Shelton Shenanigans

Is it just me or did summer absolutely fly by? Perhaps it’s because our school year started up earlier this year, or perhaps it’s because the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activities, but I feel like it was just yesterday that we were planning the June 1 rummage sale, and now we’re preparing for the kick-off of the football season, apple picking, and all the other things that come along with cooler fall weather! It’s crazy! Here’s where the Sheltons are in our adoption process. Although we took a break from our own fundraising efforts, at least publically, a lot has been going on behind the scenes as we gear up for what’s next! I like to think of the last few months as “Heart and Soul Months.” They’ve been months where we have seen God work on behalf of orphans in lots of different ways, and months where we got to take a back seat in fundraising efforts and play a supporting role on behalf of someone else’s. But they’ve also been months where we’ve been given li...

I sometimes write a little adoption how-to guide in my head as advice to share with anyone else who may want to take this journey after us. It goes something like this: 1. Decide you’re going to adopt. Brainstorm a brilliant fundraising scheme and announce your plans to the world. 2. Have a medical crisis which renders your plan impossible just as you’re gaining momentum and realize you had no fallback. 3. Fall hopelessly to your knees and begin begging for wisdom from Heaven and providential guidance because you have no idea what you’re doing after all and everyone you know knows about your adoption plans because you’ve talked about it non-stop for weeks. 4. Open your eyes to realize you’re surrounded by a whole community of people who love children and that you’re actually not in this alone . 5. Learn to let go of your need to control your own universe and allow others to step in and help, offer skills, ideas and suggestions, and bless your soul in ways you could have never seen...

"Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: "Rejoice!" (Philipians 4:4) I try to make it a point not to mention people by name in the blog without asking their permission first; at least not those who don't live in my house or share my last name! :) Today, I wish I could break that rule of thumb, because I intend to thank a lot of you for your love and support over the last few months. So if you're reading along and you come across something that sounds familiar, yes, that's you I'm talking about, and thank you!! (I should also note here that I am one of those annoying people who overuses exclamation points when I'm excited. Yes, I know I have a problem, and my apologies in advance, but I'm going to do it anyway!!!!!!!!) Today is a day for rejoicing! There are some wonderful things going on in the Shelton world, and I am thrilled and overjoyed to share them with you! But as usual, we have to cover some back story before we get to the ...

I have been meaning to do this post for a while now, wanting to update you on the cookie dough sale and the other adoption-related stuff - I even sat down once and tried to write - but I've been completely uninspired.  Then we came home yesterday to a letter in the mail addressed to "Bawrence Shelton (A really bad misspelling of Steve's actual first name, Lawrence) (seriously, is that even a name), and I was amused.  That was followed by an evening of mishaps as a neighbor kicked a ball into our yard, and Tyler, in trying to toss it back over the fence into their yard managed to get it stuck twenty-five feet up in their tree, after which he walked off sheepishly leaving them to fend for themselves.  It was, after all, their ball, their yard, and their tree, so that made it their problem, right?  Five minutes later, if that, Trevor wiped out on the kitchen floor and collided with the table.  When I asked what caused the fall, he said he slipped in pickle juice....

Ever play "Would you Rather?"  It's this torturous little game where you are given two completely undesireable options which you must choose between, and then explain why you chose one torment over the other.  Example: "Would you rather eat a plate full of toenails or a plate full of hair?"  A rational person would scream, "Neither!"  But neither is not an option, so you pick one over the other and justify it with something ridiculous like, "I'd eat toenails because I prefer crunchy things over stringy ones."  It's really quite absurd. Well, there are some days I think I live in a "Would you Rather" game.  Like today, when I was putting away groceries.  The question in my head was, "Would you rather get all the groceries put away in a relatively quick manner without a screaming baby, or would you prefer to sanitize the cans of soda that he is gleefully rolling across the floor, building towers with, trying to stick in ...

Don't you love it when people post weird titles that make no sense?  Oh wait, I just did that!  :)  Hang with me for a few minutes, and I promise that will come together for you.  But we have to cover some back stories first. Seven weeks ago I had a follow-up visit with my surgeon after having had half my thyroid removed fourteen days before.  Our major concerns going into that surgery were two-fold: that my vocal cords would be damaged, and that I might have cancer.  The plan was to take half the thyroid, test the mass on it while I was still in the operating room, and if cancer was there, take the other half.  The first thing I asked Steve in recovery was whether they took half or all of the thyroid.  He told me they only took half, and I quickly discovered that I did indeed still have a voice, so I thought we were good to go from there and that everything would be smooth sailing, just get on some meds and move on. So I was caught completely o...

This charming little fellow masquerades under the name of Trenton.  At least, that's what we put on his birth certificate when he was born sixteen and a half months ago.  Little did we know how much personality would burst forth from this little guy in true Shelton fashion, and that it wouldn't take long for us to start calling him by a more descriptive name--Pilikia!!! Pilikia is a fancy word for "trouble."  I got it from a word of the day email from Dictionary.com.  It has no other meaning.  Just trouble.  When I first learned it, I thought it would be a great name for a children's book character, a puppy or kitten, perhaps.  But, since I haven't gotten around to writing a book about Pilikia the Puppy, I quickly assigned it to the toddler in our house instead. Ironically, raising this one is a lot like raising a puppy.  He and my Seeing Eye dog have a lot in common.  Both will pant and plead with you when they want something, although one...