Beach Photos

Brotherly Love

Daddy and Nikaya on the Jet ski

Nikaya suiting up

Daddy and Demi

Daddy and Kai....I wish you could see his smile more!!

Daddy and Hunter with Chase pushing them out...THANKS FOR THE FUN CHASE!!!

Kai and Nikaya playing

Nikaya strutting her stuff

Fishing Fun

Hunter's big fish

The kids all got a turn to fish at the Fish Hatchery. Each child is allowed to keep 6 fish each. Kai and Nikaya even got to fish. Kai reeled in the pole, saw what he was reeling towards him and DROPPED the pole and RAN AWAY from the fish...hehehe Funniest thing I have ever seen.
Once they coaxed him back he would only go if I "carried my hand for me mama" (hold his hand and go with him)

Nikaya helped reel hers in as well. When it got to shore you could hear her little voice..."EWWW...he uggie (ugly). EEWWW!" She touched the fish and giggled big time. Once she realized it was alive she screamed and ran away also, I thought she was not going to quit running until she got to paved road. hehe SHE IS FAST!

Summer Fun

Kai in the sand

Hunter in the sand

Kia and Nikaya playing in the dirt...as usual

Nikaya giving me a really fake smile

Demi buried to her neck

Kai and Nikaya enjoying the view

2 Wheeling Kai

Today was a big day for Kai Ceus. He broke one of his training wheels and was very sad. Daddy took off the broken one and he worked on balancing with Kai. Within 30 mintues time that little turkey had the other training wheel off and was 2 wheeling around the Cul-de-Sac like a pro BMX racer. He had a HUGE smile on his face he was so excited.
WAY TO GO MY BOY!!!!

FAMILY PHOTO OPS....

RACHEL....SHE GETS ALL THE BOYS THIS WAY










BIRTHDAY BALLOON EARS




















BIRTHDAY BALLOON EARS WITH A CUTE WAITER



















RACHEL PLANNING MY DEMISE LATER ON....














SEAN AND THE CRAZY ARM















ALEX AND THE CONTORTUNIST CONVENTION

PIC POST

NIKAYA WITH COUSIN ISABELLA...THE SALT AND PEPPER OF LIFE














COUSIN KYM IN THE TURTLE













HUNTER AND THE JACKASS PENGUIN....SO GLAD HE LEARNED TO READ












DEMI, NIKAYA AND KAI ON THE KOMODO DRAGON

FAMILY PHOTOS #2

MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF MY SISTER RACHEL AND HUNTER...GETTY UP HORSE















DEMI, KAI, NIKAYA AND ALYSIA ON THE TURTLE



















COUSIN KYM AND THE GIRLS















CODY, COURTNEY, ALYSIA ON THE KOMODO DRAGON

FAMILY VISIT PHOTOS....FINALLY

BIG BUNCH OF CRAZIES......














BELLA FEEDING GRANDMA PAM WITH AUNT COURTNEY BY HER SIDE
















ALYSIA THE TURTLE

ALEX, CHRISTINA, BABY ISABELLA

Summer Vacation

Well, summer vacation is in full swing, and so are my patience. hehe
The kids are staying up late, but most are sleeping in well enough to give me some good rest. Kai is the only one I struggle with on sleep. He will go to bed OK, but does not want to stay in bed much past dawn. He is slowly adapting......I will make him if it is the last thing I do. :-)

Kai has been home long enough that the honeymoon is over and the true Kai Ceus has arrived. He is a friendly, sweet, loving kid who wants to help all the time. The bad part is, well, quasi bad part, is that he has an ornery streak 100 miles long. He can give and take with the rest of us, as we a re a teasing and playful family. However, Kai has no end to his torturing and his skill to annoy is keen. He can raise the hackles of anyone by grating his teeth, making faces or simply copying every mother loving thing you say or do.
He has been getting into stuff a lot lately, and I am not sure if he is doing it because he is curious, or he doesn't have the "no, no that is naughty" button that most have. Demi Roo had this problem for a while....we are now making strides on her not getting into things that don't belong to her and she is doing better with accepting responsibility for her actions most days.
So, I struggle with the every days of being a mom to 4 kids at home. To some, it is a lot of kids, to others it is a drop in the bucket. All I know, is it is enough for me. :-)
I hate to complain, because I am not really complaining...they are home, healthy and doing well, and that is what I wanted. It is just that sometimes, I am overwhelmed at the responsibility I have as 'THE MOM'.

Closing a Door...Opening Another....

The good Lord has closed some doors and opened some others. I was told May 23rd during a trip to Portland, that Heritage felt that the NLL (New Life Link) adoption program was not bringing in as much revenue as they had hoped and they had decided to pretty much close the program to new families, thus ending my stint as the Haiti Lady for Heritage Adoption. I was so sad, frustrated and overwhelmed with the thought that my calling was coming to an end.

I began to search the possibilities of working on my own company doing Dossier consultation prep work, but decided that with "The Hague" coming I would be treading on spooky ground for lawsuits and facilitation charges. In many states, adoption facilitation is illegal and can open you up for lawsuits, jail time and failure of the families adoptions...something I did not want to do. I was still trying to figure it out since I was working with a foreign country that was not a Hague country, and I would not be matching families with children, which is facilitation. I got a call from a gal in Kentucky that was looking into starting her own Haiti program with their own Creche, Promises of Hope in Jolivert, Haiti. After speaking to her, she and I had a revelation.....why can't I do their Haiti program for them?? My fear, along with Curt's was that I would not longer be working with Dr. Bernard's orphanage as I had in the past. After talking to Dr. B he encouraged me to take some risks in this life and go for it. Well, longer story short, I am going to work for this new agency and bringing Dr. Bernard along with me to include his program as an option for families. Once it is all said and done, I will be working with 2 to 3 orphanages in Haiti!!!

Now, for most that don't know me well, they are unsure of my religious beliefs since I do not fit a typical mold of a 'christian' that many have. I have short spikey hair, a tattoo, my ears are pierced multiple times and my nose is also pierced. I listen to Hard Rock and am considered a 'head banger' by most peoples standards.
This agency I am going to work for is a Christian agency in the bible belt of Kentucky....KENTUCKY ADOPTION SERVICES. www.kentuckyadoptionservices.org Boy, are they going to be surprised...hehehe

I am so excited to be hooking up with a group of people that are Christian, have a desire for Humanitarian Aid and a desire to go to Haiti and place these kids no matter how slow, corrupt and time consuming it is!!!! I have been blessed!

May 31st

Ah, May 31st was turned from a possible crappy trip in to a wonderful outing for me.
I got to visit ALL of my Portland families and have dinner!!!

I got to meet Julie and her girls (minus daddy David), Sean and Jamie and their kids, Becky (minus her hubby and son...enjoying mama time I think hehe), Vanessa and her sons (minus daddy Aaron), Josh and Kim and their son, and Kim and Sarah (sarah is Nikaya's sister and Kim is adopting the older brother Mansanto).
It was a wonderful time at the Spagetti Factory, a cool restaurant that is now opening in Boise as well! I was able to get a meal with Gluten Free noodles!!!

I had a blast getting to meet the fmailies face to face, something I don't often get to do when they are out of state. I enjoyed their company and hope they enjoyed mine as well. I am hoping that after meeting, they can visit with each other to help ease the fears and frustration of the wait that is upon them. It isn't that I don't like being there for them, it is just that after a while, you need someone who isn't a 'worker' in adoption to give you the reassurance that you are feeling the same thing as them and you are normal.

I hope I can get back and see them all soon, and that after the process I can be a little part of their lives and watch the chidlren grow!

Family Photos....

Still working on getting pictures from the family visit posted. Every time I post them, my blog eats them and they disappear...really, it isn't MY fault!!!

Family Visits

I had the most wonderful weekend. I got to spend a few hours with family that lives out of state. My ex-Step Mother (confused yet?? hehe) Debbie brought my Half brother and Half Sister Richard and Rachel in from California. I haven't seen them for about 1 1/2 - 2 years, so it was nice to see them. I also got to visit my cousin Tracey and her daughter Alysia, my cousin Kym, and her 'kids'(who are all teenagers) and 1 grandkid. I haven't seen them for 4 years, and have never met Isabella, her granddaughter.
We enjoyed the zoo and just BBQ'ing and visiting....it was wonderful!
I will post pic's in the next day or so...gotta download them from the camera and I am still recouping from the visit!!! ;-)

Blessings

HE Is Coming Back...

I saw this on my friend Ange's blog and had to share. A very cool fact that I never knew.....


WHY DID JESUS FOLD THE LINEN CLOTH AFTER HIS RESURRECTION?



The Gospel of John (20: 7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin. Is that important? You'd better believe it! Is that significant? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!


In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet." The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

He is Coming Back!

Home Mission Field

From Heather Forbes and Beyond Consequences parenting:


Our homes often becomes so chaotic and so dysregulated that we dream of getting away, maybe even getting in the car and driving away for . for . forever! This hopelessness shifts us into a feeling of victimhood, where escape seems like the only way out. This is fear. This is a fear deep within us that constricts us into seeing division in the house as the solution.

When our life as a parent seems overwhelming, sometimes it can be helpful to see our home as our mission field. Yes, and you say, 'I'll go on a mission trip - a mission trip to China. I'll sleep in freezing cold weather, eat fish eyeballs, risk my life, and do without my Charmin. Sign me up now because that is better than what I'm dealing with at home!' But, we are called to parent and called to take care of our hurting children. We don't need to travel to the other side of the world. Our mission is to provide a healing place for our children in the mission field called home. And that is true servanthood, not victimhood.

I will TRY to remember this on the hard days!!!

Did God Create Evil??

I came across this during my blog reading and thought I would share it. I was glad to read it after reading the HaitiNurse Blog I read...pictures there make me sad, but I know it is Haitian life in all reality....I could not understand why things such as starvation, poverty, death and violence are allowed by God...I think this helps me some.


Did God create evil?

A University professor at a well-known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question.

"Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!""God created everything?"

The professor asked."Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.

The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil.

"The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"

"Of course", replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?

"The other students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.

"The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

"The professor responded, "Of course it does.

"The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name -- Albert Einstein

Pouring My Heart Out

I have always liked change...certain change though, not all.
Here is the story...
I went to Portland on Tuesday for the yearly planning meeting. After hours of training it was time for me to head home. In the car on the way to the airport, my boss tells me that they have been doing budget stuff for the end of the Fiscal year and that my adoption program has lost about $69,000. Due to the Hague going into effect, they need to cut back expenses etc. and that they feel they may end the Haiti program I work with. WHAT??? I was totally floored. I mean...$69,000 where did it go? I will be honest, I make $10 and hour for an average of no more than $600 a month, pay my own phone bill, Internet bill and cell phone bill. On the average month, my phone bill is no less than $100 , my cell is no less than $70 and my Internet is $40...I would say that they get a real damn good deal and I should be the one reporting a $69,000 loss on my program.
Anyway, I was blindsided by this fact. I had 10 families in process, 2 came home and 8 more are still in process in Haiti. I REFUSE to leave them without a Coordinator, so I do not know what my job will do with it all if they decide to close the program. If need be, I will work for the families as a friend and complete their jounrney's with them. Not that I want to be narcissistic, but no one else at my place of employment can do my job like I can...no one understands the beast of Haiti like I do and can guide the families and understand their frustration with a majorly corrupt country like Haiti. I do not view what I do as a 'job', it is my 'calling'...plain and simple!
So, I am lost...my heart hurts...I do not like this kind of not knowing and change going on in my life. Move the furniture around change I like, this...I do not!

Nikaya...the BIG 3!!!

Happy Birthday Glitter Graphics

Today is little miss Nikaya's Birthday. This is #3 for her, but #1 for being home. We are so excited to see her celebrate her Big and Sassy #3 that we are letting her pick dinner....which will be easy, she has picked Chicken and Macaroni and Cheese...she would eat that any day of the week, so it is nothing really special. Not really sure where we will go, but as long as they have her choice we will go there!
I will post a picture of her on her birthday gift....a new Barbie Trike...Now we will learn to pedal. hehe

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

COOL MySpace Comments


To all of the mommies out there...Happy Mother's Day.

Just Hangin'

This week has been busy, but nothing I couldn't handle. Tonight Hunter is going to the Drive In with a friend to See "Are we Done Yet". Hopefully they will have a blast and not keep Donna, the mom, up to late tonight!
Demi and Nikaya are in their room watching Hannah Montana and Kai is in his room watching it as well....I do not think they will be awake very long since they played so hard today.
Demi Roo and Hunter are almost done with school. They are getting anxious to be done, as I stress about how to keep 4 kids busy over the summer....anyone looking for cheap labor??hehehe

I have had some things come up over the last little bit that I could use some prayer for. I have a friend who has to have a biopsy of her Thyroid gland. A very painful procedure, as well as many children at home who need to be calm and cared for. Another friend's son had to have a lump removed off of his jaw. They are waiting for biopsy results on it. This is a hard case since he is adopted and they know zero about his medical history or that of his Birth family. Prayers also for a family I recently met who is adopting a Haitian child that is being disrupted here in the US. I am sad the child has had to undergo so much loss in his little life, but I see that it will all work out for God's glory. A family that will cherish him is in place now, and he will be the happy little boy he should be!

I hope this finds anyone reading it, doing well and being blessed this Mother's Day!

HUNTER'S 10TH BIRTHDAY!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNTER JAYMES.....WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!


COOL MySpace Comments

May 3rd....the day my oldest was born. He is a whopping 10 years old today!!! Cannot be possible......From a teeny, tiny, malnourished 3lb baby boy, born in a shanty in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to a very intelligent young man...you make us proud everyday Bubba!

Finally An Answer

Hunter and I trucked it in to the hospital for a quick set appointment with the CT scan people. Come to find out his appendix is fine, he does however have something called Mesentric Adenitis. MA is the swelling of the lymph nodes in the Mesentric area of the abdomen and mimics appendicitis to a T! MA has no real cure so we can only medicate Hunter for symptoms, but we cannot fix his problem. Most of the time MA sticks around for about 2-3 weeks, Hunter has been sick 1 week today, so we have a little bit to go.
Hunter's spirits were lifted when we got home and the school had dropped off Get Well Soon cards from his class...he felt sooooo loved!


Thank the good Lord we had a wonderful Pediatrician, Dr. Katie Copeland, and a wonderful hospital, St. Luke's Meridian, who would not give up with an easy answer and fit us in late on a Friday to get a CT Scan and get an answer!

Hunter's Guts

Well, we spent today from 8:30am until 2:30pm in the ER. Hunter has been having belly pain for the last few days so I tried to get him in to the Pediatrician. They had no room for him so I took him to a quick care clinic near the hospital. They took one look a this belly, his reactions to pain etc. and sent us to the ER with a suspected Appendicitis. After hours of IV tried (he was dehydrated so they had a hard time getting an IV) they checked his blood levels and gave him an x-ray only to give him a pain shot and send us home saying everything looked 'normal' and it might be an acidic stomach or acid reflux. well, I am not a DR....nor do I play one on TV, however I am not down with the acid reflux answer.
Anyway, the Ped. can see us tomorrow...thank goodness, and we will see what she has to say about it all. I am still leaning towards it being his appendix issue and will not give up without a fight.
Of course, Curtis being the more sane of us, doesn't believe that the hospital will remove Hunter's appendix just because that is what WE think it is. I will keep you posted!

Kindergarten

Thursday was a great day for Kai Ceus. He went to he school and got officially registered as a Kindergartner for this next year. Unfortunately, he wants to go to school TOMORROW, not next year. hehe
He did well on his E.L.L. test, but we will have to wait until he begins school to see where he falls in line as to if he will qualify for Extended Kdg. E.L.L. is English Language Learners...kids who do not speak English as their first language. Since Kai spent 5.5 years as a Creole speaker he had to take a test to see how well he comprehends. The teacher felt he would not have any issues and that he seemed to understand more than he could speak which I know is common for this stage of his being home. Once school starts, they see how all of the non-English as well as English first students fair on their tests. If he is 'low' enough, they will put him in all day Kdg. I can honestly say, I would be surprised if he made it and if he did, how long he would qualify...he is a pretty smart cookie.
Nikaya is considering starting Kdg as well, but they wouldn't take her...much to HER disbelief. hehe She got the papers and sat down and was coloring and told them "me ale coo bus" (me go school bus) they just laughed. I think she was a little ticked they didn't take her seriously.
I will enjoy my alone time with my last kidlet once the others are off to school again. YES, I said LAST KIDLET. Unless the good Lord drops some major change in the ole lap, we will be done....

Our Anniversary

Yesterday, April 20th, was my and Curt's 16 year Wedding Anniversary! We got to enjoy 3 hours of alone time!!! 3 of the kids went to a friends house (Tracey, one of the best buddies a person can have) and one went to Mammy and Pappy's house. The one that went to Mammy and Pappy's was grounded and not allowed to play with friends so that child had to spend a boring evening watching tv at the grandparents house. hehehe I know.....very evil and mean, but a lesson had to be learned. The kid that went to Mammy and Pappy's still got a little spoiled, what can you expect from grandparents anyway, but learned a good lesson anyway.
Kai was a little unsure of our leaving. I explained in English and Creole that they would play and eat and watch TV at Tracey's house and then mommy and daddy would be back....he was eventually bribed with hugs, kisses and a Popsicle. :-) About 9pm it got dark and Kai decided we had been gone long enough....thank goodness we got back shortly afterwards so he didn't panic to bad. Everyone had fun including Curt and I. We went to the Outback Steak House for dinner and went to Target to get a couple of movies we have wanted to buy and spent the rest of the night with the kids tucked in and watched the movies....very nice for a 16 year Anniversary if I do say so myself!
It was a big night, since we have never left the kids with anyone but one of us since they came home. Both did well and seemed perfectly attached still...whew...

Various Pictures Post

Demi Roo before cheerleading performance....Nikaya is honorary member! They are all glittered out!
















Kai Ceus.....he is so cool he MUST wear shades...even at night!





















Daddy on the trampoline with Kai, Nikaya and Demi Roo...who says white men can't jump??hehe


















Nikaya at Chuch-E-Cheese. Girl threw the ski ball and it went 1 foot. Tried again with the same result. She climbed up the machine, checked out the plasitc cover on the machine and figured out how to cheat....She got high score!!! Bells went off and tickets shot out hehehe
Kids that were standing nearby came and did the same thing...pure mayhem....I am so proud!!! ;-) Future criminal mastermind I see...










Fun with chalk. We chalked the driveway, the sidewalk and mommy, now lets chalk ourselves!!!

Easter

This was the kids first Easter at home. They were surprised to received outfits from Hawaii from Mammy and Pappy and candy as well (gotta love the chocolate!!!). We didn't get to have an egg hunt due to bad weather...wind and rain....I guess that good Lord is washing and blowing away all the sin. :-)

We visited Curt's family and had dinner. Great to see his Grandma Nolan alive and doing well at the wonderful age of 94...she is going strong and it seems that she will have another 94 years ahead of her.

All the kids played and got along fine. No real big fights over toys (nothing more than a toddler squabble every now and again). The Mommy and Daddy Easter Bunny got the kids an outfit each as well, along with a chocolate candy bar. The kids want to wear the outfits that they got from us and mammy and pappy right now, but they are short outfits and it hasn't been nice enough.

Kai is excited to go to the store and get a pair of sandals. With tax money in, we plan on clothes shopping a little for the kids and ourselves...something we do only if needed because they have clothes that don't fit anymore or something is worn out. Clothes for Curt and I have been a long time coming!!! Kai keeps asking me about going to the shoe store
"ok mama....ale go shoes now?"
"Soon Kai Ceus, soon."
"No, now mama, now...."
You would think the kids is related to Emelda Marcos or something. hehe

Tonight we get the task of setting up a new stand and turtle tank for Rocco. His digs are going from 10 gallon to 20 gallon, plenty of space for him to sun and swim....I KNOW Rocco is excited...

I need to do Demi Roo's hair tonight since she has a game to cheer for tomorrow at 9am. I HATE having to be somewhere BY 9am.....I even hate having to be functioning that early in the morning. At least with the kids up and around, I can at least be in jammies and fohawk hair and they don't care. hehe

Well, off to get things done.

Nothing Much Here But A Flower In The Wall

Nothing really new to report on our front.

I do ask for prayers for a couple of friends though. My friend Amy is leaving Saturday to pick up her daughter Kerline. Kerline is almost 15 and will be flying and coming to the US for the first time ever....pray for Amy's safety in Haiti and for Kerline's calmness in the storm of adopted life and coming home. Kerline has lived at the Orphanage since the age of 4 years old. She is leaving everyone she has ever known to go with her new 'mama blanc' (white mother) to live in this vast place called America. I know for a fact that she will experience fear, happiness, immense grief and an overwhelming feeling of lack of control. I pray that the Lord Will be with her as she begins her much anticipated journey home.

Also pray for my friend Angela. Angela is traveling to Haiti for the first time ever to meet the 5...YES, I SAID 5, kids she will be adopting. Angela needs prayers for safety, to be free from medical issues and to enjoy meeting her kids in Haiti.

Haiti can be a VERY overwhelming place. I have had families land and get back on an airplane to go home before ever leaving the airport. I have had families go to Haiti and call me in tears because they are so overwhelmed by the poverty and violence they see. I have had families tell me that they will make one trip and NEVER return to the island again....they cannot do it. Then you have people like myself, Amy, Ange, Abby and a few others, who will go back until they throw us out. (OK...they would only throw ME out and tried that once already...I returned..nice try. :-P )

I was very excited when we went to Haiti to get Kai and Nikaya. Curtis had never been to Haiti and was anxious, excited, frightened, worried all rolled into one person. I know the first little bit of our trip he would shake his head at night in sheer desperation to return home to Hunter and Demi Roo, but to not leave me Kai and Nikaya there without him. He saw the UN tanks, the machine gun toting police, the gunshots that put you to sleep at night, the poverty and the sadness...he also saw the beauty.

One night we were at the guest house playing volleyball with Dr. Bernard and staff. During a water break I noticed Curtis taking a picture of the wall that surrounds the guest house. I know that this is something everyone takes a picture of, I did it, I have seen photos from other families, it is just a presence to be seen and photographed. You see, the wall is about 10 feet high and the top has about 2 feet of razor wire on top of it. I know this fence well, and see many like it all over Haiti. What I did not see is what my hubby saw. Out of that big menacing fence was a little plant with a flower growing out of it....in the MIDDLE of the cement fence.
When Curtis showed me he said something I found very profound "this flower reminds me of Haiti...all the difficulties yet this beautiful living thing is growing from it."
He saw the beauty that I have seen, the strength, the desire for more, the desire to live in spite of the situation and death all around them....they are stronger than many I know and I would hope for their strength had I been born 600 miles from the US with no where to go. Curtis said he would go back with me someday, and for that I am soooo thankful!!!

Once again, I ask for prayers for Amy, Kerline and Angela as their Easter is one of happiness, sadness and a feeling of overwhelming loss and joy.

Before They Call I Will Answer...

I have always adored the story below....enjoy

Isaiah 65:24 "Before they call, I will answer"
This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa ..One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool tha t the baby would be wrapped in.Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways."All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.During prayer time, one ten-year old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God" she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say,"Amen". I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything, the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The o nly way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from homeland. I had been in Africa for almost fo ur years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door.By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out bri ghtly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out - yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

Growing

Curtis and I measured the kids today.

Since they have been home, Kai Ceus has grown over 2 1/2 inches in height.

Nikaya has grown 2 inches.

Since January Hunter has grown 1 inch and Demi Roo has grown another 1/2 inch as well......I think they are growing to fast and need to stop it! :-P

I am excited for shorts season for Demi Roo....her pants are all now high waters and it is time to stock up on Capri pants to wear as well as shorts. I stock up on the Capri's and she can wear them with socks thru out the winter when it is mild, that way she doesn't look like she is waiting for a flood. hehe

Hunter is looking in to playing football ( I am nervous for my first baby, but he needs to get a little more outdoor play). I am not sure how I feel about tackle games, but he will have pads. I try to remember all the times he fought Muay Thai and how that compares...he will be fine!

Demi Roo is continuing with cheer leading. She has cheered at 2 Mayor's games and one other youth game in the last few weeks. She is doing well and has learned to master cartwheels and round off's quite well. She is now teaching Kai and Nikaya on the trampoline.

Kai is anxious for school to start. He is looking forward to riding the school bus and going to AWANA church (as he calls it). He has spent so much time on the trampoline with Demi and Nikaya that I swear they will wear it out. He is sleeping better now that he is being kept busy and getting the energy out of his little body.

Nikaya is anxious for AWANA church as well. She will turn 3 in May and when it starts up again this next September she will be old enough to be a Cubbie. She is excited to go and learn and play with the other kids. She has mastered the front somersault on the trampoline and is trying to do the tricks all the big kids do. Wont take her long. I am glad we have a net all the way around the trampoline. This allows even Nikaya to jump and not fall off.

Both Kia and Nikaya got used to Mammy and Pappy's dogs Sassy (Dingo Healer mix) and Sweetie (Golden Retriever). Sassy and Sweetie were here for 15 days while M & P enjoyed their Anniversary trip to Hawaii. While they tanned and enjoyed the ocean and sun, we sat here with mild weather and dog farts....NOT a fair trade if you ask me. I will post pic's of the kids giving Sassy and Sweetie a tea party.....the dogs looked THRILLED. hehe

Getting Better

Well so far I feel like I might get back to my old self sometime in the future. I will continue taking my Lunesta to help me sleep and work on trying to not let things get to me so much....read...try not to be such a perfectionist with the stupid stuff. hehe

I know I need to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the kids for who and what they are, my beautiful blessings. I need to TRY not to worry about the house not being picture perfect and if someone comes and there are toys on the floor they can always step over them or choose not to visit. I will have SOME extra help as Curtis will be done with school for a while and will be able to help out a little more when he is home instead of doing homework non stop. He can also bring work home to catch up on it and earn some over time pay as well.

I have felt a tremendous frustration with the office I work with in Haiti. The communication has been almost non existent lately and I am frustrated for my families. Things move at the speed of sap in the winter, but when you are hearing nothing about your babies it can be an overwhelming feeling. I will be calling AGAIN this week to see if I can jar any info. out of them that I can for the families that are waiting. I have several that should either be traveling soon, getting out of IBESR (Haitian Social Services) or getting referrals (always a fun time...like the stork for me!!)

My 10 Year Olds Question

For those of you that have never met my almost 10 year old son Hunter, I wanted to post to you a question he asked me this evening.He is extremely bright and floors us with the things he says and does, here is his question...

Mom, will global warming make us vegetarians?

WHAT? Maybe I need more Lunesta!!!

What is Going On

Lets see. Kai has lost ANOTHER tooth, his second in the same number of weeks! Yeah for the tooth fairy, the kid will be loaning me money soon!

Went to the Muay Thai fights last night as Medic again. Pretty good, a couple of our Sidekick fighters won some big matches. I butterfly bandaged several eye cuts etc. Most interesting of the night was a guy that broke his cheek bone and it dislodged his eyeball....yes folks, his eyeball was somewhat gouged out....EEWW Anyway, we sent him to the hospital to have it put back in. Hopefully he will not have to have to much surgery etc...pray for the poor fella will ya?!

Curtis is finishing up this block of schooling. I think he is going to take a break for a while. He is feeling in a rut and that he is missing out on time with us fun people we call family!

Got the kids social security cards in the mail...now we can add them to our taxes as our children, that is always good. hehe

My Assistant Amy is officially/unofficially gone from Heritage now. I like my new assistant, but she isn't Amy. I got her a card to send and hope it gets to her before she leaves for Spain apartment hunting...she and I found some awesome places on the internet...mansions..hehehe. I feel like I am losing a limb. I like that her number will stay a US number and she and I can email, but I will miss her just the same.

I am going to the Dr. tomorrow to see how I am doing, well, to discuss how I am doing. As you may be able to see, I am posting this at 11:49pm Mountain time...I have taken Lunesta and I am STILL awake. I am hoping to get a couple more 'normal' weeks in and see where I am at then. I will update more after my appointment.

Better go to bed for tonight....6:30am comes early here!

A Lost Tooth

Kai got to experience his first ever loose tooth!
I told him Thursday that his tooth was loose and would be coming out soon. Low and behold, he and Hunter, Demi Roo and Nikaya and friends were jumping on the trampoline and Hunter went to kick and hit Kai right in the smoocher. OUT flew Kai's tooth and blood began to run down his lip. At first everyone was a little freaked out by the blood, but once I calmed them down and showed Kai the hole in his mouth he thought it was pretty cool. We went back to the trampoline to find the tooth...could not find it anywhere. All of a sudden, Hunter says "oh, here it is...on my pant leg". There was Kai's tooth stuck to the leg of Hunter's jeans. hehe

Thursday night the tooth fairy came to visit and Kai got his first ever tooth fairy money. That kid would go NO WHERE without his tooth fairy money. When I tried to convince him to leave it at home, he swore someone would take it. I finally convinced him to leave it for our Birthday swim party on Friday....thank goodness....and when he came home it was right where he left it just as I had promised! ;-)

A big first for our little guy....now we will work on bike riding....

A New Experience

Today Kai and Nikaya got to enjoy a new experience.....a movie in a theater.
I took Demi Roo, Kai and Nikaya to 'Happy Feet' at the dollar theater....well, actually $2.00 theater, but who is counting..
We had popcorn and a lemonade and enjoyed the show...the kids LOVED the music and dancing in the movie and sat well for it, especially for their first time. Hunter and Curt went to see '300' a big epic picture that we knew the littler kids would not enjoy. Good thing, Curt said the movie was good, but really graphic violence and some sexual content. Hunter loved the battle scenes, but spent some time with his eyes closed during the scenes he shouldn't see. All in all, everyone had fun and we met at home and must now make dinner.....a mommies job is never done!

Struggling

As of lately I have been struggling health wise. Starting in Novemeber 2006, I had emergency gallbladder surgery. One month to the day we arrived in Haiti for 10 days....lifting kids and traveling international when I had not gotten clearance to go anywhere. January was pretty good for all of us, than February hit. February has been wrought with colds, flu, back pain and stress for me. Curtis is going to school and is not as readily able to help in the child care area as we had hoped. I know that struggling health wise has caused my mental faculties to suffer as well. I am not being the mommy I had hoped to be. I am crabby, snappy and all around a big boob to be around sometimes. I have talked to other families who have had some of the same symptoms and have pretty much figured out that I have Post Adoption Depression Syndrome. PADS is alot like Post Partum Depression....but for the adopter as opposed to the birther....make sense? I know, no one had better go Scientologist on me and tell me I could make myself better with some colonic or something...hehe
Anywhoo...I have an appointment with my Dr. on Monday to have him evaluate me and get my med's adjusted. As someone who suffers from depression and Fibromyalgia anyways, it should not surprise me that I have this .

I am just struggling with the stigma that goes along with it. While I am moody and whiny and weepy, I have friends that do not understand. I usually hear "well, YOU are the one who went out and adopted the kids" or "You WANTED to add more kids to your family..." DUH...I know that, but it doesn't change hormones, mental issues etc...that can come along with a major life change. Makes me want to tell the ones that say that to stick it where the sun doesn't shine!!!
I am so happy to have the kids home, I would NOT change that for the world. What I cannot change and must deal with is that I have doubled my children and not the number of hours in the day, I did not grow another two arms to help out in the extra work, and I sure didn't get any extra brain cells to help me with their coming home issues etc. Don't get me wrong, the kids have bonded well and couldn't be better....they are needy, but I can deal with that. All I can say is that I am not the mommy I want to be right now.
I will post more once I go to the Dr. and can figure it all out. Until then, prayers would greatly be appreciated!!!

Picture Post

Here is a picture post from the last little bit.
1. Kai with Skittles...he loves that cat now
2. Kai in Hunter's sparring gear
3. Nikaya in sparring gear
4. Hunter ski night...boy learned how to snowboard
5. Kai, Demi Roo and Nikaya at Bball practice
6. Hunter and Coach Tony doing some drills

A Large Family?

It appears that Curt and I have entered the 'large family' category as far as most of society is concerned. I am not sure how many children puts you in this area, but we have qualified.
Now, most of the time I go places, I have Annie and Zach, my friend Tracey's 2 kids......no, they don't live here, but they might as well. :-P

Last week I took the kids all to Carl's Jr. for dinner before basketball practice. I ordered 6 kids meals and thought the guy behind the counter was going to pass out for the mere thought of it. I explained that only 4 of the kids were actually mine, the other two were not. He replied "only FOUR??? re you one of those Mormons?" "Um...no I replied, I just have 4 kids....I am Baptist"...like I really needed to explain, but I was caught off guard.
I emailed several of my friends who I consider to have large families (6 kids or more) and asked them how they handle it. We obviously have entered the crazy person stage as far as most are concerned and I don't know how I feel about that (more on that in a minute)... Most of the families state that maybe my family gets that attention because all the children are black...maybe a family with 4 white kids would not get noticed as much. Others feel that most believe that anyone with more than the standard 1.5 kids is bizarre...maybe I do belong to the weirdo club then.??!!
Either way, I am not sure how I feel about being branded a weirdo for the number of children I have. I know it is not the typical family size, I know they are all a different color, I know they are all adopted (which comes into play with the "how much did it cost you to adopt all of them?" question (also considered rude by most standards...)but still.....why do people need to act so exasperated when they see me??
I guess maybe I just needed to vent, to try and figure out how to fix peoples perception of family....I will never fix it so I might as well smile and live with it! ;-P

First Basket and Rodeos

At Saturdays game Hunter finally did it....

The game was close, the kids on the other team were all over our team like flies. Hunter was open and his teammate threw him the ball.....Hunter, knowing he had a shot, tossed the ball to the basket for a 3 pointer!!! SWISH....that sucker went right in, like he had done it a million times before...Curt, Me, Friends, coaches and teammates came off the seats to yell...Hunter had made his first basket during a game!!! His team, the Wizards, lost the game anyway, but Hunter had made his basket....that is ALL that mattered to us!

Afterwards, Hunter went to his friend Tyler's house. Curt and the kids and I went home for rest. That evening I ventured out with the kids to see Tyler's brother Michael ride Bulls in a local rodeo. Kai and Nikaya, and Hunter and Demi for that matter, saw their first rodeo. Typically we don't go since they are so expensive and I usually side with the animal (hehe) but with this being a small local rodeo it was much cheaper.

You know, I wonder what Kai and Nikaya think sometimes. Here they are in a family now. That has to be cool. But now that family goes to this BIG market and buys food, more food than 1 person could eat, more food than they have seen at one time...money just seems to appear ( I wish). We go watch our friends ride 'Gwo Bef" (Big Cows) and watch them tumble off and people cheer. Holidays this year we celebrated at our Matant and Tonton (Aunt and Uncles) house, and they have animal heads on the walls. (Side note, Curtis' Uncle is an avid Hunter and has bear, deer and elk heads and hides proudly displayed). The only people in Haiti who might have animal heads up and around are more than likely Voodoo Priests....."What kind of family did I get adopted into?" Must be there thoughts. he he

Daily Happenings

Tonight is a busy night of basketball and Parent Teacher Conferences. I am somewhat glad that the kids do not have school tomorrow due to the conference schedule, this will allow some down time to have fun. I am planning on taking the kids for a day trip to the YMCA. I am anxious to let them swim, run and play to get the wiggles out....they all need it. If we are at the Y, they are away from me and the boredom of home and will leave me alone. hehe
I do have a question though.....if our house is so boring, why do the neighborhood kids all want to come here? Everyday after school I have no less than 2-3 kids....PLUS the 4 that actually live here. Most days I don't mind it, but there are a few where the house looks like a cyclone hit it and we have no snacks and I have no nerves left when it is over. Those are days when Curt comes home and looks at me like i need to up my medicine. hehe

So, I will post how all of us got along at the Y and hopefully some pic's of the new kids swimming...Their first time at the pool...should be a blast!!

Cat Pee...

Does anyone out there know how to get rid of cat pee smell?
I have been fighting with Macey, our oldest cat that we have had for quite while. She has taken to peeing in our upstairs hallway. I have tried putting 3 different litter boxes out, so she wont have to share, and using different kinds of litter. I took her to the vet and they 'treated' her and charged me $358 and she came home and promptly peed again AARRGGHH!!!
I cannot in my mind pout her to sleep when she is otherwise healthy. I am not 100% sure if it is a dislike for the other cats in the house (we have 3 total). I have taken to letting her live in our large master bath with her own food and water supply and own litter box....she has not peed on the floor in their once in 2 weeks....makes me know for sure she is just being a butt head!!!

I have just tried Urine Gone...use the black light and all....here is to hoping it works. Let me know if any of you have any great ideas...I am open to any of them!!!

Sat. Night Fights

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Once again I sat Ring side Medic for the Ring Warrior Fights. WOW. I enjoy being a little bit of help, but Saturday night was a busy one. I however managed to not be boo'ed as I was in November...YEAH!!!
I did have one man completely knocked out. Man, his eyes were rolled to the back of his melon like no ones business. Took a good 1 1/2 minutes to bring him to. He then proceeded to vomit everywhere and bleed from his nose, mouth etc. You see...he was going to shoot for the legs of the other guy and when he ben to do it the other guy kicked him square in the face...OUCH!!! Needless to say, he took a merry trip to the hospital by ambulance! :-)

Next, I was summoned to the back area that is for fighters and trainers only. I rounded the corner to the sound of horrific cussing.....I see about 2 guys trying to hold a guy to take his gloves off. When I get to him I see his middle finger on his left hand is bloody and bent at an odd angle. As I clean it off I see 'meat' and bone sticking out of his finger. Once I convince the men that there was no way a glove was coming off that hand and that I had to indeed CUT it to remove the glove they all wanted to take photos of the battered finger first...MEN....
I was able to cut, clean and wrap the man's finger and send him off to the hospital for bone reset, stitches and good pain med's....I am sure today he is in pain!

Next I went into the ring to see a guy who had been cut above his right eye. We went to the backroom to work so the next fight could start, I was met by a room full of guys waiting for their fighter to go out. I announced that I was coming in, since it was a mens lockeroom, and was greeted by a guy who felt it necessary to show me his FULL MOON, just for fun...I told him it was the whitest butt I had ever seen and if he had anything I had never seen before I would dedicate him to science! His buddies laughed that I didn't oogle his hairy buttocks and went about my business ....he may never live it down... My patients eye was cute pretty deep and I knew immediatley that he would also require stitches. I cleaned him, butterflied his eye and gave him some ice and instructions for the ride to the hospital. I promised him that chicks really do dig scars and he had quite the war wound.

The rest of the fights were pretty uneventful...Thank the Lord, I had had enough bones, eyes, vomit and hairy butts for the evening. A new friened of mine, Marko, won Amateur Welterweight belt though....proud of the warrior for that! Eric (my brother) and I finally arrived home at 12:30am...LONG NIGHT and FUN had by all!