Happy Halloween

Or for those who do not celebrate this Holiday: Happy Wed, October 31st!

From our wild animals to yours.

Okay, I know you won't believe whatever I say we will or won't be doing but I'll share anyways what we have "planned". After much going back and forth between going to Disneyland or a carnival tonight the boys have all voted for the carnival. So, as of now.... Jim's going to try to come home early and we will head off to the carnival tonight. It should make for a great time.

Last years Halloween seems like it was just a couple months ago. Where does the time go? We certainly could have never imagine that we would be starting another Holiday season without Stephanie, Jude, and Lovenie. The greatest comfort is to think of the many we WILL get to spend with them once they are home! I'm dreaming of Princess costumes for our girls!!!

Don't Believe me

Don't believe me when I say we are or are not going to do something or go somewhere. I tend to change my mind a lot. ;) Sunday night I posted that we would not return to Disneyland until after Halloween and that Jim would spend a few days working from home. I was wrong about both. Yesterday Jim dropped me and the boys off at Dland and headed off to work. It was my first time there all day alone with the boys and we had a BLAST together!

Jim IS working from home today and is starting to feel better. Thank you to everyone asking about him.

Here's a few moments from yesterday's outing:

Every now and then Johnny comes to me and says "I have an idea for a funny picture Mom".

This is one of them.

My boys: They make me so proud when we are out in public. They are such good boys! Sometimes I just need to spend time around lots of other kids to remember how good ours are. It was not difficult at all to spend all day with them at Dland by myself.

Kyle took this picture of Luke and me just HAYnging out. Check out the girl in the corner of the picture doing the classic "oops, I didn't realize you were taking a picture". Cracks me up!

Do you think I can get one of these for home? Discipline has a whole new look.

Being "Goofy"

Checking my mailbox everyday but still no word on my drivers license!

The boys are car shopping for me in hopes that I will be able to drive them around again soon. Which one will I get? Tough call.

Until the okay to drive again comes in I will continue to be looking to be chauffeured with a bit of flare!

Some Good News:

I got this from USCIS (immigration) this morning:

We have just received the response from the U.S. Embassy in Port-Au-Prince. They have made a favorable determination of the orphan status of the children, Stephanie, Jude & Lovenie.

You may now complete the final adoption of the children.

WooHoo! We're that much closer!!! I think the last line is quite funny as they make it sound so simple to go ahead and complete the final adoption, haha. It still sounds really great though!

Or not :)

Why is it that I ever think I know how anything will go? I posted on Friday our weekend plans but in reality it was totally different. On Friday we headed to Disneyland and it didn't take us long to realize that it was a mistake. California Park had a big Halloween event and both parks were PACKED and the lines were crazy. We went ahead and stayed until close but I think we will avoid it until after Halloween. Saturday I was just totally beat from all we've been doing and I've been feeling the need for a break from the kids. I love them lots but kids 24/7 will start to get to even the strongest woman! So my amazing husband took the kids to a party Saturday afternoon and I got to stay in PJ's and watch girl flicks in a quiet house. It was SO great!

Today I got some more alone girly time when Jim dropped me off at a salon where I got a fun make over and got to chill without the kiddo's. We managed to make it to another get together and had a great time there. It did end on a bit of a bad note though when Jim suddenly started having bad chest pains. By the time we left he was in a lot of pain and having a little trouble breathing. He's really healthy and athletic so I usually don't have to worry about him at all but he has quite the long family history of heart problems so that is one thing that freaks me out a bit. He's no baby when it comes to pain so when he suggested we head straight to Urgent Care " just to be safe" I started to really worry! They took him right in and did an EKG and it came back fine--- HUGE relief!!! We were at the hospital a couple hours and the results were that he likely strained some muscles when he picked up Luke at the party and twisted at the same time. We'll take it!! So he's up in bed for some down time that he rarely takes or needs. On the bright side he will work at home at least tomorrow and maybe for the next couple days if he needs to, so I'll get to take care of him and see him more.

We didn't make it to the BBQ we were supposed to head to after the get together but we think they'll understand and forgive us.

Weekend Plans

As of now we have another busy weekend planned with 2 parties, 1 BBQ, and another day at Disneyland. We are also going to look in to the Calvary Chapel Relief foundation to see if there are things we can do to help our many So. Cal neighbors who have been affected by the fires. This of course trumps parties and BBQ's if we can find a way to serve. For more information about how you can help:
http://www.limitlessboundaries.org/Relief/sandiego.html

October 2007 update!

It's here, It's here!!! We knew we were running out of days in Oct. and we had not received our monthly update yet so were excited to get it this morning. Still no Vilner in the picture so he must still be with his Mom which is great because I think that's where he needs to be. Please keep their health and protection in your prayers as I believe they are still living in the very dangerous Cite Soleil.

I miss our kids so much I almost can't even look at the picture, and yet can't stop looking at it either. How can that be? I was again disappointed to hear we are still not in MOI.... UHG. Will our kids ever come home???!!!! We're so close to the end but I think it's time for another trip to Haiti. I need to remind my precious Jacques to smile for the pictures. :)

Gran souri Jacque O!

Update from the NLL:

The monthly updates is brought to you as you were surely waiting for it.
Stephanie: 84 lbs 59 inches.
Jude: 55 lbs & 52 inches.
Lovenie: 19 lbs & 45 inches.

They are in perfect health, the picture will give you a clear idea.
Your dossier is very close to get in MOI.
God Bless you always!!!!!!!
NLL, Reginald

Venus and Mars Vote

Men and women certainly speak two different languages don't they? We've got a little debate going on here at home that I would like your votes on (I'm counting on winning since most of my blog visitors are women!). My Dad called yesterday and I was giving him a hard time about the comment he left about my driving. He said if I get my license again he is glad he lives in Northern CA not Southern near me. Okay, in all fairness...it's possible I may have added my "signature" to a few of their precious vehicles as a teen. Maybe I drove in to the side of the garage once or twice, and maybe I backed in to another car. It's really all about the practise, right?

Well, before I talked to my Dad on the phone he talked to Jim first and made a comment about it and Jim's response was "Our vehicles are not in that great of shape anyways!" What???? What kind of response is that? In the 10 years I've been with my husband I have not been in any accidents... not even close to one! Wouldn't a nicer response be along the lines of "She's a great driver." ?

Okay so the debate--- My Dad insists that what Jim said was a compliment. Does anyone else see a compliment in there somewhere? No need to worry. No one is really fighting and I find the whole thing quite comical. I did give Jim a bit of a hard time about his response because when my Dad told me he said it I accused my Dad of trying to start up trouble (public apology to my Dad) just to find out after hanging up that Jim really did say that.

Help me out ladies.... Do I just not know how to take a compliment as my Dad insists or are the men in our lives just REALLY nuts?

ADOPTION DECREES!!!!!!!!!

This morning I checked my emails to find that NLL had scanned and sent us copies of the adoption decrees for our children!!! It brought me to tears as I read the official certificates stating our children's name followed by OUR last name. We are so excited. It was final many months ago but we are just now seeing a copy of the decree for the first time.

Please continue to pray for our children to come home! We did notice a couple errors on the decrees. One was just the english translation had a wrong date on it (the official paper in French has the correct date that has happened) and it's for a date that hasn't happened yet, hmmm...Could that be a problem? We also noticed that they have the address on it that we lived at when we started the process, but that was almost 2 years ago! Will this end up being a problem or will it just be corrected later on? Anyone had any experience with this they could share?

We are off to celebrate at Disneyland. We were going today anyways but decided it would be fun to call it celebrating at Disneyland instead of just going to Disneyland. ;)

So. Cal. Fires

Trouble in Paradise

I would like to ask you all to please remember Southern California in your prayers! It's absolutely shocking how many fires are going on and how many homes have been lost. For anyone wondering if we are okay...we are fine. There are a couple fires not too far from us. The closest is in Ontario. I'm not letting the kids play outside because there is just too much smoke to be breathed in but I don't think we will experience anything more then lots of smoke.

I heard on the news that we are having the most evacuations ever experienced by California. It seems as if nearly everything is on fire.

Our first news of all of this was when we were at Disneyland on Sunday. Jim had decided to go back to the car and get some things. He hopped on a tram where he heard a little boy say "Bye Bye Disneyland. We have to go because there is a fire by our house." We could see big clouds of black smoke. We had no idea of the MANY fires going on or that it would be this devastating.

Funny Driving Womb Baby Video

Is everyone but me already driving?

funny driving

What fun we will soon have!

HUGE celebrations sure to come

The kids are certain their Mom really has totally lost it as I run around the house dancing and singing as goofy as it gets (I'm so glad I don't live in a house with video cameras!). I just found out that my drivers license form was FINALLY released from our HMO's insurance office and was received by DMV a week ago. I called DMV and learned that it could go 2 ways... If they are satisfied by the medical paper work that I am indeed okay to drive my license suspension will be lifted immediately. If they are concerned they MAY make me make an appointment for an interview before making a decision. Please, Please pray with me that they will not do that and continue to delay things. Why am I singing and dancing? They claim to make their decision in 1-3 weeks. My form has already been there 1 week so it is POSSIBLE that I could be driving again in within the next 2 weeks after not driving for almost 1 year!!!!! You just can't imagine my excitement. It's like turning 16 again! Dare I believe they will really make a decision quickly and that it won't go the hardest possible direction... yes, I think I dare. That is why I'm running around dancing and singing songs about all the places I will drive to when I have my license. Stay tuned......

Lesson learned from all this--- License good, seizures bad. When you get in your cars today please take just a moment to think of what a priviledge it is to get to drive. I hope my thankfulness for health and priviledges remains long after the seizures are gone and I'm running around town taking care of all the errands.

Totally Spoiled

We are having a fantastic weekend of being totally spoiled. It started last night at a friends house for a game night and being stuffed with treats. Then today we spent all day at the park for Jim's work's Company Picnic. From the moment we got there they began spoiling us. The kids each got a cooler/lunch sack filled with presents and candy. They had a big bouncy house, slide, and many games. We came home with a bunch of prizes. First thing won was from a raffle and Luke won a brand new shiny red bike which he gave to Johnny (because it was big) with the promise of getting Johnny's littler bike that he won at last years picnic. :) Then Kyle played a game and beat all the other kids winning a SpongeBob Operation game (which was later traded with another kid for Battleship). I won at Bingo winning us a 5 disc CD player, And we won 3 more times at the raffle drawings (!!!) so Kyle also got a cool kids digital camera, Jim got a cordless drill, and Luke got a Surf's Up gift set (which was traded for a very cool Thomas toy). On top of all of that we had unlimited food and drinks all day including as much ice cream as we wanted (how happy the kids were). Then on the way home we checked the mail and there was a surprise envelope from my Mom. She's always sending us thoughtful and unexpected presents. The boys were thrilled over their 4 foot long balloons (Thanks Mom!) and I got a cute magnet about Mom's of boys.

Sound like a full weekend? We are just getting started. Tomorrow --bright and early we will be heading to Disneyland again. Life is good!

Night At The Roxbury Tribute

Night At The Roxbury Tribute

More Dancing--- This ones for my Mom who learned all her moves from this movie! Enjoy Mom! Warning to other Mom's and Dad's--video just a bit PG

Hitch - Dancing

Albert from the movie Hitch is representing my Happy Dance Moves for me today!

Celebrating Again

SEVEN MONTHS SEIZURE FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEVEN MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will I make it a whole year? How about a life time? Could the season of seizures be gone for good??

Feeling great today in CA! To God goes all the praise!!!!!!!!

Bring the Rain

A few days ago (when I posted tears and prayers) I had been going through our CD's when I came across a CD my Mom had given me months ago. I had put it with my other CD's and then forgot about it, which is surprising to me because it was a CD of Mercy Me songs and I really enjoy them. A title to one of the songs caught my eye and I played it. I had not heard the song and it was so beautiful and spoke to me so clearly. The very next day I checked a friends blog that I had lost the link to and then just discovered again and would you believe that she had posted a video with this very same song? God's so cool! So anyways I've been playing it over and over again and love it everytime. There is a video with the song just below this post if you would like to see and hear it. Here are the words of the song that I feel like puts perfectly in to words what my heart is crying out to God:

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty

MercyMe - Bring The Rain

The song I've come to really love and a beautiful video too. Enjoy!

Adoptions that have fallen through

I'm so sad to share that in the last month 3 teen girls who were once told they were being adopted were told that the family that committed to them would not be completing the adoptions. I'm so sad for them. I think it is important that those of us parents that are adopting from HFC know this because it it sure to cause concern among the other teens that we might change our minds about them as well. This would be a great time to do whatever it takes to get word to them of our love for them and now equally important-- our commitment to them. I can't imagine being in their shoes waiting all of their lives for a family, finally believing they have one, and then going back to not having a family again. Please pray for them. Also very concerning is their age. If they do not find families again by the time they are 16 they will no longer be adoptable. You may not think this would matter to a bunch of teenagers... but it really really matters. Most of them long so much for a family and fear that 16th birthday when they will no longer have a chance for one.

The first teen told she would not be adopted was Daina. She was told she had one to adopt her and it fell through in the same week. However, the more recent two are Debbie and Lovely and if I understand correctly they have known they were in the process of being adopted for a long time before it "fell through". PLEASE be praying for all of them, and for the teens that now question if those of us adopting them will follow through, and for the children who have never received the news that they have a family that wants them.

For more information about Debbie and Lovely you can see pictures and information for them at: http://myhaitiankids.blogspot.com/ . I struggle to understand how anyone could commit to a child (especially one old enough to understand) and then just drop the adoption. It is unimaginable to me. Jim and I have even made plans so that if one of us were to die the other would continue on with every adoption we've committed to. However, good can come from this... Lovenie became our child when her originally adopting family made the decision to drop their adoption of her after she had her stroke and was no longer healthy. Because of this she will be our precious daughter and she led us to 4 other children we can't wait to have home as well!!! Please pray with me that God would make something really beautiful out of what has happened to these teens also.

Yesterday's post update

Thank you so much to everyone that responded to me for advice yesterday. My favorite offers of advice were that we should "run away" and by that they meant to pack up our family and move back to TX where we have really amazing friends (we miss you guys too!!!) and to adopt another child. Certainly this is great advice and should be taken seriously..... NOT! But thanks anyways.

Other great advice I received was that I am only responsible for my actions and attitude towards them, and for that I answer to God. So I pray that He will continue to change my heart, help me to be a more loving and forgiving person. And to give it all over to God and let him take care of it.

Everyday before starting school I have devotions with our boys. I presented this question to them also asking what they should do if someone hurts their feelings and it's amazing how simple the answer is to a 8, 7, and 4 year old. They were right on. I think God gives us children so that we can learn more about Him through them. They really are wonderful teachers of God's love! Thanks again to everyone that responded here and by email. It's been given over to God and now I pray He will help me to not try and grab it back. :)

Dealing with people who hurt or offend you

Recently I really struggled with a situation with another family that had really offended us many times. We did not say anything as we really believe that it was not intentional but just a difference in our personalities. We let many things ago until one of them made some very derogatory remarks about some people that we really love. When this happened, and we knew it was intentional I went to him the moment there was not other people around him and asked him not to speak of them in such a way because I really care about them and that I found his words to be very offensive. His response was to laugh and continue making the remarks about them over again. That is when my search of how to handle people that offend you began. In the bible it has very clear instructions on how to handle it if they are a believer and they have "sinned" against you. Here's the thing I'm wondering about... wouldn't it be very important to be sure then that this person has indeed sinned against you rather then just offended you or you just are not terribly fond of their personalities? The bible also tells us to take the plank out of our own eye before helping someone remove the splinter out of their own. So, If we are not first being and feeling loving towards this couple do we have any place to go to them? We are very uncomfortable now around them and they are involved in something we are as well and we have many mutual friends. We are trying to understand clearly how God wants us to handle this situation before doing anything about it. We continue to pray that God will give us a different heart towards them but it seems as soon as we are near them again it does not take long until something is done or said that has us cringing. We know we are called to love everyone, but how do you manage a loving heart towards someone that you really struggle just to like. Yes, we realize our responsibility to continue praying about our hearts towards them in this situation. We really do want our hearts towards them to be different. That really is what it comes down to isn't it?

Well, it seems God really wants us to understand how to handle this issue because now a new problem has come up. This time it is regarding one person (who claims to be a Christian, but we have seen many things to cause us to wonder if there really is a relationship) who we feel has made an unfair accusation against us. Not only did he make this accusation but he involved many other people and never said a word to us. We were shocked and hurt when someone contacted us to try and resolve this "problem". We couldn't believe how many people where talking behind our backs. Of course this hurt us and upset us because the complaint against us was so over exaggerated, and the people involved we have only treated with great kindness so were hurt that they would not treat us the way that we treat them. However, this is the way the world works, isn't it? The majority of the people involved are not Christians so we will not address them regarding the issue. However, the person that instigated all of this claims to be. So now we find ourselves in a situation again where we wonder... Do we confront the person instigating the accusation and not coming to us first? When we heard the complaint we gladly and quickly resolved the "problem". But now there is the how to handle our relationships with those involved. So, I would love to hear any and all advice on this (and gladly accept your prayers!). You can comment on the blog or email me privately at angnjim@sbcglobal.net
Thanks!

HFC Has A New Sweetheart!

I am so thrilled to share this news now that it's official and okay to share: Hope For the Children of Haiti (HFC) has a new sweetheart, or at least they will in December! I have been praying for God to send someone to live with and love on the kids and here she is. She is committing one year of living in the orphanage as a dorm sister to the 55 kids. What does this all mean? When the kids are sad they will have someone to talk to and pray with, someone to entertain them, and remind them that they are loved not only by her but by a God who's always loved them. The gift of her being there will likely impact her life and the lives of these kids (who I love SO much) forever! I'm not ashamed to also admit how excited I am about her goal to help keep the kids (including ours) in touch with their parents through emails and sending us pictures of them.

I was honored to meet Bryn on the Adoptive parents mission trip to Haiti just a few months ago, as well as many emails before and after. She was there to meet her soon to be nephews Job and Bernadin. She is so kind and is going to be so loved by the kids!

For those interested in following Bryn's adventure as she prepares to move to Haiti, and while she is there, you can find her blog at http://jamesonetwentyseven.blogspot.com/ . She is also praying for the funds for support while she is in Haiti. To view a letter from Bryn and for details about how you can help: http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dcjq4bb_105gtd82q

Please be praying for Bryn and the work God is doing and will do in and through her, and please pray also for the kids at HFC that God will prepare their hearts to welcome her with the kind of love you can always find among the kids of HFC!

Tears and Prayers

Sometimes it all seems to happen at once. These last couple weeks have been filled with a lot of fun and joy and yet also (this week especially) has been so filled with tears. My heart just hurts for so many reasons. I know one reason is finding out the news that once again our children are not coming home soon and our hopes of having them home with us this year are just depleted. I can't explain what that does to you but I know that others in our shoes understand that kind of pain. But way beyond that news it just has been a week of so much pain from so many directions. So many people I care about are also struggling this week with frustrating to devastating events. Children sick and hurting, precious lives lost, families separated, really sweet children's hearts being broken... the list just goes on and on. It just seems like too much at once. My eyes cry tears for our frustration and for so much pain others are dealing with. My heart cries out to God to deliver those who can be delivered, peace for those to accept and heal from things that can not be changed, and for those who feel like they have lost hope to find their hope renewed in Him.

One friend wrote to me today in an email sharing her families painful news and she wrote:

It just seems as if Satan is out to devour the emotional peace of God's people and I WON'T GIVE HIM THE SATISFACTION!

Right on friend I'm with you!

To my friends that have shared their heartaches with me please know I am praying for you. Isn't it great to know at times like this:

"For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." --Rom. 8:28

We may not see the purpose or understand now but we can trust in the God who never fails us.

Let the Good Times Roll

The boys in the tree tunnel
Kyle and Johnny loved the tire zipline in the Brother Bear playarea

Kyle in far left swing, Me and Johnny in front on the Jellyfish ride (Johnny did not like it so much)

Johnny and Kyle go round and round

The boys on Family Favorite ride: It's a Small World

Jim and Luke flying high on the Peter Pan ride

Our first day at Disneyland was wonderful and we are so excited that we will get to go again and again. But why let that be the only fun we have all week? Last night we taught the kids class at bible study and had such a blast with the kids (such a great group!) and then got to eat and fellowship with our grown up friends afterwards too. Today a friend is picking us up and taking us to a school carnival with their family. Jim will meet us there after work and bring us home and then the kids are having their best buddy over for a sleepover. Tomorrow Jim is going to a men's conference tomorrow during the first half of the day. If we still have the energy we may go to a neighborhood Fall Festival. Sunday we are headed back to Disneyland and this time with fun friends that also have passes! At some point we need to do something sensible like... Oh, I don't know... maybe grocery shopping... We are out of EVERYTHING. Today for breakfast and lunch with the kids I'll just teach them the Mother Hubbard rhyme!

We got an answer

but it's not what we wanted to hear! I knew we would hear some news about our adoption when Jer. 29:11 & 12 came up. It's almost always right before we get good news but sometimes it is before we get bad news-- but we always get news. This time it was NOT the news we wanted. We finally got an answer about where we stand in regards to MOI and our answer is "it should enter MOI within three weeks". We can't think of any reason at all that we are not only not in MOI but would have to wait to enter MOI!

Tonight we are teaching the kids class at our bible study and the lesson is about how Peter was in prison and even chained between two guards to make sure there was no way he could possibly escape...but he did, he miraculously escaped proving that no matter how impossible the situation seems God can totally overcome it. I have such mixed feelings about teaching this tonight. In one way it encourages me in our current situation and in another way it challenges me.

Early Christmas Gifts

My favorite kind of gift is an early gift and this so far is one gift we are really excited about. Yesterday we could not keep our secret any longer. I was talking to Jim on the phone and put him on speaker phone and called the boys over. They knew they were getting some kind of early Christmas gift but didn't know when or what. When Jim told them they are going to Disneyland tomorrow (now today) they lost it. Yelling, screaming, running around. Totally wigging out (they have been just once and clearly they loved it). THEN when Jim told them that we were not going just one time but getting special tickets so that we can go again and again...OH MAN..the crowd went wild. Jim asked me if I was sure we had three kids and not twenty because of all the yelling, laughing, and screaming! We are so excited about finally doing this. We agreed before we moved here that we would get passes but have not been able to afford it. We still could use the money for other things but figure this to likely be our last year in Southern CA so it's kind of now or never. So Christmas morning there may not be presents to unwrap but we will be having a year that we will NEVER forget I'm sure. We plan to get Stephanie, Jude, and Lovenie their tickets after they are home and ready for it.

So... While you are reading this we will be whooping it up at DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Today I asked for Good news and boy did I ever get it! I received an email that one of my favorite people in the whole world had two adoptions (from the state of TX) completed and official today!!!!!! I had no idea today was the big day. The wait for their family to be completed through adoption has been about the same length of time as ours. We have prayed together, laughed, cried... you name it... all while waiting for God's plan to be revealed and today it happened for them.

Carrie- Congratulations my very precious friend. It could not have happened to a better person. You have been nothing short of one of the greatest gifts God has placed in my life. No one makes me laugh like you do. If you are that much of a treasure to me I can only imagine how wonderfully God will use you to impact the life of your children. I pray God continues to bless your family over and over again.

I just wish I was there to scream, jump up and down, and run around in circles with you. I miss living near you and will have to owe you a great big hug!

With Love,

Your friend for life,

Angela

And Spiraling Down Again...

I warned you all I'm on the adoption roller coaster where the emotions continue to go flying up and then back down, even a few loopty-loops! You could call me at any given moment and experience a different mood then the moment before or after. I'm like a box of chocolates (you know how the rest of that saying goes...and it aint sweet). In my defense I hold tightly to my very valid excuse that I AM paper pregnant with 5 children. Does this not entitle me to wild emotions, being exhausted often, and lets not forget the weight gain and food cravings... Oh, I think I'm entitled! :)

So my last post was all cheer and happiness so what brought on this vent fest? My HMO. Yes... here I go again... feel free to skip reading this all together if your sick of hearing it. My insurance STILL has not filled out my 2 minute form so that I can drive again. First it was held up for a month while the doctors all pointed fingers at each other telling me everyone but them was the doctor I need to see (I'm really quite nice to them, honest, no one wanted to deal with the insurance forms. I can't really blame them... I don't want to deal with it either!). After a month of that I called the insurance company and insisted they pick a doctor so that I could schedule an appointment and get on with it. Then several weeks wait for the appointment. Got approved to drive by the neurologist. Had to take the forms to insurance. Found out later on that what they said they would do immediately really ended up sitting on their desk for 3 weeks! Then they sent it to the neurologist to sign (making this way harder then it has to be). I tried again and again calling the insurance office to follow up and could never get an answer. Today I finally got through just to find out the insurance still has not received it back from the doctor so he has had it sitting on his desk for a few weeks now. I've had it. Nice Angela is gone and "This is totally ridiculous" Angela has taken her place. I now have a call in to the doctor. I'm so frustrated with them. I know to them it's just another piece of paper to take care of... to my family it is HUGE inconvenience EVERYDAY... Does anyone care about that... OH NO!!!

Can someone PLEASE give us some positive news already???!!!!!

Okay that turned in to way more of a vent fest then I intended. ;) It kind of felt good. Now I won't have to take it out on Jim or the kids (they thank you).

It's a new moment so it must be time for a new emotion: Tomorrow we have a HUGE surprise for our kids. I'm so excited about it. (Oh, yes, one person can have this many emotions at once). I'll have to wait to share what it is but we are going to have a super good time tomorrow as our kids are getting their Christmas gifts very early!

Homesick but Encouraged!

Yesterday I spent a big chunk of time completing the Homesick video below. I was having so many problems putting it together as I'm just not naturally talented at anything that involves using a computer. It was so rewarding though as I received many emails from parents with stories of how it was really moving to see their child in it. My favorite was from someone that had a birthday yesterday and had talked to their daughter in Haiti and was really missing her and then received the video link. That alone makes it worth the hours of fighting with the computer program! My goal with the video is just to have something special for the many families that have waited much longer then anyone could have ever expected, as well as seeking to remind many people to see their faces and pray for the waiting families. Will you please pass on the video as well and ask for prayers? The link to the video on youtube is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGw1GBweP3Y

Yesterday was also a day of encouragement as Jeremiah 29:11 came up unexpectedly:

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Those who have been following our adoption know how exciting it is for me to be reminded of that verse and how special it is to me. It always appears unexpectedly when I really need encouragement or am about to receive news about the kids!

Lately I've been also "stumbling" across Jeremiah 29:12 and it's words are just as wonderful and encouraging as 11:

12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Yesterday I unexpectedly came across both of them. So it was either God's way of really encouraging me yesterday or giving me a heads up that we have some adoption news brewing.

Homesick

Hundreds of families have been waiting a very long time to bring our children home from Haiti. We have made friendships and provided each other with so much encouragement and support. Here is just some of the children we as a group are waiting for. While you are reading/watching this could you please take a moment for prayer for our families? Thank you!

Nick Vujicic - Life Without Limbs

Another case of blog theft (thanks Tanya). Talk about ENCOURAGING!!

Mary Poppins: I Love To Laugh

How long has it been since you watched Mary Poppins? We just watched it and I forgot how great it is. This was my favorite scene. The jokes are so funny.
Don't forget to laugh today!

HOOKED UP!!!!!!

Woo Hoo, I'm so excited. The internet connection at HFC had been temporarily cut off so imagine my surprise when I saw an email in my inbox from Jacques!!! I thought I would share this with everyone else that is just waiting to hear from their kids in hopes that it would encourage you too. It sounds from his letter as if they get very little time so keep those letters short and sweet Mom's and friends. ;)

Our letter from Jacques was so sweet. I'm really missing our kids! If we don't hear word soon that it looks like they will be home soon it may be time for another trip to Haiti. Jim's doing our budget now and found that his paycheck was higher then usual. At first we thought it was an error until comparing paycheck stubs and we learned that it was a change in taxes and we get to keep it! What's really cool is we had our brakes fixed on Friday and the extra in his check was about $30 more then what the repair work costs, or as I quickly pointed out... it's also almost to the dollar how much it would cost for a round trip ticket to Haiti... Stay tuned. (Anyone want to go with me???)

What do you remember?

(I got this from a friend's blog, Thanks Linda)

Take this Quiz.by Max Lucado

---Name the ten wealthiest men in the world.
---Name the last ten Heisman trophy winners.
---Name the last ten winners of the Miss America contest.
---Name eight people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize-
---How about the last ten Academy Award winners for best picture or the last decade's worth of World Series winners?

How did you do? I didn't do well either. With the exception of you trivia hounds, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday too well. Surprising how quickly we forget, isn't it? And what I've mentioned above are no second-rate achievements. These are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one.

---Think of three people you enjoy spending time with.
---Name ten people who have taught you something worthwhile.
---Name five friends who have helped you in a difficult time.
---List a few teachers who have aided your journey through school.
---Name half-a-dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier? It was for me, too. The lesson? The people who make a difference are not the ones with the credentials, but the ones with the concern.

From And the Angels Were SilentCopyright 1992, Max Lucado

Bowling

Jim's Dad, Don/Papa, looking very smug and with good reason. He had just bowled 6 spares or strikes in a row beating us all by a long shot!
Jim's Mom, Marlene/Nana, was our cheerleader from a distance (I don't think she wanted anyone to know she was with us!) :)

Had this picture been taken about a second later it would have caught that this turn was a STRIKE! You will just have to take my word for it I guess. Way to go Jim

Johnny having fun. We all had a blast.

What a fun and busy week we have had. First the San Diego zoo then Thursday- Saturday morning Jim's parents have been visiting. We have such a good time with them. God's really blessed us with two sets of really great parents to us and grandparents to our kids! We always have lots of fun with them. After bowling we hit In & Out Burgers pretty hard (we were SO hungry!). Once we got home we had a couple hours of down time and then a great dinner of bbq'd steaks and salad (sure beats In & Out). After dinner we had some wonderful friends over and a very energetic game night began and went on until after midnight.

The game night ended on a bit of a bad note when the noise of one of our games died out and we heard our Johnny sobbing. Jim and I went to him to find out that his head was hurting and his "bones were shaking again". He was so upset. He said he was yelling and yelling for us but we couldn't hear him. I felt like a pretty crummy Mom. He was so scared and upset. I held him and rocked him but was inwardly so upset I was holding back the tears and thought I was going to be sick. I got so angry and frustrated to not know what was causing our little boy to feel this way or how to help him. He just looks so upset and scared when it happens and I can't stand it because I know the feeling from when I'm about to have a seizure and can't control it. It is just not NORMAL for a little boy to feel terrible and feel like his body is shaking and uncontrollable. There has to be SOMETHING someone can do!!!! I ended up praying and crying myself to sleep once we got Johnny to sleep. I begged God to please, please don't let our little boy feel the ways I have felt. I just can't sit by and watch him go through it. Now I ask you all again to please keep him in prayers! Thanks so much.

Okay, now we get to head out again for a good friends birthday party. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM!!!!!! (not to be confused with my Jim, our good friend Jim).

Must go. We've got more good times ahead today.

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Holiday Season Idea

You have heard me talk so many times of my great love for the amazing kids of Hope for the Children of Haiti (HFC). They are really unlike any group of children I have ever met! It is now October and we all begin to think of what we will do this year for our Holidays, our budget, and gift idea's. I would like to encourage everyone who reads this to consider sponsoring a child this year as a family Christmas gift.

" ... I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room ..." Jesus, The Message - Matthew 25:35

What a great way to serve the Lord while blessing His children. It would also be such a great example and lesson for your children about giving and caring for others. HFC gives children without a home (most have lost both parents or were abandoned very young) a safe place to live, school, food, and love.

You can get more information about HFC and how to sponsor one of these great kids at http://www.hfchaiti.org/

Calvary Austin Moving Video's

We just saw these video's for the first time and were cracking up. Calvary Austin is the church we attended before moving to California and we loved it and miss it very much. Bellow are their moving "commercials". Totally funny!

CalvaryAustin Move Promo 01

CalvaryAustin Move Promo 02

The new Calvary Austin is now in the town of Pflugerville!

CalvaryAustin Move Promo 03

The San Diego Zoo

Monday we spent at the San Diego Zoo. Sound fun? I guess it is for most people. Not for me... I do not like going to the zoo. Jim and Kyle enjoyed it and Johnny and Luke thought it was okay but got bored with it pretty fast. We stopped for a picnic lunch around 1:00 and me, Luke, and Johnny had more then we cared to see for one day at a zoo so we ran around together at the park and just going through the kids zoo while Jim and Kyle went quickly through the rest of the zoo.
From now on we have agreed that Jim will take the kids that want to go and I'll do something else with the younger kids. Works for me! ;)

Pictures from the zoo

No matter where we go... If there is a train to ride we must ride it!
Look out!

A family favorite was this cute baby monkey that we first saw laying down in a crib. The caretaker held him up for us to see and then we watched him drink from a bottle. The boys thought it was especially funny that a monkey was wearing a diaper.

Jim and Kyle in #6 on the Skyfari.

Johnny and Luke on the Skyfari

The Polar bears were very entertaining.

My dear (Kyle) posing by the other deers.

I really dug the hippo's as I felt very thin near them!

Two of a kind!

Johnny comparing his hand to a gorilla's