Waiting No More 4 Number 4

New Blog

2009-02-22T23:03:00.004-06:00

We have decided to close this blog upon the completion of our first year as a family of six. It is a good time to wrap up our adoption blog and move onto a family blog.

Here is the link.

This will be a private blog, but we would love for your to be able to read it if you are interested. If you would like an invite, just shoot me an email at whitndan at aol dot com or leave a comment with your email to let me know you would like to be included.

The plan is to leave this blog up to allow people to read our story and be encouraged at what God has done.

The Lord has truly used the last few years and the powerful circumstances around our adoption in so many ways. Thank you for your encouragement when I was struggling and for rejoicing in our blessings. To God be the glory, GREAT things HE has done!

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY

2009-01-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

I am stunned it has already been a year of having Ellie home with us! In some senses, the sting of the wait with its ups and downs is still there, yet it seems, too, she has always been a part of our family, as she is so deeply entrenched in our hearts. We have seen some amazing changes in her (and in me!) over the last year. In meeting with our caseworker today (for the last time), we talked about how Ellie is improving so much in her ability to speak, her "recovery" time is quicker when she melts down, and she is responding to correction so much better. It is delightful to watch her little personality blossom!

We are seeing His hand working on her heart and pray fervently for the salvation of all our children. There is so much more I could write on how the Lord has used this last year and a beautiful little girl to change my heart and refine me. As I see other precious children the Father has brought into families through adoption, I am so grateful for my own adoption and I know Ellie has been this encouragement for others. We love her dearly, and though the year has not always been an easy one, the Lord continues to grow that love every day. Our church observed santity of life Sunday a couple of weeks ago. Here is a song that was sung...it is pretty powerful!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Happy Birthday AUSTIN

2009-01-29T16:25:00.005-06:00

My little boy turned SIX on Monday for the few in the continental US that have not heard about it. (He told EVERYONE we ran into how many days till his birthday, it is his birthday, or it was his birthday!) We had a few little guys over for a Lego party last weekend and celebrated as a family on Monday. He spent most of the day on the phone with out of town relatives. :) Our computer hard drive decided to bite the dust last week, so that is why I am late in posting. I am so thankful we have managed to only loose 6 months of pictures rather than 6 years as we first feared!

We love you Austin and pray the Lord will be glorified in amazing ways through your life this next year!

Favorite Foto Friday

2009-01-22T23:05:00.003-06:00

Ellie's First Christmas

2009-01-18T20:59:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I am way late, but better late than never! We had a great Christmas with my parents and grandparents this year. Hannah spent the season saying, "This is Ellie's first time to see lights, first time to have buckeyes, first time to make gingerbread houses...". We had a lot of fun and made lots of memories. Our first Christmas Eve service at our new church with my FOUR kids tucked beside me was precious. I am so thankful for this amazing year we have been given from the Lord!

Our Christmas breakfast

Pure excitement over a box of animal crackers! Love it!

Noah's favorite pose.

Ellie being silly with Daddy.

Gran is sporting the reindeer antlers that Noah picked out for her.

Hannah on the pogo stick she asked for. She has been reading lots of books written in the fifties lately and it was reflected in her Christmas list: pogo stick and roller skates. : )

We loved having Grandma Jean and Grandpa Bob this year!

Ellie spent lots of time combing Grandpa Bob's hair with a toy spaghetti server.:)

Gran made the girls matching aprons.

Bein' goofy as normal :)

Christmas Letter 2008

2008-12-20T14:33:00.005-06:00

You know me, always one to double-duty when I can, so here is our Christmas letter and picture. I cannot even imagine trying to send it out to all of our local friends, so we generally just send it to family and friends that are not near us. But the beauty of the blog is that we can share it with everyone!

Dear Family and Friends,

HUMILITY…a great word to represent lessons learned in 2008 at our house. We have been dwelling on the word in respect to many aspects of our lives. Learning personal humility has strengthened our marriage and brought us closer every year (we hit NINE years this past August). In parenting, it gives us compassion and stirs us to diligence in the discipling of our children. We are humbled as we look at the four precious souls He has entrusted to us. As we apply humility to ministry, we are fully dependent on the Father to work at this great task He has set before us.

The year began with the expectation of bringing Ellie home! We received notification of our appointment on January 28th at the Embassy in Guatemala to finalize the adoption. We are soaking in the joy and laughter she adds to our family while we persevere in overcoming the challenges that adding an 18-month old to your home brings.

We also began making plans for the church plant, Bethany Community Church, to launch in September of this year. Leaders were selected, tasks were divided, a farm house was turned into office space, a meeting location was secured, and a Sunday School class became the beginnings of a body of believers.

Daniel began his transition from family ministry to church planting late last year. It is humbling to look back and realize that he was just beginning to meet with his leadership team this time last year and then to see what the Lord has done through today at Bethany Community Church. What a testimony to God’s glory to see over 90% of the 275 member “core group” we started with serving in ministry in some capacity! We have since seen many from the community come and get involved who were not previously attending a church. We are learning that becoming the teaching pastor of the church is very humbling in both our personal walk with the Lord and in the responsibility to shepherd that it carries.

Daniel is also nearing the completion (Spring 2009) of the course work segment of his Doctorate of Ministry in Expository Preaching at Southern Seminary. He will then work on completing the dissertation paper over the next year or so.

Whitney is busy managing the house with four children and two homeschoolers. She is enjoying using her gift of hospitality by having more people in our home as we get to know new families at BCC. Whitney is also teaching two-year old Sunday School. She was able to “develop” a curriculum for the class and it provides her with another opportunity to help Ellie in her attachment to us and interaction with others. This has been quite a growing year for her as the Lord has used so many new challenges to teach humility and reliance on His strength.

Hannah is a busy seven-year old keeping us on our toes with her funny wit. We are in the gapping-smile stage of life, as teeth are popping out often. Hannah swam on the swim team for the first time this summer and began taking piano lessons. We are constantly floored with the depth of understanding she has of the Word, literature and situations in life. Hannah has always had a heart willing to help. We are so grateful for her patience to help with her siblings and quickness to get things done.

Austin has really developed in to a sweet, thoughtful kid (not so much little boy anymore). He is understanding (and reading) the Bible more and more. Austin loves his Daddy. He looks forward to his special time with Daniel (each kid gets a day once a month to hang out just with Daddy) and works hard to pay attention to the sermon. It has been such fun to see his reading take off this year. He also participated in swim team this summer and was awarded “The Littlest Engine that Could” for his hard work (he was the youngest by nearly a year). We have seen him blossom in Sparks as he is diligent to learn his verses. He loves his siblings and plays a lot with the little two to help out Mommy.

Noah has really become a people-person this last year. He has an amazing ability to remember names and constantly has us rolling with his humorous sayings. Noah loves getting to be a Cubby and has done well in children’s choir. He mastered potty training with Daniel in the spring. Life was challenging for Noah when Ellie first came home, as she was very defensive toward him. They still have their struggles, but have started to form a special friendship. It is precious music to hear their chattering in the car together.

Ellie is so vastly changed from the little girl we picked up in January. She would not let us put her down in Guatemala, yet seemed to know she was home when she explored the house and played with her siblings on her first night here. Ellie was saying very little and whined nearly constantly at first. Now, she is learning new words almost daily as she improves in her ability to communicate with us. She screamed all the way through that first bath, but now amazes strangers with her comfort level in going under water at the pool. We are so thankful to have her in our family and humbled at the amazing way God choose to bring her here.

We covet your prayers for us in ministry to our family and at BCC. We appreciate your friendship and look forward to hearing how the Lord has worked in your lives this past year!

In His Grace,
Daniel, Whitney, Hannah, Austin, Noah and Ellie Bennett

Psalm 25:9 “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”

One Year Ago Today...

2008-12-14T08:16:00.000-06:00

We found out that our file was released from PGN and Ellie would be coming home. We are still praising God for the miracles He worked to bring this precious little girl into our family!

Here is what we were thinking then.

2007

2008

Please pray for some friends pursing an adoption from Ethiopia and others from Vietnam. We ask that the Lord would work miracles to bring those two little boys home!

Ellie's First Thanksgiving Part II

2008-12-12T20:13:00.004-06:00

All the cousin's on the maternal side of the family.

A quick hay ride in the rain.

Snuggling Gran at the sleepover at Great-Grandma Jean's

Sleepover breakfast and hugs for Papa
Hannah, Ellie and Grandma Jean

With my sisters (and Ellie jumped in)
All the first cousins, what is with Austin's glasses ? :)
Aunt Grace and Ellie
Ellie and Dylan, how cute are they!?!

Pollo Campero comes to Texas

2008-12-08T17:16:00.005-06:00

If you have been on a return flight from Guatemala, you most likely have seen the scores of people in the airport and plane with bags of Pollo Campero food. When we have met Guatemalans living in America, I have been asked if we ate at Pollo Campero (Country Chicken). Though we were not adventuresome enough to go to one in Guatemala, still I have been curious to try out such a popular place in Guat... you know, taking in the culture. :)

Then, come to find out, the Guatemalan-based chain opened a restaurant just a couple of miles from our childhood homes. I asked Daniel if it was alright to want to do something just to be able to post if on the blog and we made plans to go when we were down for Thanksgiving. :)

I did not have high hopes for the food (not really a fried-food person, and I believed it to be a Guat version of KFC), but my parents raved about it (and they are definately not fried-food people). My (grilled) chicken and rice bowl was great, but Daniel's chix sandwich was so-so (however, the sandwich might not be on the menu in Guat...possibly an American addition).

Mommy and Daddy with our lil' Guat-tot

Lovin' her DaddyPapa getting some snuggles.

The chix strips were a hit with the kids. My parents showed off Ellie to the manager (who knows if he was Guatemalan or cared, but he was nice enough to rave on her cuteness.) Our kids loved getting to spend time with Cousin Dylan and Derek (our of the shot in the car seat).

Ellie's First Thanksgiving Part I

2008-12-06T17:57:00.008-06:00

We spent Ellie's first Thanksgiving in Texas with our families. We made lots of great memories. Ellie had been to Texas in May, but we stayed put at my sister's house and people came to see us. So, this was her first visit to the grandparent's houses and her first long car trip.

Here we are with paternal side of the family:

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grands

Cousins-first trip with a cousin on this side :). We enjoyed getting to meet Alyssa

Ellie with Uncle Matt, she had him tied around her finger the whole trip

Thanksgiving dinner #1

Noah seems very excited about the pie :)
Austin is angry about the pie? :)
Playing the piano with Grandpa

A "Life is Crazy, but here are some pictures that most of you stop by for anyway..." Post

2008-11-22T15:11:00.004-06:00

We went to the children's museum this week. The kids had a blast!

Ellie and Noah are battling it out in chess. So far the score is tied for cuteness!

Admitting it...

2008-11-02T23:34:00.003-06:00

Hit the big 3-0 over a week ago...

Took pain reliever on more than one night before going to bed since then.

Perhaps I need to convince myself that I am 29 again and maybe the body will be fooled.

At the Apple Orchard with Grandpa

2008-10-30T20:14:00.000-05:00

This is going back quite a few weeks, but they were too cute not to post!

Ellie got braver every turn!

On her own now!

The "race cars" were a big hit.

Eating a cider donut from Grandpa.

All aboard!

Readoption Day!

2008-10-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

She is official, again! Readoption was basically another hoop for us to jump to make things a little simpler for Ellie down the road. (I am assuming for driver's license (ahhh!), college/financial aid (oh boy), and marriage license (WOAH!!) type of things). We did get to change her first and middle names and we will be receive a US issued birth certificate stating her foreign birth.

We had a special (early) breakfast at a cute little place on the square in town.

Hannah is snapping away and we are trying to keep from laughing.

Taken with the judge after she is officially "Elizabeth"

Oh My...

2008-10-21T11:27:00.002-05:00

...but her skin was amazingly soft for days!

Parade Mania

2008-10-13T22:30:00.004-05:00

Ellie

Parades participated in: THREE

Parades viewed: ZERO

Maybe next year we will give her some time off. :)

The theme for this parade was superheros.

Lincoln Museum with Grandpa

2008-09-30T16:56:00.005-05:00

We had a great time at the Abraham Lincoln Museum a few weeks ago.

These were taken in a special place they have set up for kids.

Hannah and Noah were much more into it than the other two. :)

Another Before and After

2008-09-30T16:45:00.003-05:00

We made a trip to the capital a few weeks ago. I wanted a similar picture at the place we had our documents authenticated just before mailing in our dossier with all four kids. It worked out perfectly to help another family get a document authenticated for their adoption while we were there!

They were both quick shots because of weather. :)

2007...a bit cold here

2008...raining here

Romo is multiplying!!

2008-09-30T16:38:00.003-05:00

Austin's Romo shirt has been a long-time favorite, worn warm out of the dryer almost every time and makes an appearance in most pictures we take. Maybe the over use is getting to me..but I think I am seeing double or double-double!

Photo Editing ...Super Easy!

2008-09-30T16:33:00.002-05:00

I have gotten a couple of questions about how I did the pictures. Go to Picasa and download this free software for editing and organizing your photos. To do the black and white with bits of color click on the photo you want to change in your library. Go to "effects", the third tab, and click on "focal B & W", bottom row in the middle. This will allow you to chose the placement of the color spot and size. Happy picture taking!

Fall...A Holiday here in the Midwest!

2008-09-26T11:38:00.003-05:00

I have tons of pictures to update, but I thought I would start with some I took this morning at a farm nearby. We have been to the apple orchard, pumpkin festival and are on our way to our second parade of the season. It is fun to celebrate the bounty of the season and give God praise for what He has provided!

Growing up in Texas, the only real sign of fall was the start of football season. :)

Exodus 22: 29a You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. ESV

James 3: 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. ESV

I wonder if my kids (hubby) feel like this...

2008-09-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

Austinism #362

2008-09-16T18:12:00.001-05:00

Retelling the story of Adam and Eve:

"Their eyes were closed (fingers over eyes) and they did not know they were naked."

My Favorite Adoption Song!

2008-09-12T16:23:00.000-05:00

I have mentioned Evan and Emily before, but I did not get to finish their story. Last week, they were told by their caseworker to consider their referral lost (little boy from Vietnam). They had not made the deadline of 9/1 for receiving official referral paperwork. They were heartbroken, to say the least, but still seeking the glory of God. Two days later, they receive another call from the caseworker saying that they HAD received their official referral from Vietnam the week before, meeting the deadline. How blessed I was to hear Emily say, "He's Ours!!"

I have been so encouraged by their faithfulness to the Lord in their adoption journey. When I put together our visit trip video, I used a song that Emily had written for a lullaby cd she put together. At that time, I put in a request that she write an adoption song, knowing that it would be a testimony to the work for our heavenly Father.

I was thrilled to find this post on Emily's blog this week! She shares a song that she has been working on in a beautiful and simple way. Hit play on her video and scroll through the words. Knowing Anh's story, I cannot imaging looking at his face and not giving God praise for the work He has done in his young life!

Welcome Cousin Alyssa!

2008-09-11T22:28:00.003-05:00

Andrew (Daniel's brother) and Julia's sweet Alyssa Faith was born today! We are thankful that she is healthy (8lbs 4oz) and Julia is doing better (some blood pressure issues prompted Alyssa's two week early arrival).
I love the look on Grandma's face. :) It is good to live vicariously through our siblings and their children getting to have grandparents close. And for the grandparents, I love that they get to experience the joys of a grand baby nearby that they miss with our kids. I also know that they work very hard to make sure they have that close relationship with us and our kiddos across the miles.

Ya gotta zoom in on that hair...it's great!

Celebrating Daddy's Birthday

2008-09-08T19:38:00.004-05:00

We had such a good day celebrating Daddy's Labor Day Birthday! There was swimming, eating out, a family walk, cookie cake and watching family video.

Happy Birthday Daniel!

I had Hannah take a picture of us, and he asked if it was for the blog. "Well, yes" was my reply, because the blog has made me realize how few pictures we take together now. :)

Ellie's got the birthday thing down...she is so cute when she tries to sing with us.

Guess that cake was good!

Hannah being goofy. :)

Praising Our Father!

2008-09-08T18:56:00.005-05:00

WE ARE LAUNCHED!!

We are thrilled to see how the Lord worked in preparing not only our family, but the many others for the start of Bethany Community Church! God has provided in so many ways to start a community of faith based on His Word! He not only planned a wonderful facility to be just at the right location,built at just the right time, but purposed His servants with humble and willing hearts to be part of His plan. Going into this Sunday, we had over 90% of our core group in serving in ministry in some form, UNHEARD OF, only by His hand!

Yesterday, a group just shy of 600 people heard the Word of God proclaimed (the previous three weeks of "practice" services, we were around 300)! We know that some of those were prayer warriors coming in support of our first Sunday and that the Lord will give us those that we can handle to shepherd. As we went into this weekend, we prayed that we would not be the "next place" to try, but really draw those that have not been involved in church. To His Glory, this was the case from many conversations we had.

Our prayer is for the hearts of those in our community to be turned toward the Lord, through Jesus Christ. We are thankful to the Father to have the opportunity to do His work here and pray for a humble and willing spirit in each of us.

God, be glorified in the hearts of Your people and allow us to bring you honor and praise!

Psalm 86:9-12 All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

Are the hoops getting stranger, or is it me?

2008-08-29T15:59:00.002-05:00

Ellie is being served her summons to appear in court for her readoption proceedings. They had her touch the paper and that was it. We got no documents, nor signed anything, not even an official stamp on the papers.

To read a humorous story we had at this same location regarding finger prints, go here. Catching the gal in the back ground made me laugh. :)

I guess the sheriff badge stickers could have been our proof of summons, but they were destroyed before we got home.

Yeah! A good one in the bunch we took!

Oh and, notice what Austin has on?!

Urgent Prayer Needed

2008-08-27T21:24:00.002-05:00

Evan and Emily have had a referral of a sweet little boy from Vietnam for the last 3.5 months. Due to the changes in adoption law between the U.S. and Vietnam, they must receive their "official" referral notice by Friday. If they do not get this, there is very little certainty. It is a real possibility that they could even lose the referral. "Referral" meaning a precious little guy they have been loving as their son since May, and have been praying for the years they have been in this process.

O Father,
We know You are sovereign in this situation. You will provide all that this family needs and You will provide for Tuan Anh, as well. It is the desire of our hearts that You allow for the adoption to continue, that Evan and Emily could bring Tuan Anh into their home and teach him about You. Miraculously, allow their paper work to go through , if that is Your will. Fill their family with grace and peace, comfort in Your plan.

Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry!" Psalm 88:2 NASB

What would we do without the fireplace tile?

2008-08-27T08:55:00.002-05:00

Meeting More Family

2008-08-26T16:07:00.004-05:00

Grammy and Gramps came for a visit this weekend and got to meet Ellie for the first time. Our kids have been blessed to have seven out of eight GREAT-grandparents around to love on them (the older three have known all eight). What a treasure it is to have godly parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents passing on a heritage of faith!

Fun with Grammy
Ellie liked to climb up on Gramps' lap.

A belated "Ahhhh"

2008-08-18T11:56:00.002-05:00

We are trying to get all of the readoption paper work complete and be done. (This is normal, we are just changing her name and getting an IL birth certificate for Ellie, to make things easier down the road for her). I receive the court papers to sign, and the attorney has put down the date of October 17, 2007 as when the adoption was finalized, not December 13, 2007 as we thought. So, after calling and leaving messages back and forth, I have been convinced that the date is indeed 10/17/07. Which means that we were approved the day after we were resubmitted from our previo, which means we sat waiting for Barios to sign us out for TWO months. This happens to EVERYONE, but I really wanted our attorney to be wrong. I didn't want to think about how we could have been reunited with her on December 1st rather than January 27th.

BUT, God is sovereign and this was all apart of His perfect plan. Unfortunately, the sin nature in me wants to let out a little "AHHH" inside.

Austin

2008-08-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

Name: Austin Daniel
Why we picked the name: Austin- means "worthy of reverence", "majestic splendor"-we pray that he would bring glory to God

shortened form of Augustine, an important father of the faith, but I would not sign "Augustine" on the birth certificate, so it was a compromise that Austin is a shortened form, we also call him "Auggie" a family shortening of Augustine :)

we are Jane Austen fans

Austin happens to be a city in TX (though not our favorite city, but in the greatest state in the nation)

Daniel- means "God is my judge" and is his daddy's name

Born: January 26, 2003

Why the logo: "Keep Austin Weird" is a saying of Austin, TX in support of local businesses (vs. national chains). It just seems to fit Austin, our son, because, well, he is just a little weird. I can't tell you all the crazy get-ups I have taken him to places in. Tucks every shirt in. :) Clip-on pens and belts are favorites as well. The Dallas Cowboy jersey is almost always being worn first out of the laundry. In fact, after putting together the adoption video, I realized he was wearing it in multiple pictures/videos. He loves dressing up . He will wear a snow hat, boots, and gloves in any weather if I let him.

Just as he likes to dress a certain way, he sleeps in the funniest of ways.

This is what we like to call his "model pose". He whips it out for most pictures and rarely takes a bad picture, if he is cooperating.

Austin is a very enthusiastic guy. He gets into playing games (decent chess player for a 5 year old), cars, and sports (football, swimming, riding bikes (riding a two-wheeler just as he turned 4), soccer, and playing catch).

Austin recently was awarded the "Littlest Engine that Could" award in honor of being a hard worker and the youngest by over a year on the team. There were only three "special" awards given by the swim team coaches. I am glad I was wearing sunglasses so no one noticed that I teared up. :)

Austin loves his siblings. I awoke to hear him helping Noah get dressed for the day. He will do anything to get Ellie to laugh and could play for hours with Hannah. Austin LOVES getting to go to men's prayer breakfasts (or McD's) with his Daddy.

We are waiting to see how the Lord will use Austin. He asks great questions about the Bible and prays for our missionaries and China regularly. Austin is reading some short verses from the Bible with assistance, worked to get door hangers put out today for our church launch coming soon, and his favorite song is "There is a Redeemer" (they sing it in Sunday School).

What a special gift we have been given in Austin... life is never dull or too serious.

A year ago today...

2008-08-15T20:52:00.002-05:00

Edited to add: I originally posted this late July, but you tube was not cooperating, so I guess it decided to catch up yesterday.

I left my baby in Guatemala.

I know I have been doing a lot of, "this time last year" posts, but it was such a pivotal summer for me spiritually and for our family, it has been good to reflect on all that God has done.

So, in honor of that, I am reposting our visit trip video.

Happy Anniversary!!!

2008-08-07T20:54:00.005-05:00

Wow! Today Daniel and I are celebrating NINE years of marriage!

Daniel, I am so thankful the Lord purposed you for me and me for you!

These are a few pics from over the years...well since the digital age for us anyway.

Six Month Check-Up

2008-07-31T17:38:00.004-05:00

Yesterday marked SIX MONTHS that Ellie has been home! It is amazing how much quicker time goes on this side of the adoption. It was six months to the day from when we left her in Guatemala on our visit trip until she was handed to us on our pick up trip.

So, how is she really doing?

SLEEPING

Ellie has always been a great sleeper. If she woke in the night at all, she just needed a cuddle and she was back to sleep in no time. I discovered if I left on a light, she will generally never wake up crying. Maybe she can see where she is and simply falls back asleep. We had quite a few challenges getting her to stay in her toddler bed. It got to the point we were staking it out on the other side of the door to catch her in the act of the crime (getting up). We realized that she was seeking some attention and positive would be more enjoyable for all parties. Now, I will mostly let her fall asleep on my chest at nap time (and I never take a nap with her...hahaha), then night time seems to go smoothly having spent that quality snuggle time with her earlier on.

EATING

I was very concerned about eating issues, but there basically has been none. She transitioned to regular milk from powered with no problems. She eats table food better than most of our other children. :) Ellie moved off the bottle smoothly. We enjoyed that time with her, but she was ready to give 'em up. We have found that if she gets frustrated about not getting what she wants, she will throw whatever food she already has...uh, not so good.

TALKING

Ellie has always been very vocal and chatty, just little that we can understand. She is understanding all that we are saying to her, but her vocabulary is limited to about 5 or 6 words (Mama, Daddy, bye, hi, Austin, and diaper are what I think of on the top of my head). She will say amen when we prompt her with "in Jesus name..." or bed when given "stay in...". Last month, we did a developmental evaluation at Easter Seals. All areas aside from speech needed no further testing. We have a more extensive speech evaluation later on in August to determine if she qualifies for Early Intervention. (I am amazed with all the bureaucracy in this process, and I have even completed an international adoption!) I think her babbles are a good sign and I hope we will have her back on track after some time of more intensive focus on her talking.

BEHAVIOR

We definitely see issues that we need to work through with Ellie. Most of them revolve around her lack of being able to communicate with us. We are working with training her to not grunt or whine to get what she wants, which can be very frustrating on both sides. It makes sense that the baby at the children's home that was crying got handed a bottle, but it cannot work that way in a family. Teaching her some sign language has been very beneficial, even just the two words we use, "please" and "thank you".

She has the tendency to go from 0 to 60, especially where Noah is involved. (Side note: I was actually asked if they were twins recently, ironically on one of the 10 days in which they were both two. This person was even looking at them! Anyway...) So we work on gentleness and calmness often. She received a baby for her birthday, which has been a good tool for this. Overall, we would describe her as having "rough edges".

We seem to notice a few days where we have to be on top of behavior with Ellie, then she will return to an even sweeter and calmer Ellie than before. She laughs easily, loves to receive praise, and shows signs of being a helper. We are praying that the Holy Spirit is getting to her heart though our training of her now.

LIKES

Ellie loves to sing and dance. Her favorite songs would be "Yes Lord", "Ittsy Bittsy Spider", "This Little light of Mine" and "The Wise Man". She got a couple of cards that played music for her birthday and she loved them. Carried them around until they broke or wore out.

Sweets are okay for Ellie, such as M n' M's or marshmallows, but her favorite food appears to be pasta and grapes. I think she would eat an entire casserole dish or bunch if I let her. All other things she has a definitive stopping place, but not with those two.

Swimming, climbing, swinging, sliding , running, baths, dogs from afar, balloons, and babies all rank up there.

DISLIKES

(((LOUD NOISE)))!!!! Ellie hates all forms of it: hairdryers, flushing toilets, mowers, saws, loud cars going down the street. She gets very fussy and clingy when faced with noises she does not like.

Breakfast (doesn't eat much early on), sitting still in church, getting accidentally shut in a room by siblings (do you blame her) are on the down and out list for Ellie.

So, that's basically where we are six months into it. We completed 3 out of 4 post placement visits with our case worker and will turn in paperwork to an attorney to begin the readoption process next week. Daniel and I are relearning the meaning of diligence in our parenting and are relying on His grace daily as we raise our herd (as somebody thought I called our kids recently ) :) .

How did you do it?

2008-07-29T10:24:00.005-05:00

After Daniel's sermon on Sunday, I got stopped in the hall and emailed ever since the same question, "How did you do it?"

What he refered to is how I walked out of a store with 4 cart loads of stuff and was paid $90. This particular deal was at Walgreen's. For every 3 packages of diapers I "made" $7 toward purchases at Walgreen's. I was able to use a July monthly coupon, August monthly coupon, and pharmacy coupon. There are usually 2 days that the monthly catalogs overlap. The computer automatically applied each coupon to every pack (not just $5 off of 2 as the coupons listed.) So, I was left with a negative $2 after and had to add an item to keep the balance over $0.00. (I picked up lots of milk, paper towels, baby toothpaste, donuts...keeping the kids occupied...yes I did this mostly with all four kids in tow). Then, the computer spit out a $5 coupon toward my next Walgreen's purchase, good on any item. Picture this, running this scenario twice at the cash register, unloading the cart in the car, and repeating. When I realized how the coupons automatically worked in the computer and that taking three packs of diapers out of the store was profitable, I began picking up all sizes for other families in the church, stalking up the church plant nursery tubs, and for the pregnancy center. The cashier told me other ladies had been in doing the same thing earlier and the manager confirmed that it was okay to use three coupons each time (they were store coupons, it would be coupon fraud to use 3 manufacturer coupons on one item).

Back to saving money on groceries in general. I stumbled onto a "frugal living" website from an adoption forum. A woman claimed to spend $35/week on groceries for a family of four in California. Doubtful, I followed a link to her blog....and found this great site:

www.moneysavingmom.com

She seems to be fairly Biblical in her approach to finances, etc. She basically lists bargains for the week, internet coupons, matching coupons with sales, and so forth, on her blog daily. I read through the posts when I am planning my shopping trip and see what works for me (as far as having the right store, coupon, time that week). There are several other links you can follow from her site if you are interested in doing more research. As I helped my sister in TX get going on this, there was only so much I could do until she spent some time reading through the site and figuring out what approach she wanted to take.

I started with buying the Sunday paper, going to coupon sites and reading up on "CVS 101". CVS is definitely the most "user friendly" of the drugstores (and it is right by Five Points Washington, so I coordinate my stops with working out). Most of the items pictured below are a result of combining coupons, sales, and using the "Extra Care Bucks" I have earned on previous purchases to pay, leaving me only owing less than a $1 for several sacks of items and more Bucks to spend the next time. CVS helps greatly with grocery budget because it takes out most of the expense of cleaning items, toiletries, make-up, and a few food items that really add up. I shudder to think that I used to walk into Wal-mart and let the kids pick out a character toothpaste for $4-$5 a pop. Now they get a kick out of "shopping" for toothpaste in the linen closet. I was a dedicated generic shopper before, so I doubted the use of coupons on name brand items. But after combining a coupon with a sale and getting things for pennies or free, I have become a believer. :)

((Did you know that if you use a Buy-one-get-one-free coupon on an item that is on sale for Buy-one-get-one-free at the store, you get two items for free (manufacturer pays for one and the store for the other)! I let the kids do this on sugar free gum recently and it made their day to hand the cashier a coupon and a penny(tax on one item) and get to buy two packs of gum. They were confiscated as we left the store (by Mom) and they were encouraged to pick a friend to share a pack with. :) ))

This is such a good tool for people in all stages of life. Obviously, if you've got kids in diapers or a number of kids, totally necessary. I am thrilled to make money for our family just by not spending it and I could never have imagined being able to give away two of the biggest budget killers: diapers and laundry detergent! If you are a college student and just became a CVSer (ha) you could not only have all of your beauty items for a dollar or two a week, but you have a ministry to your entire hall in the dorm. Families with kids out of the home can bless others with their abundance and save plenty of money that can be used for giving.

Homework: If you are interested, do some research on the site and consider what is best for your family. Then call or email me if you have questions!

Where the stockpile started, I have expaned to another closet ;)

Can't seem to keep the diapers neatly staked. We hear a crashing sound every now and then in the girls room. The stacks of diapers in the garage are the ones for giving away.

I used to HATE to buy laundry detergent, now it is part of the game.

I have some cereal rules: under $1/box, not too much sugar and a decent amount of fiber. So, far, I have rarely departed from the rules and generally pay much less!

I started this way of shopping about three months ago. I think the money saving mom recommended giving yourself three months to see if it was really working for you and I can't imagine shopping any other way. As with all things, there has to be moderation. It makes no sense to drive 20 minutes into town to save an extra dollar on one item, but keep the amount of time (and money....it is tempting to get carried away with stockpiling) within reason. A sale will always cycle back around, so if you miss it, it is okay. I have also become more aware of every dollar. I am less opt to pick up a drink at the checkout or stop at McD's for lunch. Since I am devoting more time to grocery shopping (planning and stopping at more than one store) than before, I have lost a lot of desire to shop for other things, thus reducing our spending even more. I get to use some of my math background (don't worry it is not necessary... just makes that part more fun for me).

Consider the Proverbs 31 woman, who provided for her family in industrious ways . She did not fear the snow (or end of the month when grocery money runs out) and opened her hand (or closet) to those in need.

Fresh Pics

2008-07-28T21:44:00.005-05:00

I had seen a picture on a blog of a fellow Guatemama of silhouette pictures of her children and I wanted to figure out how to do it myself. So, I simply brought out the camera at dusk and shot the kids from behind as I was near the ground. Then I went to a great photo editing site, Picasa, and bumped up the shadow feature.

Here's what I got:

Pretty cool, huh?!?!! The best part was not worrying if they were all looking at the camera at the same time. :)

This is using the focal black and white feature

This is the pose that the kids requested, feet and all. :)

We had a fun evening outside helping Daddy with a project and mowing, while listening to stories about Grandpa Bob's hammer. :)

In Honor of...

2008-07-27T15:42:00.002-05:00

Meeting Ellie and the wonderful week we had in Guatemala a year ago, I am reposting our visit trip video.

Last summer was so pivotal in my walk with the Lord and in our family, it is impossible not to continually look back to where He has brought us from.

Happy Birthday Noah!!

2008-07-22T15:10:00.002-05:00

20052006

2007 (A few days before his birthday, because we were meeting Ellie for the first time on his actual 2nd birthday)

2008

Our Adoption Story!

2008-07-21T11:03:00.003-05:00

This video has been finished since April, but I was waiting to post it until I could mail it as an adoption announcement for Ellie. I hope you have found our journey encouraging!

God Abundantly Provides

2008-07-17T23:26:00.003-05:00

I mentioned briefly in an earlier post how I have been working on bargain shopping lately. I got home from a stop at Target today and this was the conversation I had with Daniel:

Me: "Guess how much all of this (9 pks of diapers and 9 large pks of wipes) cost?"
Daniel: "Ahhh...$50" (a pretty low guess, but he knows how I like to shop
Me: (After a game of lower/higher) "Just Under $16!!"

Me: "Wait...that $16 also included 5 jars of peanut butter! And I have a $5 gift card that I earned with the purchases left"

I have no plans on turning our blog into a deal-of-the-day, but this was too good not to share how God is providing. Just this past Sunday, I was able to give one of the "Senior Saints" in our church a bag full of toiletries and nonperishable food items. I am pretty sure she left lipstick on my face when she kissed me and there was a thank you note in our mailbox by Tuesday. If any of you would like to join us in this coupon/drugstore/etc game, it will not only save your family a significant amount of money on grocery items, but we also desire to help out many of the seniors at church that are on a fixed income. And, with the assisted living complex right next to the church plant meeting place, there is tremendous potential for ministry in sharing of our abundance.

58 seconds of Cuteness

2008-07-14T16:33:00.001-05:00

Swim Meet

2008-07-13T23:21:00.005-05:00

As Daniel and I discussed who would get "posting rights" for the meet pictures, he said "You get the kids to practice, pick them up, pack all the gear and dinner for the meet, hand me the camera (after you have packed it) and ask me to take pictures as you watch the little kids...it's only fair I should post!" Hehehehe and you see where you are viewing this post!

We went to our first away meet last week. It was bigger than anticipated, but fewer of our team goes to the away meets, so our kids got to swim more than at the home meets. And when I say more, I mean I about fell over when I was writing down all that Hannah was in and thinking "how is she going to finish all of this?!?!" They were both troopers and finished with good attitudes and smiles on their faces!

Austin: being cute!

Hannah in the bullpen. Does anyone else notice the difference in the leg length between Hannah and her competition?!?

"Swimmers take your mark"

My Baby in the 100M IM...i.e. (What I learned after I saw that she was in it from my swimming buff hubby) 25 M, length of the pool, of each stroke...I don't think I could finish this race, but Hannah held on to the end!
Doing the Butterfly

Back stroke is looking good!

Freestyle to the end

Austin in the bullpen

I need a picture of his exit from the blocks, so cute and typical "Austin"!

Austin is doing a great job at the breast stroke! Unfortunately, he was swimming the 25M freestyle...still a work in progress. :)

A lots of snacks, a few little toys, and portable DVD player for watching "Letter Factory" are very helpful tools for getting through a 4.5 hour meet with these two!

Back from My Blogacation

2008-07-13T22:39:00.004-05:00

I am responding to the threatening email I'm getting as to why the blog has been so neglected. :) We have been up to our ears in swimming, VBS, swimming, out-of-town guests, swimming, spending some quality time together as a family, swimming, birthday stuff, and swimming! AND...Whoohoo!!! I have finished the big project I have been working on which has been eating all of my computer time...to be unveiled in a post to come!

I'll start with Ellie's birthday celebration. We kept things low-key, went swimming (for fun!) and had a simple cake and ice cream party in our back yard.

Ellie loves balloons, so that was our party "theme". And Daddy loved spending an hour after the party was over dissecting the ceiling fan to untangle the pair that had gotten caught! :)
Ellie pointed to the camera that was in front of me then sat down to pose!

Lovin' her cake and ice cream!

We opened family presents today. She opened some PJ's from her aunt and went to get the pants on right away...just like Hannah had done at her 2 year old birthday!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

2008-07-12T07:52:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! We praise God that He has entrusted you to our family and delight in the joy you bring into our home! We pray that the Lord would find pleasure in revealing His Son to you in His saving grace!

20062007

2008

Before and After

2008-07-03T07:40:00.001-05:00

Before: 2007After: 2008

Before: 2007
After: 2008 Before: 2008 pre-cut

Before: 2007, just a phone to hold

After: 2008, the real thing is so much better! And post-cut, too. :)

"You can do a funny face pic if I can get a good smile pic"

2008-06-29T15:25:00.006-05:00

We spent a week and a half in Louisville, KY while Daniel took a class toward his Doctorate of Ministry degree. It was nice and warm, and fairly stress-free. The campus is beautiful and has a great southern-style porch with big ol' rocking chairs.

"Committed"

2008-06-28T11:33:00.003-05:00

PS Sorry the image is so fuzzy. :)
PSS "Committed" as in the way I felt when she made the cut over the rubber band, no way to go but short!

Sprucing up the bathroom

2008-06-14T15:22:00.003-05:00

In our 1/2 bath, I like to put up a few seasonal decorations and take pictures of the kids that coordinate. Here' s what I got out of our "photo shoot" yesterday for a patriotic theme:

Bittersweet

2008-06-09T21:41:00.003-05:00

This is what I found about 9:30pm last Wednesday after a crazy day of working the garage sale:

The crib is on its 7th child. :) I think it can be repaired, but I was too tired, and this is where Ellie ended up for the next few nights:

Our big girl! Becoming less and less of a baby. I was a little awed and saddened over watching her eat a Popsicle the other night...just amazing to see her growing and learning how to do new things.

I took down the crib tonight and returned it to the basement. We had planned on keeping her in it for several more months, but we are enjoying getting to snuggle her and kiss her after she falls asleep too much to put her back in the crib. Its 9:45pm and I am still on guard duty upstairs to keep Ellie in bed...we'll let you know how it continues.

Dedication Day

2008-06-09T21:32:00.003-05:00

Catching up a little...

We dedicated Ellie to the Lord on Mother's Day 5/11/08. It was a little disappointing not to have been able to schedule this when we had family in town, but being on Mother's Day made it pretty special anyway. We had to hurry up, or Daniel would have to ask himself to be committed to following after the Lord personally, in our marriage, and in our parenting. :)

A Day Late...but not a blessing short

2008-06-05T23:18:00.005-05:00

A year ago yesterday, we saw this picture for the first time and met our daughter! Praise the Lord for all that He has brought us through and how He has grown our family, in numbers and in faith! Read (or re-read) about that day here.

Where I took the call
Seeing the first photos

PS Garage Sale totals after a day and a half: $460! God is faithful!

Update: After the third and final day: over $500!! Enough for two months of support for a child! Praising Him!

So much for getting a summer "break"! :)

2008-06-04T10:51:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: Evening #1 of the sale: over $250($246.45 + what the kids made selling brownies and soda, but they took that $$ to music camp b/c who knows why + what Austin owes for the toys he bought...I did keep pulling things out of the house they had dragged in...hehehe)!!! Enough to provide care for one kiddo for an ENTIRE month, all in three short hours!! And two more days to go and lots more junk to sell! I noted that our place would be a garage sale location when we were looking at buying it, and I was right. Every car that entered the two large subdivisions having sales has to drive right by our house. Praise the Lord for all that HE provides!!!

The big kids started swim team today, they have music camp every night this week, and I thought I could fit in a garage sale in between all of that!

Austin working with the kick boards

Hannah taking a break after a lap...they only swam 50 or more of them!

This was the garage a few days ago...I have done some more organizing, had more people come by with stuff, made the brownies for the kids to sell, and we are ready to go this afternoon! Pray that we will be able to send a good amount to Eagle's Nest to care for the kids caught between the "systems"...and that I can get rid of all of this stuff!

Hannah and Ellie from Sunday

A Few Shots

2008-05-28T12:58:00.004-05:00

Ellie and I traveled to TX last week to meet my newest nephew. Daniel and the big three roughed it here without us.

This is Derek Alan!

Ellie and Cousin Dylan, they are just 6 weeks apart in age. We were posing Derek for announcement photos and they joined in.
My sisters and I with the little three kiddos

I have several more pics I want to post...but I gotta mow (yeah...see profile for explanation). :)

Up and Running

2008-05-28T09:40:00.001-05:00

The new church's website is up!

www.bethanycommunitychurch.org

Locals, send your neighbors to the booth at the Cherry Festival for their free Bethany Community Church Freebie!

Two Years Ago Today...

2008-05-26T10:09:00.003-05:00

We were sitting at our kitchen table hearing about Guatemalan adoptions for the first time from a couple that had just decided to pursue the adoption of a little boy from that country.

Two years later, we are looking forward to spending the evening with them and our two little Guat-tots that are now home!

God is good!

New Layout

2008-05-14T20:40:00.002-05:00

We are getting ready for the Cherry Festival in our town...don't know that there are any cherry trees, but we do have the Cherry Tree Shopping Center. :) They have pretty good fireworks that we can see from our home. The kids and I invited several of the neighbors over for summer desserts and to watch the fireworks. This is our "second annual"... such a great community event!

Speaking of community, for those non-local, non-family, we are in the process of planting a church! This is the first Sunday we will meet as a Sunday School at the mother church. We moved to this town nearly 3 years ago, and have been anticipating the launch of Bethany Community Church ever since. It is amazing (exciting and scary) that the time has come! I told several people that this was the "first week of the rest of our lives" as Daniel will now be responsible for the sermon every week and the shepherding of a flock. We will spend the summer getting ready for this newest arrival with a due date of September 7th. We are thrilled to see how the Lord will work in our community!

My Baby Girl

2008-05-13T00:10:00.003-05:00

I have been meaning to highlight HANNAH since her birthday, but life has been a little crazy. I have gotten several questions as to what I alluded to in the Psalm 136 post, and I knew that might be an emotional post for me, so I might also have been avoiding it.

Hannah was born two days late, an 8-plus pounder, very healthy. When she was 13 days old, I was returning to bed early in the morning just after feeding her. I heard funny coughing noises over the monitor and decided to check on her (prompted by something I had remembered from a conversation with our doctor, to the glory of God). She was arched and red-faced. I called for Daniel and started using the aspirator on her. (Something I had seen the nurse hurriedly do at the hospital when she had coughed, another seed the Lord had planted.)

My mother-in-law was spending her last night with us. Daniel woke her and had her call 9-1-1. She knew our address off the top of her head due to repeating it to friends and family that wanted to send a gift to Hannah, another working of the Lord. You get that every step of this crisis in our lives was guided by the hand of God. He knew every detail before it happened! So, if I don't mention that a detail was of the Lord, know that I am mentioning it because it was!

The paramedics arrived almost instantly, waiting for such a call in a nearby church parking lot. Hannah and I went by ambulance to one of the highest rated children's hospitals in the country (in small town Midwest, of which we were just four miles from...need I mention our Father's amazing handiwork, again!). She was rushed into a room and we were coaxed into a waiting room. The reality of the seriousness of the situation hit when we were greeted by the staff chaplain, who was sent to see us.

Hannah spent 30 hours on a vent and was tested for everything under the sun. When she was removed from the vent she moved to intermediate pediatric ICU, where we spent many days being told that she needed surgery to prevent her from refluxing. It was an agonizing decision. This was the place and state I spent my first mother's day. My mother-in-law stayed with us, of course, and took the night shift while we went home to sleep. We held her upright for at least an hour after each feeding, so it was important to have fresh caregivers with her at all times. We decided to go ahead with the surgery, as the event was so serious we wanted to avoid it ever happening again.

I spent the hours of her surgery nearly delirious with fever, half-asleep, from only the Lord knows what. I think He was forcing anesthetic on me as well. The surgery was fine, but came with a G-tube to insure that she would be able to burp (a huge headache- which thankfully was rarely used and came out after four months.) Hannah came home after two weeks in the hospital.

Once that tube was gone, we have really not seen any side affects, except that she has always been very petite, which could very well be genetic. We were told by doctors that the aspirator seemed to open her up enough to provide a small amount of oxygen during the time she was chocking, possibly saving her life.

Looking back, two weeks spent in a hospital, a short (under 5 hours) surgery and four months of a medical accessory seem small compared to what we have watched friends go through. He prepared us for an aspect of ministry in that we are able to sympathized more greatly with families of sick children. We had to question our hearts. Would we have been able to say "Blessed be Your Name!" if God had chosen to take Hannah? As parents, we have so little control on the well-being of our children, physically and spiritually, but all praise to God, He does, and we learned this lesson deeply.

Now onto lighter things...

Hannah means grace, and Gabrielle is the feminine form of Gabriel, alluding to messenger. So together, her name means "messenger of God's grace". God's grace is just that, His. His to choose who to bestow it on and His alone to give. What a vivid picture of His grace we learn as we become parents!

Hannah is an amazing child. I could go on about her reading level (7th grade plus), the fact that she is pushing though her first piano book much quicker than I, or her many AWANA Bible memory awards, but I would really like to focus on her character. :) She trusted Jesus as her Savior, upon her confession, on the way home from church, as she and Daniel discussed a lesson that had been taught. She loves the Lord and hungers for the Word. She recently read through Revelation (again, her request, despite our attempts to steer her toward an "easier" book). The Lord allowed her to draw out themes and see connections to other parts of Scripture. An amazing thing to see in an adult, much less a young child!
I wrote in my pray journal on her page a prayer that she would be helpful, and God did answer! I almost feel guilty at times at her quick-to-help spirit. She is a great side-kick in cleaning the kitchen, taking "Ellie duty", and most anything else.

Hannah loves to be active. It is a highlight for her (and me) to get to ride her bike with me while I run. I am often asked to time her swimming or running a lap. She was a daring goalie for soccer.

I can't say that I have met a more generous kid. Any holiday or reason for making someone feel special is exciting to her. She is the kind to save her snack for her siblings or give all of the money she has away. Hannah can spend hours making some trinket, such as a dog house for Austin's puppy, out of whatever I will let her have.

Hannah has her Daddy's sense of humor. She is the first to laugh at herself when she makes a mistake and appreciates a well-timed joke or trick.

Hannah can be very passionate. We have to guard her passion and not let it lead her to frustration if something isn't perfect the first time. We are praying for the Lord to use her passion in mighty ways for Him!

Hey Locals

2008-05-07T00:21:00.002-05:00

I had thought that I would do a garage sale in the fall to help with adoption costs. Due to our being on sabbatical and traveling, it didn't happen, but God provided above and beyond our needs (we were telling grant agencies that we no longer needed assistance. Wow...He is Faithful!)

In my desire to clean out my house, I considered just loading up my van with the garage sale stack that I had made in the fall and heading to Goodwill...but was convicted that just because we didn't have a need there are others that do...sweetie pies at Eagle's Nest! And what a great way to teach our children about giving.

So...we are doing a garage sale in June and would like to offer to take your Goodwill stash to sell. We will donate our profits to EN to help with the children that cannot be placed with families for the time. Give me a buzz, email, whatever and we can arrange to get your items to our house by June 1st.

To God be the Glory!

Hat-themed Restaruants and the Winner

2008-05-06T09:47:00.002-05:00

We were at the Hershey's Factory Store in Chicago last weekend (Ellie's first road trip...she did great!) and the kids got factory worker hats. We were very entertaining to the couple next to us.

Here, the kids are sporting antlers from another restaurant that we have visited recently. No, we are not in the habit of eating out or eating only at restaurants that offer head wear. :) (Ellie had already shredded her hat.)

This is the assortment of items I put together to donate to an assisted-living home nearby for our 40,000 hit winner Sara!

40,000 HITS

2008-05-05T00:43:00.004-05:00

This week we should hit 40,000 hits! If you are number 40,000 please comment and I will send you a gift pack from my new secret hobby of taking stuff from stores for free. Yep, it's legal...check out this site for the how-to if you are curious.

No, multiple comments are not allowed, as only one can be numero 40,000. :) BUT if you notice the counter has gone over and no one has caught it, jump in.

All decisions, rules, changes of rules are up to me. :) Yes, it would be sad if you hit refresh the 100 plus times, but allowable. Thanks for playing!

The Adoption Ministy celebrates SIX children united with their families!!!

2008-05-05T00:30:00.003-05:00

Why she would only pose on the (dirty) gym floor, I don't know...but still a cutie!

Since my dad is counting the days since my last post...

2008-05-05T00:09:00.004-05:00

Been awhile, huh!

These were of Hannah's birthday:

She had a doll tea party

The "guests"...each came with a "real" friend :)

It was fun to pull out my china

Each girl got to make her own pizza for dinner
On the acutal day of Hannah's birthday...wow she's SEVEN!

Seven Years Ago today...

2008-04-25T09:46:00.005-05:00

...I had hit my due date with Hannah and spent the day screening my calls and doing my best to "hide" at church that night to avoid the "that baby hasn't come yet?!" comments. :)

Had NO idea that I would be working on seven year-old birthday celebrations while trying to wrap up a home school year for two kids with FOUR kids under foot...just seven years later.

Then...

We had a digital camera then, but we were afraid to not use the 35mm, so I was shocked that I was able to find this pic. :)

Now...

"frazzled me" trying to "herd worms" for a picture..heeheehee

Just having fun here

Ellie's 2nd Earthquake!

2008-04-18T08:42:00.004-05:00

There was an earthquake in Guat (at least one) while Ellie was there. This morning, around 4:30am, I woke to feel the bed shaking and the candles on the dresser rattling. I checked on the kids and went back to bed. I thought maybe God had woken me up to pray, so I prayed for awhile before falling asleep. I told Daniel about it this morning and he thought I was crazy...until he was on Google and the first headline was about an earthquake in the Central US! 5.2! I think I am just glad that I am not losing it!

Brothers

2008-04-17T22:23:00.005-05:00

I have not forgotten about "highlighting" the other three kids, but we've been a little busy and I wanted to get some good pictures of them to go with the posts. So, some brotherly love will have to tide you over.

Note: My boys have clothes that are not jerseys, but I wash the one or two that they have and they have them on while they are still warm. I have put together our "adoption journey"video and I realized that Austin is Romo (Dallas Cowboy QB, for the non-football fans) in many of the shots. :)

Multi-tasking

2008-04-15T22:44:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while, I get to do something cool, like write an article for our MOPS groups' newsletter. As any respectable mother of 4 kids, six years old and younger, I have done my share of multi-tasking. I thought I would post the article here, too, to get a little more use out of it. :)

What I Have Learned About Being a Mom Through Our Adoption

Many of you know that the Lord has just recently added sweet Ellie to our family. We were officially “in process” for nearly fourteen months…a long time to be expecting! The wait was not easy, but the lessons I am still learning from God are very much worth the wait, the pain, and any inconvenience experienced.

I have to learn to trust more deeply in the Lord. I remember worrying about how we would come up with the funds, the circumstances our daughter was in, whether or not we would we find favor with the right people in the process, how she would adjust to us and us to her, and ahhh… well, about everything! And then, when she came home at eighteen months old, I was tempted to worry about her spiritual condition. We had missed a year and a half of praying and reading Bible stories with her, so would she be “too-hardened” to believe in Jesus? Whooa, lots of red flags in that thought process!

There is nothing better I can do with my children than introduce them to the Lord, but I am not their savior, Jesus IS! I am constantly reminded that I have to trust everyday for the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of all my kids. I am certainly not saved by my own strength and neither are my children. Salvation is through faith alone in Jesus Christ! The Lord was so faithful in all of the little details of our adoption and so much more. Sometimes, I was not always thrilled with how He chose to work, but it was and is all part of His perfect plan I have to rely on.

It has also been humbling to learn my need to re-evaluate my parenting after nearly seven years of being on the job. As Ellie has different needs than our older children, it obvious that I cannot just do things as I have been. With this comes a realization that it is easy to be complacent in my role in general and not strive toward greater goals as a mom. For example, I am much more aware of my tone of voice, my expectations, and how I spend time with my crew. I want to honor the Lord in my parenting, and I must be willing to allow Him to refine my sharp edges as I proceed. “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,” Philippians 1:9 ESV

Through this process, I have to learn to loosen my grip on my kids by allowing God to use them as He sees fit. No, I have not given my children free reign to play in the street, but what I am getting at is more long-term. Somewhere in the course of deciding to adopt, I was dwelling on the extra special way that God works in the lives of adoptees. He physically calls them out of one place to another, and many are given the opportunity to know Him that they might not have had. I wrestled with stories of adoptees from the Bible, like Moses and Esther, of how God used them powerfully throughout their lives, and I knew I needed to be willing to allow for the Lord to have some amazing plans for this little girl. Hence, another light-bulb moment! The creation of every child and every story of a new life in Christ is a miracle. He has amazing plans for them all and I have to be aware of the temptation to discourage it, such as not wanting them to live far away or to have to go through something difficult involved in that plan. My kids are HIS!

Ellie is a delight and also a challenge in our home, but we could not have been more perfectly matched! God’s lessons are precious in all forms. What is He using in your life to bring you lessons and what are you learning?

She's Advanced!

2008-04-15T06:48:00.005-05:00

Ellie seems to be displaying "Terrific Two's" type of behavior months early!

My favorite of her stunts, just from yesterday:

1) Moving a stool to the oven to eat part of the chocolate chip cookie bar (I had made to take to our dinner engagement) cooling there, to be found my a horrified Hannah who hollered for me.

2) Taking off her clothes and wanting to sit on Noah's potty seat, to be found, again, by an astonished Hannah, who called loudly for my help.

3) Borrowing everyone's toothbrush, some get special baths in the toilet. We have blown our tooth brush budget since she has come home. :)

4)Finding this puzzling scene when I checked on the kids before going to sleep:Why is there a diaper and the pj pants I put her in on the floor? Because she is undressed from the waist-down and fast asleep! I got a picture of that too, of course, but have refrained from posting it. We'll just save it for her wedding instead.

To be fair, Ellie has a great Terrific Two's teacher, from the man who is living it, Noah. I later got a confession that he was eating the cookie, as well.

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

2008-04-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

I was reading Psalm 136 recently. It gives an attribute, thanksgiving or work of the Lord and follows every line with "for his steadfast love endures forever". It goes into how the Lord was faithful to Israel in good and rough times. I wanted to record our own Psalm 136 story and account for His steadfast love in the milestones of our lives. The first nine verses are directly from the scriptures.

Psalm 136:1-9
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lord, for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
to Him who formed me, for his steadfast love endures forever;

who planned every breath I would breathe, for his steadfast love endures forever;

to my Savior, who rescued me from the depths of my sin and brought me to a saving knowledge of Him, for his steadfast love endures forever;

to the God who moved my husband around the corner when we were young, for his steadfast love endures forever;

and planned for us to serve Him together, for his steadfast love endures forever;

who called us to ministry and to the Midwest, for his steadfast love endures forever;

to Him who formed our first daughter so perfectly, for his steadfast love endures forever;

and allowed her to come within minutes of losing her life at 13 days old, for his steadfast love endures forever;

who pulled us through those hard days in the hospital, for his steadfast love endures forever;

to the God who has given us so many hard times in service to Him, for his steadfast love endures forever;

to the God, who has given us so many joyous times in service to Him, for his steadfast love endures forever;

our amazing provider, has met our needs over and over, for his steadfast love endures forever;

who created our sons, adding to our delight, for his steadfast love endures forever;

who called us to serve "across the river", and move 3 times in 3 months, for his steadfast love endures forever;

the all knowing One, who willed the death of a cousin, for his steadfast love endures forever;

to Him who moved our hearts to obey His call to care for the fatherless, for his steadfast love endures forever;

and purposed a beautiful Guatemalan daughter for our family, for his steadfast love endures forever;

who enabled us to hold her close and let her go for a time, for his steadfast love endures forever;

to the Lord, who brought us all together again, for his steadfast love endures forever;

we look to the next adventures of the church plant, for his steadfast love endures forever;

A Moment with My 2 Year Old

2008-04-05T14:02:00.003-05:00

I am getting ready for a wedding and Noah is in the bathroom with me.

Noah: Why are you doing that?
Me: Doing what, Noah?
N: Why do you look like Princess Leia?
M: Are you saying that I look pretty?
N:(giggle, giggle) Yessss...

Hummmm, only 3 out of 4 questions answered. :) Maybe you are wondering why my 2 year old knows who Princess Leia is.

Guess What?!??!!!!!

2008-04-01T21:09:00.004-05:00

We're going to .......................

Get a DOG!!

APRIL FOOL'S!!!

This was Hannah's AF joke on me when I went to bathe the little two...she now knows that AF jokes cannot be wasteful. :)

Explanation: I thought it would be too mean to April Fool's about adopting again or expecting, so that's why I put a dog down. We have NO desire to have a dog for those reading who would be tempted to buy or give us a dog. :) Hannah dumped out lots of shampoo and conditioner in the tub and added the letters AF as part of her joke.

My Noah

2008-03-30T20:23:00.006-05:00

I thought I would highlight all of our kids one at a time. Noah, being the 3rd born, just needs to go first sometimes. :) Noah means "rest, consolation". Genesis 5:29 says "and [Lamech] called his name Noah, saying, 'Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands." ESV

Hannah actually was the first to suggest naming him Noah, Daniel and I were not even considering it. But, it just seemed to fit. He was such an easy baby that Gen 5 seemed true of him then (sleeping 7 hours from the beginning, what kid does that!?). He is a busy little guy now, but we get to share sweet snuggly rests in the afternoon before his nap. Maybe he will be the kid to take care of us when we are old and feeble. :)

As much as Austin is a ham, I think that Noah enjoys even more making us all laugh. Even as a barely walking toddler, we would be in stitches over the little "shows" he would but on to get us going (for example, covering his head with a blankie and purposely running into things).

He loves doing what the big kids do. It is fun to see him coloring a picture to put under Daddy's pillow as he has seen the others do.

He is so full of light when he smiles, I loved how this shot captured that so literally.

"Mommy, its cold!"

I asked him to lean up against the pole and this is what he did. :)

What a cuddly bug!

Noah LOVES to have his fingers in his mouth, and always has. I went through a time when I would say, "take your fingers out, I love you, I love you" just so I was telling him 'I love you' more than 'take those fingers out'!

A few nights ago at dinner, Noah commented, "You're a good maker, Mommy!" Melt my heart!

Can't wait to see the relationship continue to grow between these two. He still prays for the "adoption to go well" as he has heard prayed for so long.

Tagged

2008-03-29T11:05:00.001-05:00

Ellie has been tagged a couple of times now, so I thought I would participate. The latest round of tagging involves giving 10 random things about yourself and tag 10 other people. I thought it would be fun to mention 10 ways we have seen Ellie change in the two months we have had her and spare the 10 people I am supposed to tag...but participate if you want. :)

1. Ellie smiles a ton! She is no longer the serious little girl who never shared smiles.
2. She is much less jumpy when we touch her while she sleeps (she used to about jump out of the bed if I rubbed her back or moved her hair out of her face...bad thing about cribs is you cannot give them a kiss without being 10 feet tall)
3. It is like watching a You Tube compilation video of her vocal skills every day! It is amazing how much she is learning to say and how quickly it is happening. Ellie says bye-bye, night-night, hi, bottle, mama, DADADADADA (usually at that volume or louder when we pull into the parking lot of the church or she hears the sump pump thinking it is the garage door opening).
4. Watching her comprehension of English grow is amazing, too.
5. She is crazy smart...this one is cheating a little because the mamas at EN always told us this. For example, she figured out the boys motorized race track right away and also will head for a clean-up towel to start mopping up a spill if it ever occurs in our home (ahh, generally hourly). She instinctively knew how to use a pencil and leaves me little drawings on every sheet of paper I leave on the table. :)
6. I doubt that she had ever seen a dog before coming home, and she is terrified of them! Ellie has left claw marks in my arms when in the presence of a dog.
7. She loves music and has a great dance she goes into whenever she hears it (even at church...oh no! We're Baptist :) )
8. Ellie is not quiet! She is definitely trying to keep up in the noise making race at our house. On the subject of keeping up with siblings, she holds her own in the mischief department. Our toothbrush budget is out the roof, because she finds them and likes to throw them in the toilet!
9. She is no longer scared by the outdoors. Ellie is adventuresome and even tackles the playground ladder and slide alone. She has conquerored her fear of water as well. Ellie will jump into the pool and put her face under water.
10. She eats solid foods. Ellie is a great eater... not too picky, quits when she is full, and works to keep her hands clean...at the cost of wiping them often on her shirt and pants. Bibs are not too helpful, I usually put a kid's apron on her. :)

By the Way... I just finished a great adoption book that I would recommend if you are in process or home with your child. After the Dream Comes True by Michelle Gardner. It is from a Christian prospective and though they have 8 kids (3 bio and 5 adopted) it is not what you would expect from the stereotypical large Christian adoptive family (not a living up in the mountains, home school-only type of book).

From the material we were given with our home study, attachment parenting was described as giving the child everything they wanted, rushing to them every time they cried, carrying them constantly and never getting a babysitter. (Okay, I am over doing it a little, but that is kind of what I took away.) It seemed very unbiblical and I knew there had to be some balance.

We decided to amend (note: I am not against the philosophy, just wanted to look at it from a Biblical world-view) the concept of attachment parenting we were told about and it has ended up looking a lot more like it was described in this book. It was just nice to hear that I was not awful for setting boundaries for Ellie or telling her no when necessary.

I was a little discouraged after our first post-placement visit...I wanted more of an analysis of how things were going, not just "is she sleeping" or "is she eating". I know that many of you in the Birmingham area have a great international adoption clinic you visit, and I admit that I was a some what jealous. Then I realized that we have on of the nation's leading Christian adoption network in our own circle of friends, Amy! If I had any real concerns, she could come over and observe for a while and know just what to do. Things have been going great, so she has only been subject to long phone calls. Thanks for the advice, listening ear, and lending me your book!

After the Dreams Come True is a very easy read, very practical, not an overly-emotional book, if you are worrying that you could not handle much in the midst of the process (she will get you a few times with some stories from her own children...but overall Michelle is not too heavy).

Have a blessed weekend!

FFF- Grandparent time!

2008-03-28T12:41:00.003-05:00

Grandma snuggles! It was cold! Trying out Grandpa's shoes

Notice the bunny ears Grandpa is sporting :)

A desperately needed haircut

2008-03-26T13:27:00.004-05:00

BEFOREHannah got to be the photographer while Mommy held nervous Ellie

Here come the tears

All those gorgeous locks!

Ellie is still not sure, but the lollipop helped

This is what the boys were up to while they were waiting:AFTER!!!I can see those beautiful eyes!

How did that get in the laundry?

2008-03-26T13:23:00.001-05:00

Happy Resurrection Day!

2008-03-24T15:02:00.007-05:00

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;yet we esteemed him stricken,smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53: 4-5

He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. Mark 16:6b

We enjoyed family time over this last weekend as we remembered the work that Jesus did on the cross for our sins. I pray that you were equally blessed!

Ellie going after eggsNoah was so cold yesterday as we hunted eggs with our neighbors. It snowed off and on all day!

This one was too funny not to post

Have I mentioned that it is hard to get all four kids looking and smiling at the same time?!

Excited over Easter baskets

Ellie discoved that when you throw the eggs on the ground the candy spills out of it.

At church...only time we can catch Daniel for a picture on a Sunday

Decorating cookies for the first time

Light sabers are a new addition to our family. Did you also know they can be used as guitars? Ellie is playing the African drum Papa brought from his recent mission trip there.

Did I Ever Mention That I was Adopted?

2008-03-19T14:05:00.005-05:00

Now that I have your attention...

I was lovingly raised by my biological parents, but I have experienced a heavenly adoption into as a child of God. Ephesians 1:5-6 "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."

My dad sat me down at the age of seven and explained very simply my need for a savior. My heart was filled with sin, as he illustrated by a drawing of a heart dirtied with pencil marks. Jesus came to die for my sin and I could be made clean (erasing of marks) by putting my faith in Him. As you consider the ramifications of this Holy week, know you have a Savior who was willing to pay the price for everything you have done, thought, or said that is contrary to His perfect standard, the Bible. God has provided a way in Jesus for you to be forgiven.

I love how God allows earthly adoptions to be a picture of our heavenly adoption. What a powerful way of explaining His grace we that are called to adopt a child are given! John Piper puts it well in this mini-sermon on adoption of both forms. For more details of what the Bible has to say about heavenly adoption, visit the website my Father-in-law has created.

Auntie Em

2008-03-19T10:07:00.002-05:00

Last week, we enjoyed a great visit with Daniel's sister, Emily. The "artsy aunt" brought t-shirts to be decorated. The kids had a blast and love to wear their special shirts.

A few tidbits

2008-03-19T09:42:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I lamented the finishing of our last can of the powdered milk from Guatemala. We had weaned her off of it slowly to regular milk, but it represented a loss of her heritage of sorts to me. We can bring in Guatemalan customs, articles, and such, but it will never be the same as if she lived there with her birth family. I am thrilled to see what the Lord has for her life her with us, unfortunately with adoption there will always be sad aspects. Sometimes it is good to reflect on those and remember the loss she feels/will experience and the loss her birth family has been going though.

Hannah participated in Sparks-a-rama a few weekends ago. She is the cutie-pie red-head in the front. The team did very well.

The Story of Marilyn and Joel

The girls and I were invited to a birthday party. The very creative mother of the bday girl sent home fish as favors to the swimming themed party...absolutely the only way that I would have ever introduced pets into our home. :) Ellie was not to particular about her fish, so Hannah allowed Austin to claim and name it it would be a boy, labeled "B"). He chose the name of a twin boy in our church that he looks up to and so the girl had to be named after his twin. Austin, in his enthusiasm to care for Joel, decided to get up early the next morning and feed him. Despite my attempts at emergency tank cleaning on a busy Sunday morning, Joel passed on Monday. My son was sad at the breakfast table upon learning the news (got quite and put his head in his hands) until Hannah said that we could name the remaining fish "Joel" instead of "Marilyn". We had a simple service for the fish that became Marilyn in the bathroom and Joel lives on, to this day, with the fish food is guarded, of course.

updated: Joel #2 passed sometime in the evening on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. It will be missed as we return to our petless state we previously enjoyed.

My Latest Project

2008-03-15T08:39:00.004-05:00

Check out the book I made for Ellie...I wanted a simple book that would tell her story of coming into our family. It can also be a springboard for more in-depth conversations later on. BTW, I only paid for shipping of the book! If you join Shutterfly, they send you emails of special offers and this was one of them. I have been able to do things like send grandparents and our agency(required) prints, share pics with other EN families, and make this cool book. It didn't take that long if you don't count the time I spent on the first addition. :)

edited to add: I realized that I took too much credit for the creation of the book. The site has templates already done, and you dump your pics and add captions...super simple. I did one that was The ABC's of You, went to check out and it was not included in the free books, so I just picked a different template and used the ABC theme.

We are in our company season, so I have lots of fun memories to share but not so much time to do so now. :)

Catching Up

2008-03-06T15:05:00.006-06:00

Things have been a little busy around here, so I thought I would catch you up on what has been going on! I did add a note to the previous post about the children waiting for those of you who had questions.

Last time we had Ellie outside, it had snowed a ton!

She loved running up and down the sidewalk, and even halted quickly to my "stop" when she got too close to the street.

There is something freeing about the first feel of spring, makes you just want to wave your arms around! She would only go to where the sidewalk ended, as the grass made her a bit nervous. After some encouragement and a hand to hold, she was ready to explore the yard of squishy turf.

Yes, they did leave the house like this. No, it is not uncommon for them to wear snow boots with shorts.

Noah, all decked out in Cars-Car gear. I don't know how we got Austin potty-trained with out Lightening McQueen! Note, Noah is doing great on that endeavor!

Monday of this week, we discovered that the basement had taken on some unwanted water. The kids had been playing down their for a while as I was making dinner and I went to call Noah up for a bathroom break. He called up that he was wet, so I started down for him (thrilled that he had ended our dry streak). After some questions, he denied wetting himself, but that he was wet from the puddle. **RED FLAG** "What puddle?!?" I run the remaining way down, and find Ellie and Noah soaked and begin to ponder why the responsible older two had not informed me of the water. Later, upon inspection of the basement, Austin says, "I didn't know there was that much water there!" Praise the Lord we caught it early and for the kind brother-in-Christ with sump pump knowledge who came to help. It was just a rock in the blades, but Daniel and I hummed the tune to this famous Disney cartoon as we were working to remove the water that seemed to be coming in faster than we could get it out:

The kids like to drag out Twister, but Daniel and I end up having more fun watching them attempt it then they have playing.

Daniel's got pretty good balance for being a ways into a Twister round and having a kid on his leg!

This is playing "Daddy's taking a Nap" and the kids are functioning as pillow, blanket and stuffed animals.

The nap quickly turns into a wrestling match. Daniel can twist with the best of them and keep four kids on the ground at a time.

On the Ellie front, she is still doing very well. I find that I am still questioning her idiosyncrasies, "Is this attachment related or just her personality?" but that will just come with the territory. Ellie is head over heels for her siblings, not so fond of dogs, starting to repeat words after us (it is the most fun to get her to say "I love you"), and understanding more English everyday. She has learned that when a new person approaches her, she gets a great reaction if she waves to them. She is up to date on her shots according to her blood work, so to Ellie's delight, she should not have to be stuck more than necessary. She has grown over 3 inches (perhaps not, she was flailing a lot the last time they measured), but she has, more accurately, gained about a pound. She is about at the 13% for both weight and height, which means we have got a healthy growing girl. Ellie is still sleeping well after five weeks of being home (has it been that long already!?). We received her COC (Certificate of Citizenship) in the mail, pretty cool.

Here, she is enjoying Sunday Brunch

Heavy Heart

2008-03-02T20:53:00.005-06:00

While we have been enjoying our children and all of the laughter they bring into our home, lots of other children are waiting, some for indefinite amounts of time.

Edited to add: Most of these children in the crib have families waiting, but the process just takes time as we learned with Ellie. There are a few children that have come to Eagle's Nest that do not have families because there are no new adoptions in Guatemala for the time being. If you want to help those kids, they have a tab labeled "Sponsor-A- Child" on the EN site that gives instructions about supporting a child monthly. EN is supported by adoptions, and if no new adoptions are occurring, no new funding is coming in. Oneoria and Milka did have families lined up to my understanding, but due to court decisions, their adoptions are not proceeding at this time.

These are babies at EN currently. I thought the March photos were so precious, I had to post one as a reminder to pray for them and their families.

Sweet Milka has been removed from EN. It is complicated and I don't know all the details, but it was mentioned on the EN site, under "Nido Blog". I have vivid memories of her in July. She is just weeks older than Ellie, with those fabulous dimples that are similar to Ellie's. In July, she has a terrible cold, but would smile every chance she could. Please pray that the Lord would intervene in her situation, provide her with a family and protection.

I still think of this amazing little girl, Oneoria, that was removed EN many months ago. The "last attempt" appeal happened recently, however. I may never know how things turned out for her, but I earnestly pray for her salvation and welfare.

Springful Thinking

2008-02-29T09:47:00.005-06:00

The girls are in their Guatemalan dresses.

Firsts

2008-02-27T08:47:00.005-06:00

I have enjoyed other Guatemama's posting firsts that they were able to experience with their children once they were home. I hope that this will be an encouragement to all of you still waiting that even a 19 month old has lots of firsts that we are able to experience!

1. First time to see snow, first Midwest winter, first time ever even be cold!
2. First taste of ice cream and lots of other new foods
3. First trip to a restaurant
4. First time in a car seat
5. First time to sign "Please"...a huge blessing to have her communicate in a positive way
6. First time in the U.S.
7. First time to go swimming
8. First bath in a tub
9. First time to meet her siblings or to even have them
10. First time to color
11. First birthday party
12. First visit to the pediatrician
13. First time to go to church
14. First time to say "okay" according to Hannah :)
15. First time to "talk" on the phone
16. First airplane ride
17. First time to go on stairs, she mastered up and down in about 48 hours
18. First kisses
19. First time to consistently get her to smile for pictures
20. First outings for groceries, the library, etc.
21. First time to see a dog
22. First time to be in a home other than our own (i.e. the first birthday party)
23. First time to be a U.S. Citizen
24. First Sunday School class (with us, of course)
25. First time at AWANA (she got to be Hannah's special visitor)
26. First time to meet so many that have been praying for her for so long
27. First pair of shoes that belong just to her (Not even passed down from Hannah)
28. First time to be the center of attention in a room of people
29. First time in a stroller...not a fan at first, but she does not mind the double stroller sitting by Noah
30. I got to look at the first pictures ever taken of Ellie, with her on my lap

These pictures were taken 12/01/06, just one week after she arrived at Eagle's Nest. I am so thankful to have these precious four pictures from her birth year!

To Come (Lord willing):
1. First words in English (she really does not use many Spanish words either, so most talking will be a first)
2. First time to meet grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
3. First trip (I think it will be Wisconsin in April)
4. First Midwest Spring, Summer, and Fall (playing outside lots, fireflies, fireworks, seeing leaves change color)
5. First time to hear her daddy preach (coming this Sunday night)
6. First time in nursery (who knows when, Ellie and I are both nervous about this)
7. Holidays

There are a ton more so I will probably have a part two!

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 107:1 ESV

This Ranks Up There with the Diamond Stud Earrings...

2008-02-23T20:58:00.009-06:00

So I have to tell you about the gift Daniel gave me. If you are a mother of young children, I pray that you would not struggle with jealousy over this, but...

DANIEL POTTY-TRAINED NOAH!!!

Check out Daniel's blog for the full journal of the day. Noah is doing very well, with just a few mishaps, but dry at night and successful in both forms. Praise the Lord and thank you Daniel! FYI, Daniel only charges a small fee plus travel expenses to come to your home to potty train your child in a day. He is currently booked through June.

Karl, Julie, Anyi, Claudia, and Andres are now home! God has been so faithful in their family! And the kids are too precious!

Also, I apologize for the lightness of my posts lately, pictures and comments are about all that I have been able to muster up. My brain is some-what coming out of mush state, and I have several ideas of post I want to encourage you with and glorify God in what He is doing and has done in our lives thorough our adoption.

Happy Lord's Day, tomorrow!

Winter fun

2008-02-20T10:15:00.005-06:00

Daniel has had late stuff at church for the past two nights :( , so we were looking for something fun to pass the time.

Ellie was not a huge fan of touching the squishy stuff.

The big kids had no problems, however.

Things are starting to deteriorate.

This is great shampoo, Mom!

Ellie did like the bath afterwards and is looking cute in her piggies. :)

School Adventures

2008-02-19T13:52:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, we started up school again after our "bringing home Ellie break". With every new kid, you have to factor in some adjustment time, as we are doing now. Our school hours are much longer, but we hope to settle into our new routine soon. March is a big company month, with lots of family coming to meet Ellie, so we will attempt to work hard until our Spring Break! (Praise God for breaks!)

I have to hide Hannah downstairs, away from Ellie, or this happens when Hannah is trying to get her seat work done:"Hannah, play with me!"

Ellie seems to know what to do with crayons, she is even not too far off from holding them correctly. Austin is working to stay diligent amid the chaos.

"Look at my picture, Mama!"

I have to try to keep Noah and Ellie separated as well, or the distractions are never ending. Noah and Ellie have been fighting over these bottles all morning, and the one who has them is usually banging them together loudly. :)

Tales From Our First "Holiday" Celebrated

2008-02-15T10:57:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mommy and the Girls

Mommy and the Boys

Ellie loves bathtime now! She is using her special Valetine's bubbles.Daniel and I found these on our pillows, left there by our red-headed sweetheart!

The Boys

The Girls

I took a shot like this last Valentine's, so of course it had to be repeated!

Hannah

Austin

Noah

Ellie

Our Blessings from the Lord

One More Step Down

2008-02-13T12:49:00.005-06:00

We just completed our first post placement visit with our case worker...only two more to go until Ellie can become Ellie (or Elizabeth, really). All of her questions were really basic (how's she sleeping, eating, relating to siblings, etc.).

It must have wiped Ellie out because she fell asleep on my lap right after lunch, so precious!

I thought we were out of the woods with illness, and I cleaned like a mad woman yesterday to rid us of the little germy friends, but Austin had a temp. again this morning. :( It is amazing how much more I can get done when I feel good...I was so relieved that I can still get my house clean on my own even with four kiddos! Maybe we can even venture to do school with the big kids next week. :)

Just a cute shot of the kids playing. Ellie likes to sit on Hannah. :)

Ellie was mentioned on the Eagle's Nest blog...go to the EN link on the side bar, then go to "Nido blog", and click on the lastest entry about a little boy going home...scroll down to the bottom, and there she is, with yet another name! :) (Both of the names we already knew of that are listed have alternate spellings... though they seemed to be spelled differently in every update we got. :) )

I Was Worth the Wait!

2008-02-11T15:45:00.001-06:00

Since we might never shake our sickness and get out of the house, I thought I would take a picture of Ellie in her special shirt before she outgrows it. :) January/Feb has been like this for us ever since we have had kids, so I know that it can't last forever. We have definitely had some good bonding time at home the last week and a half.

Smiling through the cold.

Back in Business Just In Time for FFF!

2008-02-08T11:40:00.000-06:00

Lots of sick kids in our house (#1,#3, and #4 have been down with fevers and coughs)...still pretty cute even when they are sick!
Serious shot

Silly shot

The bedtime train

A full car!

Looking forward to posting more pics! I am in the clean a nose, take a temp, give out meds, clean another nose, and start over routinue, but with lots of good snuggles in between, so don't feel too bad for us!

Please pray for Karl, Julie, and their crew waiting to come home in Colombia. The courts have been closed all week, delaying their homecoming. Pray for peace, patience, and the system to reopen soon, all to His Glory!

Have a blessed weekend!

Another Pictureless Post

2008-02-05T14:38:00.000-06:00

Something is better than nothing right? :)

I survived our first Wal-Mart trip, solo, with all four kids! It only required the special cart, with two seats in front, water bottles, two containers of pop-corn chicken from the deli, and over an hour of my time! It really did go pretty well, and I didn't notice too many amazed stares. :)

We also survived a Mommy sick-day. Hannah was down too, so it was a little rough. But with a baby gate, lots of crackers, and cartoons we got through it! I am, however, praising God that today I feel worlds better. Who wants to be sick when all you want to do is enjoy your newly expanded family!?!

Ellie did great at church on Sunday, even shared a few smiles toward the end of the morning. She stayed fairly quiet in the service, until the pastor would get a little passionate, and she would respond with a Spanish, baby-babble "amen". :)

Gotta run change the laundry and sneak in a nap while the little two are down.

2008-02-02T23:44:00.000-06:00

So I fiddled with the blog...I love the new template, but was not wanting to get into a big project. :) You can get free templates from Matie Kay. I have so much stuff on the sides that it was more complicated than I thought, but maybe it is a start moving toward a family blog rather than an adoption blog...since we are no longer waiting 4 number 4! As long as I am fiddling, here is a picture collage that I was experimenting with also:

Day #2

2008-02-01T22:29:00.000-06:00

I can't say that I will post everyday, but here's a report on our second day altogether:

1. Had a slow start, Daniel took the morning off.
2. Realized there was 7 inches of snow on the ground that needed to be moved from the driveway (the driveway had accumulated much more than the official 7 inches!)
3. Spent a hour collecting snow gear for Ellie and getting everyone dressed.
4. Ellie went in the snow for the first time! She did okay, but from the safety of the cleared driveway...Ellie thought it was hilarious when Daddy threw snow at the big kids(so did they)!
5. Ellie went up to her second home, CHURCH, for the first time. We had a home school Valentine's party. She stayed snuggled up to me or Daniel, but enjoyed the yummy cookies and shared a few smiles.
6. Ellie fell asleep in the car for the first time, and transfered well to her bed (yeah)!
8. Made a dent in unpacking...had to, we can't find a thing!
7. Had dinner...Decided that she is doing great with table foods(ate half a sandwich plus fruit), so I am discontinuing the baby food. We will still do the bottles, as it is great bonding time.
9. Had a tea party on the living room floor with all four kids...Ellie loves to pretend!
10. Started the bed time routine, the big kids watched a cartoon while Ellie had some independent play in the same room...this seems to be good for her. Maybe, because she can regroup and feel less pressured. She chattered to me lots, and flashed great smiles from across the room.
11. I put the kids to bed, and I think they are all asleep, now...an hour and a half later.

If you have stuck around to the end of the post, you are probably wondering where the pictures are that you came for...well, they are in camera prison. The computer will not read the card...so I will have to get my tech guy on it. I am so thankful that this didn't happen while we were gone...however, the camera is dated B.C. ...before children, when digital was pretty new! I think I got some good ones of all four kiddos, despite the fact that I was photographer and baby wrangler. The cheerleader hurkies (sp?) worked well for getting laughs.

Pinch Me!!

2008-01-31T22:27:00.000-06:00

Sorry to keep you waiting... we only added 33% more kids, but the upkeep feels much more than that (and so does the noise level)! :)

It feels like I am still in a dream, can it be true that we are all together!?! My emotions had been pretty steady throughout the trip, until we hit Atlanta and things looked good for making it home as planned. I was overwhelmed with the sense of so many praying for us and God's graciousness in answering those prayers in such a special way! They hurried us through immigration and we had plenty of time to make our "on-time flight".

Once on board, I asked Daniel the time, waited forever while playing with Ellie, then asked again, and only five minutes had passed. :) What a great feeling to turn the corner at the airport and see so many faces of those who had been praying for us and for our homecoming! And then, even better, to see our older three run to their baby sister!

I was prepared to see her liven up when we got home, but expected it to take some time. She was all over the house within minutes from arriving home. She loves the stairs (already doing well on going down on her belly) and passing out toys to her siblings. Ellie slept all night in her bed, ate from her high chair without complaint, got over her fear of the toothbrush, and only whimpered in the bath.

We savored checking on all four of them together, then each went back a few times before we turned in. At our home, all of the beds are full, the car is full, laundry basket is full, but so are our hearts!

She loved the music!

The Newest American Citizen! And she slept through it! :)

A cute posse of little girls were anixious to meet Ellie! We'll have to find a better shot of them.

A sweet posse of grown-up girls ready to see Ellie!

Settling down for bed (at nearly midnight)! No we didn't leave Ellie here very long, but it was too sweet!

Off for a family swim on our first day together.After bath, clean and snuggly.

She loved the little princess set she was given. Ellie also loves chairs! She keeps trying them out, then moving to try the other one...it was well worth my time to paint them! :) When I took this picture, I called "Ellie" and she turned toward me with this smile. (We go back and forth with calling her "Ellie" and "Vane".)

Playing "share" with Noah. She is giggling here. The posse of little girls made welcome home signs to give us at the airport. Today, Noah, on several occasions, would follow Ellie around the house with one, saying "Weh-cum home, Ahhh-EEE" over and over!

Our first set of pictures with all four of the kids together, they are laughing at Daddy's silly faces. They have done well together with the expected amount of arguing (between the littlest two). Noah kept asking for his "duck" blankie that was still in a suitcase last night. When we were able to get it for him, he promptly brought it and his beloved penguin to Ellie. We were so touched.

Thank you, thank you!!! For all of your prayers, sweet words and thoughtful actions. We felt so loved by all of you! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Check out Daniel's blog for more of his thoughts and here for more pictures of the homecoming.

Flight Update

2008-01-30T19:56:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone - Whitney sent me an invitation to guest blog so I thought I would take advantage of it while they were in the air. :)

According to Delta, Flight 4503 took off on time from Atlanta and will arrive in Peoria at 9:35pm.

We continue to pray for completion of this long travel day for Ellie and her parents and for their family to bond together - all 6 of them! The Lord has so graciously answered many prayers in little Ellie's journey. We trust that the Lord will continue to bless this wonderful family as they become truly a forever family.

"And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me." Matthew 18:5

Flight Info

2008-01-30T07:16:00.000-06:00

We are arriving in Peo. at 9:35pm on Delta #4503 (coming from Atlanta). You can be praying for flight #310 from Guatemala. We are up for people at the airport, but we know it is late and Wednesday night, and things are busy. We are on the last flight out heading home, so I would recommend checking with Delta online with the flight numbers or here before you go. :)

Thanks for all of your sweet comments and faithful prayers. We give praise to the Lord for how well things are going with Ellie and with the process!

In His Grace,
Whitney

PS Strange I have to sign my own blog...but the guest blogger has done a great job posting for both of us!

Ellie Gets Excited during Giuliani Concession Speech

2008-01-29T20:25:00.000-06:00

[Note: I'm on probation, but I begged Whitney to let me give another update since she has a readership that is about 4 1/2 times as big as mine]

Right now, as I work on some upcoming lessons, we have the Florida returns on in the background. As Giuliani gives his concession speech, Ellie is clapping along with the crowd and raising her hands when he raises his. She said she has a hard time following US politics, but is strongly pro-life. Needless to say, she is not sad to see the mayor from New York get beat pretty soundly.

Ellie is holding an envelope that we picked up from the embassy today that we are not to open under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. We're supposed to give it to USCIS officials in Atlanta. But it's so tempting...what's in there? Why is it so thick? What would happen if I did open it? Would they really not let us into the country? Would they send us back to Guatemala? Would they pay for the ticket? Right now, Whitney has hidden the envelope so it won't tempt me.We've watched the flights over the past few days and the ones we'll be on have run on time, etc. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Ellie continues to become more animated. Tonight, we're letting her stay up a little bit because she's talking so much. It's really good to hear her voice....