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