Love is...

sharing.
Every morning Lauren greets Grandpa when he sits down for breakfast...and then she steals his bacon. This morning she "borrowed" his walker as well. ; )
We're glad Grandpa is so generous.
(Unfortunately the photo is blurry. Lauren absconded with the victuals before I could take another picture.)

Love Thursday...

Love is... cousins.

Abigail wrote Julianna this beautiful card today. It reads, "We love you we have fun with you cute little girl you are my favrit cousin in the hole world."
Isn't that sweet?

Love is...

Staying in contact over 11 years, even though we had never met.

We had the privilege of meeting Noah's biological grandparents for the first time this past Thursday night.
Communicating through letters and gifts, Tom and Beverly have been more than generous and kind, persevering for years in spite of the closed doors of Noah's adoption. Now that the door is ajar, we have begun communicating more regularly with the ease of the internet.
I would like to say two things about this family: First of all, meeting Tom and Beverly confirmed my sentiments...they are lovely people. Secondly, I wish we had meet years ago. (Open adoption was not legalized through NC adoption agencies until 2002, six years after Noah was born.)
Noah told us after we left, that although he was hesitant beforehand, he was glad he had the opportunity to meet both of them. (Especially when he found out they are avid Panthers fans!)

Tom and Beverly, thank you for taking us out to dinner last week. It truly was a joy to be with you both. We love you guys, and thank you again for staying in touch.
Tom, Noah has considered your regard for David Garrard, and is now a Jaguars' fan as well. ; )

Love is...

red and sparkly, smells real sweet... and sometimes a bit sticky. ; )
Thank you for the gifts, Jamie!

Love is...

Sammy is Spencer's best buddy. Recently, Sammy's Mom gave me a copy of a writing assignment he had done in school. Can you decipher the phonetic spelling?

(Don't worry, it took me a minute, too.)
Here's what Sammy says about his great pal, Spence:

"Spencer is 7.
And fun.
He is also funny.
He is nice.
He is second biggest on our team.
He is very friendly.
He is my best friend."

(Now, don't you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?!)

Love Is...

Shocking your sister on her birthday, and whisking her away for a day at Disney World.

(L to R: Gail, me, Pat, Kath, Lori and Ellen)
This Friday, four of my sisters and I flew to Orlando to surprise my sister, Gail, on her fortieth birthday. When we arrived at Gail's house, Pat called Gail while we stood on her front porch to ask if she'd "received her birthday gift". Gail went to the front door to check... I don't think I've ever heard Gail scream that loud!

Love Thursday...

Love is...
keeping eachother warm on a chilly autumn day. (Julianna and Zoe are sharing John's jacket.)


Eccl. 4:9-10 "Two are better than one...""...If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Love Thursday

Well, I have a lot of things on my mind today that I could blog about. But no time to do it! However, since I am taking the National Blog Posting Month challenge, I thought I'd copy a few other ideas from blogs I frequent... like "Wordless Wednesdays" (pictures only to be featured) and "Love Thursday" (highlighting some warm fuzzy in my life). So here's my first attempt:


"Love is not self-seeking." (1 Cor. 13)
One of the things that I love about visiting with Jamie, is her consistent care and attention to all of my children when we are together. No one would blame her if she spent all of her time soaking up hugs and kisses from Bidgie alone. But she doesn't. Jamie always goes above and beyond what any adoptive mother would expect her daughter's birthmother to do. She frequently brings treats or presents for each of the children; but even beyond the material, Jamie hugs, talks, chases, encourages, listens to, and laughs with each of my children... and that is one of the most beautiful expressions of love I have yet to see.
She has a love that delights in making others happy, even above herself.
Thank you for loving us, Jamie. : ) It was so good to see you today!