looking back on 2011

Phew- God blows me away when I sit down and think about everything he has done in our lives/family in 2011! We are so grateful to have had a really wonderful year last year- and we are praying for many-many more!

January- We we're fingerprinted, background checked, and had our first home visit for our foster care license!

Fingerprints!

Picture of us waiting for our worker- something we have grown use to do doing! :)

February-

I turned another year older (22!).

(& got a griddle! )

We started and finished our training for our license- and we moved!

March-

We settled into our home, and little did we know we were beginning the "great wait" for everything else in our licensing process to move.

(look at my little baby!)

April-

My BIG girl turned FOUR small years old...tear.

We took a min-vaca to the Great Wolf Lodge in NC

May-

We had the opportunity to love on a family in a hard place. Writing this actually has me in tears, ugly cry tears- boy do I miss these little boys..

Still pray for these boy often- they made me realize just how hard "letting go" is.

Also- middle sister turned a big ole' 3 years old!!!!!!!!

May is also Foster Care Awareness month- so we got together with our church and hosted a foster care info. session.

Foster Care Video from Cornerstone Church on Vimeo.

June-

The boys left- to another state. Super hard/sad day. Couldn't even watch them backing out from the drive.

The day they left

We had and passed our fire inspection for our license, and we took another mini-vaca to wild adventures for fathers day!

July-

We had a wonderful 4th! Family and great friends with us, and we got to watch my cousin propose to his fiance under the fireworks!

We added THREE pets to our family

And I'm proud to say we still have all of them, alive!

Our little sister turned ONE year old!

Time flies...

We had our health inspection this month, and passed. We said good-bye to my best friend and her family as they moved to Okinawa

Miss them dearly- but so thankful we can still keep in touch daily!

We finished our future-foster-children's bedroom

August-

We "officially" started homeschooling big sister

We signed the last of our paperwork for our foster care license, and it was sent out to the state!

My sweet husband turned 27!

September-

We put our dog in a costume contest, as a chicken. He won 2nd place.

I got a treadmill, and started working out & dieting. Lost six pounds this month.

Hubby and I also celebrated our THIRD anniversary!

October-

We found out & announced that we are expecting our fourth child!!!!

We got a call saying our home sold, asking us to move in two weeks. We did.

Can I just say...MY how the trees and plants have grown since this photo!

And, we "celebrated" Halloween

November-

Thanksgiving! and we put up the tree/decorated it:

December-

Festival of lights with good friends

We received our foster care license!!!!!

Had a wonderful Christmas

And found out we are having a sweet baby BOY!

Great, great, great year! So excited for what God has up his sleeve for 2012!