This is the day the Lord has made!

Fall dress up fun!!

2009-11-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

Victoria as a leopard/tiger or something! :)

Alanta just dressed for extreme school spirit day at her school! Colors were purple and silver, so she wore a vikings jersey! :)

Annabel as a cat!

Samuel with a tiger face!

Bryce...well don't really know what he is...he just wanted to wear all this :)

Alemu as a bat!

Kids at School in their costumes! They all march around the round-a-bout in front of their school, so everyone could see each others costumes. I spend some time in each of their classrooms for their parties also. It was fun! What a blessing children are!!!

Carving Pumpkins...

2009-10-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

JoAnne in the crown her daughter Alemitu made her! Happy Birthday JoAnne, your a AWESOME sister!

Yummmy....chocolate pumpkin muffins

JoAnne had us over for some fall fun, Saturday! We carved pumpkins, had hot chocolate, apple cider, pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin breads! It was a lot of fun, and much easier then doing it in the house, the kids also really enjoyed the company of friends! It was also JoAnne's birthday that day!! Thanks JoAnne for the fun!!

Alemu and Samuel...A.C.E Students!!

2009-10-26T18:22:00.001-07:00

Life without kids at home....(for most of the day)

2009-09-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

Its been real nice with the kids going to public school now! Although I feel like I want to get so much done while they're gone that I don't get much done....time flies when your having fun...then their home. I have managed to go out for lunch with my mom and sister, we used to do it a lot before I home schooled. I also cleaned a house with my mom for Eric's company and plan to do more when they are available. Besides cleaning my own house, I've also built a couple bunny cages (we have two bunnies now...and I'm in love with them). I also can leave whenever I want, or just sit in my house with out several kids needing my attention at the same time...now I just have one who seems to talk non-stop :) Those are some of the benefit's of public school, for me, now here are few for the kids...they have a social life beyond me, they have friends their age, they have extra activities like band, soccer, and other sport options at school, and more. The only thing that makes me sad is I feel they are not getting as good of an education as before. They also get the bad language and behavior from some kids at school. Not to mention, most importantly, the christian based learning and bible class they had in DVD school. But I'm starting "Adventures in Theology" bible study with the kids, and weekly bible memory verses also this week. My prayer is that they can be a light to the kids at school and maybe even the teachers. Thinking of that, Alanta has been learning some questionable things at school lately. First in History she is learning all about Mohammad and his religion, having to draw some vase that has to do with that too...I doubt they will study Christianity. Then in Science they had to do a report on climate change, and he preferred it to be done off Obama's speech in the paper, but we had her do it on "Global Warming," a scientific and biblical expose' of climate change. Which is good if anyone wants to get it, its a DVD, by coral ridge ministries.

Bryce and Alemu have been playing soccer for their school now. They love it!! Alemu is the best player on his team, he almost gets all the goals! I haven't got to see Bryce play yet, but I'm sure he's doing great too, he has a game today that I'll get to see. Alemu and Samuel are going to be rewarded the ACE award tomorrow from school for being such great students, so that awesome!! I guess they choose kids at the end of each month. Victoria is learning to play flute in band and is loving it also!!

So that's my update on how things are going here lately!! I'm enjoying every minute of my free time, and thanking God for this day that He has made!!!

First Day of School...

2009-09-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

Annabel...after a long day at school...

All the NEW kids at the school...

The elementry kids ready for the bus...

Alanta ready for school...a little nervous

Well the kids had their first day of school today! This morning was a little hectic, but went well. Alanta's bus for some reason drove right by us as the driver smiled and waved...hoping tomorrow they stop!! Was a little nervous Annabel was going to get scared and refuse to get on the bus, she started to but her sweet sister Victoria comforted her saying she could sit by her on the bus, so she went happily! Then I met them at school and she said she was scared but she quickly went on with her class. No tears....amazing!!! They all came home talking all at once, excited about school and loving it!! I was SO relieved they had a great day...what a blessing!! Then when tonight rolled around Alanta (the one who so desperately wanted to go to school) started to cry. She was over whelmed by all the rules, scared she was going to be tardy or do something wrong. She was convinced she wanted to go back to homeschooling after one day!!! It's so sad to see your child full of fear, but knowing that its the best thing for her right now. I had a long talk with her and she calmed down. It is a lot to be thrown into from homeschooling to Jr. high, but after a week or two she'll be fine...I hope!

The kids all made friends, and Alanta's friend is moving into a house right across the road from our house! It is so amazing how God works things out that way!! The boys all got to know the three brothers of Alanta's friend too, and are excited to have them move in. There are no kids currently living next to us, so this is answered prayer...three boys all around my boys ages and a twelve year old girl...what more could I ask for??

Today after the kids left I got a little giddy....FREEDOM!! It is such a strange feeling...kids can actually go to school for several hours and I can have a break??? I took full advantage of Eric taking Blayd to work and got my hair done...something I haven't done for a long time! Enjoyed taking care of some errands...without having to figure out who will watch the kids...or having to wait until Eric gets home to go. I could get used to this! Don't get me wrong, homeschooling is GREAT, but for my situation right now Eric and I feel this is best for the kids and me, this year at least.

Praying tomorrow goes good and no one gets too scared. I really think this school is GREAT, seems to be a perfect match for my children! Thank you God for your provision!!!

Public School???

2009-08-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday I made it to the public school and registered my kids!! Yeah, that's right, public school!! I sat for almost two hours at the elementary school filling out papers until my hand was cramping, then I had to go to the Jr. high school and fill out papers for Alanta (can't believe she's in Jr. high). I Can't believe they are no longer going to be at home with me everyday!! I don't know what I'll do with myself, with just Blayd at home. It's been three years of home school with kids home everyday. Last year, at times, it was a little much with all the kids home. I think it will be good for both me and the kids that they go to school this year. I also found out that the school they will be going to is very small and personal. Only 15-20 kids in a class! I think the kids will do great and have fun. One thing they will miss is the Bible being integrated in everything they learn. So I decided we will do devotions, and memory verses each week, and try to get them into church programs as much as possible. I am thankful that I was able to home school them as long as we did, I think it was especially good for Alemu and Samuel for the first year they were here with us. Now that I know they are all going to school I can't wait until they start, they are getting restless and ready for it to start too!

Compliments from a 3 year old...

2009-08-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

Blayd comes out of his room one day with the sweetest smile on his face! "Mom" he says excitedly "you are the most Beautiful girl in the whole world!!!" Wow, I think to myself, what a sweetie!! So I grab him in my arms and give him a big kiss. "Thanks, buddy" I say. Then he tells me why he thinks I'm SO beautiful, "you made my bed SO awesome!!!" Ohhhh....that's why he complimented me, I had put some different blankets on his bed for Sisay (who was spending the night) to sleep on! Sadly I had to tell my ecstatic 3yr. old son that it wasn't for him that I put new blankets on his bed....thankfully he took it well, and it didn't bother him too much!

EGGS.....

2009-08-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

our dog Queen

one VERY large egg...one small

We have recently gotten our first eggs from our chickens....YEAH!!! How exciting to find a fresh egg or two....the kids have actually been fighting on who gets to go check for the eggs! We think we have a rooster in the batch though, so that's no good, got to get it away from those chickens! The eggs have been all different sizes...one even had three yokes inside!!

On the other hand...some sad news...our dog Queen got out of our invisible fence (no, it's not imaginary,just under ground) and got hit by a car...she didn't make it. SO sad, she was a very good dog, the kids favorite!! For some reason our animals seem to run away or die lately. God only knows why our kids have to go through that, especially Alemu and Samuel. They have gone through so many losses, its really hard on Alemu especially! I'm am sure though, that God will work it out for the good of the children, as He molds and forms them.

Butchering chickens

2009-07-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 3rd, we butchered our chickens. It was very interesting...to say the least! Something I've never done before, but it really wasn't as bad as I imagined. Of course the only thing I really did was pluck the chickens...but that was enough. It was one of the hottest days we've had this summer, 100 degrees, and we had the fire pit burning hot (to use for helping the feathers come out easier). Eric worked hard, he butchered 9 chickens!!

The kids didn't mind watching...to my surprise! I thought they would be grossed out, but they did well. Alemu knew all about it, it was something he remembers doing in Ethiopia. He sure enjoyed the chicken when we cooked it and so did Joanne's Ethiopian kids, they gobbled it up quick.

I'm attaching a video of the butchering of chickens (for those interested in the process)...it may not be suitable for all...kind of graphic! Viewer discretion is advised!!

At the Ranch...

2009-06-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

the boys

sammy talking to a grasshopper! one of his, and the youger kids favorite activities that keeps them occupied for hours! playing with grasshoppers!!

Victoria

the loft we slept in (and i got bit)

my stylish son :) He's wearing a glove that he found at the ranch, and hasn't taken off since! He's in his swimming trunks again, and is wearing some wool socks I bought before we left for the kids because they get leg aches a lot, he apparently thought they were cool...he wore them the whole time we were there!

Alemu driving four wheeler for the first time by himself

We went to my mom and dads ranch last weekend...what an interesting time!! My dad leases out his land for cows to graze and this time they were in our camping site. They relieved themselves throughout our campsite...gross!! Well we got that cleaned up as good as we could, but the cows refused to stay away!! They are SO curious that they continued to come to our campsite even though we scared them away with four wheelers...you would think they would be afraid after being chased with strange, loud, wild machines! There were a few bulls in the mix that were being very aggressive to the females...moaning loudly with thick snot running down their faces, and the look of desire in their eyes!! One morning at 5am. I got up because of a spider had bitten me...needing to go to the bathroom badly, and not wanting to wake my mom and dad in the motor home to use their toilet, I decided to take a quick run behind the shop...not a good idea! As I was about to end my visit to the back of the shop, I heard the loud moaning of that love hungry bull!! It came around the side of the shop and we locked eyes...but only briefly... for I was not going to wait to see what he thought of ME! I jolted around and ran as fast as my legs could take me and I could here the bulls hoofs thumping fast behind me...I didn't know if he was heading after me or running away, but I wasn't about to turn around and find out!! I got back into the shop with my heart pounding and adrenalin rushing, laughing to myself thinking...that was interesting!! Then I looked down at my arm that had been bitten by a spider noticing it growing in width and getting quite red, I hoped it wasn't a black widow that had bit me or some other highly venomous spider.

Well...my spider bite did get nice and swollen, red, sore, and itched, but seems to be getting better now, I thank the Lord!!

The kids enjoyed themselves, but not so much that first night, we had bought two small 2 person tents for the oldest four to sleep in, 2 in each tent. The first night we stayed in the tents, but I had a hard time sleeping worrying about the kids, cows roaming around and knowing that certain animals could be lurking around, bears, cougars, both had been seen on the ranch before. Alemu said he couldn't sleep good either, and they all woke up a little damp from dew. So the next night we stayed in the shop on the loft that Eric and dad had built that day. (that is where I got bit at night in my sleep!!) We did quite a bit of things, took walks...of course I had to find a tick on ME, I hate ticks and that was the only one we saw all weekend ....we went fishing, rode four wheelers, and had a picnic at the top of the mountain!! All in all it was interesting, fun, and a relaxing (somewhat) weekend!!

Bryce...

2009-06-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

(notice the opened package from his flashlight with extra batteries)

This is Bryce for you...prepared for whatever may come!!! He's got a bag filled to brim with gadgets...he's also in swimming shorts at all times...prepared to go to grandmas for a swim...on a moments notice!!!

Happy 12th Birthday Alanta!!!!

2009-06-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have a 12 year old!!!!

We celebrated Alanta's 12th birthday at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Friday. After a day of swimming she enjoyed a night with her cousins who live 4 hours away and also shared her birthday with one of them!

Alanta also got brackets for braces on Tuesday! She goes back in on the 25th to get the wire on, and an expander (?i think that's what they call it?) on the roof of her mouth.....fun!!!! (not really)Hoping it's not too painful after!

Chicken, Chickens, and more Chickens!!!

2009-06-01T13:05:00.001-07:00

A couple of my cute kids with the new chicks!

The outside part of the chicken coop!

One of our cute chickens!

We got the rest of our chicks last Friday.....18 more! Kids are having fun with them! They have been doing great (well..maybe good) at keeping up on the chore of feeding and watering them each day. The big chickens go through their food and water fast, even with big feeders, so the kids have to check twice a day. Got part of our coop done, so that's nice. Cant wait to get it fully finished.

At the ranch...

2009-05-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

We went to my Mom and Dad's ranch for Memorial weekend. We had a lot of fun! Wade and Victoria let us use their trailer, that's was awesome. We were going to tent it, I thought it sounded fun....glad we didn't...it got really cold at night. The daytime weather was beautiful!! We went on a little hike in the woods with the kids...we did not run into any cougars (thank goodness)mom and dad had seen some tracks though!!

At the top of the mountain....beautiful view!!

Mom and Dad....still in love.... after 39 years of marriage!!!

We caught some delicious trout!!

At the big pond (Annabel and Samuel)

Kids having fun in the pond...trying to stay afloat on home made raft.(the big pond)

ahhhh...another family picture....of a bunch of dirty rug rats :)

I'm not 30.....YET!!!!

2009-05-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

I can still say I'm in my twenties for one more week!!! I was surprised Saturday night with my 30th Birthday party. I was tricked into thinking I was going to my sisters for a Game Night....Lana had been trying to get one started for awhile. Instead I opened the door to a group of crazy people singing "Happy Birthday" dressed up 90's style, I guess, stretch pants, big hair, and rolled Jordach jeans, among other things :) I wish I had my camara with me, they looked GREAT :) It was quite embarrassing, and surprising....although I had been a little suspicious that something might happen one of those days. My mom and JoAnne had worked hard, and had a blast putting together a video, interviewing family and friends about me. It was hilarious!!! I was SO surprised to see my two brothers and their family's up for my birthday!!!! They drove four hours....it was awesome to see them there!!

It's been a little depressing the last month, or more, knowing I was turning 30, but I think I'm fine with it now. Thirty really isn't that old anyway!!!

Thank you Mom and JoAnne for a WONDERFUL Birthday party!! Thanks to all who came!!!

2009-05-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

Me and the kids painted part of the unfinished chicken/garden shed/play house, Saturday, while Eric was hard at work building it! We just couldn't wait until it was finished, so we did what we could. It was a lot of fun for all!!

Don't worry, the kids play house is not IN the chicken pen. We just thought since we are building, just as well add a play house to it too! Eric has pretty much built all of it out of scrap wood from his jobs, he is amazing!!

Bryce turned 9 years old!!

2009-05-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Bryce turned 9 on Friday, May 8th. He's growing up so fast!

He had 7 boys over for his birthday. They had fun playing games and being wild! They played some baseball (in the weeds), solved the case of... The Missing Candy, and played Mafia! He had a blast!

I gave the boys each their own magnifying glass for a party favor (and also to solve their case) but maybe that wasn't such a great idea, Bryce figured out how to start things on fire with it.......ants, grass, and his brothers leg hairs ( and his own) were among the casualties!! :)

How they've changed....

2009-05-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

(pictures of the boys when they first came)

Just thinking about how the boys have adjusted so much, (and grown) since they came, only a little over nine months ago. Samuel was pretty smooth right from the start, with only minor emotional issues, he is doing so great. He still seems to look out for fairness at all times, he is one who would notice a minor difference in food amounts, or anything really. Although some kids are just that way, I think his may be from life not being fair to him from the start. He is a very sweet and sensitive kid. He loves Jesus, and loves to praise Him! He has a very loving heart!

Alemu has made the biggest change since coming here. He had some anger issues, and a hard time with self control, when angry. He also did quite a bit of complaining and could be very stubborn, refusing to do what he was told, no matter how small of a request it was, at times. He is now very sweet, usually the first to do something when asked. He rarely has a temper and controls himself well. He loves God and openly talks of his thankfulness, and love for Him!! He says he wants to be a pastor when he grows up, because he wants to tell others about God....WOW!! It's amazing what God can do!! The other day he was crying when he saw a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross. He has such a good heart! God is SO awesome!!!

2009-04-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

Samuel's liver and kidney test results came back good! Yeah! He can continue to take the rest of his oral meds for ring worm! Hopefully it does the trick and gets rid of it for good! His ear is doing great, it already seems like he can hear a little better, although he still has packing in there. He actually complained the other day that Annabel was talking too loud in his ear, thats a good sign :)

Boys night out...

2009-04-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

For the little time he held his pole :) he enjoyed throwing rocks in the water instead!

"The worm is STILL alive!" (samuel)

We try to take the boys, and then the girls, on a night out once a month. I know, not very often but hey, better then never! Last night we brought the boys fishing....we caught nothing, but it was fun....most of us thought so anyway. Bryce thought it should not count as their night out....leave it to Bryce, he will always try to take more than you give! I know he really did enjoy it though!

It was cold out there last night, but beautiful!! I love fishing, I was sure I would have caught something if only there a little longer. Maybe next time!!

Garden Time!!

2009-04-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

We planted our garden last Saturday! I am so excited, can't wait to have the produce!! We are just running out of frozen vegetables from last years garden.

The kids enjoyed planting the garden also! Eric gave them a small section all their own. They were ecstatic!!

Cherry Blossoms!

2009-04-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Beautiful cherry tree blossoms picked for me today, by my children! SO sweet.....except they all came back with branches full.....I think they may have brought me the whole tree!! :)

Samuel's surgery

2009-04-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

After surgery....

Sweetie!! Was SO brave...smiling before surgery!!

Just plain cute!!

He thought the socks they gave him were cool.....although he thought I was crazy when I asked him if he wanted to take them home :)

At the hotel (before surgery)

I just had to take several pictures of him! Isn't he one of the cutest kids you ever saw?!?

Well, surgery went better than could be expected. The doctor said that everything was healed well in his ear, and there was no new growth. Yeah!! Praise the Lord!! He rebuilt the ear bones and took out the plastic they had left in last time, to help heal the ear.

Samuel is feeling great, was able to walk out of the surgery room, and to the car on his own this time! He is up walking around, excited to see his brothers and sisters, although he does get a little nauseous once in a while, and has a small amount of ear pain. Thank you for all your prayers!!

We enjoyed our time with Samuel alone. We went to Spokane Wednesday, then to a nice dinner with him, saw a movie, stayed the night in a hotel, got up and had surgery at 7:30 am, left for home at 11:30.

Let's go fly a kite!

2009-04-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Kites are AWESOME!!! (Blayd)

"Mom, God is making our kites fly!" (Samuel)

What a beautiful Spring day!! Today the kids got kites in the mail from some friends (thanks Abbey) it was the perfect day to fly them! Some of the kids had never flown kites before! How exciting it is to get your kite in the air and see it soring way up high! What a beautiful sight, what a beautiful day, what beautiful children, I'm blessed today!!!

2009-04-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well this week did not turn out to be as fun as we thought it would. All the kids got the flu... except Alemu. They were in bed most days!

We did, how ever, manage to go get some chicks, today!! The kids were SO excited, and so was I!! They did not have as many chicks as we desired, so more to come in a couple weeks.....we want LOTS of eggs :)

2009-03-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sping Break!

2009-03-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Spring Break has been fun! Got together with family, kids got to enjoy time with some long lost cousins! (Jordan and Rachel came down here, and more family to come Thursday) Bridget came and stayed the night with my girls, they were up late with popcorn and a movie!! Those are the days....carefree life of children!!

Not so fun for me last night, Blayd woke up 1 o'clock in the morning with a asthma attack! Thank the Lord for an Albuterol inhaler!!! Gave him a couple puffs of that and he was good....except for the fact that it makes him twitch, and talk in his sleep!!! Last time he had this it was a nightmare!! Watching my child struggle for air, is not my favorite thing to do!! Finally found out he has viral induced asthma, and was given a Albuterol inhaler, it works wonders!!! Too bad it took a $750.00 emergency room bill to get it!!! Oh well I guess, you've got to do what you got to do!!

Anyways... today is very windy, tumble weeds bounce through the brown, dust filled air in my backyard, luckily I got Eric to anchor down the swing set and trampoline, although that still didn't stop the slide from ripping off! Dogs sit chewing on footballs left outside, Samuel and Blayd, best buds now, play happily for hours with a few Lego's in the living room. Samuel giggles loudly, while Blayd is acting goofy. I sit here wanting to go clean out my car, which is a disaster, but not wanting to get blow away by the wind. (a nice excuse anyway, my car is the last thing I ever get around to cleaning!!)

The house is fairly silent today, Eric took Bryce and Alemu to work with him. YA!! Five kids seem really easy now...would actually consider going somewhere with them all :) if Annabel was feeling well! She has a slight fever and has been in bed all day, poor girl.

Got Alemu to wear something other then his crocs today.....that was a miracle! They are half eaten, from the dogs, and no matter what kind of shoe I buy him he likes those crocs the best!! I have to go get him another pair soon! I also got Bryce to finally change out of his clothes that he's worn three days in a row, even with a shower in between!! You would think after taking a shower he would not desire to put on dirty clothes, not for this child... I was not at all happy!! BOYS.....they keep life interesting! :)

Update

2009-03-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

A lot of children from Ethiopia come home with ring worm, among other things. My boys were no exception, but the worst of it I did not deal with. Ever since they have come here we have dealt with some ring worm spots on the the youngest kids. But it has started getting worse lately, and I think Samuel has it on his scalp. The lesions have gone away really well with lotrimin, but just never really kicked it. I brought Samuel in to the Doc. and they decided to put him on oral meds for the ring worm. It can be hard on the liver, so pray no harm is done. He was on oral meds about a year ago and it did show some effects on his liver, but Doc. will be doing blood test for safety. He will be on it for 8 weeks. Alemu also had ring worm when he was with previous family, but he doesn't seem to have it any more. Hopefully this will be the end of it! It can spread really bad, as my cousin has found out, with her two girls from Ethiopia.
Samuel will also be going in on April 16th for second surgery on his left ear, please pray for him. His hearing has not yet gotten better, but it was not expected to until they go back in and rebuild his bones in the ear. The Doc. says this surgery will be easier and he should recover faster then last one. His ear drum that was replaced has healed very well, and everything looks great! After this surgery he will have to have another on his other ear, they hope to get that one done with one surgery.
The boys have been doing well, they are still testing limits, but that's to be expected! Samuel has been kind of emotional lately, but not bad! It's already been 7 months since they came, I cannot imagine our life without them, they seem like they've always been here!! I just wish I knew everything that they have been through, they don't talk about it much, maybe they will sometime. They are such good boys, with loving hearts!!

2009-03-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

My little singer!!

2009-03-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

I like this song! The older kids learned it in school and I had to have them sing it! They are not performing perfectly, but I guess it makes it more interesting! Bryce is lip syncing, I don't know why, he usually is very expressive and loud while sing this, but of course he couldn't do it nice for me that day! If you notice Alemu push Annabel's arm off him, it's because he still isn't sure he likes his little sister hugging on him all the time and telling him she loves him, but it doesn't stop her! But anyways....what a good song, God is still workin' on us, and thank goodness He's loving and patient!!! Though we fail often, we know that He doesn't give up on us!

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

In the wash....

2009-03-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found Eric's Flash Drive and Bryce's school DVD remote in the dryer (among other things), that had obviously went through the wash already and was hopelessly ruined! This isn't real surprising, if you know my son Bryce. On some occasions you will notice he walks a little funny. Why? because his pockets are so full of treasures (junk in my mind) that his pants can hardly stay up, and he has to walk that way to keep them up. My sister is really amused by this and loves to find out what's in his pockets. He is thrilled that she is interested and gladly takes out his treasures one by one, the amount of stuff is endless. There are small springs, chunks of plastic, large permanent markers (that he found on one of Eric's jobs), broken lighters.....which brings me to another thing....recently I have found him starting fires!!! One time in the garage, and another in his ROOM!!! When confronted about it, he calmly says, "What??? I wasn't going to start anything else on fire," thinking he has everything under control! As he's reassuring me, I look around and see ashes on the rug and on his chair!! We hope we have gotten it into his head now, that the house could be up in smoke in MINUTES!! Of course to be sure, I've hidden the lighters!!

Back to my story....when I asked why he had Eric's Flash Drive in his pocket, he said excitedly, "I found it!"(he probably FOUND it on the counter) Eric was wondering where it had gone!! Everything he FINDS, he assumes is his, and if not he'll usually ask you for it, no matter how ridiculous it may be that you give it to him!

2009-03-05T21:22:00.000-08:00

As we drove around today we past the gym where Annabel had gone to gymnastics last year. She noticed and said"Mom when am I going to go back to gymnastics?" She had enjoyed going so much and I would love to send her again, but right know we had higher priorities, money wise. "Well, I don't know" I said. She asks if I know why she wants to go back, and I say, because you liked it soo much? She says, "well...yeah, but mostly because I want to tell all them that God loves all the children of the world!!" Then she says "I would like to sing the song to them......but I might be too scared.
How sweet that she desired to spread the good news, shouldn't we all be as little children, excited to tell other of Gods love!!!

The Love of Family!

2009-03-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

As the kids vomited all through the night, I thought of the one who brought it here to begin with. Sunday my sister's boy didn't make it to the bathroom in time and vomited on my floor! I started to think.... maybe he is getting me back for the accident Blayd had at their house not to long ago? I thought back to the memory of that day......It happened when Jake had begin to smell something awful coming from my son, who I had bragged to JoAnne, was potty training soo well. When he moved, JoAnne noticed he was walking alittle funny. I, being a brilliant mom, new what had happened, and with a quick grab I lifted him up so he could do no more damage tracking this stuff around! But as I lifted him up something rolled out his pant leg and onto the carpet, which by the way was spotless and new up until now, and as i sat my foot down it landed, yep you guessed it, it landed into the pile of poo on the floor! JoAnne was up quick as a flash racing to find me something, anything, hurry get this off my floor she thought!! There sat Jake to her dismay, still on the couch, covering his nose and holding his breath! Panic went through the house as JoAnne raced around, with all this ruckus the other children bustled out from their play, they ran this way and that to survey the scene." Stop!!" cried JoAnne "your tracking.....," but it was to late the damage was done. The children had step in poo all around, that Blayd had spread as he had wondered around, through the kitchen, in the laundry, and the hall up and down! Yes, it is a memory we wont soon forget! Memories with family, how much better can it get!!!

Our Adoption Story

2009-03-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

I started thinking, I suppose I should probably tell the story of our adoption. As you can tell I am a beginner at this blogging stuff. Most of you probably know it already, but for those who don't, I will tell it.

Well it was a work of God from the beginning! We decided to adopt from Ethiopia around April of 2008. Our application was accepted and got our paper work in May. We then felt we should not go further with the adoption until our house, that was still for sale after we moved, and in a very bad housing market, had sold. In August we heard about 2 boys who were adopted from Ethiopia 8 months prior, and they were the ages we were looking to adopt, they were going to be disrupted (given for adoption again). Eric and I pray, and asked God for His guidance. We knew while this seemed meant for us right away, that we wanted peace from God that this was truly His will for all involved. Once we got that PEACE things moved very quickly for us and the boys moved in with us August, 23rd. We were amazed at how God had brought them into our lives and how quickly they adjusted, they fit right into our family. Not to say we didn't have some struggles, but all in all, things went better then we could have expected. Thanks to all the prayers of family and friends, for I know with out a doubt, prayer changes things! We could not have picked better boys for our family!( well that's obvious, after all God does knows what He's doing! ) Our house did finally sell and God worked it to just in time for us to pay the adoption attorney fees.He had everything under control. They officially became our boys on Dec. 29th!!! Our cup runnith over!!

We ask for you to continue to keep us in your prayers, for without a doubt there will be struggles. We praise God for His continued guidance and presence in our lives, no good comes from us except by Him!!

2009-03-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

It has been interesting having 4 boys in the home. They are ALWAYS full of energy!! I am having a hard time keeping hole less jeans in the house. They are growing at impressive amounts, and it's no wonder their appetites are unstoppable!! Around here there is always a lot of giggles and noise, and at times tempers out of control, and at the end of the day its a lot of kisses and a lot of hugs goodnight, and that is when I sit back and thank God, for all my girls and rambunctious boys!!

2009-03-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to create a blog, I thought everyone else is doing it so why shouln't I? Well not really, but figured it would help family and friends to keep up to date with our lives! I don't know how well I will be able to keep you updated, but will try my best!