Ghanaian Field Trip Anyone?

For those of you in WA that would want to take a field trip tomorrow to Port Orchard, there is a fantastic Ghanaian group that is going to be speaking at the local library there. I have seen this group before and they are great at storytelling and drumming. Not sure what exactly their plans for tomorrow are though, so I can't promise drums. I thought this would especially be interesting to those of you with connections to Ghana. Just FYI

EVENT:
Ocheami: Deep into the Riches of Ghana's Traditions
Tuesday June 30, 2009 10:30 AM
In Ghanaian history, the person known as the Ocheami was the one who spoke on behalf of the king in the ancient courts. The group Ocheami uses the arts to speak for the cultural legacies of this West African country. Led by Kofi and Amma Anang, Ocheami's programs engage audiences of all ages.
Location: Port Orchard Library -- 87 Sidney Avenue, Port Orchard 98366-5249, 360-876-2224

Cyber Friends

Got to meet another adoptive parent from Eban house today when we were visiting Portland. Unfortunately, her son is still waiting for a passport in Ghana before they can bring him home(pray for a passport, please!), but we had a great time meeting another family that will only be a couple hours away from us. How cool is it for our two little kiddos that they will have friends from their orphanage within driving distance?!

The funny thing about today though, was that I kept telling people I was going to meet my cyber friend and it sounded so weird to everyone and I had fun playing it up! ;) After starting this adoption process, I have developed so many friends through our chat groups/agency/blogs, but for obvious reasons, it is kind of crazy to outsiders that we develop these friendships with others that we have never met. Anyway....this week we are at a conference for our Evangelical Covenant Church's Annual Meeting and we are surrounded by friends from college and seminary, as well as family and many other pastors/long time friends. Today we were at the pool and I kept looking around and saying that my cyber friend was coming. Because of traffic, she was here later than I told people and they started leaving and giving me glances like I got stood up from my cyber friend!! Ha! It was so funny. I did end up meeting my cyber friend, Dana, and I can't wait to hang out with our kiddos when she gets her amazingly cool son home with her! Thanks for meeting us today, Dana, and good luck on your triathlon!

Ghana Get Together

Today we got to visit with a family that we became friends with through our adoption; it was so great to see them again(but we missed you-Amanda)! These guys were one of the first to adopt from AAI's Ghana program and their twin girls were at the same home as our kiddos(Eban), but at different times. Last fall we got to meet them as they were passing through town and we picked their brains over breakfast on EVERYTHING Ghana since they had already lived next door in Togo and had been to Ghana numerous times. Today, Cort and I got to swap stories and watch our eight kids play together at a park- it was so much fun! The only bad thing was that our better halves had to work, so we missed them and they missed out! ;)

School's Out(sorry I got off topic a teensy bit)

School was finally out for us this past Wednesday! Gosh, I remember being upset in my IL grade school for not getting out of school at the end of May like my friends in MN and I think we got out around the 5th. Now in WA, we are lucky to get out of school before MN schools start back up in August! ;) (okay, I now see where my daughters get some of their drama queen-isms).

To be fair, we did have our share of snow days this year, which is supposedly uncommon for WA, but we have seemingly needed them every year since we have moved here in 2005. And for real?? Can you honestly tell me that MN didn't have many more snow days then us?How do they still keep getting out so early? (Disclaimer: I don't have much against MN except that the Vikqueens Vikings are from there; I really love the rest of the people). One of these years I am going to pencil in the snow days at the beginning of the year so that I just plan on getting out late..or that would be on time then, right?

Speaking of the weather....did you know that we just almost went 30 days without rain in the Seattle area? I mean really, I laughed when we bought a home with a sprinkler system in our yard; kind of seemed like an oxymoron. I have to tell you though that we have been happy we have had it each summer. I have also been happy that we have snow gear!

All this to say.....school's out! ;)

I Want to Wear My Shorty Pants

I love the play on words as Fia and Kwame are learning English better. The last couple of mornings when Kwame (who we have occasionally asked, "Are you my shorty pants?") was getting dressed, he said, "Mom, can I wear my shorty pants? I want to wear my shorty pants today."
"You want to wear shorts today?" I asked.
Kwame answered, "Yet(yes), I want to wear my my shor-ty pants."

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 13th Anniversary to my wonderful husband! And, in case you are wondering, it has indeed been 13 years of total married chaos bliss! I married him under false pretenses, I like to say, in that he never said anything about becoming a pastor until after I had taken the bait! ;) When Daron graduated and I was still in school, he was an accountant for Deloitte and Touche. The year we were engaged he decided that he wanted to get into social work of some sort and worked at a children's home while taking some classes to get into graduate school. It was then that we decided we for sure wanted to adopt one day. It was so sad to see all the children without parents and how much they just needed LOVE.

I graduated from college and we got married June 16, 1996 in Libertyville, IL. It was a fairytale wedding that I am so thankful for to this day. Thanks mom and dad! The next week we moved out to CA for the PhD in Clinical Psychology Program at Fuller Seminary. I became his scholarship by teaching 3rd grade in La Canada. Along with the PhD program, you get your Masters in Divinity and two years in, Daron realized that instead he wanted to just be in Seminary and become a pastor. Say what?!! I did NOT go to school to be a pastor's wife!! ;) So....we left Fuller after two years and headed back to North Park University (where we went for undergrad) and Daron finished seminary there. In the next 2 1/2 years, I taught 3rd grade in Northbrook and we had Justus and Greta while living on campus.

Right after Greta was born, we moved to NH, where Daron served as Associate Pastor at Bethany Covenant Church in Bedford. We were there for almost 5 years and we have such amazing memories of our time there and of friends that became family to us. During this time miss Ella was born and Daron and I both started feeling like church planting was something that we were led to do. In 2005, we were able to fullfill our dream and move to WA to plant a new church. Just this year, we were able to make another dream come true and bring Fia and Kwame into our family!

It is crazy to look back at the last 13 years and honestly say that I never could have predicted any of this for the two of us (four was my max. number of kids!). Our life experiences have taught us so much. How perfect is it for a church planter that Daron has backgrounds in accounting, as well as family and marriage therapy?? I should learn not to question because God is always on top of it! It is for sure chaos at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way(most of the time-ha!) and there is no one else that I would rather share my life with! Thank you Daron for loving me in my good, bad, and ugly! Happy 13th Anniversary!!

Oh, I just looked up what the traditional wedding gift for 13 years is....it is lace. I bet Daron would okay that extra purchase out of our budget! Ha!

Dry Pants=Sleep?

Let me start this off by sayin' that with 5 kids, one has a much smaller percentage of sleeping through the night than with three. I am happy to report that the whole family has been sleeping much sounder and I am SO excited for the future we have in store regarding sleep. (Knock on wood)

It wasn't too long ago that we were waking up at least four times a night/every night to help 1-2, sometimes four kids get back to sleep. A certain 3 yr. old would tend to wake up and need attention; sometimes waking up his older siblings. Some nights I was ready to cuddle, but to be honest, I usually just craved my sleep and couldn't wait until they could sleep through the night.

Fortunately, a friend had a good suggestion that we should wake the kids up to go 'wee wee' (as they say) before I went to sleep. I forget who reminded me of this trick, but you are an angel because after they said it, I remembered doing it with one of the older three. I was thinking it would work for Fia without causing a problem, but I SO scared to wake Kwame up after we would finally get him to sleep. For a while there, he would sleep so lightly and wake up a couple times before midnight even. I knew those nights would be LONG! The ironic is that they usually stay asleep as I bring them into the bathroom and back into bed. I just carry them in, keep it quiet and dark, and WaaLAA!!-they have been sleeping through the night WITH dry pants!

Gotta love the double whammy of dry pants in the morning and a full nights sleep! I think since they don't wake up because of having to go to the bathroom, they are able to sleep much sounder. I might be totally off here and next month I am sure it will be different, but for the time being, we are getting much more sleep than the last 4 months!!!

Another Hair Post

Okay, I know I have been all about the hair lately it may seem, but it is for good reason! I just LOVE these new prints that my friend is selling at Hairwear that I even had to get one for myself, along with the girls. Check out all her new designs and fabrics if you are in the market for some hairbands. Oh, and if you like a print, but want a different size that is listed, just email the owner when you check out, she can usually adjust the sizes!

Black, White, and Tan

So...my kids love Nicole C. Mullen 's songs. The first thing you need to know is that she is black, her husband is white and her kids are a beautiful tan. She has a song called Black, White, Tan based on her family. The next next thing you need to know to understand this story is that Justus quickly has a beautiful tan come spring and the girls stay pasty white throughout the summer.

Well, I guess Ella was singing this song to herself the other day and told Daron, "Dad, this song is about us. Fia and Kwame are black, Greta and I are white, and Justus is tan."

:) Loved it!

Straight to Queen Mother

Kwame holds grudges. He is three and if he doesn't get his way, he will start sulking. I think he is used to getting what he wants being he was one of the younger ones at the orphanage; we just aren't always fooled by his cute little face and the threat of a cry. Actually, Daron and I are unfazed by it most times and Kwame doesn't like it and threatens to tell my mom! HA!. A good example was yesterday when Kwame came up to the breakfast bar and all three stools were taken. He told Fia she was in his seat(we don't have assigned seats) and then when she didn't budge, he told me that Fia took his chair. I told him it wasn't his chair. He then went pouting to Daron saying that Fia took his chair and mommy didn't listen. Daron said that it wasn't his chair and he can sit at the table. He followed Daron around for a second, sulking, and said, "I am going to tell Grandma!" I guess he thinks he should go straight to the top of the family and maybe she will help him out....sorry Kwame, not gonna happen! ;)

Oh, and I mentioned that he holds grudges...well, this three year old usually prays for everything that happened during the day, good and bad. Today I had him come inside after he wet his pants outside when I had just asked if he needed a bathroom break and he was really mad. Tonight he prayed, "Thank you for mommy, thank you for daddy, thank you I go wee wee in the potty now, when I go wee wee in my pants, I do not go outside if I go wee wee in my pants, mommy said. Thank you for Grandma, I tell Grandma, thank you for Grandpa. Thank you for Justus, thank you for Greta and Ella, etc, etc.....for another couple minutes" So, if you want a recap of our day, his prayer will give you his perspective! Luckily he still prays for me when he is mad.