Updates

Ok, I have fought for a few weeks trying to load pictures from the summer, but I am giving up. My blog doesn't want to load the pictures, and I am tired of trying. I will just recap the summer and start from here...

Our summer was BUSY and lots of fun. Claire got out of school at the end of May, and we took our family vacation to Myrtle Beach at the first of June. Since this was the last vacation before all 3 of my children were in school, we decided that we would "go all out". So, every time we saw something we wanted to do, we did it. We went to a waterpark, played putt-putt golf, went to the campground, bought lots of goodies, had lots of ice cream, ate at lots of places and spent lots of money... but, my kiddos were happy and that's what mattered at the time.

The summer was busy at church as well. We had lots of swim parties, worship gatherings, baptisms, fellowship and fun. The theme for summer at The Church at Ross Station was "Owatasummer". We had a blast learning about some of the children in the Bible that God used in big ways. We went to church camp and had a blast. All 5 of us went this year, and what a wonderful family time we had together. This was the only time all of us would get to go, because Claire moves up to the youth department in September.

We went to Alabama Adventure a good bit, had lots of family time and I actually got a tan for a change. Heath started up the explorer program for the Helena Fire Department. He has 7 guys ages 16-21 that are dedicated to the program and meet every week to learn about the role of a firefighter. Most of these guys have a desire to be firemen when they graduate school, so they are just getting a headstart in their career. Hopefully they will go to some competitions and be a great asset to the city. Speaking of city, the City of Helena is hosting a "Smoke & Gun Poker Run" and concert featuring Bo Bice. The events are benefitting various groups including the fire explorers. If you are interested, please visit www.jamminatthejunction.org.

School has started, and the kids are loving it. Macie and Conner are in separate classes and are really getting along well without each other. I, on the other hand have the "empty nest syndrome". I miss them when they are at school. Claire started middle school, so she has 8 different teachers this year, but seems to like it.

It was a slow summer for foster babies. We took the time to enjoy each other, but I am excited to say that I have a baby that should be coming home from the hospital today. I can't wait to love on me a newborn sweetheart. Oh yeah, if you are interested in what I do with my newborn babies, and would like to be a foster parent (just like me) please let me know. The other foster family that we had has given it up, and we are looking for another family. Please pray that
God will send the perfect family to work with us. It is hard work, monetary pay is minimal, but the blessings are abundant.

I hope everyone has gotten adjusted to their schedules since school is back in session. I am making it a goal not to stay away from the blog for so long again. I am paying for it since I can't load my pictures. Happy Hump Day and thanks for sticking with me.

Haircut, Camping, 5th Grade Day, Tucker Beam is my Hero

I got a haircut and highlights...

Back View

Here is where I got the idea from (yes, I took a picture of the TV screen)

Claire's Graduating class of 2016-

Claire getting her Presidents Achievement Award-

My mom wanted a good picture of her and my dad (my dad wouldn't cooperate ;-D )

Macie & Conner's Birthday Cake from Edgars-

Tucker Beam is now cancer free. He is also in the presence of Jesus. Tucker passed away early Sunday morning. The funeral was the most incredible service I have ever seen. Over 700 people attended and over 50 salvations. What a celebration! Thank you Tucker for touching so many lives and being such a witness for God. I love you and miss you very much. Please continue to pray for Tucker's family....

Our Camping Trip-we went with Brian & Cris Ryder camping... we had a blast... enjoy the pics.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Please take the time to pray for Tucker Beam. He is the strongest little boy I know. If you don't know Tucker, take time to read his story. You will be blessed, I promise. I can not imagine what his parents and family are going through at this time. I am so honored to be Tucker's Sunday School teacher. He has taught me so much and I can only imagine how much joy, laughter, teaching and loving he has brought to his family. He needs a miracle right now that only the great physician, God, can provide. I am believing that God can heal Tucker's body. God has the perfect plan for Tucker, whether he heal him here on earth, or takes him home. Please join me in praying for:


Tucker's comfort-no pain during this time

Tucker's family and friends: for peace

Tucker's doctors at Children's Hospital: for the right amount and types of medicine to keep Tucker comfortable.

Our pastor, Randy Norris and his family: The Norris' and Beams have been friends for a long time. I know this time is difficult for them, as well. Pray that God will give them everything they need.

Please visit Tucker's caringbridge site and post a message. www.caringbridge.org/visit/tuckerbeam

I love you Tucker Beam and I am so proud of you. You are the most strong and courageous person I know. I am praying continually for you during this time.

Thanks for praying,
Leslie

Happy Mother's Day

I want to wish every mother a Happy Mother's Day today... Here are a couple of cuties that I g0t to give to their mommy and help them have a very special Mother's Day. This is Owen. He was a big boy, biggest I have had so far, 9lbs 3oz. He has moved to Wisconsin.




This is Brielle and her mommy and daddy meeting her for the first time. She has moved to Wisconsin also.

Sleeping Angel Brielle

I am so blessed to have 3 of God's precious miracles to care for. My ultimate goal is to make sure that they know that their Heavenly Father loves them and is preparing a special place for them. I still get emotional from time to time thinking about God allowing me to care for his children. What an honor that is.

Otherwise, we have been busy with lots of family time. Heath is getting ready for his first meeting with the Fire Explorers this Tuesday night. We have now been for our first meeting at Helena Elementary for Macie and Conner and how to prepare them for Kindergarten. Heath and Claire are home from their Washington DC trip, and I hope to get some pictures to post of that soon. We went to the Buck Creek Festival yesterday, and saw the ducks. Macie isn't feeling well today, so we didn't make it to church.... I will be looking for the podcast soon. I sure miss my church friends when I can't make it. Also, please continue to pray for Tucker Beam. Tucker is on a new drug that we are praying for awesome results. He is also getting ready to travel to Minnesota for a bone marrow transplant. Please, Please, Please pray for him, his family, and his doctors. Thank you so much for checking the blog.

So Far Behind

I am so far behind on the blog. Let's see if I can catch up... So much has gone on in March and April. First off, we went to McWane Center. Claire stayed out of school and we took an education family trip. Here is a bass spitting Conner out onto dry land...

This is Conner showing you the great big green eel. Doesn't he look so grown up with his watch on?

Here is Piper. She loves the dog bed.

Skipping out of line, this is Conner's new mouth appliance. It is supposed to help keep him from sucking his thumb and keep his tongue thrust under control. The other appliance didn't quite work. This one looks monsterous and for his little bitty mouth, it is. But, so far, Praise God, it is working.

Here is an Easter Pic minus me!

On April 5, we went to the Tuscaloosa AirPort and saw the Blue Angels Air show! Everyone had a blast! I also had a foster baby, but I can't seem to find those pictures right now. I will keep looking though.

Look at Miss Drama Queen showing off under the plane!

Conner says the sun is too bright!

Macie playing Wii and wearing her Sponge Bob pj's.

Conner-you just can't see his SpongeBob pj's.

Ok enough pictures. As I said, I will continue to look for baby Lyric's pictures. I know I have them stored somewhere, I just can't find them right this moment. Other things happening:

-Bevin had baby Landon!

-Michelle had baby Jenna!

-I am still hooked on FaceBook, but my mom has joined now...

-We got season passes to Alabama Adventure, so we are going to enjoy some family time there...

-Heath passed Fire Officer II class!

-We have now been foster parenting a year, and have had 13 babies. I can't wait to see what this next year holds...

-I have registered Macie and Conner for school (Helena Elementary)

-Claire leaves for Washington with the 5th grade class next week (I am a little nervous!)

-We are praying for baby Stellan (www.mycharmingkids.net)

-We are praying for Tucker Beam (www.caringbridge.org and type in tuckerbeam)

Thanks for checking in on the blog. I appreciate you reading and hope that you will join us in praying for the above mentioned.

Snow in Helena, Alabama, Puppy Love, Locks for Love, and reading with Grandmother

Today is the first day of March, 2009 and we woke up to snow on the ground. That's right.... it was 72 degrees Thursday afternoon, and today (Sunday) it is snowing. Of course, we will take snow any time we can get it. The twins are not even old enough to remember the last snow we got, so they were so excited. Here are a few "snow" pictures.






Here is Claire sliding down the hill...and for all of you "north" people, remember that we don't have clothes for this kind of weather and we definately don't have snow sleds. Claire is sliding on a garbage bag.

Macie, Conner and Heath rode together on the garbage bag. I don't think Heath realized his bottom would be so cold when he got up. =)

This is a picture of my parents house. I think it looks like a beautiful winter wonderland.

My parents house:

Here is Claire and Tuttle (who hated the snow by the way) and Mrs. Snowmaam...

Here is Conner next to snow Fireman/Baseball player.

We went to my grandmother's house yesterday to spend some time with her. Conner loves to spend time with my grandmother. Here is a picture of Macie and Conner reading with my grandmother. She loves when all of us come over.

Other news: Claire cut her hair. I forgot to take pictures of the before, but she got almost 11 inches cut off. We sent the 11" ponytail to locks for love. If you don't know, Locks for Love is an organization that makes hair pieces for children with chronic hair loss conditions and cancer. Claire was so excited to know that she can do something painless to help someone else. She is going to start over again so she can send another lock to them next year.

This is Graycee and her new fur baby, Prissi. Prissi and Tuttle came from the same breeder. Prissi is a shorkie (shih tzu/yorkie mix). I haven't gotten any good pictures of Tuttle and Prissi playing together because all they want to do is fight.

Well, I am off to play in the snow for the last time today. The temperature is now above freezing, so the snow is quickly melting. Church and small groups were cancelled today, so I am missing my church friends. I hope everyone has a terrific week.

Look what I got and Look who I got to see...

Introducing... Tuttle Murphy Bartlett.... Tuttle is a dorkie (daschsund/yorkie) and he is 10 weeks old. I got him Friday evening and he is doing great. He should weigh about 7 pounds when he is grown.

And, I got to see AVA and her parents. Ava was here for her final adoption, so we got to meet up for dinner. They love that baby girl so much and it is great to see them after they have grown a little bit. Ava is 15 weeks old now. She has grown so much and looks so happy. Also, my friend Courtney has had her baby boy, Sam, and my friend, Melissa, has had her baby boy. I will try to post some pictures soon.

If you are wondering about our small group Bible study, it is going great. We went to the Oaks Assisted Living, on Valentine's Day, and gave all of the patients in the dementia ward valentine cards that our children made and goodies. I was so blessed by doing that. And my motto for the day.... Live every day as it is the Day the Lord is coming!

Oh Baby, Baby

Baby Updates first: This is baby Maggy. I got an update today and I think she is so cute. I just love getting updates from my babies and love to share them with you. She looks like an angel doesn't she?


Look at this smile. She looks so happy to be with her "forever" family. She has two big brothers that I am sure take great care of her.

This is Baby Ben and his big sister and brother. Ben is doing well also. You can see pictures of him in older posts.

This is a picture of Baby Kayla and her mommy. Kayla was here with us from 1/17/09-1/30/09. Kayla was born 1/15. She now lives in Oshkosh, WI.

This is Kayla and her daddy.

This is me kissing Kayla. Isn't she gorgeous? All of my babies are so cute. I might be just a little prejudice.

It has taken me a while to get some pictures of Kayla up here because Kayla left on Friday afternoon, and the next day I got this beautiful baby girl, Hannah. She was with us from 1/31/09-2/7/09. Her parents came to get her yesterday. They live in Greenville, South Carolina. Check out their blog at http://nathanjuliagarner.blogspot.com

This is Hannah meeting her parents and big sister, Abigail. What a precious moment. I always love these moments. What a blessing to see these new parents meet their baby for the first time.

I did hear a rumor that I might be getting twins in the next few weeks. I will let you know if I do. I have lots of friends that are expecting babies in the next few weeks. Please pray for healthy deliveries for Bevin, Michelle, Joni, and Melissa. My friend Courtney just had her baby (Sam-see Malouf's on the sidenotes).

Other news: Heath is no longer working for LifeGuard Ambulance Company. He has been home for the last few days (he still works the fire department, of course) and he has gotten much needed rest. He has an interview with LifeSouth blood bank this week. Please pray for God's guidance in Heath finding a new part-time job. Our dog, Sadie has been bad. We have decided that she has gotten too big for our family (especially with lots of children around) so we are looking for a great home for her to go to. If you know someone, please tell them to contact us. We are having small group Bible study here at our house on Sunday evenings. I will post pictures from that very soon. I have added some new blog sites over on the sidenotes. Feel free to check out...www.mycharmingkids.net, www.shelliandjeremybrown.blogspot.com, aabcccfamily.blogspot.com.

I hope you all have a terrific week, as you get ready for Valentine's Day. As you pray, please remember the Allums' family in your prayers. I have mentioned them before, but they are trying to adopt a baby boy from Guatemala. They have court tomorrow. Please, Please, Please lift them up in prayer. Thank you!

Death, Life and Precious

January has already been a busy month so far. If this is any indication for 2009, we will be one busy family. Heath and I celebrated our anniversary on January 10. On the same day, my grandmother, Maxine Taft Isbell, lost her second husband, J.R. J.R. had been sick with bone cancer for a few months when he suffered a stroke. For the next 2 weeks, my grandmother stayed right beside him and cared for him until he passed away. My grandmother has gone through the death of her husband, twice. I can not imagine the empty feeling she has. Please continue to pray for her as she is adjusting to being alone again. Here is a picture of J.R. and grandmother Maxine a couple of years ago. Most of you that know me well, know that J.R. looks a lot like my grandfather, Earl. I have to agree and think it is interesting how you tend to choose things that are in resemblence to what you are comfortable with. My grandmother also lost her cousin, Ruby Turner, this past Tuesday. Ruby was 93 years old. Ok, enough with the death part...lets get on to the "life" section.
We have "baby Kayla" with us now. She will be going to Wisconsin to her "forever" family. I think she looks like a baby doll. What do you think?How precious is this? Kayla is a preemie baby being born around 34 weeks gestation, and this is her favorite position to lay in. Any time I lay her on her belly, she immediately puts her feet up near her face in this position. And, any time she is fussy, this position works too.

And, for some updates on some of our previous "Angel babies."

Ben-Wisconsin

This is Logan-Duluth, MN

Ava and her family from Minnesota

Mya and her family from Albequerque, NM

I am blessed to have shared a portion of these little one's lives. Will they remember us? Nope, not one single baby will remember us..... Will I remember them? Absolutely! I can remember something special about each one of these little ones. I get so excited when I get an email with an update and photos.

I am so glad that each one of these babies has been given a chance at life. I was shocked to learn this past Sunday at church that for every 2 babies born, a baby is aborted. With the waiting list for people waiting to adopt, I wish every mother could see the blessing that their child could be.

I am in constant prayer for the birth parents, adoptive parents, and everyone that plays a part in the life of these children. I feel so honored that God called me to be transition care for them during this time. Please lift up a prayer as well for all of these lives that are touched.

Other prayer requests I ask you to lift up:

***Tucker Beam-finished his last round of chemo-Congrats buddy! I love you!

***Our new President-as the leader of our country, I pray that he will seeks God's guidance every step of the way.
***Corey and Heather Fillingame-a couple in our church that is completing their paperwork to adopt a child.

***Casey and Stephanie Allums-trying to adopt Nathan from Guatamaula.

***The Church at Ross Station