We will miss you

Our 'lovely' sister

CHARITY ELIZABETH

So Charity is taking off in a couple of weeks.
Headed off to Rosedale Bible College again.
Why?
I don't know, it's not like we don't love her here.

But off she goes, so in her honor, I am posting my favorite photos of her taken over the last several years.

Enjoy with me the process of a cute little girl blossoming into a beautiful...*ahem*...sweet...ahh...lovable...eww...uhh...(thinking, thinking)...aha!...MEMORABLE woman.

Cute, no?



*Sigh*... growing soo fast


hitting those awkward teen years... cultivating her inner beauty


Always Usually with a smile upon her face


she and Faith, so close


Charity, life is going to be a little more boring, a lot less exciting with you gone.

We're gonna miss you!

AAAAAAHHhhhhhhhhhhhggggggggggg!!!!

So, the new court date isn't Jan. 1st, it's Jan. 21st.
An innocent typo from the agency, but disheartening news for us!
I suppose we will survive, one day will pass and then another, the days will melt into weeks and the weeks will blend into 6 and I'm sure it will go quicker than it feels like right now.
I just REALLY hope and PRAY that we do pass next time- I'm not sure how much more my poor heart can take!

Damian celebrated his 12th birthday last month.
12...where has time gone??

Unlike his brothers and dad, Damian is a night owl and will gladly stay up as long as I let him. He takes after me that way and it's kinda fun to finally have someone to share a bowl of popcorn with 11:30 at night.
Damian also has a thing for birds. We'll all be outside and I'll notice that he is standing perfectly still, listening, and then excitedly pointing out a parakeet, or hawk, or some other flying creature. I'm loving the innocence- it won't be too much longer before all that thrill will be coming from pointing out members of the opposite sex-yikes!-and I am in no hurry for him to grow up!

May God bless you and keep you,Damian, may you live your life fully for the One who created you. I am forever blessed to call you my son!

Disappointment

Well, we didn't make it.
I guess they are requesting more information from the orphanage where the boys are at.
This wasn't the best news to be hit with first thing in the morning, to say the least, but I am extremely grateful that we already have a new date assigned- Jan.1st.
And I'm grateful that this is a very busy time of year and therefore lots to keep me distracted with!
So we wait and pray some more and hopefully, hopefully Jan 1st will be our lucky day. I am so ready to hold those little ones in my arms!

Court Date

Two more days.
I have been trying to put it out of my mind and just focus on what's keeping me busy here, but of course I'm not having much success with that. Oh well, what happens, happens, and all the fretting in the world will not change a thing. I do know that God has planned my boys' lives from the very beginning and He's not about to abandon them now and so I (try to!) place all my fears and worries at His feet.
If you think of us please keep us in your prayers- the hard thing about not passing is that since the courts are so backed up it could easily be another 3 months before we bring them home.
I am so glad I didn't know when we first started our adoption process how long this was going to take- we've been at it for nearly 2 years now- and it is so exciting to finally see an end in sight.
I am really hoping that that end will be sooner rather then later!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2 months old!

Thankful

All strapped in and ready to head to grandpas!

Despite the forecast for rain, Thanksgiving day turned out to be beautiful and we were able to continue our tradition of eating outside.

The beautiful table, compliments of some hard-working sisters.
There are 9 siblings in my family and 22 grandchildren plus we usually have some guests.
It takes a lot of food for a crowd that big so we all contribute. This year I brought 2 pecan pies, a turkey that I had roasted all night, and gravy. I love doing the turkey that way- it always turns out so tender and it's so simple to do. Just smother it with herbs/spices, drizzle it with olive oil, and put it in the oven in a covered roaster at 275* right before you head for bed and it's done by noon the next day. It literally falls off the bones and is so good!
O.K... so my brother would argue that his fried turkeys are the best, but I think we ALL realize by now whose gets eaten the fastest.

The kids all had fun running around together. I wish I could say that I had joined them, seriously, I had every intention of doing just that, but instead I managed to get distracted by the pie table on the way out the door. Not so good for my plans to lose weight.

My turkey-frying brother and my dearest husband doing, uh, hmm...not sure, but I am confident it was something super important. You know, the same 'thing' that they were still working on when it was time to be doing all those dishes?
Oh, well, I suppose we shall all be grateful when that next nuclear attack is diverted or the millions of dollars are made, thanks to them.

Some super cute kiddos

Grandpa and Grandma and all the grandkids (until Dec. 12th anyway!)

So many, many things in my life to be thankful for!
My prayer is to never become complacent about any of them!

Waiting....

So our court date is now less than a month a way!
Six weeks seemed so long from the time that it was assigned, but I have a feeling it will be here before we know it. There is always the likelihood of not passing the first, second or even third time due to some document missing or a new guideline the Ethiopian government may instate without warning, so we will see if Dec. 12th is the magic date or not.

If we pass then we will most likely be traveling middle/end of Jan...wow, I have so much to do before then...things like getting bedrooms ready, organizing drawers, carseats and beds, clothes, lots of paperwork, Dr.'s appointments, vaccinations,and, oh yeah, taking care and homeschooling 7 kids while I'm at it. Losing 40 pounds of baby-weight would be great too.

It can feel a bit overwhelming at times, but somehow we get through each day and what doesn't get done today will get done tomorrow or maybe the next....and if it doesn't I suppose we will still survive.


In other news...the weather around here has been ABSOLUTELY gorgeous!
This is always the time of year we start to feel just a tiny bit smug living here...ah, you poor pitiful, pasty white, freezing people buried under mountains of snow...sigh....you do have my sympathies...

Lest we become too big-headed though, we have summer which, unfortunately, lasts just a little bit too long.

I'll leave you with some pictures of my beautiful babies enjoying their warm, wonderful, gorgeous, balmy environment ...oh, am I sounding smug again?...so sorry...totally unintentional....

My daughter proudly decorated this chair...see a future in interior/exterior design anyone?... on the other hand, maybe not...

We went to the zoo on Sun. to celebrate 'Uncle' David's birthday.
He has been a part of our family for 9 years now and we have been blessed by every one of them!

Mikayla

I know she's my seventh, but it still never ceases to amaze me at how fast they grow!

So, if not interior design, acting, maybe?

She totally needs some kissing!

That's Mikayla's oldest brother hiding behind her there...once a boy reaches his 9th birthday pictures are so not cool anymore...unless your wanting to show off how wide you can open your mouth, how well you can cross your eyes, how far your finger will fit up your nose...things along that line. He's 13.

Aha! Finally caught one! I'll take it, despite the fact that he's not exactly looking at the camera.

This one is only 5 years old so pictures are still lots of fun- and I am taking full advantage of it!

Doubly Blessed!!

We have some super exciting news around here!
We have accepted the referral for twin boys and have been assigned a Dec. 12th court date!
The boys are around 21/2 yrs old and are so adorable!
We are all very happy and cannot wait to bring them home!!

Mostly pictures

Mikayla all dressed up and ready for church.
Unfortunately, her mom didn't get her shoes finished in time, but a little scotch tape in a couple of strategic spots worked quite well.
As you can see her sister is very proud of her!

My girls

Smiles...every one earns her about a 100 kisses.

It was a totally gorgeous day outside today and although I am not quite sure how it happened, I somehow found myself out there snapping pictures instead of finishing up school.
The kids turned out to be unusually obliging subjects...hmmm...how do we count this as school time? Art, maybe?

I LOVE those chubby cheeks!

Damian has been sporting a cast the last couple of weeks due to him trying to show off his bicycle- kicking skills at soccer practice.

Hopefully he'll just stick to kicking soccer balls from now on.

Enjoying the sunshine!

Luca

A couple weeks ago Luca celebrated his 10th birthday.
We got together with family and friends at the park and were blessed with a beautiful evening.

Luca is such a blessing to our family.
He takes such good care of his younger brothers and sisters- I never worry when I know Luca is watching them- and his thoughtfulness and sensitivity for others is a joy to his mom and dad.
He also has a wacky and wildly imaginative sense of humor that, I must admit, never fails to entertain.
I am so glad that God created this wonderful, unique child and that I am lucky enough to be his mother! We love you Luca!

These two share the same birthday so it worked great to celebrate together.

A gorgeous dessert evening...

Friends

cousins