Christmas at our house

We had a GREAT Christmas this year. First of all Cameron and I were not sick as dogs with the stomach bug like we were last year... whew.. we were SO thankful for that!
We had a great time celebrating with both families. This was Piper's first year to really understand that she had presents. We had to wake her up about 8:45 so we could all open our presents. She was not very happy about us waking her.... until.... she saw the presents:)
Here are some pics of our day....


Andrew and Parker got Bibles this year. Andrew is so funny! He was giddy about it. He can read now and so this was a HUGE hit for him. He has read every chapter/verse commentary they've placed in Genesis so far. It's so sweet! Today I was trying to get he and Park to play quietly so I said, "Andrew go read one of your new chapter books".. he said, "but I just wanna read the Bible". hehe


Our family photo by the tree included everyone:)... even Buster. He was intrigued by the camera going off by itself he had to have a look at it so that's his fuzzy self you see on the right side by the picture:)

We are thrilled at the thought of how wonderful our next Christmas will be!!

** oh and might I add... I sewed Parker and Andrew's pajama pants:) They were a little jealous that Piper got all the new "sewn" clothes;) and by the way... here's her cute little Christmas dress I made.

Family Day

Yesterday we surprised the kids with a trip to Mid America Museum in Hot Springs. It was part of their Christmas:) They all had a BLAST! Here's a few pics of our day.. via my cell phone;)

Andrew said, "Dad isn't it funny how on the girl's bathroom signs they make girls only have one leg?!" hehehe

We have a BIG girl:)

We moved Piper to a big girl bed this week and she has done very well! A month ago we moved the boys to the playroom and decided to move Piper to their old room. So not only did she move to a big girl bed but she was also in a different room, which probably caused a little anxiety. She cried a couple of times the first night but since then, she really has done great! She stays in her bed talking to Lotso and her other friends:) until we go get her the next day.
We've also done away with diapers at nap and night time!!! YAY! She has been potty trained since 18-19 months but has still worn diapers at night and nap. She's done great with that.. no accidents... yet:) We are VERY thankful because we cloth diaper. Yesterday I washed my LAST load of diapers. We're not sure if we'll have to use them on Joleigh yet. I really bet she will be potty trained by the time we get her but you never know. There are two families taking pictures and one taking a video of our little Joleigh next week. I can't describe how excited we are about this!!! I canNOT wait to get more pictures of our sweet little one.

Worship

The last two mornings have been so drastically different! Yesterday morning I woke up early to go kiss my dad before he went in for a 5 bypass heart surgery. This morning I woke up with the knowledge he was off the ventilator and his fever was down! SUCH different emotions both mornings BUT the one thing that was constant was worship. I drove to the hospital yesterday morning praising my Father. The song Light up the Sky came on... light up the sky to show me you are with me... Tears flowed as the sun was coming up and my Father comforted me with a peace only He can give. This morning as I drove to work, I praised and worshipped Him again!! So even though there were so many uncertainties yesterday morning and so many reasons to be thankful this morning, He was the same. He worthy... WORTHY of ALL praise!

My dad is doing well tonight. He's been sitting up and talking today. His boss even stopped by tonight to let him know about his raise and Christmas bonus:) He still needs prayers for his recovery. I know he is in a lot of pain!

Family

Yesterday morning I was awakened by a call that no one wants to get. My mom called and said my dad was having a heart attack and was on his way to the hospital. It's been a VERY long two days. We found out there's massive blockage and he will go in for 4 -5 bypass heart surgery in the morning. It's strange b/c he's really a pretty good eater, not really overweight, 58 years old.. very unexpected.
The Lord has given me joy in this time of uncertainty though. I remember when my grandmother was dying in the hospital... oh how I loved that lady!!! She had 10 children so there were probably close to 20 people surrounding her bed into the wee morning hours waiting on her to meet Jesus. Parker was just a baby and I remember driving home early, early that morning thinking about what a blessing it was for her to have such a large family! What JOY we shared as we shared stories about her. Oh, I love those moments with family. God has given me that over the past two days. I've been with aunts, uncles, loved ones and just shared so many memories of their past. I remember thinking before that night with grandma that two children were plenty but when I left that hospital room... I knew He wasn't finished in our home. I hope 30-40 years from now if I'm in the hospital all of ours are gathered laughing, crying and loving each other.
I'm tired and don't really plan on resting anytime soon. Please be in prayer for my dad in the morning. The surgery begins @ 7:30 and he should be out by 11:00.

Doc visit

Joleigh isn't even here yet but we took "her" for her first doc appt today:). Our agency requires us to get all of her medical information looked at by a doctor and he said she looked perfect... on paper:). She did have a parasite and has been treated and he said she may require another round of treatment b/c a lot of kids do but other than that everything was great. We are "hoping" to get some pics taken of her by a family traveling there next week.. if we can get our notarized permission letter to them by Monday... cross your fingers:)
I LOVE having her picture! It's my wallpaper on my phone and I look at it ALL the time! I just LOVE it! She's so pretty. I know the wait will be hard but I also know before we know it, she'll be here.
Here are a couple of pics of us seeing her picture for the first time. I didn't capture Piper seeing it for the first time b/c her first time to see her sister was a picture on my phone so I couldn't use my phone to take a pic;) BUT she was excited. We have a BIG picture hanging at her level on the fridge and she loves to look at it.

Indescribable JOY and pain!!

We got THE call!!! It was an amazing moment. I sat there and cried through most of it in disbelief at how perfect little Joleigh sounds for our family. She's 15 months old. Happy, healthy baby girl. She was terribly sick with a parasite but is now better. She's beautiful. Just Beautiful! I memorized every detail of her photo. I've been on cloud 9 all day... literally telling strangers about her and pulling out my phone to show them a pic.. I'm sure they thought I was crazy;).
BUT now... honestly... I'm so heartbroken! My heart aches, physically for a mom a world away who had to make the decision to give up this beautiful baby. She sacrificially chose to give her life! I honestly can't imagine the pain she is going through. I remember how much my heart hurt just to leave my babies in the church nursery when they would cry. I really can't wrap my mind around the pain. I have sat here and bawled and bawled for this lady who I don't know but yet am forever tied to. She's so much stronger and more selfless than I could ever be.
Would love to write more... but honestly I just don't have words to describe everything I feel right now. Please pray for a sweet, terribly needy family in Ethiopia tonight. Pray for a little girl in a crib missing her mommy. Pray that God prepares our hearts to help heal hers.

Final push ...

When we began can collecting people thought I was NUTS! Okay... so maybe I am a little nuts but no one really thought we'd make much money with it. It didn't help that aluminum has been terribly low over the past year but even with low prices our can collecting has been SO successful. We've raised almost $2200 in just one year! The most amazing thing is we've gained SO many supporters for our adoption through this collecting. We have hundreds.. HUNDREDS of folks collecting cans for us! We are in awe at how these cans have invested people in our adoption process... so many people are longing for our Joleigh to be home!

We are wrapping up our collection efforts at the end of January. We are hoping to collect another $300 so our final total would be $2500!! Soooo.... we need you guys to help us finish strong. We NEED all your CANS! Tell your momma, your aunt, your cousins... everyone you know to drink, drink, drink and save, save, save! Thanks so much for supporting us!! You have no idea how much it has meant to us.

P.S. I'm hoping this is my last blog post until our referral:) THIS week... I can feel it... this WEEK!!!

You are the Highest Bidder!!!

I heart eBay! Always have... even when I bought that really cool phone and then the guy dropped off the face of the earth... with my phone:/ but Bank of America made it right and I didn't lose any money... LOVE eBay (and Bank of America;).
Our latest purchase is by far our biggest purchase. We are the PROUD owners of a NEW (to us) 2006 Nissan Quest.


It.Is.NICE! This is a much, much nicer vehicle than we've ever had. Low mileage, excellent condition, EVERY feature known to man at an EXCELLENT price (2 dvd players, heated seats, back up camera, sun roof, 4 moon roofs, GROCERY hooks!!, automatic doors, etc). The people we bought it from could NOT be any nicer. I felt like we were old friends by the time we finished the transaction. We met the sweetest old man who bid on shipping it from Alabama.

I am VERY excited about the mini van BUT nothing compares to the excitement of the boys. Andrew has talked about that mini van for DAYS!! His teacher even told me on FB that Andrew was pretty excited and had told her about it. THEY love it! We look forward to MANY, many family trips in our new van.

Oh AND I told Cameron there is plenty of room for at least ONE more adoption;0)

Holiday pics....

I.LOVE.PICTURES! Luckily, the fam is always pretty kind to mommy and lets me take pictures pretty often. We need to get out and do some family photos for Christmas cards! This past weekend, we drove up to Branson to see the Lighting of the Christmas Tree @ Silver Dollar City. It was SO much fun! We've never been at Christmas time and couldn't pass it up since we have Silver Dollar City passes... which I think we'll do again next year (well Cam and I will get season passes and just use our bring a friends to bring the kiddos;). We LOVE that place and it's such a short fun trip for the whole fam.
Anyway, back to the pictures. Every year I buy a calendar with photos from the previous year. The kids absolutely LOVE these calendars. I started this when Andrew was a baby so we have the last 7 years documented on the sweetest calendars. I always buy them at Shutterfly. AND anytime I do pics for people, I always recommend they use shutterfly... easy to use and great pics!
The past couple of years, I've also bought some cute photo desk calendars as presents off of shutterly. They are adorable and make the PERFECT gift for Grandma. I've always been able to find great deals on them. As a matter of fact, I've ordered one for a gift this year BUT don't tell.... shhhhh!
I've contemplated doing some photo books for the kids b/c I think they would LOVE to have their own. We have a couple that I got a super deal on and we look at them often.
Last but not least, I always buy our Christmas photo cards from Shutterfly. We need to hurry and take a pic so I can get them ready AND get my 50 free holiday photo cards for doing this post:)
Do you have any "photo" traditions like calendars, etc that you and your fam do?
This next sentence is for my brother in law...
Witch is you're favorit holiday greating card? ;0)

**Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly. Sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Hard to describe in words...

The waiting has been so hard the past couple of weeks. EVERY time my phone rings, I get knots in my stomach. Every time the office calls into my classroom, I get knots in my stomach. We know we're at the very top of the waiting list for a little girl and it's just so hard to wait any longer. I know His timing is perfect and we find peace in that but I so badly want to hold our little girl. I want to watch Piper fuss over her. I want to watch the boys stare in amazement at how sweet and cute she is. I want to watch her daddy melt with tears because she's HOME! I want to feed her, clothe her and watch her breathe. I want her to know she has a home forever... a constant, consistency, a haven. Joleigh, your absence is painful but your homecoming will be a picture of Heaven. We are longing for your arrival.

SO thankful God has called us to adoption but once you KNOW ... you can never not "know" again so it's hard. Joleigh will have a home but close to 150 million still do not. My heart longs for Joleigh but it literally aches for those children who are waiting for someone to answer that call.... for a family to say yes to being PRO-life in the truest sense.

Live Simply...

I am pretty confident we are at the top of the waiting list for a little girl from Ethiopia so we are on pins and needles around here waiting on THE CALL! We still have t-shirts to sell and would LOVE it if you'd consider purchasing one to help bring our little girl home. My friend Shanna (pictured below.. what a cute shirt model;) bought one, took a pic and posted it on facebook and has sold almost 15 shirts FOR US!!! Our friends Mark and Phoebe did the same a couple of months ago. We are humbled by those who've helped us. Please know asking for money has been SO very difficult.... which is the reason we've collected cans. Much easier to ask for trash, than money. Sad to say though isn't it?? I mean honestly how many of us throw away $15 a week or a month and have no idea where it went. We've love for you to use your $15 to make a huge difference in a little girls life. We currently have White, Red and Turquoise shirts available for $15(plus $2 shipping). We even have some kid's sizes in Red beginning @ size 6-8. Thanks to those of you who have already purchased a shirt... especially to those we have never met. God has used you all to encourage us and to help bring our little one home! If you are interested in purchasing a shirt send me and email and let me know what you'd like:)
wallace0302@windstream.net


AND if you're looking for a way to do some thoughtful Christmas shopping this year, head over to this blog and check out all the fams who are raising money for their adoptions. There are some PRETTY cool items that would make great gifts!

This and that..

Oh how I love being a mommy to these little boys!! Today was rock star day @ school. They are the cutest little Kindergardener and 1st grader I've ever seen:).

I am SO proud of myself because I am learning to sew!! I'm really just blindly walking myself through it but it's going pretty well. Unfortunately I never took a Home-Ec class in high school. All of my electives were with Agri:) So I can't sew but I can put together a lawn mower engine... okay Mr. Passmore may disagree with that;0) Maybe I should've taken a couple of Home-Ec classes and not taken Beef and Swine but Oh what fun we had castrating pigs. Seriously though some of my fondest high school memories are all of my years in FFA. LOVED it. For years though I've wanted to learn to sew. When Andrea called all gals to help sew cloth pads for some girls in Ethiopia, I thought THIS.IS.IT!! After successfully making some pads, I went and picked out a pattern and some material and WHALA here's the final product. I definitely made some mistakes and it's not exactly like I wanted but I am very pleased with my first attempt at sewing:) I did have a sweet friend ask "how do you do it all?" to which I chuckled!! So just to clear up any misconceptions.... while I was working on my project Cameron said, "you need to get up and clean something" :) hehe. I should've told him... "hey I took all FFA classes, not homemaking classes":) SO just so you know I'm pretty much a horrible housekeeper. I mean it's not terribly dirty but it's not ever really clean;0)


And I leave you with Andrew's adorable artwork. He read Flat Stanley last weekend and drew a pic from the front cover. SO cute. He didn't trace at all. I was so impressed! AND I just LOVE his little tree. Isn't this cute??!

Could this be our last number on the list??

We are now number NINE! SO very exciting. I know there are many ahead of us who are requesting siblings so I know we're really towards the top of the list for a little girl. IF there are several referrals at once, like usual, it's possible our referral will be with the next group. That. Is. SO. Exciting! I cannot even imagine what that phone call will be like but we are so ready for it.



In other Wallace news... we have a READER! Andrew is in the 1st grade this year and has just read his first Chapter book. It was SO adorable. He stayed up late reading Friday evening and woke up at 5:45 Saturday morning and came to our bed and said, "mommy, can I finish reading my book?" :) so cute. He finished another chapter book today. He's reading so very well. Parker is doing fantastic, too. Both of their teachers had nothing but great things to say about each of them. We are very proud of them both!!

Our life through pictures..

I thought I'd upload a few pics I've taken lately of the littles. The boys are playing Fall soccer and we LOVE it! The weather is SO much nicer than the Spring season. The boys are in different divisions b/c of their ages so it can be pretty crazy on Saturday mornings. Most of their games are at the same time so I'm back and forth between the two fields AND trying to watch Sassy-Fras while she plays on the playground. It's been a lot of fun and the boys really enjoy it.




Parker's kindergarten class went on their first field trip. They went to the pumpkin patch. Cameron went with them and I came over during my prep period and lunch. It was sweet to see him interact with his peers. He is a sweet, SWEET little boy and we are blessed to have him as part of our family.


Isn't this a cute pic of Sassy and her daddy? She LOVES her daddy! Piper is SO much fun. She sings constantly! She is currently stuck on Cedarmount kids "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart". We listen to it over and Over and OVER again:). Tonight Andrew was taking his shirt off and Piper said, "no don't take you shirt off... I don't want to see you belly button". HA! Andrew and I just laughed and laughed!

A girl thing...

I know, I know... I hardly ever blog anymore. I want to. I have things to blog about BUT just no time to follow through with it. I mean seriously I'm running a t-shirt business;), I'm killing it in the classroom teaching some Geometry;), I'm loving on sweet littles and my best friend, and just never find time to sit down long enough to blog. BUT I have found time to learn to sew:) I'm SO excited about this b/c I've wanted to sew for so long. Well, my friend Andrea has summoned all gals to help sew some cloth pads for some girls in Ethiopia. You see girls in Ethiopia have to drop out of school when they begin their period b/c they have no way to stay clean. Well, this past week some teachers and I (and a couple of high schoolers) had a pad party. We got a little accomplished but mainly we figured out what type of pads we didn't want to make. This weekend I came home and found a GREAT AIO (All in one) pattern that is really easy to do. I've NEVER really sewn and for sure I've never pieced together a pattern so this was new stuff for me and I am SO proud!! We'd love some help! We're trying to put together 10 pads per girl. Would you be willing to sew some pads for us? If you feel you can't really sew... would you be willing to cut some patterns for us? That would be GREAT help. If not, would you be willing to get some fabric for us? We're using 100% cotton (colorful material) for the outer layer and flannel for the inner layer.





I also have been a little busy painting a cute picture for my cousin's birthday. Isn't it fun?? I'm going to make one for our house, too!

Almost in our TWEENS:)

We received an EMAIL yesterday from our agency letting us know we are now number FOURTEEN! We've never received a personal email stating our status before. We've just kept up by knowing how many referrals there are so that they personally contacted us to let us know is EXCITING! To be honest... I was a little sick at my stomach yesterday! All the unknowns are just so emotionally overwhelming. I'm not fearful or worried about the unknowns but just very excited and .... well.. not sure there are words to describe the feeling. We will get to see our baby girl for the first time. We'll know how old she is. We'll know her history... that may be the most overwhelming part of the whole thing. I'm not sure how I'll feel about or deal with her history. She may have parents that literally cannot provide for her and OHHHHhhhh what an honor it would be to take care of their/our little girl because they cannot but my heart will grieve with them because they canNOT. The wait has been hard but I have a feeling knowing the unknowns and coming to terms with them and trusting Him with them will not always be a cakewalk. BUT oh how honored we are that He is letting us follow Him into the homes of the broken.. into the world. Thank YOU Lord for opening our eyes to the needs of Your children. Help us to constantly be on the look out for ways to serve Yours while we're here. Not to us but to Your name be the GLORY!

Sweet 16!

There were 3 referrals this week so we are now #16 on the waiting list! SO very exciting. I know for a fact there are four families ahead of us wanting sibling groups and I'm assuming there are a few that want boys. SO really it could be anytime! I'm hoping, hoping, HOPING it's this month or at least November but we'll see. Who knows... we may spend Christmas in Ethiopia this year??

I just had to get some pics of us at number 16:) so before church we ran out to the back yard and snapped a few.



If you are interested in buying a shirt... shoot me an email @ wallace0302@windstream.net
We are currently out of turquoise but have some more ordered. THANKS for supporting us and just for being an encouragement to us through this journey!

All I want for Christmas..

Just when I think Andrew can't get any cuter... he loses his two front teeth:)


He's loving the first grade and learning SO much! He just randomly picks up books and will read, read, read! I'm SO proud of him. Parker is doing FANTASTIC, too! He is constantly drawing and writing words to go with his drawings. It's adorable. Those two could sit for hours making little books! They are precious little boys who bring pure joy to our house!

They're here...

Our shirts are in:) They are $15.00 each (plus $2 shipping:). We're running really low on the turquoise already BUT the red and white are adorable, too! God has really blessed us in the sell of these t-shirts. If you don't know the story behind all the trouble we've been through buying these shirts... know that Satan was against it but God was for it:). We chose "Live simply so others can simply live" b/c it is something we have been learning over the past year or so. He has opened our eyes to His truth about how we should steward over what HE has entrusted us with.
If you are interested in purchasing one please email me @ wallace0302@windstream.net with your size and color. You can either pay through paypal or send us a check. I'll give you all info in my reply to your email.
We appreciate all of you who have helped us on our journey to our daughter! We are very grateful to each of you. We are getting closer and closer to her each day and God has been so faithful to continue to provide through friends like you!




Let me also add my friends are raising funds to help with their adoption over HERE. They are giving away an iPad tonight @ 8:00.... go buy a chance to win for $10:)

You could have...

Fundraising for our adoption has been totally different than I thought it would've been. The places I assumed would be great opportunities have not panned out like I thought they might. To be honest, the beginning of the journey was so very difficult. We knew that we were doing His will but were being met at every turn with obstacles trying to stop us. We began brainstorming other fundraising opportunities. Everyone thought I was nutso for collecting cans. Aluminum cans are at an all time low. I was hoping that within a years time we could maybe raise $1000. I knew that was pretty unrealistic but it was my goal. Hundreds and hundreds of collectors later and we've collected over $1700 in just 8 months. We have another $300 or so sitting on a trailer waiting to be cashed in.

We got word a few months after beginning the process that two trips would now be required. Our initial goal was to raise enough funds for our travel ($5000). We planned to use savings and continue to save for the rest of the expenses (approx $20,000). After finding out we would have to make two trips, we knew we were needing to come up with close to $10,000.
We've made about $500 through coffee sales and have so far broke even on t-shirt sales and if we sell all that we've ordered (144), we should make around $1000. We did great with a yard sale and made over $1500. So if you add up the coffee, cans ... the jewelry party and gold party, yard sale... we've raised a little over $4500. BUT that's only if you count all the ways we've tried to raise money. That does not include those of you who have felt led to join us in this journey. God has used a handful of people to sacrificially give. We have been given a little over $4000 from people who decided to use the resources they've been given to give to something so much bigger than themselves. He has placed people in our lives, some I've literally never met, to help write Joleigh's story. She will be loved, fed and held in our home but she has a place in the hearts of SO many. We thank you so much to those of you who could've used the money you gave us to take your family on vacation, to buy something really nice for yourself, to take your families out to dinner, etc. We thank you for storing up your treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19). You have no idea how much your giving has encouraged us. Our family is forever grateful and we cannot wait to share our Joleigh with you all. We are still saving away and picking up every aluminum can we see but we have no doubt He will provide.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" Jim Elliot

We are in our TEENS:)

We are now number NINETEEN on the waiting list. We are very excited to finally be in our teens. This adventure has literally been amazing. Gives me chills to think about how we've grown over the past year. I'm sure I've shared this before but Cameron and I definitely didn't have a goal of having a large family. You know the strange thing is we never really had that "perfect picture" of what our family was suppose to look like. I remember so well the weeks leading up to our decision to adopt. It was literally like I was hot or cold about the issue. There were days that I was literally scared to death pondering the "what ifs" and then there were days when God took a huge eraser and erased every what if and reminded me that NOTHING is bigger than He is and NOTHING brings more joy than following HIM. It's not like Cameron and I would have felt like horrible people had we said no to adoption. We could have lived our lives, things would've continued on the way they were. But it was as if God was asking us "Do you want to go on adventure with me? Do you trust me? Do you want to do more than care about my children?" I cannot imagine had we decided to stay the way we were. Literally, I can't imagine life before Joleigh and we don't even know her yet... but it's more than just Joleigh.. it's saying no to the fears of the world and saying YES to Him.

If you are contemplating adoption... let me warn you ... YOU WILL BE CHANGED! Get ready for the ride of your life!!

What you've all been waiting for....

Okay maybe it's just ME whose been waiting but don't you want to play a part in bringing Joleigh home? :) We are trying to finish up our fundraising with some t-shirt sells. Aren't they cute? My brother-in-law did an excellent job designing them.

We are ordering 3 different colors. Red, Torquoise, and White. They are $15 each with $2 shipping, for those that will need them shipped. If you're in the area, we'll deliver;0). We are also selling White Ringer Tees. These cost us $3 more, so they're $18. Know this about me I DETEST selling things. I could never be a salesman. I'm just too cheap and always feel like people aren't really getting the best bang for their buck. BUT I do feel different about these shirts. First off, most people who sell shirts for adoption fundraisers sell them for $20-$25 so I am trying to be frugal with your money but I also want YOU to have a hand in helping us bring Joleigh home. Today, I got an email from someone wanting some shirts. I haven't seen or spoken to these people in years. They knew me in elementary school and I had NO idea I was on their radar. They just simply sent an email saying, "we'll take two". I checked that email during my prep and literally cried and cried b/c of how GOOD HE has been to us! God has used people from all walks of our lives to help this little girl come home to us. Our hearts ache so badly for her to be here, to know she's safe, for her to know she's loved. Literally, physically I ache for her. So I'm asking you to purchase a some-what overpriced, CUTE t-shirt to help us get her home. We would LOVE for you to share this post with your friends and family.

What do you need to do in order to buy a shirt? I've placed a DONATE button on the top left side of our blog. You can pay either using paypal through that button OR send us a check. Please email your order to wallace0302@windstream.net. In your email include:
Color of shirt and Size of shirt. If we need to ship your shirt to you, include your mailing address. Please also include method of payment. If you are mailing check, I will email you back with our mailing address.
Available SIZES: Youth 6/8 and up and Adult Small - 3XL
Okay, I'm new at this so if I've missed anything of course feel free to email. We would also LOVE it if you would mention our shirts on your blog:) We tried to make the shirts not be totally specific to our adoption but just to the heart God has given us about how we are to use what He's blessed us with.

Here are some pics of the shirts. They are just the graphic pics. I'm hoping to have them in hand by Sept 20th. They will be shipped out as soon as we get them. I will also post more pics of what they look like when they arrive.

Feeling lucky??

We got the news today that we won 32" flat screen Sony HDTV from our local television station. We are of course OVER the moon:) So while I'm feeling LUCKY, I'm gonna head on over HERE to buy a couple of chances at a FREE iPad while I help bring home a baby girl from Ethiopia. Our friends are adopting and are trying to raise funds by raffling off an iPad.. you MUST go enter:) and help bring Nora home!!!

Perfect Weekend

We have had a wonderful Labor day weekend. We spent the day Saturday @ Silver Dollar City with family. The kids all had a blast riding rides with their cousins. It was a super fast trip to Branson but we had tons of fun.
This morning we went to Woolly Hollow and had a great day at one of our state parks. We all went on a hike and then played on the playground. Grandma then came and picked up Piper Jane while the rest of us went on a canoe ride. This was the first canoe ride our boys have been on and they loved it!


Andrew has lost 2 teeth in a week and another one is loose. I told him we're going to have to feed him baby food until he gets some new teeth:) Breaks my heart that I'll never again see that little boy with his baby teeth:( I want to freeze time so badly!!!