WINNER

After not so much debating I came up with a winner for our Halloween costume contest. I don't think I can pass up the opportunity to see my boys in speedos! So, BAILEY WINS! Since the contest originated with her we didn't think it would be fair if she won. Here is what we are going to do- The four people who submitted ideas will each receive a $5 gift card to Starbucks. Congrats!

Stay tuned for a picture!

A Bump in the Road

I was really hoping that we would get our travel date this week. This
is the email I received from our facilitator instead...

*********************************************************************
The SDA reviewed your dossier, finally. They were generally happy,
but gave us only 1 remark - Letter of Obligation. They have changed
their rules again and now want people to report on the children once a
year, regardless if it's first year of reporting or 5th year...

Attached, please find the updated letter of obligation. Please, fill
in, sign, notarize, apostile and send to my address, which is also
attached.

Sorry for Ukrainian bureaucracy.... I have submitted hundreds of dossiers
with the letter of obligation you filled out - now they decided they
don't like it any more.... what can I say....
Hope this is not too much trouble for you.

*********************************************************************

....AGHHH!
Most of you probably don't understand what this all means but it is not good.
This is back to the paper chase that we thought was completed weeks ago. And yes, back down to Los Angeles.

I am choosing to look at this situation as an opportunity to see God's sovereign hand. My limited view cannot see why this is happening. However, God is in control. I want His plan and His timing not my own.

We will trust in Him.

Going Home

Thank you for your prayers. Miller is heading home tomorrow evening with a clean bill of health.

GOD IS GOOD!

Bathroom Follies

Maybe you had to be there.

I was at the movies the other night. Right before the movie started I made my way to the bathroom. All of the stalls were occupied except for one (it was VERY obvious why that one was empty- do you follow ;)). I was second in line waiting for the next available stall to open up when two became available. There was a private dialog going on between the girls who were leaving. One was laughing quietly and whispering something to her friend. My girlfriend, Wendy, exited a stall a few seconds later (the stall that I would soon occupy). Here is what I found...



Poor Wendy had NO IDEA that there was a HUGE hole between her stall and the girl next to her. Her neighbor obviously did!
Maintenance Please
***OUT OF ORDER***

Boy Time

Mike and the boys spent some quality time together this weekend while helping around the house. First on their list of things to accomplish was the fish bowl. Our fish Lulu will celebrate a birthday this next month turning two years old (how old is that in fish years?). After getting Lulu we learned from a friend that Beta fish are all males. OOPS, major name confusion. We now refer to Lulu as both a he and a she :)

After starting the once every two week task of clean the bowl, Lulu escaped. She didn't however get any further than the drain stopper and was successfully placed back into her bowl. As you can imagine our house went a little crazy for a moment. Losing Lulu would have been catastrophic! Later that afternoon while driving home from a party with the girls Bailey said "Mom wasn't it scary when Lulu almost kicked the bucket today?". Brooklyn with a small hesitation questioned "What type of bucket was it Bailey?". Those two keep me laughing all day long.

PLEASE VOTE

Hopping on my Soapbox

Excuse me a few minutes as I hop on my soapbox to work through an issue that I am having. 'Issue' might be too strong of a word but something is bothering me a bit. Mike and I discussed early on in our adoption process that we would not carry the burden of comments that might be made to us regarding our decision to adopt (or to adopt a child with Special Needs). Generally harsh comments come from a rather ignorant point of view. If people had their facts straight from the get-go most of them could be avoided.

While having a conversation with my friend, Cari, today a comment was made from a woman that I do not know. She had little to no background information on me or the adoption so my issue is not with her but rather with her words. When I told her of our plans to adopt a child with special needs she flippantly replied "WOW, you are taking a BIG RISK". My internal emotions got the best of me but I remembered a promise that I had made to my husband and I quickly dissolved the conversation without fueling the fire. I had a hard time thinking straight for the
next few hours. The word RISK continued to play over and over in my mind. Had I been extra prepared today I would have handed her a copy of a recent post that I read. The following was written by a family who adopted a child from Ukraine earlier this year. Their story has been inspirational to many and would have been the perfect response to her cutting words.

************************************************************************************
When Charissa came to me and asked me, "Can we adopt a little girl with Down syndrome?". I didn't say anything. I just thought.

Then she said, "... there is a little girl in Ukraine that needs a family." I didn't say anything except.. mmmm.

I began to go over and over in my mind how MY life would change. How would this affect ME. What if this happened what if that happened. How would this little girl integrate into our family?

So, here is a list of questions I asked, prayed over and meditated on for several days:

- This is a huge commitment
- Will she talk, eat, walk
- What will Word of Faith folks think of me having a child with a disability
- How will my life change with this little girl
- Will my kids accept her
- Will my kids rebel
- Will my kids be safe while I am half way across the world
- Can I afford this
- and many other thoughts

Then I had this thought.. What is this little girl thinking:

- When is my daddy going to come kiss my neck and throw me in the air?
- When is my daddy going to come help me get my eyes fixed?
- When is my daddy going to help me learn how to eat, walk, talk?
- When is my daddy going to take me out of this crib and put me on his shoulders?
- When is my daddy going to hold me close at night before he puts me to bed?
- When is my daddy going to tell me he loves me?
- When is my daddy coming to get me? Why's he taking so long? I'm ready!

God defends the orphan! He will defend me and my family..

What a blessing little Ava has been in my life! I just cannot imagine life without that little girl. Jesus will increase your ability to love every child you bring into your home. He'll work miracles in your heart and in the hearts of a whole lot of other folks too.

Don't be afraid to LOVE! Love heals.

*************************************************************************************

I hope after reading this she would have come to the same conclusion that we knew in our hearts the moment we decided to adopt Tate. RISK? The only risk we are taking would be to not follow through with our calling. We would RISK missing out on the blessing that God has in store for us as we love one of His beloved sons.

'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
Alfred Lord Tennyson

And with that I will step down. GOOD NIGHT.

Meet our new friend!!!

This is our BRAND NEW friend Miller. We have been anxiously awaiting his birth from the moment we found out that he was growing in his mommy's tummy. Miller's existence has been much anticipated for SEVERAL years. We have prayed fervently that the Lord would bless his amazing parents with a special little bundle. Miller's mommy has had a rough nine months. Although as a sick pregnant mommy myself I know that he was worth every second of it to her.

Miller is in need of your prayers. He is just three days old and instead of going home to his sweet little nursery he is spending another night in the NICU. Miller came down with a fever on Thursday night. The doctors are taking really good care of him but his tiny body is having to fight hard. Miller's mommy and daddy need a break as well. As first time parents they are exhausted and overwhelmed. Please join us as we pray our new little friend home.

August Birthday Madness

Do you have a month (or two) during the year when it seems like birthdays never end? We have TWO! May and August are the two months of the year that we have one birthday after the next (with no end in sight). We combined several different August birthdays as well as a visit from Uncle Fred and Kailey's going away dinner.

(Drag your mouse over each picture to zoom in.)

CONTEST #1

While talking to Bailey this afternoon we came up with a fun idea. There are two subjects that are constantly being planned and re-planned around our home. The first is birthdays. What is the theme, where should the party be and so on. The second is Halloween costumes. At least while the kids are young I enjoy having them dress up as a group.


This is what we have done in the past-













Bailey and her best friend Gracie;
Bumble Bee and Cranky Flower.



















Bailey and Brooklyn with Papa and Nonnie;
Fire-girl and Dalmatian Puppy














Mackenzie- Eeyore
Brooklyn- Roo
Skylar- Tigger
Campbell- Piglet


















Bailey with Connor and Liam;
Woody, Buzz and Jessie



















'Little Punkers'
The girls were 'little Avril Lavigne'
and Buddy was Travis Barker the drummer from Blink 182




















Tinker Bell, Peter Pan
and one of the Lost Boys
















SUPERHEROS
Batman, Batgirl,
Wonder Woman and Robin




The contest rules are as follows:
1. Come up with a creative theme
2. It should include 4 (maybe 5!!!) kids.
3. You may submit as many entries as you would like
either by posting a comment or sending an email.
4. Contest ends Friday, August 29th
5. I'm the judge!
(ideas already in the running; Star Wars, 50's Rock'n'Roll
and Bailey's idea Olympics-girls/gymnastics
and boys/swimmers (can you see the speedos, googles and swim caps already? :))

The WINNER will receive a $20 gift card to either Starbucks or Target
(you choose)

HAVE FUN!

**** Contest Update****8/23
Several of you have emailed saying that you
would give me a gift card just see see the
boys dressed up like Michael Phelps...TOO FUNNY!

**** Contest Update****8/26
Ideas in the running (in no particular order)
1. 50's
2. Star Wars
3. Dr. Seuss characters
4. Gymnasts / Swimmers
5. little hippies
6. Scooby Do characters
7. Carebears

Happy Birthday Potpea

Five years ago today I was giving birth to my second daughter. Thirty years ago(and exactly one week) my mother was in the same hospital room giving birth to her second daughter(me). Time flies and yet at the same time it doesn't. I have enjoyed every moment as Brooklyn's mommy. It has not always been easy but it has always been rewarding. She is one of my greatest blessings.


My four best friends from college and I have been through a lot together. One time period in particular was fun to share. We were all pregnant at the same time. Within six months we all gave birth to baby girls. We turned thirty this year and had hoped to celebrate together. Life is busy and with new pregnancies, nursing babies and adoptions we couldn't do a trip this summer. We are going to have to celebrate 30.5 in a BIG way!


From left to right-
Mommies: Alyssa, Alison, Bethany and Krissy
Babies: Annie, Brooklyn, Sydney and Reagan

College begins

I have been ignoring the inevitable hoping that it would never happen. Today it did! Kailey packed up the car, kissed us goodbye, and left for college. It was a sad day. I should be sitting on the couch watching Project Runway with her right now. Instead I am watching all alone. The cheese puffs just don't taste the same :(

Water Baby

Emmett is a water baby. We can hardly keep him out of the pool. This video shows exactly why we don't have a pool at our home.

(side note: Buddy is wearing a water vest, not a orange thong!)

TATE JUSTIN

Several of you have asked the significance of Tate's name and why we decide on it. You asked for it so, here you go.

Mike and I are both very decisive people. When it came to picking names for our children we did not buy baby name books or search online. Instead we talked about what we liked and disliked and came up with a list. Most importantly Mike wanted our first son to be named Carter William. When we found out we were having a girl we scratched our first girl name, Kennedy, and named her Bailey Grace instead. We decided that if we did eventually have a son we did not want Kennedy and Carter (obviously both Presidents). Little did we know at the time that EVERYONE we would ever meet would either personally have or have a neighbor or cousin who has a dog named Bailey! Grace after my best friend Alyssa Grace. Baby number two was easy. Brooklyn is my favorite girl name. We probably would have named Bailey Brooklyn but our pastor in Orange County had a daughter named Brooklyn and we did not want to duplicate. When Brooklyn was born we had moved back to Ventura so it was not an issue. Joy is her middle name for two reasons; I have a very special aunt named Joyce and also because of its meaning.

Are you still following? Ok, so two names down we still had several names on our list to go. Baby three was going to be a boy. Mike was finally able to use his favorite, Carter William. William after my incredible father. The name Carter was left at the hospital and our son became Buddy except when he is in trouble with Mike :). Baby number four was given my favorite boy name, Emmett. Michael is obviously named after Mike. Again, all of this was very easy for us. No major discussions just crossing used names off of our list. One thing I should mention is that we have always stuck with names that have an English origin. Partly because we feel they sound good together and also because they are the names that we LOVE.

Now to baby number five. This was the trickiest name of all. Next on our list for boys names was Hudson. Adoption added a whole new element. In the past we have not seen our children before we have named them. Hudson just did not seem to fit this sweet little one that we knew as 'Eugene'. Back to the drawing board after 7 years of using our faithful list! You might assume that we finally turned to search sites or a baby name book- NOT US. We sat in the middle of the Burbank Airport with a notebook and a pen. We talked about a few of our new favorites and literally 2 or 3 minutes later decided his name would be TATE (which means Cheerful or Happy). We felt the name fit the boy in the picture that we hoped to call SON. His middle name is Justin named after our close friend Justin Sparks. Justin and his wife, Rachael, are friends of ours from Westmont and he is also Mike's business partner.

Is that enough detail for you?

WE ARE SUBMITTED!

We received information from our facilitator last evening that our dossier (International paperwork) was successfully submitted to the Ukrainian government on Monday morning. The is a enormous leap in the adoption realm. Next step in the process is for us to SIT AND WAIT for our court date. We should hear something in the next three weeks.

Bailey drew this picture of the kids at their lemonade stand raising money to bring brother home.

Emotions

I'm feeling a little emotional today. I suppose there are several reason why. I have tried to keep this blog fun and light but today is different. So why am I emotional? Partly because I have a big birthday this week. Big in the sense that I go from always writing a 2 first and now it will be a 3. Yep, hard to believe but I hit the big 30 on Thursday. Thankfully all of Bailey friends think I am her sister and not her mom- I LOVE those girls! I have been anxious to get to my 30's for the past 9 years. It seemed that everyone else was already there. Now that I will be part of the club it's weird. And I guess that is one reason I am emotional.
The second reason I am emotional is because of my sweet little boy on the other side of the world- LITERALLY. How is it possible that just thought of his name brings tears to my eyes. This boy that I have never met has captured my heart. At times it's hard to breath. As a mother I want to know that he is being held and loved when he gets hurt. I want to protect him from kids who might be making fun of him or just playing rough. I want to make sure that his belly is full and that his jammies are warm. I want to kiss him at night and read him a story in the morning. I want him to know just how much we love him and are fighting for him even though he doesn't know that we exist. I want to pray over him as he sleeps not from my side of the world but from our world together. I know International Adoption is a long process but I never fully realized just how heart wrenching it would be. Going to bed at night is the hardest part of my day. When I go to bed Tate is probably waking up. I desperately want to be with him. And I want him to experience life with us. About a week before we committed to adopting Tate, Bailey made a comment that felt so real we could have said it at the same time. She told Mike and I that it felt like someone was missing from our kitchen table. I wanted to weep. I knew just how she felt and that feeling gets stronger everyday. I started this blog in hopes that I could keep everyone up to date with how things were going. While talking with my sister today I discovered that blogging is my way of enjoying TODAY. I want to celebrate this moment that I am living in even though part of my heart in beating in Ukraine. So that is my main point. I will celebrate entering into my 3rd DECADE although my heart doesn't want to until it is completely home.

Plain Sugar

You've probably heard me say it before, but I'm going to say it again- BABY M IS SUGAR. Now if you were to spend an afternoon with us you'd probably say something like- He's sweet but he is also kind of bossy. He pushes the other kids around. He likes to whine to get his way. REALLY? He has sure fooled us. You see, he is the baby around here. He rules the roost. And to us, he is just plain SUGAR.

(note: this video may be one of those 'only grandparents will sit and watch' videos)

Major Milestone

Brooklyn hit a MAJOR MILESTONE today. I came home from running errands and Michelle casually mentioned that Brooklyn was riding Bailey's bike. WHAT??? Without training wheels???? I had to see it for myself! So, tonight after a big family dinner we all went outside to support Brooklyn. I'm not sure what made me the most proud; Brooklyn riding a bike or her siblings cheering her on. It was one SWEET night.

Emma's going home!

Emma's heart surgery was a huge success. They are releasing her from the hospital tomorrow. She is a MIRACLE! Thanks to those of you who kept Emma and her family in your prayers.

Jamberry

Does anyone else absolutely love the book JAMBERRY?
One berry
Two berry
Pick me a blueberry...

Sound familiar?

JAMBERRY is one of my favorite books to read with the kids. At the end of the book the author, Bruce Degen, talks about picking berries as a child. He recalls eating them fresh from the fields with sour cream and sugar. This year our berry crop at home was slim to nearly NONE. With blueberry season ending in July I decide to get the kids out of the house for our own picking traditions. Blueberries NEVER tasted so good!

Grandma to the Rescue

A big huge thanks to my, always prepared with a disposable camera in hand, Mother-in-law. It is because of her that I have a few pictures from a fun Father's day at the beach. Yes, this is the same day that we LEFT our camera and our ice cooler on the sidewalk!

Real Farmers?

I had to laugh at an email I received this weekend. A friend from Reece's Rainbow made a comment that she thought it was so neat that we are potato farmers. ;) In her defense she had not yet seen this blog and why it is just a play on words. It did however get me thinking about our very small family garden. We not only have a ton of fun playing outside we also benefit from some wonderful produce (whatever is left after the bunnies eat their share anyway).



We have strawberries, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, watermelon, corn, radishes, purple and green cabbage, artichokes, soybeans, lemon basil, spearmint, cilantro, parsley, oregano and lavender. We also have some wonderful trees- avocado, lemon, lime, tangerine, naval orange, valencia orange, grapefruit, citrus salad, nectarine, white peach, yellow preach, fuji apple, fig, guava, and apricot. Oh yea, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries too.
Now I'm hungry :).

Pray for Emma

Tomorrow is a big day for little 5 year old, Emma Cornish (adopted from Ukraine earlier this year). Emma will undergo open heart surgery to heal her broken heart. We are specifically praying that Emma comes through the surgery, off the bypass machine, off the ventilator and home from the hospital with a new heart. Please join us also in praying for her mom and dad as well as the doctors and the nurses that will work on Emma.