Gratitude

I have been tagged by Amy to write 5 things I am thankful for and then to tag 5 more people, so....

1. I am thankful for my hubbie. I could have never dreamed of being with someone that I love as much as him. I love that he can always make me laugh, he knows everything about me and still loves me, he is such a generous and loving person, he is a great papa, and he is so good looking!

2. I am so thankful for my children. My boys have made me want to be a better person, and they have given me a glimpse into the love of my heavenly father. They brighten every day with their infectious laughter and their loving hearts.

3. I am thankful for this adoption journey that God has brought us on. I never dreamed when I started this journey that God would change my heart in the ways that he has. I am thankful for the passions that he has brought out in me and the passions that he has brought out in Kevin. I have no idea what he has for us on this journey, but it has been so great to trust Him through it.

4. I am thankful for all of my extended family and friends. Ever since my dad has gotten sick I have realized how short life can be and I want to really appreciate all of the wonderful people that God has placed in my life and to not take them for granted. Here are a few of those crazy folks!

5. And since all of the rest of them have been very serious... I am thankful for coffee. I am not sure how I would make it through most days without you, sweet deliciousness. I am thankful for the lift I get every morning and for the delicious seasonal creamers that come out this time of year!

I am going to tag...

Kara, Kellie, Shadley, Melodie, and Demarie. Have fun ladies!

Orphanage Sponsorship

Kevin and I have decided to help an on-line community sponsor an orphanage in Ethiopia through Children's Hope Chest. It is really an awesome thing. Basically there are 98 of us, so far, and we are going to sponsor Kebebtsehay an orphanage of 120 kids. Our sponsorship will help cover our child's basic needs like food, clothing, and education for $34 a month. If you are interested you can find our more here or you can contact Amy at amyde63@hotmail.com. It is a really neat opportunity to stay involved in Ethiopia if you are a fellow adoptive family or just a great way to show love to these children. Imagine the impact you could have on a child just by showing that you care about them by helping them eat, get an education, writing them letters, and praying for them. The on-line group will take a trip every year to visit the orphanage and anyone that is able to make it is invited. On these trips you can meet your sponsored child and see where they are living.

The video below is the Children's Hope Chest video about their new program in Ethiopia and if you watch it you can see a few of the sweet faces at the Kebebtsehay orphanage.

A Little Movement

A couple families from our agency received travel calls and another family received a court date today. It is always nice to have something to celebrate. Now I am hoping that some families receive referrals this week, that would be awesome!

Our New Nephew!

Our new little nephew Jackson was born yesterday at 8:14 in the morning, weighing 8lbs 2oz. He is healthy and adorable and his mommy and daddy are adjusting well.

Here he is with his Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lori, we love him!

Pumpkins and Bob and Larry

We decided to carve pumpkins this year, we figure the boys are old enough to at least help scoop out the middle of the pumpkins. So, we pulled out a pumpkin carving book that I had from teaching and we let the boys pick which pumpkin they wanted. Kaden picked Frankenstein's monster and Oliver picked the one with lollipops sticking out of his head. So here we are in process. Oliver was not a big fan of the pumpkin goo.Kaden pulling out the seeds and Papa in the background working on the lid. Kevin actually hated the inside of the pumpkin more then Oliver.

The finished products... According to Kaden we had Frankenstein's monster and Dracula or Bacteria as he likes to call him.

On Halloween we went to our churches Harvest Party. It is always a lot of fun, there is a lot for the kids to do. The boys had fun as Bob and Larry again. Here they are at the Cake walk, Oliver actually won a cake.Candy, candy, and more candy. Unfortunately I think I ate more candy then the boys.

Here is my cutie little nephew Hunter. He had on a really cute little monkey costume, but he got a little hot in it so this is what he was wearing under it. He is seriously adorable!

This picture really has nothing to do with Halloween, except that he is wearing a wig, but I just thought he looked too cute not to add it.