Are you a carrier or sender?

October 2011 Family Portrait

Are you a carrier or a sender? 

I have been thinking alot lately about being involved in Jake's life and his activities.  The Christmas party at his baby sitters house is this Friday and I want to be there soooooo bad.  But I am trying to decide if going to the party will be a bad idea because he will want to leave with me after the party and I will have to go back to work.  Truth is,  I can't stand the thought of him having a party and me not being there.  I want to enjoy every part of his life and I want to be involved with him and all the fun he has. 

My Mom (and Dad when he could be) was a carrier.  She always went with me and was involved in the activities that I was involved in.  I loved it!  I wanted her there.  We have great memories of things we did together when I was growing up.  Yes there was a time when I didn't want her to go to everything but I did want her (and still want her) to be there for the big things in my life.

Some Moms are senders.  They send their child with other people or just send them by themselves to birthdays,  school programs, ball games, etc.  I am not talking about working mothers that literally can't go but I am talking about mothers (or fathers for that matter) that don't go because they don't want to or they want to spend that time for themselves. 

So I am a carrier!  I hope Jake grows up to LOVE the fact that I go places, make memories, and that I actually "like" him and being around him.  I am proud of the fact that I am a carrier!

But what am I gonna do about the Christmas party Friday??

Speaking of Christmas party...here is one of his pictures with Santa.  No smile BUT not crying either!  Isn't he just the cutest little fella you have ever seen?  Jake not Santa.......

Meet Ms. Maci.....

This is Maci.  Her Mom and I grew up in the same church together and have known each other all of our lives.  Maci was born November 19th at 35 weeks via emergency c-section.  God is an awesome God!  Jima did not feel Maci move most of the day on the 19th but wasn't worried because they heard the heartbeat.  FaceBook posts saved Maci's life.  Jima posted that Maci was not moving but they heard the heartbeat and a couple of her friends said they had lost babies and that Jima needed to call the doctor.  Well Maci was here in just a few short minutes after Jima and Rick got to the hospital.  Praise the Lord everything worked in Maci's favor!

Maci had several obstacles to overcome.   She aspirated (inhaled) meconium, her placenta had torn and Maci lost more than half of her blood volume. Maci was on a ventilator for almost 4 full days, had 3 blood transfusions, lots of tests and had a UAC (IV line directly into an artery via her umbilical cord) and it prevented Jima and Rick from holding her for 11 days.  Can you imagine not holding your baby for 11 days?  Everything turned around for Maci with the exception of her kidney function.  She has been diagnosed with Intrinsic Renal Failure.  She is on dialysis and the long term medical  plan is for her to continue dialysis until she is at least 22 pounds and can receive a kidney transplant which will be about the time she is a year old. 

BUT we know our God can heal Maci!  We are praying for God to heal her little sweet body, for guidance for the doctors and nurses that are caring for her, and for strength for Jima and Rick.  PLEASE join me in praying for Maci!  This little sweetie is a fighter and God has an awesome plan for her life! 

Read more about Maci and keep up with her daily progress at Day by Day with Maci Moo.

And spread the word!  You can not have to many people praying! 

Jake Turned Two!

Can you believe it?  My little super hero turned TWO on October 22!  It is true, time really does fly!  I am usually very certain to make sure we celebrate (and document) his birthdays ON THE DAY.  For example, his first birthday portraits HAD to be taken on Oct 22, his 18 month portraits HAD to be taken on April 22, etc.  Yes a little OCD but I want to remember him exactly the way he was on that day!  Thankfully our photographer understands my "on the date" hang up and works with me!  Well this year ON THE DATE was not possible.  You see Jake has an obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine.  The local kids farm and petting zoo has a Thomas train so we had to have the party there...no questions about it!  He had to ride Thomas!  When I called to book the party Thomas was all booked up on Saturday for local festivals so we could have the party on the 22nd BUT Thomas would not be available.  Another plain ole train would be there but not Thomas.  Well this MaMom got her priorities straight real quick and decided that Thomas it would be.  So we partied on the 23rd!

We had a great time!  Most of Jake's friends were there and they had a ball! They fed sheep, goats, pigs, and rabbits.  They rode the pony cart and horses.  Milked a goat.  And rode Thomas!  Jake got to drive so it was the highlight of his day!  Then they played in the hay maze and on the playground.  I don't think any of them ate much at all.  They were just to busy!  But we served chili dogs, chips and dip, and the most awesome cake you have ever seen (thanks to Veronica Hayes).  The adults had a great time too!  It was a little chilly but you never know about the weather in these parts this time of year.  Maybe next year I will look for an indoor location.

Here are some of the highlights from the day!


Just Jake.  He is not into smiling for the camera these days.




With Thomas



Feeding the Sheep



Look at that Cake...Awesome even from the back





Is this a cutie pootie or what?  Just an absolute doll!





His latest thing...both fingers up his nose. 
I think it is just to see if MaMom will
say "stop it" one more time!




The Thinker...with dirty knees.




Blowing out the candles with Chloe

Check out Jenn's Blog Post to read more about Jake.  Also, read about there little surprise coming in May!

Did you see this........

Did you see my guest blog on lee, Me, and the Girls?

I am so thankful to my friend McCall for the opportunity! Check out my "I am that Mommy" post here here!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.........

What a week it has been!

Last week was my birthday!  That's right; I turned 43...yea for me!  I love birthdays because it is another blessing from God and I am thankful to be here to start another year!  My family went to dinner to help me celebrate and I chose Osaka Japanese Restaurant.  It was wonderful!  The sushi was wonderful and the company was even better!  I got this awesome picture frame from Mikey and Jenn.  Read more about Mikey and Jenn  here and here.

This is not a very good picture but it says "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all!  Let it Snow" and has a picture of most of the McCrory's.  I LOVE IT!  It is awesome and I have it hanging proudly in our living room.  It is handmade by the Mikey/Jenn duo I might add!

Jeff, Jake, my Mom, and I decided to get away for a long weekend to relax and unwind a little after all the recent stress.  We headed to Hot Springs Friday.  We had a wonderful weekend overall!  Anyone that knows anything about me know that I always have a camera at the ready...especially since Jake came along!  Well while unpacking my camera bag fell out of the car and this happened.....

So needless to say, I had no camera all weekend!  Panic nearly took over but I decided to let it go and just have fun.  My Mom had her camera and we did get some pictures with it so the whole was not a total loss and I am sure Jake enjoyed the weekend off from Mommie Paparazzi!  We were disappointed with several of our food choices.... BIG disappointments at several highly recommended restaurants but then we found The Fisherman's Warf.  It was fabulous and made all the bad choices worth it!

We came home Monday after a brief stop in Little Rock at the River Walk.  The weather was great and we enjoyed checking out the shops and restaurants in the area.  Then on home and back to reality!

When we got home our kitchen and living room was flooded!  The ice maker line had busted and we were in for a mess!  We had to call in Serve Pro recovery systems.  Our house is a disaster, all of the flooring in the kitchen and living room has been pulled up, we have several air movers and a dehumidifier in our kitchen, all of the furniture is piled up either in a corner or in the garage, and we have had no TV, internet, or home phone service until last night because our AT&T equipment all got wet and would not work.  A 22 month old does not understand why you can't just turn on SpongeBob!  It has been an interesting week to say the least!

So let's recap -

Birthday = wonderful
Camera = broken
House = flooded
Lifestyle = "Let it Snow"

Have a good weekend!  We will spend the weekend recovering from the great flood but tonight we get to spend time with the Gill family.  My friend Rita Gill Barnett's youngest son Sgt Ben Barnett, USMC married Katie Barnett on Tuesday and we are attending the reception tonight.  Can't wait to unwind and have fun with lifelong friends and meet the new Mrs. Barnett!  She joins a great, fun family and I know they are glad to have her!  Hopefully I will have a camera and pictures will follow!

Thankful Thursday.......

It's Thursday again and it is time for me to tell you something that I am thankful for!

These are my parents, DE and Charlotte.  My dad passed away last July but had he lived they would have been married 50 years today.  That is right - September 1, 1961 is their wedding date.  They were married 48 years and 10 months and 8 days!  That is a long time!  I know they had hard times and they had great times as well.  I am beyond blessed to have grown up with parents that loved Jesus, love me, taught me right from wrong, punished me when I needed it (although Momma seemed to always get this job - bless her), loved me when I needed it most, and were just all around great, awesome parents! 

Today on this Thankful Thursday and I most thankful for my parents - they showed me that a strong, loving marriage can last a lifetime!  For that I am thankful!

Check this out....

So if you read this blog any at all you know that I am very close to my family!  I have told you how outrageous, insane, funny, loud, obnoxious, etc we can be BUT we do have big hearts and will give you the shirt off our backs to help you out. 


See these two..................

Mikey and Jenn



They are my cousins....technically he is my cousin and he just got lucky enough to marry her (I guess you could say we all got lucky).  They are part of a new non-profit organization that raises money for people in need.  They pick one person and donate any money raised over a period of time to that person.  AWESOME idea!  They are doing great with the group...the group consist of young people that just want to help out.  It is a great idea and a great group of people!  I am very proud of Mikey and Jenn! 

Go Give the Guy a Dollar to check out the organization and donate!  After all, it is just a dollar!  You can also buy a really cool t-shirt designed by "the guy" Shawn Butrum.    Read his story and donate!

Can you give the guy a dollar?

Jenn also writes a very interesting blog.  McCrory by Marriage will keep you entertained and make you laugh!  She is a hoot!  Enjoy!

Thankful Thursday

So I haven't been the best blogger in the world lately!  It has been a long time since I gave you a piece of my mind (and I am sure there HAS to be someone out there that wants to know what I have been thinking) but there is NO WAY to tell you all that has been going on in our lives.  Some good things, some very bad, sad things!  Life has just been incredibly busy at The Snow House lately!  So I haven't been blogging but I think about it every day and I have a list of things I want to share with you and tell you about!  I promise to do better and get you all up to speed very soon!

Today's topic is Thankful Thursday.  A chance to stop and reflect and think about what I am thankful for.  As I said before, life has been a little crazy for us and I am ALWAYS thankful for my family.  Life would be so different with out my extended family.  We are crazy, loud, loving. protective, annoying, loyal, and honest just to name a few.  I always tell Jeff "thank you for marrying us" because believe me, he married US!  Both my Mom's and my Dad's families are awesome and I am beyond blessed to be part of two wonderful groups (that blend well together I might add).

I am also thankful for my friends.  I have tons of friends - some life long friends, some new friends, some that just happened along the way.  Each one of them plays an important part in my life and I am beyond thankful for each and every one! 

Today I am especially thankful for my friend Amy!

This is Amy and her cutie pootie Brayden!  (isn't he a doll?)

Amy is one of those friends that just happened along the way!  One of those people that when you meet them you have no idea how important they will become to you and how much your lives will mirror each others.  Amy and I have been friends for about 6 years now and I never knew how much she would mean to me but I know that God knew and that is why He made our lives intersect.  Amy and I share a lot of things in common but the #1 thing in my book is that we are both Mommy to awesome little boys that came to us through the miracle of adoption.  Amy has been there for me through all of the hard times and uncertainties of the adoption process.  Amy is the first person I contacted when we hit a bump in the road and I thought our adoption was going to fail when we were still in Iowa.  Amy called out her prayer warriors and they helped pray Jake home.  That was a time when I simply could not pray anymore!  I needed backup and Amy (and her friends) had my back.  Since then, I have prayed with Amy over several adoption situations and I can tell you first hand that you can feel the power of prayer when a group of people that have been in your shoes are praying for you!  Most of the time you don't even know the person but you know how they feel!  That is what friends are for right?

I am a master of quilty feelings.  I beat myself up all the time over things that I can't change or things that have happened that I just can't help.  Some of the things that have happened both in our adoption and in life lately I did not see coming and certainly did not plan for.  Things have worked out differently than I had hoped AND I feel quilty.  I have found myself in a position where I can't keep all of the promises I made and it breaks my heart.  I was talking to Amy about that the other day and she gave me the best words that I have received lately.  It was like God spoke directly to me through Amy!  Without thinking and totally off the cuff she said "God gave you Jake and he is your responsibility and you have to protect him".  WOW!!!  Common sense I know but it put everything into perspective for me!  I can't help the things that didn't work out like I wish they had....I have to put Jake before everyone else and protect him.  It is my duty and my responsibility not only to Jake but to God and to Jeff.  All of the sudden, the quilt that I have struggled with for a year was eased.  I will always wish things were different and I pray that someday they will be!  But right now, I have to protect Jake and give him a good, stable life!

So today I am thankful for AMY!!!!!!  Thank you Amy for being my friend and helping me along the way!  I pray that someday I will be able to help you as much as you have helped me!  Love ya girl!

And by the way.....

This is David with Brayden.  David is Amy's first born cutie pootie!  He is one of the best big brothers I know!  Amy is blessed with two healthy, happy little guys....and of course she has a great husband, Jay,  too!



Happy Fouth of July!

Well I am a day late but like everything else in our lives yesterday did not go as planned and I did not get a chance to blog.  I will tell you more about that later in the week!  But all I can say is "Let it Snow"!

Today I am send out my Fourth of July greetings!  Even though it is July 5th I want to say thank you to all men and women who serve in our armed forces.  Our freedom is not free!  People have fought and died for your freedom and the rights you enjoy today!  Take time to say thank you!  When you see someone in uniform say "Thank you for your service".  It only takes a second, you don't even have to slow down.  They are very appreciative of your "thanks".   This is something I am trying to teach Jake to do and most of the time he wont say anything but hopefully he is learning and he will grow up appreciating our service men and women. 

Now a shout out to the military men in my life! 



My Dad and his brother Roy served in the Air Force.  Their brother Henry served in the National Guard.  My mothers brother Bubba served in the Air Force as well...I just don't have a picture of him.

Currently my life long friend Rita has a son Ben serving in the Marines.  Ben is stateside right now but will be deploying again soon.  He has already done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Thank you to everyone who serves or has served our country!  And remember their families as well, they sacrifice for our freedom also!

I met Gail Pittman

While we were in Ridgeland for the State Baseball tournament last weekend I met Gail Pittman.  As luck would have it, I was giving Jeff directions and he could not exit the interstate quick enough so we had to take the next exit.  BINGO...we drive past the Gail Pittman Studio in Old Town Ridgeland.  Well, I quickly put that on my "to do list".  I LOVE Gail Pittman Pottery!  I have Garden View in my kitchen and I love it!  I love all of the patterns and would own every piece that is made in Garden View if I could afford it.  Did you know that Oprah, Faith Hill, Katie Couric, and ME all have Gail Pittman Designs?  Of course theirs were all custom designs and mine is Garden View but that is some AWESOME company wouldn't you say?  Anyway, we had some downtime Friday afternoon so we stopped by the Studio.  I was browsing around and telling my Mom and Jennifer how much I LOVED everything I saw when I looked up and at a little drawing table there sat the pottery master herself!  OH MY!  She was so nice and sweet.  I asked what she was working on...just trying to start a conversation with her.  She showed me the new designs she is working on and chatted about baseball and of course Jake.  Oh... even if I never liked her before...I am in love now!  She was down to earth and so friendly!  So I bought the new cross in the new Endless pattern.  It is awesome and matching my new living room colors just perfect!  Mrs. Pittman signed it for me and I got my picture made with her!  LOVE IT!  It was a great visit and such a surprise to actually meet her AND like her. 

Gail Pittman and me

Check out The Anderson Crew to see others "Embracing the Camera" this week!

And if you want to check out the latest and greatest pottery available check out Gail Pittman's Website.  You will love it!  It is a Southern thang!

The Cult had a Convention!

I am blessed to have a very close family on both my Mom and Dad's side of the family.  On my Mom's side we have been labeled a "cult".  It happened during a very bad divorce and there was testimony in court that was something like this..."that family is horrible...they are just like a cult.  They brainwash babies."  Well we found it to be HILARIOUS!  If loving each other unconditionally and sticking together through thick and thin is a Cult then we are it!  Rest assured it is something we are proud of.  It has become a joke among us and our friends that really know us.  Funny thing...people are always asking to join the cult or talking about how much they love the cult. So we made a huge joke out of the Cult and now we have chapters.  Everywhere someone lives is a chapter.  So this past weekend Ben played in the state baseball tournament and several chapters of the cult were together so we decided that instead of having a meeting we were having a convention.  See my cousin Jenn's blog for a much more frank and funnier take on the cult.  She will crack you up!

Anyway, there wasn't much happening on the baseball field for the Mustangs this weekend so I decided to share pictures of the Cult Convention.  I hope you can see from these pictures that even though we are labeled a Cult is it a good thing!  LOL

Jenn and Jake swapping admission bracelets and eating candy in the hotel.

Jenn (and Mikey claims to have helped) made these adorable door signs for all of the team members.  She made Jake one too that says "Future Mustang" on the sides.  SO CUTE!

Headed for the pool!

I am loving the hat!

Is that cute or what??

Me and Jake ready to swim!

Jake and Jenn playing in the pool.

Jeff and Jake fake napping.  Neither one was asleep!

Just cuteness!

Eating Turnip Greens at Cock of the Walk

Playing baseball with Ben and Benji

Ben and Jake playing on Jake's iPad

Lovin' oranges at the ball field

 Jake got to join the "big boys" for their pizza by the pool.  Thanks Coach Bill for letting him be part of the Mustangs!

Jake and Jane Claire in the pool.  Not sure what that expression is but he is having a BLAST!

Reed and Jake in the pool

This is his "put the camera away Momma" look!

The next generation playing in the hotel room.

Riding on the luggage cart was big fun!

Members of the Southaven and Ridgeland Chapters and the ball field.

On the way home we were able to stop and see the part of the Durant Chapter of the Cult.

This is "Ugly".  That is what Jake calls him.  Our Uncle uses him when he takes his cars to car shows.  Jake is not really fond of him but they finally warmed up to each other!

Jake feeding Abby and JR his snack.  They are Uncle Bubba's dogs and Jake loves them!

This is a close as we could get Jake to "Ugly".  Even then he had to have support from his ShuShu.

Jake and Uncle Bubba

Members of the Durant and Southaven Chapters of the Cult.

Before we were on the interstate Jake was passed out and slept all the way home. 



So you see....we had a great long weekend. 

Thankful Thursdays - June 16

Today is Thankful Thursday. I like the idea of taking one day a week and listing something I am thankful for....makes me stop and think about how blessed I really am.

This week.........

I am thankful for my family. Not just Jeff and Jake but my entire extended family - both Sides. Growing up as an only child it was important that I have family and friends around to play with and support me. Well I just happen to have the best!

Part of my Dad's family at the family reunion this past weekend.

Some of my cousins on my Dad's side - Al, Stephanie, Pam and Melissa .

And my Dad's sister - Aunt Patsy

My Cousin (by marriage but I still count her) Jenn and me at Cinco de Mayo

My Cousins on my Mom's side - Mikey, Ben, Jane Claire, Jenn, with me and Jake

This is by far not all of my family but just a sampling!  I love them all and even though we have good times and bad they are great!

And I am Thankful for them this Thursday!

To see what other people are thankful for this Thursday check out

Thankful Thursday at Our Family of Four 
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad