Family 2013

Family 2013
Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Gustav...not good.


Oh boy. The hurricane GUSTAV is really really big. That means a lot rain and wind. And damage. Please pray for all the people and animals in the path of this awful storm. Here in Florida on the Gulf Coast , we have been lucky once again, but we truly ache for the people in the path of Gustav.

Friday, August 29, 2008

One person at a time~




My beautiful blue eyed babies :)



My beautiful black eyed baby :)




You know that guy in school who had an opionion & a smart comment for everything? The kid with the souped up car leaving everyone in black smoke? That kid would pass us , after we got off the school bus (yes I road the bus :( and peel out leaving us covered in dirt and dust, laughing his a** off. It ticks me off just remembering it...Well My dh's friend K, growing up, was THAT guy. Over the yrs he has mellowed. I dont mind him now ;) ANYWAY....in school he was always a bit rude and not tolerant of others. But he was actually really happy for us when we adopted Boo. Who knows if someone has really grown? Well he has. My husband saw K today for the first time in a year with his new girlfriend. A pretty girlfriend. A nice girlfriend. A black girlfriend :) I dont have to move to the city...The world is changing. One family at a time . My children will be ok. GOD is good.

Moved to tears


I have to tell you. I was a Barack Obama fan before. BUT now I am a huge fan. I rarely cry. Mr. Obama moved me to tears last night with his speech. I felt like we had a chance for things to finally start to get better. Now we are waiting for the "other shoe to drop" he gave clear plans, and ideas. He gets were we are coming from. He is NOT a rich politician. He is not a radical. He grew up in a white working class family ! Just like me ;) He cares for ALL Americans. America needs to embrace the dream. We need to take it back. We deserve better. Did you see Oprah was there??. She is intelligent. She cares for all people. It was amazing. If you didn't see his speech click here to read Oprah's take & watch it on MSN. Scroll down a bit on the Oprah page and you will see the link. I cant get the video to load, sorry..It was awesome. My neighbors who are older, say he reminds them of JFK and MLK and the dreams they had for our country..




:(



McCain is insulting. Votes with BUSH 90% of the time, has a millionaire wife, doesn't know how many houses he has, says Americans are a country of whiners, but he will provide change? Change is what I will be buying groceries with soon.. And his running mate? Wow. Women are so dumb we are going to fall for this? NOT. Didn't McCain's camp say the "VP" is just fluff anyway? I am not buying their fluff :( I WANT MY HARD WORK TO COUNT FOR SOMETHING. I WANT TO PLAN OUR FUTURE, NOT WATCH IT CRUMBLE.







Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Time for Change


My Bug & her "slug" she hatched from an egg

My little Chefs :) Boo says "Baby cook"
So ya know I had to let her help :)

Making yummy meatloaf !

With alittle "Cheese" ;) she is so cute.


Sorry for being quiet. Had my 4 days of migraines again and it wears me out :(


Not complaining, everyone has something to deal with and this is MY thing. No ..I am complaining it SUCKS ! LOL! ;P


Have you seen the new pics of sweet Abby? Click here She was home over the weekend and is feeling better. So great to see her smile :) She is back in for chemo today so please continue to pray for her and her family.

My friend J who has 7 kids and is pregnant with her 8th, is in the hospital with a bloodclot in her lung. She is stable but very worried, so if you can say a prayer for her that would be great. She is only 26 weeks along. They have her on heprin and antibiotics for a kidney infection.


Did you watch the Democratic Convention with Hillary Clinton? I think she is awesome. I loved seeing Bill Clinton cheering her on. I soooo wish she had won the nomination. Our Country was doing well when the Clinton's were in the White House.
BUT I do like Barack Obama too. And I have researched Joe Biden and I think I like him too. He has been there and done that and has come from the bottom to the top...I will be voting for them :) Biden has the experience and the guts to make tough calls that maybe Barack is still working on. I guess Obama has his short falls (don't they all? ) but lack of experience is NOT one of them. Lets face it, ALL politicians surround themselves with experts in all areas to make them look good, and keep them on their toes. Is anyone really READY to step right in and be President of the United States of America??? Barack Obama does not have scandals or share a party line with President Bush :) Ha! That is 2 points for him !! I think he will be a fresh change for our Country. John McCain is a War hero and has more experience in the Senate, the War hero I respect, but the Senator is the guy who cant remember HOW MANY HOUSES HE HAS??? Seriously? Sounds like more BS to me...I am ready for change. We are strapped to the limit here. I have seen so many people losing their jobs and houses. Usually the ONLY HOUSE they have. All our equity in our houses is GONE. Bush and the Republicans have taken away all our dreams & plans. I need some dreams again :)

(There are a lot of babies and orphans out there that need us !!!! :) My Mil is freakin right now HA!!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Crayons & Migraines..

My Girls :) They are best friends..







The lovely storm Fay has brought me 2 days of migraines. Weather changes can really mess with your head. We did actually see some sun today.






This is just kind of fun. I borrowed it from Kerri ~



I took it and this is my result. Yes folks. I am deep. Now you know ;)


My results~




You are most like:
You are Blue
You are cool and soothing, with a hidden spontaneous side. You are deeper than most people perceive, and you care a lot for those whom you surround yourself with.

Take this quiz:
Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?
Visit Toys For Your Blog.com for more blog quizzes






We played bubbles yesterday and the kids had fun blowing them with the large fan . Pretty smart no?



What do you guys think of Obamas VP pick? Surprised me..

Thursday, August 21, 2008

GOD's Beauty


I took this beautiful pic after a rain ban went thru

You can see how in just minutes the sky was
changing colors. Then the wind was really picking up.


Can you just see GOD all over this beauty? And
then in minutes this ~ eek...we headed in :)


We have just been trying to catch our breath the last few days. The weather has been nutty with Tropical Storm Fay so we have been staying close to home...right now the wind is gusting & I have a flashlight next to me! The storm has wind gusts of 40-60 mph ! It sounds scary at times...nature is amazing.GOD is amazing..it was windy but comfy all day but by 4pm it was getting very dark and windy and kinda scary. Still not too much rain though.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Fay Fun ~


I LOVE this child :)

Here in Florida the hurricane Fay, has put us in a holding pattern. The media scares you to death with the "worst case" scenarios , the flooding that COULD happen etc. I cant even watch the news, SO depressing all the time. We have been lucky, nothing but thick humid air and lots of clouds with a tiny amount of rain . Problem is it comes out of nowhere with the rain bans...So we have been having a birthday party for ladybugs and tea party's and lots of arts and crafts. And yes I watched the Olympic Women's Volleyball tonite !! USA won GOLD!
Having a birthday party for ladybugs.

Boo just being cheeky :)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The 2008 Olympics !!



I am so NOT into sports. No football , no baseball, no basketball (gasp). BUT give me the Olympics !!! I have loved watching them. Notice I am up at 12:45 am blogging LOL! I HAD to watch the Women's Gymnastics. I was SOOO happy to seeShawn Johnson win a GOLD :) That is one strong little girl! And Natsia? Amazing dedication.. Michael Phelps? Have you ever seen anyone like him ? Amazing. I respect their dedication and level of physical fitness. Makes me what to get up early before the kids and go for a nice long run.

Not~ Scared myself for a second there :)



PLEASE continue to pray for little ABBY. She is so sick right now. Her little body is reacting to the antibiotics and she is very uncomfortable. Please pray they can find the answers needed for her. Pray for her parents who are going thru so much right now.

Friday, August 15, 2008

The big Reveal~

Daddy and I arranged Bugs new bedroom furniture and put up all the sparkly butterflies and dragonflies (she LOVES all bugs) while the kids played outside in the hose...
I think she liked it :)



The butterflies are beautiful! I smile each time
I walk in there..it is so pretty.
Her new bedroom set was supposed to be white with pearl finish. I think it is more an antique white...I was disappointed a bit.
I am going to have my friend make some decorative pillows to match the bedspread to fill it in a bit.
The little lamp was on clearance for $10 I plan to hot glue little pink ladybugs to it.
Boo LOVES all the butterflies, she say "pink" then signs for "more" and says ME! heehee...Mama will be buying more butterflies ya know :)
Just so you don't think I neglect my sweet boy ;) It was raining and I couldn't find him, I looked out the window and the silly boy was hiding under the elephant ear plant ! This kid is a hoot :) Love him..


My goofball handsome boy :)

Thursday, August 14, 2008

My Proud Girl !


I walked out after Boo's bath to get her diaper cream
When I came back in I found her struggling to dress herself !


When I say struggling, I mean it :)


No Mama! She kept saying, so I let her do it..




TADA~!!!! She did it !! Minus the diaper ;)
Man I love my kids :) Go down to the next post
Abby NEEDS our Prayers..

Please PRAY for ABBY

Sweet Abby is having a hard couple of days. Please check out her family blog
here~ She has been admitted to the hospital with a high fever which is very dangerous to a chemo patient. Please send prayers and positive thoughts her way.

Monday, August 11, 2008

The Value of a GIRL


Have you seen the documentary clip about the one child policy in China? If you haven't click here ~ Notice the little baby girl at the end of her mothers bed, completely ignored. It is just heart breaking to me. I cant understand the coldness involved with not loving your baby girl, because she is a baby girl?! I know there is ALOT involved in the policy, but man the moms should at least be sad , after all they are GIRLS too. Children should be valued. BOYS and GIRLS. They are precious little beings to be loved and cared for not considered not worthy because of their sex :(


Here are my treasures :)

Friday, August 8, 2008

Baby Love & Puppy Love


This is a shout out to my sister. Her babies...Bailey & Rocky

I think many people start out lovin on their pups and kitties before moving on to babies & kids. I know I did. Then you start aching for the real thing....it is an ache that can consume you. You HURT for your baby. Whether you are pregnant or adopting...you want to HOLD and KISS your baby. Unless you have felt that yearning , ache in your heart you cant really understand it. I felt it like crazy before I became pregnant with my son. I wanted a baby for years before my hubby did. Then when we decided to adopt, I would have walked thru broken glass if it meant my little Boo would be in my arms sooner. She was so far away but she was MINE. I needed to feel her. I wanted to be the one who held her, and loved on her. She was in awesome arms with her wonderful Foster mom, but I wanted to be the one to snuggle her and care for her. Finally the day came that she was in my arms forever...12 months of a long hard journey. Once you hold your baby , you do forget the pain of the journey a bit, the joy really does replace it in your heart :) Please dont think I dont understand the ache and the hurt. I do. I think having been thru this before, I am better this time at guarding my heart during this journey. I just know there are things I can not control. And it sucks.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

We got our new number..

We received our monthly email from our agency today. Our new number for the waitlist is (drum roll please.....)





Yes that says 22. Again. Ethiopia courts are closed from August thru September so the paper work needed to process referrals of children can not be completed...so we wait :( I thought we might have moved a bit, but no. I really believe GOD has our baby picked out already and I have to be patient with his plan. And I think I am BUT a little progress would be nice ! Hey throw me something ! LOL, just kidding. It has been a rough week ;)

Prayers for baby Lidya and her family. She was in process of being adopted and sadly she passed away. She is home with GOD where she is healthy and happy. Our agency worked so hard to have her brought to the USA for treatment but time ran out.
Remember to pray for Abby :) this little sweetie needs our positive thoughts and prayers. She is only 3 and going thru SO much. Scroll down a bit for her moms blog.
Did you get your People magazine with the TWINS ON THE COVER ?? I am sick I know. I asked my hubby to pick one up and he DIDNT, so now I will have to go to Target and buy one myself. And several other things-yaknow that right ?!? LOVE Target.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Decorating, Remodeling,Catch up





I am so behind. Not just in blogging but in my life. I am overwhelmed lately. We have SO much on our plates for the next few months it is crazy. And honestly the "Florida Recession" has me a bit bummed and tight in the checkbook. I guess Florida is now officially in a recession. Duh. We could have told them that.










Confession. An orphange (in Ethiopia)that I contacted prior to signing with my agency, recently sent out emails that they have an unusual amount of orphan babies vs the normal older toddlers and children. The babies are ready to be matched with families and they could probably work with my agency (who I love). Hmmm. I am on the waitlist with my agency and looking at atleast December before we see our beautiful daughters little face. OR....I could make a few calls and emails and see if it is possible to be matched with a waiting baby from this orphanage. You would think I would jump at it right? Jump for joy that I dont have to wait until the first of NEXT Year to hold my daughter. Maybe I suck, but I didnt. I thought about it and I prayed on it. I think if we were supposed to jump ahead NOW and see our baby, if our baby was in THIS group, GOD would send me the joy and excitement that I should be feeling. Right now? I just feel overwhelmed. I cant imagine planning to go to bring home our baby when the courts open back up. I feel ok with watching GODs plan unfold. This is the right plan for us. I have to believe that.










We (my hubby, my mom, sister and I) are remodeling one of our rental houses for my mom to move into. HUGE job. Then we have to get her house ready to rent. We also are trying to keep up with the repairs here at home. We had a sinkhole last March and are still getting repairs done. AND I am finally re-decorating my Bugs room , complete with painting, new floors and furniture. It will be so pretty and simple. Bug gets overwhelmed with "stuff" so I am hoping this will be a plan for her :) Oh and school starts in September for us and I have to get all my homeschool plans ready and new curriculum ordered and set up.
Did I mention I am a little busy? :) I know anyone with kids is overwhelmed right now :)

I added the clouds instead of a chair rail


Bugs room, Lilac top, lavender btm, white clouds

A slug for Kendra :)

Friday, August 1, 2008

10 kids 1 tired Mommy


Boo is explaining to Lilly that it is HER cookie.

Seems the doggie understands :)

That describes my day yesterday and today. I have a head cold and I am watching my friends 7 children and my 3. That is 10 children under 9. Seriously ..I never thought I would have that many kids in my care at one time :) I do this quite a bit though, but not when I feel yucky :( They are good kids but 3 diapers to change, 2 bottles to make, and 10 kids to watch and listen to is...well busy :)



Abby is doing better !! Praise GOD. I copied this from her Moms blog " She has ZERO Leukemia cells in her bone marrow now, so the chemo is working properly. Her doctors are very optimistic that she will be in remission in 2 weeks. Her liver problems seem to have corrected as well and what we thought were going to be serious complications, appear to be less serious than they suspected. Her doctors are still waiting for results from one liver test, but we are very encouraged by the results that we already have.
Now the purpose of the chemo is to 1) find any Leukemia that is "hiding" elsewhere in her body, 2) keep the Leukemia from coming back (this will take 6 months), and 3) for 2.5 years of treatment (chemo), keep her "Leukemia-free". After decades of medical history, they know this is the optimal treatment time to achieve the 90% cure rate they now have for her type of Leukemia. "
How awesome is that ? Please continue to keep Abby in your thoughts and prayers. She has so much ahead of her she needs our support.
This is my sweetie Cookie. She has a hurt leg and is on pain meds right now :) How stinkin cute is she ?
Ya gotta wear shades ;P
"...Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know, and holds us responsible to ACT..." Proverbs 24:12

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -(Mahatma Gandhi)