Monday, November 30, 2009

Oh the things you can do


AND now,
a cheesy poem from me to our little S.:

Oh the things you can do
now that you are nearly two,

You can jump, run and dance
and put on a shoe,

You eat meals all by yourself
and help wash when you're through,

You brush your teeth
wipe your nose with a tissue,

You like to vacuum and sweep
we wonder if that's an issue,

You say your sorry
to the friend whose toy you threw,

You like to explore and climb
we help you if you get a boo-boo,

You love taking baths
and let us help you shampoo,

You are starting to make-believe
last night I saw you use kung-fu,

We love you so much
regardless of the permanent scribble you drew,

We're so glad you are ours
there's nothing we wouldn't do for you!

My apologies, I just had to do it!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Message from our little girl


We got this email tonight:

I'm going to write what Mercy tells me now: (in her English)


Mommy and Daddy, is coming?
Thank you
bbbbbbrrrrr airplane.

me I want to go and me want to go swimming.
Mercy and Daddy going to America.

sister sleep up! (talking about bunk beds I think)
me I'm going to church today!!
Have a dog / cat? meow?

Mercy

Coffee anyone?

To help with expenses, we found a great organization called Just Love Coffee. For every bag of coffee you order from our "store", $5 is donated to Mercy. Another portion of the sale is donated to children in Ethiopia. It's a wonderful idea and I hear the coffee is good too!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving day and after

We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends this year. My parents decided to spend the weekend on a mini vacation and my newlywed sister and her husband didn't wish to make the 4 hour drive up. We were invited to two family's homes, but having temporary memory loss I forgot about the first invite and accepted the second. I messed up and felt terrible. Because the first friend is so sweet and understanding, she forgave me and moved on. I love her! We spent the morning cleaning up, watching the parade on tv, and giving the boys a nap in the early afternoon. We left around 3 and spent the remainder of the day with our friends. The turkey dinner was DELICIOUS, almost as good as my mom's. We ate until we could eat no more. I was encouraged with kind words by a wise Christian woman.

This was E.'s first thanksgiving. He loved all the food and had seconds! After dinner, E. was getting pretty tired. He didn't want to share a toy with S. He wanted to make a lot of noise around the sleeping baby. (who I got to snuggle and love for a little while) I told him to have a timeout. He screamed, a newer tactic he's been using for a while, mostly in public because he knows how annoying it is to everyone. We went upstairs away from people, and my husband comes up, 3 flights of stairs, to see what is going on. He could hear him from that far away. I was really embarrassed. E stopped screaming when daddy came upstairs, and sat somewhat quietly for a few minutes before coming to apologize. Later, when he was being disobedient again, I gave him that mama look, and he sat down on the kitchen floor saying "I needa timeout!". He was very tired by the time we got home at 8:30. He gets overwhelmed after more than a few hours of excitement. S. was a trooper, and I am so thankful he was being so easy going!

Today I woke up at 3:45 am. I met Sarah at her house for Black Friday shopping. I seriously considered not going, but she talked me into it. I have only gone BF shopping twice in my lifetime now. We had a good time. I spent more than I had planned, but most of my purchases were non toy, sensible items. S. is done, K. is finished, L., C., and E. are partway. I got J. a few things too! We are making Christmas a bit simpler this year, which I love.

This coming week is going to be busy. My mom has surgery for her cancer. I am going to go stay with her on Wednesday. Then, on Friday three fun girls are going to have a birthday celebration/adoptive mom chat fest/movie night/relaxing soak in the hot springs up in Canada! Hurray! Thankfully the cost of this mini girl's vacation is under $80 but to me it's priceless. My hubby is so wonderful for giving of his time so I can do this sort of thing occasionally.

Unfortunately I have no photos of our Thanksgiving. I am getting to be terrible at remembering to take pictures. I brought my camera...

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thankful day 28...final post

This first time I saw S. smile (in Haiti)....
S. a few weeks ago...

I am so thankful for many things on this holiday. I'm thankful to be celebrating E's first Thanksgiving with our family. I am thankful for my children, and our growing family. I'm thankful for our health. I am thankful for the opportunity to celebrate today with friends. I am thankful for plenty of good food and drink. I thank God for the miracles He has done and will do. I am especially thankful for a loving heavenly Father. He saved me, protects me and knows everything about me yet still loves me!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Today...

  • Waited for something important to arrive in my in-box- it didn't
  • Bought a mattress and bed frame for C.
  • Made jello salad for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow
  • Made several calls to specialists regarding S.
  • Connected a bit with other adoptive parents
  • Worked out at the gym with my friend
  • Missed a very special little girl
  • Attended a Thanksgiving church service
  • Cleaned up the house a bit
  • Did three loads of laundry
  • Was glad that S. took a nap today after two days of not much rest
  • Made crock pot roast beef, but waited too late to put it in, and we didn't eat dinner until 8:15!
  • Watched Glee!
  • Sold a t-shirt. Thanks for your support and love Sarah!
  • Went grocery shopping with J. and little boys
  • Cleaned up after two "accidents" when E. waited too long to go to the potty
  • Looked forward to my mini getaway with friends
  • Pitched old paperwork and schoolwork
  • Thought about how thankful I am... many times

Thankful day 27

I am thankful for my hot water showers! Especially on a day like today, cold, rainy and blah. I was able to hop in, get all warm and clean and use my lovely shower gel! And today my hubby is home to supervise the little boys while I enjoyed it. Yes. Thank you God.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Raffle for Heartline/ Mercy shirts


Check out the raffle going on to raise funds for Heartline Ministries. Lots of great prizes! One of the prizes is a Mercy shirt, any size. They are 100% organic cotton short sleeved shirts with a very nice design. If you don't win, you can still buy one for $20.

Thankful day 26

I am thankful for my laundry facilities! I am glad I have a working washer and dryer for the many loads of laundry I have waiting for me in the laundry room...

Monday, November 23, 2009

wedding pics





Photographer: http://www.lucebellalife.com/blog/

Thankful day 25

I am thankful for our "stuff". Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the amount of clothes, toys, books and stuff we have. I try not to accumulate too much before I pack up a few bags and drop it off at goodwill, but it always seems we have enough or excess. We have been blessed this year by many hand me downs for the boys and some for the girls. It has been a tremendous blessing to not have to buy clothes for E. so far. And now S. and E. are wearing nearly the same size, but we have enough for S. too! Thank you Lord!

Off topic a bit, but wanted to share a funny story from church yesterday about thanking God:

There was a Christian lady who lived next door to an atheist. Every day, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear her. He thought to himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn't she know there isn't a God?"
Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying "Lady, why do you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no God?" But she kept on praying.
One day, she ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to the Lord explaining her situation and thanking Him for what He was gonna do. As usual, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself, "Humph! I'll fix her."
He went to the grocery store, bought a whole bunch of groceries, took them to her house, dropped them off on the front porch, rang the door bell and then hid in the bushes to see what she would do. When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she began to praise the Lord with all her heart, jumping, singing and shouting everywhere! The atheist then jumped out of the bushes and told her, "You ol' crazy lady, God didn't buy you those groceries, I bought those groceries!" At hearing this, she broke out and started running down the street, shouting and praising the Lord.
When he finally caught her, he asked what her problem was. She said, "I knew the Lord would provide me with some groceries, but I didn't know he was gonna make the devil pay for them!"

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Ironic


I thought it a bit odd that I posted about world hunger, then about a big bake sale with a huge list of items we made. I wanted to say that we had A LOT left over from the sale, but we didn't let it go to waste, nor did we eat it. We donated to this charity and I'm sure the people there loved it!

http://www.ourgrandmascloset.net/
I found this site on Craigslist today. I love Little House on the Prairie, and would love to buy my girls some of these handmade dresses or nightdresses. I was also impressed that the woman who sews these donates some of the money to children in Uganda.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Thankful day 23

Our friend's daughter, R.J. as a newborn

I am thankful that the girls are going to a friend's house for a sleepover tonight. My friend T. and I have known each other for about 9 years, we met at our former church. She has a little girl E.'s age (3). For the last year we've been talking about having a girl's sleepover at her newly remodeled home, but we just hadn't gotten around to doing it. Tonight is the night. T. is taking them out to McDonalds, a local school play and then to her home for a movie and snacks. I get to join them as soon as J. is home from work. So much fun!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Thankful day 22

I am thankful for our church, for the support they have offered our family through the adoption process, and for friends I have made there. We've been attending just over a year, but feel very much at home. We leave feeling very content, filled and renewed. We learn something new about God's word at every service. I am also thankful for the Micah Project (our orphan/adoption ministry) that is just getting started. We are working hard to raise awareness, support others and serve the fatherless around the world.

Please Pray for RHFH

Copied from www.haitiresuecenter.wordpress.com

Priye pou nou joudia

November 19, 2009 by haitirescuecenter

Hey faithful reader. I want to ask you to pray for us today. The needs today seem overwhelming, no they are overwhelming. There are well over 350 outside our gate waiting to pass in the clinic today. There are a lot of kids in the RC today that are sick. Several on IV’s and feeding tubes. Several near death. Several of the kids with kwashiorkor are severely sick. Some of the worse cases we have seen. Dad is leaving today for a 1 week trip to visit my brother and his family. We need all of you today to pray- for it all. Pray for strength for us, safe travels for dad, all the patients waiting to pass, all the sick kids, all the ones that are near death, and the ones that are just arriving. We love each of you and know you are with us and you will pray.

Isaiah 35:3-4 (The Message)

3-4Energize the limp hands,
strengthen the rubbery knees.
Tell fearful souls,
”Courage! Take heart!
God is here, right here,
on his way to put things right
And redress all wrongs.
He’s on his way! He’ll save you!”


Thankful day 21

I didn't post yesterday about my thankfulness, but I thought about it and thanked my Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for our pediatrician. He was referred to me by another adoptive mom friend. We were going to an older, "old school" doctor, who made me feel like a stupid mom. He was always giving me lectures on the importance of car seats and bike helmets. I mean, I had 3 kids, didn't he think I knew that? When I had S. as a baby I needed someone who understood international adoption and didn't leave me feeling like a loser when I went home. Dr. T is wonderful. He has worked in many different countries, including Africa, working in an AIDS clinic. He has been very thorough with my boys and listens to all my concerns. We LOVE Dr. T.! I switched all my kids to him (he works in the same office as the "old school" doctor) and we have all been happy.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Report cards

Today, the girls brought home their report cards. They are doing great! K. is struggling with reading but has improved a lot! The area that is hard for K. is working independently and focusing on her work. She is beginning to understand her expectations in the classroom though. C. is doing excellent work. This actually surprised me since she seemed well below grade level in some areas at home. She also has ADD. She got really good marks but is behind a bit in math and spelling. (I already know these would be her weak areas) She has no behavior problems at all. Hurray!

Trip to the doc

E. was SOOO excited to see the doctor today. He was talking all about it, even up until they called us into the exam room. He kept telling me he was going to say "good morning, doctor". While the doctor and I were talking, however, he was not as thrilled about being there. He kept telling me to not talk to the doctor and was throwing his toys at me and covering my mouth. Then the fun began, TB tests (both arms since he moved on the first one), two shots and talk of blood draw. I will wait for our return trip on Friday to draw blood. I need to wait for E. to forgive me for putting him through the torture he endured today.

We discussed speech therapy (he will get a referral for private therapy). We discussed another eye doctor who is great with young children. We discussed E.'s frequent urination and thirst (his urine was great, so no concern). We talked about his slow weight gain and growth. He has only gained about four pounds since March. He's in a size 2T and is 3.5. No real concerns though. He is getting his blood re-checked, and TB tests, since the doctor recommends doing this when kids first come home, then six months later. After his flu booster next month he will be all caught up on his vaccinations. He had to get most of them redone in the US.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Thankful day 20


I am thankful for our siblings. We have 6 total; I have 1 sister, J. has 2 sisters and 3 brothers. They are all so great and we love to visit and spend time together. Sometimes it is years between visits, since two of J's brothers are in the military, but whenever we get together it's like no time has passed. There's always a ton of smiles and laughter. We also have 5 brothers and sisters in law, and seven nieces and nephews. Soon we will add another sister in law to the mix, and who knows how many more little ones.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sharing about Christmas

This morning I had a cuddle/chat session with E. Here is what we chatted about:
Me: Do you know what is coming up?
E: Coming up?
Me: Christmas is coming soon!
E: Yeah!
Me: Do you know what Christmas is?
E: No
Me: Christmas is Jesus' birthday!
E: Yeah!
Me: What do you do for Christmas?
E: singing, "Happy Birthday Jesus, Happy Birthday Jesus, Happy Birthday dear Jesus, Happy Birthday Jesus."


This is what we COULD have chatted about:
Me: Do you know what is coming up?
E: Coming up?
Me: Christmas is coming soon!
E: Yeah!
Me: Do you know what Christmas is?
E: No
Me: Christmas is about Santa, presents, trees, decorations, shopping, eating and having parties!
E: I want!

I came across this site today. It sounds like a great idea, similar to others I've heard before and what we try to do yearly anyway. But it has a catchy name and is helping others reach out to those in need.

Thankful day 19




I am thankful for our parents. They have done so much for us and we are so blessed to have loving parents (and siblings). Our kids have no idea how blessed they are that they have 2 sets of wonderful grandparents.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Thankful day 17 and 18

Today I am thankful that my sister found the love of her life. She tied the knot last evening in a beautiful castle! It was magical, wonderful and romantic. We all had a great time! I will post some pics soon, but unfortunately I did not have time to take a single one. I am sure we will get a bunch since the photographer loved my kids! Here is the venue where we stayed and had the wedding....so cool. J. and I slept two nights in the most "haunted" room of the castle. It was so quiet and peaceful. We hired a nanny for the weekend, so she and the kids stayed in a house nearby. It was so nice to have help with the kids while I fulfilled my matron of honor duties! Thank you Lolo.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Thankful day 16




I am thankful for my husband's sense of humor. It is one of the things that made me fall in love with him 15 + years ago. He is one funny guy, but can really be goofy too. I love him!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Wayyy back when!

I was reading some old messages when I came across this one I wrote to a friend the few days after E. got home in March. It seems so long ago, yet time has FLOWN by!

E. is doing really well, considering his schedule is all messed up. The biggest challenge so far was bedtime last night and tonight. He fell asleep pretty quickly tonight, but not without putting up a fight! He is doing great with the kids, and is warming up more to them. He's such a joy and gives lots of hugs and kisses. It still seems unreal.

Thankful day 15



I am thankful for how much adoption has benefitted our lives and family. Before we began this journey several years ago, I really only viewed adoption as a way to enlarge a family. Now I see it so much differently, my entire worldview has changed.
  • PSA 68:5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
  • PSA 82:3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed
  • ISA 1:17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
  • JAM 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Adoption has allowed us to connect with many families all over the world! The connections I have made have truly been a blessing in itself. Adoption has allowed us to travel to foreign lands, a dream I've had that might not have become a reality. Adoption has enlarged my heart. Adoption has allowed me to reach out to children with special needs. Adoption has helped teach my children about the world and God's many children who need homes. Adoption has enlarged their hearts too!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Show Mercy


Please consider purchasing a t-shirt for Mercy. They turned out so great. The long sleeved ladies style are $25 plus shipping. Organic cotton short sleeved t-shirts are $20 plus shipping. See available sizes on the side bar of the blog. Thank you for your support.

Veteran's Day


I am also very thankful for the many veterans in our country! We have several in our family. Thank you so much for all you have done for us... we appreciate you (and your families).

Thankful day 14


I am thankful for our two cars. Without them we would be homebound much of the time. I know a lot of people live their lives without a car. They take the bus, ride their bike or walk to their destinations. If we did not have a car, we would have to move into town, or hire someone to come drive us to the nearest bus route! I think it's about five miles away. Can you imagine our family, riding bikes to the bus, then taking several buses to get to a doctor's appointment? I am really grateful for our mini van!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Thankful day 13

Today I am finding it hard to find something to be thankful about, mainly because I was awoken at 4 am with a child vomiting. She has been doing this nearly every hour. I am tired and I don't like sickness. Ewww. So today I am thankful for hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Thankful day 12


I am thankful my school aged children are doing well in school. It was a hard decision to give up most control of their education and send them to public school. Both J. and I had many fears. But so far, they are having fun, making good friends, and learning a lot! L. got 4 A's and 2 B's on his report card. This is great news, and an encouragement to let me know I did a good job teaching him at home. C. and K. have their conferences in a few weeks, and I have no idea about their grading system. I know that they both struggle in their own areas, but they are getting caught up quickly. It is so nice to have some time to just spend with E. and S. I think it is helping them both to have mama and papa focus their attention on them while the big kids are in school.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Thankful day 10 & 11

I missed yesterday's thankful post because I was gone. I spent the day and last night with my mom, sister and her friend. We enjoyed shopping, time at the Spaaahhh, a lovely dinner, and a night at a fancy hotel. I felt pampered! My sister's wedding is next week and it was so nice to spend some girl time together. I am thankful that my mom treated us to this special weekend, AND that my dad was able to come watch the kids this morning while J. was working!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Thankful day 9

Today I am thankful for the other adopted moms that I met with today. My friend Sarah was such a great hostess, making the most yummy pumpkin bread. Several moms from the community met to support, share and vent a little too! It was a great time. The little boys came along, but they did great playing and charming all the ladies. A thank you to Lolo for her helpfulness with them. That girl is a gem!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Thankful day 8

I am thankful for the wind today. I love blustery days AND I love when the power goes out, as long as it's not for more than 3 hours or before I have had a chance to make dinner or get ready for the day! I often think that I would have been a great pioneer woman, but we went three days without power several years ago, and I barely survived. That winter I was thankful for our wood stove that heated the house and warmed our food.

One word

J. took this photo in Maui in '05
We attended church with our friends last night. It was a night of worship and communion. Both J. and I really enjoyed it and felt refreshed and renewed. We participated in an activity called Lectio divina.

Lectio divina is a very useful and practical discipline for spiritual growth. Rooted in ancient monasticism, the practice is a fourfold cycle: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation. In fact, the term itself means "sacred reading."

During the scripture reading we were told to think of one word that really stood out to us, as if it were in bold print. Then we mediated on how that word effected our lives, prayed about it and worshiped.

My one word was OBEY. To me, to obey is to completely give my life over to God. No matter how unreasonable, questionable or silly the idea is to myself or others. I am to obey and follow Him and by doing this I will receive many blessings in return.

Hebrews 11:8 (New International Version)

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

1 John 2:5 (New International Version)

5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:

1 John 3:21-23 (New International Version)

21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.


Wednesday, November 4, 2009

National Adoption Month- Ways to celebrate

1. Introduce the subject of adoption to your child's school or daycare.

Bea Rothweiler, a mom from Minneapolis, Minn., will celebrate Adoption Awareness Month the same way she always does – by talking to her daughter's classmates about adoption and reading them one of their favorite storybooks. It's become a family tradition for Rothweiler to go to her daughter's school and share their story. "We read A Mother for Choco (Putnam, 1996) and share a LifeBook of our daughter's story of us becoming a family. We usually open the session up for questions," she says.

Other parents have donated books about adoption to school libraries, talked with their children's teachers to make sure that class projects are adoption-friendly, talked with their children's classes about their child's country of origin and helped provide the teacher with adoption-friendly resources.

2. Seek media attention.

Some parents have written letters to the editor of their local newspapers on adoption-related topics or asked the newspaper to run adoption-related stories during November. Other parents have contacted television stations or radio stations. By law, broadcast media must devote time and resources to various sorts of public service announcements. Plan ahead on this one – contact the station's public affairs department, and maybe next November you'll see an adoption-friendly public service announcement on your local television station.

3. Spread the word.

The adoption agency that Karen Lott's family used makes a yearly tradition of sending out a different adoption-related pin each year. "They enclose a note that says, 'Help [us] celebrate National Adoption Month. We hope that you will wear the enclosed pin to help increase the awareness of adoption. Don't forget: If the questions get too difficult for you to answer, please feel free to hand out our business card,'" she says. Other parents have worn buttons with pictures of their children or volunteered to speak about adoption at their workplace, church or other community venue.

4. Contact libraries and bookstores.

Libraries and bookstores often produce story hours for young children, so why not ask that they feature adoption stories during November? Often libraries and bookstores are eager to help spread the word.Kathy Morowiak from San Francisco, Calif., remembers her first November as an adoptive mother well. "We lived in a small town, and the local library did not have a lot of resources," she says. "Together, with some other adoptive families, I approached them and asked that they feature adoption at one of the regular story hours in November. We purchased several copies of favorite storybooks about adoption and donated them. We helped spread the word to families about the adoption story hour. Nine years later, that library is still featuring the adoption story hour, and they have incorporated other activities to celebrate adoption during the month of November."

5. Remember those who helped with your adoption.

Michelle Maack Friedrichs of Mankato, Minn. celebrated her first year as an adoptive mother in October of this year. In remembrance of their first year as a family, Michelle Maack Friedrichs of Mankato, Minn., and her husband sent a photo album of their daughter Zoe's first year with them and a financial contribution to the orphanage that was Zoe's home prior to her adoption. "We are not doing anything special for National Adoption Month, but we do have some special 'gotcha day' activities that coincide with the same month," says Maack Friedrichs.

Other parents have sent a card to the social worker who performed their home study or the adoption agency that helped with the adoption. In an open adoption, they have sent a special gift to their child's birthparents. Still others have set aside extra time to volunteer for an adoption-related charity.

Jonathan Norburg of Minneapolis, Minn., plans to offer to help redesign the Web site of the small agency that facilitated his daughter's adoption. "It's something they need and something I can do for them," he says.

6. Involve your faith community.

Diane Vanderpool of Frankfort, Ill., started thinking of the families in her church who were formed through adoption and a special idea came to her. "I have asked our pastor to do a special blessing for the adoptive families in our parish at some time during the month," she says. "I thought it was a perfect time to thank God for bringing these children into our lives."

7. Start a LifeBook for your child or update your child's LifeBook.

A LifeBook tells the story of a child's life through their eyes. Adult adoptees say that LifeBooks help give them a sense of identity through having their own story. According to Beth O'Malley, from Winthrop, Mass., author of the definitive LifeBooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child(Adoption-Works, 2000), "A LifeBook is a record of a foster/adoptee's life that uses words, photos, graphics, the child's artwork and memorabilia. A LifeBook includes information about the child's birth parents and reason for leaving them. It always starts at the child's birth. A LifeBook is more than a life story. It is a unique opportunity for parents to honor every minute of their children's lives."

8. Incorporate adoption as part of your everyday home life.

Many parents tell their child her adoption story on a regular basis. Others include birthparents as part of those they pray for or talk about. In our house, when we say goodnight, we add in the orphanage our daughter lived in and the children who still live there. Reading age-appropriate adoption stories is another way parents choose to make adoption a natural part of their family life. Speaking from my own experience as the mother of a very young child, I find reading stories is an easy way to tell her how wonderful adoption is.One of our family's favorite books is Little Miss Spider (Scholastic, 1999) by David Kirk. This vividly illustrated story tells the tale of a baby spider who searches for a mother who looks just like her, but finally realizes that a beetle named Betty, who looks nothing like the spider yet loves her dearly, is her "real" mother. In the last few lines of the book, Little Miss Spider tells Beetle Betty that she has learned that the best way to identify your mother is to find the creature "who loves you the best."

Whether you read a special bedtime story, start an adoption story hour or lead a media campaign, be sure to celebrate adoption in November. You – and your child – will be glad you did.

Thankful day 7

J.working on C.'s new room. (it's finished now, need to post an after pic!)

I am thankful for our home. While we always have a project going, or unfinished, it serves it's purpose. It keeps us warm and dry, provides a place for family and friends to gather and helps us create wonderful memories!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Spina Bifida Study

The Spina Bifida Genetics Research Project is enrolling mothers who have given birth to a child with SB in a study to determine if genetic variations in folic acid metabolism account for an increased risk of having a child with SB.
From the results of the study, it may be possible to develop a test that can identify at-risk women prior to conception. They could be treated by their physicians the same way as women who have had a child with SB- with high dose folic acid supplementation.

To register and get more information please go to:
http://www.sbgenetics.org/

Thankful day 6


I am thankful today for my husband's wonderful job plus benefits! With the economy they way it is and many people I know unemployed, it makes me so glad he's got a secure job. I am also thankful that he is able to have a lot of time home with our family. Praise God! Today I used his awesome medical/dental benefits to get some dental work done. Now I have a half smile due to numbness.
Hey adoptive Moms!
Do your children have questions that are hard to answer?
Have you been waiting half a century for your child to come home?
Have you dealt with the nightmare of foster to adopt?
Toddler peeing everywhere but the toilet?
None of your other friends even know what RAD means?
Don't have anyone to talk to who understands?
Worried about how to fix your AA daughter's hair?
Hoping for friends for your children who look like them?
YES!
We are in the same boat!
If your hoping to find some non judgemental support
and to offer up some support from your experiences...
PLEASE JOIN US.
Adoptive Moms Support Group
starts... THIS FRIDAY
where... SARAH'S HOUSE (WA state)
when... 10am
email for more info: sisters3designs@aol.com or adoptinghaiti@yahoo.com
What will we be doing?
Talking.
Having tea.
Brainstorming and Planning for the group...
Limited childcare provided.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Trick or Treat!

Halloween morning fun...


"Eloine"


S. and his shenanigans, climbing up to turn on the bathroom faucet

"Arrrggh"


K. as a flamenco dancer

E. as DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba, his favorite show


C. and L. showing the little boys how it's done


The older kids with friends right before heading out

Thankful day 5


I am thankful today for God's creation. I love where we live; the mountains, bay, lakes and woods. It's so beautiful!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Thankful day 4

Yesterday, I was not able to write about what I was thankful about. But I did think about it! I was so thankful for our neighbors. They were very excited about our kids coming to trick or treat yesterday. They told the kids to come there first. We showed up at 4:00, dressed up and ready to go. Mrs. S was not quite ready for our early arrival but she quickly came to the door with goody bags packed full of candy for each of my five children, and a bag of fresh fruit. She knew most of the kids' names, and called herself "Grammy". So adorable.