2010

It's hard to believe that one year could bring so much heartache and so much joy all in the same year and all through adoption! This year was a roller coaster of emotions from going to court so many times to traveling to Ethiopia to get our son! This has been one of the hardest yet best years of our lives! I am so thankful for the journey that 2010 brought our family through. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, he has taught me so many things and walked with me through many personal storms! He is my rock and I am so thankful for him. I am so thankful for Ella, she is such a good helper and a smart and beautiful girl with a tender heart for others and a heart for Jesus! She is a fun kid! I am also thankful for Max who can make me laugh ALL the time. He is so stinkin' cute and sooooo funny! He is such a little firecracker but really strives to obey, I have really enjoyed watching his heart for Jesus grow this year and watching him accept the Lord as his personal Savior and be baptized! I am also thankful for Maya Jane!!! She is such a precious little sister sassy sizzle! She has so much spunk and sass, but she is also very tender hearted as well. She makes me laugh really hard as well and she is a MOMMY"S GIRL!!! I am so very thankful that she gave her life to the Lord this year as well! And last but not least Ade Joseph, he is such a blessing, way beyond what I ever imagined! I am so thankful that the Lord's timing is perfect! He has blessed our family more than you could ever imagine! He is so cute and loving and funny! I love the way he loves music and loves to dance! But my favorite is his love for his daddy! It is so awesome to see a baby that was fatherless, have and LOVE a daddy the way he does! And his daddy loves him a lot too! I love my family and my Jesus!!! Happy New Year!!!

HIghlights of 2010

2010 was a very interesting year! I can't believe it is coming to an end so quickly! I am ready for 2011 and what it may bring.

Things I remember most about 2010......

-Adoption paperwork
-Getting our shots
-Getting our referral
-Seeing Ade for the first time
-The looks on my kids' faces when they saw their brother's picture.
-Going to Ethiopia
-Meeting some really great friends through my travel group!!! #16 You rock!!!
-Making some really great friends in my hometown!
-Walking off of the plane in KC to my family and friends showing off our son!!!
-Realizing that people will let you down and most of the time they won't live up to your expectations!(Just like I'm sure I don't meet their expectations)
-Realizing what is important in life!
-God breaking my heart for the poor, oppressed, orphaned and widowed!
-Becoming a little less selfish. Thinking of other before myself.(Still have a lot of work to do)
-Expanding the business and Joe being so happy!
-Great Wolf Lodge with Joey and Kris and all the kiddos!
-Baby Vivian being born.
-Having Christmas Eve with my awesome family.
-Having a connect group at our house.
-Max and Ella getting character awards at school.
-Missing my kids' first day of school.
-Many friends getting referrals.
-Talking with others about adoption.
-All the people who blessed us when we came home from Ethiopia and who supported us!
-The way Ade LOVES his daddy!!!
-My kids growing up!
-I'm sure there are many more things that my mind is not recalling right now, these were just off of the top of my head!

Happy New Year!

Our New Friends!!!

So today we traveled to Gardner Kansas to meet some new friends! They adopted a little boy about a week younger than Ade from Ethiopia as well, through Holt! I had stumbled across her blog when I was in the process and have kept up with it and realized we weren't too far from each other! So we finally got to meet today!

It was so great chatting with another adoptive mom! And she has 4 kids as well! So the kids played great. It was an awesome time. And Joseph is such a little doll! He and Ade resemble each other. They have the same profile only Ade has a gigantious head!!! Love that big head!

It was pretty interesting to watch them because they barely acknowledged each other. It was kind of funny. I thought Ade would have more of a reaction, but he didn't! It could be their age as well. They sure did look cute running around that house though!

Isn't it awesome how God works and how He puts people in our paths who share the same experiences that we do? I love how He does that! Now I have another new friend who is pretty darn awesome! Tomorrow we FINALLY get to meet little Desi from Ethiopia as well! I CAN"T WAIT!!! And I haven't seen Shan in a really long time so it will be so nice to catch up!

10 Things I Never Thought I Would........

1) Never thought I would be in the ethnic hair care section of stores debating over "Pink Luster or Olive Oil" products!
2) Never thought I would be taking in random poop samples to the pediatrician!
3) Never thought I would be so excited to see a SOLID poop!
4) Never thought I could love someone and their family SOOOO MUCH whom I had never met! ie... Ade and his birth family! Before we met him!
5) Never thought I would ever want to go back to another country!!!(I am not a traveler)
6) Never ever EVER thought I could handle 4 kids!
7) Never ever thought I could talk my husband into adopting!
8) Never thought I would get so many crazy looks when I was out with all my kids!
9) Never thought I could imagine having more than 4 kids.
10) Never ever ever in a million years could have imagined I would have a life as great as I have!!!

The Bugs First Christmas!!!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given! This has never meant more to me than now! I am so thankful for our blessing! Ade is awesome. I remember last year not even knowing if we were getting a boy or a girl. And one year later, he is here with us! Celebrating the birth of Jesus!!!

Although, the bug was not impressed much with Christmas! He barely unwrapped the presents and could have cared less what he got! He was also a little Christmas cranky!!! Boy oh boy! I think he was overwhelmed a bit. He stayed up really late last night and got up really early. I'm pretty sure his siblings woke him up! Nonetheless, it was awesome to have him here with us! Crank or not!

Last night we went to Christmas Eve service with live animals. He LOVED that! So cute and then we had family over and had a blast! I mean really a blast! This morning we opened gifts here and then headed to my parents! It was a very fun day.

The best part of the day was one of my Christmas gifts from Joe, he made my blog into a book! So now Ade will have something to read before he was with us! It is amazing! I have the best husband ever!

Of course we had our matching jammies! I'll attach pics and I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Check out how cute my Ade is!

A Day With My Boys!

Every year Joe takes the girls to see The Nutcracker, this was the day! Ella had to sing at church and they headed out from there. She sang great by the way! Maya was sooooo excited it was making me want to cry. It seems everything is making me want to cry lately! I don't know why, but every year at Christmas I get sad. I get sad that it is almost over! My heart hurts! This year is no different! I have no reason to be sad. I have the best husband and the most beautiful children in the world! I have an awesome house which I love and never want to leave and a great family! So why be sad? It is frustrating to me that I get like that! One thing that sort of makes me sad is knowing that I get this precious little chocolate chip to love on and share Christmas with this year and his family is left wondering. It breaks my heart thinking about what they have given up. OK, that was a bit of a rant! Sorry!

So while Daddy and the girls went to the Nutcracker, my sons and I got to spend the day together at my mom and dad's house! It was so nice, we haven't done that in so long. Just went over, ate lunch, watched the chiefs and hung out! It was great. It was also great just being with my boys! They are both just adorable and so much fun! After the game, Max got to go to the MWSU game with Papa! He loved that!

Dad and the girls came home and they had an awesome time! So much so that Maya put on the music to the Nutcracker and danced around the playroom all night in her dance outfits! So precious that girl! I am super blessed that I have a husband that is an awesome husband and daddy! That he enjoys spending time with his family! Thank you Jesus for him!

A Horrible Dream and Some Other Stuff!!!

Last night I had an awful dream. I dreamed that someone adopted Ade out from under us and I went to hold him and he would NOT go to me! I ran off in hysterics crying! I can't imagine someone taking my baby boy or any of my babies away from me for that matter! I know he has only been home for 4 months, but he is MINE all MINE!!! I am his Mamma! Joe is his DADDY!!! I wonder if it is just me or if other adoptive parents have a hidden fear that they will be taken away. It was a strange frightening dream!

Onto more cheerful news! The kids had their school program last week and it was wonderful! Ella had a solo and she nailed it! She amazes me sometimes, she was so confident and she sang clearly and loud! It was awesome! I was a proud Mamma! And Maya did a great job singing and dancing! Max had to miss it!:( The girls looked beautiful!

We did however find out why Max has been so sick and not recovering, he has mono! Lovely huh? He is doing better now though! Please pray for him!

OK, off to a date with my man! Have a wonderful weekend! One more week til Christmas!!!

Some more firsts!

We've had some more firsts around here! We took Ade through the holiday park! He LOVED it! We all put on our jammies and went through the park. The kids all got unbuckled and had a BLAST looking at all the fun lights! We sang carols and just had fun! It was super fun having the bug here with us this year to do all of this fun stuff.

We also had some friends over and made gingerbread houses! Ade was more interested in eating all of the "treasures" that fell on the floor! He even managed to get a gum ball in his mouth! Crazy baby! He was so cute just observing everyone!

I have also attached a picture of my adorable family! Sometimes I have to take a step back and just look at them and what a blessing each and every one of them are to me! I am blessed indeed!

Ade has really been talking a lot lately! He is purposely saying Momma now! And I LOVE IT!!! He is saying, "I stinky"! It is precious and he says thank you! His vocabulary is growing every day! He is so happy and comfortable being home! His little personality is really starting to shine through. He fits in great with this chaotic crazy family!

He has his appointment to get his tubes in his ears on the 20th and we are thrilled. It is starting to affect his hearing. So we are ready to get him in tip top shape! He won't know what to do without having an ear infection!!! He has another double right now!

I wrapped some presents to test them under the tree and so far he hasn't noticed them. I'm sure it won't be long being as though he is into EVERYTHING!!! I can't wait to watch him unwrap on Christmas!

Please be praying for us because Max is sick yet again!:( He has to miss his Christmas program tonight! Where Ella has a SOLO!!! He also had to miss his Thanksgiving feast!:( I feel bad for him! Have a great day!

Ade's First Play day!!!

Ade has his first play day today! He had 2 really cute girls over to play! And they were older women!!! He did really well. And I had a lot of fun chatting with the moms! It is good to have times like these where the kids can play and the moms can chat! It's good for the mom and the child!:)

After we pick the kids up from school we are having some friends over to make gingerbread houses! We are all so excited! I can't believe it is already December and we are already doing these things! Before we know it, it will all be over! Every year I get sad because I know it will be over real soon! This year I'm going to try and enjoy it! Ade is so precious with the Christmas tree, but he does like to pull every ball off of the tree! Not so precious!

That's about all I have to say right now.

Ade's First American Thanksgiving!

Well we had our first Thanksgiving with Ade and he seemed to really love it! He ate EVERYTHING!!! He really liked all of it! We had a lot of fun enjoying him being home with us this year. It seems so funny that last year the day before Thanksgiving we had just sent in our application to Holt! And we were talking about having our baby next year for the holidays! God is so good!

It is hard to believe we have been home for 3 months. These past 3 months have been great! A little stressful at times, he is in to EVERYTHING, and adjusting to a toddler at my old age has been a little difficult! But there are so many more great things far out weigh the stress! Life with 4 kids is crazy, fun and exhausting! I am so excited for Christmas! Ade will be so much fun!

On another note, we have been sick sick sick around here. All of our kids have been sick and this weekend Maya and I have strep, ear infections and a list of other things! I am so ready for everyone to feel better and to get back to a normal routine! So pray for us if you will!

Holiday Spirit!!!

I have so much holiday spirit right now I am bursting at the seams! I can't wait to get the Christmas decorations put up! I love Christmas and it is going to be especially awesome this year because we have the Bug!!! I can't wait for him to have a family Christmas and to teach him as he gets older about Jesus and what Christmas really means! So today at Wal Mart, I did buy each of the kids the cutest little trees and some ornaments for their rooms! Maya's is pink, Max's is blue and Ella's is silver! They loved them. Ade will have a mini tree in his window since his bedroom is in the front of the house!

We have been going nonstop since we got home from Ethiopia. It seems like someone has been on an antibiotic the whole time we have been home. I myself had to have a shot in the buns to try and get rid of this junk. Maya, Ade and I are all taking medicine right now! It is just crazy!

Like I have mentioned before, Maya is really struggling right now. Poor little thing breaks my heart. But I think we may be getting over the hump with this phase. Today was the best day we have had in weeks. She was pretty happy and had very few meltdowns! I am relieved. She is stressing this momma out!!! But I am just trying to be patient with her and just love on her through this tough time.

We are headed tomorrow to our nephew Amos' birthday party! I can't believe he is almost 3. Where did those 3 years go? And what a blessing he has been to our family! We love you Amos!

Happy Holidays!!!

Isaiah 41:9-10

Little did I know in 2008 when God laid this verse on my heart and I went to Haiti that He had a much bigger plan for my life in Africa! When I went to Haiti I sort of struggled with the fact that there wasn't some life-changing experience. I walked away from that trip with a deeper desire to adopt, a broken heart for the oppressed and the orphan and a great appreciation for America!

Now looking back on that trip I see that maybe God was laying the framework for our adoption. Maybe He sent me to Haiti to experience a third world country before I went to pick up my son. So I wouldn't be so shocked at what I would see in Ethiopia!

Little did I know that the mother of my son was 3 months pregnant at the time! I had NO CLUE he was being formed in his mother's womb! WOW!!! God was working, He was working to prepare my heart and give me compassion and a broken heart for His people! I wonder if Ade's mom knew she was pregnant yet? I wonder if she had told her family yet. I wonder if they were making plans for him yet. So many unknowns with adoption.

I didn't get to meet his mother which I was very disappointed about. I don't even have a picture of her to show to him. But I pray for her and her family every night when I put Ade to bed. I pray that maybe God would open that door and I would someday get to meet her or even just see a picture of her!

God shows me little by little all the ways He was in this and I love looking back and watching how His plan unfolded!

A quick update

Not too much going on around here. The kids had a 3 day week this week so tomorrow we are going with some friends to the Great Wolf Lodge! We are pretty excited about that! And then of course "Harvest Evangelism" is Sunday. We go around to the different houses and say "God bless you" and hand the different people a Bible tract and then they get handy. Trying to put a little light in a dark holiday! And then of course I get candy as well!

Ade is continuing to grow and blossom! He is such a joy. We took him to get his haircut today and it was amazing how much hair came off of him and what it looks like! I kept saying I wasn't real sure how to do a "black boys" hair and Ella was a bit offended!!! I was laughing. He looks handsome. He is talking so much, it is awesome to watch him!

I can't believe he has been home for almost 2 months. This has been an amazing 2 months. There have been some hard days, but the good days far outnumber the hard ones. Tonight we all just played up in the playroom for like 2 hours and it was so much fun! I love those nights when we are all together in one room! The kids love it too! I rearranged the toys and the kids rediscovered some of their things and had a great time with their "new" toys!

Anyway, not much else going on. Just living life! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Kids say the cutest things!

Yesterday we went to court to begin the re-adoption in the states. Maya went with us and she was soo good. We came to the school to pick up Max and she told him we had been at court. Then she asked him if he knew what court was for and he said "no". She said, "it is for celebrating adoption!!!" Is that not the cutest most innocent thing ever? She then asked if we went to court when she was a baby. I was thinking, wouldn't it be nice if that is all court was for! There would be a lot more love in the world!

Today Max's teacher stopped me in pickup line to tell me a funny about him! She said they were studying compound words in class and drawing a line from one word to the other. For instance dog and house. Max made his lines to make the word, "homeboy"!!! How funny is that kid? He makes me laugh so hard. He is such a joy to have around!

I just finished reading Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to See. It was soooo good. And that saying just keeps going through my mind all throughout my day. When I'm starting to get frustrated or irritate, I need to choose to see! Children are a blessing from the Lord! Let's remember that!

A few firsts for The Bugs!!!

Precious Ade has experienced quite a few firsts this month! He went to the pumpkin patch for the first time which was such a blessing! I really almost cried. I so wanted him home for the holidays and I could not wait to take him to the pumpkin patch and here he was having a blast! Brought tears to my eyes!

He also rode on his first pony, he wasn't too impressed! He had his first hayride, saw his first pumpkin and most importantly tasted his first capri sun!!! What a month for Bugs!!! He seemed to thoroughly enjoy all of it!

He is starting to talk so much. He repeats a lot of what I say! He is just so awesome! He is saying Momma, Daddy, Ba-ba for bottle, moo, and rough rough! Also Hi and Bye!!! He signs a few things as well.

This has just been such an awesome experience for our family and I am having the urge to do it again! God will show us if this is what He wants for us! And a little side note, if you haven't read Adopted for Life, you need to! It is soooo good!

OUCH!!!

So little man had his circumcision on Thursday. While he was under they also removed a mole from his neck and back. So the poor little guy is ALL stitched up! I was almost in tears a few times, he would cry and grab at his diaper. He was in pain! But he mix of Tylenol with codeine and Ibuprofen seemed to do the trick! But my heart really went out to him!

This morning when he woke up it was dripping blood. We made a special trip to the dr and got him all fixed up! And he took a 3 hour nap today! Unbelievable!!! He is doing much better.

We are so in love with our baby boy. He is just such a true blessing! So happy and cute. We are blessed! We are LOVING being a family of 6. Poor little Maya is having some issues lately so be praying for her. She is such a precious girl but her attitude has not been so precious lately!

Sadness:(

There seems to be a lot of sadness going around right now. We had a family at our old church that lost her husband in a shooting accident a couple of weeks ago. They are our age. And they have a 5 year old daughter. Breaks my heart. His wife amazes me with her strength and her faith through all of it. She is awesome.

Then on Friday we got an email that a former pastor at our church, his wife unexpectedly passed away. This was a SHOCK. She was a young, healthy woman full of life. She moved mountains when she prayed. She actually laid hands on me about 8 years ago and prayed for my healing from acid reflux and I swear when she and Pastor Linda touched my stomach I literally felt something pull out of my stomach and I have never struggled with it again! God is so good. She was just an awesome wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She was so funny and had some serious fashion sense. I am pretty good friends with one of her daughters, we sang on the worship team together at church. My heart is BREAKING for her. Her mom was such a support to her and was her best friend. I can't even imagine how she is feeling.

Then just found out today a girl Joe went to high school with was in an ATV accident and is now paralyzed. So heartbreaking. To be so young and have to face such adversity.

It is really weighing on my heart for these families and the many more around the world who are struggling. If you would please pray for these families that God would give them strength and peace. And also be praying for Ade on Thursday morning, he has a little surgery scheduled!

Have a great day and tell the ones you love how much they mean to you!

My Hurting Heart!

So I often look at Ade while I am rocking him and giving him bottle and admire all the beautiful things about him. His beautiful eyes, those killer lashes!!! His perfect nose, his floppy little ears and who can resist those perfect lips! I always tell him his wife is going to love kissing those lips!!! OK, I got a little distracted!:) But I look at him and pray for him and think of all the cute things he does. Talking constantly to me! (Just like his mamma!) Laughing, playing and just being happy. Then my heart starts hurting and I start thinking about his birth mother.

She disappeared after she relinquished her rights. She moved to Addis and her family doesn't know where she is. I feel so sad for her that she doesn't get to rock him every day twice a day and give him a bottle. She doesn't get to rub his precious fat feet. She doesn't get to kiss those kissable lips anytime she wants or stare at him all day long. And my heart HURTS for her. I can't imagine being a mother and having no clue where your baby is or who he is with. It just seems so painful to me. She has no idea who we are or what kind of people we are. She has never even seen a picture of us.

My prayer has been that she would make amends with her family and get back to them so she can at least see the photo book we made for her and see who he is with. And that there would be restoration for her. I love her dearly and I have never met her. She made a huge sacrifice for our son and we will always share a mothers heart for him! So pray with me if you would that she would know he is OK!

Post Placement Visit

We had our first post placement visit yesterday. It went well. The social worker seemed to think Ade was doing well. It was pretty painless, just a few questions and that was it. It wasn't even an hour long.

I took Ade back to the doctor yesterday, third time in 3 weeks! He hasn't gotten over his ear infections so he had to get a shot and an antibiotic. If this doesn't clear it up then we have to do tubes. Which all 3 of my other kids have had tubes and they were great.

Last night my parents and I took Max and Ella to see So You Think You Can Dance! It was soooo much fun and we all had a blast. We all really had a good time. It was nice to be with the 2 older ones and give them some undivided attention without a baby on my hip! They really enjoyed having Mommy to themselves!

So we have been home a month and here are some things I've noticed about Ade:

-He jabbers all the time.
-He seems to really like his new home.
-He loves his family.
-He can get really mad, not very often but watch out when he does!
-He is silly.
-He loves to dance and sing.
-He is not afraid of dogs.
-He gets tons of attention EVERY place we go!
-He is very busy.
-He requires a lot of attention.
-He signs 4 things now!
-We are trying to teach him what a dog says.
-He requires A LOT of lotions, creams, oils and ointments!!!


Those are just a few things. I think he is blending in well. He is a joy to have around. Very funny and pleasant. He is also a major lover!!! But as I am speaking he is in his bed throwing the biggest fit ever because he is tired and not giving up! It's kind of funny!

On a side note, I had a black mom ask me what I did with Ade's hair and what products I use because his hair and skin look really good! I felt a little pride at that moment! But I know, pride comes before a fall!:) Have a great day!

The 2 pictures are before so the show! WE were giving our best dance moves!

Things are coming together!

Things are coming together nicely! Ade is starting to take his naps again and he is not so clingy which is great! I got to go to the gym today and take him in the nursery and he LOVED it! They went on and on about how good he was! It was so nice to be in a normal routine again! And also so nice he like the gym!

On the poop front, man oh man is it ever going to end? Every morning I have to throw him in the tub and change and wash his sheets! And to top it off, Ella has it as well. Poor girl can barely eat. I feel so bad for her. But we are starting her on medicine today! Hopefully it will slow down a bit.

The kids are adjusting great and they all love each other so much! It makes my heart happy! I have really been missing Ethiopia and our travel group lately. There's just something about the simplicity of Ethiopia and about being surrounded by families who are going through exactly what you are! So a shout out to my travel group! I miss you guys! Things seem to be changing around me and it is fine but also kind of hard to adjust to. It is funny how life changes and relationships change! Ok, I am rambling! I am going to go take a nap we have 2 ball games tonight! Just wanted to do a quick update!

Ade's Shower!

My sister, cousin and friends had a shower for Ade today! It was so much fun. Friends and family came to celebrate our little man! He got all sorts of new toys and clothes and dishes! I was a happy Mamma!

My 3 older kids stayed all night with Grammy last night and today Joe was going to take them to do something fun during the shower. Well, while they were at Grammy's Ella was up with the big "D" all night and Max was throwing up! Are you kidding me??? So they had to stay downstairs and they still aren't 100%! Maya on the other hand got to stay upstairs at the shower and party with us!:) She loved it.

We did something really fun, my sister got onesies and fabric markers and had everyone design a onesie and then I picked the winner and there was a prize! I got some really cute onesies! That's for sure! I loved them. And then she had this really cool cake which I will post a picture of!

It was an awesome day and I feel incredibly blessed to have so many people in my life to walk this journey with me! Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated our little Prince with us!!!

We're all in this together!!!

I am so thankful and blessed that I have met some lifelong friends through this whole adoption process! And some of my dear friends are walking this journey with me! It is nice to know we are all in this together and we will all get through this!

Today was a much better day. Ade was in a better mood and we had a couple of breakthroughs! He only slept an hour for nap and when he woke up he had himself in such a tizzy. I told him to sign please and I would pick him up! After about a 5 minute long battle of the wills he said "please" and I picked him up! I made a HUGE deal of him saying it and he was so proud. He has got the please sign down so we are going to try thank you! It is so cute when he does it and gets that huge smile on his face!

After I picked the kids up from school I took them to the park to feed the fish and ducks. They love doing that and Ade was so happy just being outside. He was so cute. As I was watching all 4 kids I couldn't believe they were all mine! What a beautiful, crazy, hard, LOUD family! I am surely blessed. We came home ate dinner and then took a family walk around the pond. That was fun as well.

Little Maya had a couple of meltdowns today. She kept saying she was crying because she missed us when we were in Ethiopia! Then she said she wanted to be a baby again. I just held her and took her upstairs and did her bath by herself tonight and rocked her and told her how much I loved her and what I loved about her. It breaks my heart when she struggles. She has such a sweet little heart! And she is my baby girl! That seemed to help her.

Tomorrow is an early out for the kids and I don't know what is going on. Praise God though, my mom is coming over in the morning to watch Ade so I can go for a run! I SOOOOO need that! Can't wait to get back to the gym! So all in all today was a good day!

Not the best day....

Today was not the best day. Ade was not the most pleasant. He has started this new thing where I have to carry him everywhere and if I leave the room he cries! So not fun. Yesterday I strapped him on me to clean the kitchen and that worked for about 15 minutes. I found myself getting irritated today and then I felt guilty for getting irritated with him. I don't know why he is acting this way, maybe he needs some reassurance, maybe he is grieving or maybe he is just being a toddler.

I blame myself for today, we had family pictures in the morning so I'm sure that was a lot for him to take in. Then we had to run out to Payless before Maya's dance class because I didn't have any tap shoes. Headed to dance class at 1 which is right at his nap time so he didn't get a nap. I laid him down when we got home, he cried for like 5 minutes and was out, then he woke up after like 5 minutes and was screaming again. I went in and got him and was feeling irritated and my tender hearted little 4 year old looks up at me and says, "Maybe he is sad!" She got it and I didn't! Ughhhh.... As we speak he is laying in his bed protesting! I know he is tired and I don't want to get frustrated with him! He also has started a lovely fake cry!

I know he is probably testing his boundaries and seeing how far he can push me. Trying to find out what is acceptable and what is not! I totally get that. But today I just feel like I failed. I was having a selfish day! Pray for me and Ade that tomorrow would be a better day! He truly is a very good baby. Just having an off day!

First time at church

So we took little man to church today. I saw a side of him I hadn't seen before. I can't really explain it. He didn't want to be touched and he got very moody! I took him in the toddler class after he wasn't having it in church and we played in there and he really seemed to like that. I think it may have been a bit overwhelming for him! I felt bad!

I got our first picture of all 4 kids before church! I can't believe they are all mine! Maya told me today she is going to have 8 children. 2 Ethiopians and 6 white babies! I pray that is what happens! I pray that our adoption will grab ahold of her heart and our family will carry on the tradition! What an awesome family!

The Bug has been a wild man today, playing loudly and running all around, he is really starting to feel more comfortable and coming into his own! It is so fun to watch him! That is about it for now. I'll attach a couple of pics! So far Adoption Rocks!!!:)

Sick Little Prince!:(

Ade had 6 shots and a blood draw yesterday. Poor baby! He woke up today with a 102 fever. He was miserable, but the tylenol kicked in quickly and he was doing better within an hour! He is just such a pleasant little guy!

Today I had to take him to school to show him to the kids' class! They were so happy to show him off! Max was absolutely precious! He loves him so much! Tomorrow it is Maya's turn to have him come to her class! He had lots of visitors over today! Joe's sisters and their families came to visit! It was so much fun and his cousins Amos and Tony were so proud of him and they were taking lots of video and pictures! So precious to see them love him so much!

So still everything is going well. We are super blessed and can't imagine life without our little man! We think EVERYONE should adopt and if you have any questions, contact us! Also, our agency just sent out an email requesting families for Thailand and Ethiopia! Is this your calling? Is the Lord speaking to you?

Our life as a family of 6!!!

So things are going GREAT!!! I think Ade is the best baby ever! He is so sweet and funny! He has just been a huge blessing! He eats well, he sleeps well and he loves his family! Just yesterday he started giving US kisses! So sweet! He is so much fun.

Going to sleep I had been rocking him and bouncing him until he fell asleep but that was starting to hurt my shoulder, neck and back. After his bottle he would just get real restless and not want to be held. So at nap today I just laid him in his bed and he cried for a few minutes and fell asleep. I knew he wanted to be just put down. Tonight he gave a bit more of a fight, but fell asleep! He is sleeping all night long which is a huge blessing to me! I need my sleep!

We took him to Wal Mart yesterday and he was funny, he wasn't much for the cart, he is going to have to get used to that! We had a lady say, "Oh you got your baby in!" I looked and Joe and said "Oh yeah, he was on backorder at the GAP!"!!! Really people! He went to Ella's ball game tonight and he was quite the big hit. Everyone just loves him!

Tomorrow we see our dr and we are headed to school to show him off to the kids' classes! They are so excited for their friends to see him! I am so happy and blessed that they all love each other so much! I'm falling asleep typing this so I better get to bed! Just a quick little update!

One Happy Family!!!

We are home and doing great! Ade is an angel baby he is so sweet and precious and so much fun! We all love him! I will post more later!!!

2 MORE DAYS!!!

So we are leaving in 2 days, less thank 24 hours! I can't even begin to describe all that I am feeling! I have a lot of wonder going on! I wonder if he will be an easy baby with an easy transition like some or a harder baby with a harder transition! Either way I feel like we are going into this with eyes wide open! We know what kinds of things to expect but we have never adopted before so this could be tricky!

I am so excited to actually get there! I wish I could push a fast forward button and skip the whole flight, but oh well! I am very excited to experience Ethiopia, I loved Haiti so I'm pretty sure I will love Ethiopia as well, especially since it is where my son is from. I'm sure it will be quite an experience!

My suitcases are overflowing, and I haven't attempted to zip them yet. I'm waiting for a package from the Gap so I hope it makes it tomorrow! I expressed it! And I'm pretty sure I will be over the 50 pound mark!:( Just don't tell Joe!:)

We have back to school night tonight with the kids so that will be fun for them to see their classrooms and such. I am totally exhausted and I have battled a headache, I'm pretty sure it is just stress. If you see my kids in the next 10 days give them a hug from their mom and dad! Pray for our family please! This is probably my last post before I leave!

Packed!

So I am basically packed, I am waiting on a couple of things to come in the mail on Monday or Tuesday and then I can close up my suitcase! Or "soupcase" as Maya calls it!

Our family is so excited and I can't believe we are leaving in 4 days! I pray that God would prepare Ade's heart for us and that he would have an instant connection!

Preparing to Leave!

I have been totally busy preparing to leave. Getting the boys' rooms together, not sleeping, feeling all sorts of things and wanting to cry for the adjustment this is going to be for my baby! I almost the rooms done, should be done tomorrow. I have a few things packed. Finished up all my shopping! And was instructed not to spend any more money!!!

The kids have been a little crazy the past couple of days and I can't say that I blame them. They are so tired of being around each other 24/7 and they are ready for school to start. I will be glad to get them back into a routine. They also feel a big change coming on and it doesn't help that Mom and Dad are a "tad" grouchy as well! I feel like a bad Mom today, I had 0 patience with them. But thankfully tomorrow is a new day and God will have mercy on me!

Tomorrow will be a good day though, my best friend from college is coming up and we are finishing up the rooms! She is sooo good at that stuff. Then the girls are going to a birthday party and Grammy is having them overnight tomorrow night! So that will be awesome!

I am so excited to meet my baby boy, it just doesn't even seem real. I can't believe in a week we will be leaving!!!

God is so cool!

A while back I blogged about how awesome my kid were and the project they did to earn money for someone in need. Well they ended up making about 85 dollars! So we discussed our options and they decided to give it to a little girl at church. We got a gift card from Target and a nice card, we thought she could pick out her own stuff! So Ella took it to church and gave her friend the card.

Well we thought we had better her Dad that Ella had given her that because it had an 85 dollar gift card in it. So Joe went up to tell him what the kids had done, told him the whole story and that his daughter had a gift card waiting for her. When Joe told him he started crying. Every Sunday during worship at church you can go up and pray, he had just come back for praying for a FINANCIAL NEED for his daughter!!! How cool is God!!!

It was great to tell our kids about it and they could actually see what God had done and how He works!!! God is so cool!

So many things on my mind!!!

My mind will not stop racing. I keep thinking of all the things I have to do and I start to go into denial!:) I mean the list goes on and on. I feel like I need to write my list so here it goes: Just a few of the things.....

-pack
-get paperwork together
-get hair done
-Back to school night
-lay out clothes for the kids while I am gone
-make a list of helpful info for my mom
-get suitcases from Frank and Salli
-get Max's room done
-get Ade's room done
-print off paperwork
-get document notarized

Those are just a few things. Not to mention my house looks like a tornado hit it! AHHHHH..... And there's nothing like finishing up a room in the last minute. Monday they are laying carpet and Tuesday they are moving in the furniture! Hopefully by the end of the week I will have both boys' room done! Hopefully.

Here is my schedule for this week:
Monday-KQ2 is our local TV station and they are coming to our house to follow our adoption. So we have our first interview! And carpet is coming.
Tuesday-Max has tutoring and then the movers are coming to move furniture around.
Wednesday-Friends coming over to help decorate the rooms.
Thursday-Maya has a birthday party.
Friday-hair appointment in the morning and then travel call at 2.

So that helps me to see some things I need to get done. Joe and I were talking tonight about how it is so exciting but it just doesn't seem real. I can't believe in less than 2 weeks I'll be holding and snuggling my little man! God is so good and we are so thankful for all the prayers!!!

Funny story to end the night, Joe and I had "some words" in the car today.(I think the stress is getting to us!) And he got out of the car to go into the gas station to get a pop and when he got out Maya said, "Mom, do you want to punch your husband!"HAHAHAHA!!!!! Not Dad, your husband! She makes me laugh.

Pray for my kids to get well quick, Ella has strep, Maya has an ear infection and Max went to bed crying with a headache and his neck hurt. Which usually results in strep! I need my babies healthy!!!

WE ARE LEAVING TO GET MY BABY!!!

We just got word that we are leaving for Ethiopia on the 18th. That is tentative though!!! We are beyond excited!!!

PLEASE PRAY!!!

We just got word from our agency that they are trying to submit our info for an embassy date on the 27th, but they have not received Ade's passport yet! Please pray that they would receive it by the end of the week!!! Thank you!!!

An Update and Things this summer!

We got an update on the little Prince today. He is anemic but not critical. He is 22.5 pounds!!! He has gained 6 pounds since he has been in the orphanage! He is 28.5 inches long! He has moved up to the 25-50% in weight and is still below the 10th in height! I cannot wait to see him! We were going through some of his stuff tonight and Joe said, "I think you've bought enough for Ade!" Little does he know I'm just getting started!:) I'm just praising God that he is healthy! It also stated that he really likes adults and he doesn't like other children to play with his things!!! Uh oh, we may be in some major trouble!:)

My sis and her girls came up today to play. We had a great time. We watched a movie and played outside, had lunch, just a fun time!

We have been doing a lot of playing in the hose and playing with ice around here! The kids love it and it will entertain them forever! I am attaching some pics! Also, tonight the 2 little ones were helping me clean the basement and Joe came down to help and the kids disappeared upstairs. About 5 minutes later we hear a knock on the back basement door and it is "Jake and Salli"!!! They came for a visit and wanted to hear about Jesus!!! They would run upstairs and return to "Max and Maya" and run downstairs and tell us there were strangers in the house. Then they would change back into their "Jake and Salli" clothes! So funny! I am also attaching pics of them! Max was hysterical!!! He and Maya are the best of friends! I love it.

I'll close this with a couple of funny things that were said today!
Max came up to me this morning and was snuggling with me in bed, he put his hand around my head and said in a very romantic voice, "your my fiance" and gave me a big kiss! I have no idea where he saw that! We don't let them watch too much! It was soooo funny!

And then Maya aka Salli was saying YO after everything she said tonight then she would do like rapper hands! So funny!

I hope you all have a great day! Please keep praying that my boy will coming home soon!

EMOTIONAL

So I have been pretty emotional today. In church I was fighting back tears the whole time. Then I headed to a baby shower for a friend who has waited soooo long for this baby. It was a blessing. Then Ella and I went to see Ramona and Beezus!!! I cried 2 times in that movie! REALLY??? I am ready to get a call from our agency so we can go get our little boy!

I am ready to have him home and to start our family as a family of 6. I can't wait to meet him so we can go on to the next chapter of our lives! Pray with me that we get a call this week! That would be AMAZING!!!

I need to snap out of it!

So I am feeling a little down the past couple of weeks. I feel like a lot is changing in my life right now all for good. But change is also hard sometimes! I have struggles that come and go and it seems like they have COME this past month! But Satan is not going to get the best of me. I keep quoting my scriptures when I feel certain ways! Only God can help and heal!

I am really getting sad about my baby boy. There was a new email that came out today stating that there were some more changes in the Visa appointments and you get a tentative Visa appointment so basically you could get rescheduled! So that was a bit discouraging!

I need to let go and let God do the work in me that needs to be done! Please pray for me!

I have awesome kids!!!

I am going to brag on my kids a little today. They are making pictures on scraps of wood to sell so they can buy a gift basket for someone less fortunate! How sweet are they? I mean really. It's moments like these when I feel like we are doing something right! They are such sweet kids!

As I type right now I have a picture of Ade on my computer and I can see his little foot! I can't WAIT to get my little man home. Just waiting for that travel call. I hope it is soon! Pray with us that we could bring him home soon!

Ella's back from church camp!!!

Ella got back from church camp today and we were soooooo happy to see her! I had to post this so I wouldn't forget it, but we were asking her how the worship was and if God was speaking to her at all. She said, "oh yes, whenever we would worship and pray I would just see and think about baby Ade and getting him home and squeezing him so tight at the airport! It made me tear up! I can't wait either baby girl! She has such a tender heart!

13 months

Today our baby boy is 13 months old! Oh how I long to hold him. When I think about holding him and having him in our family my heart hurts!!! I love him so much already, I pray that he would know who we are and that he would attach to us immediately, that he would know we are mommy and daddy! We went and registered for some things for him tonight! It made it seem more real! Hold on little man, we are coming!!!

13 months

Today our baby boy is 13 months old! Oh how I long to hold him. When I think about holding him and having him in our family my heart hurts!!! I love him so much already, I pray that he would know who we are and that he would attach to us immediately, that he would know we are mommy and daddy! We went and registered for some things for him tonight! It made it seem more real! Hold on little man, we are coming!!!

Encouraging

Today I found out that when the court closes that it doesn't affect travel or embassy dates. So that means that we could maybe travel in September!!! That would be awesome! August would be amazing but September would be great as well! It is all in God's timing so I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but really how fun would that be?

More info on the little Prince!

Baby Ade is walking and he has a very calm personality! My friend gave me some info on him! Please pray for her baby girl Eden, she is sick with a double ear infection and a bad cold and fever. But she loves her mommy! Isn't God good?

She saw our baby!

I got a great email today from a friend I've met through blogging and through Ethiopia adoption. She is in Ethiopia as we speak taking custody of her baby girl! I am soooo excited for her. She had told me that she would look for Ade when she was at the orphanage! I got an email today from her that said she saw him and he was soooo healthy!!! Praise God! I have a million questions for her, but I'm sure she is focussed on her little angel! I can't wait to hear how it goes for her. And to see pictures! Baby boy, hang in there, Mommy and Daddy are coming as soon as we can!

The Adoption World is Abuzz

So today we got an email stating that The Embassy in Ethiopia cut the visa appointments in half! There are so many people really angry about this. We even got a note stating that some of the families are calling the embassy themselves to get an appointment! I guess I am just so happy that we PASSED court, did I mention that?, that I just know God's timing is perfect! Praise the Lord! This whole process has been a roller coaster ride for us that I know that God has the best plan and the perfect time to bring Ade home!!!

Lucky #7

WE PASSED COURT!!!! This is truly a miracle, the last we were told they were going to file for abandonment so we were totally not expecting this! BUT, God is good!!!! We are coming to get you little man!!!

New picture!!!

So we got a new picture of the little Prince today! He looks like he has gained a lot of weight!!! He is short and chubby! I love it! He has the fattest little feet. We are in love with him. We think he just may have hung the moon! It was bitter sweet because I was soooo happy to get his pics but it made me want to get him even more!!!

The kids and I have been keeping busy. I have been eating, eating and then eating!:( I am not feeling too great about myself right now! We have been swimming, tutoring, crafting and playing at the playground! I can't believe it is already July! I feel like I need Target break by MYSELF!!! That is my therapy!!!

I'm going to give you a little taste of his yumminess! Check out those feet!