Jon and Kate Plus 8

I've thought about writing this post for a while, but I wanted to take some time and pray about it before I did.

First, I hope that you will watch this short video before reading further or leaving a comment. It is an interview with Kate's brother and his wife who have been a part of the show up until a year ago.
Watch CBS Videos Online

I started watching this show when it first started. I found it fascinating simply because I am a mom of multiples and I also was intrigued by how tight of a ship she ran, all while promoting a healthier way of living by eating organic foods, etc.

I have now committed to stop watching this show (including reruns) and I will not contribute to their empire by buying their books, etc. I am and have been very troubled about the exploitation of their children as I have noticed more and more shows being filmed each season. I, for a while, have also said that I don't like the way that Kate treats Jon on the show and I feel like if the roles were reversed and if Jon spoke to her the way she speaks to him, the show would have been canceled long ago.

I am typing this because I am asking you to commit to pray for this family. I am also asking you to please stop watching it. Did you know they had almost 10 million viewers on Monday night for the season premiere? That's a record for cable tv and although I am admitting I was one of them, I am also admitting that I am ashamed that I was. I am seriously concerned about their marriage, their children, and the effects of this show on these children as they grow up. I hope you will join me!

Waterpark in the backyard

The wonderful couple (that I still haven't blogged about) bought this awesome blow up waterpark while we were visiting in Houston. They have three kids (10, 5, and 3) who had an absolute blast playing and we were amazed at just how cool this sucker was. Now, I'm tempted to buy one.

We just bought a LARGER Rainbow swing set that is a monster, so I guess I am a little worried that our entire backyard will be nothing but toys, but then the other part of me thinks "how cool is that?"

I guess I am also thinking that we could use the money we would have spent on M.E.'s birthday party/gift and do a water themed party for her second birthday in August. Heck, for that reason, we could use all the money for each of the kids birthdays and buy this sucker and actually get something that they *might* remember for more than a millisecond.

So, if you have one of these Banzai monsters currently parked in your backyard OR are thinking about buying one, leave me a comment and let me know if you love it/hate it/want it/etc. Oh, and if you have one and your water bill went through the freaking roof I would love to know that too!

A week ago today...

We were on an airplane leaving Houston to come home and see our family. I had been gone for 10 days and oh, how I missed the kids. Here's a pic of us as we saw the kids for the first time.


A week later I am sitting here in bed with Joshua and Mary Elizabeth. The kids are doing wonderful with Joshua. Mary Elizabeth walks through the house and says "Of JT" which translates to "love JT" She likes to give him kisses, pat his back for burps and try to steal his paci. Isaac and Luke are totally in love and so glad we have a boy. They have actually both already fed him and hold him constantly. Anna is also madly in love with Joshua. She loves to take care of him and already thinks of him as her newest real live baby doll.

Jonathan and I are doing great, totally exhausted, but great. As I told one of my dear friends today, I am trying to set small goals for each day so I don't get overwhelmed and in turn, beat myself up for not getting a whole lot done. I'm trying to rest when the little ones are resting so if I don't answer the phone, please don't take it personally. Leave me a message, I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Joshua is a hoss. Eating like crazy and sleeping a lot. He's already in size 2 diapers. Alison B. was here today and got some beautiful shots of J.T. so I am excited to see those and share those with you. We had a little hair party today. Jamie (M.E.'s hair goddess) came to the house and did Norah, Charlotte and Jordyn's hair today. Their hair looked beautiful and I enjoyed getting to hang out with my friends. Angie V. and Lisa H. also stopped by to visit.

I am off to eat a wonderful dinner prepared by Melissa, Jordyn and Isaiah's mom. THANK YOU Melissa for all the wonderful food you brought today. I'll try to update more often this next week!

Sweet Joshua

Joshua is doing great, eating like a mad man and growing like a weed. We went to the doctor today and he has gained a full pound in just 13 days! He's officially 9 lbs. Doctor said he looks great and we agree...he is such a happy little guy!

Here's a pic from this past Saturday. To see more, check out the post here. A big THANKS to Uncle Josh for taking some pics for us.

And the winner of the Veranda gift certificate is....

K.N. (email me and I will mail the certificate to you!)

We actually went to the Veranda for lunch yesterday. It was our first official outing as a Party of 7 and we had a fantastic lunch! THANKS to the Veranda crew for taking such good care of us on our first day back home!

MIRACLE HAPPENED...We're Home!

Yesterday morning, D (our case worker here in Nashville) called at 9am to tell us that TN ICPC had not even received our paperwork yet. To say we were bummed was an understatement. I had spent a lot of time Thursday night in prayer, letting HIM know that I would be ok if we couldn't come home. That I would not allow Satan to steal our joy if we didn't get that approval. That I would continue PRAISING HIM!

Around noon, I drug myself into a nice, hot bath. As I sat there, tears streamed down my face as I literally clung to Jeremiah 29:11. God knew what this process would look like to bring Joshua home, I just needed to trust him.

I came downstairs to face J, who was watching Joshua and asked if he minded running to the store. We were almost out of wipes and he was taking the rental car back at 5pm as he went to the airport. Our host family continued to let me know that I was not being an inconvenience and that no car was needed. They would happily take me to the airport whenever I needed to go. I will do a post later about this family, they are AMAZING.

J headed to the store and to Whataburger for lunch. If he's leaving, we gotta eat there right? Around 2pm, he called me and when I answered the phone and he was crying. "Great, he's wrecked the rental car!" is all I could think. He choked out that we had just gotten verbal approval to come home from ICPC in TN. I immediately started crying and Angel started saying "OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!" We were totally praising God right there in her living room! I texted Joy who let me know she had not heard from TX ICPC yet, but we were probably safe to make travel plans.

What proceeded was literally the most stressful three hours of my life, literally. We now know that TX ICPC decided to close early yesterday, so even though we were technically cleared to go home, there was no one in the office to call and verify that with Joy. Finally at 5ish, D was able to call Joy and let her know she had gotten verbal and the fax had been sent and we got clearance to go. We were on a plane by 7:40pm.

So, yes, our paperwork got to TN at 10am via Fed Ex and we were approved by 2pm. If that's not a miracle, I'm not sure what is. You see, the paperwork that TN combed through was over 3" thick.

Joshua did great on the flight home. Only a handful of people even realized we had a baby on the plane. A sweet couple sat behind us and even came over to say goodbye at baggage claim where they got to meet our entire family.

Walked down to baggage claim and seeing our families there was AWESOME! I, of course, cried. Anna bawled like a baby. JuJu, Papa Eddie, Grandmother, Papa Sam, Angie, Robert, Alexandra, Abby and all of our kids were there to great us. It was late (almost 9:50pm when our flight got in), but M.E. was so happy to have us home and just kept saying "Baby! Baby? Baby! Baby?" She passed out happily in the car on the ride home.

We got home and everyone took pics and then the grandparents went home. I fixed Anna, Isaac and Luke popcorn, got bags unpacked with J and we got Joshua settled in his bassinet. Overall, he did awesome last night considering things were stressful yesterday and his schedule got mixed up a bit. As I type, he is laying there with the hiccups.

We are SO thankful to be home. Visitors are more than welcome, just please call first if you are coming and make sure you aren't sick or that your kiddos aren't sick. Tonight I plan to upload more pics, draw a winner for the Veranda drawing (feel free to enter til 5pm today), and do a post on our host family and their non-profit which I'm sure many of you in blogland are familiar with. THANKS to all who have prayed for us during this journey, supported us financially, and kept up with us. It's a new, exciting chapter for us and we can't wait to spend our first full day at home wtih ALL of our kids. A big thanks to our families who literally kept our household right on track while we were gone. I even came home to find my tupperware shelf organized so I know JuJu stayed busy while we were gone! Love you guys!

We're Coming Home

This is Laura, a friend of Brea's. I just got off the phone with her and they are on there way home. Jonathan, JT and her are about to board a plane and will be in Nashville tonight at 9:15. Praise God! He is truly a God of miracles. YEA!!!!