I am a proud mom

Taylor had awards night last night and his Dad and I were very proud of him. He received !st team all District, and an award for the most tackles in 3A. 148 tackles in a season.He also got a academic award. So we were very proud of him.

But I am most proud of him for how he has embraced and loved his new sister this last year. Jeff and I never could have imagined our older boys embracing Caeleigh the way Ryan, Alec and Taylor have embraced her. They have loved her so much. It has been fun to watch them!!!

God has been good!!

They guessed my age at 26!!

Someone found out it was my Birthday today and they guessed my age at 26!!No they did not have dementia, but they were 100 years old with very poor eye sight. I had a great laugh out of that.
The real # is 49 and I am not a bit embarrassed by it.

Jeff and I had a great day of shopping, I shopped, he read a book. When I went into Eddie Bauer, the lady was trying to get me to buy a vest, she says,"these are so in style, you just have to have one," I looked out over my glasses,(Now that I can no longer see) and said, I truly do not care what is in style, look at me, I'm 49.

My boys always ask me,Why are you on a diet? You are old and you cares what you look like. My usual response is," I do not want you to have to buy a extra large casket. So you have it.

I am old and it is O.K. with me.

October 11, 1990 Waterloo,Iowa .My # 31

I am a little slow to post, but we are still celebrating, so I guess it is still acceptable.
At 3 pm, on October 11, I gave birth to one of the most beautiful brown eyed baby boys I had ever seen. His name was Taylor Andrew Whitt.
Taylor turned 18 and that makes me a little sad and yet happy for him. He is ready to be independent come next fall.
Taylor and I have always had a unique relationship, a deep bond between a mom and her son. One often unspoken, but very much felt.
Taylor is a very disciplined man, he is physically very strong and takes pride in his work, whether it is football or wrestling. Schools comes in third, but he does fairly well there too.
Taylor has been a great kid and I could not be prouder of him.


Happy Birthday to my second son. I love you.
Mom

Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

My Little Girl Is Four

T









My Baby turned four and she had quite a princess party. We had so
much fun with her. The only person missing was her best friend Oakley. But she called and sang "Happy Birthday" to Caeleigh. Thanks Oakley.
As you can see, Caeleigh can do some serious pouting. She did not appreciate her mothers great Ebay purchase. She had enough and there was no cooperation that day.

I just love this girl with all her emotions. God has blessed our family with this precious princess. She has three big brothers that love her and dote on her every single day.

I say to God, Thank you, Thank you for the gift of adoption. The most important adoption is allowing us to be adopted into the kingdom of God, The second, allowing us to adopt Miss Caeleigh Elizabeth-Xinke Whitt , she is a treasure to our family and we love her with all our hearts. Happy Birthday My sweet Baby Girl.
Mom
I did not take these pictures on her B-day, in case your wondering. She really did have fun. I just loved the dress and I love showing the whole picture of life.

Friday Night Fun

The Dutch win!!!! How fun is that?
I wanted to yell."That's my boy!!" but I contained myself.

I sure was proud!! And of course,I know my husband pretty well and I know he is thinking, your bragging on the world wide web,

Yep, you bet I am!! That's what Mom's do!!!

Another Teenage

Thirteen years ago a very special son was born, Alec Christopher Whitt. It has always amazed me that Jeff and I could always turn out such different children, not one alike. Well Alec is no different. Alec is without a doubt my easiest child. Kind, compliant, and very competitive. He knows as much about sports as Sports Center, maybe it is because he memorizes it? He is the only kid I know, that can enjoy any ballgame on TV, no matter who is playing. He is a great kid and we love him to death. Happy Birthday Alec!!!

Is There A Doctor In The House?

Caeleigh and Grandma were having fun!

Tagged by Oakley

Ok Oakley this is new to us, Here goes: Name Caeleigh Elizabeth-Xinke Whitt

AGE; Almost 4

Favorite Food; Candy, Watermelon, Anything with Ketchup, French Fries, meat

Favorite Activity: Going to the pool with Daddy or the park. I also love to go to church.Going to to American Girl Store with Mom in Chicago

Favorite Music; Jesus music in the car. (children's Christian CD)

Favorite Toy; Playing with my princess cloths or dolls.

Favorite Cloths; Any Dress that is pretty

Favorite Book; Bible stories, A couple of Dora Books

What Makes Me Happy: My Mom,Daddy and sometimes my brothers.I love to watch Dora and Super Why.

What Makes Me Sad; When my Mom and Dad leave for any reason.

I Tag; Ms Chloe

A Special Friendship, Started In China

How cool is it that God has given these two little girls the opportunity to keep their special friendship alive in the United States. They were both adopted by two different families 900 miles apart, but only 30 miles apart from Grandma and Grandpa Whitt.

The Curds were gracious host to our family and our girls had so much fun. As we drove off from a fun night with the Curd's, Caeleigh says," I want to be with Oakley all the time," Then this morning when I was unloading my camera. she saw Oakley's picture and kissed my camera so gently. It was so precious. Two little girls, best friends in China, still able to maintain that special bond.

Interesting Reading

I read this on another blog and it really spoke to me and the sin inside of me. Litany of Humility by - Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val and began to read:

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved,
From the desire of being extolled,
From the desire of being honored,
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred to others,
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,

From the fear of being humiliated,
deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated (slandered or gossiped about),
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being suspected,

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
That in the opinion of the world,
others may increase, and I may decrease,
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I may become as holy as I should.

So, there it was - my answer - Humility.

The struggle of the human condition.I do not know about you, but I need God's grace in fresh ways every day.

Those Beautiful Almond Eyes

Sometimes we have trouble keeping those beautiful almond eyes open for pictures!! But when we do, how beautiful they are.

Ms Caeleigh Loves Dresses

Caeleigh loves to dress up. Her grandma's give her many dresses and she loves that. She has a different dress every Sunday. Thank-you Grandma Whitt and Grandma Krampe!

Caeleigh loves to dress up
She would change her outfit 3-4 x a day if I would let her. She often has my shoes on,wearing them all over the house. She is just a hoot to watch. Then when she is ready,dress on,shoes on, hair done, she will then parade into the living room for the boys to ohh and ahh over her, which of course they always do.( and she loves that.)
O to be a princess!!

Baseball for Alec and Caeleigh

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa

Thank-you for my new dress. I really liked it and wore it to my favorite place, church. I love to go to church on Sundays. I get to see all of my friends.

Iraq Will Be Next, But Ryan Is Safe Today

Iowa is safe, but Iraq is coming, I just choose not to think about it.

Our day did not start out to well. It is 6 am. I am traveling to Sioux City to work and Ryan is going to Des Moines. I have some free time so I call Ryan and we talk awhile.
I am traveling down the highway going 70 mph and I see a warning light go off in my car. Of course I do not know what it means, so I am trying to find my glasses and the manual. I discover I have low pressure in my tire. No problem, I can put air in my tire. I stop at Casey's and the tire is pretty much flat. Well I can look pretty pathetic and the first guy I ask, changed my tire. So I am on my way.

Jeff calls me a minute later. Ryan has just had a fairly serious accident. He was not hurt but they think he totaled his car. The patrolman told him, he was very lucky boy. He just missed getting hit by a semi going 75 mph.He hit rain and hydroplaned on the interstate. The car turned to its side and traveled down the road for a long way then ended in a ditch.

He missed the bus to eastern Iowa but the guard will get him there tomorrow. We are so thankful he is OK. I do not like to think of it as luck but as Gods protection.

First Call To Service

Ryan was notified yesterday to be in Des Moines today at 7am. His unit is being deployed to eastern Iowa to help manage the floods. Of course he is right in the middle of his summer class at Iowa State, so he unsure how this will effect that.

Pray that the rain will stop!!

Summer Fun

God's Big Picture

God certainly has the big picture, and we have not a clue. What is one to think after such a tragedy? I feel such gratitude toward the Chapman's. Hey, They helped Jeff and I bring our sweet baby Caeleigh home.

They have such a heart for the orphan. They have touched children's lives like no other I am aware of.

But I have to believe that God has a bigger and greater work for that family. Certainly they need healing, but as we lift them up to the almighty God, I expect God to do some mighty things. May the power of the scriptures come alive, like never before for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family.

May Romans 8;28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

I am sure they will have dark days and months. But God has the power to heal. Now we need to do our part and faithfully lift them up in prayer.

Second give, just think how much money they could raise to help bring every orphan home.

Spring Has Finally Arrived!!

It is the annual Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa this weekend. This is a yearly Dutch Festival that they celebrate here in NW Iowa. The small town of 5,000 is filled with 100,000 visitors over the three day event, if the weather is good.

Poor Alec has had a difficult tulip festival. Quite honestly, he will tell you, it is his favorite time of the year.

He loves the food, the rides, and just the fun of hanging out with his friends. Well guess who got the flu? (the stomach flu) Then to make matters worse, he lost 5 pounds. Taylor told him many times,"you look like your dying." Then of course Alec, who is my worrier, came to me at regular intervals " Do I still look so skinny?" I hated to tell the truth. But he is as skinny as a rail.

Man if that was my problem, I'd be happy everyday, Can you see me telling Jeff, "Do I still look so skinny?"

My New Toy

I know you are wondering if I am still alive over here and yes I am. I am now the proud owner of a Canon Rebel. Since I did not win Stephanie's ( I do not blame her, I am thankful for her) I had a garage sale and saved all I could and I found a good used one on Ebay so I am thrilled.

Now to my beautiful daughter.

A Bad Week

I know some have been waiting for pictures of our "Gotcha Day Anniversary" but we have had a rough week and I have not gotten to it. My camera is not working very well, so I need Jeff's help and he is busy. So I have to wait my turn.



Caeleigh fractured her elbow. It has been painful for her at times. But quite honestly, she is a tiger, who does not like to be caged. And I am the zoo keeper, running after her. Quite funny!! I'm sure!!

Pictures to come, but I am still wanting that new camera.
Karen

Just imagine

I meant for those pictures to be in the opposite order, but I am to dumb or lazy to change them.
Karen

Christ The Lord Is Risen Today!

I am so very, very thankful Jesus is not dead. I always get accused of being blunt, and I guess that is blunt. But I need the power of the resurrection in my life and the Bible promises us that power.

I am a horrible sinner, and that because Jesus is alive, I am forgiven of my sin, (if I have repented) and I will live forever in heaven with my Savior.

I want so much for my children to know and experience God, not just in their heads, but also in their hearts, there is such a difference. God's love in so amazing and fresh, new and great every morning.

On a lighter note, This is Caeleigh's second Easter with us. Coming this week, Our one year "Gotcha Party". Look for pictures.

Happy Easter,
The Whitt's

My Big Boy

Twenty years ago today, was one of the best days of my life. I gave birth to my firstborn, Ryan. I love him so much!!!
He is handsome and my only blue eyed baby. He is smart and smart mouthed (at times).He is a talker and a thinker. He is generous with his money and with his love, (especially to Caeleigh.)He is a great kid, but now I should say adult.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!
Mom

Just Had to Laugh

Caeleigh came to me singing ,"Jesus Loves Me" notice her home-made guitar. She sees guitars at church, who would have thought she would notice. I thought it was so funny and cute!! That's my girl!!

Just Life

Taylor finished his wrestling season 28-8. We were certainly proud of him. He worked very hard.
He is now going to the gym every morning at 5;30 to lift weights.He is trying to get ready for football in the fall.
I am trying to get him to start thinking about college and career choices.It is hard to believe he will be a senior in the fall. It seemed like yesterday he was a tiny baby lying beside me in bed.

Ryan calls me frequently. Yesterday he was baking cookies and need some help. Caeleigh answers the phone and she always knows Ryans voice.

Caeleigh is delightful. She tells me everyday. I wuve Mommy,Daddy,Alec, Taywer and RyRy, then she kisses me. She is a wonderful addition to our family. We are so thankful we obeyed the Lord and the call He gave us to adopt an orphan. It is one of the best decisions we have ever made.

God instructs Christians to care for the widows and orphans, the Christians just need to step up to the plate, either to adopt or support someone financially who is adopting. The number of orphans in the world now equals one half of the United States population.If that does not move you,I am not sure what will!!

A Crying Girl

My crying girl. Her beloved Daddy left to return a book to the library and his little girl is crying" Daddy, Daddy" The girl who wanted nothing to do with men just adores her Daddy and for that matter, all the boys.

Ryan was home this weekend and he took Caeleigh and Alec out to eat. Then he took Caeleigh to Walmart for a new doll. This girl has it made!!

Taylor To Districts

Taylor finished second yesterday, so he moves on to districts next Saturday. He will face a kid 5th in the state. Yesterday he lost by points to the kid rated first. Josh Innen, the kid that beat Taylor, is a nice kid and we know his parents. I think he may help Taylor this week get ready for next Saturday.
I was proud of Taylor, his goal was to make it into the second period and he did. That last time they wrestled, Josh pinned Taylor in 40 seconds.
Ryan is doing well at ISU. He needs to find some good friends. Ones that will encourage his faith.
Alec and Caeleigh are doing fine. Caeleigh is really picking up knowledge. We are working on the ABC's and counting. Next month will be 12 months with our precious girl. We will have a big celebration on her Gotcha Day.

See Taylor and Caeleigh wrestling. Taylor lost by a fall.