New Orleans got lucky this year, thank goodness. Unfortunately, Haiti did not. It seems that the poor people of Haiti cannot get a break! Please pray for my children's homeland. Every time they rebuild, more water comes to knock them down. I pray that all of my children's birth parents are ok. I pray that they are safe and that they know their children are too. Again, and again, I am reminded that my trials are NOTHING. That I have been given a gifted life. That any health, monetary, family, or any other concerns that I face are so small compared to my brothers and sisters in other lands. How they remain faithful, positive and continue on every day is beyond my comprehension. I guess it is the spirit of Christ that is in all of us. I am just glad I have not been tested so.
When I look at the before and after pictures of my children I am reminded how much opportunity, food, and safety we have that allow us to grow and thrive. Their tiny, severely malnourished bodies and their severe developmental delays, quickly recover as they are given a chance. I wish all children and adults around the world could be given a chance. I wish more people could look within themselves and say, "What can I do to give others a chance?" The answers would all be different, some small, some grand, but all would make a big difference to someone.
For more on the tragedy raging right now in Haiti go to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080908/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/haiti_floods
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
All the kids are in school!
Well, school has officially begun! Maya and Zachary are in 3rd grade, yikes (I am terrified for cursive)! Allison and Emmanuel are in Kindergarten. And Naomi and Clarissa are in another year of preschool. So for 2 days a week I have a two hour break. Grocery Store, here I come!! That is, until Teddy comes home ;).
All the kids are loving school so far. I really like the teachers we got. It is so adorable to see Emmanuel and Allison going to the big school and having homework. Toddlers, no more!
Everything started smoothly except Clarissa transportation. She was dropped off by the bus 1/2 hour early for preschool and picked up an hour late the first day. Mom was pissed!!!!!!!! Nothing brings out the beast in me like my kids not being treated right. But day 2, the bus situation was all worked out so I think we are going to be ok.
Here are some pictures of the first day. I will post Naomi and Clarissa's later once I have them downloaded. I also have some super cute new pictures of Teddy. If you are a family member, email me privately and I will send them to you.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Just the Cutest!!!!!!
Ok, you have got to check this out! It is video of a little boy from Ethiopia that is coming home with his new adoptive family. He cracks me up! It reminds me soooooo much of how Emmanuel was when he first came home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re026MmrDz8
Kelly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re026MmrDz8
Kelly
Friday, August 8, 2008
Welcome to Our Blog!
A big welcome to all of our family members we invited to our blog today. If you just got here, STOP READING and scroll down to the bottom. Read the very last post at the bottom of the page first and work your way up so you are not totally confused.
If you have already read all the posts up to this point, wonderful! When you get over the shock, we hope that you are as excited as we are. If you would like to see pictures of Teddy, please email us privately and we will send you some (an invite to family and close friends only).
We love you all dearly. We encourage you to pray about Teddy. We know that we are being led by the Lord to this wonderful little boy. And though we cannot always understand His ways, we know that when we follow Him, things always seem to work out wonderful in the end.
Kelly
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Happy Kids
Wow! Talk about a good reaction. We video taped telling the kids about Teddy and I am glad we did. They are sooooo excited!! They screamed, jumped up and down and well, it was better then Christmas morning. Zachary even started to cry he was so overwelmed with joy. They have all been on cloud 9 ever since. This means a lot to me since they are going to have to share with yet another child, and yet they are thrilled.
All this morning they individually keep coming up to me and saying, "I am so excited about my new brother!"
I wish the whole world could share their perspective and enthusiasum. It has been so fun to share the good news with them.
Kelly
All this morning they individually keep coming up to me and saying, "I am so excited about my new brother!"
I wish the whole world could share their perspective and enthusiasum. It has been so fun to share the good news with them.
Kelly
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Out of the mouth of babes!
All the kids keep coming to us and telling us that we are supposed to adopt another brother. They are frustrated with us that we are "not listening to Jesus". We have put off telling them about Teddy because the wait during the adoption process is always so hard on them. We have been very careful to make sure they did not overhear anything or stumble across anything that would make them suspect we were adopting again.
Well this morning, my 8 year old daughter came to me with much earnest and insisted that she had something to say and I needed to listen. She then told me that last night she prayed to Heavenly Father to ask about her new brother. She said that Heavenly Father told her that she would be getting a new brother from Africa around Christmas time. With all seriousness, she looked me in the eyes and said, "I know this is true! You need to pray about this." I warmly told her that I already had and that I would tell her the answer later. She got a big grin and that seemed to satisfy her.
Looks like we need to have a family meeting tonight! Our kids are feeling so much anxiety about this anyway, we might as well bring them into the loop. I love having inspired children!!! I just hope that they keep this innocent obediance to God the rest of their lives.
Once our children know, the whole world is going to know. So I guess it is also time to tell the extended family. I hope that we recieved the title of insanely nuts a long time ago so this won't be too shocking for anyone. I have really been enjoying this adoption without any negativity from family members. I also thought it was good to spare them the rollercoaster ride that can be so hard on everyone. It takes courage to open this pandoras box when I know there are many out there who do not share our values. I completely understand why people would think we are crazy. Frankly, before my family became what it is, I thought families like ours were crazy too. Now I know though that when you follow God's plan for you, you will find true happiness, life fulfillment and purpose. I am happy, I wouldn't trade lives with anyone, and that is good enough for me.
Teddy, I am so grateful that I get to be your mother!! You must be a truly special boy because God obviously has a special plan for you.
Well this morning, my 8 year old daughter came to me with much earnest and insisted that she had something to say and I needed to listen. She then told me that last night she prayed to Heavenly Father to ask about her new brother. She said that Heavenly Father told her that she would be getting a new brother from Africa around Christmas time. With all seriousness, she looked me in the eyes and said, "I know this is true! You need to pray about this." I warmly told her that I already had and that I would tell her the answer later. She got a big grin and that seemed to satisfy her.
Looks like we need to have a family meeting tonight! Our kids are feeling so much anxiety about this anyway, we might as well bring them into the loop. I love having inspired children!!! I just hope that they keep this innocent obediance to God the rest of their lives.
Once our children know, the whole world is going to know. So I guess it is also time to tell the extended family. I hope that we recieved the title of insanely nuts a long time ago so this won't be too shocking for anyone. I have really been enjoying this adoption without any negativity from family members. I also thought it was good to spare them the rollercoaster ride that can be so hard on everyone. It takes courage to open this pandoras box when I know there are many out there who do not share our values. I completely understand why people would think we are crazy. Frankly, before my family became what it is, I thought families like ours were crazy too. Now I know though that when you follow God's plan for you, you will find true happiness, life fulfillment and purpose. I am happy, I wouldn't trade lives with anyone, and that is good enough for me.
Teddy, I am so grateful that I get to be your mother!! You must be a truly special boy because God obviously has a special plan for you.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Teddy's Measurements
I got Teddy's latest measurements in today. He is a tall super skinny kid!
Weight: 11 km (5%)
Height: 91 cm (75%)
Head Circum: 49 cm (45%)
I am surprised it came back that tall. He must have gone through a growth spurt. I am so happy that he is growing. All my kids have come home way tiny for their age.
Kelly
Weight: 11 km (5%)
Height: 91 cm (75%)
Head Circum: 49 cm (45%)
I am surprised it came back that tall. He must have gone through a growth spurt. I am so happy that he is growing. All my kids have come home way tiny for their age.
Kelly
Monday, August 4, 2008
My Cowpokes!
My family recently went horseback riding together in CO. I just had to share this cute picture of my cowpokes waiting to be put on the horses.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Sad Day :(
Today is a sad day for our family. We found out that we will for sure not make it through the courts before they close for the season. So our court date for our son probably won't be until the end of October. That adds 3 months to our process.
Major, major bummer.
This has only confirmed to me that it was a good idea not to tell our children and our families about the adoption yet. There is no reason to subject them to this emotional rollercoaster that they have no control over.
I wish there was some way for me to adopt without riding the rollercoaster.
Our son has major ear infections with puss draining out. Poor guy. I wish I was there to comfort him.
Sorry buddy, if it was up to me, you would be home yesterday. The world is not an easy place.
Kelly
Major, major bummer.
This has only confirmed to me that it was a good idea not to tell our children and our families about the adoption yet. There is no reason to subject them to this emotional rollercoaster that they have no control over.
I wish there was some way for me to adopt without riding the rollercoaster.
Our son has major ear infections with puss draining out. Poor guy. I wish I was there to comfort him.
Sorry buddy, if it was up to me, you would be home yesterday. The world is not an easy place.
Kelly
Friday, July 25, 2008
Our Case Has Been Submitted To Court!
Our adoption paperwork has been submitted to the court! We are just waiting for a court date. I am starting to lose hope though that we will get in before the court closures (the courts close for two months during the extreme rain season). The weather has already turned cold and rainy. Even if we do get a court date, many cases do not make it through court on the first try. It is the most variable time to have your case get submitted. We may be traveling as soon as 8 weeks or as long as 6 months! I honestly do not know what to pray for because the people REALLY need the rain but my son REALLY needs to be home with his family getting medical attention. All I can pray for is God's will to be done or maybe for the courts to stay open later in the day so more cases can be processed in a shorter time :).
Kelly
Monday, July 14, 2008
Health and Food Crisis in Ethiopia
Things seem to be getting worse. WHO is reporting that there is a major health and food crisis going on right now in Ethiopia. Many countries have been hard hit by increasing food prices. Add the AIDS epidemic is killing off all the adults, and Ethiopia does not stand a chance. We complain so much in this country about our food prices or our fuel prices, but compared to the majority of the world, we live like royalty. We are so spoiled.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr22/en/index.html
I am amazed at the number of people who ask us how we can afford to raise so many kids. My kids do not need new clothes, they do not need expensive toys, they do not need trips to Disney. They need a family, they need love, education, medical attention. All of which would not have been available to them without adoption. 3 of my children would have died had they not been adopted, so we are really talking a matter of life or death. All of my kids have medical needs that would not have been treated in their native countries. But more importantly, all children deserve to be loved and wanted. My kids may not have everything a family of our same income with 1 or 2 children would have. But I believe that they have everything that is important.
Please pray for the people of Ethiopia, Cambodia and Haiti (the countries my children are from). They are starving.
Kelly
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr22/en/index.html
I am amazed at the number of people who ask us how we can afford to raise so many kids. My kids do not need new clothes, they do not need expensive toys, they do not need trips to Disney. They need a family, they need love, education, medical attention. All of which would not have been available to them without adoption. 3 of my children would have died had they not been adopted, so we are really talking a matter of life or death. All of my kids have medical needs that would not have been treated in their native countries. But more importantly, all children deserve to be loved and wanted. My kids may not have everything a family of our same income with 1 or 2 children would have. But I believe that they have everything that is important.
Please pray for the people of Ethiopia, Cambodia and Haiti (the countries my children are from). They are starving.
Kelly
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Dossier in Africa!!!!!!
Our dossier (adoption paperwork) is scheduled to be in Africa today!!!!!! Our African process has officially started. And even better, the agency is confident that our case will be submitted to court before the court closure for August and Sept! I thought for sure we would not make it. God is good!
Kelly
Kelly
Thursday, July 3, 2008
My new "neice"
I have a very close friend in Seattle. Until our recent move, she and I coraised our children. Her family is what we miss most about Seattle. I was lucky enough though to go up and take care of her kids while she gave birth to her newest daughter, Jasmin. Here is a picture of her cuteness. Jasmin could really use prayers as she has had a difficult time with her health. So far they cannot find the cause of her illness. Please join us in prayer for Jasmin.
LAGOON!!
My wonderful mother gave our family season passes to Lagoon! Everyone in the family loves it! Here are some cute pictures of one of our latest trips there.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Grim Statistics for Children
This information comes from Unicef:
Ethiopia counts one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children throughout the country are missing parents. This represents an estimated 4.6 million children – 800,000 of whom were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The country has seen a steady increase in the number of children becoming orphaned because of AIDS. In the past, famine, conflict and other diseases were the main factors that claimed the lives of parents
This is from The Body (awsome website with lots of information on HIV/AIDS):
By 2010, the percentage of AIDS orphans in Ethiopia will reach 43 percent -- or 2.2 million -- of all orphans in the country. "By 2010, 20 percent to 30 percent of all children under the age of 15 in 11 sub-Saharan African countries will have been orphaned even if new infections were to be prevented and some form of treatment could slow down the onset of AIDS in those living with HIV/AIDS," the study said. Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are other countries where AIDS orphans are expected to increase significantly. During a three-day national conference, it was indicated that most governmental agencies in Ethiopia have not been able to develop a strategy to implement the existing HIV/AIDS policy. A major reason given for this failure, according to the study, is that the policy does not give due attention to the problem of AIDS orphans.
Ethiopia counts one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children throughout the country are missing parents. This represents an estimated 4.6 million children – 800,000 of whom were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The country has seen a steady increase in the number of children becoming orphaned because of AIDS. In the past, famine, conflict and other diseases were the main factors that claimed the lives of parents
This is from The Body (awsome website with lots of information on HIV/AIDS):
By 2010, the percentage of AIDS orphans in Ethiopia will reach 43 percent -- or 2.2 million -- of all orphans in the country. "By 2010, 20 percent to 30 percent of all children under the age of 15 in 11 sub-Saharan African countries will have been orphaned even if new infections were to be prevented and some form of treatment could slow down the onset of AIDS in those living with HIV/AIDS," the study said. Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are other countries where AIDS orphans are expected to increase significantly. During a three-day national conference, it was indicated that most governmental agencies in Ethiopia have not been able to develop a strategy to implement the existing HIV/AIDS policy. A major reason given for this failure, according to the study, is that the policy does not give due attention to the problem of AIDS orphans.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Pictures are gone :(
I just found out that Teddy's native country does not allow us adoptive parents to show pictures of the kids on the internet until they are legally ours. So Teddy's pictures have to come down :(.
Kelly
Kelly
We're Officially Waiting!
We officially got the referral for Teddy today! For those who are not in the adoption world, it basically just means that he has been assigned to our family and we can start the adoption process for him. We also got his medical information, how he came to be an orphan, his measurements etc. Despite looking HUGE on the videos and pictures, our guy is little. He is <5% for weight. I guess he will fit right in with most of my kiddos. We'll just have to try and fatten him up when he gets home.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Another One?? How Teddy joined our hearts.
But I thought you were done? So did I!
For some time, whenever I had a quiet moment, I felt the whisperings of the spirit telling me I had another son. I actively ignored it as best as I could. Afterall, I was done. I had 6 amazing children, why rock the boat? After awhile I started feeling guilty. (Especially since all the children in our family started saying that Jesus was telling them we needed a little brother). I knew that I was purposefully trying to disobey God. So, in my silly mind I decided that I would make some small, token, ineffective effort to find this boy, and then I could say to the Lord, "Well I tried." Then I could happily move on with my life. I am here to tell you, never tempt the Lord!
I have always been drawn to Adoption Advocates program. And then one of my online friends, Erin, was hired on by them. I decided that IF I was to adopt again, that would be a great program. So I emailed Erin asking her to send me all of her boys ages 3 and under. I figured I would look them all over, not be drawn to any of them, and then I would happily go on as mother to 6. Erin emailed me back that she felt strongly that one particular little boy was supposed to be in our family and sent me his pictures. Darn it! Now I actually have to pray about this! I was afraid I knew the answer. I opened the link and there was adorable Teddy. But no lightening bolts.
That evening, Kevin and I were out for our weekly date. I brought the picture of Teddy to talk to him about it. Kevin insisted he could "not deal with this right now." Clarissa was going into a risky surgery in just a few days and it was all that he could handle. I thought, "Great! Let's not deal with this! Stalling works for me." At the completion of our dinner, the waiter brought us our fortune cookies. I, kidding, said "Ok, my fortune cookie will tell us whether or not to adopt Teddy." I opened the cookie and read, "You will have a surprise someone join your life." We burst out laughing. I am here to tell you, never tempt the Lord!
Over the next couple of days, I prayed often about Teddy. Each time I got the same soft peaceful feeling of yes. I did not have a vision (like Naomi and Emmanuel), a huge spiritual experience (like Clarissa), or an overpowering feeling of love and ownership (like Maya and Zachary). It was a quiet soft feeling. I went to Kevin to tell him that I had been praying about Teddy and what I had felt. He again responded, "I cannot deal with this right now." Which again, I was totally ok with.
Clarissa's surgery was difficult and did not go well. She ended up in the hospital for several days with pnumonia. I told the Lord, "I cannot deal with this right now" and put all thoughts of Teddy out of my mind.
After Clarissa recovered, we needed to make a decision about the next surgery. We were scared as to what we should do. Kevin and I decided to go to the temple about it. When we met up in the Celetial room Kevin declared that Teddy was our son. He went on to talk about what an amazing missionary he was going to be and that he would be the tool to bringing thousands to the gospel. Kevin practically glowed talking about him.
I truthfully, was still not too excited. Then Adoption Advocates sent us the videos of our son. Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!! I fell in love hard and fast. He is sooooooo much our son. What an amazing little boy. We started the process.
We are now very excited about adopting Teddy. We know that like all of our other children that it will be hard but that we will never regret it. I would not have designed my family the way it is had I been in control (thank goodness I am not in control) but I can't imagine my life without each one of my little angels! I am the luckiest mom on the earth!
Many teased me that if I bought a bigger van, God would fill it. I am here to tell you, never tempt the Lord!
For some time, whenever I had a quiet moment, I felt the whisperings of the spirit telling me I had another son. I actively ignored it as best as I could. Afterall, I was done. I had 6 amazing children, why rock the boat? After awhile I started feeling guilty. (Especially since all the children in our family started saying that Jesus was telling them we needed a little brother). I knew that I was purposefully trying to disobey God. So, in my silly mind I decided that I would make some small, token, ineffective effort to find this boy, and then I could say to the Lord, "Well I tried." Then I could happily move on with my life. I am here to tell you, never tempt the Lord!
I have always been drawn to Adoption Advocates program. And then one of my online friends, Erin, was hired on by them. I decided that IF I was to adopt again, that would be a great program. So I emailed Erin asking her to send me all of her boys ages 3 and under. I figured I would look them all over, not be drawn to any of them, and then I would happily go on as mother to 6. Erin emailed me back that she felt strongly that one particular little boy was supposed to be in our family and sent me his pictures. Darn it! Now I actually have to pray about this! I was afraid I knew the answer. I opened the link and there was adorable Teddy. But no lightening bolts.
That evening, Kevin and I were out for our weekly date. I brought the picture of Teddy to talk to him about it. Kevin insisted he could "not deal with this right now." Clarissa was going into a risky surgery in just a few days and it was all that he could handle. I thought, "Great! Let's not deal with this! Stalling works for me." At the completion of our dinner, the waiter brought us our fortune cookies. I, kidding, said "Ok, my fortune cookie will tell us whether or not to adopt Teddy." I opened the cookie and read, "You will have a surprise someone join your life." We burst out laughing. I am here to tell you, never tempt the Lord!
Over the next couple of days, I prayed often about Teddy. Each time I got the same soft peaceful feeling of yes. I did not have a vision (like Naomi and Emmanuel), a huge spiritual experience (like Clarissa), or an overpowering feeling of love and ownership (like Maya and Zachary). It was a quiet soft feeling. I went to Kevin to tell him that I had been praying about Teddy and what I had felt. He again responded, "I cannot deal with this right now." Which again, I was totally ok with.
Clarissa's surgery was difficult and did not go well. She ended up in the hospital for several days with pnumonia. I told the Lord, "I cannot deal with this right now" and put all thoughts of Teddy out of my mind.
After Clarissa recovered, we needed to make a decision about the next surgery. We were scared as to what we should do. Kevin and I decided to go to the temple about it. When we met up in the Celetial room Kevin declared that Teddy was our son. He went on to talk about what an amazing missionary he was going to be and that he would be the tool to bringing thousands to the gospel. Kevin practically glowed talking about him.
I truthfully, was still not too excited. Then Adoption Advocates sent us the videos of our son. Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!! I fell in love hard and fast. He is sooooooo much our son. What an amazing little boy. We started the process.
We are now very excited about adopting Teddy. We know that like all of our other children that it will be hard but that we will never regret it. I would not have designed my family the way it is had I been in control (thank goodness I am not in control) but I can't imagine my life without each one of my little angels! I am the luckiest mom on the earth!
Many teased me that if I bought a bigger van, God would fill it. I am here to tell you, never tempt the Lord!
Another Addition!
Yes it is true, despite my rantings that we were DONE adding children, the Lord has touched our hearts and we are bringing home another child. He simply does not care what my laundry room looks like ;). We would love to introduce to you Teddy from Africa.
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