tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371073422012-01-25T01:08:13.727-08:00We are a God loving baseball obsessed family of 7 soon to be 9.Julienoreply@blogger.comBlogger5081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-31283526708768945372009-12-27T20:03:00.000-08:002009-12-27T20:05:50.030-08:00

New Year. New babies. New blog. Click here to visit me over there.Bye Bye first blog. We have had a lot of good times togehter..............

Julienoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-66397644070524782792009-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:002009-12-26T21:03:55.168-08:00

Making sugar cookies. The kids got a new tether ball set which was a big hit with everyone. Here are Tyler and Zach duking it out. Samantha and Garrett working hard.Uncle Barry and Zach in an intense game.We continued our tradition of everyone wearing their pajama's on Christmas day this year. It's really fun to see all the adults and kids dressed in their jammies and robes. Look, seven

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-77000389233615633542009-12-22T09:02:00.001-08:002009-12-22T09:15:38.829-08:00

Yikes! Where did December go?Tree is up. However, I have one child who I have not bought one present for yet. You know the one, right? So hard to buy for. The only thing he really wants is a computer of his very own which is not going to happen right now. I offered to take him shopping and he could pick out a few things he wanted. Nope. He wasn't interested. The good news is that he is easy to

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-81644085923611224412009-12-18T20:08:00.000-08:002009-12-18T20:19:50.396-08:00

Yesterday the long awaited Drivers license arrived and Zach and I went down to USCIS in L.A. to get his fingerprint appointment and clear up what else was holding up our extension approval. It seems that the man who was processing our extension did not see Zachary's name in the original home study. As a result he thought this was some new kid we had just thrown in the mix, and that is why they

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-89259571736387615072009-12-11T17:51:00.001-08:002009-12-11T17:54:05.800-08:00

Behold the cuteness..... My girl is sitting up!!January cannot come soon enough! I want them home with me. NOW!

Julienoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-4856582615309759232009-12-11T08:29:00.000-08:002009-12-11T09:04:49.673-08:00

At times through our adoption journey I have had doubts. Could I love a child who I did not give birth to as much as I love my biological kids? Should we risk bringing a child into our home who could potentially disrupt the entire dynamic of our family? How will we bridge the language barrier? What if we just don't like each other?In the dark moments when the enemy invades my conscience these

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-73507450974708663392009-12-06T23:13:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:31:47.838-08:00

All of the warm wishes and kind words that were written after we passed court were such a blessing to our family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was truly touched.Yesterday my sister and niece had an adoption shower for our family. We received lots of things for the kids. Levi got a brand new bike from a neighbor as well as a cool Star Wars blanket. People were so kind and we feel

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-91921323712699951882009-12-04T07:46:00.001-08:002009-12-04T07:46:17.751-08:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Julienoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-83678841562848228712009-12-03T09:04:00.000-08:002009-12-03T09:08:34.987-08:00

Tonight while my family sleeps a judge far away in Ethiopia will decide if we no longer are a family of 7, but instead, a family of 9.Heavenly Father, please watch over our paperwork and make sure all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted so the judge will see no reason to deny our petition to adopt these beautiful children. Amen.Come back here tomorrow to lay eyes on the most beautiful

Julienoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-81813989139653726212009-12-01T19:18:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:37:46.335-08:00

Our court date is almost here. Yippee!I have been praying for a picture of our son smiling. He looked so sad in his referral pictures and he especially, for some reason, has been weighing heavily upon my heart. I so wanted to here that he was happy and adjusting well.My prayers were answered when my adoption friend, Elisa, sent me these words about the children upon her return from Ethiopia with

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-72623425309799871442009-11-30T10:56:00.000-08:002009-11-30T11:17:16.419-08:00

My stomach feels like it did when I was a child on Christmas Eve. I know something good is coming and I just don't want to wait!I went to Toys R' Us last night and did some shopping to occupy my mind. I feel so guilty because I am not in the mood for the shopping/gifts part of Christmas. When I was checking out I made the cashier void my order, not once but twice, because I had changed my mind

Julienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-68379371348714321552009-11-28T16:15:00.001-08:002009-11-28T16:25:12.440-08:00

I can't believe that next week at this time we will know if Amelia and Levi are officially a part of our family. Friday is the big day ( it will be Thursday night here in the U.S. when the court proceeding are actually going on). They are already firmly planted in my heart but it will be so nice to know that the Ethiopian government agrees and they are our children "officially".Dave is upstairs

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-75902109253097487742009-11-25T08:38:00.001-08:002009-11-25T08:50:49.955-08:00

We had a lot of fun making these, even the teenagers participated! We used candy corn and jelly beans for the feathers, Hershey kisses for the head, candy corn for the beak and little M&M's for the eyes and chocolate frosting to hold it all on. If you want both dark meat and white meat than use a white cupcake instead of a chocolate:) We finished the night off while watching the new Santa

Julienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-36954334561663315292009-11-21T09:37:00.000-08:002009-11-21T09:42:59.129-08:00

I went with Samantha and a bunch of other 13-14 year old girls to the 10:30 showing of New Moon last night. By the time I droped all the girls back at home it was almost 2:00 a.m.. I am feeling it this morning.The movie was good. Much, much better than the first one. However, I do have one beef.If you are over 30 please, please, please do not hoot and holler when Edward or Jacob come onto the

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-66645119827079125012009-11-16T19:11:00.000-08:002009-11-16T19:28:04.677-08:00

Here I am with my parents and my brother. This must have been towards the end of the night. I look tired. My parents having a moment to themselves. They still look pretty happy after all those decades of marriage.I am on the top right with all my siblings. Mom is sitting in the middle. This is what your family looks like when your mom decides she would like "one more" when she is 45 and

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-31481547744000055622009-11-12T17:42:00.000-08:002009-11-12T17:56:38.428-08:00

The week so far:Monday: Get a letter from USCIS stating they cannot process our one time extension of our I-171H until we have our now 18 year old son fingerprinted by the FBI. They also state that we will need a completely new home study. What? At the bottom of the form their is information about people that do not belong in our family. It seems they have our paperwork mixed up with another

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-43497382398560830342009-11-09T07:50:00.000-08:002009-11-09T08:03:56.503-08:00

My mom's party on Saturday was a giant success. We had so much fun. I still have relatives sleeping on my couches this morning but by tomorrow our home should be back to normal.My mom showed up in the cutest brown suit and boots. She will be hip until the day she dies. Her cake represented all that she loves in life. Singing happy birthday. Isn't she pretty? We have a friend who is an ammeter

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-3625155525093182042009-11-06T05:07:00.000-08:002009-11-06T05:31:33.885-08:00

My mom turns 90 next week. So, besides all the excitement over our court date and trying to get the house organized and ready for two new additions, we decided to throw my mom a giant celebration.Because, you know, we have nothing else going on.Seriously, I love my mom so much, and am thrilled to have this party for her. However, the timing, it could have been a little better.The party is at our

Julienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-51141831014432216472009-11-05T09:17:00.000-08:002009-11-05T09:18:38.213-08:00

December 4th is our day!Yahoo!!I could be holding my babies in January!!!I am so so happy!

Julienoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-77843113273718793272009-10-31T21:07:00.000-07:002009-11-01T07:48:25.150-08:00

We went to church tonight for the fall carnival.I spent seventy dollars on candy and we ran out in the first hour.Thankfully, many people donated candy so we didn't run out until the very end. I have never seen more kids in one place in my life. Well, except maybe Disneyland.Jo Jo was the hit of the carnival in her butterfly costume. Samantha looked really pretty as Strawberry Shortcake too!This

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-39747548093548814622009-10-28T17:55:00.001-07:002009-10-28T18:29:33.744-07:00

*disclaimer: if you are a male reader you may want to skip this post. I'm just sayin.At times, the adoption journey can be frustrating. And long. And expensive. And faith building. And completely wonderful!Yesterday I had a new experience to add to our adoption journey.While having my yearly "woman's" exam my cell phone began to ring. I ignored it. A few moments later the phone began to ring

Julienoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-25423312543104368012009-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:002009-10-26T07:45:30.687-07:00

I had so much fun this weekend shopping for crib bedding and buying little girl clothes. We planned decor for the room the girls will share. I am going to go and buy paint today and start the makeover this week.My fabulous friend Roxanne and her hubby Terri are giving us this crib. Isn't it pretty? They are also giving us the mattress they bought. Neither piece has every been used. I love the

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-58828558655155906372009-10-25T03:35:00.000-07:002009-10-25T03:35:00.086-07:00

If I want to make my children really happy I show up in the morning with a fresh box of donuts. Its amazing the giant smile the treat of a sprinkle donut can produce.I have been feeling like my children lately. Blessed by so many in ways that I am sure the giver was really unaware of. It has made me realize how powerful a kind word or a smile really is. I think at times we all tend to forget

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-22836411113882819062009-10-24T03:06:00.000-07:002009-10-24T03:06:00.214-07:00

So, we are waiting for a court date. I so want the children to be home by Christmas but I know many miracles would have to happen for that to become a reality.One of the families at our agency, who got a referral right before court closure in July, was notified on Monday that they had a court date on Friday, yesterday. I just got an email that they passed. How wonderful for them that after

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-3156536067553527662009-10-24T00:53:00.000-07:002009-10-24T00:57:10.638-07:00

One item down. Check. Many more to buy. Anyone else used a Maya wrap? How did you like it??????

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-21231206508839642192009-10-23T08:28:00.001-07:002009-10-23T09:04:03.734-07:00

First off, I want to say, I am sorry I have been such a bad blogger lately. We have so much going on that getting onto the computer just has not been a priority.Zach turned 18 last weekend. How could this possibly be? I don't feel old enough to have a child that is legally of age. Oh well, it happened, I must accept it.We had a great time with family. We ate all his favorites. Subway sandwiches,

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-61875891539314264552009-10-12T19:27:00.001-07:002009-10-12T19:39:06.556-07:00

Today I sent my oldest son to the doctor. By himself.He has an ingrown fingernail that started looking infected. I gave him cash, his insurance card and directions. My first born will turn 18 on Sunday. He definitely needs to know how to do these things. Why is it so hard for me to let go?I called the High School to excuse his absence and the clerk says to me "Oh, this is probably the last time

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-42699215356800980222009-10-04T19:35:00.000-07:002009-10-04T19:45:54.755-07:00

nytrdffghfffbvbvhvnjhnbnbjbjkijihlkkjhgfdssadfdsaaaasffgthjhghghnbvczbbm,n,n,n,lk lkjkk jjjjjjjjjjjkkdjhjkjjkthghbjjhjuiuhubhughunmnmnhghghgytuty;jhhgqqweddsazfdsazxcvkjhjjkjkkkkkkkvlmmmnbabbyytrgfgfgfgfgfoiiiiksdewqwsfeswdrxdffchgfkkkkhgftygcffcdx*she had a great time playing with all the colors and making the fonts bigger and smaller. It was quite a story she was telling. To bad she doesn't

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-8864995247127599562009-10-03T07:11:00.000-07:002009-10-03T08:58:47.844-07:00

Several people have asked me how we are homeschooling Tyler (16), what that looks like, and what curriculum we are using, and why we are doing it? So, I have decided to try and answer your questions.First, let me say that the idea of homeschooling a high school aged student filled me with terror not so very long ago. Then funny things started to happen. I kept meeting families that were

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-4483579219810548372009-10-02T04:54:00.000-07:002009-10-02T05:05:55.950-07:00

A few days ago I gave Paige a picture of her new Ethiopian brother and sister to have for her very own. She was very excited, and yet, she kept looking at the pictures a little skeptically.I asked her what was wrong.She very seriously stated to me that she did not think that this could be her baby sister.Why, I asked?Well, my sister is suppose to be brown and this sister is peach colored.I

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-54049796223410112322009-09-30T12:45:00.000-07:002009-09-30T12:51:26.839-07:00

Feeling a little stressed:Waiting for the documents to officially accept our referral. They were suppose to be overnighted yesterday but still haven't arrived.Trying to plan a 90th birthday party for my mom with my sisters. To many idea's not enough time. How will I ever get my house clean before the party?Home schooling a high schooler is kicking my butt! I think I am being to anal about

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-6355833169098479352009-09-29T15:06:00.001-07:002009-09-29T16:04:00.803-07:00

Thanks so much to all of you for your congratulations and loving support. Just today I think it is finally sinking in that we do have a new referral and we will be traveling to Ethiopia soon.In the hopes of "keeping it real" I am going to make a confession here. When Ashley called me last Thursday with our referral I had a moment of pause. I thought I would be so happy, and I was, but it was

Julienoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-72256705127051819952009-09-25T06:38:00.000-07:002009-09-25T06:43:01.966-07:00

Yesterday morning we got the call from our agency. They wanted to know if we would be interested in adopting a little girl, 9 months and her handsome brother who is almost 7.Yes! Yes! Yes!I will tell you all about the call later but wanted to post something.This has been a crazy busy week for our family and I had joked with someone that I am sure we will get our referral this week while I am on

Julienoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-60673126957433143122009-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:002009-09-06T12:45:29.478-07:00

Yesterday was Garrett's 11th birthday. He requested that he be allowed to hang out with his best friend all weekend. Sure. How easy is that for mom?His best friend, Zach, is moving to Wisconsin in a few weeks. Many tears have been shed over this fact. I bought them both X-box Live so they could still play video games together and talk on their head phones while they play.These boys do everything

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-25268873028905727792009-09-04T22:59:00.000-07:002009-09-04T23:14:47.697-07:00

'Here's my strategy on the Cold War:We win, they lose.'- Ronald Reagan 'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'-Ronald Reagan'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' - Ronald Reagan'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S.. was too

Julienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-75712585481476742822009-09-03T16:48:00.000-07:002009-09-03T17:22:37.140-07:00

Before we started home schooling last year I had 5 children at four different schools and used to spend two hours a day just dropping off and picking up kids. One of the things I Love Love Love about home schooling is that I no longer have to do this. As a result I find that I have so much more energy in the early evening. I used to be exhausted by 4:00 every day from all the running around and

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-51679577599995038762009-09-02T15:07:00.001-07:002009-09-02T15:21:23.572-07:00

A fellow adoptive Mom entered her son in Good Morning America's cutest baby contest a few months ago. Out of thousands of entries her son, who was adopted from Ethiopia at 6 months of age, was picked as one of the top eight finalists. Yesterday it was announced that he had made it into the top three. Look how cute he is!!!!Wouldn't it be fantastic if they won and Mia could go on national

Julienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-49390875528185545862009-08-31T21:38:00.000-07:002009-08-31T21:57:59.979-07:00

Mary, of Owlhaven, is hosting her grocery challenge again this year. I am always amazed at how she seems to stretch her dollars. She is going to try and feed her large family on $75.00 a week for the month of September. I was intrigued last year when she did this so I am going to "try" and stretch my grocery dollars a little farther in the month of September also. Even though our family is

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-16874631152001787572009-08-30T21:17:00.001-07:002009-08-30T21:46:04.796-07:00

Every morning we have the same discussion at our house. Me: Paige, what do you want to do today.Paige: Go to the Beach!!! The same answer every day.Wouldn't you like to go out back and swim in the pool?No, that's boring!!!!! But mommy likes the pool because she can have cold drinks from the fridge and read her book without worrying that the tide will take you away. No thank you. I want to

Julienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-14166942945782782382009-08-29T09:35:00.000-07:002009-08-29T10:08:19.558-07:00

Hello Friends.I am sorry I have left you hanging for so long about what is going on with us. To be honest I just didn't want to look at the blog. My feelings have been so raw that when I started to write something my emotions would just overwhelm me. I just needed to take a break from everything that was going on.However, I am here to tell you that God is good and he has worked everything out

Julienoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-5029277069741086912009-08-03T10:00:00.001-07:002009-08-03T10:16:14.414-07:00

I have spent the last three days trying to get organized for school which we plan to start on the 17th. My 10th grade son is none to happy that he will be starting school on his 16th birthday. I told him not to worry, I hear his teacher is super nice and will make it a special day for him anyways. hee hee hee.Samantha, of course, has been bemoaning her lack of a social life since I took her

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-21190791176121003082009-07-30T10:50:00.000-07:002009-07-30T11:14:37.783-07:00

Hi, I am still here. We took off to the mountains for a few days to celebrate my babies 6th birthday. I can't believe she is 6! We got back Monday night and went to the beach all day Tuesday. Yesterday I tried to dig out from the mess of the suitcases, etc. In between all of this I have been calling agencies and gathering information. I don't want to go into all the details but the path we

Julienoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-30556094589419568332009-07-23T10:55:00.000-07:002009-07-23T11:15:11.222-07:00

I spoke with Gladney this morning and the director told me they no longer work with Holy Savior. They did not renew their contract with them. She did not seem surprised that the children had been taken back as she has heard of this happening before. She said I should trust CHI and their reasons, if he does not have the paperwork they may not be adoptable. Something else she said she sees at

Julienoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-26101401965872287112009-07-22T13:49:00.000-07:002009-07-22T13:53:53.396-07:00

I found one agency that does work with Holy Savior that does adoptions here in the States. I also made contact with another agency whose director landed in Ethiopia today! How Big is Our God!!! I will know more tomorrow but at least we have a plan of action. That is giving me hope and comfort today. It is so nice to feel something besides despair!Thanks so much for all your support and

Julienoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-14395540951024835142009-07-21T20:55:00.001-07:002009-07-21T21:07:22.134-07:00

Thanks so much for all the warm emails, posts and phone calls. I have the best friends and family in the whole world and your words of encouragement have helped me focus and think again.All day I tried to just tell myself that this must be God's plan. They weren't our children. However, my heart is not buying it.I have decided to try and find someone who can help us bring our kids home. Our

Julienoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-91162631794266426982009-07-20T21:37:00.000-07:002009-07-20T21:52:49.695-07:00

This morning when we got the call from our agency and they told us they had some bad news my first thoughts were that one of the children had died. I couldn't imagine what other calamity could have occurred to have both the director and our social worker call us at the same time. I immediately asked them if everything was OK and I was told no, it indeed was not.When I heard them say they had to

Julienoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-15603828155985956482009-07-20T13:24:00.000-07:002009-07-20T13:49:38.573-07:00

Through circumstances beyond our control and our agencies control we lost the referral of our children this morning.They have been sent back to the orphanage from where they came.My heart is broken.Here is what I posted this morning on our agency's yahoo group:We got a call this morning from Erin and Sharon telling us that the in country staff are finding it impossible to work with the director

Julienoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-59031529454723434702009-07-15T09:13:00.000-07:002009-07-15T09:16:24.516-07:00

We learned this week that the Ethiopian courts will not be closing this year for the rainy season like they always have in the past. Yippee!!!These means that even though the Ministry of Women's Affairs is closed until the 24th for training, we should still get a court date soon, and be able to travel and pick up our kids in the not to distant future.I dream of them every night.I can't wait to

Julienoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-61273147531522376832009-07-14T12:48:00.000-07:002009-07-14T13:00:51.730-07:00

Our government is driving me crazy.I spoke with my Congressman about the Health Care bill that was presented this morning. I am very scared for our country.Here is the email I sent to the President and both of my Senators. My Congressman actually has a brain and thinks this whole thing is ridiculous so I didn't have to send him one. Thank goodness their is at least one person left in Washington

Julienoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-45029170263921085452009-07-11T08:54:00.000-07:002009-07-11T08:54:00.594-07:00

Me: Mom, your hair looks so nice today.Mom: Thanks, Angela (her grand daughter), came over and gave me a perm and colored my hair.Me: I love the new color.Mom: Me to. I'm just not ready to be gray yet.My mom will turn 90 in November.Something tells me she will never be ready to go gray.Here she is with my Dad before her new color.She now has beautiful ash blonde hair again.My mom always looks

Julienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-62066145723119894962009-07-10T08:34:00.000-07:002009-07-10T08:54:01.978-07:00

Court dates have been given to those families stuck in the abandonment mess. July 20th is their big day. I know their will be lots of prayers going up that they all pass. Most of these kids have been referred since January. These families have waited a long long time to bring their kiddo's home. I am so happy for you all.We are still waiting for a court date. We hit the three week mark

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-48353840367079159382009-07-08T09:56:00.000-07:002009-07-08T10:30:07.659-07:00

If you know anyone who is adopting from Ethiopia you have probably heard about the abandoned children's cases. If not, this is the story in brief. One agency was found to be putting children through court who were not actually abandoned or orphans. This stopped all adoptions of children who had been abandoned in the capital of Addis Abba. What this meant is that if you were referred a child and

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-56363998498918306522009-07-07T02:57:00.000-07:002009-07-07T03:18:50.798-07:00

The night ended with my 10 year old son standing on the mound in tears.His team had just lost a game they were highly favored to win.His team had been taken over by aliens for a few hours this evening. Boys who could catch balls and turn double plays just yesterday couldn't make the most basic of plays.We lost 15-14. Generally if you put 14 runs on the board in an All Star game you are going to

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-8181215575152367212009-07-06T12:03:00.000-07:002009-07-06T12:19:23.107-07:00

Paige lost her first tooth two weeks ago. One of Zach's friends was playing with her and it fell out during their rough housing. She was terrified, she didn't seem to realize you were suppose to lose your teeth, and Zach's poor friend was traumatized by the idea that he had knocked his friends little sisters tooth out. It really was a funny spectacle. Paige was crying that she was bleeding and

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-35846349335228179032009-07-04T08:28:00.000-07:002009-07-04T08:37:01.589-07:00

I was so excited this morning when I realized next Fourth of July we will have two new citizens living in our house to celebrate with. We are still praying for a court date before closure. I am having a good feeling about it, but trying not to have my heart set on it so it does not break if it doesn't happen. Maybe we will hear something by the end of next week.All Stars is still going on. They

Julienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-66386276790796740272009-06-30T09:28:00.000-07:002009-06-30T10:23:39.163-07:00

My two guys preparing to leave for the big game. Poor Garrett, he doesn't look excited at all. Singing the National Anthem. Made me cry a little. Getting final instructions from the umpires.And look who was on the mound even though his mother (me) asked the coach (hubby) that he not pitch the first game. I wasn't sure I could handle the stress with everything else that has been going on.You know

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-63527111771589549652009-06-29T00:20:00.000-07:002009-06-29T00:23:43.953-07:00

part one, part twoI was feeling uneasy and wanted to be anywhere but at the ball park at that moment. I had prayed throughout the day, many times, for God to let me be a shining light for his kingdom. For people to see in me something that they wanted. Not to put praise or glory on me but on Jesus. I prayed for strength and self control.I stood at the fence watching the boys and girls hit balls

Julienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-17986747990152403662009-06-28T12:13:00.000-07:002009-06-28T14:27:37.305-07:00

To read part 1 click here.Dave had been named the All Star manager at the Sunday morning meeting. The hysterical wife of the other candidate, we will call her Rose, had stormed out of the room and headed off to church where she was to sing in the choir that morning.By all accounts she composed herself enough to sing through two services. However, after church, while heading towards her car she

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-37790673253115137602009-06-26T11:38:00.000-07:002009-06-26T12:08:04.226-07:00

Our regular season is over and now we have started practice for All Stars.Guess who the All Star manager is????Yes, that's right, my husband.I am not overly excited about this fact.Why, you may ask?Politics.You mean there are politics in little league baseball?Cue hysterical laughter..... ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.You see, there were several candidates who wanted to be

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-43171623862923448202009-06-21T09:59:00.000-07:002009-06-21T10:05:26.729-07:00

Happy Fathers Day Honey. Have fun playing baseball with Garrett. Happy First Day of Summer too! Hopefully we will be home early enough to go swimming with you, Tyler and Garrett. We miss you all. Luv, Julie, Paige, Samantha and Zach

Julienoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-1264120566025690972009-06-20T23:00:00.000-07:002009-06-21T01:09:00.241-07:00

Things I have learned while in Las Vegas, or remembered, or chosen to forget.You may come home with a large garden sized trash bag of stuffed animals from your kids playing all the carnival games. However, it would have been much cheaper (and I mean much in the literal way) to just go to walmart and fill up you cart with whatever toy you happened to want. My kids inform me the Walmart scenario

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-13162418091161853612009-06-18T11:42:00.000-07:002009-06-18T12:02:39.144-07:00

Thanks so much for all the kind words and phone calls yesterday. We have the best support group ever!Thanks also to Angie and Dee for their wonderful information about our children. They met them last month when they went to the House of Hope to pick up their daughter and son. It is so wonderful to have so many people who care about our kids. They told us all about how wonderful they are and

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-85170408984288188162009-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:002009-06-17T07:41:44.944-07:00

We are thrilled to announce that after 8 months of waiting we have accepted the referral of a little girl who is 7 and a little boy 5!They are adorable and I can't wait to post their pictures once we pass court.I am sorry I had to leave you all hanging from my last post for so long. As you know we really wanted to adopt older children but our agency really did not want us to adopt out of birth

Julienoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-50065770465848744172009-06-06T14:14:00.000-07:002009-06-06T15:22:30.214-07:00

Part 1 is below.I went to a meeting recently to learn about a home school organization in our area that offers weekly classes for Jr. high and high school students.I know that the transition to home schooling from the public school system has not always been easy for Garrett (10) and Samantha (13). Although there have been some bumps in the road, I really could not have asked for a better first

Julienoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-8112818571493869512009-06-05T21:41:00.000-07:002009-06-05T22:21:14.548-07:00

It's been cold this week. It's hard to believe we had a heat wave a few weeks ago. The kids really enjoyed getting into the pool.Samantha thought it was great. Paige was in heaven.Garrett didn't have any fun at all. Poor thing.OK, I guess he had a little bit of fun. Paige loved her new fish shaped flotation device. Don't you love his hairdo? Zach took the clippers to him and Garrett wanted a

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-52625649732596117622009-05-20T08:42:00.000-07:002009-05-20T09:22:00.593-07:00

Samantha got home around 10:00 from the American Idol taping. They all had a blast.She called me around 4:30 (the show taped at 5:00) to tell me that they had placed them in the front row and she thought they may be on camera. That wasn't why she called though. She wanted to warn me that she would be holding an Adam sign and she didn't want me to fall off my chair.No! I screamed. You can't!This

Julienoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-57529986935652314472009-05-18T21:33:00.000-07:002009-05-18T21:53:07.513-07:00

No, we did not get our referral.However, the one thing that could cause ALMOST as much excitement as that momentous event has happened.Are you ready???OK.Samantha got invited to go to the American Idol Finale tomorrow night!!!!!She is over the moon with excitement.We spent all day at the mall looking for the perfect outfit for her to wear. We had a blast.Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for that

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-85799244080671905062009-05-14T08:52:00.000-07:002009-05-14T09:02:09.952-07:00

Sorry for the long absence. Life has been very very busy lately.The swine flu seems to have left the area, or at least they aren't talking about it non stop any more. Thank you very much.Samantha turned 13 a few weeks ago. We now have three teens living in the house. People used to warn me about this. They told me it would be awful. While their are a lot of hormones and mood swings to be

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-17691203157615759682009-04-30T13:54:00.000-07:002009-04-30T14:09:54.260-07:00

I am being punished for making fun of the swine flu in my earlier post. I really did feel like the media was blowing things way out of proportion, but now that it is knocking on my front door, I'm not so sure I'm not a little scared.Two schools in our town closed today because their had been confirmed cases of swine flu. Zach came home at lunch and said the other High School in town had been

Julienoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-59352463414652511202009-04-28T09:27:00.000-07:002009-04-28T09:52:55.846-07:00

Do you think the world is coming to an end tomorrow? You might if you live in California or somewhere else where the Swine Flu has been detected. Geez. Really?My kids are terrified because the news media is out of control on this one. There have been 50 cases in California. However, NO ONE HAS DIED. Also, ONLY A FEW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED.Do they lead the story with this information?????

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-37541695855857143892009-04-24T07:50:00.000-07:002009-04-24T08:28:19.617-07:00

This morning I was whining to God about the long wait for our referral and asking him again if we were suppose to adopt a child off of a waiting child's list. The wait just seems so long and I am routinely sent photo's of children waiting for a family. Unfortunately, they have not been from our agency.Back in December I was having these same feelings and we actually requested information on one

Julienoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-6550111848478938352009-04-13T22:48:00.000-07:002009-04-13T23:13:42.744-07:00

I am tired of waiting. Today marks six months of waiting for a referral. Me and the kids are really tired of waiting.We have been waiting for our updated I-171H for about a month now. This is the paper that says we are now approved to adopt a child up to the age of 5. I am a little frustrated that it has not come yet, though our adoption consultant did update our file saying we were approved

Julienoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-36136878972495543822009-04-05T13:07:00.000-07:002009-04-05T22:59:21.299-07:00

Updated belowWhen we walked into church this morning we were surprised to see 4 giant pools all along the front of the sanctuary.Our pastor talked about baptism and went over many of the verses we had been talking about as a family lately. Only Garrett (10) has been baptized and the other children have been thinking hard about it. Dave and I really want it to be their decision. I don't want to

Julienoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-79712959806612661072009-04-05T08:57:00.000-07:002009-04-05T09:26:32.723-07:00

I have been a bad blogger lately. To much running around, no time for the computer.I had a friend ask me the other day if I was on Facebook? People ask me this all the time and are always amazed that I am not. To be honest I really don't need another addiction that takes me away from my family. Something else to do on the computer could be very dangerous for me. Do those of you on Facebook find

Julienoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-43882800605695736952009-03-28T08:43:00.000-07:002009-03-28T09:12:14.583-07:00

We have had beautiful spring days here and our family has really enjoyed spending some time outside.We did school outside a few days and it was so enjoyable to sit at the table and talk and take in the sunshine. I know the hot hot hot days of summer will be upon us before I am ready so I intend to drink in every moment of each spring day.Paige loves the sunshine too because that means she can go

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-28460204049809237652009-03-24T21:52:00.000-07:002009-03-24T22:02:25.538-07:00

We had another t-ball game tonight. Paige informed me she is a "hitter".As you can see from the following pictures she is indeed a hitter. Notice the untucked jersey?I was informed that she did not have to tuck in her jersey. She is a girl and girls wear dresses. Her jersey is a dress, thus it is not tucked in. Who knew?Unfortunately she still runs like someone who is 100 years old. We will

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-81210059596618606922009-03-20T22:23:00.001-07:002009-03-20T22:35:30.438-07:00

I picked up Paige's new bike today and we spent the afternoon riding around the park. She had so much fun and I had so much fun watching her.I was so upset when I realized I forgot to pick up the camera. So, sorry, not cute shots of her on her new princess bike. You know the one she threw the tantrum about? I'll try and take a few tomorrow and post them for grandma to see.I got an email today

Julienoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-21905695275517025642009-03-18T21:44:00.000-07:002009-03-18T22:04:58.565-07:00

Paige has out grown her bike. I have kept telling her we would get her a new one. I had looked at a couple of garage sales and hadn't found one her size. So, I decided that today was the day and we would go and buy her a new bike.I am generally not one to get my kids a gift if it is not their birthday or a holiday, however, I have decided that anything that keeps them active and outside is a

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-43664969117462210602009-03-15T09:50:00.001-07:002009-03-15T10:30:14.744-07:00

If you want to put a smile on your face a t-ball game is a good way to start. Their 4 and 5 year old cuteness is just to much to resist.Paige had her first game yesterday and I loved every minute of it.Here they are in their team huddle. Can you say cute?Here is her Dad trying to explain the intricacies of hitting off the tee.I think this very serious looking fellow behind her made her a little

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-89770406939489684832009-03-11T19:47:00.000-07:002009-03-12T08:35:29.030-07:00

We got up early this morning and drove down to the beach in search of migrating whales and dolphins.It was cold and my warm home was calling to me but then we spotted the whales. A whole family of them. They blew air out of their blow holes and fanned their tales in our direction. Very exciting.Here is one of the few pictures we actually got of a whale coming up out of the water. They are faster

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-72229846471991997062009-03-10T07:57:00.000-07:002009-03-10T09:13:39.234-07:00

The Gang's Mama posted about this site a few months ago and I have been addicted to it ever since. Here is what she said about it.This new site exists to be a clearing house of sorts. A place where anyoneinterested in adoption, specifically special needs adoptions, can come and gaininsight from other families who have been there, who are there and who aremaking it work. A place where you can read

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-69833673676605307122009-03-03T14:08:00.000-08:002009-03-03T14:10:48.331-08:00

That is what number we should be on the referral list. There were 3 referrals today, one a sibling group of an 18 month old and a 3 year old.A boy and a girl.I am going to confess my jealousy over the family that received that referral.Congratulations to them and the other two happy families today.Just think, with one more referral we will be in the 40's.Oh, happy days!

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-80365920026595749972009-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:002009-02-27T00:00:07.819-08:00

That is how long we have been waiting for our referral.I feel a little anxious today. Not sure why. I guess I am just REALLY READY for our referral (Ha, like every waiting family isn't).I spend my nights looking for stories about Ethiopia. Reading blogs of others who have been and brought their beautiful children home. Dreaming about the day we will go to pick up our new children.Until that time

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-34709376384182690792009-02-26T00:00:00.000-08:002009-02-26T00:00:08.298-08:00

Hubby has been gone on business all week and gets back home tonight.Today the kids and I are scrubbing all day so it will not look like a frat house around here when he walks in the door.We spent the day at Disneyland yesterday. It was glorious. If you want to visit California and have a nice day at Disney with hardly anyone else around February is definitely the month. Wednesday seems to be

Julienoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-84558679387313949662009-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:002009-02-25T00:00:05.759-08:00

During the Advent Season our family is really good about meeting together in the evening for some scripture and story reading. The rest of the year that whole idea seems to kind of fall apart.At the begining of 2009 Dave and I decided that we wanted that to change. I searched for devoitonals, inspirational stories, anything that would bring us together.We finally decided on a drastic course of

Julienoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-17049295752930796012009-02-24T02:08:00.000-08:002009-02-24T07:19:29.796-08:00

I have a bad habit.In the evening when I am laying on the couch after a long day, feeling tired and not wanting to go upstairs and change into my comfy lounging clothes, I will just start taking off cumbersome clothing one by one.And stuffing the items into the couch.Kind of like the kids do with wrappers.It seems one day while I was occupied elsewhere and the children were suppose to be picking

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-63311701433941460902009-02-23T00:00:00.000-08:002009-02-23T00:00:03.746-08:00

Does anyone else have a child who likes to watch Sprout?It was just called PBS when I was little, but now it has this fancy smancy name.I am not happy with Sprout.Oh, sure, I love Barney and Sesame Street just as much as the other guy. I'm not mad at them.It's the Sprout Management that I need to speak with.Will you please stop reminding my child every 30 seconds that she can go on

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-36174050080579922192009-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:002009-02-22T00:00:01.429-08:00

We have a huge bucket of Lego's that have been collected over the past 12 years.Zach, who is now 17, started the collection when he was 5 and his siblings have been adding to it ever since.Paige loved playing with the big duplo blocks but had been asking to play with the big bucket of little Lego's for some time. I gave it to her and she quickly started digging through it looking for pieces.She

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-13865926326860501192009-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:002009-02-21T00:00:03.129-08:00

She prepared a wonderful feast and would love to have some company.Feel free to stop by for a snack if you find yourself in the so cal area.In other news......there were 3 referrals last week (all boys), which puts our unofficial number in the referral line at 53. Congratulations to the happy and excited families!

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-23355080735006822702009-02-20T08:28:00.000-08:002009-02-20T09:28:14.316-08:00

Our home school group went to an indoor rock climbing facility this week. The kids had fun and got quite a workout. Here is Garrett trying to make it to the top.He did make it, and was very proud of himself.They climbed pretty high.Here is Samantha hanging from the top.She wasn't to sure about this in the beginning. It didn't really seem like a "girlie" thing to do.I think the pink ropes helped

Julienoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-78020271846503547302009-02-16T08:07:00.000-08:002009-02-16T08:50:10.582-08:00

Well, I kind of fell off the planet last week. Sorry about that. Life took over and blogging took a back seat.The week was filled with baseball practices, basketball practices, parent meetings about baseball, etc.. Sounds more like sports took over rather than life doesn't it?We took the older boys out of school on Friday and headed up to the mountains. I was so disappointed when we woke up that

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-54050518322761348572009-02-09T00:09:00.001-08:002009-02-09T00:21:18.504-08:00

I had a really fun time at the conference on Friday and Saturday and came home refreshed and ready to be the best mom and wife and follower of Christ I can be.I am a little tired and was so happy to realize that the high schooler's had Monday off. That meant I could sleep in.About an hour ago I decided to check Tyler's schedule (at his new school) and was startled to discover he DID NOT have

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-22292887311379132172009-02-05T22:18:00.000-08:002009-02-05T22:29:31.765-08:00

I'm leaving tomorrow with one of my new home schooling friends to attend a conference that is meant to encourage home schooling mothers.Boy oh boy, this conference could not have come at a better time for me.Have you ever felt like you can't do anything right?Your a bad wife. Bad mother. Bad pet owner.You just can't quite get it all together.That has been my life for the last few weeks.I am

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-24870699460242170172009-02-02T21:21:00.000-08:002009-02-02T21:33:20.514-08:00

A few days ago I got out of the shower and Paige ran up to me and told me to stop. She leaned her sweet little head against my tummy and seemed to be concentrating on something.I asked her what she was doing?"Shhh", she said "I'm trying to look through your belly button and see my new sister in your tummy."Poor child. Clearly I am going to have to explain the concept of adoption to her once

Julienoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-32428687578138483692009-01-29T20:38:00.000-08:002009-01-29T21:13:02.508-08:00

Tyler seems to like his new school. His only complaint is that the school is full of "nerds". People are nice, just a little "strange".He said that one kid walks around with 6 decks of cards in his pockets.Well, maybe that is a little different.However I still prefer the "nerdy" school to the previous high school.God has blessed our decision to move to the new school. One of my main concerns was

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-40197740945005069652009-01-27T13:44:00.000-08:002009-01-27T14:34:45.807-08:00

Last spring and throughout the summer our middle son, Tyler, attended wrestling clinics at our local high school. It was something we thought he might enjoy and it turned out he really liked it. He went to all the clinics and was told that he had made the team for the 08/09 season. This was exciting for him as an incoming freshman and he was anxious to start the school year and formally join

Julienoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-63193768368940912782009-01-23T08:09:00.000-08:002009-01-23T08:57:18.876-08:00

This week we were suppose to set some goals for our weight lose journey.I was tempted to write something like this.Stop Eating. Lose Weight. The End.That's probably not what Brenda had in mind though when she thought up this challenge.So....here goes.1. Plan meals and have healthy snacks available at all times. 2. Put some healthy and low calorie snacks in the car. I need to put a big

Julienoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-13943944571661328182009-01-21T22:59:00.000-08:002009-01-21T23:46:23.160-08:00

The last few days have been filled with trips to Disneyland, basketball games, searching for a wallpaper pattern for Samantha's bedroom and eating meals out way to many times each day. We have gone to Coco's, Chinese, In and Out Burger and ordered Pizza. Twice.Not exactly a good schedule for a gal who is trying to eat healthy and lose a little weight.I'm planning on staying home tomorrow and

Julienoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-27142867575514270792009-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:002009-01-18T00:00:04.635-08:00

Paige: Mommy, come look at Pablo (the hamster), he looks so cute.Me: Hi Pablo, what are you doing? (Pablo seems to be cleaning himself with his front paws)Paige: Mommy you are so silly. Can't you see he's reading his Bible?We tend not to argue with Paige to much. She walks around armed with these hulk hands most days. She has been trained by the best.These two have been her primary

Julienoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37107342.post-69555799080261253692009-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:002009-01-17T00:00:05.976-08:00

It's late Friday night and I am waiting for Samantha to get home from the drive in movies. She went with another family and was soooo excited to have her first drive in movie experience.When ever I want to go the kids look at me like I am some kind of backwards freak. However, it seems, when you are invited by another family it is fun.Go figure.My boys are all playing video games, Dave's watching

Julienoreply@blogger.com5