Tuesday's Best

who do you think is more excited?

love you, baby girl.

Run Walk Wheel & Roll

anyone in need of a good, soul cleansing cry today?  watch this:

my super dee duper (how do you spell duper? dooper, maybe?) inspiring friend, zac koffler is running the music city marathon tomorrow.  and when i say running i mean PUSHING 2 CHILDREN IN WHEELCHAIRS FOR 26.2 MILES.  i, on the other hand, will be cheering him on with a giant cup of coffee and a donut in hand.

zac founded the run, walk, wheel and roll initiative in 2010 and has since raised over $50,000 for a variety of programs benefitting children with physical disabilities.  he is also making my be-a-good-human efforts look embarrassing.  i need to step up my game.  i'm open to suggestions...

please take a few minutes to watch the video.  i promise you the hope it breathes into your heart will be worth it.  if you feel moved to give you are welcome and encouraged to do so here.  so much easier than pushing 50lbs while running a marathon, no?

Hey... So... Umm...

hey... so... ummm... i got the following e-mail this week:

As all of you are aware, there has been an adoption ban in Sierra Leone since 2009. The ban was put into place until the adoption scandal involving the organization HANCI could be properly investigated with conclusions and recommendations.  The findings from the investigation have been released with the accepted recommendations from the Sierra Leone government. TRS currently has a full copy of the report and is reviewing the contents.

It is currently being reported that the adoption ban has officially been lifted 

although, we still have many questions with regard to how adoptions will look moving forward. The government has not made any statements with regard to allowing current adoption cases to go to court under the current law while they are passing the new adoption law through Parliament. It is possible that cases will not be heard in court until the new law is passed. 

catch that?

the adoption ban has officially been lifted.

those are 7 life changing words, my friends.  a simple 'wahoo' will not suffice.  since i found out it has really been more of a 'holy-shhhhh-it-is-going-to-be-amazing-i-am-so-excited-oh-no-i-need-to-get-three-more-jobs-i-wonder-what-kind-of-bath-toys-they-like-is-it-too-early-to-start-stocking-their-closets-oooh-i-should-finally-set-up-apple-tv-because-it's-been-in-the-box-for-months-and-we-could-snuggle-up-for-so-many-movies-they'd-better-like-disney-because-i-haven't-seen-the-little-mermaid-in-forvever-i-wonder-if-i-still-know-all-of-the-words-where-is-my-old-cabbage-patch-sleeping-bag-it-would-be-vintage-by-now-oh-god-daycare.'

dear babies,  here we go...

love, me

Tuesday's Best

tuesday = skype day

brought to you by the number 2 and the letter 'o'.

the 2nd appearance of an Off the shoulder look from baby girl.  

she is most definitely her mother's daughter.

swoon.

Tuesday's Best

tuesday = skype day.

gerald was all about the close up kisses today.  

geraldine?  couldn't have cared less.  baby girl was far too concerned with the dry pancake she was wholeheartedly hoovering down.

happy tuesday!

love, m&g&g

Gerald and Geraldine

today is the day.  today is the day i can finally talk about these beautiful, perfect little nuggets i've been posting about.  remember when i said it was bigger than country music award show hair?  i bet you're gonna believe me...

one night in october i couldn't sleep so i spent the night online researching different orphanages in africa that i could volunteer at.  the next day i had lunch with my bestie, melissa spillman.  turns out she too had africa on the brain.  the day before she had lunch with 2 women from spring hill, tennessee who founded an organization called the raining season (TRS) that runs an orphanage called 'the covering' in sierra leone, west africa.  melissa asked if i would be interested in taking a trip to the orphanage with her someday.  i cried in my greek salad and said yes.

fast forward a few months and i am now a mother to twin two year olds that were taken in by the covering.  yep.  read that again.  mother.  to.  twin.  two.  year.  olds.  due to the atrocities of human trafficking there has been an adoption ban in sierra leone since 2009.  this means that in the foreseeable future none of the children at the center will be placed in permanent homes.  to counteract this TRS started the forever family initiative.  a forever family is matched with each child/sibling group to provide emotional, spiritual and financial help to these kids for the rest of their lives.  we are, essentially, a family that just doesn't live together.  we skype weekly.  i can visit the center as much as i like but am required to visit at least once a year.  and i have every intention of bringing my sweet babies to live with me the very moment that ugly adoption ban goes away.

i'd like to introduce you to my favorite little nuggets.  meet gerald and geraldine :)

so, i am a mother to twin two year olds.  if that doesn't produce an instant anxiety attack i don't know what will.  but the steady anxiety attacks have given way to heart bursting amounts of excitement that are only occasionally sprinkled with anxiety filled moments.  and the anxiety filled moments have given way to tremendously overwhelming periods of faith.  and the periods of faith have shown me what it feels like to be a follower of God.  and it turns out being a follower is the biggest, bestest, most awesomely powerful thing that i have ever experienced.  turns out... i like what i look like as a follower.  i like what it feels like to say yes with my whole, terrified heart.

i have an entire box of clothes sitting in my office that i will bring with me when i travel to see them in july.  i spend nights scouring blogs of anyone who has ever taken a trip to the center in search of baby pictures of g&g.  i have been known to watch a 7 second video of gerald waving for 45 minutes straight.  my mom put their faces on a coffee mug.  my dad adds every tuesday's "best of" skype photo to his screensaver at work.  they call me mommy.  i call them little man and baby girl.  they are mine.  i am theirs.  we are a family.

we are a family.