The Wee Boy and Sweet Pea had their well check up yesterday. Even though Wee Boy is 5 and Sweet Pea is 3 they are very "twinnish" (Just making up words here). I even had a lady ask me yesterday if they were twins.

We were put into the room decorated in all things space. They quickly began claiming and assigning each other planets..(I get the planet with rings and you get the big red planet..Do other children do this or is it just mine?).

I asked them if they would want to be astronauts when they grew up. Simultaneously, they answered Wee Boy-"No!" and Sweet Pea "Yes!". Wee Boy looked at Sweet Pea and said, "No you don't. You. Could. Die!!" Sweet Pea looked at him and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "And??"

These two are like living with Ernie and Bert. They crack me up.

After the Dr. checked them out, we waited for the nurse to come and give them their vaccines. They each needed one shot.

They were coloring and Sweet Pea said, "I'm scared. I want my Daddy." before I could speak a word of comfort the Wee Boy said, "Daddy is not going to save you. You have to get your shot and you have to be brave." Sweet Pea incensed that he would think that she is not brave said, "I am brave..I was just scared of that noise..I heard something."

The nurse walked in at that moment and asked who should go first. I thought we should capitalize on Sweet Pea's feeling the bravery. She sat on the table and received her shot without a whimper or tear. The nurse and I just looked at each other.

Wee Boy declared he was brave too and did the same. Shot in the arm without a peep.

They were done. The nurse looked at me and laughed. She told me it wasn't usually that easy.

Wee Boy and Sweet Pea. They are so good for each other.

Please Pray!~

Can I ask you to pray today and tonight for these two cuties?


Grab This Button

This Mom Adeye is in the Ukraine right now and will have court. These precious little ones need so much to be in the care of their Mom.

Adeye has been blogging during her time in the Ukraine and it has been such an amazing journey. God is working. I know many of you probably are already blog readers of hers but if you aren't I promise you will be blessed and inspired to follow God's call on your life through her loving example.

Psalm 133:1~

Today we had several family members off in different directions. Our teens were off with their cousins. Jim and the three middle boys were off to a men's event at church.





He was so excited he was old enough to go this year. He came downstairs dressed and combed and asked, "Do I look o.k. Mama?" I told him how nice he looked. Jim and I did gently suggest that his flannel camo may be a tad warm being that it was 80 degrees outside, but he insisted he would be fine.





I love the relationship these three have.


Our 10 and 11 year old daughters wanted to make a fun day for the Littles. They planned water activities..It was so thoughtful of them. They are such a blessing to us all.



Filling up the kiddie pool..






The Little Fella and his water fun..






They had a hose ruuning off the slide like a water park..






This is always fun too..







Making the zip line a little more exciting..






Water jump rope..




Baking a cake..





I think the Littles felt very loved and very blessed...




I know I sure was blessed to see the way they love one another.

How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! Psalm 133:1 (The Message)

1Samuel 1:27~

Our Adoptions! JCSIS is asking adoptive families to Blog their adoptions (see post below this). Here are the pics of our boys we received while we were in process and recent pictures of them.










-Our Philip. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Home forever July 23, 2005
Sweet, funny, charming, fast as the wind.









~Our John-John. Born in Soddo, Ethiopia. Home forever July 23, 2005
Every pic we were sent of Johnny he looked so unbelievably sad. He is one of the happiest people I know. Johnny is sweet, loving, and loyal.









Our Noah~Noah was born in Nazret, Ethiopia. Home forever May 6, 2006. Noah is a funny, smart and extremely loving little boy.











Our Joel~ born in Accra, Ghana. Home forever January 8, 2008. Joel is an easy going and happy boy. He loves meat and his Mama. He is full of joy.












Our Eben-Born in Accra, Ghana. Home forever January 8, 2008. Eben is smart, compassionate, loving and a hard worker.

We are so blessed to have these boys in our family. They are gifts from God and we are so humbled that we have been given the chance to raise them.

For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him. 1Samuel 1:27~

Thursday April 15!

JCICS is calling for adoptive parents to "Blog your adoption" tomorrow...

This is from their site


We Are The Truth – an adoption blogger day: To ensure the world knows about every successful adoption, on Thursday, April 15, 2010 blog about your adoption or the adoption of someone you know. It doesn’t matter if your adoption is with Russia, domestic or otherwise international. Let the world know your truth!

Spread the word and tell everyone about your adoption :o)

Wordless Wednesday~

When you're in the middle of doing a hard task..




an encouraging word from your brother can make all of the difference....

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
I Thessalonians 5:11

More Wordless Wednesday at 5minutesfor MOM

Ecclesiastes 4:12~

International adoption is in the news again. I am sure most of you have read about this story. This on the heels of the death of Lydia Schatz (a little girl who died at the hands of her adoptive parents) is very distressing for us all. I am so thankful this mother did not harm this child physically, but still what was done to him is wrong and harmful.

****Edited to add-I have friends who have found themselves in the hard situation of having to disrupt their adoptions. This is not a judgment on disruption. There is a difference in making a plan for a child you are unable to parent and what happened in this situation.

We look to each other and ask how and why this could happen? What went so horribly wrong?

The adoption process is not an easy one. It takes a considerable investment of time, effort, emotion, and money. There are many hoops to jump through and many obstacles to overcome.

These parents wanted to parent these children. They actively sought them and I would hazard a guess... spent many days and nights dreaming of the day they would be home. How then could they have reached the point that they did?

I truly don't have an answer. As I went to sleep last night I was praying for the little boy who was sent back to Russia and the Holy Spirit prompted my heart to pray for the adoptive Mom too...honestly, at first I resisted. I didn't want to..but she needs prayer too. It is very hard for me not to be angry with her. I have many questions ..and I will leave it at that.. Much will be discussed about her and about this boy and about adoptive families.

Sadly, those in process to adopt from Russia (like those who were adopting from Liberia) will suffer. Doors will close. The process will become harder. Children without families will sit in orphanages.

What can we as an adoptive community do?

1. We can pray. We need to pray for children and families that God will surround them with wisdom and grace.

2. We must reach out to each other. Our children who come to us through adoption are many times children who have experienced great hurts and wounds. It can be different parenting them than our biological children. Please, don't misread what I am saying. I didn't say we love them any less or they are less than.. it is different parenting when children have been hurt. There are times when we have to dig deeper and longer into our spiritual and emotional reserves. It takes time to mesh into a family and to truly know one another and work together. It can take years.

This is where we adoptive parents need each other. We all need a "moving buddy" if you will. We are all on this journey together and there are going to be times when we are tired. We need someone who has been there or is there to talk to. We need someone to let us know we are moving in the right direction even when it feels like we are stuck. Or someone to tell us that it is o.k. to be stuck. We need someone to cheer the victories that others may not understand (I can remember when one of our sons came home he used to gorge on food or anything he could eat. It was such a happy day when I realized I could turn my back and he wouldn't be shoving Play-doh or dog biscuits in his mouth. It's not a victory most Moms in my Sunday School Class could relate to, but I was blessed with friends whose children had been there and who understood how great this was for him.)

As adoptive parents we have a great resource in each other. We can storm the gates of heaven together for our children and for each other. We can encourage and help one another. We may not all parent the same or follow the same parenting philosophy but that is o.k. God is leading us all to parent our children in their uniqueness and individuality. None of us are experts and none of us have all of the answers but we can give you a word of encouragement.

So please, if you are struggling and need a kind word or prayer reach out and let someone know. There are many wonderful families who would love to talk with and pray for you or who may need you to pray for them.

By yourself you're unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped. Ecclesiastes 4:12~ (The Message)


-Has everyone picked a moving buddy? Woody (from Toy Story)

Wordless Wednesday~

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26~


How great is our God~



More Wordless Wednesday at 5 minutes for Mom

Black, White, Tan...

The other day we were at the pool. The water was cc--oooldd- and Joel (like his Mama) is not a fan of the cold water so soon he was snuggled up with me in a towel trying to warm up. The other children find the fun of swimming to outweigh the chilliness of the water but I do have them come out for some warming when their teeth start chattering.

Joel asked me about the people laying out in the sun..

Joel: "Mama, are those people trying to get their Vitamin D from the sun?"

Me: Giggling.. "Well, maybe a little but really they are just trying to get tan."

Joel: "Tan?"

Me: "They want their skin darker.."

Joel: "Mama, you are not serious..Are you serious?"

Me: "Yes, I'm serious."

Joel: Pulls up the sleeve of my shirt to look at my farmer's tan.."You mean like this?" pointing to the darker shade of my skin..

Me: "Yes, like that.."

Joel: "You don't want to be darker..do you Mama?"

Me: "Well..yes I would like to be darker."

Joel: "Not me, I don't want to be darker I want to be lighter.."

Me: "Well, I want to be darker like you.."

Joel: "Well, I want to be lighter like you.."

We smile at each other..

Me: "Maybe we should both be thankful for the colors God made us.."

Joel: "Yes, we will be thankful because He knows best."


And her soul gives a smile
'Cause she understands
That love is black,white,tan
Yeah black,white,tan
Everyone is precious in the Father's sight
It don't matter red,or yellow,black or white
He just loves you 'cause he loves you
And I tell you this is true
You are not a color and the color is not you

Nicole C. Mullen~

A Happy Easter~

~Our Sweet Children (The look on the Wee Boy's face is so him!)



I love my boys!! The Little Fella is just too busy to look at the camera these days...





I love my Girls!!~




So blessed with my girl-not her choice of footwear :o( TKD injury




Love my hubby. He had to be at church at 7:00-12:30 and was so sweet to let me have a pic of him after church. He even kind of smiled, which he does all the time, but rarely in pictures..









A hunting we will go...






I know..it's cheating but I buy buckets for Easter...they need them for summer anyway right?







Does it make us rednecks if our "golden eggs" are camo?


I hope you all had a BLESSED Easter!!! Much LOVE~

Mark 16:5-7~

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " Mark 16:5-7~



Have a BLESSED Easter!~

One on One~

I think one of the most challenging things with older child adoption is that when your child comes home you don't really know them. When you parent a child from birth you know them so well. You can look at them or hear their voice and know what they are feeling or thinking.

When a child comes into your family at an older age this takes a little bit of time. In the early days I spent so much time and energy wondering if they were really o.k. I wondered what they thought and if they were happy or scared.

I have heard older child adoption likened to a dance. It really is. Sometimes you glide flawlessly across the floor and other times you inadvertently step on each other's toes. It takes time and grace to learn this dance.

The past two years have been such a blessing getting to know our Ghanaian sons. They are as different as day and night, yet each completely wonderful.

I never have to wonder with Joel if he needs some loving. He is always snuggled by my side and loves to talk and share with me. Eben is quieter about his needs., I have found that if I don't pay close attention I can easily miss it. Eben loves to do things with me. Those who visit with us know how he loves to work beside me in the kitchen. He is now a better cook than I am and 20 times more on the ball. Still it's our thing. I have found when we are cooking away he opens up and talks and asks me questions. It really is a precious time.

Today was a busy day for us and as I cooked breakfast and lunch while he was busy with school. He and our eldest son made dinner while I had some errands to complete before the weekend. By the time I made it into the kitchen dinner was almost done. I took one look at Eben and sensed something was wrong but he insisted he was "Fine."

Over the course of dinner he wondered several times how I was going to play basketball in a skirt.. I had to smile as we had played basketball last Friday night and obviously it was going to be a tradition. After dinner we had a group game of b-ball (I did change out of my skirt). It was fun. My team got beaten badly. Eben's team won..As we were cleaning up to head inside he made the off handed remark that "he was the best."

Well, that's all it took and the gauntlet was thrown. We spent the next hour in a fierce game of one on one. It had long grown dark and the score was tied when we decided we were sweaty enough and out of breath enough to call it even.

As we headed inside Eben said, "Mama, you know I was joking about being the best." I knew he was and he knew just how to get me for some "one on one" He had studied *me* well enough to know that I can't resist a challenge.






God has truly blessed our lives and family through all of our children.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10~

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10~

April Fool's Day Fun~

April Fool's Day~

How funny. This year my children were going to be prepared. They had me quite nervous last night as they went room to room plotting and giggling.

I was relieved to wake up unscathed..




Poor Wee Boy couldn't say the same. Apparently his sisters and brothers gave him a makeover overnight.





It wasn't long before this little guy kept showing up every time I turned around. I hate snakes. Real or fake they freak me out. I jumped and screamed *every time* much to the delight of the children.




Can you believe this cutie pie would do that to his Mama?

O.k. with my past record it's understandable..still I know I am going to find this snake in my bed tonight and it will still scare the bejeebeees out of me.




Tonight my eldest daughter and I (with our little helpers) whipped up some faux grilled cheese sandwiches (They are actually cake and icing...) while they kiddies were at TKD. The recipe is here


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They were a big hit and we totally fooled them. We used strawberry sauce as our tomato soup. It was a yummy treat.

Finally, we ended the night with our concordances and our Bibles. We took a journey through what the Word has to say about being a fool.

What a blessing to have a loving God who is yearning to impart wisdom to ALL. He is the ultimate giver. The giver of life, love, grace, hope, and wisdom. He is good!

And that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15~