road to home

WOW! and sou cow

2012-02-13T10:07:00.006-06:00

Some of you may know that we had a fundraiser this past weekend. We worked together with my parents to host a dinner and silent auction at their church in Cookeville. And when I say “we worked together”, I mean they worked their rears off and we did a few things. Seriously, they were awesome!

Let me start with Saturday morning, the morning of our event. We woke up to snow falling, a dusting covering the ground, and some slick spots on the roads. Now, it was not much snow, but for Tennessee, it was enough to make me wonder if people might just stay in that night.

Then we got a phone call…the couple who was supposed to be our entertainment for the evening, the couple who so many were excited about seeing, had 3 inches of snow in their driveway. They live 4 hours east of Cookeville and could not make the drive. So within 1 hour of waking up, we were feeling discouraged and defeated.

But God…

My parents called their pastor and asked if he might have any suggestions. His words were “do not worry about it; I will take care of it”. We called him at 8:30am and he managed to have something put together (including music) by that evening. We (my mom and me) were both crying. One, because after you plan for so long, it stinks to have something fall through last minute. We place NO blame whatsoever on the couple who were going to provide the entertainment. They stayed right where the needed to be. But it was hard to hear that news. And two, because they have a really awesome pastor who had just told us not to worry about it. This is a man who is preaching on Sunday morning and I am sure had much better things to do on Saturday. Complete coolness.

Oh, and the snow stopped about noon and the roads cleared soon after. Another praise.

Our event began at 5:30pm and it went GREAT! The decorations were wonderful, there were over 170 auction items, and Max (my parents’ pastor) was hilarious! I even met a couple who is thinking about adopting. I just love hearing about others who are considering this journey…so fun.

Now here is the reason part of the title is “WOW”…we had hopes to make around $2,000. That was our “pie in the sky” number. Do you know much God brought in?

$5,500!!!!

Can you believe it? God is SO good. I know I have said this over and over again here, but PLEASE do not let the cost of adoption hold you back from it. If God has called you to it, HE will provide.

And now for the other part of the title, we got a cow. Well, actually my granddad got the cow, several cows to be exact. We took a little field trip to his farm to pick out the perfect cow. We made a very educated decision based on how quickly she came when called and how she ate. And now my Granddad is going to fatten her up so we can eat her (sorry PETA).

Here she is…

Her name is Chanel No.14. I would tell you the reason, but I am afraid you might not think it was as hysterical as we did, so I will just leave you to guess at how we arrived at that name :)

Bad mom? Cool mom? It could really go either way

2012-02-05T10:42:00.000-06:00

Every Sunday we meal plan for the week. We make our grocery list and Monday is grocery shopping day.

I am pretty driven by food, so when I wake up in the morning, one of the first things I think about is what I get to eat that day. Well, when I got to dinner for an evening last week, I could not figure out what we had planned. Turns out, I had somehow missed a night.

So I did the only logical thing to do. I made popcorn and chocolate smoothies and let the kids eat on the couch while watching a movie. I like to think it was because I am super cool and laid back and that’s just the stuff we do. But in reality, we had nothing to feed the kids and popcorn was our best option. And in my opinion, what better thing to do while eating popcorn, then watch a movie?

Cookeville – you don’t want to miss this!

2012-02-01T14:32:00.003-06:00

We are gearing up for our (hopefully:)) LAST fundraiser! Fundraising has taught me numerous things, but it has mostly taught me to humble myself and ask others for help. Fundraising is NOT easy and it has taken many friends, family, and strangers to help us in our efforts.

The cost of adoption is a major hurdle for almost everyone who is called to adopt. It can be overwhelming to see the cost of an adoption and it is enough to turn some away.

But I know that God is bigger than any amount of money. He can and will provide. I have seen it over the last year as we have always had enough to cover our adoption expenses and I know I will continue to see it as more expenses become due.

Now for the fundraiser details…

We are having a dinner, silent auction, and “Love Story” at Cookeville United Methodist Church on February 11^th. The silent auction will open at 5:30pm, dinner will be served at 6:00pm, and Woody and Lucy Adams will tell their love story beginning at 7:00pm.
Tickets are $12 and can be purchased on the right sidebar of this blog or by calling 931-372-8828.

We have been overcome by the amount of love and support we have felt from the people in Cookeville. Silent auction donations have been POURING in and I am so excited to tell you about some of them here.

Gift certificates from:

32 Frozen Yogurt Lounge

Bellacino's

Blue Coast Burrito

Borden Jewelry

Char Restaurant

Chili's

Cracker Barrel

Crawdaddy's

El Tapatio

Fazoli's

IHOP

Jersey Mike's

Logan's

Mae Pearls'

Mamma Rosas

Marble Slab

McDonald's

Copy, Pack and Ship

Deuel's Photography

Kroger

Olan Mills

Olive Garden

Papa Murphy

Red Lobster

RSG Prom and Pageant

Ruby Tuesday

Shoneys

Southern Traditions

Sun Tan Village

Other donors/items donated

Oil changes

Artwork

Courageous DVD

Cumberland Pet Grooming items

Delmonico basket

Hay - 100 square bales

Golf outings from Cookeville Golf Club, Ironwood, and White Plains

JJ Jax bracelet and necklace

Lollipop Shoppe backpack and lunch box

Karate for Kids 6 week program

Matilda Jane bag

Millie Moo's Children's Store sleeper

Photography by Amy Callahan

Visa gift card - $30.00

and many more...

In addition to these wonderful donation items, we have several people working behind the scenes to make this event one to remember. My mom has friends who are working hard to make the evening elegant and inviting, Grade A Catering will be providing a delicious entrée, and the Adams have worked hard to provide us with wonderful entertainment.

We hope that you will join us for this enjoyable and memorable evening!

Are you afraid of the dark? Because I am.

2012-01-29T20:09:00.001-06:00

I am sort of a scaredy cat. Not so much during the day, but the second my head hits the pillow at night I immediately begin to think of the absolute worst thing that can happen to me and my family. Normally once Mark comes to bed, I am over it. And yes, we normally go to bed at different times. I like to be in bed earlier than most grandparents…I am talking 9:00 or 9:30 and Mark likes to wait until 10:00 or later.

Well this weekend Mark was out of town which sort of presented a problem. I realized shortly after he left that I have NEVER stayed at home by myself. Mark has only gone out of town a few times and I always go to my parents’ house. So needless to say, Saturday night was a little rough.

I have decided that I am a scaredy cat for the following reasons:

I am a sissy
I like to watch crime shows even though I know I will pay for it later. They are like train wrecks to me. I know I shouldn't watch them, but I can’t seem to turn the channel. I convince myself that it would be worse to turn it off than to not finish it.
Recently, someone randomly rang our doorbell at 12:15am and then walked away…freaky.
Did I mention that I am a sissy? Because I am.

It just so happens that we talked about fear today at church. It was said that when we fear earthly things, the focus is on us, not Christ. There were other convicting things said that I wish I could remember, but I can't because my brain is shut off for the day (It is already 8:00 in the pm you know).

I would love to say that after hearing this, I am good to go. But like all of us, I am a work in progress. It was a great reminder that I need to be more focused on Christ…and I should probably stop watching crime shows :)

my baby turned 2

2012-01-18T19:45:00.001-06:00

What? My baby turned 2? How do these things happen?

Noah is the MOST fun kiddo to have around. Everything is a party to him and he laughs ALL THE TIME! I really hope that he never loses his love for life because it is absolutely contagious!

(as I write this Mark is giving the kids baths and all I hear is Noah’s chuckle :))

Noah gives me a run for my money everyday, but I would not change it for the world. 95% of the words that come out of his mouth on any given day are truck, tractor, and choo choo.

LOVE THIS KID.

For his special day, I made him what I thought was his favorite meal, mac-n-cheese. The kid never eats, so who knows what he really likes.

Dinner time at the Elliott household normally goes something like this for Noah; we give him his food, he plays with it for a while, he pretends to eat it only to spit it back out, he proceeds to throw it, and then it ends up on the floor. We are working on it.

Nice Noah, nice.

He managed to eat only the icing on his cupcake, although this was to be expected.

I love the middle picture...we were singing him happy birthday and his patience level was wearing out.

Happy 2^nd Birthday Noah Bear!

Roller Coaster

2012-01-11T15:27:00.001-06:00

Has anyone ever told you that adoption causes you to go through a roller coaster of emotions? Well, if they have, they weren’t joking.

The part about adoption that causes me to be the craziest is the fact that I have ABSOLUTELY NO control. We are hoping and praying that we bring our child home this year, but we know there is a possibility we won’t. Heck, there is a chance Uganda will close tomorrow and then what?

Last year at this time, we started our adoption process. (Can you believe it has been one year?) I was SO ready to be on the wait list. I needed to have a number on a wait list and I needed to have a time frame. I was being very impatient and trying to control the timing of our family.

Sometimes I put these silly little timelines out there. I say “well I really would like to have all of our children by age 35”. WHAT? Who do I think I am?

We have these wonderful, sweet friends who are in their late 40’s. They just had a perfect, healthy, little girl and they are GLOWING. I know that does not work for everyone, but what would I miss if I said “no more” after 35?

I am thankful that God has given me a patience that I did not have before. I am enjoying being a family of 4. I still have the feeling that someone is missing from our family; that we are not complete. But I now trust more in God’s perfect timing.

I still get impatient. There are even moments of fleeting temptation to switch to a quicker option.

But there is one word that I have to keep coming back to, trust. God has been faithful and he will continue to be faithful. He has a plan for our family and I have to trust in Him.

Christmastime…Part II

2012-01-02T16:52:00.002-06:00

We just got back from Ohio where we visited with Mark’s side of the fam.

The kids got WAY spoiled

We went for our annual trip to the local indoor pool

My favorite 2 pictures!

Mark and I even had a little adult time (thanks Dick and Janet)

at the School House Winery...

on New Year's Eve. and yes that is a garage door behind us. that's just how we roll on NYE

Good times were had by all. The second one is for you Chad. I know you are proud :)

Happy New Year!!

“Road to Home” Adoption Event in Cookeville

2012-01-02T11:45:00.008-06:00

If you have not heard (or read), we are adopting from Uganda!!

In order to raise money for our adoption, we are hosting an adoption fundraiser in Cookeville at the First United Methodist Church.

There will be a delicious dinner, silent auction, and Lucy and Woody Adams will present “Our Love Story”. Visit www.52hymns.com to learn more about the Adams.

Details:

Held at Cookeville First United Methodist Church
Saturday, February 11^th from 5:30-8:30

The silent auction will begin at 5:30, dinner will be served at 6:00, and Lucy and Woody will present beginning at 7:00

Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased on the right side bar or by calling 931-372-8828
There will be tons of great silent auction items to bid on

For those of you who have not heard Woody and Lucy's story, it is truly inspirational and for those who have, it is well worth hearing again.

Email me at lindseychenelle@yahoo.com or call 931-372-8828 if you have additional questions.

We are SO excited about this event. Hope to see you there!

I love Christmastime.

2011-12-26T07:43:00.002-06:00

Here are our past few days in pictures…

First, celebrating Christmas at my parent’s house. Do you see the amount of matching clothing going on here? This was not even the full extent of it.
Oh, and I have to give acknowledgement for the "waiting for you sign" in the last picture. I meant to on a previous post and totally forgot. I cannot take credit for the sign, I kind of stole it from Pitter Patter Art. The author of that blog is much more crafty and creative than me and when I saw this idea I just loved it. I am REALLY hoping this is our last Christmas as a family of 4!

I really cannot get enough of this kid. Don’t you just want to squeeze him? I know I do.

The many faces of Taylor. She was SUPER excited. I like to think it was becasue we were celebrating Jesus' birthday, but we all know the truth. Girl was just excited about her new toys.

Noah went from this, to this in a matter of seconds. We decided he only likes his tractor when it's in the garage.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:6

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior!

birthday, Christmas Cookie decorations and dancing lights

2011-12-21T14:47:00.001-06:00

This past Monday, I turned to BIG 30. I thought it might bug me, but it did not really seem any different than 29.
I mainly just want to brag on Mark. Everyday, for 30 days before my birthday, I found a note. The note gave me clue as to where I would find the next note and a clue as to what he was going to give me for my birthday. On Monday, I found out he is taking me to the Biltmore. He’s a keeper, that’s for sure!

Last night was family Christmas cookie decorating night. Mark grew up decorating cookies so he was pretty excited and the kids got to eat them, so of course they were thrilled.

My sister-in-law and her sister don’t mess around when it comes time to cookie making. They EACH made 12 dozen cookies. You do the math, 24 dozen cookies to decorate and split among 3 families. Anyone need any cookies?

Somebody should teach this girl some manners...where is her Daddy?

First we let the kids decorate…

Then the adults had their turn…

I am not sure who made the bigger mess and whose cookies looked the best. I will let you be the judge.

And then we went to a house that has the Christmas lights set to music. It was AH-mazing!

Who made you?

2011-12-16T19:31:00.000-06:00

Is anything cuter than this?

I think not!

gingerbread man decorating

2011-12-15T16:07:00.001-06:00

Let me start by saying that I LOVE Trader Joes.
We found this little gingerbread kit there for about $3. There is no way I could have made the gingerbread man, the icing, and bought decorations for anywhere near $3. AND this little kit saved me the trouble of having to make anything.

In the last picture, Tay is actually talking to the talking to the gingerbread man, or as she so cleverly named him “cookie”.

Good times for a rainy Thursday afternoon.

layering and an update (although there is really not much to update you on)

2011-12-13T19:54:00.001-06:00

I think Tay has mastered the trend of layering. Let me tell you a little about what is going on here.

Everyday Tay has “quiet time” where she theoretically stays in her room for about an hour. We just gave her full reigns to her closet where all her shoes become cars and she dresses herself in random attire.

Today she came out with not one, not two, but three pairs of britches (as we here in the south like to call them). She also managed to put an additional shirt on. Not sure how it got on or how it came off.

Oh, and the big busted lip is from a collision with Noah. Or as Tay likes to tell the story, “Noah hit her with his dino”. Poor, poor girl. Always being bullied by her baby brother.

In adoption news, we are still waiting on a referral….and it will be like that for somewhere in the ballpark of 6 more months. Once we get our referral, it takes about 4 more months until we travel to Uganda. So if all goes as planned (HA, like anything ever goes as planned), we will hopefully be home with our baby by this time next year.

2nd Annual Neighborhood Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2011-12-04T18:28:00.002-06:00

Have I told you before how much we love our neighbors? Well, we REALLY love our neighbors. In fact, I have forbid any of them to ever leave the neighborhood unless we can all go together. I don’t think that is too much to ask…right?

Last night was our “2^nd Annual Neighborhood Ugly Christmas Sweater Party”. Thanks to Pinterest, we had some pretty rockin’ games to play. The highlight was Christmas Minute to Win It. My personal favorites were “Can-you-get-the-red-pompom-on-a-string-up-on-your-Vaseline-covered-nose-in-a-minute game?” and “Can-you-get-the-cookie-from-your-forehead-into-your-mouth-without-using-your-hands-in-a-minute game?”

Oh and all the pictures are blurry because I still don’t quite know how to use the camera at night or inside :)

The nut stacker game winner! Do you see the motivation on his face?

I don't have to tell you who won the red pom pom on your nose game. Do you see the amount of Vaseline on his nose? Amye, I know you are so proud!

I gave it a whirl too. I even pulled my hair back….that’s how serious it was.

The only one to get the cookie into his mouth with no hands. We were all pretty excited. It's the little things in life, you know?

And these guys just had some pretty awesome facial expressions so I thought I should probably share these too (you're welcome Matt and Amye)

It’s Santa…nope it's just Eddie with a phone. Isn’t it crazy how kids just know when someone breaks out a phone and then they all gravitate to it?

Not sure why Luke decided to put himself in timeout, but he did. And the kids played "Pin the nose on Rudolph"

One minute they are loving on each other and the next they are belly bumping. I know it is fuzzy, but if you look close you can see the look of anticipation on Ben’s face and that Tay is about to fall down from the belly bump. It was pretty awesome.

Now everyone has to practice up for next year because you know we are going to play some serious games! And I will also be nominating either Diane or Tiffany to take pictures :)

Fall Family Pictures 2011

2011-12-02T14:32:00.001-06:00

Our sweet and talented friend, Diane McDaniel, took our family pictures this fall.

Not that I am biased, but we probably have the cutest kids ever!

Did you know?

2011-12-01T14:49:00.007-06:00

Today is World AIDS day. I have been mulling over this post for a while, so I thought today might be the best day to post it.

When you hear the letters “HIV”, what emotions do you feel? Is it fear, worry, uncertainty, anxiety? Or is it hope, love, and passion?

Please know that this post is not meant to be judgmental. Only months ago, we fell into the category of uncertain and fearful.

But now we know. We have had the privilege of learning about the spread of HIV and we are no longer fearful. We are now passionate.

Here in the States, we have access to medication that can control the HIV virus. Antiviral medication can make the level of HIV in the blood UNDETECTIBLE! In addition to this, HIV is an extremely fragile virus. It dies almost instantly when exposed to air.

Mark and I have spoken with infectious disease doctors, HIV educators, and pharmacists specializing in HIV medication.

They all had different facts to share, but the consensus was the same. Once the level of HIV in the blood becomes undetectable, the risk of transmission by blood is so close to zero it cannot be measured. We were even told that we are more likely to have a fatal car accident, get struck by lightning, or hit by a meteor than contact HIV though blood to blood exposure!

Children with HIV often get overlooked when it comes to adoption. We should not fear that HIV will be spread in a family setting. The facts against it are there. We have to fear the psychological effects due to the stigma attached to HIV.

So, is it fair? What do you think?

hot chocolate? yes, please!

2011-11-30T17:32:00.001-06:00

Let’s be honest, this lady loves her some chocolate. I sort of have a weakness for it. Hence the reason we do not keep sweets around the house. I have no control…none!

For example, we bought chocolate chips last weekend to make chocolate chip pancakes (which were quite yummy). We still had some chocolate chips left, so I just had to make chocolate chip cookies. That was Monday. Here we are on Wednesday and all 2 dozen are GONE! It’s pathetic, I know. But in my defense, I had some helpers :)

This afternoon when I needed my chocolate fix, I decided to find a recipe for hot chocolate. I knew we would have the ingredients because we always have cocoa on hand. It was easy, semi-healthy, and yummy so I thought I should share.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
miniature marshmallows

Preparation:

Blend cocoa and sugar in a small bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat milk to scalding. Mix about 1/3 cup of the hot milk into the cocoa-sugar mixture, then pour cocoa mixture into hot milk in the saucepan; stir until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Serve with mini marshmallows. Serves 4.

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T15:54:00.001-06:00

We had big plans to go to a Christmas tree farm and do this…

FYI, that is not us. Although they are rockin’ some pretty awesome attire.

But it was rainy and cold, so we did this…don't you see the excitement on the kids faces?

Yep, that’s Lowes. I figure the kids don’t know the difference, at least this year. Besides, they had so much fun looking at all of the blow up lawn decorations. If it were up to Mark, we would have at least 3 of those in our 1/100th of an acre front yard.

Here is a fun tip I learned last year, instead of going around your Christmas tree with lights, go up and down in a zigzag pattern. It is easier, takes less time, and, in my opinion, looks much better.

And just in case we ever need a photo to embarrass Noah.

What? He wanted to dress up too. Note to self…must buy super hero costumes for Noah to play “dress up”.

Fundraising

2011-11-22T14:26:00.001-06:00

It seems that I am becoming somewhat of an expert on fundraising because it plays such a HUGE role in bringing our baby home. Mark and I are both ~~dorky~~ planners, so it was necessary for us to make an Excel spreadsheet outlining what we needed to save, what we needed to raise, and any ideas we had to cover the expenses. It was pretty intense…Mark loves him some Excel spreadsheets!

We have sold t-shirts, hosted a parent’s night out, had 2 garage sales, put on a benefit concert and silent auction, done a baby bottle fundraiser, and a friend had a jewelry fundraiser for us.

Each of these fundraisers was not possible without the help of lots of family and friends! We are always overwhelmed with gratitude from the support we receive. While we are so appreciative of all those who donate, there are a couple who have really stood out to us.

My parents teach a Sunday school class at their church. We did a baby bottle fundraiser with their class. Each couple received a baby bottle to fill with spare change over a few months time period. My parents brought back one of these bottles to us this past weekend. We are excited to get any bottles back, but this one was particularly special because of who had filled it up.

When the couple who had this bottle took it home their daughter, Lizzie, asked what it was for. They told her about us and our adoption and she responded that SHE wanted to use HER allowance money to fill it up. She is SIX!

When we announced that we were adopting, Kelly sent me a message that she wanted to help. Kelly was the coordinator of a mom’s group I used to be part of. As part of the group, we might have hung out 5 times…so we hardly know one another. Despite this, she has donated items for our yard sale, made tutus for our silent auction, and hosted a jewelry party where a percentage of the profits went towards our adoption.

If you have fundraised before, you know that it is HARD. If you are like me, it is difficult to humble yourself and ask others for help. Having people like Lizzie and Kelly, people we hardly know, come behind us and help us get closer to our baby has been absolutely amazing!

giving thanks

2011-11-20T13:50:00.002-06:00

My initial reason for this post was to share some wonderful news with you…yesterday we received a letter in the mail that made me so thankful.

As I opened the letter my heart skipped a beat wondering what it entailed. I read the words “we are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded an adoption assistance grant in the amount of $3,000”.

We received a $3,000 grant from Show Hope! Praise the Lord!

Today, our Pastor spoke on thankfulness. He asked us to think of events in our lives from the past year, first joyous occasions and then times of struggle. At that point, he asked us to give thanks for the times of struggle.

Ephesians 5:20, reads “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Fatherin the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
The words “always and for everything” struck me.

Yesterday, I had no problem praising God when we received the letter from Show Hope. I was joyful and words of thankfulness came easy. But for me to be thankful during trials is such a different story. Showing gratitude to God is the last thing I want to do when I am stressed or angry or sad. Nevertheless, isn’t that what God asks me to do?

Something I most definitely need to work on :)

wrapping it up…or at least trying to

2011-11-18T14:38:00.007-06:00

Remember that silent auction we had about one month ago to raise money for our adoption? Remember how many awesome items we had donated? Well, we still have a few items left and I want to give you the opportunity to bid on them.
Everything raised goes towards our adoption!

Here's how it works:

I am going to list the items, description, and value. There is NO minimum bid. Email me (lindseychenelle@yahoo.com) what you want to pay (keep it real though…like please don’t bid $1 on an item worth $150). If you are the only one to bid, then it is all yours.
Click on the item to go to the website.

Need to get your hair did?

Shine the Salon – haircut with Sarah Shepard – value $55

Salon Salon – men’s or women’s haircut – value $30

Classic Sports Barber Shop – $20 gift card

Fun times for you and the kids...it is getting cold outside.

A-Game Sportsplex– 5 laser tag passes and 5 ice skating passes – value $78

My Gym – Lifetime family membership and 1 month of classes - value $150

Goofballs – 12 admission and 12 attraction passes (I can split these up if you do not want them all) – value $10 per pass, $120 total

Mathnasium – assessment and 1 month of math education – value $285

Coco BonBons - $10 gift card

Getting fit...almost time for New Year's resolutions!!

Temple Fitness – 4 weeks of boot camp – value $209

Fleet Feet – product package including arm warmers, mug, and training program. Click here for more details on the training program, you can pick any…it sounds awesome! – value $150

Photography session (think Christmas cards) – value $250
Interior Design - value $150
Titans tickets - vs. Jacksonville Jaguars at LP filed, Saturday, Dec. 24th at noon - 2 tickets, Section 329, Row D, Seats 8 & 9 - value $120

Got questions? Want to bid? Email lindseychenelle@yahoo.com
Thanks y'all!

chocolate yuminess and hashimoto's

2011-11-16T15:22:00.001-06:00

So, here is the deal-i-yo…I have been CRAZY tired lately, like I cannot even make it through the day without wanting to take a serious nap. I also noticed a few unaccounted for pounds creep on and some major outbreaks of fever blisters (yuck!).

All of this combined made me decide that a trip to the doctor was in order. First, let me just say that I love our doctor. She is all about the natural way of doing things and then if that does not work, we talk about medication.

When I told her what was going on, we tested my thyroid and did a food allergy test. Turns out I have hashimoto's…basically, I have some inflammation going on in my thyroid. And most of the time, inflammation can be controlled by what we eat, hence the allergy test.

I got my allergy test back and I am sensitive to some random stuff; chicken, cantaloupe, potatoes, yeast, haddock, peanuts, and honey. Most have been easy to cut out, but yeast gives me a little trouble. Mainly because everything yummy has yeast in it. And since I eat yeast almost everyday for lunch in the form of a sandwich, I have had to find a new favorite lunch item, enter chocolate yumminess.

And because I love you all so much, I am sharing this recipe with you :) (thanks to Tracy Wells)

1 cup milk (I use almond)
1 banana
1 or 2 T almond butter
1 T cocoa powder
½ scoop chocolate greens powder (optional)
a bit of agave (you like that measurement?)
1 cup ice

Blend and enjoy :)

better later than never

2011-11-10T10:33:00.001-06:00

Me and the computer have not been friends lately. For some reason I have not been able to upload any pictures over the past 2 weeks. The longer it took to get the pictures off of the camera and on to the computer, the more I built them up in my head. You know how that goes.

Let the randomness begin…

Pumpkin painting and carving

Our neighborhood chili cook-off. I love these guys :)

I am a last minute Halloween shopper, so we took what we could find. Tay was a bee and Noah was Batman. And let me tell you, Noah was HILARIOIS! Anytime we put him down, he would just take off (surprise, surprise). The quote of the night was “there goes little Batman”.

Tay also wanted to be Batman

The first picture is our attempt at getting a cute picture of the kids. In the second, you will notice that Mark is a whoopie cushion. Thankfully (?) the couple who hosted the Halloween party had an extra costume...
Oh, and we found out that Noah loves golf carts :)

Wait list!!!

2011-11-02T15:08:00.001-05:00

Does this title sound a little familiar? But this is not the wait list for Ethiopia; this is the wait list for Uganda :)

If you remember here, I posted about the day we got on the wait list when we were in the Ethiopian program. And then here where I posted that we switched countries from Ethiopia to Uganda. When we switched, several of our documents had to be updated.

So here we are again, on the wait list, but this time for Uganda. And let me tell you, I have such a wonderful peace about Uganda. I am thankful that this is where we are and this is where we are going to stay.

Now on to update more paperwork…

pumpkins and port-a-potties

2011-10-20T20:43:00.003-05:00

We made our 2^nd annual trip to Walden Farms. It was fun to take pictures because we got several that were similar to last year for comparison purposes (see below :))

We also discovered that Taylor is deathly afraid to pee in a port-a-potty. Actually, she sort of has a fit in any bathroom that is not extremely clean or if we attempt to have her go outside. Not sure how to get past this one...today we had to put a diaper on her so she could pee.

This was the best family picture we got...ignore squinty eyes and the fact that no kids are looking at the camera.

too yummy not to share

2011-10-19T17:06:00.001-05:00

I am not a big fan of pumpkin, but Mark LOVES it. I made pumpkin pancakes for his birthday and needed to find something to do with the leftover pumpkin. Enter pumpkin cookies. Tay helped me make these and to my surprise, they were actually really yummy!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies (source)
Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

One Less Weekend

2011-10-17T19:41:00.011-05:00

Most of you know this past weekend was a pretty big one for us. We had a huge benefit concert and silent auction fundraiser for our adoption.

I also planned a little somethin’ somethin’ for Mark on the side. Mark turned the BIG 30 earlier this month, so on Friday we had a little surprise party for him. Nothing too big, his parents came in from Ohio and my family came over. I have a hard time keeping anything from him, so I was pretty impressed with myself for keeping this a secret for the past 5 months.

Tay sort of got in to one of the cookies...according to her "I just needed to taste it".

Before I give an overview of the concert…let me take you back. Over the past few weeks, Mark and I began to become discouraged about the benefit concert and silent auction. We kept talking to people who were not going to be able to make it the event. It felt like we were getting one blow after another. We both got to a pretty low place. But it took us getting there to remember the real reason we were putting on this benefit. It was not to fill up an auditorium or have an event that looked good. It was to raise money to bring our baby home and glorify God in the process. Once we came to a place where we remembered that, our expectations changed, and we were able to see all of the great things that God had already done to make this benefit a success.

The benefit was great! We don’t have the final numbers yet, but we raised around $6,000!!! Praise the Lord! We could not have pulled it off without the help and support from friends and family. We are SO appreciative of all who volunteered their time and energy to help us pull this off. We were overwhelmed with the support we felt. LOVE you guys!

The bands were amazing!

getting crazy in the kitchen

2011-10-12T19:50:00.001-05:00

Some of you may know that I have a slight OCD issue when it comes to cleanliness, especially in the kitchen.

A few weeks back, a friend posted some pictures of her boys painting in the kitchen. It was a MESS, but it looked like too much fun not to try.

So this morning, I broke out all the sheets I could find, covered the floor as best I could, and let the kids go crazy. Tay mostly painted herself and Noah mostly tried to eat the paint, but I am calling that a success! I might even try it again…

Switch Up

2011-10-12T15:50:00.001-05:00

Let me be honest…it has been a LONG couple of weeks. We have had so many ups and downs surrounding the benefit concert and silent auction. I never know what to expect.

As difficult as these past 2 weeks have been, they have gotten me to a place where I realize that I cannot be in control ALL the time. I have learned some hard lessons about putting my trust in God.

One of the artists scheduled to play for the benefit concert found out last minute that she is no longer able to be there. We were so disappointed.

BUT God is faithful and He has provided us with another artist to fill her spot and we are SO EXCITED. Her name is Jenna Davis and you can listen to her music here. I know you will love her!!

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Congratulations Britt and Forrest!

2011-10-04T07:44:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we went to my cousin’s wedding. It was at an old farm house and was absolutely beautiful.

I brought my camera in hopes of getting some super cute pictures of the kids. They were all dressed up and the little girl cousins were matching (thanks Grandmom :)). The farm house had such lovely places to capture some great pictures. But did I get any….of course not! As hard as I tried, my little subjects (all 5 and under) were just not cooperating. I wonder why? Don’t your little kids do super cute poses for the camera when you ask? Geesh!

Another giveaway!

2011-09-29T15:33:00.004-05:00

I think it is a good time to give away 2 more tickets to our benefit concert and silent auction...don't you think so?
And I might as well give away a couple of t-shirts as well. So if you can't come to the benefit, you can still play for the t-shirts.

This one is pretty easy. There are 2 ways to enter.

Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment that you did so. Or if you already follow my blog, you can leave a comment as well.
Tell you friends about our benefit concert and silent auction. You can email your friends, post it on facebook, write a blog post, anything works!

You can do one or both, but be sure to leave 2 separate comments if you do both. The giveaway closes on Sunday evening.

Happy Thursday!

Update: and the winners are...well the only 2 people who participated :) Thanks Tiffany and Karen!

Oh my cuteness!

2011-09-29T15:15:00.001-05:00

Do you see this face?

This cute, cute, face?

I am so in love with this boy!

Enjoying some one on one time with this little guy!

A different country. A hard choice

2011-09-22T15:18:00.007-05:00

If you have been here before you may know that I have had doubts about our adoption from Ethiopia. You can read about this here and here.

Over the past few months, God has been doing a lot of work in our hearts. As comfortable as we were sitting on the wait list for Ethiopia, we began to see that might not be what God had for us.

Last week, we left our Ethiopia program.

Yes, we are still adopting, but God has led us in a new direction and to a different country. He is showing us truths about special needs children.

We have been praying like crazy over the past months. I have looked into many other countries in Africa and several different options for adoption. I have spoken with adoption agencies, orphanages, attorneys, and families who have adopted from Africa.

All doors seemed to be closing, all except one.

We are now pursuing adoption from Uganda! We are drawn to the country, its culture, and the children there. Our hearts have also been opened to the possibility of adopting a child with special needs. Read more about that here.

Why would God lead us to Ethiopia only to ask us to switch 6 months later? Were we just not hearing God correctly? As much as that thought runs through my head, I don’t think it is the answer. I do think God led us to Ethiopia, but for some reason He is now asking us to go in a different direction.

This has been a HARD decision. We both felt a strong pull to Ethiopia only months ago. But ultimately this is God’s decision, not ours. His plans for our adoption are much better than our own and we have to give full control to Him.

Special Needs

2011-09-22T15:17:00.029-05:00

When you apply for adoption, there is this dreaded check list that you have to go through. You have to “pick” what preferences you are willing to consider and which ones you are not. There is everything from the age of a child to Downs syndrome, from poor vision to HIV. It is pretty brutal. It is such a hard process to determine what is right or not right for your family.

Mark and I have done this checklist. There are some items that we left unchecked, but when considering special needs, we want to be as open as possible.

We are still uncertain if adopting a child with special needs is what God has for our family, but at this time we want to be open.

During our journey, we have done much thinking and praying about our child. We have done research and want to share something that we have been learning over the past couple of months, specifically related to HIV (taken from positivelyorphaned.com).

HIV can NOT be spread through casual/household contact.

HIV is not spread through hugging, kissing, shaking hands, sharing toys, sneezing, coughing, sharing food, sharing drinks, bathing, swimming or any other casual way.

It has been proven that HIV and AIDS can only be spread through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).

HIV is considered a chronic but manageable disease. With treatment, people who are HIV+ can live without developing AIDS and can live long and full lives.

Some great website for information about HIV:

http://www.positivelyorphaned.com/

http://www.fromhivtohome.org/

http://www.projecthopeful.org/

As we continue our adoption journey, I will keep you updated about what we learn and where we are on this road. We would love prayers for wisdom and clarity as we seek what God has for our family.

And the winner is...

2011-09-22T11:18:00.015-05:00

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 9

I had major issues with trying to get the "widget" on the blog. I entered a max of 10, but for some reason it showed up here as 100.

Anyways...
Karyn, you are the lucky winner!!! I guess since you and Andy had a 40% chance of winning the odds were in your corner :) Let me know your t-shirt size and I will get everything to you. And since you and Andy put in the extra effort, I will give you a family ticket. Wouldn't want those sweet little girls of yours to miss out :)

If I could go back…

2011-09-19T19:47:00.002-05:00

I would hold my babies more and not worry about “spoiling them”

I would take full advantage of cuddle time and not let a to do list get in the way

Tonight, I was rocking Noah before his bedtime, and it dawned on me, I am not going to have this opportunity much longer. Taylor hardly ever wants to be rocked or cuddled. Noah rarely sits still long enough to be held.

What if I lost the opportunity to sit and cuddle with my children? With Taylor I worried that I might “spoil” her. And with Noah, I did not have the same cuddle opportunities because Tay was still so young when he was born. And when I did have the opportunity, all I could think about was what needed to be done. So instead of cuddling with my baby, I moved on to my checklist.

Tonight, I took full advantage of rocking Noah, knowing that these chances will too soon be gone.

ticket and t-shirt giveaway

2011-09-18T13:54:00.001-05:00

Tickets for our benefit concert and silent auction are now officially on sale! To help promote the event, we are going to give away 2 free tickets periodically from now until the concert. Each time, the parameters will be different, but the result will always be the same…FREE tickets. Yay for free tickets!
And since this is the first giveaway, I am going to also include one of our adoption t-shirts!

To enter, leave a comment (or two) telling me what you are looking forward to most about the benefit concert and silent auction. It can be anything!
This giveaway ends Wednesday, September 21st. I will choose a winner at random (using random.org).
If I don't have your contact info., be sure to leave that in your comment as well. Two comments max per person.

Thanks y'all!

One more month!!

2011-09-15T19:18:00.000-05:00

Our benefit concert and silent auction are only one month away! Click here for more details. We hope to see you there!

They're here!!!

2011-09-13T20:54:00.000-05:00

And we are SO happy about it!

My brother and his family just moved back to Tennessee from Texas. I got to watch the girls while Brandon and Blair went house hunting. Tay thought she was in heaven! I don't think she gets that they are here FOR GOOD this time!!! Yay!!

Love our neighbors!

2011-09-09T15:50:00.000-05:00

We love our neighborhood for so many reasons; the friends we have made, all of the kids who we have grown to love, and the endless possibilities of play dates.
We are also grateful for how supportive they have been surrounding our adoption. One of our neighbors organized a fundraiser for us and another adoptive family in our neighborhood. All we had to do was show up and eat ice cream!

Since the 2 wonderful photographers who live in our neighborhood either forgot a camera or the battery ran out (ehem Tiffany and Diane), I was on camera duty. Out of about 100 shots, this is what I had to work with.

Thanks neighbors!

And she thinks we’re just makin’ cookies

2011-09-07T20:39:00.001-05:00

I will be the first to admit, I don’t always spend the time that I should with my kids. Yes, I stay at home , but there are times when I hardly interact with them.

Lately, I have tried to make it my goal to do more activities with my kids. Sometimes it is as simple as sitting on the couch with them while they watch an afternoon movie.

Today it was making cookies with Taylor. Let me first tell you this, I am major OCD! I absolutely despise having a messy kitchen. It drives me nuts!! So baking cookies with a 3 year old stretched me to my limits. There was flour all over the floor, on the walls, on the countertops, on us! Tay even “helped” watch dishes, which meant soap and water everywhere!!! It was rough to watch, but I tried my hardest to let go. And when I sort of did, we had a blast! And made some yummy cookies, which is always a nice bonus!

Notice that in most pictures, the counters are clean. That is because this OCD lady cleaned in between every step. It was just too much to have that flour everywhere. Good thing Tay also enjoys cleaning :)

lazy holiday

2011-09-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

Enjoying this rainy day with my family.

Morning snuggles (ignore my ~~lack of make-up and sleep crusted eyes~~ face) and afternoon yumminess!

Tay's fashion sense. She is going to be a trend setter, I can feel it!

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!

twinkle toes

2011-09-02T14:13:00.003-05:00

Taylor is officially a ballerina...if officially means that she has started dance classes. She actually started last week, but because I am a slacker mom, she did not have her dance gear until this week.
I love that her belly still sticks out.

In other news, I have been an emotional wreck the past couple of weeks. I choke up at random unnecessary moments. For example, this morning I was putting Tay's hair in a bun for dance class. All of a sudden, I got teary eyed. Seriously, what's wrong with me? For years, we have made fun of my mom for crying ALL the time (sorry mom). Well mom, looks like I may be taking after you on this one :)

how we roll

2011-09-01T10:36:00.001-05:00

You've gotta love these little hillbilly kids!

And this one was just too cute not to share. Tay and our neighbor's little boy grabbed their chairs and went to the middle of our common area. Then they just sat out there like a little old couple.

Yes, my children seem to be missing clothing in most pictures. It's hot outside, they are messy, and they tend to have nothing on by the end of the day. Redneck? Maybe. Comfortable and easy? Absolutely!

my little lovies

2011-08-30T20:11:00.000-05:00

There is no real reason for this post. I just have cute kids and wanted to share their cuteness with you :)

I love how you can actually see Noah making truck noises in this picture.

Happy Tuesday friends.

too much free time

2011-08-26T15:01:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Tay’s first day of preschool. Before we left, I dropped Noah off with the neighbor for the day, so I had the entire morning to myself.

When I dropped Tay off at preschool, she ran straight for her classroom without even a goodbye. As I am standing there with my camera and what must have looked like a really sad face, the teacher said “you can come in a take a picture”. And so I did. And then I left. And then I did not cry (yeah right).

I was really looking forward to having some “mommy time”. It’s crazy how much “thinking” I do when it is quiet. Not like “I am smart thinking”. More like “I don’t want to use my brain” thinking. So I wrote a few of these thoughts for your reading pleasure. Feel free to close out. I will never know.

(Please excuse the short, choppy, sentences. It’s all I’ve got today.)

-Being alone stinks! Yes my children can get on my nerves, but I would much rather them be on my nerves than not with me at all.

-I went to a consignment sale during my alone time and turns out, I am CRAZY. Not like elbow throwing crazy, but like all nervous, gotta get me some cheap clothes crazy. Seriously, my heart rate was way elevated!

-Why would you try to make money off of the Dolly Parton books? I mean seriously people, you got them for free. Give them away!

-Listening to “top 40” music radio stations makes me feel cooler. I know weird, right? Maybe because I only listen when no kids are in the car. No kids = cool? I don’t know. Told you it was random.

-What the heck did Tay do for 5 hours while at preschool? I should have asked.

And there you go. A little preview of my thoughts.

Lucky you.

2011-08-25T20:56:00.000-05:00

I am in photography mode. I have absolutely NO idea how to use our camera and I'm making it my new hobby to figure it out. I'm still pretty awful, but there has been some improvement. I took a class this past weekend, had a friend come over to show me a few things in Photoshop, and have been a crazy picture taking fool the past few days.

And you guys are the lucky ones who get to see my ~~really bad attempts at what I've learned~~ work.

There is a good chance that no matter how hard I try, I will never be good at photography.

Preschool…sniff, sniff

2011-08-25T15:38:00.001-05:00

Tay had her first official day of preschool today. Seeing her with her backpack, nap mat, and lunchbox this morning was almost more than I could handle. When did my baby get to be so big? I mean seriously y’all, dropping her off at school was HARD.

Last spring, we made the decision for Taylor to attend preschool one day a week. I had been going back and forth between keeping her home and letting her go to school. Before we even had children, Mark and I made the decision that we would homeschool our kiddos (more on that later). So for us, preschool is not necessarily a step towards what her day will look like in kindergarten. It is more of a “trial run” for how we want to handle preschool with our kiddos.

Look at this cute tiny tot on her first day of school. Tay’s new thing is to squint her eyes when she smiles. And it was sunny. So….I did not get the greatest pictures. I won’t show you any of me with red, puffy eyes.

Following the leader, the leader, the leader

2011-08-18T16:05:00.000-05:00

Can you tell that I have been watching Peter Pan A LOT?!?! Tay goes through phases of movies. Right now, she is in a Peter Pan phase which means we watch parts of it at least 3 days a week.

This post actually has absolutely nothing to do with Peter Pan, movies, or Taylor. It has to do with marriage.

One area in marriage where I struggle is in following Mark. Let me say this first, Mark is AWESOME! God made him to be the leader of our family and I am to submit to his authority (there is that dang submit word). The majority of the time we agree on our family decisions. Those are the easy ones.

But lately…

A few posts back, I wrote about some uncertainties that I have surrounding our adoption. I still feel 100% led to adopt. I still feel 100% that our baby is in Africa. BUT I no longer feel 100% that our baby is in Ethiopia. I have been praying (like crazy), researching, talking to other adoptive families, and reading other people’s adoption stories. I just can’t shake the feeling that maybe we are not considering all of our options. Here is where the struggle begins. Mark still feels certain that we are to adopt from Ethiopia. He too has been praying, but God has not pulled him in a different direction.

So for now, I just pray. I pray that God will either give me peace about adopting from Ethiopia, or that he will tug at Mark’s heart to consider other options. As much as I do not always like submitting to Mark’s authority and his ultimate place as the head decision maker, I have to. That is how God designed marriage. But let me tell you this, I would much rather be in my position than be in Mark’s. As the ultimate decision maker, he is the one who is directly held accountable by God, not me. And that my friends, makes the submission word a much easier weight to bear.

Heart break

2011-08-18T14:10:00.001-05:00

These are the stories that make my heart break in two. I cannot believe we live in a world where any child is treated in this way. Every child is precious. Every child is a gift from God.

Please read about his little girl. Help in any way you can. Spread the word. Pray.

For nothing will be impossible with God. Lk 1:37

New look

2011-08-14T19:54:00.000-05:00

Let’s face it; I’m indecisive and maybe a ~~lot~~ little dorky. Hence the new blog look and title. I discovered that I actually think it is “fun” to create backgrounds and buttons in Photoshop. Oh, and write HTML. Yep, a dork.
And since the blog has an entire new look, I thought it would be a good time to give it a new name as well.

Road to home has two different meanings for our family.

First, this life and our home here on earth are temporary. We have a MUCH better home waiting for us in heaven. Our road to get there has had many turns, detours, and bumps. It has not and will not always be pretty. But we can rest knowing that we have hope and that our permanent home is in heaven. Love this verse...

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Second: We are on an adoption journey. A great deal of what this blog revolves around is the road we are taking to bring our baby home.
John 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Our attempt at a family photo shoot

2011-08-13T16:01:00.000-05:00

Our Saturday morning plans consisted of a yard sale and the farmer’s market. However, it has been so long since we have gotten cute pictures of the kids and the farmer’s market has several fun places for pictures. So, the wheels in my head started turning…

Originally I figured we would only attempt pictures of the kids. But then I realized my parents were planning on being in town. In my mind, this was a perfect opportunity to take family pictures. We actually have a really nice camera, but with one big problem…we don’t know how to use it! So, here is our attempt at family pictures. Yes, there are a few good shots, but it took us 300 to get these!!!

Something more?

2011-08-07T16:08:00.001-05:00

One year ago I knew almost nothing about the orphan crises. Did not understand how many orphans there are in this world. Could not even think about how many children have no one to love them, no one to care for them, and no family to speak of. I did not truly understand the need.

Yes, God has led us to adopt. Yes, there will be one less orphan. But is that enough? The answer is a big fat NO! Children are hungry, thirsty, and unloved. Children still need homes, they need forever families. What about them? How can I care for them?
And what about the families who want to keep their children, but simply cannot afford to feed them?

I sit here with a heavy heart. I long to do more, but have no idea where to start.

Ideas run through my head and then excuses follow close behind. My plate is always “too full”. There are so many opportunities and wonderful organizations that serve orphans. Are there any missions or organizations that you recommend?

I read the following on one of my favorite blogs. It was written by Richard Stearns. It definitely has be thinking that I need to be doing MORE!

------------

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink ..." --Matthew 25:35-36

Jesus' words are a powerful and inspiring reminder as I sit in my office browsing on news websites the stories and images of the staggering tragedy unfolding in the Horn of Africa.

Nearly 10 million people are "critically short of food," according to the United Nations, due to what UN officials say is the region's worst drought since I was born 60 years ago. Those 10 million people live in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti and war-ravaged Somalia.

For some, the stories and images will be reminders of the Ethiopian famine. Twenty-five years ago, the images of bloated, dying children, images unlike any others seen before by millions of Americans, prompted a massive outpouring of donations and offers to help. That outpouring culminated in the "Live Aid," concerts in Philadelphia and London, the latter of which brought a group I had never heard of before to the world's attention -- U2.

For others, the name "Somalia" brings back the events of 1991-1994 when hundreds of thousands of Somalis were starving, prompting a U.S.-led peacekeeping force to intervene. That effort led to a military operation against Somali warlords and, regrettably, the deaths of 42 American soldiers.

I am reminded of two things.

First, the faces, the voices and the stories of people I've met in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Kenya was the first nation I visited after joining World Vision in 1998, and where I learned one of the most important lessons of my life: Poverty is not an image, or a statistic; poverty has a face, a name and a story.

Second, I am reminded of the powerful and provocative quote from Josef Stalin: "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic."

I fear that for many Americans -- Christians and people of other faiths or no faith -- will devote little time or attention, let alone resources, to the people suffering in the Horn of Africa. Rather they are preoccupied with "First World problems":

~~ How fluctuations in the stock market are affecting my 401(k) investments;
~~ Where to go on my next vacation;
~~ Whether to buy "name brand" or "store brand" items in the supermarket;
~~ Which diet and workout regimen will enable me to lose 10 pounds in a month; or
~~ The struggle over my next computer -- a notebook, a laptop, or the new iPad2?

Or worse, they are obsessed with finding out where Casey Anthony might be living, now that she's been released from jail after being acquitted of charges that she murdered her daughter, Caylee. Thousands of Americans followed Ms. Anthony's trial closely, and expressed outrage when she was found not guilty. They wanted justice for Caylee's death. Where's their outrage or sense of justice for the millions of children at-risk of dying in the Horn of Africa? Their lack of attention proves the late Soviet premier's admonition.

Many "First World" Americans have never met a person with "Third World problems":

~~ Whose income is $2 a day and who has never heard of a 401 (K);
~~ Whose only travel plans are traipsing by foot from Somalia into Kenya to a refugee camp;
~~ Whose primary source of drinking water is infested with animal feces, and has never been inside a supermarket;
~~ Who lost 10 pounds in the last week because of too little or even no food, and who has no use for a health club membership; or
~~ Who has no access to electricity, and does not need -- and maybe has not ever seen -- a computer.

I have the privilege of knowing people facing both First World and Third World problems. It is a privilege because, I believe, Jesus would consider it a privilege. He met with, ate meals alongside and learned from those His society considered its lowest and its outcasts -- prostitutes, tax-collectors, the poor and victims of injustice.

He would have been honored to meet and serve people like Hawo, a woman believed to be about 75-years-old who lives in Kalabeyr, a remote town in northern Somalia. Thanks to my World Vision colleagues working in the region, I know more about Hawo, than I ever will know -- or even want to know -- about Casey Anthony.

After the drought killed the more than 500 goats and sheep Hawo and her eight children lived on, they were forced to abandon their pastoral way of life and move to Kalabeyr. The nine of them live in a makeshift tukul, a small room within the compound of one of the town residents.

It is Hawo whom Mark Bowden

Jesus' words about hunger and thirst, as quoted in Matthew, led me a few years ago to create an NIT version (New Irreverent Translation), one that Americans obsessed with "First World problems" might relate to:

"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water."

We did not create the desperate conditions of drought and famine threatening the lives of 10 million people in the Horn of Africa. But, as Christians, it is our responsibility to do something about it. It is our moral duty to help our neighbors in need -- here in the U.S. and elsewhere, and God commands us to help those we have the means to help. We cannot look at their situation -- on television, in newspapers or magazines, or on the Internet -- shrug our shoulders, and say, "Not my problem."

Written by Richard Stearns.

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Murky water

2011-08-05T14:02:00.001-05:00

It seems that my blog posts come in spurts. Lately I have had so much rolling around in my head; there have been no words to express my feelings.

I have been a little unsure about the specifics of our adoption. Questions have been running through my mind. Is Ethiopia where we should be adopting? Is our agency the right one for us? Should we change the parameters for the child we are waiting for?

To be honest, I am not sure where these questions are coming from. There is uncertainty with any adoption, but it seems like there is ALOT with ours. The wait list seems to be getting longer which is obviously frustrating. And I seem to have this “feeling” that maybe we are not thinking about all options when considering our child.

I am thankful for a God who knows the plans He has for us. I am grateful that He knows our child and already has the details worked out. However, it does not change my lack of confidence in areas of our adoption process. I try to trust, but want to be sure that we are hearing His call and are attentive to His direction.

If you think of us and our adoption, say a little prayer. We can always use them :)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jer 29:11

A shout out

2011-08-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

We have an awesome neighbor, Brad, who is part owner of an awesome company, Blue Sky Filmworks . Brad donated his time and talent to design this AH-mazing poster for our benefit concert.

We have had so many compliments on the poster and we are so appreciative of Brad and all of his hard work.

If you think you can display this poster anywhere (work, church, school...), let me know. We are hoping to use it to help get the word out about our benefit. Thanks peeps!

Just becasue

2011-07-28T15:26:00.013-05:00

I am bored…yes bored. But NOT complaining. These days, there are only fleeting moments when I can actually say I am bored and oh how I love them :)

I was just thinking that I have not updated the blog in a while, however, I am not in a mood to think. So…here come the pictures!
Can you really ever get enough of these cute little smiley kids (I know I can’t)!

And to finish it off...have you ever heard more beautiful ~~yelling~~ singing? You might need to cover your ears, just sayin'.

We have a 4th!

2011-07-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

Wow! God has done it again. He has brought another amazing artist to our benefit concert. The incredible thing about these artists is that God has provided us with ALL of them.

Cait Plage is such a remarkable artist. She has a heart for adoption and a BEAUTIFUL voice. But don’t take my word for it, click here and see for yourself :)

Yay for a rockin’ concert!

From 2 to 3

2011-07-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

I often wonder what it will be like when we go from having two children to three. For me, going from zero children to one was fantastic! When Taylor was born, I was SO ready to be a mommy. I was able to stay home with her; she was a great sleeper and a pleasure to be around. However, my transition from one child to two children was HARD. Noah was a great baby, but I was overwhelmed. Tay was 20 months old and still a baby herself. There were days when I would sit on our stairs and just cry. I had no idea how to be a mommy of 2. But as time has passed and as both Taylor and Noah grow, I am finding much more joy and beauty in this stage. Obviously we still have hard days, but the feelings of being overwhelmed have mostly subdued.

And now here we are, getting ready to add another to our family. I know there will be struggles, but I imagine they will be of a different kind. I find myself thinking about my strengths and weaknesses and how God will prepare me for this third child.

My heart overflows with love for children. Finding a special place in my heart for our new child will not be a problem. But then I think about the lack of patience I frequently have with our children. Or the amount of stress I often feel. These are the times when I don’t know how I get through the day with two children, much less three. These are also the times when I find myself on my knees acknowledging my complete and utter reliance on God and his grace. And since today is one of those days, I am thankful to know where to look when I realize I cannot do this by myself :)

Got chocolate milk?

2011-07-17T13:25:00.002-05:00

In a previous post, I wrote about how much I love berry greens, especially for my 2 kids who are not big fans of vegetables.

This weekend my favorite brand of greens powder was on sale for half price at Whole Foods. While there, we came across samples of a chocolate version of the greens mixed with almond milk. After both kids chugged it down and asked for seconds, I thought it might be a good purchase. I know there is no substitute for the real thing, but this comes in a close second. Where else can you find wheat grass, spirulina, spinach, broccoli, carrot, and much more in one little scoop of yummy goodness? You can read more about the greens powder here. I most definitely recommend this one!

More than siblings

2011-07-16T14:37:00.001-05:00

Over the past weeks, Taylor and Noah have become more than just siblings; they have become friends. I love to hear the laughter that carries throughout our home while they are playing. It makes my heart happy :)

These 2 pictures are from last summer. Do you see how chubby Noah was? And how little Tay looks? It is crazy how much these kids change in a year.

Wait List. Whoot! Whoot!

2011-07-14T17:54:00.003-05:00

Do you see this? Do you know what this is?

When I checked the mail today, my heart skipped a beat. We have been waiting on our immigration approval because we knew at that point; we would officially be on the wait list with our agency.

I know that no one really says “Whoot Whoot”, but I am just so excited and those where the only words I could think of to convey my excitement. Being on the waiting list is something I have been waiting for since we started the enormous amount of paperwork. I knew that once we got on, it would mean that all of our initial paperwork was DONE!

It now all feels so much more real to me, like when you hear your baby’s heart beat for the first time. I know we still have a LONG hard wait, but now I don’t have to spend all of my time and energy on boring paperwork. I get to prepare for our child. I get to read books about adoption, think about names for our baby, picture our child, and wonder where we are on the wait list :)

Our agency does not have official wait list numbers. There are about 70 people total ahead of us. However, everyone has different parameters. Some are only looking for infant girls; some are only waiting for siblings. We are on the list for a boy or girl up to 18 months old or a sibling group. The average wait times for our agency are as follows:
Infant girl – 12 to 24 months
Infant boy – 10 to 18 months
Sibling group – 12 to 24 months

I know that it will be a while before I hold this child, but he is just as real to me as both of my children were when we found out were expecting. Being on the waiting list is just one more step towards bringing our baby home!

Beautiful stories

2011-07-13T16:00:00.001-05:00

I am quite the sucker for a good adoption story. When the kids are napping, after they have gone to bed, or on a lazy Sunday, you can occasionally find me caught up in reading an adoption blog or watching a “gotcha day” video. Often times, there will be tears in my eyes or flowing down my checks.

Growing a family through adoption is not the “traditional” way to expand, but I have never seen so many miracles than the ones I see while on these blogs.

I am sharing a video that I watched earlier today. One of the most powerful lines to me is “orphan no more”. Oh how I long for the day when that is true of our child.

They are just different

2011-07-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

I love to sit and watch our kids. Lately, I have been noticing just how different they are. Taylor will be reading a book while Noah is climbing in the toy box. Tay will be sculpting her play-do while Noah throws rocks. Taylor will push her baby dolls around in a stroller while Noah finds random objects to use as bats.

Some say that we “teach” our children what is gender appropriate. I have to disagree. For the first year of Noah’s life, he was pretty much surrounded by baby dolls, princesses, and everything pink. His version of “playing” with a baby doll is hitting it against the wall. I am telling you, he was born this way.

It amazes me how God perfectly makes our children. I am praising God for my 2 kiddos and their God given characteristics.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14

Hannah in the house

2011-07-10T20:54:00.002-05:00

We are so excited to say that we have a third artist playing for our benefit concert. God has been so faithful to put amazing artists in our path who have a heart for adoption.

I first met Hannah Jeter at Sweet CeCe’s a few weeks ago. I was immediately drawn to her and her spirit for the Lord. A few days later, I found out she was an artist and knew that she would be an amazing talent to have at the concert.

We have already been so blessed by Hannah and I know that you all will be blessed by her music. You can find out more about Hannah here on her facebook music page. She will have music up by the end of summer.

God has brought three amazing artists/bands for our benefit concert. It has been so wonderful to see how God is bringing this benefit together in His perfect way.

Happy 4th!

2011-07-05T14:33:00.000-05:00

Despite the loads of fun we had over July 4th weekend, I did not manage to get many good photos. There was a birthday party, a pig roast, a cook-out, bouncy houses, fire trucks, face painting and LOTS of fireworks.

Poppin' wheelies

2011-06-30T20:04:00.003-05:00

There were not really any wheelies being popped, but Tay did take her first ride around the neighborhood on her new bike. Her skills were pretty impressive, so I am sure wheelies will be in her near future.

Noah even gave it a whirl.

i heart Exodus

2011-06-29T14:52:00.003-05:00

Our chiropractor, Dr. Josh, is awesome. He is awesome for the obvious reasons…our adjustments always feel great. He has helped our family get on a healthy living track. He even came to our house the day after Noah was born to give him an adjustment.

But here is what you may not know about Dr. Josh. He has a heart for orphans and for adoption. His company, Exodus, donated an iPad 2 for a door prize at our benefit concert and silent auction!! Dr. Josh also donated some of his fabulous cookbooks and DVD’s for our silent auction.

Thanks Dr. Josh!! You da man!

Tickets for the benefit concert and silent auction go on sale this Friday, July 1st!

The perfect snack, or lunch?

2011-06-27T14:47:00.001-05:00

As I was looking in the refrigerator for lunch ideas, I came to the conclusion that we had nothing. Well, I guess that is not entirely true. There is food in the refrigerator, but all things that need to be prepared. And at 11:15am, my kids were ready to eat THEN (yes, when you have kids, lunch time gets moved up considerably). So, I decided we were going to have popcorn, blueberries, and peaches. Probably not the healthiest lunch, but it is better than you think.

We have found the BEST way to make popcorn that is healthy AND tasty. All you need is a stock pot, grapeseed oil, organic popcorn, and salt and butter (optional).

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat, add 1/3 cup of popcorn and let it pop. We add sea salt and organic butter, but it is good without it. Yummy.

Do you have any suggestions for easy, healthy lunch ideas? It seems to be the hardest meal for us.

Pleasantly surprised

2011-06-25T17:54:00.004-05:00

Most of Mark’s family lives up in northern Ohio, thus we rarely get to spend time with them. Sometime last year, we drew up the idea to take a family vacation to the beach. Mark’s grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins live in New Smyrna Beach, Florida so this seemed like the logical place to go.

Noah has never been to the beach and Tay has not been since she was younger than 1. Mark’s parents generously offered to pay for the majority of a beach house, so we graciously accepted the opportunity to go :) Last Saturday, we packed up my parent’s minivan, headed out at midnight, and spent 11 hours in the car.

Enter “family vacation” week. I am not going to lie, at first, I was a little concerned. We were on vacation for ONE week with Mark’s entire family in ONE house. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mark’s family. But when you put 20 people in a house for one week, personalities are bound to collide, right?
However, I was pleasantly surprised.

We laughed, the kids played well together, we stayed up late, and the beach was amazing!

Memorable moments from our trip
• On the trip down, both kids were awake at 2:30am laughing hysterically at one another, slap happy?
• Noah loved the beach! He would run straight for it and laugh the entire way
• Tay on the other hand, not a huge fan. It “hurt her eyes”, so she stuck to building sand castles.
• Both kids are NOT afraid of the pool. We had to “rescue” both more than one time. Made me quite nervous
• Our 4th anniversary was Thursday, so we had a “date night” at one of the local restaurants
• Tay jumping in the pool yelling “cannonball”!
• Karaoke, need I say more?
• Nascar baby!! My father-in-law is a HUGE Nascar fan. We went to Daytona Speedway where he was able to ride in a race car.
• The quote of the week, “where’s Noah?”
• On the way home, Noah decided to pull an “all nighter”, meaning from midnight til we got home at 11am, he DID NOT SLEEP. Still recovering from that one.

Burdens or Blessings?

2011-06-17T15:09:00.002-05:00

When we tell people that we are adopting from Ethiopia, there are two common questions we get. One question is “Why from Ethiopia?”.
The second is “Why would you adopt when you have 2 children of your own?”.

The short answers: God led us to Ethiopia and we would love to have a BIG family.

But to fully answer these questions, I need to start right before Mark and I got married.
While we were engaged, we talked about children…maybe we would have 2 or 3. And we would most definitely wait a few years after we were married. HA! God had much different plans for us and I am pretty sure He had a good chuckle about our “plans”.

During that same time period, we also began to be challenged to see children as God sees them, not as the world does. To see them as blessings, and not as burdens.

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

Slowly, God began to open our hearts to His will for us. We decided to give control to God, to let Him decide how many children we would have and the timing.

Taylor was conceived after Mark and I had been married for only 1 month and Noah was conceived before Taylor was even 1. When we began to think about a third child, God started to tug our hearts towards adoption. You can read more about that story here.
We looked into domestic and international adoption. We looked into private adoption agencies and government ran agencies. We looked into EVERY country possible. We did LOTS of research and LOTS of praying.

When asked “Why Ethiopia?” it is often because people question why we would go to Ethiopia when there are children here that need homes. Trust me, if I could adopt them all, I would :), but I know that is not God’s plan for us RIGHT now. Domestic adoption may be His plan sometime in the future, but RIGHT now, we feel certain that God has led us to Ethiopia. We know that He has a child for us and we have to trust that God knows what He is doing.

And to touch on the second question, I have two young children. On a daily basis they try my patience. Everyday God has to give me grace and forgiveness. There are days when I think we can have 12 kids and there are days that I wonder how I manage with 2. Day after day I ask God to give me a heart that will view our children as blessings and not as burdens, a heart that will love our children and long for His will.

As much I do not “love” how these questions often make me feel, I choose to praise God for the opportunity to speak to others about adoption and how God has worked in our lives.

Let me tell you bout' my best friend

2011-06-16T09:11:00.000-05:00

Tay and her cousin Addie are so sweet together. They may fight like sisters sometimes, but when they are buddies, it is ADORABLE!

Something to hit

2011-06-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

Noah is most definitely going to play some kind of sport. Specifically, a sport where an object is used to hit a ball. Maybe baseball, or golf, or tennis, I don’t know, but it is going to happen. Noah uses every object that he picks up to swing at some type of ball or whatever happens to be in front of him at the time.

Bidding starts at $5, can I get $5?

2011-06-09T19:28:00.001-05:00

As you may know, we have been collecting items for our silent auction in October to raise money for our adoption.
Sun Tan City graciously sent us a gift certificate for 5 free visits to any location(worth $113)!!! However, the certificate expires on July 31st, 2011. So since it will be expired by the time we have our auction, I thought I would auction it off here.
The certificate is for 1 visit to each of the 5 levels of equipment (5 total).

I would like to start to bidding at $5. You can the bid in any increment, but please be sure it is higher than the bid before it. Leave a comment below with your bid and email. Happy bidding!!

The auction will close Sunday evening at 8pm.

Thanks friends!

Fun at the farm

2011-06-09T16:10:00.001-05:00

My niece and nephew stayed with my parents in Cookeville while my brother and sister-in-law were in Ethiopia. So I packed up the kids and we headed there for the week. It was a little crazy at times, but it was well worth the trip!

We swam…

We fed cows…

We rode tractors…

You know, everyday kind of stuff.

I know I have wrote about my grandparents before, but they are just too cute. As we walked through the farm, they would hold hands . In 50 years, if Mark and I can have a relationship half as wonderful as theirs, we will be doing alright :)

Sign Language?

2011-06-07T13:05:00.001-05:00

I am having mixed feeling about teaching Noah sign language. Some people say it is wonderful and helps children to communicate. Others say it causes children to have speech delays.

We did it with Taylor from the time she turned 10 months. Tay did talk late, but she also crawled late and walked late. She has always been my laid back baby.

We have started it with Noah, but I don’t know if I want to continue. What are your thoughts?

Suggestions…

2011-06-01T15:01:00.003-05:00

We are getting together the details for our benefit concert and silent auction. I need your help with something. Every person who attends the event will be entered to win a door prize. So far we have thought about an iPad2 or a mini vacation.

What would you want to win? Keep suggestions under $600, we don't want to get too crazy :)

Yep, that’s a leash

2011-05-28T16:14:00.003-05:00

Before I had ~~kids~~ Noah, I could not imagine putting my child on what I refer to as a “leash”. I remember seeing children who were wearing a backpack with something attached to it for the parent to hold on to. I always thought it was odd to put a child on a leash.
And then I had Noah, and now I am eating my words. I most definitely would put him on a leash, and today, I did.

Our friends asked us to go to Cheekwood and we gladly agreed. Mark had never been and we figured that the kids would have fun running around.
For those of you who don't know Noah, he is not one to be still. He is on the move, ALL the time. We figured today would be the perfect day to try out the leash backpack. He was not a huge fan, but it gave us a little piece of mind and we did not have to spend the entire time chasing him down.

Taylor decided she wanted to pick up worms and cicadas the entire time we were at Cheekwood. I love how this girl can be all pink, dolls, and princesses one minute and then be picking up all kinds of critters the next.

the BIG one

2011-05-27T17:31:00.000-05:00

Our family has already done several fundraisers that have gone wonderfully! When we started the adoption process, we knew that we needed to do LOTS of fundraising to bring our baby home. We expect our adoption costs to total around $30,000. Of that, God has already brought in $7,000! Pretty amazing, huh?

Now, it is time to start planning the BIG fundraiser. We are going to have a benefit concert and silent auction! It is going to be pretty awesome!

It is scheduled for October 15^th in Franklin, TN. The venue is HUGE and we want to fill it. So we need you, your family, your friends, your co-workers, your church, people you meet on the street, and anyone else you can think of to be there!

We already have 3 awesome artists who have agreed to play at the concert; Allie Hays and Brandon Ingle, and the band Colorfire. I get all excited just thinking about it.

There are also some fabulous auction items that are rolling in!! This is one of those events that you just CANNOT miss.

Tickets will go on sale July 1^st, so look for more details then. But for now, you NEED get it on your calendar :)

She is OURS!

2011-05-26T17:42:00.003-05:00

We have loved for her for over a year. We have been praying for her even longer. We have known her sweet face for over a month. But yesterday, she officially became my niece!

My brother and sister-in-law have been in the adoption process since early last year. It is hard to believe that they are officially the parents of Elle, a sweet little girl from Ethiopia. We are praising God that Brandon and Blair passed court and that they are now a family of 5.

Seeing them gives us hope for the sweet baby that we are praying and waiting for. It is hard to imagine that we may be holding our new child sometime next year! God is SO good.

God, gettin’ it done

2011-05-18T14:51:00.005-05:00

Our adoption process is moving right along. We have completed 2 of the 3 sets of required paperwork. The third set, the Dossier, is the most extensive. We are ALMOST done. There are only a couple of things that we lack, all of which we have no control over. So basically, I have to wait on OTHER people (namely, the government) before our Dossier is complete (not one of my strong points).

With the completion of each set of paperwork, a fee comes due. Amazingly, God has provided EXACTLY what we need every time. One of the larger fees is the first adoption agency fee of $6,200, which is now due. Between what we saved and the donations we have received, we have exactly what we needed to cover this expense.

I was once told that “God funds what he favors”. There is not a doubt in my mind that God favors adoption. We have been able to see Him during this entire process.

If you feel the pull towards adoption, but worry about the cost, PLEASE don’t. God will provide what you need. Mark and I are both numbers people, so we like to see everything on paper. I still struggle with not knowing where all the money will come from for our adoption. But God has a plan and He has already proved faithful time and time again.

You NEED this Cookbook

2011-05-16T15:52:00.003-05:00

Our family does a pretty good job of eating healthy (most of the time). God has opened my eyes to how eating healthy can impact our lives. I still have lots to learn, but I strive to make healthy food choices for my family.

I used to think that eating healthy was all about low fat. Well…turns out I was WRONG. Eating healthy has nothing to do with low fat. It is all about eating real foods. Enter my favorite cookbook, the real food diet cookbook by Dr. Josh Axe. This cookbook is awesome (and by no means a “diet”)! It is packed full of healthy, yummy, EASY, kid friendly recipes.

My favorites include chicken kabobs, personal pizzas, wild rice and spinach soup, and chicken bryan. I could go on and on and on. Dr. Axe has some great recipes here on his website. I know once you try a few you will be hooked.

Enjoy!

You know you want one!

2011-05-15T13:52:00.002-05:00

We still have TONS of t-shirts and I think you probably need to go ahead and get one. You know you want one. Look how cute your kids can look. Or how sexy your husband can look. C’mon, just do it :)

On a different note, we had our yard sale yesterday and it went great! We raised a couple hundred dollars to put towards our adoption. Praise the Lord!
We had several things left and so did some of our neighbors. We decided to just pile stuff in the garage until the Fall when our neighborhood will have another sale. So, if you are cleaning out between now and then, let me know. I will be happy to come and take your ~~junk~~ stuff to save for garage sale #2.

Summer Lovin’

2011-05-14T22:04:00.001-05:00

It has been HOT here lately. Not that I am complaining, I love me some warm weather. We decided that this was the week to break out the water activities. It started with a sprinkler and then moved onto mud sliding (we are in the south). Good times in Tennessee.

Favorite new accessory

2011-05-09T19:15:00.001-05:00

I am not much of a jewelry person. Most of the time, I wear my wedding rings and occasionally some little stud earrings, but that is about the extent of it.

HOWEVER, when I saw this necklace on Etsy, I HAD to have it. I figured that when I am pregnant, I have a pregnant belly and pregnant clothes. Now, we are expecting a baby but I won’t be sporting the pregnant belly. So instead, I get to wear this….

Pretty good trade off if you ask me :)

On the adoption front, we are cruising right along. Our homestudy was just approved by our adoption agency! Now, it has to be notarized, and then sent to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services along with our I-600A (the petition filed to adopt internationally). Once the petition and homestudy are approved, I THINK we will get on the wait list. In my perfect world, that would happen by the end of the month…we will see.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

2011-05-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

Taylor turned 3 today. I cannot believe another year has past. Taylor has grown so much in the past year. She talks much more, interacts with other children on a different level, has “friends” who she love to see, and is such a pleasure to be around.

Today we celebrated Taylor with some close friends and family. Taylor requested a “pink princess party” and that is exactly what she got.

Reece’s Rainbow

2011-05-03T22:02:00.003-05:00

I was introduced to Reece’s Rainbow by a friend, Audrey, from our church. Reece’s Rainbow is an organization that supports orphaned children with special needs. Audrey is such a huge advocate for the organization and the children it supports. After reading her blog and the love she has for these kids, it inspired be to become a prayer warrior.

As a prayer warrior, I have committed to pray for a child everyday until she is adopted. There is no cost involved, just a daily time commitment. I LOVE this ministry. It is such a wonderful opportunity to pray for a child who may not have anyone else praying for them.

I wanted to share this with you because I think it is such a wonderful organization. If you are interested in becoming a prayer warrior you can visit
http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorship/prayerwarriors

Soaked!

2011-05-02T17:19:00.001-05:00

Adoption Yard Sale

2011-05-01T15:19:00.001-05:00

Our neighborhood is having its spring garage sale on Saturday, May 14th. We are going to participate and ALL of the proceeds from our yard sale will go towards our adoption.

So….if you have ANYTHING that you no longer need or want, we would LOVE to come and pick it up. Email me at lindseychenelle@yahoo.com if you have anything to contribute.

OR if you just love a good yard sale, come and buy stuff!
8616 Altesse Way
Brentwood, TN 37027

Hope to see you there :)

Bring on the GREENS

2011-04-27T14:43:00.006-05:00

My kids do not love their vegetables. Therefore, we here at the Elliott household are HUGE fans of green smoothies. They are tasty, so the kids love them. Tay and Noah literally suck them down. And they have lots of fruit and vegetable servings so mama loves them.

The best smoothie recipe book that I have found is Green Smoothie Revolution, by Victoria Boutenko. The first few chapters give the “why” for green smoothies and the last few chapters have tons of great green smoothie recipes.

Here is one of our favorites:

“Tropical Green Smoothie”
2 cups spinach
1 mango (I use 1 cup frozen mango)
I cup pineapple chinks (again, I use frozen)
1 cup water

I ALWAYS add greens powder and flax seeds to our smoothies. Greens powder has anywhere from 4 to 9 fruits and vegetable servings per scoop! And flax seed has some great Omega 3 (which we ALL need more of!).
Note: I buy berry greens, the flavor is much better

So, by giving the kids a green smoothie for breakfast, I guarantee that they get at least 3 or 4 servings of fruits and vegetables before 9AM! LOVE THEM!

Air brush t-shirts and mullets

2011-04-25T16:16:00.001-05:00

Can you guess where we went this weekend by the title?
My ENTIRE side of the family got together in Gatlinburg for Easter weekend. I am talking aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, everyone! We had such a wonderful time. We ate good food, had great conversation, enjoyed carnival rides, and I was able to take advantage of all the "built in babysitters" and enjoy some shopping time with my sister-in-law.

My grandparents have been married for 59 years. I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful example of a Christian marriage.
My grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s several years ago. To see the way that my granddad takes care of her is so amazing. I cannot explain the love that I see when I am with them. On Friday night, my granddad called a square dance (something he has done for years). After a square dance, he always plays the Tennessee Waltz and dances with my Grandma. I loved watching them that night.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Matthew 28: 5-6

Happy Easter friends!

So stinkin’ cute

2011-04-21T16:37:00.001-05:00

We just got in our toddler size t-shirts. They are adorable! And because my kids are so adorable you get to see lots of examples of the shirts. We only ordered 2T and 3T, but if you want another size, let me know. I can always check about ordering others :)

The reason why there are only a couple of pictures of Noah is that he found this wonderful mud spot. Needless to say, he did not last long outside before that was just too tempting.

Paper work #2 – CHECK!

2011-04-20T20:37:00.001-05:00

We just finished all of the paperwork for our adoption agency, WACAP, which included 10 hours of training. We are getting SO close to being put on the waiting list for our child. EXCITING!

15 months

2011-04-19T20:03:00.003-05:00

Noah, you are the funniest little kid I have ever been around. You are always making me laugh.

At 15 months you have a few simple words…

“dada”

“milk”

“bye”

“uh-oh”

“dog”

“ball”

“airplane”

“that”

“hi”

“Yay Yay” for Taylor

“daddy’s home”

“all done”

“dino”

You won’t say mama, but I know you can because I have heard you say it before.

You are in to everything and laugh at almost anything. You are energetic and funny. You walk so well that you can almost run. You keep your mama busy and are always finding something new to get into. There is not a day that goes by when you don’t hit your head or fall off something.
Lately, you and Taylor have started to play with one another and it is so perfect. BUT you have also started to fight like brothers and sisters. You already know how to push her buttons. You absolutely LOVE Sophie. Your face lights up every time you see her.

We are so in love with you Noah. You bring us joy everyday!

Beautiful girl

2011-04-19T17:31:00.000-05:00

Enjoying this beautiful, windy day.

Huntin' for Easter eggs

2011-04-18T15:38:00.001-05:00

This weekend we had 2 Easter egg hunts. We hid eggs at my Grandma's house and we had a hunt for our neighborhood. Tay did great! She figured out early on that each egg was filled with candy. So she would pick up an egg, open it, check out the candy, and then go find another.
Noah would pick up an egg, shake it, throw it, and then pick up another. Good times.

I think I have an issue

2011-04-15T09:37:00.004-05:00

The older I get the more “type A”, “anal”, or whatever else you want to call it I become. I used to be so much more laid back, but not anymore. Not that it is ALWAYS a bad thing, but it is not ideal MOST of the time.

Here is a story to show this personality trait of mine.

A little background: We have ordered 2 batches of t-shirts from 2 different suppliers and are now in the process of getting a third batch. The first order was great. We loved the t-shirts. We almost sold out of the t-shirts, so I went back to get more. However, to say the communication with the t-shirt printer (Company A) was lacking would be an understatement. So, I decided to go somewhere else (Company B). I was in such a hurry to get the shirts, I did not even ask for an example of what the t-shirts would look like before they were printed. When I went to pick up the shirts, they were NOT what I expected. The t-shirt color was different and the design was different. I still liked them, but I wanted more of the first design.

So I sent artwork to Company B for our t-shirt and had a “mock-up” sent to me so I would know what the t-shirt would look like. At first glance, there were no issues (and I emailed to say we loved it). Then I noticed that there a few things I wanted to change (enter email 2 and 3). Then I decided that in order for it to be “perfect” I just needed to redo the image (enter email 4). After all of this, Company B emailed me to have me approve the revised artwork. Again, I thought it looked great (enter email 5). Then after more reviewing decided that there were a couple of things that needed to be changed (enter email 6 and 7). Poor Company B. I know they are SO ready to be done with our order.

Unexpected Support

2011-04-13T20:26:00.002-05:00

We have just begun our adoption journey, but I am already amazingly surprised at the support we are receiving. And not just the support, but those who are supporting us.

When we first submitted our application to WACAP (our adoption agency), I did not know how people would react to our adoption. Everyone has different views on adoption and not everyone agrees with it. While I want to respect their opinions, it is hard for me. As soon as we decided that we were ready to adopt, God allowed me to begin to feel love for this child. How can I understand any resistance to our adoption, when the end result is a child, our child?

On the other side of this, there are those who completely support us, even people who we have never met. We have had people offer to help us in ways that I never thought possible. People have sent kind words of encouragement that have truly touched us. We have received donations through our blog, through our t-shirt fundraiser, and in the mail. Our church has rallied behind us to support our cause. We are so amazed at God’s faithfulness.

Thank you to those of you who have come behind us and supported us. Your support means more to us than you know.

A boy name

2011-04-11T14:01:00.001-05:00

If the baby we bring home from Ethiopia is a boy, I have my name picked out. I say “my” because Mark is not completely on board. I want to name him Nehemiah and call him Nehem. Nehemiah means "comforted by God" or "God wipes away our tears". Beautiful, right? If you happen to see Mark, I would appreciate any mention of how awesome the name is or how much you love it :) I think he will come around.

Rock n Roll Birthday Bash

2011-04-09T20:46:00.001-05:00

Today was our neighbor's 3rd birthday party. His mama went ALL out. There was tons of food, a puppeteer, and a band!

Born to rock! Tay was the only one on the dance floor. She did not mind, just got her groove on.

Noah is all partied out.

Noah just being Noah...

Love these kids

2011-04-09T08:57:00.003-05:00