Happy Birthday BABY!

Dear Jerod,

I love you for all the things you are to me and your family. You are an amazing dad! Our kids are so lucky to have you in their lives. And they love you SO much.

(an old pic but one of the best)

You have this awesome fun-loving side that you don't let too many people see. You can always make me laugh. :)

You are such a good sport at whatever I ask of you...most of the time. :) You work so hard to take care of us; you love God, your family and you love me and I couldn't ask for anything more.

And no matter how old we get, I will ALWAYS find you extremely sexy.

I love EVERY part of you. ;))

I hope you have a great day today and know that we love you very much. Happy birthday baby!

Spring Break Part 2

So like I said, on Tuesday morning, we got up early and drove with my mom and aunt Carolyn to Llano, Texas. My aunt needed to see a long time friend there and so tagged along to shop and get away. I didn't think we would go at first having already missed one week of school but my mom talked us into it and we did do some lessons in the car. I think she knew I really needed away for a little while to regroup and recharge. Don't we all need that at some point? :) We thoroughly enjoyed this trip and I learned that a vehicle can hold WAY more than you think when you are as skilled as my mom at packing. :)

Since Llano is such an old town, there were some very unique restaurants and shops all within walking distance of each other. Our first stop was Stonewall's Pizza...it was definitely NOT your Pizza Hut pizza...it was so fresh and good!!

My kids in front of one of the many historic landmarks we came across this week.

Little Man wanted me to take a picture of this tree...I said it was really funny that they were so interested in the trees...it shows you how much we lack in that area in our hometown. :)

A fabulous bridge that crosses the Llano river

Beautiful flowers were beginning to pop up

The Llano river

Driving across the bridge was not so bad but Princess really didn't care for walking across it

After a full day of shopping we went to this great park (with more trees) and another dam on the river...my aunt convinced them it was okay to walk across...my kids love their aunt. :)

There was some major goofiness and giggling (from the kids and adults alike) that went on the the hotel rooms

Here the kids are discovering the fun of having a sliding glass door and the illusions it could create.

After conquering the streets of Llano and eating at the world famous "Cooper's BBQ", Thursday morning we drove to Fredricksburg to do more shopping and more eating! :)

Here is the gang at a German restaurant...these wimps wouldn't even try my Greek salad....it was SOOO good!!

Friday morning meant getting ready to come home. The best thing about this trip was that we were all so laid back and willing to do whatever anyone wanted to see or try. So on the way home we stopped by the Enchanted Rock for the kids. This massive rock is actually a hill made completely of granite. Unreal!!

A few hours (almost 12 actually) later, we arrived home! So I guess now we have to get back to the "real world" and get ready for my open house in less than two weeks. EEK! We are also preparing a good size patch of our backyard for a (hopefully) fabulous garden. Lots going on but I'm so blessed to have all these opportunities. God is so good to me!

Spring Break Part 1

We've had two great weeks of spring break. Yes, we took off two weeks instead of just one but that's just the kind of cool stuff you can do when you home school. :) The first week we stayed around the house and I tried to wear myself completely out by doing chores. Shampooing carpet, painting shutters, and doing a mass clean-out of the kids bedrooms. I wanted to catch up on some sleep this week but I seemed to work so hard I ended up being more tired than when we started. Ha! But that's okay...a lot of good work was done. On Friday though, we went and met my sister and her family in Lubbock for the day. They were down there for a check-up for my niece so the kids, my parents, and myself met them there and we shopped and then took advantage of the hotel pool. :) It was a good day and I caught some very silly monkeys playing in the water.

On Saturday I caught up on laundry and cleaning and then right after church on Sunday we went back to Lubbock to spend some time with Jerod's aunt, uncle and cousins before getting our immigration fingerprints done early Monday morning. Yes, we had to drive all the way to Lubbock to get our immigration fingerprints done...one of the crazy steps we have to take to get our child home! It's ALL going to be so worth it!! Back home on Monday afternoon and then off and running again on Tuesday morning.....more on that in my next post. :)

Working Hard

I have been working so hard to get lots and lots of crosses ready for our upcoming open house. Yesterday I almost canceled the whole thing allowing Satan to come in and convince me that nobody is going to even come to this open house and that all my hard work will be for nothing. But I push those doubts away and I move forward. I am tired and my hands are very far away from looking feminine but I am proud to have 7 seven pictures to post and 8 crosses in my garage waiting to be finished right now. I am claiming today that this open house will be a success and God will be glorified through it all.

Check out my newest creations! http://crossesbyapril.blogspot.com/

Just an Average Ordinary Day...just the way I like it

Yesterday was my birthday and I had a very average, normal day. Don't feel sorry for me...I liked it just like that. My kiddos opted to not go to church last night so we could just have a quiet night at home vegging out in front of the T.V. and playing with my new presents. My hubby got me a video editing software for my computer that I spent over an hour watching the instructional DVD, Princess got me the Zumba Wii game, and Little Man got me chocolate covered strawberries. YUMMO!!! We had gone to eat with my parents at lunch and instead of going to eat again for dinner, I just wanted pancakes. So I had pancakes and strawberries for supper. :) Not too shabby.

There was however a certain date looming over me all day...today's date: March 10. Today is the day that will show how serious the MOWA is about cutting back their adoption considerations. There were several people fasting and praying yesterday and from the few emails I got this morning, it looks like things may be headed in a good direction. There are over 21,000 names on the petition but we need more. People have asked if I think signing it will even make a difference and I say, "YES!" So please, if you haven't signed it yet, please please do so. Not just for me but for all the other families and children involved. This is bigger than just our situation...there are lots out there who are closer than we are and need our prayers more.

A friend emailed me these verses and I loved them...I told her they were being added to the note card stack! :)) Thanks Roxi!

"The Lord you God, who is going before you, will fight for you..." Deuteronomy 1:30

"The Lord himself goes before you, and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:8

"Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side." Psalm 97:3

We have not been forgotten...our God is a good God....He is in control and He is forever to be praised. :))

So What's Up? ****UPDATE****

Some of you saw my post on face book and some of you I've talked to face to face but I wanted to give you the low-down on what's going on with our adoption. Last Friday I received an email from our Ethiopian group director stating that the MOWA (the government group in Ethiopia) has decided that starting March 10, they will be reviewing only 5 cases a day. This is down from their 50+ a day. Why? They are trying to stop the child trafficking problem and want to review each file more closely. I respect this decision...they need to take care of their babies...I don't have to like it, but I get it. That's about all the information they could give us and so I did some digging.

Since then, I have read blogs, emails, articles and chat postings. Some say this whole thing is a rumor, some say that they are not being truthful about their "why" but most say "hang in there...it'll all be okay." So what does this mean for us?

Not much really. We have NOT decided to give up...we ARE still adopting from Ethiopia. Basically we look at this as the obvious...our wait time just got longer. God does know what He is doing and He knows what is best for our family. This may just mean He granted us more time to get our finances together....it may mean our baby isn't even born yet....it very possibly has NOTHING to do with us but we are indirectly affected by something He has to do to further His kingdom. I don't know why but I don't need to know why. That's not my job...my job is to pray and trust.

I have not let this stress me out. I was disappointed for sure but I cannot explain why I feel such peace. I have felt immense peace about the whole process and most people who know me well will tell you that is not normal for me. I don't need to know a timeline...most of this process isn't even in our hands...it's in two different governments hands separated by space, language barriers and trust issues (my opinion) and so there is no need to stress because I have NO control of it right now. I have my life to deal with right here and right now and I HAVE to trust in my God to take control of the rest. I think about my child every single day and I pray for my child continually but I can't allow Satan to make this situation bring me down.

We attend a Bible study on Wednesdays and God has really used this years study to give me peace. Some things in the commentary have really touched my heart so I decided to write them down on note cards....I'm really glad I did because I need some of them right now. I'll share:

"There is great joy in the journey, but also many trials and struggles. Be encouraged. God will be with you every step of the way."

"While we may experience trials, we do not need to be anxious if we are responding to God's call."

(And this one tends to make me tear up....this was written for ME....)

"Rarely does God call us and provide a five-year plan, a list of pros and cons, and a budget. Most of the time He calls us to take one step and then another, teaching us to trust and obey as we go. At times it's hard to explain God's call to those around us, but when His call is clear, we must emphatically and decisively obey. To do less is to lose out on the wonderful richness that our lives can have when we let the Lord order our steps."

So there you go...I hope this helps explain where we are emotionally right now. We haven't given up so please don't give up on us. If you've been praying...thank you!! Please continue to do so and know that we appreciate it very much.

You know, I ran track in middle school and high school but I could never conquer those stupid hurdles. I think it's time to master them.

May God bless you today!

We just received an email from our agency and apparently this new decision is not a rumor. They are taking action asking for people to sign a petition to be sent to the prime minister of Ethiopia asking the MOWA to please reconsider cutting international adoptions by 90%. So, I'm asking two things of you:

1. Please consider signing the petition (found at the link below) and

2. Pass this to all your friends, family, co-workers, etc. asking them to sign it too.

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43714.html

Thank you so much! If we work together we can make a difference and bring these orphaned children into forever homes.

Fish Trip

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that I get to decide when we need a break and when we need to work really hard. Friday was one of those days where we took a much needed break. We completed school that morning (before 10a.m. mind you) and then headed to the Cross AA Ranch with another homeschooling momma and her two boys. It was a GREAT day!! My dad has a big project going on so there were big machines working and one of the drivers was nice enough to give all the kids a ride in his big tractor (or whatever it's called...front loader maybe?).

He made me very nervous going up this very steep hill but the kids loved it!

It was a great experience for all!!

We then headed down to the bass tank for some major fishing. A minister from my parents' church was there with his son and a friend and the fish started biting immediately. We didn't even have time to finish getting all the poles ready before one or two were caught.

Princess caught three and they got bigger with every catch!

Conner caught four fish this day!! Impressive!

Little Man only caught one...he wanted to help with the net and stringing the fish more than catching them.

I looked and looked for the picture of Davis catching his but I think I was videoing at the time and missed getting a still shot. Sorry Katharine! But the action I was videoing may have been worth missing it....long story! :)

These four have literally known each other from birth and will be life-long friends I know!

What a blessing.

I was very proud of my friend Katharine for stringing a fish all by herself without ever touching the fish. She is very creative! :) All in all, everyone caught one fish or more...we had 14 in all and some were as big as 17"!

I'm really glad we took this day to just play and have fun. No extra-curricular activities, nowhere that we had to be...just enjoying the beautiful day and all the great fellowship. Something I think we need to do more of. :)