Seasons

So I'm writing this post on 5/1/12

It's a new season here at the Burton house, as Stephen and I are currently in the beginning process to becoming  FOSTER PARENTS. <-- yeah, you read it right! (with the hope of adoption)

We have spent the past couple of years discussing how we hoped to build our family and feel God had truly lead us to this path.

So, how do you begin the process? Stephen and I have been in contact with the recruitment office with the Department of Children's Services Central Office as well as MTSU's... something department (forgot the title) to register to take PATH training classes. PATH stands for Parents as Tender Healers. It's a month of education training in preparation to become Foster Parents.

6/4/12- Officially PATH certified

Stephen and I met with our home study worker on June 20, 2012 to turn in our paperwork! We got in right before she took vacation time to get married!! In the mean time, Stephen and I have been "baby proofing" our home. Anyone who knows me well knows that when our worker comes out to do our safety inspection I don't want any of this "will comply" stuff, I want all my boxes marked yes, in compliance. Stephen has been a rock star helping get everything together (Thanks, babe). And minus a baby gate at the top of our stair (that we have to special order) we are done!! Our worker returns on July 12 so I hope we will be able to get in touch with her soon after she returns to start the "home study". Speaking of home study, you know the thing I do on a daily basis, the thing that I encourage people not to freak out about, be nervous about... Well people, I totally get it!! I'm kinda freaking!! So, to any of my families that read this, I apologize for not validating your nervousness :)

This part is hard for me, I LOVE to know what's coming next, I'm a planner, and not knowing if we I are getting boy or girl, a baby or a 1,2,3,4,5 year old is killing me. How can I plan for a birth to five year old of either gender...? I can't, and I'm coming to peace with that, trusting that all will come together in time.

Stephen and I appreciate all the support we have received. Our family and friends have been gracious in understanding the path Stephen and I have chosen and we are grateful. With that being said, anyone out there who has gone through this process and has advice, pass it this way!! We are walking into unfamiliar territory and love talking with other families who have walked this path as well!

Just the life of a
BURTON

James 1:27

This week I have visited with two sweet children of God who have blessed two families through adoption. And it got me thinking... Some days when I have too many home studies to write, too many visits in the field, too much frustration with USCIS, too many legalities to straighten out, too long of a commute, too many sicknesses, I forget how amazing my career really is. In November I will begin my third year with Heaven Sent Children in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (like my plug) :0) and as I look at the children covering my walls it makes those "hard days" worth it. To date I want to welcome my sweet children home: Briley (USA), Leah (USA), Gracie (USA), Leeza (Ukraine), Zhenya (Ukraine), Anna Grace "Gracie" (Korea), Atticus (USA), Kaylyn (USA), Carlos (Uganda), Sophie (USA), Raylen (USA), Savannah (USA), Lily (USA) and Levi (USA). I just sit in awe of the amazing gifts God has provided me with to serve Him. Adoption is my heart, it runs through my body and consumes my mind. It allows me the opportunity to see these wonderful families answering God's call.


Heavenly Father,

What a wonderful blessing you have allowed me to not only witness, but be a part of. I felt the call of adoption in 2005 and four years later you opened the door to Heaven Sent. While some days my adoption and my story feel overwhelming I now understand it was all in your preparation for me to serve my families closer. I have fought and ignored the call to work with birth mothers, even through my disobedience you have allowed me to see the preciousness behind these strong selfless women and makes me think of my strong selfless birth mother. Lord, I hope wherever she may be you always keep hands on her and let her know I don't hate her, I love her, I love that because of her plan for me the doors in my life are opened wide. I want to tell her in October of 2010 I married my best friend. I wanted to tell her I graduated college and tell her because of her the love for me adoption is now apart of my heart. I want to tell her about about all the babies I have helped find  forever families like mine and tell her Thank You!  I pray that she feels peace with herself and forgives herself because I'm so grateful to her. I admire her strength and hope that somewhere deep in me I posses that same strength when i feel hopeless, because I'm sure that how she felt. God please continue to give me the strength to serve you through adoption and help many more families answer your call to defend the fatherless.
                                                                                                                       - Amen


"learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."- Isaiah 1:17 (NLV)

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

Take TWO

[ due to much frustration of trying to post a blog update earlier this week]

Take TWO

I titled my post earlier this week: What's New!

I had been thinking about the past several weeks (since yes that's the last time I blogged) :) and was thinking, what's new!

So,
- I found out I'm going to have the THREE sweetest NEPHEWS! YAH!!
- Stephen and I bought a bigger dresser and queen size bed.... sinara double
-6 out of 9 nights Bauer has slept in his own doggie bed! And we are like 4-5 weeks in with no Pee Pee "accidents" on our couches!! He's also learned to sit, or he doesn't get to go OUT :)
( he's been an awful S L O W learner, but that's what we get taking in a 5 year old (male) doggie.
- Stephen and I have signed up to serve with the Pre-school (special needs) at TPC at Spring Hill we also signed up for small group this semester and are looking forward to our "Love and Respect" group.
- Brody turned (2)
- Hunter started (1st grade)
-My sister is turning 19 in (2) days
-and I've got the painting itch again, this time we're headed to the Master Bedroom (after two years) haha

I KNOW there had to be more on my list the other day, but that's what I get for not saving the original! So that's What's new. maybe this month I"ll do better at updating so I don't have to think back when everything is flying forward!

Blessings to ALL

Amanda BURTON

The Hallway Light

Oh where to begin....

A brief background.... When Stephen and I moved into this house we wanted to paint. I chose to paint our house a beautiful blue with one darker blue accent wall. I bought throw pillows, couch covers, wall art.... and about six months later I changed my mind.... We were painting our offices and Stephanie had brought in Cracker Bitz a pretty brown in the gold family or pretty gold in the brown family :0) I loved it and decided that I wanted it in my house so Stephen painted our downstairs gold with red accent walls. ( My husband probably wanted to kill me for having him paint our living room/kitchen and this time the stairwell and hallway upstairs.... Well as hard as my husband tried WE ARE NOT PAINTERS!!!! So a year later we were FINALLY financially able to hire some professionals to "touch up" his hard work. WELL...when we painted the last time we had red and brown paint leftover so it was easy to go get more paint, however we used all the gold.... we spent our Sunday afternoon at Lowes with the helpful paint expert trying to find the same color ( I even text Stephanie to see if she remembered the color). Enter Cracker Bitz, I was so excited it looked right on and I was siked for the painters to come on Monday. Stephen took off Monday so he could be there with the painters, (Premier Painting) I came home to an amazing stairwell and hallway! I knew the ceiling spots wouldn't be the exact same color, but what I'm not so pleased with is the gold touch-ups, it completely looks like a different color around the edges. The painters said this was because the other paint had been on the walls for a year and it would take time to blend... I'm hoping...

Anyway... [to the post title] when the painters left the hallway was still wet so they didn't put back up the sconce. This afternoon Stephen and I ate dinner, and were planning on going to the gym (it's our new thing). I said, hey babe why don't we try to put the sconce up first... Insert the next hour putting up ONE light fixture. The light is HIGH up in our stairwell so I suggested to Stephen to get our kitchen chair put two legs on one stair and prop the other two legs up with books :0) well he nixed that idea. However, he did go get some books and managed to put the left screw and bottom screw in. YAH!! Now to the right (which of course the stairs are higher on the left side) So Stephen and I start brainstorming.... Somehow he decided its much safer for me to be on his shoulders than to do my clever chair idea. So here we go, when I get nervous I laugh, now was not the time to laugh climbing up on my husband's shoulders in the stairwell. TAKE 1... FAIL... TAKE 2... FAIL... TAKE 3 FAIL... TAKE 4 FAIL... now my husband is sweating, I'm laughing and we have NO clue how we are getting this last screw on. Stephen FINALLY agrees to let me try my chair idea :0) YES, I can reach the the fixture, I got the screw, AND I drop it in the base of the sconce... YES I'm serious... So, we have to take the two other glorious screws back out, get the screw I dropped out and after a little more frustration MISSION SUCCESSFUL!!

(whew, that was my gym time) I told by husband I was going to blog, while he goes to the gym, but he didn't leave without me reminding him that it is indeed double punch Tuesday :0)

Amanda BURTON

The Dirty 30

This past week has been craziness!! I've been feeling/being behind at work, and on top of that, came down with a (i'm guessing) viral bug on Wednesday, fever and horrid horrid headache :0(

This was also the weekend I planned my parents 30th wedding anniversary party. Late Thursday night my fever broke and I woke up Friday feeling like a new person. :0) However, due to being sick... Friday was the only day I had to SHOP along with doing a few VERY necessary things for work... After wearing myself D O W N Friday night Stephen and I both crashed!!! Waking to a rash on the day of my parents party.. (this viral bug is hard to kick) :0(

50 -60ish people came Saturday to celebrate my parents 30th wedding anniversary. Running around like "a chicken with my head cut off" totally paid off and was completely worth it. After all my parents have done for me, they totally deserved this a more...

And... celebrating wedding's my Best Friend Nikki and her boyfriend Drew got engaged on Friday morning. BEST WISHES to my gal and her man!!

Trying to keep a simple Sunday, kick this viral rash and prepare for the work week ahead!!

Amanda BURTON

The Case Of The Two Manda's

Okay, so anyone who knows me, knows I'm just head OVER heals for my nephews. I mean, how could I not be? Have you seen them?!?

When I started dating Stephen, Hunter was (4) and Brody was (1 month). Hunter and I slowly develop our bond, I never wanted to force a bond with him faster than he was comfortable with... Being (4) Hunter will remember "life" before "Aunt Amanda". Brody, he'll know no life without me :0)

We see the other "Burton" half most every weekend, and my HEART and my HEAD have been swelling up so BIG hearing how much Brody is/ has been talking about his Mandas, I mean it just makes my heart melt!!! Well, 2 weeks ago.... WE ALL realized I'm not the ONLY Mandas in his life. My husband is also Mandas!! Yes, it's true... I was getting double the Manda's because he was referring to Stephen and I both :0) 0h well, ( I'm secretly still pleased it's my name and not Stephen's) and at least Brody knows who's wearing the pants in our relationship ;)

My 1st picture with Hunter

"Uncle" Mandas and "Aunt" Mandas with Brody

Uncle Stephen with Hunter

Amanda BURTON

Living Learning Loving

I'm an avid blog reader!!! Blogger myself ? probably not, but I'll give it a shot.

Like I said avid blog reader over here, from adoption blogs (more on that latter) to "mommy blogs" to interior decorating blogs I'm hooked!

While I make no promise of anything of interest said here, I hope to document my days in the life as a Burton. Why Burton? because I'm a newlywed (insert aww). and love the sound of being a Burton and being linked to my husband in this way.. Plus with all the RED TAPE to make it offical I deserve to wear my "new" name out!! :) Okay, back to my husband, the man that said "I do". Stephen, we met ALMOST two years ago while I was [interning] at his "then" job. Our relationship fastly developed... dating for 3 months, living together at 4 , engaged at 6 and married at 13 months .. whew!! bout time for my life to calm down.. Most people say their signficant other is their better half, their rock etc..etc.. In our case Stephen is all that mushyness and more he's my sain half, he keeps me grounded, is there when my brain races ahead of my body and our pockets, :) he is my eternal optimist and my rational thinker. Me? I'm the idea racer, the let's do it now girl, the pessimist, and the spender...

So here we are two newlyweds taking a step into the world and the wonderful/craziness of being 24 and 25, married, homeowners, career social workers, and the fun aunt and uncle to the MOST precious two boys on the planet.

While I hope to one day feel up my days and posts with my children's funny antic's I am happy to keep it simple and tell about the days in the life as a Burton...


Amanda BURTON