Updates and Praises on Diapers and My Sweet Wes....

Wow...is all that I can say when it comes to ALL the amazing diapers that KEEP pouring in...I've gotten 10 more boxes in the last couple of days!!! Check out my most recent stash:Thank you: Belinda from MS, Rayna from Pennsylvania, Ginger and daughter jessica, Katherine E., May and Company from MS, Erika and Tim from FL. , Kayce in Lenoir City, TN, Alison from MS, Emily F. from MS, and a "no name" from Kansas!! AND...there are others that arrive with no names...SO IF THAT'S YOU..then THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!!!!

Praise God!!! I'm just blown away by people's generous, giving hearts for this blog project!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! It's unbelievable to think about HOW many babes of Ethiopia will have FRESH clean cloth diapers VERY SOON!!! I have 3-4 traveling families for both LL's orphanage and Wes's orphanage...all traveling in the next month!!! So, I'll be giving them AS MANY diapers as they can take!!! So excited!! This turned out WAY bigger than I ever planned..and isn't that just the story of my life, of everyone's life!! I NEVER can predict ALL that God has in store!! No one can...Just so thankful to be following HIS PATH!!

***Soooo...one MORE BIG THING IN THE WORKS...Can't blog about it yet....but God wasn't DONE working MIRACLES through my last trip... Some amazing people have been INSPIRED by the thousands of children and adults that MUST WALK for 8 hrs. a day or more for water in LL's family's village ....and...well... THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY!! Still working out details..and well...I don't know HOW or WHAT God has in store here...but I've learned it is ALWAYS way bigger and greater than my tiny mind could have EVER imagined!! So, Stay tuned in the next few weeks, months for some exciting updates on THAT SUBJECT!!! :)

AND....FINALLY...I got some GREAT news on our little guy over the weekend!! All last week there was talk of WHETHER or NOT they'd have to put him back in the hospital...Travelers that would visit with him WERE VERY WORRIED about how he was doing!! Most just worried he wasn't gaining weight fast enough....and looked like he should be hospitalized!! So, this momma didn't sleep for about a week or two WORRYING about my little man...I would STAY up late and pray for him every time I thought about it...then I'd wake in the night with him on my mind and pray again!!! And, every prayer was, "Lord, just let him survive!!" Then finally on Friday, they weighed him again and I got new pictures from a traveling friend of mine there..and IT WAS GOOD NEWS!! HE had gone from an 8 lb. one year old....to 13 lbs when they weighed him on Friday...So, that means he had gained OVER half of his body weight!! He had gained 5 lbs in a two to three week period!!! Praise God...Praise God!!! Seriously...i've got NEW wrinkles from this boy already!! :) He's got me on my knees with the Lord...and I know that's right where God wants me!! :) So, NO more hospital for now..yayyy!! He's getting what he needs!! And, the new pics of him looked like a more alert, growing boy!! So excited..and so excited that my friend Beth got to meet him:
My local friend, Beth, that i've known for a few years now..is adopting twin girls through our same agency and passed court this passed week!! Yayyyyy!! And, she ran over to visit with my boy for a while...So excited she got to love on him:
He's doing a good job holding his bottle and i'm pretty sure they're giving him bottles around the clock...(I joked with the director that they must be filled with Lard...ha) He's in wonderful hands in CCI's transition home..and I'm so thankful for all their constant hard work AROUND the clock to nurse him back to health!! These are some wonderful, loving people caring for my boy!!!
**And, after Friday's good news...well..I felt I could finally sleep (and yall know I only sleep a few hours a night anyways..so being up all night during those few hours...left me dragging last week :) So, I feel VERY blessed to have this little guy in our life..even if he's still across the world!! He's a wonderful blessing that's ALREADY teaching me lessons in FAITH, TRUST and HOPE!! The adoption journey is definitely a spiritual journey!! We love you little Wes..and can't wait to have you home some day!!! :) Oh, and all my paper work reached Ethiopia..the dossier didn't need ANY changes...Yayyyy.....and praying we'll be submitted to court soon!! Will keep you updated...Happy Monday to you all, kj

Happy 9th Birthday to My Oldest Babe!!!

I just can't believe my first born is 9 YEARS OLD!!! Yes, my sweet little girl that MADE ME A MOMMA....turned 9 yesterday on the 28th!!! Oh, she's growing up way too fast....It seems like yesterday she was this baby girl that I LOVED to dress up:Oh, we just thought she was the BEST thing in this world!!! And, when she was only still 1, her beloved baby sister arrived...and she took on the role of her life: responsible big sister:
And, TODAY, she is still that same girl!! She's the BEST big sister to ALMOST 5 little siblings you've ever seen...She'll even wake in the morning and start fixing the "little" kid's breakfast...We tell her NOT to do it..that's OUR job..and yet, she insists SHE LIKES TO!!!! :) She's a wonderful, first born that is a natural leader, responsible, sensible, calm, and sweet...And, here is my 9 year old YESTERDAY on her bday:
We're going "low key" on the bday parties for 2011...so instead of a big bash at home like we normally do...We just took all our crew and a few of helen's friends out for movie and pizza...and it was a perfect night!!! And, pictured above, I took Helen to Target one night this past week for a little "bday date night" with Mom and she picked out her "special" bday outfit!!! :) The girl has some style!!!!! :)

**The movie was fun....It was Yogi Bear in 3D...and my sister kasey got to join us too with her two kiddos:
George and Lucy Lane are completely "nutty" in the movie theater...Neither one of them at the ages of 2 and 3 can sit through the entire show...and well....LL can only make it about 5 minutes without having to jump around...
LL just didn't know what to think about the 3D glasses:

She was truly "screaming" at the top of her lungs with excitement...She LOVED the movie..... funny girl.....
then we hit the local pizza spot...Oh, and Cousin Nathan was with us too...This is my sister Kelly's son from Ethiopia (for anyone new around here :) ...
Cousin Haiden and my Julia are always best buds...
And, here's Helen with her "cookie cake" she requested...Oh, they LOVE these things...but I miss the "REAL" cake:
And, we dropped the friends back at their home on the way back home..and we called it a bday night!! :) It was fun and easy and simple!!! And, all the kids had fun!!

**And, finally...to my Helen: We all love you SO much and are SO blessed to have you in our lives!! This world is a better place because you are in it!! Your sweet, quiet, reserved, peaceful, kind spirit SHINES through every where you go!! People naturally LOVE you and that's because you are beautiful on the inside and out!! God has BIG plans for you Helen...you are simply a beautiful child of God!! Happy 9th bday...Oh, and here is my big girl TODAY....at 9 years and 1 day old:
She's a SPORTS girl...she says she's NOT a "girly" girl (what ever that means :) I won't tell anyone then that we had to take your fancy earrings out before your game today cause the refs won't let you wear them during the game!! hee hee!! :)

**Oh, and ONE last thing that makes "helen" WHO SHE IS....Her favorite thing in this world is ART!!! Yes, she loves sports, and cooking, and shopping with Mom for clothes.....but ART holds her heart!!! She's the type of child that "chooses" to sit with her sketch pad at recess INSTEAD of playing!!! I know...she didn't get this from me...I would have been afraid I'd miss out on a great conversation IF I sat away from the crowd :) LOL We love you Helen because You are UNIQUE and because you are YOU!!! :) Happy Saturday to you all, kj

What's Lucy Lane Been Up To???...Well...Let me Show ya...

I've blogged LOTS lately about my trip to Ethiopia, diapers, and Wes..So, I thought it was time for an LL update...Here goes:

***My Lucy Lane is still a little "nut"!! She's one of funniest children I've EVER been around..She still keeps us all laughing ALL the time!!! You just can't help but laugh at her cause she's SILLY with a capital "S" ALL THE TIME!! :) So, this is what she's been up to:
Lucy Lane turned two in November....Her favorite thing is swinging...She'd swing all day if she could....and we caught a warm day in early January and hit the zoo...She NEVER wants to get off the swing....Oh, and play dates are always fun too...cause she and Georgie are seriously like twins all the time:LL's hair is growing like crazy...and yes, the above pic looks a little "crazier" than normal...but it's just the light shining on it...but isn't it getting long? love it!!!!

*We've had lots of snow days which means her brother and sisters have been out of school LOTS and dressing her up:

And, LL LOVES for them to dress her up in THEIR clothes (above)...but she won't be caught dead in a DRESS UP DRESS:She just can't stand dress up dresses!!! She rips and pulls and fights you the entire time you're trying to get it on her...So, my 7 yr. old julia put this Dora dress on her (above) and as you can see...she didn't enjoy it a bit!! so funny...

***She's absolutely obsessed with electronics lately...Her favorite being my I PHONE:
She says, "Momma, I want your I phone!!" I say, "lucy Lane...two year olds shouldn't even know what an I PHONE is!!!" LOL

*she loves stickers and covers our house in them:

She steals my phone every chance she gets...Seriously, i pray she doesn't even see me pull it out...cause it's SCREAMING for my phone until I give in!! :) And, man, she can play some games!! She's got them all figured out!! Have I mentioned HOW brilliant I think she is?? Yes, she's a smarty pants!!! :)

She loves Thomas the Train..and will do anything for Thomas..She knows all the characters and calls each train by name...She also loves reading any books:
She's the BEST little two year old eater you've ever met..She loves ALL foods...Here she said, "Momma, I LOVE hummus!!" And, did I mention that she talks like she's about 5!! She talks non stop 24 hrs. a day!! She says the funniest things we've ever heard...She's a chatter box that never stops!!
She says, "look momma...I make my mean face!" and cracks up laughing!! A total HAM...
She dances and sings all the time...her favorite song we hear non stop is "jingle bells" She turns every fork and spoon into a micro phone and stands in her chair and puts on a show for everyone...
She's totally 110 % obessessed with band aids...She constantly says, "Momma, I got a boo boo..I need a band aid!!! " (in the countriest voice you've ever heard) She's also obsessed with medicine...she's constantly saying, "momma, I''m sick..I need some medicine!! "
She loves to draw and do arts and crafts with the big kids:
She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES stuffed animals right now:
She runs around collecting them and puts them all in her bed....funny girl!! She's a fantastic sleeper now too!!! She goes to bed smiling and doesn't wake for 12 hrs and gets up smiling and talking!!! So amazing!!!

Ok, so what else..Hmmmmm: She never wants to wear shoes and has ONE favorite pair of pj's!! She wants to pick out her own clothes and bows too each day!! She has to pick out her own cups for milk and SCREAMS in the car if she doesn't get the movie she wants!! Yes, she's only slightly spoiled!! LOL But we love every little spoiled hair on her body!! Lately she only wants to watch Cars movie in the car..and well..the other 4 are very sick of Cars...so we change it..and ya know LL doesn't miss ANYTHING..I swear she watches my hand to see IF I'll take the movie out....and no one else will even notice and she's screaming, "CARS!!!!!!! " the rest of the way home!!!:)
Oh, and, above, she can play the big kid's DS game thing better than anything I've ever seen...She totally figured it out too!! :)

**So, some favorite phrases: Today, she wouldn't put on her shoes to go into the elementary school to see the big kids...She Says, "NO shoes for lucy Lane!! " I say, " lucy, you HAVE to wear shoes in the school" and she's kicking one off as I put the other on...I"m sure someone is enjoying this funny scene outside the front door of the school. :) Finally I WIN...shoes are on..I say: "Now Lucy Lane...you be a nice girl and keep those shoes on!!" She says, "No momma , YOU be a nice girl and keep YOUR shoes on!! " Ok, seriously..and she wrinkles up that face when she says stuff like that!! I have to turn so she doesn't see me laughing!! She's just a trip!!! :) And, we enter the building and she's a ROCK STAR there!! All my kid's friends go home and ask their parents, "Why can't we adopt like THEY are??" I especially love it when the kids ASK their parents in front of me and the parents just dont' know QUITE what to say!! :) ha

****Ok, so that's it...As you can see..we just think LL hung the moon!!! She's growing up TOO fast and has been home now OVER a year and a half....Oh, and we just all think she's the best thing since sliced bread!! :)

Gotta run and open diaper boxes...got 8 NEW BOXES OF DIAPERS TODAY!!! Can't wait to check them out...thanks everyone...It's a blessing to receive these cute little suckers EVERY DAY!! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! Ok, I'm out of steam!! :) Happy Thursday to you all, kj

Sorry...I just had to try one on her....

Ok, YES...I gave in to the PRESSURE....Lucy Lane's wearing a CLOTH DIAPER!! LOL NO..really..I just thought this last batch of diapers that arrived were SO cute that I decided LL MUST try one on to see HOW they fit and HOW cute they are on her......And, I begged her NOT to go "potty" in them..and I washed it AGAIN before putting it away (i promise :)...BUT...these adorable cloth diapers arrived..and well..they were so fancy and cute with all the bright colors and patterns...I thought LL must try one on!!! SO, DID LL LIKE HER NEW FANCY PANTS?? Well, NOT REALLY..She wanted them off...but I explained that it was just a "fancy" diaper..and then she was ok with wearing it for some pics for me...Well. she got to play with brother's light saver thing too!! Bribery always works with LL!! :)
And, while she was FULL of her FAMOUS funny faces..and BUSY thinking she was the funniest, toughest child ever put on this planet...I snapped a few pics of her wearing a cloth diaper... PLUS she wore her NEW TSHIRT to show off for yall too!!! Cause ya know...Little Miss LLM is gonna be a GREAT big sister to her little Wes:
Well, we'll have to make sure she doesn't whack him with this life saver thing SINCE she thinks doing that is the FUNNIEST thing she EVER DID..and well...since he's the size of her little pinky finger...we'll have to make sure she's not sitting on him either SINCE she also LOVES to run and jump on all her siblings!!! :)
So, here's the back view of a trendy little cloth diaper...Aren't they cute:
And, here's HOW they arrived...Aren't they too cute..with notes and instructions and all...(and ignore those Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in the background...Do cloth diapering Momma's LOVE Krispy Kremes as much as us Pampers using Mommas?? The chocolate covered sprinkle ones heated in the microwave for 8 seconds are awfully yummy :)
Thank you Jessica from MD for sending us these diapers for the babies of Ethiopia..and thank you also for inspiring my post tonight :) !!! And, thank you to the TWO people that also ordered them on line and had them shipped to me too!! I got TWO brand new orders of DOZENS of prefolds!! There was no specific name that it was from...so to WHOEVER ordered and sent those...thanks a million!! Way too kind and generous of you all!!! There hasn't been ONE day yet where an order didn't show up!! Praising God for every single one of them!! And, fyi..I got my first two boxes handed over to a traveler headed to Hannah's Hope on Tuesday!!! And, I have my first stash ready to head to Ethiopia for Wes's orphanage too!! So excited about this!! Both of my children's orphanages are gonna be stocked with cloth diapers!! yayyyyy

**Ok, so thanks a million to you all!! And Lucy Lane thanks you too for allowing her to WEAR her first EVER cloth diaper!! LOL Happy Sunday to you all, kj

My Wes Update with a Neat History...

Well, I'm so thankful HOW well our agency keeps us updated on our kiddos...It really helps that our director goes to ETHIOPIA almost EVERY month to personally check on things..which allows for great pics and videos... BUT ...I have a REALLY cool connection with one of the families that just traveled for court and they got to LOVE on my boy for me...AND..they sent some GREAT pics that i'll cherish FOREVER...BUT...before I share the pics...let me tell you our NEAT HISTORY...SO:

My friend Tara (from www.tara-theolivetree.blogspot.com ) and I were AGCI (my first agency for LL) PEEPS together!! She was adopting a toddler girl..and I was adopting a baby girl: Miss LLM!!! We followed each other's blog and ended up in the SAME travel group!! I was so excited to finally get to meet Tara..when...at the last minute...the U.S. Embassy wouldn't allow her to travel for the new "TB testing" reasons!! So, AT THE LAST MINUTE...they couldn't leave and were postponed..I was so sad for her...our entire travel group was sad for them!! But..I got to meet and play with her daughter while I was there..and she was ADORABLE!!! And, I got pics and such of her too!!! Well, they eventually got cleared (their daughter never had TB after all) and picked up their daughter!! I was able to finally meet my "almost" travel buddy this summer at the AGCI picnic:
Now...over a year later (pictured above)....my daughter was the "toddler" and her daughter was turning into a beautiful young girl!! And...I snapped this pic cause I thought it was wonderful that our girls were "back together" again..since they'd once been at HH together..and they were even holding hands in the pic!!! :)

**Ok, so fast forward to this fall/winter...I hear Tara has signed and taken two children off the "wait list" with a NEW agency!! And, what do ya know..I'm traveling over in December WITH THE VERY AGENCY SHE HAS SIGNED WITH!!! I realize once again that I'll be meeting HER CHILDREN BEFORE SHE DOES!!! And, that's just what happened!! I first met her new son...and oh, I LOVED him!! He was so round and smiley and happy!! He was a doll baby...AND..he was in my Wes's southern orphanage...So...Tara's son was hitching a ride with us for the 7 hr. drive back to the city...and I GOT TO HOLD HIM THE ENTIRE WAY:
He's actually the guy dressed in hot pink (above) ...and my sister Kelly takes and holds the little gal in purple for the ride...So, Tara's son and I laughed and slept and smiled and played for 7 hrs. to the city!! He was just awesome!!! So, then...we went to the transition home in the city where I met Tara's new daughter: Yes, i got to give her her gifts from her new parents..and this girl was seriously the happiest, cutest most adorable little girl ever!! You couldn't get the smile off her face!! She loved all her new presents and was so excited over every new thing!! PRECIOUS!! Then..the best part: I got to hand this little girl her NEW brother and witness as they explained to her that THIS little guy would be her NEW brother!!! They would be adopted together!! I'll NEVER forget the JOY on her face when she realized SHE HAD A FAMILY ALREADY RIGHT THERE WITH HER NEW LITTLE BROTHER!! She was NO LONGER alone!! She had this little guy to share this adventure with! She could visit him upstairs in the baby rooms and spend time with him if she wanted!! Her happiness and instant love for him is something I'LL NEVER FORGET!!! She must have kissed him a hundred times!! :)

**Well, as ya know...we came back home and started the process for our little guy that was a "waiting child" too!! And, this time it was my friend Tara's turn to hug and love on MY kiddo while I sat back home....and that is just what she did!! She's been sending me updates on Wes from Ethiopia while she was there for her court date this week!! They passed court for their precious two!! Praise God!! and she also spent numerous days visiting and loving on my Wes!! She told me HOW WELL HE WAS BEING TAKEN CARE OF!! How wonderful his nanny is and that she sleeps next to him at night! She said he has a little window behind his bed and, of course, how SWEET HE IS!! :) I'm so thankful for these updates and ESPECIALLY the pics...I get to see HOW his hair is growing and what his little bed looks like!! All so wonderful!! So, thank you Tara...I know he's in good hands..and I appreciate you hugging and loving on him...Here's a few of her pics:

And, this is my friend Tara:

So awesome!!! thanks again Tara!! It's so much fun to be able to share this crazy road together FOR BOTH of our Ethiopian Adoptions!! Who would have thought that we'd have shared the exact same journey!! So neat!!!

**And, we got our son's CITY medicals this week TOO! I praised God and thanked Him LOTS to learn NOTHING NEW in my boy's medicals!! Everything in there was STUFF we already knew!! Praise God...NOTHING new was found!! But, the report was a very sad little report anyways!! I, obviously won't share his details...but...it was hard for a Momma to hear the adjectives that describe your child...even if I already KNEW THEM ALL!! I just hurt for him and if I even let my mind GO to thinking about what his first year of life was like....I could cry!! For some perspective: He's over a year old..and is smaller than TWO of my children AT BIRTH!! And, I only share this SO YOU'LL remember him in your prayers...cause he has a long road ahead!! And, we LOVE him SOO much and can't wait to WALK that long road with him...I'm just feeling so blessed that God has called me to be HIS MOMMA!! He's one little boy that has a HUGE future and purpose...and I know God spared his life for a reason...because 1 in 10 children in Ethiopia NEVER make it to their first bdays..and he could have VERY easily been ONE OF THEM!! He's our little MIRACLE and I'll praise God each and every day for his precious LIFE!!! And, I KNOW God worked through our agency to save our son!! I'll forever be grateful to CCI for getting our son the care he needed and getting him back on the road to RECOVERY!!! THANK YOU!!!

**Ok, I'm out of steam..I was gonna tell ya about all the diapers coming in..but more on that soon!!! I'm a tired Momma ! :) I'll leave ya with a cool video i found though ... Happy Friday to you all, kj

Wow...Cloth Diapers ARE Pouring In...(and update on Wes)

Wow, wow, wow!!! I can't tell you HOW excited I am to be receiving SO many cloth diapers!! And, I can't thank you ALL enough!! I'm a Momma and I know these little jewels are SENTIMENTAL to you all...and I'm so grateful that you guys are willing to donate these cute little soft things!! :) So, check it out:diapers and more diapers...and this is just day ONE...
I love that people I've never even met stick little notes inside and EXPLAIN what each thing is and HOW it can be used...so sweet...

Really...these little things are SO CUTE...I just keep imagining all the cute Ethiopian behinds that will be wearing them:
So, far..thanks to Katey in OH, Cara in PA, and Lindsay in SC...and thanks to all my local gals too...Yall ALL ROCK!!! Seriously...yall rock some serious CLOTH DIAPERS!! :)
I'll continue to keep you all posted as my home gets FILLED with diapers...the kids LOVE helping me open the boxes...I think they are more excited about this project than I am......

****And, UPDATE ON WES: Well, I got two updates on him yesterday....and well, I'm waiting on a new pic to arrive..then I'll share those GREAT updates....but for now I'm Praising God for the words of one of his nannies, "We think he is improving!" That's music to a Momma's ears!! :) And, look at this:

Yes, this is ME kissing my dossier GOODBYE!! I've worked many midnight hours on this sucker..and well...I've been sitting on it completed for a couple of weeks just WAITING on my homestudy to have some revisions made (just the way this story goes...Adoption is about "waiting"!! ) And, well...I sent it ALL off with my hubby this morning...He's getting state and county seals on it...THEN heading to the post office to mail it OFF!! Yayyyy...well...it might actually get mailed tomorrow due to my hubby's work meetings...but I'll forgive him...someone's got to make money to pay for this adoption!! :) So...either way..it's out of MY hands..and I'm rejoicing!!!!

**More updates on Wes soon...can't wait to see some new pics that are on their way :) Happy Thursday to you all, kj