HAPPY NEW YEAR

Just a quick not to everyone out there......

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Curt, the kids and I enjoyed a family movie night watching the Incredibles and eating popcorn....yum!

First family movie night and popcorn for Kai and Nikaya...they seemed to really like it.

Tried to call Dr. B tonight to wish him Happy Birthday, but the lines were not working.....gotta call tomorrow and wish him a belated one.

Tomorrow is the day for taking down the Christmas tree and decorations and putting the house back to normal....whatever normal is...

Some Haiti Pictures

Curtis, Me, Kai, Nikaya with Grace. Grace is a sweety we recently placed with her new family, she is a DOLL!!

Here is us with Dr. Bernard and his wonderful wife Claudette in Haiti.

Same as above, but we added Amy.

Amy is my wonderful friend, loyal Assistant at Heritage and mom to Kerline (Haiti), Eva and Jolie (home).

Here is Kai and his buddy Kerline. Kerline is Amy's 15 year old daughter she is currently adopting....watch out modeling and sports world...girl wears women's size 9 and is drop dead gorgeous...and she is only a teen!

Kai the muscle man and Kerline watching tv at the guest house!

Were Great!!

We are all doing well here. The kids have settled in pretty well and it is starting to feel more like they have been here for a while. Nikaya is saying please, thank you and you're welcome in English.....at least, that is what she is TRYING to say...it is a little muffled with 2 year old speech! hehe

Kai is doing really well with English. He still talks 100 miles an hour in Creole, I know that will change and it makes me sad...I never want them to lose that...

I took the kids to Carl's Jr. last night. Oh my gosh, it was the best time ever!!! Kai finally got up the nerve to go down the slide. Here comes family friend Annie and then Demi Roo with Kai in front of her screaming the whole way like he was going to fall off the edge of the world. Once they hit the end of the slide Kai had a BIG smile on his face and told Demi Roo...AGAIN!!!

I am so glad they are home, and continue to pray for the families that are still waiting. In my job/calling, there will always be families waiting, but it is hard...I know it for a fact!

Good Christmas

Christmas was good for us this year. Not because there was an abundance of gifts under the tree or money was flowing freely, but because we had our children home. To show these little people a Christmas that they have never had was truely amazing.

Both kids are doing well and attaching wonderfully. They sleep thru the night and eat pretty much what you give them....except Kai Ceus, he is a little picky at times...he will learn! ;-)

Today we got to call Robinson, a Lawyer friend of ours from Haiti who I used to work with on adoptions. He is now in Atlanta and married to a wonderful woman....we are so happy for him. Kai was glad to hear his voice, he had made friends with Robinson and had not spoken to him since September....they talked for quite a while.

I also called Dr. Bernard in Haiti and wished him and Claudette a Merry Christmas. He talked to Kai for while and asked him about his new family and what he thought......we got the thumbs up from Kai and he told Dr. B he loved us and we were nice and he was happy to be home.
After talking to Kai Dr. B asked me again if I was ready for 4 more kids??? I told him he would be the 3rd to know if I was...1st Curtis, 2nd would be my Therapist...hehe :-)
All in good fun, but I think 4 may be my limit. It has not been as hard as I had thought, but it is a stretch to make 4 little people happy when there is only 1 of you. Like I told Curtis though, at least the fights are different....Hunter isn't ALWAYS fighting with Demi Roo, now he has options. hehe

I hope Christmas was good for everyone out there. We pray for the people of Haiti and the Birth families of the children that have been given up and been adopted. We also pray for the adoptive families that still wait for their children to come home as well.

Success...

Well, last night was the first night all kids slept in their own beds since being home! Kai and Nikaya went to their beds well, we had talked them up ALL day long and made it fun to sleep there. Hunter and Demi Roo slept in their beds as well. They were glad to finally have their siblings in their rooms with them, but sad that they could not cuddle with them as they had on the floor. I like that they all had their own space and I think they all liked that they had their own space since they all slept until 8:30am!!! ;-)
Hunter said he awoke to Kai singing in Creole...how cute. Demi Roo woke to Nikaya saying "me, me, me" something she does when she wants something.
A good night for all!

Lots of STUFF

I have so many thoughts going thru my head it makes it hard to sleep...I will pour them out here in no certain order so maybe I can sleep. hehe

Our kids are adjusting well. They are still sleeping in our room...well, they are ALL sleeping in our room...one big happy family of 6 in one bedroom. It is nice to know that when we are broke we only need a one bedroom apartment. :-P

While we were gone our beloved bird Animal passed away. I am not sure of the cause other than he was getting up in years and may have been stressed by different people being in the house for so long.
I will miss the little guy; not cleaning up after him, but his chirp and his following his mirror bird buddy from one end of the cage to the other. I love you Animal...I will miss you!

Having 4 kids is not as hard as I thought, at least not yet. I don't want to say much to jinx myself. I am wondering if it is going well, or if I have lost my mind.

I do find it harder to find time to clean the house to my mind warped ability. Being Obsessive Compulsive in a house with 4 kids is quite difficult. I am to tired to clean and frankly wonder if I even care anymore....is lived in an ok clean?? ;-P

When will my laundry fold itself and out itself away? Probably about the same time the dishes do right?

It looks like we may end up with Christmas Eve at our house again this year. I don't mind, it allows us to invite Curt's Aunt and her hubby Don over for the evening. We don't get to see family enough...and it isn't like we live so far away.

My cousin Travis wont be home for Christmas. He has not been scheduled to leave Cottonwood Detention Center until maybe January. This is sad, he completed all of his required classes and more and is still doomed to sit there and think about how to be bad again. I wish they would let him come back home and live what he has tried to learn. I pray that he keeps his eyes ahead and the same old bad people will stay away from him and he has the ability to pass them by of he sees them on the street. I am praying for you and love you Travis.

I cannot believe that my two are finally home from Haiti....I still look at them at night and cannot believe that I have FOUR (4) kids.....when did that happen??!!

My bio. dad was supposedly sentenced to one year in Blackfoot Mental Institute. I was very happy and sad to hear it. He needs so much help in his Bi Polar brain, and a short stay will not do it for him.

I found out earlier this week that my Bio. Dad may be getting out after only a month at the most....hey, thanks for the help..

Well, tomorrow is my 35th birthday....YEAH! I got what I wanted the most...my kids home!

Love to all...
Me

Our Homecoming Photos

When we first arrived

Mama and Nikaya

Kai is all smiles, even at 11:30pm

HOME!!!!

Hello to all, we are finally home from Haiti with our two newest Haitian Sensations! ;-P

We ended up spending 5 extra days in Haiti than we planned. INS/Dept. of Homeland Security took longer to complete our papers than anticipated and previosuly promised. We had scehduled to meet them Monday Dec. 4th and interview at the US Embassy Wed. to get the kids Visa's. WELL, INS decided to not sign our papers until FRIDAY...so, we had to wait over the weekend and meet the Embassy Monday. Now, they were wonderful and squeezed us in and got stuff done quick for our meeting....it took them forever to get the Visa to us (we waited from 7:30am to 3:30pm) but we left with it in hand.

I will write more in the next couple of days. We just arrived home last night at 11:30pm and I am still dragging hiney!

It is Almost Time!!!

Yes, the time stamp is right...it is 1:20am Mountain time and I am still up. My parents will be here to pick Curtis and I up at 4:45am and I have had no sleep. All I can do is dream about the moment I see my kids faces again, and how much I will miss the ones here at home. I know they will be ok...they are in loving capable hands of Aunt Heather and Uncle Kevin.....but still....they are mine.

I am anxious to see how Curtis reacts to Haiti, to introduce him to our children, to meet birth parents and hug them and thank them for their selflessness.....it will only be a pitance for what they have done, the gift they have given us and their children....a life in America and us 2 more blessings.

I will write more when I am back from Haiti...until then..Bon Nuit...Good Night!

2 More Sleeps, 3 More Sleeps

We officially have 2 more nights before we leave for Miami and 3 nights until we arrive in Haiti to see our kids! This will be the first trip to Haiti for Curt....he has also only seen our kids in pictures. He is so wired he cannot stand himself....I am so wired I cannot stand myself. :-) Do biological children cause this much adrenaline??? When you go to have a planned C-section do you feel all tingly inside knowing that soon you will be holding your child???
Airline tickets are made, hotels are reserved, shopping will be done tomorrow....all I have left is cleaning the house, packing and running around like a chicken with my head cut off from the craziness!
I will write more after we return home and tell everyone about our trip and post new pic's of the kids in Haiti AND HOME!!!

BIG FREAK OUT!!!!!

I got an email today stating that our Birth Parent interview has been scheduled for Dec. 4th at 11am. In that same email I got a request to appear before INS to sign papers as well. WHAT? You do that afterwards...I mean hey, I do these adoptions for a living (meager one at that) and I should know how things work right?! Anyway, with USCIS being the governmental agency that they are, they have decided to change the rules on us and Curtis and I must appear before them Monday December 4th 11am to sign the Immigration forms requested in order for our birth parents to meet INS. SO, Curtis and I are leaving for on SATURDAY!!!
Our flights look something like this:

United Airlines Boise to Miami Sat. Dec. 2nd
American Airlines Miami to Port-au-Prince, Haiti Sunday Dec. 3rd

Birth parent interview Monday Dec. 4th

Leave Port-au-Prince Friday Dec. 8th for Miami
Leave Miami Saturday Dec. 9th and arrive in Boise!!

Our kiddos will be home for Christmas!!!

Macey's Home

I am happy to report that my Macey kittie is home from the vet.
They said it appears that she has some infection possibly in her bladder. Of course, they told me to begin with that she didn't and that she had a fatty liver, feline anorexia (WHAT?? my cat is a supermodel! hehe)

Anyway, she is home now and seems to be feeling ok. Of course, the bill was a wonderful $318...YIKES! I am luckily going to be making payments. I told them that as much as I love her, they were either going to have to take payments or keep the cat as collateral..I think Curtis would have preferred they kept her!:-P

When I was at the vet they told me that Macey was so loving and sweet. She was a dream to work with. This is good considering when I went to pick up Skittles from them they told me she was mean and quite possibly the cat version of Cujo..hehe I told them it was nice that I had a good cat since they weren't to fond of my other one. When they wanted to know who my other cat was and I said "skittles" the two vet techs shook their heads and said they remembered her. hehehe

Well, off to feed Neurotic Norman, Cujo Skittle and Sweet Macey!

Ah, Thanksgiving!!

We had a wonderful time and meal at my parents house. Attending were my brother Eric, his wife Lyndsay, his kids Addisyn and Ariya. My Granny and Papa, and my parents and us of course. ;-P

Every year my parents make a gluten free holiday meal with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, and all the fixin's. This is something I wait for all year...gluten free Thanksgiving dinner. If I had nothing else to be thankful for, that would be enough.
Gluten free is free of all wheat, rye, oats, barley, malt etc. and anything that came in contact with those things to cause contamination. If I eat them I become extremely ill and it causes damage to the intestines. The fact that they take on this feat is something else...but at least I get a regular thanksgiving meal!!! ;-)

Anywhoo...I was SUPPOSED to go shopping at 4:15am today. WELL, we got home from Curt's parents house at 12:30am and by the time we got the kids in bed and ourselves in bed it was 1 am. Now, 2.5 hours is better than nothing, so I set my alarm and tried to rest. A little later my little Skittles kittie climbed up on me and purred...I pettted her and reached up to look at my alarm clock....5:15 am.....WHAT??? I had missed my alarm, or it never went off (more my idea becuase it wasn't blinking like I snoozed it 500 times). I felt so bad because Tracey was not going to go but we decieded to because there was a couple of gifts I wanted for the kids there....so she sat outside my house for 1/2 an hour waiting for me to come out...I slept. I called her this morning and apologized. She had some satisfaciton that after I woke up at 5:15 I was unable to go back to sleep due to GUILT! ;-P

Curt and I went to Boise with the kids while I bought a few things for my mom to give the kids since she wasn't going to be here for the shopping day. Toys R Us was a NIGHTMARE! We ordered what I wanted to get the kids from Ebay and saved A LOT of money. It was amazing that God gave me that llittle bit of oversleeping to save us some money huh? At least, that is my story and I am sticking to it!!

Passports

As of today we have Kai AND Nikaya's passports in hand in Haiti!!! I have contacted the US Embassy to let them know that we will have our papers to them soon, they said they would do them as quickly as possible as soon as birth parent interviews are completed. Now, off to make Birth parent interviews with USCIS (Immigration)!!! It is actually going to happen, our kids could really be home by CHRISTMAS!!!

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!

Dinner Out and Sleepovers...

Well, last night was a wonderful night out with family.
Curt's Aunt Peggy and Uncle Don took us to dinner for chinese food....yummy! A good meal, especially when you have leftovers! ;-P
Thank you so much for the great meal and wonderful conversation, we love you guys so much!

Demi Roo had a princess sleepover with the neighbor girls... a lot of fun there. She came home about noon today tired, but happy after all the fun. Hunter had a sleepover here with his friend Marcos. Marcos is new in the school and his family doesn't speak much English. They are a wonderful family, and seem to really like Hunter as well. The family was surprised when they saw me for the first time....I would like to think it is because I am so stunningly good looking, but I think it was because I was white. hehe
Marcos' mother had to ask me if Hunter was mine or was I his step mother. I explained that Hunter and his sister and upcoming siblings are all adopted. She laughed a little, I am not sure if she completly 'got' what I was saying, but she seemed ok with the answer I guess. :-)
Regardless, they all had a lot of fun and our weekend was spent with friends and family. I would not have it any other way!

Passport Progress!

I got the word from Haiti today that we have Kai's passport in hand. Nikaya's did not come in yet, but they were told it would be early this next week, Monday or Tuesday. Once the passports are in hand, the dossier goes to the US Embassy for checking over...hoping we can make this go faster by speaking to the the Embassy ourselves. With the US Embassy being a United States entity it is possible to have Senator's help out etc. and we have a little leeway where we do not with Haitian governments!!
So, hoping that all will go well with passports for Nikaya and we can get the Embassy to speed us thru so we can get a birth parent interview soon and have the kids by Christmas.
Pray for us as we are coming up on black out dates for flying due to holidays!!

Cowboy Night

Tonight was cowboy/pioneer night at AWANA's (Baptist Church Acitivty).

Hunter and Demi Roo dressed up to the best of their head banging ability (with accessory help from Mammy and Pappy) to pretend to be cowboys and cowgirls! Aren't they CUTE?!

Afternoon Basketball

Here is Demi Roo going in for the free
Throw...Great shot~
















In, out, around and In!!













He shoots, He scores!!!












Dribble power..
watch out WNBA!!













Perfect lay up and
the ball goes in~
SWISH!!

The Fight Was Lost....

What happens when you are so tired but you don't want to give up the fight? You do what Demi Roo does, you climbs into your toy box and watch TV....... (snore, snore...) :-P

Quick Update

Well, yesterday was one of those days I pushed it to far. I dorve all over doing errands and made myself sore in teh belly area...never said I was to smart. ;-)
Still waiting to hear from Haiti about passports for us. Now it seeks like it is taking about 2 weeks to hear back from the US Consulate in order for them to pass the dossier off to USCIS(Immigration) to make the Birth prent interviews....aarrgghh! I am hoping things will move a little smoother as time goes on, but it is Haiti after all. We are still praying hard for the kids to be here before Christmas.

Nerves

I have some nerves that I am currently dealing with. It is funny to me that I am having these thoughts now, and I am not sure if they are normal or not.

I am concerned about my mothering skills. HOW am I going to mother 4 kids?? CAN I mother 4 kids?? WHY did I want to mother 4 kids?? Now, of course I should have thought about these things some time ago, and I have. I am just now going thru the realization that very soon my child to parent ratio will double. We have things in this house that we are pretty slack with. During the summer and weekends there is a very late bedtime and sleeping in. If someone gets cranky or tired (this includes mommy and daddy) we take a nap. We sometimes eat weird things at weird times of the day (Hunter is famous for chicken noodle soup for breakfast everyday). I am wondering how this fits for 2 new people who may be very set in their ways. Kai is 5, he has been around the orphanage since he was 2 and will have some family life aspects he will need to learn, and what a weird family for him to figure that out in huh?! :-)

We are all anxious about the settling in period. Hunter has asked me about things that Kai and Nikaya may do that he witnessed from Demi Roo when she came home. Do they bite? Throw tantrums? Hide food in weird places? Ever seen a tv? Ever played with a basketball? Ever played Playstation? What will they think of Christmas and the family? Will they be afraid of all the kissing like Demi Roo was? (No joke, when Demi came home Dec. 1st at the age of 23 months, she would look at us like we were these freaks with sucky lips that wanted to lick her all the time.hehe) We are a huggy / kissy family. To this day, when we want to torture the children we don't tickle, poke or pester, we kiss and hug. Hunter will come up to you and plant one on your cheek and sit there with his lips on you until you cannot stand it anymore, JUST TO TORTURE!!!
I think we may do just fine with the new kids. They however may want to escape within the first few weeks, but we may be just fine. hehe

We Are Doing Good

Well, I think I am on the way to recovery. I am feeling much better now and only have difficulty wearing clothes...do you think that is a problem? :-)
I am looking forward to getting some things done this week...nothing to harsh (I promised Curtis) but I have managed to clean the kids bathroom and load and unload the dishwasher from time to time over the last 2 days. If I take it slow, heck...I a might have the house clean in time for the new kids to come home. hehe
I have some things I need to do as the time for our kids is closing in. I need to make photo albums, 2 of them, for the birth families as a gift. I am putting together pictures that I have recieved of the kids over our wait, our house, Curt and the kids and I, the kids playing etc...just a little idea for them to know where the kids are going. I know it gives the birth families comfort to see a picture and have an idea of where the kids will be going and what their life may be like. I have some from this summer of the kids swimming and having fun. I wil be able to explain to them during our birth parent interview some of the acitivites we have planned for the kids once they are home and settled; such as soccer for Kai (he loves it and loved my friend/assistant Amy for taking hackey sacks to Haiti with us last time). I am also planning on swimming lessons for the kids this next summer...Hunter and Demi Roo enjoyed theirs and learned so much...they even jumpp off the diving board now NO PROBLEM!!
I also need to go thru the clothes I have saved (which there are not many of since I had a cousin that had a baby and passed them on to her) and to see what I will need for them when they come home. Got lots to do!!!

My Kiddos

Here is the recent photo of my babies. Nikaya looks like she bored to death and mid yawn hehe.
Heard today that they have done the last of the checks for the ministry and have signed for the passports etc. and they should have them in hand by this next week! ;-P

Recouperarting

Well I am on the mend. It is amazing how much a surgery can take out of you. I spent the first day laying down...sitting was out of the question....to much pain. Today I am doing better with the whole standing up more straight thing, but I am not able to do it for long periods of time. When I spend to much time on my feet I pay for it later...pain, itching in the incision areas etc....man, I get tired easily now. This is not fun for someone like me who when I want to move, I move. If I want to be a bum I can be a bum, but forced bumming is not fun at all!!!

I called Haiti today and got no new news. One of my families came out of passports and they are about 2-2.5 weeks ahead of us. I am hoping things will speed up and we can go soon....PLEASE...

Surgery

I met with the surgeon today and he said I needed to have my gallbladder out tomorrow. He is concerned about a stone passing in to my ducts so they are going to suck it out tomorrow morning at 9:45am. I will post more after the fact...

Fight Night

Saturday was fight night, and what a night it was!!!
I had to call 3 fights to an end and was booed while in the ring. hehe
It was a night for facial cuts like no other. I had to call 3 fights due to bad cuts that would require stitches and you could see meat and bone underneath ( to much info I know). Anyway. people in the audience didn't like me calling the fights. At one point I was booed when I went into the ring for a badly bleeding fighter. Some of the people called me some pretty nasty names and wanted another person to do my job. Good thing that the promotors know I know what I am doing and calmed the crowd down. Once I got out of the ring, it had to be mopped due to all the blood. I had quite a bit of blood on my shirt the rest of the evening. All in all, the mat had to be mopped 2 times with rags and 1 time with a mop...nasty! ;-P
Had a lot of fun and some good fighters won title belts for their weight classes. Hunter is begging me to take him next time...I will have to think about it first though.

An Answer

I had my HIDA Scan test yesterday. I have not gotten the official call from the Dr. yet, but the lady that did the test explained what I will hear.
A HIDA Scan tests your ejection fraction, the amount of time it takes for your gallbladder to fill up and then empty. To have one considered normal you need a 35% rating or more....Mine, 0%. That puppy isn't filling or emptying and will more than likley need to be removed soon to stop the pain that I am having.
I am glad to have an answer and an option to fix it. It kind of stink that the option is surgery so close to the holidays and the kids coming home, but I will do whatever to make myself 100% by the time we get them.
Thank the good Lord for getting me thru 15 hours of no food or water and the pin sticks for the IV, pain of morphine induced attack and sitting still for 1.5 hours for test! ;-)

Passports

I called Dr. Bernard yesterday to check on passports for me and one of my families. Come to find out, Haitian Immigration has added steps to the passport process since a certain wealthy someone adopted Internationally and now several Countries are adding steps to assure that us wealthy adoptive parents are completing the process legally... Thanks to the person who did this....I wanted my kids home this century you big bunghole! ;-P

More Tests....

Today the Dr got my results from my ultrasound. They said it appears that I have stones in my gallbladder. This is not a surprise since most of the females on both sides of my family have all had their gallbladder out by the age of 36.....I will be 35 in December.

They want to do a HIDA scan next Wednesday. They said they are not 100% sure that the gallbladder was what was causing my pain.....I am ...... Pray for the following:
1. I can sit still for 2 hours to have the test
2. The dye does not make the ensuing gallbladder attack to much to handle
3. They get definitive results and can fix me

I prefer just to have the surgery to remove the gallbladder. I know that eventually I will have to have it done, and I prefer to have it done before my kids come home and I have little ones to care for.

Write more on that later...

Holiday's and Tests

Well, no news from Haiti today. Today is a Holiday in Haiti.....Death of the Father of The Country. Hopefully tomorrow I will hear more about passports for me and another waiting family and will know dossier placement for the several others who are waiting anxiously for ANY word.

Today was test day for me. I went to the hospital and had an unltrasound completed on my abdominal cavity. I am hoping this shows something so I can be diagnosed and given a solution and end to the pain I feel. The one downer to today...the ultrasound lady has to push down in order to see what she needs to see....this makes my fibromyalgia act up...OUCH! I feel a little like I have the flu..achy body and sore. I pray it will go away soon.

Hopefully more news on both fronts in the next day or two!
God bless to all who are reading!

My Fast Growing Babies...

The newest photo of our fast growing babies. They look so ready to come home.


WE LOVE AND MISS YOU AND WILL BE THERE SOON, I PROMISE!!!

Dr. Visits

I spoke to the internal Dr. Friday, he is having me go in for a CT Scan on my gallbladder and reassured me that it is not my heart! ;-) So, I will be going in Tuesday am for a quick test to see how my gallbladder is doing. The Dr's are starting to lean that way since the majority of my family members have no gallbladders...had to be removed due to disease....isn't it nice what genetics shares with us all?
I will post what I find out later!

Quite a Scare

Well Friday turned out to be a scary day for me.

It actually started Thursday night for me. I got a horrible pain in my chest that after a while went away. Friday I got up and the pain was persistent but not as bad...I passed it off as bad Burger King Thursday night. hehe

Tracey and I took the kids to the movies, no school due to teacher state conference. During the movie the pain got worse again. I called my Dr. and he was out of the office, so I had Tracey take me to a quick care locally. I called Curtis and told him I was going...I was a little scared since the pain was getting a little worse again. Once at the clinic they took me right back. Hooked me up to monitors and told me that my heartbeat had some irregularities in it on the EKG. They told me I needed to go to the local ER and that I would have to go by Ambulance, car transport was NOT an option. Needless to day, I cried and freaked a little...come on, I am only 34...granted, I am fat, but I am young and mean if I wanna be. ;-P
The nurse put an IV in and gave me baby aspirin. The fireman and paramedic's arrived and carted me away to the hospital...me in tears, Curtis with fear in his eyes.

The ER checked me again and again. Something was wrong with my EKG...abnormal rhythm and my blood pressure and pulse were off the charts...I was admitted to the ICU for observation and given nitro under the tongue and then a nitro patch on the chest. Now, if you have never had nitroglycerine let me tell you something....it gives you a headache beyond headaches....OUCH!
Curtis finally left at 11:30pm. Well, actually I MADE him leave and told him to get something to eat and some rest. Hunter and Demi were with my wonderful friend Tracey for the night, or until I got out of the hospital. I talked to her on the phone Friday night and she was in tears. She told me she loved me and that I had better get out of the damn hospital or else! ;-P

I had many blood draws and wires hooked to me like you would not believe. I had to have someone with me if I wanted to move from my bed to go potty....I don't like vouyers...I had a several Friday night. hehe
After all the tests were run my cardiac enzymes came back clean..no damage to my heart PTL...and my stress test was stressful, but I passed with flying, sweaty colors! Do you know that they wash you with alcohol and THEN sand paper the area for the LED's to stick...OUCH again!
They have decided that I may have a hiatal hernia, ulcer or other blockage in my esophogus that caused it to spasm. I guess when your esophagus spasms etc....it can mimic heart pain since it is the same nerve controlling the same area. Good to know for next time!!!

I have been given a clean bill of heart health, but must now see a Dr. to have scope down my throat to see what is going on along with med's for stomach acid reduction. I am thankful that it was not my heart. I prayed so hard all Friday night. Even after sleeping pill I could not sleep...so I prayed.

I am glad to be back home and even though the hospital took good care of me I am glad to be back where I am the boss. hehe ;-P

Mr. Cadet is gone!

For those of you who read the blog regularly you will know I speak of Mr. Cadet from IBESR in Haiti. He was head of Haiti's version of Social Services/Child Welfare. He was a crappy man and would sit on families adoption papers for ever for no good reason at all.
I am excited to say that rumor has become truth. Friday was Mr. Cadet's last day of work for IBESR!!!!!!!!! The man is no longer in charge of children's future...that alone should show a non believer that there is a God. :-P
We are not sure who the next IBESR Director will be, an interim one is to be taking the office shortly, but it has yet to be seen. Pray that the new Director is one with a good heart for the children and will do his or her job with integrity.

Passport Phase

Well, we have made it to the passport phase of the process in Haiti!!! This is wonderful since we were held up in Ministry of Interior for over a month, but have now been released. We went into passports Monday...PTL!
Not sure how much longer it will be. I have a family who has been in passports for over a month, but they got caught in the change over of Director's just as I did, just a different office. I am praying that all will go quickly this part of the process.
Once passports are received then birth parent interviews can be scheduled at USCIS (Immigration) in Haiti. Once they are done...we go get the kids!!!! I am so excited. I am still slightly guarded as far as a time line but pray to have them home by Thanksgiving. This time line is looking more like it could really be a reality, but after 16 months of waiting for my kiddos it is hard to believe it will be real soon.
More as soon as I hear it!

St Gertrudes Monastery

I am not a catholic, and do not profess to know much about the religion. I will say, that most churches are to be honored while you are there, show respect and notice the beauty that surrounds you and feel God's presence, not matter what religion you profess to be.

Well, while granny and I were looking for the correction Facility we came upon this campus of huge buildings. The sign stated it was The Monastery of St. Gertrude of Helfta http://www.stgertrudes.org
A monastery of Nun's in Cottonwood Idaho...huh...who would have thunk it> ;-P
Granny and I noticed they had a sign that stated visitors were welcome and it was intriguing to say the least.
We went in and spoke with someone who told us that there was a self guided tour with brochure inside the Chapel. Granny and I didn't know what to expect, but grabbed a brochure and went in.

Let me start by saying...WOW!!! What an amazing place. Above I have entered the web address that has photos, but they will do no justice to this absolutely beautiful place God has helped make.
St. Gertrude's is high above Cottonwood in the mountains of Idaho. It has a view that would make God himself proud of his work. The grounds are immaculately kept and the peace, the peace is so amazing...you can honestly feel God's presence with you as you walk the grounds. We looked at the gold arch they have as an altar, the pictures that are painted beside the altar and the drawings on the ceiling depicting parts of the Catholic religion. The acoustics inside were amazing. The pews that the Sister Nuns sit in are so different from what we were used to. As we looked, a wonderful and kind lady came in. She was Sister Cecile, a Nun now living here from Switzerland. She told us so much about the church, the grounds and its history. St. Gertrudes has been in Cottonwood since the 1920's.
Sister Cecile saw our crosses and ask us what religion we were and if we had a favorite hymnal. We both told her Baptist and agreed that Amazing Grace was one of the best Hymnals around. She began to play the organ and asked us to sing. Granny sings in church quite often, me not at all, and I have not sung for anyone but myself and the shower since High school. Granny started but choked half way thru due to emotion. I, seeing her struggle, stood up and sang the best I have ever sang in my life. I truly gave it up and sang my heart to God....I could not believe the voice that came out of my body...I am not sure if it was good, or the church acoustics were great...hehe ;-P

It was truly an awaking for my spirit. Now, I am not planning on becoming Catholic, but I have agreed to write with Sr. Cecile and share my spiritual journey with her and enjoy her company as well, she was truly a wonderful woman of God.

Behind the Chapel is a hill...a huge hill that shows the stages of Jesus' crucifixion. We did not have time to do all the stations, but the walk in the woods and really feeling close to God will not be soon forgotten, I hope to make it back and to finish the stations and to see Sr. Cecile again.

Grangeville and Cottonwood Visit

I got back late last night from visiting Travis. First off I want to describe the town that we stayed in, Grangeville. Granny and I thought that since we were alone and had time to kill we would maybe catch a movie. The Guardian with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher came out Friday and we thought "hey, cool beans...lets go see a show!" WRONG! I call the local 'theater' and the conversation went something like this"
Movie Guy: Hello?
Me: Hi, is this the theater?
MG: Yep
Me: Well, what are your movies and movie times?
MG: 6:30 and 8:40pm
Me: What time is that movie for?
MG: Gridiron Gang
Me: Ok....what else do you have
MG: nothing...
Me: You only have 1 movie playing?
MG: Yep
Me: Ok, uh...thank you...

WELL, granny and I didn't go see a movie since she really wasn't interested in seeing Gridiron gang and we were a little concerned that it might just be some guy with a big screen TV in his house instead of a real theater. ;-P

We hung out at the hotel and relaxed. It was nice to spend time just granny and I visiting, munching and watching CSI. We fell asleep about 9:30pm.....well, she did. I read, tossed and turned until midnight. Granny woke me up at 6:15 am by opening up the curtains and telling me good morning. I reminded her it was Saturday and Saturday mornings don't start at 6:30am...she didn't listen.

We went for a visit with Travis. We got lost on the way and arrived at a beautiful place called St. Gertrude's Monastery. I will write more about it in a later post.


The Visit:

We finally found the prison and were allowed in. It is very well watched in there. You are only allowed your driver's license for ID and change for the vending machines. You leave your ID with the gate guard and go in after they clear the grounds of all inmates.
You meet your loved one in the cafeteria area. You are allowed to hug at the beginning and end of the meeting, but not during your visit. You can hold hands, but must be seated on opposite sides of the tables. Inmates are not allowed to leave their seat unless asked to by a guard or if they raise their hand and ask to use the restroom. I would get the snacks from the vending machine so we could munch and visit. Snacks are not something Travis gets much of so he was thankful for the goodies.
I believe he was most excited by our visit. We are the only ones who have written him and who have asked for approval to go and see him. He has felt cut off from friends and family, he is totally alone. It is hard to feel like you are not a complete outcast when you are 200 some odd miles away from home and no one familiar reaches out. His tears in his eyes and the smile on his face made the long drive well worth it.
We got to spend 3 hours with him on Saturday and decided to come back on Sunday to see him again. We laughed, joked, talked and enjoyed each others company. We were able to confirm with Travis the change that is making. The change from the criminal to the MAN who can become something out in the real world. He has mastered his GED and will graduate from his anger management program. He is currently in AA and will continue with counseling and AA meetings on the outside when he is released.

To talk to him you can see the child inside who is so afraid and who is lost. He had a really bad childhood and it all contributed to the person he is today. So many contributed, HE is the only one trying to fix it and we are trying to help him and encourage him along the way.
I have family members that have turned their backs on him, his own mother and father all feel that he reaps what he sows and he is on his own....I hope nothing bad ever happens to them, the road will be hard to hoe for them as well all alone.

I will continue to write Travis and visit with him by phone and letters until it is time for him to come home. I will be here for him during court dates and will stand by him for whatever sentence agreement he must work out next. I will pray for him and watch him to remind him not to fall, it will be hard, you cannot change over night...but God is good and with him anyone can do anything.

Travis

I am going this weekend to see my cousin Travis. Travis is a lost soul that is slowly coming around to the way the Lord has planned for him. He is currently serving anywhere from 6 months to 1 year in a correctional facility for a drunken accidental shooting of a friend. Nearly killed his friend, Travis ended up in jail for it, and rightly so.
It is hard to make sense of the way I feel. Most of the family has decided that he is the black sheep and is not worth the worry or the prayers....Granny and I think otherwise. He is a lost soul, one that needs someone to look out for him until he figures out for himself the direction to go. He says that he found the Lord while in county jail....doesn't everyone? I don't know whether to believe him, or even if it is my place to believe him...just pray for him.
We are making the 5 hour drive to stay overnight Friday to get to visit with him for 3 hours on Sat. It will be the first time I have seen Travis since his court date and the first time I can give him a hug since last year. It will be nice to see him, and a nice get away for Friday night and Saturday night for me and time with my granny. :-)
I will miss my family, but I think it is good I go away sometimes....keeps them appreciating me huh??!!
Keep our travels and Travis' heart in your prayers.....we would really appreciate them!

I'm a Grandma....

Today was THE day. Hunter went to the Zamzow's store with me and we picked out his turtle. We got the tank, filter, food, dock and heat light for the little guy. He is now safe and sound in Hunter's room acclimating to his new home. His name is officially Rock Shellbullet...Rocco for short! ;-P
I will post a photo soon!

Ministry of Interior

The Ministry of Interior is the office we are currently stuck in. We have been there for about a month I believe. One of my adoptive families went in right before me and came out in about 2.5-3 weeks time. Well, we have not.
I spoke to Robinson, one of our Lawyers in Haiti, today and he said that MOI has a new Director and that is why there is a hold up in the office. Nice to know it isn't personal....if you knew me you would be amazed it isn't personal. hehe
Anywhoo...we are still waiting but hoping to be out soon as the new Director gets used to his/her new job and gets on the ball.
Once that is done, we get passports printed which is about 15-30 days and then Birth parent interviews at USCIS (INS). After that we travel!!!!
We are praying hard for before Thanksgiving. We would love to have them home for all the family to meet them and see their little faces.

Fights

The fights went well. One more major owie was a fighter with possible broken nose and concussion. A few bloody noses and one possible tendon / foot bone break, but nothing to bad. Good fights though! Had about 600 people in attendance!!!
I think my brother Eric enjoyed himself thoroughly...a lot of yelling and "oh man, did you see that?!" coming from him! hehe

Usual Day

Today has been a usual day. Nothing out of the ordinary for us. Friday will bring volunteering at the school. Saturday instead of cheerleading, we are going to be downtown selling baked goods a the Indian Creek Festival. This is the first Annual Indian Creek Festival and the Comets are using it as a fundraiser. should be fun. We are doing the 10am to noon shift....I am hoping and praying for warmth since it has been down to 68* lately...cold spell meaning Fall is coming. :-(

Saturday evening I will be sitting ringside Medic for Muay Thai/Mixed Martial Arts fights in Ontario. Should also be fun. My brother is escaping and getting to come with me. This will be his first time and he is excited to see the fights...we should have some good ones considering we have 20 fights and only 5-6 of them are Muay Thai. Muay Thai uses mostly kicks and punches and is not as harsh as the mixed martial arts. With the MMA you have short finger gloves and usually no shin pads. Fights go fairly quickly to the ground for grappling and submission holds. Not for the faint of heart I assume. I love to watch and enjoy getting to be ringside Medic (front row seat for free!!!) I will post Sunday about how it went....if there was anything broken on anyone. hehe

Well, off to bed...or at least to read a while to unwind. Gotta have the energy up to spend the day at the school.

September 11th-Never Forget

God was there...


Last night Rob Moore gave us a verse that summed up his feelings about what he saw and felt as the Two Towers collapsed in front of his very eyes.

James 4:14 KJV
Whereas you don't know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away

This explains to us that the rest of today and tomorrow are not promised to us. The victims of 9-11 found that out 5 years ago today. We all need to remember to live life to the fullest for every moment we have and every breath we take.

True American Hero

Tonight I met a true American hero. A Fireman from New York City named Rob Moore. He was with one of the first fire battalions to be on the scene of the World Trade Center September 11th, 2001. He watched in horror and helped many people during the fall of the two towers. He lost many friends that day and will remember them and their sacrifice of life that they gave 5 years ago tomorrow.

It was amazing listening to him talk about that day, something that many of us saw on TV, but that he experienced in real life. I would have loved to have sat down with him and talked one on one with him about the feelings of it all, I am sure they were surreal.

He gave the talk at our church this evening. He wanted to remind everyone of the Sept. 11th day coming up, but how as a Christian he was affected. He met death that day and said that he was not afraid due to his strong belief in God and his salvation and how that it might be the end for him here, but it was only the beginning for him elsewhere.

I hope we all remember to take a few moments tomorrow to remember the ones who gave their life for so many to be saved.

No Tv Continues

Well, last night I was bored and decided to check on my theory.
At 11:30pm I went downstairs and tried on the Shark Boy/Lava Girl 3D glasses and turned on the TV. Low and behold the dumb things worked.....nothing like 3D all the time! :-P
Curtis came down and laughed at me. I decided that I looked like a dork, and I didn't know if it was harmful to my eyes and the TV to continue watching 3D all the time so I turned it off and went to bed.

No TV

Funny how the Lord works. Today I was thinking about how I need to watch less TV and low and behold the sucker broke. We were watching cartoons and the crazy thing went blue then red and then kinda blurry. All of the red and blue convergence went wacko and you cannot watch TV. It looks like a movie that is in 3D....hey, I just asked Curtis if we can use our 3D glasses to watch TV and it would look normal.....I think I might be desperate. hehe Let you know if it works....

Today was pretty uneventful. We found out that we are in the last stages if legalization in Haiti and should be out soon. I pray that it will be soon, I am going crazy. Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying my alone time while the kids are in school all day. I can lounge, clean at will, maybe not even shower until I am done with my cleaning for the day etc. But, I get bored. I have found that TV holds nothing much for me during the day, and some days I get so lazy I don't want to do anything so I just sit there and watch the crap that is on...how many episodes of 'Next' can a person watch?? ;-P

I have enjoyed a few days of volunteering at the school. I have not gone as much as last year, but I have enjoyed not being on PTO and HAVING to be there. I need to make myself a schedule and decide what days to go, which days to clean, which days to veg etc or I wont get anything done.

Tomorrow is Demi Roo's first day of cheer...she is excited. Once we get going, we will get back into the swing of things and get a schedule going again.

A schedule..I never thought of myself as a schedule person, but I think it will be a good thing once the new kids come home or I will go insane!

Demi Roo School Schedule

For those of you that know Demi Roo, you know that she is NOT a morning person. Now that she is in 1st grade, she goes to school every day at 7:20am.....YIKES.
Below is what you will find her doing about 4pm most days afterwards:






Demi Roo and Skittle getting some R and R.

;-P

Jesse Johnson

My new friend Jesse Johnson made it to Miami in 40 days!!!
Check out the story at www.bikeforhaitikids.org
Not sure yet how much money he made or if he even came close to the $1 million he hoped for. Either way, all the money is going to be used for the kids of Haiti and he is awesome!
Below are photos of when he came to Boise on his long 4000 mile trip....

Back Row: Rachael (Jesse wife), Jesse, MaryAnn (Jesse Mom), Trinity (Jesse Daughter), Michelle, Taye Reece, Bella.

Front Row: Hunter, Elijah, Jonah, Allie, Demi Roo.

Pretty much same as above, but this picture has me and Ken (family friend of Jesse and camera man for documentary that was being filmed during the trip.)

I do believe that Jesse and his crew are some of my heroes. He rode day in and day out across the US to raise money for the kids of Haiti. He endured beer bottles being thrown at his head, hawks attacking him, and a 3 shots from a BB gun in the thigh from an idiot kid (it was just for fun according to the father of the boy)...as Napoleon Dynamite would say....."Idiot...gosh!"

Thanks Jesse, I look forward to the documentary and talking to you as soon as you find your way home!!!

Turtle Grandma

Well the time has come for me to become the grandma I have always wanted to be! ;-P
In about 3 weeks Hunter will become the proud father of a Red Eared Slider Turtle.
We have done the research, found the equipment and now we are working hard at saving our money to purchase said turtle. hehe
We spent today going to a few pet stores looking at the actual cost of getting a turtle, housing it, feeding it etc. Hunter is over the moon with excitement. To help him learn we bought a turtle care book so he can prepare for the upcoming new arrival and what he needs to do to put it all together.

When Hunter puts his mind to something he is serious about, he really means it. When he first mentioned a pet just "for himself " (like we have no animals...counting the 3 cats, 3 dogs, bird and fish) he mentioned wanting either a snake or a turtle. I about died at the thought of a snake in my home....EEEWWW!!!! I also made Hunter understand that I will never own an animal that must eat another living thing to survive. Therefore we have decided that a turtle is the best pet that he can have himself. ;-P

Hunter began researching it on the internet. I mean honestly Curtis and I thought that he would get over it by now, but no such luck...he meant it about the turtle. He had answers to all of our questions. He even promised that when he goes to college he will take the turtle with him...When he marries, he will take the turtle with him...we will see if the poor thing survives this long, but it is good he is looking long term.

He gave me a lecture tonight to make sure that I do not allow his sister (and new siblings) to play with the turtle unless he is there. That I will not turn the fan on and make his turtle cold so it will become ill, that I will make sure that I keep MY pets away from it so Mr. Turtle will not be harmed. We agreed.

Once we buy the turtle I will post pic's of my new grand child when he or she arrives!!

More NLL Pictures...

All of The NLL Group That Came













New Extended Family

Us with Kim and Sarah and Jack the Dog. Sarah is Nikaya's Biological Birth Sister.












The Gang at Dinner

Nll Reunion Photos....Finally...

Here is the start of the New Life Link Northwest Reunion pictures. These photos are courtesy of Amy....



Me and my family in
Couer D'Alene (minus our little ones coming soon)



















Hunter at dinner


















Demi Roo at dinner

















Hunter at the pool















Demi Roo at the pool












All the girls in the pool

Eva, Demi Roo, Sarah

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. Hunter boarded the bus to go to his fist day of 4th grade, Demi Roo boarded the bus to go to her first full day of first grade...I am home alone for the first time in a LONG time!!! ;-P
I have read my book. lounged, dozed off, and will now have to start the day in full as the school is hoping I will come and volunteer ( I supposedly retired after 3 years on PTO, 2 of them President, but I cannot say no). I will go and help with the new registration of new kids and packets to the teachers, kids find their new buses home today and parents find their way thru the halls to pick kids up. Whew....I think I may actually be busy today.
I will probably get a nice comfortable routine down and the new kids Kai and Nikaya will come home and I will have to start over...I am so glad to have that to look forward to!

Out of Courts, One Step Closer

Well, we got the official report that we are out of the Courts in Haiti. We now have the official adoption decree, Kai and Nikaya are ours!!!!!

We are done with translation of doc's into English and we will be entering legalization/Ministry of Interior Monday. This is the first part of the passport process. Our time frame now looks like this:

Legalization: 2-3 weeks, 2 being average

Passport Printing: 15 days on average unless a machine breaks down, it rains or there are no books...I mean hey, it is Haiti after all! ;-P

Birth Parent Interview with USCIS (INS): This varies on how busy the office is as to when they get families in. They have made contact with both sets of our Bparents so they are ready to come in when needed, that is half the battle with Haiti.
If no DNA is required and Bparent goes as planned we will then be able to travel to Haiti to get our kids!!!!!!

Not long now and we are excited.

Roo's Hair

Well I was able to do Roo's hair in the twists again and semi camo the areas that she had cut. Some of them had to be put together in an interesting way to cover a bald spot and some have to be waitied down a little with beads to cover the BIG bald patch, but I managed. No one at the reunion noticed until I pointed it out, which is a comforting thought. I do know the mom's would have been honest with me, we are all like that with each other...it comes from being in the trenches with each other I think! ;-)
This time I tried beads on her hair...Thanks for the instruction Amy...it looks beautiful. I will try Jana's lesson on corn rowing and french braiding next. When I tried it yesterday it was difficult since there are so many bald patches, but I think I may be able to do it with Nikaya's hair....until she cuts hers off I guess...:-P
Demi Loves the beads since they make a clacking sound when she shakes her head and runs etc. She thinks it sounds soooo cool.
Well, off until later.

Home Again

Well, we are home again from our reunion trip to Couer D Alene. It was beautiful up there and we had a blast with the other families.

The kids made a lot of new friends, and many of the important people in my life got to meet. It is weird to say that you consider some of your best friends to be people who live so far away and all you do is talk on the phone or email everyday, but that is the way it is with me.

We got to spend a lot of time with Sarah, she is the biological older sister of our little Nikaya Mitchelle. The family is also adopting Santo, the bio. older brother to the girls. It was nice to visit and strengthen a bond that will be forged for our whole lives as we keep these kids close as possible since they are full siblings. My children loved to see Sarah and to get a glimpse of how cute and crazy their sister will be. Nikaya is a mini me with Sarah when it comes to looks.....they are so much alike that after seeing Nik in person and now Sarah again I can see the similarities. It amazes me that 2 children that have never been in the same country at the same time but have a biological bond can be so much alike. Hunter was really drawn to Sarah. Not only is she a bio. sibling to his new sister, but she is a little girl...Hunter LOVES little kids of ANY kind. He would follow Sarah around and do whatever she asked...he was infatuate with her and would read her stories and talk to her about her likes and dislikes....it was so cute.

Demi Roo was excited to have so many little Diva's around to flaunt her attitude with....girls that could match her. You would think that it would cause discourse, but they all got along well and had a lot of fun. When we left and got a ways down the road the kids cried. They hoped their new friends would not forget them and that next year we could have another reunion and it comes soon!

Reunion

I am excited to say that I will be going to a New Life Link reunion this weekend. It wil not be as big as we had hoped, but I will meet some of the kids I have placed, and meet hubbys I have worked with but have never met. Most of the mom's had a mom's weekend with me so I know them, but not the daddies! ;-)

I am anxious to see the kids in their homes, happy and loving family life. I remember some of the from their time in the orpahange and others just from photos...I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!!
I am anxious for my kids to meet the other kids just like them and spend a few days with people who are other than white...Idaho is VERY white and I desire for them to see more people who of a different color and not Hispanic (about the only other color Idaho has).

I will be sure to take pictures and post them when I return.

Roo Did What???

Oh, boy, today has been one of those days that make you question WHY you want to be a mommy.

I sat down on the couch to get ready to do Demi's hair tonight. She had 'helped' me by pulling her rubber bands out of her hair for me yesterday(which is NOT a good thing to do).....WELL...as I am greasing her head and hair, finger-fulls of her hair are coming out in my hand. With some looking closely I realize that there a several spots on her head that are down to the scalp...see where I am going with this??

Come to find out Demi Roo decided to use the scissors on her hair to get her rubberbands off and cut BIG bald spots on her head. I was so mad I could have spit nails, cried tears of sadness for lost hair growth and just anger at her for playing with the scissors. How am I going to do her hair? Is it going to have to be cut? Can I camouflage it by making twists bigger? Smaller?

All I know is that I had to go visit granny and papa (my grandparents) down the street for a couple of hours. This is where mommy goes when she needs a time out....no kids, we sit on the porch and drink ice water, have home made ice cream and visit....very calming. ;-)

Now I am home and the anger is gone...I still love my little Rooster, although tomorrow will be an exercise in futility I am afraid, I will try to make it look nice so she can start 1st grade without a bald head. I am also feeling that I am going to take some photos of her to use to horrify her as a teenager when she brings her boyfriend over. ;-P

New Photos

Some recent photos from one of my wonderful adoptive families....Thank you Ryan and Kim!






Nik looking out at the world








Kai checking out the camera



I am sad because the latest photos they do not look as happy. Well, Lord allowing they will be home in 6-8 weeks and the smiles will be abundant!!!

We're Out...Kinda

Well I got word today from our Lawyer in Haiti. He went to IBESR (Haitian Social Services), where our dossier has been for 7 months, to check on it and several others. I am happy to say we are OUT OF IBESR...kinda...

Our dossier is signed and completed but had one mistake on it that IBESR needed to correct.
Our Lawyer will be going back Monday to pick it up and get it ready for the Courts!!!

This is making a hopeful mommy pray that only 6-8 weeks are expected before her kids come home! ;-P

Doing the happy dance at our house!!!

BooBoo Funny

I have to put this one down.

A little bit ago BooBoo came into the computer room where I have been doing some last minute working for Jesse Johnson on his ride and answering emails for adoptive families. He asked me if I would change his sheets on his bed because they were 'itchy'. To BooBoo, this means that there are germs or something on his bed that make him itch??!! BooBoo is a germ-a-phobe, fatalist. In his life everything is always "I Never", "You Always", etc....

Anyway, I told him to give me a minute. He said "you always say a minute and if I time you it is more than that." I said "BooBoo, go away you are making me crazy" to which he replied with a stone cold face "hey, I am just a kid in this house trying to survive!" hehehe

When I begin to laugh out loud at his comment he storms off asking me "why does everyone always laugh at me?" What a card!!!

Adopting is a Waiting Game

Well, so far things have been slow but sure-enough in Haiti. I have one family there this very moment getting their 3 children to bring home forever...God is good!

We wait for our turn, which will not be soon enough. Some dossiers have come out, 12733 -12,735...both dossiers have been in since December '05. Ours went in 1-23-06 and are 12,899 and 12,900 so we are getting closer.....please God let it be soon!

Camping Friends and Family

Finally, here are some of our family and friends from camping!





Linda, Kevin and Shelley. Lifelong family friends













Grandma and Grandpa K.
















Chase and Shelby











Me and my family....aren't we cute?!

















Uncle Derek and girlfriend Kami

Finally...some camping photos

I am finally able to get my photo program to work so I can post the long awaited camping photos..here goes!!





Here is Hunter with family friend Kevin on the jet ski. Hunter had his first driving lesson. He is quite careful and drove fairly slow. Demi Roo on the other hand is balls to the wall and thinks Hunter drives too slow! ;-)









Demi Roo in her most innocent pose she can do...you would NEVER think that SHE could be naughty huh??!!












Hunter and the beauty of the scenery.













Demi Roo and the scenery.















This picture is supposed to show how close the deer was to our camp. I would prefer NOT to be in it since I was swollen and miserable from allergies, but my hubby insisted...

An Old Friend Visits

Here are some photos of when Ange and the kids visited Idaho. I am sure glad they got to come by and see us. The kids all had a blast. It was to short of a visit, but I cannot complain, at least I got to see them! ;-)

Mostly the whole crew...notice how Ange is hiding behind Trae?? ;-)





Hunter giving bunny ears to his new girlfirend...he and MaeLynn hit it off well!














Two divas in a pod.....Sassy and Demi Roo were quite the duo. Tyson giving updside down bunny ears to the two of them! T.J. hugging sissy and getting in the photo.

Jesse Johnson

Yesterday I met an amazing man and his family. This man is riding 4000 miles on his bicycle (from Seattle to Miami) to earn money and raise awareness for the kids of Haiti.
Jesse and his family were kind and offered shirts to us so we could show our support for Haiti's kids. I am hoping to arrange a meeting between Jesse and Dr. Bernard in Haiti on Jesse's next trip to see if he can include New Life Link in his funding of Haitian projects.
I see Jesse as a man with a huge dream, but know that if anyone can make that dream happen it will be him. He has tremendous support of his family, who are enduring 40 days on the road with him. They are also in the process of making a documentary about his trip...I am hoping he can get BIG press for it. The Today show has shown interest and will be meeting with them in a couple of the cities as well as be in Miami at the end to show he made it.
All I can think of is...The Today Show showing something about Haiti, where it is, WHAT it is and that people, general people, in everyday life may see in Haiti what some of us do. Beauty, tragedy, the people who are rich in spirit but lack the means to a good end. That maybe someone out there may feel led to help in a way that only they could.
I will post pic's of our meeting as soon as I can get my hubby's computer to work with me!

Sel Bondye Konnen

Robinson told me he went to the orphanage to teach English to the older kids Friday. My little Kai C'Eus went up to him and said he was tired of waiting, where was his mama. You see, usually Kai goes up to Robinson and says "Where's my mama" and he answers "no mama today C'Eus, more paperwork" and my boy runs off or sticks out his tongue and laughs (he and Robinson are pals!). Well Friday he told Robinson a different saying and Robinson knew he meant it.
I was very concerned how my children would be since I saw them in February and then had to leave them again. I was very concerned they would feel abandoned by me and be angry. I had Dr. Bernard explain to them every day how many sleeps until I would have to go home, but that I would be back with their daddy to take them to their forever home very soon. Kai seemed to understand, heck, he was almost 5. Nikaya Mitchelle seemed to understand as much as a 2 year old could.
I know now that they KNOW we love them and KNOW we are coming back for them. When people hang pictures in their bed for them, they know who I am, who their new family will be, and know that they will be home in God's timing. One thing I am thankful for is that the children in Haiti are taught very early on that everything happens according to God's will and timing ie... "Sel Bondye Konnen" Only God Knows.

Haiti Update

Well, I spoke to my counterpart in Haiti today and he said we have 1 signature left for IBESR approval. At IBESR (Haitian Social Services) you need 5 signatures at the different offices involved in IBESR. Well, we only need 1, the last one, Mr. Cadet himself. I am hoping he feels gracious and remembers our first meeting and takes mercy upon us and signs away quickly. The lady who spoke to Robinson (one of my Haitian Counterparts) said that our file was pretty straight forward and should go quickly....I pray that it will and that the kids will be home very soon.

I have 11 families in process right now, I also pray for them and that their process goes smoothly and quickly (as quickly as things can move in Haiti!)

C-Man & Mitch Update Photo

Here is the latest of our kids in Haiti. They look good! I miss them terribly and hope they are home very soon.

Camping

Our camping trip was so fun. We spent the first night getting camp set up and visiting with Curt's family and roasting marshmellow's. The first night we had some rain and wind. The tent held up fine, however my allergies did not. My eyes were swollen and my sinuses a mess for the rest of the trip, but it was fun none the less.

We spent the 2nd. day at the beach. I LOVE THE BEACH at Red Fish Lake. The kids swim and play and I sit part time in the sun and most of the time in the shade ( I burn horribly..I know there is Irish in me somewhere!!)
Demi Roo got to ride Chase's jet ski since Uncle Jared left to buy a new truck..THANK YOU CHASE! ;-)

Hunter finally got up courage on the last day to try and ride a jet ski. Kevin, a family friend, taught Hunter how to drive..THANK YOU KEVIN! ;-)
Demi Roo had fun riding with them, but feels that Hunter drives to slow. Demi is kind of a balls to the wall, pedal to the metal type of gal.....she goes mach 5, hair on fire and enjoys hitting the wakes. Hunter rather go slow and look at the fish underneath them.

Every night we had deer in our camp. One day I was sitting realxing as Curt and the kids went to get me eye drops at the local market. Heather, Curt's sister, told me to look behind me. Low and behold there was a deer eating not 5 feet from me. He was beautiful. I looked at him for a while catching a close glimpse of one of God's creatures and then I began to think of TV's 'when animals attack' and my possible stint on the show with a wild creature so close. He left me alone and I got to watch him and hear him chew while everyone else took photos. Curt and the kids got back in time to see him and get a few photos for us as well.

It was beautiful until the night of the 4th. A huge storm came through and we could stay no longer. Our clothes were damp and it was getting cold. We took advantage of a break in the rain to pack up our stuff. The kids went to the 4th fireworks with their grandpa and grandma K. and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Heather. We met up afterwards and headed home....finally arriving home at 2:30am tired, damp but glad to be there. A nice bed was well worth the drive.

I will post pic's soon!

July 6th

Well, I did not post about this yesterday because I was to sad. But, July 6th was the 5th birthday or our little Kai C'Eus...HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!
Days like these, birthdays, holidays etc. make me miss the kids even more and make the distance seem greater. I know that Lord allowing it will be the last birthdya we will miss, but it still makes it sad.

Poker Update

Well....we are not going to be millionaire's. Curtis tried hard but did not win the poker tourney to go to Las Vegas. All in good time I guess. ;-)

I will post about our camping trip along with photos very soon...still recovering from my vacation!

Poker

Ok. I have to share good news. My hubby plays no money poker on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It involves no money to play but you get a chance to win prizes and a possible chance to play in Vegas with the pro's if you are good enough.
WELL.....Curt beat out 200 other people Tuesday night at the tournament finals and placed in the top 10. He plays Saturday and if he beats the 39 other people he is playing, he gets an ALL expense paid trip to the televised World Poker Series in Las Vegas in August!!! He is so excited. He doesn't gamble really, but loves to play poker on line and in person for fun.
IF he were to go to Vegas, the top 250 people there win $10,000. IF he were to win the big table, he is up for $9 Million.....YES, MILLION!!! Steak at the orphanage every night for ever I say! ;-)
He is excited...keep the prayers coming..he could use them.

God and Country Rally

Well last night was a good night to get together with friends and enjoy our local God and Country Rally. Good music and fireworks were in order as well as the kids all running around having a blast. It was so hot at the beginning...100*...by evening a huge wind storm hit us and they didn't know if we would get to have fireworks.
It amazed me. Point of Grace came out to sing and they asked for a prayer at the beginning. All of a sudden the wind picked up and it blew hard.....Satan sure hates a good God party doesn't he?! WE prayed him away and the fireworks and concert went off without a hitch.
I forgot the camera so pictures are a no go...sorry!

Fighting Kids

Today is one of those days where my kids have done nothing but fight. I am geting frustrated at them and the attitudes today. I would ground them to the house with nothing to do, but I feel that this punishes me as much, if not more, than it does them.
Today we are to go to karate in the park and then swimming with the karate group. I hope this will wear them out for the rest of the day and the evening will be quiet.
Hopefully I will have some pic's to post when I get back!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

I wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to the all of the Father's out there in the world.

Without Fathers, I believe all of us would still be riding bicycles with training wheels, cry everytime we fell and never want to get back up again. We would be wrapped in bubble wrap because mom's are just to careful with us. :-)

I am thankful for all of the Father's who are seperated from their families because they are serving in Iraq or somewhere else in the world keeping us safe. I pray that they are safe and can at least speak to their loved ones this Holiday.

I am also Thankful for the biggest Father of all....our Heavenly Father, for the biggest and most loving sacrifice of all! And that he also lets us learn our own lessons without the bubble wrap as well.

God's Blessings to everyone out there!