Monday, March 30, 2009

"Jesus" Fixed My Van at the Grocery Store

I guess I asked for it...yesterday I was being smart while talking with our friend Mark about how our van was on it's last leg and we expected it to depart this world any time now. Truth is, we are praying it lasts until fall, but we haven't been so sure that would happen. It's 13 years old and has 140,000+ miles on it which doesn't give it the best odds, but I'm not really hoping to add a car payment back into my repertoire until after the adoption is done.

Anywho...after I picked the kids up from school we ran to the grocery to get fixins' for soup. You see my dear husband called this afternoon and begged me to make soup for him for supper tonight. Being the kind and obedient wife that I am, I rushed right out to oblige his request (wink, wink).

After getting the soup stuff and a few other things I proceeded to be checked out by a lady obviously preparing for the "Worlds Fastest Checker Outer" competition. Man, she flew. She whipped those yogurt containers over that scanner like she was throwing a fast pitch at the World Series.

I walked out to the parking lot with three children in tow, loaded my groceries, put the key in the ignition and turned it over only to hear nothing.

Dead. silence.

Gulp.

I called my soup lovin' hubby and told him of my predicament and he promptly came to my rescue. As you can imagine getting my battery jumped by a large orange potato chip delivery truck drew a wee bit of attention to the situation. No dice though, because the old van still would not turn over.

We were approached by a gentleman who shook soup boys hand, acted all chummy with him and offered to help. For the life of me I could not place this person and yet he had an air of familiarity about him. They figured out the connections on the battery were too corroded and after a short time the old girl fired up again. In the middle of it all Jeff said, "you know who that is don't you?" to which I replied, "no". He told me that it was his friend Ron from the play and that's when the lightbulb went on.

Every year Jeff is in a production of "The Last Supper" where he plays Thaddeus. The reason I didn't recognize the man helping us is because I had never seen him without his long brown hair, beard, white robe and sandles. I was grateful that "Jesus" showed up just in time to help!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Letting Myself Love Her

I hate to admit this, but I realized a few days ago that I have not been fully allowing myself to love our new daughter. I am happy and excited, but have continued to guard my heart. I've been telling myself it would be too painful to let her all the way in. I've let my past experience hinder my present joy, and it's just not right.

So I'm allowing myself to daydream about her. What it will be like to see her face in person, hold her, smell her and touch her hair. I've looked at little girls clothes and thought of how beautiful she would look. I've pictured her in her bedroom and what it will be like to tuck her in at night.

I'm letting her be my daughter and thanking God that He is allowing me to be her mother with my whole heart. The kind of mother she deserves.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - Under the Weather

Please pray for our sick little Mr. B.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, head on over to 5 Minutes for Moms

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

At a Loss for Words...The Paper Chase Just Isn't that Exciting

I've been trying to come up with something intriguing to write for a few days now, but I am at a loss. The truth is that the paper chase is just not that exciting!

We did get our updated homestudy in the mail on Saturday. This was such a crucial piece for us for several reasons. I can now send in our country change for our I-171H, which I am working on today. I also need it to send in as additional documentation for the grant we applied for through Shaohannah's Hope. We are praying that our application would be received with favor. Any financial boost would be a HUGE blessing for us.

So there you have it, B-O-R-I-N-G! We do get to talk to the Divine Miss M again later this week and there is nothing boring about that.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 28:7

Friday, March 20, 2009

Haircuts, Care Packages & Home Studies...Oh My!

Mr. B got his first official salon haircut this morning. In the past I've cut it with the clippers, but I like his hair long and didn't feel qualified to go at it with the scissors. She layered it up so it lays nicer and he got to keep his curls. He kept asking if she would spray him with the water and generally sat pretty good. Hooray!



After we got done at the salon we went to Target to put together a small care package to send to the Divine Miss M. I thought the bright colors in this dress would look great against her beautiful brown skin. I was most displeased that our Target did not have a single brown baby doll in the whole store. I ended up finding a Barbie, but had to buy a different dress to put on her so she wouldn't look so sleezy. We also got her a small photo album to put pictures of our family in, a box of fruit snacks and some little bracelets. There is another family traveling to Ghana in a couple of weeks and we will send this along for her. I can't wait to get pictures of her with a gift from us.

I also got word this morning that our updated homestudy was in the mail to us. That was just the news I wanted to get today. Now we can get our dossier going and send in our country change on the I-171H. Progress is good. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Where We Are At...

Waiting, of course. Oh the waiting. You'd think I would be a pro at this by now, but alas no.

We are currently waiting for our homestudy update to be completed. Even though ours was not expired we had to pay to have it updated to reflect we were adopting from Ghana instead of Haiti. I got the update paperwork in the mail a couple of weeks ago, got it filled out right away and returned it. I felt like I was on my deathbed when I filled everything out, but somehow managed to put pen to paper for this important task. I believe they are waiting for our county police and social service clearances to come back.

The dossier for Ghana is very simple so it won't take long at all to get everything gathered up for that. No translating. No authenticating. No legalizing. Simple. I love that.

We're really, really close to having all of the money we need for our agency fee. That is a huge praise! We don't have the final total from our Tastefully Simple fundraiser yet as online ordering will remain open for a couple more weeks. Once we get our updated homestudy back we will begin applying for grants to help cover the cost of our country fee of $5,700. We've already scheduled three brat fry fundraisers which will hopefully put a dent in those expenses as well.

I've also been spending some time trying to learn more about Ghanian culture. I came across an interesting article about funerals of the Ga tribe in Ghana. The article states they they "honor their dead with brightly colored coffins that celebrate the way they lived. The coffins are designed to represent an aspect of the dead person's life -- such as a car if they were a driver, a fish if their livelihood was the sea -- or a sewing machine for a seamstress. They might also symbolize a vice -- such as a bottle of beer or a cigarette."

So tell me...if you happened to die in Ghana...what sort of casket might they bury you in? I'm thinking a nice Diet Pepsi can might be good for me.

Like Spongebob? How about the pineapple casket.


The ultimate in luxury...the Mercedes casket.

Like to get your drink on? How about the beer bottle casket!

Another refreshing choice...the Coca-Cola casket.

Love the lake? The fish casket might be perfect for you.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Monday Randomness

It is completely beautiful outside here today...sunny & 55. We were outside for almost two hours this morning on a walk and playing at the park. Thank you Lord for this glimpse of spring!

~OOO~

We got to talk with the Divine Miss M yesterday morning. It is the third time we have talked with her. You can tell with each conversation she is getting more comfortable with us as she is talking more and more. She told us they went to a "fun fair" on Saturday where they had football, soccer & other games. She said she had a very fun time. We should get pictures from the outing any time now. When we told her we had to go so we could leave for church she asked if we would pray for her while we were there. It's such a blessing to feel more and more connected to her with every conversation.

~OOO~

I made the mistake of trying a tasty snack I saw on a cooking show last week. It was so simple and so good that I just have to share this concoction with you.

Croissant S'mores
Croissants
Hershey bars
Marshmallow cream

Cut croissants in half. Spread marshmallow cream on one side and put chocolate squares on top. Cover with other half of croissant. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in oven for 5 minutes at 350. Seriously, you'll never want to eat s'mores with graham crackers again.

Hope you are all having a good Monday. Blessings!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

A Simply Wonderful Day

Today was a great day! We held our Tastefully Simple fundraiser and had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with our friends & family enjoying delicious food. We'd like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who made purchases to help bring our daughter home.

Just a few moments ago I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I noticed an envelope on the kleenex box that simply said "For M". I was blown away when I opened it and found a very generous gift to help bring our girl home. I don't know who left it, but we are humbled and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It means more than you could know.

God is good!

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Trying to be a Ghana Mom

I've been feeling like a real poser. I'm a Ghana mom now. I should be connecting with other Ghana mom's. I should be learning about all the ins and outs of the Ghana process - soaking in every detail and learning about the Ghana O's.

The truth is that I still feel like a Haiti mom. I've got my Haiti keychain, Haiti bracelet, Haiti flag, and best of all my Haiti peeps. If someone wants to talk about third world countries I happily pipe up and talk about Haiti. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to learn about all the great things that different missions are doing in Haiti. I smile a little bigger when I read about the work being done at the Children of the Promise Formula Program, the Heartline Women's Program or the Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center.

I. am. passionate. about. Haiti.

I wonder sometimes why God would put such love in my heart for this place and then send me to adopt elsewhere. I guess it's just one of those things I may never understand on this side of Heaven.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Wacky Hair Day 2009

It's Spirit Week at Keaton's school and today is wacky hair day. I determined he would not make a very good child of color because he complained with every section and twist about the pain. He wanted to dye his hair blue, but I couldn't find anything that washed out and permanent wasn't an option. The week includes hat day, pajama day, wacky hair day, backwards day and orange/black day (school colors). I think he looks adorable!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Solo & Ensemble 2009

Yesterday was solo & ensemble for Delaney. We had to be at the school at 7:45 for her to warm up with the group. The first piece was called A-Rovin' (Sea Chanty) and was played with a flute choir.

She was scheduled to play her solo piece, Gypsy Voyage, at 11:32. We showed up early and since there was a lull at that time they asked if she wanted to go ahead and play. She was a little surprised, but agreed to play right away. The judge had very good comments about her performance.

We hung around after she was done and listened to some of the area musicians play including a jazz ensemble while we waited for the results. There were so many talented kids there.

Middle schoolers could receive a rating of 1, 2, or 3. Delaney received a 1 on both of her pieces. Way to go Delaney!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

A Heavenly Sound

Hearing our girls voice was so heavenly. We talked to her this morning on the computer. She could see us on the webcam, but we couldn't see her. She got so excited when our faces popped up. If Jeff would leave the view of the webcame she would get concerned and ask where daddy went.

She kept saying "I love you mummy & daddy" and told us she wanted to come home. She even sang a song for us and told us that she had been to school today. We are going to talk to her again on Saturday morning.

Today we are praising God for this precious girl and praying everything comes together soon. Every child deserves to be in a family and although we can't "save the world", we are thankful to be making a difference to at least one. God is good!

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Psalm 127:3

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Prayer Request: Operation Adoption Breakfast

Some time ago I asked our local American Legion if we could have a spaghetti supper there to raise funds for our adoption. We were quickly denied even though we did not request the checks to be made payable to us, but (at that time) to Three Angels which is a non-profit organization. Apparently if you need to raise money for baseball uniforms that is OK, but for an adoption - no way!

Almost two weeks ago I asked our local Eagle's Club if we could have a breakfast there as a fundraiser. I could sense he wasn't sure if they would say yes, but he asked me to put something in writing and get it to him.

I looked on the club's website and found they desire to "uphold and nourish the values of home, family and community that are so necessary and it seems so often get ignored and trampled in today's society." In the letter I let them know that the adoption of a child fits perfectly with their goal of upholding the values of home & family. I also told them the proceeds would not go to us, but to our agency which is also a non-profit.

They are supposed to be voting tonight as to whether or not they will allow us to participate in this program that they already have up & running. Please pray their hearts would be moved to allow this. I've been told that on average they raise about $1,500 at the breakfasts. This would be a huge help to us right now. Thanks for your prayers.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

No, Thank You!

Last week we sent pictures of our family to the Divine Miss M. A lady from the orphanage who showed them to her wrote this:
I told "M" about her new parents and family and showed her the pics. She kept saying, "thank you"!! She is thrilled.
It's such an exciting feeling to know that she knows. I believe we will be able to do a video call with her this week. I can't wait to hear her voice and see her facial expressions. These are exciting times!