Two is too few

I LOVE art. Love, love, love it. It's in my blood...I come from a family of some pretty dang artistic and creative people. When I was a little girl, I was always doodling, and thought that being an animator at Disney would be my dream job. (Yeeeah...that dream never quite happened...)

BUT, I still love art, and I still love to doodle, and create. One of my favorite things about our house is it's like a mini art gallery. It's full of art that either I created, or favorite prints from other amazing artists that I've come across. I'm always on the search for something new for our walls! (Just ask Steve...he loves how I'm constantly moving things around...hehehe).

A few pieces from the Haslam gallery of late that have tugged at my heart strings...

Two is too few by Caitlin Connolly

there, there by Caitlin Connolly

Elizabeth Ann by Beth Allen

Doodle from my sketch book

8 years

I was thinking today about how long it took for Steve and I to find each other. 8 years. 8 years of highs and lows. 8 years of dead ends and try agains. 8 years of do I give up, or keep going.

8 years later...we finally found each other. 

But you know what? I would have waited around for him another 100 years if I knew that it was him I was waiting for. He was worth the wait!

Looking back, as hard and painful at times it was,  I wouldn't trade those years for anything...because it's all the sweeter now. I learned about myself, and I grew into a better person because of those 8 years. 

As we're looking for our missing pieces, who knows how long we'll search? 1 year? 8 years? 20 years?  How every long it may be, I do know one thing. It will be worth the wait...

Patchwork

We knew right off the bat that having children would be a tough path to go down. We knew that we were in for an adventure.  I don't think I was quite knew what this would do to my heart though...I read this quote this morning...and it struck me to my core.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." -E. Stone 

I've realized that my heart is definitely walking outside of my body. Instead of safely tucked inside a cage of bones...it's running, racing, and tumbling FREE.

I think that cage cracked open when we first shared our decision to adopt. That...that was the beginning. Our hearts spilling out, we decided to open up for all to see. It has been an extremely humbling and vulnerable thing to depend on someone else to help us grow our family in this way.

The upsets and disappointments we've come across have chipped away at our hearts each time. And as we've learned the stories of some amazing expectant mothers...we've willingly left a piece of our hearts with each of them.  That is something I didn't quite expect...how much I would feel the holes that were left. Hearts are precious things after all...

But this running, racing and tumbling heart of mine...it's turning out just fine. Those battle-scars have been covered with a patchwork of love. The help, support and encouragement we've received along the way has helped our hearts grow in ways that I could have never imagined possible.

And loving others I've learned...doesn't leave holes in your heart...it just makes your heart bigger.