Our Family Advocating for the Orphan

A Beautiful Gotcha Day Video....And...C4C...

2012-01-25T19:52:00.001-08:00

Love this family and THEIR Gotcha Day video that just came out!! Beyond precious...So thankful I've gotten the chance to meet them...watch and enjoy!!! :) Oh, and BTW...headed to C4C Retreat in a couple of days....who else will be joining me??!! So excited for a wonderful weekend ahead!!! :) Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Jada's Adoption Story from Longing for Africa on Vimeo.

Ordinary Hero....2011

2011-12-30T20:38:00.000-08:00

2011....an amazing year for Ordinary Hero...I'm so proud of my big sister, Kelly, who runs this amazing organization!!! She just came out with this video looking back at 2011.... Enjoy!!! And, visit www.ordinaryhero.org to see what it's all about.....

Happy Friday to you all, kj

Ordinary Hero ~ Ethiopia 2011~ We Won't Forget from Kelly Putty on Vimeo.

Christmas 2011...So blessed!!!!

2011-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

We were ALL so blessed to have our FIRST Christmas with Wes Paulos this year.....LAST year I had just arrived home from Africa in time for Christmas....My heart ached for the starving, sick little boy I'd left behind...BUT...this Christmas, Wes is HOME and he enjoyed opening his FIRST Christmas present EVER:

Oh, he's SO CUTE.......I just Praised God this Christmas for the miracle of our new son and the fact that we have 6 little LOVES that make Christmas completely MAGICAL..... CAUSE 3 LITTLE BOYS:AND, 3 LITTLE GIRLS:EQUALS.... ONE VERY HAPPY family this year.....

We are indeed SO BLESSED!!!!!!

(ages this Christmas 2011: 9,8,6,4,3 and 1)

And, from this VERY smothered in babies Momma.....

I Pray you all had a VERY Merry Blessed Christmas!!!! (pic taken last night from our family Christmas party...cracks me up....so represents my life right now...always on the floor covered in babies!!! LOL) Happy Monday to you all, kj

A Year Ago Today...

2011-12-12T20:53:00.001-08:00

A year ago today, I walked into a remote orphanage in Ethiopia and saw my son for the first time.... He sat starving at only 7 lbs., covered in waste and flies, unable to smile, and in need of a life saving surgery to survive....I painfully left him there and promised I would return for him.....I prayed every day that he would SURVIVE until i could return to bring him home....One YEAR LATER exactly TODAY... He weighed 25 lbs at his Dr. appt this morning, he's a healthy, active post op toddler boy who has NOW been home over 7 months....And, our Cranio Surgeon says he doesn't have to see us back for 1 year!!!! yayyyyyyy!! His surgeries have been a success and we are celebrating here today for this LITTLE MIRACLE that i met one year ago TODAY!!! We love you more than words could ever express Wes Paulos!! I can't imagine my world with out YOU IN IT!!!! You bring me pure happiness each and every day!! Happy 1 year Meetcha Day!! :) And, Happy Monday to you all, kj

Oh.....Soooo Cute!!! :)

2011-12-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

I so LOVE the new VERY SOFT long sleeve Kid's Ordinary Hero Tshirt..... I had to grab one for ALL 6 of my kiddos...BUT...Wes was napping and the big 3 were at school...so it only left my 3 and 4 yr. old to model the new shirts for me....Check them out:

Oh, they keep me on my toes...but...such CUTE craziness always going on at my house!!! :) LOL Grab ya a shirt too this season at www.ordinaryhero.org .....Ya gotta find the store on the site somewhere i'm guessing!!!! :) Just had to share...Merry, Merry to you all...and Happy Saturday to you all too ,kj

Teddy Made It HOME!!!!!!!

2011-11-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

The airport homecoming for my nephew, Teddy, last night was just a MIRACLE!! Oh, how i love airport homecomings...The only thing better about an airport homecoming is when it is YOUR OWN FAMILY COMING HOME!!! So much fun...my 6 kiddos were just BEYOND excited as we waited:He arrives and there is NO room for the boy to even breathe...he's attacked by his brother and sister and cousins RIGHT AWAY...and he handled it all so well...like he'd been waiting a million years for this day:

All 4 sisters posing for a pic:

I've met Teddy while in Ethiopia on two of my trips...it was so great holding this little love again...He's so tiny for a 4 year old:

My Julia couldn't wait for HER turn to hold him:

Wes apologizing to Teddy for getting HOME so much sooner than he did....ha ha...just kidding :)....
3 sisters with our 4 Ethiopian Children....God willing...I think we're ALL DONE growing our families.....
Miss Lucy Lane got tired of all the commotion over Cousin Teddy and took a little rest on Daddy:
Teddy and his Daddy.....Oh, that face (teddy's :) is just so cute:
And, here is the family of 5 now....Oh, we're all just so thankful that this long wait is over and they are ALL finally together...Praise the LORD!!!!!!
I cant' wait to kiss Teddy's little face again on Thursday..Oh, we ALL have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!!! Welcome home Teddy!! We all love you SO much and your ENTIRE family PRAISES GOD THAT YOU ARE FINALLY HOME!!! Happy Sunday to you all, kj

Happy 3rd Birthday Miss Lucy Lane!!!

2011-11-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

OHHHH!!!!! How is it that my sweet girl is now 3 years old!!?? Lucy Lane has now been home 2 1/2 years and today she turns 3 !!! Wow...time has certainly flown by!!!!I just had to say happy birthday to my sweet, adorable, fun, crazy, outgoing, funny, sassy, hilarious, dramatic, confident, lovable, CUTE, joyful, Lucy Lane!!! Our family would be just so boring without YOU Baby Girl!!! You are truly a BLESSING in each and every way!!!! :)
We love you SO MUCH and we thank God for you EACH DAY!!!

Happy Birthday Miss Lucy Lane and Happy Tuesday to you all!!! kj

Teddy is Coming HOME!!! They Got CLEARED!!

2011-11-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say PRAISE JESUS...The U.S. Embassy cleared my sister and her son...and MY NEPHEW IS COMING HOME!!!!!!

I'm sure she'll be on the NEXT FLIGHT OUT!!!!! So over the moon excited for them...and for our entire fam!! That will be 4 sweet, adorable, little Ethiopian Babes around the Thanksgiving table this year!! 3 sisters...4 children that now have a HUGE family that LOVES them more than words could ever express!!

Celebrating the Good News...All Praise Be To GOD!!! Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Orphan Sunday 2011....Never Forget...

2011-11-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

What a difference a year makes...This time last year on Orphan Sunday, I was praying my hubby would allow us to adopt for #6!! This year...our son has been home 6 months...Wow!! God answers prayers in big ways!! :) My sister just came out with this video today...so proud of what Ordinary Hero is doing...and what a GREAT video and message for Orphan Sunday...enjoy... happy Sunday to you all, kj (pause my music at bottom of page)

Ordinary Hero~ The Orphan from Kelly Putty on Vimeo.

Wes Goes To the Beach For the FIRST Time!!!

2011-10-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

Just a little update from us...We are all doing great...especially Wes....He got to visit the Beach for the first time over fall break and I just HAD to share some of the cuteness....He loved it....

*Seeing the beach for the first time:
*Touching the Sand for the first time:
And, LL has been to the beach a BUNCH...but she loves it and is so excited EVERY time:

Our sweet Wes continues to amaze us.... He's truly a gift from God and witnessing him on the beach for the first time was such a treat to us all:

He was never scared a bit...he loved the waves, the sand, the water, the fish...everything....
He's the happiest boy you'll ever meet:
Oh, and not to mention that he has a slight obsession with LL...He is constantly pulling on her curls...She doesn't quite appreciate the pulling of the curls :)
Wes discovered he LOVED Sprite out of a bottle:

My Sweet 3 boys.....
My precious 3 girls....
And, from us all....Hope you all had a blessed Fall Break!!!! It is our favorite time to hit the beach....
***Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Praise The LORD!!! They FINALLY Passed Court!!!!

2011-09-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

I heard the words our ENTIRE family has been waiting to hear TODAY: My sister has finally passed court for her sweet son!! Yes, a judge is working in Ethiopia right now....cause....they received the news today: It is official!! Teddy is THEIR son and MY PRECIOUS NEPHEW!!!! PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!!

Here is my sister at her court date on March 10th...she was able to visit my Wes Paulos and allow the first cousins to meet:

My hubby traveled for our court date in April..and he was able to visit with Teddy and AGAIN allow the cousins to hang.....

Every case is unique and we certainly never dreamed we'd be home in MAY with our Wes..and my sister has continued to WAIT as bumps continued to come up in her particular case....
My daughter Helen got to meet her first cousin Teddy when she traveled with me in May to pick up Wes....

This has been a long, hard road...but this precious boy is OH SO WORTH THE WAIT....

They will be submitted to the U.S. Embassy next....and we PRAY they find mercy on this sweet boy WHO has been waiting SO LONG....
*Thank you all for your prayers...thank you CCI for your endless work on this case...and THANK YOU LORD for answering our prayers and that this sweet boy is OFFICIALLY part of our family today!! What a glorious day!!

(most recent pic just sent to us above :) Happy Monday to you all, kj

How about a TINY, LIttle Update on my Bday...

2011-09-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, today I am 37!! I don't mind getting older..it is actually kind of fun!! :) Well...everything besides the wrinkles and gray hairs taking over my head.....LOL

***I promise, We are all doing GREAT...life is just UNBELIEVABLY CRAZY right now!! Wes learned how to climb on everything in ONE day and hasn't stopped... My other kids could take a tumble after climbing on the couch..and no big deal....Wes falls off the couch and it is an all day sit in the E.R. (which we have experienced :( He has climbed out of his crib and fallen and nearly given me a HEART ATTACK!!! So.... I've felt busy before.....I've felt chaos and pulled in many directions....THIS IS JUST A STEP ABOVE anything i've ever dealt with... Picture running/climbing toddler about to hurt himself at every turn..and 5 other YOUNG children looking at me and NEEDING me...And well...that's my day in a nut shell!!!!!! :) The crazy thing is.....I'd go through it ALL a million more times if I got to be the Momma to my 6 kiddos!! BUT...it leaves NO computer time anymore!! Wes also hasn't slept since his surgery...So, I'm up most of the night with him too...So...yes...challenging time... BUT my Sweet Wes is SO sweet and so darn cute that I'd do anything and give up anything to make sure he's safe...so that's what I've done!! I MUST focus on his safety and my other 5 kiddos for now and hopefully some day I'll find time again to INVITE yall back into our crazy good daily life!!! :) LOL

***Thanks so much for all the sweet emails and comments...I have read them all and so appreciate you guys checking on us...Wes is FEELING GREAT!!!! And, OH SO CUTE:
He got a good follow up report from his surgeon... We did have to schedule another smaller surgery for another MUCH smaller birth defect...but they aren't doing that until later this fall...thank goodness!!! Gives us a little more time to heal!! :)

***We have other good changes going on in our life too right now.....which is all exciting stuff..and I'll hopefully share some more pics and things on that in the future!!!!!!

**A lot of you have asked about my sister's adoption....She has unfortunately gotten stuck in the court's closing..and now she is waiting for the judge to give his final stamp of approval once courts open back up...Should be fast and easy once things get rolling in October...I'll keep yall posted WHEN we hear good news in October!!!! :)

***That's it for now....Thanks again for checking on us..and please know we are ALL doing WELL and just trying to SURVIVE this crazy stage in our life...cause I know this is just a chapter in our life that will soon pass too!! Wes will be running around some day and that surgery will be the last things from our mind!!!! :) BUT FOR NOW...his head must be kept safe....so I'll be back when I can find another little moment for an update!!! Thanks again, and happy Wednesday to you all, kj

School's Back In...Busy Busy Busy...

2011-08-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

First of all....Yep I moved on up to the 15 seater van: Oh, and I don't know HOW we survived with out it...We all SO LOVE IT!! Seriously, we can fit our entire fam plus any friends that want to ride home with us...it really is a fabulous ride!!! It took me a while to find one with NO CLOTH SEATS (cause my kiddos would ruin it in a minute)...but I found it...and IT IS NOW OURS!!!!! :) And, on to other news:

**School is BACK IN SESSION...I have 3 in school and 3 at HOME....Here our my big 3 on their first day holding up the GRADE they are starting:
They had a GREAT first day...We love all their teachers and they are SO excited to be back in school...but I'll miss them...I get so used to them ALWAYS being around...BUT these crazy 3 babies will certainly keep me busy at home:
I feel like I have triplets some days...yet Baby Wes is the work of about 4 kiddos right now trying to keep HIM SAFE...He's 4 weeks POST SURGERY TODAY...Praise the LORD!!! But he certainly doesn't even realize he had a HUGE surgery and he stays busy running and keeping me on my toes:We go back Monday where they'll remove his bandages and tell me HOW they feel things are healing...His one eye STILL isn't back to normal...so I'll be checking on that...but he feels wonderful and is CUTE AS PIE:
And, this cutie 2 year old WACKED him on the head with a Light Saver toy thing yesterday...and I about passed out and asked her: "lucy lane WHY would you hit your brother in the head...you KNOW he has a broken head?" She said, "Cause Mommy he was BOTHERING me!!"
He was FINE...but keeping him safe takes a LOT of work :)
And, how can you stay mad at this face very long...she's seriously the craziest, funniest child alive:
And, I caught her going in for the kiss on baby brother too:

If I survive these 3 babes with out having a heart attack it might be a miracle!! LOL :)

So, as you can see....life is BUSY BUSY BUSY right now!! But I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything...

*After we see Wes's head specialist on Monday we head over to another specialist for another evaluation for something else they found wrong on my baby boy!! They have actually found a couple of other "lesser important" birth defects when compared to his HEAD SURGERY... but they must be taken care of too...So, unfortunately my boy will be put back to sleep soon to deal with these other things... But as the drs. said..this will be NOTHING compared to what we've already been through...and we'll probably go home the same day!! The next surgery isn't scheduled yet...but it is in the works!! My BIGGEST prayer is that his big Cranial surgery worked and he won't require another one of those...something like 3 % require ANOTHER surgery...praying hard that we're in that 97%!!! I'll keep you posted if anything like that comes about....but for now...I'll be focusing on these smaller things we have to take care of..and enjoying getting back into the school swing and such!!!

***Thank you so much for your prayers and support....Hope you all are getting BACK into the school groove too...I can't believe summer is over!! :( Be back soon....Happy Thursday to you all, kj

Guess What We Bought Yesterday????

2011-08-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, so IF you follow me on facebook, ya already know!!! But if not...do you know what it is?? I get to check another LIFE LONG GOAL OFF MY LIST!!! :) So, excited about it....Pics next :) Happy Sunday to you all, kj

3 weeks Post Op....and 3 Months HOME!!

2011-08-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well...I wish I could say that the 3 weeks has FLOWN by since Wes's surgery...but the days are actually VERY LONG right now...but oh...with this sweet face to look at...NO ONE IS COMPLAINING :)........Wes's age is the only thing making this very hard right now...He's a TODDLER on the run..and I'm in constant fear he's gonna hurt himself...or really HIS HEAD or FACE....We still haven't really ventured out into public much yet...but we'll be getting out soon...I just don't want him getting sick ON TOP OF recovering from surgery...but recovery was 4 weeks..and that will be THIS COMING UP THURSDAY!! I can't believe we're almost there......
I took these pics of my sweetie boy this past Thursday on his 3 week post op day....NOW, let me tell ya....Wes has not only gotten calls and visits and cards and prayers from my CCI agency that brought him HOME...but on Thursday he received a care package from LUCY LANE'S agency, AGCI too!! Isn't that so sweet and thoughtful!! They sent him this Lion he is holding and a card where all the staff signed a note to him...so sweet!!
Wes is certainly LOVED..and he is really doing GREAT!! His eye and head still have some swelling to lose...but we get seen again on the 15th of this month and we'll see what the dr says about his progress....PRAYING for a good report!!!! The meals are coming to an end now too...WOW..it was so helpful to have friends bring meals by in the evening!! I'm so thankful for all the love and support during this healing time for Wes!! Not having to think about dinner was certainly a blessing!!!!
And, I took this TODAY of little Miss Sassy Pants!! Oh, my , she is growing up way too fast!! She is just so smart and talks CONSTANTLY!! She potty trained like a CHAMP...and she LOVES her some big girl undies...oh, and she's loving some cow boy boots today too!!! Crazy girl....
And, my 7 year old captured these shots tonight and was so proud of herself for capturing Wes on the run from us....
He dances constantly....and he LOVES to spin until he's dizzy...Yes, I about pass out when he starts doing this...He can't fall and HIT THAT HEAD....Yall should TRY keeping an active ONE YEAR OLD TODDLER BOY STILL....exhausting....BUT that cute smile makes it ALL worth it:

That's the update folks.....Kids are doing great...just no time for the computer much these days with 6 young babes to keep happy .....More soon......and OH!!!...happy 3 months Home Wes Paulos!!! I'd go through a million MORE surgeries IF it meant I got to be YOUR MOMMA!!! :) Happy Friday to you all, kj

This Morning's UPDATE...

2011-08-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

If you read my last post...we are waiting for my sister to FINALLY pass court for her son in Ethiopia.... The court hearing last night was a success for what they were trying to accomplish.....but the judge ordered an UPDATE on one piece of paper...this can come any time and won't be affected by the court closure this Friday...no new court date will be needed...Praise the LORD!!! WE are praying we hear ASAP that the updated piece of paper arrives and they OFFICIALLY pass court!!!!!

Keep praying and I'll keep ya posted...Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

REMINDER....

2011-08-02T17:56:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that a sweet little (nearly) 4 yr. old boy sits across the world tonight in an orphanage...He probably has NO IDEA how hard everyone is PRAYING for him to be an ORPHAN NO MORE!! He has a family and agency desperately fighting to allow him to be PART OF A FAMILY!! His family in Ethiopia has passed away.....and this is his ONLY HOPE....His only hope for a future!! Please join me in praying for a miracle tonight...that HIS CASE will finally pass court tonight...and that he will officially be a part of my sister's family...he will officially be their SON..and MY NEPHEW!! He's already THAT in all of our hearts...but we have to make it official tonight in Ethiopia BEFORE the courts close on Friday...or he sits longer...waiting...waiting for the courts to open back up in the fall...He's been living there for half his life already...it's TIME for him to JOIN A FAMILY....OUR FAMILY!!!

**Thank you for your support and prayers..and I'll update when I hear the GOD WILLING GOOD NEWS tomorrow!! Happy Tuesday to you all, kj

(picture from me visiting Little "T" when I picked up Wes in May)

A Great Video from the Latest Ordinary Hero Trip...

2011-08-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

Pause the music at the bottom of my page and enjoy this wonderful slide show of pics from the latest Ordinary Hero Mission Trip...My friend Amy from www.filledwithpraise.blogspot.com made this after coming home from one of the OH trips that my older sister Kelly runs..... And, After going to Ethiopia 3X now myself, I LOVE seeing all the beautiful faces there that remind me SO much of my sweet 2 Ethiopian babes at home!! :) I can't wait to go on an Ordinary Hero mission trip myself some day... Hmmmm..might be a long time before the hubby lets me go back to Ethiopia!! :) ha

Enjoy and happy Monday to you all, kj

Thank you for your Prayers....UPDATE...

2011-07-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

The news was: today's court hearing WAS NOT a success....BUT...the good news is....the judge has agreed to hear my sister's case AGAIN on Wednesday, August 3rd..which is Tuesday night our time!! This in itself is a HUGE blessing since the courts are packed right now and the courts are predicted to close NEXT FRIDAY (the 5th)!! So...they have agreed to give them another shot BEFORE the closure of the courts for the season...PRAISE GOD!!!! I'm so grateful that our agency is working SO HARD on my sister's case and that they were successful in getting her another court date BEFORE rainy season closure!!! So....even though it wasn't the news we all wanted to hear today...we're still praising God that they have one more chance!! And, don't worry...I'll remind YOU ALL to hit your knees again Tuesday night to pray Little "T" HOME to my sister and her family!!!! We'll just all be heart broken IF he must live in an orphanage for extra unnecessary months during the courts break!! :( Praying that just doesn't happen....Praying for a miracle Tuesday night!!!

Thank you all for your emails and prayers and comments for my sister's little boy....we all just can't wait to have him home!! And, I know God can move these mountains and make it happen!!! I'll keep you posted..and sorry it took me all day to post...I seriously can't get to the computer with my 6 littles home all day...I have to at least get half of them to bed to EVEN try to post anything these days..and I post with one little in my lap who refuses to let go of Mommy these days!! :) More soon...thanks again for your support, and Happy Friday to you all, kj

This is For My Sister.....(and a few update pics)

2011-07-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, PRAYER WARRIORS, BLOGGY FRIENDS, STRANGERS, PERSONAL FRIENDS, WHO EVER IS OUT THERE READING.........Please, please, please JOIN MY FAMILY in prayer TOMORROW NIGHT, Thursday, July 28th for a NIGHT OF PRAYER to bring my sister's son HOME!!! My sister went to court before I did back in March...she did not pass!!! Her case has been very complicated...and well...with out saying anything else that could jeopardise her case...her case will finally be heard again in Ethiopia TOMORROW NIGHT while we sleep!!

She is truly adopting the sweetest little toddler boy ever....I got to meet "T" in December:

And, of course, I got to visit with him again in May when I was there to pick up my Wes. I got "T" to hold his first cousin Wes in a pic for me: I had them translate that I was his aunt...and Wes was his first cousin....He said he understood!!

Oh, my heart hurts for this boy to have a family..and to FINALLY be out of an orphanage!! He's been there so long!! My sister has known her son for over a year now...and she still hasn't passed court!! This certainly has nothing to do with our agency...they have worked VERY hard on this case...it was just a case with lots of bumps from the beginning!!! AND...PRAISE THE LORD the bumps should be worked out...and PRAISE GOD that their case is going to be heard on Friday Ethiopia time..which is Thursday night OUR TIME!!

So, would you please join me in praying that they FINALLY PASS COURT!! It is THEIR TURN!! It is "T's" turn to have HIS family come back for him!! It is hard to imagine what must be going through his mind...his family (my sister and hubby) went in March for their court date and were able to spend lots of time with him...and yet...in his mind...they haven't been back to get him!! Little "T" has met more of our family members than you can imagine...Aunt Kelly has been there a ton...my hubby (his Uncle ) went to visit him during our court date...and Cousin Lauren has lived in ET this summer visiting "T" every day!! He must think that every white person that visits is related to him some how!! LOL So....it has been over a year...and it is HIS TURN TO GO HOME!!! Please, please , please pray they pass court tomorrow night...IF THEY DON'T PASS AGAIN...then they could get stuck in the Rainy Season Court Closure....which means they won't get to go to court again till OCTOBER..yikes!! Not sure my sister will survive...and we certainly can't survive her crying through every family function anymore...PLEASE LORD LET THEM PASS!!!

***I'll be updating with any news I hear...I so appreciate your prayers for her case...I KNOW the Lord moved mountains to get my son home quickly AND I know HE can do the same NOW for my nephew!!! Thank you so much in advance for your prayers and support for sweet little "T" and my sister, kasey!!

***Ok, so how about some cute updated pics for yall tonight?? Wes is doing great!! It's a slow process for the swelling to go down..but we think he looks a little better each week!! He's certainly feeling GREAT!! He's so happy all the time..and SO ENERGETIC!! I caught a few pics yesterday of LL and Wes having some fun together:
These two just crack me up...Wes has a big LOVE for Miss LL...
This is his new smile he likes to give now...he turns his entire head to the side to smile...such a cutie:
And, my favorite...Wes gives open mouth kisses..and LL loves to pucker up LOL!! Oh, I love my babies:
LL has learned to LOVE her baby brother too!! She's so funny...she is constantly talking about his "broken head" as she calls it!! :) She's still the same hoot she always has been...She informed me tonight that she wants her ears pierced!! I told her that SHE WAS ONLY TWO and that she had to wait till she was older...she didn't like that answer!! :)

***Thanks again everyone for your prayers....I'll post on Friday when we GOD WILLING hear good news for Little "T"!! Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

One Week Post Op

2011-07-21T10:16:00.001-07:00

Well we are ONE WEEK POST SURGERY and doing well. Wes has his complete energy and personality back which is great...BUT..he's busy and on the go FAST!! And, I have to keep ONE HAND on him AT ALL TIMES to make sure he doesn't fall and bump his head....it isn't easy!! :) Different friends are bringing meals which is nice..and the hubby is back at work which leaves me with 6 darling little faces every morning wondering WHAT we're doing for the day!! And, since Wes can't be around other people for at least 2 weeks...well...the kids get creative around the house...Yesterday they took EVERY blanket and pillow in the house and made a giant PIT to jump in from the couches!! AND, since it is over 100 degrees here...we can't let Wes outside either cause he just sweats too much which gets his incision wet...which is a HUGE NO NO!! So, we're INSIDE TOO...but...the kids got creative with the camera this morning and captured some shots of me chasing Wes around the house:His eye that got lots of surgery is slowly opening up...but it still has a lot of swelling to lose....

And, yes those are dirty sweat pants i'm wearing...LOL...should have cropped that out of the pic...but there's nothing like being REAL!! ha I have 12 littles hands all day that like to wipe their dirty self on my pants leg....

Ok, for sure washing these pants and not choosing "black" next time...LOL...I didn't even notice the dirty hand prints until I uploaded these pics...too funny...but a true sign of my days:

Oh, just to put him down for one second is such a break for my back...but he only lasts a minute in the high chair cause when he's ready to get out...he'll bang his head on the back of the chair....we ALL run to get him out...HE KNOWS HOW TO GET OUR ATTENTION, LOL:

Oh, and I just LOVE that little swollen face!! HE's just truly the sweetest, most wonderful little guy in the world!! I could eat him up all day long!!

He's still up ALL NIGHT cause he HATES the car seat he's being made to sleep in...I called the Surgeon's office yesterday to ask EXACTLY how long we have to live like this...She said TILL MY FOLLOW UP APPT. ON AUGUST 15th....I had to deep breathe!! :) That some how seems YEARS AWAY!!! :) LOL

**Ok, so I know we'll all survive...just wanted to share some of our days with ya!! I really don't ever have too much to stress about on my blog...I really just don't find life in general too stressful...even with 6 young kids!! So..I thought I'd share with ya what I DO FIND HARD AT THIS MOMENT: and that is keeping one hand on a running toddler with a broken head while taking care of 5 other young kiddos ALL while getting no sleep!! :) Ok, so that's challenging LOL!! Gotta run..someone is going to wake from his nap any minute!! Happy Thursday to you all, kj

Update Update Update...Wow!!

2011-07-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Well..things have certainly MOVED fast since I last posted...In one day we were told I would have to have another night in ICU...to them changing their mind and sending us to a regular room where I got to hold my baby boy for the first time in days....We certainly enjoyed our stay in our regular room on the "critical care" floor...it felt like a fine hotel compared to ICU!! My kids got to visit us...friends came by..I could eat in the room and I just sat around holding my little man WHOSE personality and energy was coming back fast.....We even went and visited my friend Gwen and Maggie down the hall....they had head surgery too by the same surgeon...we've been friends for years..such a cool coincidence that we were there together:
We had a good night....and my boy was up early wanting to walk the hall ways...He still had IV's in each foot so they didn't want him walking on those legs quite yet..but it was HARD to keep him still...He was eating and laughing and having a GREAT time....it was a REMARKABLE turn around:
Then...one team came in to evaluate him saying we should get out on time on Thursday...a few hours passed..then a second team came by to say they thought he had progressed enough to go on HOME!!! HUH?? I was shocked to say the least...we had just been in ICU the day before...but they said he met all the requirements:

He was up and moving on his own

He was keeping down bottles and solids

His personality was back

His blood work finally came back as NORMAL

No more fever

He didn't need his pain meds anymore

AND...he was trying to climb out of the bed..which wasn't safe...SO..they said we could do the REST of our healing at home..and they sent us home...seriously...I was shocked..but OH SO HAPPY:
He still has LOTS of swelling and that will be around for a while...but there was nothing more they could do at the hospital..so we came home 3 days early...WOW...I know it was ALL the prayers..he did a complete turn around in about 12 hours!!

**Being home is certainly NOT EASY...but still OH SO GLAD to be here!! Wow...I am the Helicopter Parent if there's ever been one!! I have to keep one hand on him at all times MAKING SURE he's not falling and bumping his head....He was never very stable before surgery..but he was still walking full time and falling about 10X a day....NOW his head is still swollen and it is making walking even that much harder..SO..I walk behind him holding on to him to make sure he NEVER falls...Yes, my back hurts and i'm exhausted...but Praising God he's home and this will some day be all behind us:
So, we're 5 days out of surgery..and my baby boy certainly feels back to his old self EVEN IF he has LOTS of swelling to still lose....
He's back to laughing all the time...we climbed up and down the stairs more times today than I can count...He's giving me kisses all the time and we have certainly made up for those awful days where I couldn't hold him!! :)

*So, we have a two week period now where he can't go into public settings...the risk of infection is too great. He can't get his head wet for 2 weeks..and he can't sweat either cause that would cause moisture all around his incision area too...SO, we're stuck inside for a while..which is O.K....I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually!! :)

*I can't thank you ALL enough for your prayers during this scary and emotional time!! If it didn't invade my son's complete privacy I'd post the pics right after surgery JUST 5 days ago next to those TODAY!! God certainly does HEAL...that is for sure!! My baby boy has come a long way in 5 days and I can't thank you all enough for the support and comments and emails and around the clock prayers!! Thank you, thank you!!

Additional Prayers: praying against infection..and praying that THIS surgery heals my son and no other surgeries are required...there is the small chance that he may need additional surgeries...Oh, it would break my heart...praying THIS ONE did the trick!! And, praying he doesn't hurt or bump his head during this healing period...I'm a nervous wreck with all the little children running around that he's gonna get hurt..praying for his safety too!!

**I'll give another update soon...my boy STILL must sleep in a car seat for a while to keep himself from rolling or being flat...so I don't have much peace or many breaks right now since he wakes about every 30 minutes and has to be consoled since he HATES the car seat!! :) Be back soon.... So thankful to have this surgery OVER!!! God is Good!! Happy Tuesday to you all, kj

Look Who I'm Holding....

2011-07-17T15:09:00.001-07:00

Oh, Glorious Day...I can finally hold my baby! This morning was hard...he screamed for me to get him out of that seat..and i couldn't :( broke my heart!! I sang to him, rubbed him, kissed him and he just reached for me and screamed...horrible!! He finally cried himself to sleep and the staff came in saying i'd probably have to stay in ICU one more night..and his tubing would have to stay in one more day...(which meant another day till i could hold him)...Yes, I was bummed!!! THEN, later in the day...another doc stopped by to say that his surgery team thought he was fine to move on out of ICU...PRAISE GOD!! Felt like Christmas morning!!! They came in, took his tubing out which about made me pass out..and took some of the other lines out...leaving him with just two...AND< I COULD FINALLY REACH OVER AND PICK HIM UP....

It was fabulous...He was so happy and so was I!! They have strict rules where he can't put pressure on his head so he couldn't roll to his belly like he wanted, but he settled for this above position and went back to sleep on me...I took this pic of us by holding out my cell phone..I know i'm looking lovely..LOL...It might be time to actually change clothes!! :)

***Then they came in and said they were ready to move us to a ReGULAR room...Yayyy. We packed up and moved!! This room has a bathroom and they allow food and my other kiddos in here which makes life so much easier..My heart goes out to those parents I left in ICU...You would hear their stories as they gathered around the coffee pot...all exhausted and praying for miracles for their children. There were cancer victims, car wrecks, burn victims, heart surgeries and drowning victims...I just wanted to hug all th0se moms and tell them HOW sorry I was...hard sad days in the PICU!! :( Praying God holds each one of those parents and kiddos tight in His arms!!

So, that's the latest update...We're chillin in a regular room and couldn't be happier about it!! Oh, and TODAY is the hubb's and my 12 Year Wedding Anniversary....Happy Anniversay Hubby!! Who would have thought this is HOW we would have celebrated it....He brought the kids to see me at lunch time and brought me some flowers and Mexican!! He's a good man....Oh, and Julia (my 7 year old) got to see Wes and SHE CRIED...broke my heart...she said he didnt' look like her Wes :( She cried saying she wanted him to look the same as before...I told her it would just take time!!

**So, that's our day....Praying they let us go home at the 1 week mark which is Thursday....We shall see...Thanks again so much for all your prayers and sweet comments and emails and such...We all so appreciate it...Happy Sunday to you all, kj

Heading Into Night 3..update..

2011-07-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well...I'll just say: This is NOT fun!! But trying to remember to PRAISE GOD that my boy is able to have this surgery..and that he made it through surgery great and THIS will all be behind us soon....BUT...I'd be lying if I said any of this ICU stay was pleasant...very nice people and harding working staff BUT my baby is mad that I can't hold him..mad that he must stay in a car seat and MAD that his hands can't be free to grab and rip all his tubing out....And VERY MAD that he can't open his eyes and see.... He's doing better this afternoon but it was a rough night last night...He still was throwing up today but he finally woke this afternoon without screaming and was able to peak open one eye and get a look at me...

Specific Prayers are:
That he'd find peace tonight and be pain free
That he'd actually sleep tonight and NOT try to constantly pull himself out of his carseat
That he'd stop throwing up his bottles
That his head will STOP draining so his drain tube from his head can be removed...I can't hold him until the tube comes out.
And, that his eyes would OPEN completely so we can move out of the ICU and into a regular room. The EYE OPEN rule is our golden ticket out of here...they won't let us leave the ICU until then...

**I will add that life sure is about perspective...I met a precious little boy that's fighting cancer..they've been here for months...he invited me to join his facebook page...so sweet!! And, there are other children that I haven't met but that i can see all around me that have been here for months...and they may never go home!! Trying to count my blessings! I'm very blessed that my son will get to go home soon and lead a normal life some day (God Willing :) Thank you Lord for the precious little gift you brought me...I'll forever be grateful for my sweet, sweet son!! happy Saturday to you all, kj

Made It Through the First Night...

2011-07-15T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well...I have officially not cried yet today so I think my emotions are getting under check...:) Wes had a good night...His heart rate is down...is blood pressure is stable now...He still has a little fever but it is manageable...His pain is under control with medication and he is basically sleeping all day so far. He got to get off oxygen and is keeping his levels up on his own!! Yay!! His swellling is so bad right now in his face that he doesn't even look like my baby anymore...but i know all that will go away eventually...I can't hold him at this point and they keep him in a car seat all day for his protection.... Thank you to www.karenhalbertphotography.com for the great pics she printed out for me to use bedside...The nurses are LOVING seeing all the cute pics of my boy and our other kids too...

I got brownies for breakfast from one friend and another just dropped in to bring me diet coke and magazines...AND..best of all...my hubby and kiddos are on their way up here for a visit...Can't wait to see them...

*Wes still isnt' holding down bottles..so praying he can stop throwing up soon and start keeping food down!! I'll update more soon...I really have nothing else to do when he sleeps besides play on my lap top!! :) I could start reading a book.....hmmmm...that might require too many brain cells though..too tired to use too many of those!!! :)

More soon..happy Friday to you all, kj

We Made To The PICU

2011-07-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

We have officially made it to the ICU where we will call HOME for the next 3 to 4 days...OH, nothing could have prepared me for the emotional roller coaster I am feeling....I have cried more since seeing him than I have in YEARS combined together!! :) Seriously...it just hurts my soul to see my baby hurting.....He hasn't even finished swelling yet, but just rounding the corner and seeing him for the first time nearly took my breath away...I do pass out easily and seeing all the tubes coming out of him made me feel VERY faint....I'm doing much better now...but I seriously cried with no control the first couple of hours after seeing him...He had a fever, his heart rate was up which made him breathe funny...and he arched his back and screamed every time his eyes opened...SO...the drs just kept knocking him back out!! BUT, he's doing better now and seems to be resting better for the moment....AND...I think i've made it an entire 15 minutes without crying now so I think we're BOTH on the road to recovery!! :)

My hubby is home with our 5 other babes, so I'm just sitting here in this COLD room with a sweet young nurse who is constantly checking on my baby boy. Such nice people here doing a great job...It will certainly be a long night ahead...but I'm trying to stay awake to feed my baby his first bottle when he wakes...I'm camped out beside his bed waiting for him to wake...and praying he doesn't wake up SO UPSET this time where they have to sedate him again.....

Your prayers are so appreciated...I knew it would be hard yet I never realized HOW HARD it would be emotionally to see my baby hurting like this....Praising God that it is OVER and he did so well in surgery...NOW praying that his little body starts to heal and his heart rate and fever goes away!!! And, since my eyes are swollen now too...we both just look LIKE A MESS!! :) I don't feel comfortable posting a " full on" picture of him...just doesn't seem right to show him hurting and all tubed up!! Not trying to hide anything....I'm just not comfortable posting such sad pictures of him at this point...I can't wait to post happier pics of our hospital stay towards the end of our week long stay here!!! I just want my baby feeling better :(

I'll post another update tomorrow when i can....thank you again for all your love, prayers, comments, emails and support...It's gonna me a long week...kj

ps....just fed him his first clear liquids by bottle...he got one eye slightly open to see me...he seemed calm with me there...drank some bottle...then threw it all up and fell back asleep..fun times :(

Wes Surgery Update....

2011-07-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

The surgeons have been calling and giving us updates...Neurosurgeon finished....Main Head Surgeon just came out and was finished and both said he did very well.... Another hour or so as they put him back together and get him stable...then they'll call us back to see him for the first time... Praising God that every thing has gone so smoothly....Your prayers are so appreciated and felt... Handing him off into the arms of the drs was one of the hardest things I've ever done...but so thankful to almost have this behind us...then let the healing begin...

Thank you again for your support...I can't wait to see my baby boy...it's been a long day!! I'll update again when i can, kj

Surgery Day!!

2011-07-14T06:28:00.001-07:00

Wes's surgery is scheduled for 1pm today...we'll be getting there a couple of hours earlier....Should take around 6 hours to complete...less if it goes smoother than expected..longer if things arise. We're praying for it to obviously go as quickly as possible. Praying for the surgeons involved...may God please hold each and every one of them...and guide them to do the BEST possible job for our little man. I'll update when I can... This is a long time for my baby to go with out food too...so please pray for peace for my love's belly too!!

**We should be in ICU for 3-4 days..then normal room for a week.... Yes, I'm very nervous right now...but trying to stay in prayer to calm my anxiety about this.... LORD, PLEASE PROTECT MY BABY!!! WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! IN JESUS NAME, AMEN!!

Happy Thursday to you all, kj

A Change of Plans.....Wes is having surgery THIS THURSDAY!

2011-07-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

God has shown me once again that when it comes to this miracle little boy in my life...that HE IS ULTIMATELY IN CONTROL!! Just when we wrapped our minds around the fact that Wes's surgery would be in August now...we found out today that a surgery day SUDDENLY became available for THIS Thursday!! Our surgeon's office called and said they'd like for Wes to take this earlier date...and well...after feeling instantly "SICK"...I said OK!!

So...with only 3 days notice...Wes is going to have his big surgery on THIS THURSDAY, July 14th!! I'm glad to be getting it over with...but I'm also not mentally prepared..and maybe that's good!! Not much time to really think about it now..and we'll just be going in like a deer in headlights!!

I'm so thankful we got these family shots done BEFORE Wes had his surgery..I thought I was getting them done a month before surgery....but come to find out..it was only a week before surgery!!

I really don't get too nervous about too many things...but thinking of my boy having this surgery on Thursday...well...just makes me want to puke!! It's just the thought of him being taken away from me...the thought of him going through pain..the thought of him not being able to open his eyes after surgery to see me...BUT praying God protects him and eases his fears and pains...and that my voice alone after surgery will be able to calm him!!

We LOVE you Wes Paulos...and I pray the world will pray with us for a safe and successful surgery....and for a fast recovery for my sweet sweet boy!!! If I can get internet...I'll keep you all posted on how everything is going....

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.....Our family certainly appreciates your kindness...Happy Monday to you all, kj

Happy 2 Months Home Wes!

2011-07-09T19:56:00.001-07:00

I can't believe 2 months has already passed since having my Sweet Wes Paulos in my arms!! The love I have for this amazing boy is indescribable!! He has ahold of my heart FOR SURE!! :) Bonding to this sweet little love was SUPER EASY!! He is FULL of love all the time. He just wants to hug and pat my back all the time!! He has a smile that melts the entire family....and watching him grow into a running little toddler all over our home is simply a GIFT FROM GOD!! We love you so much Wes Paulos...and we're blessed EVERY DAY by having you in our life.....

And, thank you www.karenhalbertphotography.com for the great shots!! You caught my boy's sweet, loving, cuddle bug personality so well!! I'll cherish these always!!! :)

**Happy Saturday to you all, kj

Happy 4th of July 2011....

2011-07-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July from our 6 Little Firecrackers......Thanks Karen for the great pics....you are the greatest....
So, thankful to have all 6 of my babes in my arms this 4th of July...So much to be grateful for!! Hope you all have a blessed Holiday...Happy Monday to you all, kj

Grab This Month's Woman's Day....Cause....

2011-07-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hot off the stand...this month's Woman's Day Magazine features my big sister, Kelly, and her Non profit : Ordinary Hero!!! So proud of her:

It came out yesterday..and I'm being OVERWHELMED with emails about her organization (I help her out with waiting children inquiries :) All the emails is a GOOD thing...praying people are touched, motivated and called to make a difference in the life of a child in need!!!

**Way to go BIG SISTA!! All my kids think Aunt Kelly is famous!! LOL She's always on the local news here and then she hit the 700 club show...now magazines!! So neat that she's making such a difference. Glory be to God!!

***And, BTW..I AM still on Summer Vacation!! LOL Just couldn't resist telling yall about this!! Oh...and...we took some GREAT new family pics today...sneak peek coming soon!! :) Happy Saturday to you all, kj

A Great Video to watch (while on summer break :)

2011-06-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, how i LOVED this Gotcha Day video that just came out!! Precious and worth the "sit" on my blog while I'm on Summer Vacation!! :) And, Karen....are we gonna get one of these suckers out for my Wes?? Just wondering.....ha ha (no pressure or anything LOL)

Enjoy...i promise you will!! Made me cry....(and some great Ordinary Hero shirts are being sported too...just an added bonus :) Pause my music at the bottom of my page first..fyi

happy thursday to you all, kj

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!! And, some other Bloggy Announcements..

2011-06-22T09:46:00.001-07:00

Yes, we have a couple of WINNERS...thanks to ALL OF YOU for playing!! That was fun!! This blog thing totally cracks me up...just sitting at home watching the madness of the clicking and refreshing going on made me laugh!! Hundreds of hits were happening every minute!! Funny!!! I'll announce the winners at the end...so take a peak....but first...some bloggy catch up and announcements:

***First, my hubby deserves a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY shout out!! He's the best daddy I know, and i couldn't go on with out at least saying I THINK MY HUBBY ROCKS..and our kids think so to....So...here was his OFFICIAL Father's Day pic I made him take....and of course...can you figure out the "ham" in our family...LOL:
Yes, half of the kids were in their bathing suits cause we were heading to Kentucky to see the older generation of DADS....
So, with that said (since my camera died while there)..Happy late Father's Day to Poppy, PawPaw, and Great Grandpa Wes!! And, here is a pic of my LuLu riding her bike at Poppy and Jule's house on Father's Day...She's so cute I couldn't resist the pics of her on this old bike:

AND...another announcement is: My sweet boy is fully walking now!! He rarely crawls now at all!! He still falls a lot..but he just gets back up and keeps going....such a sweetheart...
And, yes, his outfit is too big....He's really moved into 6-9 month clothes..but I bought this at Cracker Barrel in 12 month hoping to get a longer wear out of it..and well...it swallowed him...but he's a cutie either way....

The kids LOVE visiting Jules and Poppy...such a fun place!!
And, Jules pulled out the water sprinkler for the kids...i forgot to bring Wes a bathing suit..so he helped himself to some fun with his clothes on :)......
AND...another announcement is: The surgeons had to reschedule Wes's surgery...I added it to my side bar....The surgeons planned some end of summer family vacations during out first date...so we got bumped to August...which is fine!! It's about 3 weeks later than our first date...and my kids will be back in school by then..or heading back...so they'll be busy while I'm stuck in the hospital for a week!!! So...the NEW DATE IS AUGUST 16th!!! We SOOOOO appreciate your prayers and support during his surgery!!!

**And, the WINNERS for my 1 Millionth hit are:

1. Christie at www.knowingnobounds.blogspot.com . She was HIT # 1,000,001!!!!

And:

2. Kim at www.thechangemecrew.blogspot.com. She was HIT # 1,000,002!!!

And:

3. ???????? No one has come forward for the BIG HIT!! I'm waiting to see IF someone comes forward so I can send them a tshirt too!!! We'll see!! IF YOU HIT IT..email me..or leave me a message so we can congratulate you too!!!!!! :)

****And, my last announcement is that I'M PUTTING THIS BLOG ON SUMMER VACATION!!! :) Yes, I'm taking the rest of the summer OFF except for reasons of some SERIOUS cuteness!!! :) I'm going to focus on my FAM..and giving them my FULL attention..and I'll be back blogging sometime around when Wes has his surgery!! Yesterday was the first day of summer...I hit my 1 millionth hit..and I thought...WHAT A PERFECT TIME FOR A SUMMER BREAK!!! So...for the rest of June and July..I'll be blogging as little as possible!!! Then I should be back to regular business in August as the kiddos go back to school...Fall falls upon us...and Wes heads into surgery!!!

That's my plan stan!! So, I'm going to TRY and resist blogging...BUT..if I catch a REALLY cute pic...I might be forced to post it!! I mean...we do have family pics coming up!! :) So....UNTIL THEN....Happy Summer to you all....Happy Wednesday to you all....and think of me...cause I'm sure I'll be having BLOGGER WITHDRAWS!! LOL kj

Oh..My..Almost 1,000,000.....

2011-06-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE the 1,000,000 .......or..... 1,000,001 .....or 1,000, 002 HIT!!! YOU will all win an Ordinary Hero shirt of your choice!!! Try to leave message, take pic of your number...something to show me that YOU HIT IT!! Or email me at Kristi@ordinaryhero.org Good LUCK!!! :) kj

Did We Really Just Go Camping With 6 Young Children?

2011-06-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, we DID!!!!! And, YES, we're NUTS!! My sister Kelly's text said it all, " Did you really take all those babies camping? You guys are insane!!" LOL

*WE ARE BACK!!! The smell coming from the camping laundry pile is about to make me gag, and the exhaustion I feel right now (the Venti Starbucks I just had didn't help a bit) is kicking my tail....So...more on our camping adventures next....BUT...we're HOME..and we SURVIVED....and the hubby and I decided we might NOT be the "camping" type, after all!! LOL

BUT....OH....the KIDS LOVED IT:
And, yes, we cheated and rented a VERY TINY log cabin at the camp grounds INSTEAD of opting for the actual TENT...Does that still count as camping???
We made SMORES and all that good stuff....so that still counts as camping, right??? It's the best compromise the hubby and I could come up with...and the kids loved it..and the babes and I weren't sleeping in a tent for two nights...
And, another one of my sisters asked if we COOKED our own food over the camp fire?? Ummmmm...no we cheated there too....we drove down the road to the local Cracker Barrel and ate there!! Does that still count?? Ok, so we ate there TWICE!! We just weren't prepared and didn't take ENOUGH stuff to survive off of for two days and two nights.....
We'll do better next time....IF there is EVER a next time!! :) I took about 100 pics of our adventures....More soon when I get my head above water (and this awful smoke smell gone) !!! :) Happy Saturday to you all, kj

Happy 2 Year GOTCHA DAY Lucy Lane!!!

2011-06-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I just can't believe i've had my BABY GIRL in my arms now for 2 years!!! It has truly been an amazingly, wonderful 2 years!! Lucy lane is truly a gift!! I'm blessed and the lucky one to be her momma!! I remember the day she was placed in my arms like it was yesterday:The moment she was placed in my arms was one of the most spiritual moments of my life....You could truly feel God's presence!!!

I'll forever be grateful for my beautiful daughter!! She was perfectly made for our family!! Her personality could not be a BETTER ONE.......

My Lucy Lane introduced me to a country that I instantly fell in love with....Her healthy, spunky, lovable self opened the doors to many more God ordained miracles....

Bringing Lucy Lane home was just the beginning....the kids welcomed her with open arms and we were instantly in love!! And, my heart was instantly OPEN to what God had in store next......
And, Lucy lane has been able to keep up with her travel buddies too....We've had several play dates and reunions with friends since she's been home....Below..she carries a special bond with her Best Buddy Silas....They came home on the same day on the same plane to the same city....
And, TODAY they are still buddies....
We even got together this week for them to see each other and play......I pray their friendship lasts a life time....

And, here are some of my favorite pics of my sweet Lucy lane lately:

She is beautiful on the inside and out!! She is spunky, fun, hilarious, sassy, sweet, huggable and perfectly made....

And, one of my sweet travel buddies sent me this....love it:

Because of YOU Lucy lane.....so many children are NOW home with their forever families....Your life has inspired more people and changed more lives than you'll ever know!! Glory be to God!! Lucy lane, you opened my heart to those in need in this world....You inspired the most amazing trip in December.....You took me to a part of the world...to a village I never dreamed I'd go....I met a woman...a young woman I'll forever be grateful to... a young woman that gave birth to you on the side of the road...a young woman that LOVED you enough to walk and walk until she found a safe place for you...an orphanage...where you'd have the life she always dreamed of....You'd have the life she prayed for you to have...SHE GAVE YOU LIFE BECAUSE SHE LOVED YOU....And, because of that....OUR LIVES ARE BLESSED:

And, because of YOU Lucy Lane....and that precious meeting....YOU NOW HAVE A BABY BROTHER!! You opened our hearts to things that we never dreamed possible!! You may have inspired a lot of families to adopt...you may have changed a lot of families for the better....BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY...YOU CHANGED US!! You inspired us to adopt again....YOU have forever changed the life of your precious little brother....If it weren't for YOUR adoption Lucy lane...I never would have been in that remote village...in that remote orphanage in December....God has certainly been in every detail since the VERY beginning....

So, TODAY we celebrate Lucy Lane Martha being in our arms for 2 years!!! You are one of the most amazing people I've ever met. We love you beyond words!! And, we certainly can't imagine our lives without you!! And, here is the ORIGINAL Gotcha Day video for our Lucy lane.... the video that has touched many.... Enjoy it again if you haven't seen it lately!!

Happy 2 years home Lucy Lane...We are forever blessed to have you in our arms.....and Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Yes, We're a Little Red Neck... :)

2011-06-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

So, we are THAT family...THAT family that enjoys visiting "those" places that seem a little RED NECK to the rest of the world. Those "touristy" places that you NORMALLY pass on the highway and WONDER who actually KEEPS them in business...Well....WE DO!!! :) Remember, last summer we went to Dinosaur World....This summer....we spent this past weekend touring "Rock City":

And, "Ruby Falls": What ARE these places...you might ask?? Well....these are places that MOST of you will NEVER go and visit EVER....but we seriously had fun!! And, the kids LOVED it!! Yes, we are BOTH originally from Kentucky..and now we reside in TN....so that's where our slight RED NECKS come from!! :) And, yes, in the above pic we are actually ALL under ground in a cave!!! :)

The babes and I didn't actually make it the entire 2 miles underground...George was freaked out by the entire thing and Baby Wes just wanted down to crawl and walk..and well..I couldn't let him inside a cave...so OUT WE WENT!!! LL actually loved it and wanted to stay with Daddy....so she made it the entire way through.....
Rock City is a "city" on top of a mountain......It had cool walking paths and great scenic paths...but they made me a nervous wreck with HOW high they were and NOT MUCH to keep kids on the path!!
And, wouldn't you know that ON TOP of that mountain...there was a Starbucks.....cracked me up...but i enjoyed it none the less!!! :)

And, just so ya know....my hubby is the adventurous one...he comes up with these ideas...He's NOT a "sitter" and can't stand staying home all weekend IF we have nothing planned!! So...he plans these types of things!! :) This was his SECOND idea...I VETOED his first idea...it was taking ALL 6 kids CANOE'ING!! Yes, he's nuts!!!

Baby Wes was happy as we reached the top of the mountain and he could get down and crawl around some....He's an active toddler boy:

My 4 year old George is WhO gave me the heart attack the entire time...He just kept running down the paths from us RACING everyone...He's in this stage that he feels he MUST WIN everything!!! So, he MUST keep a step ahead of everyone....I'll just say there were WAY too many HIGH ledges around for this Momma's liking with THIS many young children!!!
this was part of the path....Yes, we had to SQUEEZE through:
Beautiful...but I couldn't watch them go out for this pic...the hubby had to take the pic!! See what I mean when I say "HIGH PLACES" children could fall.....
Ok, dinner was much calmer...I caught a pic of Wes eating his FIRST corn on the cob:
Then a trip to the Children's museum the next morning:
My LL had SO MUCH FUN....She ran this entire place...I just chased her with the baby on my hip:

Then we ended our trip with a walk across a very long Pedestrian bridge.....Daddy put the triple stroller to good use:

So, that was OUR weekend....Yes, all the kids were EXHAUSTED when we got home last night (Sunday)!! And, so were Mommy and Daddy....But, oh such a fun, family weekend!! And, NEXT time YALL pass one of those signs in TN that say "SEE ROCK CITY" !! Stop and check it out....it was actually FUN!!! :) Happy Monday to you all, kj

Our First and ONLY Trip This Summer to the YMCA...

2011-06-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well..if you've read my blog at least since last summer....then you KNOW i have anxiety about taking my MANY small children around water....CAN'T STAND IT ACTUALLY!! MY kids LOVE it on the other hand...so I go...and I pray in the car the ENTIRE WAY THERE...to please let us all come out ALIVE!! :) So...we're NOT members of any pool....but we do get invited to the local YMCA ONE time a summer...and we went this week (and got it over with :) .....And...HERE IS MY SWEET WES ENJOYING HIS FIRST POPSICLE POOL SIDE:The BEST part of the day, though, was MY sweet grandparents SHOWING up to watch my kids swim!! My grandparents have retired in Kentucky....and they happen to be in town for something else....so they FOUND ME AT THE POOL (they are still hip like that) AND, my Grandpa Wes got to meet his GREAT GRANDSON WES for the FIRST time!! Oh, so sweet!! Yes, this is WHO my sweet WES was named after:My grandpa was an Emergency Room Surgeon back in his day.....and he's been SO worried about Baby Wes since hearing his diagnosis that he FINALLY drove himself down to check him out himself!! I can't imagine what the people sitting beside us thought as my grandpa gave Baby Wes a THOROUGH HEAD EVALUATION right there at the pool!! LOL !! BUT, it eased his mind to see it himself and to hear me better explain the upcoming surgery....THEN...my Grandpa got all choked up and tears ran down his face just THINKING about what would have happened to Baby Wes IF HE WASN'T HERE TO GET THIS SURGERY!! What a miracle is correct!!! :)

We love him so much..and yes...our entire family is PRAISING GOD for this little miracle!! And, speaking of "little"..Wes went for a WEIGH IN yesterday...and..I was discouraged to hear that he HADN'T gained ONE OUNCE since the last WEIGH IN (18 days ago)...UGGGHHHHH!! And, if yall just knew how much I tried to force bottles (with his VERY expensive specialized formula in it) and food on him you'd understand!! :) But...it's ok!! He might NOT be gaining weight very fast..but he's sure ONE CUTE, ADORABLE LITTLE GUY.....
And, DON'T for one minute think I'm SUPER MOM!! I didn't go to the pool by myself...I took my 19 year old niece to help me:
She followed LL and George around and kept their heads above water while I tended to the baby and attempted to keep up with the 6, 7 and 9 year old!!! She's a LOT OF HELP....

And, my little man finished off his treat...then we hit the water a little bit and he was READY for a nap...so we headed home....
And, of course, we had to wash the Popsicle down with a little bottle :)
So, that was OUR day by the pool!! You won't see me back there for a while.....even though it ALL went quite well..the trick was having the EXTRA set of adult hands!! And, my niece is leaving for Ethiopia this coming Wednesday..and will be there the REST of the summer....She's following in her Momma's foot steps!! I'm so excited she's headed back AGAIN!! She went with her Momma and me this past December, and was there when I met Wes for the first time!! :) So fun...(but i'll sure miss her help for the rest of the summer :) Hope yall have a great weekend!!

Happy Friday to you all, kj

Summer Fun is Underway....4 weeks home today...

2011-06-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

We've been having a great time since school let out...I LOVE when my kids AREN'T in school...I "SO GET" you home schoolin mommas that have your kids around ALL THE TIME!! I'm not quite ready to pull mine out of public school yet...but I DO LOVE havin them around for the summer!!! We attended the local farmer's market Saturday morning where we DIDN'T buy any vegetables...instead my kids picked out matching tie dyed tshirts to wear to an annual family party we were attending that night:

Yes, i took the pic at the end of the night....should have done it at the beginning....everyone was exhausted and falling apart on me......but CUTIES none the less :)
Then Sunday night was the first Free Concert in the Park that we LOVE to attend each Sunday in June.....
We all look forward to these Sunday night concerts...My kids run with their friends, dance a lot and we eat a picnic dinner there...fun, fun, fun....(above).my oldest girls...7 and 9...(below)..my oldest son: 6yrs. old...
Below..my 2 year old Ethiopian Princess....
Below my adorable 4 year old...
LL being cool as can be as always:
My silly boys:
My 1 year old Ethiopian Prince....Oh, he hurts my heart he's so cute:

I call this pic below: ONE BUSY DAD!!!!!!
And, the night ended with Daddy dancing with his Baby Girl....So sweet.....

And, I had a cute video on my Iphone of Wes dancing....but I can't get it on youtube for some reason...Oh, well...If you are friends with me on facebook you can see it!! :)

***Today marks 4 weeks BEING HOME with Wes!! Praise the Lord!! He's seriously the sweetest, most lovable little dude EVER!!! So so happy to have him home!! Hope you guys are having a GREAT start to your summer...Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Thank You...and some cute new pics!

2011-06-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

First, a HUGE thank you for all YOUR love and support as we learned the big news about our boy!! As the reality sets in that he has a LONG road to recovery...I still just get teary eyed over the fact HE'S MY SON...and GOD TRUSTED ME TO WALK THIS ROAD WITH MY PRECIOUS BOY!! And, I know I won't walk this alone...I've had more emails of support than you could possibly imagine. People, friends of friends, strangers...all reaching out to SUPPORT.....People that have walked this SAME JOURNEY with their own children!! You see...I've learned that this birth defect ISN'T that rare!! I've had different support groups contact me...non profits that do nothing but support and reach out to families going through this have contacted me.....It's just been amazing!! So, to all the many family, friends and complete strangers that have reached out to us: THANK YOU!!! Please know how much we appreciate it!!

***Now for a few NEW pics of my boy!! He LOVES the water!! He would do ANYTHING to play in the bottom of our water slide!! The only thing he loves second to his WATER PLAY is his.....BELLY:
Oh, how i love my beautiful boy......
And, just so ya know....I'd walk this road a MILLION more times if I got to be HIS MOMMA......

Have to make sure the BELLY is still there....funny boy...
We love you sweet boy.....
And, well BIG SISTER is really doing so much better...She loves on Wes all the time now and doesn't just completely RESENT him anymore....LOL.... BUT she sure DOES love to play mean tricks on him like pouring water on his head:
I say, "Lucy Lane....don't pour water on your baby."
This is the FACE I get:
The girl is the biggest HOOT in this world.....NOW...we MUST convince her 2 year old Princess self that she CAN'T bop him on the head, push him over, and pour water on his head AFTER SURGERY....Yall can start praying for us (him) now!! :) I have anxiety just thinking about it !! :)

Happy Sunday to you all, kj

The Story of Wes...

2011-06-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of those times that I wish I could write like my Mom..or even like my sister kelly..who are BOTH talented writers in our fam....but my blog will certainly never be known for its TALENTED author...but i pray it IS known by the stories and miracles of God working in our life. Because God has certainly worked another MIRACLE in our life that has come to LIGHT most recently...... Here is the story of our Wes:

***You see...God had placed on my heart that we had a son all the way back to the time I came home with Lucy lane...I can't explain it but that I JUST KNEW!!! My husband thought 5 young kids was PLENTY..and who could blame him :)!! I prayed for my hubby's heart to change...and my kids prayed too!! It was their talking constantly about their baby brother (that didn't exist as far as they knew) and their putting an extra PUMPKIN out at Halloween, and even Hal adding him to EVERY kindergarten family picture he made all this past year. And, even the day after Thanksgiving, Hal hung an extra stocking for baby "wes" (as he called him) and TOLD DADDY TO COME AND LOOK!! Daddy's response: "I guess it's time I give up on 5 kids being it..huh??" :) I always tell Hal now..."You helped in YOUR OWN WAY to bring Wes home!" :)

**God answered my prayers by Daddy surprising me and sending me on a mission trip in December...Daddy gave me his blessing before I left that IF i came across a waiting child WITH NO FAMILY that he'd be open to #6...he felt a peace about it!! I would be visiting several orphanages with "waiting children" ....I had no idea what would happen as I packed up and flew across the world!!!

**On day ONE of our trip..I not only met my daughter's birth family which goes down as one of the most amazing experiences EVER.....but I traveled further down the road...something like 7 or 8 hours outside the city......and there he was:

A precious little boy...WAITING....WAITING because he had several special needs.....his most life threatening at that point was the fact that he was SEVERELY malnourished. He was basically starving to death....I held him as I heard his story...his body shook, he couldn't smile, and he showed no expression. He was so weak that he'd have to lower his head to rest from time to time....I truly didn't' know IF he'd survive!! If I moved forward with adopting him, I'd have to KNOW that there are no guarantees on brain development when the body goes with out food its entire first year of life.....God gave me peace as I held his tiny frail body....I just didn't care!!!

**But ONE thing I noticed right away from his freshly shaven head...was the fact that his head was "misshapen" !! Everyone on our trip noticed it right away too. He had funny lumps and strange flat spots...it just "wasnt' right"!! A nanny that spoke English tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Something is wrong with his head!" I said, "yes, i know!"
I spent two days in this particular orphanage!! As I learned he was at least 12 months old...and considered special needs for several reasons...it became very clear that he met no one's criteria on the wait list. He was a WAITING CHILD!! I had to sit him down out of my arms at one point to assist with another child..and he literally PULLED himself back across the floor to my legs "moaning" the entire way over...it literally HURT for him to move...BUT he was going to get back to me!! The nanny said, " he already likes you"!! I answered, " yes, because he's my son!" AND...I KNEW HE WAS MINE....Handing him back over was painful...but I just wanted to get back home quickly to get the ball rolling with this little guy!! But before I left there was an American dr. passing through and I stopped her and asked her IF she'd take a look at this baby in my arms....I asked her immediately WHAT she thought was wrong with his head...She made an awful face and started throwing out ALL these awful diseases that could be causing his head to be misshapen!! I'm sure my eyes grew WIDE...but again, a peace came over me..and I KNEW it didn't matter...he was my son!!I have no explanation for the next steps in our adoption besides the fact that I prayed around the clock for my son's survival..and things were moving quickly!! I had friend's visit my Wes while they were in country....and the reports were usually that of FEAR that he wouldn't survive..he was TOO malnourished!!

My son couldn't drink from a bottle...friends and family would report that he seemed "slow" when they met him....his body couldn't accept food...so he was hospitalized where he was given Unicef's life saving formula for infants and children that are basically dying!! It was then, from my understanding, that he started to turn around....

He started growing hair and we worried LESS about his head and more just about the fact that he was beating the odds and starting to grow!! My agency, CCI, was wonderful with updates and kept us in the KNOW on everything...every step of the way!!

I couldn't understand WHY my adoption was going so quickly....and smoothly...but everyone kept saying, " God wants this boy HOME!!" AND HE DID....

**And...so he CAME HOME....4 1/2 months after meeting him....He was in my arms again....and HEADED HOME:

He didn't even look like the same boy I had left in December....It felt like a miracle AGAIN!! How did this happen? How am I so blessed that I got a "short' and "fast" adoption this time around!! The only thing i knew to do was to KEEP THANKING GOD!!!

**I knew once we got him home...we'd address the " head" issues right away.....and we did...immediately!! We prayed that he might just get a helmet...or maybe since he was too old he would just have to LIVE with his "misshapen" head...but only a CT scan would be able to tell us WHY his head was "continuing" to look "misshapen"!!

In the mean time....our sweet Wes has been growing and changing each and every day since being home.....And, he's certainly ALWAYS getting lots of attention:

He's certainly not packing the pounds on very quickly...but he's on a specialized formula with extra junk in it to HELP him get what he needs.....And...He's not "slow"..he's quite smart actually...he just needed a family...

As Xrays showed his rickets to be gone...it also showed the "signs" of severe malnutrition in his bones....his history is still there whether we like it or not....but again, he's improving so that's all the drs care about.....

Finally, last Thursday we went for his CT scan....assuming we'd probably end up with some type of helmet for his head...or something along those lines.....We were meeting with the Head Specialist today (wednesday) to discuss the results from the CT scan...BUT my pediatrician went ahead and called yesterday to let me know that he had the report in hand...and he wanted me to be prepared for my dr. appt today....

The CT scan revealed that my son has a birth defect called something like Craniosyntosis...it is where the sutures on your skull FUSE shut prematurely and basically your brain has no where to grow....these sutures should be OPEN!! Wes's are closed...resulting in his brain growing out his forehead!! A pretty intense surgery is his ONLY OPTION!! My pediatrician told me yesterday about it on the phone..and the specialist/surgeon confirmed it all today and went over the details of the surgery!! Yes, it was slightly shocking to hear...but even more than that IS THE MIRACLE THAT MY SON IS HERE...NOW....AND ABLE TO GET THIS SURGERY!! In a third world country, my son would have died from this defect. It would have grossly deformed his face..and eventually taken his life!! The MIRACLE is: my son needs surgery NOW...HE is HOME NOW!! Most adoptions can take a year OR MORE...and yet mine took only 4 months....God KNEW HE NEEDED HEALING...HIS TIMING IS ALWAYS PERFECT!!

His surgery is already scheduled...it will be on July 26th!! NOTE: Surgery has been rescheduled for August 16th!!!! UPDATE: Surgery was moved up and completed on July 14th, 2011!! The surgery will take 6 to 8 hours..and we'll be in the hospital for a week afterwards for healing!! Then 3 more weeks of "inactiveness" to allow the head to heal!! The details and risks just went on and on as the specialist talked!! I started to feel like i was hearing the Charlie Brown teacher talking...it was just all blending together!! He showed me the 3D CT scan which clearly showed the problem...and I just sat there in an amazed shock!! Shock that my son is ABLE to get this surgery.....what if there was NO adoption...I can't bare to think of WHAT my son's future would have looked like!!

I got home and told my husband....HOW can people NOT believe in God...How is it that I was in that remote orphanage WHEN i was...that God gave me PEACE and clearly told me HE WAS MY SON...and miraculously, 4 months later he is home and his birth defect is FOUND and surgery is already scheduled!!! God is certainly in EVERY detail!!

** I certainly feel in my heart that God worked through my agency to get our son home....I'll be forever grateful to them for saving my son's life....They NOT only brought him back from the lowest points of starvation...but they were able to get him home in time to receive a surgery he couldn't have survived with out!!! Yes, i'm nervous...I'm sick that my son will have to face such pain...I'm petrified that he'll have to go through such a surgery at such a young age....but I KNOW WE HAVE NO CHOICE!! If God brought him this far...I know he'll see him through!!!

**So there you have it...We're going to try to make the best of the summer we have before surgery...The kids know they won't be able to "carry" him around after surgery...and we'll have to come up with some plan to be SUPER careful once Wes is back home...Yes, that makes me nervous too!!!! We're going to get some family pics made before then too....we're going to hit a few fun mini vacation spots and attempt to live it up before surgery!!

***We SOOOO appreciate your prayers for a successful and SAFE surgery!! I want those drs covered in prayer and the whole world praying for my boy!! Cause...we LOVE HIM!!! We love him more than words can say!! He's MY BABY....HE'S MY SON!!!! All Glory be to God!!! Happy Thursday to you all, kj

My Sweet Sweet Boy....

2011-05-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we head to a specialist at the local children's hospital that will map out the "road to recovery" for my sweet sweet boy!! We got some preliminary results today from our CT scan...and well...it wasn't what we really wanted to hear...but it just made me PRAISE GOD ALL DAY EVEN MORE for the life of my precious son!! I've always wondered WHY....WHY did our adoption go so fast...WHY did it seem God wanted my sweet son home SO FAST!!?? Now we know... Please pray for the WISDOM of the drs tomorrow as we HEAR what they'll suggest for my son....After we meet with the specialist, I'll be sure to let yall in on WHATS going on!! Praising God, Praising God that MY SON IS HOME!! Praising God that he came home FAST...and that he can now HEAL!!!
(photos by my 9 year old daughter after getting back from Embassy while in Ethiopia....The best words I could have heard that day: " Your case is now COMPLETE!!" )

*Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Happy Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

We've had a low key long weekend at home and have LOVED it!! We gave in and bought our kids another one of those crazy water slides for the summer...We justified it by saying I needed MORE entertainment at home so I wouldn't be stuck at public pools all summer (plus the fact that we had a gift card given to us and it was on Memorial Day sale :)....So, all that equaled some crazy happy kids that had some super wet fun staying home all weekend:

LL mastered riding Georgie's bike this weekend too..she is so proud of herself...You can hardly get her off this thing now:
So....from TWO sisters:
and, TWO BROTHERS:
And, from my TWO adorable Ethiopian children....We pray you all had a wonderful, family filled Memorial Day weekend together...always remembering those that went before us while fighting for our country.

**and, now, a few parting shots since my Sweet Wes decided he LOVED the water too:
A close up of that face I love:

Documenting Wes's first wagon ride:

Oh, and I had to get a close up of LL's curls these days when wet....they are so cute:

Ok, so here is one last pic, i promise, cause I gotta get back to my babes, of this monster water thing that kept us entertained all weekend...and yes, my 2 year old LL mastered it in about ONE MINUTE flat...Have i told yall HOW coordinated she is????
That was our weekend in a nutshell....I'll be washing towels for the rest of my life :) Happy Monday to you all, kj

1 Million Hits...REALLY???

2011-05-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

It is CRAZY to think that MY BLOG is getting ready to hit 1 Million hits!!! Who ARE YOU PEOPLE?? ha ha My blog has been around now for...hmmmm....about 3 years!! I can't BELIEVE I've been blogging that long!! Some of you are NEW around here...others have been following the ENTIRE 3 years!! We've added 2 more children and had 2 adoptions in the last couple of years....you've followed us along vacations, life changing mission trips, stitches, birthdays, happy times and even sad times!! For all these times...I THANK YOU!!
I always thought I'd blog through LL's adoption...but you never can foresee what God has planned....cause right around the corner was OUR PRECIOUS BABY BOY and the adventures getting him home!! I think we've all grown and changed a lot over the 3 years....my FAITH is so much stronger after this 3 year journey and I wouldn't trade a minute of it for ANYTHING!!! Praising God for every step in our journey!!

***So....how about a CELEBRATION for hitting 1 million hits!!?? I have EASY access to Ordinary Hero GEAR....so I'll give a tshirt of YOUR choice to MY 1 MILLION HIT!! And, how about a tshirt to the top 3....so if you hit 1 million, or 1,000,001, OR 1,000,002 YOU CAN WIN AN OH TSHIRT OF YOUR CHOICE TOO!! I wish I could make balloons fall...or have MORE to give away...but that's about ALL I HAVE THESE DAYS!! ha ha

***So, be sure to take a screen shot...or just a pic with your camera of my "Hit Counter" when or IF you hit the BIG NUMBERS!!! Send it to me...and I'll be sure to announce WHO WON!!!!!!

***So, my big sister, kelly (Mrs. Ordinary Hero) came by and brought my kids some of the new tshirts to show off:

I totally think they are SO CUTE:
Oh, wait...life isn't complete without Baby brother..they didn't come in his tiny size...but she's working on that one:
Oh, how i LOVE my 6 babes:
Everyone had to take a turn with Baby Brother...

My silly girl as always:
LL found a tooth brush along the way:

the sisters:

And, she has an awesome new ADULT shirt too...this ISN'T ME...LOL:
This is my friend Angie modeling the new tshirt...why?? Well...cause she looks way better than I could in this cute shirt:
she's wearing an adult small ...fyi....if you want to order one...

***So, that's the scoop....my blog is hitting the BIG 1 million!! It's time to celebrate!! BE SURE TO EMAIL me IF YOU ARE THE LUCKY WINNERS!!! You can email the easiest these days at Kristi@ordinaryhero.org I get these emails faster than my other blog account, fyi!!!!!

happy Saturday to you all, kj

We are Back Home....

2011-05-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well...we're back home and doing well....My sweet little buddy did as well as he could....I left for the hospital WAY early so we'd arrive WAY early and HOPEFULLY he'd be distracted by the NEW surroundings....He did well UNTIL the very end when we were ALMOST ready to be PUT UNDER..then he got just down right hungry and agitated....but FIRST before he was MAD at me...I took a few pics of him in his ADORABLE little gown....

He was certainly a little trooper....My little guy is a fighter and a survivor...and I'm just thankful to have this morning behind us.....BUT....He sure was told HOW CUTE HE WAS...by lots of nurses... :)

Once he was under...he was taken to get his CT scan done...It was a surreal moment seeing him placed in the machine so lifeless...And as this giant machine took images of him at one of the best children's hospital around...I was overcome with tears as I THOUGHT about HOW far he had come...HOW just in December I found him STARVED and barely alive...HOW fast our adoption went....and HOW I hugged a birth mom just a couple of weeks ago in a third world country and told her I would get him the BEST possible care I could.....that he would have the BEST possible life I could give him!! AND HERE HE WAS!!! And, all I could do was think of HER!! Praying she knows that HE WILL BE OK NOW......and that he is LOVED and CHERISHED beyond words.

My sweet little man rolled to his belly as he was coming to......I mean...do you get any cuter than this!!!!!??

Overall, everthing went well...He also got his body xrayed to see about his diagnosis of Rickets..and a huge PRAISE is that his Rickets is now GONE!! They did discover some other issues...but I'd consider them minor...all related to his severe malnutrition....We see a specialist on Wednesday that will read our ct scan and tell us what to expect in that area...When I know these details..I will let you all know!! Thank you so much for your prayers and sweet comments.....It means the world to know SO many people FROM across the world are praying for our little guy.... God has BIG plans for my sweet boy..and I'm just amazingly blessed to be able to be his Momma!! Happy Thursday to you all, kj

A Little Prayer Request...

2011-05-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have a LITTLE prayer request for a certain LITTLE guy...Tomorrow morning my sweetest and most favorite little one year old is being "put to sleep" to have a CT scan done.....this is all part of some of his special needs that I've not blogged about yet...all things I knew as soon as I met him in december...
I'll blog more details when I know them..and what the road ahead looks for us...but for now....I'm MOST anxious about him being put to sleep (yes, this is my FIRST child ever to be put to sleep) and I'm super ANXIOUS that he can't EAT tomorrow morning...My sweet boy KNOWS and REMEMBERS hunger...so I'm so afraid that he'll be beyond consolable when I can't give him his morning bottle...... Please pray for him to have an unexplainable PEACE about not eating...a PEACE that only the LORD could give......
My sweet boy was PERFECTLY MADE...and we love him SO much... I'll keep you all posted..but for now...I'd so appreciate your prayers for a smooth morning TOMORROW!! This Momma loves to feed her baby boy.....Praying his little heart understands some how.....

Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

It's Summer Time Around here....

2011-05-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

And one little adorable guy discovered that he LOVED splashing in the water....

Look at that face....I love me some LL:
Even when she sprays her baby brother in the face with the hose on purpose :).....

You are SO LOVED sweet boy....

Oh, the JOY of Summer!!! School is OFFICIALLY OUT!! Yayyyyyyyy!!!! Much more of this water play ahead of us this summer....Happy Tuesday to you all, kj

Our Week In Pictures....

2011-05-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, everyone is doing so well with Baby Brother HOME!! Even LL has started to give him kisses and she LOVES feeding him...so we've just run with that one!! She feeds him ALL the time!! LOL

We're ALMOST out of school and we ALL can't wait to be FREE for the summer....Maybe this summer my two toddlers will actually get naps at home instead of the stroller:
Hmmm...probably not...they'll probably be napping by the pool somewhere!! :)

Below, I love that i have an Ethiopian Girlfriend that LOVES my kids....so fun to see her on a daily basis up at school.....She loved meeting Wes this week:
LL has had fun teaching baby brother about her LOVE for wearing our bowls on her head:
Daddy invited the entire baseball team over for a pizza party this week...he was the coach for our son's team...I said, "Go for it DAddy as long as you can get the house cleaned up"...AND HE DID....He's kept the house up EVER SINCE i got home....Ahhhhh...I'm loving this...praying he'll some how MIRACULOUSLY keep this up...Not sure what's come over him...but I'M LOVING IT!!
LL telling everyone to be quiet while Daddy hands out the trophies......she's too cute:
George just can't get enough of Baby brother....he hugs him 24 hours a day....Baby Brother just tries to get away at this point:

Daddy bought me a NEW RIDE....how cool is this????
Wes loved his first ride around the back yard in the little red car:
We pulled out the pack n play for outdoors when i have to chase down another babe and need a safe place for Baby brother....LL hopped right in too and stole his sippy cup....he didn't seem to mind:
LL invited her friend Dinks over to play...Dinks just came home with Baby Wes..We've loved getting to know this family over the last couple of months...and they live just right down the road...so fun:
Wes has officially been introduced to the baseball fields.....this is about as close as he lets Daddy get....Daddy keeps reminding him that he's gonna love Daddy some day...he's lots more fun and adventurous than Mommy:
And, Wes enjoying climbing around on his sisters at the end of the game during snack time....
He is loved everywhere we go....
And, finally...a big thanks to Gwen for Baby Wes's new shirt:
I not only love this shirt and the ladies that run it...but seeing my boy wear a FEED 1 shirt...knowing that he nearly died from not being fed is just almost too much for this momma.... I have such a deep love and appreciation for my boy...God allowed me to see him in December at his WORST point...and here he is now...a part of our family..thriving and doing so well....I'm just beyond grateful!!!
I look at this sweet face....kiss it over and over again and nearly can't believe the MIRACLE that is IN MY ARMS!! Thank you Lord for my sweet boy.....HE IS SO LOVED:
Happy Sunday to you all, kj

Some Field Day Fun....

2011-05-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

I took the babies and headed up to the Big Kid's Field Day yesterday.... they all had a blast:

LL is always right in the middle of everything...You'd never think she's only 2 years old by the way she can hang with the big kids..... And, Baby Brother enjoyed his FIRST stroller ride:

Can you see LL in the back ground, above, playing in the water games...the guy with the hose is not only a Dad at our elementary school BUT also my kid's pediatrician...He's the guy that carried LL to the car the other day when she wouldn't walk out of the dr.'s office (see old post)...gotta love the small town feeling around here.....
I got glimpses of my big kids as they'd run by...below is my 1st grader enjoying her last week of school....
Baby Brother cheered them on as they ran by....
LL and her pediatrician hanging out at the pool....
My little guy is now standing by himself all the time...he can stand in the middle of the floor, take a few steps and then continue to crawl....he'll be on the run in NO TIME:
My kindergartner having fun:
And, my 3rd grader and one of her tall buddies :)
It was a fun morning for ALL!! (George was enjoying his last day of 3 year old preschool) And my two youngest babes came home and PASSED OUT!! Only a couple of more days of school...and WE'RE OUT FOR THE SUMMER!! Oh, how i can't wait!! We have nothing planned ALL summer..and I can't wait to veg out with my 6 babes ALL SUMMER LONG!!! Heaven!! Happy Friday to you all, kj

One Week Home!! (A little break through)

2011-05-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was ONE glorious week home with my Little Man!! Oh, HOW I LOVE HIM!! He's just so yummy sweet..and I simply adore the ground he crawls on!! :) As I was talking to one of my sisters yesterday and as I told her about my morning..she said, "Man, your life isn't very glamorous these days!" And, instantly..I thought..I better share some of the NON-glamorous moments...so that yall aren't shocked when you decide to have 6 little children in a row!! :)

*So, it's MAY..the last week of school for my bigger 3..which means they EACH have LOTS of end of the year celebrations going on....then add in George's 3 year old preschool activities and it makes for a BUSY time of year!! The hubby had to return to work the morning after I arrived home...and with no family around...well..you see that I'm managing things on my own..which is honestly HOW i like it!! :) I'd just rather jump right in..and keep moving!!!

*So, yesterday the day started with getting the big 3 off to school..and getting the bottom 3 up and ready for the day too...Then the first appt for the day arrived which was someone from the state coming by to evaluate my Wes for early intervention types of stuff....The sweet lady is taking notes and we're bragging on how well Wes is progressing WHEN LL decides she doesn't like the attention baby brother is getting and decides to take all the toys from him including his walker toy that the State lady is interesting in SEEING him push around. When I tell her she has to share..she decides to throw herself back, raspberry at us all and try to kick baby brother. So, a swift, calm time out was earned...ALL WHILE State lady is taking notes!! :) I can't IMAGINE what those notes said!! And, ALL the while...my sweet Wes is filling his diapers..one after another (he's had diarrhea since I picked him up) and I have to stop and actually try and COLLECT the waste material in 6 test tubes that are DUE back at the dr.'s office!! :) Yall should try collecting runny poop in test tubes...fun times!! :)

*Well, state lady leaves giving Wes a GLOWING report!! :) I have to RUN out the door because my oldest daughter is giving a report at school on her trip to Ethiopia and she is determined that Mom is going to bring Ethiopian food to her class for everyone to try!! :) So, i ordered it...got the kids dressed in their traditional ET clothes (another request by big sister) and headed out the door with ONE very upset 2 year old WhO doesn't like wearing ANYTHING she would consider as "dress up" clothes..and yes, Traditional ET dresses are "dress up" clothes to her!! LOL

*I have to get everyone out to pick up the food at the ET restaurant....LL acts out the entire time inside (can only imagine what the sweet ET ladies thought of her and ME while inside their restaurant :) And, we arrived at the elementary school just in time for the presentation...Ethiopian Food in hand...Big Sister thinks I'm SUPER MOM...2 year old sister is MAD to have to participate....

Biggest Sister gives a glowing report on Ethiopia..I'm so proud of her...Smallest sister decides going to her class is fun after all cause she gets to draw on paper with the teacher's markers the entire time....
Baby brother does a great job....he never cares where we are as long as I NEVER leave his side....

Baby brother entertains himself by sucking on my camera most of the time....resulting in constant blurry pics....

Then it was back home....for a ONE MINUTE break before we had to enter CAR LINE PICK UP of the older kids....BUT...we did have a BREAK THROUGH MOMENT in that one instant we were home....I was feeding baby brother some lunch, when someone needed me in the bathroom..I jump up and run for the bathroom to assist the little guy who is yelling that he MISSED the potty...when I HEAR from the kitchen,

"BABY BROTHER, OPEN UP AND SAY AHHHH!"
I run from the bathroom back to the kitchen to find this going on....LL actually TAKING CARE of baby brother.....
She's shown him NO love up to this point...and NOW she was feeding him...I had to grab my blurry, spit on camera to capture this moment....
Not sure Baby Brother was enjoying it as much as LL was....
But she was very proud of herself none the less....and we really praised her for TAKING GOOD CARE OF HER BABY!! :)
We'll take the baby steps when we get them :)....

So, that was ONLY HALF of a day....but you get the picture!! :) More Dr. appts tomorrow...returning those test tubes!! :) Just wanted to give a glimpse into the REAL life of many small children.... It's LOUD and it's MESSY!! I'm just so used to it that it doesn't phase me a bit. I've collected poop on many a child..not just my adopted ones!! LOL The honest truth is: I just wouldn't have it any other way!! God saw fit to give me these precious 6 children..and I want to enjoy EVERY SECOND of their little lives!! Even when I'm covered in waste material, dr. appts, therapists, tears from a 2 year old that's adjusting to life, school work and Ethiopian food....I'm ONE BLESSED MOMMA!! :)

Happy Thursday to you all, kj

So...HOW is LL Liking Her New Baby Brother???

2011-05-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well...this deserved a post in itself...well...just because it is so funny!! LL has been the only one that ISN'T so sure about Baby Brother entering HER world!! Well...because...up until he arrived...the WORLD BELONGED TO MISS LUCY LANE!! She has been the QUEEN of our house..and well...suddenly a Cute Little Prince has entered her space!! :) For being 2 years old, I think she is doing well....and she's learning to like him better each day...but it's going slowly....

*I'll try to tell you in pictures...This is DAY ONE of him being home...She insisted on drinking her chocolate milk out of a bottle:

So, I let her ..and she quickly realized it came out WAY too slow for her liking..and it didn't last long...but she sucked on that thing for about an hour that day (LOL) !!
She also hasn't sat in this "baby" chair for over a year...she wanted nothing to do with it....well...until she saw Baby Brother sitting in it.....Then it was back to being HER seat..and she wanted to sit there too:
Baby Brother didnt' mind sharing....
She also discovered MANY times to run to the hose outside..turn it on..soak herself with her clothes on...and that gets a great reaction out of everyone....
We're just not making a big deal of things like this..and reminding her that she needs to ASK mommy and daddy before turning the water hose on :)

She ONLY calls Wes "Baby Brother" ....And when he discovered the bib drawer that's been there for YEARS..she decides she'll just get in it and tell him he CAN'T play in the bibs.....
We've gone out to eat and she asked IF we could leave Baby Brother at home!! She also says things like:

"Baby brother isn't cute"

"Baby brother isn't LITTLE...He's BIG"

"Baby brother is too SPICY"

"Look mommy...I'm going to spit on baby brother" (and she raspberried at him)

"Baby brother is NOT sweet...He's Peanut Butter" (not sure why she said that one :)

She was staring at his leg one day..I said: "lucy Lane..do you notice that he's brown just like you?" She said: "he's NOT brown..he's WHITE" !! Hmmm. Will work on that one later!

And, when she was crying..I asked her: "Lucy lane..why are you crying?" She answered: " because of Baby Brother!" Well...at least she's verbal and doesn't hold it in!! :)

*****Baby Brother LOVES pushing his walking toy around...and when we cheer him on...she quickly tries to take it away from him....

No worries...he just chases her trying to get it back!! :)

LL has decided she wanted to CRAWL again on lots of occasions..She refused to WALK out of the drs office...so she got carried to the car and buckled in by our pediatrician! She actually thought she was pretty special being carried out by him!! :) ha ha

**She's not giving him hugs and kisses yet....but each day she is learning to play beside him without taking everything away from him...baby steps....

And, for George...well...he thinks Baby Wes hung the moon. He treats Wes just like he treated Lucy lane when she came home...LIKE A VERY PROUD BIG BROTHER!!

**So...as you can see...Wes is doing great....LL is adjusting...and the rest of the kids are IN LOVE!! :) I always want to remember LL's "adjustment period" because I know someday she'll be IN LOVE with him just as much as we are! And, quickly we'll forget all the funny things she's said about him!! :)

**So, that's OUR LIFE on Day 6 of being home!! Today I've had Wes in my arms for 2 weeks!! Praising God for this precious boy He's given me!! I just look at him and still can't believe HE IS MINE!! And, as far as LL goes...she just makes me giggle!! She's just so adorable that you can't help but laugh at her struggling with her new Baby Brother...She'll LOVE him soon!! :) I know she will!!! :)

Happy Tuesday to you all, kj

Life AFTER the Airport :)

2011-05-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can imagine...life has been busy since leaving the airport:We've now been home 4 days and everyone seems to be adjusting well to "baby brother" entering the home....
Wes is simply adorable and sweet!! He is mellow and calm and precious! We couldn't have ASKED for a better addition to our family.....
Little Miss Princess Pants is "learning" to like her new role as BIG SISTER!! She's still not too sure about her baby brother...but that's an excellent post in itself with some really good pictures coming up next...so stayed tuned (LOL :) ....
My life hasn't really changed....just add one more needy little person...and well....i'm pretty used to this already....Doesn't phase me much.....
We've already been up to big school to visit the older 3...we've been to Wes's first dr. appt...we've eaten out a couple of times...We've hit Target and Costco...and well...WES IS AWESOME!! I just wear him in the sling and he loves looking around and taking it all in. He won't even let Daddy hold him at this point...(which makes daddy sad)...but I'm super happy about HOW MUCH HE LOVES and PREFERS me already!!
We've had lots of visitors...Aunt Kasey came to meet Wes...Jules and Poppy came by..Aunt Julie lane..and many friends...Little Wes will tolerate someone holding him for about a 1/4 of a second.....then .....
Then you get the LEAN towards Momma with both arms and the sad little cry:
Yes, i'm eating up this LOVE AFFAIR he has for me right now!! :)

*Oh ,and Daddy had the sign out in the yard so that all our neighbors could know that WES ARRIVED!!! So fun!!!
Well...we're blessed beyond words! Our little buddy has slept through the night since I had him in my arms...crazy i know!! He takes one great nap a day (giving me time to love on my other 5 littles) and wakes up smiling!! He's already learning to walk and is just doing GREAT!! I'm just constantly stopping and praying to God to THANK HIM for this miracle in our life!! It sincerely feels like a MIRACLE that he's HERE in our home...He's OURS...FOREVER!!!

**So, that's how we're rolling on day 4 home...more soon!! Thanks for checking in on us....Happy Sunday to you all, kj

Our Airport Homecoming Pics...

2011-05-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm VERY blessed to have my friend Karen in my life who will show up and take GREAT pics of any occasion going on in my life.... She snapped these pics of our homecoming at the airport...and I just had to share...It was an amazing moment to instantly become a family of 8!! We LOVE our boy beyond words and as you can see in the pics...everyone is QUITE smitten with his loveliness...(well...except for LL..she's not quite sure what to think of him yet...as you can see in this first pic below...she was less than thrilled with his arrival...and she wouldn't quite cooperate sitting beside him in the pic :)

thank you so much karen...I will cherish these pics forever!! You caught such precious moments!! Oh, how we are BLESSED to have our little Wes!! We love you sweet boy and are so glad you are home!! happy Friday to you all, kj

We ARE HOME!! Praise the LORD!

2011-05-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

note: I don't know WHAT happened to this post from early yesterday morning that i did....i think blogger is having "issues" right now...But either way...IT DISAPPEARED...all comments gone and everything...isn't that funny? So..we ARE HOME! We are BEYOND thankful!! We love our new boy!! And, I'll post LOTS more pics soon!! I have TONS i want to share!! For now...we're having fun getting into our NEW groove with little man.....and PRAISING GOD for answering our prayers: Our son is HOME!! Happy Friday to you all!! kj

We are HOME!! Praise the LORD!

2011-05-12T03:54:00.000-07:00

We are home safely and LOVING our family of 8!!

Everyone is doing great...more soon i promise!! But for now...Praising the Lord for answering our prayers: OUR SON IS HOME!!! Happy Thursday to you all, kj

Almost home!!!

2011-05-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

(this is a guest post from Karen, filling in for KJ, who's having technical difficulties!)

Want to meet this adorable face in a mere 48 hours?

It is possible...Kristi, Helen and Wes are on their way home!!! They plan to arrive in Nashville at 1:02pm this Wednesday, May 11. They are connecting in Detroit (on Delta) and must pass through customs quickly. Kristi says the connection is TIGHT...so pray for a smooth connection and timely travel!!! They are so ready to introduce Wes to the 4 kids at home and reunite Will with his newest little buddy! It is sure to be a beautiful reunion!

Come join us as we welcome this baby boy to his new home with his forever family!!

Little Wes, we cannot wait to meet you and love you!! You have no idea what's in store for you. It is going to be nothing short of amazing.

You Know You ARE In Africa When.....

2011-05-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

You know you are in Africa when you wake in the morning and FIND this guy sitting on your couch in the guest home!! I walked down with Wes on my hip..rounded the corner and this monkey guy was sitting on the couch in our guest home. Yes, i screamed...he jumped onto the kitchen table...sat on the morning dishes...flipped over every coffee cup looking inside each one...I ran out the front door attempting to find the staff to help get him OUT...They got him out...but WHAT a way to GET your adrenaline going in the morning...LOL... We've also spotted him in the garbage out back...helen wanted her pic taken with him....

But...more importantly...let me show yall some cuteness....Oh, how we love this little guy:

People...he's just so sweet and wonderful!! He could barely pull up the first night i had him...just hardly enough strength to do it...and today he can pull up like a champ...crews up and down everything..and he's even letting go and standing...AND..helen got him to take some steps towards me today....He'll be walking in no time...Especially once we get his Rickets from his malnutrition healed..he'll be on his way!! Praise God!! He's just loving being mobile!!

I've also enjoyed my friend Jaime and Murray being with us...they are headed home right now with their Dinks in arm...They live right down the road from us...so much fun:

A shout out to the Chapman family that hung with us this week...They brought their 9 year old daughter too..Helen had so much fun with her...They adopted a toddler from Wes's orphanage...The girls had fun carrying around their babies together....

A little family pic....Wish the rest of my fam was in the pic:

We enjoyed taking Wes to some authentic Ethiopian dancing....Helen LOVED watching it all...She wants to go back before we leave town: My little man in his cute clothes....He's still in 3-6 month clothes...and I had to roll down these pants....crazy how small he is...My fingers overlap on the fattest part of his arm....

Bonding...Wow..it has gone great. I will have to say....WE LOVE EACH OTHER!! Yes, he already prefers me to ANYONE!! The nannies in the guest home love to pick him up...he now cries and reaches for me...He won't even let helen carry him with out fussing now...He gives me the best squeezes and just pats my back. He's just precious...HE truly never cries unless i take something away from him (like a knive at the kitchen table) or when he's mad that i'm changing his diaper again.... One tip for those adopting children that have been malnourished: keep a constant flow of food going....I read about this and how it brings them comfort..So..our guy is NEVER with out bottle or food in hand...It's kept him so calm and he quickly realized that he'd never have to go hungry with momma....Food was constantly there!! He seriously loves his bottle!!

He also got his first bath and loved it....he was so cute splashing in the water!

Things really couldn't be going better!! He's jus wonderful and I can't wait to get him home to our other 4 littles...they are just going to die over him!! He smiles all the time and laughs at everything...He is so easily tickled and he's into grabbing everything...very inquisitive little boy!!

**So, i've had lots of issues with internet...Happy Mother's Day to you all if I dont' get back on tomorrow...but i'll try!! What a wonderful mother's day gift to have my new babe in my arms...but i'll be missing having all 8 of us together...but we can celebrate when i get home..just a couple of days late!! :) Happy Saturday to you all, kj

WE ARE COMING HOME!!!

2011-05-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

Praise the LORD!! We were cleared by the U.S. Embassy TODAY..We have our Embassy appt. early Monday morning....then we'll fly out of Ethiopia on Tuesday night!! We are so excited..Our airport homecoming will be on Wednesday early afternoon..... We are having a wonderful time of bonding!! It is VERY easy to love this sweet boy...He is calm, gentle and loving all the time. He is growing stronger each and every day he is in my arms. He is so smart...you can tell he is much older by all that he can do!! His size is very deceiving! He can clap, play peek a boo, he can "sign" that he is hungry and thirsty!! (i have no idea where he learned that) and he speaks many amaric words...It is so neat to hear and recognize that he knows his language...he babbles and talks all the time. He sleeps through the night and wakes up smiling...simply dreamy! He naps well every day and that allows helen and i to do school work. Helen and i walk to coffee each day and are having so much fun.

More soon...my boy is on the move so not much time to post....but i hope to post more pics soon..but that's our great news for the day!! Praising God for our beautiful boy...and missing my 4 babies back home!! Happy Friday to you all, kj

I'm Here!!!

2011-05-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Wow...folks you guessed it!! I'm in Ethiopia holding my son as we type...Oh, my heart is so full right now...He is just precious and wonderful and I'M SO GRATEFUL to be able to come a couple of days early to START fattening him up and to start BONDING!! :) I pray to return this weekend or early next week...I'll keep yall posted..I have lots of pics already too...I'll be posting those as soon as i can. I'm borrowing a computer for the moment to let yall know WHERE I am...and we'd so appreciate the prayers for a FAST return home. I have my oldest daughter (age 9) with me too..She's lovin Africa and has done nothing but smother Wes in kisses....

So, i was told when i arrived at the guest home tonight that I wouldnt be able to go get Wes for maybe another day....I was already figuring out in my head HOW I could get a cab and just go pick him up myself...WHEN...our director surprised me ...and with our travel group all sitting and smiling (i never caught on) OUT walked my friend Jaime with my son in her arms!! I had only been in the guest home about 5 minutes tops WHEN they surprised me with my sweet boy ALREADY there!! Oh, the tears...I was shocked to see him being brought out...Oh, what a moment I'll never forget...I'm just so grateful and humbled by this amazing trip already....and I've only been here now a few hours...

Wes is perfect....He's SO tiny....but just perfect to me!! I cant' wait to share some pics soon...stay tuned...and thank you for your prayers....My daughter and I are just on cloud 9 right now playing with our new son and little brother!! God is indeed GOOD!! Happy Wednesday to you all (its officially wednesday here ) kj

Wow..There's Some Craziness Going On Around Here...

2011-05-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

Well...I've been missing in BLOG LAND for the last couple of days...It WASN'T cause I was busy getting my nails done or anything like that.....I was BUSY doing this:Some pure craziness has happened in the last couple of days...Too crazy to even go into details (yet :) STAY TUNED...I'll be sure to reveal WHERE I'M headed in the next couple of days...OMG....CRAZY GOOD STUFF GOING ON.....The butterflies are in FULL EFFECT!!! I'll be back soon!! :)

Happy Monday morning to ya...Or Sunday night...how ever you'd like to view it....kj

The Good News...And the BAD News!!

2011-04-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

Well...Which one do you want first?? The Good or the BAD?? Well...I'll start with the good....How about that?

THE GOOD:

* 3 weeks ago this past Monday....I became the OFFICIAL Momma to this precious boy waiting on us in Ethiopia:

* 2 weeks ago TODAY...his birth certificate arrived and OH!! WHAT A SWEET CELEBRATION that was to see HIM with the same LAST NAME as ours!!! LOVED IT!!

* 1 week ago TODAY...we were submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia for CLEARANCE to leave and pick up our precious son...HAPPY HAPPY DAY!

*Our agency is GREAT with communication and got back with us TODAY as soon as they heard word from the embassy....

THE BAD NEWS:

*It's a NO GO!!! :( OUR U.S. Embassy has requested some extra "stuff" before they'll ALLOW our guy into the good old U.S.A!! :(

* Yes, I'm bummed...cause I have NO IDEA how long it will take to GET WHAT THEY WANT!!

*This is VERY routine these days.... Every few cases they CALL an investigation on...We're NOT completely under investigation...just requiring a few extra steps to MAKE THEM HAPPY!!

*So, we WAIT SOME MORE!!! I completely trust and love our agency...they will give them what ever it is they want AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!! Unfortunately the U.S. requires this sort of thing from ALL agencies ALL the time...so they are very use to this type of NO GO!!

*So....Please join us in PRAYING that this doesn't delay us THAT LONG!! This Momma's heart REALLY thought I was leaving this weekend...And, I would have been IF this hadn't come up...Several friends of mine got clearance..so they WILL be leaving this weekend...and MORE GOOD NEWS: They'll be able to love on our boy for us!!

**I refuse to "cry in my cheerios" (yet :)...Our adoption of sweet Wes has gone so smoothly and so quickly and easily so far...that I KNOW I'M BLESSED!! He's WORTH every road block...this just happens to be the FIRST one we've come across....So, as badly as I want him HOME...I'm trusting that God has a bigger plan here!! :) We are very blessed...We are very blessed...

**I'll keep yall updated as things progress...WE SO APPRECIATE YOUR PRAYERS FOR THIS TO BE RESOLVED QUICKLY!! :) Happy Thursday to you all, kj

My Little "shower" for Wes....

2011-04-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

yes, My sweet friends gave me a little dinner in honor of our sweet Wes..... I surely wasn't expecting anything for baby #6 (even though I think he's JUST as special as baby #1 who had about 10 showers...seriously :) I was SO excited when my friend Vanessa said she wanted to give me a little dinner...I picked my favorite spot "Local Taco" and we all met up.....

I forgot my camera...so I snapped a few pics of the night with my Iphone...the pics aren't the greatest, but I had to share a few anyways!! Not the best pic of me below...but proof I was at MY OWN shower CELEBRATING our sweet Wes....I asked for NO presents...but a few people slipped some in anyways......He got some new outfits...some gift cards...an adorable 147 Million tshirt from my friend Gwen...it was so fun...Below, my sister Kelly (Mrs. Ordinary Hero) and Gwen (mrs. 147 million orphans) were present....so glad they could come...My CCI peeps came to represent too....Friends I've known for my entire 12 years of marriage showed up to celebrate baby #6....and newer friends like, Amber, who was my travel buddy to pick up Lucy Lane...Such a NEAT group representing so many different parts of my life...I got so many cute little things for Wes...but I have to show you what my friend Eve gave me...Seriously....I talk to her every day in car line while we wait to pick up our kids...She's in the same spot we're in..waiting for clearance from the Embassy for her Ethiopian daughter....and she NEVER once mentioned she was an artist....

ok, so she SERIOUSLY pencil sketched a portrait of Wes...AND, she did it in CAR LINE....Yes, she's THAT talented...AND, IT LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM!!!! CRAZY!!! Thanks Eve SO MUCH!! I can't believe you were able to do this...I LOVE IT:

Wow, i have some sweet and talented friends!! And, I had a cute pic of my friend karen and my friend Vanessa (who organized this) but some how I do believe ONE of them erased it from my phone...hmmmmmm!! :)

**Thanks a MILLION everyone for coming!! Thanks Vanessa for organizing!! I can't wait to get our boy home so you can all meet him!! And, I'm so blessed that so many people ALREADY love him SO MUCH!!! It was a wonderful night!! Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

Easter Day 2011....

2011-04-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny was BUSY this year at our home filling 6 Easter Baskets!! Yes, even Wes got a visit from the Old Bunny!! * We always want him to know that he was in our thoughts and in our hearts on this 2011 Easter Day!! He IS OUR SON!! Yet, he sits a world away!! HE is MISSED!! We LOVE you little buddy and can't wait to have YOU HOME!!! :) (and that's a bowl of carrots that my kids left for the Easter bunny..fyi)My 5 little people on this Easter Day....
We hosted the ENTIRE fam...and there are LOTS of cousins on my side of the fam...... And, they all gathered for the annual Easter Egg hunt.....And...
They were OFF....
And, from OUR BIG family to YOURS... We hope your Easter Day was filled with many blessings!!
(All our fam minus my Wes and my sister's Lincoln waiting in Ethiopia!! My sweet grandparents are in the middle...the one's responsible for this LARGE family!!! :)

Happy Sunday to you all, kj

I Once Was....

2011-04-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

I once was the mother to ONLY ONE child on Easter....And, yes, we proudly took her to meet the Easter Bunny at the mall.....We took tons of pics and enjoyed every minute of it......Then...Then....we had 3 babies in 3 YEARS...and this was the LAST TIME we EVER visited the EASTER BUNNY:
Well, maybe next year I'll BRAVE taking all 6 to visit the bunny....BUT PROBABLY NOT!!! :) Amazing how priorities and things that ONCE seemed so important CHANGE after having many children in a row!! LOL :) We now view VISITING the Easter Bunny as plain TORTURE!!! :) ha ha

*** We're gearing up for a fabulous Easter Celebration here....Praying each and every one of you have a Blessed Easter as well!!! Happy Saturday to you all, kj

So, How Are We Passing The Time??

2011-04-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I kind of feel like LIFE is going in SLOW MOTION as we WAIT to get that ALL IMPORTANT phone call (or email) that says we can LEAVE ON A JET PLANE and bring our boy home!! Ahhhh...I know it could come SOON...or I (sadly) realize that it could take a while...SO...keepin myself BUSY isn't hard these days....This little Miss Fancy Pants keeps us on our toes:Can you tell what she's done in this pic...I put the STOOL up on the counter to keep her from climbing on the kitchen counter...I take George to the potty and come back to find this:Yes, she's SITTING on the STOOL "ON" on the counter...CRAZY GIRL!!! She's ALWAYS one second away from hurting herself!!! :)

**And, below...my Julia decided it WAS TIME to get her EARS PIERCED!! She was very brave and very excited:
Way to go big girl!!

We headed to Kentucky last weekend to celebrate Poppy's 84th bday!! Cousin Alec was visiting too...so our kids love seeing their cousin Alec...so fun:

Jules (my MIL) put on an easter egg hunt for the kids...they had so much fun:
Cousin Alec:
LL LOVED picking flowers out of Jule's yard...she always cracks me up:

Then a little lunch..and it was time to wish Poppy (and George..Jules included him in on the festivities) a happy bday...Poppy turned 84...George turned 4:

Some of the other 2nd cousins and such stopped by too...LL let her Uncle Ray walk her around a little bit:
Present time..Thanks Jules and Poppy for a great afternoon...The kids had so much fun:
AND...lets see...What else have we been up to....Oh, LOSING TEETH..We're ALWAYS losing teeth around here...The tooth fairy REALLY has our address down:
And, Daddy FINALLY got done building the NEW CLIMB DOME thing in the back yard....and yes, our yard is so tacky..but the kids have a BLAST:
Yes, we grabbed this new climb toy from Costco..LOVE IT!! (fyi..and LL had spilled something all over herself earlier...and we just hadn't made it inside yet for another round of clothing :)
And, yes, that's 5 Littles on ONE play dome!! And, plenty of room left for sweet little Wes!! :)

**So, keeping ourselves busy for sure!! We're hosting all the fam for Easter too....and TRYING NOT TO OBSESS over the fact that we could be leaving SOON for our boy!! :) praying, praying, praying for good news soon!! Hope you all have a blessed Easter Weekend!! Happy Thursday to you all, kj

SuperMan Was Adopted!!!

2011-04-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Oh, I'm SO EXCITED to let yall know that Lucy lane's travel buddy, Silas, is getting a BABY SISTER from Ethiopia!! Now, they still have some WAIT TIME to go...but they are making their way DOWN the wait list right now..AND..they are RAISING MONEY for their adoption by selling these adorable tshirts:So, yall know I like to be REAL on here...and Silas's Momma, Amber, can tell ya that it was a CRAZY morning at my house during this little photo shoot!! Amber, so kindly, brought LL a tshirt to model with her sweet buddy Silas...And, as you can see, above, Silas was PERFORMING perfectly and LL only would give me the RASPBERRY!!! Seriously, the girl has a bad habit right now of giving the RASPBERRY when she isn't getting what she wants!! Yes, she's SOMETHING ELSE!!! :) LOL
Well, Silas, above, leans in for the kiss on the cheek..and well...LL isn't feelin the LOVE and gives him the POINTED FINGER where she tells us all: "This ISN'T FUNNY!!" (one of her new favorite lines :)
Well, below, she was happy when I let her down and she could run to the NEW climbing thing daddy was half way through building and COULD PRETEND it was a microphone!! Yes, everything in her life BECOMES a microphone...She's destined to be FAMOUS when she grows up!! :)

So, I tell her I'll give her a sucker if she'll give Silas a hug:

Ok , that worked....the girl would do just about anything for a SUCKER:Ok, well....how about ONE MORE ATTEMPT of a cute pic of them together sitting on the wall:Ok, MORE Raspberries....giving UP....So, she's DOWN and free again....the cute pic of them together in these AWESOME tshirts...just wasn't happening....GEORGE TO THE RESCUE.... LL will hold her Georgie's hand...just NOT Silas's hand:

Crazy girl!!! yes, she makes life EXCITING each and every day!! LOL !!!

So, the morning photo shoot ended with LL sneaking off and getting into the bottle of Windex and spraying it everywhere when we weren't looking...and then she claimed SHE DRANK IT!! But I SERIOUSLY think she made that up...no worries...she was FINE!!! :) And, as Amber was leaving my VERY MESSY HOME..sink filled with dishes...dishes from dinner (night before) still out....AND as we were trying to figure out IF we should call POISON CONTROL cause of LL's claim to have drunk the Windex...George walks up and lets us know that he just had an accident in his pants!! Wow...when it rains it pours!! ha ha So, Amber left (i'm sure shocked :) and I cleaned up George, cleaned up LL's latest Windex mess...got LL down for a nap..cleaned up my messy kitchen...and tried to DEEP BREATHE!!! :)

***Now, after ALL that we went through to accomplish this photo shoot of this shirt...I hope YOU'LL ALL HOP ON OVER to the SILAS blog and SUPPORT lucy lane's travel buddy as they bring home a sister for Silas!! ***** You can order your shirts and see better pictures of them by going to their blog: www.luchtadoption.blogspot.com They come in several different sizes and colors!! Check them out if you have a minute!!! :) I think they are too cute (even if ONE model wasn't feelin the love to perform for us :)

Just thinkin about that morning and writing it OUT made me tired again! ha ha Thanks everyone for supporting the Lucht family!! We so LOVE them!! Happy Tuesday to you all, kj

A New Picture..and a MUST READ!!

2011-04-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

First...I just saw this picture FOR THE FIRST TIME from my hubby's trip TWO weeks ago when he went to Ethiopia for our court date!!! Oh, it just WARMED my heart!! There is just something about seeing my hubby walk his son around....teaching him HOW to take his first steps....Oh...THE LOVE!! And, TODAY marks TWO weeks since I became a Momma of 6!! Praying our boy is BACK in our arms VERY SOON!! :) I pray we'll be hearing good news soon!!!!

**Also, a sweet friend that just happened to be traveling at the same time as my hubby wrote the sweetest post about our boy!! You can go read it here: www.sandersonadoption.blogspot.com

It brought me to tears!!!!! :)

Happy Monday to you all, kj

A GREAT Wes Update....

2011-04-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

I just received a WONDERFUL email from our director stating Wes's LATEST "weigh in"!! They have weighed him frequently to MAKE sure he was gaining the appropriate amount of weight!! As most of you have read already on here...our son was EXTREMELY malnourished....and I mean EXTREME!! I had friends that stopped by to meet him EARLY ON that left shocked and scared for our son's SURVIVAL!! This played out over and over again as friends met him..all worrying that maybe he should have NEVER left the hospital!! But our agency KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING!! They got him into GREAT HANDS...Nannies that had dealt with this sort of thing before and KNEW how to nurse him back to health...and the transformation has been ASTOUNDING!!

This was my sweet son...my Wes, soon after he arrived to the city...weighing in at 8lbs:
He was literally starving to death!! How can this even be possible this day and age!! BUT...I pray this Glorifies God when I tell you that TODAY my son weighed in at 17.2 lbs:These pictures are two weeks old now...so I know he's even bigger now...but HE'S CHANGED SO MUCH!! He can smile...he can sit and pull up...his body no longer shakes from the lack of vitamins ....He's beautiful...and he's 17lbs.....that just blows me away!!! I'm just so thankful for the care CCI has given my boy...and I'm certainly praising God for the miracle of my little man...AND, now i'm ready to take over and feed my baby MYSELF..and WATCH those rolls begin to appear!! It may take a while...but I bet he'll have some chubby little rolls SOME DAY!! :) Praying I'M THE ONE that gets to feed him those bottles VERY SOON!!! :)

**Thank you CCI for the wonderful update...This made my day!!! And, an fyi.... MANY people have asked me what the wait times are right now with our agency...the girl list has a wait of about 4 to 6 months..BUT...the boy list is VERY fast right now!! They are stating about 1 to 2 WEEKS wait for an infant boy referral once you are paper ready...NOW..I can't promise it will STAY that way after I post this...but it was this way in December when I was referred Wes...and NOW it is back down AGAIN!! Just an fyi since I'm emailed CONSTANTLY about WAIT TIMES!!! That's the WORD on the street!! :)

Happy Sunday to you all, kj

My Crazy LL

2011-04-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

Today is April 15th.....another MONTH has gone by since Lucy Lane became OURS!! I'm reminded on the 15th of EVERY month that Lucy Lane has been HOME another month..and she's ONE MONTH older since her bday and Gotcha day both fall on the 15th!! Next month she'll be 2 1/2 (i can't believe HOW fast she is growing up)..and on June 15th she'll have been home 2 years!! wow...where did the time go!!!?? She's truly a GIFT to our family and I'm so thankful that God set us on this path!! As I obsess over reading emails these days to hear ANY word that IT IS TIME to head back to Ethiopia to pick up our 6th child, I try to imagine WHAT I'd be doing TODAY if I hadn't chosen to follow God's leading to ADOPT!! I just can't imagine by life without ALL 6 of my kids!!! We've truly been blessed beyond measure....

**We've had beautiful weather lately and I captured some of LL's "craziness" while eating dinner out on the deck the other night....
I can't help but look at LL and PRAISE GOD for her confidence...the security she feels with her family...and for her wonderful personality...I think her OUT GOINGNESS with us..her crazy performing self with us...her HUGE laughter and screams could drive some people nutty....BUT..God knew what He was doing when he gave us Lucy Lane...I LOVE EVERY OUNCE OF HER FUNNiESS!!! I had such reserved, shy children before Lucy Lane...which makes her BIG, FUN, CRAZY personality a breath of fresh air in our home!! She truly thinks of the funniest things to do all the time....Below she attempts to dip her grilled cheese in tomato soup....she decides she really likes it...

And, makes a HUGE mess along the way...
But it hurts her feelings when big Sissy notices WHAT she's doing....cause she was dipping her grilled cheese in HELEN's soup....and Helen reclaims her soup from LL:
Ok, I get her her OWN tomato soup....all smiles again:

Then, of course...she must perform a little bit for the camera:

I'm hoping Wes can survive this BIG personality...LL already says out of the blue:

"Mommy, baby brother in Africa is way too loud!!"

**I said, "LL, you haven't even met him..you have no idea if he's LOUD or NOT!"

And, she laughs...cause she KNOWS she's a silly nut!! :) I'm sure my posts about LL's adjustment to baby brother will be quite entertaining!! ha ha :) AND...Just so you all KNOW what I'm praying for...so you'll PLEASE join me...I'm praying Wes is in my arms by the end of this month!! I know it's a long shot...but so was passing court the first time...so I KNOW prayer works!!! And, I KNOW God wants my sweet boy HOME!!! :) We so appreciate YOUR PRAYERS!!!

**Happy Friday to you all, kj

Happy 4th Bday Georgie!!!!

2011-04-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the 12th, my Georgie turned 4!! I mean, seriously, could a boy be any cuter:George is a simple little guy and wanted a simple little party...so we headed down to our neighborhood playground and invited some of his pre-k 3 friends....
But, George decided Mommy was brilliant when I pulled out his bday present....the giant blow up ball from Costco:It was a big hit....and the weather was PERFECT, by the way...sunny and 72....FAR BETTER than the awful storm that passed through the night before which caused THIS for my poor neighbor across the street....WE HAD NO IDEA...we came out the next morning and saw it...I can't believe we didn't hear it crash...No one was hurt..Praise the Lord!!! :And, ALL of Georgie's siblings had lots of fun too at his party...we all like a park day:

George decided on a Costco Football cake at the last minute..and his football shirt to match....Yes, he made Daddy proud:

My sister Karson made it in for the festivities:

There is also a creek next to the playground which kept the kids entertained the entire time:
Cake Time:

Present time...I love when people buy my george "curious george" stuff...so cute:

Some Mommas hangin around:Lots of fun with that giant ball:
LL and her friend Emma havin some Slide fun:
My two big girls CHILLIN...21 months apart and asked EVERY day if they are twins...

Lucy Lane seriously says, "Momma...take a picture of me in my hat!!" funny girl:

More free fun...the kids roll down the giant hill over and over again:
And, it was back home to open a few more presents....this smile says it all.....We love you so much George!! You are truly the cutest, most wonderful 4 year old EVER!! You are easy, laid back and joyful!! And, he's my only kid to ever be LITTLE (well...until Wes :) He still claims to be a BABY every day!! LL has surpassed him left and right on lots of things....but we dont' care....he is OUR BABY and he LOVES it that way!! :)
And, WHY didn't I post this LAST NIGHT ON HIS ACTUAL bday...Well...cause George's favorite thing to do is to CUDDLE on the couch....and he asks me CONSTANTLY to just come and lie down with him on the couch...He just likes me to hold him.....
*So, as he stayed up LATE like he always does..and as everyone else in the house was sleeping....you can find George and me hangin on the couch for some quality time!! And, it was his bday...so I just couldn't say NO!! :) We love you Georgie and hope you'll stay our baby forever!!!

**Happy 4th bday my sweet boy...and...Happy Wednesday to you all, kj

This Year's ORDINARY HERO Video......

2011-04-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Wow...it is HARD to move on from PASSING COURT to WAITING for Embassy....but I must do it.....So, ONE WEEK AGO TODAY i became a momma to 6 LITTLES!!!! I just can hardly wait to have that 6th LITTLE home with us!! Oh, he's so yummy cute!!! :)

BUT, to pass the time, I attended the Ordinary Hero Benefit Dinner on Thursday night....IT was a HUGE success and so much fun!! This is the video that was shown and IT IS SO GOOD!! I'm so proud of my big sister Kelly and all the efforts she puts into Ordinary Hero!! And, I just can't believe HOW MANY children have found their forever families due to her hard work!! I also have to give a shout out to my Wes's agency, CCI, because lots of children in this video were ONCE waiting children with that agency!! It's a beautiful thing to see families come together....

Enjoy the video..Silence my music at the bottom of my page....visit www.ordinaryhero.org to learn more.....and BE BLESSED.....happy Monday to you all, kj

Real Life Among Us~ Ordinary Hero from Kelly Putty on Vimeo.