Drae is a **star**!!!

Tonight was Drae's Debut on stage! He played "Chad" in High School Musical and did a great job! It was a fun little rendition of the Hit movie from Disney. The kids were in grades 3rd, 4th and 5th. It was very entertaining. We are super proud of Drae and the interests he has found! For so long he just seemed to be "looking" for something to enjoy and be committed to and now he has found 2 highly important passions: Horses and Theatre - acting, singing and dancing. He seems to be a natural at both! We knew he would find his place! We just kept putting him in anything he asked to join and now he has set his mind to these two things and we are so proud of him in both areas! His grades are up as well and he is doing an awesome job! His whole attitude has changed over the almost 5 years he has been with us! He is not even like the same child! I give the glory to God because even anything we have done is because HE has given to us. We believe 100% that you cannot give what you do not have. Most of us if we were completely honest did not receive Total Unconditional Love and Acceptance as children because truly our parents had not received that so how could they give it. Even in the best homes there is some lack in these areas. So the only way to give it is to receive it FIRST and we believe the only place to truly receive TOTAL UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE is through Jesus Christ! Our Heavenly Father gives it and makes it possible for us to ATTEMPT to give to our children. We still are human parents and we make huge mistakes often, but with Him we have the ability to lose our pride and say to our children that we do make mistakes and we are sorry and we talk to our children with respect and love and understanding! I believe that makes such a difference in a child's life, knowing there is someone who will love them and be here for them NO MATTER WHAT!! We often hear, "oh it is such a wonderful thing - what you do for these kids - you are such a blessing to them!" I know people only mean well with that and we know the kids are happy and blessed, too, but our response always is, "no they are such a blessing to us!!!" I was called to be a mommy and when I could not give birth to children of our own, I knew God would work it out for us to have children and now we have 7 and are hoping to adopt two other little girls who are already a part or our family right now! What a Blessing!!!! God is awesome!
Back to Drae: we could not be more proud!!!! Here is a picture of our son on stage and then after the production! He is good looking, sweet, talented and just plain wonderful!!!!!! YOU GO, DRAE!! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!! KEEP IT UP!!!!

Check out my other blog

My other blog is our 4H group blog. You can read about what the kids are doing in 4H and see pictures and everything! Hope you enjoy that one as well. We have had a wonderful weekend so far and today was a fun time with 4H meeting and then riding lessons after that. Then a night of washing and doing hair. We have Keara and Brianna so we had three heads to do :)! I did Bri and Kalee and Marlee did Keara's. They all look cute - of course! :) Just think the hair issue was one of the major controversies to us adopting black children. Marlee and I both can braid, put in relaxers, straighten, hot comb, etc. It just takes asking questions and learning! I really hope that the issues of white families adopting black children or black families adopting white families will one day cease being an issue and we will just have Parents loving Children! I love my kids so much! I cannot imagine my life without them and I know that God chose them to be our children and chose us to be their parents. - just my little soap box tonight! I hope everyone has a blessed Sunday! Love to all!

Twofer Tuesday

Tuesday, the 4th of December! Wow - 3 weeks until Christmas. Aiden turned 1 today and he is in Virginia so I did not get to see him! That was a little heart breaking, but we had a great day though! Larry and I went together to Kourtnee's doctor appoinment today and Pappy got to hear Nee Nee' 's heart beat. He was thrilled to say the least and hopes to get to be there for her last ultrasound. It was nice to share that with him. It sometimes will cause me to be sad for just a millisecond that we could not share moments like that together with a baby of our own, but this is pretty incredible to share it with our daughter! and to be there together! Kourtnee is such a special person and then to have her little girl on her way into our world is even more special! That was the best thing today! There was another thing that happened that I will have to share on Friday after I pick it up and can upload pictures! I am very excited! We did (Larry and I) go to the mall and do a little Christmas shopping! Got the kids their big gift! We open gifts on Christmas Eve and then have a "big" gift on Christmas Morning under the tree. That is their "Santa gift". Even after they are old enough and find out the truth about Santa they still get their big gift on Christmas morning. I cannot wait to see their faces!!!! I lvoe it when they open their gifts!!! They are so thankful and so excited with each one! I lvoe children!!!!

Miracle Monday

I know that some groups here on Blog Spot have cathcy little names for the days, but I am not in those groups or even know much about any of them. SO I thought I would have my own little catch phrases for the days of the week. Miracle Monday - Miracles happen all the time and Monday is a day that we need to an uplifting story so tell me something wonderful that has happened in your life. Twofer Tuesday - I want to know 2 significant events on that day. Wild Wednesday - tell about the wild things going on in your life - this can be many things; anything YOU consider wild. I actually have to steal one from another group because I like the Thankful Thursday - what are you thankful for? Fun Friday - There have to be things that are going on that are just FUN this is the day to share those things! Savvy Saturdays - savvy means knowing when to be, where to be, why to be... and what
to do when you get there. So on Saturday share what you know, give advice, etc. Teach someone something. And Spirit Sunday - share something that you have learned through reading or experience or revelation on a spiritual level. I hope that those of you reading will either start blogging with me or at the very least comment on my blogs with your own stories. If you want to join the blog and have another idea for a day - Hey I am open!!! Ok so here is my miracle for the week. Like I said miracles happen all the time and sometimes we really do not even realize that we have been blessed with a miracle. I want to thank God for my miracle marriage. I think that in today's society divorce is so easily available. I want to thank God for commitment. Larry and I have been married for 19 years. There really has not been one easy year out of those 19! We have had a lot against us from the very beginning from an ex wife and step-children,not easy to say the least, to cancer, losing a baby, adoption and custody battles - you name it. But the one thing that we have had for us is the only thing we need - GOD - If God be FOR US who can be against us? Well, He has proven Himself to us in every situation. I will not say that God has never let me down, because let's face it - being let down means being disappointed and honestly He disappoints me a lot. That means He doesn't give me what I want all the time. But He has never FAILED me. He is always there and always working things for my good (Romans 8:28)! I may not always see it - thus the disappointment, but He is always on my side and working things to the good! Larry and I have maintained our marriage because we have kept God as the center - the glue- to hold us together. It is not your Love that holds your marriage together, but your marriage that holds your love together! You may not always LOVE your spouse - the feelings may not be love at all at times :) - but you made a commitment to be married so you marriage will hold your love together in those fleeting moments of "no love". We learned that from our Pastor in Florida - Dr. Mark Chironna and it has really stuck with us! So on this Miracle Monday, I thank God for our Miracle marriage where we have overcome so many obstacles, stayed together and are even more in Love today than we were when our journey began! What is your miracle on this Monday???? You can answer on Tuesday or wed, or Thurs..... :)!
Good night all!

Seafood!!! Family in town

Oh yeah, sister and brother-in-law came into to visit tonight from Virginia and we went to The Murphy House. As usual the food was awesome! we had a great time! We always have fun no matter what we are doing. We wnet shopping in Wal-Mart while waiting for Alex to get off of work so that we could take him home. Kourtnee picked up Kris tonight and she and Craig are taking him to the Raleigh Christmas Parade tomorrow and then taking him to Aunt Lauries and Uncle Jeff's for the day. Then she and Craig will meet us at Marlee's rodeo finals. Kalee will be spending the day with Aunt Stacey and the girls and TJ will be with Alex, Angela and Aiden. Thus leaving us with Marlee - of course and Drae! It should be a great time and I will be sure to put up pictures as soon as possible. I may not blog or do pictures when we get home tomorrow since we will probably not be home until after 11 tomorrow night and will be leaving the house around 10 in the morning - LONG day! Well, as I said it is great to ahve Vicky and RObert here and we are looking forward to the holiday, but tomorrow is going to be super exciting! If you read this before 2 PM Saturday keep Marlee and Dusty in your thoughts and prayers! Also, I would like to send my condolences and ask for prayer for a very close friend of ours, Laura, her dad passed away last night. He was a Pastor and a terrific man. He was loved by so many including our family! Laura and Momma - I know you may not read this, but We love you and are thinking of you in this time of sorrow, but we also rejoice with you in that you now where he is and that you will be with him again one day! You know he is rejoicing with the angels and praising our Lord! We love you both and you and the entire family are in our prayers!
Good night all and have a blessed weekend!

Being a mommy

As most of you know and if you don't you will now. I was unable to have any children of my own - biologically that is. That was all I ever wanted to be was a mommy!!!! So the news that I would have a difficult time conceiving was devestating! But there was still hope because they said "difficult time conceiving"! At that point in my life I began to pray that God would send me a man that had children. I was 18 when I got married and became an instant mommy to 3 children. It was not easy to say the least, but I did love them and do the best I could. Of course I made tons of mistakes due to my age, my pride - not wanting to ask for help because everyone said I could not do it and would not be married long, that was all my fault!. But, to all those who said that about Larry and I, we celebrated 19 years in August. :)! At 29 years old I was diagnosed with cancer and had to have a full hysterectomy. There went all hope of having a biological child. I had 3 girls at the time (2 step daughters and an adopted daughter) who had filled my heart with so much joy! I also had a step son who lived with his mother. But I knew that was not it for us and my husband agreed. When we moved to North Carolina we became foster parents and now we have adopted 5 more children. We adopted a teen boy, a sibling group with 2 boys and 1 girl and our latest adoption is a 3 year old boy. we have white, black and hispanic children! We are truly a blended family!!!! We are extremely BLESSED and now I have all these wonderful children calling me mommy. The saying any woman can be a mother but it takes someone special to be a mommy has hit home with me. I have a group on My space called Heart Mommas - because my children did not grow under my heart but they did grow in it! I know these are all cliche's, but they fit! I will never stop grieving the loss of having a biological child and carrying a baby inside my womb, but I do fully know the joys - and even the sorrows - of being a mommy. I have been with 2 friends to have their babies and they both had to go to C-Sections after long labors, and I missed seeing them born, so we are praying hard that Kourtnee has Sydnee naturally and I can be with her the entire time and see my grand daughter be born. I am so excited about that. Being a MEME is so awesome!!!!!! I did not think life could get better then Aiden came into our lives our first little grand son. Now we have Sydnee Renee' coming our first grand daughter!!!!!!!!!! Life is good! We are blessed! Being a parent is so much more than biology!!! That is why I strive to be a TULA mommy every day!!! God help me to be the wife and mother that YOU want me to be!
Good night all!

My first blog outside of My space

Well, I have done it. I have created a blog! I am excited about this new adventure. I hope that you will all enjoy sharing my life as a TULA mommy. Oh, what does that mean? It stands for - Total Unconditional Love and Acceptance- TULA. That is what I try to be with God's help. I try to totally uncondtionally love and accept all of my children and even those children who are in my life for a short time through foster care or other means. This will be the place that I share my joys, pains, advice, questions about that and many other areas in my life. I hope you enjoy and comment when you are here. That is it for the first blog of mine. You can read other blogs on Myspace. if you are not on my firend's list there already comment or email me and I will give you my url to my space. I have tons of pictures there as well! Well, here's to a new adventure! Come with me!!!