Excerpts from Second Grade Writing Journals...

Oh, how I LOVE when these come home from school with Daniel!  His teacher encourages them to write creatively, doing their best work and using their new vocabulary words, but they're free from correction or grading.  There are always spelling errors and grammatical errors, but they are priceless.  Each page has a box at the top for the kids to draw a picture to go with that day's writing, and a phrase to get them started.

Daniel is such a sweet, quirky, creative little boy.  He has surprised me with how he's excelled at reading, writing, and spelling this year.  He loves to include his 'robust vocabulary words' in our everyday conversations - which is hilarious at times.  I've found that his writing is no different.

My favorites from today are so numerous that I have to put them in a blog post to avoid numerous Facebook postings.   Some of my favorite quotes include:

In It's raining cats and dogs...,  

"stepped into the storm of raining cats and dogs, you step into a poodle!"

In If I were a giant...,

"I would be unstoppable!  If anything got in my way, I would smoosh them!   A lake would be a puddle and an ocean would be a lake!  I would step on trees, but except the spikey ones, they hurt.  They make me yell YOWSER!"

 In The sun...,

A fun fact is that the sun can go over one thousand degrees!  My favorite things to do are play with all my friends, eat lolypops or any ice cream and have water fights!

My favorite full entries are:

Recess
At recess you can play any tipe of game.  Its festive, and fantastically superb!  You can play a spacious amount of games.  I and you can play with your cautious friends.  Recess is a glorious thing!  Pretty much everybody likes recess.  That's a colossal amount of people!

Five Excuses for not doing my homework...

I'm sorry!

 If I were a book, I'd be...

If I were a book, I'd be a book about hockey.  I would have all the players.  Even the all stars players!  And don't forget the glossary, index, and table of contenints!  I would kinda like being a book!

 And last but not least,

Dear Mr. Leprechaun,...

Dear Mr. Leprechaun,
WHARE IS YOUR GOLD?  GIVE ME YOUR GOLD please NOW!  Then I will be nice. Oh sorry, you didn't here me.  GIVE ME YOUR GOLD!!!  WE'LL BE friends but first GIVE ME your GOLD!!!!!  Now I will be nice but give me your gold now or else you turn into a talking pizza.
From, Daniel

I wish I had time to scan all the pictures so I could post those as well, but alas, dinner calls. 

Your Second Chance...

OK, so if you really wanted a necklace, but missed out on the ones I was selling, here is your second chance!

Head on over to Journey 4 Hope - the blog of another adoptive momma who volunteers with an awesome organization in Ethiopia called FOVC - Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children.  FOVC works near the area where Markos was born. 

She is selling beautiful necklaces that she made from magazine beads which she purchased the last time she was in Ethiopia.  She is also selling beautiful baskets made by the widows in their Crops for Widows program, as well as some beautiful artwork made in Shanto, Ethiopia. 

Tamara is sharing her knowledge of agriculture to help the widows in the FOVC program learn how to grow their crops and how to manage their crops during the current drought and famine.  Her husband is a veterinarian.  He is also working with FOVC, helping to train the widows on how to care for their livestock, as well as training an FOVC staff person in veterinary medicine so FOVC will always have a hands-on person in Ethiopia to help.  This couple is doing all this traveling out of their own pocket, as volunteers, in order to serve the orphans and widows of Southern Ethiopia.  Your necklace purchases will help them with their travel expenses for their next trip.

So go buy a necklace...or two....or three.  They're beautiful.

 See?!!

Necklace Update!

I'm sorry to say that, if you wanted a necklace and didn't act quickly, you missed your chance.  

All necklaces are now sold.  

God is good!!  

Orphans and widows in Uganda receiving income.  

Orphans in Haiti receiving peanut butter, bed sheets, medicine, or whatever else I'm told to bring.

And you and I receiving beautiful, hand-made necklaces!

Thanks to all who purchased them.  I hope you love them! 

I know I love mine!

Buy a Necklace and Help Orphans in Africa AND Haiti!

The last week in July, we will be heading to Port-au-Prince with the Global Orphan Project again.   A sweet adoption friend, Erin, is leading the trip.  I can't wait to meet her in person! 

In the meantime, we're going to do some fundraising to help with our trip costs and with the purchasing of donations to take.  Our family alone will be taking three 50-pound  suitcases worth.  I don't generally like to sell things, but this is something that I feel good about and something that I've actually had people ask me about since our trips to Ethiopia.

Acacia Bead Necklaces!

I recently had the chance to purchase some from another agency working in Africa.  Widows and orphans in Uganda make the beads and necklaces.  The agency sells them for them.  I buy them from the other agency and sell them to you.

Win-win-win!

You get a beautiful necklace, hand-made by a woman or child in Africa.  They get a source of income providing them with a means to live!  And, I can buy loads of peanut butter to take to Haiti!  

I only have 20 necklaces - 2 each of 10 different colors - so if you want a particular one, buy it quickly!  I don't know if I'll be able to get anymore.  They are all $20 each, plus $2 shipping if I need to ship it to you.  If you're local, I'll get it to you and you won't have to pay for shipping.

Here are the colors currently available.  I will set up a pay-pal link on the blog, but leave a comment or talk to me first to ensure that I have the color you want before you pay.  Thanks!!

Blue & White
SOLD OUT!!!

Brick Red
SOLD OUT!!

Confetti
SOLD OUT!!

Cream & Pink
SOLD OUT!!

Hunter Green
SOLD OUT!!

Maroon

Mint Chocolate Chip
SOLD OUT!!!

Teal

Tiger

Large Bead - Red

BTW, here's a shortened video of our first trip.  If anyone is thinking that they might want to join us, get in touch with me and we'll talk!

A Preschool Wedding

This morning, Markos' preschool celebrated the wedding of Q and U.  I admit that when the invitation came home and I discovered that parents were invited to attend, I was not very enthused.  I have my women's Bible study group on Wednesday mornings from 10 - 11:30 and the wedding was starting at 11:00 so I was going to have to leave significantly early in order to attend the wedding. 

Truth be told, I planned to skip the wedding and just arrive a little early to pick Markos up until this morning when he was getting ready and I saw how excited he was for the whole event.  The kids were to dress up, so he wore dress pants, a dress shirt, and a tie along with dress shoes.  And he was very thrilled about it, although he kept getting confused and referring to them as "my wedding" instead of his wedding clothes or his dress clothes. 

Although I tried to leave Bible study in time to make it to the wedding, I was still a little late arriving for the event.  I was pretty disappointed that I missed most of the ceremony once I saw how cute it all was.  Regardless, I got a few pictures of the "recessional", the "reception", and the "farewell to the bride and groom".  Too stinkin' cute!

Presenting the new couple

Markos was in the wedding party

At the reception

Cutting the cake

Drinking punch

Eating cake

Doing the Chicken Dance

Their decorated "car"

Bride and Groom ready to depart - check out those awesome rings!

Markos doing a puppet show for me before we left

We're Going Back to Haiti!

A year without loving on some orphans is just too long.  

Plus, the first trip was so amazing for Mackenzie and I,
that we have to go back.

And we're taking Eric with us this time.  

Because little boys love for grown men to hoist them up on their shoulders and parade them around.

Because little boys love to be tossed in the air by a daddy
(even if it's not their daddy).  

Because older boys like to play soccer with men who are too old
to keep up
(but think that they might still have a chance).  

And because this Momma's heart hurts when I think about the longing in those little sweeties' hugs.  

And how they quickly fell asleep, feeling safe in my arms.  

And how much JOY their smiles brought to the deepest parts
of my soul.  

We're going back to Haiti.  To love on some kids. 

BTW, here's a shortened video of our first trip.  If anyone is thinking that they might want to join us sometime, get in touch with me and we'll talk!

One Year Home

I can't believe that next week, on January 28th, we will be celebrating the one year anniversary of the day we arrived home - exhausted, emotional, relieved, excited, and afraid - after our second trip to Ethiopia.

This past year has been amazing. Very, very hard, trying, and exhausting, but amazing. As I put together a video of our first year together, I was in awe of how far Markos has come and how much he's changed and grown. Seeing his tiny, frail body which first wore size 2T (at 4.5 years old), now wearing size 4 & 5. Hearing him talk in the videos with more Amharic than English, now hearing him speak incredible English with an adorable accent. Seeing my tired expression as I held him close having woken with him 5 to 6 times the night before, now rarely ever getting up with him at night. We've come so far.

Yet, when he and I were talking earlier today and I said, "Wow Markos, next week will be the one year anniversary of when you came to America! You've been here a whole year already!", I was surprised (and saddened) when he got a panicked look on his face and asked, "I'm going back to Ethiopia?!". Oh baby, no. You're part of our family FOREVER now.

Day by day, week by week, month by month, things get easier. We've come so far, but still have such a long way to go. Looking back and seeing the smiles, and hearing the laughter, and remembering the joy and excitement helps. Helps me more confidently say, the best is yet to come!!

And this past year has been A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!

One Year Home!