A Documentary, A Meme, and a Book Walk Into a Bar...

Okay, guys...this post is so incredibly random, but I just have to share a few completely unrelated things this afternoon.

First...

Have you guys seen this? We have watched nine of the episodes this week alone, and y'all...I can't get this crazy story out of my head! I'm not 110% convinced he's totally innocent, but I also don't think there is ANY way the jury could have decided he was guilty BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. 

And his nephew, Brendan. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, since when is being unintelligent enough to convict you of a crime? Did he make an absolutely catastrophic mistake in letting the police manipulative him? Yes. Does he deserve to be behind bars for 30+ years because of it? Um, NO.

This story has seriously kept me up at night just angry at our criminal justice system. If you've seen this series, I would LOVE your comments!

Second...

So, in honor of hubby and I finally settling on a name for our son (and nope, not gonna share it today!) and getting our I800-A approval last week, I did a little online shopping...

This is the lovey and family photo album we will fill with family photos and eventually send to our sweet boy so his caregivers can start talking about us with him and preparing him for his adoption. It is so crazy to think these will be in the hands of our SON in a matter of time! Now, we just need our documents finalized so we can be ready for a match! Come on, Houston Consulate! :)   

I am in LOVE with my new Stella & Dot initials necklace! I get so sappy looking down and seeing the initials of our THREE, yes THREE, kiddos. So, so scary and exciting and humbling!

Three...

This was too good not to share...because it is a perfect description of my life. Is my kid the only one who will only take ONE bite of something and then render it completely useless?!! This makes me CRAY-ZY! Especially when it's one of my organic Honeycrisp apples that are SO EXPENSIVE BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY! Which leads me to my next point...

Four...

I am just beginning this book, and OH MY WORD, if you haven't read it, you need it! At one of our home study visits, we were talking to our social worker about the adjustment period when we first arrive home with our son, and she mentioned that a lot of kids coming from orphanages will feel very overwhelmed in a house "that looks like Toys 'R' Us" because they are coming from places that are very sparse and sterile. I didn't feel like we are super excessive with regards to spoiling our kids, but when I went upstairs to our playroom, I realized we definitely live in Toys 'R' Us, so I decided this was an area we needed to address before bringing our boy home. I'm using this book as a guide and really trying to separate wants and needs as we adjust to this whole family of five thing this year.

So, how's that for the most random post of 2016 to date?!! Hoping your weekend was as fabulous, joyful, and precious as this girl! It is impossible to be unhappy around that smile! 

Check back Tuesday to hear this year's "Momfessionals" - excited to own the crazy with you all! 

For the Love by Jen Hatmaker

Last night, I finished the most compassionate, affirming, and freeing book I've read in quite some time, and I just couldn't let the day go by without sharing it! 

If you are a woman over 18, mom or not, this book is a MUST-READ for you. Not only does Jen Hatmaker manage to simultaneously challenge and love you through her words, she does so in a way that is understanding, forgiving, and, most importantly, hysterical!

I love that she really touches on the fact that, as women, we feel this constant need to "keep up" with everyone around us and to only share with others that small portion of ourselves that appears organized and happy and put-together. A picture of my two children posing with chalkboards proclaiming a milestone is expected; these posts garner exponentially more "likes" (a.k.a. affirmation) and comments than a #keepitreal post revealing the nine (okay, twelve) piles of laundry on my dining room table that have yet to be folded or my daughter throwing a tantrum because it's 7am and I refuse to let her eat Skittles for breakfast. (The candy struggle over here is REAL, y'all.) We don't want people to know that this parenting and marriage thing is HARD sometimes...we don't want to let people into those moments...and it's tremendously isolating to feel like we are the only ones navigating those battles.

Jen is a breath of fresh air. She encourages you to take the excess off your plate, prioritize what's important, and offer yourself grace. We are SO hard on ourselves sometimes, and we have expectations for ourselves that we would NEVER put on others. She also has some really "deep" moments where she discusses things like leggings as pants, her disdain for Pinterest, and an unfortunate situation with an automatically-flushing toilet. ;)   

If you need a "refresh" this fall, go grab this book!