Hello From Housper

All about Whitt.

2011-11-09T16:35:00.006-06:00

Oh Whittaker, you are as busy as they come...but that is you and I love it. You are getting so big and it just tears me to pieces. You are in a phase right now were you love everything and you speak your love too, no matter what it is you tell it how you feel (today it was a crane, like a construction crane). You are talking more and more everyday, your vocabulary blossomed this month and it has been a complete joy hearing all that you come up with. Every night you have me tuck you into a baby burrito and it is my absolute favorite part of the day because I love to hear you say it. You have enjoyed cooking lately... you are constantly wanting to sit on the counter by me. You think that your Monk (his stuffed animal monkey) is somewhat human... you try to feed it, give it drinks, baths, etc. It is a little weird but I kind of like seeing you being a little nurturing since you are so wild. You still are very boyish... and love all things trucks, cars, construction, dirt, jumping, wrestling. You are still a very picky eater and I have to trick you into getting food in your body, lately dad has been paying you money to actually eat. What can I say it worked once or twice. You love salad, chicken lay (chick.fil.a) and coke (sparkling water). You also like to play with money, carry it around it your pocket, etc. I think it is because you always see that your dad has it in his. You call your earphones just phones and It melts my heart for some odd reason. You are sill obsessed with airplanes and helicopters and I love how your face lights up when you see them. You are going tall , which makes you even skinnier looking that you are. You show me your muscles all the time and they are quiet big. Everytime you don't want to listen to me or ignore me all together, you close your eyes and start snooring, you are full of all kinds of personality with a touch of attitude You are a catch that I am never letting go of.

Airplane fun @ Houston Intercontinental.

Rise and Fall.

2011-11-04T22:36:00.006-05:00

It been a different week for the Wetherell's. We have spent our first week here at our home in Houston. On Sunday we don't have to pack a bag to go somewhere for the week for work, we just get to be. It's been kind of surreal, I feel like someone is going to snap their fingers at any moment and I am going to wake up. I have been able to hang out with other moms and make plans. Andy has been working his little training tale off at the new company he works for (hint hint: the name of it is my favorite pattern). I sometimes feel guilty for having fun, but I am soaking it up while it lasts-until I find that J-O-B. God has shown us over and over again that he has orchestrated this for us, so we are beyond excited.

These last weeks have been different in other ways also, I have been able to rejoice and be devastated at the same time.

I found out this week that I have three friends that are pregnant and they are all having little boys. Two other friends found out they are having little girls. Which is so exciting but yet I feel a little jealous that it isn't me. Is that bad that it makes me a little sad for myself?

RISE and FALL

Then I have a friend who lost her first baby at 9 months in-utero. I cannot imagine her pain. I am in pain for her. The littles funeral was this week.

FALL.

I have a friend who got engaged and is marrying the love of her life. I am proud of my friend. She has gone through some pretty crazy things and life and I am so excited that she is happy and doing good. Like really really proud of her.

RISE.

I have another friend who was hoping to get placed with a little boy through CPS and they didn't get him. My heart breaks for her because I know she longs for this.

FALL.

Then this past weekend we had our first Bayou City Core night. Where people could join our church and become a part of our family in Jesus' name. It was big guys. Our church is growing and it is a reminder that God is Good. Like really good. It was a turn in the book that God is writing for our church.

RISE.

SO these weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster. You know when you are waiting in line and the anticipation of the new, not exactly knowing what is coming around every corner. And then you are finally on that roller coaster and you are screaming with excitement but are secretly scared. Up and down and up and down until it comes to a screeching halt.

That has been what's been going on. Its been good but hard. Crying tears of excitement and sadness all in one breath. It's been real. God is real and he has proved himself of that through every RISE and FALL. You see HIM in every RISE and FALL and that is Good.

Pray for my friends as they rejoice about new life and mourn for life that they thought would be apart of theirs. Pray for our church as we add pages to our book. Pray for us as we embark on all things new for the Wetherell's.

Below an unloading of pictures of a BIG Rise in my everyday life....

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2, 3 NIV)

Enough.

2011-10-04T15:15:00.012-05:00

fear.

This is something that has occupied my life for sometime now. It still dwells in me, I will be the first to admit it. Very strongly to be completely honest.

The first time I can remember actually be fearful was when I was in 5th grade. My dad had brain cancer, he had had it for over a year. he had seizures. I hated them. This was the first time I remember feeling fear. My mom wanted to leave me alone at the house with my dad, I remember crying to her in fear of the fact that my dad could possibly have a seizure, she reassured me I would be fine... but the fear was there. The fear turned into reality and my dad did in-fact have a seizure on our kitchen floor that day. Fear has stuck with me ever sense...

Im sure it was there long before but this was the first time I could actually feel it

in my bones, if that makes sense. My dad had cancer for 4 more years after that seizure until he ultimately won his battled over cancer and was welcomed into the arms of Jesus Christ.

My dad was gone.

Cancer was gone.

The seizures were gone.

But the fear remained.

It's is now 14 year later and that fear is still very present. 14 years people, I am embarrassed to admit that, but it is true. It has come and gone but it's always lerching. It is always a fight. I don't do a lot of things because of fear, I think I miss out on a lot because of it. I am not a hermit or anything by any means but I think I don't step out in faith a lot because of this fear. I believe God has an extravagant life planned for me and I sometimes just watch from the sidelines because I am so fearful. God has done and is still doing some pretty amazing things in mine and Andy's life and I see myself taking a step backwards in fear... In my head a want to run forward, be bold and embrace what God has laid before us, but I see that fear creeping in. But I don't want it to creep in, I want to see God in his full glory and not look at the road ahead through fear tinted glasses.

My friend recently wrote a post about how she has been under spiritual warfare . In her awesome post she wrote:

"This Sunday morning I woke up and sensed in my spirit that God had given me victory over my enemy. That specific battle was over. My Savior had said Enough!and the accuser was silenced. The heaviness was gone."

(Read her post here, it's good people, like real good)

The word ENOUGH really stood out to me when I read it, it was like someone was standing in my face yelling it at me. Enough. In scripture time and time again God tells me, Do not fear...and yet what do I do, fear?

God has promised me that HE is with me, so I say to myself, ENOUGH. God had said it long before that. I could picture in my head the accuser being silenced with one word, Enough.

So in this new season of life that Andy and I are about to embark on I will choose Freedom not Fear. God has set His path and we will walk on it, in Freedom, the freedom that He paid for on the cross. Ultimate freedom.

Enough is Enough.

I will be back...

2011-09-20T21:11:00.003-05:00

Soon, real soon!!!!

With all kinds of great news and things to tell you.

jump on the bed excited.

Until then.....

xoxo!

Feels Like Home.

2011-09-05T21:15:00.003-05:00

You know that feeling when you walk into your families house for Thanksgiving...

You can smell desserts that you have eaten since birth.

Your grandmother is singing softly under her breath "How great thou art".

Your family is there to welcome you.

You feel that you are home.

Well that is what I have felt every Sunday for the last few months at

Bayou City Fellowship.

Even though none of those things are actually there...

I get that same feeling in my heart of being, HOME.

I feel God there.

And it rocks you to the core.

There is no turkey but there is God.

And that is one heck of a trade off.

So come to Bayou City Fellowship.

Feel God there.

Make it your home.

I promise it won't disappoint.

We officially open our door this coming

Sunday, September 11 @ 10:00.

Houston Christian High School.

Come.

Bring your family and friends.

Visit our website in the meantime.

mustaches or Bows?

2011-08-23T17:50:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I had the complete honor of throwing a party for one of my best friends and college roommates. It was a party to celebrate the arrival of her new baby- and to find out what exactly she and her husband Brad, were having. My friend Jordan has a big heart and a great family. She is a great friend and one of the best mom's I know. College would not have been the same without her...we were inseparable for the majority of our years there and for that I am thankful. This is how it went down.....

Mustaches and Bows...What is baby Dittoe?

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

I love my friend and wouldn't trade her for a whole bag of jelly beans. I can't wait until Thanksgiving when we can snuggle with her bundle of joy.

PS. she has all her babies all natural- she is every woman.

HEART.

2011-08-15T16:31:00.003-05:00

My heart is Here today.

Praying for Sudan.

You cannot help but fall in love with these people and this place.

My heart is there.

Wetherell What?!

2011-08-10T20:45:00.007-05:00

What? Wetherell? Where have y'all been?

Blogging had to be put aside so I could catch up on life, sleep, and just soak up all the craziness. This being said I don't know how consistent I am still going to be, blogging wise, but this is progress. Summer has been great. Great things have been happening and we are praying for big things to continue happening... sometimes begging patiently. Is begging ever patient? Really, Corey. But to be honest that is what is happening. I was reading Radical Together by David Platt and he states that "God is indeed sovereign and that in our suffering He may actually be plotting our satisfaction". Wow. That was big for me to read and it reminded me to rejoice in this season that he is in fact plotting and bringing satisfaction NOW.
And what a season it has been. We are in the midst of a church plant in which I have talked about before. Being a part of this has been, well, rad. It has opened my heart in big ways. God is doing amazing things and the church doors haven't even opened. I just can't imagine what God has planned. We (the core team) meet every Sunday evening and these past two Sunday's have just left my love tank full. Hearing the word by our pastor and having sweet girl friends pray powerful prayers has just done a work in me. I do not have words to describe it, it has made me cry, laugh,draw closer to the Lord and be more excited in the days to come. For all this I am thankful. Bayou City Fellowship doors open on September 11, 2011 and I am bursting in excitement for this date. BURSTING. 
Adoption stuff is about the same. We payed for our home study tonight and we are submitting our paperwork for it hopefully next week after we get some physicals done for the 3 of us (which can be a little difficult since we don't live in Houston during the week yet that is where our doctor is).  At the same time I am collecting paper work for our Dossier, when all that is collected, we will submit that. (probably will take a little while to collect though). A couple weeks ago we were blessed with a donation that literally left me stunned. When I saw the person that donated it as I wanted to run and give them a screaming leaping hug, I literally was paralyzed and speechless. Has that ever happened to you? It's weird. Just so stunned by how God has blessed them and then they chose to Bless me. To God be the glory.
Whitt is growing like crazy and is all boy. He impresses me daily with how much he is growing up and learning. He is so smart, sometimes a little to smart. He loves to talk about the moon and talked about how he "held" it and "touched" it. He loves helicopters, planes, coke, golf, baseball, the song "this little light of mine", his dad... the list could go on. I recently took him to seaworld with my sisters and this little 2 years old leaped with excitement when he saw shamu, I will never forget the look on his face when Shamu jumped out of the water (picture below). He is officially in a big boy bed even though he likes to try and sneak out. He is just a loving, non-stop little boy that I am officially obsessed with. 
This month we also had girl move in with us. Her name is Alicia she is originally from Texas but moved from Cali. She is great. She will be serving as a staff member for Bayou City Fellowship and we were excited to welcome her back to Texas and into our home. She has been a complete joy and is blessing us already. Our past paths had crossed a lot as we attended the same University and church, we even went on a mission trip together...but we never really knew each other. So we are looking forward to getting to know her and gain a new member of our fam.

Well i think that pretty much wraps up some of life right now.
so with the life dump... I will also leave you with a dump of my iphone.

(when he saw Shamu)

Fun picture posts to come.....

blessed yet breathless

2011-07-20T11:15:00.012-05:00

Life is going. It is leaving me breathless. I sometimes feel as I am taking quick deep breaths to keep from drowning in the deep end. I know that sounds weird but I often feel this way. The way we do life right now leaves me tired. I am tired of traveling back and forth, tired of living in two places. Just tired. I hate being tired, It makes me feel as if I am not giving 100%- not to whitt, not to my husband, not to my friends (new and old), GOD, not to our new church BCF, not enough time to our adoption, not enough time for myself.

At the same time I am blessed beyond belief. I have a great husband, a precious son (boy is he precious) and we both have great jobs, food on the table...the list could go on. I am blessed and I am thankful.

God is stirring in us. I just pray I am not to tired to see what HE is stirring. I am trusting though. He is a Big God with Big plans and maybe he needs me

tired to be able to see that. To trust in that.

When we were in Seaside, it was a break- a time of much needed rest with great friends where I could just breathe, think and soak up life. I didn't have to worry about the 5 billion pieces of paper work that needed to be filled out for our adoption (happy to do them, just overwhelming) or the work that needed to be done for my job.

My mind could relax (for the most-part).

It gave me enough breath to jump back in the deep end.

Trusting in God.

Taking long deep breaths.

Warning: Seaside, Florida Picture Overload

Beyond blessed. I mean look at these pictures. Beyond.

Seaside Sneak Peek

2011-07-12T21:55:00.005-05:00

We had so much fun this past week

and I cant wait to post about it...

but this will have to do for now.

Seaside 2011

lack of blogging.

2011-06-22T16:21:00.009-05:00

Life is crazy, hence the lack of blogging We are busy with life. Like I said, It is crazy. We are also busy with paper work for our adoption so in my down time I feel like that is encompassing all of my time (after Whitty goes to bed, anyway). Im honestly overwhelmed with it. So overwhelmed that I often have to step back and take a few deep breaths. We had our first Ethiopian conference call yesterday and it was a wealth of information about things going on there...it set in another whole level of being overwhelmed. We were informed about Ethiopian court closing for their "season" (usually about 6 weeks, starting Aug. 6Th), about some agencies closing their Ethiopian program but our agency, America World, still being on a working level with Ethiopia, referrals, time frames, etc. They talked about how many recommendations Ethiopia is processing a day and they (MOWCYA) is saying they are roughly processing 10 a day, down from about 50/a day....etc.

To be honest, I am still processing all that was presented to us. It was a lot.

It was neat to be able to hear the questions and concerns of others that often wonder the same things and are in the same place as you. It was neat to be able to pray and hear the prayers of these people that are also adopting. It was neat to be able to do that with our agency and know it is going to happen once a month. It was real, It made it feel real.

It is weird, I feel like I am in a race to get our paperwork in, collect info for our dossier, etc. but I know that it is not... I know that God has perfect timing. It was neat how in our conference call they made it very clear how they pray over each of the referrals. Friends, please pray that I will enjoy this process and not feel that I am in a race against time. I want to grow and learn instead of being overwhelmed and anxious. I don't only want a child from this, I want to grown as a person and learn to rely on God more. I have been watching a lot of videos about the City of Addis and just longing to know more and be able to picture what I am praying for. I have been to places similar to it, but I wanted to see Ethiopia... my heart is falling in love with this place, even though I have never been there. Weird? maybe. but it's happening. My only answer is God.

So where are we in the Ethiopian adoption process: We are collecting information for our homestudy and dossier... the list is long, we are checking off one thing at a time.

So where are we with the foster to adopt stuff: We are waiting our turn for our homestudy. Being patient and waiting.

"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will real if we do not grow weary".

Galatians 6:9

"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my Path".

Psalm 142:3

I dig being 2

2011-06-14T10:14:00.007-05:00

Well my little man you are officially two as of last Saturday! We had a big bash and everyone joined together to celebrate your two years of life. Whitt, wow, what can I say...you are the cutest thing that I have ever laid eyes on in my life. I know I am your mom but you melt my heart with each little smile and smirk you make. In two years of life you have accomplished so much... I can't wait to see what you do and how you change over the next two years. On your two year mark you still like Justin Bieber, baseball, golf, shoot (basketball), you love hot dog (mickey), and anything to do with Tractors, trucks, trains, helicopters, airplanes....the list could go on. You are very much still a guys guy. You are so smart Whitt. You say a few sentences and at those times is when I realize how big you are really getting. You are in a very lovable stage right now, wanting to cuddle all the time. I wish I could just bottle that up forever. You have become polite, saying thank you and bless you when people sneeze. Your heart is so big, if you see someone crying, you are immediately drawn to them to try to give them some lovin'. Whittaker Overstreet I love you more than words can express. Happy Birthday Dude!!!!

Here are some pictures of your,

Join my Crew I'm turning 2 Birthday Bash!

and a little After party fun

*my son was naked, well in a diaper most of his party.

I swear he didn't start out that way.

** I don't usually give whittaker soda (big red) in this case his uncle jeremy gave it him. which might or might not have been the reason he stayed up till 2 am on the night of his birthday.

Tidbits about Corey

2011-06-08T11:55:00.004-05:00

Well due to the fact that last week I turned the Big 3-0... I am going to give you a list of 30 tidbits about me. Some weird things some normal. But it's me. Somethings I left out but I just wanted to do this for fun.

Love Cake, Hate Pie. Like seriously HATE

Only like the caramel in the McDonald's Apple Dippers

Started loving mushrooms when I was pregs with Whitty, still love them...

would not touch them before then.

Started loving onions during a diet I did, despised them before... like wouldn't take a bite if it had onion in it.

Hate coconut, love coconut flavoring

my mom's whole family calls me CoCo

Only east mustard with grilled cheese.

Went to boarding school for a little while in New Hampshire and a 1.5 years in Colorado.

When I was little I wanted to change my name to Amy

10.

Love breakfast tacos

11.

Love candy, especially sour candy

12.

Love a good movie that makes you cry.

13.

Love a good cry.

14.

enjoy when it is cool outside and you get into a hot car

15.

I countdown every year for the snow cone stand to open

16.

Love to belt some good music in the car, I sing from my soul

17.

I am from Austin

18.

I have 2 little sisters, who are also my best friends.

19.

One of my eyebrows is higher than the other

20.

I like rap music

21.

I have no rhythm

22.

The day Whitt was born was the happiest and scariest day of my life, I have never felt a combo quiet like it.

23.

My favorite color is Navy Blue

24.

I love monograms

25.

I am obsessed with kitchen products, I just wish I knew how to use them all

26.

I love Jesus, fully.

27.

I hate to read, but wished I loved it.

28.

I do not like milk, never drink it, ever

29.

Love a classic box of mac.n.cheese

30.

Have been dating/married to my hubs for 11 years.

The month of June.

2011-06-01T11:22:00.004-05:00

June is a crazy month for us.

This weekend is my birthday. The BIG 30 people. So to start the birthday week off right, I got a hair cut, to make me feel fresh, to make me feel well... not so 30. Well I decided to get bangs... now I am feeling all of 12 years old. SO... the birthday haircut might have not been such a good idea. I am waiting till day 3, new haircuts are always best on day 3.

This week is also our last week at Houston's First Baptist. Bitter sweet moment. Andy grew up at this church, so to him it is like home. I didn't grow up there but we have friends there, are music minister's came from the church where Andy and I went all through college and then some (First Irving).... which make it feel like home to me. But we are moving on to something great and we are super pumped about it. Beyond pumped really. I believe God has been preparing and working in our heart for this change. We are starting a CHURCH PLANT with our great friends, Amanda and Curtis Jones. The Jones' were also at First Irving and Houston's First and we are so excited to be on their team on such an incredible journey in serving God. You can read more about Bayou City Fellowship from Amanda's heart, here, here and here.

This month (next week) is also Whittaker's 2nd Birthday. He is having a construction party and it is going to be out of this world. Well maybe... I decided to cut back a little this year, not invite as many peeps and cut back on me being a over-doing party loving/throwing mom. He will never even know. These are his picture birthdays (will only remember because of pictures). I have thought about doing parties maybe every other year. Like having a family party one year and a friend party the next. But I love parties. SO... doubt that will happen.... pondering it though.

It is also mine and Andy's 5 year anniversary this month. It is absolutely crazy how fast five years have flown by. We are not doing anything big around our anni. because we are going to Seaside Florida a couple weeks later, which we are super pumped about. I am super excited to see Whitt at the beach and get some great family photo's. Love me so classic family pics. Happy Anniversary Month Hubs!!!!

In adoption news for the last week or so...

We officially have everything turned in for the foster to adopt business and are waiting patiently (kinda) for our homestudy. We also mailed our first payment and group of paperwork off to America World for our Ethiopia loves. We are super pumped for this journey that God has placed in our hearts!!!!!

In other Wetherell news....

We are heading to Dallas to watch Dallas Baptist University play in some fancy schmancy regionals. The hubs is really excited about this, so I thought I would write about it so, we could remember it years down the road. I guess it's kind of a big deal in the baseball world.

Whitt is talking up a storm... sometimes in never ending sentences. Which is always funny because he gives you a look and waits for a response even though I have no idea what he is actually saying. He has also been extra loving, which has been fun. He wants to be held a lot for some reason but I have loved it, except for when I am trying to cook dinner. He is definatly still a daddy's boy and loves the routine evening wrestling matches. He is still very much into everything trucks, cars, planes, helicopters and tractors.

Here are a few pics to spruce up and wrap up this novel of a post.

XOXO.

Wetherell Family News!!!!

2011-05-26T10:27:00.008-05:00

So... Here is the good news I have been waiting to share.

Our (Andy, Whitt and myself) application has been OFFICIALLY APPROVED to adopt from Ethiopia. We are beyond excited about this journey for our family. God has been working Big time in our hearts lately to trust Him, so that is what we are doing. Trusting in His path for our family, our growing family.

With that said let me answer a few questions that might come up in your mind:

Aren't you in the Foster to Adopt process?

Yes, and we will continue to be. God has not shut that door for us so we are not going to shut it either. We get our finger prints tomorrow and then we are put on the home study list. There are 5 people ahead of us. So we will continue to patiently wait. Then we will be given referrals. Then God willing we will accept one!

Why Ethiopia?

Though we have not been to Ethiopia. We have a love for Africa, Andy has been there twice. He actually lived in Ghana for a couple months. I have been there once (to the Sudan) and I honestly believe a piece of my heart is still there. Those kids just took a hold of it. They have also an est. 4.3 million orphans in Ethiopia... so we were just drawn to the combination of several different factors that lead us to the decision of ETHIOPIA.

How long will it take?

Foster to adopt- that is a good question? Every circumstance is different. I have had some friends wait a while, while others have not.

So again all we can do is trust and wait in perfect timing.

Ethiopia- From what I have been told, 12 to 24 months. I have also been told by several of the agencies that I have spoken with, that Ethiopia has recently cut back on the amount of paper work they process by 90%, so they are not exactly sure on how it pan out. They honestly don't know how much paper work they were doing in the first place, so it is hard to judge.

Cost?

Yes, this will be a little more pricey than the Foster to adopt process actually a lot more pricey. But we are trusting. And we will not be anxious.

Trusting and praying in Matthew 6:34

" Therefore Do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

***

Which speaking of Cost's- that leads me to our

GARAGE SALE

Friends, we were blessed. God POURED complete favor on us that day in holding off the rain that we desperately needed, supplying us with friends to help, and shoppers to shop. We did not have one bump in the road. Because of the garage sale and how gracious are friends and family were that weekend, we have been able to pay for our application fee, 1st installment to the adoption agency (which we will mail TODAY) and most of our home study fee.

We are Thankful!!!!!

In writing this Friends, I am asking for your prayer. We need it. Coming from a person who likes to be in control, I need it. I am not in control in this situation, as any really. But I am officially throwing the reigns- so I need your prayer. Do you see me slightly begging for it.

Since I am asking for prayer- please go and read this blog and pray for our friends... they recently arrived home with their two babies from Ethiopia (please go and read their story- you will cry, cheer and me amazed by the power of God. Start from the beginning- Trust me) They are still needing your prayer in Big ways.

http://losingequalssaving.blogspot.com/

Well we are beyond excited and can't wait for God to show us a little piece of the puzzle for our lives. Thank you for your prayers in advance, they are much appreciated.

I am screaming with Excitement!!!!

My COWBOY!

2011-05-25T10:39:00.002-05:00

Wetherell Sneak Peek- Where my head lays

2011-05-17T11:46:00.006-05:00

So, this is my "master" bedroom, it is small. We live in an older house

and that is what comes in older houses. But we love it, it is cozy. I would take a larger bathroom though, if it was offered. Our's is tiny.

Not even worth a picture.

It is smaller than the bathroom we had when we went to Africa.

It does have hot water though unlike the bathroom in Africa and for

that I am grateful. So below will be the pictures of where

we lay our head each night (when we are in the H). The bed is not perfect

and I am sorry for that but that is life, not perfect. With the quilt hanging

longer than the duvet. Can you see my OCD kicking in? ha!

Whitt was jumping on the bed seconds before I snapped these.

I will also try to fill you in on some info about my house,

like where I bought things, if I made them etc.

I will slowly add them to the posts that I have already written.

I was asked, so I will give.

Here is the spread.

Enjoy.

*added the white picture back between pics, it had fallen off. Opps.

Ok. Here is the wrap:

* bench at the end of the bed was made by me and the hubs.

*White Duvet from Target

*Green Quilt from Pottery Barn

Yellow Duvet from High Fashion Home

*Pillows on bed from Anthropolgie

*Lamps from HomeGoods

*Intitials on lamps made by Fast Signs

*Side Tables from Nadau

*TV stand from El Paso Imports

*Headboard made by the hubs and I

{ remember these are just pics I took, so I am not a professional there for they don't look professional.}

I am going to take a small break from the Wetherell Sneak Peek Home Tour because painting starts this week on our kitchen, guest bath, etc. So I will wait to give you a before and after on those next week.

Thanks you also friends for spread of the garage sale, even if we don't make one penny on Saturday, we have already been blessed more than we could even imagine!

XOXO!

Sneak and Adopt

2011-05-16T15:27:00.006-05:00

SO...the Wetherell sneak peek is boring me but I will press on. We will move onto our guest room! Which will soon be used everyday because a sweet friend will be moving in and we are super excited for her to be apart of our home

for a little while (more on that later).

So here we go....

ALSO.....

Dont forget what is this weekend

Please pass it on.... Blog about it, tweet about it, talk about it....

Also we have 2 very fun things happening in the Wetherell Family. We submitted one of them today, so hopefully I will be able to spill the beans in about 10 to 12 days. HOPEFULLY. The other thing I can talk about it but I need to find the word to express how excited we are about it, so it will soon come. Pray for us that in these things we would glorify God FULLY.

Can't wait. See yall tomorrow, let's do Master Bedroom.

Wetherell Sneak peek- Don't remember the day

2011-05-15T09:08:00.004-05:00

So.... the wedding is over, my little sister in now officially Mr. Blake Ryan Cervenka. The wedding was awesome and my sister could have not been more stunning. SO... Wetherell Sneak Peek, sorry I left yall hanging- the wedding just got crazy and then blogger was down so I decided it wasn't meant to be. But I am back to show you the ends and outs of my little studs room. It is were he lays his head and now can officially crawl out of his crib. He started this weekend of all weekends (my poor babysitters) and there is no stopping him people. He is getting so big. So we are going to try the big boy twin bed now...

Ok. On to the pictures......

Well we are heading Home to Houston and we have to hit the road.... See yall tomorrow.

Wetherell Home Sneak Peek - Day 3

2011-05-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

Day three is here and that means PLAY ROOM. I am in Austin and all things wedding are being encompassed, so we are just going to go straight pictures...ENJOY!

We have had a few changes since these pictures but who cares right. We are also getting this room painted next week. Still deciding color and can't wait to lighten it up a little bit. Yahoo!

See you tomorrow...

Lets do Whitt's room and stick with the kiddo theme.

Wetherell Sneak Peak Home Tour -Day 2

2011-05-10T10:58:00.002-05:00

On this Tuesday of The Wetherell Home Sneak peek, we will be looking at pictures of our "formal" living room (that is not so formal) and our dining room. Again time is of essence

so I am just going to dive straight into the pictures.

I am actually going to start with out entry way because this series of post is enough torture, I wont go to the extreme of doing a post about just my entry way.

So here is the entry way

We are getting a new front door next weekend and it is "planning" on looking like this but not red and of course with our address on it. I am super excited about this.

(picture from Country Living)

Below is what is hanging in our entry way. I had seen it (among many other things in my house) on a blog and the Hubs and I re-created it with a twist of course.

(I do not re-call which blog I got it on).

View from the entry to the dining

I got this table in Roundtop this season and love it, it is so rustic and heavy. Whitt can climb on it, etc. and it will not be shaken.

From dining to Entry

This is a special little deer, my dad shot this over 15 years ago. It is still in great condition. Just like the silhouette, i love having little reminders on my dad around the house. Plus Whitt might think that the deer is his pet, he loves to pat it.

The table below is the table my parents got when they were married long ago, it has been redone a couple times but I am very happy that it now lives in my dining room.

The sliding door between our kitchen and our dining room.

Old door + barn door hardware= bliss to me.

Up close. The handy hubs put this up for me!

Well that will conclude today. Thanks for touring my formal and dining room.

Come over and have a meal.

Please.

We love guest.

And entertaining.

Tomorrow we will do Playroom!

(even though it is getting re-painted next weekend, oh well)

ALSO....

we have some fun things going on with the Wetherell's, I am hoping to be able to talk about them in the next couple of weeks but if you think about it please lift us up in prayer.

Home Tour

2011-05-09T14:30:00.005-05:00

I have had several request to show the rooms of my house. I figured this would be the perfect week since it is full of festivities for my littlest sister's wedding and the post won't have to be thought filled since they will mostly be pictures So today we will start with the:

THE LIVING ROOM

(also these are just little snapshots that I took, you will be able to see that they are not professional at all and we live in our house, it might be messy. You might see a sock on the floor but that is life so that's what you might see.)

(the silhouette is of my dad when he was a small boy, It is so special to me)

(the books above were by grandmother's- I just love all the colors in them. )

Again like I said these are just snapshots, you cannot really tell that my walls have color (grayish-green color).

So that's my living room.

Tomorrow will be "formal" living and dining.

2 Weeks from Today...

2011-05-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

Silhouttes @ Nest and Cot

2011-05-04T14:03:00.003-05:00

All Houston peeps....

Just wanted to pass this along b/c I love silhouttes, I have one of my dad when he was little and it is something that i treasure. Just to look at it and think of him as a small boy is just fun for me.
(*i have no connection with Nest and Cot, I am just spreading the word)
So...

Mark your calendars, Nest & Cot is hosting an event!

Silhouette Artist, Erik Johnson will be here May 24^th to create unique 5” x 7” silhouette portraits for $25 each. Erik is a third generations silhouette artist, learning this craft from his father. With Erik’s unique talent, he hand cuts each silhouette free hand by just looking at a person’s profile.

May 24^th
10:00am – 4:00pm

5” x 7” Silhouettes are $25.00.
Duplicates of the same person are $15.00.
Framing options available.

Each silhouette only takes 5 minutes so we have many time slots still available to make appointments for.
Please call or email us to make your appointment today!

Nest & Cot
2402-B Rice Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005
p 713.429.5246

I just got an email from them and thought yall might like to take advantage of the deal!

XOXO!

Whitt's Obsessions

2011-05-03T20:22:00.005-05:00

My little man is obsessed with sports. We are either talking about "shoot" (aka Basketball), "almost" (aka baseball) or just golf... this little man wants to be outside at all times playing one of his many sports. He has been practicing his sports daily and is very serious about them. He recently got his first real golf club, he has broken all plastic ones... they just aren't study enough for this little muscle man. It is metal and it is scary to e around a 2 year old with a metal stick. Whitt is also left handed like me, which make things kind of fun in sports, so I've been told. I am glad he inherited my left handed-ness but hopefully he will be better at sports than me, I seriously think I define the word awful when it comes to sports. I did play on the volleyball B-team when i was in 7Th grade but that was about the extent of sports. Oh, wait.... I played kickball also when I was a small tot and tennis and swim team but I can honestly and humbly say I was terrible at all of them.

Well here are a few pics of my little sports fanatic.

Easter through my lens

2011-05-02T21:30:00.008-05:00

Cascarones were a hit in our house for Easter. My sister brought them and Whittaker loved them. Cracking them on everything. We still have traces of them in our backyard to this day.

*They make me cringe, they remind me of elementary school when the boys would throw them at you and they felt like they were coming at 90 MPH.

When he realized that treasures came out of the egg.

And the fun begins....

Easter Treasures

In this moment, his new favorite word became "CANDIES"

Family Pictures.

I know this post is late but I wanted to get it on the books.

XOXO.

Adoption: So many things are happening and I am really excited. We got our fire inspection permit on Friday which was a huge answer to prayer. We also have been already blessed through our garage sale and it hasen't even happened yet. People, God is so GOOD! Garage Sale is in two weeks and I am super pumped. Pass it on to all your friends and family.... treasure galore. and lemonade- a sweet friend of mine, her daughters are going to have a stand. Come get a glass!

2011-04-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

2011-04-19T15:22:00.004-05:00

Well today is Tuesday.

I woke up to the surprise of fever blisters on my lips.

I love them.

I got my first one when I was three.

I was the flower girl in my Aunts wedding the next day.

When I had Whitt- I got a lot of them.

When I say a lot, I mean 150 in my eye ball alone.

This was a first.

Fever blisters in my eye ball.

Words do not describe the pain my friends.

I would show you a picture but you would die, and never think of me the same.

What made it worse was they would not let me see Whitt in the NICU while I had them.

I also had mastitis.

The fever from it gave me the Blisters.

Is this too much information.

Back to the blisters I have now.

My eyelid has them too, in the same spot as before. Yes. I had them on my eye lid also.

I look like I was busted in the mouth.

I am having crazy flashbacks of FEVER BLISTER MANIA 2009.

I am thankful that I can see Whitt this time though, even though I cant kiss him.

(yes. He is trying to eat minnows out of a fish net. Live ones. Sick. Even if he didn't get my fever blister gene he might get something from eating raw minnows. Poor thing. such a stud, a minnow eating stud at that.)

Me+fever Blisters = not so studly

Maximum word capacity

2011-04-12T15:27:00.011-05:00

Well things have been going with us. Life is full speed ahead and for that I am grateful. I am grateful for life and where I am. I has been good to be back in Jewel of the Forest and do life as a family again. Not saying it hasn't been hard and that I didn't put a little resistance to coming back here but I have been able to see the fruits of being back together as a unit. And that has been good. Some people might love the country but it is just not my cup of tea, but this is the season we are in and I am learning to embrace it- not saying I don't have days, but I have life so there for I must be grateful for God has a reason for us to be here and his reasons are good. So that is all I need for now.

Life for the Wetherell's has been packed. My little sister is getting married so we have been busy with that and we are getting used to life on the go again. We had some sweet friends over last weekend and it was so great just to be able to visit with my sweet girlfriends and be refueled a little. You know how some people can just give you fuel, my sweet friend from North Carolina is like that. I don't even have to be with her that long and my tank feels full.

We are moving full speed ahead with our adoption stuff. As of right now we are only lacking two items to be done before our home study and I am hoping for those to get done in the next two weeks. I thought I was at the same point about a month ago and I was handed another stack of paper work but that is now done- praise the Lord - and we are moving forward. I cant wait to have another little baby in our home, I have the "fever" full blown so I am glad to be "near" the end of this paperwork pregnancy as our agency calls it.

We are excited about our upcoming

WE have been blessed and are continuing to be blessed by the people donating items. As a reminder the sale will be

Saturday,MAY 21st.

(We are still taking your "trash" our "treasure" if you have a donation you would like to make please contact me and when can come get your treasures).

My email is blackwoodc@sbcglobal.net

Whitt is doing good. To be honest, this age has been very trying for me as a mother. My son is very strong willed and independent and at the end of the day, I am tired. Someday I am tired before the day begins from the previous day. But I love that strong willed, independent thing and I am glad he keeps me going. It is weird how God has perfect timing because with this adoption stuff he has slowed us down a little bit in the process and looking back I am grateful for this time just with Whittaker. To invest in him. And to be in this stage with just him.

Well I think I have reached my maximum capacity on words to type before someone is completely bored out of there mind. Thanks for letting me ramble. I leave you with another picture of the stud himself!

(Another Perk about being in the Jewel, my son is a free as a bird. Run wild,I tell you, I mean look at that dirt, A two year olds dream. ha!)

XOXO

Trimming the Fat...

2011-03-30T09:15:00.005-05:00

¹trim

verb \ˈtrim\

trimmedtrim·ming

Definition of TRIM

a : to make trim and neat especially by cutting or clipping<trim the hedges>b : to free of excess or extraneous matter by or as if by cutting <trim a budget> <trim down the inventory>c : to remove by or as if by cutting <trimmed thousands from federal payrolls — Grit>

We are trimming.

We literally trimmed the trees last week which was water to my husbands soul. As the yard man cut each branch, I could see the gleam in Andy's eye get brighter and brighter. Not really, but if you know my husband, you know he loves having a nice yard. It is like art to him.

(this little dude shares a passion for the outdoor like his dad, such a little stud)

We are also trimming our bodies. Eating better, exercising, loosing weight. It has been good but it is a process and I love candy, so my process just takes a little longer. Ladies, Whitt will be TWO in June and their is no excuse for baby fat any longer. Oh.my.gosh. did I just say Whitt is almost two. I am in denial.

(But he also shares a love for Candy like his mom)

We are also just cutting back on things just in general life. Today we sold our Tahoe. We don't know what we are doing from here but we know it will be less. Less money. less milage.

The Tahoe was the first car that Andy and I bought together and that little Whitty came home from the hospital in. We have traveled alot of places in that car but with that said, I am fine without it.

(little bits coming first ride in the Tahoe. Wasn't he so small here. @ 2 months 4lbs 150z.)

We are excited to be cutting something out of our lives, these are a starting point for us and hopefully it will lead to more trimming in areas of our lives that need cutting back or we need to be free of.

*i know this is kind of a boring post, so sorry. Just wanted to make note of what was happening in our life.

Just a little bit about Whitt

2011-03-23T10:42:00.008-05:00

Things I dont want to forget about little dude:

- Whitt the whole way home yesterday you said, Daddy, it was so sweet. You used every single vocal note you had. It was music to my ears.

- Every time you throw a football you say, "Hut".

-You are obsessed with ice tea, you were literally crying for it the other day.

-You try to feed your monk (his monkey stuffed animal) everything that you are eating.

-You are talking non-stop

- You have a secret love for Justin Bieber, I guess. Your favorite song right behind just singing the word Jesus over and over, is "baby, baby, baby, ooohhh". You my son are a super star. Sometimes you sing "Jebaby", the combo of Jesus and baby, but little dude, that just isn't right to put Jesus and Bieber in the same song. We will just pretend you are singing baby Jesus.

- You are refusing to eat any type of breakfast I give you.

- You are still a little dancer.

- You have been playing golf everyday with dad and it is just breath taking to see you carrying your little Pottery barn golf clubs as you follow your dad.

- You like to do everything on your own from eating, getting dressed, walking up stairs to trying to buckle your self in your seat. You are Mr. Independent and you let me know when I am helping you a little to much.

- You have no fear.

- You have the sweetest little wave good-bye I have ever seen.

- You say all your c's as t's (Cup= Tup, helicopter=helitopter)

- You told me you loved me for the first time today and my heart nearly exploded.

Lolly pop Lovin'

2011-03-19T14:32:00.010-05:00

I was feeling a little guilty that I only

showed a partial glimpse of how the

little Whitt man is-

He actually spends most of his time acting like this...

Mr. Personality just full of smiles.

(notice: the lolly pop is good for a little camera cooperation)

Whitt is enjoying this spring weather and getting to play in such a big "backyard" during the week. This is his play space Monday through

Thursday and he is absolutely soaking it up

(I say back yard because we actually live on a golf course)

He knows the lolly is about to be taken, ha!

The End... Of my post and his lolly pop fun! We are off to a crawfish boil!

I didn't even get to Enjoy my food at the Rodeo

2011-03-17T15:26:00.007-05:00

Last weekend Andy and I packed Whitt up bright and early and headed to the rodeo. It was going to be a day for Whitt. We would see animals, eat sugar, see fun rides. We were thinking we would not only miss the crowds but Whitt is his best in the morning. Well only one of those was true- There were no crowds. Whitt was something else that day. He was a different child than this mom was used too. People I mean, he was wild. Crying. Screaming. Ultimate meltdown... I had never experienced this with Whitt but he decided he wanted to make his first ultimate meltdown in public. I don't think my face had ever been so red. I am not talking a little two minute tantrum, I am talking never ending until we got back in the car. Like I said it was the ULTIMATE. So I never thought I would go to the rodeo and not be able to enjoy some Goode Company BBQ... I mean it is so over the top good that I thought nothing could stand in the way of enjoyment...But oh was I wrong. I purchased my smokin' chicken sandwich but ended up throwing it away. I got one bite and didn't even enjoy it due to the fact that I had stage fright from the crowd that was staring at me. So below you will see some pictures of our memory filled day @ the rodeo, yes, Whitt is crying in most of them, almost all. Hope you enjoy the pictures more than I enjoyed my food. Hoping next year is different!

(On a positive note, Whitt's hair look great in the last picture. To bad he is getting it chopped today.)

We are a Mess!

2011-03-02T14:28:00.014-06:00

The title is correct, The Wetherell's are a MESS. We have been all over the place and been so busy that my blog has taken a beating and been left in the dust with tumble weeds rolling by. I am going to do a bullet style post to adequately catch up so I can start my posts from now, forward. So first I will give you a picture of the little man who is partially to blame for my craziness and then will come the waterfall of bullet points.

*Christmas 2010 was great (yes, it has been that long since I last posted). Whitt enjoyed it a little more this year, still not quite sure about it though.

*Whitt had his first Christmas party with some of his friends in Dallas.

* I had 2 sweet friends that were able to each celebrate the "official"adoptions in each of their families.

*Celebrated my dad being Cancer-free for 15 years as he lives victoriously with the King!

* Whitt was sick with an ear infection/cough/never ending snot

*Whitt and I headed to New Orleans for what was suppose to be a week there,

but my grandmother in Austin got sick so that turned into a

14 hour round trip to spend one day there. Whittaker was a champ!

(Whitt is the city of Jazz with my grandparents, his great grandparents)

* My sweet grandmother (my dad's mom), Jewel,went home to see her Savior face to face.

It was a week in Austin, to be with my sweet grandmother as she rested and a great time to be with family as we celebrated her and our Big God.

(Jewel and Whittaker, Thanksgiving 2010)

(My grandmother and her pride and joys, her family- my dad is in the center)

* I got the flu....

*I went to an intimate issue conference with some sweet friends in our Sunday school class...it was a powerful conference and I walked away blessed!

* We had a weekend of parties in the woodlands full of sports and

fun with much missed friends, that I don't get to see near enough.

* We went to Dallas to attend DBU's baseball banquet and had fun with some of my girlfriends and their families!

* I have been on a diet of things in which I have been preparing Andy and my meals every Sunday for the week. It is time consuming but have seen results so I am excited about that.

* We are still moving groovin' with our adoption stuff, we have hit a few snags but God has pushed us over those humps slowly but surely. Now we only have a few things left.

*Speaking of Adoption, we decide on a date for the ADOPTION GARAGE SALE, it will be on MAY 20th and 21st, we had to push it back because of our busy schedules but I am so glad that it will be warm. We are still collecting stuff, so anything that you would like to get rid of let me know and I can come and pick it up! Spring cleaning is here!

* My baby sister Taylor had her first wedding shower and it was a huge success. It was a crawfish boil and they were delicious! Wedding will be here before we know it, May 14th, hoo!

*I, recently (like this Monday) starting working again and it has been good thus far. It had been something that Andy and I had been praying about and every door was open wide for me to do it, so here I am, working. Where's Whitt? He is with a sweet lady that has just been an answer to prayer. She has a 4 year old and him and Whitt instantly became best pals.

Well I think that sums it up for right now, the rest of my time was filled with fun with little Whitt and just soaking up how fast he is growing (he is 20 months, friends).

My first work week is halfway done and I am ready for the weekend!

I am going to the rodeo to see, you would never guess, Janet Jackson.

I was invited by some girlfriends and am so excited!

Have a great rest of the week and I will be back soon, like regularly....promise.

See you later!

5 weeks

2011-02-02T21:23:00.006-06:00

That is how long it has been since my last post. I feel like I am in a drought, I have a lot to say but don't know how to begin.... but blog peeps, it will come soon.

I will promise days....days!

I will leave you with a picture of the

biggest 19 month old stud I know.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-23T17:08:00.004-06:00

We are traveling for the holidays,

so I wanted to wish y'all (the 2 friends that read my blog) a EARLY....

Christmas card by: Brooke Designs

And pardon the blog construction, a sweet friend is re-doing it for me, go and check her out

Great Grabbie Designs

She is in Hawaii right now, Be jealous!!!

XOXO

Q&A

2010-12-13T20:58:00.007-06:00

Wow! Andy and I were beyond overwhelmed by everyone reaching

out to us and helping us get to our goal of

bringing another little baby into our home.

We were truly blessed by all the emails we received.

To answer a few questions that I got:

When is the Garage sale?

We are going to have it in February, toward the end or beginning of March

We are hoping to collect enough items by then and hoping the

weather has warmed up a little by then.

Where is the sale going to be?

A sweet friend in Houston has offered her home or should I say driveway,

so we will be having it there

Will we be in Dallas? Austin? to pick up items?

Yes! Yes! Yes! We will be in Austin on Christmas Eve and Day and would be happy to pick anything up then. And I am 100% we will be in Dallas at some point, we cant stay away from there for that long :)

Do we want items now or later?

We will take them when ever you want to give them, I would love to pick them up and hug your neck to thank you. We are hoping to price items as they are donated so we don't have to do it all the night before the sale.

If we don't have anything to sell can we just donate financially?

Yes, you can...

I put a button on my right side bar and you can

donate through pay pal. It is super simple, click on the donate button.

Again we have been truly blessed by y'all and totally overwhelmed by God's power and grace over our family.

Here are a few pictures of my little stud,

I just cant help but show y'all him in his new winter hat.

XOXO.

I will not leave you as Orphans.

2010-12-08T21:01:00.008-06:00

So here goes nothing. I say that because I am really nervous about posting this but at the same time feel a peace because I know that I am suppose to. I know that God is working in my heart and breaking down my walls and allowing me to see that it is ok to ask for help, something that is a constant struggle for me.

As many of you may already know, Andy and I are in the process of adopting. We are also getting licensed to foster, which we are almost done with and are trying to get our home study scheduled before the Christmas holiday.

So this is where my walls come down and I ask you for help. Andy and I will be hosting a garage sale to raise money for the cost of the adoption, if that happens through foster care, it will pay for our home study, lawyers costs, inspections, etc., and if it happens through private adoption it will go to the large amount that they ask you to pay in fees.

Here is how you can help!

ONE. GIVE.

We need the donations of items for our garage sale. Clothes, baby stuff, home stuff, furniture, homemade goods…anything!!!! So as you are cleaning or making room for your Christmas gifts, please don’t throw anything away. Give.it.to.us.to.sell! We have some stuff of our own that will be in the sale but not a ton. If you have anything you no longer need and are willing to give away for a great cause, just email me and I will schedule a time to come and pick it up.

TWO.COME.

Come to the garage Sale and buy your own treasures! (We will let everyone know the dates as soon as we know but it will definitely be after the holidays) Since winter is approaching, I am sure we will serve some warm snuggly drink to try to lure you in. Even if you choose to donate, still come. Somebody’s trash is another’s treasure!

THREE.TALK.

Please spread the word through email, facebook, tweeter, word of mouth and blogs about donating and the sale itself! We can use all the help that we can get.

We are so excited and feel blessed with this journey that God is taking us on and are excited to learn along the way. God is already breaking down my walls and is humbling me, so that is fruit already being bared from this journey and for that I am thankful!

Here is my contact info if you are interested in giving: blackwoodc@sbcglobal.net

Hope everyone has a GREAT week!!!!

Thanksgiving in Pictures

2010-12-01T20:43:00.008-06:00

(*all pics from iPhone)

Ten things the Wetherell's have been up to

2010-11-16T22:18:00.013-06:00

#1- We celebrated my mother-in-laws 60TH Birthday at our house

with 40 of her friends and family!

#2 We have been doing never ending amounts of adoption paperwork and classes. We have 2 more classes left this month and then we will have

everything done except for our home study, Yahoo!!!

#3 Church this week was really good, the music was phenomenal, Sunday school was refreshing and the message was great.

#4We took family pictures last week and the picture below is from them

I have been thinking alot this week about how my little man looked like this

at this time last year and am just blown away about how much he has grown and changed.

#5- Myself and this little snotty boy spent last week in Jasper, playing outside and hanging out with dad.

(sorry the camera focused on my dress sleeve & not our faces)

#6- I took a 2 hour nap on Sunday and it was bliss.

#7We have been spending alot of time outside with this wonderful

weather before it gets too chilly.

#8 spending time with family

#9 practicing words with Whitt, as his vocabulary is growing and growing. His word lately is "Tuck"- Truck.

#10- I got bored so I decided to paint this design in Whittaker's/guest bathroom. I still need to paint a second coat on the White but have yet to do it.

(idea compliments of jonesdesigncompany.com)

The End.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER

2010-11-16T08:23:00.001-06:00

All it takes is one. All it took was one strand of E.coli to be processed into one hamburger patty, to make it to one burger king, to one mom, whose one son, took one bite and the one life he had would then be over. All it took was a series of one events to lead to one of the biggest recalls on beef. Because of one situation America has never been the same.

In 2001, one man, Vernon burger, who had, one passion, that being Jesus, took one trip, to Southern Sudan and connected with one bishop, who was trying to love and spread the gospel to many who were orphaned by the civil war. Since that one trip in 2001, HIS VOICE GLOBAL has been in an ongoing relationship with the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), 10 years and three orphanages later they seek to continue the movement to open a fourth.

You might ask the question what makes this place so special? Sudan was in war for over 20 years before signing a peace agreement in 2006. Until the peace agreement this was the longest civil war to date in human history, leaving over 2 million dead and many children without parents. So what makes this place unique!?!? Many things but one is there are many who have teamed up, like HIS VOICE GLOBAL and The Village Church, to be a gospel centered presence through proclamation and practice. While The Village Church has sent many teams to train pastors, equip leaders and love the children in these orphanages in Yei, HIS VOICE GLOBAL was the door that God used to bring a gospel centered presence from the west into this area of the world. Now there is an opportunity for you to be a part of this continued movement of Christ in this region for as little as a dollar.

This past September a group of 13 from all walks of life from Reach Records, The village Church, Red Revolution, Collision Records and HIS VOICE GLOBAL partnered under The Village banner to go and minister to those in Southern Sudan. They ministered through teaching, medical, music, and loving children who were victims of the Civil War that now live in one of the three Orphanages sponsored by HIS VOICE GLOBAL. Moved by the fruit there and continued need, Tedashii, Lecrae (Reach Records artist), Swoope (Collision Records artist) and Jai teamed up to do a single to raise awareness and funds for a fourth orphanage in Southern Sudan. The single, which is slated to be released November 16th under new label Collision Records is called Actions Speak Louder. This single and symbol seen above calls believers to move beyond awareness and put their prayers in motion, to quote the song. The symbol inspired by the scriptures that say a strand of three cords are not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12), the exclamation points showing the immediate nature of the call to apply the gospel (Luke 4:18-19), the highlight of one exclamation point showing the power of one to change and lead others and the patch like design showing the reality that there is strength in numbers, calling believers to action, an action beyond themselves.

The average number of songs downloaded per day are close to 10,000,000 yes that is correct 10 million. Come November 16th HIS VOICE GLOBAL only needs over 250,000 one’s to download this amazing song (which is not even 10% of the daily average) to complete and have a fourth self sustaining orphanage. We are not asking you to change your lifestyle just point your efforts toward something that will last. The amazing thing about this whole campaign is that 100 percent of the profits from the song will go toward this fourth orphanage. All it takes is one!!!

Go to Itunes.com (or click on the top picture) and purchase this song so you can help AMAZING children like the one below, seriously how could you turn from this precious little face.

(PICTURE TAKEN ON OUR TRIP TO SUDAN IN 2008)
Swoope "Actions Speak Louder" ft. Lecrae, Tedashii, Jai by Rapzilla

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER

MONDAY.

2010-11-15T08:52:00.003-06:00

I have a few post's coming up... but until then I will leave you with this cute little face.

I wore White to the FALL festival

2010-10-30T12:53:00.014-05:00

Yes. I wore White to the fall festival. yes. the fall-fest is after labor day and I wore White. It was one of those mornings where not one item in the closet liked me and I despise each item back. All except for the White pants, so I wore them, I wore the White pants after labor day to the fall festival. But that is o.k because the festival was not for me it was for this little man.

Which hadn't taken a nap all day because bless his little heart his dad had men cutting down trees right by his bed room window and his mom set off the smoke alarm cooking stew for the day. He and his nap did not mesh. But me and my White pants did. Maybe the fact that I wore White pants distracted people for seeing my eye brows which i hadn't plucked in over a week. I noticed them in the car on the way there, there was no turning back. I

had to embrace the fact that they looked like a forest.

Whitt dressed up as an elephant for the festival

(costume was removed shortly after picture)

I know I am bias but he was the cutest elephant there. Or should I say he was the cutest little elephant body there, he refused to keep on the head which was o.k with me because he would have most likely had a heat stroke, it was a beautiful day but those

little costumes are like a little heat factory within themselves.

See that cute little elephant above, that was the only picture we got with his head on and it was on my husband's blackberry camera (same with the one above it). Not only did I wear white but I was that mom that left the camera battery plugged into the wall and didn't notice until she went to take her first picture and it wouldn't turn on. Dern. So now we have blurry cell phone pictures that I will embrace!

On the actual day of Halloween, we hung out with friends, ate dinner, went to a parade (actually we were the parade, the kids walk the parade in there costumes) and did a little trick or treating. Whitt wore his regular clothes, no elephant this time-just wasn't worth his comfort or that whole heat stroke thing. Over all we had a great weekend of two much candy, Whitt eating his first starburst, wrapper and everything, seeing friends and their cute kids, having a quick visit from my sister on Sunday morning and seeing cute little ones come to our door for candy and "lighting the night"!

On a little different note here are few of things going on with the Wetherells:

-Andy and I are almost done with our fostering stuff so we can be put on the home study list, we are super excited for our classes and paper work to be all finished! We have 2 more classes in which one of them is this Thursday. wahoo!!!

- My littlest sister Taylor got engaged last week and we are all super excited for them.

(Pictures to come later)

-Andy is moving to a new house in Jasper this week, he is doing it alone while Whitt and I are here, so lift him up, he has a full week of work and moving!!!

- Whitt is saying more and more and communicating so much better

- We are gathering things around the house for a garage sale we are going to have soon (details to come) but oh it feels oh so good to clean out the un-needed goods.

Well I think that's all for now, HAPPY MONDAY!

Motherhood

2010-10-25T22:31:00.004-05:00

Please head to my friend

Amanda's blog

and read her post on

Motherhood

and

being blessed by kids.

It couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

Pumpkin head

2010-10-19T13:07:00.009-05:00

Can you believe that this cute little pumpkin

discovered

he could

take off his diaper and play with his poop all over the wall during nap time? I would of never guessed but oh yes, it happened. And he has WHITE walls... oh the horror. It was a disaster but It will be something I will remember forever. My little baby is officially becoming a little boy and a wild one at that.

He is all BOY!

2010-10-19T10:42:00.006-05:00

2010-10-12T20:40:00.004-05:00

is a

absolute

Dream.

16 months.

2010-10-06T21:31:00.010-05:00

Oh.my.word.

I cant believe that whittaker

is 16 months old,

oh how time flies.

Whitt- you my child are a light. You keep me on my toes all day long. You might look like me but sweet son you have energy like your dad. It is never ending. You constantly want to be outside running around or pretending you are big enough to ride your tricycle (even though it is really me pushing you... I will still let you think you are doing all the work). You are talking non-stop and are very independent. Son, you have become sweeter and sweeter- you will now just walk up to me and want to cuddle or plant a big kiss on my cheek- it melts my heart every time and I dread the day you stop. You have also developed a little but of a temper, you would never know it with how sweet you can be but little man when you are mad you let everyone know about it. I will just call you strong willed for now. Son, thank you for keeping me on my toes. I look forward to everyday I get to chase you around!

Things I dont want to forget:

*You "breaking" into the laundry room everyday, multiple times,

to get a coke even though you know you cant have it.

*You now only take one 3 hour nap a day

*You climb in and out of the bathtub even

though it does not have water in it.

*You love shoes

*You are still sleeping 12 hours a night

*Your favorite foods are grapes, beans, rice, strawberries, hot sauce and veggie nuggets

*You can say mommy, dada,thank you, moo, duck, NieNie

(what you call your Aunt Whitney), shoes, dog, deer

*How you break down the baby gate to play chase

*You hate having your diaper changed

*You love to play in your crib

*You love for me to read to you

*you start to shimmy or clapping after doing something wrong in hopes that I will think that you are too cute for consequences.

*You push your trucks around and say, "vroom"

Happy 16 months Mr. Whittaker Overstreet,

your mom and Dad

love you to the moon!

Parks and Parties.

2010-10-05T16:52:00.009-05:00

Yes. I have been in a blog drought and to be honest I still am but I wanted to put a few pictures of of the little bit for our families.We have been crazy busy but He is just as cute as ever and we are loving this cool weather and

spending a lot of it outdoors... His favorite place to be.

So here are a few pictures of our latest adventures...

Parks!

Parties!

Happy Birthday on Thursday to the

great-est little Hallie I know.

Your pumpkin dress-up party was out of this world!

What's Up with the Wetherells

2010-08-31T08:30:00.010-05:00

For for my lack of posting the thought of writing a paragraph style post is just exhasting so bullet point it is. So here is the run down:

-Whitt is a dancer. Straight up. He loves Riahanna (I know it's so wrong), he shimmy's his heart out every time she comes on. His shimmy-ing steals my heart.

- Andy is in China- for 12 days. We are super pumped for him and are lifting him up along with the rest of the team. (sorry not really allowed to go into detail) We can't wait for him to come home so we can hear all that was planted. For know, I now that they have some killer dumplings.

-Whitt can say mama, dada, gus (us), and Thank you

-We have been traveling around (Dallas,Austin,Houston,Jasper) to see family while Andy is gone, for now we are in Austin, helping with my sister, Whitney's wedding. Which is in 3 weeks. I cant believe she is getting married!!!

- Whitt recently just got his real "first haircut". I have trimmed it but we just cut off all his curls so we could even it out. Cutting those curls off officially made his look like a smallman and made me want to break down.

- I am not eating carbs right now and feel like I am going to die.

-Honey Goldfish are little little pieces of heaven. Random, yes, but needed to be documented,

even though i cant eat them. Remember, no carbs.

- Whitt took 6 steps in a row but has refused to walk ever since, but he is officially the world's fastest crawler.

-Dove Season started yesterday, this is Andy's favorite part of the year so it is deemed "Man Season" in the Wetherell household.

- Whitt recently got his FIRST knot on his head from falling down,

I am sure this is the first of many.

- We had our first adoption meeting and have list's of stuff to do.

We are so excited to get this going though.

Here are the pictures of whitt's haircut and then a

video of him doing what he loves. Dancing.

The locks before the cut... His hair was so cute but it was creeping into a mullet.

Pondering over the thought of his new do.

Thanks you Birds Barbershop for being so patient

with my little stud.

Here is Mr. Shimmy himself

whitt's dancing from corey Wetherell on Vimeo.

::painting and popsicle's::

2010-08-19T20:59:00.007-05:00

Andy's brother, his wife and their two kids have been living with us for the past two weeks while they get some work done on their house. We have had some fun times while they have been here. I am afraid when they leave that

Whittaker is going to be sad that his playmates are gone.

So tonight we had painting and

Popsicle's and the kids loved it.

Here are some pictures from our night o' fun.

Catch Up...

2010-08-19T10:19:00.004-05:00

This little preemie is trying his hardest to catch up.

Height: 30 3/4 inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 20 lbs 5 oz. (7th percentile)

Head: 18 1/4 in. (25th percentile)

But in the mean time, he is enjoying being

just the way he is,

which is as CUTE as ever.

wild child.

2010-08-17T10:32:00.004-05:00

My little wild child turned 15 months this past week.

Whitt, you are an absolute joy, your personality comes more and more into full action. You have a constant smile on your face and blue eyes that melt my heart. You are non-stop, the only time your dad and I get to stop chasing you is when you are a sleep. You are eating like a champ, but are a little particular about what exactly you eat (which I understand, because I am picky also). You are still taking two bottles a day (which I need to break you of) but I love that time with you, it is the only time you will sit on my lap in still-ness. You are still loving fruits, veggies and beans more than meat... you will still eat meat but you don't squeal for it. You HEART coke to the extreme, I literally have to wait till you are down to enjoy the burn in my throat. I guess you also like that burn, but little man, you are to young. You still love your bath time, you are at your happiest when you are emerged in water. You have learned to open the back door and the frig, which has been fun for me...I just wish the refrigerator had a lock. You love being outside but that only lasts minutes due to this Houston heat. Every time your daddy walks in the door, you squeal and laugh with so much excitement, last week it brought tears to your aunts eyes seeing it happen. You are standing by yourself but refuse to walk, but you crawl so fast, I wouldn't want to start walking either. Whittaker Overstreet you are growing so fast right before our eyes. Several times during the day I look at

you and am just speechless because you are so dern cute.

Little man you Rock our World!!

Happy 15 months.

Donuts and Dad's day out (with Babies)

2010-08-04T11:07:00.008-05:00

Last Saturday was a fun day for the Wetherell's. We had some friends in from Dallas and the Dad's took the Boys for the day. Their day started off with donuts and ended at bass Pro Shop. While us Girls had a peaceful lunch at Ruggles, followed by shopping and a pedicure. It was sure nice of the BIG boys to take the LITTLE boys while we were able to have a day child-free.

Thanks Andy and Ryan!!!!

2010-07-28T23:02:00.003-05:00

adly in LOVE

with this little milk mustache!

(or should i say drool)

Sunday Morning Meltdown

2010-07-25T09:04:00.004-05:00

{::BUSTED::}

2010-07-22T20:11:00.003-05:00

Hello From Housper

All about Whitt.

Rise and Fall.

Enough.

I will be back...

Feels Like Home.

mustaches or Bows?

HEART.

Wetherell What?!

blessed yet breathless

Seaside Sneak Peek

lack of blogging.

I dig being 2

Tidbits about Corey

The month of June.

Wetherell Family News!!!!

My COWBOY!

Wetherell Sneak Peek- Where my head lays

Sneak and Adopt

Wetherell Sneak peek- Don't remember the day

Wetherell Home Sneak Peek - Day 3

Wetherell Sneak Peak Home Tour -Day 2

Home Tour

2 Weeks from Today...

Silhouttes @ Nest and Cot

Whitt's Obsessions

Easter through my lens

Maximum word capacity

Trimming the Fat...

1trim

Definition of TRIM

Just a little bit about Whitt

Lolly pop Lovin'

I didn't even get to Enjoy my food at the Rodeo

We are a Mess!

5 weeks

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Q&A

I will not leave you as Orphans.

Thanksgiving in Pictures

Ten things the Wetherell's have been up to

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER

MONDAY.

I wore White to the FALL festival

Motherhood

Pumpkin head

He is all BOY!

16 months.

Parks and Parties.

What's Up with the Wetherells

::painting and popsicle's::

Catch Up...

wild child.

Donuts and Dad's day out (with Babies)

Sunday Morning Meltdown

{::BUSTED::}

¹trim