kathryn kamp, first week

So how am I supposed to share about my two weeks of camp when I have 754 pictures to choose from?!  Lol!  I will try to narrow them down and not bore you to pieces.  :}  Here is a glimpse at my first week.

During the day this first week I had 5 year old Lucas, 4 year old Gilliam, and 1 year old Sophie.  On Tuesday, my sweet friend Rebekah came and brought her troop to join us for the day like she has for the past few years.  I love getting the chance to see her and her kiddos and was SO excited to welcome Isaac for his first k.kamp experience!  We did several fun activities while they were here - mostly from Pinterest thankyouverymuch.  :D

Hey moms out there - ever feel like this picture describes most of your waking moments??  lol  :)

Sophia was asleep during most of our activities that day but I made sure she got a chance to try out the shaving cream fun later.  She thought it was great and only tried to taste a tiny bit once and quickly learned that it is only good for squishing...not for eating.  :)

Lucas was gone for the day Wednesday so it was just Gilliam and Sophia so we pulled out my baby pool and played for probably two hours in it.  :)

Sohpia loved Gilliam and would pat his head when she stood up.  :)  He liked to make her laugh.

Thursday we always have a special treat of some sort for working hard to earn pompoms for following the rules, being helpful, etc. This year I made "dirt cake".  The picture in the middle above is their "we're about to eat DIRT??" look.  :)  But really they thought it was pretty great.  :)

I usually have k.kamp tshirts although this year we did bandanas like this instead, but I decided Sophie needed her very own first k.kamp onesie (right David?).  :)

This year's first week went well.  The two boys got along really well and Sophia was one of the easiest one year olds ever.  She only had one issue...

She was TERRIFIED of dogs. i mean completely and totally 1000% scream-bloody-murder-stiff-body-wide-eyed-cling-on-to-me-and-bury-her-face-against-me TERRIFIED.  And that was when Calvin (who is a pretty small dog) was out on the back deck looking in the glass door through the office and into the living room!  So we worked hard on just sitting with me and talking about the dog and how nice he was and how he was far away outside. :)  Eventually she got to be ok with him being outside and would say "hi dog!".  Then we moved him inside and started over. lol :)  By the end of the week this picture above is how she reacted when Calvin would walk up to her.  She was still a little nervous but about 1000% better than the beginning of the week!  :)  Way to go brave girl!  ;)

(if you haven't seen enough of her cute little self, click the picture above to see the mini photo session of her on my photography blog. :)

cinderella

A couple weeks ago, Lauren and I took a short road trip over to Nashville for a very important evening.  Of course, my car decided to act up the day before we were to leave so I ended up having to rent a car for the trip.  The first rental place mom and I went to were totally out of cars! Great.  The second place we went had only one car left.  I said "Oh no...and it's going to be a really expensive one isn't it?? I need the cheapest thing possible!!"  The very nice man behind the Budget counter clicked away at his computer and ended up giving me a better deal than any I had seen online for an economy car. (I had looked before leaving the house just to have an idea of price in mind.)  

This is the car we "had" to take...

A Ford Mustang??  Yes, please!!  :)  Soooo fun for a girls' trip!!  That little car is pretty darn H.O.T.!!  :)

We got to Nashville Wednesday evening and just chilled in the hotel room.  Thursday morning we started off by meeting our friend Rebekah for breakfast with her boys.  This was Lauren's first time meeting one of our favorite little guys...

Isaac!!!  :)  I kept watching him across the table the whole time just thinking how amazing God is and that I could still hardly believe he was really HERE sitting across from me!!  :)  Isaac is so sweet and is learning English like crazy!  The restaurant we went to was called the Puffy Muffin (!) and was way yummy.  They also had a bakery right across from where we were sitting that had a whoole bunch of yummy looking treats!  Isaac was very excited to get to pick out a cookie for each of the kids in his family and talked about it the whole time we were eating.  :)  And if you have seen the video of him that was Rebekah's first glimpse of him...where he is laughing so hard? Yeah...totally still laughs just like that - and it's one of the best sounds EVER!! :)

And of course this little peanut was there too!  His eyelashes are still about the longest I have ever seen!  He is into being verry independent and wanted to do all the eating all by himself!!  :)

After breakfast we tore ourselves away from Rebekah and boys (there is never enough time spent together!!)  and while they headed home for naptime, Lauren and I headed to one of my favorite areas - Green Hills Mall.  I had to introduce Lauren to the store Charming Charlies...  {{drool!!}}  Abby and Emily were the first to introduce me to this store and kept saying I was going to loove it.  The second I stepped inside I realized why - everything in the store (jewelry, purses, hair items, etc.)  is arranged...BY COLOR!!  Oh my heavens. Those who know me well know I loove lots and lots of color and when it's all organized and separated into groups of the same or similar colors??  Even better! :)

So we wandered around for a while and then decided to go get lunch...and when I come to Green Hills mall...which is MAYBE once a year...I cannot leave without a certain item...which just so happened to be our lunch that day...

Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!!!  Yes, it was a very healthy lunch, thank you for noticing.  :}

Next was a walk through another favorite store and one that always makes me think of Wendy because it's her favorite too:

Anthropology.  It always smells soo good in here!  We never actually buy much in this store because it is crazy expensive...but "window shopping" in here is always fun!

Next, I knew that Lipscomb University was just around the corner and Lauren has a friend who is a freshman there this year.  Lauren would love to go there herself...if she won the lottery...lol...and I knew she has always wanted to go up on campus, so we did.  It is a beautiful campus!  We met her friend Samantha, who showed us around a little bit.

(Hey M, this pic is for you...you can't tell very well in this pic, but can you see that the continents are actually popped out from the wall a little bit and there are rope lights running just behind the perimeter of each one?? It was so cool!  I think you should do this in your classroom! You already have the basic map on the wall!  :)

After that we headed to the Target by our hotel because somehow I had forgotten to pack makeup! Hello!  Thankfully, Target has a new cheap brand of makeup where everything is either $1-$3 so picking up a couple essential items only cost a few dollars.

Then it was back to the hotel to crash for a few minutes and then get ready for the evening.

Oh yeah, lookin' hot!  :)

First we headed up to the newly re-opened Opry Mills Mall for dinner at Chuy's, a delicious Mexican restaurant.

This was the silverware holder at our table.....interesting!

Then it was on to the main event of the trip at the schermejirjihgisafjfkghrualjfklsf symphony center!! lol!  Yes, you read that right.  I could never remember how it was pronounced so that's about what I called it. :}

(**note: I took none of the following pictures - I borrowed them from Show Hope's fbook page since photography wasn't allowed.**)

As I was pulling into the parking garage, the lady in the white car in front of me pulling in from the opposite direction, gave me the strangest look and I was wondering what her problem was lol just as it sunk in - it was my friend and college roommate, Jodi!! Neither of us had any idea the other one was going to be there!  So fun!

Show Hope puts on a one night performance of Cinderella each year (this was the 3rd year), partially in honor and memory of Maria, Steven Curtis Chapman's little girl, partially to raise awareness and money for Show Hope.  All the proceeds go to Show Hope, which allows even more families to bring their children home through adoption. 

Ah, yes, adoption - the first reason I wanted to go... :)

Steven, Mary Beth, Shaohannah, and Stevie Joy Chapman introduced the program.

Their production was awesome!  Melinda Dolittle from American Idol was one of the step sisters and the girl who played the fairy godmother was the voice of Arial in Disney's Little Mermaid. :)

After the musical was over, Steven Chapman came back out on stage and sang his Cinderella song and then they showed the Show Hope video - the one that has Isaac and Rebekah and family in it!!

The second reason I wanted to come. :)

And THEN...right after the video...

They had Rebekah and family walk out on stage!!  Mr. Chapman introduced them and talked to Isaac, who he had met before on his trips to MBHOH.  Rebekah spoke and got to thank everyone who gives to Show Hope for playing a part in bringing both her boys home.

Then another little Show Hope guy came out and sang Amazing Grace with Steven. Soo precious!!  Those who hadn't already teared up over the Cinderella song...or the Show Hope video...or seeing Isaac on stage...definitely teared up at this!  :)

Finally all the Show Hope families who were there were invited out on stage to sing and the audience was asked to sing along as well.  I thought oh yeah right, how the heck are we supposed to sing when we're all tearing up! lol  :)

It was an amazing night for an amazing organization and an amazing family (who happen to be amazing friends of mine...).  :)  It went by way too quickly.  

Rebekah, just tell me when Isaac is comfortable and secure in being babysat for a day and we'll come steal you away with Lauren and me for cheesecake and shopping!  :)

this is what happens when you say yes

I've known about this video for a while but am just now able to share it!  It makes me tear up every time I watch it!  This is the story of my friend, Rebekah, and her family and her sweet Isaac.  Steven Chapman is sharing Isaac's story at his concerts this tour - so everyone who doesn't know the story yet will know it soon and be able to praise our Father with us for what He has done in Isaac's life so far!  :)  

Enjoy!

forever

I said that I would share more about the story of Isaac when I could and I have permission to tell it now. :)  If you have been reading my blog for a while, you remember my friend, Rebekah.  I would give you the link to her awesome blog...but it's set to private now...  :}

She and her husband have two beautiful, blond headed, blue eyed little girls, Anna Walton and Olivia.

A couple years ago I had the privilege of walking with them through prayer and emails and the occasional phone call as they followed God's calling on their hearts to bring their third child home through adoption. As all adoptions are, it was a journey that required a lot of patience and faith on their part, but in the end, a year and a half ago, they welcomed sweet Caleb into their family.

The same month that Caleb was born, they happened to watch a short video update about Maria's Big House of Hope - the special needs orphanage that Steven and MaryBeth Chapman started in honor and memory of their precious Maria.  This is the video (it's only about a minute long):

How could you not just immediately fall in love with this little guy??  He has Spina Bifida, which basically means that his little legs don't work.  But other than that, he is a perfectly normal little boy. Rebekah and family started praying for this precious boy right away - and they continued to do so for a long time.  They even started a prayer journal and wrote down prayers for him or colored pictures for him not knowing if they would ever have the opportunity to actually meet him.  While the thought of adoption of course couldn't help but come to mind, they were just at that time about to bring Caleb home so their focus was on completing that adoption.

So they continued to pray.

For 7 more months.

Until December 16th.

Which also happens to be Rebekah's birthday.

Which is when they officially called to inquire to see if it would be possible for them to pursue this little one through adoption.

(Ok, Rebekah...I'm just going to do it.  'K?)  :)

I love this part of their story because it just shows how much God loves to put His own twists into our stories so that no one can boast except to say how awesome and powerful He is - and how very much He loves the orphan!  This is really His story anyways.  :)

Rebekah and Nathaniel found out that there was another family who was also interested in this same child.  So Rebekah told me she didn't know just yet if this was her son, or if God brought him to her attention just to be a prayer warrior for him, but either way she would trust His plan.  (But I do have to admit that the first time I saw a picture of him, my first thought was "yup! he looks like a Wright to me!!")  :}

This other family was a Christian family who had actually been to MBHOH and had met this little boy a couple months before.  As it turned out, this dear family ended up contacting Rebekah directly in February and telling her that while they had been willing to step out and give this child a forever family if that is what God led them to do, they had just sold their home and moved (with their 4 children!) into a two bedroom apartment while they waited to see where God sent them next.  Then they found out they were expecting baby #5 in the spring and decided the timing just wasn't right.  However, they felt strongly enough that this little one should be given a family who also loved Christ, that when they found out that Rebekah and Nathaniel were also interested in him, they told Rebekah they wanted to fund their adoption!

Those of you who have adopted or have looked into adopting know how much of a financial stretch the process can be - even though in the end it is worth every single tiny penny!  It is always a faith and trust building process - but we serve a faithful God who will always provide in unique and sometimes surprising ways, each and every single penny needed to bring one of his children home!

While this was a huge blessing in and of itself, the fun part of this part of the story isn't done.  God had one more detail to add.

Have you ever read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan?

(If you haven't...go find it and read it!!)

Francis Chan was a pastor out in Simi Valley, California for quite a few years.  You can find some of his sermons on YouTube and they are very good!

(I told Michael one time that for some reason you simply must refer to Francis Chan...as Francis Chan!  I don't know why, but you just can't call him Mr. Chan...or Francis...just has to be his whole name.  Lol!)

Francis Chan has a contagious passion for Christ.  He just wants to be and do whatever God wants him to.  In one of his sermons he mentioned that at one time, I think early in their marriage, he had told his wife that he wished they had money enough to just give away.  To bless people with.  To help them.  However God wanted them to.  There was probably more to that story that I'm forgetting.

Anyways, about a hear and a half ago, Francis Chan resigned as pastor of his church.  He just wanted to be completely free to go where ever he felt God was leading him.  

So.

He and his wife sold their house.

And took their whole family across the ocean for several months.  Again...just to go wherever they felt led.  To visit missionaries.  And be an encouragement to believers on the other side of the world.

And visit some orphanages.

Including MBHOH.

Where they met a certain little boy, fell in love, and were willing to adopt him.

And came home and moved with their four children into a two bedroom apartment, waiting to see where God called them next, and found out they were going to have baby number five in the spring.

YUP.

When God goes big, He goes big.  :)

It was Francis Chan himself who emailed Rebekah to tell her that he and his family wanted to fund their adoption!  It was because God had blessed his efforts in writing the book Crazy Love that now he and his wife were able to bless other people!

And one of my closest, dearest friends just happened to be at the receiving end of that blessing.  :}

So never tell me that you can't adopt because it's just too expensive...or I'll remind you of this story and other adoption stories that prove that is just an excuse!  ;)

Anyways!

That was last February.  After that, there was still an entire mountain of paperwork to be filled out, signatures/fingerprints/notaries to get, etc.  

Lol...sorry Rebekah...I just had to borrow these pics...!  :}  

This is what a girl looks like when her chocolate chips run out and there's still a huge mound of paperwork to be completed!!  :}  It's a sad moment.

Finally, on April 27th, they were far along enough in the process that they were allowed to send a care package, including a photo album, to let their SON, Isaac, know that he had a family who would come to get him just as soon as they possibly could!

Isaac had been aware that he didn't have a family.  He had told his preschool teacher one day about a friend who had just received a care package from his family and told her that he did not have a mom and dad and kept saying in his language the words for "don't have.  don't have."  

A few months later, that same teacher got to be there as he opened his package and saw the gifts from and picture of his very own family.  This sweet teacher helped tell him who each person in the pictures was and then went back through again and asked him if he knew who they were, one at a time.  Each time he put his hand on his heart and said one word. 

"Mine."

Click here for that post on Show Hope's blog.

The next several months were full of, well, waiting...and waiting...and waiting.

Waiting for approvals. Certain papers that were needed.  Passports.  Etc.

Finally, in early December of 2011, Rebekah told me they had received the one last thing they needed before they could get their travel dates!  We thought it would be in the middle of January 2012 that they would travel to meet Isaac and bring him home and I was so excited with her and for her!

She hoped for maybe a birthday present of travel date info...but God surprised her three days early and they got word that they could leave on December 21st - just 8 days later!!  

Which would ALSO mean that it would be Christmas night here in the states when they actually would meet Isaac in person for the first time!!

I, and so many other friends, prayed constantly for them while they traveled.  All day Christmas day I would check the time and translate it to what time it was where they were and got more and more excited as I knew the moment was approaching when they would see their son.  I couldn't WAIT to see a picture of them together!  So far, this was the closest to a "family picture" they had...

 

The frustrating thing was that gap between the two pictures!

Finally, early in the morning on December 26th, 2011, I logged onto Facebook to find the most beautiful picture ever:

Still makes me tear up looking at it.

This is the comment I wrote on her fbook wall:

"Oh rebekah!! I am crying happy tears!!! How faithful He is!! That is just the most beautiful picture EVER!!! John 14:18 keeps running through my head..."I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." :) :). Ok, now hurry home! I need to hug your neck!!...and your son...! :) ♥ ♥ ♥"


Isaac is officially no longer an orphan.

He belongs.

He has a family.

He is a Wright.

He has a mommy. To give him hugs and kisses.  And tuck him in bed every night.

He has a daddy.  To wrestle and play with.  To keep him safe and reflect our Father's love.

Rebekah and Nathaniel spent about two weeks in country with Isaac before getting to bring him home.  It was a really good bonding time with just mommy and daddy and even included Isaac getting a stomach bug and being sick for a few days.  Not something you wish for your child, but in a way I think it allowed for even more bonding for Isaac to see how mommy and daddy cared for him while he was sick.  

FINALLY...on January 6th, 2012, these three Wrights finished their long journey home.  There was no way in the world I was going to miss the moment they walked off of the plane and were reunited with the rest of their family, so I headed up to their part of TN a couple days early to see friends and then arrived at the airport about 45 minutes before they landed.

When I got to the airport, there was a group of about 15 people already standing around waiting...by the time the plane landed, there were probably around 100 people total!!  Although about 30 of those were waiting for another precious little one who was coming home from another country - she and her new parents had been on the same plane with Rebekah the whole journey home!

Rebekah's mom holding Caleb.  Rebekah's sister with her arm around Anna Walton and the beautiful sign she had made. :)

This is just a glimpse of all the people who were there.  And we all happened to be standing around where all passengers exit into the main part of the terminal...so they were having to squeeze through the huge crowd, most with puzzled looks on their faces wondering who the heck was coming home that was so important!  :)  Made me smile.  If only they knew it was one five year old little boy and one almost one year old little girl that this huge fuss was over. :)

And then...there they were!

He was HERE...in the flesh!  Not just a precious picture on a computer screen anymore!

I love this picture.  Isaac was introduced to about a bajillion and twenty three strangers this night lol!  but he took it like a trooper and was ok with people surrounding him - as long as he could keep at least one arm wrapped around mommy or daddy's neck!  :)  He was not about to let them go.  :)  And that is Olivia so glad to have her family home again.  And those are Nathaniel's parents on the far left, who I never got a chance to speak to come to think of it.  Nathaniel's mom is an excellent cook.  ;)

A couple special people were there to greet Isaac and say hello to another little Show Hope girl (I assume...is that correct, Rebekah?).  :)

First family photo with everyone!!

I didn't even bother trying to talk to Rebekah when they first arrived!  I just stood back and enjoyed watching them greet everyone who was there.  After a good 45 minutes or so, the crowd had thinned out a little bit and just as I moved to find her, she and Olivia came searching for me.  :)  I finally got to hug her neck...

...and meet her son.  :)  By this time, poor Isaac just wanted to GO!  He kept saying, "Ready go!!"

(borrowed this pic off fbook.)

And so they did.  All six of the Wrights, in one car, went home to one house...and all slept in one room for that first night!  ;)  

Isaac is home at last with his forever family.

Welcome home sweet boy!  I can't wait to eventually spend a little more time with you.  You don't know me yet, but you will!  ...just ask your sisters!  ;)  I have prayed for you for over a year now and I won't stop.  I will pray that God will continue bonding your heart to those in your family. That you will quickly grasp and understand what "forever" really means and that it applies to you! That He will call your heart to him (just like I pray for "my own" five year old little guy, Jack!)...that you will grow up to love and serve Him with your whole heart and proudly tell the story of how He brought you to your forever family.

And that, dear reader, is really only the beginning...  :)

best christmas present EVER!

This is my precious friend, Rebekah, her wonderful husband, Nathaniel.....and their SON Isaac!!

They all got the best Christmas present EVER - Rebekah and Nathaniel got to hold/squeeze/hug/kiss/love on their son for the first time...and Isaac got his forever family!

I love love love LOVE this picture!!  I guarantee it will be hanging up in my house...whenever I get one next!  :)  This picture represents so much - so many prayers, tears, trust, faith, love, patience, smiles, and laughter...and a faithful God who has promised:

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  John 14:18

I will share more of this story later.  There are reasons I haven't shared this particular adoption journey with you like I did with Caleb.  :)  But I just couldn't stand it today and had to share just this one picture.  :)

last vacation pics, i promise! :)

It has taken me quite a while to get all these photos edited and uploaded on here...and these are the last set. Sorry if you're bored with this topic! :}

These are from Tuesday when we went and explored Anthropologie and the story behind them is that all three of us - Rebekah, Lauren, and I - have several blogs in common that we love to read. More than one of them are photographers. On several occasions we have made the comment, "WHERE do they find those colorful backgrounds?!" The pictures will be taken in front of a brightly colored wall on the outside of some store or some other location that makes the most incredibly cool picture and we wonder how they just always seem to find these cool spots over and over again! For some examples, check out this blog post from Bobbi & Mike, a couple who are an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. photography team (ok, so I think that would be SUCH a cool job to do together!). The link I am sending you to is their list of top 100 engagement pictures from 2009. All of the photos are worth checking out, but these give examples of the color I'm talking about (as well as a couple i just really like!):

#94 ~ yellow

#91 ~ teal

#90 ~ green

#66 ~ pinkish purple

#52 ~ ok, so I just love this one. that's all. :}

#49 ~ seriously?! how did they get the sparkle on the heal of the shoe?!

#36 ~ red and blue

#35 ~ yellow and green

#16 ~ ha. abby, remind you of anything?? your uncle would appreciate this one...! ;)

#13 ~ how did they do that???

#1 - where did they find a pile of only yellow leaves??

See what I mean?? Where do they find all those?? Anyways, we were walking along outside after wandering through Anthropologie and Rebekah says, "Hey...there's a blue wall!" I looked and sure enough! There it was! Just like in all the cool pictures we love! So OF COURSE we had to stop and take a few pics against it! They are soooo nooooot the level and quality of Bobbi & Mike or the photographers on the other blogs we read...but they were fun to take and I'm a little sad that wall is 3 hours away from me! I would definitely use it again if it was closer...I already have more ideas for it!

Anyone who can tell me where the perfect colored wall is within a 30 minute radius of where I live can have a free photo session with me...the very not-professional-but-it-sure-is-a-lot-of-fun photographer! Lol!