50 mm, you shouldn't have a shutter speed lower than a 60 or else your images may not be as sharp. This means you have to play with the ISO a bit and figure out the right lighting, but overall both of these little things made a huge difference in my photo quality this weekend!

So that's it. Hoping tomorrow is a lazy Sunday where we can all rest!

Papa Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:36:00 +0000

My dad came for a visit this past week and we really enjoyed our time together! Micaiah learned how to say "PaPa" and honestly, it was CLEAR, that he LOVES his PaPa! I didn't tote my camera around too much, but we enjoyed dinner out at the Olive Garden one night and we all went to the Edventure museum one day, too. The first day he got here, we spent some time enjoying the weather and backyard and I took lots of pictures!

Figuring out my right shutter speed for swinging pictures was a little tough, but not that bad once I got the hang of it.

We are all so proud of Tyler! He just got offered a job working for Target as their security manager or something like that! It's a great job with great benefits!

I think it's pretty obvious that Cai loves his "unc"... or at least... poking him in the eye!

This is my daddy! We love him muchisimo!

It's pretty clear that Cai is the center of our attention! He eats it up, too! Don't know what he is going to do when he has to share that with other siblings! haha!

We are going to miss being together until the next time!

Yard Work

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:33:00 +0000

I love it when Cai wants to be like his daddy, because he has been blessed with a really good one! Hart was out cutting the grass and making our yard look awesome and Cai wanted to join in on the fun! They were too cute together!

Early Potty Trainging with Cai!

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Towards the end of December, Cai went and got his diaper for Hart to change him after he pooped in it. I wrote this post about that and beginning to plant the IDEA of potty training in Cai's head. Well, not even a week ago, we decided to go ahead and get a little potty for Cai to practice in. (We tried sitting him in one of those inserts on the big potty, but he really hated it and would cry. I think it was kind of high up and a little scary, or something!)

Today (and I am such a proud mommy!), he pooped and peed in his little potty at the same time!

We sing "Way to go, Micaiah! Way to go! Poop! Poop! Way to Go Micaiah! Way to Go! Pee! Pee!" when he does something in it and then we give him 1 M&M for pee and 2 for poop!

He is totally motivated by the candy! Seriously! He KNOWS he gets the candy and is getting to the point that he is like... okay...I did it... give me my candy! haha!

My Methods:
-Honestly, I am totally feeling my way through this. I have no idea how long it is going to take him or how fast he will catch on or when he will be completely potty trained. But, my philosophy is that even though he is young, I need to TEACH him and SHOW him how this is done, getting excited and rewarding him along the way. I don't think I believe there is some magic age where a child is "ready". I honestly, think it is a learning process and I'd rather start sooner than later! Toddler's love pleasing their parents and I am taking advantage of that!
-To start, I gave him an M&M every time he tried. Now, we are transitioning to only when he does something inside the potty!
-I'm trying to keep it simple. During the day, we are going bare halfway down and I'm trying to watch him like a hawk. When or if he pees on the floor, then I try to stop him and rush him to his potty where he picks up where he left off! I haven't done this every day, but the days when we are home most of the day or part of the day, I am trying to do this. If I get tired of keeping a constant eye on him, then, I just put a diaper on it and call it a day! I believe practice will make perfect!
-When he has accidents elsewhere in the house... HE "CLEANS" up his messes. I'm giving him a rag to wipe down the spot where he peed on the floor. He's surprisingly good at this! I say "UH OH!!! We don't pee on the floor!!! We pee in the potty!" So far, he has peed on our living room rug 3 times and on my cowboy boots once!! Little booger! Most of the time, it's just a dribble before I rush him to his potty! I also didn't catch him in time and he pooped on the hardwood floors once, as well, but he has had more successes than accidents, so it's okay. I have carpet cleaner for that! Thankfully, my cowboy boots are suede, so I could just wipe those off as well! haha! I'm thinking about taking up the living room rug and then our entire house, being hard woods would be easy to clean.
-We are using the Baby Bjourn potty from Tar-jay and an M&M dispenser for treats.

Right now, I'm not worried about making him potty if we go out somewhere... he just wears a diaper. I don't know when we will cross that bridge, but probably once he's pretty consistent on his potty at home.

16.5 months starting to potty train may be too young, but so far, I have been pleasantly surprised. I don't have super high expectations, but at the same time I think it would be awesome if he were potty trained before 2 years. Maybe you more experience mamas will laugh at me for starting so young, but I have read quite a lot of things online where parents have 9 - 12 months old potty trained! And my awesome niece, Naomi, is already going consistently in her potty daily at 17 months!!! Go, Naomi! Go!!!

Excitement

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Hart told me over Christmas break that he was ready to start looking into adoption. My initial reaction was... uh...what?! Wait... now I'M NOT READY! I had to work on praying through my thoughts and feelings that I was having and then towards the end of this month, I could sense my heart changing again. We decided to get more information first about when the next DSS orientation was and then plan to attend to find out more information.

Both of us were leaning towards DSS, but were skeptical due to rumors and wanted to be cautious. We had heard a few stories about DSS and just weren't sure about it or how successful it could be. We knew some families that had flipped from DSS to a private agency, but we also knew plenty of families that were currently adopting or had adopted through DSS with wonderful results. We decided to remain open towards DSS and move forward when we felt God leading.

We attended the DSS orientation last Wednesday. Cynthia Jeffers did our orientation class and she was AMAZING! She was so honest and straight forward, yet funny and truthful all at the same time. The kids in the foster care system were "her children" and you could tell she cared about all of them wholeheartedly. After hearing everything, Hart and I got back into our car to go get Micaiah and we both knew this was where we should start.

We were one of 6 couples there. We learned a lot about the foster care system and the workings of DSS. We know we will have to be patient and be our own advocates in some ways, but we both can see a light at the end of the tunnel already.

South Carolina DSS appeals to us for several reasons:

It is free to adopt through them versus the thousands of dollars it takes to adopt through an agency.
The children that are adopted through DSS come with Medicaid until they are 18.
At the end of the adoption, you can negotiate a subsidiary and it is possible to receive a small amount that can go towards the care of the child until they are 18.
Most children that are put into the foster care system have been neglected or abused or abandoned.
They seemed to generally be excited about their families and wanted to help find the right match, not just any match.
Finances are not a discouragement, even for lower income families like ours.

South Carolina DSS "fears":

Any adoption involves some amount of risk. There is a possibility that one parent has relinquished rights, but the other parent has not and that the child could be taken away. This is not all cases, but seems like a risk factor in a substantial amount of cases.
We want a very young child, newborn to 1 year old, preferably newborn. We don't know how long it will take to get a match. One reason we are beginning our adoption process now is so that we can be very flexible on when we get a match. If it take 2 more years, then we understand and are not in a rush!

I'm excited to blog through this process as much as I can. Last night Hart and I got in bed and ate M&Ms and excitedly began filling out a BUNCH of paperwork. We worked on our 10 page autobiographies and laughed and looked at each other's papers for most questions.

It has BEGUN!

I've never seen Hart so happy to sign his name over and over again!

Our perfect for us little one is coming home soon and we are getting ready!

Free Home Buyer Seminar Tuesday January 31!

noreply@blogger.com (Hart Traylor) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:30:00 +0000

The Mather Company is hosting a Free Home Buyer Seminar next Tuesday, January 31st, at 6:30 P.M. It will be at our office, 3722 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29205 (Click For Map).

If you are in the process or about to begin the process of buying a home, then this seminar is for you! If you know someone who is in the process or about to begin the process, then be a good friend and pass the info on to them!

For more information visit our website (http://www.themathercompany.com/home-buyer-seminar/). You can also call or email me, Hart: 803.622.5432 or HartTraylor[at]TheMatherCompany[dot]com.

Cai is Sick Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:28:00 +0000

I think I have used that title too many times to count! Micaiah is sick again and woke up with a 103.1 fever. We went to the doctor and I was shocked to find out Cai had borderline pneumonia! He has had a head cold the last few days and it was starting to go down in his chest. He got two Rosefrin shots, which of course he hated, and then we got out of there as fast as possible! We have to go back in the morning.

Cai has already taken two naps today and I'm praying his fever will start coming down now.

What was even more crazy, was that I subbed at Heritage yesterday and my mom kept him all day for me on her birthday! Happy Birthday MOMMY!

He had a BLAST with the kids at the dance studio and was jumping around and running everywhere and was playing HARD! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen! Except that when I showed up, he was having so much fun, he didn't even CARE that mommy was there! He apparently grew into a big boy overnight!

I'm thinking he just wore himself slap out yesterday and not resting much made what he had worse. Keep praying for our little one.

Thanks!

P.S. Juice always makes things better!

Shirtless

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:39:00 +0000

How come when I just wrote that title my mind instantly sung it like Dia Frampton... "Heartless!" Did you guys watch the Voice? We loved it! Can't wait for the next season.

Anyways that has nothing to do with the post. This is about boys. Like the last three days... I guess I have a theme going this week. Boys are funny. Especially eating their chili....shirtless.

When my friend Carla stripped Israel down to eat his chili...I was glad I wasn't the only one that did that! Aren't they super adorable?

Look at Issie's little gut...too cute! That child can EAT!

Cai loves his friends. All night long, he tried to go get in the Cozy Couple car with Israel or hug him or share his toys. It was sweet. I pray he stays that way!

Daddy's is Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:05:00 +0000

Cai and Hart are so cute together! Check out these handsome guys!

Daddy styled my hair with my leftovers....yum!

Ahahaha!
I like blogging...I can post whatever makes me laugh...like Cai trying to bite Hart's ear. LOL!

They are just too cute for words! Love these guys!

Daddy Dressed Me

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:04:00 +0000

My friend Steph and I think it is kind of funny to see what Daddy's do with their kids....Daddy's way is always different than Mommy's way, but not any less awesome, in fact, it may just be more fun.

We told each other we need to take a picture when our husbands dress our kids or do it "Daddy's Way".

When Cai walked out this morning wearing this outfit...I thought to myself... my...don't we look Dapper!

Check out this outfit daddy put me in! Green cords and chocolate and blue flannel button down!

It's really not bad, hunny....I love you! I just think it's funny because I wouldn't have put it together.

I mean he DOES look like a GQ baby!

Good job, Daddy! We love you!

16 Month Photo Shoot {Part 2}

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Did you enjoy yesterday's 16 month photo shoot? After being cooped up outside, we put pants on and went outside.

They make really sweet friends.

B&W always makes everything better...even ugly sheds.

I kind of like this slightly overexposed B&W... it makes his hair look like Back to the Future! ha!

Sweet eye lashes.

I have this teeny tiny like pocket sized tri-pod that I used to take the above picture with a self-timer. I can't believe he actually smiled a little! haha!

Lastly, let's make some mud pies...

particularly on our bottom.

Micaiah Traylor - 16 months

16 Month Photo shoot {Part 1}

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:13:00 +0000

After Cai's 16 month summary, I realized that I hadn't taken him outside at all last month and done what I like to call "our little photo shoot". Shame on me as a Mama! haha! I really love my camera. I feel so blessed to have it and to be learning a lot about photography. I'm glad I don't miss those little moments anymore and have another hobby to grow into! I took all of these photos manually. It takes me 2 x as long to actually take the picture when adjusting my shutter speed, too, but now I'm even getting the hang of manual focus and auto focus annoys me. If Cai is really on the move, then I use AF, but if he is just sitting somewhere, then I can use manual focus and focus more on what I actually want. All of these are with my 50 mm lens and I seem to just stay at a f/1.8. One day I will have a 24mm lens and explore other options. For now, this works for me.

Not gonna lie... 16 months he has been a fussy butt quite a bit.

It's really not cute. Haha! But we have a lot of sweet moments, too. This AM eating "go-gut" as he likes to say.

Eating yogurt is a spoon and hand affair.

And who needs pants, anyways?

After bfast we play.

Our living room most days... love these messes that won't always be there forever.

Making the cars go "Vroom" "Vroom"

To be continued.... outside... tomorrow.

Jane is 57!

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:56:00 +0000

We celebrated Hart's mom's birthday last Thursday! Hart's dad took us all out to eat at Cracker Barrel and we had a great time laughing and celebrating with Jane! I apologize for the bad photo quality... there wasn't really any good lighting in the restaurant!

I had this butterfly yard ornament sitting on Jane's menu when she walked in. Just a little something special.

She arrived in typical Jane fashion....

She loved her butterfly.

And hung it everywhere...

She felt very blessed to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

The babies loved their big cups with straws and coloring!

We are very thankful to the Lord for Jane! She helps everyone she knows and is always there when you need her to talk. She is a prayer warrior and loves the Lord! She keeps Cai for us every Tuesday and is a joy to be around! I couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law!

At the end of our meal, we heard a little girl screaming. We looked over to see the mother of the little girl ripping her shirt off. Her mom had spilled scalding hot coffee on the little girl and raced her out to the bathroom. Jane went after her and then told the mom to run the little girl to the emergency room. She had 3rd degree burns and her skin just slid off under the cold water. Praise God we were right across the street from an ER and that God provided Jane to that family, even on her birthday! I truly believe Jane is a blessing to all she meets.

We are praying for many more years for Jane, for her cancer to stay slow-going, for her diabetes to stay low, and for her to be healthy, so that she can enjoy many more years to come and the other grand babies that are sure to come along the way!

Happy Birthday, Jane!

Guest post over at Designs By Sessa!

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:49:00 +0000

Looking for Danielle's guest post on "The Porch"? Click here!

16 Months! - Micaiah -

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000

Really? Our son is 16 months old? He has changed leaps and bounds even just 4 months ago at 1! He's walking steadily and just about RUNNING at that! He's really starting to talk more and even sing! His favorite words right now include "Bubble" and "Trac-duh" and he will at times shock me and say other words I don't think he can actually say yet, like "Keys" or "Bible".

After church today, he pointed to his Bible and said "Bi-bul" "Bi-bul"! It was adorable and the first time he has asked me to read it to him! I pray he continues in his desire to know God through his Word!

He and Abe are the best of friends. They will play together so sweetly for quite a long while! Abe just lets him crawl all over him. I'm thankful for a puppy dog that does so well with children!

Cai is very proficient with a straw and a cup! It's nice to be able to go anywhere and not have to specifically bring a sippy cup! (At Cracker Barrel - above)

Cai and I love going to the zoo, even in the winter! It's so much different now that he will just run up to an exhibit and will point at the gorillas!

To avoid getting "stuck" inside, we bundle up and try to have a little outside time every day. I got a fleece blanket and our wheelbarrow out and I will pull him around our yard and we will look at things together! He laughs as it goes "bumpity" bump!

He really loves it when Naomi comes for a visit and they can play together!

Naomi runs around saying "Cai" "Cai" and she will get SO excited and wiggle her little arms and jump up and down! They give each other hugs and practice sharing, too!

Our difficulties at this stage would most definitely be the development or deepening of tantrums and actually have to start disciplining and giving little spankings. It has been really hard for me to get to this point of seeing the good of little spankings, but the re-directing has really stopped working and we are starting to realize you have to have immediate consequences for things like throwing food or acting out because you don't get your way. I feel as if the "real" parenting has really, really begun!

It's amazing how those whines at 10 months are the same whines that turn into screams and arching little backs when they realize they can't have exactly what they want exactly when they want it! Thankfully, he is starting to understand the threat of the word "spanking" and will stop and listen to us when we say "Cai...we will give you a spanking if you don't do XYZ". He usually will then obey. I have found communication to be one of the most helpful things at this age. Really talking to him about what is going on and the whys even if he can't completely understand everything, I know he is starting to get it more and more as I explain.

-Pushing a friend in the wheelbarrow-

He's a sweet boy though and a big helper. He helps me "clean-up" his toys and put his diaper in the trash. We are trying to teach him a little responsibility even at this age and I love seeing him learn and grow. He will sit for almost 45 minutes and pull all of his books off of this shelves looking at his books one by one.

We are truly grateful for this child the Lord has given us and after God really working on our hearts and removing many fears, we are happy to announce we are much closer to moving in the direction towards adoptiong Cai's little brother or sister! Please be praying for us as we start our adoption process in the coming months!

He Meets You Right Where You Are...

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Something has finally changed within me. I have prayed for God to give me a desire to read his Word daily, but for a good portion, maybe the last year of my life (or more) that has not been a true desire. As much as I love God, I just didn't want to do it. It would happen on occasion, but usually more often out of some unknown guilt. God just seemed far away to me.

As the new year turned, I didn't have some crazy long list of resolutions, instead I was encouraged to just pray where I was at. At the sink doing dishes. Over my toddler who was screaming at me. Fixing dinner.

Then, this past Sunday I noticed my husband had grabbed two reading plan journals that our church had available to encourage us as a church body to be in the Word daily. I honestly thought, Oh, GREAT. Just what I need. Something else to do that I probably won't continue doing.

One morning this past week, I happened to pick up the journal to figure out what it was all about. It was amazingly simple. There were 2 plans. One that you could read through the Bible in a whole year, reading through the Old Testament twice and the New Testament once.

That seemed a little lofty for me who hadn't been reading her Bible hardly at all lately.

The second plan was an abbreviated reading plan that gave portions of Plan A to read through.

That seemed less intimidating. I started there. I read. I wrote down a little on the journal pages. And I was amazed at how perfectly what I read pertained to where I was at that moment.

"Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

How often had I been dong that in a similar way? "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first (you fill in the blank I put that above following the Lord), even good things like serving my family had been coming first and other things like email.

I checked off the little spot that had said I had read. The next day, I read, but it was a crazy day and we had to be up and out, so I didn't get to journal anything.

The following day I recorded this verse:
"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I have done what I have promised you."

How true had that been lately, yet I have paid no attention? I felt like I had been brought back.

And that brings us to today. This morning seemed like a whirlwind from the moment I woke up. Was it really morning? I heard Micaiah already fussing. Lord, I can't handle a fussy toddler AGAIN. Yesterday was enough!

The way our morning began I had to just jump right in where we were. Hart was off and I had that fussy toddler all to myself. I tried in my own strength to be a good mom, but inside I was hating every moment. I didn't want to pretend to cut up wooden carrots or stack blocks. It seemed that every other minute, Micaiah started whining. He seemed tired and it was only 9:30 am. As a last resort, I put him down "for a nap" in his crib just so he could maybe rest a moment.

I went out to the living room and sat down in my chair. He wasn't sleeping, but at this point he wasn't crying. I knew I didn't have much more than 5 minutes, before that fake nap time was over.

I got out my reading plan and read quickly EXACTLY what I needed to hear.
(Read the beginning of Luke for some background to these verses, if they don't make sense to you).
"Fear (revere) him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12 4 - 7

I had just heard that in the Bible there are 366 verses that begin with "Fear not". One for every day of the year plus a year we have a leap year.That's a message that God wants to encourage us with. Every day, he tells us NOT to fear.

In that quick 5 minutes, I knew that God had not forgotten me and where I was at. He understood my problems, my lack of love for doing this blessing job of being a mom. Fear NOT! I had value. I was important to God. In the midst of that craziness God was with me.

I closed my Bible. I got up. I went back into my toddler's bedroom and I didn't have to pretend to be a good mom. God had given me the strength I needed where I needed it.

I think God is going to teach me a lot this next year as I faithfully meet him, even if it is for 5 minutes.

You might be a mom IF...

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:25:00 +0000

Lately I have caught myself doing things where I think... wow... I would only do this if I were a MOM! I have no idea if other people do these things and I might be completely weirrd, but because I seem to share a lot on this blog, I thought you might enjoy some of them!

You might be a mom IF....

You eat your morning eggs with you child's baby spoon that quite possible could have been thrown on the floor already.
You take a bubble bath using Mr. Bubbles AND it is quite possible your baby also enjoyed that same bubble bath.
Applesauce and bananas are two new staples in your house.
You only wash clothes with Free & Clear detergent
You wear your hair in a pony tail almost every day, in fact, the last time you straightened your hair was probably before baby.
You tell poop "Bye Bye" before flushing the toilet.
You climb in your baby's crib at least once a week to "surprise them" and they giggle!
Almost every time you shop at Target you browse the children's clearance rack INSTEAD of the women's clearance rack and you ALWAYS buy a box of diapers before leaving the store!
You hold that baby extra long some nights while they fall asleep in your arms. You can't get enough of those sweet cuddles, despite being tired and "ready" for them to GO TO BED!

Any others you do that should be on my list?! Any that are just plain odd to you!?

Gas Leak! Eek!

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:06:00 +0000

Hart's mom came over this past Tuesday and as she got out of her car, she smelled gas. Then, my brother in law got out of the car and he smelled it, too! We decided to call SCE&G to come check to make sure nothing was wrong with our gas line. They came and sure enough, detected a gas leak! Yikes!

What's crazy is that where the gas leak was is pretty close to our neighbor's driveway. They have all sorts of people come over and I see them smoking! They could have easily flicked a cigarette in our yard and I am so thankful to the Lord for not allowing anything to happen while this leak was occurring! He is our right guard and He protects us, for sure!

Cai enjoyed watching from our big window!

I asked them as nicely as I could to please not kill my palm tree! Praise the Lord that the gas line was just to the right of it!

Due to the horrible shape that our lines were in, we qualified for getting a whole new gas line in the coming months. I will be happier to know we will all be a little safer!

Bathrobe Cutie!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Traylor) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:18:00 +0000