friday night.

pillows.
popcorn.
toy story.
hugs.

i shouldn't have.

but i did.
i just bought these two little froggies for ben and davis.

davis now has his very first stuffed animal.
oh i can't wait to see these on their beds.
bought from HERE.
xoxoxo.

bagels and surprises.

oh man. i love bread.
fresh, delicious, crusty and yet so soft, bread.
when sarah posted this recipe for homemade bagels, i was all over it.

this weekend i resurrected the bread machine and went to town.
it really is VERY easy.
so easy in fact, that i made two batches.

i just don't think i can go back to the regular store-bought kind any time soon.
these are so easy and delicious, especially straight out of the oven!
try them and let me know what you think. yum!

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in other news, my sweetie pie friends meg and chrissie totally pulled off a HUGE surprise on me today!
they are helping us with an amazing fundraiser for our davis boy.

chrissie is donating 25% of each pillow sale this month to our adoption fund!
i have loved these since the first time i saw them!
so, so cute!

to see more of chrissie's shop or to buy a pillow, click HERE.

i'm thinking these would be the BEST christmas gifts ever!
or birthday gifts
or good report card gifts
or communion gifts
or baby shower gifts
or christening gifts
or just because they are so stinkin cute that my child just had to have them gifts!

order one (or ten) today! :)
and thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, meg and chrissie!
best. surprise. ever.
love ya.
mean it.

new pics.

i took a small, much-needed break from taking pictures.
it was starting to feel like a chore. "take a picture of this, don't forget to take that picture, etc, etc."
i was burned out.
over the last week or so i picked up the camera again.
and i'm happy to say, it's just like riding a bike!

here are a few of my favorites from the week, fresh off my memory card.

anna's last softball game.








mr. grumpy gill's scowl.  



pretty flowers blooming in our backyard.





ben boy's swirly hair



bucky barkenstein.



ben's ornery grin. (and drippy popsicle shirt)



layin in the grass on a cool night.



practicing handstands.



and my favorite, even though the focus is way off, just seems so absolutely her, at this moment of her life.



feels good to be back at capturing these sweet faces that surround me every day.

some days i feel so lucky, i feel so aware, so much goodness is hanging around me.
today was one of those days.
as i was driving home from work, singing loudly and feeling awfully carefree, i couldn't help but thank God for today. 
for feeling so happy, so content and so loved.

like.

summer is fast approaching.
only two and a 1/2 days of school to go.
i admit i'm a little nervous about how our nice schedule is going to change and morph into something much more chaotic but i'm trying not to think about that.

instead, i'm making lists of stuff i like.
way more fun than worrying about schedules.

like this pillow. it's purdy.

and this idea for smart snacks

and this bathroom cabinet. mine looks like the complete opposite of this organized dream.

i think these clay pens are a clever father's day idea.
josh would love these. (note to self, buy some clay)

this lovely piece called "please: notes to my children" had me nodding my head and smiling and even tearing up. so worth the read.

lastly, this bedroom found here (by designer shannon berrey) makes me want to completely overhaul the little boys' room. in fact, it's on my summer list.

speaking of summer lists, we are working on ours this weekend.
along with all kinds of memorial day maxin and relaxin. :)

woody.

i found ben digging through the toy basket in the living room.
he was searching and searching for something important.

and finally, at the very bottom, he found it.

woody.
his buddy.

oh man, i love him so.
(ben, not woody. no offense, woody. i mean you're funny and all, but...)

my sweet ben boy, how did i ever live without you?
you make my heart sing. just by being you.

new pictures.

today i received a weblink that led me to two new pictures of davis.
our boy is growing.

he looks so much longer and thinner.
and i see so much of the sadness that was there before too.

i wish, beyond more than anything else, he was here with us and not at the orphanage.
i want him home.
i want to see him smile.
i want to rub his back and give him kisses on his sweet head.
in many ways, i miss him. how can i miss him when i've never met him.
but i do. i miss him something awful.

i've already received several email offering donations for our fundraiser.
yes, we are planning one.
i am still looking for ideas.
and items.
**if you have anything you would like to donate to our fundraiser, please email me.**
we need your donations and items!
i am working on a post and hope to go live in the next week or so.

a couple of you have already contacted me and i appreciate it so very much!
y'all are so amazing.
i want to give you hugs too.
i guess i'm in a huggy kind of mood! :)

one more very important item: please say a prayer for the davis family.
they are adopting a little boy named kirill and their adoption was denied earlier this year by a russian judge that said because kirill has down syndrome, he was better off in an institution.

tomorrow they will go to the supreme court in his region and plea for a different result.
please pray the judge will grant them kirill, and for kirill, a family to love.
adeye wrote the most beautiful post about it all here.
please take a minute to read it and then pray, pray, pray.