Still Time

We did this last year. It was great. Hoping to do it again. Still one more day to prepare ;)

So Different

Oh, boys!

So what do three boys, three years apart, do for entertainment on a teacher workday? Pretend they are professional basketball players being announced for a game, of course. Specific background music, different numbers and names each time and a mama who grew a little hoarse from the 30 minutes of "announcing" with her best announcing voice ;)

No playing teacher, tea party or doctor here. Although there was some dress-up when Mason and Ryan decided to be mascots. Didn't get pics of that though. Darn!

SugarPlum is going to think she landed on Mars ;)

Reuse, Recycle

Here is the younger boys' new room.

The curtains and rug came from the nursery. I replaced the ribbon on the old curtains :) Iron-on tape is the best. The furniture stayed the same.

The name art and the pictures below are the new decor. Not super fancy but it changed the look and Mason was excited. I wanted him to feel loved in this room switch. I have some lego ideas in mind but it hasn't happened yet.
These three pics are simply scrapbook paper 20 cents each in square frames. Space shuttle, ufo and star theme.


We are still getting used to the shuffle when Mason is home at nap time. He has been very gracious about not having his "own" space for quiet time. He has moved about depending on the day.

I had to sneak in during his nap today b/c he went to bed wearing a "Robin" from Batman costume, a pirate handkerchief and eye patch. Funny boy! Love those little lips.

Thankful

The 31 party was a huge success. Man, are we loved! Between the online orders and party orders we raised $300. The check will be written to Lifesong so it will be doubled. $600. yahoo! Plus, I got some amazing goodies myself as hostess. Such a treat that I was not expecting.
TS you are THE BEST. Thanks girl!

Adoption is...

so much more than giving a little girl a family. God is doing BIG things in me, in my family and all of you who are praying for us and walking alongside of us. I am humbled and amazed at how God is moving people on our behalf, whether it's sending an encouraging email, mentioning a specific prayer they have prayed, giving towards our Lifesong fund, or simply loving me by giving me the space I need to do my thing.

A dear friend of mine who LOVES the Fatherless. I mean some serious passion and drive to advocate and care for them, is giving us a wonderful gift. She is a consultant for Thirty-One and she is giving our family 100% of her commission earned at a party I am hosting this weekend.

I have several bags. My favorite is the Market Thermal Tote. I take it everywhere. It's the best for the pool!!  The new spring catalog is out and it's full of super cute things. So take a peek ;) You don't have to be local to shop. If you need a bag, or your friend needs a bag, or your friend's friend needs a bag. Cause you can never have too many bags ;) GO SHOP now (deadline is Jan 27th). We hope to close the party on Sunday, so friends can get their orders quickly!

Instructions for online ordering:

Go to https://www.mythirtyone.com/tscoggins/

Click on “place an order”

Find “Ali Fogarty’s adoption fundraiser”

Click “shop now”

He is providing! We are blessed! I hope this encourages you to take a risk and trust him b/c he can do BIG things, friends!

Didn't Anticipate

My days are SO full (already with 3, yikes) that I am never bored like I used to be when Owen was little. I remember going places just because there wasn't anything else to do. Ha! Those days are long gone. I am perfectly content to spend multiple days at home just living life and trying to maintain (not very successfully) our home and 5 schedules.

In my head, I assumed Ryan's crib would be disassembled and reassembled into his new room. After all what's the rush. He loved his crib. Funny that the day before the switch he decides to scale the railings and quietly escape his bed for the first time.

We decided it was silly to do all the extra work to move the crib, if he was now able to climb out.
So, I had no time to mentally prepare myself. No time for an silent pep talk of how I would be fine with my baby in a big bed. It just happened.

I was sad. But no tears. He couldn't be happier. I am thrilled for him.

I am sure it's just coincidence but he is acting bigger in other ways. His language, getting undressed by himself, and using the potty better. (I have the longest potty trainers EVER)

What I didn't anticipate was the feelings I would have now that his room is empty. It's at the top of our stairs, there is no way to avoid the darkness. His room will soon become Sugar Plum's room. I am finding it takes my breath away each time I pass by. I want her home! I want to see her sweet face for the first time and I want to hold her in my arms and I want to bring her home.

Last night EJ came home with amazing news from work. End of the year bonus related kind of news! I started tearing up at the generosity and provision from the Lord. Owen walked in and saw my tears. He said, "What? Did you see a picture of sissy?"

I am not the only one who thinks of her. Owen doesn't say much about her, but when he does I see the softening of his heart. So many friends are praying for that specifically, and I am forever grateful.

My Littlest

Oh my heart!

He did it. He is no longer sleeping in his crib. He LOVES his big bed and his new room. We are so grateful. So far so good. He has always been our most flexible as far as sleeping goes. I am SAD about not having a little one in a crib. Deep breaths. There is always a chance our Sugar Plum could be small enough. We will wait and see :)

More pics of his new room, soon.

SNOW day!!!

The boys got a special treat on Friday. A snow day! It was very wet snow and only a few inches, but they made the most of it. The best coverage was in the circle of our caul-de-sac. So that is where they spend a majority of their 3 trips outside. These pics are from 8 in the morning! I didn't even bother with snow pants. I was still in my pjs on the front stoop with my longest zoom lens ;) They were too excited to wait. I love that they are big enough to send on their own.

Moving Out

Owen's new room has been slowly coming together. All last week he kept asking if he could sleep in his new bed. Mason was not excited to be all by himself so we made Owen wait until we were closer to having Ryan ready to move up.
So Thursday and Friday night Mason "slept over" in Owen's new room.
This allowed me time to get the other room cleaned and cleared out and ready for Ryan.

Owen has loved his new space. He and EJ put on the finishing touches yesterday. I will take more pictures soon. He is constantly beckoning the boys to join him in his room. Not sure if he is lonely or just loves being in there and doesn't want to miss out on what they are doing. Cute!

Ryan is doing great in the new room. More on that later!

Lots to Do

The big switcheroo is happening this 3 day (turned 4 with snow!!) weekend. Owen will have a room all to his own. Ryan (and crib) will now share with Mason. Mason is SAD. I am nervous. And there is A LOT to do.
Basketball for Owen starts tomorrow. He is pumped!

****Scratch that. Ryan just climbed out of his crib for the first time. DARN. DARN. DOUBLE DARN. Maybe we won't be moving the crib after-all. This weekend just got a whole lot more interesting

JMU BBall

This past week was a very difficult week. I am not yet ready to write about it. I will say, I felt extremely loved by the Father of All and feel more in love with my husband and was blessed by some very dear friends. Doesn't sound like such a bad week, after all ;) So glad He has my heart in mind and not just a cruise through life.

One of EJ's Christmas gifts was tickets to a JMU bball game. The four of us went, while Ryan stayed back with my parents. It was nice to get away from the disaster that became of our house after our crazy week.
It's hard to tell in the picture, but I was sitting in front of Dr. Carrier (light purple sweater). He was president my freshman year. Seemed fitting and also crazy b/c I am quite certain he goes unnoticed by today's students. Man, did we feel old.

Changes

A LOT is going on. I don't have much energy to spend here and I miss writing.
This weekend we began the room transformations. Owen will be moving out of the room he currently shares with Mason, into our "guest" room. Ryan will move in with Mason and his old room, the nursery, will become Sugar Plum's room. We will no longer have a spare room. We are grieving the loss of our computer space and catch-all room, but Owen is SO excited.
Mason goes back and forth with exciement, jealousy and worrying what it will be like to room with Ryan, aka the monkey destroyer ;)
I am trying to keep the painting to a minimum for lack of energy and time, but Owen is getting a one wall makeover. Stay tuned ;) He is ready to move NOW. So he thinks.

Also, this weekend, Owen was allowed to ride his bike around the neighborhood with some friends without an adult and out of our view. This feels like a big deal and I want to record it. I was worried the whole time and may have gone out in the van to check on him ;) Mostly b/c he doesn't wear a watch and I needed him to come home. I tried not to embarrass him in the process.

Adoption Matching Grant

***Our Matching Grant has been reached!! I have removed the contact info***

It is no secret that international adoption is expensive, ranging from $20-40,000. Sound overwhelming?

And for some people this is the hurdle that keeps them from moving forward.

But God is showing us how faithful he is to provide for the orphan and for those who care for them. I think it’s tempting to see the cost and turn our heads the other way, but by doing that we lose a chance to see just how big our God is. Sure, it is important to be wise stewards of what he has given us, but we also must remember it is His in the first place.

IF God is calling someone to adoption, He will provide the way. 

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:33-34

We have already seen him at work on our behalf. And we are so very encouraged and grateful for the financial gifts we’ve received.

Just before Christmas, we received wonderful news that our family has been offered the opportunity to receive an adoption matching grant of $1,500 to help with cost of our adoption. 

Our church has partnered with Lifesong For Orphans to help make this happen for us and for other church families who apply.  

If Lifesong receives $1,500 on our behalf, our church's orphan care fund will double that and we will have $3,000 more towards our fundraising efforts!! Isn't that awesome?

The other added blessing is that the contributions are tax deductible* Something we ourselves can not offer ;)

Any additional funds raised will go towards our adoption as well.

So many of you have already helped us financially. And we are so thankful!!

**Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.

Looking Forward

For the past 6 years, we have been fortunate enough to spend New Year's Eve with some of our dearest friends. We look forward to it so much! We are blessed to have this tradition. Each year we switch locations depending on whose turn it is to host. This year our evening was spent at the Youngs and they treated us to an amazing surf and turf dinner.

The Cassada clan hosted our family for two nights! The kids had a blast together. Pat's parents watched all 9 kids on NYE. (4 were in bed before we left)

Courtney organized an fun celebration for the kids. Each hour on the hour from 1-7pm, the kids took turns popping a balloon. Each balloon contained a piece of a paper with an "activity" on it. (2012 recap worksheet, hot chocolate, balloon volley ball, dance party, cookie and sparking cider toast, etc) Some of these pics were taken by Courtney.

 One of the activities was making bags for the homeless, full of snacks and toiletries.

Ringing in their 7 p.m. NYE ;)

After we put some of the younger kids to bed, we headed to the Young's house.

Ali, Leah, Courtney, Peyton

rocking our colored jeans ;)

I had some fun with the camera remote EJ got me for Christmas. 

We set up a tripod and I clicked away.

 

EJ and I reflected in the mirror getting set-up for the group photo.

 Need to work on my camera settings ;(

We had a great time. The evening went by much too fast. So thankful for this wonderful friends! 

I think we are next to host. Not sure we can top this one.