#913 - It's Official!

On Monday we had our final training for foster care. It is now official. As soon as our file makes its way through the CPS (Child Protective Services) system, we'll be cleared to begin receiving children. Part of me is SO relieved to have all of that behind us - it was quite a process! (honestly, it could have gone much quicker, but we allowed time to pass between various steps because life got crazy) And the other part of me is feeling a bit nervous because this is where the rubber meets the road, if you will. We've been saying for the past year or so that we wanted to foster, but now that we're officially official, our words will be forced into actions.

Several people have asked me recently if we have any clue the age and gender of the child we'll bring into our home. No, we don't. But, I know Who does! And for that I am grateful!

I would ask you to pray for a sweet 7-month old baby who will possibly be placed in the foster care system soon. Tomorrow morning is a big court date for the case. As Daniel and I prayed together tonight, our focus was on protection. That wherever this child ends up, the Lord will protect him/her and let him/her know how loved he/she is. Please pray this along with us! I know I haven't shared the name or even the gender of the baby, but again, God knows!

Both of our children are very excited about adding to our family through foster-to-adopt. They are both convinced we'll be adding a boy to our list of Bramlett kiddos. In fact, last night Ella and I were eating dinner together while Daniel and Riley were at a ministry event. I asked her if she would like for us to have a baby in the house. She, of course, said yes, because she adores babies (and a baby to her is any child younger than her - even if it's just a couple of months younger). I then asked if she wanted it to be a boy or girl. She sat and thought for a minute and said, boy! She then said, "Bring boy home?" I told her it wasn't up to me, but God had to decide if we'd get a boy or girl. I asked her if she wanted to pray and ask God for a boy. She said yes. I told her to go ahead and pray. She got quiet for a minute and then said, "BOY!" at the top of her lungs. I couldn't help but laugh! So precious and such the child-like faith that we all need! Again, only God knows! And I'm thankful!

#914 - This Blog

This is my 400th post! That may not seem like a big deal to others, but it reminds me how thankful I am to have an outlet for sharing my thoughts, feelings, updates on our family, pictures, etc. And I say THANK YOU for faithfully following our family as we walk through the journey of life this side of heaven. I'm excited to see where the next step in the journey will take us!


**Ok, so apparently Blogger counts any "drafts" I've written in the number of total posts. I had 5 drafts that I just deleted from several years ago, and my total number dropped to 396. So, maybe this isn't my 400th post, BUT I'm still thankful for this blog :)

#915 - French Bread Pizza

We grew up having French bread pizzas for dinner. Ours came out of the frozen section of the grocery store, though! One day not too long ago I decided I wanted to make my own. I looked on Pinterest to get some baking tips, and I found a site that had clear and simple directions. Basically, it said to put whatever you want on your French bread and then pop it in a 500 degree oven for 5 minutes. I tried it and it was AMAZING! French bread pizza is now one of my quick and easy go-to meals. And it's what was for dinner tonight! The one pictured above had spaghetti sauce, sautéed onions & peppers, sausage, and cheese. But, the beauty of it is that the options are limitless! Today I'm thankful for delicious, quick meals that all family members enjoy!

#916 - His Dreams

I was first introduced to this book in the summer of 1998 when I served for the first time at the Florida GA/Acteens Camp. Each night before bed we would read a story to our campers, and my co-counselor had this one, among others. I fell in love with it. I later bought a copy for myself so I'd have it "one day" when my own children came along.

I read this to Riley this afternoon. He and I have read it together before, but today the last page jumped out at me.

In case you have trouble reading it in the picture, it says, "Sometimes, the dreams that we have for ourselves are much smaller than the dreams that God has for us. The three trees' dreams came true, just not in the way they imagined. And so it is with each of us. For if we follow God's path, we will travel far beyond even our greatest dreams."

And this is where I find myself right now. I had dreams for a family - a husband and some children. I even thought about adoption. I never dreamed of fostering to adopt, though. I never dreamed of the ways God would use this process to refine, stretch, and draw me closer to Himself. I never dreamed of the FAITH journey He would take me on throughout my relationship with Him thus far.

I never dreamed of these things, but I sure am thankful He did!

#917 - "Ice Skating"

Riley amazes me when he watches something on t.v. and then immediately enters the incredible world of his imagination and attempts to recreate what he saw using materials we have in the house. The other day he learned about ice skating on Sesame Street. This occurred right after...

I pray he and Ella never suppress their imaginations like so many of us are guilty of doing! Thank you, Lord, for creating our intricate and amazing brains! May we use them for Your glory!

#918 - OBU 10-year Reunion

My husband attended and graduated from what I like to call the "other" Baptist university...

For those of you who didn't know, I am a proud alumnus of

Daniel graduated in 2003, so when he realized his 10-year reunion would be this year, he made it pretty clear we'd be attending. Daniel had an incredible college experience, including a large group of friends that he still stays in touch with. Many of them are now my friends, so I was excited about getting to see a few of them at the reunion. I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but I did get a few.

Daddy showing his son around his college campus

The enclosed marble statue of a tiger. In case it's not clear, they do not want anyone getting near this thing!

The library is named after one of Daniel's relatives (great-great-great-something), so we got a picture of all of the boys with the name Riley. (L to R: Jack Riley Day, Riley Whitlow Bramlett, and Daniel Riley Bramlett)

As we were walking around campus we found this sidewalk with students' names etched into it. Daniel said it wasn't there when he was a student, so it's been done pretty recently. Look beside the arrow and you'll see his name. :) 

 Future bears or tigers??? Or neither? With the cost of private universities these days, they'll be future wherever-they-get-amazing-scholarships!

Daddy and his girl (sporting a Ouachita onesie thanks to Aunt Debbie!)

Daniel and some of his college friends

We had a great time at OBU's Homecoming 2013 and Daniel's reunion! Hopefully next year I'll be posting about our trip to Waco for Baylor's Homecoming! :)

#919 - Dancing Skills

These children make me laugh all of the time when they randomly bust out dancing! While watching Riley, remember he is his father made-over...dancing and all! :)