Still in LOVE!!

I can't believe that it has been two years.  TWO WHOLE YEARS!!  I have been Gus' momma for over 700 days!  (See this blogpost.) I have been so blessed by him.  I am the luckiest lady alive!  It was a rough go there in the beginning when we had to wait out those 5 weeks until his birthmom relinquished her rights.  But I have loved every day and every moment that I have had with him.  I am devastated if there is a day that I don't get to see him.  Or if I am going to be away from him for any reason.  (I know, every mother feels that way, but I know I am crazier than most.  Did you read my post about my Seattle trip?? Check out Xanax and Espresso if you didn't hear about it!)  I know that I will try to move with him some day when he dares to consider moving out of my house.  And God bless the woman he chooses to marry....she WILL have a crazy mother-in-law!

I have LOVED watching him grow.  He was so little in our arms when he was first born.  Now when he is in my arms, his legs hang way off my lap.  It just floors me to think about how quickly they grow.  And I know that he has grown even in the past four months that we have been in this house.  When we first moved in, he couldn't reach the handrail on the stairs and now his head almost hits it if he isn't careful.

I cannot get enough of watching him learn.  I feel like he learns something new every day.  I swear his must be a genius! (But I think every mom thinks that about their child.)  Okay, I did think he was genius but that thought is a little unsteady now after he tried to eat a clump of dirt today.  Hmmm....I think he figured out quickly that eating dirt isn't the best idea.  But seriously....I love watching his face when you can tell the wheels in his brain are turning.

I could go on forever and ever...I am still head over heels in love with this sweet little boy.  I can't wait to see my TWO year old when he wakes up tomorrow morning!!  But right now....I gotta get this place ready for a party tomorrow!

Race for Home

Last year, the Stapleton family took part in the 1st Bethany Christian Services Race for Home. Bethany Christian Services in the agency that we worked with for our adoption. Last year we did this as a little family of three. Check out my blogpost from last year. It was then that I determined that I was going to get more family and friends involved this year. Bethany Christian Services is an amazing organization! They have truly wonderful people working for them. We are so looking forward to working with them again as we hope to adopt again soon.



Bethany Christian Services provides a variety of services within the community and they are able to do because of the donations that they receive throughout the year. This event is just one of the many ways that they are able to do that. As a family, we are hoping that you will be willing to do one of the following to help Bethany Christian Services this summer and participate in our family tradition of Racing for Home.

1) Pray. This is free...won't cost you a thing! Pray for the families out there waiting to become complete by adopting a child. Pray for the children out there who need a family and a home of their own. Pray for the men and women who work for Bethany Christian Services. Pray for the birthparents out there who have either made the tough decision to make an adoption plan or haven't yet made that decision. Pray that more people come to learn about foster care and adoption and are more accepting of it. (I know...you are thinking, how could anyone not be open to it?? Trust me...I have met some who are not!) If you will be praying, please let up know by leaving a comment on this post!

2) Cheer. This will cost you the gas it takes to get there. We would love to have you there at the walk to cheer us on. Joel and Joe Conner will be running and Gus and I will be doing the walk. We would love to see your smiling faces there supporting all of the runners and walkers.


3) Walk/Run. We would be more than honored if you would walk or run next to us. I think it would be so cool to have family and friends make this a tradition with us. (I'm crying just thinking about it.) We know that we are very lucky to have so many family and friends who are so supportive. How awesome would it be to see them together with our family?!? If you are interested, you can register online at http://www.bethany.org/A55798/bethanyWWW.nsf/0/E2E33FA01E51AB9A852576F7006626A3.


4) Donate. I'm not one to solicit money from others, but I do feel very strongly about what Bethany Christian Services does. Without them, I would not be the mom of a beautiful little boy who calls me "Momma" and calls Joel "DaDoh". I am very blessed to have Gus in my life. I can't imagine life without him in it. (Yup...you guessed it...I am crying again.) I can't wait for Gus to become a big brother someday and I hope and pray that other families out there get to wrap their arms around a child with the help of BCS. If you feel so called as to donate to Bethany Christian Services, you can fill out this form and mail it back in to BCS or you can give your donations to Joel or myself. http://www.bethany.org/pdfs/sponsorshipletter.pdf (Since Gus is not registered, please use my name as the participant.) Note- This money does not go to our family. It goes to Bethany Christian Services to help with the programs that they run and the services that they offer.


We are really excited to participate in our 2nd Race for Home. We love the tradition that we have started for our family and hope that you will join us in one way or another!

So Proud of Grand Rapids!!

So proud to see what GR is all about! This video totally made me cry! Makes me miss home even more. So cool!!

Changing My Mind About Change

For a very long time, I have hated change. 

And by change, I am referring to the pieces of metal floating around in the bottom of my purse.  I never find a wallet that I like that will hold a lot of change.  I never feel like I have enough time at the register to put the change in a change purse.  Ever notice how the cashier seems to shoo you away as soon as they rip that receipt out of the register and hand it back to you with your change?  So not only are you stuck trying to put your coins in the change purse/zippered compartment, putting the dollar bills in another compartment but you are also trying to handle the receipt and putting it in the bag or in your purse (whichever you prefer).  I hate that awkward moment as you shuffle around taking care of that and pushing your grocery cart out of the way with your hip so that the person behind you can start their own checkout/change dance.  Because I hate that awkwardness, I usually just chuck the change in the bottom of my purse.  I also do this when I go through a drive-thru.  They push you through there even faster than the grocery store so there is no time to put it away nicely.  Chuck it in and drive away!  Eventually my purse gets too heavy and I have to clean out the change and other stuff I end up throwing in there. (trucks, legos, books....you can tell I am a mom.)  Once I clean it out, I end up putting it in our change jar.  Every year we empty our change jar and use the money towards something fun. 

I never used to hate change.  In fact there was a time I loved it.  Specifically the change I would get from my dad's nightstand.  I always left him the pennies....I only wanted the silver.  And yes, there were times in high school and college where I paid for gas in all coins.  Betcha the clerk hated change on those days!

Recently, I have been trying to make a conscious effort to use the change in my purse and I have created a game with myself in trying to always come up with exact change.  (Yes, the little things entertain me.)  So maybe I am beginning to think differently about change....I may just learn to love it!