Zipadeedoodah, Summer Is Here! Per usual McLaughlin Style, this first week of “vacation” has NOT been a disappointment in the area of excitement. First up, I’ll be filling you in on our VERY important Adoption Garage Sale and then move on to updating on The Girls and then, The Boys. Here we go . . .
Adoption Garage Sale – You may be asking, “What in the world IS an ‘Adoption Garage Sale”? The answer is simple: it’s a garage sale dedicated to raising funds for a specific adoption. The goal of OUR Adoption Garage Sale is to raise the final funds needed in order to make Bowen’s Adoption official! While we DO have legal custody of our Precious Girl, we are bursting with excitement at the thought of giving Bowen Jane our last name, forever and always making her a part of our family. So, with our goal just over the horizon, we decided to hold a garage sale which would help us clean out our home, while also focusing on this VERY worthy goal (Bowen!). Generous friends have even come along beside us, donating their OWN items to our sale, which first took place last Saturday. Because of those donations, last Saturday’s Sale was a HUGE HIT and we raised more than we had hoped or expected! In fact, we had SO many quality items left over, we’ve decided to extend our sale and host it AGAIN, THIS Saturday, JUNE 3rd (TOMORROW)! Now, the forecast says it may be a bit stormy from time to time on Saturday, but we’ll host the sale come rain or shine; and, if we need to, we will hold it again NEXT weekend too!
Even though it’s last-minute, we ae still taking donations for the Adoption Garage Sale! If you have nice, quality items you’d like to pass on to us in order to raise funds for Bowen’s Adoption finalization, we will be HAPPY to take them! You are welcome to drop them on our porch or in our driveway, OR you can call one of us to make alternate plans (see below for contact info). We will also gladly accept items which could be sold online via FB, craigslist, etc.
While Mike and I wish we had the ability to pick up every donation, we simply just aren’t able to due to many big reasons, to be honest. We are very grateful for any items which can be brought to us! If other arrangements are needed OR if you need our specific home address, please contact either one of us directly- Mike: 405-812-3589; Ryan: 405-923-8562.
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THE GIRLS . . .
Lucy’s started crawling in the form of tiny “hops”, exactly like Ellie Kate. This is a HUGE thing for Lu Lu and although she’s just getting started, we have no doubt she’ll soon be independently mobile like her Big Sister once was. The sounds of sweet knees dragging across our tile floors will be a MUCH-welcomed sound – it’s a sound we’ve missed beyond comprehension.
Actually, Lucy’s on a roll, having lost THREE teeth, which is all new to us seeing as Sweet EK never did lose a single tooth. Like most special needs/medically fragile children, we think Lucy’s likely swallowed those first two baby teeth, much to my heartbreak (seriously, I’ve been wailing over this as I so want a tangible part of My Girl to keep for always - okay, ‘wailing’ could be an exaggeration, but I have been very sad and my bottom lip has continually been sticking out, hee hee). Then Today, I had the joy and PRIVILEGE of being a typical mom, joyfully yanking a third little tooth out of Lucy’s precious mouth (yanking/pulling/tipping – not much difference, right? ha!). Even though she bit me, locking those strong jaws around my finger, it was WELL-worth-it to have at least ONE prized baby tooth from Lucy Belle. I truly believe the Father granted the tooth desire for this momma, and I’m so grateful.
Miss Bowen is GROWING and changing, with new sounds and giggles. She’s still trying to perfect, “mama” at her tender age of FIVE months and has now added, “bubba”. Bowen too, is trying her hand (err, body?) at independence, and is starting to “hop” JUST like Lucy Belle. We have this little, tiny froggie who giggles and wrinkles her perfect little nose at us just “so”, and we melt. Just last night, she started reaching for us, which is HUGE for me and Mike, and makes us feel so “Wanted”, as silly and obvious as that sounds.
Two Darling McLaughlin Girls –
One losing teeth, One whose teeth are
just breaking through;
Both happy, hopping,
and soon-to-be extremely independent!
The Boys . . .
Both Conner and Henry are REALLY enjoying Summer Break already! The eldest enjoys reading and watching, “The Office” re-runs, and is learning to mow and care for the yard. The youngest is learning to be more disciplined and organized and has made new friends close by, which means he’s always (and I mean, ALWAYS) wanting to jump on his bike to go visit those friends. It’s a JOY to have little men in and out of our house constantly and even though there are sticky counters, half-empty cups of juice and milk all over the house and toys they trade with each other constantly, I wouldn’t trade it! It’s something we’ve longed for with Henry – for him to have good friends, especially in the neighborhood, and God has given Him just that! Now, if we can just get everyone to a pool – at the same time, with all of our gear . . . no small feat!
PRAISE!!!
Ya’ll, God has done something incredible for us and we are TRULY full of JOY! Even though we need Him to provide and many details must both be worked out, we have a plan and steps to get there, which is HUGE – things we’ve never before had!
You may know from previous posts that we have been working very hard on getting Henry into a PANDAS facility or into an international PANDAS specialist THIS SUMMER. We’ve felt like this summer is a timeline God has given us – a time to “make it or break it” with Henry, so to speak. We KNOW that God WILL do BIG THINGS for Henry this summer, especially. We just haven’t known how and haven’t had any direction, even though we’ve desperately been searching for doctors, specialist, facilities, treatments, and more. This week however, we received a call back from a PANDAS Specialist in Washington, D.C. – a specialist who also happens to be a neurologist! The BEST news . . . she’s accepted Henry as a patient and she’s agreed to SEE HIM in her clinic on July 24th!!!!! Can you even believe it?! We are still in AWE and a little shocked, to be honest. This well-known doctor, who is featured in the PANDAS documentary, My Kid’s Not Crazy . . . THIS doctor has agreed to see Henry, with the support and recommendation of ALL of Henry’s doctors here in Oklahoma! We are ELATED and asking the Lord to work out the details. THANK YOU, Lord, for YOUR faithfulness!!
So, there you have it! Thus is the beginning of the McLaughlin’s Summer 2017, with a roller-coaster ride of loose teeth and teething babies, hopping babies and independent little girls, with blonde boys riding bikes and mowing lawns! A family preparing for a trip to Washington, D.C. while also preparing to forever and always add a Precious Daughter to our Clan, one who fits perfectly and is already Beloved more than she could possibly imagine. We thank you for going along for the ride, for sticking it out, for watching us rise and fall along the twists and turns. YOU spur us on to keep going and we couldn’t be more grateful.
DON’T FORGET!
ADOPTION GARAGE SALE TOMORROW,
Benefiting Baby Girl McLaughlin
SATURDAY, JUNE 3rd at 8am
Vintage Farms Neighborhood –
off of SW 134th Street, just East of South Pennsylvania Ave.
*Follow the NEON GARAGE SALE SIGNS,
Taking you to THE BIG SALE on SW 132nd Street!
Sale items include:
· CLOTHING and SHOES - from Armani, Cabi, Talbots, Express, Limited, Banana Republic, Dillard’s brands, and MORE!
· SHOES – kids, women’s and men’s, all shapes, brands, seasons and sizes!
· ANTIQUES – furniture, dishes, artwork, décor, and more!
· PURSES and ACCESSORIES – Coach, Michael Kors, and MORE!
· TOYS
· HOME DÉCOR
· And MORE!
Most items in the sale are in great condition; most clothes and shoes are new with tags or look brand new!
Hope to See You There!
Ryan
For other ways to contribute to the D.C. trip OR to Bowen’s Adoption, please contact us directly
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