Princess

When she requests a picture in the morning, mommy takes a picture!

Princess sweet pea Makenzie wanted her picture taken before summer camp started this morning. Look at that sweet Innocent face... she is a doll! xoxox my angel buns!

Meet My Niece

I finally got to meet my niece. My brother Ryan and my sister in law Rose Mary had a baby girl Jayden. Shawna and I stopped by to hold the baby and chat. I snapped a few pictures! Look at all that hair!

WE GOT THE HOME STUDY BACK

Home Study Finally Sitting At My Door

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.Psalm 118:24

Ok so after the longest wait in the world, about a stack of papers, court system, social worker interviewing us 2 times, criminal check, FBI, CPS, etc etc WE FINALLY got our home study today. I am so excited! Ethiopia here we come.
Next, I just overnighted the home study to USCIS and now must wait for a I-171H form which could take up to 6 weeks. After that, sending my Dossier to Oregon to my international agency, than to Washington, back to Oregon, then to Ethiopia. There the government with pick a child out for us, than send pictures, health records, and all info about her! I look forward to this day. Until than, the waiting game. Our lives with change, but for the better.
Feedback from people is wishy washy, its either positive, or OH MY a African child, and just the family dynamics of that, and later the child will be upset that you are white etc etc. I don't think this at all. I think since the baby will be under 1, she will love us like her own parents, be raised with a great education and strong family values. I am excited for this adventure in life and look forward to the kids meeting their sister.
More updates as we go on with the process!

Fathers Day 2008

Relaxing Father's Day

Got to lick the ice sculpture!

Father's Day was a relaxing day with with the family and hanging out at home together. Jon got to take a nap, so he was in heaven. Here are a few pictures, but nothing too exciting, just relaxing family time.

I'm Back

I know I know you have all missed me, but hey life has been nuts. First I will start off by saying that I erased my blog awhile ago, went through some changes in my life and now starting up blogging again. You will now not only get to read my "open, tell all book" that is my life, but I will also blurb about my past present and what I plan for the future. I am excited to share as some people think I have fallen off the face of the Earth. No don't get excited, I am here, just so crazy busy with life, kids, and my new project...
Missed you all, lets BLOG!

Lake Powell Trip 2008 part 1 pictures

Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake- Wallace Stevens

Mommy and Makenzie
Snuggling by the fire
Sister Love
My Daddy
GUN, he was shooting everyone saying "FREEZE"
Brave Kenzie going off the slide

Daddy and Little Man
My little booshki and I
The Family
Roastin!
Marshmallow time

Tanning on top deck
Jet Ski with Mom
The boys go out on the water
Me
Here comes trouble..

Reading and relaxing
Thumbs up, he loves water
Cousins and best friends for life
Our boat, Fellowship
Spraying off the plank, I hate red sand in the boat!


Lake Powell 2008

Every year we ALL go up to Lake Powell on the family house boats. It's a blast full of boat rides, skidoo's,swimming, sliding off the slide on the back of the boat, and so much more...plus who couldn't resist 10 days with your WHOLE family! Here are some pictures...got some color, read some magazines; shawna caught me up on whats going on outside my bubble and now I am back on page with the celebrity world.

Jon hiked some mountains and of course ran the island to work out. Playing in the sand, tanning, eating, and sleeping, what more could you want?Oh and my Dad making the air in the houseboat so cold(in the 50's) that we all got a runny nose and slept in sweaters and pants!

We enjoyed being a family and together, its nice to have the 4 of us together with no break and no outside world. WHICH my wireless card got fried in the sun, so I was out there with no email. ERRKKK

Given Love, Napin, and homeworks

Blurry pictures, but adorable kids!

A random post with Logan and Makenzie given lovies and of course posing for the camera. My sweethearts (all 3) napping over the weekend, and Makenzie got her first packet of homework EVER at summer camp. She was excited to bring work home to do. I laughed because she has a long road of homework ahead of her! She was beaming with excitement!

( I hate the quality of my little camera, its drivin my crazy! I just hate to lug my Nikon around, anyone know of a good little camera with good quality?)

Summer Camp

2008 Summer Camp

My cute little man
Cute classroom set up
I peeked in on him playing outside
SUN SO BRIGHT, we were squinting our eyes to even get a picture
Makenzie's classroom, and she is all smiles with new friends! She has a boyfriend, Brock

(which we were going to name Logan that, so its too funny)

Summer is Here In AZ, It's Getting Hot Out!

The kids started summer camp 3 days a week at Tutor Time. I always thought that place was like a daycare, but its really neat and set up like a school where they learn a lot and Makenzie even has homework, but also camp fun days.

I had to take pictures as my little booski's go to their first day...they are growing up too fast, its sad! Logan is talking so much, a little lover though, and Makenzie sassy as ever, but so smart and wants to learn and learn and learn as much as she can. She rocks on the piano, her teacher is amazing and she does so well! Dance recital coming up, and than the trip to California....and lets not forget my Birthday next week!

The Thought, The Start, How We Decided

"If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of the people in this world! "

I love my family. My life and world revolves around their ever need, the attention and love to give them. Jon and I have been married for 10 years, and through these 10 years, it was always about Jon, Makenzie and Logan. I am not at all saying this is a bad thing, its a wonderful thing and I am blessing I have the chance to be a stay at home mom and wife to my family. I love my children with all my heart and soul, they are the reason I get up every morning (at 6am) and I now know I would not be the person I am without Jon and the kids.

Everyone has their life "bumps", the break in the string, or the balloon that popped right after you got it. That happens to me a lot, with friends, extended family and just how life is thrown at me occasionally. But I am strong, I handle things, and I have been learning so much more about God, what he does for us, our times of needs can be helped and listened to, its my relationship with God that helps me put that smile on my face and know life is good!

The thought- a few years ago Jon and I looked in and started the adoption process. We were very picky of what child we were looking for. A healthy girl blond hair, blue eyes, Caucasian, looks like us, and will fit in just the same. Now I am not saying this as a racial thing at all, I am saying this because in our minds we thought that it would be harder for her to grow up with nobody that looks like her around, and the impact that can make and effect a child can get from the negative world. After awhile Jon and I knew it did not feel right, we did not know why but it felt like we could not keep going on with the adoption. We held off for awhile.

After some operations/surgeries (another posting for that one) I am now unable to have another baby. I was SO FINE with that, no biggy because I did not want anymore kids, I was and I am happy with my little family of 4. But after some time I knew something was missing, this little space in my heart that yearned for another child. Lets also remember that when I met Jon he wanted 8 kids, I laughed and settled for 4... we have 2! HA HA

For the first time in my life I will official say outloud, I am a good mom, a wonderful wife, I have a great heart for my family and the Lord my Savior. I am grateful for everyday I have and hope there is a tomorrow as I could not imagine my life without my family it in, or them not having me. I am a good person, I love everyone, would give a stranger the shirt off my back it they smiled and were happy, I would dig myself and have dug myself into bad situations just to HELP someone else that I felt was in need. I volunteer, go to church, pray, do as the bible say to do to the best of my capability and still I don't have the sense of peace and that closure I need.

Africa- that's a point to start at right there. First I know so weird, but my past has lead me to a point in my life where my friends, family and people around me have always been Caucasian. I was raise in a Caucasian area, moved around, went to schools and churches etc etc but none of them had a African American environment. This could be because I am in AZ and its more Hispanics, is what I see. I am NOT RACIAL at all, I love everyone and everything, I also can dislike everyone and everything NO MATTER the color of their skin. I think everyone is Racial to the extent of the way we are treated, the goodness, and love and feelings we get from people, no matter if they are white,black,brown, purple or green. People hurt you in life, and even if its a different shade of skin that makes these actions bad,it does not make the whole race bad.

My sister, Shawna (which I could spend 100 posts about) signed me up for a mission trip with Hope 4 life. We are going in November to Uganda to spread the word as well as bring medical supplies for those in need. When she first told me about this, I was set back, in my head illnesses popped in, sickness rambled out of my mouth and I was a bite scared, but I knew it was meant to be. I agreed to go,but also knew that as a sister of course I would go with her, I could and would not let her go without me, or someone, and I do owe it to myself and her to go. I will do a brief post later about my siblings, husband, kids etc etc.

I have always wanted to go to depths of Africa as I only have been to Tunisia, and its NOT deep into Africa.

Our first step of reality of going in November was our shots. We went down and started the series of shots, OUCH! But as the blogger my sister is, we take pictures of anything and everything together. I will post the pictures as they are too funny.

Back to Africa- the invite from my sister, Makenzie changing schools and the new teacher and family is African American, a woman in need coming into my life that is African American, I kept stumbling onto sites, blogs, and info here and there about adoption in Africa.....so many little "whispers" as Jon and I call them, trying to flash this huge sign at us.Now some might say they are insignificant, and random, but more little things were going on during this time. I read a book that I will recommend called "Dangerous Surrender" by Kay Warren. I also went to her weekend seminary and learned a great deal from the experience and wow the statistic's in Africa blew my mind. I thought I new a lot about the culture, life, medical needs, but I think that America has blinders on. Africa is not all about AIDS, its not about dying of Aids........there are so many more thing people are dying from that are TREATABLE if people would give the means to do so.

My husband was in the Army for 12 years, I have traveled everywhere, lived in Italy for 3 years, he has done 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and seeing what "us" as Americans and the government spends their money on, BLOWS my mind! Wars, the endless gas prices rising over petty things, and in it all, hundreds and thousands of people in Africa WANTING to work, WANTING a chance to live and survive, and not getting it. Its heart breaking.I will through some statistics up later. Back to my mini book here, gosh its gotten long!

After all my Africa "hints" from God, my heart and soul, we started looking back into adoption and in January started contacting agencies. We knew it would be a long process, but if it was meant to be, it would happen, and happening it is! I look forward to writing here, not only for myself, my family, and my "baby Ethiopia" but for others to feel what I felt, what makes my heart cry out to others and the tears that run down my face when I see a picture or read a book. My heart is in Africa, and I know my daughter awaits us to bring her home.

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Hebrews 11:13-16 “Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them."

Waffles and Bikes

A Day of Waffles and Bikes

The kids got up today to their normal waffles and than we headed outside before it got to hot. Makenzie is learning to ride her bike, 2 wheels. This is the first attempt on it! She loved it so much, but always made sure Daddy was holding on to her. Logan and I rode around the block a few times before my legs were so sore. Its actually heavy pulling him behind, but a nice workout! It got hot very fast, so by lunch we were worn out and ready to go and cool off inside!

Mommy and Logan

Little Man Day with Mommy

Logan and I spent the day together, just for the fun of it! We went to lunch at paradise bakery, shopped at Hautes and Roka...it rained so we had to get a juicy umbrella, and just enjoyed hanging out the two of us!