Caitlin's Cartwheels

Caitlin came home from dance today and was very excited and eager to show me how she had learned to do a cartwheel! Yeah Caitlin!!! God bless my tiny dancer!!

A Place in Heaven

After sharing our news with all my friends and fellow mothers, many have commented "Wow, what a noble deed; you are more of a women than me!" As well as other remarks elouding to the idea that I was earning a place in heaven for adopting. I believe in my heart that not all of us are called to adopt. Adopting isn't an automatic in. That isn't why we decided to do it. We simply felt in our hearts we wanted more children and wanted to do it by way of adoption. I believe God cares more about the way we love, teach, guide and embrace the children he has blessed us with. I watch many of my friends spending time and cherishing their children, and so many times I am in awe of how good they are! God has placed so many wonderful friends and godly mother's in my life who inspire me, encourage me and teach me how to be a better mom, with only a handful who have adopted. I am so grateful everyday for these amazing sister's. Thank you Father for filling my life with so many wonderfully inspiring women. I pray you will fill their hearts daily with the encouragement and reasurrance that they are being the mom's they were called to be, whether by adopting or not.

Latest Hope Agency News!

The last few weeks have been somewhat slow. That's not a bad thing. I think it is the calm before the storm. A good storm though. Filled with referrals and court dates~I pray! Our director is in Ethiopia on a mission to find some matches for those of us that are paper ready. He got their on the 24th and will be there until March 12. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying hard, not just for us, but there are quite a few families that are waiting on some good news as well.
Some other good news is that Sof's best friend is now being adopted by our agency coordinator. When she and her daughter went to Ethiopia in January to pick up her little girl they met him and fell in love. I could not be more excited! She lives in Texas, so we will be able to get them together from time to time!! I think that is so important since they are more like brothers, than friends.
With the adoption of Sof's buddy that just leaves one little 7 year old, who has been at our agency's orphanage the longest. He is a sweet, cute, healthy little boy. It is breaking my heart that a family hasn't swooped him up yet. In fact, when he learned of his friends adoptions, leaving him behind, he got really sad. Ok I am crying now. The idea of him being left behind, when he has been there the longest, really makes me sad!! We have heard so many wonderful things about him, it troubles me that he has not been chosen. For us, we didn't chose him because we thought he was a little young and Sof's picture spoke us. If anyone is out there with an open heart to a precious 7 year old boy, let me know. I know that he would bless a family in so many ways. Father God, I pray for this dear sweet young boy and his broken heart. I pray you pour out your love and comfort on him. I pray for a family to come forward and chose him for he is a precious child of God deserving of a family to love and for a family to to love him in return. Father, I trust in your goodness and know you meet all our needs and so I trust his needs will be met soon. It's in your precious name I lift him up to you, Amen!

All in a day's work

Yesterday was a crazy day for the Motts. My mothering skills were seriously put to a test. Caitlin has been sick with a high fever, coughing, tummy aches the whole gammit, and whinning understandably. Reagan has had this strange looking sore on his arm which he said was a spider bite he got at school a week and a half ago. So I took them both to the doctors. After 2 hours, I found out Caitlin has a virus, which I have totally exposed myself to, being I have been sleeping with her and Reagan has Ringworm. Which is not what I thought. When the doctor told me, I said "what Reagan has worms?" She quickly corrected me and explained that Ringworm is a fungus and that I simply need to put Lotramin on it for a few weeks. Not to worry. So I take Reagan back to school and instruct him not to say anything to his classmates. Of course, he came home from school and told me that he told all of his buddies and they thought it was cool. What are you going to do?
Then there is Blake, who came home Sunday from a Boy Scout camp-out totally sunburned and blistered. His face actually swelled up, it was so bad. We had packed the sunscreen and a baseball cap, but did he use it- NO! He told me no one else did, so he didn't want to look like a baby, since he is one of the youngest. I think through the pain and random comments at school he has learned his lesson though! A mother can only pray!
But this is not it, tonight is our Cub Scout pack meeting and I am responsible for bringing Spaghetti for 50, having my boys sing a song, do the opening and closing flag ceremony, and pass out awards. All with a happy face. I am exhausted to say the least, but the show must go on.
Happily all went well. The kids are all on the road to recovery and I have once again survived the storms of motherhood!!

Getting Old- It's for the dogs!!

Our poor old sweet Prince is having more and more health issues. At first it was his hearing. Then his eye sight. Next came a slipped disk, arthritis, teeth extractions, and sadly doggy alzheimers. A few months ago we took him into the vet, who is a total doggy lover and I trust, and she sat me down for the talk. She looked me in the eye and said "you know he has lived a long good life. He's fifteen for goodness sake, but his kidney functions are rapidly declining. At this point, you probably have a few months left. So embrace your precious moments with him." I wasn't too sad until I got into the car and processed this reality. Prince was one of my first children. And even though I know he has lived a long good life, it really broke my heart at the thought that his time on this earth with us was drawing to an end.
So Greg and I talked with the kids and explained to them why he was having all the accidents and what was going to happen. And that we should embrace our time with him and show him extra love and mercy in these next few months.
I hate to say it, but honestly it is no fun. There is not a day that goes by that I am not cleaning up after him several times. At this point he is restricted to our kitchen, because he likes to pee on the carpet, everywhere and if we let him outside he escapes through our fence posts and wonders off. He also barks constantly and at nothing. I am doing my best, but it is challenging. I keep telling myself this is a test to see how we will handle getting older ourselves. My kids on the other hand have little to no mercy. Grant it they don't have much of a bond with him, for he is not much of a kid dog. But I am afraid to see what lies ahead for Greg and I. I think the first moment we show any sign of old age they will quickly sign us off or put us out to pasture. Only when I remind them of our decreasing days with him do they cut him any slack. I pray daily for God to give us all the love and mercy towards our sweet Prince that he deserves. Sadly, this is a life lesson that we too will be old and have our issues someday and I hope and pray someone show us a little grace as well!

Greg's Birthday Bash!

It was Greg's birthday on the 15th. He turned 41. Wow, he just gets better with age! When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he replied "a son!". I love that man of mine. We really enjoyed the birthday weekend celebration with family. I am not sure who enjoyed making the cake more Greg or Caitlin. Either way they are pretty cute! I thank God every day to blessing me with a husband who has a heart for God and for family. Thank you father for creating such an amazing man who is better than any prince charming I have ever read about or could have created in my dreams!

Giving Birth to an 8 year Old!

Wow, I feel like a proud new mama who just gave birth to a beautiful 8 year old boy. Ouch!! I catch myself looking at the picturte of Sof's beautiful face and fall deeper and deeper in love with every breath. Just as I did when each of the kids were born. It suprises me how much I am already feeling even though I have never met him, seen him in person or held him. I am so eager for the day we bring him home and are able to become his family for real. I can't wait to be able to comfort him when he is sad, hurt or scared. Shower him with hugs and kisses and the words I love you with each new day. To rejoice with him at his accomplishments. Celebrate his birthdays and holidays with him. Just celebrate life with him and watch him grow! And to share the love of our heavenly father, who by miracle brought him to us. As a friend, and a fellow adoptive mother, Cristie Martini put it so perfectly "I've been blessed with three from my womb and one from my heart- so far"! I am so blessed!!

Real Stinkers!

I was going through our pictures from our recent family outing to Enchanted rock and I came across this picture of the boys. I couldn't help but have a flashback to a funny picture I took this summer of some baby skunks curled up on a rock wall. Can you pick out the real little stinkers?

Caitlin's Prayer

Last night at dinner I asked, as I usually do before we eat, if anyone felt led to say Grace. Caitlin quickly chimmed in "I do!". She usually says something quick like thank you Jesus for this day and for this food, but not tonight. Instead she said the sweetest thing with no prompting. "Dear Jesus thank you for our new brother Sofonyas and our little sister. Please watch over them and bring them home soon so we can keep them and love them forever." Greg looked at me, and of course, being the cryer that I am when it comes to those things, the tears were rolling down my face. It never ceases to amaze me how pure in love children are. They are able to speak so clearly and openly from their heart. Another thing we can learn from our kids. Thank you father God for the love that you have put into our children's hearts and for giving them the voice to speak it so freely. Father I pray they do not loose that as they get older, but that their voice of love grows stronger and bolder! In your precious name I pray, Amen!

Leap of Faith

Over the last few days since we announced our adoption of Sofonyas I have been blessed to chat with some Hope friends (friends from our agency) regarding the view point that the older kids might have. It's funny as we have told people about Sof, it has been said to us "wow, what a leap of faith for you to take in adopting an older child." But as Susan, a Hope friend who is also adopting older child, so wisely addressed, it is our Ethiopian kids who are taking the true Leap of Faith. They are the one's that will leave the country they know as home, and all the people that have become like family, to go live with a strange family, in a new country, with a new language and a new way of life. Leaving everything bit of security and what they know behind. After pondering this for a short while I started trying to see things from their perspective. Wow, I don't know if I would have the courage to take such a bold leap. I believe in my heart that God stays very close to orphans giving them courage, visions of their new life, and the security that he is with them now and will always be with them where ever they go. These children may have never even been taught about our Heavenly Father, but their spirits know him well! Thank you father God for always being with us and for never forsaking us! Father I pray that you fill Sofonyas and all the orphans with your love, peace and courage and that you keep them close to you. Keep their spirits strong to have the courage and the joy to take this huge leap of faith. In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

And Then There Were 7!! We Have a Son!

Yes, it's what you think! And yes, we are crazy! But we are crazy excited about our latest decision. In addition to Layla, our little Ethiopian pricess we are in the process of adopting an 8 year old boy named "Sof" from Ethiopia. We are hoping that this will be the month to receive a referral for our little Layla, but in the meantime we have a picture a beautiful boy that is available at Shim's place who we soon hope to call our son. In the last few weeks Greg and I have been discussing the idea of adopting an older boy. No sooner than we brought it up, a group of amazing boys who are available at Hope's orphanage came to our attention. Unfortunately, the older kids are the least likely to be adopted. Everyone wants the little ones. We are guilty of this as well. We began this journey with the idea of helping an orphan that was in need. We thought that was in China, but we quickly realized that we were a little late on that ban wagon. So hence came Ethiopia and there is no doubt about the need there. We have always thought how wonderful it would be to adopt a second child from the same country. So as they say "there's no time like the present." Knowing that our hearts are open to it, financially it makes since, and we believe that it will help them adjust a little easier to do it at the same time, it seems like a no brainer. The only complication to this is once we adopt 2 from Ethiopia we are no longer eligible to adopt from China. China has a 5 children maximum policy. 5 sounds nuts I know! If from today until we get a referral from China God opens a door allowing us 6 we will be prayerful in our decision. We feel as though we were called to adopt those in the most need, and in our minds that is through Ethiopia. It's troubled me though the idea we had this notion it would be by the "Grace" of God we be blessed with another child. This is how we came to the name of Grace for our China princess. What's funny to me, is the name of our coordinator at Hope is Grace. It was by talking with her we decided to go with our agency Hope Adoptions and by way of her voicing the need for families for these older boys that we have found a son. So maybe Grace was to be the facilitator (she is definitely an angel sent from Heaven) in this process, not the child all along. I know I am an out of the box thinker when it comes to these type matters, but it is important to me that everything line up. And it does, praise God! I can't wait to share him with everyone, but first we need to make is through court before he is officially ours (approximately 5 weeks). I will keep you all posted as to our progress. Please keep us in your prayers! Father God, I am so grateful for all the blessings in our lives and for the vision of this beautiful child "Sof" to be a part of our family. Father God please watch over our precious son Sof and keep him safe and well until the day we bring him home. Please cover all the details of the adoption so we may call him our son. In in Jesus name I lift this prayer up to you. Glory be to God! Amen!

Boys to Men

Blake and Greg recently went on their monthly Boy Scout camp-out. This month it was called the "Freezery", because it usually is planned to be during a cold front. Not only was it freezing, but it acutally made it down to 19 degrees both nights. BRRRRRR! During the day they participated in events called the "Highland Games", hence kilts (aka man skirts) were worn. They threw giant cedar posts (twice Blake's size), tossed kegs (emptied by father's) as well as tried a hand at golf. I did not know this was a Scottish game. All in all, fun was had and no frostbite to report.

Going Mental!!

Upon the new year I have decided my resolution is to work out more.. mentally that is. You know the saying "if you don't use it you'll loose it". Well I think I've lost it, but hopefully not for good. This reality dawned on me the other day when Blake and I were reading together and after an hour he said "mom, so how far are you?", to which I pathetically replied "page 50". He showed me that he was nearing 200. So thanks to my dad and a friend I have two books under my belt. The first book the "Thank You Power" which is about the power of gratitude- the more you acknowledge your blessings the more you seem to have. The second book the "Red Letters" which is about the fact that we are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus and reach out to those in need (focusing on Africa and the pandemic of AIDS and the orphans because of it). They are both very good reads. Internalizing them, and ultimately morphing them into one book in my head, it hit me that the more I am grateful for all the blessings in my life (i.e. family, friends, freedom, health, house, education, etc) the more confirmation that I feel about adopting. I look around our perfect little life and yet I picture the faces of the innocent victims and their vicious reality; starvation, death, disease, poverty and little to no hope, knowing we can make a difference. By adopting were are acting as Jesus' hands and feet by reaching to those in need. I know adoption isn't for everyone, we are very blessed to have such supportive friends and family that it makes this right for us. Thank you father God for putting this on our hearts and I look forward to watching unfold the many blessings that will come from it.

Reagan, not just the brawns in the family!

Today I went to my annual ARD meeting with Reagan's teacher, the school counselor and speech pathologist to be told what a bright child he is. Since Reagan has some speech delays and repeated 1st grade he sometimes questions his intelligence. To make it worse he has always been labled the "big,rowdy,slow kid" by others. So it was wonderful for him to hear it from other credible adults that he is smart. Praise God he got a 100% on both his math and reading benchmarks and the counselor said he was off the charts on his IQ test as well. We are so proud of him and are beyond thrilled watching him come out of his shell. Yeah Reagan!!!

Out of the mouths of Babes

Due to some female issues the last couple of years I have had the pleasure of many visits to my OBGYN's office. And so with Caitlin not being in school yet, she has been given many life learning opportunities of the joy of being a women. Even with all of the ackward, embarrassing, not so pretty moments, Caitlin has decided she wants to be a "women's doctor". As with every visit they check my weight, height and blood pressure, which usually never changes, but for whatever reason, during this last visit I was 1/2 inch shorter and of course Caitlin noticed, and immediately asked how that could happen. I gave her a quick response and heard nothing more about it. Until we were in the car with her little friend that afternoon. She immediately says to her friend " you know what, when we get old like my mom we are going to shrink. I swear, no lie." So there it is straight out of the mouths of babes. I am thankful though that out of all the things she could have shared with the world about me that was what she chose.

Whoopie!! Received our change of country approval for our I-171H

Yahoo!! Today I received our approval letter from USCIS for our I-171H to change our country from China to Ethiopia. Our I-171H for China was going to expire out, even with the one extention we are given, so it made since to use that approval now and submit a new one for China as we get closer. In addition, we received an early Valentine present, our refingerprinting appointment is set for February 14 at 8:00 a.m.. Ouch, a little early for me, but I will be smiling all the way. Definitely a good reason to get up early!! I know these are baby steps, but they are movement in the right direction. Sometimes if feels as though its never going to actually happen, so when I receive news like this I embrace it! Rejoicing for the blessings that God has brought to me!!

Why we are Adopting from Ethiopia- This Awesome Song By Brook Fraser- Albertine- Says It All

After seeing this on a fellow Hope blog, I had to share this.

Albertine


I am sitting still I think of Angelique
her mothers voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent
And on a thousandth hill,
I think of Albertine
there in her eyes
what I don't see
with my own
rwanda
[CHORUS]
now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you
in my own arms,
I cannot let go till you are

I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet
Rwanda
[CHORUS]
[BRIGDE]
I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word I will tell them Albertine
[CHORUS]
I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me
I will tell them,
Albertine I will tell them, Albertine

Did you know it is against the law for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub- Crazy But True Laws

I love books, especially kids books (my mentality, so I am told by my family). The kids and I sit around reading to eachother whenever possible, usually bedtime. Some of my favorite most recent books are "Marley- a Dog like no other", "Stink", "Love that Dog, poems","Holes","Titanic" and "Captain Underpants". Reagan came home yesterday with the funniest book "Chickens May Not Cross The Road and Other Crazy (But True) Laws". As we read, we just couldn't stop laughing. So here are some of our favorite crazy but true laws:
1.)Elephants may walk on main street only if they are on a leash, San Francisco, CA. (after living there this does not surprise me)
2.)It is against the law to lick a toad in CA.(Some are poisonous and people were getting druglike high)
3.)No one may take a lion to a movie theater, Baltimore Maryland(I have to say this seems a little discriminative to lions)
4.)Monkeys shall not ride on buses, San Antonio, TX (This is why I have not taken the kids):)
5.)It is forbidden to Fish for Whales,Oklahoma State Law (What? Not a coastal state.)
6.)Cats may not chase dogs up telephone poles, International Falls, Minnesota (think about that one!)
7.)A pickle is not to be sold unless it bounces, Connecticut State Law(I want to see how they test this one in the grocery stores)
8.)No dog can appear in public without its master on a leash, Belvedere, CA. I love the language!
9.)Riding an ugly horse is illegal in Wilbur Washington (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or maybe not)
10.)If two trains meet each other on the same track, they must both stop and wait until the other one has passed. Texas(HUH?)
After reading the ones that apply to our great state of Texas, I can honestly say I am a little worried about my childrens education!:)

Walking On Mars Or So It Seemed

After a few days of cold wet weather(I'm not complaining though, that's about as bad as it gets) today was sunny and warm (72 degrees, not bad for winter) so we decided to take the day and get outside. We actually for the first Saturday in a long time had nothing to do, nothing important anyway so we decided to make it a family fun day and go on an adventure. We drove out to a place called Enchanted Rock. It is a huge mountain (I say that loosely since we live in Texas) made from granite with a state park around it. It is so amazing. I couldn't help but feel like a was walking on Mars since it's all rock. It was a steep walk up about a 1 1/2 miles or so. What a view from the top!! You could see almost to Colorado. Being that it was such a perfect day there were lots of other folks that had the same great idea to go. We had a blast. At the bottom was a running creek so the kids had their fun getting wet and playing in the crushed granite pebbles. Reagan our rock lover wanted so badly to take one home, but there were signs everywhere stating not to deface the park. So we took a picture of him with some rocks instead. Wonderful place, I can't wait to go back and maybe camp-out for the night!

My Other Labor of Love

Besides the time that I devote to God, family, friends, school, church, scouts, etc, in my free time, I have been able to devote a little time to my other love- home improvement. Since we moved into our house almost a year ago I have been able to mark my territory or is that make my mark on almost every room in the house. Most of the rooms were filled with white walls and wallpaper/boarder of some sort. I REALLY HATE WALLPAPER! So I have had to tear down wallpaper, plaster and paint. These are some of the rooms I have had the pleasure to work on.

Dossier on it's way to Ethiopia-Yipee!!

Today I received the news that our dossier is on it's way to Ethiopia. That's good news! It means we are one step closer to the end! Somedays are harder than other's when it comes to being patient about the adoption. Lately, it seems like I've had a lot of hard days. So I will joyfully take this as a glimpse of the end of the road. Father God, I give thanks for the little ways you keep me encouraged!!

Project Blake's Room

After working so hard to complete our dossier and get it sent out, I had a little down time to think, obsess over, the wait, which wasn't a good thing. Busy hands are happy hands, so off to my next project Blake's bedroom (stripping wallpaper, plastering, and painting). I was planning on painting Layla's bedroom, but after giving a it some thought, I came to realize that I should probably focus a little more of my efforts on the children that God has already blessed me with. So after much agony for me and everyone around me this weekend it's finished. It's funny that after all the time, pain, frustration, and swearing along the way, now that it's all said and done it doesn't seem like it was all that bad. God does really cover us with his grace. Or maybe it's early signs of alzheimers.

Reagan's Dream

As I was putting Reagan to bed last night he said the sweetest thing. He told me the night before when he was sleeping he saw heaven and people who had passed. He told me he saw our dog Chewie, my mother as well as Jesus. He said they were all very happy and smiling and sitting around talking to one another. When I asked him what Jesus looked like he said he was very handsome. He had on a beautiful purple cloak on and his hair was long and brown." He said everyone looked so happy and Chewie was sitting on Jesus' lap. It was so innocent and sweet. It was everything in me not to burst out in tears. He said he couldn't wait to fall alseep again in hopes of seeing Aunt Mary, Uncle Donald, and Uncle Harry. All family members that have passed within the last year. Oh my dear sweet Reagan, with his heart of gold. I love him so!!

Mother said there would be days like this!! In the end I have Victory- Dossier is Done!!

I was so excited and nervous this morning when I woke, knowing that today was the BIG day for me to go to the SOS (Secretary of State) in Austin today and get all my documents for my dossier authenticated and then sent off to Washington D.C. Basically, to get my dossier done and out of my hands!! I had everything strategically planned. I even wore my lucky paties/socks and my "Save the Planet" tee-shirt. Nothing can stop me, or so I think. I dropped off Caitlin early at preschool 8:00 a.m., giving me 6 hours, and headed straight up to Austin (an 1 1/2 hour drive each way). I go to park and notice there is nothing but meter parking and construction. Therefore, I am forced to find the nearest parking garage 1/2 mile away. Good thing I run, because I only had parking for 2 hours so I had to book it all the way to the SOS to give my self the maximum amount of time there; just in case there is a wait. I walk in and NO Wait, things are looking good for me. So with all my documents, it takes about a little over an hour. But, there's just one thing they tell me, they can't authenticate one of my reference letter's because it was notarized by a federal agent. My first setback. But I am not stressing. So I asked the ladies who work there what can I do? They tell me it's no big deal, I just need to get the document redone (not good, the husband is out of town for a month). So I ask if there is anything else I can do, they tell me sure I can go to a military base and have a JAG officer write a authentication letter and put his stamp on it. Sounds easy enough. So I run back to my car, it's now 11:30, getting hungry but no time to stop, need to find a base. Find out from the parking attenant that there is a base about 15 minutes away. So I am on my way, still feeling opptomistic. I get to the base and asked for the JAG office, they tell me to go to building 8. No problem. To my dismay none of the buildings are labled so I have to start running in each one (they are totally spread out over the base) to ask if they know where the JAG office is. Problem 2- everyone is at lunch, it's noon! I finally find someone in maintance to tell me where building 8 is. I find it and go in, unfortunately, this is not where the JAG office is. They tell me they are in building 10. I'm starting to get a little stressed, but still hopeful. I get to building 10 only to find out they have moved to building 12. Have I mentioned the buildings are not labled. I crank up some Casting Crowns "Praise you in this storm" and start worshiping hard hoping the heavens will hear me and show me some mercy. I finally get to building 12 and walk in only to be told they are upstairs and in the back. Have I mentioned, I have been running everywhere!! It's now 1:00, I am really hungry, out of breath and starting to seriously stress. I've arrived and someone is there. YAHOO!! Or so I think. I explain to him my predicament and beg for his assistance. Problem 3- he's army, the letter is Airforce. He does not know the officer who notarized the document therefore doesn't feel comfortable to do anything. After 1 1/2 of me begging and calling the airforce office, he finally types up a letter, stamps it and sends me on my way. Problem 4-I have no idea how to get home and it's starting to rain and there is a ton of traffic due to construction and now it's 2:30. I have to be at back by 3:30 to get my son from his school. By the grace of God, I somehow find a Buger King, a short cut home and get there by 3:40. Praise God. I am feeling so good right now, a little stressed out, but fed and good. I go to pick up Caitlin all to find out that 4 girls in her class have lice!! OMG- Are you kidding me? So off to Walgreens we go to pick up some medicated shampoo. It's now 4:30 and I desperately want to get my dossier out. All goes well at the Postal office, expect for my camera's battery is dead. No pictures to capture the moment. I make my copies, put it all together, kiss the package,say a prayer and let it go. It's a good thing they know me so well there. It's now 5:45 and I have a Bear cub scout meeting starting at my house is 15 minutes, so we down some Sonic, thank you God for fast food and make it home in time for my meeting. Defintely frazzled, but in the end- Victory was mine!!

In Loving Memory-Aunt Mary and Baby Adom

Yesterday I sadly received the news that our beloved Aunt Mary as well as baby Adom, one of the babies in our group, have gone to be with the Lord. We rejoice in the memories of both Aunt Mary and baby Adom and will cherish them always as well as find peace and comfort in knowing that they are home with our heavenly father. Lisa Pat, Leo, George and Gary, In the name of our father, I lift you you up, may the Lord be with and give you strength, comfort and peace in the days ahead. I can picture Aunt Mary larger than life sharing and laughing with the angels. We love you and will miss you Aunt Mary and look forward to the day when we see your beautiful smiling face once more.

Blake's Turning 12!!

Wow, it's hard to believe but my baby is turning 12 today. I think I have done him an injustice though since I have been saying he was 12 for the last 2 months. So when he woke up today and I asked him how did it feel to be "12" he just looked at me, smiled and said "really no different than yesterday, actually doesn't this mean I'm 13?". Funny guy! He asked me to stop calling him "Blakie", like he does every year.I have a feeling I will be still calling him Blakie when he's 55. He said it makes him feel like a baby. He's not such a baby any more. The way he looks at life and the conversations we have together are truly awesome. He has a very old soul so I really enjoy his perception on God/life things. In fact, last week when I was taking him to violin practice and I was going over all the things he had to do that day (i.e. homework, reading project, boyscouts, and violin practice) he said the greatest thing. He calmly said "you know mom, I have a lot to do today don't I? I think God's testing me to see how I handle the pressure because he wants to prepare me for something up ahead." How insightful!! He went on to to say that God's tests are definitely tougher than school tests because you usually get the material and the test all at the same time and sometimes you don't know whether you pass until years later. It's funny how much we can learn from our kids! I am so proud of him and the young man he is becoming. I'm still going to call him Blakie though!!

The Girls Are Back!!

I am so excited, 2 out of the 3 families from our agency, Amy, Grace and her daughter Miranda, are back home from Ethiopia, with babies in hand!! It has not been an easy trip to say the least, besides it being a third world country, they have had their share of setbacks and sickness (of their little ones, so we are all glad to they are home safe and sound. We praise you God for their safe return!! Eileen and her husband, the third family from the group are still in Ethiopia waiting on their Embassy date. It was supposed to be last week, and something happend to pospone it until Monday. May God give her and her husband the strength, endurance and peace to get them through the next couple of days. At least they have their children!! I can't wait to hear of everyone's experiences and see their pictures. But I think I will give them a little time to recooperate!!! Thank you father God for giving us this opporunity to be a part of something so awesome and with such an amazing group of families!!

Going a little Erin Brockavich(sp)

In having to do my own dossier, which because I am such a control freak doesn't bother me, I definitely have more respect and appreciation for the people who do this for a living!! Between all the documents themselves to making sure they are complete it is a lot. So in having said that I am happy to say that I now have all my papers ready for my dossier, except my doctor's letter. I found out a few weeks ago that the notary commission has to be good for at least a year and mine was to expire within the next month. So I have been trying to get a new doctor's letter. Unfortunately, my doctor's office doesn't seem to grasp the importance of getting this letter redone. I called, pleaded, stopped by and sent emails begging for the letter. Finally, after receiving some great advice from Rhonda, thanks Rhonda, I called the office and asked what time my doctor would be there. That next morning I showed up with Caitlin (ready to use her as ammunition if need be)and pleaded my case to the ladies at the front desk, pulling a Erin Brockavich on them! I explained to them that there is a little girl who is waiting over in Ethiopia for us and each day she waits she sits in an orphange, malnourished, without clean water and being exposed to deadly viruses and disease. I added the fact that I have been given a chance to help save her if I could only get my paperwork over there. Then for the icing on the cake I told them that it isn't just me that can make a difference, it is them as well by helping me, and that if they were in my shoes they would do the same thing. Glad to say, I got my letter within 10 minutes after that. I don't normally go around on my soap box, but sadly to say, it is true, a little over the top but true, and I will do it again if I have to.

Counting my Blessings!!

Where do I begin...Lately I have been feeling a little sorry for myself for not having a referral come our way. This has been the longest pregnancy ever. I feel as though I am stuck in the third trimester and my labor will never come. Now, my logic and past experience tells me it will, but my heart still aches for the day I see our little girls face and she's home with us. God is definitely working on my patience, since that is one of my biggest weaknesses. I try to pretend that it doesn't bother me, but our heavenly father sees right through that. Darn!!

So instead of feeling bad for something I never had and therefore never lost, I feel as though I need to take inventory of all the blessings that God has bestowed upon me and my family. The biggest one is my family, immediate, extended, family and friends. I am completely blessed with such an amazing family!! Here are some of my favorite pictures of our family over the last year. I love pictures!!!

Preparing our Fields- By Walking in Faith

After this last weeks events that were filled with heartache and fear regarding friends adoptions, I couldn't help but think of the encouraging words from a wonderful christian movie I was recently saw. In the movie "Facing the Giants" the coach a losing football team is told to "prepare his fields for the harvest" and be faithful to God's ability and willingness to bless our lives. Which is so true!!

A bible verse that has been coming to mind as well is 1 Peter 1:7; These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.

Therefore, I am going to continue to walk in faith, by preparing my field, give praise to God for this day, my blessings, and for the trials that bring me closer to him and prepare me for blessings that are to come.

Thank you father God, for your faithfulness to us even when we start to loose faith. And thank you father for your words of truth, love and encouragement!!

Big or Small- Does Size Really Matter?

Hey girls can we talk? Just wondering if you think size matters. I am talking about agency sizes of course. Kelly and Lisa, I know what you were thinking and you should be ashamed of yourselves for thinking anything else. As if a nice Christian girl like me would refer to anything else.
Well my thought on the issue is yes and no. I've done the "BIG" one, with China and YES, they were great. They are very established and we felt as though you were in safe hands and that things were streamlined. But, I always felt like a number. It didn't always go as planned either, there was a lot of turnovers and we sometimes, got lost in the shuffle. On the other hand with Ethiopia we are going through a smaller agency, Hope Adoption (see link) and though it may more hands on, with doing our own dossier and a little rockier road at times, I love the people of our agency. From the director, Shimeliss, who is from Ethiopia. I don't doubt this is truly a labor of love for him. He knows the country, and the system, which is very helpful. Then there are all the women who assist him. They are an awesome support group and vastly knowledgable in the world of adoption. There are also the families that have just completed or are going through this with us. They are an amazing family, always supportive, encouraging and prayerful. So for my personality and the nature of how emotional the journey of parenthood is, I choose, hands down, the smaller, more intimate agency.

Very Needed Encouraging Words!!

After so many recent heartaches from adopting friends I felt it was necessary to put this out there:
Book: Isaiah 43:5Verse:
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west."

It's all in a Name

We felt it was important to jump right in and choose a name for the sake of the kids, especially Caitlin being so young. I believe it makes it more real for them to process when they have a name to identify with. We have talked about Grace for so long, and with Layla coming home before Grace, God willing, we felt we better get them on board as soon as possible. We came to choose the name Layla after I was researching the web for Ethiopian adoption blogs and I came across a beautiful book titled "The Faces of Layla". The name Layla just seemed to jump off the page at me. We had been discussing names, never agreeing on any until Layla. Her middle name Karen is after my mother who passed this last April. She had a heart for Africa, so it seemed so right!!