I'm Back!

I have been so terrible at keeping up our blog! As a family of 6 I'm sure you can imagine how busy we stay. We are continuing our hunt for a new house and are still in search for a church home, it has been both physically and emotionally draining. Pray for our family as we seek God and  find a new place to serve and live.
So hang tight this is going to be a long post, I'm going to back track and catch you up on the McConnell's busy day to day lives!
First let me say that this post will mostly be a photo dump! I just unloaded 350 pictures from my camera, yes I just said 350 all taken during a time slot 1-2 months. Don't worry I wont dump all 350 on you. I skimmed through and picked a few of my favorites. Lets start with football- the season has finally come to an end for this family, well except for college football. It was a sad end, for Alex's last year of middle school f-ball. They won 0 games :( But that didn't stop us from having a good time.

Alex is the Blue #5 ^



Marley wore red, white and blue to almost every game to support big brother! She obviously enjoyed watching the cheerleaders more than the football game.

                                                    Alex is white #5^

Chris and I took Marley and met up with his parents, for Marley to visit Babyland General for the 1st time. If your not familiar with babyland- it's the home of the Cabbage patch kids and is a must see for all ages. I had not visited since my childhood and still had a great time.


Marley looking at all of the cabbage patch dolls that are up for adoption.

Watching and waiting for a brand new cabbage to be delivered.

Of course she wouldn't sit in the chair and didn't even want a new baby. She picked out a stuffed monkey and cat. And her Nana bought her a cabbage patch fairy anyway.

Every other Friday after MOPS  I swing by my cousins bakery- Sweet B's and grab some yummy treats for the kids to have after school. If your in the area and have not visited her bakery and bistro. Stop by, I promise you will not be disappointed! It's on the square in downtown Clarkesville.

Marley and I finally got to enjoy watching Daddy's band play at the annual Habersham Jam!

We enjoyed some blanket time in the park, warm fall sunshine, and great music!

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There was a lot of time spent enjoying the last really warm days at the park and in our backyard. I obviously have a handful of monkey's on my hands! :)

Here is the last little piece of exciting,  eventful moments of the fall. Does everyone remember way back in late May early June when my husband told the boys that they could keep 2 stray kittens if they could catch them (Without asking me by the way). And they did!! And then 1 of our dogs played a little too rough with the gray one and it died. Anyway to get to the point. We have been very pleased with Thomas (the cat) he is all around a great cat! Thomas brings gifts to doorstep- examples: 3 field mice, 2 moles, and 3 snakes. I'm sure your getting the picture that he really loves us right? Thomas was defiantly earning his keep that is until late one night I noticed a small place on the upper right side and he began to act very lethargic. Days passed and Thomas began to grow a large yucky ( I wont go into detail) mass on his side. I wouldn't let him come in the house or let the kids touch him. On October the 18th while the kids were at school I decided to make a trip to the vet and try to save this CAT that my husband TOLD the kids they could keep! After a quick consultation it was established that Thomas had been snake bitten and would need immediate surgery. OK I quickly said and rushed out of the office to pick up the kids at school. Called Chris and I told him what I had done. Here is how the conversation played out.
Chris: How much????
Me: Uh I didn't ask, I just wanted to save Thomas for the kids.
Chris: Well you had better hang up right now and call right back and ask! Because we could have gotten another cat out in front of the local Wal-mart for FREE!!
Me: But it wouldn't be the same! It wouldn't be Thomas!
Chris: I don't care call now! And call me back with the amount!

So I did call, and they were right in the middle of surgery. The lady on the phone says it should be between $100-$150. Not so bad right? Wrong, Chris was well to say MAD is really an understatement! I showed up the next day to pick up Thomas and boy were they wrong it was $250! Along with strict instructions for Thomas to stay inside and contained for 2 straight weeks. And that meant purchasing a litter box and all the crap to go with it. Oh and have I mentioned that Thomas was wearing the cone of shame when I picked him up. (all to keep him from tearing the stitches out)

Here is a picture of a small snake that Chris caught outside our garage (non poisonous). This will give you an idea of what the 3 small snakes Thomas caught and killed looked like.

The 4th time Thomas wasn't so lucky, the vet said the snake that bit him was poisonous. We will never know what kind- so Chris took it upon his self to purchase an insane amount of moth balls and scatter them all over yard. Supposedly moth balls keep snakes away, oh and side note they make your yard stink like moth balls. No sign of snakes though :)

Be back soon with more craziness from our McConnell Mob!

1 Year

One year ago today I boarded my first airplane, and landed in a country that would change my life forever.....Haiti! A year later Chris and I are still talking about it and  praying for the country and the amazing people there. It really doesn't seem like a year. It was also a year ago today that I met WaNelson, now named Nelson. I love that sweet baby and pray for him and his new family as they wait for him to be home with them. Nelson changed my heart, I am forever thankful for God placing him in my path of life. 

I miss so many things about Haiti. I'm sure it seems strange to most, but I miss the heat, the mosquito's, the cold showers, the different foods, the smells of trash and diesel. The people that we encountered every single day and their strength, each and every child that we got to feed, hug and show love to. Haiti taught us Compassion, Love, Strength and Hope. I am thankful that for the time we spent in Haiti, not teaching them. But learning so much from the people of a country not so far from us.

I often find myself thinking of Haiti... cloud watching on the trampoline with my kids and wondering what the sky and weather is like in Haiti on that day. What some of the people I remember so clearly are doing on that particular day.

Pray with me for Haiti, the people there... the widowed, the orphaned, the sick, and the lost. Pray for each missionary and their families who have given their comfortable life elsewhere to serve and work alongside  the people of Haiti.

We hope and pray to be back in Haiti January of 2013. Please pray with us, that God guides us once again as we began to save and prepare not only supplies but our hearts for this next trip. Pray for those who are considering taking this trip and that doors are opened for this new group that goes. Pray that doors are opened and closed for myself and Chris. As I mentioned in previous posts, Haiti has been heavy on our hearts, for quite some time now. Pray that we hear and understand  God's calling for us. Whether it be giving up our lives here and going there, leading groups from here to there every few months, adoption, supporting a group already there or whatever it may be. Pray for us to follow what He wants, not what we want.

Keeping my eye on the Treasure

Chris and I have started searching a little more seriously for a house. We have compiled a list of what we feel our future home should have to meet our families needs. One need/want is to have a dinning room big enough for a very large table to seat our growing family. It just seems important to us for everyone sitting together and talking about their days. The more I search for homes the more wrapped up I become in this.

Let me back up a second a share with you that at different times Chris and I both have felt God pulling us toward Haiti. But didn't share this with each other until about 2 months ago. We are not sure for what. Maybe to live there full time, maybe to lead short term church missions, or to adopt. But our hearts are definitely with Haiti, and we continue to pray about this individually and together. We pray for God to open and close doors and reveal how He wants us to be His hands and feet. I get wrapped up in this too! Sometimes my treasure is Haiti, and sometimes my treasure is buying a house, and sometimes it's growing our family through adoption. When really my treasure should be Him, and Him alone, and then all the rest will fall into place.  So pray for us, pray with us, pray that we stay focused on Him that He becomes and stays our constant treasure. That we will allow Him to use us for what he wants us to do, not what we want to do.

Luke 12:34
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

My Love

Three years ago today I married the love of my life. We had the most perfect wedding and honeymoon. No thought to how we would pay off our wedding/honeymoon debt. Or how we would all learn to live and love together as a family of 6. Alex (my oldest child) went from being an only child to having a step dad, two step brothers and within 1 year a baby sister (we didn’t plan that one either- God did) I thought we would have a perfect/American dream house that had perfect décor. The fact is we don’t even own a house and that's ok. Sometimes God has other plans, and I’m glad He does. You see God knew exactly what he was doing when he made us a family. And just so you know all that American Dream stuff- it really doesn’t matter. But that is another day and another blog post.

So today I celebrate my love for Chris and the marriage God has blessed us and continues to bless us with!

I love Chris for so many reasons. Because he is a Godly man and leader to our McConnell Mob, he is loving, caring, laid back, a handy man, smart, witty, humble, honest, how he kisses me every morning before he leaves for work; how he still tells me I’m his hottie and sends me sweet texts. How he dances with me in kitchen, holds me when I cry, prays with me out loud, works hard for our family to provide and for me to stay home with our kids. I love how he strives to be Christ like, how he wants to serve others, how he listens to me constantly talk about when and if we can adopt, I love that he gets excited about us serving locally and in Haiti. Really when it comes down to it I’m just thankful that he is in Love with Jesus because without that the rest wouldn’t fall into place! I can’t wait, and am so very excited to see what the next three years will hold.

Here is a  peak into the day we became ONE.

Somebody turned the BIG 30!!

July is filled with birthday's- there are so many I can't even keep up. But on Friday my hubby turned the BIG 30! I got the kiddos to make him a poster and hung it in the kitchen for him to see when he came home from work on Friday.

Chris: I really don't feel any different now that I'm 30
Me: Thats only because youv'e hit the next stage of life that I'm in and you can't make fun of me anymore!

I wanted his birthday to be special so I booked the back room at a local BBQ joint and messaged all of his friends to show up and surprise him. I had my friend Rachel take the cake and balloons to restaurant. It was perfect... Chris thought it would be just us and one other couple eating for his big day and was very surprised/excited to see everyone when we got there. Afterwards a few friends came home to hang out with him for a while. He told me it was the BEST birthday he has ever had! 

Here is Johnny and Chris at our house after the birthday dinner. At least he doesn't act like he's 30, LOL.

The very next day- Saturday, was Leah's birthday!

 Her, and her husband Josh, Chris and I became friends over the past couple of years through our church. We took Marley and went to their house to play in the river and have a small get together that night for her 23rd birthday- she has some catching up to do, LOL. Oh what it was like to be 23!

Marley and Hudson in the river, she loves feeding him clams.

What Next?

It's been almost two weeks since we landed back in the states. My heart is aching for Haiti, I have thought of WaNelson and Mama everyday since we came home and wonder what they are doing? I pray everyday that God will watch over them, and give whoever cares for them the knowledge to teach them everything they need to know. And hope that I will see them again one day. Six months seemed like so long to have been praying, before our door was first opened for this mission opportunity. I realize that God knows exactly what he is doing and that I just have to trust in him and open my heart to what his will for me is. I'm an impatient person anyway, so i'm anxious to know His great plan for Chris and I! For now I just have to grow in knowledge, be patient, and to remember that My mission field is wherever my two feet are planted!