STOP AND THINK!!!

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!!

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!

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...

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....

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?!!