New Business

We took a big leap of faith this past weekend and decided to start our own business. My brother actually had this type of business before he became very ill. My father still drives a truck, hauling mostly cotton during that particular season, but the truck belonged to my brother. After many of hours of research (thanks to my wonderful hubby and an awesome accountant, Ben's uncle Tom) together we decided to embark on this adventure. Even though Ben's job had beyond AWESOME insurance, it was something that we would have to deal with. The kids will have insurance until they are 18 due to the adoption so I didn't fret about it to much. It's just Ben and myself that are not covered but we are still looking. Well to be honest it didn't just start last weekend. Ben started to drive with my dad about 2 months ago. We purchased out first truck in at the beginning of the year with just my dad driving then a month later Ben joined in on the fun. Shortly after we purchased my brothers truck so that Ben would have his own and my dad had his own. My brother's truck is a little older and needs alot of TLC but everything is local and we wanted to save up to buy a nice one. One day as I was walking down the good ol' streets of Sundown, I saw this pretty purple and gray semi with chrome wheels. I thought it was nice and got the little ball rolling in Ben's head. Needless to say, it was love at first sight for Ben and now we are the proud owners of a 1993 Peterbilt. Ben's very own "Big Truck" :) The good thing about where Ben is working out of is that ALL the hauls are local, he continues to haul cotton alongside my dad, he is home every night, and he is his own boss. Well....he still has to go through me. And my Justin...let's just say it's a joy to see him smile every time his daddy pulls in and honks that horn for him!

Happy Birthday Justin!

We had a great time at a place called jump n jungle. The kids ran around this HUGE playground full of jumping balloons and obstacle courses. They ran for an entire hour then we had 30 minutes in a party room to do pizza, cake and presents. The adults were able to play also. It was just the right amount of time to have fun before meltdowns started. We would do it all over again! The people were great, the place was fun and most of all EVERYONE was able to participate. Justin gives it a 2 thumbs up :)

Our first 5K!

We had some very special people come into our life while we were in the process of fighting for our kids. Court appointed special advocates are angels that God trained for special kids. This "voice" for the kids personally get to know the children involved and fight for what is best for them. In our case, our girls were best fit for us. God truly placed them in our lives for us to give them the best! We had planned to do the walk/run anyway but Alexis expressed some interest in running. All because of my niece who is a cross country runner for the school. My niece's passion for running has fueled another's interest and we are off to a good start. During the 5K, Alexis ran the entire 3 miles only stopping once to catch her breath. When Alissa and I finally got to the finish line, Alexis ran to us and told us she had ran the whole race along side her CASA workers relative, I think, sorry Ms. Vicky I forgot who she was. That brain fart may have been due to the lack of oxygen! Alexis then told me that when she stopped she told herself that she needed to NOT GIVE UP, like Crystal tells herself during a race and she made it. I was on cloud 9! Not because I was finally over the finish line but because of Alexis. This little girl had the determination and the will power to finish what she started. Her life was not what she asked for. It has taken many twist and turns, stumbles and just plain falling on her face. But she continued to get right back on and forge ahead. She gave all her effort and reminded herself not to give up. If only we could do the same.

Happy Easter!

We had an amazing Easter Sunday! We went to church then spent the rest of the day with family and friends. This was Alissa's first time to Easter egg hunt and it was hilarious. Everything she picked up she wanted to eat. The boy's of course knew what to do. Last week Nicholas and Alexis had their Easter parties at school. Alexis had a scavenger hunt and Nicholas had a regular egg hunt. They both are social butterflies! As you can see here is Alexis posing with just a few of her friends.

Nicholas and his classmates waiting patiently....

Our Easter service at church was AWESOME! After getting a little teary eyed, having all my little ones sitting between myself and Ben, I had a renewed sense of patience, courage and wisdom. Having four little ones isn't easy. It sometimes gets the best of us but it's our life. It's the life that God chose for us and with Him nothing is impossible!

Happy Birthday Alexis!

I was looking at my blog and realized that I had not put Alexis' birthday picture up. We had a good time. She only wanted to go rollerskating with a couple of friends and have birthday cake and ice cream with family. She got money, clothes, and jewelry. Our little girl is getting so big.