Monday, July 22, 2013

Hi Friends!

Hi there! I'm stopping by today to tell you a little bit about me... First, my name is Kim and I'm the author behind Faith Grace & Giggles - where things can be funny, crazy, and messy... but we do our best to keep it real.


I am a Christian. Wife. Mother. Daughter. Sister. Sister in Law. Aunt. Friend. Weight Loss Surgery survivor. Infertility survivor. Adoptive Mother. Former NICU parent. Writer. Stay at Home Mother. Homeschooler. Scentsy Consultant. Cook. Baker. Reader. Photographer. Pet Lover. Retired Database Manager. and Social Media junkie. The last one is really a means of outlet because I spend 80% of my day with two littles that don't talk much yet.

Lets dig a little deeper into some of these, shall we?

I'm a Christian above all else, because I've learned that without God - I'm not any good at any of the other things in my life. I almost lost my marriage before finding my Savior, and was unable to see a light at the end of a long infertility battle... with my faith - I was able to find resolution to both of those.

I'm a wife to my amazing husband, John. We met online about 13 years ago when I was still in college... married 3 years later, and just celebrated our 10th Anniversary last month. We struggled for 8 years with infertility... so we had a long time to grow as a couple and become a true team before our family grew to what it is today.

I'm a mother to James (23 months) & Tyler (17 months). We had a failed adoption placement just 2 months before becoming parents. James was our precious gift given to us by God through adoption. The day we signed his adoption papers at the hospital and brought him home - we found out that we were pregnant. Six short months later, Tyler joined our family... and these two give me a run for my money every single day! They are polar opposites in just about every way - which is challenging, but I wouldn't trade any of it for a minute.

The daughter part is fairly obvious - so we'll move to sister. I became the middle child at the ripe old age of 25 - for the first 25 years of my life - I had two older sisters, Cathi & Cindy. At 25, my Dad & stepmother adopted two babies from Guatemala - and I became the older sister to my brother and little sister: Josh & Gabby.

John also has a sister, who I love dearly... and then I have 3 brother in laws that are wonderful! Additionally, we have 5 gorgeous nieces ranging from 16-4.

I've got some dear friends in my life. People that really are more family than just friends. Sadly, we moved away from most of the people we love last June, and meeting new folks has been slow going here in TN. I'm starting to find some lovely ladies to spend a little time with around here - and I'm sure by the time we move back to TX - I will be sad to leave them too.

In 2007, I had a gastric bypass - which was the reason I started my blog in the first place. I would do it all over again every day of my life - I believe it what it allowed for my future. Would I say that I reached every goal that I set out - not at all. I did not lose all my weight, but I was able to essentially cure my diabetes and blood pressure issues. Since having a baby they are creeping back up a bit, BUT they are far more manageable now.

I mentioned before I suffered through 8 years of infertility and all that comes along with that. In September 2009 - we were told by our reproductive endocrinologist that they couldn't help us. That we'd never have a child biologically. While that was the most unbearable thing to hear - I was okay. It opened the door for our adoption... and so much more!

I'm also a former NICU parent. Tyler spent 12 days in the NICU when he was born, and it was really hard. It was a struggle, but I couldn't have been more grateful for the resources and care that we were given - and I've got a healthy 17 month old boy thriving because of the little bit of extra help that he needed and received at birth.

I sell Scentsy, Velata, and Grace Adele to help make a bit of extra money for bills and activities for the kids. I am currently working on getting us a membership to the Children's Museum here in town for us to enjoy during those hot summer days when the Zoo just isn't feasible. I'd be thrilled to help you host a blog or catalog party for either one - and earn free products in return if you're interested.

I love trying out new recipes... and do it almost daily if possible. I write a recipe blog called Momma Hawk Cooks - to share our recipes, but also to keep them handy so that I can access them anywhere. I've got a dog and a cat... love taking pictures of our family... love writing... and so much more! I'd be honored to have you stop by and visit our piece of the web sometime!

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love you background on yours! Hope to connect with you!

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  2. your boys are adorable (and close in age! Bless you momma-- I thought my job with 2 boys that are 19 months apart was hard!). Coming over from Jenna's commenting challenge....

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  3. Stopping from Jenna's. What a beautiful testimony you have to share!

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  4. I popped on over from Jenna's as well. Your boys are absolutely adorable! I can't wait to meet my daughter. She's due in 53 days (but who's counting?).

    I enjoyed reading about your Christian faith. My husband and I are looking for a church to join, as we'd like to raise our daughter with a solid Biblical background. I was raised Protestant and he was raised Catholic, so we're trying to find someplace we are both comfortable. We think we may have found one!

    Hope to read more soon!

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  5. Visiting from Jenna's challenge - I have 4 and I can't even imagine having two that close in age - but what a HUGE blessing!

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  6. I'm here from Jenna's Journey. Your boys are precious!

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  7. I'm visiting from Jenna's commenting challenge. My mom had gastric bypass surgery 10 years ago and it was (and is) such a blessing for her. Your boys are adorable!

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  8. Hi! Stopping by from Jenna's. What an amazing story you have! Guess the "just adopt and you'll get pregnant" comment applies to you, huh? =) You have a beautiful family!

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  9. You are blessed, friend! :) Your boys are so sweet. And let me tell you, those NICU days were some of the hardest of my life. Thankful we both have healthy boys after all that! :)

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  10. Stopping by from Jenna's - I look forward to reading more about your blog! I'm a Christian also so automatically your blog caught my attention :-)

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  11. What a fun blog you have! I am looking forward to catching up with you and family!

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  12. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a sweet comment!!!

    Your boys are adorable and what an amazing story!!! My grandparents also had a child of their own after being told they couldn't have children and adopting two!!! What a miracle!!

    My daughter was born in October 2010 as well!

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Thank you so much for your comments. I really enjoy getting feedback on my writing!