Casa de Chaos

Ok Mom...I'll update the blog!

2010-05-18T11:15:00.017-04:00

Yeah, yeah...I really suck. We've had Easter, Jacob's birthday, Liyah's 3rd happy family day and lame-o blogger Mom here has not updated since early April! Pretty sad when your Mom has to shame you into updating your blog. Anyway, here goes...

April: Jacob's birthday. We had his party at Chuck E Cheese, and much to my surprise, it was one of the funnest and easiest parties we've ever done. Jacob and his friends had a blast, and even got to dance with the giant rat (woohoo)

I think Tom may have enjoyed that a bit more than Jacob : )

I can't believe my little "baby" boy is already 8 years old! We love you so much Jacob! You are the sweetest, kindest, most awesome little boy with a true heart for God.

MAY

Hanna has been home now for over 4 months and she was definitely made for our family. She just has the best little personality and we all just love her so much.

We had our Ethiopia group gathering in May and Hanna got to see her buddy, M from the Hannah's Hope home they were together at in Ethiopia. We have so many wonderful families in our group and we just love seeing more and more beautiful children coming home!

So far this summer, we've been to the zoo a couple of times. We LOVE the zoo! We are quite the

crew when we go too : ) I think the animals may fear US.

I promise to post swimming pictures soon. Oh...last but not least, we finally got a new family picture done! So here we are...the Casa de Chaos crew! Happy summer and love to you all!

Baby girl turns 2!!!!

2010-04-14T15:09:00.008-04:00

My sweet Hanna turned two the day before Easter. We were blessed to have some of our aunts and uncles here for her birthday and had a nice family celebration at Grandma's house. Of course she had to have an Elmo cake!

Mom and Jesse helped with the candles...

And Daddy helped open presents.

Aunt Kimmie provided the "bling" and the awesome Princess/ballerina/fairy outfit!

We also colored our Easter eggs that evening which was so much fun for all the kids.

We LOVE you Hanna Ruth! Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Playing Catch-up!

2010-04-06T16:04:00.004-04:00

Oh, I'm so far behind! Hanna's been home three months now, just turned two and I'm back at work. Where does the time go!? So now I'm gonna try to play some blog catch-up. I'll start with life at home with Hanna so far....

That pretty much describes it...she's a star! Sweet, funny, smart...with an amazing temper! She has just taken over the house and all of our hearts. I was so worried that she would be afraid of the dogs, but she LOVES them!...not sure if that is mutual at this point : )

We all adore her, but her big brother Jesse is especially enamored with her. Enough to play "princess" with her and actually smile for the picture.

And, speaking of my sweet, Jesse...my baby boy turned six just a few weeks ago!

He and his big brother share a laugh with his birthday card over breakfast...

And, after a great backyard barbeque with family and friends, he shows off his "Agent P" birthday jammies and new "mighty beans". (If you don't know what these things are, you are better off...if you are parent of young boys...you know.)

Next up...Hanna turns two and Easter pics....hopefully I'll get them posted before the kids start college : ) I am so blessed!

Rock Star, Baby!!!! 3 Weeks Home.

2010-02-08T21:01:00.010-05:00

Hanna is truly a rock star at our house right now. She loves music and really LOVES big brother's electric guitar...Thanks again, Aunt Kimmie ; ) She bobs her head and snaps her fingers to any beat. She and sissy are pretty funny rockin' out, side-by-side in Momma's minivan!

Album cover...

I can't really believe it's been three weeks since we came home with Hanna...only one month since we the day we met her; it's just so surreal. You wait and wait for soooo long and angst so much and sweat and pack and overthink and freak out, etc, etc. It's just really so strange when suddenly you're like "wow, we've already made that trip, been home for three weeks, and it seems like we've just always been here, just like this."

Hanna is just doing amazing. I almost feel guilty saying this because I know how difficult this journey can be, and we've been blessed AGAIN with a sweet, funny, confident, smart, good eating, good sleeping little girl. I almost feel afraid to say it to because I know we're still in the "honeymoon" period and I certainly don't want to jinx myself : ) She tells us when she needs to "ca ca"...and she does it, signals when she's done and assumes the position to be wiped. Too funny, but I am grateful for the non-poopy diapers!

She is really melding well with all the kids and our house is chaos at best, but so fun and full of laughter (and a few screams and meltdowns here and there). I am thrilled (and again fearful) to say that last night she slept in her own bed, in her OWN room! We put her bed down in her room with rails and all the kids piled in for the fun, so she loves is now and has done, so far, pretty well sleeping in it. This is just night two though, so we'll see. I do miss having her snuggle up to me in my bed, but she seems to sleep better by herself. She also got a big FIRST...SNOW! I think she liked it for about five minutes, and then decided she missed the gorgeous 78 degrees ofEthiopia!

XOXO,

Casa Crew

Two weeks home.

2010-01-30T09:51:00.008-05:00

Yay for Saturdays! We have been home two weeks now and Hanna is settling in quite well. She is sleeping much better, although still waking up a few times a night and still getting Mommy up most days around 5 ish. I do love my snuggles though! I can honestly say at this point going from three to four kids has really not been much different, just now we have a toddler who requires a lot of attention and can't really tell us what she wants all the time. She does an excellent job of communicating most things, but any toddler gets frustrated from time to time with not being able to just "say" what they want. The kids all act like we just always been a family of six. I love the way that are all melding together...our family really does feel complete now. The girls pretty much have decided they are rockstars and run the house...which they do : )

SAY WHAT?!!!

I had to post this picture...I took "L's" braids out last week and combed her hair out. It has gotten so long...she had quite the "fro". So far Hanna is eating pretty much everything and anything...but has a special appreciation for Chocolate pudding and salsa...that's Mommy's girl!

More updates soon!

A few quick trip pics...

2010-01-23T21:10:00.008-05:00

Say that fast five times! : )

We've been home one week today, and for the most part it has been a fantastic week. Hanna has done so well and has really shown us her silly and sweet personality. The other kids love her and are doing really well with her as well. Just a few toy territory things here and there, but I'm so proud of all my kids for being so selfless and loving their new sister. The only issue we seem to be having is sleep with her. She fights (and I mean fights) going to sleep at nap time and bed time. I usually have to hold her until she is out cold...she won't let me lay her down or even sit in the rocking chair. Then, she wakes up at least two to three times a night screaming and we go through the whole 30 minutes or more routine. I shouldn't complain...she has done so much better than I thought she would in so many ways, but sleep deprivation is not fun. She was so good on the flight home. She really didn't cry hardly at all and we were lucky to get the bulkhead in the plane and the bassinet! Sweet! She slept in it, ate in it, played in it...yay! We were going to pay extra to upgrade to first class so we would have some room, but by the grace of God a very nice agent at Ethiopian airlines was able to get us the prime seats for FREE! Yay!

We discovered that people don't mind being late...and aren't in any hurry despite anyone else needing to be some where on time. What I mean is we were an hour and a half late leaving Ethiopia, basically because people took their dear. sweet. time. getting on the @$#%$&$* plane. It was unbelievable. It was 24 hours by the time we left our hotel in Ethiopia, until we touched down in Knoxville and boy were we ready to get off. the. plane. We had this screen right in front of us the entire flight and it was agonizing to watch our little plane go every tiny little millimeter toward D.C. Boy were we glad to see this one...

We almost missed our connecting flight and literally ran through Immigration and the D.C. airport with Hanna strapped on my front and Tom and I both loaded down with baggage. I was so relieved when we made our gate just before boarding and almost kissed the gate agent when he told us Tom had time to get us a diet coke...with ICE! For those of you who have travelled outside the country much, you know how much you miss ice. Anyway, that was seriously the best Diet Coke I have ever had in my entire life. Nectar of the gods!
Finally, we were on our way home! That quick one hour flight from D.C. went by so fast, it made my head spin. Here is Hanna's first glimpse of her new home from the airplane...

I think she approves!

Pretty amazing that she looks that happy after that many hours of travel.

Here are just a few more pictures from our time in the hotel with Hanna. You can see what a hoot she is...and that she loves her bath. I'll update with recent family pictures soon. For now, I better get to bed before the first "wake up call" comes.

That's my girl...you should hear the burp she let out after this! : )

Home! Exhausted. Blessed!

2010-01-16T19:34:00.003-05:00

Hey all,

We made it home and had a wonderful homecoming. My dear friend, talented photographer, and fellow adoptive Mom, Tracie, shot us coming home at the airport and made this video today. She is awesome! Thanks to everyone who came out to welcome us home!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob79jbqMepc

Many many thanks (not enough manys) to my angelic bestest friend, Dawn, and my amazing Mom for taking such great care of the kids while we were gone. We really just can't thank you enough or tell you how much we love you.

I'll post more pictures when I am not completely sleep deprived ; - ) Hanna is out cold and I am about to join her.

They made their flight home!

2010-01-16T09:28:00.001-05:00

WAHOOOOO! They will be home in about 2 hours! Yay!

Welcome home Hanna!!!!

Signing off, Theresa

Landed in DC!

2010-01-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

Theresa here...

Stacy, Tom, and Hanna have landed in DC! However, their flight was an hour behind schedule so they are trying their best to make their next flight. We'll know soon whether they made it or not. Keep them in your prayers! This has been a looooong flight/journey home and they are ready to get back.

They are coming home!

2010-01-15T21:17:00.003-05:00

It's Theresa here again...I got an email from Stacy today! They are in the air right now on their way back home from Ethiopia, and they are very excited to be coming home with Hanna and to get back to their other 3 precious children! Here is her update... (The email message doesn't seem to want to sit still so pardon the strange spacing below, haha):

"Hanna is doing fantastic! She is so funny...silly and playful and very loving
with both of us already. Last night when I was trying to get her to sleep, she
just kept kissing my face all over. she'd turn my head from side to side and
kiss me over and over. I loved it! She's had a few meltdowns, but for the most
part, has already bonded very well with Tom and me. All of the staff at the
hotel want to hold her, but she only wants us....Yay! By the way, for all the
AGCI people, the hotel is awesome! The food is great, the staff have been so
nice and accommodating...we even have a workout facility and hairdryers. I'm
missing the other kids like crazy and can't wait to see how they all do when they
are all together. The Casa de Chaos is about to get even louder!"

So far everything is on schedule, but the possible delay could happen in the morning, so I will update her blog if I hear of any delays from her. Let's keep them in our prayers that this long flight will whiz by and go very smoothly for them!

Update!

2010-01-11T11:11:00.003-05:00

Here she is!!!!

Hey everyone! This is Theresa, a friend of the family.

I got a call this morning from Stacy, but it was actually 5pm on Monday in Ethiopia. They said that the flight to Ethiopia was long and that they didn't get much rest, but they have been having an amazing time in Ethiopia! They met Hanna yesterday and she walked right over to them while holding the hand of her special nanny. I can tell that they are already smitten by sweet Hanna. While talking to me, Stacy was laughing at how Hanna kept going over to Tom and giving him kisses! They said that she is spunky, silly, stubborn and very sweet. She is sleeping and eating very well. They love their hotel and the new Hannah's Hope. They had their Embassy appointment this morning and it went smoothly. The travel group of 10 families is meshing so well and they are having a great time. Tomorrow they are going to do some shopping and they feel that Hanna will do just fine hanging out at Hannah's Hope while they shop. Stacy said that Hanna is definitely a momma's girl and loves to be held by Stacy...but she is really warming up to Tom, with kisses and playing with him. Stacy said that she thinks that Hanna is going to fit right in with the family. The special nannies at Hannah's Hope remember L, who was the first child adopted from Hannah's Hope Ethiopia, and they have been kissing her picture that Stacy and Tom brought to show them. Their update made my day! And I know you guys were anxious to hear about them. All is well!

Christmas Pics and Travel news...

2010-01-06T10:40:00.007-05:00

The boys were just a "little" excited about getting to open presents on Christmas Eve. We went out for an early Mexican feast and then to the candellight service at church, so by the time we got home and "jammied-up" they were pretty wound up.

The CHRISTmas de Chaos was really lovely, and really not too chaotic. My Mom went to Florida to spend the holidays with my sister, and most of the rest of our family was here for Thanksgiving, so it was just the five of us, laying around in our jammies, enjoying way too much food and playing with new toys. The kids really had a nice Christmas and Santa was good to them too.

J2 was so excited that Santa brought him an art easel. He loves to color and paint and draw...definitely one of his favorite gifts.

L, or course, got lots of "Cars" stuff.

And J1 was attacked by a giant squid...that came with their pirate ship...

I have to say that I was quite proud of all of them for being happy for each other's gifts and for sharing all of their gifts so well. Now, if we could just get that "cleaning up" part down...

ADOPTION TRAVEL UPDATE:

Mommy and Daddy leave very early Friday, Jan 8th for Ethiopia. We are all soooo excited to bring H home finally. We will arrive in Addis on Jan 9th and hold her for the first time on the 10th. My friend, T, will be updating the blog if I can get through to her by phone or e-mail (sometimes tricky over there), so stay tuned. I hope to see many of you at the airport when we return on the 16th, but be sure to check here for any changes to our travel plans. We love you all and thank you so much for your prayers and support as we welcome a new daughter into our family.

TICKETS BOOKED!!! Ethiopia here we come...

2009-12-22T13:41:00.002-05:00

Just got official word on our travel dates and booked our flights. We will fly to Ethiopia on the 8th of January, arrive on the 9th (after a very very very long flight), and hold our sweet girl on the 10th! I am so excited...just a few short weeks away! We will return on January 16th at 11:38 and would LOVE for everyone to come out to the airport to meet our newest family member. Just please remember to meet down in the baggage claim so that our kids and Grandma can meet their new sister and Granddaughter first. Thank you all so much! God is good!!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Chaos!!!

2009-12-22T10:09:00.010-05:00

Tis the season for sugar-hyped, gift-wanting, Christmas-crazed kiddos at the Casa de Chaos! We are having so much fun and are so excited for Christmas to be here. Just a few weeks ago we actually got some snow! Not much, but the kids had a blast playing outside...until it melted about an hour later : )

We also had to have our traditional Christmas cookie making and decorating day...

And of course, for L a few sprinkles just won't do...

Pretty proud of their mess...um, I mean beautifully decorated cookies! We will have to save a few for Santa though : )

And of course, we are trying to stay focused on the true meaning of CHRISTmas...the birth of our dear Lord and Savior! We are just so amazingly blessed! And ,this Christmas, we are thrilled to add a new sister to the family...even if we don't get to bring her home until January. Thanks Grandma Bonnie for the new family ornament...we love it! Merry Christmas to all and may you have a blessed New Year!

She's OURS!!!!

2009-12-10T13:36:00.002-05:00

Yipppeeeee!!!! She is ours!!!! We just got word that little H is now offically our daughter!!! Now, we wait for the U.S. Embassy to give us a date to travel to bring her home. I am on cloud 9!!!!! Thank you God!

Can I have a little cheese with my whine?

2009-12-07T15:34:00.009-05:00

So, I have to admit that I have been a bit depressed, anxious and in a bit of a funk for the last couple of weeks. While I am THRILLED for all of the families passing court, travelling and bringing home their children, I must admit that selfishly, it hurts too. I know that anyone who's ever been there knows what I mean. This is our fourth adoption and we've been on both ends of this rope...getting lucky through the process, while others wait...having to redo documents while others breezed through the process...been there, done that. It never gets any easier, but it really is soooooooo worth it!
Now, our second court date is this Thursday, the 10th in Ethiopia...well, actually Wednesday night as we sleep; and I am just so nervous. I do trust God and His timing, but I am truly scared that one stupid little piece of paperwork will keep us from passing and then we'll have to wait another month for our next courtdate to find that that one stupid piece of paperwork is still not there. I'm not normally one to mire myself down in negative thoughts, I just MISS MY GIRL and I want to be with her. Seeing the videos my friends John and Theresa took of her were such a blessing, but it definitely makes it that much harder to wait to hold her and look into her sweet face.
I am hopeful that we will pass this week...and bracing myself to not be totally devastated if we don't. I would appreciate any prayers on our behalf...especially for my poor husband, who has to deal with me. Let's hope second time's the charm!

Adoption Roller Coaster...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

2009-12-02T10:42:00.008-05:00

Adoption is not for the faint of heart. It's a roller coaster ride...up...down....way up...way down fast....SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a bumpy journey, for sure...but well worth the ride. As I type this, we await our second court date next Thursday. Yesterday, my dear friends, John and Theresa, who just returned from Ethiopia with their new daughter, somehow found the time to not only send me several pictures of our "H', but also made me a little music video, complete with several shots of my girl on video. Talk about cloud 9! I laughed and cried and ached to hold her, but wow, did getting a video of her make my day!
Later that same day...SCREACHING HALT! Followed by superfast downhill ride..!!!!..AHHHH. We found out that three other families who did not pass their first time either, did not pass their second time in court. They didn't pass the first time for the same reason we didn't pass...so naturally, I freaked out thinking the same thing will happen to us. Last time we were missing a letter....so five weeks later, could we still be missing the same letter? Of course, I immediately called our case worker and asked if they knew for sure that it was there, but we are dealing with foreign courts so sometimes they can't find these things out until we don't pass court again. AHHHHHHHH!!!! We saw her gorgeous face for the first time on August 24th...it's been way too long...I want my baby home! Mommy meltdown!!!!
And, then once again....God gave me His peace...the peace that surpasses all understanding. My favorite verse..."Trust in the Lord with all your heart...lean not on your own understanding..." Proverbs 3:5, came to mind. And, sure enough my morning devotional was none other than that very verse, coupled with a very wonderful reminder of God's perfect timing and control. How can I complain? God has blessed me with three, and soon four of the most amazing children, through adoption...and he made me a sister in Christ. adopted into God's family by Jesus. Amazing! So, I'm climbing back into the seat, lowering the bar, buckling the seatbelt and hanging on for the next part of this crazy ride. Please continue to pray for all of the families who are experiencing delays in their process and for these silly court things to be resolved. Today, I am also choosing to be grateful to God and to the amazing birthmothers and birthfathers that have allowed me to become a Mommy. Hanging on and hoping for the best....

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!!

2009-11-12T16:04:00.005-05:00

Today, my "baby" girl turns 3! I can't believe she's already 3...even though she looks like she's closer to 5 : ) We will go out for Mexican food tonight and have a small neighborhood pizza party on Sunday.

3 things (there are so many) that I love about my feisty girl:

1) Always happy, always dancing or hopping around wherever she goes.

2) So sweet...loves to give hugs and kisses. I love it most when she grabs your face and really plants one on ya!

3)Miss Independent! This can be good and bad, but I love that I don't worry that she will have a lot of confidence. Daddy and I laugh that we will have to "warn" her dates, not worry that they will prey on her : )

I also have to add that she is sooooo excited to be a big sister. She is always telling me how she will hold "H" and hug her and she won't let anyone sleep in "H's" bed. I love it! I know they will be the best of friends!

Adoption Update: I was very relieved to hear that "H's" birthfather DID make the court appointment and was able to confirm her relinquishment. I am sooo happy to know that he probably got to go see her and was given the letter we wrote him and the photo album we made of our family. We didn't pass court because of a missing document (from the Ethiopian government), that should be in place for our December 10th appointment. So, if all goes well, we are looking at late January to bring her home. Keep those prayers coming! Thank you to all of our amazing friends and family for your support and prayers, and thank you God for giving me the peace of knowing that you are NEVER one nano-second too early or too late. YOUR timing is perfect!!!

We Didn't pass court...now what? : (

2009-11-11T16:24:00.001-05:00

We found out today that unfortunately, we did not pass court in Ethiopia on Monday. I still don't know why...our agency is trying to find out, but I suspect that maybe H's birthfather could not make it the 8 hours to Addis Ababa for our appointment. We have been rescheduled for December 10th...a LONG way off for me. I'm so heartbroken, but I know that God is in control and that He has the plan...not me! Please pray that all will work out...we obviously won't have her home for the holidays, but we will have many more holidays to spend with her, God willing.

No News...but New Floors!

2009-11-09T16:30:00.008-05:00

Well, our court date was today in Ethiopia, but it may be a few days before we find out whether or not we passed. If we passed, we will most likely travel at the end of December. I have to admit that I am pretty disappointed...I was really wanting to have our newest daughter home for Christmas, but I have to remember...not MY timing! I'm praying to hear about court soon and still hoping for earlier travel, but not much I can do at this point, but enjoy the holidays with my family and love on all my crazy babies here!

Last weekend was a very busy and extremely exhausting one for us. T and I decided to rip out our nasty old carpet and put down hardwood floors on our mainfloor. Yes, I am doing some SERIOUS nesting! Anyway, we recruited some amazing friends to help, but it turned out to be a much bigger job than we originally thought. After ripping up the carpet and somewhere close to a GAZILLION staples and nails, we discovered that we were going to have to replace a couple of places on our floor that had water damage before we could even begin to seal and lay the floor.

Bummer! But, at least now we have decent and non-rotting floors in our house...yay! Thank you God for our friend, Will, who is a true "artist" with woodworking and carpentry. Without his know-how and drive, we would be laying floor for months. Our friend, Paul, was also kind enough to come and help us lay the flooring. As it was, we were able to finish it by late Sunday night and it is BEAUTIFUL!

I'll post more pictures once I can polish it and get all the furniture back where it belongs. I am just thrilled with the floors, but I have to say, this is probably the sorest I have ever been! I have a whole new respect for people that do this kind of work every day.

Please continue to pray for us and for our sweet girl in Ethiopia as we wait (impatiently) and put our trust in the Lord to bring her home to us soon.

October Pumkins and Ghouls!

2009-11-04T15:20:00.007-05:00

The Casa de Chaos is always rockin' and this month has been exceptionally crazy. I do love the fall though...especially here in East Tennessee...just breathtaking! Wanted to catch up on some activities and show off my adorable little ghoulies! The Pumpkin patch is always one of my favorite fall activities. We all had a great time and hauled back five pumpkins and a car-load of tired people!

And, then of course, we carved them and decorated for Halloween. This is the first year that J1 wanted to be something scary...not too horror-ble though. J2 chose to be "Dark" Vader, but I think he just chose that because he wanted to get a light "saver". L, ever my tom-boy (God love her) opted for Thomas the train, even though my Mom and I were leaning toward a lady bug or Tiana (the new disney princess). Maybe H will be a bit more of a girly girl, but then what will I do? : )

Here's L with "Mr. Lazy Bones"...he never got up!

ADOPTION UPDATE:

Our Ethiopian court date is November 9th, but since Ethiopia is seven hours ahead of us, our court hearing will take place probably while we sleep (or try to sleep) on Sunday night. We do not go there for this court appointment, but we will hopefully find out early next week if we passed. If so, there is still a good chance we will have H home for Christmas. If not, I will definitely have some major boo hoos, but I trust in the Lord and His perfect timing. Of course, we will take all the prayer we can get, so thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to lift our family in prayer.

FINALLY!!!! COURT DATE!!!!

2009-10-22T14:02:00.002-04:00

So after I finally chilled out and waited for God's hand on this...our case manager, Julie called me today to tell us that we have a court date. November 9th! Not as early as I'd hoped, but I totally trust God and His timing. Please pray for all to go well and for H's birthfather to be able to make the long trip to Addis Ababa for our court date. Pray also that he will have peace and know that we love and will take wonderful care of this amazing little girl. And, please pray that God is preparing all of our hearts for all the new adjustments and for our family of five to become a family of six!! God is so good...I have a very grateful heart today.

C'mon Courts!!!!!

2009-10-12T09:26:00.005-04:00

Ok, so we are two weeks into October and still don't have our court date in Ethiopia. The courts were supposed to open last week (at least that's the rumor, no one seems to know for sure). We know a family who was supposed to have their court appointment last Friday night, but haven't heard yet if they passed or not. (Please be praying for them and for the East family, http://eastiesandcompany.blogspot.com/, who have their court appointment this Wednesday!) Several families who were scheduled for the first week of October were rescheduled into the third week of October, so although I'm still hoping and praying we will make it into October, the reality is that it will probably be November....and then hopefully travelling before Christmas.
The waiting is SOOOO hard. Even though we've been through this three times already, it never gets any easier to wait, especially when you have those huge brown eyes looking at you through pictures and those sweet little cheeks dying to be kissed, and those cute, dimpled little hands needing to be held. I think if we don't hear something this week, I will indeed go crazy. (ok, yeah, I'm already there, but I'll probably really start driving everyone else around me nuts too : )
What also makes this harder for me is that little "H" is already 18 months old and has already had so much loss and pain in her short little life. She recently was moved from the only home she had ever known eight hours North, where everything is different...especially the language. Soon, some strange people that look, smell and talk completely different will come and scoop her up and take her far, far away. I can only imagine how difficult that would be for a toddler, nearing two years old, who is in the stages of understanding what's different and fearing
all the new experiences. I thank God for the wonderful care she is getting and I pray that she is looking at our pictures that we sent her and understands that we will be her forever family soon. I pray that God is preparing her little heart for all the changes still to come and that he will fill her with peace and not fear. I am also so thankful that her little friend, Orange is with her now in Ethiopia and will be her friend here in Knoxville as well. How amazing is that?! At least she will have a familiar face here when she comes home. And, I especially thank God for my sweet childen, who are so excited to have their little sister come home and who I know will love on her and help her and let her know they are always here for her.
Please be praying for all the families and children who are in "process" and please pray that we will be able to bring our sweet girl home very soon. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

All About August

2009-09-10T13:12:00.015-04:00

Yeah...I know it's September, but I've got all kinds of full-time working, busy-mama, crazy-woman excuses. Anyway, August was an amazing month at the Casa...with lots of activities, school starting, and of course...our referral of our new daughter! So, here's just a few pictures to catch everyone up on the chaos. Daddy and the boys spent one Saturday having "guy time" at Lowes. They got these nifty work aprons, goggles and each built a great little boat that we HAD to take to the swimming pool later that day to try out.
Both of the boys started school...this year they are in the same school and big brother is showing little bro all the ins and outs of elementary school and bus-riding. They are both loving school and are still very excited about their "homework"...that ought to wear off in about a week : ) I have to admit that watching my "little man" get on the bus was a little heart-breaking, but I love that his big brother holds his hand and watches out for him. Love them!

T had a conference in Wisconsin at a really neat resort on the lake, so with the help of Grandma and my awesome BFF, I was able to fly up for a couple of days and enjoy some rest and time away with the hubster. We REALLY enjoyed it and need to do that more often, but leaving three, and soon-to-be four small kids is no easy feat! I'm so grateful for the two days I had of "down time" and time to reconnect with T.

The view from our room. It was overcast that day, but still so gorgeous.

Last, but not least...our girl, "L"! I just love this dress Grandma Marie bought for her and she actually will let me put it on her and wear the headband! She is very very strong willed and normally anything Mommy picks out for her to wear is greeted with a firm "no!". We pick our battles don't we? Most days, she goes to pre-school in mis-matched, ragged play clothes and her brothers old Lightening McQueen crocs, but hey, that's one of the many things that I love about her. She is soooooo excited about her little sister, telling me all the time that she is going to "rock her in the rocking chair" and asks to see her picture all the time. When she sees it she screams her name and does a little dance...so sweet! Of course, the boys are excited too.

Adoption Update: Unfortunately, the Ethiopian courts are not assigning new court dates until they reopen in October, so now we wait some more to see how much more we have to wait for a court date ; ( Still praying we will still get an October date, but we'll see. In the meantime, keep praying for little "H" and I hope to get some updates on her soon. Hope you are all having a spectacular September!

"THE CALL!!!!"

2009-08-28T14:27:00.006-04:00

It finally came...of course, when I least expected it. I mean, I knew we were next in line for a toddler girl, but I didn't think it would happen when it did. See, usually the "calls" come earlier in the day, so on Monday, August 24th, when 4pm passed by I thought "well, not today". T has been out of town so much over the last few weeks and I've been basically a single Mom, so Monday night I decided to take the kids out to eat. Yeah, I'm crazy...three small kids at a restaurant. Anyway, as expected, the kids were running wild, melting down, fighting over crayons, whining about what they would or wouldn't eat, and being "quietly yelled at" by Mommy to sit down! So, when the phone rang I thought it was my Mom. I had invited her to meet us for dinner and thought maybe she had decided to have some sense and NOT join us : ). But nooooo, it was Julie from AGCI!!!!! When I saw the number I couldn't believe it...I answered and tried to hear Julie while attempting to corral two kids heading for the outside fence (we were on the patio) when thankfully, my Mom showed up. I mouthed to her that it was our agency and my angel of a Mom took over the craziness of ordering drinks and trying to quiet down the chaos. Anyway, I said "Hey Julie...do you have some good news for me?". And, she said, "well, I have a little girl to talk to you about..."

Well, she told me a little bit about our sweet H and I caught things here and there between yelling "sit down!" and "stop blowing bubbles in your milk"! We agreed that she would e-mail me all the information and pictures and I would check them out as soon as I could get home. Great! I'm at a restaurant with three wild kids and no computer AND my husband is out of town. I immediately texted T..."REFERRAL!!!!", since he was in a conference and he texted back that he would call me asap. So, I rushed the kids through dinner, kissed my Mom and said thanks for coming and got home as quickly as possible. So, I tell the kids to get their jammies on and brush their teeth and I run for the computer. I text T like 8 times...."call me", "CALL ME!!"..."CALL ME NOW!!!"...and "WHERE ARE U!?". And, of course, the kids are running around like animals..."L" is naked and running around singing "I shake my booty", the boys are fighting over some cheapo happy meal toy and I am about to fly to Wisconsin to choke my husband for not calling. Finally, T calls and he's booting up his computer, which according to my calculations at the time took, like, 3 years! Anyway, we finally both open the picture and both at the same time said "Oh, look at her, she's beautiful"! We oohed and aahed and congratulated each other and said we would talk more later. I didn't say anthing to the kids about what was going on, cause I wanted T and I to see everything first, but right about then little "L" comes in the room, looks at the computer and says happily but very matter-of-factly "that's my baby sister, H". She knew. I just looked at her and smiled and said, "yes, it is honey". Well, that got the boys all riled up and soon I had three little monkeys all in my lap wanting to see the pictures of their new little sister.

We are just so thrilled and grateful to God for another amazing child. She is 16 months old, sweet as can be and too cute for words...looks a lot like "L" and I cannot wait to kiss her little cheeks. What happens now is that we submit more paperwork, and wait for a court date in Ethiopia. Once we pass court it will take about 3 or 4 weeks until we can travel to bring her home. Please pray that we will get a court appointment soon and that all will go smoothly and we will get her home sooner rather than later. We should have her home in time for Christmas, but I sure would be extra-super-thankful if she was home for Thanksgiving!

Please also pray for her birthfamily and for the selflessness and loss that have experienced. We will love this little girl so much and do everything we can for her. I am just so grateful. So blessed. So so incredibly blessed.

San Diego Baby!!!

2009-08-11T14:49:00.016-04:00

Yeah...it's only been two months, but I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of our awesome trip to San Diego in June. The kids did great on the looooong flights...thanks to lollipops, dvd's and gummies. Ok, they were loaded with sugar and "L" kept screaming "Airplane Mommy!" at the top of her lungs, which then turned into for some strange reason, "Dog Poop!" prompting her brothers to laugh hysterically...the other passengers, not so much.

Our first day, we took the kids with Uncle Marse and our wonderful neices to the Point Loma lighthouse, Cabrillo National Monument and the tidepools. We had such a great time. "L" wasn't too fond of the crabs at the tidepools, but she had a blast running around with her cousins.

You can see all the way to Mexico and all of San Diego from here. So beautiful!

We also got to spend time with some of our dearest friends at Jill and Ron's house. Jill is "my girl" in San Diego and I miss her terribly. It was so great to get to spend time with her and her hubby and darling son, Lucas. Who, by the way, was so awesome about sharing all of his way cool toys with my kids.

We also got to spend some time with Aunt Nancyand her kids...Here are all the cousins together at Grandma Bonnie's house.

We attended the "H" family reunion...and this ain't no small thing! T's Dad is from Mexico originally, and grew up on Catalina island. It was so great to see all of his family come together...we were part of the "yellow" group, from Grandpa Marse's side of the family. This is about maybe a 6th of the amount of people there. It was great fun to see all the amazing people that have made up so many generations of this family. Very cool stuff!

We were able to enjoy breakfast for Father's Day the next day with everyone. Happy Dad's day to Daddy, Grandpa Marse and Uncle Marse! You are all such special Dads and very loved by your kids, and grandkids!

We also made it to Sea World with Uncle Marse and had a blast. The kids really really really loved Shamu. I'm still hearing "Shamu! Shamu!" in the car on the way home from school some days.

Jacob made me ride the one ride that you can get really soaked on...and we did!

We were so grateful to Uncle Marse for his hospitality, to Grandpa Marse for organizing the family reunion, and especially to Grandma Bonnie for making this trip possible for us. We can't wait to see you all again. Here we are with Grandma Bonnie on the beach. Thanks again everyone...can't wait to see you all again soon! XOXO!!!!

And, last, but not least...San Diego will always be special to me because that is where God led me to meet my wonderful husband of 11 years. We were married here on the water and are so grateful for all of our family and friends still there. We were able to sneak away for a few hours one night and have dinner at the little "hole in the wall" best fish-taco place in the world, where wer had our very first date! Love you honey!

Congrats to Theresa and Jon....and we could be next!!!!!

2009-08-07T09:59:00.004-04:00

My dear friends, Theresa and Jon finally got their referral. An 18-month old Ethiopian beauty! I am so happy for them, and thrilled for this truly blessed little girl...they are amazing parents and just extraordinary people. They've been waiting for over a year for this and I am just so thrilled for them! You can read all about it at http://eastiesandcompany.blogspot.com/
Please be praying for Jon and Theresa to get their new daughter home very soon! The Ethiopian courts close for the month of September, so hopefully they will get an early October court date!

This also means that we are now "unofficially" next in line for a toddler girl! This also means that I am now "officially" crazed thinking about when we will get "the call". It may take a while, because you never know how many children will come into the care of our amazing agency, and especially a little sweetie in our age range (12-24 months). But, God knows and His timing is always PERFECT! Hard to remember when you are so close to finally seeing your child's face for the very first time.
I really can't believe that I'm going to be a Mom again. I never in a million years would've thought that I would be blessed with such an awesome hubby and four amazing kids at this point (or any point) in my life. Thank you Jesus!

GRADUATION!

2009-07-15T09:33:00.006-04:00

So, I'm WAY behind on my posting, but I also WAY behind on getting pictures from the camera to the computer and then resized so I can put them on my blog, but such is the busy life of a full-time working, tired-but-fulfilled Mom of three, waiting-to-be Mom of four. I don't know how alot of Mom's keep up, I usually go to bed right after the kids, so I don't get much done at night.

Anyway, my sweet J2 "graduated" from pre-school in May and I'm finally getting around to showing off the pictures. He looked so sweet in his cap and gown. I can't believe my second "baby" is going into Kindergarten in a month!

The whole family came out to cheer him on!

Here's my big boy with his best buddy

I love you sweet boy!!!!!

The Girls' Room!

2009-07-15T09:16:00.005-04:00

So we talked to our case worker, Julie, last night and she confirmed that we are officially number 10 on the girl's waiting list, but she also said that there is only one family ahead of us who are willing to accept a child over 12 months, so, of course, now I am even more anxious! They can never tell when they will have "your" child come into their care...only God knows when that will happen, but I am now "buzzing" on that news and hoping for a sooner rather than later call. I should know after going through this three times before that it is better to think "later" and be surprised earlier, than to get your hopes up for "soon" and drive yourself crazywaiting. I can't help myself though, and like I told my good friend, the anticipation is one of the blessings of this roller-coaster journey.

Most of you that know me also know that the Girl's room has been ready for months now (when I have something in my head, I have to do it "now"!) It came out really nice and I can't wait to have both of my little princesses together in their room. I guess I'd better work on getting "L" out of my bed at night first though :)

I love dragonflies, and I'm not a girly-girl (neither is "L") so I did their room in a buttery yellow color with green and blue dragonflies. I found the cutest wall decals and added some embellishments of little dragonflies I've found here and there. They have matching beds and will share a dresser and a pretty yellow rocking chair.

This is one of the wall decals...I just love it! The dragonflies are actually 3D and are glued to the wall.

This will be "H's" bed when she comes home...soon I hope!

Ok...so I'm ready, the kids are ready (I think) and the room is ready...so come on home baby H! We love you and can't wait to hold you and kiss you and watch you sleeping sweetly in your new room!

NUMBER 10 !!!!!

2009-07-10T14:23:00.003-04:00

We got our new official number from AGCI today. I was expecting 13, maybe 12, but was very pleasantly surprised that we are number 10. Yeah! The bad news is that the courts in Ethiopia close for two solid months at the end of July, so even though we've moved up quickly, now we are pretty much "On hold". Please be praying that all the cases currently in "the system" will pass through the courts before the closure. It would be so much harder to have a picture and then have to wait through two months of NO movement at all.

STOP AND THINK!!!

2009-06-30T20:36:00.005-04:00

Ok...I know I'm probably gonna get some eye-rolls, some "who does she think she is?" and "oh brother, I'm not wasting 15 minutes of my time on this "hooey". But do me a favor, because if you are reading this...you are obviously someone that I care deeply for...and even if I don't know you, I still care. Please, don't pause or click away, watch the entire thing. It's only 15 minutes of your time, but it means the world to me. And, given how crazy our world is and the losses we all experience, and how short our lives are on this planet, it really is too important not to just give it 15 short minutes.

http://www.crazylovebook.com/ click on "videos" and then click on the "JUST STOP AND THINK" video. Before or after that, you may want to also watch the shorter awe factor video.

Much love,
Stacy

J and Mommy's Florida adventure!!

2009-05-06T10:11:00.010-04:00

I had the best time tormenting J1! I suprised him at school on Thursday and didn't tell him where we were going or what we were going to do. I made him guess all the way to the airport and then when we got there, Daddy asked him if he could go anywhere...where would he like to go? He said...New York...hahahaha. I said "well, New York would be fun but they don't have Mickey Mouse". His little jaw just dropped! I think he was in shock.

I told him we were going to Florida to see his cousis...Yay! On Friday, we went to Disney World and had an unbelievably good day. The weather was awesome, and we didn't wait more than 10 minutes or so to ride anything!

We had a blast! J1 even rode his first rollercoaster...Thunder Mountain. I didn't tell him it was a rollercoaster when we got on because I knew he'd freak out. His little eyes were as big as saucers and he didn't look very happy, but I think he liked it...once it stopped. : )

He did pull me aside to tell me that the ride made him "obnoxious"...(he meant nauseous) haha

We met Peter Pan...and Uncle R channelled his inner Jack Sparrow :

My happy boy in the Happiest Place on earth. Not a bad birthday suprise, I think ; )

And that was just the first day! On Saturday, Uncle R and Aunt C took us all out on their boat to fish and play.

We couldn't have asked for better weather...and I even caught a shark...ok, a little baby shark, but it was shark!

We snorkeled and played on the beach and just had an awesome day. The water was so clear and blue...just like being in the Caribbean. That's my kind of day.

Thank you, God for my awesome oldest boy and for giving us the opportunity to go on this amazing trip and get to spend time with my Sister and her family. I don't think either one of us will ever forget our time together. Thanks again, Aunt C and Uncle R, and counsis D and D...we love you guys!

NUMBER 20!!!

2009-05-05T19:25:00.002-04:00

We got our new wait list number today and we are currently number 20 on the waiting list for our daughter. I know the wait will be alot longer, but we moved up 6 numbers since we got on the list, so I'm happy with that. God's timing is so perfect...even when my patience is not!

APRIL 20TH....A DOUBLY SPECIAL DAY!!!

2009-04-23T16:00:00.013-04:00

I can hardly believe it...April 20th marked L's two year anniversary of her homecoming! These are the two first pictures I ever got of my precious girl. I'll never forget opening this picture on Valentine's Day, gasping and crying and thanking God for this beautiful baby girl.

As most of you know, T travelled by himself to Ethiopia to bring baby girl home...and for that alone he will always be my hero. He is my hero in many other ways, but bringing this baby home by himself all the way from Africa was awesome. What a great Daddy!

Here we are at the airport the day she came home...April 20, 2007.

The boys fell in love with her right away and still adore their sister. We all can't wait to bring home our next Ethiopian princess...and this time I am definitely making the trip!

And, here she is on April 20th, 2009 with Grandma...they just adore each other!

AND, April 20th is also a very very special day, because it is also J1's birthday. That's right, L came home on J1's 5th birthday. We always say J1 got the best birthday present ever that day...he seemed to be a bit more excited this year about Bakugans. (weird little ball creatures that little boys are into now).

So here we are celebrating J1's 7th birthday. We had some friends over for backyard fun, pizza and cake. I still can't believe that my first baby is 7 years old!

We had an awesome day...but what J1 doesn't know is that I am taking him to Disney World next week! He is gonna freak! I am gonna surprise him at school and pick him up next Thursday, and I'm not gonna tell him where we are going until we get to the airport! Just me and J going to Florida to visit my sister and her family and have a fantastic weekend at Disney and at the beach. I can't wait. But, in the meantime, please don't say anything...I don't want to ruin the suprise! I think I'm actually more excited than he will be : ) Thank you, Abba Father, for my precious family and the very special date of April 20th!

Easter fun!!!

2009-04-14T11:16:00.006-04:00

Ok, I'm a little late getting these up, and it'll probably be a few more days until I get actual Easter pictures up, but I wanted to share some of our egg-dying fun. Aunt Kimmie and Geoff came up with four dozen eggs and all kinds of fun stuff to decorate with and the kids had a blast! I think my floor and the kids had more dye on them than the eggs, but we all had a wonderful time. Thanks Aunt Kimmie and Geoff and Grandma!

It's Official! We are number...

2009-04-13T18:58:00.005-04:00

Our dossier is done and accepted, now the looooong wait begins. I'm not known for my patience, but one thing that adoption has reinforced for me is that it really is all in God's hands and it is in His perfect timing that all things happen. So, in the meantime, we will focus on and enjoy the time we have just as our family is formed now. I can't wait to have another little girl snuggling up to us in the morning, but I trust God that His plan is already in place and my job is to pray and wait.

Homestudy done! Next step....

2009-04-02T14:35:00.001-04:00

Waiting list! Oh, waiting to be on the waiting list is tough...and the waiting to wait has just begun. Our agency should have our homestudy now and will hopefully approve it soon and then I'll send in all of our documents and find out where we are on the waiting list. Lord, give me patience...and can I have it RIGHT NOW?!!

My little man is 5!!!!

2009-03-27T13:27:00.010-04:00

It seems like just yesterday I was seeing pictures of my sweet youngest son for the first time...

And here he is March 19th on his 5th birthday. What a big boy!

We had his birthday party at the Children's Museum that he LOVES and he invited a bunch of his buddies. We had a blast! First we filled the kids full of sugar...

Lightening McQueen...of course!!

Then, we set them loose to run like wild animals all through the museum.

5 things (of so many) that I love about my 5 year old boy:

1)You are always so sweet...running up to give me kisses on my back, hands, legs, cheek, at all times of the day.

2) The way your HUGE eyes and dimples light up when you are smiling and being mischeivious.

3) How you love and hug on your brother and sister and are always willing to share whatever you have with them.

4) Your infectious giggle...it's hard not to laugh with you...even when I'm supposed to be disciplining you.

5)The way you always ask me to pray for whoever may be in trouble or hurt when you hear a siren.

My J, you are the sweetest and cutest little stinker, ever! I love you with all my heart and I pray that God continues to bless you your entire life. I know He has blessed me with allowing me to be your mother.

On a side note...birthdays always make me so sad for my childrens' birth mothers. Erika, I pray for you daily, and I pray you have peace. There are not adequate words to thank you for this amazing little boy that you brought into this world and that I am priveleged to call my son. God bless you always.

Orientation Call : )

2009-03-05T10:41:00.003-05:00

T and I had our "orientation" call with our agency Tuesday night. This is our fourth adoption with this agency, but times have changed and so has alot of the paperwork/contracts, etc. from the agency. It's totally necessary and always good to be informed and able to ask lots of questions. We are all for doing it all "by the book" and I certainly am all for adoption agencies really making sure that parents are informed and ready for what adoption and the process entails. I do have to share though, how funny it was to us, that when our "orientation" packet came in the mail, there was a one-sheet highlighting one of the families that had adopted through our agency as a sort-of "intro" piece....and it was US!!! Ha ha. Totally unexpected. We got a good chuckle and a warm feeling from that.

And, yes, our bed is unmade...I'm not exactly a domestic diva when it comes to that stuff : )

So, anyway, we have signed contracts and will soon begin even more paperchasing. I just can't wait to see pictures of our future daughter...but that may take a while. In the meantime, we are loving life with the kids and just so grateful for this opportunity. I am also "stealing" a stolen post from my fellow adoption buddy that shows in a humorous way how this all goes...enjoy!

Here's a thumbnail sketch:

1 Fill out questionnaire.

2 Send check.

3 Fill out big questionnaire.

4 Send another check.

5 Get interviewed.

6 Get fingerprinted twice.

7 Write check.

8 Apply for Visa.

9 Write big check.

10 Get more fingerprints.

11 Get copies of every official certified thing ever written about you or files on your behalf.

12 Get your friends to write nice things about you.

13 Get them to write more and different nice things about you to put into the file.

14 Wait forever for the INS to figure out you aren't a terrorist training camp for toddlers.

15 Send another check with your completed file you've copied 9 times because you want to be sure.

16 Send everything to the agency and hope that this is NOT the one package they lose today.

17 Wait.

18 Wait some more.

19 Cruise the boards to find out who's getting referrals.

20 Worry that maybe you picked the wrong agency. (not a worry at all for us!)

21 Wait some more.

22 Get Referral!

23 Send last check.

24 Wait

25 Wait.

26 Check prices for airline tickets.

27 Get shots.

28 Check Passports.

29 Check on Visas for Ethiopia.

30 Wait.

31 Get a court date!

32 Worry you won't pass court.

33 Blame everyone and everything for anyone not passing court.

34 Panic.

35 Pass Court (or not, skip back to 32).

36 Panic some more.

37 Finish the kid's room. (which in our case is two rooms because we are switching out L's room with J2's room)

38 Buy more toys.

39 Panic some more.

40 Wait.

41 Get second round of shots.

42 Wonder why there are 6 pages of things you MUST pack for a 10 day trip.

43 Wonder if ANYONE ever packed that much.

44 Wonder how anyone did and STILL brought things over to donate to the program (feel guilty you couldn't bring more).

45 Meet your child.

46 Joy, mixed with panic because all of the your fears and doubts and everything else are staring you down and sizing you up.

47 More bureaucracy.

48 Travel back to the USA with a child that thinks he's just been kidnapped.

49 Kick yourself for not test installing the car seat before you left.

50 Home. Sleep. Panic.

51 Read your child his first bedtime story (that he still can't understand because he doesn't speak English).

52 Realize that it was all worth it.

Simple

Why Yes, we are insane!!!!

2009-03-02T15:26:00.004-05:00

Yep, here we go again...T and I are paperchasing for our fourth child! We are going to adopt another Ethiopian princess, hopefully between the ages of 12 and 24 months. I am so excited I can hardly stand it! You would think after doing this three times I would be an old pro, but I am completely overwhelmed with all the paperwork and stuff still to do. There is much more to do since the Hague treaty was radified in the U.S., but just like before, we'll get through it and our family will be so blessed! We are currently working on our homestudy documents because that can be the most time-consuming part of the process. We will also begin our quest for the almight I-171H...the government's blessing on our adoption and allowing us to bring our child home....which means we have to be fingerprinted twice (again). We will be prodded in any state we have lived in to assure that we are not child abusers (not a bad thing, I think), and have to prove about 3,459 times that we are who we say we are...crazy, huh?

Today, T and I spent my lunch hour downtown at the lovely smelling Sherriff's office in the basement of the city/county building trying to get a criminal background check done. For those of you wondering, neither of us was arrested : ) The woman behind the window though should definitely be cuffed for rudeness. Man, I can't believe how rude this lady was to us and how bitchy (sorry, but that's the most fitting word) she got when we asked for our docs to be notarized. You would think that we asked her to saw off her arm and hand it through the window! Well, I'm proud to say that I stayed calm and sicklingly sweet to her and finally got the requested documents (after 2 hours and 60 dollars).

And, as my wonderful husband reminded me...there are alot of bumps in this road, but the ride is so well worth it! Thanks to all of you who are praying for us and to all the awesome friends we have made in the adoption community. We are blessed beyond belief and so honored to parent these children. I can't wait to have even more chaos in the casa!!!!

Praying for Abby

2009-02-07T19:17:00.002-05:00

Please read this...it is amazing. This family is in the midst of every family's worst nightmare...their precious daughter is battling a rare and horrible form of Leukemia, yet their faith is never shaken, not even one iota. I've been following their story...along with thousands of people around the world, and I hope that you will not only read Brent's post that I have copied here, but please pray for them and let them pray for you too. (yes, they really want to). Hug your children tight and focus on your joys, but please read this...and you would also be blessed to start reading their blog www.riggsfamilyblog.com

Saturday, February 7, 2009

New Every Morning For Abby, Us & You
I was at the hospital with Michelle and Abby until about 5.30am this morning, then came home for a little while so SpideyLandis and the other kids wouldn't wake up parentless.
Pic: Abby usually talks MeeMaw into making cookies when we are at her house. MeeMaw makes the best cookies, and someone has to learn to carry on the tradition.
The nurses were in and out all night every few minutes. If you've never enjoyed that experience, it is a little maddening getting woke up over and over and over and over all night long. I am a light sleeper, and wake up frequently anyway but Michelle is a sound sleeper, and it is hard on her. She stays at the hospital every single night that Abby is there, so she doesn't get alot of sleep. I run back and forth between the hospital and the house. That's the pattern we've settled into since Abby got sick.
This morning, Abby is about the same. Her little tummy is so swollen, she looks like she is going to explode. The infection area on her stomach around her feeding tube covers about the area of a dollar bill... red, blistered, inflamed. Just touching Abby's feeding tube sends her into a tailspin. The sores have not begun to improve yet and she can barely tolerate even wearing a soft diaper or panties. Going to the bathroom is torture.
Michelle is really tired but patiently tends to every need Abby has... taking her to potty, changing her clothes and bedding, feeding her, putting medicine and cremes on her, monitoring her I.V.'s, getting her drinks, keeping her distracted... watching the same video over and over 50 fifty times because that is what Abby wants to watch. (when Abby is done with chemo, I'm burning "Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast")
Michelle is the epitome of a mother willing to give up every comfort, all her time and ignore her own needs... to take care of her child. For those who hold the opinion that "adopted" kids are "not as much your child" as biological kids... well, I don't have to make any comments about that. Everyone who has ever adopted knows how absurd that is.
New Every Morning
How do we do this? How do we keep going? How can we be joyful, thankful, content and happy living the "life of cancer" month after month? People ask this on a daily basis.
Answer: the same way YOU can keep going. The same way YOU can be joyful, thankful, content and happy day after day no matter what life throws at you.
The same way that guy I just saw on TV keeps going every day. He fell asleep driving, hit a truck head-on, destroyed his spleen and liver, broke all his ribs and had to have his leg cut off. When they cut him open to operate after the wreck, they found out he had liver cancer too. How's that for a "bad deal" in life?
How do you keep going? How do you keep going with joy, hope and thankfulness? The answer is the same whether you're a parent of a child with Leukemia, a guy with one leg and cancer, a cheated-on spouse, an unfairly fired employee, or just someone dealing with the typical life struggles that conspire to rob us of joy and contentment.
The answer is the same for the couple about to lose their house to foreclosure, or the parents who are finding out how hard parenting really is. The answer is the same for healthy, active folks who don't feel loved or at peace... or the older couple with seemingly-never-ending health problems.
The answer is the same for Americans who take for granted unparalleled personal freedom and an unprecedented level of affluent lifestyle, or the multitudes of people across the globe who are hungry, poor, cold, imprisoned for their faith or beliefs, persecuted and largely ignored by the world. The answer is the same...
The answer to "how do you keep going?" and "how do you have joy and hope?" is the same for every single person in ANY situation, and here it is, my favorite passage, Lamentations 3: 20-25:
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
Notice that the Bible does not ignore the "negative" realities of life, or pretend that it should never be talked about or acknowledged. King David, the only person ever labeled "a man after God's own heart" penned dozens of Psalms full of lament, struggle and pouring his heart out about life's hardships. David would not be very popular in much of our modern church or culture. But you know what friends... the honest admission and lament of heartache in the Psalms has spoken deeply to and soothed the heart of legions of hurting souls throughout history.
Acknowledging Is Not the Same As Being Consumed
Acknowledging the hard realities of the human experience is not the same as being consumed by them, or having a "negative" outlook. We are to be positive people who also see the blessings (positive) that come when we depend on God during the "negative". We remember (accept, acknowledge) there are frequent times in life when our "soul is downcast" but that the proper response is:
"... I will call to mind and therefore have hope"... what?
I will call to mind that God's great love is NEVER consumed; it never ends; there is always more
I will call to mind that God's compassions NEVER fail; His compassions always WIN; in other words, if we avail ourselves of God's compassion, it is ALWAYS enough to overcome our sorrows no matter what they are
I will call to mind that God's love and compassion is NEW every morning...
Why does God emphasize "every morning"? Does His compassion wear out by the end of the day and then overnight God gets back in gear and puts out a fresh batch when the sun comes up?
"New every morning" is a point of reference for us. We all live day by day. The sun rises on every person, every day, in every situation. It is a guidepost, a marker, a timestamp that we can all relate to, count on and understand.
So God uses that inescapable reality to give us a common ground that leaves none of us being able to say "I didn't understand, I wasn't aware..." We all understand that the sun rises every day. We all understand that morning comes each day no matter WHAT WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH.
Every morning, for every person, God's love, compassion and mercies are "new" and available. Not "new" in the sense that they got "old" or "worn" the day before but "new" in the sense they are waiting for us, without fail, with the dawn of each new day. They are "new" in that they are totally sufficient for whatever that day holds for us, even when our "soul is downcast"... in fact, I would say ESPECIALLY when our soul is downcast.
When is God's compassion sweetest? When life is great or hard? When does God's mercy seem most real? On the mountain top, or in the valley? When is His love feel the greatest? When we already feel loved by others, or when we feel lonely and abandoned by the world? Mercy, love and compassion are particularly precious when we feel "downcast".
I Will Call To Mind And Say To Myself
God's mercy, love and compassion is there no matter what we do, even if we ignore it. But God calls us to action if we want to benefit from it. We have to get our mind right. We have to deliberately focus on this Truth. We have to "call to mind" the Word of God and tell ourselves:
"God is enough. God is my hope. I will wait on God."
Wait on God? The meaning here is that we will look to God, focus on God, depend on God, keep our eyes on God. It doesn't mean He will delay His love ("wait"); it is the picture of us putting our full attention on God. The Lord God is GOOD to those who seek Him. Isn't that a marvelous truth? Do you truly believe it? If yes, are you daily seeking Him?
I like to summarize things for easy recall, so let me wrap up with this...
Are you downcast? Is life hard? How can you be joyful, hopeful, content and loved despite any hardship?
Focus your mind on God and tell yourself the Truth
God's great love means your troubles will not consume you
God's compassion NEVER fails us
God's love and mercy is waiting for you every morning, every day, every time
The Lord is ENOUGH for ANYTHING you are going through
God is good to everyone who puts their hope in Him
God is good to everyone who seeks Him
Because of all these things you can say...
"Therefore I have hope".
If you have hope, then you can keep going. No matter how hard life is, no matter what dark valley your journey has you in, you can keep going because you have hope.
That is my answer to "how do you keep going?" and it can be your answer too.
Are you encouraged by this message? Do you know someone today who is struggling and could use some hope? Do you know anyone who needs mercy, compassion and love? You have an answer for them now.
Tell your friends, Put this post on your blog. Send it out to your email list Copy and paste the whole thing. I don't care about getting credit for the writing. I care about helping people.
We'll post an update about Abby later today. We have been reminded of God's compassion every day because of YOU. Your notes, comments and prayers are the manifestation of God's love.
What are you hurting about today? How can we be a blessing to you?

SNOW!!!!!!!!

2009-01-22T10:27:00.006-05:00

Finally, we got a little snow in East Tennessee! It's always so pretty...another great reminder of God's glorious creation. For the kids, it meant a day off from school and fun outside! Poor L was still recovering from pneumonia, so she could only watch.

My angels...ha ha ha. Only in the snow!

Then, it was inside for a little hot chocolate with a neighbor friend. It was fun while it lasted...only about half the day.

Christmas de Chaos....or not.

2009-01-04T15:41:00.017-05:00

Wow...I can't believe it's been two months since I've posted anything! What a slacker!...or maybe a busy, full-time working Mom of three? : )

Christmas was really a fun time at our house this year...low stress, time off from work, not too much cooking or overplanning. We just really enjoyed the season with the kids. They, or course, were just happy to get to make cookies and open presents with Grandma!

J1 got a digital camera and loves to take pics! L and Mommy had a tea party!

J2 got a very cool Roboraptor...I was worried that L might be scared of it...but my girl ain't askeerd of nothing! :) She actually walked right over and kissed it.

We were very blessed to have Uncle David and Aunt Cheryl home for a few days...and they brought their new puppy, Kaiah. The kids just loved her! The boys had so much fun getting her to chase them around. They loved having

Dave and Cheryl here too!

Aunt Kimmie and Cousing Jennie came for Christmas day...hooray! And, they brought brand new electric guitars for the boys! (I'll get you back for this someday). Check out my little rockstars...they were so funny!

A belated Merry Christmas to everyone!

Tagged!

2008-11-13T13:24:00.003-05:00

Ok, I've been photo tagged. I'm supposed to pull the fourth picture from the fourth file on my computer, so here it is. These are J1's sweet little fat toddler feet when he was only 17 months old. We took a trip to California to see Grandma B and Grandpa M. This was J1's first time to ever see the beach and he loved it! It's hard to believe that little boy is going to be seven years old this year! I'm going to tag Lorri, Kelly C., and Dani.

My Baby is 2!

2008-11-12T17:24:00.012-05:00

Today is "L's" 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday to my sweet pea! Mommy loves you more than you can possibly imagine.

This is one of the first pictures we ever got of her...she was just 4 months old. She was 5 months when she came home and she's already two...it's hard to believe how quickly the time has gone by. We actually celebrated this past Saturday with just a few close friends and of course, LOTS of Elmo! This girl just loves her some Elmo.

She also got a tickle-me cookie monster, which she loves...but I think the "adults" had more fun playing with it : )

L had a blast opening her presents (with a little help from her friends, Abby and Sky.) She really didn't have a clue about the whole "birthday thing", but loved eating pizza and playing with her friends and her brothers.

She got a really pretty blue outfit and some ELMO books from Grandma Marie (plus lots of smooches)

And a great baby doll stroller from Grandma Bonnie in California...(long distance smooches to you too!) She didn't get the whole "doll" stroller idea at first either, but when she caught on she had so much fun pushing around her baby...and then, not long after that, ELMO got the prize spot in the new stroller : )

Special thanks to all our Aunts and Uncles too for sending "flat presents"...we can't wait to go shopping! Much love to all of you. We are just so blessed to be this little girl's family!

Spooktacular Halloween!

2008-11-05T10:42:00.008-05:00

We had a great time Halloween night. First we got the kids dressed in their costumes...

L was Minnie Mouse (the hair puffs were perfect ears), J1 was Batman (with muscles of course) and J2 was a ninja...or as he says it "inja".

My dear friend, K, had a Harvest Party at her house and as usual, K went all out and made the night really special for all the kids and their families. She had

little pumpkins for the kids to paint.

This is K's daughter "M" with "L", she is just the sweetest girl and is always so wonderful with the younger kids.

Then the kids played a game called "apple shmear" where you basically bat rotten apples with a tennis racket...it was hilarious! Then we all went out trick or treating. I would guess there were about 40 or more kids, so the neighborhood was really hopping with all of our little "goblins" out running from door to door. The kids had a blast and so did we. Thank you so much K and D for having us all over and allowing us to leave your house an absolute mess : ) Hope you all had a blessed night!

Wine-ing about Sonoma!!!

2008-10-31T10:05:00.022-04:00

Okay, So I was sent to Sonoma California last weekend for work. I know, I know...it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it : ) The shoot was awesome...the crew was fantastic, our talent couldn't have been more accomodating and the weather was amazing. Here are a few pictures from our shoot out there...we were shooting promo wraps for the Dream Home that my company gives away every year. I can't show pictures of the home, but here are some of the shoot. People are always asking me what I do for work...well, I gotta tell you, I am blessed with an awesome job! I write and produce for a major cable network and it really is a blast sometimes.

We shot at two gorgeous wineries in Sonoma and did a little wine-tasting after work with the crew.

This was our director and our producer in Sonoma...

they were fantastic...and lots of fun. The best part of the weekend though, was that one of my best and dearest friends, Donna, was able to fly down from Oregon to meet me and hang out for the weekend! That's her on the right.

It was sooooooooo great getting to spend time with Donna and catch up. I miss her and her family terribly since they moved away. She is truly an amazing woman and friend and I'm so glad that we got to spend time together this weekend.

Thanks so much for coming, Donna! I love you girl!!!!!

And thanks too to my amazing husband and Mom who took awesome care of our kids while I was gone. I love you both so much!!!

Hooray for Fall!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-20T14:34:00.011-04:00

Oh, I just love Fall in East Tennessee! The smells, the colors (not as great this year because of the dry conditions), beautiful crisp weather, the leaves, pumpkins, Halloween and long sleeves! We've been going on "nature walks" and collecting leaves...then we iron them between sheets of wax paper and put them in the window to make little "stained glass" leaf art. So fun...just like when I was a kid!

And of course...one of my absolute favorite things to do in the fall...take the kids to the Pumpkin Patch. We went this past Saturday and had a blast. Grandma M, and some of our friends joined us for a wonderful day. The weather was beautiful and we all had a great time.

Look at these two little cuties! Such buddies...and their Moms are our good buddies too. We all went on the hayride together and picked out our pumpkins.

Here's my Bestbud, D and her daughter (The future Mrs. J2)

And, just because I actually got them to "pose"...a sneak peek at J and J's Halloween costumes...

aren't they just hilarious, really getting "into" their characters. We are going to a really great Halloween party that night with all the cool stuff...crafts, apples, and of course tricks or treats. In the words of the great Charlie Brown, "I got a rock". Actually it should be "I gotta rock!"

I just love this time of year and I'm grateful to God for giving us this time and the glory of His creation.

Big Girl Bed!

2008-09-30T10:27:00.004-04:00

Sniff, sniff...EGpapa and I took down the baby crib the other night. Kindof sad...6 years of having babies in that crib and now it's gone and there's a "big girl" bed in L's room. L is not known for liking to be confined and was launching herself out of the crib, so we decided to get her a bed before she hurt herself. I was really hoping she would stay in the crib for at least another six months or so, but oh well...my strong willed daughter had her own plan and timeline as always.

I've had several people say "why take down the crib...you'll just adopt another baby!", but my response is "No way!". Much as I've loved my babies, I don't think I want to do the baby thing again. If God decided that adoption is in the plan for us again...we would probably try for an older girl. Although, God does like to play tricks on me in my advancing age : )

I'm just so grateful to have had three wonderful babies in this crib...and they were all such great sleepers. Now, I'm grateful to hear another set of little footsteps coming into my bedroom in the morning and three very cuddly, silly kids in our bed. God is so good!

My super silly, sassy, sweet girl!

2008-09-24T09:55:00.022-04:00

My baby girl is so funny! She has definitely hit the "terrible twos" at 22 months...she is quite sassy and very stubborn. Last night I refused to give her her dessert until she ate her food, so she picked up her plate and proceeded to dump the entire thing on the floor! The dogs loved her for it, but she was not happy when Mommy put her in time out.

She is really so funny though...the girl of a thousand funny faces and who loves to sing and laugh really REALLY loud.

"L" loves to hide in her brother's closet...in the laundry basket and giggle her head off when I "find" her.

Diapers go on your head, right?

"Rock Star, baby!!!!!"

Each and every day, I thank God for this funny, sweet, laughing, loving, awesome little girl. I am so blessed to be her Mommy. I just sit in awe of her and marvel at the fact that I get to be the recipient of her giggles, kisses, hugs and even temper tantrums.

I just don't know where she gets all this silliness?!!!

We all love her so much...especially her big brothers!

GOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!

2008-09-17T16:34:00.004-04:00

Ok...proud mama moment here...My awesome, athletic, amazing oldest child scored his first soccer goal! He seemed kindof stunned at first (of course, he could have been distracted by the crazy woman on the sidelines that was screaming her head off : ) I just love watching these kids play soccer. It's like a little huddle of arms and legs running around the ball and one by one they all fall down...too cute! But just look at my big boy really catching on to the whole "kick the ball to the goal thing". I'm just so proud...oh my gosh...I guess I've become a "soccer Mom"!

Here he is going in for the kill...ok, maybe just trying to kick the ball in.

And, then cutie little number 8 comes to give him a high-five...what a stud!

Happy New Year!!! Enktatush Celebration

2008-09-15T09:30:00.017-04:00

The Casa de Chaos was rockin' on Saturday when we hosted our local Ethiopian adoption group's Enktutash Celebration. This is the Ethiopian New Year. In Ethiopia, September 11th is their New Year's Day, and they use the Gregorian Calendar, so for them, they have just entered the year 2001!!! Wild, huh?

These are few Ethiopian items that people brought to show and decorate

We had a fantastic group and a turnout of 14 families and 58 people! So much fun! We had kids of every size and color running around the house and having a ball playing together. It was a glorious sight to look around my home and see so many smiling faces and meet so many wonderful people who have either adopted from Ethiopia, or are in the process of adopting. We got to try some wonderful Ethiopian dishes...and for those of you who know I don't cook very often...I actually made an Ethiopian dish called Zilzil Alecha that came out pretty darn tasty!

It was really neat to see how much these kids love these spicy ethiopian dishes! Lori, thanks so much for bringing the Injera all the way from Nashville...it was so good!

For some reason, this picture keeps going sideways on me...but this is just a sample of the yummy food we had!

A huge thank you to all the families for coming to celebrate at our home. So many beautiful children...so many wonderful new friends, and so many more that will be coming home hopefully very soon! Our little "family" is growing fast...what a blessing! Here are some more pictures for you to enjoy. I can't wait to get together again...my kids wanted to do it all again the very next day

Look at this gorgeous family! Aren't those the best smiles? They were all so nice and they are planning to add more kids to their family from Ethiopia!

Jacob's Happy Family Day

2008-09-05T09:25:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that it's been six years...yes six!, since my first born baby boy was placed in my arms forever. He was just 4 days old in these pictures.

On September 2nd, we celebrated Jacob's Happy Family day...we went to Ihop for chocolate chip pancakes (yum) and then EGMama and Jacob went to Toys R Us to pick out a present. He chose two lego star wars kits, and he and EGdaddy spent the afternoon puttting them together. This weekend, we will watch the video of the day EGdaddy and I flew into Guatemala and walked out of the airport to a waiting van...with our baby boy inside. It seems like just yesterday. They handed me this beautiful sleeping boy and he opened his eyes and I said, "Hi, Jacob, I'm your Mommy" (lots of happy tears). He was a sweet, sweet baby boy then and he is a sweet, kind-hearted, smart, handsome, compassionate, God-loving kid who I love with my whole heart.

First Christmas...9 months old

Loves his baths-16 months old

3 years old

So grown up at 5!

6th Birthday...already!

Happy Family Day, buddy...we are so very blessed to be your family!

Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

2008-09-04T13:56:00.001-04:00

Ok, ok...I've finally taken the plunge! I'm attempting to join the rest of the blogging world and figure out all the techie" stuff! I love to read other people's blogs, but I really suck at anything computer related and have already bugged a co-worker about a thousand times just to get this far : ) Check in from time to time though and see if I can actually figure out how to post all the crazy goings on at the "Casa de Chaos" and with all of our friends and family. I'm looking forward to becomming a real "blogger" and not be harrassed anymore by all my blogging buddies!

I'm starting by showing a couple of new pictures of L that my fabulous photographer friend took of her recently. Her expressions say it all..."I am a wild woman and my mama is getting some big-time payback!" I just love this little girl and all my babies! Stay tuned for more (if I can figure out how)