Guest Blogger

Today I am having a guest blogger. The Picker's and our family attended the same church for a few years before we moved. Right before we moved they were in the process of adopting their 2nd child. They adopted him from Ethiopia. Now their family has grown even more when they adopted another child also from Ethiopia. I admire their hearts and that they take action for what they love. If you can't help at this time with a donation then please be in prayer for this to reach as many people as possible.

Thank you so much Linsey for allowing me to post on your blog about a subject that is so important to me.






Over three years ago, my husband and I began our journey to adopt our son from Ethiopia. And since that time, God has been filling our hearts with an overwhelming love and passion for the people of Ethiopia. We returned a year after our first adoption to bring our daughter home. After arriving home with her, we knew we had to do more.





We have been so blessed to team up with other adoptive families around the U.S. and with Lifesong for Orphans. Lifesong is doing some amazing work through a small nursery school that they support in Adami Tulu, Ethioipa. You can read more about Adami Tulu here.





Last year, we, with five other families, raised over $40,000 to build a new building, restroom facility, and gate at the Adami Tulu school. In August, we got to return to Ethiopia to see the new building. We had an amazing trip, and have absolutely fallen in love with Adami Tulu. You can read more about our trip here and here. The school is changing the lives of so many vulnerable children in the area by offering them a wonderful education and two nutritious meals a day.





We've returned home with the knowledge that we have so much more to do in Adami Tulu. So we've agreed to continue our work with Lifesong by raising funds for another school building on the Adami Tulu campus. This will enable the school to expand to include 1st and 2nd grade. More details will be coming soon, but we're anxious to get a jump start on fundraising. We know that this project will cost at least $50,000. But, for these sweet faces, we'll do anything!











We are very excited to announce our first fundraiser for our next phase of the Adami Tulu project: another Aspen Giveaway!











Our Aunt and Uncle have, once again, generously donated toward our fundraising efforts. Only this time they've offered us not one but FIVE stays at the Hyatt Grand Aspen.

Chloe Bug

• Chloe is 2 1/2 years old
• 32 pounds
• 37 1/2 inches tall
• Loves to play dress up in dresses or as a superhero
• Is a wonderful sleeper!!!!
• Has an attitude of a 13 year old
• Will kiss and hug you all day long as long as it is her idea
• Very strong willed
• Loves her brother(tries to give him kisses but he will run away)
• Likes Woody(our dog), but if she doesn't want him to touch her she will scream and say him licking her hurts! Drama, Drama!
• She will play grocery store all day long while wearing high heels
• Loves almost any show or movie, but Dora or Little Einstiens is her favorite
• Outdoor girl, sandbox or swinging

• Loves to play playdough and painting
• knows her ABC's
• Can count to 10
• Does not like to be away from her mommy
• loves to shop
• makes lots of faces, some funny , some serious, and some mean

• She has something unique...a geographic tongue. When she was a baby the doctors and nurses kept saying she had thrush and now that I know she has geographic tongue, I know for sure she didn't have thrush.
• Has eczema, but hasn't had as many breakouts since we started using an over the counter cream.
• Knows the letter S
• Draws all the time in a notebook
• will "text" on one of her 3 cellphones



Chloe is such a hard headed but sweet little girl. I am so glad I get the chance to stay home with her and watch her turn into a beautiful young lady.

Preschooler!!!!

Liam started preschool on September 6, 2011. He was so excited and couldn't wait to get there. Joe and I took him to his classroom and said goodbye. He said bye and that was that. I didn't cry(I know shocker for anyone that knows me). There wasn't a need to cry, I saw how happy he was to go to school. Liam only goes till 11:45 so it isn't a long day, but just enough for both of us to get use to him being gone. While he was gone Chloe would "text" Liam, when he got home he ask her what she had been doing and she said texting you! His response was "silly sister I can't bring a phone to school!" hahaha The only time I teared up was when I walked past his room and it was still clean!!! No legos or guys laying around for me to step on. As soon as he got home and ate(because he was starving) he played for a little while.

The first picture he colored was the school bus. I didn't believe he did this by himself because he would only use markers at home because using crayons hurt his arm. haha But today  he came home with the birds so I know he really did do these on his own. His teacher even wrote beautiful on his paper! His favorite thing about school is recess!! They have a memory verse they are to learn and he has already learned it Genisis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Also they are working on "I i"...he already knew that would but not the sound  so it makes me proud of what all he is already learning. Chloe is getting one on one time with me now, which is just what we needed so I will do a post on her in the next few days.

Liam at 4 years old

• How to spell his name, LiAM-this is how he writes it
• Can count to 20
• Knows all his shapes
• Knows all his colors (his favorite color is orange)
• Loves to use sissors
• LOVES to do workbook pages (dollar tree has the best ones)
• Can recongized 12 of the alphabet, A,B,C,E,F,I, K,L,M,O,S,X
• Gets himself dressed everyday (working on picking out clothes that match)
• Very creative , He rights his letter for the day in a notebook and then draws a picture of something that starts with that letter. Then Joe or I will write the story and song he makes up about whatever it is he drew.
• Can write any letter as long as you show him
• Can recognize 1,2,3 (I haven't spent much time with numbers yet, so this is probably lacking b/c of me)
• Loves all things war, battle, guns, bows and arrows, blow guns, superheros
• Can swim all over the pool without help
• Does a great cannon ball
• Handstands in the pool
• Treads water really well and floats on his back forever!
• Shark week is on this week and he is loving every second he gets to watch
• We go to the library every week and he still loves doing this. We have done this since he was 6 months old.
• Momma's boy
• Tells us he loves us and needs hugs all day long (that one is making me tear up b/c I won't get those for 4 hours during the day, not sure how I will handle this.)
• Favorite food is Chicken nuggets and ranch dressing
• Favorite drink is still strawberry milk. Every morning and every night. He would drink it all day long but milk is too expensive, I would need a cow to keep up with as much milk as he wants.
• Will help Chloe with whatever she needs (unless she is messing with his battle then he gets angry with her and we see a side of him that is awful)
• Doesn't require to much displine , spankings don't work so timeout it is.
• Still will not sleep in his bed all night, we can't figure it out. He has to many nightmares.
• LOVES, Loves when the laundry is still hot from the dryer. I just sit it on top of him!
• Still uses an inhaler, but during the summer we haven't had to use it everyday since he is inside so much.
• Hates to wear his eye patch and will turn into a different kid while wearing it. This week has been much better , but he Hates it so much.
• 43 pounds
• 43 1/2 inches
• size 5T clothes
• size 11 or 12 shoe depending on the brand (we were going through shoes every six months because his foot would grow so fast, finally it has slowed down. I think this is the longest he has worn a pair of shoes.)
• One of his favorite things to do is go to workouts with his dad. He will workout with all the football players, well he throws a medicine ball around and does some drills, but LOVES this.
• Will tell you he wants to play football and tackle the players.
• When he plays playdough he always plays like he is a chef. He will cook you pig and fish...everytime. One of his other favorite shows is Iron Chef.
• One of his famous sayings is "that's what I'm talking about!"

I am sure more will come to me later, but right now that is all I can think of. Liam is the most kind little boy I have ever met. Seriously he is. Also has this wit about him that stuns me sometimes. I know he is going to love preschool , but I will miss those 16 hours a week he isn't with me. This is getting us all ready for when he goes to Kindergarten next year. Time sure does fly!

July

I haven't done a post in almost 2 months and there have been great things happening here in Clinton for our family. But first we have throughly enjoyed our summer and season passes to Silver Dollar City. The kids have met Dora and Diego and Shaggy and Scooby Doo.

  These pictures are from today. I needed some updated pictures of the kids side by side, so I can remember. I use to hear moms say(before I was one) they couldn't remember this or that of when their child did some milestone. I always thought "wow, how can you not remember something so important." Well now that I have been a mom for 4 years, I totally understand. I can't remember half of what I thought I would be able to. Last week we had a few things come up that we are excited about sharing. I haven't worked since we left Bryant 2 years ago, but someone needed a sitter while they went to college two days a week. So I am going to be watching a nine month old on Tuesday and Thursdays. Then we decided to let Liam go to Preschool! Our neighbor is the director and Kindergarten teacher there so we ask a few questions and they still had a space open. He will start after Labor day and go Monday-Thursday 8 to 11:45. I think he will do great there and this will give Chloe and I some time just us two On Monday and Wednesday for a few hours. So that is our exciting news. Joe is about to start back up all day with football and we have really gotten spoiled to having him around a lot this summer. Liam got good news at the eye doctor a couple of weeks ago. His eyes are getting better so we are to continue the eye patch until October, then reevaluate. I will do a post soon on what all Liam knows before school starts and see how he grows and learns while in preschool. He is really excited about learning but also making more friends! Chloe is just being a girly girl with wearing dresses, play high heels and jewlery. But she can hang with her brother and dad in the rough department. Everything is going great right now with Woody. No accidents or chewing on any furniture so this is wonderful to me! haha it is the small things, right?

six year anniversary and Liam's 4th birthday

 Liam had Landen spending the night with him already so on Thursday, June 2nd we invited his best friend Brodie over to play and enjoy the day with us. They all had a great time, but Liam still had more birthday festivities coming up. On Friday we headed down to Bryant so my parents could watch the kids while Joe and I had a date for our 6th anniversary! I can't believe it has been that long. We went to Shoguns and shopping for Liam's presents. Then we enjoyed a night at the Crown Plaza in Little Rock. Joe had it as a surprise, but he knows me well enough that if I didn't get to say goodbye and goodnight to the kids I would had been a nervous wreck. It was nice to get a goodnights sleep, but my one request for hotels would be to put all the couples up on the top floors and kids below them. They were running up and down the hall all night and early in the morning slamming doors. So annoying! There were earplugs in our little complimentary bag, but I didn't need to use them.haha. Saturday we enjoyed the lake with my moms side of the family. My grandparents rented two houses on Lake Quacita so we stayed most of the day and Liam had a family party. My family really went all out on all the special things he loves. Sunday we went to Sin-Sin in Benton so he could meet the chef. Joe's parents took us there and he loved it. He loves Chinese food just like his daddy! We really enjoyed seeing everyone. After that we went to see BeBe(joe's grandmother) she is in a nursing home rehab because she had surgery on her hip after she fell about a month ago. While we were there an elderly lady just was going on and on to Liam about him coming to see her and hugging him. He didn't mind it one bit. Such a tender hearted boy. I really hope he stays this way forever. Those little ladies love him!!! Happy 4th Birthday Liam!!!!!!!!!