8 days to go

More pictures of Zaid. In one week I will be one my way to get him. There is still so much to do. I can't wait. Mara loves his Zebra shirt and we are just glad to see him in boy clothes. Mara also picked right up on the fact that he had a tear in a picture and she just kept kissing his picture to make him better. Soon he will be in my arms. Very soon after that he will be part of the family and I am sure he will be fighting with Mara, and she will have forgot how concerned she was over that tear.

I am so excited to go get him and a little anxious to leave my other kids. I am so glad we have some time in Amsterdam for just Chris and I. We will definitely need some time alone before our new adventure begins.

My little man

Zaid Henok, Welcome to the family!!

So much has happened since my last post. First of all we had our court date on August 20th and everything went well. Zaid Henok is officially ours!!!! We are so excited. We have our embassy date which is on September 29th, so we are counting down the days until we travel. We have so much to do. We have to get the last of our shots and make arrangements for our other kids and get plane tickets and hotels. My head has not stopped spinning. I am gathering up donations to take to the orphanage so if anyone has clothes they want to get rid of let me know. We are also taking diapers and wipes and hand sanitizer.
We also sold our house and are building a house. So when I am not working on the adoption I am working on house plans. We are really excited about the move. Our kids had to switch schools and they weren't very happy at first but now they love it. Taylor just had a volleyball game on Wednesday and she did great. They won, so she was super excited.
Dax will be starting pre-school next week. WHOO HOO!! He is growing so fast, I am going to miss him. I bet my house is a lot cleaner and quieter but less entertaining.

For some reason I can not post pictures tonight. I will keep trying but I have some of Zaid on Facebook.

Update

It has been so long since I last posted. A few things have changed. We are getting ready to move. We will be closing on our house on the 16th of July, and moving in with my parents while we build. It has rained everyday for it seems like forever so we really haven't done to much this summer. We are waiting for our new little member of our family. We got an update on him yesterday, and new pictures. He is getting big and looks like a little man, he is adorable. It was so good to see recent pictures but now that is all I can think about. We need him here with us. Our dossier is in Ethiopia and is still being translated. As soon as that is done they will give us a court date and then we will travel in 4-6 weeks after getting the court date. We are praying that everything goes smooth and as fast as possible.

For Mothers Day Chris got me the picture that I posted a few post ago, its called the worth of a soul by Liz Lemmon Swindle. I love it!

Dax looked at the picture and said "Hey, is my brother black?" (We had explained to all of our kids that he had dark skin and he was from Africa. Well I guess in Daxtons mind he thought his brother would just have dark skin like he does. Dax is our super tan little guy.) So I said yes your brother is black. And he said "sweet! My friend Elijah is black and now I have a black brother just like Elijah. Thats sweet!" Naeve was horrified because she thinks we should say brown and not black. But either way he is a little darker than Dax.
I just love it that kids are so color blind. He's their brother and they love him. If the rest of the world could be that way it would be great.

The other day I was driving home with Naeve and we were alone. Naeve is usually super quiet but she was so chatty and asking me a million questions. She kept asking me how bad it hurts to have a baby. I told her it hurts pretty bad. Then she wanted to know who saw the baby first, like the doctor the mom or the dad.
Finally I said why do you want to know all of this? It will be a long time before you have kids. She said "Well, I need to know how bad it hurts so I know if I am going to have kids, cuz if it hurts real real bad I am not having any." So I told her that they can give you good medicine so it doesn't hurt too bad. Then I asked her what she thought and she said "I am going to be a doctor so I can be the first one to see the baby and then I will give it to the nurse to clean it off and then she can give it to the mom. Then I am going to get married to someone with a job(good idea) so I can have one girl and one boy and stay home and do fun stuff like laundry all day." Well, I could not ask for a better life for Naeve. I can't wait to remind her how fun it is to be home doing laundry all day!!

I heart homeland security!!!

Why?? Because today I got the call that we get the green light from Citizen and Immigration Services(CIS) of Homeland Security.
What does this mean?
For those familiar with international adoption, you know that nothing can proceed without that entirely sacred document from Citizen and Immigration Services (CIS) of Homeland Security that grants our family the official seal of approval to bring foreign orphans into our all-too-blessed nation as permanent residents and future citizens. Yeah!!!
So as soon as I receive the official paper. I send 19 notarized papers to Washington DC and then they send it to my agency and then they send it to Ethiopia and they give us a court date. So with lots of prayers, that means everyone start praying!! We will be headed to Ethiopia before they "close" for 6 weeks in Sep. That means we could be traveling to get our baby in as soon as 3-4 months. I will not even mention the money right now cuz I am just to happy to think about it.
So, I need everyone who wants to get rid of their "junk" to give me a call. I will be having a yard sale either this weekend or next. Any other amazing fundraisers? Let me know?

Whats in a name?

We are still trying to decide on a name for our little guy. We are debating between:
Zaid or Zade, McKai, Maddox, or Kyan.
They are all African names but not so far out there. His name is Henok right now and we will probably leave that as a middle name. Let me know your input.

His 2nd birthday is tomorrow, April 14th. Oh my heart is breaking. This is so hard for me because I just want to have him home having a big birthday party. It makes me sad to think that he will not even know it is his birthday and will have no presents to open. I bought him a couple of outfits, a blanket, a lightning McQueen car, and a ball but then I thought how sad it would be for all of the other kids to see him get all this stuff, so our agency said they would send a photo album and his blanket to him from us. It is super expensive to send things over to him and they send stuff every week. We are hoping we will have him in August but realistically it will probably be in Oct. The whole country closes for the month of Sep.

My friend Marianne is throwing a cyber birthday party for him. Check out her Extraordinary Housewives blog (on my list) for details. Thanks Mare you are the best!!

IT A BOY!!!!!

We got great news yesterday, we are officially parents of the cutest little guy from Ethiopia !!!! YAHOO!!! We got the phone call last night and then the official email this morning. Adoption is quite the journey. I have gone from total excitement to complete mental breakdown and back so many times in the last 24 hours. I'm sure Chris is so confused when one second I'm excited and the next I'm crying because of the money (or lack thereof) or because my baby is in an orphanage growing everyday without me, or then because I am thinking of his birth mother who had to make an unimaginable decision in order to save her child. I don't think I have cried as much in my whole life as I have in the last couple of months. It just really makes you put everything into perspective. I know adoption is not for everyone and I truly believe that this desire to adopt is part of a greater plan. I have always wanted to adopt and after having such a hard time with Mara I realized this is just part of the process we needed to experience to lead us to adoption. Taylor and I were talking last night about how much she already loves her little brother and he doesn't even know us. It touched my heart to see how excited she is and to see the compassion she has. I have been looking at his picture and thinking about him just like I did when I was pregnant. I even keep thinking he looks like my other kids. He just has a permanent tan:) I must be looking at his picture way to much. Chris and I spent 10 hours in classes last weekend and met some great people who are going through the same thing we are so that was great. Its always good to see people who already have four kids and are adopting more. Sometimes I feel like people think, What the heck why would you want five kids? Bring on the madness!!

One step closer.

We are still working on our adoption. I got all of the first batch of paperwork in the first of this week. YEAH!!! Our home study is done so now we just put together our Dossier ( a bunch of official documents to be sent to Ethiopia. This is the most painful process I have ever been through. Way worse than a pregnancy, the nine month times 10. Our little guy will be turning two one April 14th. And I just want him to be home with his family for his birthday, but that is not going to happen. I can't wait to hold him and play with him and Dax is dying to have a brother to wrestle with. Mara is going to be grateful Dax has a brother to wrestle with, she will get a break from him. I know it is probably hard to imagine but for me I already love the little guy and I know that he is one of my children, so just waiting knowing that he is in an orphanage is just killing me. But in the whole eternal perspective of things it is a small amount of time. I wish I could post a picture but not until we are officially matched. We are just unofficially matched at this point. Ethiopia has not approved us yet. So keep us in your prayers.

I'm back!!

So I haven't posted forever for several reasons. I have become obsessed with facebook. I can't download any pictures from my camera onto my blog because I have 1000 pictures on my camera card and I have no room on my computer.(and I am not very technological) And most important Chris and I have been working on an international adoption. We have mounds and mounds of paperwork, and mounds of money to find. This is something that I have always felt like I would do but Chris was not feeling it. He said he would never adopt. So when he came to me a few weeks ago and started talking about it I almost died. I will save all of the info on adoption for my next blog. But first I have to blog about Christmas (only a little over a month late).
I will post pictures soon. We had a great Christmas this year. We had lots of parties and seemed to keep really busy. Grandma and Grandpa Brack and Grandma Matthews stayed with us and got snowed in. The kids had a great time. Chris was on call and got called out right in time for us to do our elf duties. So guess who had to put everything together. Good thing my mom was there to help. We got the job done. Chris got home around 4 am and got called back out at 7am so the kids checked out Santa stuff and then dad left but got back home around 11am to open presents. It was kindof nice to drag out the opening of all of the presents. They actually played with Santa stuff and had time to really check everything out.

Where did the month go?

Oh my, how time flies. We have had a wonderful month. We started out the day after Thanksgiving doing our typical black Friday shopping. We left the house at 2:00 a.m.(CRAZY) and headed to Twin, we filled up the suburban with all the great deals we could find and then headed home. Chris took all of the our kids and their cousins to the mountains to find the perfect tree. My perfect tree could be found in Home Depot, the one that was on sale and prelit. OH No Chris would rather die a slow painful death than to have a fake tree in our house. After all of the problems I have had with my Christmas tree lights I may help him out with that slow painful death. I have relit the tree numerous times and have changed fuses 2 times. I have now given up and am saving plugging in the tree until Christmas Eve, cross my fingers it better work.
Taylor turned 13, how is that possible? I feel like I am 18. I just had my 29th birthday, I refuse to get any older than 29, so this is my 4th 29th birthday. You do the math.
We have had lots of snow, and wind, YUCK. I am a prisoner in my own home with 4 wild and crazy kids. Why does December have that effect on my children? Mr Peeps (our elf who hides in our house) is not that threatening to them any more. Almost everyday Dax says Oh well I guess I'm not getting a present. Naeve is not afraid either, she knows that she has been good enough for a couple of presents, so she thinks.
I help out in Naeves Kindergarten class on Fridays. A couple of weeks ago this little boy (cute little guy with glasses) says Hey could you tell Naeve not to bonk me on the head when we are in the pit. So I pull Naeve aside and say "Naeve are you nice to everyone in your class?"
Naeve (looking super cute and angelic) " Yes"
ME What about so and so. (Name withheld)
Naeve "What about him"
Me "He said that everyday you bonk him in the head."
Naeve ( not believing what she has just heard, completely appalled) "What, are you kidding me? I do not hit him every single day."
Me "Do you hit him sometimes?"
Naeve "Yes, but not everyday, only when he bugs me."

Well it looks like I have work to do. Chris was proud, of course he wants his girls to stand up for themselves I don't think we will have to worry about Naeve.

I'm back

So it has been awhile since I posted, I got a little distracted trying to figure out facebook but I am back. So here is the last 2 months in review.
October was full of Halloween parties and fun. We had a party at Cattle country before Halloween. We had a great time. We spent a lot of time at the Haunted Mansion in Albion. Carie,Brandon,Chris and I loved to go scare people.

Naeves birthday was November 4th. So we had a family party and took cupcakes to school and then had a friend party. I felt like all I cooked was cake and cupcakes. Thanks to Jewelee for helping me cook cupcakes and entertaining the girls.
Who can forget Nov. 21 actually Nov. 20 at midnight the opening of twilight. We had a group of ladies that went and stood in the cold forever to get in but it was well worth it. I would do it again, and probably will 3 more times.

Look who showed up at our party. Our favorite governor Sarah Palin and John Mcain.

The group.


I love Edward OOPS I mean Chris.






Daxton loves to go hunting with his dad. These two are the best of friends. I sure hope hunting season is almost over because my freezer is overflowing.




All the little fairies.


The cake.


Naeve turned six on Nov. 4th. We had a family party and a friend party. She wanted a purple princess dress which was impossile to find so I had to make one. I don't sew so it was quite and experience, but I got it done. She also wanted a 6 layer cake that looked like a wedding cake. I talked her down to 4 small layers and tried to make fondant for the first time. Its harder than you would think. I watch cake dias all the time and it looks so easy. Anyway we had 2 great parties.


Dax's pumpkin. The pirate ship.


Naeves pumpkin


Dax and Naeves first pumpkins we made.


Naeve at her school party.


Naeve and Dax. Dax was really stressed out about the fact that he had on eyeliner, and an earring. He said "If anyone makes fun of me for this I'm going to get you." I thought he made the cutest pirate.


Sweet baby Mara. Isn't she the cutest fairy ever?


Three little witches and a fairy.


See any resemblance? Taylor and her pumpkin just got braces.

Viva Las Vegas

FOR THE LOVE OF ELVIS
Carie saw this Elvis costume and wanted it for Bode but it was 100.00, too much for a Halloween outfit. So we first decided that if she asked 100 people for $1.00 she could buy the outfit. She took it as a challenge and to my mothers horror she asked a guy for a dollar and he gave it to her - too easy of a challenge so she stopped there. She was 1 for 1. We moved on to our second strategy. Roulette, We watched some people for about an hour, helped a lot of people win with our magic touch and lucky numbers so we decided to give it a whirl. Carie had $20.00 after a quick lesson from the dealer fellow we were off to a great start. We got up to 70.00 and then our luck changed, we did not know when to walk away. We lost all but 18.00 so needless to say Bode is not Elvis for Halloween. Carie did get up close and personal with Elvis though.

This is the outfit. The reason for our gamblin ways.


Mmmm. She really loves Elvis.


It's not Vegas without Elvis.




Mara's first plane. She was so good.







WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS
Mara winning big.





We made a new friend at Walgreen's, it must have been our Fabulous Elvis hair.





Carie and I with our fancy new shades.



My idea of beer goggles.

Another year older and wiser too?

Happy Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister-in-law Carie. Hope you have a good day. Tues. we'll be in Vegas! And we all know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Happy bday you old fart! Love ya Geanie

Mara Brielle turned one

I can't believe that my baby is one. I remember last Sept.27th so well. I should know that nothing goes as planned but this day didn't go even close to planned. I got to the hospital early in the morning and was supposed to have my c-section at 10:00, which got pushed to about 3:00. I was really stressed out about it because they could not find anyone to assist my doctor, finally they did find someone but it took awhile. After the spinal my BP dropped to 40/20 and I was super sick and ready to pass out. They pushed lots of fluid and the nurse was holding my face telling me to talk to her. I looked back at the monitor and saw my BP and thought Oh crap that is not good. Once I was kindof with it I hear signal F, Are you kidding me? There is a fire in the basement and they have to go call someone to see if they can still continue with surgery. Dax was excited because he was with Carie and they got to see the firetrucks and he got a firehat. Mara was born and had to be in the NI. She was there for a week. She needed oxygen and her respiratory rate was too high. We did a lot of pleading with the doctors to let me hold her, when I did she seemed to calm down and breath slower. I was still having BP problems and was sick and throwing up for a few days. I was in recovery for about 6 hours so when I got out my parents and Carie had to head home with the kids. When they got in the car Bode, Caries baby poked himself in the eye with a straw and had to go to the ER. What a day. It was all so worth it. Mara is the happiest baby. She is very loved by all her family. A liitle too loved by Dax sometimes, she is going to be one tough kid.

My first look at baby Mara.

Chris showing Dax his new baby sister.


Mara and her baby friends. A couple of my friends had their babies the same week.

Mara's first birthday was so fun. I think all of the other kids had way more fun opening her presents. She loved her new couch.


We were brave and made blue frosting, She looked like a smurf whenshe was done.











A HUNTING WE WILL GO

Chris had his big hunting trip with his dad so I decided to take the kids and go visit his mom. Taylor stayed at home with my parents so she didn't miss any school or homecoming. We left on Wednesday right after Taylors volleyball game and got back Tuesday night. We had a great time. It was good to see all of the family, and I got to do some shopping in Bend, so that was fun. We went and saw Chris at Elk camp and Dax stayed with him and had some man bonding time. He got a new pocket knife for his birthday so he got to use it to help Chris skin his bear(sick!). On the way home we stayed a night in Boise. We were bringing a dog home for some friends so we stayed in Motel 6, SICK!!, I am all about saving money but it was gross and still was $70. We had to sneak the dog in and then I could see that it needed to go potty. Chris couldn't take it out because the guy next door was getting arrested(nice huh) so there were cops standing outside our door so we couldn't take the dog out. So needless to say the dog pooped 4 times in the hotel and Chris was running around like crazy gagging and trying to find something to clean it up with and I was dying laughing. He ran in and grabbed towels, Hello who cleans poop up with towels?, so then he grabbed a plastic cup and TP he was gagging so bad I thought I was going to have to clean up his puke. You may wonder why I just laughted at him instead of help him, are you kidding? I have 4 kids I clean poop up all the time, it was his turn.


These pictures are from a reception we went to. Lyn bought the girls matching outfits, so I did my best to get a good picture of them, but did not succeed.








Chris had a good hunt. He got his elk and then heard something "woof" at him. He looked aroung and saw a bear 35 yards away. All he had with him was his bow and 3 arrows, no room for error. All three arrows ended up in the bear. I don't think he stayed aroung long enough to see if the bear was dead he ran as fast as he could to go get his dad. He has always wanted to get a bear so getting it with a bow is quite exciting. His elk and his bear were 100 yards apart.