Happy Halloween

Stopping by Grandmas

Hope everyone had a fun, safe time.

My little gifts from GOD :)

Hitting up the neighbors for the goods!

Creepy

So pretty

My little "Jasmine" girls

We had a nice time tonite. Peanut was quite scary which made him happy :) Boo was plain adorable with her little belly and her JOY for trick or treating..and Bug was a pretty Jasmine like girl, just like Boo. They girls wanted to match. I put a little bit of eye makeup on Bug...

Yes folks I was stunned. And Papi was a bit worried about the future with 2 (soon to be 3!) beautiful daughters... (GOD is good.)

Kiddos at Aunt Mem & Uncle Ry's

End of the night sillies...

Happiness

I won a blog award :) No it doesnt come with any fan fare but it does make me happy! My new blog friend Alex who I met due to our political differences gave it to me. I enjoy her and her hubbys view point on the election, even though they are very different from mine ;) Her husband is well versed in politics. Its nice to learn something new. She is a young mommy to a beautiful little boy, and we DO agree on how important the title of Mommy is to us :) I will pass this award on to 2 ladies.

Liz I met thru my adoption of Boo. We used the same wonderful agency and have little Guat tots almost the same age. She inspires me because she is a mommy to 3 sons, a beautiful daughter with Downs, a beautiful daughter adopted from Guatemala AND now a brand new mommy to a 3rd beautiful daughter they have just adopted who happens to have Downs also. AND she is pregnant ! She is truly blessed and her heart for adoption and children with Downs syndrome makes her inspiring to me :)

Next is someone I met thru an Ethiopian board and chatted with only once or twice but I learn SO MUCH from her posts. Valerie is also adopting from Ethiopia. She helps us all to understand how to care for our black children emotionally , and how to live a life "outside our safe zones" and become part of the black community to help raise our children to be who THEY are meant to be. She has insights that make me think. Always a good thing :)





Boo and I couldnt find this naughty kitty...

we found him snuggled up in Bug's bed!




This kitty is a food addict and not kind to small

animals if given the chance, but he is SO perfect

to cuddle with. He makes the kids very happy.





Boo showing off her stickers "Nannie" gave her.



No adoption movement yet :)

Guatemala foster system

I love the Country my daughter was born in. I LOVE the people and the children. Forgive me, but I don't trust the government and the people in power to put the children first. The way they have handled adoptions and respecting birth mothers and children has been awful. How about helping the mothers of these children to be able to KEEP their children. Putting them in foster care short term is not healing the wound. Click here to read the article in a Chicago paper.

All Boo, All day

My Pillow score. Pretty metallic satin :)

Boo's pumpkin

Boo cuddling w/kitty after nap

Cheeky baby !

Today was a treat for my older kiddos. Nana and Pa-pop took them for the day. Oh the fun they had! They went to visit Great Grandma and all her friends and went to dinner. They had a ball. I am blessed with wonderful in-laws who I love dearly.

~It was Mommy & Daddy and Boo all day. We went window shopping and did some home projects. It was weird not having my 2 noise makers around :)

~We went to my favorite home decor store Kirkland*, and scored some really awesome pillows. I love fancy pillows but will NOT pay the fancy price. $5.99 each. Score :)

~Chilly, chilly here! Fun to pull out the jackets and turn off the AC.

~No adoption news. A group is due to travel to Ethiopia in November , but many more are waiting. Prayers things get going a bit. Parents ache to hold their babies/children ! I have been there, it is HARD.

A chill

is in the air here this morning! It was about 60 early this morning. I know that isn't MUCH of a chill, but I'll take it ! Time to get some long sleeve shirts out for the kiddos.

I just remembered that I have to contact an International Pediatrician to review the new babies medical report when we receive our referral! How exciting is that?? It seemed SO far away when we received our paperwork..now the time is here!

Does anyone have any yummy breakfast recipes for the crock pot? I thought that would be a good time saver in the mornings, but have no idea what to put in there ;)

Counting down

Our number a few short weeks ago was still in the double digits~ I said when we reached 10 I would really start to get excited.

Then we quickly hit the single digits..

Today I found our we are even closer-

Can you believe it??

Yup. I am getting quite excited at the movement :) That and the cough medicine high...

Tagged !

Thanks Melissa and Erin for tagging me. Some blogland fun. Be prepared to learn riveting things about me.

Naa..not really. I am not that interesting ;)



1~I HATE sticky things. Hate them. All sticky things. Food, glue, icky things, sticky hands. I know being a mom, I am kinda screwed but my kids know not to touch Mommy with sticky hands. My kiddos just roll with it. They know life is easier if Mommy isnt gagging..



2~When I relax or am feeling really tired I cross my pinkey toes over my fourth toe. Sorta like you would cross your fingers. It relaxes me. I practiced it as a child, until I could do it without helping with my hands.



3~ LOVE LOVE my coffee. The smell of coffee brewing before I get up makes me HAPPY. Oh and I love to nap :) then have coffee ;) And I LOVE olives. (green)



4~ I am terrified of flying roaches. Terrified!! I will scream and run like a lunatic if one gets in the house. While trying to kill them, I have had them fly in a panic right into my hair! I seriously thought I would need to be talked down. (here in Florida we have many roaches so seeing a 2 incher outside your door at night is not odd)

5~ LOVE cold weather and being in nature. Love it. A chill in the air makes me smile. I love taking walks with my kids or playing at the park all bundled up. (I live in the wrong state)

6~I hate cigarettes. I hate the smell. And it gives me migraines. I have never even tried a cig. I dont get the attraction at all. But I did enjoy a good party in the day ;)


7~As a child we would regularly pull the car over if we saw an animal in trouble or about to cross the busy road. I did this regularly as an adult ...UNTIL I had my son. Then I was afraid to leave him in the car while outside of it, unless it was a safe area. I had to really think first...I coudnt drive by knowing an animal was about to be ROAD KILL if no one did anything to help. So I did . Helps me to sleep at night :) Oh and my sister and I are those people who give a dollar or a hamburger, to the guys holding the "will work for food" signs. I figure their lives must be pretty sad to have brought them to this spot. So if a dollar or a hamburger lets them know they have value with GOD, and humanity that is ok by me.



Are you still awake? heehee..



I am too sick tonite (coughing and sneezing like crazy) to tag 7 peeps and I think most people have been tagged so I will tag a couple. Feel free to join the tag fun if you havent been tagged :)

Rhonda

Melanie

Alex

Debbie

Confusing

I will say I think Mccain is probably just dead tired here. BUT....the way his "point" goes all haywire does remind me a bit of Pres. Bush..

ER trips & Rock the vote

Family voting day


Boo built this tower all by herself

Then it crashed, and she wasn't happy.


I just saw I was tagged by Erin. Thanks :) I will get to it soon.





In Florida early voting started yesterday Oct. 20. I think early voting is a wonderful gift. Life is crazy and having a couple weeks to get you tush down and vote is wonderful. We all went down today. The line was about 45 mins , not to bad and the kids were great. They all got their "I VOTED" stickers. GO VOTE early. Make sure your vote is counted !! Dont leave it to the last day, it is too important.





Sweet Abby is struggling again. She is back in the hospital with a high fever which is due to her Chemo. It really takes a toll on her little body. PLEASE pray for her body to be strong and fight the chemo side effects. Please pray she is well very soon. HUGS sweet baby.





We had our own ER visit Sunday morning. I know how lucky we are this will pass quickly. I ache for Michelle and Brent , Abbys parents. The pain of seeing your child glassy eyed and hooked up to things is awful. I cant imagine how hard this is for them. They have such faith in the Lord it is amazing. Everyone here is sick. My son, Bug and I are all on antibiotics. Some kind of chest thing for my son and I but Bug has a bacterial infection and vomited all day Saturday , thru the night and by Sunday was so weak she couldnt stand. Every little spoonful of liquid I gave her came up every 25 mins. It was awful. So off we went to the ER. This poor baby gets so sick. They quickly gave her 2 iv's and an anti-nausea medication and something for her fever. They also did an x-ray of her tummy since she was in so much pain. Thankfully no blockages but lots of inflammation. After several hours and lots of fluids we went home and she slept peacefully ALL day. Now Boo is coughing. Hoping she doesnt get the cootie too :)

"The kids matter"

This is just heartbreaking. I admit, I was choked up reading it. Here in Florida this could happen quickly..On Oprah today is a former VP of a school and a mom of 2 who got so busy being perfect at everything and there for everyone she forgot her tiny daughter.....

Click here to read the story.

Because 2 people fell in love

Then~

And one of them is a slacker this is a day late :)

21 years ago my best friend Kim, set me up with her boyfriends, co-worker. On October 16, 1987 my hubby and I had our first date. We went to a bon fire on a chilly night. I bought myself a new "Gap white hoodie" sweatshirt which I thought was pretty cozy for the occasion. With that and my BIG hair ,tons of hairspray ,I was stylin ;P It was a great night, under the stars cuddling by the fire. 21 years later we are still together. We celebrate our first date as our REAL anniversary , because to us that is when we each stole the others heart. I knew dating Michael meant forever. All our friends have been married and divorced some several times..we are still together 21 years later. Married for almost 14 (next month) Has it been easy? Heck no , it isn't always easy ;) But it has been worth it. 3 beautiful kids later and one on the way.... GOD has blessed us. I love you Pumpkin ...

Happy 21st Anniversary :)

Sweet deals & Sweet baby

Tri-chair

Rocking Horse

Rocking horse (has a shelf for dolls)

High chair

desk with a little shelf for books :)

My little Boo has learned a new phrase. When you ask her to stop doing something her reply with crossed arms and a stern look is "NO! NEBER!" (No , never!) TOOO FUNNY. The first time she did this we laughed so hard. Where do they learn this stuff??

I came across an awesome Mommy buying site awhile ago. Mamabargins :)They sell higher end items,and smart items at awesome savings! Like 50-80% off savings. Plus their customer service is AMAZING. We needed a new stroller and I dreamed of a Phil & Ted but even on Ebay it is almost $300...not happening. I started researching and fell in love with the Red Castle from Europe. It is the Mercedes of strollers :) It glides with a finger..has zippers to adjust the seat, comes with extra seat pads, the handle bar adjusts for height and comfort, and the stroller bar adjusts or comes off. The basket in huge and zip open on the sides to get your stuff! I LOVE IT. Anyhoo Mamabargins had it in Mocha so pretty, for $199 w/free shipping! I checked around and it retails for $600. It also is a jogging stroller if you lock the wheel. It even came with a sunshade and rain cover.

Our latest purchase was the Tri-Chair. This baby is the size of a resturant high chair BUT...it flips to turn into a rocking horse, and one more flip and it a desk. Stand it back up and it is a high chair! It is a heavy solid piece. Boo LOVES it. Even Bug was using it to do her schoolwork today. I love it so much, I ordered another one today. I know Boo and the new baby will both love them. I figure they will be great desks for schoolwork for the little ones for awhile. Hurry and check it out, they are the deal today! Oh, retail is like $160 and they are only $65 ! Sweet.

My 2 cents

Like it matters ;) I watched the debate with my hubby and my son. Overall I was impressed that Mccain was a bit more fired up. I think it was his best debate. Obama started out a bit slow but stayed cool under pressure and seemed calm.

That said,

It is a good idea to learn your opponent's plans when you are going to attack him in front of millions of viewers, Otherwise you ( John Mccain) wind up looking a bit stunned and a bit pi**ed off , when your opponent (Barack Obama) sets you straight: (talking about health care)
"Obama: I'm happy to talk to you, Joe, too, if you're out there. Here is your fine: Zero.

(who the heck is Joe the plumber? Is he related to Palins Joe six pack??Does he have plumbers crack?)

McCain interrupts: Zero?? (looking VERY confused)
Obama: Zero. You won't pay a fine because as I said in our last debate, and I'll repeat John, I exempt small businesses from the requirement for large businesses that can afford to provide health care to their employees who are not doing it. I exempt small businesses from having to pay ....'

He looked quite surprised and quite a bit ticked. I was a bit uncomfortable watching Mccain strain to smile. And his dislike for Obama was creepy.

I thought they both gave more details of their plans. But lets face it their plans are just that..plans on paper, so much will change. Barack Obama is still my choice. I respect Mccain as a man and an American but I dont think he is the man for President. Not now. And Palin as President? scary :)

Btw, I bought the coolest baby things and I will share tomorrow my goodies and my new favorite shopping site :) I am so excited!

What do you think?

This is how my Bug sleeps most nights. Yes that is a REAL cat wrapped around her little head.




I find this new ad for Volkswagen stupid and a bit offensive to people who HAVE struggled with infertility or ached to have a child. Those of us who have gone thru International adoption KNOW it is not a "flip" decision without emotional and financial struggles. I get that it is supposed to be funny but is it? Cyber adoptions? Seriously? What do you think?




Click here :)




I want to give a shout out to my sister. She read an ad on Craigs*ist , where a lady begged for food for her dogs. She didn't want to give them away but money & health issues were taking a toll. My sister contacted her, bought her a large bag of expensive food (dogs had allergies) and brought it to her. Did she run the risk of it being a scam? Yes. BUT....she did the Christian thing. She did the caring thing. Help thy neighbor. If the lady is a scammer that is HER problem. She did what she hopes someone would do for her if she needed it. Just care. We need more caring in this world. For children, for people, for animals. The lady was very thankful for the food. To my sister ~You rock and I am proud of you. :) Love you.

Abby needs us

Sweet Abby

This is beautiful Abby before the cancer took her silky baby hair.

This is Beautiful Abby now. All her hair is falling out, her little body is covered in sores from her Chemo and she vomits alot, which makes her very sad.

A couple of wonderful ladies have started a fund raiser to help sweet Abby be able to get an everyday hair piece she can wear with a hat and a beautiful wig that will look just like her real hair that is slipping away. This beautiful baby girl is having to deal with so many awful , terrible things that even as adults they would bring us to our knees. Can you donate to help this baby have her "pretty hair" back to bring a smile back to her sweet face? Any little bit can help :) Check out Angels blog for pictures of the wigs and the paypal button !! Thank you so much in advance for praying for Abby :)

My family, My joy

Family photo

(Boo closed her eyes!) Can anyone photo-shop to fix this?
I didnt plan it so we dont match , but next I will bring all white.

Mama and her babies

Trying to get a smile out of Boo


Papi and his babies :)





I miss the beach :)
We live right off the Gulf but it is NOT the same as the ocean. Not. At. All.


Bug is back to her old self, runnin, dancin and jumpin, and singin ! Notice I am not using my "G" just like Sarah Palin :)
Did you see how hateful some of her rallies have gotten? Regardless of which side you prefer, NO ONE should be screaming "kill him" . And she just smiles..not good. On that note I was very impressed that Sen. MCcain addressed a lady in the crowd today When she said she was scared of Obama he is an Arab. He stated that "Sen Obama was not an Arab and that he was a decent , good man who he just had differences with" He also told the crowd they have NO reason to fear Barack Obama if he becomes President. He was very firm and respectful. Nice change.

We have been bouncing some names around...by we, I mean my hubby, kendra and I :) I think I want something pretty that ends in an "a" kinda Italian or Spanish sounding. Of course we will not make a decision until we see what our new daughters name is. Any idea?

Sweet little Abby is going trick or treating! She has to be very careful but for a child even a little Halloween is cool!

I made my yummy Biscotti recipe today! I haven't made it in a while and everyone gobbled them up! Well now I have to make more ;)