Days like these

I think that I have been doing an unfair amount of whining lately so I wanted to be sure to make a point of life in a big family on days like these. Today I am so proud of my children. And being proud, thankful, and blessed is how most days are- but on those days I seem to be so wrapped up in enjoying life I don't write about them nearly enough. So here's the daily recap:

Baby Jude has pneumonia again. This is the second time this month. We had to put on impromptu long trip that we can't afford right now anyhow on hold for the time being. When I told the children that were involved in going on this exciting journey south- they just said..."Oh OK". While they could have thrown a fit or had a huge pity party- they just moved on and helped love their baby brother so he could feel better.

And when Baby Jude started coughing earlier and vomiting large amount of fluids all over me- my husband and four children jumped to help and offered things like paper towels, rags, clean clothes for Jude and warm washcloths to wipe him off with.

Since Angeline is also sick- just a bad cold right now- they are all making sure to spend enough time playing with her and keeping her happy since Mom is wrapped up in helping Jude get better.

And after Cole spent a busy day at school and then doing homework and chores after school he went ahead and touch up painted some spots that were way in need of touch up painting. Not because anyone asked him to do it- but because he just wanted to help out and make life happy.

Then after David spent the entire day at school, hours at soccer practice, he came home and even before getting dinner was sure to clean up his chore which was the big mess of recycling that had been neglected for days. He didn't complain and then moved on to check the storage room off his bedroom- he said he wanted to make sure that "we can do cartwheels in there now".

Knowing that I am really particular about how my laundry is folded but that the clean laundry had piled high from "life" and "coughing fits that cause projectile vomiting"... Sophie folded all the laundry she knew she could do really well- the rags, towels and sock matching... without being asked and with a smile on her face.

And Grace didn't give me any of her normal sass and then wrote an amazing essay for her debate about why "cell phones shouldn't be allowed in school". Then Grace let me know how she was asked to join a chess program this summer because she was undefeated in a chess tournament at school. Grace is excited about the program and was offered a scholarship. I am so proud to have a daughter who knows its good to not only be sporty and pretty- but also to be intelligent and jump on opportunities as they arise.

Then there is Dominick- who has an audition of sorts for a part in a play at the local college. Most of the people in the play are college kids and then there are three elementary parts- Dominick showed confidence and excitement at this possibility- that made me so proud. This takes place tomorrow if you have any special prayers for Dom and his "try out".

And Lauren- who went with her Dad today to get Angeline to the doctor and then did the grocery shopping with her Dad. I was so thankful to be able to stay home with Jude. :) Lauren turns 18 next week and many parts of the planned trip had to do with things to surprise her that she has been wanting to experience for a long time. I don't know that I would have been so understanding at her age, sad to say.

Then there is Lulu and Joy. Well let's just say that they played real nicely together today and didn't shed any tears from any disagreements that took place. What a bonus!

Angeline is now just as I write this joining the ranks of the coughing turns into projectile vomiting and Lauren and Dad are handling it- or so it sounds like it. And there goes Lulu at record speed with the puke bucket.... go Lulu!

And last but certainly not least- dear Isaac. He has been without an afternoon nap the past two days and more tired than usual- and that means more snugly than usual. (Which I love.) Last night he said: "I am tired and going to bed now."

And off to bed he went after taking his vitamin and brushing his teeth. What four year old does that? Amazing. He is just the happiest boy ever. EVER.

Tonight we talked about what "daughter" means. And he asked me "how do I eat this?" about a Popsicle (referring to the stick). He was so proud showing me that he "did not eat the stick at all." Isaac is marvelous.

I may possibly be the most blessed woman in the world.
Its days like these that I can say that with confidence.

You made this happen!

Back in January- after the Haiti earthquake...

I collected donations from a lot of you

for relief efforts and you made big things happen.

$400 in baby formula and snacks for COTP
$250 for getting it to Haiti fast

(although it took a bit longer than we had hoped)

$400 in cash for RHFH

See those boxes above?

I was able to pack those full of other items

both organizations needed. Medicine, clothes, diapers,

medical supplies, snacks, special formula etc.

$100 in shipping and then....

And when she knew the need- the Buddy responded.

Her daughters Maria and Ava did a "Haiti drive"

in their classrooms. Not only did they collect

supplies for both organizations but they also

made cards to pass out in Haiti and let the people know

that they are praying for them.

One of them- which was our favorite-

looked like this:

Haiti Hold On

So even MORE boxes of donations

were shipped from the other side of the country.

We are so grateful

to have so many people step up

and give with love for the people of Haiti.

Thank you SO much.

Just swinging this weekend

Hanging out.

Just swinging.

Wondering if the wind will blow.

Thinking about a last minute trip...

far away for spring break.

with half the kids
down the coast

to someplace warmer

and sunny too

that would be lovely

Figuring I can make the decision tomorrow

what's the rush?

just swinging with life

the way it should be

hey lulu don't grab my hood

you choke me

and you push me too high

I just want to swing

it doesn't involve pain

or worry

or budgets.

yuck.budgets.

how much longer can we stay

Angeline swings in style

with her "princess curls"

You can see Isaac knows that

his sister Joy is just as ornery

as his sister Lulu
exhausting and enjoyable

Swinging today
choices tomorrow
sleep for now

Sweet Child Of Mine

Dear Sweet Child Of Mine,
I wanted to take a moment to write you a letter and let you know how unimpressed I am with your antics- my dear sweet child of mine. I don't know why you choose a road that is so difficult at times but lately you appear to be reaching new all time lows. While I find it irritating that you are misbehaving at school I also feel wickedly validated that its not just here at our home that you behave on ample occasions with complete and utter lack of control.

I also find it a beautiful victory that although you didn't get to attend the elementary school with your younger sister- the one I fought for you to attend so hard- you are at the perfect school for you. Your at the school where they send the children who have behavior problems and although the principal there is a hard core dictator she is exactly the principal that serves your needs the best. Who would have thought last summer I would ever admit that "they" knew what was best for you and that God's plan truly was for you to be there- at this school- just as you are. And a sincere apology to the principal because now I completely understand why you have an "I don't take any crap from anyone kind of attitude." Your my new hero.

Oh sweet child...
Trying to plug the bathroom sink at the school with your friend so that the water would overflow and flood the school was really a lame idea anyhow. Certainly you realize that with 400 people at that building someone would notice it before you caused any real damage right? I am sorry that your so apt to fall for peer pressure and you just can't be yourself. But I know your still trying to figure out just who you are. I find it comical you would choose the book Letters to a Bullied Girl and then turn into the bully along with your mean bully girl friends. Being the mean girls to the underdog and the girl that hurts and needs you most you have betrayed with your lack of self. I hope that writing her a letter along with the school counselor today makes her feel somewhat better about being at school.

Have a great time working with the janitor after school today and all next week. The principal and I discussed it and they will make sure that your doing work cleaning toilets or picking up garbage will be done in an area of the school where your friend isn't. And I am so grateful that they have arranged a bathroom escort for you from now on since someone was writing ________ is a bitch on the bathroom wall- and they completely think it was you. It's awesome having someone listen while you go to the bathroom each time. You should be really proud to have some special moments to look forward to over the coming months.

And sweet child of mine- someday you will rise above all of this. Someday you will figure it out. But in the meantime you will continue to make choices that ultimately only hurt yourself and make yourself out to be the fool. Best of luck.

Your Mom- The Other Mother- The forever Mom...

p.s. you won the record of the most phone calls home from the school in one week- way to go. Your prize you wonder? Spring Break with Aunt Nina- dictator extraordinary! Whoohooo!!

Affording adoption

This taken from JCICS

Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Improved

Joint Council is pleased to confirm that the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), which was scheduled to expire in 2010, was extended for one-year (through December 31, 2011). The highlights of the ATC are;

The maximum credit was increased from $12,150 to $13,170,
The ATC is now retroactive to January 1, 2009. This represents a potential increase of $1,000 for adoptive families.
The ATC was made refundable. If a family has no tax liability, the IRS will refund the amount due.
The extension of the ATC through 2011, was passed as part of the health care reform bill which was signed into law by President Obama on Monday, March 22, 2010. There was some concern that the ATC would be included in the reconciliation process, however we have confirmed that it is not part of reconciliation which means the ATC is law until December 31, 2011.

Joint Council along with many other advocates and adoptive families have long advocated for making the ATC permanent. We applaud Congress and the Obama administration for the extension and continue to call for a permanent tax credit.

The ATC is a critically important element in finding permanent families for children in the U.S. foster care system and the children of our world, who live without permanent parental care. The ATC makes adoption a viable option for many families who may otherwise be unable to afford to adopt. We again applaud the extension and improvements to the Adoption Tax Credit.

Twos Day

I wanted to be sure not to forget to post the picture of Lulu singing her solo at her school concert. She was singing "Little Miss Goody Two Shoes". She did a fantastic job and even made her Momma cry. The rest of the pictures are from the Children's museum.

I don't have much news to share as far as last weeks woes go and any headway that we are making on any of the big issues. But I did watch this 60 mins the other night which made my woes seem really simple in comparison. If you have a few minutes you should go and watch it. For me I need to keep reading more things about Haiti. I no longer just look for Lena in the pictures but I wonder if there isn't something more we are supposed to be doing. It pains me to think that here my husband is without enough work when there is so much work and so many needs in Haiti that he could help with. (Like laying pipe for water, sewer, roadways, bridges, etc etc.) I am still desperate for news about Lena. I just pray that if she didn't make it that she was with her Mom when the quake hit. I pray that they were together just as they should be.

Sometimes I find it hard to not just "check out" of life and find a quiet place to pray. There have been so many people I know close to me lately that are going through so many hard times and trials in thier lives. I wonder what all this means and I am anxious to see resolution, answers and how much stronger we all are on the other side of the mayhem.

I filled out my census this weekend. Its already in the mail. However there wasn't enough spaces to write all of our childrens name on it who live at home still. So we are thinking that they will call us. I should have probably done a little research about what to do- certainly there are some FAQ's answered somewhere. But I just went ahead and sent it thinking of the other 85 things that needed accomplished at the time.

Isaac keeps touching the rim of the trash can and dancing around. I couldn't figure out what he was going and kept assuming that he was throwing away things. Then this morning my husband pointed out to me that he wasn't throwing anything away. He was watching himself dance in the reflection of the metal trash can lid. :)

Now that is SO Isaac. Seriously.

I have been thinking about doing some blog posts about organization and large families. Anyone interested in seeing how we function and the nitty gritty of life?

Joy Suckers

Thanks for actually reading the last OVER IT post that I wrote and especially for sharing some words of wisdom, lighthearted funny websites and prayers. I am really over being over it. I spent a long time in prayer on the elliptical this morning and I reflected upon the past week. What I came to realize is that there has been an unprecedented amount of "joy sucking" going on around me lately. So for the rest of this weekend I am going to concentrate on JOY filling my life- and the lives of my family members.

So to start off the joy filling, I am going to share some moments and sentiments that brought me joy over the past week. Maybe you could leave me a comment and let me know some of the joy you have had too. Celebrating your joy will help fill my joy cup up! :)

• Being with my newest little girl "Joy" and having her sit on my lap and tell me how much she missed me while I was grocery shopping.
• Sophie coming to lay in bed with me twice this week to talk- without being prompted or asked to. Just because she wanted to be near me.
• Isaac dancing for the doctors at Children's hospital and doing the dancey-dance. "Roll left and right, flex and back." And celebrating with my Mommy friends how well he is adjusting to our family.
• Grace getting straight A's and asking me to still make a conference because she wants to show me her school work. (Keep in mind she is 13- this is a gift that I will gladly accept.)
• A note that came home telling me that Angeline will be riding the school bus just like all the other children.... WITHOUT her wheelchair. She is now strong enough in her legs to go up and down the steps. (tears of joy. amazing.)
• While we didn't get any answers about Jude's shunt this week we did get to spend time with the neurosurgeon and Jude did throw a marker at him. Jude had been coloring and was being feisty and apparently he wasn't liking the answers he was getting about his shunt- so he pitched the marker at the neurosurgeon and laughed about it. While I realize that this isn't funny- the reaction of the neurosurgeon was priceless... he just thanked Jude, laughed it off, and understood that he is an almost toddler and prone to doing those sort of things. I can appreciate when people who work with children really "get" children. It's joy!
• Having the most amazing Spina Bifida nurse named Megan who went and brought me four pairs of AFO socks for Jude with me only mentioning that I need them. They are pricey and hard to come by. She is a gift like no other. We love Megan!
• Going shopping to run errands with Kim all alone and eating a churro at Costco. They are so good.
• Lulu singing the solo in her school play and having the only solo that was to sing. She did such a good job- it was awesome!
• Writing notes with Dominick. We tend to connect best these days when he puts all his feelings on paper and so do I. He is eleven and tries to be SO tough sometimes. He always has lovely things to tell me and I love having that special connection with him.
• Leishan calling to make plans for getting together next week. I love my relationship with my adult daughter. She is a rock star.
• Watching Lauren do an amazing painting this week and 65 pages of school work. Love the motivation!
• Cole not coming right home from school Friday. Despite the fact that he told tall tales about where he was there was a long time where we wondered if Cole would feel like he fits in. Seeing him have friends and a social life and be a "normal" 13 year old- brings me joy.
• David played two soccer games this week and did his best. They lost both games but he was still really happy about playing and getting to be a part of the team.
• The woman at Children's who works there and sat with the girls while the two little boys had blow out diarrhea issues. Thank you whoever you are- you gave me great joy!
• Seeing Danny and seeing him happy and smiling.
• Meeting my nieces new puppy... TWISTER.
• Getting approval for two people to leave Haiti so one little boy can get reconstructive surgery on his face- and his Mom can come with him.
• Talking to my Mom several times about this Mother and son who are staying at her house from Haiti while they are here and hearing how she is having their bedrooms painted before they arrive because "they haven't been painted in years" and "she wants things to be nice for them." Her asking- "will they be OK to put their things in the closet- there aren't dressers in those rooms" and "do you think I should get a new bed?" and that she has already started gathering clothing for them... and much more other planning! I love her enthusiasm, her commitment, and her unwavering sense of style and hospitality. :)

Over it

(angelina looking very over it too)

Today I am just over it.

I am feeling over lots of things. Many things. Most things.

I am feeling over my children lying about stupid things that don't really matter just for the sake of lying. Why do they do this? Never would they actually be able to answer the why since it makes no sense to them either.

I am over my husbands job. I am over the fact that its been five months and they have been bidding 4-6 jobs each and every week since then and they have not won one single bid. I am over hearing about a friend and fellow local blogger husband getting laid off from his job that is the same as my husbands. I am over spending all our savings. I am over having unforeseen expenses creep up here and there. And I am over the fact that the unemployment in our county is at 10% and that's the highest its been here since the 1970's.

I am over worrying about money and wondering how long we can keep stretching things out and seeing if there is something we can go without. I am over wondering why it isn't ever possible that dear husband has several months off and we can take the children and travel instead of staying home and just working on making ends meet. At least that way it would be fun and memorable right?

I am over the cost of living here. I keep thinking if we were in Texas or Ohio or even parts of Florida (all places we have family) it would be easier to make it through the slow times because our cost of living would be less.

I am over Spina Bifida. I am tired of putting my little ones through so much and trying to help them to understand and accept that they are different. I am tired of Spina Bifida because I can't make it all better. Sometimes I can't even make it OK. Sometimes I don't even have answers that make sense on little people's terms and I am over being sad about it.

I am tired of people who tell me that they are going to do something and then they don't follow through. I do this sometimes too- don't get me wrong. But most of the time my follow through is fairly good- so I am over people saying things and then not DOING them.

I am over Salem being stuck in Africa with her son. I want her to be able to come home and I don't understand why our government isn't moving mountains to make that happen.

I am over paperwork. Bills, forms, MAT stuff, documents, filing, organization, insurance papers, school papers, home school records, over it over it over it.

I am over trying to beat Dr. A's scores on the face book games. I am over wondering why she can be so giving and smart and wonderful and good at video games all at the same time. That is so unfair. :)

I am over RAD. Over Bipolar disorder. Over birth parents and nature vs. nurture. Over reading books about parenting. Over trying new things. Over trying to figure out what works.

I am over the health care debate. I am over calling four different medical supply agencies and two different insurance companies several hours a week. At least two- but sometimes as many as five hours per week are spent on hold and talking to people trying to get medical supplies for Angeline and Jude. There are medications that they have that change. There are better medications that they should be on that won't get approved. There are supplies that don't come each and every month. Many times they don't come because different supplies need approval each month from doctors, insurance companies, and things change. Plans change, programs change, children are left without supplies and medication at a serious detriment to their health... I am over people who have no real health care needs bitching about universal health care. I am over people talking about it. What we have now does not work. It is not working. This is a fact. Fix it. Don't talk about it. Fix it.

I am over people having negative feelings and HATE towards people who are gay. I am especially over people using God's name for HATE towards anyone. There were times when people used GOD as an excuse for HATE towards African Americans- towards Jews- towards Native Americans. Sick. My God doesn't want to be used for an excuse for hate. The Jesus who died for my sins was the ultimate example of tolerance, love and acceptance. I am over people who talk about being against gay people and their rights and then later come out and say that they are gay. What the ____________ ? Really?

I am over emailing people about important things and not getting a reply back.

Irritating!

I am over baking things and eating baked goods to make myself feel better.

Over grouchy, over mopey, over griping, over whining, over arguing, over worry, over short tempers, over yelling, over fighting children. Why can't they just love one another and show kindness and warm fuzzies ALL of the time?

I am over doctors and their employee's that call you back into their offices and you wait for 1.5 hours and no one comes in. I am especially over it when I have two small boys with diarrhea and I tell you we can reschedule and you tell me you can see me right away so we won't be there too much longer and then you make me wait 1.5 hours. Then I log into your computer and play Yo Gabba Gabba videos for my children while my baby sits in his diaper and t-shirt because its the only thing we have left that is clean and we just want to go home. (This was Wednesday after an entire day of appointments- at our very last appointment.)

And finally... I am over the lady who works at the elementary school that is like the parking lot nazi. Stop telling me to pull up when no one is behind me. You are so pushy and rude- why did they hire you to work near children? I know that the BIG BUSES are coming. The BIG BIG buses.

Done... over it... finished.

Breathing easier now. Thanks for listening.

Kids and Stuff

I bought this DVD for Lauren to watch.

She is still home schooled and taking college classes.

We are going to watch it tonight and we

are excited and scared to see it.

I heard its moving and sad.

Have any of you seen it yet?

We found this on Amazon for the little ones.

It arrived this morning.

It cost three times what it normally does.

Maybe they don't make it anymore.

It's hands down the BEST play doh set.

Sophie had a bad morning.

She wanted to hide.

She woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

She was eating cookies...

out of the garage freezer

(no bake cookies)

and got caught.

We didn't really care about

the cookies or her eating them.

But we did care about the drama and lies

that came with her doing this.

She dropped the F-bomb three

times before arriving at school.

Thank God for public school education.
I will be seeing her and her counselor

in a bit to talk about it.

Angeline is loving school right now.

She is actually SAD on the days she

doesn't have school. This is a welcome

change because since Isaac and Joy came

home she hasn't been wanting to go.

Yeah Beanie!

She rode her hand crank bike

1.5 miles yesterday when we went

on a hike. I was so proud of her.

Isaac continues to do well.
His English is getting better and

he is starting to advocate with his

siblings more. We love this.

I love hearing his little accent when

he is sticking up for himself:

"Bean-ee I was setting here fist!"
(Bean I was sitting here first.)

Kim, Bekki and I got to see Licia and Casey her brother last

week and got all of our children together.

We went to the children's museum.

It was a busy fun time.

Licia is every bit as lovely in person

as in email and on her blog.

These people are the REAL DEAL

and I am so thankful to be able

to call them my friends.

They make me want to be a better

person and a better Christian.

Thanks so much for taking the time

to hang out with us everyone.

David has his first high school soccer team

game today. I am wicked nervous for him

and went to bed last night with a stomach

ache that rages on. Praying I can make it

and that I don't let him down. He has been

practicing SO hard for the team.

Hairy Boys

Dominick finally agreed to let his hair be cut.

But only if we gave him a Mohawk.

fine.

Then when he saw it- he thought:

"Wow that's a big mo-hawk."

And asked for it to be cut down.

Doesn't he look bummed out

in this picture?

"Much better Mom, thanks!"


And my husband.
And the mid life crisis long hair.
The picture above was AFTER the
first cut. And we said:
"Bob has a bob."


Much better now.
My husband is back.
Whoohoooooo!

Lazy Sunday Morning

I can't remember if I showed you the shirts that Old Navy is selling. I need to make sure to go and buy some before they sell out. Some adoptive parents will have a different take on the RAD part. I thought that they were very fitting for my family. :)

We are having a lazy Sunday morning. Lazy and quiet. Last night my sister and her husband had most of our children sleep over. We had only four children at home- which felt like a vacation. Jude, David, Cole, and Grace were all here. We had planned on keeping Isaac at home too but then at the last minute he was upset that he wasn't going. So Isaac went on his very first sleepover. Thank you Nina and Terry!

Last night hubby and I went swimming, got take out, and came home to watch Capitalism- A Love Story. It was a great film- but not so romantic. I know that some people have strong feelings against Michael Moore. However, I would highly suggest that you watch this film and be educated. There were some interesting viewpoints of religious leaders about how capitalism isn't what the bible tells us is right and certainly isn't the way that Jesus would want us to live. Right after we finished watching the movie I got on face book to see what was happening and I read some disturbing things about a friends mortgage. Their mortgage was sold to a new bank and now her payment has gone up a significant amount. I didn't even know this was possible and its frightening. Since we have added to our family recently and my husbands company is still bidding new jobs and trying to secure work- we have had to be more frugal. We have also had to use savings to live off of. If the bank did this to our family we would completely be in a similar situation and unable to pay the increased amount- its like 40% higher than what they were paying before for the monthly payment. That should be criminal. So the more that we can all educate ourselves on how to protect our families, our homes, our neighborhoods, communities and our finances- the better off we will all be standing together. Be educated please!

I have updated some of the new blog pages... the friends links, about me, and the page about the children. Its definitely another work in progress but one that will make reading this blog easier for everyone and who doesn't like things organized?

Wait and see

They are on the way home.

Jude Bear had a CT. Things look the same. His head size got only slightly larger. His two ventricles are still huge, one is near collapsed...

SO... since he has an adjustable shunt they adjusted it "four clicks" so now its flowing stronger and will hopefully unclog or be enough to drain the very full ventricles. We will see the NS mid week and then again in four weeks with a repeat CT.

If things seem the same with his behavior (grouchy, grabbing at his head, not sleeping well) in two weeks we will schedule surgery to move the shunt.

If things get worse anytime we are to take him back right away. (Lethargy, vomiting, etc.)

Thanks for praying!!!

Bear's going to the hospital

Baby Jude Bear has been having more symptoms of his failing shunt over the past 24 hours. We called this morning and the NS team got back to us to bring him right in to be sure things don't get worse.

My husband is on his way to the hospital with Jude and Lauren. It was such a hard decision as to who was going to go. :( Ugh. There are just lots of little ones that need Mom and Dad right now.

So as soon as I hear that they are there and getting evaluated I will let you know if they are going to do surgery or wait. Thanks for praying!

Family Needed

I got an email this morning about this situation and wanted to post it just in case anyone is a family who feels led and prepared to parent these two little girls who need a family very soon.

http://www.toladopt.org/news.html

Jude deep in thought

Lauren took these pictures of Jude last night after he got on lots of lotion. There is an entire montage of photographs of Bear contemplating something deep while working on smoking a bubble pipe.

I finished one of the pages that you will see links to above this post. The one about our children is done if you want to check it out. I am hoping to slowly move all the information from my favorites on my computer over to the blog so I have tons of adoption links etc. to share along with information to boot.

I am still stuck without a new blog name and open to suggestions. A couple of them are sticking out and swirling around in my mind to see if anything is meant to stay or not. Here are some of the suggestions so far:

All my friends think I'm crazy

SuperMom

Halfway to 30

I ran out of fingers to count my kids

Bakers Dozen

Third times a charm- times five

Yes, They are all mine.....Except that one. Who's he?

The Woman who lived in a shoe

With love from me to you

Mi Casa, Su Casa

Embracing the Air

Little Voice

Hold On Hita

Reese Is Peace Is

And the T-shirt to Prove it

Piss Off, Wankers

The Sound of One

One Hand Clapping

Charming Stones

Tumbling Basket

Traveling in Space

Talking and Walking

Hands and Feets

Fingerprints

Tossed Salad Days

A Tree in the Forest

Microlife

My little life

Predicting Yesterday

Does anyone have anything to add?

Are any of these jumping out at you?

Swirl them around for a bit and let me know.

New Name

My blog needs a new name.
I am out of ideas.
Anyone have any thoughts or ideas?

{please excuse the mess}

Please forgive the mess and changes.

I am trying to make some decisions about what

makes this blog look right to me. So when you

visit over the next days- it might change often.

I am an indecisive lady.

Latest and Greatest

Lots of things have been happening this week. I will do a quick update and then I promise to have some blog posts with more substance in the near future.

• My brother Patrick and his family are in the picture above. They are coming to visit along with Nana this summer for two weeks. We are beyond excited to know the cousins are coming!
• "Joy" is now calling me Mom and I love it.
• It's Danny's 21st birthday today. Happy Birthday son!! Don't get too wild tonight.
• My Mom- the "Nana" is going to be hosting Erman and his Mom when they are in Cleveland for Erman's surgeries. I am really proud of her. She is already getting prepared for their arrival. If your from Cleveland- they will need help if you are interested. :)
• The three year old that we had coming to West Virginia for medical care from Haiti isn't coming now. At the final steps the parents decided not to send him. Please pray for three year old Jean and his family as they make really hard decisions for Jean about his future health and well being. I can't even imagine being in their shoes right now. Please also pray for the doctors caring for him in Haiti and all those who have been touched by his story.
• One of my children made a terrible, horrible, bad decision earlier this week and it rocked my world. It came out of no where and was the last person on earth I ever expected to make a choice like this. We are working through it and trying to figure out what's next for healing spiritually and emotionally. This child is OK- don't worry- it just can't happen again.
• I was sick with a stomach bug for two days and I am now recovering.
• Jude is down to a breathing treatment 3-4 times per day. Yeah! Still watching him closely for the shunt failure stuff going on.
• Angeline has been walking for a few months and taking about 10-15 steps without hanging on to anything. Lately she has been taking really huge steps and it makes her lose her balance a lot. I am not sure if she is losing feeling or if she is trying to keep up with everyone. We are also watching her closely. We have been talking about having Angeline "make-a-wish" soon but we just aren't sure if its too soon or not. She has a big wish she has been dreaming up ever since seeing this movie.
• I have been praying a lot and feeling great concern for my dear friend Salem, her husband and their new son Mayer. They are stuck in Uganda trying to get a Visa. Please keep them in your prayers. And really- pray for all orphans waiting to leave Uganda. This is a concerning situation for many families.
• Sophie has been working through the big stuff lately and we are hoping she can move into a new phase in her relationship with her Dad. She doesn't do well with men and the more he loves the harder she shoves... but he just can't give up. Praying for them both.
• David's final day of soccer try outs are today. He really wants to make the team and it was THE deciding factor for him going back to public school. We should know by Monday!
• My husband told me about how to make cleaner with hydrogen peroxide this morning. He is such a dear and I just pray he can get back to work soon (they are bidding five jobs per week and so far- Nada)... the sooner the better at this point...I don't want to take cleaning tips from my husband. It freaks me out.
• I wrote a really long blog post that detailed one day in my life. I am not sure that I will ever publish it because it was even difficult for me to proof read- so dry and boring!

The Special Visitor

With the whirlwind of everyone being sick-

I had forgotten to share about the special visitor:

Our Congressman came over to meet us.

Well especially to meet Isaac.

And we had chocolate chip cookies and lemonade.

Isaac had a bite of a cookie and then tried to share

it with him- he thought Isaac was so funny- and

that went over well- because Isaac thinks that

Isaac is SO funny. :)

Not only did Mr. Congressman come over.

But his assistant came too.

She was in love with Baby Bear.

And the other person who came over...

was "K" who was instrumental in helping

us to bring Isaac home. She worked day and night!

We are so grateful that we have local government

who get involved and are there for the people.

Now they are helping me sort out how to

finish Isaac's citizenship process.

Thank you doesn't even being to

touch on the sentiments we want to

express to these important people.