Christmas with Aunt Jenn Jenn

Last night, JMc and I had a late Christmas date with Aunt Jenn Jenn.

Boy, was he silly!
I thought we'd get kicked out 

of Chick-fil-A,

but the lady working there 

was an angel.
She took such good care of us, and hugged me before we left. Jen & JMc kept making messes, and this sweet soul just kept cleaning up after them.

We went to see the animals at Petco (JMc's favorite thing to do in the ENTIRE world) and bought some goodies from Ross, too.
When we got home, we had to play with John McRae's new toy. I think Daniel will probably enjoy this toy a lot, too!

Cookies & Milk for Santa

This year we attempted to leave cookies and milk for Santa.  John McRae didn't feel as though Santa needed either of the two because, well, "Aw Claus scares John."

We started out with 3 cookies and milk.

John McRae goes for the little one.

Washing it down...

And then there were 2.

But not for long.

Puppy found a dinner roll (off of the counter, out of a zip lock...go figure).

One left for Santa, but we had to freshen up the milk.

Happy New Year!

Bubble Bath Blues

It is a good thing I bought The Pampered Chef spatula pictured below. Not only is it handy in the kitchen, it proved to be quite handy in the tub, too. Mr. excited 2 year old thought more was better and poured his entire new bubble bath in the tub. Thanks to this handy tool, I salvaged all that wasn't needed for tonight's tub full of fun and was able to get it back into bottle.

::picture was taken once I found humor in the situation and was nearly done cleaning up the spill::

Christmas with the Linns

Yay, for early Christmas!
While E, J, I, & O were in town for Thanksgiving, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to open Christmas gifts together. I manged to get most of the house cleaned and a tree put together to open gifts by. (I'm now seriously considering not putting up our larger tree, because this little one is doing the job and I don't have to worry about little hands and paws breaking ornaments at floor level!) Here are a few pictures from this lovely, lovely get together.

 After opening presents and eating a bite, the big boys went to a high school football game and Emma and I laid on the couch under a blanket while John McRae entertained. (Emma and I might have dropped the kiddo off at his grandparents' for a little bit so we could grab a quick ice cream from Bumper's!) Oh, how I would love to live close enough to share a blanket more often!  Maybe one day in retirement... :)

Love, Love, Love these folks and time with family!

Picture Update

That swing will throw you!

So cute in his dinosaur jammies from Grammaw & PawPaw.

This kid loves his pillow when he is tired.

So what if I gain another 15 lbs this winter?!? It will keep me warm.

OMG, I love these two! (Well, three. Puppy is in the mix, too.)

We keep it kinda casual around the Benefield house.

Sweetest. Smile. Ever.

Terrible Twos

Life with a two year old guarantees never a dull moment. It's so hard to believe that my little 17 month old baby boy will be turning three soon. Where has time went? Folks told me to treasure every moment and write it all down because before I knew it, he'd be grown. Y'all weren't lying!

The past few weeks have been full of hissy fits, whining, pouting, and stomping (from all three of us), because John McRae is more hard headed than ever! Yes, I'm a mean mama and won't let him have ice cream for breakfast. I won't let him beat on the computer or let him watch Yo Gabba Gabba every second of the day. It's not like he doesn't watch it on the way to daycare, at daycare, on the way home from daycare, and then when he gets home. He gets plenty of tv time in, but it's never enough. I am a mean mama because I won't allow him bubble baths anymore. I know he loves it but his skin doesn't! I promise kid, if it wouldn't break you out in rashes, you could take one every night. I miss that little bit of peace and quiet, quite honestly. With the many spats around our house lately, I wouldn't trade it for the world. While 2.5 is an age that tests parents' patience and makes us understand why some animals eat their young...there are so many WONDERFUL, fun times as well that make it so...awesome!

I'll attempt to illustrate a little of John McRae at 2 years 8 months.

* EVERY thing is a drum. Right now he is beating a metal lunch box with a wooden spoon. Daniel took a metal filing cabinet to the shed this morning and JMc cried, "DRUM, DRUM!" Thank God that drum isn't in the hallway anymore!

*I'm Mommy Pig, Daniel is DaDa Pig, John is John Pig, and Sam is Puhty Pig.

*You should really hear this kid talk. It is so cute. Applesh. Oingesh (oranges), cookiesh. He knows that a "sh" on the end of all words makes them super cute and he knows how to make things work to his advantage.

*He can steal your heart with a "I wuv you too Mommy."

*There are two Santas in the shed and he likes to tell them good-night and will throw the biggest fit if it doesn't happen.

*At nap, his stomach was making noises and he told it to "Shhh. Be quiet," because the puppy was trying to sleep.

*He knows every word to Yo Gabba Gabba and can "break it down."

*He loves his Dumbo movie. He calls him Bumbo.

*He gets so tickled and it is so dang cute and funny.

*No matter how many times he is corrected, he will not stop coloring on the living room window.

*He put his shorts on by himself earlier and one leg is out of the top of the shorts, the other leg is out of one of the pant legs, and the other pant leg is around his waist. He thought it was funny and wants to wear them that way.

*He constantly asks for "ice cream cone."

*Against his raising, he is becoming an Alabama fan on his own. He walks around the house saying, "Woll Ride. Woll Tide Woll."

*He also identifies "Maroon & White" ...Go Dawgs!

*He might have been born in Korea, but he is Southern to the core. He loves tea and biscuits.

*While he is a little country boy, he has a very propper accent.

*His best friend is Hunter and he talks about Hunter and his baby brother all. of. the. time.

*Although he is not spending the night in his bedroom, he has really found an interest in playing in there. It's so sweet when he says, "Come on guys. Play John's room. Mommy. DaDa."

*He was so whiney the other day and we thought he was physically ill. I was holding him and Daniel asked him where he hurt, what was wrong, did he not feel good...John McRae replied in his weakest, post pitiful voice, "cuuuup caaaake."

*This is a little graphic, but the dog decided to vomit on the seat while we were riding the golf cart through the woods the other day. John McRae got so excited and said, "Puh-ty spit out water. Alright!"

*He insists on wearing his shoes all of the time. It doesn't matter if they match, as long as he has on shoes. At one point this morning, he had on one blue Croc and one camo boot.

This is just a little glimpse into our fun with John McRae.  And most of this is just what happened today!

I'm so thankful to be this quirky little boy's mommy!

Thankful for Emma!

I know I have blogged about my Aunt Emma several times, but she is the kinda gal that deserves it!

Emma is more than my Daddy's sister. She is my best friend from as far back as I can remember. She is my "sister." She is the one that knows everything about me, yet still loves me. She and I share a special bond that only family can. It doesn't matter what others think of us or our family because even though it isn't always good and easy, there is always love, understanding, history, life lessons, and a special bond. There's no doubt Emma has helped me through some really tough times. She never judges me, and ALWAYS has my back...probably when we both know I'm far from on the right track! I'm the same for her. I'm totally 100% Team Emma all of the time. We are sweet, Southern ladies, but we can be a mean pair when messed with!

I woke up with her on my mind this morning, as I do many mornings. In November, I'm on the bandwagon of posting what I'm thankful for on my Facebook status. This morning I set my status that I was thankful for my Aunts Emma Linn & Sherrie Johnson. Then, my dumb butt realized that I TOTALLY FORGOT EMMA'S BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY! I feel like total doo-doo! I promise, promise, promise that I'm going to make this up to you when I see you for Thanksgiving! I just can't even put in to words how lousy I feel.

Best Friends for 28 years!

This pic isn't of Emma and I, but it symbolizes her being there for me in my darkest days.

 She's always thinking of me, always sending John McRae something super fun, and just always there with an open mind and a super comfy shoulder to cry on. I'm so blessed to have such an amazing bond with such an amazing friend/aunt/sister. We are super silly together, have the same voice when we talk and some times sing, and yes, we are pretty dang cute!

I love you!

Stacy

Thankful: My Guys

I'm so thankful for and completely in love with these two silly guys.

Info from Holt International

about National Adoption month.

Check out this website.

XOXO,

Stacy

Country Life

 Yes, that is a cow mailbox which has been in the same spot for a little shy of 30 years. My MIL got it one year for Christmas when they lived at our address. She (the cow) has had a rough life. This isn't her first hit and run. She's a tough cookie, and is currently standing really loosely, with little support of her wobbly pole. It is time that she retire, but I just can't let her go. (& have you checked the price of cow mailboxes lately? ...Dumb question, I know...They are close to $300!)

We came home, the night prior, to see the deer who done this laying between the pole and the mail box. At first, I wondered who I'd ticked off causing them to want to demolish our mail box.  Then, D spotted the deer. I chose to take a photo after the deer had been removed, for your viewing pleasure. You are welcome. ;)

I still don't know if the car hit the deer which totaled out or mail box or if the car hit the mail box totaling out the deer. Either way, the end result was a dead cow and a dead deer.

Daniel was hacked off because the individual didn't stop to remove the deer from our yard.  I thought to myself that they had more important things to worry about (their damaged car) and cleaning the poop from their pants. By the time he got home, his mindset had changed. He figured it was the least he could do.

Never a dull moment at our house, that is fo sho.

homestudy

In most instances after a family decides to adopt, they first begin their home study. This was not the case for D & I. We saw JMc's on this photo listing and then decided to adopt. So, we worked backwards through the process a bit. So, if you see a child on the photo listing that you want more information on, ASK first, home study later.

For those of you who aren't familiar with a home study and what it entails, I want to give you a little information. We finished up our home study in 2010, so things may have changed a bit. If so, this will still give you a general idea of what is needed and expected of you. WARNING: At first, the requirements seem horribly detailed and can be quite intimidating. Trust me, you do not need a law degree to fill it all out and your adoption agency and social worker will be there to answer questions when you are unsure or just flat out get ready to pull your hair out.

Documents Checklist for Home Studies from Catholic Charities in 2009/2010.
*Copies of birth certificates for each parent
*Marriage license (if applicable)
*Divorce decrees (if applicable)
*Physician Statements for each parent
*Financial Form
*Most recent 1040 Income Tax Return
*Pay Stubs
*Bankruptcy discharge order (if applicable)
*Original FBI fingerprint report
*Pet's vaccination record (if applicable) 
*Waste treatment inspection report (can be obtained from your local health department)
*Verification of smoke detectors (during home visit) and fire extinguisher (at least 10 lbs)
*Drivers license and social security cards must be presented to your social worker for Child Abuse Registry checks


*All international home study applicants must complete 10 hours training education independent of the home study. Catholic Charities uses the Parents in Process training curriculum provided by Holt International. If adopting a child 2 years or older or a special needs child, an additional 4 hours of training is required.


*All applicants adopting domestic infants must complete a newborn education class. If local, they can refer you to a hospital in the area that will provide the class free of charge. Otherwise, contact a local hospital in your area. 


*All applicants for special needs adoptions must complete 15 hours of training.


See, I told you it sounds like A LOT! It is so doable, though. There are also some filings you had to through the US government. Your social worker will advise you of those requirements at your first meeting with them (or at least our social worker did) and you will be given more detailed information. In our case, we first went to see our social worker in her office. Then, she came to our residence for a home visit. At this visit, you do not have to have your home ready for your child, you just have to show that that it is a safe environment with clean water, and have room for the child. Note, you do not have to have a separate bed room for each of your children, children can share a room as long as they have adequate living/sleeping space.  There were a series of interviews, but they are just basic questions about your family, your childhood, your hobbies, careers, etc. It really isn't anything to worry over, and even though you won't believe me...your house does not have to be perfect and spotless! The fees for our home study were MUCH less than those listed on our adoption agency's website. If you want more information on that, please ask me or if you are local, I can give you the contact information for our social worker at Catholic Charities.  The fee in our case was paid in steps. So, we did not have to pay it all at once. To submit our original application was $25.00.


This is just a basic run-down of the dreaded home study. See, it isn't that bad! If you have any questions or want more information, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email is stacyjbenefield@yahoo.com or you can give me a call or FaceBook me.

Do you want to do something beautiful for God? There is a person who needs you. This is your chance.
Mother Teresa 

 

XOXO,

Stacy

National Adoption Month

Although I talk adoption with someone every day, post about it on my blog to the point that it probably gets old to some folks, and constantly deal with a heart that is on fire for adoption, I REALLY get to talk it this month!

It's National Adoption Month and if you want to see a few dozen reasons that adoption rocks, just take a look at this video! There is a special little dude with his pup on this video near the end, and I have to admit...I can't watch without tearing up.

There is so much love in this video. So many happy families smiling and if it doesn't light your fire for adoption, your wood is wet! I'm so proud that John McRae is part of this project this year. Daniel and I (along with the other families in this video) are so blessed with some of the most incredible children in the entire world.  

There is so much emotion, love, and GOD in this video.

By choice, we have become a family, first in our hearts, and finally in breath and being.
Great expectations are good; great experiences are better.
Richard Fischer
Adoptive parent

Cornerstone Fall Festival

On Saturday afternoon, Grammaw, John McRae, and I headed to the Cornerstone Fall Festival. We didn't take as many photos as we should have, but I did manage to snap a few. I wish I had captured one of John McRae and Judah, but she was a very busy girl and so was he!

We certainly enjoyed the company, games, and fun.

Many thanks for the invite!

I'm very excited about the very last picture. Be jealous, Sweet Olive love is just as precious as it looks! I'm so glad to finally get to hold her! :)

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday, we went to Circle S Pumkin Patch. John was especially excited because he got to see NeNe on a Saturday. He definitely considers the Andrews Bunch a part of his family.

As usual, it took John McRae a little while to warm up. Once he did, there was no catching him! Maybe I'm a little partial, but he was so stinkin' cute with his button up and boot cut jeans on. 
(His dad is pretty easy on the eyes, too!)

Who says only little girls can dress to impress?

Here are a few pictures from the day.







How cute is he?!?



NeNe & JMc

Cutest cowboy ever!

One of my favorites.

He looks like such a natural cowboy. :)

JMc loves Ally!

Add caption

We topped this trip off with a trip through the drive-thru at
Chick-fil-A and then home to nap before the Cornerstone Fall Festival.
XOXO,
Stacy :)