A Very Interesting Conversation with A Gal at Target!!!

This happened awhile back and I keep forgetting to blog about it so here it goes.

Ade and I were at Target and this lady who looks familiar comes up to me and says she has been stalking me around the store and then asks me if Ade is adopted. I jokingly say "NO"!!! I know I'm funny! Then she goes on to tell me how much Ade looks like "baby Louie". And for those of you who were as lost as I was, that would be Sandra Bullocks baby that she adopted from New Orleans! She goes on and on about baby Louie and then proceeds to tell me that she was at a toy store where there were these really expensive dolls on sale and one was Indian and one was black. She again made a reference to baby Louie and how much the black one looked like baby Louie! She said she bought the Indian one and walked out. When she got out to the car her daughter said, "Mom you need to go back in there and get that black baby Louie, because NO ONE WANTS THE BLACK KIDS!!!" Ummmm.......OK lady, thank you for that comment while I am with my black baby. So she was so proud that she went back in and bought the black one. How about you adopt a REAL baby Louie lady!!!

Just Add Hair Stylist To My Ever Growing List of Skills!!!

Ok, so yes I did purchase a kids "relaxer" kit from Wal Mart and apply it to Ade's hair! It was soooo funny! I have to admit that about 5 minutes into it I realized I may have been over my head! But I pressed on toward the prize! He has some really course hair and very tight coils! So I thought it would be fun to see what happens if we put the relaxer on it! So I strip him down, put him in the bathtub and start the process with 2 of my ever so helpful assistants!!! It was a fairly simple process and I didn't leave it on for the advised amount of time, I took off 5 minutes. I would have to say the best part of the process was Joe coming in from shoveling and asking what I was doing. I kindly told him he may not want to come up and see exactly what I was doing, because I didn't know how he would feel about me putting a chemical on his 18 month old sons hair!!!:) He came up to the bathroom and the sheer look of HORROR on his face made me almost wet my pants it was sooooooo funny!!! But the end result was ADORABLE!!! He has these big loose curls now and it softened his hair quite a bit! And Daddy LOVED it! He has an opinion on Ade's hair which cracks me up! He likes it long!!! I say score for the white mamma processing the babies hair!!!

So another funny story this week. I was on the phone to a friend having a serious conversation and I had the door shut when the girls pranced Ade in after playing dress up with him! I busted out laughing and my friend and I were rolling on the phone! Ade was so happy and he had no clue he was being laughed out! The sisters had struck!!! Watch out buddy, you have years of this ahead of you! Daddy didn't think this was too funny!

My lovely husband suggested I write about something funny that was said each time in my post, so I think I will take him up on that! I was playing Farkle with Max and Maya yesterday and Maya burped, So Max looks right up at her and says, "Maya, you just burped right in my beautiful face!"haha!!!

And then Joe and I kissed each other and Maya gave us a nasty look and said, "Yuck, you just kissed right in front of my face!" Oh child! She has no clue how blessed she is!

I hope you all have an awesome day!

Snow Days=Grouchy Mamma!!!

The kids have been out of school for 4 days straight now! 2 of them being snow days! Didn't we just have Christmas break? I know I sound like such a bad mom, but thank the Lord they are going back tomorrow! The first day was great. The kids had fun, we were all excited about being home, but today was not so much fun! The kids were doing all they could to irritate each other, they were fighting and I was OVER IT! And it was too cold for them to go outside. To top it off, I can usually escape in my car to get a pop and the kids like taking a ride, only Joe took my car and I had no way to leave! That equals a grouchy me!!!

I know I am a grouch and I totally am acting like a jerk! But I just couldn't let it go today! I was a grouch! And quite honestly, the kids were getting on my nerves! I didn't want to clean up one more popcicle spill, and yes they did eat these on a freezing cold day! Or clean the kitchen one more time. I had already done most of the laundry and put it away and cleaned the kitchen again! I was being a selfish baby!

But Praise be to God, He rescued me!:) Tomorrow is back to school and I am so excited about that! I think the kids are ready to get back too! And I need to be counting my blessings! At least I had a warm home to be in. Food in my kitchen and 4 kids to drive me crazy!!!

Adoption Can Be Hard!!!

I have been reading several blogs lately that are written by discouraged people! Adoption is hard and it is not easy! The waiting process can be daunting. Some people worry about finances, some can't pass court, some are wondering if they can love an adopted child as their own! Some are just fighting the Lord in what He is calling them to do! It is hard.

I don't believe that everyone has the call on their lives to adopt! I believe that if you think about it and it is on your heart you should go for it. That you should press on until the Lord finishes the adoption or He shuts the door. Satan can be so tricky at times, he likes to create doubt in our minds, because he doesn't want to see the Kingdom furthered. The enemy can really play tricks on your mind. But God is not a God of confusion! He will direct us.

Also, I have been following a blog about a family who is losing their daughter that they have had since birth. She is 2 maybe. I can't even imagine the heart ache that goes along with that. I have only been Ade's mommy for 4 months and I can't even think about someone taking him away from me! But the most awesome thing this couple has said in their blog is through all of this that adoption is still wonderful! And they still totally believe in it! WOW! I would hope that I would be like that if that were happening to me.

Some people I read about are having a hard time attaching to their adopted child or seeing them as "theirs". I don't want to sound like I am perfect, but PRAISE GOD, I haven't struggled with that AT ALL!!! Before I got Ade's referral I was in love with him and he was MINE! He is mine just as much as Ella, Max, and Maya are mine. He is MY BABY! Try and tell me otherwise!:) We have been really blessed with his transition and I'm sure his age had a lot to do with that. We were prepared to love him even if he rejected us and I'm sure it would have been really hard and really scary had he not bonded so quickly to us. Adoption is scary all the way through. I second guessed myself a zillion times through the process, but now I know it is exactly what God wanted for our family.

Adoption is hard, but adoption is biblical and beautiful and God never said the road would always be easy, but He did say He would never leave us!!!

Oh Yes I Did!!!

Oh yes I did just walked up to I think he was a Chiefs player at Houston's on the plaza and his beautiful gal and ask him how he did his hair!!! They were both so sweet and kind to talk to a weirdo like me, but he gave me the number of his "barber" and said he would hook me up! He had really cute hair and his gal was gorgeous! They were both very helpful! I told them I was getting most of my advice from "white moms" who adopted black children! And of course I had to show them a pic of Ade! Joe was just laughing! So yes, I am that kind of mom!

On another note, I saw a sibling group on Holt's waiting child list with a precious little girl and boy! The eyes of the little boy just stirred my heart! He was so sweet. I asked some questions about them without Joe knowing, he would flip a lid!:) So this morning I woke up thinking about them and I was getting Ade ready and I asked him if he wanted a baby sister, he looked straight into my eyes and "uh-uh" as in no!!! I guess he likes his arrangement as it is, being the king of the castle! I laughed so hard. So come to find out, Joe and I don't meet the requirements for the adoption, I am too young and we have too many kids! So if anyone is interested in adopting these 2 precious children I can get you the website! They are so on my heart!

I will attach a picture of the "king" and his dorky Mamma!!!

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!