A Saturday at "A Little Surprise"

There is this new place out here that has a city inside the building, hence "a little surprise." It was cute, I don't think my kids could stay there for more than a hour, unless maybe there was a group of friends they knew, but it was nice to get out and play with them and enjoy the afternoon out of the sun!

Makenzie Started Gynmanstics

Sports do not build character. They reveal it. Heywood Broun

Another season of Gymnastics. This year we found a place that is close to school, so we can go to class right after school starts. This year she is with her cousin Paris and Sierra. Which is wonderful to have the girls go to school together and than have time after to do some gymnastics. Fun Times!

Night at Resort

Since Logan got a horrible ear infection the weekend of our 10 year anniversary and we had to cancel. We decided to go to the J.W Marriott Resort and Spa for a night and enjoy some pampering. We had a great Spa Suite, 3 treatments each, hung out in the pool and Jacuzzi, had lunch by the water, breakfast under a huge umbrella with ducks walking around. This resort is my favorite, I could live here if I could. We had a great time and of course loved spending every second together, laughing, and just being US! Jon's first Pedi, hey had to get a manly picture!

xoxoxo Eternity with my soul mate

Feet...10 year Anniversary Feet of course

You all know my fascination with feet. I have a "watch our feet grow old together" live by saying. So on our 10 year anniversary, Jon and I tangled our feet and I took some pictures!

"The secret of a happy marriage.... remains a secret." Henny Youngman

Makenzie's First Day of Kindergarten, Church of Joy

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Walt Disney

Makenzie and her cousin Paris
Ohhh.... the desk with her name tag..cute uniforms huh!
Welcome, the first day of the rest of your life
Got to give Logan Love Goodbye!
I am a big girl now, Kindergarten
The 4 of us
Class Room
Teacher and Makenzie

Well, the time has come to see my baby go off and start Kindergarten. Totally different from preschool, a little heart stopping, but she was excited and its so worth the drive (45 min each way) to take her. The education is wonderful, she comes home with bible verses, stories about Jesus and so much more. She has grown up and WOW what a great and amazing young lady she is. YES I already knew this, but hey, must brag a little more! My sweet Makenzie, the day you were born in Sacile, Italy was the day I was blessed with a angel straight from my belly! You and I have gone through a lot with the Army together and now have a calm life in 1 state/home. We are blessed, we have Daddy safe at home, Logan who is a amazing son and brother and a sister who should be here in November. God is good. I know Makenzie will make great thing out of her life, I have and will continue to give her the tools, what she builds will be a mystery, but I know it will be amazing!

Random Email Verse I got...Eye Opener

"I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me…Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me---you did it to me.'"Mathew 25: 35-36, 40

HAVE NOT POSTED IN AWHILE/PERSONAL CROSSROAD

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

OK I have been in a funk... so much emotion and confusion going on in my life, I would not even know where to begin. I will update when I get a chance to sit, breath deep and begin to write. Now I am praying a lot, putting a lot of trust in God that he leads me down the right road with decisions with the adoption that we have made. I guess all of a sudden it hit friends and family like a TON of bricks and I got LOADED with A LOT of negative feedback, disbelief that I was actually going through with it (even though, all you adoption families know the processes, its not overnight). People are questioning how the kids will react? The race issue? how will the kids be treated later? my 2 biological? and the 1 adoptive for not all being the same color? All these things Jon and I thought of but when you hear them from family and friends I guess they kinds stick in your head, stab your heart, and than question yourself, which is the WORST thing you can do. Besides what is going on with the adoption so much more in my life seems to be hitting at one time, the list could go on and on and if answers or some great Divine does not happen I am going to start questioning my faith, yes I said it out loud questioning my faith! Everyone does or has before, don't ever deny that you haven't. I'm just admitting and blogging about it.

I cant sleep, feel so lost and in a cloud and just alone in the whole situation. I wish I knew someone who has felt this, went through this, knew my answer of what to do, what road to take? I am standing at my crossroad and don't know what road is the right one to turn down. The tears can only flow for so long before I am dry inside.

"GOD please show me the way, I want to be able to have more children, I am NOT done and CANT physically have anymore, I DON'T know what to do at this point!" Court dates come out in October, we might be flying to get her in November. We already have her referral picture, she is precious, the baby room is done, and I am at a BLAH moment in my life on my direction.

Makenzie is in Kindergarten, Logan preschool, and me... well that's the question, what do I do? what do I love to do? Be a mom! I don't have "friends" that I hang out with, I think I saw my closet friend 2 times since March, sad I know, but my world is my 2 kids and Jon. AND now my crossroad.

I cant hear ANYMORE that God will point me, or give me a sign or I will just know, because IT'S NOT HAPPENING!

My heart is in pain and I have nobody that understand or will listen, really listen. Jon of course is 100% ready to fly now, but we both want what is best and people question this.

Pray for us, pray God gives us the light at the end of our tunnel as I am in the dark and really questioning myself right now.

A Saturday at Home....Been Awhile

Today it seems to be so hot and humid out, the kids don't seem to be bothered by it as they are having a great morning playing outside. Makenzie of course is gluing,cutting,glitter, etc etc (she is my creative artist) and Logan running around and swinging, of course always loves to go to the bathroom in the yard, he is my wild child, but will stop and give me hugs and kisses.

I have been busy this week with Makenzie's first day of Kindergarten at Joy (the drive there and back), Logan starting gymboree classes (which was actually fun for me too with him), I caught a cold, gymnastics enrollment, the kids allergies are bad so they look like they have booger nose, and of course the regular errands of the week. Seems like time flew. I have been on my mission to upload ALL my pictures from the past 10 yrs onto ONE site and order 3 sets of prints. Make photo books,and be up to date before the baby comes. It's my goal, we will see how far I get. Plus I want to send in all my "before digital" pictures and get those uploaded as well. I would hate to loose anything from the past and want to make books for the kids plus Jon and I. I am a picture fanatic, just don't get around to sticking them into one place, only frames.

On the adoption side, I am so excited for the baby. I look at her picture everyday and notice little things, both kids know who she is and even Logan says "baby sissy." I actually think he might adjust well, he is going through a phase, maybe it was me pushing potty training, so now I stepped back and he is going MORE without me saying anything. He is so independent and loves FITS if he does not get his way. The screaming,kicking and just throwing himself on the floor not only makes me give in but is so opposite of a girl, Makenzie. Its amazing how different they are.

Its hard to see them grow up. Uploading my pictures makes me cry as they were so small and now just wanting to go go go and I miss the little baby stroller phase, bottles, and the chunky cheeks. I hate to see them grow up, I just want to bottle them as they are and live eternity. They are such happy kids, I could not ask for more of a wonderful family.

It will be nice to see our family continue to grow, through love and adoption. When the courts re-open in October I am dying to hear when our court date is and when we go and get our daughter.

10 YEARS AGO TODAY

Proverbs 30:18-19 There are three things that amaze me— no, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.

10 years ago today, I stood before family, friends and God and married MY SOUL MATE Jon.

Thank you Jon for the past 10 years. We have gone through so much and through it all I wake up every morning with a smile on my face and thank the Lord that I have you.

You have brought peace to my unsettled heart from my past, you have brought love in my soul, the joy of having two children and a adoptive child in November is indescribable. I could not and never would imagine living life with anyone else. You are my rock that I can stand on when the water rises, the phone call away, and the only person in the world that knows who I REALLY am and actually CARES!

You are a supportive husband, loving and kind father, hard worker, world traveler, you have done and seen things and places only people imagine in their minds. You have accomplished a lot and I was and am the lucky person that got to stand by you through your journey and hold your hand as we experienced life "roads less traveled".

Thank you for a amazing 10 years...the places we have been, the people we have met, the times apart due to deployments, but the joyful reunions that always followed. The full circle of life and our life lessons has brought us back to where we need to be.

I love you Jon, from the first time I saw you, to eternity. My heart would ache if you were not in my life, and with you I am complete. I am a BETTER person BECAUSE of YOU!

10 amazing years with a wonderful man God has blessed me with.

Song of Solomon 8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame

Information I thought was intresting!

Ethiopian Facts and Figures
Life expectancy: 42 years old
Population subsisting below $2/day - close to 80%
Average births per woman: 6.14
Deaths from pregnancy/abortion related: 1 in 7
Women dying from TB is 96 per 100,000
Children dying from AIDS: 1 in 16
Percentage of AIDS cases in the world: 7%
Female genital mutilation: >80%
Women experiencing rape: 25%
Newborns dying before age one - 1 in 10
Children dying before age 5 - 1 in 6
Orphans - 4 million
Children under 5 stunted from malnutrition - >50%
Literacy 41% for women 26.4%
High school attendance for females 8.5%

Our famous Feet

Alaska
Canada

Our Famous Feet Land in Alaska and Canada! And Yes Jon was wearing flip flops and shorts! You can tell he is NOT from AZ, he was raised in Oregon, so the cold was NOTHING for him, while we were freezing and had Uggs and 4 layers on!
I will add them to my slide show tomorrow
(like the maple leaf in Canada, Shawna's Idea...cute huh?)

Sushi,Gambling,Eating~

No cruise would be complete without some gambling, a lot of eating (damn those buffets), and I had to dress my part for our Sushi night!

Prince Rupert, Canada

Prince Rupert, Canada

So this was the lame stop, there was nothing to do and we did not do any tours as they did not seem that attractive to us. We walked around the town, which was really cute. I will tell you this, I must give PROPS to Shawna, you can really tell she loves me, because she knows my SLURPEE addiction (I literally must have one, once a day to live, really) and we saw a guy walk by with a 7/11 cup! We were like hounds on a trail. Shawna and I dragged 2 husbands and 6 kids through Canada on foot, through the grocery store even, and up the street, FINALLY found my slurpee.... ohhhh refreshing. Than we went back to the boat... THAT WAS CANADA of course pictures of my drink people, how could I not! HA HA

The BIG bonus was that I got to finally wear my Louis Vuitton Scarf and Hat.. I must say.. SUPER CUTE!

AND ANOTHER MAKENZIE NAME ON A BUILDING, WE HAD TO SNAG A PICTURE! SHE NOTICED THIS ONE~