Spring is in the Air

I honestly keep meaning to update you all on the happenings of the Mogford clan, but I also keep falling asleep on the couch at 8:30 pm- no joke. Growing baby number three has proven to be quite the task. I am starting to feel better, although the nausea has held on a lot longer than with the previous two. Keeping the house clean... okay maybe more like keeping the house from looking like a tornado swept through, and keeping two kids happy and well adjusted takes everything in me these days. I will admit to a few more cartoons/movies than usual, but the kids don't seem to mind.

I have several batches of pictures just waiting to be edited, but because I know I am in dire need of picture update, here are a few to hold you over (grandma's) until I get to the rest.

 I laughed out loud at this one, so of course I had to share... someday she'll care enough that I won't be able to do this.

Baby bump #3 - we find out in two weeks whether it's a boy or girl. Can't wait.

Seattle and Surprises

It been a long time... Two months long to be exact, but I have a good reason. Let me tell you about it.

Life doesn't always go as we'd planned.

I try not to fill in too many details (one has to trust God right?), but I kind of had my life planned out. Go to college, get married, have two kids, then adopt one or two more, raise a family who loves life and Jesus, grow old with my husband..... Life was going pretty much how I'd planned. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't always smooth sailing, but God is good. So after Owen was born, we started looking into adoption.

I am so excited about adoption. You know that song that says, "Break my heart for what breaks yours" (Hosanna by Hillsong United)? Well, my heart breaks when I think of all the children who don't get kisses when they fall down, who have no one to run to when they are sad or happy, never hear I love you, have no one to comfort them when they wake up with a bad dream, and sometimes are never even held. I mean, tears-streaming-down-my-face breaks my heart. God loves those children, and He has blessed us with a good home and a heart to change the life of one of those precious little lives. I was ready, and Joe was on board too.

So we did our research, decided to go with Bethany Christian Services, filled out our formal application and paid the first fee. The next step was to attend a training up in Seattle. In order to be home study approved, you must complete ten hours of training, and this would count for six of those hours. I was so excited. We were going to learn about the next steps and what to expect, hear from other families, and listen to a panel of birth moms tell their stories. We were a bit late (in true Mogford fashion), and had to sit in the very front. It was a good training, but I soon realized we were the only ones in the room who weren't struggling with infertility issues.

Now I want to be careful that you understand what I mean by what I am about to say. Infertility is a big deal. I am blessed beyond measure with my children, and am thankful we had an easy time getting pregnant, but I know it isn't always that easy, and I know how heartbreaking that can be. I've seen it on the faces of several friends who long with everything in their being to have a child growing inside. But there we were, in a room full of people who had tried for years for a baby and were eventually brought to this room, and I felt like an outsider. I'm sure it was good for me, the one with children, to feel like an outsider for once, instead of all the other ladies in the room who felt like outsiders all the time, but no one likes to feel excluded. Plus I was feeling really tired and kind of cranky.I felt like this training wasn't meant for us. At the end of the day, we got in the car and I felt completely drained. I expected to be energized by all the new information, but it was a long day, full of a lot of information.

We spent the night up in Seattle and acted the tourist all day Sunday. We ate at Ivars', drank Starbucks on the waterfront, had a really hard time finding parking, and even got to watch the Seahawks game from The Hawks Nest sports bar (my favorite part). I still felt really tired, even after getting to sleep, which really never happens with young kids. We made it home safe after scouring a Walmart and a Target for Seahawks jerseys to no avail and picking up the kiddos from their cousins' house.

To cut to the chase and save you some unneeded details, Monday morning I decided to squelch my hunch and take a pregnancy test....

 You guessed it. We're pregnant!

Can I be honest? My first thought was oh crap, only not crap... But the look on Joe's face when I told him... He was so excited, and I can't tell you how much that meant to me. When I tell this little one about his/her story, I will definitely be telling him/her about this precious moment.

Sledding

We had a very busy Christmas this year, but it was full of family and fun so I didn't really mind. After arriving home from Idaho and a total of 27 hrs of driving in a week, we are off to Seattle for an adoption training. Here is just a sneak peek at one of our adventures:

We Are One Step Closer

This past week we were able to send off our first payment for our adoption. Already God is providing in amazing ways, and it is so exciting I have to share.

We needed a "small" (and by small I mean small in the grand scheme of adoption, but not so small to us penny pinchers) amount to complete our official application, and pay for mandatory training classes. After finding out the only training class available in the next five months was January 5th, and to secure our spot we needed to make our first payment asap, we scraped together all the money we had been saving so far. Yesterday I went to the bank, and wouldn't ya know it, we had $16.43 over what we needed. How amazing is our God?! I am in tears right now as I think of how He provides. He knows what we need, when we need it, and I am so excited we get to play a part in His master plan.

Living an extraordinary life for God may stretch us beyond what we thought possible, but the rewards are oh so worth it. That doesn't mean we are to live comfortable lives, avoiding as much pain as possible. God wants, no longs, to give us what is best, and how can He if we refuse to follow His lead, wherever that may take us. We have only begun our adoption process and already God has done extraordinary things.

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and encouragement. It means so much to have so many family and friends stand behind us. We couldn't do it without you.

Best Picture Ever

I laugh every time.

Magical Christmas Pictures

I realize it's been awhile since I've blogged. Life is crazy as usual, and I have been very busy editing pictures... other peoples pictures. It is such a blessing and an honor to have so many people want me to take their photograph. After finally deciding to start charging for my long time hobby, I had no idea I would be so busy. It truly is a blessing, but I need to find some kind of balance. Lots of taking and editing others pictures means I have less time and desire to capture my own family, not-to-mention every night after the kids go to bed, all I do is edit. I will learn. Thankfully, I have a very patient, understanding, and supportive husband.

The kids and I were able to spend over a week at my parents' house in anticipation for a friend's wedding (yes, I got to be the photographer). I wanted to practice a technique I had long been wanting to try, so of course, I solicited the help of my adorable children. Things didn't go exactly how I had envisioned them... I will show you what I mean.

First, Owen wouldn't sit still, so 98% of his pictures are blurry. This is the best I could get.

Still adorable even with a dirty face.

Then I tried Grace... Oh my.  I thought I would be artsy and drape a scarf around her to make her eyes pop, but all it did was make her look like Virgin Mary, or according to Grace, "I look like Little Red Riding Hood." And this girl has quite the knack for funny faces.

And the both of them...

Next, my mom and sister jumped in to try and help. Things didn't go much better. Grace was upset and wouldn't smile or take her blanket out of her mouth, and Owen had managed to get food all over his shirt, so I just took it off.

I did manage to get a few good ones, and one even made it onto our Christmas card. While frustrating at the time, I got some good laughs after uploading the pictures.

 

I will admit to bribing them with chocolate chips and getting to play with the Kindle Fire afterwards.

Adoption: Our Journey Begins

I don't really know where to start this post. The topic has long been close to my heart, and I hope to convey in mere words what God has cultivated over many years.

Joe and I have decided to add to our family through adoption.

As many of you know, my brothers were adopted. Both were abandoned as infants and joined our family when they were about six months old. I can’t imagine growing up without them as part of our family. But there are many children out there who aren’t as lucky, who don’t have a family to call their own.

I have felt the pull of adoption since my brothers joined our family, and now that I am finally “old enough,” Joe and I have decided to take the necessary steps to bring a child into our home to call him/her our own. I have no idea where the money is going to come from or what other challenges we will face, but I am excited to see what God will do.

I will be honest and admit I have fears… What if the child doesn’t bond with us? What if the mother decides to keep the child at the last minute? What if he or she has a genetic or medical condition? However, God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7), and I am going to trust him. He has never failed me and He never will. I can’t guarantee that everything will go smoothly, but I can cling to His promise that even if…  He will give me the strength to make it through.

After much prayer, research, and discussion, we have decided to adopt domestically. At this point, all we know is that it will be a private adoption through Bethany Christian Services. Joe just received his bonus from work, so we now have enough money right now to officially apply (Woo-hoo!).

To continue to grow our adoption fund, I have decided to dedicate the profits from my photography business. If you want to check out my work, go to my photography blog: www.ashleymogfordphotography.blogspot.com or my photography Facebook page.

All the siblings at my brother's graduation. Look how little Grace is.