my Haitian Blessing

What a great set of Lips! Makes you just want to kiss them Huh?

This child of mine is just so cute. I haven't gotten the chance to really get to know his personality, but from what I do know, he is very lovable, and happy. Tim says he is also very funny!
Ohhh that water is cold!
When I snapped this picture, the look on his face in the photo, was totally conformation that he knew I was his mama. He seems pleased. I am so thankful each and every day that I get the chance to love him, and one day care for him in my home. He is a blessing to my family. We all talk about him constantly, and think of the day he is here. We pray for him nightly at the dinner table, and are always on the lookout for things we would like to purchase for him someday. :0)
I have been able to do some thing with this adoption, that I didn't do with the others, and that is fund raise money. It has been such a joy to meet others who are adopting, who are willing to help support us, rather financially or through prayer. We have been blessed through babysitting recently. Last night, I had another parents night out, and it is such a honor to have parents trust us with their children, to be able to do good for others while also raising money for our son. We have truly been blessed with children who come for parents night out who are very polite, respectful, and just a joy to be with. Thank you to all who have participated in this adoption.

My Indiana Blessings

I remember this trip like it was yesterday. Emily was so cute while at the beach. She really "browned up" last year. I will be interesting to see if she gets as dark this year since we will not be going on vacation.
Kaylee, gotta love this girl. She is so full of personality. She looks up to her big sister a lot, but I also think in this picture she thinks I am the greatest.... Not sure what I did, but she sure is showing me that she loves me here!!!
Brittany, what a beautiful young lady she has grown up to be. She will be 13 next month. It doesn't seem that long ago that she was an only child. She looks so much like her Aunt Jami did at this age. It thrills me to be her momma!
Audrey, so full of life, laughter, and ENERGY!!! She has the cutest little, OK, big personality. I remember when her birth mom when into labor with her. I sat on the couch, waiting for the call to come to the hospital. That call finally came around 2 am! I drove so fast to the hospital, its a wonder why I didn't get pulled over!
Tim, the man I was friends with in High School, My best friend, the one who loves me No matter what. He is so good to me and the girls. Any woman would be proud to call him theirs. He cooks, cleans, works 2 jobs, give awesome back and feet massages, plays with the girls, and most of all is committed to our family! I love this man that is mine!

trying to be money wise

We have been very cautious of what we spend our money on lately. We have stopped eating out each Sunday after church, we have shopped for clothing at resale shops, we have sold unnecessary items, we save aluminum cans, and watch where every dime goes.

With all that said, I must admit that this gets very hard. Recently we had to have our dog put to sleep, because she had bit on a few occasions. The other day, like Thursday, I came home to my husband on the phone with the Vet, scheduling an appointment to have her put to sleep. She had bit again, this time our own daughter. All of the other times, we blamed it on that fact that she didn't know the person she bit. Lately, she had acted really weird, where I thought she was going to bite me. On Thursday, she nipped at our 2 1/2 year old's face. Not the I'm playing sort of nip, she only nipped, because my husband got her away from our daughter fast enough. Tim said that had he not been there, he is sure that our dog wouldn't have stopped.

OK, now I can talk about the money wise issue. I was offered a CUTE miniature Chihuahua puppy for only $200. At first, I begged my husband, to the point he finally gave in and said "I want to see it first before I say yes."
YES!! I got my way!!!
So we went to see this little cutie, and instantly I wanted him! No doubt, I was head over heals. Tim finally said yes!!! Yippee!! Right? Wrong!
I have made the decision to not get this cute puppy, because I feel that if I were to spend $200 on him, this is money that I could spend on paying for the adoption. This is a very hard decision for me. I know in my heart it is the right decision, but nonetheless, hard. As a close friend said, something else better may come along. Until them, I will continue to try and be money wise, and look toward the future when we have our son completely paid for.

Currently, we have all is monthly support paid for, and are working on the last $2100. We have about 350 of it now, and hope to make a lot more babysitting this weekend, and with our garage sale. :0)

Disturbing!

OK, So I just found out that some of my family members aren't happy with the fact the Tim and I are adopting from a country other than our own. This bugs me so much! I really don't like to defend why I am adopting from Haiti, and I really don't like it when people tell me that there are children in the US who need families! Duh, I know there are children here in the US who need families, but there are children in Haiti who are starving, and cloth less! I have adopted from right here in the states. I know there are children here. I also know there are children elsewhere with far less than our girls had when we adopted them. We didn't adopt the first time because we felt that we wanted to "Help some poor child" it was because this is what we felt the Lord wanted us to do. It was engraved into our hearts. It had been in my heart since I was a small child.

My son, the one God chose for us to be parents next is in Haiti. Why do people have to be so negative? Why can't they just keep their mouth shut if they don't like it when people adopt from other countries? WHY WHY WHY!!! It bugs me that children here can get Medicaid for medical attention, in Haiti, no such thing! Children can go to food banks, soup kitchens, and have food stamps to fill their stomachs, in Haiti, they die from starvation, no such options where they live. Here, children can get clothes from lots of places, in Haiti, they share 1 outfit among several children!

Please pray for every person with this attitude. Please pray for my attitude toward this topic. Pray that I can be patient and kind, even to those who disagree with what we are going to do! Every child should have the basics, love, a family, and life. I don't really know what else to say, other than I am really disturbed over this!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!!
WE GOT OUR NUMBER!!!!!!!!!
IBESR NUMBER 16361!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It totally took like 10 seconds to memorize this number!!!!!!!!
I can't even start to explain what good this did for my soul!!!!!!
It was like an instant mood, life, heart, soul, and, emotional lift!!!!!
PRAISE GOD FOR HIS TIMING!!!!!!
I really needed this at that exact moment in time!

It's blurry,

But here it is!!! I got to see Isaiah today via skype! Thank you Kristina for freezing this picture for me! What a blessing it was to see him today. We waited for a little more than an hour. I didn't get to hear him, or see him for more than about 60 seconds. BUT IT WAS SOOOO WORTH IT!!!

Talking to my boy,

if all goes well!!! I just got a call saying that SKYPE would be set up at our public library tomorrow, and I can go there for a phone call to my baby boy! I only wish that Tim and Brittany could be there! This will be my first time seeing him (other than pictures since Oct.) What a blessing this is! I am so excited! YIPEE!!!!

UPDATE: Having to shovel through snow to get out of my drive way!!!

Prayer Please

Please Pray starting tonight through Saturday night....
The children's sale at the National Guard Armory is this weekend. Our weather isn't supposed to be the greatest, therefore, the crowd may not be as large. Pray for a large crowd, and for us to sell lots, as this money will also go toward our adoption. Thanks in advance for your support and prayers

Great way to start the day

I woke up this morning to an email that contained this picture!

Exceptional Friend

I would like to tell everyone my thoughts on what an exceptional friend is. She is someone who shows up at the hospital to take care of your children when you are going in for emergency surgery. She watches your children, even if it means adjusting her own schedule. She cleans your house when you don't ask. She helps cook dinner. She gives you clothes for your child who is not yet home. She donates lots of stuff for you to sell to raise money for your adoption. She give abundantly. She listens when she is needed. She Prays for you and your family. She does so much more, without hesitation. Why, because she is your friend, and exceptional friend, your BEST FRIEND! This is what my friend Nikki is. She has been there over the years, and continues to be there. Thank you so much Nikki for all you do! I love you and your family.