Book Tag

1. Get the book nearest to you, or one that you are currently reading that is over 123 pages.


2. Go to page 123.


3. Find the 5th sentence.


4. Post the 5th sentence.


5. Tag 5 people.

I was tagged by Barbie (thanks by the way :) with a book tag. I am currently reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See. I'm not very far into the book, but so far I am enjoying it, when I get a chance to read! It has been a very busy summer and not likely to slow down before school starts. I'm looking forward to reading her latest book Peony in Love.

The 5th sentence is this:

"She searched the country, traveling far outside her usual matchmaking territory until she heard about you from the diviner."

I am now going to tag YOU!  If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged! Then leave me a comment so I can visit and read about the book you are reading!!

Signing off for the weekend.....we are moving!!

Littlest Heros Project

I received an email today about the Littlest Heros Project.  It seems like a really awesome project. They will photograph your *Littlest Hero* and their *Super Sibs* along with the *Brave Parents* for FREE!!  Did you notice the FREE part??  You just go to their web site and click on the link *The Team* and that will take you to a list of participating photographers by state. I think this is really FABULOUS!! We are going to call and get our *Little Heros* photographed!!

They have a list of illnesses and disorders that they recognize, but they mentioned that it is basic list from the children already photographed!  So, now...go  check out the web site and make an appointment!!  

The Straw

Well, Rubea, our baby is behind developmentally by about 9-12 months. We have tried with very little success to teach her to drink from straws and sippy cups. We have tried just about every kind they have out there. She will only take her 2 bottles of hot milk a day and sips out of my water bottle. Yesterday, we were at Sea World. It was hot and we were watching a show and Rubea wanted some of our drink. So, I held it for her and she started drinking from the straw!!!! I am soooo excited!! She can hopefully graduate from the bottle to cups with straws. She has been drinking from them all day today, too!! I guess this means more diapers to change now!! LOL

SIXTEEN!?!?!?!

I just can not believe that my oldest son is 16!!!! Thankfully, he has little interest in driving, so he hasn't even gotten his permit yet!! (We're so not pushing either) It is just hard to believe that this 9lb 4oz bundle of JOY is 16!!  He is a great kid, an AWESOME big brother and son! We are proud of the young man he is becoming!

He didn't want to do much for his birthday. He did choose to go play paintball with 3 of his friends, his sister and his dad!  They are out there now! We'll have a pizza, cake and ice cream this evening!! 

HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY, JOHNATHAN!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

The Ginormous Leap of Faith!!

****UPDATE!!!!  The agency fee is only $200. not $250.  SOOOO, this means they are MUCH closer to their goal!!  Come on!!!! Let's help them make their goal and bring home another child, who otherwise wouldn't have a mommy & daddy and brothers and sisters!!!!  Thanks and many Blessings!!

ThatGirl is working on raising $250.  This is the amount needed to pay the agency their fees. She feels led to adopt a child from Ethiopia!! IF she is able to raise the funds, she is taking it as a sign that God wants her and her family to pursue this path. 

So, won't you please consider donating a dollar?  Right now, they only need $88. to reach the goal. Take a moment and pray about it, see if this is something God is asking you to do. The *ChipIn* button is on the right!!

~Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27

Thank you and have a Blessed day!!!!

Sharin' the LOVE

Guess what?? I found another giveaway.  This one is AWESOME!!! I love it!! I want it! Still, I am sharin' it! Cuz, I love ya! So, if you want to see this fantastic giveaway, go here!  You'll be glad you did. oh, and, you're welcome!

Looking for moms of little girls.....

I found a blog with a cute giveaway! She has a very cute dress to giveaway. Actually a choice between two.  I think they are darling and my Rubea would be stylin' in one of them. Go take a look, you can find her here.  Good Luck!!

The phone call

There is nothing like a phone call on a Saturday morning, after you've only been asleep 5 hours, and the person on the other end tells you that your husband didn't show up for work!! He was suppose to be there 1.5 hours ago!!!  Do you know what flashes through your mind?? Or, at least mine!? So, I call said husband, since supposedly he isn't answering his phone. HE IS THERE!  He answered on the 2nd ring.  He is marching the *kids* to chow!! WHEW!!! I'm going back to bed!!

A Leap of FAITH!

***This little blurb is from Shelly....please help her to meet her own challenge....

Each morning I wake up and the first thought that pops into my head is, "I should be in Ethiopia." It makes no sense, I get that. The Mayor's only reservation is the expense. So, I challenged myself. I thought -- Just take a leap of faith and see if you can raise the Application Fee of $250 by your 4oth birthday on August 8th. Then, take it from there. If you really don't adopt again, it's easy enough to reimburse everyone's money by paypal and no one's the worse for wear.

Some dear friends have decided to *Take a Leap of FAITH* and adopt a child from Ethiopia. We met when I traveled to China for Rubea. They were with us the entire trip as they were adopting a son from the same orphanage as Rubea. She has had an urge to adopt from Ethiopia for some months now....so, they have decided to try and raise the fees by her birthday! If you feel LED to help them in some small or large way, please click on the *Chip In* on my side bar or visit her blog here.

Blessings to each of you!!

Just thought you should know the real me

Your Hair Should Be Blue

Wild, brilliant, and out of control. You're a risk taker with an eye to the future.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

The Hays Family!

This was my idea...LOL

Cute girls!!
Fun in the water at the park.
Joe Cool....I mean, Note.
Lori with the 11 kids.

Some thought it was easier to go through the window!
Just hanging out
We are BEST BUDS!!
True friendship....she is pushing the button, he is drinking!

Still the BEST of friends!!!

Such a CUTIE!!!
All the younger ones....little man on the side couldn't get his cast wet.
The *older girls*

I met Lori through a yahoo group for people with Arthrogryposis (AMC) about 3 years ago. We emailed back and forth about AMC, our children, adoption, etc. I joined the group because we were adopting Kaylea. Lori has a daughter with the same condition and was in the process of adopting a boy from Eastern Europe with the same condition. During this time we found our Owen he also has AMC. After bringing Kaylea home we found that our agency had a baby listed who also had the same condition. Lori and I went back and forth trying to convince the other, they should adopt this baby! Long story short, The Hays Family, will be his new family!!  

I am telling you this because this family is awesome!! I finally got to meet MOST of them this weekend. Lori and 5 of her 7 children met up with me and 6 of mine! We had such a great time getting to know them. Playing, laughing, swimming, eating and shopping! We went cheap, but had a blast! Needless to say, my gang feels the need to move to Kansas to be near Miss Lori and her kids!!  Lori and I have followed each others journeys through adoptions and surgeries for the past 3 years. We email or chat almost daily. We feel blessed that we were finally able to meet them and hug them! We will be getting together again.....and both of us will have at least 1 more child to bring!  Thank you Lori and kids.....we had an awesome time!!  Let me just mention to the world....It is not nice or cool to steal a wheel chair ramp! I consider that to be in very poor taste. Yes, someone did steal Lori's wheelchair ramp. Little man could not use his power wheelchair, because we couldn't lift it out of the van!!!

Enjoy the pictures!

Jesse's Girl....DeAnna

I am so excited that DeAnna picked Jesse!! But, how many of you think this will last??  I loved that she says she can only *thank Brad everyday for what he did!*  LOL  I'm glad she is happy. I've marked my calendar for May 9, 2009...when they are suppose to be wed!!  Who thinks is will go as overboard as Trista and Ryan's wedding did???? Do you think Brad is kicking himself?? lol

July 4th Fun!!

Rubea and daddy....love the piggy tails???  She's got hair!!!

Kaylea and Rubea in their matching shirts....you just can't tell!!

Rubea wearing her *fireworks* glasses....and Note!

Ethan shooting paintballs!!

The boys on top of the van watching the fireworks. Mom put us up there, after daddy said *no*!  Yes, I am one of those crazy mom's that dresses her kids alike!!  Hey- my mom did it to us!!! ;-)

Who knew TX would be so rainy and cold for the 4th??? The weather was the same way in Delaware and Germany, too!! Just when we thought we'd have some sunny & hot weather......

We waited most of the day for the rain to stop before heading out to the base to see what their *Festival* was like. Since this is our first 4th here, we thought we'd go see what they had to do. It was open to the public so there were lots of people and lots of mud!!  We let the kids play a few games and ride a few rides. Ethan danced the *Cha Cha slide* for everyone ;-).  Marissa taught him that dance and use to play it for him all the time in Germany, so he knows it well. We went to eat dinner and then we watched the fireworks from the highway. It was great, we were able to see the ones from the base and from Sea World at the same time!! Note kept telling us the *bombs* were going off! Rubea was unimpressed!!  Hope y'all all had a HAPPY 4th! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

HAPPY 4th of JULY

Sign the Petition for Vietnamese Orphans!!!!!

Please Sign the Petition!   Many of you have already signed the petition but we need many more signatures by Friday.  The petition will be delivered to Dr. Long the Director of the Department of Intercountry Adoptions in Hanoi on Friday.  We must show him overwhelming support for the continuation of referrals after September 1.  A copy of the petition is below.  Please read it and CLICK HERE to sign the petition.  Anyone with an email address can sign and it costs nothing.  Your email address will not be used for any other purpose.   Please help all these families who have been waiting for years for their child.   AMERICANS UNITED FOR VIETNAMESE ORPHANS - GRANDFATHERING PETITION  June 2008  Dear CCAI Co-Chairs Landrieu, Coleman, Oberstar, and Brown-Waite:  Thousands of families have been in the process of adopting a child from Vietnam for as long as 2 years. Please help them complete their adoptions and give a child an opportunity to be raised in a family environment. With the recent studies on the effects of institutionalization on children, there should be no question that a family environment is an optimal one, which every child should have the opportunity to experience.  We implore you to use your influence to procure a letter from the Dept of State and USCIS, addressed to Dr. Long, Director of the Vietnamese DIA (Dept of International Adoption). On April 25th 2008, he announced that dossiers of American families received by July 1st, 2008, and matched with a child by September 1st, 2008, will be allowed to be processed to completion. All dossiers not matched with a child will be returned to adoption service providers, dashing hopes of raising a child for the 1500-3000 American families who are in the process of adopting a child from Vietnam.  Please ask the Dept of State and the USCIS to request that Dr. Long allow all dossiers submitted by July 1,2008 to be "grand fathered" by allowing these families to receive a child referral even after Sept 1. He has indicated that he is agreeable to this request IF the Dept of State and USCIS agencies will state that they will honor this change by continuing to approve qualified I-600 (orphan petition) and I-234 (visa) applications for families matched after September 1st. Vietnamese law requires a current bilateral agreement between sending and receiving countries; the one between Vietnam and the United States will expire on September 1st, 2008. Dr Long has indicated that Vietnam would waive this requirement for the remaining dossiers, if asked to do so by the Dept of State and USCIS. Thousands of prospective parents applied to USCIS to adopt a child from Vietnam, believing in good faith that the US and Vietnam would continue to work together to complete ethical adoptions.  Since November 2007, USCIS has implemented DNA testing and the Orphans First program. These steps should help improve confidence in the adoption process, and allow the US and Vietnam to negotiate a new MOU with the goal of becoming a Hague country. Closing the program at this point will leave 1500-3000 families and orphans in limbo for as long as two years, while Vietnam makes necessary steps towards acceptance of the Hague Convention. As the JCICS Children's Rights Campaign of June 2008 has pointed out, if adoptions stop between the US and Vietnam, so will the backbone of humanitarian support that has helped tens of thousands of orphans who will never have the opportunity to be raised in a family environment.  We urge you to act upon this request without delay, by ensuring that the Dept of State and USCIS write this letter to Dr Long. This is a very trying time for the many families who wait month after month with little word, and we hope that their dreams of raising an orphaned child does not end in sadness.  Sincerely,  The Undersigned

and the winning number is.....

Number *12*

CONGRATULATIONS TO SHELLY S.!!!!!

I'll post the video soon!!

Thank you again to everyone who helped us out!! We are truly grateful for the kindness and generosity you've shown towards our family! You are all wonderful!

We are blessed.

Blessings,  

The Lambert Family 

I finally got the videos to load....sorry there are 2, my battery compartment on my camera is broken and the camera turned off during the taping!! ;-)

Ignore my voice, I obviously shouldn't talk before

drinking something in the morning!!!  yikes!!!