Tuesday night, Russ and I had our regular Tuesday visitors...his parents.  With so many nieces and nephews, I just call them Granmomma and Pop.  Ha!  Whenever Granmomma has a doctor's appointment in Memphis, which is pretty regular, they stop by our apartment and take us to supper.  Cracker Barrel is our usual spot.  This time, Granmomma brought Baby J a couple of handmade goodies.  Russ's sister and mom made a precious crib skirt for Baby J's crib, and it is perfect!  I told them what I wanted, and left the details up to them.

Now, the room is complete except for the walls!  I had someone make the curtains for me with fabric I found.  The crib sheet and and bedding came separately too.  Yet, it looks like the bedroom was bought as a set!  Perfect!  I love it!

Russ's mom brought a surprise happy too.  She made a pillow with owl fabric she found.  Very cute!  I placed it right in the glider with Baby J's zebra. 

Now, Baby J is not only prayed for all over the world...he/she has a bedroom handmade and put together with love!

Now, if we could just fill that room up with a baby and all the baby things!  Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Praying for more...

Still Praying for More...

...from HAITI

Baby J's First Mail Call

When I went to college, I was so excited about this new life living by myself...with all my friends from home.  I wasn't good at meeting new people.  I'm still not.  I wasn't interested in putting myself out there in fear of others not approving.  I still struggle with this too.  I was rooming with someone I did not know, went through rush and chose a different sorority than my friends, and I was all of a sudden on my own.  Of course, I knew the older Chi O's, but as you know, pledges pretty much spend most of their time in their own meetings and in dorms with other freshmen.  So, there I was...forced to make friends.  I still wasn't good at it.  I remember crying after bid day, thinking to myself, "What did I do?"  Most of my friends were all together a few houses down, and they had each other to eat with, ride to meetings with, etc.  I had to figure this out.

Then there was this girl.  She knocked on my door and asked me about the BeautiControl magazines I had outside my door.  I should add that I also tried to sell that for a little while.  Ha!  Then, there was another girl who stopped me outside the bathroom and asked my name.  Fifteen minutes later, I was walking back to my room with a new friend.  It turns out, my choice during rush turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.  I left college with some of the best friends I'd ever had.  Ladies who genuinely cared about me, knew my faults, made fun of my "teachery" style, were scared of my roommate, lived with me for years, and were in my wedding.  I still consider these ladies some of my best friends who hold some of my favorite memories ever!  I could probably write a book about our escapades and silliness, but I won't.

Yesterday, I went by the mailbox to find Baby J's first package.  Inside was a letter from my college roommate of three years...my best friend from college.  She was the girl who knocked on my door.  She sought me out.  She befriended me because I was too shy to do it myself.  God placed her in my life.  I'm so glad! 

Kelly wrote such a sweet note to Baby J...including a note for him/her to ask me about a hot tub adventure one day!  Not sure I'll be showing Baby J this particular letter until he/she is much MUCH older!  Ha!  Some things are just better left between friends!  With this treasured letter, Kelly sent the most adorable outfits and bibs!  And, of course, they have OWLS on them!  What else would you expect?

Her timing could not have been more perfect!  Earlier this past week had been a tough one for me.  My patience had run thin, I was losing sleep, and I was making myself crazy!  It has only been a little over a month since our home study approval, and I'm acting like a crazy person.  There have been many Mississippi placements since August, and I must admit it's hard to watch.  However, I am reminded by such thoughtfulness how many people are praying for us and our sweet baby.  I am reminded how excited I am to allow God, in all His wisdom, to choose the makeup of our family.  And, this means I must wait for His perfect timing.  I have absolutely no problem with that part.  It's the not knowing when that has bothered me!  I am so thankful for the friendships shared between these sweet ladies I met nearly 10 years ago.  Little did I know how my life would be impacted by their examples so many years later!

Thank you, Kelly and Aaron!  I'm so grateful that God placed us in each other's lives.  I laugh at the most random times, still, when I think about all our shenanigans and conversations.  I also tear up when I think of the moments we shared.  Thank you for your perfect timing.  Thank you for pulling me out of my slump.  And thank you, most of all, for your continued prayers for our little family.  We love you!

"But, I trust in you, Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands..." Psalm 31:14-15

Praying for more...

Black is NOT Our Color

"We obviously received a defective set of black jerseys from our friends at Adidas. #burntheblackunis" - Scott Stricklin (@stricklinmsu)

It's true...black is NOT our color!  Saturday, we supported the student "blackout" for the third time since our team owned the black jerseys.  Our first two attempts were unsuccessful against Alabama and LSU in the past.  Hoping that the third time would be the charm, we were ready! 

Mama, Lee, and Kristin

Yesterday was our first "full out" tailgate.  Tailgating at Mississippi State (or anywhere in the South) is quite the affair, as I'm sure any SEC tailgater will tell you.  Dustin set up our tents when the horns sounded at 5:00 Friday night, so that we were in place for Saturday.

Russ and Dustin

Russ and I took Farley to Corinth to have a little one-on-one attention from Ms. Melinda while we had a great day in Starkvegas.  So, we rode into town with Mama and Daddy.  Arriving around 10:30, we picked up our Abner's chicken to add to our already FULL menu prepared by Kristin, made one stop by the Lodge and Campus Bookmart, and set up the tailgating paraphernalia in time for lunch.  Once we figured out our satellite with Daddy's new box, we were set to watch the rest of the Ole Miss game and get started with Arkansas vs. Alabama.

Killough and Sheila

Dustin, Kristin, Lee, and friends came by for lunch and a little "play time" with the bean bag toss Mama purchased for the season.  There were several games going at different times throughout the day, but I couldn't tell you who won any of them!  Ha!  There was a scare when some teenage boys playing football fell on one of the boards and broke it.  But, we found the screws and it was fixed in no time!

Kristin and Megan

Once again, we had several visitors throughout the day.  And, once again, I didn't get pictures of everyone.  Maybe by the end of the season, I'll have one of everyone at least once!  Ha!  This is why it is so important we get our spot...so our friends can find us easily every game. 

Sistas

As usual, we spent the day relaxing, visiting, EATING, playing, and watching more SEC football!  The temperature was perfect!  The skies were clear!  And, it was a great day to be a Bulldog!

Lisa and Mama

It's hard coming off of two tough losses against LSU and Auburn.  One that we SHOULD have won, and the other we felt close enough until the end.  But, our fans supported with our 12th straight sellout in Davis Wade Stadium even though it was LA Tech, and we weren't looking to see a very exciting game.  Man, were we wrong!

Daddy

Jeff brought his boys, Elle, and Seth's friend for a good game day in Starkville.  We were excited to tailgate with them this weekend, and enjoy their company.  And the yummy brownies and dip Jenny sent with them.

Will and Elle

Seth and John or Zach or whatever his real name is!  Ha!  I asked Seth who his friend was, and he told me his name was John.  So, I went over to him and said, "Hey, John!  My name is Megan."  Well, that is NOT his name!  His name is Zach.  Lawsy!

Russ and Jeff

Around 4:00, it was time for the Dawg Walk!  Well, the team arrived fifteen minutes early, just like last week, so I wasn't able to get a good spot.  I'm sure you can tell by my picture of Bully below.  Don't worry.  I tweeted Scott Stricklin so that he would understand my frustration in hopes of a warning for early arrival next time.  Ha!  I'm sure he took my suggestion to heart.

We spent another hour at the tailgate finishing off our pre-game food, visiting, and preserving the food for our post game tummies.  Of course, the guys loaded up the television and satellite before going in...since we had one stolen last year.

Jimbo and Russ

Mama and Mary

Around 5:15, we headed toward Davis Wade Stadium with our sold out crowd of fans...mostly in black.  No doubt, we looked as if we were headed into a funeral.  And, for a while, I thought we might have been at one!

The pre-game excitement was the same as always!  Grindin' for My State played on the speakers, the band played, the team ran out through the smoky tunnel.  The cowbells rang...responsibly, of course!

The team gathered for the Dawg Pound Rock, and we were ready for kickoff!  The game started with a fantastic 82 yard punt return in the first quarter, bringing the crowd to their feet!

After that, it's a bit of a blur.  We scrapped for every yard we got.  Our offense struggled.  Our defense had to be exhausted from carrying the game for so much of the game.  Our receivers were not looking good.  Relf, although he played hard, didn't have his best game.  Let me just give you an example.  Our team received 14, while LA Tech had 30.  It was one of the most tense, frustrating, and disappointing games we've had since Mullen took over.  Those games happen.  Sometimes you're on, and sometimes you're off.  We were certainly off.  Dang those black uniforms!

We managed a W after some great plays at the end in overtime!  Fireworks went off.  The team stormed the field.  You gotta love the entertainment value!  You would have thought we won the Sugar Bowl!  The fans were wild.  After we had time to come to ourselves, we had to just laugh at the fact we were celebrating a Sugar Bowl-like victory after winning against Memphis State and LA Tech.  Oh me!  We have some work to do!  I have confidence that our coaches and team are putting together their game plan for next week's game against Georgia.  They better be, anyway!  It's time for OUR STATE to start their winning streak!

So...bottom line...we had a great day.  But, black is certainly NOT our color!  Let's burn the black uniforms!

Party of EIGHT

Today is a big day for a sweet friend of mine!  Today, she welcomes her four new children home to stay.  When Jennifer and Jake began the adoption process (about the same time as Russ and I), they had NO IDEA how immeasurably more the Lord would entrust to them!

He not only had a sweet child in mind for them....he had FOUR children ready for their family.  Not only did He have these children in mind...He had them ready within a matter of weeks!  This has been a very exciting time for them, as well as all of us who have journeyed with this family.

The Jefcoat family grew from a family of four to a "Party of EIGHT" today.  In preparation for the arrival of these sweet blessings, we decided the best way to support the family was to have a gift card shower.  Karen, Ashley, and I worked swiftly (overnight really!) to pull together friends, family, and fun for a SURPRISE gift card shower!  It was a blast!

Special thanks to Kristin for creating the awesome sign and for traveling all over town to help me gather balloons, ribbon, and set up for the night.  It turned out great!

As the family arrived at Pizza Grocery to meet "Russ and I for dinner," the crowd gathered downstairs awaiting the surprise!  It was incredible!  I should note that Jennifer and Jake had not even told many people about this upcoming adoption.  Karen, Ashley, and I were guilty of letting the cat out of the bag!  Oops!  Ha!

Everyone was so excited and supportive!  They couldn't wait to show their love and appreciation to this sweet family!

As I led the family downstairs to the back room, Jennifer noticed the doors were shut.  "Why are the doors shut?" she asked.  "Open them and see," I said.  She just stood there shaking her head and backing up.  For a split second, I was worried!  Ha! 

I think Jude was actually the one to bust through the doors to a great sign, decorations, and a huge "SURPRISE!"  Needless to say, the family was shocked!  The look on Jake's face was priceless.  I wish I had a picture of it!

The night was a success!  A surprise shower was put together without a hitch.  Of course, we did only have 24 hours notice!  Not much time to spoil the surprise.  

Mom and Dad of Immeasurably MORE!

Jennifer had brought Baby J a gift for our "dinner" too!  A perfect tailgating onesie with bib that says "Tailgate in my crib" and the cutest "Night Owl" onesie. So precious!  Little did she know, the night was really for her!  Hugs, some tears, and fun all around!

We are so thrilled for the Jefcoat family as they welcome these sweet blessings into their family with open arms.  Please keep their new family of eight in your prayers tonight.  I'm sure they would appreciate them.  Hopefully, there will be pictures to come.  Until then...

...we'll remember God's promise with this extraordinary story!

"God is able to do immeasurably MORE than we could ever ask or imagine."  Ephesians 3:20

MSU vs. LSU

It's officially football season!  This past Thursday, our family loaded up from all our different towns to tailgate at our first home game of the season!  Russ and I spent the entire day in Starkvegas.  First on the agenda...new clothes!  We were completely unprepared for the chilly and fabulous temps.  A quick stop to the Lodge cured that real quick!  Ha!

Me and Jamie

The Square Cupboard nearly shut down as Jamie and I both attended the gameday festivities.  Not really.  Her sister-in-law covered for us, and I'm so glad Jamie was able to FINALLY come back to a football game!  I think she and Charlie had a great time.

Charlie and Jamie

In case you can't tell by looking at the pictures, the LSU game was a WHITE OUT!  That means all the fans were to white out the stadium!  I think it's safe to say we contributed.  I heard Kristin pretty much put this week's tailgate together, and she did a great job!  Mama may start stepping back, and let her takeover if she's not careful.  Ha!

The women of the family

Of course, around 5, we all walked over to the Dawg Walk to watch our Dawgs enter campus and make the walk to the field house.  We even managed to get one of those "Black Bears" to ring a cowbell! 

Andy and Dustin

We enjoyed the afternoon visiting with family and friends.  We had lots of visitors, and I'm sorry that I didn't get pictures of everyone.  Hopefully, everyone will be back next week and I can grab a picture then.

Jeff, Jeff (a radiology resident with Russ), Scott (one of Russ's attendings), and Russ

Mama and Sherra

I had a fabulous surprise too!  Two of the greatest blog friends stopped by!  I was so excited to actually meet them in person!  Abby from In His Time and Joy from Confessions from a Southern Socialite have been such a precious support during our journey to parenthood.  Not to mention they are both full of personality!  The funniest part was they recognized our tailgate from pictures on the blog!  Too funny!  I wasn't even there when they first walked up.  We hope to see Joy and Abby stop by again...or stay awhile for that matter!

Me, Joy, Abby, and Jamie

As usual, our tents were full of talking, laughing, visitors, and silliness!  We only set up half our "normal" setup.  So, next week, I'm looking forward to the rest!

Kristin and Russ...no telling!

Of course, none of our tailgating fun would be a success without our matriarch and patriarch of the crew.  These two get all the credit for raising us right!  Raising us from the days of literal tailgates...off the tailgate of Daddy's Explorer.  We plan to pass the legacy down to the next generations.  It's all about the raisin'!

Mama and Daddy

We made it to Davis Wade Stadium in time to join the sold out white out in cheers of "Hail State!" and "Marooooon!  Whhiiiiiite!"  The energy was contagious!  Cowbells were ringing!  It was a True Maroon game day!

The band performed before the team ran out from the smoke led by our always faithful Bully!  Ahhhhh!  Heaven on Earth!

Team spirit is high over in Starkville these days! 

Although we didn't pull off a "W", I must say that I'm proud of the effort.  I have a few questions about time managment though.  We can say that we held the #1 defense in the nation pretty well and managed 6 points.  And, I can also say that we held a #2 team to only one touchdown...only allowing a couple of field goals.  The ending was rough.  But, I'm still "Grindin' for my STATE!"  Go Dawgs!