23 Months DTE

Over the weekend was our 23 month DTE-iversary!  It also marked the day when our sweet girl turned 4!!!

So here's where we are currently - AGAIN with the backwards movement - there have been a lot of families within our agency who have recently cleared embassy, so we are hopeful that may have an impact in changing these numbers SOON.  We have not had positive movement in awhile, and it can be discouraging!!

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 37

Young (under 4 yr) siblings =20

Siblings with older child =6

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 15

We are so thankful that God knows the story of our family - every last detail in it, and we can trust Him.  We are also super thankful for our sweet birthday girl!  I can't even begin to say what a blessing she is to our family.  She brings us so much joy, laughter, and fun.  She loves to sing and dance, and if she gets over the whole being shy in public thing, we just may see her on the stage some day!  She adores her big brother and misses him so much when he is at school.  She loves hearing about Africa and asks almost daily if we can go there someday.  I love her to pieces, and yep, she had her own pumpkin spice iced coffee on her special day.  She's her mama's girl!  (sidenote:  she still calls me mama and I love it!!)

What We've Been Up To

...and suddenly it's been almost 2 months since an update!  We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of our summer...had the annual trip to the beach, lots of day trips to Baltimore, relaxed & played together, I had a blast and an awesome several months with my Thirty-one Gifts business, and I even taught myself to can ---- those posts will be coming shortly ;)

Now that school has started (can't believe I have a 1st grader!!), I'm once again hoping to be a little more regular on the blog.  Even if no one reads it anymore, I'd like to keep it up for our own family records.  (If you are reading this.....wow!  Hi!!)

Here's a few pics of our summer fun....

 I'll be back soon! 

What We've Been Up To....

I've definitely been slacking in the whole "posting more often" thing.  We've been so busy lately I haven't taken much time to do anything uber-creative....and when I do a fun project, I've typically forgotten to take pictures  :)

Just for proof that we're still alive and well, here's what we've been up to lately...

Playing outside & being cute

Making Resurrection Rolls

Dyeing Easter Eggs

Sightseeing with our new friend from India

Disney on Ice ~ loved watching her!

A few other random things...
We've enjoyed hosting two international students over the past two months (a high school boy from Japan for 3 weeks in March and a college student from India over Easter).
J started tee-ball!
We're gearing up for the school year to be over......J & I started making a list of things we want to do over the summer.
I've decided to start going through the book Operation World with J each morning.....we've been having a great time learning about other countries.
I'm getting ready for a new summer season with 31 - I have the new catalog and I'm loving it!  There's also going to be a 31 outlet sale coming up.....if you don't already have a consultant and would like to receive information about it, you can email me at angiem31 (at) live (dot) com .... and I'll be sure to get you the info!

Hope you all had a Happy Easter!

Kindergarten Conversations

Six is such a fun age.  Although I must say, I think I have said this with every age so far.  I absolutely love having "real" conversations with my sweet boy.  A few nights ago at dinner, we asked him, "What do you think your life will be like when you are Daddy's age?"  (He is a bit of a worrier about future things, so when we ask him these questions, we make sure to say they are just for fun and to use your imagination!  After all, only God knows what our future holds!)

Without too much thinking, he told us he would be married and have two 5-year olds, a boy and a girl.  The girl would be adopted.

Me:  "What will their names be?"
J:  "Well....the girl will be Sharly."  (okkkkk)
Me:  "What about the boy?"

He took several minutes to think about this one.  Clearly, some thought goes into naming your children.  Finally he had the answer.

"Lucifer!"

 We couldn't stop ourselves from bursting out in crazy laughter, and finally said, "You're going to name your child after Satan?!"

And then the wailing began.

"WAAAAAAAA!!!!!  I didn't even THINK about that!!!!!!!!  I just thought it was a nice name!"  Poor boy.  He has such a heart for the Lord and when he made the connection, he was seriously distraught.

After a few minutes of containing our giggles and calming him down, we told him we knew he didn't want to name his son after Satan, and that in the Bible it says that Lucifer was perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28), so his name was probably beautiful too.  Not solid theology, but hey, it worked in calming him down.


Here's a pic of my sweet boy from this morning.  Today was "Career Day" at school.  His first choice was a missionary, but since we didn't know how to dress him as a missionary (his idea was just underwear since he would be in the African jungle), his second choice was a bulldozer driver. 

 

Is he a cutie or what? 

Our Latest Fundraiser

To me, this blog is a mish mash of pretty much everything that's going on in our lives or running through my mind.  It's not only the DIY projects we do around the house, but a record of day to day life....a virtual family keepsake, if you will.  So, sorry to my followers who are looking for some sort of cute crafty thing or some new decor.....there's been none of that lately.  Zip.  (Although I'm gearing up for Jackson's LEGO Birthday party this weekend!!)

This post is mainly going to be about our latest fundraiser, along with a shout-out of THANKS to my sister-in-law.  She organized it.  She invited people.  She gave up two Saturday afternoons to run it.  She dealt with pregnancy tiredness.  She fed people who came and gave them gifts.  Then she gave us the money!  I know all of you who are fundraising families are jealous right now!  Let's face it, fundraising is not fun.  I view it as a necessary evil, because we just don't have the $35,000+ we need to adopt from Ethiopia.  (You can see the post of why it costs so much here, and how much we've been able to pay here.  It's probably going to end up costing more, because as wait times increase, things like fingerprints and home studies expire, and we will need to redo them.  Which begs the question - how do fingerprints expire???)  It was SUCH A BLESSING to have a fundraiser that I actually did not have to plan or ask people for money!

So the details....  my sister-in-law is an instructor for a really popular form of exercise....the name is trademarked and I don't want anyone to get in trouble, but it is a fun "shake your booty" type of exercise that involves loud music and aerobic & dance moves.  And rhymes with Mumba.  She teaches this class at a local gym and offered to do it as a fundraiser.  Since space was limited to 12 people a class, she tried to get people to sign up in advance.  The owner of the gym, also a friend and an adoptive mama, allowed her to use it for free after closing hours for the purpose of the fundraiser.  It was approximately a two hour time commitment for those who came, which included an introductory lesson, and lots of snacks and chatting time afterwards, along with doorprizes.  Those who attended understood it was a fundraiser, and there was no set fee, but they were asked to provide a donation.

It was a huge success!  Between the two classes, 16 people attended.....I figured if every person gave $10, there's $160!  But their generosity exceeded my estimation....the grand total raised was $505!!!   THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE INVOLVED!!!!

Are you a fundraising family?  Maybe you can take this idea and tailor it to your situation!

And because posts are so much better when there's a picture (sorry, no pics of my sweaty friends at the fundraiser!) here's one of my two cuties...

I would love to hear other ideas for creative fundraisers!!

Christmas Time is Here.....and Gone!

What happened?  I blinked and not only is Christmas over, but it's 2012?!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Our was busy with lots of family get togethers and traveling, but it was a very blessed time being with the ones we love.

Here's my two loves in front of the Christmas tree.....yes, C tends to be in pajamas an awful lot.

One of my favorite traditions is that each year when we decorate the tree, the kids each get a new ornament representing their favorite things, or something from that year.  This year, J got a Lego Star Wars Darth Vader (who would have guessed?), and C's was the Little Mermaid.  We also had a special ornament on our tree representing our littlest love/s in Ethiopia.  Although we don't know him/them yet, they hold a special place in our heats and can't wait for the day when we can celebrate Christmas with them in our family.

Ethiopian Cross

One of my goals for the New Year is to become a more active blogger again.....I have a few more posts in the works ..... as long as my children cooperate, they might even come today!  :)

1st Day of Kindergarten

Sigh.  Is summer really over??  I mean, technically it's not.  But school has begun, and that ends summer in my book.  Don't get me wrong, I am excited for the cooler fall temperatures, falling leaves, and especially being able to get my most favorite drink in the world (pumpkin spice iced coffee) at Dunkin' Donuts!  Mixed feelings though...cause today I had to send my best little guy off to Kindergarten!

Thankfully, it wasn't a huge adjustment ~ Jackson already attended our school's K4 program last year 2 days each week, and this year he's only going to Kindergarten 3 days per week (love that option!)  No trauma or tears involved, but I sure do miss my guy when he's not here!

And now for some pics....

 Jon is always up and out of the house for work long before the rest of us are up...but he likes to leave Jack a little present for the first day of school!

 Cutie pie with the uggo screen door....which reminds me...that's going on the "to do" list!

 Nearly impossible to get a picture of Carly standing still!

One last hug before Jack heads in to school!

He had a great first day....although my little scholar was sad to report that he did not learn any math today.  Here's to another great year!

PS - We survived our first earthquake yesterday!  It was pretty crazy!  Not bad enough for any damage, but our whole house was shaking!  Did you feel it where you live?

Adoption FAQs

We're just barely dipping our toes into our adoption journey, but we've already been getting some of the same questions pretty frequently.  Here's a little Q&A that will hopefully help everyone stay informed!  I know that up to this point, this blog has been a mix of DIY, crafts, family life, frugal tips, etc..... well now you can add adoption to the mix!

1.  Why adopt?  Wow, what a question.  I feel like I could write a dissertation on this subject alone.  I could start with how I've always wanted to adopt, for pretty much as long as I can remember.....or about how when I went to South Africa in college, I came back with a love for Africa that would never fade.  Or maybe how I'm definitely pro-life, and it's time to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.  What about in the Bible where it says, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you" (James 1:27, NLT).  How about simply, that we as a family feel called to adopt.  It's not a decision we've made lightly.  We recognize it won't always be easy, and it will change our lives and the lives of those around us forever.  We're trusting God will prove Himself faithful in leading and providing for us during this process!

2.  Can't you have any more kids?  Ummm.....we are having more kids.  They just won't look like us.  In all honesty, we have no reason to believe we wouldn't be able to have more biological children.  See #1.

3.  Why Ethiopia?  Again, so many reasons that we are feeling called to Ethiopia.  I am a fan of all adoption (used to work in the foster care system), not just Ethiopia, not just international....but for us, it's where we are headed.  I've seen various statistics that Ethiopia has between 4 and 6 million orphans.  That's a staggering number.  According to World Health Organization Statistics, 1 in 10 Ethiopian children will die before their 5th birthday.  There's a severe drought in Ethiopia right now, the worst they've had in decades, that will likely impact these numbers even more.  You can check out this touching YouTube video for a few more statistics.  There's not one specific reason why we chose Ethiopia ~ it's just in our hearts.

4.  What kind of child are you adopting?  We have requested either a male sibling group between the ages of 0-3 years or a single male child between the ages of 0 - 2 1/2 years.  We have been told a sibling group will be nearly impossible, but we are okay with whatever happens. 

5.  How can we help? 
*PRAY!  Please cover our family and future child(ren) in prayer.  Specific requests at this point would be for fundraising to go well, for paperwork to come in quickly, home studies to go smoothly, and for patience during the long months of waiting. 
*If you feel led to help in another way, our fundraising has begun!  We are going through a great and reputable business, Just Love Coffee.  They sell Fair Trade Coffee in many varieties....ground, whole bean, and even green bean for people who like to roast their own.  For each bag of coffee sold, we will receive $5 towards our adoption!  Thank you for considering supporting us in this way!

More Q&A to come (and there will definitely be some crafty goodness coming up this week too!).  If you have any questions or anything you'd like to learn more about, feel free to leave them in the comments!  Thanks for your support!

 

Bethany Beach 2011

We just got back last night from our annual family vacation to Bethany Beach, Delaware.  Thanks to some blogger magic you didn't even know I was gone, did you?  Well, except for all those comments I still haven't responded to.  I hope to get to them at some point, but sorry in advance if I don't!!

Here's a few of my favorite pics from our vacay....

My sweet kiddos

The 4 cousins

PS... my friend Rachel now has a baby looking at the cute birdie mobile.  Welcome to the world, Corrine Elizabeth!!

It's Official!

Long story short.......we found out last night that we have been officially accepted into the America World Adoption's Ethiopia program!!!  We are so excited to expand our family in this wonderful way!  More details to come, but for now, we're getting ready for vacation!!!

We would love to have you praying for our family during this upcoming time of paperwork, home studies, fundraising, and waiting!

 

Summertime Sprinkler Fun

When I first started this blog, I had good intentions of it being a great way to keep friends and family updated on our family.  Then I started following crafty DIY blogs and the family posts and updates haven't been as frequent.  I know there's friends and family out there who probably couldn't care less about what wreath is currently hanging on my front door, so this post is dedicated to you......filled with pictures of the kiddos in all their summertime glory!

Oh how I love them!!!  We are so blessed!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!  Here's my two favorite reasons for celebrating....even if they are goobers.

So blessed to be their mama!

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

One of my favorite things about Spring.....tulips!  Tulips are some of my favorite flowers and they are currently in full bloom, so after church on Easter we had a little photo shoot with Carly and the tulips.  Jackson was spending time with his grandparents, so he missed out on this photo shoot....but I don't think he was disappointed :)