What I've Been Doing

 The first picture will explain the reason I couldn't psychologically get the kid's spring clothes out of storage until I cleaned the storage room. Normally I sort and organize the clothes in this room and bring them to and from their bedrooms to keep the clothes mess contained in one spot, but that wasn't an option because the room was beyond a disaster. It took me about two days, but I restored order to the room, packed up the five youngest children's winter clothes and brought out their summer wardrobe. It's such a good feeling to have all their drawers neat and tidy and know exactly what I have to buy whom to get through the summer!

Before (I warned you it was bad) - 

After (could still use some work, but it's at a point I can handle) - 

Once I got to the point of pulling out bins that I needed to unload into drawers, I had the kids carry them out and "stack them on the couch." This was the pile that awaited me - nice, really nice!

 We received some bad news medically about JD's Mom last night, so we are heading to PA tomorrow. I'm so thankful I got the clothes done first. The kids are staying here with my sister, so maybe I'll have a little time to blog about things that require thought - like Selah's referral story.

Spring Break and Organizing

 I decided to take spring break this week just so I can catch up around the house and get the kids' spring clothes out of storage.  I am trying to accomplish several indoor and outdoor tasks this week. Sunday, we weeded the front flower beds as I recovered from what I think was sun poisoning after painting on Saturday. Yesterday, I cleaned the office (I wouldn't even dare take a before picture.)  

This is as good as it gets for notoriously messy office. There is a big JD pile of papers that I'm opting to not show. 

Today we are moving on to the storage room - it's scary down there but we are anxious to swap winter for summer clothes. It's a major job even though I swap only for the youngest five (to be seven.)

I am really regretting the fact that I didn't save any clothes from Tori and Julia, but my philosophy has always been to only save clothes for actual kids that I have. Thank goodness for friends who are willing to share!

On a side note, I received a new picture of Selah yesterday with a sweet smile. I really think she can't be any bigger than Elijah although she is about 14 months older. I so wish I could post her and Bella's pictures!

 

Painting

 I finished painting the bedroom yesterday, although it isn't all put back together completely. Today we painted the majority of the screened-in porch; we at least finished painting the area that needed to be done before screening. JD and Alyssa started painting at 9:00 a.m. and I helped once I came home from my home school meeting after lunch. 

Alyssa was the designated paint helper because she did it for payment toward a youth retreat that she went on. She did a good job!

We all celebrated with a pizza picnic on the porch; I'm so thankful for such a beautiful day!

My Little Buddy

 When we launched into our current adoption(s), we really thought we would come home with one little boy. Elijah is the only boy on the younger end of the kid spectrum and we thought it would be nice for him. We decided, though, not to ask for a boy or girl and just leave that to God. When Isabella surfaced, we fell instantly in love and I could not imagine her referral having been a boy. When we decided to open ourselves to a second child, we took the same path and did not specify a boy or girl again, and sure enough, we were blessed with another little girl. (I still need to blog the details of Selah's referral.)


It looks like Elijah is going to remain the lone boy at the bottom of the kid line - with four African sisters. He couldn't be any more excited; he often tells me that he can't wait for his "little" sisters to come home. Although we've explained that Selah is older than him, he is sure he can hold her and call her his little sister. I hope he is as thrilled with them in real life as he is planning to be!


He is such a joy to all of us. Here he is at breakfast yesterday morning. He got his Cat in the Hat costume on first thing. 

Here's last night at the end of a busy day of playing. 

Good thing he is OK with staying my baby boy. 

Big Announcement in Poor Quality

We made about three attempts at videoing our big announcement. The one that came out the best was the one that the "filmatographer" didn't remember to hit play on the I-Pod. So, this is our runner-up performance; its major flaw is that the first two children spoke before it started recording so you have to read super quick to catch it. Most of the kids were also losing enthusiasm the more attempts we made, so we just went with it instead of shooting again.  So, get ready, pause the music at the bottom of the screen, hit the arrow and know that the first two signs say "We Are Getting."

If you prefer the print version - we accepted a second referral from Ethiopia. It is a 2nd little girl who will be five in May. Her name will be...

Selah Mercy Kalkidan

There will be more about the story of little Selah's referral, but for now we are rejoicing that we are adding two little princesses to our family this year!

News Still Coming...

Big news still coming tonight...

 

Other Things

 We have had plenty of other things going on other than playing - 

Julia lost her first top tooth (and she has perfected the biggest cheesiest smile in our family's history.)

We nursed our silky chicken back to health in a Rubbermaid in my bathroom. He never attempted to get out and seemed to enjoy the attention and snacks. 

JD and the kids installed an underground invisible fence for Kylie. It's between 1/2 and 1 acre and is already working like a charm on just the vibrate training mode. The shock is actually turned off and it only vibrated her once and she isn't crossing any little white flags. So much for the days we had to drop everything and chase Kylie down the road! 


The added bonus is that can get the German Shepherd puppy that we have wanted for years. Lincoln is zero watch dog, he won't even chase the deer away, so we want a dog that we feel will be a level of protection for the kids and our home. 

Lastly, I painted half the bedroom over the weekend. I need to get on to the other half and the retreat area, but it's enough to know that I think I like the colors. (It looks way more peach in the picture than it really is - it's more yellow-gold and that top and bottom color really do match.)

I think we will have a BIG announcement tomorrow in the adoption realm, so stop back by. 
                                                                                                                                     Jenny

Ben's Birthday

I wrote this blog yesterday, but for some reason Blogger wouldn't post it. So, I'm covering Ben's birthday one more time. There's a ton of other stuff going on that I'll sum up tomorrow - I wanted to give Ben turning 11 its own post. We have traditionally alternated a birthday plan of every other year a party and the other year a family activity. Sometimes that activity is as simple as ordering pizza, but this year Ben really wanted to go roller skating. Since I don't think some of the younger kids had ever been, it was a really fun idea for all of us. 


When I contacted the skating rink, I found out that Thursday is the least expensive night. So, JD came home from work a bit early and we did presents, dinner and cake and then headed out.

The rink had skating on one side and mats and trampolines on the other which was especially nice for Julia and Elijah who had a tough time skating. 

And a good time was had by all!

Insignificants

 So, while I am deliberately not talking about the BIG decision in life that we are making, here are a few insignificant events that I seemed to think were worth pulling the camera out for. 


It's been so warm (except today when it snowed,) that the boys and I built our outside table that we bought on clearance last summer for the screened in porch. 

I gave Elijah the job of putting the screw covers on and he worked hard to do it. 

Now we are able to eat and do school out on the porch. When the porch is finished, we are going to have two table out there so we can all actually sit down.  

The camper finally sold; it was a glorious sight to see it leave once and for all. We have sold a lot of stuff towards this adoption. It's a win/win - we clean things out and generate money!

 Finally, we have decided that it's time to sell the van. We have always wished we bought a 15 passenger instead of the 12, but it's really the gas that is prompting us to upgrade. Because we bought the V-10, so it could pull the boat that we no longer own, it gets much worse gas mileage than a V-8. We are going to put it up for sale and search for a "new" used van at the same time. We gave it what I hope was its last thorough cleaning. 

Today we spent the day in Richmond at the state legislature with a delegate that JD works with. It was a very enjoyable day. 

Quiet (and Fearless)

I've been quiet because I'm thinking and praying. I wish I were fearless like my title, but that is far from the truth. Sometimes my life stops long enough that I stand there amazed (on a good side) yet totally overwhelmed (on the not-so-good side.) 


Here's a Francis Chan clip that is only five minutes long called Fearless that I highly recommend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAW5jRzdXJE