Are We Done Yet?

The blog just became something I wasnt super proud of- do you REALLY want to know what we do each day in school - I think not? or me having to get a pic to put on here for a bday?? I LOVE Facebook because of those things- allows me to be free with my thoughts and pictures with out having to think too much ( I soo like not thinking :) ha ha ha ) and I doo love all my links so Ill be keeping the blog alive till I have re work my Birdsnest website and HAVE to figure out a way to preserve these memories-- It was soo fun while it lasted!! Just have different directions God is leading me too ;) Hope everyone has a GReat Christmas and come visit me on FB either under Kate Walser OR The Birds Net Photography!! xoxoxo

Everywhere we go- this little boy seems to follow~

One of the MANY things I lOVE about my husband is his giving spirit. I like to give too but have a hard time when it gets to be hard to get what I WANT- sad but true:(…… but this year God has called upon us- as a family to gIVE give GIVE and I just KNOW you guys will want to join in on these two awesome causes!! This will be lONG and a little deep, but hang in there and can't wait to see the GReat things God has in store for each of these families!!

First off is my buddy Ben ( remember our BAKE sale we helped with?-- they raised close to 360.00!!! ) I know I have posted before but I LOVE the Leonard's and Ben- well….. he just steals your heart ( even if he likes J wayyy better than me:(!! lol). God has moved in this FaMiLy ever since his birth and in turn moved ME.:) Ive said it before and in a post recently- when you get to see UPclose a family that has the privilege to be blessed with a boy like Ben- Your thoughts, your heart, your THINKing about it all ~ it changes.for the GOOD~ Some people CHOOSE to be sad and upset not Angie- she CHOOSES to see Ben as BEN.. sweet, HILARIOUS, a lil mischievous ( a little not much!!) and ALL boy!! So please, PLEASE go HERE ( you may have to enter my name KATE WALSER to get to page) and make a donation ..no matter how small or big..anonymous or not….. and lets help the Leonard's REACH their goal!! thank UUU!!

Another cause that GREATly affects my heart is Adoption~ I have MANY friends who are either starting the process or have adopted and Im gonna tell you a BIG secret I have…. I WANT TO ADOPT. YEP I said it and my fam that reads this ( and some friends) will think Im CRAZY!!

Most of you know that adoption has been on my heart for MANY, many years but life became busy and a few kids later ( *wink) I just thought naaa that feeling will go away.. UMMmm.. it doesn't:) Its a feeling indescribable and at times frustrating as that is THE only thing on your mind.

My struggle recently was surprisingly my feelings towards close friends who are adopting- I have not said this to them ( and HA will not have a phone at the beach sooo :P lol) but I have been SELFish- I have NOT wanted to check their blog. I have not wanted to take a call from them - just typing this sounds horrible and makes me cry….. that is NOT me. But my thinking was…..I want THIS to be MY time, MY adoption, MY fundraisers. but its not. I cried out to Him the other day and that SAME day my friend who is starting her adoption process told me, " Kate, you put this is MY heart-YOU are part of the reason MY family will be blessed with a child" WOW!! God keeps AMAZING me with His voice - even through others- I GOT it! I.GOT.IT!

So this is why I feel comfortable sharing my heart ( and the fact Im away for a whole week!! hee hee!!) I can finally say this with my WHOLE heart ( and MEAN it!!) God has plans for my child to be- God has plans for me and my family. He is telling me over and over AND OVER ( I apparently, am a lil stubborn! ha!) its not the time. I LOVE this life HE has given me and I want to run with it- I want to help bring these babies home, so that one day when I am taking that lil ones picture ( which ladies…. I will meet you at the airport - I soo WANT to be apart of THAT moment!) and looking into their eyes I will see MY daughter or MY son that will bless THIS family~ now Im human and I do want the doors to be open, like NOW- I actually want a GREEN light saying GO at my door, but right now its their turn and I am sooo VERY proud of these ladies ( more than they know.. I LOVE you girls!!)

So will you go HERE and grab a VERY cool shirt to help my sweet friend Ashley bring her daughter home? The T's are wayy cool and I can't wait to show mine off!! They have kid sizes too - so dont wait….. grab one UP!! and each time you wear that shirt - say a prayer for Ashleys little one and for me too- that God will open up the doors for us to be able to pursue this and soften others hearts in the process of each one of our journeys so that we can save these children:) see told ya kinda deep..sorry;( but O so TRUE and Im trying to keep.it.real. with a fun picture to make you smile~ Cash's FAV shoes- we are Cat in The Hat fans:D hee hee!!

James 1:27….look it up and see where your heart leads….:D

WE leave for the MOST BESTEST place on earth ( u like that wording huh?….) well, to me or maybe its cuz I get a whole week with my man and JUST my kids- no phone no computer no NOTHING- except my Camera of course too! *wink!

I wanted to cann ( or is it regular can??lol) the last of the summers peaches and tomatoes so we would have enough for the winter- have enough for fall but O those peaches-- sooo GOOD!!

I wanted to make my friend a meal so she would have it before baby arrives ( I JUST know shes gonna have him while I'm gone)

I wanted to order that apple peeler Ive been eying so we can make some MAD apple EVERything this year and yes call me old fashioned or granola or whatEVA- I like to cann!:D

I wanted to finish up the fall file folders I have printed out and have waiting to glue and laminate ( truly I think I may have a slight obsession with laminating things!)

I wanted to have a blog for very day I was gone ( not only because I just KNOW you guys will MISS me, but I have WAYYY to many pictures to catch up on! lol)

I wanted to find the PERFECT gift for one of my dearest friend, who bday is coming up ( HINT HINT HUBBY- not mine…. umm hers!- get on THIS!! lol)

I wanted to finish up editing pics I did for friend ( ok I have 3 friends who are on my wait list for their pics:( sad! I know!!

I wanted to fit in a field trip the day before we leave and have to pack!

I wanted to deliver all these cute things I have set aside for a dear friend who is recently a GRANDma ( not that she looks like a gma-- AT ALL!!) so while hes at his "Lolly's" house he could play:)

I wanted to change my pics on my blog to the side ( umm yeah I take LOTS of pics- have WAYY more recent ones of these kiddos! :P)

I wanted to write thankyou notes too soo many and send out encouragement cards to my SS class ladies

so much more I had on my list that I WANTED to do and most of these I did accomplish but not all and OOO if I had more time.. but then I think of my time and what I GOT to do while NOT doing these things.. I got to teach my kids ( this school year is hard….but in a GReat way~ not only because of a little person all oVER the place but a 3rd grader and 1st grader and 7th and pre-k…... need I really say more?! lol), play with playdough, swing high on the swings with JUST my Kayla goose, listen to music with my rocker Cash, rock my baby to sleep, have funny conversations with my snaggle-tooth boy Jaxs, braid hair with Em…… all these things I wouldn't have TIME for if God didnt lay it on my heart, each day to have TIME with my kids- no matter how short or long I spend - TIME is what everyone needs..huh SMART God I say! :D

*YOU like that I use AWESOME soo much- it is!! :) hee hee!!

that I was 17. Scared and alone with this tiny wrinkly, red faced baby to take care of …….

Her name is ANGIE.

I LOVE her.LOTS!

Angie has 4 kids ( that cutie above is Z her 3rd- isn't his mustache-e-O adorable?!)).

One of those sweet kids is her baby. BEN

I LOVE him LOTS too!

Ben has changed my life forEVER.

He may not even realize it yet but he taught me how to love DEEP.DREAM big. and KNOW God more.

I sometimes am scared to call him out-meaning that he has DS- not that I am ashamed at ALL-- I just have never had a friend who had to deal with everything that comes with having such an awesome kid like him ( man I wish I had a current pic of this cutie-- UMMM HELLO, ANGIE I do take a few pictures here and there…call me UP! lol). I remember being a lil scared to post my Briggsie is walking because ....well I thought it would set Angie back in her quest for the BEST care and therapy for Ben, but BOY was I wrong. She has encouraged my boy the whole time and while I want to be sensitive to her needs- she has SUCH a huge heart for others and just AMAZES me to watch her with him! I often wonder how or why it is that God gifted HER with her baby. HER with the strength that comes from having a child with DS. HER with the passion to help and raise money for such a GReat cause… and then this verse ALWAYS pops up in my head:

WE are ready this morning for our new 2010-2011 school YEAR!! Maybe soon I can actually WRITE something on my blog about it! heee hee xo…….. :P

Things I missed~

Your brown eyes…

Your nose in a book ( though your sister Emma has CAUGHT the bug and is reading EVERything she can get her hands on!)

Your loUd music…..

Your horse attire EVERyWhERE:P

I even missed doing your laundry my Kayla boo!

so glad your home and had the BEST adventures this summer. I'm sad to say you have grown up a lot over these past months of summer but happy to see the girl your becoming ( even though YOu DID use your baby brothers toothbrush on the D O G today!! hee hee- atleast I SAW it !! :P)

You make my life brighter…. Your freckles I LOVE, your sweet smile I HEART, your caring ways I CHERISH, and your GReat big spirit for the Lord I'm AMAZED. 8 years ago today you came into our lives- a first for Daddy ( and what a first birth experience- the NURSE delivered you after mommy told her over and OVER again " you better get someone in here- she COMING!!" lol) Never did we know what a bright light you would shine on our family or how awesome it would feel to see your relationship with your sister be so deep. Love you pumpkin and hope today is the BEST!!!

**Mommy is excited since Em has asked for a photo shoot with just her…. pictures coming one of these days!! xo

Pancakes, waffles, and muffins made and in freezer for early mornings ahead….. included the pics of the cookies I was TRYING to save for treats ( cookies r GReat to freeze btw!) but nope they didnt make it! lol THANKS Holly for your famous cookies- I can NEVER get enough - though my bootie can hold off on them !! Lunchboxes ordered to make the.night.before.~ took me 3 years to finally have a O YEAHHHH moment- this will make the 12 o clock lunch hour MUCH easier for me to have it all prepared! Dinner menu planning ( in the works…... have never been so great about this but if I go ahead and prepare a few freezer meals think it will help me get it along the way!). School supply shopping still to be done and set up classroom but all in all while totally know this year is gonna ROCK me, know Im a pretty good ROCKER ( hee hee) and can work it out!! Excuse me while I go back into my hole…….. *wink! ( though I am letting a few friends over for my children's sanity and a few more pool trips before August 16th!!)

My list of to do is growing l o n g e r by the minute, my brain on go mode but my heart in STOP mode. or maybe its the opposite?? I feel God moving in me, in my family, and I feel the devil allover it trying to destroy what God is building. and to be honest- ITS HARD.

We have a LOT going on- personal, family stuff . Some of the personal stuff is GReat ( have to wait this one out- sorry but super duper excited to go down this road when God opens it for us!!) other "stuff" is well, its deep let me tell ya and while Im not so much a very private person- my hubby is and Im ok with that but just fyi its nothing in our lil fam- well ya know what Im sayin?- just this is rockin us at the core and I am AMAZED and so very proud of the man I married….). With all that going on then add life, getting ready for school, and working on some photog skills that I just cant seem to master ( ummm I may have a lil perfectionism in me ya think??) - not much is left of me. Add it all up and it made me feel selfish, unkind and rotten… then Sunday as I was listening to the sermon it hit me.. DUHHH in the word- YOU need to be in the word! The pastor briefly went through each book in the bible and made it almost come alive- LOVED it! So while I have done much better at my quiet times the past year, I havent really dived into my feelings on whats God has put on my heart- well maybe the good things and the bless me blah blah blah stuff, but then I started to pour my heart out to Him… the ugly truths I felt…..the selfishness towards others…. the true love I feel over my husband ….. just everything I have on my plate~ ALL.OF.IT blechhhhh! ( funny how even I felt bad telling our God all this- yet He already knew it! *wink!) while it didnt make it all suddenly disappear, I have such a HUGE weight lifted off me, such peace I cant describe or touch. It made me realize my gifts I do have and what I need to give away ( that selfish stuff for sure!!) I read over the book of Ruth last night and this verse has stuck with me ( and I was NOT an Awanas cubby growing up nor Im very good at remembering scripture to this day! lol) " Dont ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. "

I dont want to leave my comfort zone- a lot or even at all.ever :) but, God is calling on me to do this. I even told my friend I wanted to write about this but Im no writer and my blog is not really for "this" kinda thing but…... He wants me to have PATIENCE in HIS timing and when Hes ready…...I will follow……. powerful stuff and sorry to bore you with this- but Im kinda excited to let you in on this too- I know its kinda unanswered and not complete but I like it- Lets see how God completes these trials in my life. Just like I said above RED light. GREEN light :D

ok gotta get- think I smell dinner.burning! lol……..

* and to not have a post with out a pic (or pics)…. these were taken at a new spot I found- and getting some practice in!! and I do not have my spell checker here with me ( Kayla come home….QUICK!! lol) so please excuse any weird spellings from urs truly ( lets not tell anyone that I actually TEACH my children spelling k - tho I am terrible at it:(! lol!)

My Kayla boo is going for her summer vaca to her dads and I will MISS her soooooo- that is one of the hardest things about being a blended family, but really glad of the relationship she has with her dad and know she will get to do lots of fun things while in TX!! Having these past few weeks with just my kids ( and lil sis) has been truly a blessing to get to know more about them- Kayla is soo strong willed and at times a lil bossy, but I can see the girl she is growing into … and I REALLY like it. ALOT!! Shes funny and makes me laugh, shes got the competitive bug ( Geeee… wonder where she gets from? *wink!), and girl can rock to some music- if you ever want a fun CD to listen to- Kaylas your girl - she finds the BEST stuff!! So add her to your prayers for a safe, fun next 3 weeks away from her momma :( and maybe a few prayers for mommy too!!