Asher Daniel Chappell

Jack ~ Six Months Old

Happy Half Birthday Little Man Jack!! 

If you remember, We Chappell's like to celebrate the very first 1/2 Birthday of someone's. 

Here are some sweet pics of Jack's 1/2 cake and present!! 

 
 





      
 I can't believe he's 6 months old!! He's sitting up on his own and almost crawling. He's almost in sz 4 diapers. (zoe remember was still in sz 1 at 6 months!) He watches every move big sissy Zoe makes and if she's nearby he's a happy boy! I love seeing his teeth come in and seeing his hand eye cordination develop. I love making him smile... he doesn't give his smiles away and really makes you work a.k.a. make a fool of yourself for them.  He loves playing with my face while drinking his bottle and his eyes never take their gaze off mine the whole time. mmmm... I love this boy!!!! 

 

It's starting to get really hard to be honest. I know he's not mine... yet he might be...and for right now he is...but for right now he's not. I know his parents do love him.... but do they know what sacrificial love really is? Are they in love with him or the idea of him? Have they changed from their past lives? Does Jack really have to be theirs while they are trying to prove so? They want to know from us what that looks like for them, but they don't even know what the rest of their sentence looks like for them either. I do feel for them and reading their letters does help me to have compassion on their situations. It's just hard. We are doing the hard work. We are loving this child when he has little to give back. We are paying for his every need. We have insured he knows how to bond by being the ones to bond with him. This is fostering. I know that. It's just hard. Most days I'm great and my heart is at ease, but the older he gets the more my heart and soul gets restless and has moments of panic at the thought of what might happen at the end of this year. I know it keeps me at my God's feet and my lips close to His ears... and I think in a big way that I'm okay and even welcome that tether to God. It's just hard. 

But it's also so easy. Easy to love him, easy to include him into our family, easy to care for him after having gone through the same motions 10 months before, easy to tell his story to whomever will listen, easy to watch him grow and develop, easy to have two sets of grandparents who have opened up their hearts to him as well, easy to have lots of aunts and uncles who LOVE him and love to hold him. (he LOVES to be held!!! which he is a 3rd born so Drea, maybe there is something to that theory.) And so very easy to call him my son. 

It's easy.... but boy is it hard.  

Ten.4.Tues. { life happenings }

1. This is my busy season. In 9 weeks I"ll have been to Raleigh and back 5 times. Whew! This last time I went without any kids and it was a wonderful break for me... but next time I'm bringing Zoe and then the next I'll bring Jacky boy, and the last one... will be just me + dan = 6th anniversary getaway! :o)  

2. Zoe is getting SO verbal. She is talking all the time and learning new sounds and words daily. This age is SO much fun!  

3. Jack turned 6 months!! (pics of his half birthday cake coming soon) 

4. Had the First Raleigh/Wake Forest All girls photographers get-together this last week. We met at The Flying Biscuit and featured cupcakes from the cupcake shoppe in Raleigh. So delish! Not everyone could be there but this was only the first of hopefully many gatherings to come. As a photographer, I LOVE to network. Mostly because those girls GET what my work is like... they understand what pressures and joys I handle with weddings, shoots, etc... And They are Creative Geniuses!!! So, just sitting next to them, I feel inspired. I love being around them.  (and why if I'm in TX now, am I putting effort into NC gals... because I can and I've been wanting to for a long time!) *and having lived somewhere for 10 years helps when it comes to networking and encouraging others and featuring vendors. 

 

5. Sad for me but happy for her, one of my good friends here is moving to the beach. She is going to LOVE being that close to the ocean and amazing sunsets and fresh breezes...but it's 6 hours away from me. I miss being 1.5 hours away from good ol' NC beach!! I LOVE the beach... truly. I love you too sami....truly.  

6. I'm amazed at the people I meet while flying. I'm serious. I met the most amazing flight attendant a while back who just spent so much time talking with me about adoption and then held Zoe for a long time. (this enabled me to read the airline magazine and feel like a real savvy traveler vs. a mom with 3 bags and a fussy baby)  This last trip home, I came prepared with 2 magazines and no baby. At the last minute I switched my seat up just one row. And ended up sitting next to the nicest woman.... who come to find out had like 180 things in common with me. She home-schooled her 4 kids, we had mutual friends, we had both lost a child(ren in her case), And we both loved and trusted a loving God... yet, battled with not being able to control the future.  We laughed, teared up, and talked the ENTIRE 3 hour trip. Anyway, I just am so thankful for God's providence in situations like that. We sat down as strangers... we de-boarded the plane as friends.  (AND I have 2 fun magazines that I can keep in the bathroom (because that's the only time I am alone) for leisure reading!)  

7. I'm starting a Gluten Free way of eating this week. I've been hearing more and more about it and just wonder if maybe it might be attributing to my hives (I deal with hive break outs probably 1 or 2 times a week for the past 4 years and can't find the source) SO... I'm armed with Elisabeth Hasselbecks' book and a ton of G-free bloggers and my amazingly creative cooking sister. I think it will be an adventure and help with inflammation of all sorts... and hopefully help me to lose some extra lbs.  Any of you have helpful hints or advice... comment away! 

8. Can I just say how Proud I am of my husband. He is LOVING seminary and eating it up. I don't know if it's the years as a teacher or the years we took off from seminary or both that is really helping him to study with diligence and write with intensity and depth. I love how he comes home and regurgitates all he's learning to me... then I learn and am washed with the truths of our amazing God. It took a while but the men at the seminary he's at are becoming his friends and he's feeling at home there more and more.  It's strange for me being at a place in life (school) that I know is only a short chapter designed to prepare you for the next chapter... being that it's not an end goal itself..so, that can lend itself to an unrest in where we are right now, knowing it will change, but it keeps me constantly running back to God who knows very well what is to come and what we need right now.  

9. I ordered diapers from Diapers.com this month, and really saved some money as well as had a huge box of diapers and wipes delivered to my doorstep in 2 days. I'm not sure if it will continue to save me money in the coming months, I"ll check and see before I order... but on my first order I got $10 off AND free shipping. It's hard to beat that.  ( and they DO take coupons... just takes a little longer b/c you send them in. but if you're ordering for the month or 2 months... it's worth it)   So, if you want to try it. Use this code CASE3738 for $10 off your order.   

10. I love going to Raleigh/Wake Forest and seeing dear friends and getting to be with my sister and her amazing little family. But I LOVE coming home to my babies and my man! I Love being a wife and mommy. I mean... that face just melts my heart to a puddle. 

 

Hello 32, Shall we Dance?

I had a wonderful birthday this year. Thank you so many who spoke encouraging words to me, on my facebook, my blog, called me, and around the dinner table.  

We had my birthday dinner at my parents Saturday night. And Dad and Mom asked me to share things from growing up, like lessons learned, best gift, most embarrassing moment, and advice to the others. 

Lessons Learned: Growing up as a Preacher's Kid I really thought I was like the co-pastor of whatever church my dad was at. And those of you who know me, know that's not too far of a stretch for me. I tend to take control easily of the situations I was around... youth group wasn't doing enough activities... I planned them. didn't like the visitor packets... I redesigned them... don't ask me why I cared so much? I just did. Anyway, I liked the church scene, I think I found a lot of purpose in it. Thankfully my dad was at wonderful churches and they loved me even in all my controlling self righteousness. And now, as God has me out of church leadership for the past 5 years and in dire need of the church's love and care, He's really shown me so much more of what church is really about. 

The best gift was a suitcase I think mom and dad gave me when I turned 18. It's been everywhere with me. To other nations, To NYC many times, and countless other trips. And 14 years later it's STILL in great shape. LOVE Land's End Luggage. So, all you parents of 18-25 year olds... Give them Luggage because now is the Time they get to spread their wings and see the world and expand their love for other cultures! So, it's the best gift for a young adventure seeking person. And so it was for me. 

Most Embarrassing Moment? I think looking back it was when I was drinking soda at my first Youth outing as a young 7th grader, laughed at someone and soda came shooting out my mouth and nose everywhere and on everyone! I could NOT believe that happened so I started crying and crawled underneath the table at the restaurant and stayed there (even with kids kicking me telling me to grow up) and finally one high schooler took me out and let me cry it out in the ladies room. I can't believe I just typed that out. 

Advice for my Siblings was "never talk about your family or friends to your family or friends" in other words, I can really go off about a family member ticking me off to a friend and the next week things are forgiven and back to normal with my family but my close friends might have taken offense for me and not feel love towards my family member. And Vice versa.... Family members come to bat for each other and so it only makes sense that they might not be as restorative in the friendship once it's all worked out.   The other thing was to Pursue Adoption sooner than later.  

It was a great dinner with great purposeful conversations! Love you Family!!!!!! 

Then I had lunch yesterday with my in-laws. They always have a way of making birthdays special for us kids. I love you guys and I'm blessed with how you love me.  Then they babysat for us as we went to a Dinner and a Movie.   

Saw Sherlock Holmes.... WONDERFUL Movie. But best of all I had TIME with my husband. HE really loved on me all day and served me and complimented me. It was great. It's the simple things that I am coming to Love and appreciate.   

So, Thanks everyone for loving me so well. Thanks for being in my life.  Keep it up. You display God's beauty and grace in a BIG way.   

I'm looking forward to this coming year. I think it's a year I want to live with great purpose and with big goals but yet a simple lifestyle. I want to have little expectations for everyone but great expectations for God. I want the days ahead to be ones I dance with and see the joy and beauty in the little and big things God ordains for me. 

 

Zoe's first birthday: the party!

I think I went crazy with pink! I can't help it, why are pink things so much fun to buy and shop for? (and for those of you who don't know me too well, you have to know this, I'm a color theme fanatic. I mean, I love gift bags to match the gift, I love having everything be the right shade of color. I secretly assign colors to certain friends and then give them stuff in that color, I put off decorating my home sometimes because I can't land on the perfect color scheme for the room. It's bad. But I think having that quirk makes me a better photographer... and really love weddings! 

So, back to the Pink! 

Anyway, I had lots of creative inspiration for this day and somethings came together and some things did not. (thankfully Angey was helping  me make the cake balls and so we were laughing about them otherwise I know I would have cried.) But all in all It was a wonderful gathering of family who really blessed us and her with their presence and the gifts they gave her. Thank you Family!! 

 

 

 

It's not a Nichols Celebration without Rice Krispie Treats! 

 

It's not a Chappell Celebration without Sugar Cookies! 

The inspiration behind these is Here   So, you can see why I wasn't too impressed with my version of them. Oh well, they still tasted great!  
 

Like my bunting? That's what the technical term for the fabric flags are called. I made them  and used them for decorations and will hang them in her room afterwards. :o) 

 

These prayers will go into her baby book. And how blessed are we to be surrounded by many who are also praying for our daughter to grow up to be a godly woman. (aunt brittany made her that bunny!) 

 

 

We had a special brithday dress made for her! Thanks Cecilia! 

 

We could not get her to make a mess with the cake for anything! She's a very neat eater. Won't put anything in her mouth until the previous bite is all swallowed. So, no messy mouth pics this year! 

 

Her most favorite bloomers!! 

 

 

 

Love us some Baby Mabel!! (who might I add will definitely pass Zoe up in height/weight SOON!)

 

 

 

Gotta Love a Classic. 

 

Zoe LOVES figuring out how something fits together. She's always putting stuff in stuff. She figured out how to flush the toilet, open a drawer, drain the tub all in the same afternoon. Maybe this will keep her more occupied for a while. 

 

 

she's got legs and she knows how to use them

That's right, she's off and walking! She loves it. She follows me around all day and it's really so cute.  She loves to haul toys around that are really too big for her to carry but she likes to drag them around anyways. :o)  And she learned to sign "more" in sign language. That might be the extent of signing for her or maybe not. But she picked that one up quick. I guess it's because she's loving eating these days. She's funny about texture but she's a good sport about most things. 

We celebrated her #1 birthday with a cupcake and a few gifts (her new baby doll was and still is  HUGE hit! She loves giving her doll kisses and loves!)  but we're waiting on my whole family to get here next weekend for Jeremiah's wedding to have her big birthday party!! It's going to be so much fun. I've loved planning it. 

I can't believe she's #1!! She's so much fun at this age. Love it!! 

 

 
 

She liked playing in it more than eating it. strange woman! 

 

 

 

New clothes. She is growing out of clothes so fast now these were definitely needed. 

 

A doll baby that looks a lot like her! :o) 

 

 

Nothing says I love you like a french kiss from a 1 year old! 

 

So, how does this bottle taste? 

 

Ohhhh... feed the baby! 

 

My baby!