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

No More Walnuts for Ella

Well, I guess our little Ella has a walnut allergy!! We don't know for sure yet, but after yesterday, we are not taking any chances with ANY nuts until her appt. with an allergist in two weeks. I am SOOOOOO thankful for how I was able to see God's hand in protecting our little one Tues. night; especially when I kept ignoring what Ella was telling me.

After Ella's soccer practice Tuesday night, we walked over to the high school to watch the girls varsity soccer game. Greta's team was actually getting the opportunity to escort the team onto the field and watch the game on the sidelines. So...after practice, I handed the three little ones some of the infamous mini chocolate chip cookies with walnuts from a local general store that makes them fresh every Tuesday. They are delish!! We all ate them and raced to the game.

Soon after we got there, Ella said that the cookie was sticking in her throat and she was coughing a little. I told her to get some water and then she went off playing more soccer. She came back a couple of times and said it was still bothering her and she was being what I thought was obnoxious by coughing and spitting and I told her to stop it!! (Oops!! )I thought she was overreacting and I actually had the discussion with my friend that she was tired and being a bit dramatic. (Oops again!! God forgive me!) Finally I looked at her closer and her lips were swollen like Mick Jaggers or like she just put on some 'plump me up' lip gloss. Then it hit me-she was having an allergic reaction! Ahhh!! How could I have been so dumb, self absorbed, unresponsive, etc. etc.....this is something that I know about! My dad is deathly allergic to tree nuts, which is basically everything except peanuts. We went as quickly to the car as we could and left Daron and the big kids there- I figured they could fend for themselves(nice, huh?, but Daron is a personable guy, and as luck had it, he got a ride from our friend, who is also the kids P.E. teacher). As we got to the car, I realized her ears were swelling up too and her eyes and face were getting red and blotchy.
***I realize this is long, I just want to get it all out-it helps me process and reminds me how God really had his hand in everything! As I heard from a quote today, "coincidences are miracles in which God prefers to remain anonymous"
We hightailed it home, got some benadryl and called our doctor who then told us to call 911. Really??? I asked. Yes. -Oh boy, that was hard for me to do since I had never done it before. Isn't that crazy that I second guessed it? I guess I had heard so many stories of people that call for the dumbest things and I didn't want to do that. Mistake #2-Don't worry about people pleasing when your daughter is having a hard time breathing!!!

The second the firefighters and EMT's arrived, I was put to rest as we knew two of the guys that were on the call. One was Ella's teacher's husband from last year that we know a bit from school and around town, and the other is a good friend that we go to church with and his daughter and Greta are close. The other guys were also fantastic, but it felt so nice knowing that our friends were taking care of Ella. After they checked her out, they decided that we should head down to the hospital, so Ella and I had our first trip in an ambulance, which thankfully was pretty uneventful. There, they gave Ella an IV for some steroids, as well as oxygen and wanted to watch her for a few hours to make sure that she didn't have another episode. Luckily, her skin got better and her face wasn't swollen anymore after this, but her tonsils remained HUGE. They then actually released Ella and sent us on our way to pick up our prescriptions, but while we were there, the doc called us and said he would feel much better having her monitored through the night in the hospital-so we went back. I was actually relieved b/c there she would have a heart monitor and would be watched in case it was hard to breath through the night (although it was actually morning since we got to bed at 2:30 am) with her mammoth tonsils.

Other small 'coincidences' were that when we were in her ER room, I looked out into the hall and our friend was the social worker on call (another friendly face). Then, when we went to check Ella into her hospital room, the nurse we were assigned was a mom I know from our Elementary school! Wow! Seeing these people really eased all of our minds and helped to keep us all calm. One last thing was that when we were driving down in the ambulance, I guess a couple of our friends saw me so they went over to our house to check on us. Daron was still there, passed the info. on and they spread the word to some of our friends to pray for Ella. It helped knowing that people were praying for Ella.

Ella ended up doing great through the night and we were released late morning. They put her on some steroids for a couple days and we are now proud owners of epipens. Ella's favorite part of the experience was that she got to pick out any food she wanted in the morning at the hospital. Oh, and she took home her hospital gown. I was going to order a cappuccino off the menu, but realized that they probably wouldn't believe it was for her, so we stuck to chocolate milk.

Two days later now, Ella is doing fine. She is bummed about not eating peanut butter for two weeks, as that is her favorite, but we are staying away from all nuts as a precaution until she sees the allergist. We are so BLESSED that she is doing great and that things turned out how they did. Sitting there watching her in the hospital bed was not fun, but it always puts things into perspective.