Happy Referral - iversary!!! One Year Ago Today....

One year ago TODAY, we saw the face that would forever CHANGE OUR LIVES...... We had waited 3 weeks to get a new referral after losing our first one....I won't lie...the 3 weeks was VERY HARD!! I was ready to see the face that would make our hearts whole again....And, when THE CALL finally came that day...I felt a HUGE relief!!! Above, and below are the VERY FIRST PICTURES we ever saw of our Lucy Lane Martha!!! Her face came across my computer screen...and I honestly, instantly felt SCARED!! I was so afraid that THIS BABY TOO would go back to her birth mother.....I wanted so badly to HOLD BACK this time...and NOT FALL IN LOVE INSTANTLY like last time....but HOW COULD ANYONE NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THAT FACE??!!! Once again....I trusted God and let myself fall deeply in love with a baby that I prayed each day would BECOME OURS!!!!

I was at gymnastics for Julia when the call came...I remember it like it was yesterday!! The adrenaline that flows is like nothing else!!! I couldn't find one thing to write any info down on..so I just sat and listened as my case worker, Julie, described our baby!! Her name given by her birth mom was "Martha"!! She was amazingly PERFECT!!! I packed the kids up and ran home to see her face for the first time!!!

I must have looked at these pics FOR HOURS!!! I studied every little feature and roll on her body!! She was amazingly beautiful...and I JUST INSTANTLY WANTED HER HOME!!!!!

Our court date was still 2 months away...so we enjoyed pictures given to us by travelers over the next 2 months!! Every traveler and person that met her described her as "giggly" and "smiley"!!! We were told over and over again WHAT A HAPPY BABY SHE WAS!!! That should have been our first clue THAT LITTLE MISS LL WOULD BE FULL OF PERSONALITY!!!!!

I think what amazes me is that I had NO IDEA the greatness that laid ahead!!! I had no idea HOW MUCH I could LOVE this baby girl!! I mean, I certainly THOUGHT I could..but my little mind could never have grasped the HAPPINESS that one child would bring to a family!! She has taught us ALL so much about life!! Her laugh each and every day is something I couldn't live without now....she truly makes us smile every time she turns the corner!!! God had such BIG PLANS for this little one....and I had NO IDEA on this day ONE YEAR AGO.....

I had no idea that she would impact so many people TO ADOPT THEMSELVES!!! I never dreamed I'd still be blogging and have a full time job answering emails about adoption (at midnight :)!!! All this...because of one tiny little child in a third world country that needed a home!!! God blows my mind with his GREATNESS....I had no idea...but God knew the entire time..... :)

****And, man, SHE HAS CHANGED A LOT IN ONE YEAR........

That tiny little baby is a TODDLER NOW!!! She is full of life, love and spunk!!

She obviously doesn't remember that she played on dirt floors because, above, she likes to hand me EVERY piece of dirt or small rock she can find and do the "ick" face!! What a prissy pants!!! :)

And, "HAPPINESS and SILLINESS" is this child's middle name!! We say, "LL show us your happy face!" and ABOVE is what we get!!!!!! :)

We say, "LL show us where you are from...show us Ethiopia"...and she points to her shirt!!! She can even say "ETHIOPIA" now!!! (well, you know..in a very "baby" type of way that only a mom could understand :)

And, here they are....5 siblings that LOVE each other deeply!! My 5 favorite little people in the world!!! We celebrate and give thanks for LLM's referral one year ago today!!! We praise God for that fateful day that ONLY HE could have orchestrated....There were so many twists and turns and dots that had to be connected to get this EXACT BABY GIRL TO US...and FOR THAT we will always be grateful and humbled by HIS GREATNESS!!!!

***Happy Tuesday to you all...and Happy Referral Day Lucy Lane!!!! We would fly across the ocean a million more times for you :) kj

P.S.

fyi, LL's shirt is from www.bringourangelhome.blogspot.com Another amazing family raising money for their adoption from Ethiopia!!!

Brace Yourself, My Friends, For Some Cuteness.....

You ALL must jump over and see the SNEAK PEEK of LL's pics that were taken on Saturday!! There is a fabulous photographer in town, Angela Crutcher, that gives FREE sittings to ANYONE that has adopted!! Yes, isn't that fabulous!!!! Ok, so we took her up on her generous offer...and WHAM....I just got my sneak peek and was in tears looking at LL's pics!!! Thank you SOOOO much Angela....You can see them at www.findingtheartinlife.com !!! They HURT ME CUTE!!!!! :)
Happy Monday to you all, kj

ps...i get all images in a week and can then post them myself on here...enjoy the sneak peek!! :)

Gettin' REAL On A Saturday Night :)

Well, this post was inspired by eating lunch out with my dear friend Gwen the other day!! You see...we took 5 of our smallest children out to lunch the other day (yes, we must like torture :) and during lunch Gwen got to witness LL hitting her food off the table (for no real good reason) and giving me the "how dare you make me sit here in this highchair" look and smack the table!! :) Well, Gwen said, "Wow, if the blog world could just see this from LL!" It made me think.....Hmmmmm...I try to be REAL..but maybe I've NOT BEEN REAL enough lately....I mean..I've posted pics of our dirty kitchen in the past....pics of my out of control laundry....but maybe I haven't posted enough pics of LL "acting like a normal toddler"......So......here goes: Yes, I think my sweet LL hung the moon!! It is true...I like to post her cuteness, her sweetness, her unbelievable charm she has with all of us....BUT, yes, folks...she also is NORMAL....she likes to throw fits....Above, you have her doing one of her favorite tricks which is to open the dishwasher by herself....Well, there are sharp knives in the dishwasher..and for some reason it WON'T lock...so our LL is a smart little cookie and it didn't take long for her to figure out HOW to push the button and get it open by herself......So......I have to close it and hold it shut:

This makes my sweet princess MAD!!!!!

So, MAD that she likes to throw herself on the floor and scream.............

Then she does the "bury my head trick" and surely someone will think i'm so cute that they'll let me go back to playing with sharp knives.........

Then when that doesn't work, we get the "roll over" and "kick our legs" game......

Well, this lasts about a minute when she gets easily distracted by a measuring cup she finds on the floor.....AND......

WHAM....she's over it!!!! :) That's my LL!!! My feisty little, incredibly dramatic Ethiopian Princess that we think HUNG THE MOON!!! :)

***And, yes, I still have my dining room FULL of clean laundry that the kids jump in because they think it is a fun game always going on in the dining room....

***My kitchen is always still a disaster filled with dirty dishes and dirty sippy cups....Oh...and that reminds me...My hubby just went to the cabinet to pull out a "clean" sippy cup to fix someone a cup of milk...He opens the "suppose to be" clean cup from the cabinet....it is is filled with curdled milk!!! Hmmmmm..wonder how long that had been in there!! :)

***So, yes, we're NORMAL...we have good days, bad days (like a friend this week called me to ask me if I'd pick her kid up from choir for her and bring her home so she wouldn't have to get out....well.....lets see...I FORGET!!! Yes, at the last minute we decided NOT to go to choir and I NEVER remembered telling the friend I'd bring her child home!! Yes, loser friend here too sometimes :)

***AND, one more to share with you....My 2 yr. old George LOVES the race car grocery carts that the kids can ride in at the local grocery!! LL likes to ride facing me at the top of the cart....NO PROBLEM until LL decides she wants to ride in the RACE CAR WITH GEORGE!!! It does have two seat belts and two steering wheels!! George does not like this idea!!! Well, he just loses it!! He is screaming through the store, "This is MY RACE CAR....GET THE BABY OUT!!! " He truly never stops...I am stared at through the entire store!!! One kind lady walks up and says, "Mam you seem to have your hands full!" I say, "No MAM, this is my day off....my other three are in school today!" :) She didn't quite know what to say!! :)

*** So......yes, we're a NORMAL family if you were wondering!!! And, I hope to always reflect that from time to time!!! :) Happy Saturday to you all, kj

More Awesome Shout Outs!!! (The Easter Bunny Came)

Well, i've got MORE awesome things to share with yall today...



1. FIRST...look what just arrived from the Easter Bunny for my kid's Easter Baskets: (not these actual towels...mine I ordered are in the storage room hiding from 5 little ones :) Yes, the Easter Bunny is actually planning ahead this year (yes, sometimes i scare myself) and there won't be any last minute runs to Walmart to get the baskets filled!!!! http://www.cheathamchat.blogspot.com/ is selling embroidered BEACH TOWELS to help raise money for their Ethiopian Adoption!!! And, since we are leaving for the beach shortly after Easter morning...I thought it would be perfect for the Easter Bunny to leave a "beach themed" basket this year!!! So, each of my 5 kiddos has a new beach towel to go in their basket thanks to the Cheatham Family Adoption Fundraiser!!! They just arrived and they are SOOO CUTE!!! And, it helped some one's adoption...you can't get any better than that!!! :)



#2. Meet the Stutzman Family!! They are a fellow AGCI family:

They are selling these GREAT tshirts for their adoption: below is front of shirt... Above, is the back of the shirt!!! Check out their blog: http://www.adamandamberstutzman.blogspot.com/ to order yourself one!! And, hey...if this family with 5 kids already can adopt....can't we all!!! :)

3. I SOOOOO heart the raffle contest my friend Kim is having at her blog right now!! Yall KNOW my addiction to Adoption/Orphan tshirt...well, Kim came up with the brilliant idea to package up ALL these goodies and raffle them off TOGETHER!! So, yes, you enter her contest..and then you will be entered to win ALL THESE Tshirts!! Wow, that would be my tshirt dream come true!! LOL So, check out her blog for all the details and to ENTER...and IF you already have some of these t's, think of the people you could surprise and bless by gifting them with ONE of them!! :) Her blog is http://www.embracingtheleastofthese.blogspot.com/

4. Michelle from http://www.michellemckinney.blogspot.com/ or http://www.lifeabitsweeter.blogspot.com/ has new countries ready for her pendant tile necklaces she is selling for her adoption fundraiser!! They look awesome...check them out:

5. And, there is a contest going on at the Poppy Dip site too!!! You'll have to check it out!! I entered, especially since I LOVE Poppy Dip and I'd enter anything to get a chance to get some of her stuff!!! You can read all about it at www.itspoppydipblog.blogspot.com

****That's all folks!!! Enjoy clicking around!!! And, as always, thank you for supporting all these wonderful families in their efforts to raise their adoption funds!!!

Happy Friday to you all, kj

My Target Totally Cool God Story....

Yes, God never ceases to AMAZE me....He will even use a place like TARGET to spread the word of ADOPTION!!! I've shared my bowling alley story, my mall food court story, so this is my Target story......Here is my latest Cool God story:

**This story took place about a month ago when I made my beloved weekly trip to Target with the kids!! :) My sweet adorable LL was screaming her head off at me because we HAD to finally leave the toy section and I PUT BACK the ball she was holding (i know, how dare I :) Anyways, I round the corner to the Valentine Section (with LL still screaming) when this cute Mom comes up and says, "Are you Kristi?" I said, "Yes" She said smiling, "Oh, my Goodness, I've been on your blog for the last 24 hrs reading all about your adoption!" (i'm sure those weren't her exact words, but you get it...something along those lines :) We stand and chit chat adoption for the next good bit (I hand LL another toy to keep her happy....:) She tells me about her heart for adoption and how they are researching agencies and HOW they are really leaning towards TWO kids, etc. etc. She says she'll email me and on our way we went....

**Later on that afternoon I get this email:

"Kristi,

I just wanted to drop a note and say thanks for chatting with me in Target today. As I got in the car and reflected on our "not so chance meeting" a few things came to mind that I wanted to share. When I was doing my quiet time this morning I asked God to confirm to us that we are on the right track for this adoption and where He wants us to go. I also prayed that He would make it clear what agency we should use. After working out, I headed to Sam's and had intended to run to Walmart right after since it is just down the street. As I pulled out of the Sam's parking lot I went right instead of left. At first I was irritated with myself for not paying attention. I was trying to decide where to turn around when I thought, "Oh well, I will just go to Target since I am headed that direction anyway." So you see, I wasn't even planning to go to Target today. I know it was a total God thing. When I walked to the Valentine's department and saw you standing there I had to laugh. God never ceases to amaze me! I had been on your blog for the last 24 hours looking at pics, reading your story and everyone elses you had on there. I called my husband (who had also looked at some of your pics) and he was nearly in tears because we both knew that God was really working here."

***So, yes, God will even connect people and give people the "signs" they need at Target!! :) This family then came to our next Fellowship Group and are indeed wanting to adopt two children from Ethiopia...and well...last time I chatted with them they had an agency they were strongly leaning towards...so I need to email them again to get an update :) This kind of stuff just makes my day!! Praising God for this new family and for their faithfulness to listen to God's calling on their life! Welcome aboard R family!! And, I'll let all yall know when I hear they have a blog up and running...I'm sure it won't be long!! :)

When I asked her IF I could post her email and story....I LOVED her reply: "I hope we have many more stories to share before it is all over. That is what it is all about...obeying God and living the greatest most fulfilling adventure possible!!!" Amen!!! :) My new Target friends pictured below:

**Moral of the Story: Following God is SUCH A GOOD THING, An adorable screaming Ethiopian baby girl didn't scare this woman off from adoption, Target is good for other things than spending way more money than you ever intended, AND, I really should start showering before I leave the house if strangers are going to stop me and chat...but...hey...still can't be convinced yet that a shower with two babies staring at me and climbing in is worth it in the A.M. :)

**Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Cousin #15 Arrives Today....

Oh, MY...HOW I LOVE NEW BORN BABIES!!!!!! Today, my youngest sister, Karson, delivered her second son!! I wouldn't have missed it for anything....so I packed up my 3 younger kiddos (my two girls were at school..and my hubby graciously said he'd pick them up from school so I wouldn't have to rush back) and headed to KENTUCKY!!!!!!! If you are new around here....I come from a BIG CRAZY family...one of the reasons 5 little kids doesn't stress me...I grew up with it!! :) Above, you have the "4 sisters" last week taking my sister Karson out to eat BEFORE her big delivery day arrived today....I drove 2 1/2 hrs. last week to make this fun dinner, and all the laughs (and a few tears) made it SO worth it !!!! :) BUT, today was the big day we've been waiting for...the day Cousin #15 arrived for my kids!!! They were all so excited!!!

I had to wake my 2 sleeping babies to get them in the car early to make the scheduled c-section.....We started the day off pretty well.....We make it to the hospital in Kentucky on time...LL has a few chips for breakfast and we ALL anxiously await for Baby Drew to arrive.....

ABOVE, we have the 3 sisters waiting for our new nephew....I'm sporting my new http://www.longingforafrica.com/ tshirt....and my sister Kelly, in the middle, is sporting her new http://www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/ tshirt....just an fyi!!! My sister Kasey asked me if I could PLEASE wear something other than "orphan/adoption" tshirts every once in a while!!!!! Hmmmmmm, NO!!! I'm totally addicted to them!!! :)

ABOVE...here I am as things started going DOWN HILL FAST!!! My babies with NO good breakfast, NO SLEEP (they both were up a lot last night), and trapped in the hospital...were quickly falling apart...............as the above picture shows on their faces :)

If you can read the above sign, it says, "QUIET...NICU Babies sleeping"....Well, we quickly got asked to leave...our crew was bothering the babies.....IMAGINE THAT!!! :)

Finally, Baby Drew arrives (just in time before all "you know what" broke loose from my two little ones)......What a precious new born!!! He was only 6lb.s and 6oz., just a little peanut...but perfect!!! And, above you see big brother Braden looking on AND Proud Daddy holding his new son!!! OH, what a miracle moment!!! Yall would have to know me to know that I LOVE BEING PREGNANT!!! I love getting the first positive pregnancy test, I LOVE GAINING WEIGHT (I gained 80lbs. in my last pregnancy), I love being miserable and in pain the whole pregnancy from getting too big for my body frame, I love c-sections (seriously, never took one pain medication with any of my sections), AND, i love a wrinkled little squirmy new born!! I even love my stay in the hospital...I think it is all just so much fun!! I never experienced an ounce of "baby blues"...and always hit the ground running with my babies strapped to my big swollen body.....Oh, so much fun!!! See...that was WHY the adoption of LL was so easy for me....It was the BEST I ever looked or felt with a new baby in the house!!! Adoption is fabulous on the old figure, you know!!! :)

And, finally, Baby Drew made it to the nursery for some heat and rest!!! I left the hospital with a screaming (very loudly) one and two year old!!! You've never heard such chaos!!! BUT, the truth is...I even LOVE the toddler stage...They just had "enough" for the day..and needed a break away!! I don't blame them!! :) See....every stage of this game is a BLESSING...it is just up to US to see it that way!!! :)

FAVORITE COMMENT OF THE DAY: My newly 5 yr. old Hal said, "MOM, when Aunt Karson "adopts" her baby today...how old will he be??" Then once at the hospital Hal says looking in the window at the babies in the nursery, "MOM, LOOK, there's another adopted baby over there!" Isn't it great that there really IS NOT a difference to kids!!

***Welcome to the world Baby Drew....And, Happy Monday to you all, kj

Happy Spring!!! (and Easter Egg Tree Fun)

**Ok, so is today the first day of spring...or tomorrow?? Either way...Happy Spring Yall!!! :) We enjoyed getting our Easter Egg Tree ready AGAIN this year!! Our Jules (my MIL) always makes us the cutest eggs to hang on our little tree and the kids LOVE it!!!

The boys knew they could start hanging the eggs on the tree ONCE the girls got off the bus...so we all waited anxiously by the road for them to arrive.....

Above, we have LL staring and waiting for that bus to make that corner.....she gets so excited when she sees it coming (AND...just to plug my shirt ABOVE that I'm wearing...it is my sister Kelly's NEW WHITE Ordinary Hero tshirt that just came out...Her other ones were grey..and this one is fitted and white!! It says, "Change the World For ONE" I LOVE this new one!! It is very soft and a great fit!!!! You can order it by going to her site www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com )

The girls arrive and we get busy right away...Above, are ALL 5 of my kiddos decorating their little tree!! They had so much fun!!!

Above, we have my biggest girl sporting her new "PEACE" tshirt from http://www.teammarquis.blogspot.com/ They come in Youth sizes and my girls LOVED them!! All proceeds go to support their adoption from Ethiopia!!!

***A few more things going on this week that were brought to my attention are:

1. April from http://www.starkeyadoption.blogspot.com/ is having a GREAT RAFFLE right now!! For $5 bucks you can enter your name to win a basket filled with AMAZING things for Baby!! Gift certificates, toys, clothes, etc....you name it...that basket has it!!! I just entered my name...I know if I win..i have several friends that WOULD love that basket as their baby gift :) !!!! (and I had a GREAT picture of the basket to go with this....does anyone know WHY my computer is suddenly NOT allowing me to drag pics around anymore?? I've always dragged pics around my posts to get them where I wanted them...now it won't scroll down with the picture in hand...any computer genius people out there that knows WHY I suddenly can't do this...AND..it won't allow me to "copy and paste" into my blog either anymore...You know...I wanted to copy this GREAT email I received..BUT..it says I copied it...but it won't allow me to paste it in my blog post????? so frustrating :)

2. http://www.roomforonemorechild.org/ is headed to Nashville to run for the orphan in the Music City Marathon...They are one of the official Charities this year!!! How awesome is that!! I had a great pic of their shirt and stuff...but I can't get it anywhere but at the top of this post..Oh well..click their site to read all about it!!

3. And, I got GREAT shirts this week from:

http://www.toethiopiawego.blogspot.com/ , http://www.longingforafrica.com/ , http://www.campfunk.blogspot.com/ , and http://www.bringourangelhome.blogspot.com/ !!!! And, I had great pics of all the shirts to show ya...but I'll have to do them in another post when they can be AT THE TOP OF THE POST since my crazy computer won't allow me to DRAG a pic..ugggghhhhhh!! :) I have such a love/hate relationship going with my computer right now :) LOL !!!!

***Ok, so that's it for the night...My computer is making me more exhausted than I already was :)So...May your days be filled with Easter Egg Tree Fun!!! :) Happy Spring AND Happy Saturday to you all...kj

Oh, GIRL...You Are Such A Mess!! :)

Yes, my girly has STRUCK again...Her new trick is to get into the food pantry and bring us food constantly ASKING us to open it!! She had just HAD dinner..and she brought me a package of oatmeal and said, "OPEN"...I said, "No Lucy...you just ate a GREAT dinner..no oatmeal right now." Well..I turn around to keep doing the dishes...and turn back around to this: She shook the package OPEN!!!!!

She even did a little dance in it (while I grabbed the camera, of course :)She only stopped long enough to grab a bite or two....She was going to get her some oatmeal whether I made it or not..... :)

And, this is the face: "Am I in BIG trouble?? " :) How could I get mad at that face (or that oatmeal hair)?? :) LOL **GIRL...YOU ARE A MESS!!!!!

Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Happy 16 Months LL AND Happy 9 Months Home!! (and a shout out for a friend)

Wow, I can't believe that my LL is 16 Months old TODAY!! She has become such a toddler over night!! I don't know where the time has gone!! This also means that we've had Lucy Lane for 9 Months today!! It truly feels like she has always been with us....I can't remember the days with out her!!! Here is your monthly update on LL:

*LL is still a complete HAM!! She is very outgoing and funny with us...yet scared of strangers and 99.9% of the time wont' allow anyone to hold her BESIDES me or daddy!!

*LL is still a great eater and will eat almost anything you put in front of her!!

** LL LOVES our attention...and would seriously do just about anything to get the whole family laughing and staring at her!! She has realized that WE ALL think she is pretty cute, therefore, she performs for us ALL THE TIME!!

**Oh, those LL faces...She is completely animated!! The girl can make any face on demand and crack her self up doing it...She is simply FUNNY!!

**LL is also VERY dramatic over EVERYTHING!! She can make the worst face at you of disgust for NOT giving her exactly WHAT she wanted WHEN she wanted it!! She has that spoiled American Toddler thing down REALLY WELL!! We call her FEISTY and SASSY!! :) She truly makes us laugh at HOW mad she can get when you take something away from her (you know, like a dangerous knife from the dishwasher or something :) She is NOT afraid to GO AFTER what she wants!! She is determined!!! :)

**LL is SOOO affectionate and sweet with us!! She is a love bear, a cuddle bear and seriously would LIVE on my hip if I let her (or didn't have 4 other kids)...She LOVES her Momma and I LOVE IT!! :)

****My thoughts on ADOPTION after 9 months: Well, I wish I had something "negative" to say to SOUND more believable...BUT....we seriously think this has been the easiest thing we've EVER DONE!! Now "the wait" was excruciating...but LL in my arms for 9 months has been heavenly!! We praise God for HOW NORMAL she is!! She is seriously a normal and happy baby girl, and she is mostly easy and easy going too!! I completely understand that EVERY child is different whether birthed or adopted, AND every family unit is different too...so mesh all that together and you get LOTS of different outcomes...BUT FOR US....LL coming into our family has been a breeze!! I just attached her to my body and NEVER put her down...simply that!! :) We bonded quickly and the entire family is BETTER because of our adoption of LL!! We are stronger in faith, stronger in our love for one another, and completely changed forever because of the LOVE and RESPECT we now have for another culture and country!! I'll forever PRAISE GOD and thank HIM for laying this on our heart!! To think I could have missed out on it MAKES ME WANT TO CRY!! :)

AND...I'll end tonight with a few pics of LL's latest happenings:

My crazy girl LOVES wearing our mixing bowls on her head...She seriously tries to walk around with them on her head and walks right into the cabinets!! She thinks she is so funny!!

LL loves staring at her self in the mirror...she'll even make faces at herself...ABOVE, she is saying, "Well , hey there Good Lookin!! " And, she can't resist kissing herself...She is quite the FAN of herself!! :)

And, LL is adventurous and into CLIMBING on everything!! The girl is hilarious and we are so thankful for this precious little Angel...even if I'm chasing her everywhere and saving her life about 10X a day from climbing on top of high objects :) !!

**Happy 16 Months LL and Happy 9 Months home!! We love you SOOO much!!!

Happy Monday to you all, kj

PS...A big shout out to my long time church friend Stephanie who is trying to raise money through our church's "pay it forward" campaign!! Her hubby is a college basketball coach...so how fitting that she'd raise money through a College Basketball Bracket...You can check it out here : www.hopethruhoops.blogspot.com ALL PROCEEDS go to support orphans in the Dominican Republic!! Way to go Stephanie...you're speaking right to my heart!! :)

We Have Some Winners (and Ethiopian Air-Conditioning)

Hi All!!! We have some winners!! I had SO MUCH fun with this give away AND I thank Michelle SO MUCH for allowing me to be a tiny part of it!! Now that our adoption is complete (well, at least our first one :) I want nothing more than to help other adoptive families meet those financial goals!! I can't promise it will ALWAYS help, but I'm always willing to give it a try!! (and an fyi..if you've asked me ever to help ya and I didn't get back with ya...ask again, because I'm completely disorganized and VERY scattered and sleep deprived...so I promise you weren't ignored on purpose :)



**So, with out any further ado...here are our winners tonight: (3 names were drawn at random)



1. Jill from http://www.rossfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/ Ok, so it is amazing HOW you think you are "blessing" someone else by giving them something FREE....BUT I was so blessed by going to this blog tonight and watching their VIDEO at the top of their adoption blog!! They have 4 adorable boys and are home with their Ethiopian baby girl now!! They just got home in Jan. and their video made me cry!! You gotta go check it out!! Congrats Ross family and thank you for blessing and inspiring ME tonight!!



2. http://www.teammarquis.blogspot.com/ This is a family adopting from Ethiopia currently!! They have three cutie kids already and are excited about becoming a family of 6!! They have a big heart and big dreams for their future child!! Such a sweet family...check them out! (oh, and i recently bought my 2 older girls their "Africa Peace Sign" tshirts in youth sizes!! I'll be sure to take a pic when they wear them this week.)



3. Meredith from http://www.meredith-brooks.blogspot.com/ This adorable girl has a HEART for Uganda!! She has returned recentely from a Mission Trip to Uganda where she was soul searching...She has returned with the desire to open an adoption program to teach the world about adopting HIV/AIDS orphans!! Her heart was touched by an infant with HIV in Uganda...you can read all about it by visiting her blog!! Her story so reminded me of the tshirt Michelle is selling: "I need Africa more than Africa needs me" SO TRUE!!!



***Congrats to you THREE....BUT A HUGE THANK YOU to YOU ALL for playing and leaving such sweet wonderful comments!! I know you blessed the socks off of Michelle!! You THREE need to email Michelle with your prize of choice and your address so she can mail these prizes to you!! You can email her at michelle365@me.com !! And, the rest of you can put your orders in for those awesome Glass Tile Pendants or her Tshirt by visiting her fundraiser blog at www.michellemckinney.blogspot.com I truly thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and know by placing an order, you are truly helping another family bring home their Ethiopian daughter...one necklace and tshirt at a time :)





***Ok, so WHY the title "Ethiopian Air-Conditioning"??? Because my Little Ethiopian Princess is quite obsessed with sitting and enjoying the cool air coming from the fridge!! Once again, some little person in our home left the refrigerator door OPEN and this is where I found LL........

She not ONLY seems to enjoy the COOL AIR, but she loves all the treats she finds in reach!!! Her favorite for this day would be the WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS!!! Wouldn't she make a GREAT "Nestle" commercial?? :)

OOPS....we dropped some...No worries....she'll pick every one of them up and eat them anyways!! You know, 5 second rule!!! :) above is the one leg in and one leg out look!!!

AND, finally..I never could get her to crack a smile at me...just being serious about eating her white chocolate chips!!! She knew she was on "borrowed time"..and someone would SURELY be removing her from her VERY FAVORITE spot VERY SOON!!! So, no smiles...just eating them as quickly as she could!! :) Funny girl!!!

***Thank you all again for playing and supporting Michelle and her family!!! You all are some wonderfully supportive and generous people!! Happy Sunday to you all, kj