More Birthday Pics..

Just wanted to pass a couple more pics on that I thought were fun from the girl's birthdays...

Fia had a Princess party and had the kids come as a princess or a prince...she LOVED it!

Don't you just love her face???

She didn't turn 61, but I ran out of candles, so I told her..."6+1=7" :) You will also notice that my blondies like to open their mouths when we sing...you can almost see Ella's tonsils and say goodbye to them before her surgery next week!

Ha! I loved Ella's puffy cheeks-she didn't want to get caught with a candle lit, as her siblings said that meant she had that many boyfriends!

Haha!! Greta will kill me with this picture someday, but I couldn't help it. She is the loudest singer(can you tell???) during her own birthday song! You can see her tonsils and no, she won't be getting surgery.

Nine. I can't believe it! She is a fun girl-always ready for a party! After her birthday dinner, Grandma and Grandpa said they ad to leave, but Greta got them to sit down so they could perform for us one of their Miley Cyrus dance shows-I should post a video. Hilarious!

Fwd: How to do braids& beads...

My cousin (officially, my cousin-in-law's wife or easier yet, Daron's cousin's wife-just having fun with you all) has also adopted from Africa in the last couple years. We don't see each other much due to proximity, and only a few months ago realized that our children were adopted from the same agency, just different countries. Their beautiful princess is from Ethiopia and looks like such a doll. Anyway...she has a fun blog that I enjoy reading with lots of great posts ranging from living on a farm, homeschooling, creative cooking,etc, etc...(things I don't do, but enjoy learning about). Today, she gave a good 'how-to' post on braiding African hair for those of us that didn't grow up doing it. Thought I would pass it along so you can check it out.....you can find her blog @ The Forest Room.

Orphan Sunday, November 8, 2009

It is amazing that a year ago today, Daron was arriving in Ghana and going to meet our children for the first time in the morning. What excitement and questions we had. What anticipation, hope, fear, etc. I remember just watching the computer and carrying around the phone for any kind of message. Wow. These kids are huge blessings to us.

I find it interesting that today is Orphan Sunday. You can check out a video on it here. I was and have forever been completely overwhelmed my how many orphans there are. I know that everyone doesn't feel like they can bring a child into your house, but there are lots of other avenues: Prayer, sponsorship, encouragement to others that have adopted, financial support, research and knowledge, etc....but, of course, if you are feeling an inkling towards adoption, foster care, or orphan care, please keep praying about it. It is HUGE however you decide to get involved. It might not feel like we are always making a big difference, but you are making a huge difference in ONE life! And actually, you are doing much more as I realize now how blessed WE are for having these two children in our lives.

Last night we were fortunate to go to a fundraiser for an organization that is called Water 1st. You can check it out here. This is a group that has come together to bring clean water and sanitation to the poorest parts of the world. So far, they have helped so many and last night they raised $500,000 to bring toilets and clean water to the slums in Bangladesh, and to more future projects. This is an amazing way that you can help orphans and event prevent orphans.
I was impressed with the founder and her speech last night. One thing she said that we did seem to win the birth lottery and it isn't our fault. Instead of trying to find fault in someone, how about just work on making it right for others. So many children are dying of diarrhea. The statistics were awful to hear.

I also want to mention the agency that we went with to adopt Fia and Kwame. It is called Adoption Advocates International. If you are at all interested in helping support the orphanage in Ghana or just as important, helping sponsor families in their community to be able to keep their children with them, there is great need. There is also a nearby orphanage that is unrelated to ours, but our agency is sponsoring because they have hardly any basic needs. There is also the hope for all the children and staff from the agency to receive a small Christmas gift and a special meal, so you can give to the 'Holiday Project.' If you are at all interested in giving in this way, you can click here, and either click on Ghana/Eban House and specify what you want it to go towards or just have it unrestricted. The Holiday Project is also a separate button and you can designate Ghana if you choose, or it will also go to Ethiopia, which would be just as welcomed.

I know finances are tight for everyone right now, but it is amazing how much God blesses when we share our blessings with others. Just some food for thought.

Any questions?? Feel free to leave a message and I can try and help to steer you in the right direction.

Happy Birthday Daron!

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband. I am so thankful that I get to go on this life journey together with him. He is the best father -making all the kids feel so special, and I am so blessed that we both felt called to adoption and now have 5 fantastic. He loves people, talking, playing basketball, fantasy football, or heck, let's just say anything competitive. We have a strong, and always growing marriage, but two Sundays a year are especially hard for us as our opposing Bears and Vikings play each other (I guess I am a little competitive too). As scared as I was to become a pastor's wife, he has eased those worries and fears and I LOVE being his partner in this aspect of our life too. The only thing I could do without is when he shares in front of the church a story(that I have NEVER heard from last month) that could have gotten him and Fia killed at the farm! He thought 'safety in numbers..I thought, this is how pastor's wives become bitter, HONEY! Ha ha! No worries(this time). I am so fortunate for many things about Daron, but mostly his love for me and our family-it is his priority, and it shows everyday of our lives. Thank you God for putting Daron in my life to live this crazy journey with him!

Happy 9th Birthday Greta!!

Happy Birthday Greta!!! Today is Miss Greta's birthday and she is so excited that she is FINALLY 9(as she said)! I am so thankful for this girl and for how God has made her. She is bright, funny, always helpful, goofy, sporty, and FULL of LOVE! She is always ready for a good time, loves being social, and very good at taking control of situations. Greta is a strong little girl, and as she grows up, I should not have to worry about her making sure she is being treated well. She says what she thinks and I love her spirit! I wish you a fantastic birthday Greta-we LOVE you so much!! (by the way, she is eating 'Hills and Humps' and drinking Superfood-her favorites)

And for those counting...only one more breakfast in bed this week until December!

Can Daddy Spank the Big Lady?

Not sure exactly what happened yet tonight, but we just got home from church and Kwame said that a big lady screamed at him. I asked if it was a kid or a mom??? He said a big lady. I asked him what she said and he said she didn't say anything, just screamed. I said, hmmm...next time, let me know if anyone screams at you right then and I will help you. He thought about it and asked, "Next time the big lady screams at me, can Daddy give her a spanking?"

Justus and I tried so hard not to laugh, picturing 'Pastor Daron' spanking someone at church-not a good image. "Nope Kwame, Dad can't spank the big lady (just referring to her age), but we can talk to her," I said, "and ask her why she screamed at you." Poor guy. But it was kind of funny too. Then he went on to pray, "Thank you for the big lady that screamed at me...." Oh my gosh, I couldn't contain it anymore!

Happy 7th Birthday Ella!!

Happy birthday Ella!! We are SO blessed to have you in our lives!! You have the very special gift of lighting up a room when you walk in it. You have a twinkle in your eye and a great love of life! You make your mom and dad's heart's swell with so much love that we both just smile when thinking or talking about you. We LOVE you!! I love how much you are enjoying reading right now - we are very proud of you! It is also so much fun to see you play soccer, dance, sing, and play with family and friends. Have I said we love you yet??? ;) I hope you have a fabulous birthday and and fantastic year being 7! For Ella's birthday, we surprised her and brought her to get her ears pierced, as she has been asking for it. We thought it fine since her 5 yr. old sister already had them pierced. She was very surprised as we stopped for an errand and she continued to have her nose in her book walking around town. Eventually she figured it out and covered her face with excitement and embarrassment as she realized what we were doing.

So, here she is with her new earrings!!

Happy 5th Birthday Fia!!!

Happy Birthday to our beautiful princess!! We are so blessed to have you in our lives and thank God every day for your smile and your contagious laugh, for your love of life, and your willingness to help others. We pray that you know how much you are loved by all your family and friends and most importantly, by your heavenly Father. WE LOVE YOU!!!

October -The good, the bad, and the ugly!

We have had a crazy October so far, but the good news is, that it can only slow down, right?? Ha! I still have three birthday parties for my lovely daughters before the end of the month, so it looks like we will have to wait until November to slow down....so far this month we have had Ella and her allergic reaction, Justus got a concussion at church(seriously!), Ella got the flu, Daron left for MN. with Fia for a week at his family farm to harvest, Greta got the flu, I got a sinus infection, and now I got the flu last night! Phew!! Not looking for sympathy, just wanting to spew! So....it has been interesting around here and I am crossing my fingers that the the rest of the family stays healthy and doesn't get this fever flu that is going around. I mean really, we have parties to plan!

Anyway...here are some pics from the month so far. Fia had her first field trip from her preschool-which she LOVES!!(Thank you again to whomever is blessing her with this opportunity!!) We went to a local pumpkin patch where they have a miniature hay maze, a larger corn maze, an area to jump in the hay, and a pumpkin patch. Fia (and Kwame) had so much fun going there and eating lunch with her classmates. A picture perfect scenery too, as you can see.

We have also been all about SOCCER, SOCCER, SOCCER! The three oldest kids are all in soccer and 5/7 nights every week, we are running back and forth between practices and games. It is so fun to watch the kids change every year in their skill level; it is getting pretty exciting for the older kids. Fia and Kwame aren't playing this year, but they are having a lot of fun playing on the sidelines and getting ready for their turn.

New Family Photos

This is for the grandmas! Hope you enjoy-we just took these this weekend because we needed a family photo for our agency as a follow up. We also took a few festive shots for our photographer, Christina Koon, so that is why we are wearing scarves. It wasn't quite cold enough for those yet!

Check out this link for the pics: http://www.photobiz.com/slideshowbiz/slideshow.cfm?slideshowID=88174&photographerID=3678