Black Friday Deals

We took advantage of Black Friday and bought our nursery furniture today. This is a picture of the crib on display. There weren't any in the store so we'll still have to wait a week or two before the joys of assembling said furniture. Any volunteers to help?

Skype with the Kentucky Liddicks...

Following dinner with the Shivers this afternoon, we had an opportunity to skype with Melissa's family down in Kentucky over the webcam. Our nephew Brogan joined us today, and boy has he gotten big since we've seen him last. (I also think he looks alot like the E-Trade baby...) Allie was tormented by the family with offers of treats and walks that couldn't be fulfilled by those who promised, so we'll have to love on her a little extra tonight. :) Great to see the family even though we couldn't be with them over the holidays. How cool is technology? I give it two thumbs up.

Thanksgiving with the Shivers

David and Becca Shivers joined us for Thanksgiving this afternoon. Both families are away from our parents and extended families while up in Minnesota, so today we join together to feast.




Melissa's beautiful table prior to dinner, the bird is carved, and the rolls are in the oven. Happy Thanksgiving to all, it's time to eat!

Past due for an update!

I'm starting this post with no real agenda in mind for what to write. I'm just realizing that we've been neglecting the blog and there's certainly plenty that's happened in the past month that I could write about. So here are the highlights...

1. We've been saying it since spring, but the Gaffords are on a serious hunt for a new (used) vehicle. We looked off and on throughout the summer, feeling like it was time to trade in one of our two vehicles (probably the truck) since they are both about 10 years old. It's best to replace them one at a time than be forced to trade both in all at once. However, the "perfect deal" never really jumped out at us and we got a little lazy in our search. We had a hard time falling off the log to make a decision. Interestingly, God pushed us off the log about a week and a half ago when David got rear-ended, totalling our truck. He and three other church staff members were driving to lunch when the car in front of him stopped abruptly to make an illegal left-hand turn. David was able to screech to a stop in time, but the truck behind him was unable to and plowed into the back of the Expedition. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the only damage was done to the vehicles. The funny thing about it all is that we ended up getting more $$ for the truck through our insurance than we would have if we'd traded it in at a dealer. It's all working out. In the mean time, David and I are enjoying a little extra time together sharing rides until we can make a decision on a new vehicle.

2. I love second grade! I am having such a great time teaching this year. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't teach last year, or if I've just got such a super group of kids, or what. But most days I can't help but have a giant smile on my face because I enjoy my students so much. I feel blessed to be able to say that!

3. Preparations for Baby Girl Gafford are slowly under way. I have a long-term sub picked out for my family leave from school. We spent about 3 1/2 hours at school last Saturday just trying to get her oriented in to the classroom. David's in the process of trying to find a temporary replacement for him while we're away in New York for a couple of weeks. He also has to have a good solid plan B for the Christmas Eve services just in case we have to leave earlier than planned. We won't be having any showers until after we bring her home, so right now we're just trying to sort through the "wants" and "needs" for that first month. :-)

Well, I think that's probably good for now. We've been so hit and miss on the blog for a while now, and it won't be long before we'll have a WHOLE LOT to blog about! (We'll try to post at least once more before then!) :-)

Staining Day!

After the snow that we were "blessed" with earlier in the week, we were beginning to wonder if we'd ever be able to finish the huge task of staining our house before winter officially hit. Fortunately the weather warmed up for the weekend and we were able to bribe our friends with food in exchange for their manual labor! We're not finished yet, and there are still a couple places that are just out of our reach. However, we got a LOT accomplished today thanks to Scott, Kerri, Jimmy, Bryan, Ryan, and Jen. We just may be able to finish this job after all!

Adoption Update

We shared earlier in the summer that we'd started the adoption process. Since I wasn't working during the summer, we were able to push through the home study process more quickly than normal. As the home study is nearly complete, the next step would normally be for us to put our profile into a pool from which prospective birthparents could choose us. However, God had different plans for our adoption...

We won't be placing our profile into a pool. God has matched us with a baby all on his own. And she's coming in just a couple of short months, due at the end of December. It has been truly amazing to witness God's hand through this whole process. I look forward to sharing more of our story over the coming months.

In the mean time, we're busily trying to prepare for her arrival. So I have a question for you... What baby products can I not do without? I would love to hear your suggestions!

Famous Dave's Day...

A couple of weeks ago Famous Dave's restaurant celebrated their anniversary and offered any Dave, David, or Davey a free meal. So, I called my friend Dave and we decided to give it a shot, and free ribs were offered, devoured, and enjoyed. We even got a nametag to proudly wear around town touting to all that we are of the privileged few. Thanks Famous Dave's for a great afternoon and Happy Anniversary!

I Wish I Were An...

What's more to say... :)

Happy beginning of the school year!

Here are the 18 munchkins that will be taking up so much of my time this year.... and I'm sure entertaining me all along the way.