Royal Princess Tea

Victoria and I had the priviledge of attending a Royal Princess Tea on Saturday morning at our church. What a great time! The organizers went all out and there was so much glitter, sparkle and bling. Beautiful! Victoria was in her glory and left feeling pretty special. The whole purpose of the morning was to teach the girls that they are God's princesses, daughters of the most Royal King ever. It was very well done and I think everyone had a great time. Victoria said next year she would like to volunteer at the tea so I think that's what we'll do.

Valentine's Day

I know it was a while ago but I'm just getting to post about it now. Valentine's Day has never been one of my favourite "holidays" - in fact I never really used to like it. However, kids always have a way of making special days even more special. We had a lot of fun this year.

The day started out with a special message from Victoria on her white board:

The kids worked on special heart crafts and other activities relating to love. Victoria and Austin had a fill in the blank activity sheet - they had to look up Bible verses about love and find the missing words.

I think my favourite part though was reading what everyone wrote about each other. Everyone had six hearts of the same colour and had to write one thing they love about each person in the family. There were six because the kids insisted we do one for Frodo too - just in case he doesn't know how much we love him! The words written were all so sweet. Samara wrote: I love Mommy because she gives me strawberries and chips. (seriously doesn't take much eh??) The one Mike did for Frodo says: I love Frodo because he makes sure I never sleep in. (Ha - way to put a positive spin on it hon! LOL!)

Oh ya and I almost forgot. I posted the greatest love message of all times on the wall by my scrapbooking table.

The things kids say . . .

Two things that recently made me laugh out loud:

Austin was cleaning his glasses and he had just sprayed the cleanser on each lens. Samara happened to be watching him and exclaimed: "Hey, it looks like you just sneezed on them!" LOL - that made me howl!

Yesterday, Victoria and Austin were sitting at the kitchen table doing their morning Bible reading. I was in the next room and Victoria yelled out to me: "Hey mom, come here! There's something wrong. Whoever wrote this Bible made a big mistake!" LOL! Needless to say (after I was done laughing), I went over to see her and we had a little chat about that one!

So cool

The shirt says it all. He really can't help being this cool!

Two seconds . . .

I seriously turned my back for two seconds this afternoon and this is what I found:

Honestly who's idea was that? Playing on the backyard ice rink - that's starting to melt I should mention - in your socks and with no coat! Notice Samara also has no boots on. I knew she was going out to play with her coat, hat, mittens and boots . . . but apparently by looking at Denver's face she somehow decided it looked like fun to take her boots off too. (???) Oh boy . . . never a dull moment around here.

(Is it bad that I ran to get my camera first before scooping him up and bringing him inside??)

This and That

• Denver has been sleeping consistently in his "big boy bed" . . . for naps and at nighttime. How does mama feel about this? Not sure. Am I ready for my baby to be a big boy? Hmmm . . . not really. But somehow all my kids keeps growing despite me telling them not to.

• About Denver's new bed . . . Austin loves having a roommate. It's pretty cute. The girls have been together in their room for a few years now and Austin has been feeling pretty left out being all alone in his room. So now he's pumped that he has his brother in there with him. And Denver's pretty proud talking about "his" room. In fact he's been heard to say "stay out of my room!" to the girls. Okay, so maybe his roommate isn't always the best influence on him!

• Today is day six of the cleanse. Yep that's right, Mike and I started a cleansing diet on Monday. The first few days were REALLY hard but it's better now. And the best news is that I haven't had a sore stomach since Sunday. Those of you that know me will know that's a big deal! So we almost have one week under our belts . . . six more to go.

• Why is it that I can't keep up with emailing and blogging? I try, I really do. I have good intentions and then life gets busy. I've written about four blog posts in my head over the last week or so. Somehow transfering from my head to the computer doesn't happen. Oh well . . . such is life right now.

• The adoption agency we used to facilitate Denver's adoption (yes, the one that went bankrupt and then was restructured) has just announced this week that they are partnering with another agency somewhat close by. Not sure how I feel about this. I have mixed emotions. I suppose it comes down to the fact that I don't like change. Not to mention, it saddens me that now there will be one less option, again, for those wanting to adopt internationally. It seems like over the last few years, there have been less and less options in Canada. Plus I feel bad for the employees that have worked so hard and now will be out of a job. But we'll hope and pray that it ends up being a good thing for both agencies and the clients involved.

• Friends of ours are in Ethiopia right now. They were present at court in Addis on Friday. Unfortunately they didn't pass court. Although they knew this was a possibility, it's still disappointing. Praying that their next court date is a success and that the rest of the process goes smoothly.

• We've been going through every room in our house and getting rid of things we no longer need or use. I love to purge! We've gotten rid of boxes and boxes full of stuff. I feel lighter and it feels so good! Even the kids went through their rooms and got rid of toys and things they no longer play with. Things that are just taking up space. It's great.

I think that's it for my Saturday morning ramblings. Have a great weekend!

My Boys

And just because I can't resist pictures of my kids sleeping . . .

Notice the folded hands. He must've been saying his prayers before he fell asleep. :)

Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit

From our house to yours . . .

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Snow day!

And it keeps on snowin'! Yes! I love it!

Four years ago today . . .

God blessed us with this beautiful gift.

And just look at her now!

Thank you Lord for our sweet, sweet Samara.

(Happy Gotcha Day to our fellow members of travel group #244!)

Bring on the snow!

It's hard to see in this picture but the forecasted snow has started to fall. They’re calling for quite a bit of snow to fall over the next day or two. Call me crazy but I’m dying for a doozy storm . . . you know the kind where no one can go out? Where we call snuggle up and watch the flakes come down . . . or bundle up to go out and play in it? I feel like we haven’t had one of those in a long time. Last year the snow was pathetic (at our place anyway). This year has been better but we still need more. I know the phrase refers to the month of March but let’s hope February comes in like a lion.

BRING ON THE SNOW!!!

The dog . . . a boy's best friend

Couldn't resist posting these cute pictures of my boy . . . and his friend. Too cute!

Cozy Bed

Speaking of the dog, his toys and bed are also pretty fun. His crate at first was a fun place to play and pretend to be a dog. We put a stop to that but still once in a while find someone sitting in his bed. This is what I found this morning after changing Denver's diaper but not catching him fast enough to put the rest of the clothes on.

Frodo

Have I told you about Frodo . . . not the Baggins type . . . the Carmody type? He's soft, fluffy, buff in colour, well behaved, a great companion, and pretty much the best dog EVER! I was seriously hesitant about getting another dog. For those of you who know what we went through with our last one, you’ll understand my hesitancy. However, I have to admit, I’m glad I was persuaded. It’s been so great having a dog around again. The kids LOVE him and he loves the kids. He’s gentle with the kids and has so much fun playing with them. Denver even loves him (yes, we’ve come a long way since a year and a half ago).

Mike has always loved and wanted a bigger dog but I wasn’t raised with dogs. I guess you can say I’ve never been a dog person. And in particular, I just can’t do the hair. So a small, non-shedding dog is our compromise. Frodo is a Havanese dog and so won’t get very big. He loves being around people. He constantly seeks someone out and will lie on anyone’s feet. Even if I’m making supper and standing at the stove for a minute, he’ll come and get comfortable with his head on my feet. He fits perfectly into our family since we’re home a lot. He’s definitely not lacking attention.

We’ve had him since October when he was 11 weeks old and so the real test was the month of December with all the busyness and traveling here and there. He did really well. When we drove any distance, he would make himself comfortable on the backseat of the van in between Victoria and Austin . . . or on their laps. At one point when we were driving home at night, I looked back to find Austin fast asleep with Frodo also fast asleep on his lap. So cute!

It was kinda cute when he was at the groomers getting his hair cut. Samara kept saying, "I miss Frodo". So I explained to her that the lady was taking really good care of him and giving him a bath, combing him, trimming the hair around his face so he could see, cutting his nails, etc. I went on to tell her that the lady was making him look really handsome. Samara's response was: "Oh, so now we can take him to church?" LOL! No sweetie - I don't think that would go over very well!

Here he is after his haircut. The smudge on the top of the picture is because he licked my camera. LOL! (Thankfully it was my camera and not Mike's new one he got for Christmas!)


Here he is in the snow. He loves it!

So there you go . . . the best dog ever!

Interior Decorating

It's nothing major but I finally got a few things done that I've wanted to do for a long time. Just a few little things hung up. I've had each of these items for well over a year or more.

When I went to hang up the border, I all of a sudden realized that I didn't know what the Chinese characters meant. I thought I should probably find out before I hung it up. So I asked my friend who assured me I wasn't hanging up anything crass in my dining room. Phew! (thanks MC) The characters stand for the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Nice. I like that.


The wall words I got from my mom a long time ago. It’s one of my favourite sayings and I’m so happy to finally have it on my wall. Thanks Mom.


The clock idea I saw a long time ago online somewhere and loved it. Again, I’ve had the clocks for a really long time but just got around to hanging them and cutting out the words on my cri¢ut. (The picture looks a little warped - the letters and clocks are actually all the same size).

So there you go. It’s the little things that make me smile.

Happy New Year!

Okay, I know I'm eight days late on that but so be it. That seems to be the way my life ends up more often than not . . . a little late here and there with this and that. What can I say? I'm busy. :)

I’ve never been one for making New Year’s resolutions. Over the last year or more I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about picking a word for the year. So this year, for the first time ever, our family is choosing a word for the year. So for the year 2011 our word will be PRAYER. We will spend the year working on and improving our prayer life as a family and as individuals. And we will pray for God to help us in this area.

Here are some encouraging Bible verses (NIV) regarding prayer. These are just a few of my favourites. There are many, many more.

Psalm 5:3
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct my prayer to You, and I will look up.

Psalm 55:17
Evening and morning, and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice.

Proverbs 15:8
The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Ephesians 6:18-19
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 14:15
So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

Colossions 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:1-4
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1 John 5:14-15
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


May 2011 be a year that sees many more people around the globe crying out to God in times of need and in times of joy.

Melkam Genna!

To all our little Ethiopian Canadian friends and our dear friends in Ethiopia . . . we wish you a very Merry Christmas. Melkam Genna!