Fun times with the Reeves' Family

Some ugly truth!

2012-01-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

Now that we have our heads on straight again and are home and settled into our routine I thought I may start to share a bit about what has been going on over here. I think now that Josiah is home I can be a bit more open about everything and why it took so long getting him home. It has taken me a while to recover from the battle of bringing him home, and I haven't been in a place of being ready to blog. When I am overwhelmed I tend to go in shut-down mode and turn everything off for a while. The last months of trying to get our guy home was so intense and overwhelmingly stressful. The US Embassy sent our son's case to USCIS for further review. When I emailed the US Embassy and asked them exactly what was missing from our son's file, they gave me a very vague answer and told me that they were not satisfied with the police officer's phone interview. That is all they said, nothing more or nothing less, even when I bolded my question asking them the specifics. At this point we were sent all of our son's documents by our agency and went over them with a fine tooth comb. There wasn't a thing in his files that would make anyone raise an eyebrow of suspicion. He was abandoned with FOUR WITNESS MATCHING TESTIMONIES AND A MATCHING POLICE TESTIMONY. Ads had been hung in his village more than once for long periods of time to see if anyone in my son's village knew anything about him, and no one ever stepped forward. Once our son's case reached USCIS we were VERY confindent that they would clear his case because they told us they only needed 51% proof that our son was indeed an orphan. Waiting the 2 weeks for them to process the 65 original cases that were sent to them was agonizing. Sleep was lost EVERY night as we stalked our email for an answer. I felt half-crazy during this time. We waited and waited and waited until we knew that the team had left and were finished, and we were the ONLY ones out of all the families that didn't have an answer. I had to call someone with USCIS and tell them we hadn't received an email, and was concerned that our email was incorrect in their system (FOR THE 4TH TIME..seriously....no lie 4 times between the embassy and USCIS). Of course it was still wrong in their system and the highly important information regarding our son's fate was sent to the wrong email address AGAIN! Around 6:00 pm that night we received the notice that they were again denying our son's visa and had an "RFE"( Request Further Evidence) notice attached to the email. As I stated earlier, we had gone over our son's documents with a fine-tooth comb as did our agency, and we were all dumbfounded to receive the RFE. When we opened it and read what it stated we could not believe our eyes. My immediate thought was to call USCIS and explain to them this horrible error and they would reverse the RFE (yeah right!) I did just that in a panic and was basically told it would be best to hire an attoreny to process our RFE. I was in denial of this because I kept thinking that our son's case was an easy fix, and it was absurd to have to hire an attorney for such a dumb mistake on the US Embassy's part. I was wrong, and we were trapped. No one would listen at this point until we jumped through all the hoops in getting this RFE response turned in. We had never felt so helpless than we did at this point.
The very absurd reason for us receiving our RFE was because our son had a last name listed on his orphanage paperwork. In Ethiopia a child is given the last name of the birthfather's first name, UNLESS THEY ARE FOUND ABANDONED, and then, in many cases, they are given the last name of the village/city they are found in, which was what happened in my son's case. The woman who found him was the one who named him and gave him a last name of the village he was found in. ANYONE working in this culture should know that this is customary and very common for them to do this in abandonment cases, but those working at the US embassy in Addis Ababa did not. In their incompetency, they stated that since our son had a last name that there must be a birth father out there searching for his son and our agency must have been keeping this information from us. We were to do an ivestigation to find this man and see if he wanted his son. WHAT???? Are my eyes deceiving me? Is this really what we received our RFE for? That's not all folks, it gets even more ridiculous! It also stated that the police interview (as mentioned above) conducted by the US embassy did not match the 4 witness's testimonies. When our agency started to dig into our investigation for the RFE response, they discovered that the policeman that was interviewed by the US Embassy was not from our son's village. NOBODY had heard of him. Upon further investigation they discovered this police officer wasn't even in our son's jurisdiction. To this day, we don't know if the US Embassy mixed our son's files up with another child's files or even if this police interview actually took place and this man actually exists.
So all said and done, our son is home. We incurred $4200.00 in unncessary attorney fees to prove our son's case against the dumb errors on the part of our own government, whom we pay our tax dollars to. So basically we paid them to put us through this hell. This should have never happened. Our son should have been home in September 2011 but because of having been put through this ridiculous and unnecessary mess we brought him home in January 2012. We lost precious time with him and these months of conducting these additional investigations to prove our son's case were agonizing! It was a daily fight just to survive our days. We had no extra energy for anything other than taking care of our girls and making it through our day. I don't think one day went by in the months of October, November and December that I wasn't in tears. It was taking a toll on our family. It was exhausting emotionally and physically, and spiritually we felt worn out. I wrestled with God MANY days on why we were having to go through this. I knew for some reason He allowed us to walk through this, and I honestly was angry at Him for allowing it. I personally was in a very low, dark place and my sweet husband was doing his best to be supportive and strong for us, and deal in his own way and balance work on top of that. I am so thankful for my sweet Aaron who is strong in the Lord...so thankful! Having Josiah home has lifted that heaviness and burden. The first Monday having him home, I drove Alyssa to school. After dropping her off it was just me and God in the car, and the realization of that burden being gone hit me. I broke down and bawled like a baby. It was the loudest, hardest cry I think I have EVER cried and I just felt a releasing of all the built up stress I had carried for so long. I cried to the Lord and asked Him to forgive me for being angry with him, and not walking through the last leg of our adoption with more grace or faith. I felt the Lord hugging me and melting away all the pain and guilt of anger. It was freedom, and it felt so good. Since then my girls have felt that freedom and have said over and over "I am so glad Josiah is finally home." Alyssa said it was great that I wasn't crying everyday. I think for the past 2 weeks daily I have been told by one or both how glad they are to have their brother home. He has brought a new joy to our home. Everything just feels right again, and it is amazing how normal everything feels with him being here already. We were beyond ready to have him home and the Lord had prepared out hearts and his. It's been sweet.
Now I haven't shared all this about our troubles with the Embassy out of bitterness or anger, although, I was in that place for a while, I shared this to tell people the truth, and what WE PERSONALLY expereiced. There are a lot of rumors going around about all the corruption within adoption agencies associated with Ethiopian adoptions. I want to state my opinion and say don't always believe what you hear. Corruption is a strong word, and I don't believe for one minute that is true to the grand extent at which the US embassy is claiming. I believe there is a bigger politcal HAGUE agenda, and if they don't get what they want, they are going to try and shut the country down or suspend it to force this agenda. I believe this is why we are seeing so much junk going on within our own government right now in regards to Ethiopian adoptions. Let's face the reality that in any international adoption, it is going to be complicated. There are cultural differences to work through, language and translation issues, and 2 different governments working together. One government does things totally different than the other. In conducting our own investigations in our son's case, even with as simple and clear cut of a case our son had, the reality of these cultural and language barriers, not to mention, technological mishaps was enough to make me want to pull my hair out daily. If it wasn't a translation error or not specific enough communication, it was fax machines not working or phone lines being down. What was a simple request in my mind, was a big ordeal to get in Ethiopia, because of all mentioned above. It is very difficult to get the story straight. I believe this needs work. We do need our children's stories straight absolutely. Moreover, I don't believe this is corruption. Corruption in my mind would be a family or agency from the US directly offering an Ethiopian family money in exchange for their child. There has been talk of this, but I have seen no proof, just talk. To me this seems like an absurd theory given that UNICEF themselves claimed there to be 5 million orphans in Ethiopia in 2010. Why would anyone need to offer families money directly for their child when orphangages in Ethiopia are overflowing with children who need families, and so many children without familes are living on the streets to fend for themselves? And why does our government have to keep talking down on the Ethiopian government. A friend put it best when she stated " Instead of bad mouthing Ethiopia, UNICEF and the U.S. should be applauding the Ethiopian government for wishing a better life for their most marginalized citizens."
Another friend of mine also made a great point about all the "trafficking" going on in saying if agencies were doing this, how would they benefit? Think of it...here let me give you all this money for your child so I can in turn care for them, feed, and clothe them for the next 1-2 years with the little to no resources we have available to do so with. That rumor just doesn't logically make sense to me at all. If you look at past countries who have shut down there is always the same pattern. The state department will cry "fraud" and all these stories of corruption will surface. Then comes all the ruckus of cases being given RFE's, and lots of unnecsary heartache for families and children. There will be enormous amounts of cases under review to prove they are digging to prove all this corruption that doesn't exist for the most part. In the end, the reality of all this is that 99% of cases ARE proven to be orphans and they all evetually do come home. Oh sure, I am not saying there isn't some corruption. There is corruption everywhere in every system. I am just saying I do not believe it to the extent they are claiming. I find it ridiculous. In the meantime, because of all the ruckus, people start to believe that there must be all this fraud and the coutry's adoptions are all corrupt and unethical. They jump on that bandwagon and essentially have a hand at helping to shut the country down to US adoptions. Now these are all my own opinions from our adoption expereice, but I personally believe that if Ethiopia were HAGUE accredited this would not be happening. The HAGUE agreement was initially instituted to help stop child trafficking. Child trafficking indeed does take place all over the world, even in the U.S., but it is very little associated with international adoptions. The state department and UNICEF should focus their money and energy on prostitution rings in Mexico, Cambodia, or India where human/child trafficking is rampid. And again I think they are claiming all these false cries of fraud and corruption to convince the congressional panel that the HAGUE agreement is needed in Ethiopia, and suspending or shutting the country down will force the Ethiopian government to join the HAGUE agreement, which they neither want nor can afford. I think our testimonies of the hell we had to endure on behalf of the US Embassy needs to be told to the congressional panel as well. I whole-heartedly believe we endured what we did with this RFE because we were in the process of our adoption at the wrong time... a time where beaurocracy got in the way and our own government decided to pick a few to try and prove a point and force an agenda. Sad but true.
I believe the only way Ethiopia will stay open to US adoptions is to convince our lawmakers that HAGUE should be thrown out. It may have started out as a good thing in the beginning with good intentions, but has only proven to cause heartache to American families adopting and the adoptive children. I hope no other family has to endure the heartaches and financial burden our family has faced at the hand of the state dept's political agenda. I am writing all this now, not out of bitterness, but in hopes that eyes will be opened to the reality of what is really going on and people will write their lawmakers and try and convince them HAGUE should be thrown out. Also I would like to state that I love my country and am so blessed to be an American citizen. I just think it is unfortunate that our family had to suffer at the hands of a certain branch of our government, with no apologies at all. Please be fighting in prayer for this precious country and the millions of orphans that all deserve a chance at being adopted. I believe through prayer political agendas don't stand a chance against God's agenda to set the lonely in families. I also believe we need to do more than just pray. FAITH TAKES ACTION!!!!! Please take action with us and the other families and write to your lawmakers about how the HAGUE Agreement needs to be thrown out.

Family of 5!!!!

2012-01-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Finally together forever!

SOMEBODY PINCH ME!

2011-12-30T05:03:00.000-08:00

This morning we got the email that we have been waiting on for forever. We got I600 approval on our son's RFE that was sent to Rome! We can finally go to bring him home! We actually booked our tickets in faith once our attorney mailed off our documents to be adjudicated. We booked our tickets for today and sweated it out the whole week! Last night we were really sweating it, but stayed up late getting packed anyway. I woke up a couple times in the night instantly with that nervous sick butterfly feeling in my stomach. I think when I opened that email, my whole body was shaking and I could hear and feel my heart beating out of my chest. It was so loud! Honestly, this has been beyond hard, and we are so thankful it is finally over. Right now we are feeling relieved...like about 30 elephants were just lifted off our backs. We are relieved and exhausted from the battle. I feel like I could nap for 3 days! Defintely feeling like we have been in battle! But today Satan lost that battle. Our son is an orphan no more!
We leave today and come home with him on Saturady Ethiopian Christmas day Jan 7! We have left our tree up so we will be celebrating our new year and Ethiopian Christmas with our son home! All Glory Be to God who trusted us with this precious boy! We are so thankful He saw us through this difficult journey.
Be prayer for us. Aaron is still not 100% feeling better, so please pray healing over him, pray for safe travels, and no complications of any kind.
Also, please pray for our little guy because this is his 4th move in his short little 15-month life. Be patient with us when we come home and hole up in our house for a while. The bonding process with JoMo is a big deal because we will all be adjusting to a new life together, and Josiah Moti will be learning what a family is and what the roll of a mom and dad is. For a while Aaron and I will need to be the only ones to hold him and tend to him until he learns our roles as his parents. This is because he is use to multiple caretakers taking care of him on a daily basis and has never been in a family setting before. Please pray for him, because even though we are rejoicing, this transition will be very difficult and scary for him. Please be praying God's comfort and peace over him and that he feels that comfort and peace around Aaron and me and the girls. Please pray for our girls and all of our wonderful family memebers who are pitching in to take care of them. Pray our girls are a blessing to them. Just this morning I asked Alyssa if she was going to miss us and she said, " no, because I am excited for you to bring Josiah home." That was the best thing I could've heard her say! i told Aubrey the news and her comment under her grin was "good!" The girls are so excited to finally meet their brother. Please be praying that God blesses their transition time with him as well.
Thank you to all of you who prayed with us, cried with us, supported us, and listened to us when we were at ar worst. We love you all and are so grateful we had you to walk this road with us!

My next picture I post will be of these 3 cuties all together in person!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

Today on the Eve of Christmas I have been thinking about Mary and Joseph and all they had to endure while Mary was pregnant with Jesus. I don't know if I could've done it. I don't know if Mary and Joseph would've said yes had they known ahead of time exactly what they were going to have to endure walking through it. Think of the disapproving looks they must have received everywhere they went, people judging them and rejecting them because of the situation of Mary being pregnant out of wedlock. I wonder as they were struggling to just get through it and survive, if the thought crossed their minds.."Lord, where are you? Why have you asked us to do this again?" I wonder if they allowed doubt and fear to creep in.
I am so thankful for Mary Joseph and their willingness to say YES to something so scary. I am sure they had uncertainty but said yes anyway. I am so thankful they modeled trust and obedience.
Their testimony has ministered to me so much today! As I sat listening to the song I posted below, I was just overcome with thankfulness for this story. I am so thankful Mary and Joseph said yes and suffered well through their journey in helping to bring our Savior to earth! I am so thankful that today is the day we celebrate our Redeemer.
Thank you Lord for the powerful testimony of your birth that reminds me that some things are worth suffering for. There are bigger purposes ahead. Forgive me in my personal walk where I have been focused on the pain and not the gift. You ARE good all the time, and I love when you speak to my heart.

As you gather with your family and friends this Christmas morning and watch your kids opening their gifts in excitement and wonderment, remember why we truly celebrate today and remember to give Him Glory and thanks!

Being thankful through the ugliness!

2011-12-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Here lately I have been feeling ugly. Keeping a brave face and staying focused on God has been difficult. Although I know in my heart and mind that He is with us and that He is working out things for a greater purpose, it still doesn't take away from the fact that this is the hardest thing Aaron and I have ever had to walk through. One day is different from the next, and each day is unpredictable. Yesterday was a good day, no tears and no dwelling on the things we can't control. Today feels heavy. I have already cried, yelled at my husband in front of my kids, and I am still in my pjs. Today it's really hard to pray. I feel God saying..."Turn to me and not that chocolate rice crispy treat." HA! Yes, I think I have gained just as much weight in this adoption as I have in my 2 pregnancies with my girls. Sad but true. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and I have REALLY been trying to enjoy and focus on all that I have to be thankful for and that is A LOT my friends! So here in an effort to snap out of this ugliness I am going to list 10 things that I am thankful for!

1. I am thankful for the friend I have in Jesus. I am thankful to know that He is crying with me, and still loving me even in my ugliness. I am thankful that He already knows the outcome of this and is going to carry me through every step.

2. I am thankful for my husband...He is the strongest man I know emotionally and spiritually. I am thankful that he can keep his head on straight when mine is spinning out of control, and he still loves me even when I am acting ugly :) I am thankful that we have the common bond of knowing Jesus, because if we didn't while walking through this adoption, we would probably have grown apart instead of growing closer.

3. I am thankful for my precious girls. They are such a blessing to me. They minister to me daily and their sweet words bring healing to my hurting heart. I am thankful they have an understanding of the bigger picture more than a lot of adults do. They are wise beyond their years. They make my heart swell with pride and joy when I look at their precious little faces.

4. I am thankful God trusted Aaron and I to be Josiah's parents. I am thankful for the love I feel so deeply towards this little guy that keeps me fighting for him daily. I can't imagine the calling he must have on his precious life if the enemy is trying this hard to keep him away. I am thankful one day I will hear him calling me "mom."

5. I am thankful for my friend Becky. She and her husband are in the same boat as us with bringing their daughter home, and I probably talk to her on the phone at least 3 times a day. The Lord knew from the very beginning that we would need each other so He orchestrated us meeting on our first trip. I am not saying that misery loves company here, but I am saying that walking through this with her makes things so much better. I have only met her in person once, but feel as though she is my closest friend.

6. I am thankful for my extended family...mom, dad, brother, nieces, nephews, grandmothers, in-laws etc...thankful for our health and closeness, and thankful we all have each other to love each other through our good and bad times, and through mistakes and all. I am thankful that although sometimes not everyone agrees with us or understands us, they still support and love us.

7. I am thankful for my dog, Lucy. I am not one of those I-love-my-dog-like-she-is a-human-child kind of people, but there is something about Lucy's unconditional love, faithfulness and sweet spirit that reflects God's heart and brightens my day.

8. I am thankful for our house and car. The house isn't big and fancy and we don't live on acres of land with an amazing view, but it's cozy, nice, and warm, and it's ours, and our car runs great and gets us where we need to go, and that is awesome!

9. I am thankful for my friends and church family. These are the ones we can completely be ourselves with and lean on for support and prayer, who give us encouraging words when needed and sometimes even words that we need to hear but don't always want to hear. These are also the ones that challenge us in our faith and help us along in growing up more in the Lord.

10. Although it is hard, I am thankful for this difficult journey. Through it we have been stretched and molded like never before. Experiencing such helplessness has made us put our trust in God more and trust Him that He is in control. Some days that is hard to do, but we do it anyway, because He's all we have to hold onto! Yes, it has been stressful on our marriage and on our family life, but Aaron and I are closer than we have ever been, and our girls have gotten to watch us fight to bring their little brother home. They are fighting with us. Last night we were looking at our YWAM Christmas catalog and Aaron asked Alyssa if she wanted to pick something out for us to give towards YWAM for Christmas. Alyssa said to him..." you know I have money in my piggy bank dad." We have always told her the money in her piggy bank is for a car when she turns 16. She said ,"Dad, if you were me, would you use the money for the kids in Ethiopia or would you use it for a car?" Aaron said..."I don't know Alyssa, what would you do?" And she sat and thought for a minute and said, "I want to give it to the kids in Ethiopia." Aaron had tears in his eyes when he was telling me this last night. Our 6 year-old gets it! These lessons and spiritual growth our girls have received in this with us is priceless! We would do it all over again, because it's worth the cost!

This Love

2011-12-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

I love the song in this adoption video. It's such a great love song to our son! Take a listen.
Also, Please be in prayer for us and our adoption journey. Our son's case was one of the 15 cases sent to Rome with an RFE. If you would like to read more about it, you can visit our web page at www.bringjomohome.com

Update!

2011-11-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

I am sorry I have been neglecting my blog. There has just been so much going on in our adoption journey that I didn't know how to share, or how much I could share, or even where to begin. It has been nearly 4 mos since our first trip to Ethiopia and we are still waiting on clearance to go get our son. For those of you who have heard about the "Nairobi group" we are a part of that group. For those that don't know, I may go into details later, but basically the USCIS Nairobi is having to look over and hopefully clear about 70 cases that the US embassy would not clear.
There is a group of 4 from USCIS that traveled to Addis Ababa and they are spending 2weeks going through all the cases that the embassy handed over to them. Tomorrow starts the beginning of week 2. All of us families who are in this group are just waiting on pins and needles for our clearance. We are very hopeful we will get cleared this week...hopefully tomorrow! IF we do clear tomorrow or Tuesday, we will more than likely be on a plane on Thursday to get our son!!!! A lot of the families are already booking their flights in anticipation, but we are waiting until we get word of clearance. We have been disappointed over and over, and are feeling hopeful, but not so confident that we are already booking flights! Please, please, please be in prayer that we hear something on Monday (tomorrow) or Tuesday of this week. I will let you know as soon as we hear something. Also, just a little bonus prayer would be for you to pray that our friends the King's and the Gerig's clear as well at the same time! It would be such a gift at the end of all this turmoil to be able to reunite with them and spend a week in Addis with them again! STAY TUNED!

His Room and some art :)

2011-10-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

My husband loves to fish and camp, and plans on taking JoMo on many trips to Colorado, so we decided to make our little guys room a fishing/camping theme.
Well....it started out that way but ended up an Ethiopian/camping/fishing theme :)
We bought this map of Ethiopia while we were there, and had it framed and hung in his room.

BEAUTIFUL blanket my mother-in-law's best friend, Lynn, crocheted for him! LOVE this...so very special.

Sweetest picture ever of Josiah with his favorite Nanny.

My friend, Christine, found this cute little guy at a garage sale. So cute!

I was putting something away the other day and I found this in his bed :) I think
Alyssa and Aubrey are ready for their brother to be home :) FYI...my friend Scarlette, found this cute doll at IKEA :)

My friend, Kelly, did an awesome job painting this verse over his bed.

Some of the art we bought while in Ethiopia...

Ethiopian cross

Love this one too...this was Aaron's pick. The artist combined real pictures with his painting. The market setting drew his eye to it.

Got this painting at Makush, and fell in love with it!

A day at the fair!

2011-10-08T07:04:00.001-07:00

In late September every year in Texas, one of greatest places to visit opens up for business....The Great State Fair of Texas!
We visit every year, and it seems like the day isn't long enough to fit in all the fun the fair has to offer! We love looking at the crazy exhibits, visiting the animals, riding all the fun rides, and eating all the crazy food! SO MUCH FUN!

We can't leave without a caramel apple!

One of our favorite stops is the Go Texan building! It is full of products from local farmers you can purchase, sample and some educational facts about Texas Farmers. Plus there were some pretty cute tap dancers in this building as well ;)

Can you believe this is a butter sculpture??? Paula Deen would love this! HA!

Oh the Fun!

Even now as an adult I am sad and disappointed when it's time to leave the fair. I love everything about it! It reminds me of my childhood and now having my own children, I absolutely LOVE watching them having a blast and making memories with them! One big tradition is the famous Fletchers Corny Dog! We can't leave without having one or two or three ;)! Goodbye for this year Big Tex! We will see you next year!

Sleepover

2011-09-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

Aubrey and Alyssa had a sleepover at our friends, the Cottle's house this past weekend. They had a blast playing with their seven kiddos! The Cottles are an awesome family that have 2 biological children and 5 adopted children! We are blessed to know them!

This just happened to be Aubrey's first sleepover with a friend (asside from family) and you could tell she felt so big and special. She and Edie are the same age and are 2 peas in a pod! So Cute! I was so glad she was asked to stay over too, because being the little sister in the family she often gets left out of sleepovers, so I was happy for my little Aubrey. She didn't even hesitate when they asked her to stay too. she was like...'See ya later mom and dad. Let's get this party started!'
Glad they had fun!

Toothless!

2011-09-26T11:19:00.001-07:00

My little first grader finally lost a tooth!
We first discovered her looth tooth about a month ago while we were eating at Pei Wei. She bit into a vietnamese chicken salad roll and complained of her tooth hurting. I went to take a look and gently touched it to find that it was wiggling a little bit! She was so excited, because all her friends in her class lost some of their teeth already and she was beginning to feel a little left out.
This little snaggle tooth got so loose that it was just dangling on for dear life to her gums but she wouldn't let me or her dad pull it out! Finally one night at 1:30 am, I got woke up by her little self saying..."mom, Can you believe it? I got up to potty and my tooth just fell out in my hand! Can you believe it?"
The next morning she said to me..."Mom, are you and dad the tooth fairy?" I didn't answer, not sure what to say, hoping if I ignored her question she would just forget about it and walk away. No Such Luck! She just sat there and said with her most serious face.."Tell me the truth." So I told her yes we are the tooth fairy, but explained to her that it was a fun game mommies and daddies liked to play with their kids, so don't tell any friends at school because it would make their parents sad. She agreed and didn't seem at all disappointed in the news. The next night she still put her tooth under her pillow and woke up with $5.00, which she used to buy some new earrings at "Justice."

The Celebration

2011-09-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention on my first post that Sept 13th is also my father-in-law's birthday as well! So, our little Jo Mo and his Papa will share a birthday! This birthday just happened to be Papa's 50th, so what better way to celebrate Papa's
50th and Josiah's 1st birthdays than at an Ethiopian restaurant!

We had a great time with just me and Aaron and the girls and Aaron's youngest sister, Andrea and their dad..aka "Papa"! We decided to venture out and try a different restaurant than where we usually go and we ended up at Ibex in Dallas. It was great! The food was great and the atmostphere was really great! It reminded me so much of Ethiopia and made me miss it! This place is particularly nice because on the weekends they have an Ethiopian DJ come and they clear part of the floor for dancing! Since we went on a Tuesday night, we didn't get to enjoy the festivities, but will for sure have to go back for this! Nevertheless, we enjoyed our night, and I think Papa enjoyed trying something new and loved the food!

This was our food before we dug into it!

And this was the aftermath! Yes..I think we all enjoyed it!

Papa and Aubrey being silly with their blue icing on their cake!
~Fun times with the Reeves Family~

His 1st Birthday!

2011-09-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

Last year early on this very morning, Sept, 13, 2010, the Lord woke me up to the loud sound of an infant crying. Aaron was already at work, so it was just me. I got up thinking, where on earth is this baby that's crying? I walked around my room and looked out my window, thinking maybe there was someone outside in my front yard holding this crying baby. It was that loud, sounded like the crying was coming from within my house or just outside the window. I said out loud to myself..."what on earth is that?" and just as soon as the words came out of my mouth, in my mind the Lord whispered..."you need to remember this date." And then the crying stopped. I immediately called Aaron and told him what had happened and he asked me what it was I thought the Lord was trying to tell us. And I knew in my spirit and I said," I think He is telling us that our son was born today."
Time went on and soon February came, and we had just gotten our 171H in the mail in a record time of 6 days! I emailed Becky with YWAM and told her that we got our approval and she said... "Ok great! You are now ready to look at our waiting children's list." My response was..."What list?"
She said, "well we don't work like other agencies where we refer a child to you. From the time a child is brought into our care we pray over that child for the Lord to bring that particular child's family to them, because we believe that the Lord already has families picked out for each child." She then went onto tell me that we should log onto the waiting children's list and if the Lord is speaking to us about a specific child we can then request a referral for that child. If He's not, then we keep praying until more children are added to the list and the Lord confirms our child.
So Aaron and I were just about freaking out. We knew in our hearts that this was the Lord's moment with us! We were about to see our son's face for the first time! With hands shaking we made an account to log onto the list. Before logging on I told Aaron..."Oh my gosh, if that was what the Lord was trying to tell us on the
13th of Sept, then he would be 4 months old right now! So Aaron prayed that when we logged on that there wouldn't be any doubt whatsoever in recognizing our son! So we logged on and at the time there were about 14 kids on the list. We carefully looked at each beautiful child, but nothing was just jumping out at us. When we got down to the very bottom of the list, there he was! "Baby boy "M," 4 MONTHS OLD!" Aaron said he knew in his heart that he was looking at the face of our son the moment he saw his picture. I clicked on the picture, and read his story....It said something along the lines of ..."Baby boy "M" was found wrapped only in a beige scarf, abandoned and left on a woman's doorstep, he was then taken to the local police department where they figured him to be 2 weeks old at the time. The police gave him the estimated birthday of Sept. 11, 2010. When I saw this I knew! This was him, although the police were off by 2 days :) The Lord had already told me when his birthday was. You see, Sept. 11th in Ethiopia is the the beginning of the New Year for them, so a lot of babies found around this time are given the birthday of the new year.
In that very precious moment the Lord had us in, Aaron and I were in awe of Him. He blew us away in the way He revealed our son to us! It was one of the most incredible moments of our lives! The Lord is so personal and He speaks so clearly if we seek Him in things and have the ears to hear Him! He wants to reveal himself to us in amazing ways! And on Sept 13th last year He did just that, and He confirmed it again the following February when we saw Josiah Moti Reeves for the first time ever! That very next morning, I got out the Bible and was reading, and the Lord confirmed again through scripture. Psalm 2 popped into my mind and I started reading until I came to the words..." I will declare a decree in the heavens that you are my son." So after that day, Aaron and I claimed that scripture over that little 4 month old boy whose picture captured our hearts! We declared to everyone that "he was our son!"
I think there were some skeptical people who heard our story. Some who maybe thought I was a little off my rocker thinking that I heard a baby cry and thinking the Lord told me that it was my son's birthday. Some of you reading this now may even be thinking that! But that's ok. We know! We know it was real. It was as real an experience as me sitting here at my computer typing these words out right this very second. It was as real as seeing that face in person for the first time and holding him in my arms. I wasn't dreaming it, I was wide awake hearing that cry, and I know it was the Lord telling me...."Listen my daughter....do you hear him? That's your son who was born today."
We hear you Lord, and we are so very thankful you are such a personal God and a Father who has been so involved in leading every single step in this whole process! You stunned and amazed us through this entire journey and our hearts overflow with thankfulness to you! Thank you for this day Lord! "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Thank you for our son, and leading us to him, and thank you that he will be home soon enough! Happy 1st birthday Josiah Moti Reeves. We love you so much and can't wait to celebrate every birthday for the rest of our lives with you!

These were some of the first pictures we got of him :)

My little big girl :)

2011-09-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

My littlest girl has gotten big enough to go to preschool!!! Hard to believe, but it has happened! Aubrey will be 4 in February and she is very smart. She is artistic and funny and always wants to stay at school with her big sister, Alyssa. With her little brother coming home soon, we thought it might be a great idea to enroll her in preschool a couple days a week so that she could have something special of her very own to look forward to each week. We went school clothes shopping and bought her a special Dora the Explorer lunch box. Her Nana had already given her a special backpack so she was all set to go!

She was pretty tired when she got home after her first day, but she did great, and was ready to go again the next day!

Just sad :( Warning...this post is a bit whiny and a big vent!

2011-08-31T11:43:00.001-07:00

Well, since I haven't given any update since our son was officially declared our son by the Ethiopian government, I thought maybe I should give you all who are interested a follow up. To be honest things haven't been so wonderful! This part of the process has been hands down, the. absolute. hardest. part! I think it is definitely one of the hardest things, if not, the hardest thing I have had to endure in my entire adult life. I totally didn't expect this at all! I thought to myself {before we met him}, 'we have been waiting over a year-and-a-half, having to wait a little longer after the first trip won't be bad. I am use to this waiting thing!' Yeah right!
This, my friends, is a whole new ballgame. First of all, I did not expect all that the Lord had for me when we went to Ethiopia and met our Josiah Moti, not at all. I didn't have a clue how my heart would feel. So there was no way to prepare for leaving without him. It just plain hurts really bad! Imagine your own child or children, and having to leave them on the other side of the world...same exact thing! Another part is that nobody gets it!!! Unless they have been in your shoes with adoption, and prayed for, and fought for, and traveled half-way around the world for a child,and then had to leave him there, there is no understanding. You want to whine and cry on someone's shoulder, but you can't, because they don't get it! You feel like you have worn out your welcome in talking about him or Ethiopia, like people have heard enough about it, but you just can't keep your mouth shut, because it is on your mind 24/7! You are even timid to ask people to pray, because you fear they are sick of thinking about your life and praying for this over and over. But deep down you don't really care, because you know prayer is the only thing that you have right now, so you ask anyway! Helpless is a great word for it! There isn't a single thing you can do to make the process go any quicker. You just have to wait. In the meantime you get updates and pictures that only torture your heart more, but you can't wait until you get the next one!!!! You spend your days wanting to pray, but not wanting to think too much about it, or you will start crying again and getting angry! It's emotionally exhausting! Also I am aware that there is some warfare. Satan is upping his ballgame here at the end, because he knows he is losing the battle. One of God's fatherless children now is about to have a forever family, and that makes him super angry! So watch out for all the arrows! Pray it up, and put on your armor daily!
In saying all that, there are some good things coming out of this tough wait! It is drawing our hearts closer to our son, because we are fighting to get him home daily with our prayers. And it is drawing our hearts closer to the Lord, because He is all we have to lean on and rely on right now...literally! There isn't anything more or less we could do!
I was thinking the other day about what we could take from this, and I felt like the Lord showed me that later, when someone else we know is walking in these shoes, we will know exactly how they feel, and we can be that extra support for them! He let's us walk through things and experience hurts and pains so that we will know, just as Jesus did! He came here and lived on Earth to experience our same hurts and pains, so He would know! Now we know! We DEFINITELY know!
One thing I would like to say is to anyone who thinks this is over-the-top, because it is a child we only met once and barely know. YOU ARE WRONG! Just because I didn't grow him in my tummy , doesn't mean that he isn't loved like our girls! That is exactly how our hearts feel! We love him as much as we love our girls! HE IS OURS, and we want him home, and being separated from him now, is heartbreaking literally!!!! The Lord had already declared a decree in heaven and in our hearts that he was our son, long before the Ethiopian governement officially declared it!
So please pray for this end of our journey, and pray for all the other families and children who are in the same boat as us!
We are now just waiting on his birth certificate to come in and for his paperwork to be submitted to the US Embassy. It has already taken longer for this part than usual. Please pray that the rest is quick and smooth, and no trouble!!!
Pray for our girls as they prepare to welcome their brother home. Aaron and I are trying to do our best to focus our time on them right now and pour into them before we leave for our next trip to Ethiopia! So we will be doing more fun things as a family until that time comes! Pray that we do a good job at including them and making them feel a part of this, and that they will be so excited to see their brother when he comes home!
To all the other families waiting! I love you and have a deep appreciation for what you are going through, whatever stage you are at! Keep on keeping on! Our kids are worth every bit of it! Prayers and hugs to you all!

Have you seen these?

2011-08-24T18:39:00.001-07:00

Have you seen these dolls? They are so great! A friend of mine brought one over to my house and showed me. They are beautiful nice quality dolls that represent girls from around the world. They are called "Heart to Heart" dolls, and they are partnered with World Vision. A portion of the proceeds goes towards a girl in need living in a community from the country in which you purchase.
The doll I bought was Ethiopian, so the portion will go to helping a girl in Ethiopia, and the one my friend bought, will go to helping a girl in India! Isn't that just awesome?! What a great Christmas present these will make this year! There are about 6-7 different ones, and there are additional outfits you can buy to switch out as well. Also, each doll comes with a story about the girl the doll is representing, so it's also educational. My friend, Patty, bought the one from India. She was so cute with her nose ring and her henna on her hand. Of course when I found out there was one from Ethiopia I had to run out and get it! Keep these in mind this year when you are trying to make out your Christmas list. You can find them at Target for under $30.00!

1st grade

2011-08-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

My sweet Alyssa is starting the 1st grade today. The other night we had meet-the-teacher,and we met her teacher, Mrs. Edwards

We had fun exploring her classroom. She was excited to have a big locker in the hallway, a pet turtle as their class mascot, and her class is upstairs this year!

Computer lab!

Such a cutie, all ready to go!

Aubrey had to have her picture taken with her new Dora lunch box too!

Dropping her off walking in all by her big-girl self :)

She was greeted at the door by her principle Ms. Chapman. She ran over, gave Alyssa a big hug and kiss on the cheek, and said, "Oh Alyssa, I am so glad to see you!" Alyssa was smiling from ear to ear, ready to conquer her first day!
We dropped her off by 8:00 and by 10:00 Aubrey was saying, "Mom, go get Alyssa. I want you to go get her."
I figured she would have a hard time with big sis being gone this year! They played really well together all summer. She and I both are going to miss our little Alyssa home with us! We love her so much, and are so proud of our first grader!

Speaking through her :)

2011-08-15T07:14:00.001-07:00

Last week before we got the news that our paperwork was signed off on, our stomachs were in knots. A lot of crying and praying, and crying and praying was going on over here for that miracle! SO GLAD WE GOT OUR MIRACLE...whew!
After meeting our sweet boy we couldn't even imagine having to wait an extra 2 months to go get him. It was harder than we expected leaving him, just having to wait, and there was nothing we could do about it. EVERYTIME I prayed, the Lord asked me to fast and worship. So one morning for breakfast I decided I would take that time to do this. I put in the movie "Soul Surfer" for the girls...which they LOVE, and made them a little picnic palet in my room on the floor for breakfast, and I went in another room and turned on the worship and hit my knees. I prayed for us, and the other families we traveled with, I prayed for rain, ( We have had a drought and major heat wave in Texas and we are farmers), and I prayed for provision, I read from the Bible and just sang out worship. During this time I was getting frustrated because I wasn't feeling God's presence. I was thinking in my mind, is He hearing me? Is He here?
After a while, I got up and called it quits. I went into the room where my girls were and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Aubrey...my three-year-old, comes in and says to me,"Mommy, I want you to go get baby Josiah and bring him home." I told her that I did too,so badly. She said, "But momma, I want you to go get him today. I want him today." I said, 'me too sweetie.'
Then she said, " And mommy, I want it to rain too." Ok...at this point my eyes got really big, because I knew this wasn't something she would EVER say on her own, and there was no possible way she heard me. Then I heard that whisper in my head, "I hear you, and I see you."
WOW! Thank you Lord for speaking through my little Aubrey! She was reiterating my prayers! It was a turning point for my attitude and gave me such a peace that God definitely hears us, and sees us, all the time. He also showed me by speaking through my little girl, that He longs for us to come to Him like little children, to lean on Him, and cry out to Him. He wants us to come to HIM for help. He is our Heavenly Father, and He loves us so much, and He is so faithful! I knew at that point, whatever the Lord saw best to do in our situation, that it was best! He knows the things we do not, and I trust Him! I am so thankful He is such a personal God, who is just waiting on us to run to Him! So Friday we got our papers in and signed...PRAISE HIM! and then Saturday was just the icing on the cake. As Aaron was loading the truck for the farmer's market that morning, he comes in and says "It's lightening!" He looks on the computer at the radar and all over there are little storms popping up. We went to the market that morning and happily had to set up getting wet in the rain. It didn't pour, but it rained pretty steady for about 2 hours. It was so wonderful! It had been 40 some odd days here without rain!

Now, no, I am not so arrogant to think that God did that just for us! There were so many people here in Texas praying for that rain! It was for everyone!!!!But He made me feel like it was, and it was definitely the icing on the cake! He is so sweet and good!

Introducing our son!

2011-08-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Remember when I asked you all to pray for a miracle with our paperwork? Well, God totally shocked and wowed us this morning and answered that prayer! He is so AMAZING like that! I met with a friend yesterday and she reminded me how the Lord LOVES to surprise us! This morning when Kathy with CHI called us to tell us the news, it was the biggest, most wonderful surprise! Words cannot describe the feeling! She said "It's official, he's your son!" I mean it folks, this was such an answer to prayer. Even the people with CHI and YWAM were surprised by God with this one!!!! It was so unexpected! HE IS ABLE to move mountains!!! He loves for us to lean on Him, cry out to Him for help, and Praise Him! He loves to give us the desires of our hearts! I love it that He did it this way! I love that He shows himself to others this way! There is just no denying Him all the Glory and credit with this!!!!! It couldn't have been done any other way! He is El Shaddai. He can move mountains, and He can process paperwork, even when all odds and the rainy season is working against your favor! His favor surpasses any and all else!
This road has been so long and hard, but we wouldn't trade any of it, because we and OUR GIRLS have gotten to know the character of our Father so much more! Our girls are so excited! I sat them down and told them "congratulations, you have a baby brother." and Alyssa says to me.." congratulations to you too mom, you have a son!" They are going to be the best big sisters to this little guy and already love him to pieces! We cannot wait to introduce them to each other!

So without further ado...meet our son...Josiah Moti Reeves...AKA...Jo Mo :)

Day 5- Court, Shopping, and then Home

2011-08-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Day 5 was the last day we would spend in Ethiopia. Our wonderful trip was was so short, yet so momentus.
Aaron and I woke up this particular morning to a not-so-great night's sleep. We quickly jumped out of bed and were made fast awake by our extremely cold trickle of a shower we took. But hey...still thankful we got a shower:)
We met the Gerig's and the King's downstairs for yet another wonderful plate of french toast and coffee. We sat waiting for our driver Adugna who would take us to court that morning. We were all nervous, not knowing what to expect, so we quizzed each other on the possible questions the judge may ask us, so we would be prepared.
Adugna arrived on time, and we hopped in the van to take our short trip to the courthouse. It only took about 5 minutes to arrive.
We were immediately greeted by a band of boys eagerly wanting to shine our shoes.

This is where we met Abdissa, who was not only our attorney, but a pastor in Ethiopia! Another amazing man with a contagious smile :)

Abebe also met us here. It was comforting having both these men with us to show us what to do and represent us. Abdissa and Abebe led the way for us and we followed them into a waiting room that was already full of people waiting. While we were waiting, Mark and Liane Wolbert stopped by to meet us.

They were a wonderful distraction from the nervous wait! Mark and Liane are the socail services and missions directors of YWAM Ethiopia. We all really enjoyed getting to meet them and chat until our names were called. We were surprised that they called us in by agency ( all together) and not one-at-a-time. The extremely beautiful and serious judge got right to it. She immediately started asking all us questions and we all answered together in unison. We were in and out in a matter of 5 minutes. It was a moment of feeling such relief, and gratefulness and joy! If we had the "MOWA" paperwork that is currently backed up, our kids would have been declared ours right then. But since MOWA was behind in their paperwork we have to wait for that to be processed and wait for the judge to sign off on it. See my previous prayer request for more info about this.

After all was said and done, we headed back to Addis House to make a quick change of clothes and then headed out to shop again. Brandy and Mike didn't have the extra day of shopping as we did, so they had some catching up to do. This time we went to the shops across from the post office.

While we shopped we were once again followed by lots of children. Every now and again we would see them scatter and run off, only to realize there was a woman guard shooing them away from us. We didn't mind the presence of these beautiful children. Some of them joked with us and made fun of our accents as we tried to pronounce Amharic words. They were all so cute and precious. They would put out there hand and say..."Just one?" As we ended our time at the shops at the post office and hopped into our minibus, the kids were still coming up to the window begging. We had run out of our small bills so I reached in my bag and pulled out my protein bars. This is when the swarms of children and adults grew. Although the security guard didn't seem to appreciate our gesture, the people seemed to appreciate the food more than they did the money. Becky had some protein bars as well, and we had some crackers so we handed out as many as we could. The ones who were able to receive it, were so grateful. Next trip we will know to bring more things like crackers, protein bars, or granola bars etc...to hand out. They also liked our empty water bottles, we assumed for them to refill.

(One of the many beautiful faces peering inside our minibus. This particular girl's beauty caught our attention. She had the most beautiful eyes, but the sadness and desperation that peered through them broke our hearts. Most of the kids still had joy in their eyes, but hers seemed to be gone. My heart hurt for this beautiful girl as I wondered about her story.)

We then headed over to a coffee shop called "Tomoca." We were told that the BBC did a blind taste testing of coffees from around the world and "Tomoca" was voted "World's best coffee." (I think of the movie "Elf" when I say "world's best cup of coffee" everytime :) HAHA!
Anyway, we loaded up on coffee to bring home as gifts, and then we headed back to our guest house. Here Yonas suggested we go to "Lime Tree" for our lunch. Here we took our time, relaxed and just hung out for a while, while some of us enjoyed spaghetti dishes and others Indian cuisine and we all shared more fries:)

We then headed back to Addis House where we walked the streets for a while. We enjoyed interacting with all the playful children that followed us.

We ended our trip by relaxing and taking in the sites, on the patio area of the Addis Guest House in the wonderful 65 degree weather. We were honored with another coffee and popcorn ceremony before we headed to the airport to depart for home. Our time in Ethiopia, with our new friends who, seemed to be more than friends at this point, was too short and so special. We loved every second of it! It was a hard goodbye, but a comfort to know that we will be returning again soon! We are praying we get to travel back again with the Gerig's and the King's. Sharing this time with them was wonderful!

Getting back home was just fine until Aaron and I arrived in Washington DC. We had so much trouble with our last flight. I won't go into all the details, but we were so tired and I was in tears thinking we would never get home. The flights were full and for some reason we kept getting bumped off our flight. We prayed A LOT and by some miracle we made it on a 5:00 pm flight out on standby! We made it by the skin on our teeth, literally! For our troubles, we were given an $800.00 voucher towards our next trip. At the time, I was too tired to appreciate it, but Aaron reminded me that the Lord had already provided for our next trip! That was torturous at the time, but that $800.00 sure will come in handy when we are having to purchase our tickets for the next trip!!!!!
When we arrived in Dallas, Aaron's mother picked us up. Aubrey, our 3 year-old came running at us like a scene out of a movie, in what seemed to be slow motion, shouting..."Mommmmmmy!!!!" Alyssa gave us a hug and said, 'where's the plane?" She was more excited about seeing a plane up close than seeing mom and dad :) It was so good to see these two little munchkins we missed so much! We were totally exhausted, and couldn't even think straight. I don't think I have ever been that tired EVER, except for maybe after childbirth. We couldn't give our girls the attention we wanted to give them because of it. I think on our second trip, we will stay the night in D.C. before our homecoming, so we can be a little more fresh. This way we will be prepared to focus on our girls when they meet their new brother for the first time. We think it would be so much more enjoyable this way!

Day 4- Living Hope, A Sad Goodbye, and A Great Hamburger!

2011-08-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

We slept wonderful this night in our comfy beds at Hotel Maya. We did, however, wake up to no water again, but we had our buckets. We were able to get some clean water brought to us, and Aaron and I took turns taking a VERY COLD sponge bath out of the bucket. But, it did the trick, we were clean...and cold :)
We met everyone downstairs for a nice Ethiopian style breakfast buffet and then we were off to start our day. Abebe was very excited to take us to a special place called 'Living Hope Ministries.' In Ethiopia abortions are very easy to get. There are many clinics and it only cost about $30.00 American dollars to have the procedure done. Living Hope ministries shows women and young girls that there is a different way. They offer them a free place to stay, they take care of the baby being born, they teach them a trade (jewelry making), they educate them, and teach them about Jesus. It was a wonderful place to visit! We were told that 95% of the girls that have been to Living Hope end up keeping their babies and 100% of them have come to know Jesus!!!!! AWESOME! We were able to meet some of the babies that were given Living Hope and a chance at Life and their beautiful brave mothers.

(sweet baby born at Living Hope)
Our husbands also left the place with their wallets a bit lighter than when we arrived. These women make beautiful hair bows for babies and girls, paper bead necklaces, and my favorite....the very unique and beautiful scarves with the beads and flowers attached to them!

(women working together to make jewelry)
50 % of all profit of these gems goes into savings account for these mothers for when they are ready to go and live on their own.

(Abebe with the directors of Living Hope and one of the mothers)
One really amazing thing is that you can hold jewelry parties at home to help support this awesome ministry! If that is something you may want to do you can check out their website at http://www.livinghopeethiopia.org/EthiopiaDefault.aspx
From there it was time to get back to the widow's and orphan's home! We couldn't wait to get our hands back on our babies. We spent the day cuddling, kissing, and listening to Tezera tell stories of our children and also about provision. We brought some Welches gummy snacks for the kids andc we enjoyed watching Abebe get a big kick out of feeding these to the kids. They would line up one by one and take turns getting a bite. Each time Abebe would pop one in one of their mouths, he would just laugh and laugh. I loved it! It was so precious! Just a side note if you are traveling there anytime soon...Abebe said that these gummy snacks were a perfect treat for the kids. Since most of the kids were smaller, the fruit snacks were soft enough for them to chew. They are too little for the hard candies.
One other neat moment for Aaron was when he was talking with Tezera's husband and telling him that he was a farmer. In Ethiopia men and women do not hold hands in public, but men will hold hands with each other as a sign of friendship. So her husband took Aaron's hand and led him outside to show him his garden. I looked up and saw him walking outside holding this sweet man's hand. They were going to talk shop. Aaron admitted that it was a little awkward and not what he was use to obviously, but it was also very special. It was a sweet moment for me looking up and seeing him take Aaron's hand and lead him outside.

The widows enjoyed having their pictures taken. I walked over to take one picture and they all quickly gathered and waited their turn! It was so cute...they were like excited children wanting to see their pictures after we would take them! They would look, show one another, and talk in Amharic and give a little giggle. I LOVED these sweet women!

(See the woman in the middle, with the green scarf on her head? She was totally blind and the Lord healed her and now she sees! And the woman on the far right is the one that comforts me before we leave...just FYI :)

We also had the honor of being fed a scrumptious lunch by Tezera while we were there. We were fed rice, spaghetti, french fries, injera, and shiro wot. Aaron made the comment that this was his favorite meal of the whole trip. I would have to agree. Not only was it delicious, but Tezera was so honoring as she served us. She made sure our drinks and our plates were never empty so we were so full even half-way through our lunch. Her servant heart made me emotional while we were eating. I had to get up and go to the bathroom and regroup. I just kept thinking we should be honoring her and her staff and serving them. The Lord just really overwhelmed my heart on many occasions and I just felt such gratitude and love towards the people who live so selflessly!

We headed back down to spend some more time with our kids and Abebe announced that we had about 33 minutes left before we had to leave. I think you could've heard a pin drop. I ran over and grabbed "M" and held him tight, and immediately started crying. For some reason, I had thought we had a couple hours left so this was upsetting news. We sat on the floor holding our babies and Tezera had Brandy read from the Bible. We then had the pleasure of listening to the widows and the nannies sing praises in Amharic to the Lord. What a gift this was! It was beautiful! I sat holding tight to my little man knowing that these were my last moments with him until we would see him again. I had a water bottle that he set his eyes on, so I fed him little squirts of water from my bottle which kept him entertained as we listened to the women worship. They then honored us with a coffee ceremony and after what seemed like just a few short minutes, Abebe said, "It's time to go." I immediately started to bawl like a big baby. Aaron was crying as well. Brandy was really emotional as well and the nannies were crying with us and hugging us. I knew in my heart that they were crying because they were happy we were crying. I think our tears showed how much we already loved our children and this made them very happy for our children. On my way out one of the precious widows came and cupped my face in her hands. She said something in Amharic and hugged me and kissed my face and cupped my face in her hands again repeating something in Amharic. I didn't know what she was saying, but I knew she was comforting me! It was a moment I will cherish always! As I cried my way to the car, Abebe giggled at me and told me, "It's ok. Your babies are in good hands." This is knew, but what I didn't know was how hard it would be to say goodbye once I had met him. I thought our hearts were prepared. We knew exactly how everything was to go, but it didn't matter. No amount of mental preparation would've prepared me for how my heart felt as we were leaving. It was as if I had been pregnant for a year and-a-half, and I finally was able to meet this child who I had dreamed about and prayed for for so long, only to be able to see him for a couple days, and then to have to leave him and not see him again for another several months. It was so sad!!! I am still sad. I have cried everyday since we have been home, but I rest knowing that my God is in control, and I pray that our reunion will be sooner rather than later.
The ride home was pretty quiet for a while. It took us a while before we started to talk again to each other. Abebe had to stop to bring home a few watermelon.

That evening we ended at up at Sishu, which is a very nice and modern hamburger restaurant. I would also have to recommend Sishu as well if you travel to Ethiopia. They make great gourmet-type burgers with gouda cheese and special yummy sauce. I have to say that we have some pretty great hamburger joints in Texas, but Sishu could definitely hold their own. It was one great burger!!!! I have to mention the french fries in Ethiopia as well. They have the best fries! Everywhere we went someone ended up getting fries and we would all share. I think it's because they are all made from fresh cut potatoes. So Ethiopia's fries rock (but the ketchup is different), and so do all the soft drinks. They still serve them in the glass bottles with pure sugar cane as well, just like when I was a kid.

Day 3 - The BIG day!

2011-08-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

We woke up from an ok night's sleep. Even with the Motrin PM I didn't sleep all too well and I had no problem getting out of bed. I had a rough start to my morning. I banged my knee in the shower pretty hard and then as I was drying my hair, the hairdryer shocked the tar out of me. It wasn't a little shock, it was a big one. It upset me up a bit and I cried it out and then I was fine. I think the mix of the nerves, excitement, and then the electrical shock surging through my hand and arm sent me over the edge for just a couple minutes.
After we got ready we rushed downstairs for yet another order of french toast and coffee, and hurried through our breakfast so we weren't late for our ride. Abebe, (pronounced Ah-buh-buh) our in-town representative had arranged to pick us up at 9:00 to head out for Nazret, also known as Adama. This is where the widows and the orphan home is where our son has grown up all but 2 weeks of his life. Abebe and our driver Abraham were right on time. They piled all of our luggage full of donations on the roof of the van and strapped it down so none of it flew away. Me and Aaron, and Todd and Becky climbed into the van and we were on our way. Adama was about a 2 hour drive from Addis Ababa where we were, and let me remind you about the driving in Ethiopia. There are no rules of the road. A lot of honking, and driving on the wrong side of the road, and almost hitting pedestrians goes on a lot. Abebe made the comment, "it's just best maybe if you close your eyes and not look at the road,." Good advice, Abebe...good advice :)
We saw alot of this on the way...
The ride to Adama was a good one, although it seemed longer than 2 hours. We were able to see some countryside. Aaron and Todd enjoyed looking at all the farms we past. We saw many people plowing their farmland the old-fashioned way with a cow pulling their plow.

Aaron was amazed at the different shades and types of soil there were even within the same field. One part of the field looked to be sandy soil and just right next to it the soil looked rich and black. We past HUGE vultures the size of my 3 year-old perched on top of the African tree tops. We past many farmers on the roadside selling watermelon.

Homes made out of straw seemed to be the common house for this area.

It was great to get to experience the country-side a little bit. It was a lot different from the busy streets of Addis Ababa. On the way, Abebe made a phone call to the orphanage to tell the nannies we would be there today. He was talking in Amharic but I kept hearing him say our son's name and the Gerig's daughter's name. When he hung up he said that the nannies had misunderstood him and thought we were coming to take our children today and they were freaking out, because they weren't ready to say goodbye. Once he told them we were only visiting they calmed down. He was laughing as he told us this. Abebe has a contagious smile that makes you smile just looking at him. What an amazing man he is! He and his wife dedicate their entire lives helping orphans, among other things, and living the life the Lord has called them to, to the very fullest. I felt inspired just listening to his stories and hearing his passion about the work they do.

Once we got into Adama, we went straight to our hotel to check in. We stayed at the Hotel Maya, which was just beautiful and surprisingly very modern. To get to our rooms we had to walk under this tunnel of greenery and trees blooming with beautiful flowers of all colors. It was breathtaking.

Our rooms were super clean, had a stand up shower and modern bathroom, and even a flat screen TV. This would've been a really nice hotel even in America. The only thing, is there was no running water. We were given a bucket of water to pour into the toilet when we had to use it. It wasn't a big deal. I kept thinking to myself...' don't be a spoiled American, you are in Africa.' I did pretty good. We went to the lobby where we met the other couple that would remain with us the rest of the trip....our new friends, Mike and Brandy King.

Mike and Brandy had arrived several days earlier than us and traveled a 17-hour trip both ways to several different orphanages, one of where their daughter was. They brought their daughter, along with 4 other kids, back to the Thomas center and the Adama orphanage with them. Mike and Brandy really got to see the countryside, monkeys and all. We then left for lunch and we enjoyed hearing about their journey and getting to know this sweet couple! So lunch was over and it was time to go. I asked how long to the orphanage. Abebe told me maybe 5-10 min. By this time Aaron and I, along with Todd and Becky were more than ready to meet our kids. Since Mike and Brandy had already been to the orphanage, they offered to video and snap pics of our first meeting. Mike videoed and snapped pics of us meeting our little guy and Brandy did the same for the Gerig's. Brandy and Mike, if you are reading this, we are so grateful to you for capturing this moment. It is a treasured moment that we will value forever. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! It's been comforting reliving the moment over and over for us!
Mike told me that when we reached the cobblestone road that we would almost be there. So once we were on the cobblestone road I grabbed the camera and the video and got them ready to go. We pulled up to the gate of the home. It was a work in progress. The bottom 2 floors were finished and the top 3 still were being worked on. I think each layer was built in stages. When the funds would come in to continue, they would continue.

We walked in and were immediately greeted by Tezera( the director of the widows and orphans home) Tezera and Abebe led the way back to where our children were. The sweet widows were sitting in their favorite spot waving and watching us as we made our way back to the nursery.
As we walked in, it didn't take us long to spot him, and it seemed he spotted us right away as well, because he cut his eyes right to us. I know that may sound absurd, but I don't doubt that when he saw us he knew in his spirit that we were his, because we have been praying for so long for this moment!!!!
His sweet nanny, wearing her big beautiful smile immediately brought him over to us. She handed him off to Tezera and Aaron and I stood admiring our boy as she held him. He was looking back and forth between the two of us just smiling away. I was anxious to get my hands on him, but Tezera held him silently for several seconds before she handed him over. It seemed to me like she was giving silent thanks to the Lord for bringing us together. I knew in my spirit this was what she was doing. I will share with you some other time after we have officially past court more of our son's story, but it was definitely a praise-worthy moment for our little guy and us and Tezera!!!! And Tezera..I could write an entire post on this woman. She truly is a picture of the heart of Jesus. What an amazing woman!
I held my arms out to him and and he leaned into me inviting me to grab ahold of him. Of course, I was a crying mess (happy tears of course) and I couldn't believe we were there in that moment. This was a dream come true for us. My sweet Aaron waited patiently and let me have my turn with our boy, as he always selflessly does. He was more beautiful than any of his pictures revealed to us. His big brown eyes and sweet angelic face combined with all his rolls just melted our hearts. He was beyond beautiful. To top it off, he was so mild mannered, so laid back, and smiley. Just as happy as could be. The nannies were speaking in Amharic to each other and Tezera told us that they were saying that "M" looked just like his daddy. I thought this was funny at first, but Tezera said that they thought "M" was so handsome and Aaron is also handsome, so they said he looked just like his daddy...so sweet!!!!
What I didn't realize was that when we arrived his sweet nanny was in the middle of changing his diaper, and didn't finish in all the excitement. So I was holding a half-naked baby. She took him from me so she could put the rest of his clothes back on. We were kind of warned that the nannies might be sizing us up when we were around our kids. Afterall they have raised our children and loved them as their own for most of their lives. Truthfully, we never once felt this was the case with these wondeful nannies. They were amazing from the very moment we arrived! You could see the joy they felt for our children and they were so helpful and just perfect in the way they handled everything. This particular nanny handed our son back to me and said "Mama and Papa." She was telling him that we were his mom and dad. It was so sweet. I held him for a smidge longer and drank in the moment, admiring my boy, then I let Aaron hold him. It was wonderful finally being able to see Aaron holding his boy! He just looked up at his daddy smiling and studying this strange man that was holding him. We then were able to take him wherever we wanted, so we walked out into the center of the home, where all the widows were. I was so amazed at how laid back our little "M" was. His eyes started to get heavy and I told Aaron that I thought he looked tired. Aaron gently pressed his head into his chest and baby "M" literally within 3 seconds was out like a light. No crying or fussing....he just laid his head down and went to sleep on his daddy's chest!!!! It was wonderful! Aaron then handed him over to me, and I sat on the stairway for about an hour and held my boy as he slept in my arms. I studied all his features and watched him make that sweet little sucking face that babies make with their lips while the sleep. And he has the sweetest most lucious little lips might I add :)
While he was sleeping, the men helped Tezera unload all of the donations we had brought! They were so blessed by them! Thank you to all that donated.....I want you to know that you were an answer to their prayers. Tezera said that they had just given all their older clothes away last week and she said "Look the Lord already provided more." Then also just a few days earlier one of the nannies was telling her they were in need of shoes. Some friends of ours found a bunch of shoes on sale at Target and sent them with us. So they were very excited to see that the Lord had provided shoes. It must be a wonderful thing for them, as they do the Lord's work to constantly see Him provide through others when they are in need!!!! They literally are living on faith alone!!!! So a big HUGE thank you to those that donated. Their storage closet that was almost empty is now almost full!!! This is life to these children! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You blessed them more than you will ever know!

(Unfortunately this is the only pic I got of Tezera without our son in the pic. You can't really see her face, but after we officially pass court, I will post more of her. Please keep praying that the paperwork comes in this week for us)

After "M" woke up, he looked a little frazzled at who was holding him, but still didn't make a peep. His nanny brought him a bottle, but he wasn't too hungry, he only ate about half. We then moved to the floor area where we sat with the other families and watched him play with some toys. As we were watching him, I noticed he would start to look around and then get this little look of panic on his face. Then he started to cry the saddest little cry I ever saw. He was fine with us until he noticed there were no Ethiopian people around. His wonderful nanny came in to soothe him, and he was fine. Tezera said that "M" never cries. I thought,' great only with us.' But she then went on to tell us that it's good that he cries. It shows signs that he cares and that he knows how to bond. So then I was ok. He really would only cry for just a second and then be done. Then we would be good to go. He did this several times, but it was never a big crying fit, just sad little whimpers, that only lasted about 5 seconds. HE IS SO SWEET!!!!!
Next it was bath time. His nanny came and got him and took him to his bath. We took lots of pictures and videoed his bath. HE LOVED HIS BATH!!! I have a feeling he's going to enjoy the swimming pool. He smiled and giggled and splashed around the entire time!!! Then when it was time to get out, he threw his head back like...no I want more! After his bath, he was a new man. He was even more smiley, and playful! It was awesome!
Before long it was time to leave back to go back to Hotel Maya.

Us, the King's and the Gerig's met in the restaurant area and enjoyed dinner together and reflected and conversated about our day, and the AMAZING staff at the widows and orphans home.
I had pizza and pepsi and Aaron had Ethiopian cuisine again. It was an emotional day, so we were tired. We headed back to our rooms and slept pretty good under our mosquito netted beds.

Day 2- A Free Day- Part 2

2011-08-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

On the way back to our Guest House, Yosef stopped by Yod Abyssinia cultural restaurant (per his suggestion, which again was a brilliant one) and he made reservations for us to have dinner later that evening. We went back to the guest house, dropped off all of our bags, freshened up a little bit, and then headed back out for dinner. Yod Abyssinia is a big tourist attraction and I could totally understand why. If you are ever in Addis Ababa you must visit this restaurant. Sweet Yosef also ordered for us a delicious and colorful sample plate that consisted of various meats, lentils, vegetables, and injera.

We were served coffee and popcorn, which sounds like an odd combination, but actually goes lovely together, and is tradition in Ethiopia.

As we ate, we also enjoyed live entertainment of singing and dancing traditional Ethiopian style. We had such a blast here! It took everything in me not to get up and dance to the wonderful shoulder shaking beat of the Ethiopian music. I LOVE to watch them dance!!!! Talk about talent! It amazes me how they move their bodies like they do! My favorite is what I like to refer to as the Ethiopian running man or Ethiopian hammer dance :) It was something else! Loved it!

As I was sitting there taking it all in, still on cloud nine, I was just overcome with a love for these amazingly beautiful, vibrant and fun people that MY SON has come from. I got a little emotional several times, and just really felt so incredibly blessed to be there and be able to experience Ethiopia and be a part of it. I loved every second!!!! My cup runneth over:) As I sat reflecting and thanking the Lord, I also felt a little bit of sadness. I felt sad that I was going to be taking our boy out of this beautiful country and culture. My heart for Ethiopia grew a thousand times greater by experiencing it first-hand. It was just overflowing!!! I started quietly sobbing, trying to suck it up before anyone noticed :) And I just felt like the Lord impressed on my heart that He has made room for our son and has plans for him in our family. He has overwhelmed our hearts for our son's country and given us His heart for his people for a reason. He had planted that love there and now He was allowing it to grow. It was even more confirmation that we were smack dab in the middle of God's plan for us. In that moment I knew it was partly because it is so important that we teach him about where he came from. That is actually a HUGE part of it. But I also knew that it was about something more than our adoption. It was the Lord's heart for Ethiopia. There will be more I am sure, for I have never felt like this before!
It was getting late so we headed back to Addis Guest House and I was sitting up front with Yosef. I told him how much I love his people and country. Yosef said that in the past Ethiopia has been known as being a poor and starving and diseased country, but he said now things are getting better. He said, "People are good, and the country is a good place to come." I couldn't agree more with Yosef. Everywhere you look, you do see poverty and children begging for money, but you also see joy, incredible hospitality, contentment and happiness. They don't seem to want for much other than what they need. I could see the stamp of God all over this place!!!! It is definitely a good place to come! Loved every second!
After getting back to the guest house, we tried to wind down for the night. This was very difficult to do, because this was the night before we finally would meet this precious boy whom we have dreamed about for a year-and-half now; this boy who the Lord chose for us and led us to; the one we have been battling in prayer for; the one we have watched grow in pictures the past 5 months; the boy who we traveled half way around the world to meet; the boy that we would forever get the pleasure of calling our son. I can't tell you what was going through our heads...our hopes, our fears, our expectations, and nonexpectations. I took a motrin pm to help me sleep through my nerves and anxiousness and as I headed off to bed I remember thinking that it was a dream. I couldn't believe we were there!

Day 2- A free day (Part 1)

2011-07-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today we had a free day. After a very sound and wonderful night's rest, we woke up early, got ready, and went downstairs with the Gerig family for breakfast. We all enjoyed complimentary french toast and traditional Ethiopian coffee, which is very strong, but oh-so-good! They serve it in these tiny cups and it's more like a couple shots of espresso with a tiny bit of water added to it. It was a great boost to start off our day :)

After breakfast we met our taxi driver and soon-to-be new friend, Yosef. Our plan was to pay Yosef extra to stay with us for the day and show us around. This was the best decision we made, because he took great care of us made sure we saw everything. We loved Yosef!

First off he took us to visit the Imperial Church where Prime Minister Haile Sellasie and his emporess are buried. We spent about an hour here on a guided tour learning about the history of the church.

Next we went to the Ethiopian museum where a casting of "Lucy" is kept and learned more about their amazingly rich culture.

From there we went shopping. Becky and I had our lists of what we wanted to bring back for our kiddos. We were thinking ahead into their teenage years, so there was much to be done :) First on our list was canvas art. We really wanted to have pieces of art that captured our children's heritage in our home. Yosef took us to an art gallery called "Makush." It is located inside of an Italian restaurant. Here we were able to kill 2 birds with one stone. We each found beautiful paintings from local artists to bring home and we enjoyed some wonderful pasta for lunch as well. I think this was my favorite purchase of the trip. I can't wait to get it hung in my house. The paintings here are beautiful and diverse. Expect to spend at least $100.00 American dollars or more, depending on what you get. In America paintings like these would be 5 times as much or more! To us this purchase was worth every penny! Love, love, love my painting. Next Yosef took us to a local market area where we were able to find everything else on our list which included, traditional Ethiopian outfits of different age sizes for when they grow, a jabana (traditional Ethiopian coffee maker), and a pretend jabana set (much like a play tea set), hand embroidered table cloths, key chains, and t-shirts and hats...all of which we plan on dispersing as gifts as he grows. This market was so much fun! We spent a couple hours here collecting all these treasures for our children and getting souveniers and gifts for our girls and family as well. We, of course, were bombarded with children from the very beginning of arriving. One group of boys followed us the whole time begging for money and patiently waiting. We were cautioned not to hand out money in large groups because then you would really get bombarded with people flocking to you and following you around. It was so hard seeing all those sweet faces, not to want to just give them everything in your wallet. Self control was put into practice big time. Here is where our driver and friend Yosef came in handy again. Finally about after and hour of being followed, Yosef asked Aaron for 10 birr, which is less than 1 US dollar. 17 birr equals 1 US dollar. Aaron handed him 10 single birr and Yosef spoke to the children in Amharic and said something of which I assume went like this..."if I give you 1 birr each will you stop following us?" All the chidren agreed and this seemed to do the trick. If we, ourselves had done this people would have flooded us, but since Yosef handled it, it was controlled. Did I mention yet how much we loved him?

(Yosef talking to the kids that had followed us for about an hour)

So after this we were able to continue on shopping and after a while we were followed by an elderly half-blind man and 3 more new kids. I must have looked like the easy target because they all would come up to me and smile their precious smiles and put out their hands to me and ask for money. They would say..."ha-lo...one please." Oh my heart!!!!! One sweet boy saw me chewing gum (which happened to be my last piece) and asked me "gum?" I told him sadly that I didn't have anymore gum. Then he said to me "shoes?" Although I wanted desperately to buy him shoes, I knew I couldn't without causing a scene because the market was packed with people. So then he points to a food cart and says "Food?" ok I thought that is all I can handle. I asked Yosef if we were allowed to give him the money and he could go buy these kids some food. He told us that it was ok. So we and the Gerig's gave him some money. He then took the 3 boys, which had then grown to about 10 boys, and also the elderly half-blind man as well that was still following us and begging, and sat them down in a small restaurant area. Yosef ordered them water and injera and about 5 different other meat dishes. These children were so excited!!!! They held up their water glasses and wanted me to take their pictures clanking them together. So of course I did! This reminded me of my girls at home clanking their drinks together before meals and saying "cheers."

(half the boys, some were sitting on the other side)

We stayed a while to make sure they got their food, and when it came out, the kids dovoured it, and the old man sat in the back eating his share alone. We left as they were eating, and as we started to leave in our car, we looked up and all these beautiful smiling faces were running towards us saying, "thank you." They were shaking our hands and as we drove away one boy says in the best English he could..."have fun in Ethiopia." As we drove away they were all giving us the thumbs up sign. I so wish I had snapped a picture of all of them giving us the thumbs up! It was so precious! Yosef looked over at me grinning his amazing smile and said,"this is good." This was one of the greatest moments of the trip asside from us meeting our son! Their bellies were full and so were our hearts!!!! We didn't think our hearts could love Ethiopia more, but after today and mingling with these precious people, our hearts were overflowing! I, myself, was on cloud nine all day long! Being here was like a dream! I loved every second so much!

( Some of the children and the eldrely gentleman in the back)

Prayer Request

2011-07-30T05:21:00.000-07:00

(all of us getting ready to go into court)

Thank you all who have prayed us through our journey so far. We are so grateful. Our battle to get our son is not over and we ask that you please be praying for us and our new friends, the King family and the Gerig family. We had the pleasure of traveling with these 2 families who understood every minute of our journey, because they have been traveling the same road as us. It was truly a gift to be able to travel with these 2 other couples who shared our common bond of the adoption journey and our love for the Lord. They understood every thing we had been through and we were so blessed by them. As you all may know, it was a long shot to be able to travel before the rainy season, and God made the way. Now, we are in a different boat and need your prayer. MOWA (ministry of women's affairs) in Ethiopia are behind in a lot of their paperwork. Our paperwork was not ready at our court hearing so therefore we haven't officially past court just yet, which isn't normally a big deal. After MOWA processes our paperwork the court will then sign off on it and then it will be taken to the US Embassy for more paperwork and then we can travel to bring our children home. We got the discouraging news today that MOWA is behind by 30 days, and that more than likely after we get our paperwork in the next 30 days, we will have to wait until after the rainy season for the judge to sign off on our papers. What does it mean for us???? It means that we won't have our children home until at least October/ November.
What we would love is if you could be praying for God's favor over our case, and our new friends, the Gerig's and the King's. We pray that our paperwork will be processed by next week and that the judge will sign off on our case before she leaves for rainy season.
We stand together in agreement that God is fully capable of making this happen. To think of having to wait that long to go back and get our children is just heart crushing. It was the hardest thing in the world to have to leave our children behind. Please please please be praying for us and our new friends. Our other prayer is that we will all be able to travel together again to bring our children home on the second trip! What a wonderful reunion and homecoming it will be!!!!!
Believing together that GOD IS ABLE!

We are home and Post 1!!!

2011-07-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

(all our bags we took)

We are home! We arrived from our trip last night and were so excited to see our girls, but also very sad to have to leave our boy behind. The trip was just too short. We had the priviledge of traveling with 2 wonderful families. Todd and Becky Gerig, whom we met in Germany, and Mike and Brandy King, whom we met a couple days later in Adama. It was really a neat thing thinking about them before we left. We felt like the Lord had hand-picked the people he wanted us to experience Ethiopia with, and we were excited to meet them! After being with them on our journey, I am now convinced more than ever that He did indeed hand pick them! We love the Gerig's and King's so much! We had an emotional and spiritual connection with them and after the trip was over, we felt like we had known them for a long time! I am so grateful for our new friendship with them, and being able to share this journey with them. It was really special, and their children will forever hold a place in our hearts as well. LOVE them! Our plan is to vacate together ever-so-often through the years!!!!

(from left to right...The King's, us, and the Gerigs)

While we were there, I journaled everyday of our trip so I want to share some of that with you over these next few days:

Day 1:
As I got off the airplane in Addis Ababa, I was overcome with the feeling that I wasn't in America anymore, or anywhere near it for that matter. It was a little intimidating and frighteing, but exciting all at the same time. We immediately got our visas and went through customs. Our driver was waiting outside with a sign with our names and new friends that traveled with us, the Gerig's. As he escorted us to our car, I was taken aback by a woman holding a tiny baby. She followed me to the car and was begging for money. I knew this was going to be a common thing in Ethiopia, I just didn't expect it so quickly. I gave her some money and she told me "God bless you." and went on her way. Driving down the streets in Addis was so surreal. I still couldn't believe we were there!!!! Could not believe it!!!! By the way, the drivers in Addis are crazy. Addis Ababa has the most car accidents than anywhere else in the world, so that was interesting all in itself :)
As we got into town I was struck with the reality of Addis Ababa. It was 10:30 pm and the streets were packed with children EVERYWHERE. I saw some walking around alone; we passed a group of young children (with no parents) all huddled together and they were laughing, like they were playing a game. There were women holding their babies sitting on the sidewalk....their home. It was dark out, and I couldn't imagine what I was going to be seeing in the daylight when I could see better. As we finally reached our guest house we nearly hit an older gentleman that just walked out in front of our car. I was sitting in the front and my eyes locked with his. He looked so tired and old. He didn't even flinch, just moved out of the way for us to pass. I guess they are all use to the crazy driving.
We stayed at the Addis Guest House. By American standards it wasn't anything special, but by Ethiopian standards it was very nice. We had a clean bed and running water and that was good enough for us. The rooms were very simple. The staff at Addis Guest House was invaluable! Yonas was the owner's son and he was so friendly and helpful. He lived in America most of his life and spoke perfect English and Amharic and he made our stay much easier. The Guest House accomodated our every need, and didn't let us carry any of our bags. They were so great!!!! LOVED THEM!
Since it was so late, we wanted to go straight to bed. To unwind we decided to turn on the TV. One thing we weren't expecting was to have American TV channels in English! We wound down our first evening and fell asleep watching "Friends" and the movie "21." Other than not mentioning our soap exploading all in our suitcase, I think I pretty much covered our first night.

Side note I wrote verbatim: "I wish I knew if my phone was international so I could call home. I miss my girls! But at this moment, I am glad we didn't bring them on this trip. It would have been hard. My prayer while we are here is to experience God's heart even more for the Ethiopian people; to see such things as we saw on our way over here from the airport is so heartbreaking, and I could see how it would be easy to carry a heavy sadness while we are here. I want to come home with a broken heart, but while we are here I want to take it all in and see with God's eyes, and experience His heart. I want to make room for more growth in my Father."

(We would absolutely recommend the Addis Guest House to all families traveling to Addis. Don't expect luxury, but the staff was excellent. They had a nice patio area in front of their cafe where you could sit and drink coffee and had complimentary breakfast each morning. Ask Yonas ( the owner's son) to call Yoseph Mulugeta with "Yoseph Taxi Service as your taxi driver. Pay him extra to stay as your guide. He was absolutely wonderful!!!!)

Stay tuned for more entries of our trip!!!!

The first day of the rest of our lives!

2011-07-22T04:36:00.001-07:00

Today is the day we have been dreaming of from the time we started this long process. As I sit here blogging in the early morning hours, my kids are still sleeping, and Aaron is at the Farmer's market in Dallas doing some last minute work before take-off. He left the house at 2:30 this morning so he should sleep like a champ on the plane! My sweet Alyssa got up twice last night. First to go potty, then the second time was at 5:30 am and she came over to my bedside and said "mommy, I'm sorry I got up again." Bless her heart she couldn't sleep. I let her crawl into bed with me and she held my hand and asked if today was the day me and daddy were leaving. I think she is a little apprehensive of being away from us for so long, but I am praying that the girls have so much fun while we are gone that they won't have time to miss us. Last night I told them we would bring them back a surprise. Aubrey said she wanted a babydoll. When I asked Alyssa what she wanted she said, "I want you to bring my baby brother home." Oh, my heart! I told her not this first trip, but the second one we will be doing that!!!!
I can't believe this day is here!!!! It just seems so surreal! We have a very large amount of luggage packed full of donations of formula, clothes, shoes, diapers, creams, infant vitamins, etc... I really just want to say a big heart-felt thank you again to all of you who prayed for us, gave financially, spoke words of encouragement when needed, and have been cheering us on this whole time. And a special thank you to friends and family who are taking care of our kids, house, and farm while we are gone! We are so grateful beyond words to you for contributing towards this big adventure the Lord has us on!
So all our bags are packed and waiting as we also wait!!!! We are leaving today to meet the precious little guy that we have been praying for and dreaming about for the last year and a half! We get to see the sweet face that we have watched grow over the past 6 months in pictures. We get to visit the country and experience first-hand this beautiful culture our son is from that we have fallen in love with, and will forever be united with! It is an indescribale feeling!!!! Please be praying as we leave our girls for the first time, and also as we are meeting our son for the first time!
This is the first day of the rest of our lives! We can't wait to get started!!!!

A friend of mine texted me this verse last night! It was just what I needed to hear...."Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27. Just want everyone to know that we are feeling the peace this morning from all the prayers! Thank you!

Don't ignore the broken heart!

2011-07-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

There are so many things in this world that are just heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking to see children without families trying to survive on their own. To try and even imagine a child growing up without the love and guidance of a mom or dad is just unthinkable. To think about the Aids orphans in South Africa that ONLY get to eat twice a week when the feeding ministry program stops by their village just makes me sick to my stomach. Or what about the 8-year-old girl who was kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. It's too much for this heart to take!
It would be so much easier to ignore this kind of news or statistics, to just go about our busy, comfortable lives, to save us from feeling sad that day.
The truth is, our hearts are broken for a reason. Our hearts break because our Father's heart breaks. The fact of the matter is...WE REALLY ARE HIS HANDS AND FEET! He allows us to feel a tiny smidge of the pain and hurt He feels so that we will be moved to do something about it!
So the next time you hear something that just really breaks your heart, don't ignore it and go about your own business! Embrace that broken heart and let the Lord use you to be the change in at least one person's life!
I sure am glad we embraced our broken heart over the global orphan crisis. If we hadn't listened to God's heart...if we had chosen to put it out of our minds....we wouldn't be blessed with this enormous gift of getting to board a plane to meet OUR SON in just 4 days! What an incredible and awesome gift! We will be praying for the Lord to show us His heart and to break ours even more while we are there!!!!! Broken hearts move people! So let me encourage you, don't ignore it, embrace it, and be moved to action!!!!

Big Accomplishment!

2011-07-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

(in case you can't tell she is saying..."HEY, don't take my picture.")

FINALLY I think is the word that sums it up! We made sticker charts, handed out gummies, promised her chuck E cheeses, gave her consequences and....NOTHING, so we backed off. Finally on her own she decided one day she was ready! PRAISE THE LORD!HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU JESUS!
We did indeed make good on our word, and took our big girl to Chuck E Cheeses to celebrate! She did however proceed to potty in her big girl panties while we were there :) But I am happy to report that since then, she has been doing awesome!
So proud of you my big girl! Just in time to be a big sister too!

My little Mermaids

2011-07-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

We spent the last 2 weeks in swim lessons everyday, and they sure did pay off. Look at these girls go!

I sure am proud of these 2 little mermaids :)

July 4th Weekend

2011-07-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

July 4th for us was spent at my brother's house. I couldn't think of a better place to spend it than there! There was swimming, tons of food, lots of sweet smiles, and fireworks every which way you looked! No need for firework shows for us. Literally every direction you looked you would've seen fireworks. It was beautiful but loud. We had such a good time. Oh how I Love the laid back, just plain fun, summer Texas July 4th nights.

Here are some of the pics :

Foto Friday

2011-07-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

I just love them to pieces :)

We got a court date! CELEBRATE!

2011-07-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yes that is right....We really did get a court date! I didn't think this day would ever, ever come! This is really real; it's really happening!!!! We prayed and prayed that we would make it to court before the rainy season hit, and God, once again answered our prayers. This whole experience of Him answering prayers and really just unfolding every little detail for us has been humbling. I can't say enough that we are just in awe of our ever-so-powerful, loving, and personal God we get to serve!!!!!
One thing I did not know was how short our stay would be. We will get to meet our son, and spend 2 days with him at his orphanage, then we will appear in court and will leave for home that same day. All-in-all it's about a 4-day trip with an added 2 days extra for the travel. This trip will not be one of site-seeing and shopping. It will be all business. On our second trip we will have more time for site-seeing and such.
I cannot believe we are going to meet our little guy! We have been dreaming about him for a year and-a-half, and have been gazing at him and watching him grow in pictures for about 5 months, so it almost seems surreal. It will be so tough to leave him, but we know the sooner we go the sooner we will be able to return to bring him home!!!!!!!! Please be in prayer for us as we scramble to get this all put together before we go! Pray for this stay-at-home momma's heart that has to leave her 2 daughters behind as well! This is the part that is hard for me. I know, I know...they will be fine, and so will we, but those words don't seem to help me. It is for sure all worth it though! Please keep us in your prayers as God puts us on your minds to do so!

Summer Fun

2011-06-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

In the midst of this busy, hot summer we like to take some time every now and again to enjoy some fun in the sun with good friends, or else we would go crazy and so would our kids! We have to remember that summer definitely does mean work for us, but it also means a break from work for our school girl, and a little deserved playtime with friends is a must for both our kids and family!
We and about 4 other families decided to head over to Hawaiian Falls for the day! Afterwards we ended up at the nearby Sam's Club for dinner! Sounds funny, but they serve the big Nathan's hotdogs and drink for $1.50 as a combo meal! It was just what we needed! We are blessed beyond measure with such wonderful friends! We will definitely have to do it again before the summer is up :)
(All these photos were taken by my friend Jen. I stole them off of facebook )

Some of our kiddos coming down the big slide! FUN!

During craft time, the girls colored some wiggly little snakes :)

These smiles say it all!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!

And yes, that is my handsome husband sporting the biggest farmers tan ever! It's ok though, because he gets it honestly. He really is a farmer. He tried to even it out though. Now it looks like he is wearing an off-white shirt instead of a bright white one ;) Maybe next trip honey...lol!

NEWS!

2011-06-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

This week has been one full of news! First off this Monday we received new pics and an update on our little guy. We hadn't seen any new pics of him since he was 5 months old. He is now almost 9 months old, so he looks drastically different! He is doing amazingly well! I am so thankful he is in a place where he is well taken care of, loved and thriving! He is a happy little guy, smiles all the time, and is such a handsome little CHUNK! I love chunky babies!!!!! He has the sweetest round face and most kissable chubby cheeks! PRECIOUS! Can't wait to squeeze him!
Another bit of news we got was 2 days ago, we received an email that we were given a grant for our travel costs!!!!!! This was such a major load off for us! We are truly in awe of how God provided every cent for this adoption. Some of it we had to work for, and some of it He provided unexpectedly. One of our biggest concerns when we started this adoption was how we were going to come up with the money. We didn't want to get in debt, and we struggled if it was something we were up to. It was a financial risk for us. Thankfully the Lord wanted this adoption for us even more than we did, so He was very persistent in encouraging us to move forward. All throughout this journey we kept hearing Him whisper "trust me;" "I am your provider;" I will make a way;" "listen to me, not man." Our trust in the Lord in this was all we had to lean on. He was our constant source of encouragement and strength, and He kept His word. He made a way and provided and led us to our son debt-free! Looking back the whole story is stunning! It's an epic love story really and a testimony of how personal and powerful God is, and a perfect picture of how He is relentlessly fighting for His children. If you are hearing that little whisper of adoption in your ear, don't let money or fear turn you away. All God is waiting on is for someone to say yes to His calling. It is for sure a calling, definitely not something you want to do on a whim. It was so clear to us that this was what we were suppose to do, that there was really no option not to do it. Pray about it, and if you get a clear answer, TRUST HIM, and move forward. It won't be easy, but I promise God knows what He's doing, even when you feel like you don't.
Another bit of news came this morning. I got an email that our case was filed in court yesterday (AHHHHH!!!) That is me screaming with excitement and admittedly a little nervousness mixed in! The nervous part for me is leaving my girls behind and being on a plane for a day's worth of travel (oy). I haven't been on a plane for more than 4 hours before, so this is a littly scary to me. But again, he's worth it! We will know our travel date in about 3-4 more weeks. We had been praying that we would get a court date before the end of July. August and September is their rainy season, so the courts totally shut down for these months. This means if we don't get a date before the end of July, we will have to wait til October. Please join us in prayer for this. We would really LOVE to have him home before he
turns 1.
So that is it for all the news we had this week. I thought it was definitely share-worthy!

What's 1 more candle?!

2011-06-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

On May 26th we celebrated my Memaw's 99th birthday! Memaw is my dad's mom and she is 99 and still as sharp as a tack. Her short term memory challenges her a bit, but that's really about it. She's in pretty good shape for a 99 year old woman! She once told me the secret to getting old is to never sit down :)

We celebrated the evening with family and food, and just hanging out! It was a nice, relaxed evening!

We had to snap this picture even though she belly-ached about it a little! She doesn't care to have her picture taken, but she managed a little smile and we got our pic with the birthday girl! Happy birthday Memaw! We love you!

Olympic Day 2011

2011-06-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

Alyssa's last day of school was celebrated with Olympic Day! The kids played games, ate snow cones and ended the day with my favorite part, the wet tug-o-war. I don't think I ever laughed so hard!
First up were the Kindergarten boys!

c'mon boys...pull hard, you can do it!

Ohhhhhh! And they didn't do it! This was the funniest thing to me. They were pulling with all their might! The funniest part is the other team that won, were all upset that they had won, because they didn't get wet :)

Next up were the Kindergarten girls! They had already watched and learned and I think were ready to lose so they could get wet. Well, at least Breanna was :)

Alyssa and Lauren let go of the rope at the end but little Breanna kept a tight grip and fell right on in, big smile and all! It was so much fun to watch! Such a fun age!

Sweet girls

2011-06-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

Love these precious girls :)

A birthday and a graduation!

2011-05-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

This is our first family of 3 photo taken on May 20, 2005.

Our little Alyssa Joy was born, and her arrival was not a quick one.

After laboring for 27 1/2 hours {whew} Aaron and I finally got to lay our eyes on the absolute cutest little baby girl we had ever seen:)
I cannot believe that she is already 6! This week we celebrated her birthday and her Kindergarten graduation all at the same time.
This year has been a year of big strides for for Miss Alyssa! She started and finished Kindergarten, learned to read and write, learned to ride her bicylce without training wheels, and can recite more verses in the Bible than I can. We couldn't be more proud! Our sweet girl is just that...SWEET! She can be sensative and tender-hearted. She has a quiet and gentle spirit (like her daddy), but is also very adventurous (like her daddy also.) She loves to play hard and isn't afraid to get dirty. I don't think she has met a bug yet that she is afraid of! I have to keep my eye on her and make sure she doesn't try to pick up any dangerous ones :) She is brave, but cautious, and sweet, but feisty at times. She has strong convictions and is well behaved and respectful. She was awarded at school for having superior behavior, no bad marks for the whole year (so proud)! She is as bashful and quiet as they come, (around others), but has no problem performing in front of people. If you ever say hello to her, you better listen closely or you will miss the ever-so-quiet hello back to you. She doesn't care about being the center of attention at all, and doesn't show her emotions too often around anyone. She enjoys spicy food, and she still loves rootbeer flavored anything. She has a new found love for pizza rolls and also loves cinnamon flavored applesauce and salt and vinegar chips. Her favorite vegetables are carrots and sweet potatoes and she loves raspberries. Alyssa is playful and loving towards her little sister, and prays for and talks about her baby brother all the time. She loves rollerskating, ice skating, swimming, riding her bike outside, and watching movies. She discovered Justin Bieber this year with the help of her new friends in Kindergarten:) but is still a Taylor Swift fan as well. She's just a fun girl and it's such a joy being her mom! I feel blessed everyday that God chose me to be her mom! I love her to pieces!

Graduation night

with her friend Ashtyn

Her principal. Mrs. Chapman, handing Alyssa her diploma

And some birthday party fun!

Happy birthday and graduation Alyssa Joy! You shine so bright sweet girl, and me and dad are so stinkin proud of you!

REFERRAL!

2011-05-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

YES! We got our referral this afternoon!!!! We are JUMPING FOR JOY!!!We got the much waited and anticipated (and almost felt like it would never happen) phone call from Kathy at CHI! We couldn't be more excited! Words cannot accurately describe how grateful to God and overjoyed we are! God called and we said yes, and He literally guided our every step of this journey. Yes, some of the times weren't easy, but I wouldn't trade "the wait" for anything. For it is in "the wait" that we have been stretched in our faith, and drawn closer to the Father. Aaron and I have even become closer to each other, unified more than we have ever been. We have learned there is a season of waiting and sitting at the Father's feet, and trusting Him for literally EVERYTHING! I think the key lesson in "the wait" is TRUST! Even when things don't seem right or make sense, or even if others are against you, or fear or discouragement tries to creep in, TRUST HIM! So those of you who are still in the middle of "the wait," take heart, and keep trusting. God knows exactly what He is doing! Your time will come too, and we will be celebrating along-side you :)
As for us now, we begin our new "wait." We now wait on our court date once our papers are submitted. :)
Thank you to every single person who has been praying for us and our son! We are more than grateful for your prayers!

Depraved Indifference

2011-05-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

I can't remember if I shared this before, but I figured it's good enough to share twice if I did :)

2011 Farmer's Market kickoff

2011-05-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

What's new with us? Last weekend we kicked off the 2011 Farmer's Market! I was so excited to see all the new vendors this year. What I was most excited to see added was the artisan bread vendor and the grass fed meat, cheese, milk, and eggs vendor. This is just the very beginning of the busy season for us, but it also is the start of all the good yummy local foods we get spoiled on during the season, not to mention a little savings on our fruit and veggie portion of our grocery bill :)
On the adoption front, we are still waiting for our referral. We do however expect to get it at literally any second now! Don't worry, I will let you know as soon as we hear anything. I have a feeling we are going to have all kinds of good news to share with you very soon :) In the meantime, feast your eyes on some of the pics I took at the market.

Homemade pastas

Local honey

locally homemade soaps

Grass fed meats!!!!!

Flavored cooking oils

Artisan breads

fresh roasted coffee (so good!)

Just pies!

Homemade toffee ( Oh my word! Too good)

Tamales

Lavendar Farmers bring lots of beautiful product!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T19:47:00.001-07:00

I sure am thankful for my mom! Everyday she would tell me and my brother that we were the "apple of her eye."
I love you mom! You are the cream in my coffee ;)Thanks for being such a sweet momma!
This is my all time favorite picture of us!

The cutest!

2011-05-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't the best quality of pictures,( I took a picture of the picture) but I just had to share the absolute cutest Kindergarten class I think I ever saw :) Can you see my Alyssa? She is wearing a long sleeve white polo and is sitting in between the 2 cutie patootie Calebs from Ethiopia :) (Second girl on the second row)

A little bit of Ethiopia in our hometown :)

2011-04-25T17:21:00.001-07:00

Alyssa, our oldest daughter, shares her Kindergarten class with a sweet boy named Caleb, who happens to be from Ethiopia. There are actually 2 Caleb's from Ethiopia in her class. How cool is that?! Anyway, at all the little class parties and birthdays, I have gotten acquainted with Caleb's mom, Ginet. Of course I pursued her and asked her questions about Ethiopia and talked with her about our adoption and she invited us over to her house for dinner Easter Sunday night. When we pulled up to their house, cars lined the side of the road. We had no idea we were joining a BIG family Easter celebration, and also had no idea how much of a treat we were in for either. Have you ever walked into a place and you didn't know anyone, and everyone was staring at you, and it just felt completely awkward? Well, it wasn't like that at all. I think we learned a few things about hospitality and how to make a person feel welcome, accepted and loved while visiting with these amazing people. From the moment we walked in the door, we were greeted with big smiles and handshakes from everyone adorned in their beautiful traditional Ethiopian clothing. We were served Doro Wott, Minchet Abish, Tibs, Kitfo, cabbage, greens, injera, of course, home made bread, cheese, and cake. To say we were miserably stuffed would be an understatement. It was an Ethiopian feast, and it was all so delicious. Once we couldn't eat another bite, they turned on the traditional Ethiopian music and we got to witness a little dancing outside. It was so great!

The beautiful ladies doing their little shoulder shaking dance :)

It was really awesome to watch our girls join in on the fun and dancing. From the moment we arrived, Alyssa and Aubrey made themselves right at home.

There was a little soccer playing.

And Aaron's highlight of the evening was chatting it up with the men on the back porch. To say he loved it, wouldn't be enough. They talked to Aaron about his farming and thought it was wonderful that he was a farmer; talked to him about their homeland and coffee farming there; and of course about our son. You could definitely sense the pride they all carried for Ethiopia, and they were excited and honored that God had given us a love for their culture. They were eager to share it with us, and were all very supportive and happy for our adoption.
One of my highlights of the evening was when all the men came in, and each one came up to me and shook my hand and told me that my husband was a great man and how happy it has made them to be able to sit and talk with him. Their sincerity and graciousness was so refreshing.

As the evening went on, I couldn't quit smiling. I was just thinking how good God was and how He orchestrated every little detail of this adoption. Even down to putting Alyssa in the same class as Caleb and giving us connections to local Ethiopian people. Our intentions all along have been to teach our son about his culture, and keep that alive for him. We want him to know where he was born and to always be proud of that. I smile knowing that is God's heart as well.
There is just something there. Aaron and I share the same feeling together. It can only be explained as something God put there. It's a new passion that He planted within our hearts for obvious reasons. He gave us His heart for them. He couldn't trust us to be parents to one of His Ethiopian children if we didn't respect and love and understand their culture. It's just a beautiful thing. We are so excited and honored that God called us on this great adventure. We still have much to learn and look forward to reconnecting and soaking in more.

Alyssa with Caleb and some new friends

And as I said before, our children had no trouble at all making themselves at home. Aubrey even decided she would join the littles for a bath :) Greatness!

Easter

2011-04-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year.

Our girls bedazzled the most beautiful eggs you ever saw :)

They woke up to their baskets full of goodies and a creative impromtu breakfast from mom and dad :)

Then after a wonderful church service we headed over to Memaw's house for some lunch and a big egg hunt.

Counting and looking through their big finds :)

And this cute little lady with the girls is my Memaw. She is my grandmother, and the girl's great grandmother. She will be 99 years old in May of this year! She kept telling me all day long what a wonderful day it was to have all the family gathered. She is so proud of her family, and rightfully so. It was a wonderful day!

Nothing But The Blood

2011-04-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

My beautiful Savior...all that is good within me is because of you! You died for me and now I live for you. I am so thankful for Friday and rejoice in Sunday!

I can kinda be crafty :)

2011-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

I am not the most crafty or creative person on the face of the planet, but sometimes I can pull something cute out of the craft gene pool every now and again. Well, at least we think it's cute.

I spruced up some Easter baskets for the girls with some feathers and a few flowers and butterflies.
It may not look like anything real special....

....but they liked it, and that's all that counts :)

Spring is upon us and summer is around the corner :)

2011-04-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Oh the beauty in Texas right now! The bluebonnets are in full bloom covering the ground like a blue and white blanket. Everywhere you look you see cars stopped on the side of the road and people taking advantage of the picture perfect fields, including us.

We normally would have gotten dressed up in pretty little white sundresses, but we decided to stop on our way home from a long day's work at the farm. Hence the ball caps and dirty shirts :) But hey, don't look at us, look at the bluebonnets :)

But of course we think these 2 look cute no matter what...messy hair, dirty-faced and all!

So Spring brings the bluebonnets, but it also brings us a lot of work. My husband's main job is farming, and this is planting time. We finally got some much needed rain, and it is so great to see the beginnings of our crops popping up. Pictured below is the first sightings of our main crop, okra. I know a lot of you that read our blog have never even tried okra or may not have even heard of it, but in our neck of the woods, it is a summertime staple. SO GOOD! It's so funny, at our fruit stand in the summer when someone tells me they don't like okra, I always ask them where they are from. 90% of the time they are not from Texas.

This below is our organically grown spinach

One of my favorites....white Swiss chard.

Our little friend the lady bug.

And this is what we did this past Sunday...we planted over 300 of these little guys... tomato vines. So much for a day of rest... lol! We still have about 300 more to go. It was a lot of fun actually. I enjoy spending time with my family and watching my husband and helping him do what he loves is rewarding in itself. Alyssa loves to be outside and catch bugs and play in the dirt, so she was content as could be, but our little princess Aubrey had the least amount of fun I would say. We had to take a little trip to Nanny's house to give her a break from the icky bugs and dirt :) No, really she was a trooper too even though she stayed in the back of dad's truck most of the time :)

And this is our newest addition to our business this year. After looking for a couple of years and dreaming, God finally blessed Aaron with a work truck. It's a refrigerated reefer truck, perfect for making long haul okra and squash deliveries. We are very proud and grateful to have this handy dandy of a truck!

So great to see how God has blessed our farming business every year! I am amazed and so proud of my hard working man, and am thankful for my hard working dad that helps us tremendously as well! He's pretty handy dandy himself :) We are so blessed!

Rice Crispies with a twist!

2011-04-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

I was at a Scentsy party this weekend and our host had made rice crispie treats. One lady was enjoying one and said that her kids like it when she makes them with fruity pebbles. I thought, 'Oh my goodness, what a great idea!' My kids LOVE fruity pebbles so I thought I would give it a whirl.

All you need is:
a bag of mini marshmallows,
a box of fruity pebbles
and 1 stick of butter

And yes, my fingernails do match the multicolored cookie. Me and the girls were trying on colors at the store :)

Aubrey and my nephew, Kyle are my guinea pigs...AND.......

...All smiles. That's a good sign. Kyle told me,"Aunt Stacy I love these so much. I want to take some home with me." So of course I will have to abide and make the handsome little sweetie a whole batch for his birthday! He turns 5 this week!
Colorful, simple and fun for the kids. I can't believe I never thought of it on my own.

A day of overcoming!

2011-04-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a small dream that you have kind of always wanted to do, but were a little bit of a chicken to do it? Well I have, and today I took a small step towards that little dream of mine.
You see, I really enjoy fitness. I love it! I am in the gym 5 days a week, and I find nutrition and the way the body works, and how it responds to certain foods fascinating. It's just interesting to me. I am passionate about keeping my body fit the healthy way. If I ever went back to school, I would focus on nutrition classes.
Just a little background about me. I am not at all a skinny girl. In fact, even though I am physically in the best shape of my life (heart fitness wise) you probably wouldn't guess by the looks of me that I work hard in the gym 5 days a week. I guess you could call me "curvy" lol! But underneath all my soft curves, I know I have got lots of muscle and a strong heart hehe ;)
I have had to always work my hardest to look MY best. Let me reiterate that...MY BEST! When I was a teenager I felt the pressure to be beautiful, and to be thin. I took diet pills, and from a very early age (6th grade), struggled with an eating disorder. In my walk with the Lord, I have been able to overcome those things. When I had Alyssa, my first daughter, I knew it wasn't something I wanted to pass onto her. The Lord really highlighted for me that it was a spiritual battle, a stronghold that Satan holds over many women, and that was something I could have passed down to my children. So of course, I broke it off. I didn't want my girls struggling the same tortuous way I had.
I won't lie to you, it still can be battle. Satan loves to rehash old feelings and emotions and temptations and tries to bring it back up again. I will sometimes get envious of the woman with the flat stomach and tiny waist. But instead of staying in that place of jealousy, now I can recognize it for what it is and stop it before it gets too bad. I refuse to entertain that anymore. Now my strength and knowledge comes from the Lord, and with that I can overcome anything. It took me a long time to get here, and even though in my bad moments I can still get down on myself, I have come to grips finally in my adulthood that I am who I am. This is the way God made me, and I want to be the best I can be. Not like the girl next to me, just me. God has taught me a lot in the past 6 years (since I had my children, and my body has drastically changed) what beauty is to Him. I have been able to see myself for the first time through His eyes. And I do thank Him 'for I am beautifully and wonderfully made.'
I think all my past struggles has led me to being passionate about fitness and taking care of this one and only body the Lord has blessed me with the healthy way.

So back to my small dream. For about 3-4 years now I have wanted to teach a class at the gym, but I have been such a chicken. I don't like to be the center of attention. I would rather stay in the back of the room where no one notices me, but for some reason, I wanted to teach a class, and that want never went away. Maybe God wanted an average-sized girl up front for all the other average-sized girls who are working their hardest everyday. You know...a girl who understands. Or maybe he just wanted to push me out of my comfort zone and encourage me to do something uncomfortable. He likes to do that ya know...it's called growth! Who knows, but for years I have let lies stop me. I had all these little fears rise up....'what if they don't take you seriously because you don't look like Gillian,' or 'what if you get up there and forget what you are suppose to do,' or 'I can't talk and workout at the same time. How am I going to lead without talking?' lol!
You know and I know those voices of doubt and fear are from the enemy, so I FINALLY stopped listening to that and took a baby step today. I made a surprise cameo appearance during my morning spin class! I DID IT!!!! For just one song, I led the class full force. I did a racing song where we did standing sprints to "Whip It" by little Willow Smith.(I love that song) With my heart pounding and my body running on adrenaline, I think I led strong. I even whipped my hair back and forth a couple times...hahaha! It went by fast and it was fun! So today marks a milestone of a first for me and a realization of a small dream and goal of mine....a day of overcoming! Before you know it, I will be leading my own class. I feel good!
Another little dream of mine would be to sing in the middle of a charismatic dancing choir, fully robed with a tambourine in hand, like on 'Sister Act'..hahaha! I would totally love that! Who knows...maybe one day :)

Hope's Gate

2011-03-31T15:06:00.001-07:00

(photo by Jen Price)

Some friends of mine are arriving home today from being in India for 11 days. They went to minister to women who have been exploited and sold into slavery, and also visited with orphans while they were there. God gave my friend, Patty, a vision to start a jewelry project to help these exploited women who have been rescued from the streets, to have a means of income and a better life. This ministry is called "Hope's Gate. Here is the web address to the Hope's Gate blog: http://blog.hopesgate.org/
When you read it, your heart will break at the stories and things these women, some very young girls, have to endure, but you will also be encouraged by the hope these women and children have in the Lord. Just this simple thing, jewelry making, is helping to change their lives. Please check out this awesome ministry.

Spring Break Fun

2011-03-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

We wanted to do something as a family this Spring Break, but we didn't want to break the bank on a vacation, so we decided to take a 2-day staycation instead. First we ventured over to Glen Rose to Fossil Rim and went on a little African safari Texas style. Aaron and I had gone before when we were newly married but never had taken our kiddos. Needless to say, they loved it. All these "wild" animals walked right up to our car in hopes of getting a little snack fed to them :)

With a little nap in between stops ....

We then headed over to Ennis to the Galaxy drive in movie theater. This was all of our favorite stops on our staycation. Did you know that in the U.S. there use to be over 4,000 drive-in movie theaters and now there are only 400 left? This is so sad, seeing how much fun this place was. And very economical compared to the big indoor theaters we are all use to now-a-days. For a grand total of $31.00 we got 4 tickets to see not one, but TWO 3-D movies, a Lg. popcorn, m&ms, 2 drinks, a hotdog and a pizza! $31.00 wouldn't even pay our way into the movie theater at our local theater;and don't even get me started on the robbing that takes place at the concession area :) We had so much fun! We laid out a big quilt, the girls had their pillow pets they laid on, and covered up with blankets, and we all enjoyed the movie outside in the perfect weather we have been getting. It was wonderful! We will defintely go do this again. Next time we will take the truck and some lawn chairs perhaps.

Our last stop the next day was Six Flags. We had a good time, but will NEVER go again during Spring break. It was so crowded we could barely walk through the mobs of people. Our girls, however, did get to ride their first tiny roller coaster. We stood in line for about an hour to get on it, but it was worth it just to hear those belly laughs.

Makeover

2011-03-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love and am thankful for this man who is willing to put asside his masculinity for the sake of entertaining his daughters :)

Now please don't tell him I posted these or he will kill me ;)

Rescue The Perishing - Jackie Castro

2011-03-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

This is just beautiful!

Some Good Medicine

2011-03-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

In the midst of this hard week with the news of MOWA decreasing Ethiopian Adoptions by 90%, we thought we needed to take our minds off things and gather with a group of our friends and have some fun. These are the ones we can completely and totally always be ourselves around. We are like-minded with similar hearts, and everytime we come together it is a time of fun and refreshing. We are so thankful for the friends God has put in our lives....SO THANKFUL for you all.

"Everytime I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began a good work within you will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:3-8

Urgent need to pray!

2011-03-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Please everyone that reads our blog. There is an urgent need to pray for Ethiopia. I talked with a sweet woman on the phone yesterday about our son, and she reminded me that this is a battle. Satan HATES adoption, because it is the very picture of God's heart. We need to be battling for the children in Ethiopia. How do we do that? We pray. Please pass this information along. PLEASE read below:

I copied the below things to pray for from our agency's blog.

These prayer guidelines about the adoption program in Ethiopia come from
Tom Davis at Red Letters

1. For God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

God is in control. For those of you who are facing being stuck, remember that God is in control.

2. For God to breakdown strongholds of the enemy.

Every child deserves the right to grow up in a health family, and adoptive families provide that for thousands of children each year. Pray that God would demolish the strongholds that are set up against adoption.

3. For God to fulfill His promises.

God defines Himself as the Father to the Fatherless. He declares He will set the lonely in families. He warns those who would interfere with His plan to bring justice and mercy that is due to them. Find the orphan scriptures, pray them to God, and ask Him to fulfill those promises to the children of Ethiopia now.

4. For the courts and judges and government officials making this decision.

Ask the Holy Spirit to permeate the courtroom and convict the hearts of the judges and other government officials. Bring the power of the Holy Spirit into these discussions and proceedings--not that we would get our way--but that God's perfect will would be fulfilled in these decisions.

5. For the children and families

That God would shorten their wait times. Fortunately, God is bigger than these obstacles. Pray that waiting children would receive comfort. And pray that waiting families would experience peace, grace, and love from those around them.

While things are uncertain, our best response today is prayer.

AMEN!!

Fun with Cousins!

2011-03-05T06:40:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we had my sweet neices Avery and Emery stay the night with us. Our girls were so excited! Avery and Emery are their 2 favorite people in the entire world. The night consisted of bike riding outside til dark, tea parties, movie watching and cookie making.

All cozy on a bean bag pallet.

We decided to make rice crispies on a stick!

We dipped them in chocolate, caramel, sprinkles, m&ms, and coconut. They sure were messy......

but they sure were good :)

A Team of Support!

2011-02-26T06:29:00.001-08:00

(from left to right, Aaron & Stacy; Trent & Stephanie; Jason & Kendra; Bruce & Patty)

Throughout this whole journey of adoption, Aaron and I have felt that God wasn't going to stop there with this passion He has laid on our hearts. We have always felt as though there is something more that God wants us to do, in addition to adopting our son. Thoughts of starting an orphan-centered ministry within our church always seemed to pop up in our minds, until we heard one day...."why don't you do something with that?" So we talked and we prayed about what it was that God was wanting us to do, and Aaron felt as though starting an adoption-centered home team would be the best place to start. This way we are in community with other family's with the same passion as us, and we can establish relationship with them on a weekly basis. And so that is what we did, we put the information out there and had 3 families who were willing to jump in with us. So for this last year, we have met every Wednesday night in our home, and discussed and prayed and have gotten to know each other's stories and hearts and visions, and have really learned so much from each other. We have in our group me and Aaron who are in process of our first adoption from Ethiopia; Trent and Stephanie, who adopted Evie from Russia, and are now praying for their next step in pursuing adoption again; Jason and Kendra, who brought home sweet Eleni from Ethiopia in July of 2010, and Bruce and Patty who adopted Sarah from India, and have been YWAM missionaries and orphan advocates for many years now. At the beginning of our meeting times, we really didn't know where to start. We honestly didn't feel as though we knew what we were doing, but also knew that was ok. God knows exactly what He's doing and that was enough for us. Not too long after starting, Kerri and Dan (some leaders in our church, who also happen to be in the process of adopting 13 year-old, Sasha, from Russia) gave us a DVD and study guide that they suggested we start watching as a group. The DVD/study guide was "Empowered to Connect" by Dr. Karen Purvis. "Empowered to Connect" has been a great learning tool for our group. With their permission to share, when we first started the study, Kendra and Jason were struggling with their adjustment to bringing 2 year-old Eleni home. Eleni didn't want anything to do with Jason, and wouldn't let Kendra leave her side. Jason took a month off from work to help with bonding to Eleni, and struggled having an understanding of why Eleni wouldn't give him the time of day. It was heartbreaking for him as a dad, and strenuous on Kendra and Jason's marriage. To top it off, Kendra and Jason also have 2 biological sons and their youngest son, was also having a hard time adjusting to his new sister. It was a hard time for them, but they pressed on and today Eleni is well-adjusted, has 2 brothers that adore her, and has a strong bond with both her mom and dad. Kendra and Jason enjoyed "Empowered to Connect" and mentioned that they wish it was something that their agency would have suggested as a tool for them. Kendra mentioned that while you are in the process of adopting, you do all this reading and preparing for your child to come home and you think you are ready. But then when reality sets in, and you are in the midst of a difficult adjustment time, she feels that Empowered to Connect could serve as a great time of learning and walking you through those first months of adjustment. For Aaron and myself, this time for us has been a huge time of growth and learning. Before meeting with this group I guess you could say we were oblivious to the realities of the possible difficulties we could face with our adoption. We weren't really prepared. Listening to everyone else's testimonies and difficulties they faced, at times scared us half to death. There were moments, when we would hear something from someone in the group, or Dr. Purvis would start discussing a hard reality, and I, more so than Aaron, would freak out, and say..."oh my gosh, what are we doing? Are we really up for this? This is when I realized that adoption is for sure a calling. Caring for the orphan and the widow is something all of us as followers of Jesus are called to do, and that can come in MANY forms. Adopting a child, however, is a specific calling. Aaron and I would always have to remind ourselves of the clear call we received, and the many confirmations we received along the journey to keep us moving forward. Without our group and without having "Empowered to Connect" as a learning tool, I don't think Aaron and I would be ready to bring our son home. I can say with confidence that we are for sure called, we are prepared, and with the help of this team of wonderful people around us to pray for us and lean on for support, we are ready to go get our son. We can't wait! We are so grateful that God led us to do this. I am convinced that without it, we wouldn't be in the place where we are now, this place of growth, and peace and pure excitement. Community is so important.

(Eleni and Aubrey, little buddies, and...Kendra and I joke...future sisters-in-law, because Eleni and our son are going to get married..lol)

80's flashback

2011-02-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

No, that's not a little boy on that bicycle with a basket, and no, that's not JFK pushing the bicylcle. That was me and my dad back in 1984....the very first day he took the training wheels off for me. I was in Kindergarten, and my mom wrote beneath the picture that I kept telling him to let go that I could do it by myself.

This is Alyssa and her dad 27 years later on her first day to have the training wheels come off, same age as I was, in Kindergarten. We heard the same words a few times come out of her mouth...."let go, I can do it by myself," followed by some crying and frustrating rants, then joyful celebration once she went a little ways by herself.

Aaron made the comment that this was such a sweet time for him. He looks forward to things like this, and Alyssa was so over-the-moon excited. It's a sweet memory that she will have forever...the day her dad took the training wheels off. That's a memory with my dad that I will forever remember, and I know Alyssa will too. As I have gotten a little older (not much older, just a little) I have come to appreciate and cherish days like these. It was an exciting day at our house!

Oh, and little Aubrey also learned to pedal the tricycle like a champ :)

Esther Havens

2011-02-19T15:16:00.000-08:00

I accidentally came upon a photographer's website, which I am in love with. Esther Havens is her name, and she has traveled the world as a humanitarian photographer. Her pictures are so beautiful and eye-opening, and in my opinion, capture the Father's heart for His beautiful people. I wish I could buy every one of them! Check out her website. 100% of the profit of the prints bought goes towards future humanitarian story projects.
http://store.estherhavens.com/

Update

2011-02-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in a while about where we are in our adoption, because we have been in this waiting mode for the past month. A LOT of VERY exciting things have happened and I can't wait to spill the testimony, but we are still waiting on some things before I feel comfortable telling the whole world just yet! Let me just say that God LOVES to stun us and knock our socks off! He is so good at it too :)
But in the meantime, we will just continue to wait. We had a minor setback with some extra paperwork that needed to be gathered, but in the end it will all be for the best. I have been ok with the waiting for the most part...but in the last 2 weeks, I have just wanted to go get my son. In church the other morning I was dreaming about him, and I could literally almost feel him on me, laying on my chest, me cradling him. Maybe God is just preparing my heart even more for his arrival, and maybe it will be sooner than we all expect :) But as we wait, please continue to pray for our little guy and us, and for provision for the remainder of the cost of everything. Just FYI...we still have plenty of men's and women's t-shirts available that you can purchase on our blog here. Check out the top right-hand corner.

How about another recipe for a cold winter day..Taco Soup

2011-02-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

Since it's so darn cold outside again, I thought I would share another family favorite recipe.....TACO SOUP
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 onion chopped
1 16 oz can corn undrained
2 16 oz cans white homony undrained
1 16 oz can ranch style beans undrained
1 16 oz can drained and rinsed dark kidney beans
1 32 oz can diced tomaotes undrained
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 10z can of rotel
1 packet of ranch dressing seasoning
1 packet of taco seasoning

-Brown meat and onion together in a big stew pot.
Add all the canned ingredients plus about 3 cups of water or more if needed. Simmer on low heat for about 30-45 min.

*We like to serve with cheese and avocado slices on top. It's also great with fritos in the bottom of it! Perfect hearty dish for such cold days in!

Happy 3rd Aubrey Faith!

2011-02-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Aubrey Faith was born 3 years ago today weighing in at 9 lbs and 7 oz. I had her all natural in a birthing tub. It was altogether, the hardest, most painful, and most wonderful thing I have ever done. When she came up out of the water, her eyes were as wide and bright as they could be. This is our first picture together...I was obviously a little worn out :)

We were so happy to be able to bring her home the same day we had her. Here is our first family photo the day Aubrey was born :)

And this is our little sweetheart at 3 years old. Where does the time go? Aubrey is truly full of so much joy and is such a fun little person to be around. She is outgoing and happy most of the time. She is an encourager and a cuddler. Right now she loves Dora, baby dolls, playing dressup, coloring on anything and everything, orange juice and cheetos. She has a little grin that makes my heart melt everytime she smiles at me. She is such a sweet and protective little sister and she CANNOT WAIT to give her little brother kisses. Aubrey Faith we love you so much and are blessed every single day by you and your sweet smiles and vibrant personailty. You are one-of-a-kind. Happy Birthday my baby!

Snowy Fun!

2011-02-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

So this is what we woke up to yesterday morning! Once again, for the 4th day...no school!

Never before in our neck of the woods have I seen such beautiful, perfectly glistening snow! It was so fluffy and so shimmery!

Enormous Snowman we drove past :)

Look at this snowflake! It's not a great picture (blurry), but it was so miraculous! All these beautiful perfect snowflakes were falling most of the day. Even the smallest things, God puts so much detail into!

We had to get out and play in this.....
Running start

2 peas in a pod...Dad and Alyssa played ALL DAY LONG!

Alyssa is like her Dad...she is our adventurous child...she loved every minute of it!

Aubrey says..."forget that cold weather, I will cheer you on from the truck!"

And then we came home and ate nachos :)

FUN TIMES WITH THE REEVES FAMILY!!!!

Cold days in

2011-02-03T16:10:00.001-08:00

In Texas, we aren't very use to super cold, so if you live here now, you may hear a lot of complaining, because it is COLD! We have had a big ice storm, not snow, ICE, which caused our electricity to go out for a few hours, and my daughter to be out of school for 3 days. On top of that, me and my little one had the flu for those 3 days, which was AWFUL, but all is better now. In saying all that, I do not like the ice on the roads, but I don't mind the cold at all. I kinda like it. I enjoy being forced inside with my 3 favorite people, and I love snuggling by the fireplace and watching movies. Our summers are so busy and hectic, I enjoy the peaceful stay-ins of the winter. One of our favorite things to do is s'mores, of course, in the fireplace. We do it up right over here. Have you ever made a s'more with Nutella? It's to die for! You gotta try it!

words, Words, WORDS!

2011-01-29T18:52:00.001-08:00

The power of a word is a subject that I am most passionate about. Words can lift a person's spirits when they are feeling low. Words can let someone know how much you care about them and love them. Words can bring healing to someone's soul. Words can be artistic and poetic. Our words give us the opportunity to express our hearts out loud. Did you know that speaking a kind word to someone in desperate need of some encouragement could be life-changing and life-giving? Did you also know that words have the opposite effect on people? Words can crush someone's spirit. Words can make a person feel like they are nothing or like they have no self-worth. Words can hurt someone so bad that they actually feel physical pain from those words being spoken over them. Lying and hurtful words can usher in things like low-self esteem and insecurity, self-loathing, bitterness and pain. One of Satan's biggest tools he likes to use are people's words. He loves to twist things and make people believe things about themselves that are lies. If a person hears a negative word (lie) spoken over them too many times throughout their life, eventually they are likely to start believing that lie. This hurts my heart so badly! I wonder about the girl who starves herself or purges because she feels as though she needs to look a certain way for someone to love her...I wonder what lie she believed that caused her to think that her value was in her outer appearance. I wonder about the young man who believes that he is a loser and won't ever amount to anything in life, so he might as well just quit school now and forget about his dreams....I wonder who first uttered the word "loser" to him. I wonder about the young girl who gives herself to boys over and over because she feels this is how to receive love and attention.....I wonder what lie she believed that made sex and attention from boys the definition of love. I think about each of these people and I wonder who it was that first spoke a word over them while they were still children. Was it their mom or dad, or a grandparent? Maybe it could've been a teacher, or a brother or sister. Perhaps a bully at school, or even a "friend". Whoever it was, Satan took that word as a seed and planted it into that child's head and then each time that same word came up, he watered it, and it took root and grew, until finally it was deep rooted and that child had grown into an adult who believed a lie that someone had spoken over them at an early age. They not only believed it, but they were walking out that lie in their life.
The good news is that we have the choice to speak words of life over people. Words that lift a person up, not words that bring them down. Have you ever been around a person that had the gift of encouragement? Every time you are around them, they say something nice, and encouraging, calling out the best in you? I don't know about you, but I LOVE being around encouragers. My youngest daughter was born with the gift of encouragement. In fact, one day my oldest daughter, Alyssa told me, "mom, when we grow up, I am going to be a singer and Aubrey is going to be an encourager." So precious that even my five-year-old could see that in my 2-year-old...AND she was calling it out in her! Oh yes, there is never a day that goes by that Aubrey doesn't make me feel as though I am the best thing since sliced bread and the most beautiful momma on the planet! Some people are born with that gift, and it just comes naturally. Others of us have to be a little more purposeful. So the next time you get upset at your kiddos or your spouse, and you feel like calling them a "spoiled brat" or a "trouble maker" or a "lazy bum" please think twice. Think about what seed could be growing there, or what is already there and you could be watering. And I want to encourage you to speak words of life to people around you. Be a blessing to them. Bless them with words of life!

Proverbs 18:21 (The Message)
"Words kill, words give life;
they're either poison or fruit—you choose."

Dossier finished!

2011-01-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

I think the title says it all! Our final round of paperwork is now complete! I can't believe we have made it this far! YAY GOD! And so we wait, and we pray for our little guy :)

How about another recipe....homemade granola bars.

2011-01-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ingredients:

2 cups oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup peanuts or almonds, crushed
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
approximately 8 oz. dried fruit (I like to use raisins and cranberries and sometimes dates)
Before getting started prepare a casserole dish or baking pan by lining with wax paper, and spraying with non stick spray and set asside.
In another baking dish add oats, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and peanuts. Mix together and put in the oven for about 15 min until toasted, stirring the mix every 3 min or so, to even it out.
While that is being toasted, combine brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla and salt in a pot and melt on top of stove.
After the oat mix is nice and toasted, pour the liquid mixture over the top and mix evenly. Transfer the mix to the wax paper-lined pan for cooling. Spread evenly and cover the top with another piece of wax paper, and press down all over firmly to pack it tightly together. Set asside and let it cool completely for about 2 hours. When finished remove from wax paper and cut into serving sizes and enjoy! Simple, nutritious and yummy.
* I like to play with the recipe and add unsweetened flaked coconut and frozen dark chocolate bits to the mix. I think the possibilities are endless :)

MLK

2011-01-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and every mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.

With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to climb up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that, let freedom, ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi and every mountainside.

And when this happens, when we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old spiritual, 'Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.' "

Today I am more thankful than ever for the sacrifices and the courageous stand that Martin Luther King, Jr. lost his life fighting for. He was a 'prophet and a Moses' of his time, delivering people to their promise land. Today I think he would be proud of the difference he made in the lives of so many people. It was obvious through his speeches that he had a close relationship with the Lord. He was an obedient servant in which God used to change the history of our world and impact the lives of so many. God used him to change things that grieved His heart so deeply.
I can't help but wonder what Dr. King would be doing today if he were still alive. I bet he would have something to say about abortion, the rights of the ones with no voice yet. What do you think?

We won't be on a waitlist!

2011-01-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Come to find out our agency doesn't have a waitlist. I guess getting caught up in reading blogs of everyone else's journey, I just assumed ours would be the same. Once you are approved to be able to view their waiting children's list of paper ready children, you can log on and see if God is speaking to you about a particular child/children. If He is, you can request a referral for that child and come to an agreement with the agency about the referral. If not, you wait until more children are added, and God does highlight your child for you. I love this! I was told that from day one of them bringing a child into their care, the children are prayed over with them knowing that God already has a forever family in mind for that child. Knowing that they have been praying for our child and us, has made such a big difference on the whole journey we have been on. He has led us straight to where we needed to be, and has spoken to us on so many personal levels. His confirmation has been mind blowing at times. When we first contacted Ethiopia YWAM, they urged us before we made any decisions to sign with them or not, to take some time to pray and ask if this is the right place for us. At the very first of our journey we rushed into the process with a different agency out of us just being anxious to get started, and we lost some money that we had already put into it. We had that feeling of maybe this isn't quite where we should be. So we prayed about it and felt God say, 'nope, this isn't the agency that will lead you to your son,' and He led us to YWAM. This time with YWAM's advice to pray, we took our time...about a month... and made for certain that it was the place for us and we went for it. Since then, God has spoken so clearly letting us in on clues about our son. Even though we have felt a little frazzled over the paperwork and what we were doing, God has continued to stun us, and show us that He's got this! I guess my point in all of this is just to say that I am so thankful God speaks to us! When we have the ears to listen and take the time to seek Him, He speaks! We are truly in awe of Him, and are so grateful!

Approved!!!!

2011-01-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

In less than 1 week after we got our fingerprints taken with USCIS, today we got our 171-H in the mail!!! I opened it and looked at it and didn't even know what it was until Aaron told me it was our approval. I argued with him and said..."no, it can't be." I thought it was a receipt or something from our appointment. They had told us that it would take 4 weeks to process, so I just wasn't expecting them this quick at all, therefore, kind of didn't believe it.
After me reading over it MANY times and Aaron pointing to the bottom where it says
"171-H form," and where it says "APPROVED" in all caps on the front, I finally believed it (lol!) I am so thankful that God knows what He is doing, and that He is in control! So we should be on the waitlist shortly. Stay tuned and I will let you know, when we hear anything else!

Snowy days

2011-01-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

So this is what it looks like in our neck of the woods this morning.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to cancel school.
(the extra little cutie in the picture is my sweet nephew, Kyle :)

Melkam Genna and some fingerprints!

2011-01-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

Melkam Genna means Merry Christmas in Ethiopia. Today in Ethiopia they are celebrating the birth of our Lord. My kids will love celebrating Christmas twice when our Ethiopian son comes to live with us forever. I don't know what we will do to celebrate this day, but I am sure we will think of something special we can do as a family! We will make our own new traditions. As for today, we will celebrate by going to our fingerprint appointments! Did you know you don't get to pick your dates or times to your fingerprint appointments? They just send you a date and time in the mail and you have to be there. I find it pretty sweet that God let our appointments be on Ethiopian Christmas Day! It was a nice first Genna present from Him! Please be in prayer with us today, that all goes smoothly, and that our files don't get lost in the shuffle. Pray that all is processed on God's time. We know that His timing is perfect and He has already picked out our son and is leading us right to Him. Once these fingerprints are processed and approved, we will be on the waitlist for our little guy. So you see, this is a BIG step! We will be seeing our son's face for the first time sooner than we think! Please be praying that God leads us to our Josiah.

My Joys

2011-01-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

Sweet baby girls how I love you so;
your sweet little smiles and your sparkly little toes.
the way you giggle and laugh with your whole belly;
the way you sing at the top of your lungs and act so silly.
Your kisses and hugs are the sweetest part of my day;
Being home with you is where I want to be, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I don't want to miss a single minute of watching you grow and change;
sometimes I wish God would slow down this whole beautiful thing.
If I could push pause on life, now would be the time;
these are my golden years, watching my girls shine!
I never knew how powerful it could be to be called "mommy."
It's God's highest blessing and joy, and it is my calling.

Foto Friday

2010-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

Easy Peasy Cheesy Lasagna

2010-12-30T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is my mom's recipe for lasagna. I made it the other night and thought I would share. It was super easy to make and super yummy. I added a box of frozen (thawed and drained) spinach to the meat mixture and made it with all lowfat cheeses and extra lean meat. It turned out great and my family loved it!

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 cloves garlic
6 ounces tomato paste
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. oregano
8 oz. lasagna noodles
1 lb. container of cottage cheese
3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese
3/4 lb. grated parm. cheese
8 oz. cheddar cheese

Cook ground beef in skillet. Drain liquid. Add garlic, tomato paste, (add 1 cup water)tomatoes, salt, pepper & oregano. Simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes.

Cook noodles in water and drain.

Add all cheese in a bowl and mix well.

Layer in pyrex dish starting with meat, noodles - then cheese.

Repeat.

Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour @ 350 degrees.

(I covered with foil and took off the last 15 min to let brown.)

So much to be thankful for!

2010-12-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun and wonderful Christmas this year! My girls being 5 and almost 3 were so much fun to watch. They were so grateful and so sweet! Notice the blue stocking on the far right. It's an extra one we already had monogrammed and hung in anticipation of having our little guy home with us next year! Santa even left him a few things in it:) We spent Christmas Eve and all day Christmas visiting family in 3 different places. We are so blessed with a large family and lots and lots of little ones all around the same age. SO MUCH FUN!
Another cool thing that happened to us is that me and the girls were at the mall and Habitat for Humanity was there selling fundraiser raffle tickets for a playhouse. Me and Alyssa decided we would try our luck at winning and make a donation to support such an awesome organization. As we were getting ready to leave Alyssa says..."mom, I really want that playhouse." I told her let's pray that we will win, and just said the simple prayer..."Lord, it sure would be fun if we would win this. Amen" And we went on our merry way. Well, I was sitting home one night and went to check my phone and had a message from a lady saying..."I am calling on behalf of Habitat for Humnaity to let you know you won the little blue playhouse!" Oh my goodness...it was so exciting! I felt like God had given us a little Christmas present. We got it delivered to our house 2 days before Christmas and surprised our girls with it. When they saw it, Alyssa just froze her eyes big and smiled at me and asked..."did we win?" I was jumping up and down saying "yes, yes, we won!" And Aubrey ran to it right away yelling " my house, my house." It was such a nice blessing! I was thanking God to myself and I felt like He whispered to me...'Stace, if I can answer your prayers and provide for your girls a playhouse, I will surely answer your prayers and provide for this adoption and bring your son home.' So simple and so sweet! It was a great Christmas indeed!

(We hung blinking lights on it after we finally got it in the backyard :)

Merry Christmas!!!!

2010-12-24T07:47:00.001-08:00

From our family to yours....wishing you the peace of Christ this Christmas! May we all be thankful for the sweet and life changing gift of Jesus, and the precious gift of family this season!

Baked French Toast recipe and some news

2010-12-20T12:46:00.001-08:00

Here is a recipe I got from my friend Jenn. I made it this past weekend and it was delicious so I thought I would share. This would be a good Christmas morning breakfast! We sprinkled the tops of ours with pecans (before baking) and powdered sugar ( before serving)...YUMMY!
Also, I wanted to share that we got our fingerprint appointments in the mail!!!! I started crying when we got them...tears of joy of course! We are well on our way to the wait list!!!!

Ingredients
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices 6 eggs 1 cup milk 1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
Directions
Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture.
Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

T-Shirts are in!!!!!

2010-12-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,
We got more women's t shirts in (Brown)! We now have sizes S, M, L, and XL. The men's version(green) is still available as well. This is just in time for Christmas, so be sure and place your order quickly so it can make it to you on time!!!!!

It's Christmas time

2010-12-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love Christmas! The cold crisp air, fuzzy warm socks, fireplace roaring,stockings hung, hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows with a peppermint stick dipped in it, snuggling with loved ones, elf on the shelf, Christmas movies 24/7 on the Hallmark channel, and driving around and looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights, while listening to Christmas songs! It makes my heart so happy! It makes me feel like a kid all over again! I could go on.... waking up Christmas morning and watching my children enjoy opening gifts, making a special breakfast afterwards and traveling here and there to spend time with all of our family and friends. All of this stuff is so great! But that's not what Christmas is all about, is it? Somewhere in the Santa shuffle, we tend to lose site of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. The signs that people hang up that says "Keep Christ in Christmas." I have to embarrassingly confess that it kind of got on my nerves, because I saw how people that weren't followers of Jesus reacted to it when they saw it. I thought, to an unbeliever, this could give them an excuse to roll their eyes at us religious folk because we were being too religious about it. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the meaning of the saying. I just was concerned that to an unbeliever it would seem just "religious" and not really impactful to them. This was until something was said to me. I was at a Christmas parade, and someone said to me..."what does that mean...Keep Christ in Christmas?" I totally brushed it off, trying not to be too religious, and didn't really respond to it. The Lord brought immediate conviction. Oh my heart! I could feel that I had grieved God's heart. Christmas is about Him! It is our Lord and Savior's birthday. It is that moment in time that God came to earth in the form of a baby to live as we did. It is the absolute most miraculous thing that has ever happened on this earth! It's not just an inspiring story of something that happened long ago. It was the moment that changed our future. Without this moment we wouldn't have Easter and Jesus dying on the cross for our sins....the whole reason we will be able to spend eternity in Heaven. Because of this moment, I am able to be forgiven and live a changed life for His glory! Without this moment, Aaron and I wouldn't be adopting a baby from across the world. You see almost 11 years ago, God changed my life. He came into my heart and changed me. And in that moment, He gave me His heart! Thank goodness, because I can say that without Him, this heart of mine would not be a pretty one :)
So towards the end of the parade, Santa drove past on his float, and as I was enjoying watching Santa and all the kids getting so excited, (which is fun to watch) with God's grace and gentle conviction, I became reminded of how glorious Jesus is and just how much He deserves being acknowledged on the day of his birth! I wanted to be excited about Him, like these children were excited about Santa. He, also in His very gentle way showed me His heart for Christmas and for those that don't have what we get to experience on Christmas day. Living in America we are beyond blessed. It is a blessing to be able to enjoy all these things. We are blessed so that we can bless others that aren't as fortunate. We have to be God's hands and feet. He is relying on us to be that helping hand to someone in need. He needs us to grasp His heart so that we can show others how great He is, and how much He loves them and cares about their needs. It's not about us doing something nice for someone else, it's about us having the heart of a great a glorious God and it hurting so much to see others in need, that we go and be Christ to them! I just want to inspire my readers to keep Christ in Christmas this year. Worship Him and celebrate His first coming to Earth, and ask Him what He wants you to do this year for someone in need...whether that be for a child all across the other side of the world, or for a family that lives right down the road from you, go and be Jesus to them. Go impact one life! And while being Santa is fun, don't let him upstage our King!

Girls just wanna have fu-un!

2010-12-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

Man, I love these two turkies!

They are too much fun!

another favorite recipe....egg and cheese bake

2010-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

I really like to cook and I enjoy easy recipes, so I thought I would share another favorite with you. My kids really like this one too! I will bake this the night before and pop it in the microwave in the morning for breakfast, and we also have it for dinner often. It's great for anyone watching carbs or not...it's just plum good, and is chalk full of spinach :)

ingredients
1 dozen eggs beaten
1 8-oz package of shredded cheese (cracker barrel sharp cheddar is my favorite.)
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach ( thawed and drained) or fresh raw spinach
1 pkg of little smokies chopped
salt and pepper to taste

* preheat oven at 350 degrees. Spray casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl and pour into dish. Cover with foil and bake for about an hour. I like to take my foil off the last 10 or so minutes and let it brown on top.
(this can also be cooked in a muffin pan for portion control)

side note: I have used diced ham for this, or you can use any breakfast meat you prefer. If you don't like meat, don't use meat at all, but the little smokies gave it the best flavor in our opinion. They make lower fat turkey smokies, and you may also use egg beaters and low fat cheese. My family enjoys this with salsa and low fat sour cream.
Give it a try and let me know what you think :) Hope you enjoy!

Pretending to be Rockstars :)

2010-12-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

Did I ever mention that my girls like Taylor Swift? Well, they love her and pretend to sing like her all the time. My favorite is when they will do the famous hair flip and say ..."thank youuuuu." Cracks me up. The other day Aubrey was singing and she says to me..."momma..I Hannah Tanna, Swiff." (Hannah Montana Swift would be that translation in case you couldn't figure it out). So here are some pics of my girls playing in my boots and putting a kitchen concert on for me.

This first one just cracks me up..HA!

Oh what a pose :)

And the famous hair flip hahahaha!

More t shirts ordered

2010-12-03T10:10:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to let you know that we have more t shirts ordered in all sizes. We still have plenty of men's shirts on hand, and in the women's we only have 1 small left and 2 medium. Our t shirt company says our new order will be in no later than December 15th, so keep that in mind if you wanted to get one as a Christmas present for someone. Getting them to you before Christmas shouldn't be a problem.

Perspective

2010-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

For those who are curious, I am going to give you a little update on where we are on our adoption journey. We FINALLY finished our homestudy and were officially approved. Last week we mailed in our I600A, and we now wait for our fingerprinting appointments. After being fingerprinted we will have to wait on another approval form, then we will need to send in our dossier, and at last we can be on the wait list for a refferal for our son.
In a more detailed update, I am just going to be real. I myself have struggled with fear a little bit lately. Fear of the unknown, or the uncontrollable. This journey thus far has been nothing but a roller coaster of emotions, some joyful and exciting, and some heartbreaking, and maddening. At first we dealt with a completely broken heart for the fatherless. God opened our eyes to what He cared about, and there was no turning back. Then came the excitement and an urgency to get started on this undeniable call God had spoken to us so loudly. Then came some heartache of rejection or lack of support, which was attributed to fear. We realized real quickly that not everyone was going to agree with or be supportive of this very Big thing God was asking us to do. With this we quickly learned a very valuable lesson to put our faith and trust in God and not in man. Then came the paperwork, and that brought discouragement and frustration, and apathy, but we pressed on. Then the fundraising brought stress and hard work, and humbling ourselves to an uncomfortable level of having to ask others to give. It also brought much joy and celebration to watch God provide through His precious people, and watching loved ones come together to help raise money to aid in bringing our son home to us. I can't wait to tell him one day of all the heroes he has in his life that helped in bringing him home. There have been MANY days when I have said to Aaron, "I cannot believe we are adopting a baby from Ethiopia." This is how I totally without a doubt know that it is for sure a God thing. This isn't something that we ourselves would've ever in a million years imagined ourselves doing, but we're doing it. This isn't something we decided to do on a whim. This was something placed in our hearts that will NEVER change or go away. So this is why we press through the fear of the unknown, and the discouraging arrows that the enemy throws at us. WE ARE CALLED! Our hearts were forever changed, and we know with all our might that there is a little boy all the way on the other side of the planet that God has hand picked for our family to call our own. He has a mom and dad who already love him, and two sweet big sisters that cannot wait to meet him and pray for him daily.

Thanksgiving in Colorado

2010-12-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

Oh Colorado....land of God's beauty and sweet people :)
This past thanksgiving we had the priviledge of traveling to Colorado and staying with Aaron's mom's side of the family. This was the first time I had met most of this family, and I have to say they were honestly some of the sweetest people I have ever met. I have never in my life been treated with such hospitality. They loved on us and our girls and fed and served us the whole time we were there. Aaron kept saying it was like being at a bed and breakfast. We tried to go out one night so they wouldn't have to cook for us, but they INSISTED on us staying. This whole family was absolutely precious, so loving and sweet! They really had a grasp on what it looked like to live like Jesus. He shined through every one of them, truly! It was wonderful to share the common bond of Jesus with them. We were only there for a short time and by the time we left our girls were hanging all over them, giving hugs and kisses and acting as though they had known them their whole lives. Thank you Sullivan family for making us feel so at home and loved! We love you all, and our girls already miss you :)

The Best Sweet Potato Pie EVER!

2010-11-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Note...This is not a picture of the pie I made. I didn't have one, so I downloaded this one :)

Hey Friends,
I thought since it was Thanksgiving time, I would share a favorite sweet potato pie recipe that you may want to make yourself! It's so easy and so good!

We will start with the oh so good and simple flakey crust:

1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp of salt
1 1/3 cups of flour
3 tbls of milk
All you do is mix the first 3 ingredients together, then when totally blended quickly mix in the milk with a fork. Use your hand to pat the crust in the bottom of your pie plate. Pierce with a fork all over to prevent bubbling.

Next...the pie filling :)
3 sweet potatoes boiled and peeled.
3/4 cups of sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbls of flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Mix all together with an electric mixer. ( I don't mash my potatoes too much....I like to leave them a little lumpy) pour into your pie crust and bake at 350 degrees until pie is set and crust is brown....I usually have to cover my crust half way through baking so it doesn't burn...It takes about 45 min to cook.

I like to serve with fresh cinnamon whip cream....I can't tell you the measurements, but I use heavy whipping cream, sugar to taste, cinnamon to taste, and tbls vanilla flavoring, and whip until peaks form.
Try it out and let me know what you think. I guarantee you will impress someone with this pie!
Have a happy thanksgiving everyone!

Nashville

2010-11-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

My cousin Kendra, who I am very close to, a year ago got married to Matt Caldwell, who whisked her away from us to Nashville where Matt has a publishing deal and writes and records music. He is amazingly talented I might add! Kendra and I grew up 2 months apart and were best buds, and still remain very close. I had never been up to visit Mrs. Caldwell, so my sister-in-law, Savita, and I decided to take a little trip to Nashville for a visit! We had such a great time! Since we had never been to Nashville, Kendra wanted us to experience everything, so she took us EVERYWHERE! We went out on the town, shopped til we dropped in Franklin, drove around and visited where all the "locals" hang out, saw where all the recording is done, toured inside Matt's workplace and recording studio, went to the Grand Ole Opry, and country music hall of fame, and ate our way through the entire weekend. Our first night there, we met Chris Young, and had hopes of running into Taylor Swift for our girls, but never did :) Here are some pics from our fun and busy filled weekend!

the mechanical bull from Urban Cowboy :)

This one was for momma...Loretta's biggest fan :)

Kendra pretending to play Elvis's piano

This one is for my girls....Taylor Swift's dress and guitar....Their Taylor Swift Barbie has this very dress :)

Oh my goodness...Savita's plate at the "Loveless Cafe" They are suppose to be the "best" biscuits ever. They were good, but they don't have a thing on my Mamaw's biscuits :)

Grand Ole Opry night...Gretchen Wilson

Ricky Scaggs

Little Jimmy Dickens...so cute and witty :)

Shopping in Franklin

Checking out Matt in action at his studio(Matt is the one in the incredibly awesome t shirt) with some other guys that are amazingly talented that he writes with....the guy on the far right plays for Loretta Lynn :)

Kendra, Savita, and me :)

Officially Approved!

2010-11-17T09:25:00.001-08:00

Ok. I just now got the word that we are officially homestudy approved!!!!! What a BIG GIANT load off! Thank you Jesus! Now on to the next step :)

What t shirts I have left

2010-11-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to do an updated post on how many t shirts we have left.
As of today in the womens shirts, we are sold out of sizes Large and Extra Large. We have 6 small left and 7 medium. Keep in mind that these shirts DO NOT run small at all. They are true to size. In the men's green shirt we have 2 Medium, 5 Large, and 6 Extra Large left.

T Shirt Winner!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

I just want to say an extra thank you to everyone that participated in helping to spread the word of our t-shirt sells and entering for the giveaway! We appreciate all who are willing to help! So without further ado, the winner of our t shirt giveaway is PATTI RAMSEY! Congratulations Patti, let me know what size you want and I will get it to you :)

Fundraiser Fun and GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2010-11-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

We had our Fall Fundraiser this past Saturday and it was a great success! There was face painting, games, cake walk, bake sale, food and drinks, bounce houses, multiple raffles, t shirt sales and professional local photographer Sharon Brannick offered her skills and shot many photos for families and individuals, and all proceeds went towards our adoption. If you live local you should check out Sharon's work at..... http://brannickphotography.blogspot.com/ She is very talented, takes beautiful photos, is great with kids, and is a sweetheart!
Everyone had a great time, especially the kiddos! A friend told me her son said, "mom, I could live like this everyday." so very cute! It was a perfect picture of how the body of Christ works together.... Friends and family pitching in to help and donate. I am very pleased to say that yesterday I went to the bank and deposited a little over $4,000.00 into our adoption savings account! Thank you Jesus, and thank you to everyone that helped and contributed. Whether you gave a little or a lot, baked yummy goodies for the bake sale, donated candy, donated your time or skills, or helped serve, you played a part in God's plan for bringing this little boy into our lives! You were His hands and feet! We were truly blessed by you! So where does this put us now money wise? We are half way there!!!!! So our next step is selling our awesome t-shirts!
And that brings us to our AWESOME T SHIRT GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! All you have to do to enter is post about our giveaway on your blog or facebook or twitter and leave me a comment letting me know what and where you did, and I will enter your name into the drawing for a t shirt of your choice. If you post on all three places, your name will be entered in 3 times! Our women's t shirt is a chocolate brown women's cut shirt (they are true to size, and do not fit tight) with a red Africa and cream writing. We have women's sizes available in small, medium, large and extra large(we only have 2 extra large left). The men's version is sage green with red Africa and brown writing. We have men's sizes available in medium, large, extra large and 2x. They both say the same thing...front says..."Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice in the world when He could do something about it, but I'm afraid He might ask me the same question. (Anonymous) The back says " I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse the something I can do." (Helen Keller) "What can you do?"
Once again, our hope with these shirts, is to not only raise money for our adoption, but it is to challenge people to think about the something that they can do to help a child in need. If you would like to purchase one of our shirts now, you may do so by donating $25.00 to our chip in account at the top right corner of our blog page. $20.00 is for the cost of the shirt, and $5.00 is for shipping and handling. Be sure to leave a comment through paypal when you donate on what size you will be needing. Otherwise try your hand at the giveaway first and help spread the word about our shirts! Contest ends Tuesday November 9th at 6:00 pm. Hope you win :)

October Fun!

2010-11-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

I will savor every second of my chidren when they are so little, and still like to trick or treat and dress up like cute little clowns and mermaids. Oh what fun it is to see them get so excited!