2 Princes And A Princess

Noahs giggle

2009-05-06T20:21:00.007-04:00

I couldnt resist getting Noahs obvious glee at hitting his dad with the ball on video. Love, love, love that belly laugh of his. Didnt love the mess that also made it onto the video. Me working all day + 3 kids in full destruction mode + toys(of the 2 and 4 legged variety) aplenty = house in distress.

Will we (or he) survive

2009-04-21T09:37:00.002-04:00

the terrible twos. Noah is in to EVERYTHING! Logan was busy but Noah is busy times 100. Constant. Have to put him in a high chair to shower so that he doesnt wreak havoc upon our abode. Enter his new way of tormenting. I just bought a new houseplant recently and it was doing pretty well (keep in mind I kill plants without even trying). While my back was turned and he was in the highchair he decided to reach WAY over to my new plant and pull one of the stalks out. Swinging it in the air like some sort of a lunatic. Dirt and leaves all over my floor, the highchair and the reason this all ocurred. I texted a picture to Mike. Caption "Look what your son just did". He texted back. "Is that your plant". My response. "Yep". His final words. "I will miss him". Yep, there might be casualties during the terrible twos.

Doing a great thing

2009-04-16T13:03:00.002-04:00

Just went to Tomsshoes.com to purchase my pair. What a great thing they are doing to help give children in Ethiopia a pair of shoes!

Its been awhile....

2009-04-14T11:18:00.009-04:00

Since I've been able to catch up on blog time. Yes Mary Alice I know you are laughing right now and saying "I told you so".:) We've had an uneventful couple of months. We are REALLY ready for spring around here. Heres what we've been up to.

Easter morning

Love my family

My very own little 3 stooges

Can you say "HAM"?

Brushing the dragons teeth at the Childrens Museum

Our waterpark trip

New Friends

2009-02-09T21:29:00.002-05:00

We are so fortunate to have a wonderful family living just down the road from us who just brought home their 6 year old daughter from Ethiopia. We went to visit her last week and her and Helina enjoyed playing dress-up together. Their personalities seem very similar in alot of ways and I think they are going to be wonderful friends! So glad more wonderful Ethiopian children are finding forever homes within this community! Warms my hear for sure.

Happy Birthday Noah!

2009-01-11T16:17:00.003-05:00

Today is Noahs 2nd birthday. I cannot even begin to explain how far he has come in the last year. To think that a year ago he could not even sit up on his own. Today he is a running, jumping, chattering comedian. He has so much personality and everywhere we go people seem drawn to him. Today at lunch I was looking away from him and when I turned back to him he was entertaining a table of ladies sitting behind him. He had them all laughing and waving. Such a ham. We are all so thankful to have him in our lives!!!!

Happy birthday little man!

Exciting Times.

2009-01-09T16:05:00.006-05:00

I am so excited for one of my BFF's Rebecca. As I am writing this she is probably dragging herself (or her hubby may be dragging her:)) off of a plane in Beijing China. They are there to pick up their adorable son Owen. If anyone is interested in following their journey you can go to her blog www.ourfamilyjournal.com.

I have been so nostalgic this last week. Its hard to believe that one year ago I was in Ethiopia picking up Noah and meeting Helina. It seriously seems like only yesterday. I can still see so vividly all of the sites and smell the Berebere and other spices. On the other hand I cannot remember what life was like before Noah and Helina. I am already planning in my mind (if not my pocket book:))our family trip to Ethiopia. Logan talks about the country (he calls it "opia") like he lived there for a period of time.

Here are a few holiday pics. I actually havent had time to download the pics from our different Christmas gatherings. Will try to do so this weekend.

Journey to "The Dark Side"

2008-12-08T22:41:00.003-05:00

I will be the first to admit that I have always harbored this secret "distaste" for mini-vans and those who drive them. I have been known to comment that getting behind the wheel of a mini-van must somehow alter your ability to function/drive. Lets face it, who hasnt gotten a little crazy when they are trying to pass in the left lane on a 2 lane highway (yep, thatd make the left lane the PASSING lane) only to get behind some mini-van driver who thinks the left lane is the "coasting along beside the car in the right lane" lane. All of this previous negativity recently came back to bite me in the behind. I have been driving around in what I lovingly refer to as the Geri-mobile since my grandma passed away 2 years ago. We have been nice and cozy with all 3 kids lined up in a row in the backseat. Getting them all in and out has been interesting to say the least. When Mikes old jallopy drew its final breath a few weeks ago we were presented with a great deal. Yep, you guessed it......a mini van. And I have to say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! I love the heated leather seats. I love the automatic doors. I love the fantastic stereo system. I especially love that I dont have to fling Noah into his seat in the middle of the vehicle anymore. I love this vehicle so much that I dont even mind that I have gone over to the dark side! I can handle it when my friends and family call to tell me to be very careful on the roads.....now that I'm a mini-van driver.

Waiting for the "Bill"

2008-11-14T23:24:00.003-05:00

Last week, while dining at our favorite Mexican restaurant I realized how far Helina has come in her "knowledge" of the English language.

Helina: Mom, is it time to go yet?

Me: No Helina, I have to wait for our bill

Helina (after a 3 or 4 second pause to ponder): Mom, we dont know any Bills. Who is Bill?

Helina (now looking at Logan): I dont know any Bills. Do you know any Bills?

Halloween pics

2008-11-09T15:41:00.007-05:00

Its been a busy couple of weeks. My niece Megan celebrated her 13th birthday (holy cow I dont feel old enough to have a teenage niece) and Helina and Noah enjoyed their first Halloween. The weather was absolutely beautiful for trick or treating and Logan and Helina are still basking in the sugary glow of life!:) I am looking forward to the next "family firsts" we'll get to experience with Helina and Noah. We have SO much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

I've been tagged

2008-10-22T16:32:00.003-04:00

Well, I have been tagged by Miss Gina to share 6 random things about myself. So, here goes...........

1. I have no eyebrows. My dad has Cherokee Indian in his heritage and the one aspect that I have inherited (it couldnt be the beautiful dark skin of course) is that I have very few, very light eyebrows. My cousins tease me mercilessly about this. When I try to "draw some on" they stand out like a sore thumb. Like I'm wearing a sign that says "hey, look at those eyebrows". Insanity.

2. I attended Purdue University (Go Boilers!!!!) and for 3 years was a recruiting hostess for the football team. Got to take all of the potential recruits around campus and onto the field. Had GREAT seats on the 50 yard line to watch the games with them.

3. My favorite food is Mexican. LOVE IT!!!!! If I were forced to live on one type of food it would be Mexican.

4. I am currently addicted to the Twilight series books. One of my co-workers has talked about them non-stop for months and I finally decided to see what the big deal was. WOWZERS. Finished all 4 books in about 5 weeks. Now every girl at my clinic is reading the series. We are Twilight junkies.

5. My favorite movies are "Sweet Home Alabama", "Remember the Titans" and the Lord of the Rings movies.

6. Every year my cousins, aunt, mom and I head to a huge shopping mecca about an hour away to shop literally until we drop the day after Thanksgiving. We leave at about 4:30 in the morning and get home anywhere between midnight and 2am on Sat. Look forward to it every year.

Ok, that was more work than I thought it would be. So now I'm going to spread the wealth by tagging my blogger buddies Rebecca B, Rebecca M, and Chris M. Looking forward to reading your random goodies.

Parent Teacher Conference

2008-10-21T16:35:00.002-04:00

Mike and I went to Helinas first parent teacher conference last night. We "found out" what we already knew about our vivacious daughter. Her teacher describes her as a butterfly.....she just flits from one thing to the next. She is highly intelligent (her teacher cannot believe she has only been speaking english for 7 months) and everyone in her class loves her (and she them). Her struggles are in the area of listening. I often have to tell her "focus" at home and her teacher does the same at school. She is a whirlwind of motion and her zest for everything she encounters sometimes makes it hard for her to listen. I have to laugh a little because I can imagine that my mom must have heard some of the same things about me when she and my dad sat down for their first conference with my teacher alot of years ago. God truly blesses us with the children of our hearts whether they are the children of our womb or not:)!!! Thanks dear Lord for our sweet, head in the clouds Helina!!!!!!!!!

Its been awhile

2008-10-16T15:46:00.012-04:00

I have been a very bad blogger lately. We have hit the fall season running and my time on the computer lately has been limited at best. We have had some beautiful days and being couped up in the basement on the computer instead of outside just hasnt seemed right.

We were able to go to my cousin Jamies last weekend for a big family get together. It included a hayride, haunted barn, pinata, great food and a bonfire. We had a blast. Below are some pics from our evening as well as a couple of the MOST good-natured and tolerant dog on the planet. She sits motionless for hours and lets the kids use her as the big mountain overpass. Too cute!~

Oh boy

2008-09-09T15:18:00.005-04:00

I have to preface this picture by stating that at this point in Logans young life he is a little man living in a little womans world. He is surrounded by girls. Noah is too young to play with (although the 2 of them have started wrestling. Jeez boys are weird. Enjoying wrestling at 20 months). He wants to do whatever his sister and cousin (whom he idolizes) do. His best friends are the neighbors twin girls. Man oh man is he going to look back on this period of his life and wonder how it all went so wrong. He went over to our neighbors with Helina and Megan to have lunch on Sat and this is how they spent their time. Mike is convinced it is going to scar him for life. I think he makes a pretty girl. One who may very well be able to wear high-heeled shoes better than I can. Sigh.........

Great news

2008-09-08T19:12:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we found out through the "friend grapevine" that a family who lives in our baby sitters neighborhood is adopting a 5 year old girl from Ethiopia. Her name is Tess. The principle at Helinas school emailed me today asking for permission to give our email address to this family so that they can contact us and find out about Helinas transition. All I have to say is YAY YAY YAY. We have several other families in our community who have adopted or are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia (BIG congrats go out to one of those families James and Nancy who just returned with their baby boy last Sat!!!). To have a little girl exactly Helinas age who will be in the same school system (and maybe even in the same class) is so awesome. I know that it is going to be so important as these kids get older for them to have others within this community that share their culture.

What WAS I thinking

2008-09-05T21:09:00.003-04:00

Since I have all of Logans baby clothes/accessories, clothes that Noah and Helina have outgrown and a TON of toys, etc that have managed to multiply in our house over the years I decided to have a garage sale. I obviously had no idea what a hassle this would be. I have been dreaming of prices, "50 cents, no 75 cents, no I think I can get a buck for it" for a week now. "Garage sale frequenters" as I will lovingly refer to them are quite the unique bunch. They park WHEREVER the mood strikes them and buy some of the strangest things. Like a pleather suitcase from the late 70s in a lovely shade of brown that Mike dug up from the basement and marked for a buck. Seriously? Ignore the Abercrombie jeans on the next table marked at a price thats a steal but certainly make sure you take home that lovely suitcase. Then, to make it all much more fun add intermittent rain storms all morning. Now mind you it hasnt rained in 8 weeks (no exaggeration) but today the skies opened up. Move tables into garages.....move tables back out......in........out. I am hoping I will be laughing all the way to the bank by tomorrow afternoon. It'll be awhile before this girl decides to garage sale again for sure.

Progress is good

2008-08-29T21:25:00.002-04:00

A couple of months ago we had a speech therapist come a few times to work with Noah (she couldnt keep coming because she was allergic to my cats). She told us that once he was walking proficiently his speech would start "taking off". She was so right. In the last week or so he has become a TOTAL chatterbox. His favorite things to say are "Hi dada, ouch, dog, thank you, mama, and the ever present NO". He also likes to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Too funny. I'm afraid now that he has started talking we might not ever get him to stop.:)

Another area of progress I have seen in the last couple of weeks has been the relationship between Helina and Logan. They have always played pretty well together, but lately I've noticed that they actually enjoy their time together and would rather play together than alone. This afternoon they played with about every toy that they own over a 4 hour period. They read books and played barbies and pirates and rode their bikes. Not once was there a harsh word or any attitude. I am certainly NOT naive enough to think that this will be the status quo between the 2 of them. I am however thankful that their bond continues to grow.

For 2 and 1/2 hours a day.........

2008-08-20T15:28:00.003-04:00

I am down to 1 kid again. I had forgotten what it was like to be able to go to Walmart, strap that 1 sweet kid into the front of the cart and shop. Yes folks, actually shop without saying 150 times "stop touching that" or "if you dont sit down in the cart you are GOING to fall out" or "if you dont stay with me where I can see you, you are riding in this cart". I told my dad I was doing some shopping this morning and he asked me if I wanted him to keep Noah so I could shop and I laughed and said "heck this is going to be a piece of cake":)

Now, to the flip side of this giddiness. 2 of my kids are going to school. I cant believe Logan had his first day of pre-school today and that Helina has had 4 days of kindergarten under her belt. Another reminder of how precious time really is. Both of them are LOVING school and that is what is most important.

Hope Reunion

2008-08-15T17:02:00.002-04:00

We went to St. Louis last weekend for the first annual Hope Adoption Agency Reunion. We had a fantastic time. It was so fun seeing the Pruitt gang (Grace and Miranda were my traveling buddies on my trip over to Ethiopia to get Noah) and catch up with some of the other "Hopers". It did my heart good to see all of the children together. It really feels like we are family. We all share a love for Ethiopia and these wonderful children. We also got to meet our agency director Shimellis. Helina couldnt have grinned any wider when she first laid eyes on him again. After a jam-packed weekend of Ethiopian food Friday night, picnicing on Saturday and the St Louis Zoo on Sunday we came home tired but refreshed. Wishing I didnt have to wait another year to see everyone again!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Beating the Heat and birthdays

2008-07-30T14:30:00.005-04:00

My little man Logan turned 4 last Thursday. I always get a bit nostalgic each year as his birthday approaches. You see, 2 weeks before he was born I had told Mike (and the Lord) that I was finally "done". Done longing for, wishing for, dreaming about having a child. We had been foster parents for a period of time and had had several short-term placements that had left us feeling a little weary. I had finally begun dealing with the idea that I was obviously not meant to be anyones mommy. Then, on Saturday morning July 24 at 8:15 am we were awakened by my BFF Kelly (who is also a caseworker for DCS). Mike answered the phone and when Kelly said "we have a baby for you" he said "Oh for heaven sake" and handed me the phone. All we had was a crib, so I very calmly called my mom and told her we needed to go shopping. We picked our sweet boy up at the hospital 48 hours later and ......the rest they say is history. My aunt said it best when she explained that I got pregnant on a Saturday and delivered on a Monday:). God truly stretches us in times like these and the blessings He bestows are oh so sweet!!!!!!

Its been SO hot here the last week or so that we have been spending alot of time hanging out at the lake or under the sprinklers. My little water bugs are loving it.

Racism

2008-07-23T17:35:00.002-04:00

I knew that it was bound to happen at some point....but it still feels like a sucker punch in the gut. We had our first "encounter" of blatant racism. Our babysitter Lynda is a wonderful lady with 2 grown kids of her own. Her husband is finishing up his degree and is home with the kids during the day alot of times as well. Our best friends twin girls stay with her too. They are just the best, always going above and beyond to help our family. There were a couple of kids who Lynda has been watching a few days here and there recently. Today Lynda explained to me that she will not be watching them anymore as their father decided they would not continue to bring them to a babysitter who was also watching black kids. What......are you kidding me????? I teased with my mom that the kids are in more danger of learning bad habits, etc. from Logan than from the "black" children. But in all seriousness my heart just aches. Helina has the kindest, most generous heart and has so much to offer to those she encounters. What will happen when she and Noah are old enough to understand this stupidity that is racism? These 2 kids (who both LOVED Helina) may very well be the next generation of narrow-minded people because of their parents influence. Racism is LEARNED at the hands of those who have the responsibility of teaching the next generation.

"Parking" it

2008-07-22T13:01:00.015-04:00

We were able to get away for a few days last week. We headed to one of our favorite summer time places. Cedar Point Amusement Park in Northern Ohio. Its one of the biggest (and best) amusement parks in the world and is located on beautiful Lake Erie. We stayed at one of their resorts right on the lake. We were "on the go" for 72 hours. From water slide, to wave pool to rollercoaster to hotel pool. I came home more tired than when I left:). I'm not complaining though. We had so much fun together. We bonded over the icecream and bumper cars. Nothing better than spending quality (and fun) time with my family!!!!!!

Walkway to our hotel
Beautiful Lake Erie

Logan LOVED the bumper cars (whats better than being able to ram into people and not getting time-out for it:))

Ok guys.....give me the corny smiles

Helina and Megan, or....aliens from another planet

My peeps:)

Logan and I on his first rollercoaster ride (nope, he didnt put his hands up)

Papaw with Helina on her first rollercoaster ride (yep, she had her hands up the WHOLE time)

This is one worn out girl

Looking back

2008-07-12T22:02:00.002-04:00

I was scanning all of my favorite blogs tonight and was reminded of how hard the wait to bring your child/children home can be. AlthoughI cant imagine how, I had in some ways forgotten just how hard it is. On the 4th we always watch the fireworks out on an island of one of our big area lakes (thanks Janice for letting us popsquat on your yard:)) and as I was watching Helina and Logan run around playing it struck me that exactly 1 year ago I was sitting in that exact spot dreaming of the time when Noah and Helina would be enjoying the fireworks with us. Wow, what a difference a year can make. It seems like time slows down when you children are waiting for you on the other side of the world but I want to encourage those who are waiting who might be visiting me here. Before you know it your children WILL be here and your lives will be richer and fuller for it.

Tonight as the kids were out front playing in the sprinkler Helina came running towards me (trying to get me wet I think). Something in the way she was smiling as she ran took me back to that day in January when I was anxiously awaiting my first glimpse of her at her orphanage. She came running through the gate after school with that same big smile on her face. It brought me to tears for some reason. I feel so blessed to have been given the gift of these children. And now that I am looking back on this journey and all that it entailed instead of trudging through it I can say without a doubt that it is ALL worth it!

Summer Fun

2008-07-06T15:40:00.012-04:00

We are having such a great summer. The weather has been absolutely beautiful and we have enjoyed being outside in it as much as possible. We enjoyed our 4th of July weekend by keeping with some of our oldest "traditions" and starting a new one. Attending a 4th of July parade in our area that we have gone to since I was a little girl and then heading to my Aunt and Uncles house for a big family cookout afterwards was a blast. Helina LOVED her first fireworks display. She kept saying "oh mommy, that one was really cute":). We also started the new tradition of a block party. Good food, friends and our husbands fireworks display (they wait all to buy and set off their fireworks) had us all saying we couldnt wait to do it again next year!

Waiting for the fireworks to start
Doesnt get much better than this for scenery to watch while you wait.

Hangin with cousins at Aunt Pollys cookout. The kids rode on this golf cart ALL afternoon.

My patriotic sweeties!

Noah enjoying his daddies rocking chair from when he was a little guy.

Zoey is the most patient little thing. Good thing in this household

Helina and Megan. This is the night we went to see Wizard of Oz at our local theatre. Helina was completely mesmerized. She loved the singing and dancing.

Enjoying a Friday night concert in the park.

What a surprise

2008-06-28T15:43:00.001-04:00

I found out about this wonderful organization Project G.L.O.W. through a fellow adoptive moms blog. When I went to check it out I was wonderfully surprised to see some pics of our Helina in this video they created. There is also a great closeup of her in their photos section. What a worthy cause. Check out their website www.projectglow.org. I will certainly be praying about what we can do to help them in their ministry!

A little sad

2008-06-19T21:53:00.002-04:00

We have been having such a blast the last few months since Helina came home. Our family unit is settling in. Logan does not want to do anything or be anywhere without his sister and Noah lights up whenever Helina or Logan walk in the room. The transition has been really pretty seamless. It seems as if Helina has been with us forever in so many ways. Because it feels this way I was struck with a wave of sadness last night when my dad asked me if I ever heard her talking in Amharic anymore. Up until about 3 weeks ago she would at least sing songs in Amharic but since then not 1 word. Her english is amazing but it came with a price. I had heard from other adoptive parents that this could happen fairly quickly but still feel a sense of loss for her that her native language is "gone". It only strenghens my determination that Noah and Helinas Ethiopian heritage WILL be celebrated in our household. Such a strong and beautiful people!!!!!

Cherish My Time

2008-05-22T21:14:00.002-04:00

My heart has been so heavy the last 24 hours. Yesterday afternoon Stephen Curtis Chapmans youngest daughter Maria, who was adopted from China was killed in a horrible accident. This family has been in my thoughts and prayers all day. I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around what they must be going through. This terrible tragedy has also made me really stop and think. I so easily get caught up in the day to day craziness that has become my life. Work is always busy and crazy. My house is always cluttered and in disarray. And yet, what is really important is that I take the time to treasure reading to my kids, snuggling with them in the Lazy Boy, tucking them in to bed and praying with them. I know that I will think twice before letting the distractions of day to day life keep me from valuing every moment I have with my kids.

"Dear Father, please be with the Chapmans tonight. Give them your peace that passes all understanding. Be near to them in this dark hour. In Your name I pray, Amen".

Fun-filled, activity-packed days

2008-05-10T17:36:00.012-04:00

We have been on the go the last few days and have had such fun. On Thurs. we had to take Logan to see his orthopedic specialist in Indianapolis (he and his sibs all have scholiosis). After good news from Dr. B. that his curve is not worsening at all we all headed to the Childrens Museum. We got to visit with dinosaurs, play dress up, dig in the dirt, play in the water and go through mazes. There was a new comic book display which included an acual batmobile used in the movies and capes for both batman and superman worn in the movies. My "big kid" really liked that. It was a great way to spend a day. Then on Friday we were able to go to an indoor water park recently built in the heart of Amish country in northern Indiana. Found out that Helina is a HUGE water fan. The girl has no fear (which we already knew) and this evidently transends both land and water:). She came down a slide barrelling under water, came up smiling and climbed back up for more. Swim lessons are definitely on the agenda for the summer!!!

Being out and about has also included some encounters with others regarding our diverse family. I had an African American woman approach me when I had Noah in the sling and tell me how adorable he was. This is not anything new as Noah draws attention wherever he goes. People are constantly coming up to him and telling us how cute he is. This woman asked us whether we were fostering him and I told her that he was ours, that we had adopted him. She got this huge smile on her face and said "oh my goodness (with a great southern drawl) that is just the most wonderful thing. Can I give you a hug?". And I gave her a hug and told her that we felt blessed to be able to have these children. We often get stared at but we have yet to encounter anything that isnt positive or encouraging. We are fortunate.

I am really getting the hang of uploading my pics to the computer so I added some new pics of our last few days!

Happy Mothers Day to all of you moms out there!!!!! God bless!

Logan enjoying the water hose

Helina coming down the slide for the first time. 2 words.......NO FEAR

Could they be any sweeter?

Ok you two, give me your cheesiest smiles.

Super heros.......

My favorite kind of dinosaurs......"Kiddosaurus cutiepies"

Fun weekend!!!!

2008-05-07T20:00:00.010-04:00

Well, we had a great weekend. Helina and I attended the "Princess only" party for our good friends twin girls. They turn 3 in a few days. Helina has such a blast and made a great princess. She loved having her nails painted and drinking lemonade out of a pretty tea cup. She kept the "girlie" trend going by later playing dress-up with Logan. Thanks to Aunt Jen Helina has a full collection of dress up clothes. It became PAINFULLY obvious (especially when he is 17 and heading to prom when next these pics surface) that Logan is in need of some dress-up clothes of his very own. Oh, and speaking of Logan we had another of those "oh man what did he do now" episodes. We were in Target on Saturday and Logan was having a particularly persnickity kind of day. He at one point laid down on the floor in protest of the misery that we subject him to (like walking). I kept on moving with the other kids and left him with Mike. A few minutes later Mike they catch up to us and Mike has quite a tale to tell. Logan started wailing "mommy, mommy (as if laying on the floor isnt bad enough). A sweet you girl walks by and makes eye contact with him (big mistake) and realizing that he has a rapt audience he start wailing "mommy, mommy.....my mommy is dead". The lady evidently started tearing up (no exaggeration) before Mike can tell her that his mommy was very much alive but that if he didnt stop there WOULD be a death in the family. Man oh man where DOES he come up with this stuff? All in all it was a fun weekend spent with my fantastic (and dramatic) family. Doesnt get any better than that!

I want to send out a HUGE thanks to my dear friend Rebecca for re-decorating my blog. Her blog design business is going strong and its easy to see why! Love ya girl!!!!

Enjoy the new pics!

Yes, he does appear to be saying "for the love of all that is good, what am I doing?"

What an adorable ballerina:)

Helina and I at the princess party

She makes such a pretty princess, doesnt she?!

Always smiling........

Yay Noah! Hes walking with his walker now!!!!

Zoey and Helina. Who would think that 6 weeks ago Helina was terrified of her.

Too long

2008-04-20T16:35:00.009-04:00

Well, I am embarrassed by how long it has been since I have posted. To say that the days have been "flying by" would be a huge understatement. We are enjoying every minute of it.

Helina has been home for 5 weeks now and is adjusting to life with us tremendously well. She is an absolute joy. People are constantly commenting on her beautiful smile (all Ethiopians have one). She loves her brothers (she is constantly giving Noah kisses) and is quite the "accessory girl". She loves shoes, jewelry, hair pretties and all things girl. She and I are going to enjoy shopping together for sure!!!!!! She is speaking more english every day. She loves to sing and dance and is just so happy. She amazes me every day!!!

To all of you who have been praying for our family in the past months, THANK YOU!!!! God is good!

Helinas first night with me in Ethiopia

Noah Cool

Logan cant be outdone in the beauty dept.

My little sweethearts

meeting daddy at the airport

Our little princess!!!!!!

My sweet Logan

2008-03-13T15:23:00.002-04:00

Well, it has been a long and very trying week. We found out this week that the US Embassy in Ethiopia has no record of us or our previous adoption of Noah and so we have been battling our states Immigration dept branch to get the necessary documents where they need to be before I leave Saturday and appear before the US Embassy next Wed. As anyone who has had "dealings" with this particular branch of our govt knows this can make you want to commit HARRY CARRY!!! I have felt at my wits end several times this week. In the midst of this we are dealing with a 3 year old boy who VERY MUCH needs to get outside and blow the stink off. He has been climbing the walls and is making Mike and I pull our hair out with his naughty behavior. Today though I am reminded of why I am the luckiest mom on this earth for being given the gift of Logan. My babysitter called me earlier today to tell me about her conversation with Logan this morning. It went something like this....L: mommy spanked me this morning (which is actually not even true. The spanking were last night bless his soul). B: why did your mommy spank you Logan? Were you naughty? L: No, (dramatic pause while thinking)... I dont know what is wrong with that woman. :) Just when mommy was beginning to think humor was a thing of the past her little man came through for her.

Your prayers in days ahead will be much appreciated. I will again have Mike update my blog with exerpts from my emails. God bless and we will see you on the flip side!

When Love Takes You In - Steven Curtis Chapman

2008-03-03T21:15:00.001-05:00

Such a powerful song.

Sara Groves,

2008-03-03T21:11:00.001-05:00

I saw what I saw

Congrats Rebecca

2008-02-29T16:08:00.002-05:00

I wanted to post a HUGE congratulations to my dear friend Rebecca. Her family accepted a referral for a beautiful little boy from China named Xu Bing. Her blog is posted in my favorites so feel free to check it out! She is a wonderful blog designer who is going to have her hands full soon with her growing business and a 2 year old boy coming home~

Love you Rebecca and congrats again!

Long time no see

2008-02-25T21:23:00.005-05:00

So I realize that I have been a bad blogger (and bad photographer) recently and I want to remedy that (Grace, thanks for keeping me in line). I came home tonight and took a few pics. Both Noah and Logan are doing really well. Noah is eating like theres no tomorrow and growing every day. Logan has taken quite well to his role as big brother. We have been among the unlucky masses who have had the nasty flu bug. Everyone but me (thank goodness) has been passing it back and forth for 3 solid weeks. I am praying I do not get it as I am leaving for Ethiopia in 2 1/2 weeks. Hilena, here your mommy and grandpa come!!!! Thats right, I am lucky enough to have my dad traveling with me this time. I am really excited to have someone from my family along to share the experience with me!

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

Wow, I didnt realize how long it had been since I posted. Needless to say the time has really flown by lately. Noah is adjusting to life as member of our family tremendously well. He is a good-natured little guy!

Yesterday was such an answer to prayer when we found out that Hilena had finally made it through court. She is officially ours. We are excited beyond belief. I told my friend Kelly yesterday that I am totally "thinking pink" for the first time. This is a new (and quite pleasant) concept for me. I have been looking at nothing but trucks, dinosaurs, matchbox cars and all that is blue for several years now:) I am not complaining as I LOVE my boys but Hilena coming home will add some new "color" (pink is such a lovely color) to our testosterone filled houshold.

I have decided that I will be going back over to pick Hilena up. I am excited to go back over and spend more time with all of the kids. Hopefully this trip will be considerably shorter than my original 11 day adventure.

Emails from Amy

2008-01-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

Here are some excerpts from some emails from Amy that I have gotten over the past week so everyone can get a feel for what she is going through. These may not all be in chronological order.

Hello. Well, Mr. Noah is officially with me. We went to get him this morning and I recognized him right away in a room full of babies. He is the absolute happiest baby. Either smiling or laughing, no fussing since we picked him up at about 11am. He belly laughs when you tickle his tummy. He has the toothiest grin. Already have several really good pics of him.

Just laid him down for a snooze. Thought id write alittle more about him. he is definitely a little delayed physically. He is tiny with a huge belly (intestinal parasites i would guess). He crawls in a army crawl, doesnt really get his legs under him, and he loves to roll over like crazy (good thing we have a crib in the room). you may want to get the boppy out. He doesnt balance too well sitting up. He is so alert though and babbles dada and other things all the time. He seems to be a really happy boy.

Well, this place has already made me appreciate what i have. Herds of goats and sheep running down the streets, people living in little metal shanties. it is eye opening for sure.
i can hear the koran being read and songs being sung in my room twice daily. definitely not in the usa. will be ready to get back home. i stick out like a sore thumb, especially now that i am carrying him around. everyone stares. some smile, very friendly, others not so much.

Our guest house is really nice. Nice lady running it. Weather is beautiful. 70s with bright sunshine today. Gets COLD at night though and no heat in our rooms. UGHH!

Getting ready to head off to bed. your boy is quite the ham tonight. laughing and smiling. he is so funny and SO happy. Tomorrow at 9am shimellis brother is coming to get us to take us to the nuns orphanage. i cant wait to meet hilena.

there are dogs everywhere. they were barking all night last night. mangey looking things. hopefully they will be quieter tonight.

Hi there. noah went to bed about 45 minutes ago and i am on my way. exhausted and on the verge of tears all night long.

we ended up going to the nuns this afternoon. the house is way up on the mountain, a path we have not taken yet. i am telling you it was like being in a different world. people laying in the streets and in medians. children swinging dead chickens, skinny donkeys running in the road, sheep tied up waiting to be slaughtered. animal carcasses everywhere. i understand that is their food source but feel kindof sick to my stomach to have to witness it.

hilena was at school when we got there so we had to wait awhile. the nun is very nice. she got into a heated conversation with vivis mom and Shimellis's brother (our driver/escort for the day). left grace miranda and i feeling really emotional. i am hoping we passed her "criteria" for letting these children come to america with us. when hilena got home i was waiting in courtyard and spotted her right away. she is so tiny. smaller than i thought. Shim brother explained to her who i was and she very shyly gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. she was definitely not outgoing with me which made me really sad. i told her i would be back and as we were pulling out she was waving at me with a big grin on her face. i am worried i will leave here without having any really good contact with her. i know i need to give her time but it makes me sad. i am also tired of being stared at and talked about all of the danged time. so many nice people here but so many that only stare with hardened faces also. i just feel really isolated tonight. i know that i need to get some sleep and then i will feel less emotional.

noah is doing so good mike. he is the most happy baby i have ever seen. always smiling or laughing. content to sit on my lap and pat my hands or play with my hat for hours on end. i strapped him in a baby harness today and he loved watching everything and everyone. he is already hitting toys together though (another all-boy i think). tomorrow we are going shopping and to pick up my luggage at the airport (came in today thank goodness).

hi there. it is 4:30 am here. slept fairly well for maybe 4 1/2hours. some people from finland came in at 11:30 am and the drivewayis under my window. also, dogs bark pretty much all night. usuallyjust one or 2 at a time but sometimes 6-8 will get going at once. itis out of control. am shocked all the noise doesnt wake noah but he sleeps right thru it (lucky duck) I am hoping for a better day here today. am going back up to bed fora little while. not sure if i will sleep.

monday is the ethiopian christmas and at noon we are invited to the faith home (shimellis's orphanage) to their celebration and then in the evening we are going to genawas house for their celebration. according to grace he said he will not be bringing us back until about 2 am on tues (big celebration evidently). we need to buy a baby gift for his five day old baby girl and a hostess gift for his wife. he has been so nice to us. he goes above and beyond. i feel like he is family of sorts.

so like i said the time with hilena and the rest of the kids this morning was too cool. when i got there she was peeking out the doors of their bedroom and when i waved at her she smiled. she got her hair done (she looks like the medusa from little mermaid with her hair down. its hilarious) next and i gave her the blanket while she was sitting. when i got out the camera a little later and started taking pics with her she came to life she kept trying to grab my camera. i let her take a pic of me. all of the kids (and caregivers too for that matter) are COMPLETELY fascinated by the camera. they all crowd in to get their pic taken and then make you show them on the screen afterwards. we will need to get her that fisher price indestructable camera for sure. she kept coming up to me and pulling my arm. she had me sit in a big chair with her. she just smiles most of the time. she started chattering at me in amharic (you are going to have to learn some of the important words) and just came "alive" before my eyes as the morning went along. handing out gifts is complete chaos. boys want lipgloss. girls want matchbox cars. they dont care what it is, they just want it. kindof sad. the nun was very obviously touched by our gifts and thanked us through genawa.

did i tell you that our sons name isnt even a name. it is the phrase "its possible", not a name that means "its possible". helen helps families find out the history on their adopted children and she has agreed to see what she can find for me. he was again an angel today poor guy has bleeding diaper rash. even through that he barely if ever fussed. i gave him some tylenol and mylicon (he was so gassy) and by this evening he was abviously feeling better. sat on my lap for an hour chattering non-stop. "dada, tttt, cluck, cluck" all sorts of sounds. he squeals with laughter at times for no reason. he already has more muscle control of his arms. can push himself straight up with his arms when on his tummy. he is going to flourish for sure. fell asleep about an hour ago without issue.

forgot to tell you a funny thing. this morning i was telling rob mickelson over breakfast how i was really missing eating popcorn while here. when the nun served us tea, cookies, etc today she also served a huge bowl of maize (thats right...popcorn). rob and i laughed about it as popcorn is one of his favorites too. i will start calling popcorn maize now:)

actually took twizzlers out on the balcony last night at about 11pmand threw them into the road for the dogs to eat to try to get them tostop barking. there are 1 or 2 right in front of our guesthouse thatbark and then they get the others down the road going.

noah is such a happy boy. smiles and laughs all the time. thismorning he had diaper full of diarrhea that smelled so bad i almostthrew up and he was smiling and laughing the whole time. YUCK forsure!

Hi all. better day to day for me. we went to get food to take to the nuns for their christmas celebration tomorrow and then went to the hospital to visit fitsum. evidently she is running a fever again and will not be going home with grace until at least next wed. grace and miranda are going to stay with her at the hospital tonight so noah and i are "on our own". the mickelsons from idaho just picked up their 2 kids from shimellis's orphanage yesterday and they are staying here also so i will have company.

noah is doing well. woke up really happy again today. is taking a nap right now.

i am trying to take lots of pictures. still feeling like i stick out like a sore thumb. we are going shopping for souveniers tomorrow after we visit hilenas orphanage. the ethiopian christmas is monday and genanew (shimellis brother) has invited us to his house for lunch with his wife and newborn baby girl. he has been really nice to us here (nice to have a friendly face) and i am excited to go.

i am off to rest while noah sleeps. i am completely fed up with the dogs barking all night long (no exaggeration) and am worn out. of course they bark little to none during the day. its like sleeping in the kennels at work. maddening.

its 4 pm here and i think i might have to take noah back to the childrens hospital (where fitsum is right now too). the diarrhea is now pouring out of him. cant keep clothes clean. went through about 5 outfits today. it is really watery (almost mucoid from swallowing all the stuff coming out of his lungs maybe). i am worried about him. praying that he will not have to stay and that they can give him something to help.. just want to come home mike. slept some this afternoon but felt almost worse when i woke up. just worn out.

got back from the hospital. doctor today did not speak as good of english as the one the other day. he was sitting in the lobby watching tv when we got there. evidently not very busy. he said it may be the amoxi but wanted to check a stool sample and sent me to the lab. the lab guy saw me coming (he too was sitting in the lobby watching tv) and after i paid my 10 birr (1 dollar) lab fee went down to the lab with him. he gave me a container and sent me down to the bathroom which had 2 stalls and nothing else. hmmmm.....i am going to lay him down to check his diaper where? alas, no stool so we went up to visit addis. she has a nasogastric feeding tube now so she has had more food today then probably ever. i guess grace said someone asked her if she (addis) could swallow a pill. hmmmm..... i am telling you it is so surreal being here. people carrying their sheep and goats home. dragging them, carrying them on their shoulders, on top of their cars. all will be slaughtered for the christmas celebration tomorrow. i may have to put my my mp3 player in tonight and tomorrow am to ensure i dont have to be privy to what is to come. makes my stomach sick to think about it. helen says they treat the animals here horribly. really upsets her. i told her i know that it is an important food source and thus vital but dont want to have any part of the process.

noah is as always in a fantastic mood. laughing and rolling around on the floor. gave him some pedialyte so hopefully this will make him feel better. hasnt affected his appetite any.

i will be going to bed early tonight. helen has a night guard she hired today who will be out there at night throwing rocks at the dogs if they start barking. oh nellie, i dont think i am in kansas anymore.

Hello there. how are you 2 doing this morning? I am totally wipedout today. slept for maybe 3 hours last night. dogs barked until midnight. went out on the balcony and through a bunch of twizzlers at them in hopes of shutting them up. Addis was crying and woke me up at2. couldnt go back to sleep until 4 or so and noah was up at 6 withthe foulest smelling diarrhea up his back. i dont gag easy but oh man was it bad. he took a 2 hour nap this morning and just had another blowout through 3 layers of clothes. i had to put him in the tub which totally ticked him off. the boy has a set of lungs when hewants to use them. he continues to be happy as a lark when he has clean pants.

i am going to helens protestant church service at 11:30. it is in english. i am excited to go (and need to go). hopefully noah will not have diarrhea while we are there. addis got re-admitted to the hospital (the one noah went to) thismorning. she is malnourished because she will only eat a few mls at atime. luckily the hospital is 2 blocks away. we can walk down to visit later.

slept better last night (pure exhaustion i think). i listened to my mp3 player for an hour or so (they were playing muslim music all night over an intercom somewhere) and that helped relax me and sleep. nice to even hear something familiar like my favorite music.

noah is still sleeping. he was pretty gassy last night but slept well. i was thinking this morning that i am in survival mode. This is how kim bruyns a sweetie who posts on our hope yahoo group said her husband described it when he was here to pick up their son. all of this is just so overwhelming, the sites, smells, sadness and joys. i will never be able to adequately explain it to anyone. everything is very "intense". total joy, total sadness. wow. add to that the fact that i am getting a taste of what a single mom with literally 0 support system goes through each day. so thankful that god knows my limitations and has blessed us with a baby with a sweet and happy nature.

we are off to faith house for their christmas celebration today and then to genanews for the evening as long as miranda is up for it. grace said she isnt going and i am not going by myself so we will see. glad the next few days are going to be busy. make the time go faster.

Its Finally Here

2007-12-31T07:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I went to bed last night contemplating how I was going to make my 2, now 53.5 and 51.5lb suitcases "shrink" down to 50lbs (no way they are ever going to be less than that). This is a requirement (crazy one if you ask me) of the airlines and one I am still a bit concerned I will not be able to meet without leaving something of DIRE importance (like a blowdryer for heaven sake) behind. Hmmmm... I am still awed (and a bit frightened) by the fact that I am leaving for 12 days and only taking 3 (thats right people 3) pairs of shoes. Craziness I tell you.

On a more important note, it is finally here. Bday (baby day). I can't believe that I am leaving to travel to Africa to meet our kiddos. I awoke this am in the middle of a dream where my name didn't match on my airline ticket and the steward was telling me that he was going to let me pass through but assumed I might not make it back ino the states coming home. Do you know what, I trucked on through. Get me my kids!!!!!!!!!! Lets hope the trip is smoother than my dream!

Thank you to all who called and emailed their well wishes and plans to pray for us. They are so important and we really appreciate them!

Bon voyage!!!!!!

Life with a 3 year old

2007-12-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!! We hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday! As usual we made out like bandits. We have really enjoyed our time with family and friends.

I have to share a funny (and appropriate) story. Logans best friends are our neighbors (and dear friends) 2 year old twin girls. Their mom was telling them that Santa only comes to children who have not been naughty and one of them started crying hysterically. Mom tried to calm her down and told her that she was okay, Santa was going to be coming and she tearfully said "no mom, Logan isnt going to get any presents". Ah, the joys of a stong-willed 3 year old boy. Evidentally they "stretch" not just their moms and dads but their best friends as well.

It is hard to believe that in 6 days (holy cow) I will be on a plane to Ethiopia. Reality has struck hard and brought a mixture of excitement and fear of the unknown. Your prayers over the days to come will be MUCH appreciated.

10 days and counting

2007-12-21T22:31:00.000-05:00

We recieved new pics of the kids today. It means so much to us every time we recieve new ones. It is amazing to see how much they change.

In other news, I will now be staying in Ethiopia for 10 days. Noahs Visa appt isnt until 1/9/08. It is all good though as I will be helping to decorate (those of you who have seen my house are snickering right now I am sure) a new building that will be the new location for our agency's orphanage Faith Childrens Home. I cannot tell you how excited I am to spend good quality time with Hilena and Noah as well as all of the other wonderful children I will encounter. I am going on the adventure of a lifetime!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas to you all! May God richly bless you in 2008.

Hilena-Miss Personality

2007-12-15T14:00:00.001-05:00

I had to share with everyone some information I was given by another Hope Adoption Agency "mom to be" who is currently visiting Ethiopia. She spent the morning in Hilena's orphanage and had the following to say about her:"...Now for Hilena. Amy, she is wonderful and has a fantastic personality. She was probably the most outgoing of all the kids and just a ray of sunshine. You will love her." Talk about words that warm my heart. This woman is actually the 2nd person to share her impressions of Hilena. The first couple considered adopting her themselves until they found out she was to be ours. They said she is a doll with personality plus and that we were going to have our hands full. We say.....bring it on!!!!!!!!

In other news my mom had her last hormone treatment on Thurs. She is officially DONE with her cancer treatments. I went with her to her appt. All of the nurses sang a special song to her and gave her gifts before she left. It was so fun to see and such an awesome feeling for me (and I am sure her) to know she is done. Woo Hoo!

Disappointing news

2007-12-11T13:34:00.000-05:00

We found out that Hilena did not make it through court today. The hold up is related to the fact that her orphanage (along with 39 others) is newly licensed to adopt and the courts are requiring special documentation from all of the orphanages. She does have another court date scheduled for 12/26 so please be praying that all of the needed documents are squared away before then.

I will still be going to pick up Noah on 12/31 and will be able to visit with Hilena while I am there (it will be hard to say goodbye for sure). Am so excited to know that in 3 weeks I will be hugging my kids!!!!

Immunization woes

2007-12-05T22:38:00.001-05:00

For those of you who know me well you can start chuckling now. Yes, I have waited until the last possible moment to get my immunizations for travel and yes, I am running out of time. Friday is my day to go to the health clinic for my Hepatitis A and Meningitis vaccines and I am losing sleep over it. Why oh why couldnt I be phobic about birds like my mom or bees like Mike. It will be like every other time I have had to have shots. I will have worked myself up to the point where I am literally almost hyperventilating and then "BAM" that was it? And since I am begging the nurse to give them to me in my behind I wont be able to walk well on Saturday. Ah the joys.......

On a less painful note, my mom and I are going Christmas shopping tomorrow. I am hoping I am going to be in a shopping "zone" (never can tell until I get out there) and will be able to get most if not all of my Christmas shopping done. Time will tell.

Here We Go

2007-12-03T12:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is my first post on our new blog. Kudos to my DEAR friend Rebecca who created this blog for me. If anyone is interested in her talents as blog designer see her blog on my list.

I am thrilled to be able to say that in exactly 4 weeks from today I will be on a plane to Ethiopia. What a way to ring in the New Year huh?!!! Noah made it through court last Friday, and I am going to get him in 4 weeks. Hilena did not make it through court because of an extra document needed for her orphanage but has a date on Dec. 11. Please pray that she makes it through. If she does, then I will most likely be staying for 2 weeks and bringing both of our kids home. YEAH!!!!!!

Our house is in complete chaos right now. Trying to create a toy room, de-clutter our basement, paint bedrooms and switch out beds is causing major mayhem right now. Add Christmas shopping and packing for a trip accross the world in and you have quite a crazy household!!!! We are enjoying every minute.

Photo Updates of Noah!

2007-12-02T20:43:00.000-05:00