HIV+ adoption

Deanna Jones at Mother the World - mothertheworld.org - was looking for video segments to post on her blog about adopting HIV+ children....when she said she'd throw in a free shirt to the first 20 people who submitted one - I sat my behind down & did it! So here it is - in one take - after a long day & a dinner out - please don't judge me :)
****be sure to mute the music in the side bar****

!!!!!

Our first care package to B & B is on it's WAY!!!!

I'm so excited! SWEET Kelly Putty from Ordinary Hero (www.ordinaryhero.com) is bringing it over for us!!!!! She is so crazy generous to do that as it was quite a bag full of stuff :) We sent over some toys, a shirt for each of them & a photo album of us....they're going to see us for the FIRST TIME this WEEK!!!! AHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Is it crazy to love some one so much even when you don't really KNOW them? I guess what I do know is enough....they're children of God and He's chosen us to be their mom & dad on this earth....I guess I don't need to know much more than that.

I keep PINCHING myself! I get to have 7 kids! While most people think I'm insane....I feel so BLESSED! We were down to just 3 at home the other day & the house felt EMPTY! and we have a small house!

I can't WAIT to find out what the kids think of us!!! In the meantime we're trying out names....we'll definitely keep their ET names for their middle names & in the event that's what they want to be called - yeah - but to give them an american option is good too....and we want to keep the first letter the same, obviously their birth mom liked that :)

So far on the list is -
Lucas & Lillian
Marcus & Marian
Andrew & Ava
Jordan & Jasmine
We really want a Biblical name for the boy & a super girl-y name for the girl!

Any suggestions????

What a small world!!!

Oh my goodness!!!! The world just keeps getting smaller!!!

I just got off the phone with GINA PAYNE who's family is adopting my soon to be newest daughters BFF!!!!! You sooooo have to check out her blog - paynefamilyblessings.blogspot.com - and hear ALL about their trip & their son!!!!

She was in ET on a missions trip in July. Meet her son at an orphanage they weren't supposed to visit, one day after he'd gotten to that orphanage.....is God's timing PERFECT or what?!?!?! She came home & they started the process!!! They traveled for court on November 5th & are hoping to go back on Dec 16th to BRING HIM HOME!!!! So exciting!!!!!

She was able to meet little B & says she's FABULOUS!!! Sweet, hysterical, laid back, and a girlie girl!!! Doesn't she sound like she'll fit in PERFECTLY!!! She said the orphanage they're in - Resurrection in Addis Ababa is clean, the nannies are attentive, & they even have a nurse/teacher on site!!! Oh this mommies heart is so HAPPY right now!!!!!

She even has PICTURES to send me!!!! Can this day get ANY BETTER?!?!?!!?

Truth Pandemic

WOW!!! I couldn't have said it better myself :)

Truth Pandemic

Click on "Truth Pandemic" above & watch the coolest 3 minute video about HIV/AIDS!!!

We're BACK!!!!!

Oh, I'm jumping up & down, over the top, hang on to your hats EXCITED!!!!

We're BACK in it baby!!! as in we've already met with the social worker, submitted our application, having the references update - BACK!!!!!

We knew the day after we picked up Ellie that we'd be back....we just didn't know it would be this SOON!

Here's the short version - I'll post the long version too - just so I don't forget it!!!

We're adopting 2 children (siblings) a 5 year old boy & his 3 year old sister from Ethiopia through Celebrate Children International!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!!

So the long story :)

Back in August we decide that now is the time. We'd thought we'd wait until we could get the remodel done on the house, Ellie was older, blah blah blah....but we can't stop thinking about all the children we left behind. Our excuses are real, yet very lame when compared to what these children are dealing with on a daily basis. My favorite blog to read is www.weloveourlucy.blogspot.com. Well Kristi (the gal who writes the blog)'s sister started a non-profit called Ordinary Hero (www.OrdinaryHero.org). Kelly (Kristi's sister) took a missions trip to Ethiopia & took a bunch of pictures of the children on Celebrate Children International's (www.CelebrateChildren.org) waiting child list. Kristi had posted that Kelly was back from ET & that if you wanted to see the waiting children's photo's to let Kelly know. So I did - duh! and staring back at me through the 150+ pictures was the face of a little 7 year old HIV+ gal. Before we even had the chance to get excited about her the harsh reality of health insurance reared it's ugly head....in the form of the 6 month pre-existing conditions clause. Which means that unless you have a group policy even your adopted children's pre-existing conditions won't be covered for 6 months. An argument over faith vs. the need for health insurance quickly ensued.....the need for health insurance won.

Fast forward to September. I get a call from Ellie's health insurance provider. She was initially covered under our group plan with the military. Now that Matt's out we've got her covered under our state's high risk insurance pool - WSHIP. I get a call from WSHIP, she wants to know if we have any questions, etc. I told her everything was going great - but what if we ever wanted to adopt again? Even WSHIP has a 6 month pre-existing condition clause. She excitedly told me that with all the health care reform they created a Federal High Risk pool with NO pre-existing conditions clause!!!!

Fast forward to October. My dear friend Caylene (in the middle of getting her Dossier submitted to adopt from Ethiopia) wanders to her agency's waiting child list & feels God tap her on the shoulder. They'd always been open to adopting an HIV+ child, but had terrible insurance. Not anymore!!!! So they move ahead to adopt S & R!!!!

Fast forward to November. My husband is preparing to go to the Mid-Atlantic Orphan Summit in Harrisburg, PA for our non-profit, No Longer Orphans (NoLongerOrphans.blogspot.com). I "happen" on to the CCI waiting child list & see the sweet 7 year old gal STILL on the list. With hat in hand (and new found health insurance info) I ask my sweet husband just to take all her info with him to pray over. We revisit all the pictures, watch the video they'd sent us, talk, talk, talk, pray, pray, pray - and before he even leaves we're ready to move ahead!!! But I want him to be super sure & wait until after the conference to tell CCI.

At the conference Matt gets to meet one of my hero's - Carolyn Twietmeyer of Project Hopeful - www.ProjectHopeful.org. She & her husband really pioneered adopting HIV+ kids & started a foundation (project hopeful) to get information out & clear up some of the processes to adopting them internationally. Which btw, they DID! It meant we only had to be in ET for 1 week instead of 2!

So Matt comes home from the conference even more sure than when he left. I send Carolyn a message on facebook (imagine - being "friends" with one of your hero's!!!! I LOVE technology) who quickly responds that she knows ANOTHER FAMILY that's pursuing this gals adoption. I'm devastated. It's CRAZY how quickly you can fall in love with a picture! I quickly call CCI & they tell me how sorry they are. This orphanage is the only one they work with that has multiple agencies referring kids to them. I put on my happy face & decide to be glad that she has a family.

Meanwhile we've decided we REALLY like CCI. Aside from the mixup - which honestly, 7 years old, HIV+ - that's a hard to place child. She deserved to be shouted about from the roof tops for EVERYONE to hear. Who knew 2 families would fall in love with her almost simultaneously....well, God did!

So we're really liking CCI. What do you KNOW - they have other children waiting for families! Unbeknown to me my husband saw the picture of this ADORABLE brother & sister on CCI's waiting child list as well.....and as he tells it knew INSTANTLY they were supposed to be our children. But what to do when your "adoption deranged" wife has a different idea? He's a wise, very confident in his God, man - he let me "run with it" knowing full well that God would point us in the right direction.

So (remember I have NO IDEA that Matt's already decided what the answer is) I call CCI and talk with them about the other children on their list. 30 minutes later I walk downstairs & say "Matt, I know we only talked about adopting 1....but there's this brother/sister set that I think would be perfect!"

I'm not lying....that's EXACTLY how it happened.

Is God awesome or WHAT?!?!?!

So with 54 children on CCI's waiting children list we pick the same ones......I'm going to choose - WHAT?!?!?! God is WAY more than just awesome!

So yes, they're gorgeous. Adorable. Beautiful beyond words! We're going to be a bit snug in our current house (we're talking to a contractor!) and we won't fit in any of our current vehicles (I'm still having issues saying the V*N word.....aahhhh!!!!) and we're jumping up & down excited out of our minds!

We're on paperwork overdrive - BIG TIME! Honestly, with God's help we're hoping to be paperwork ready by mid-December!!!! It'll then be 6-8 weeks later that we TRAVEL! This time we have to go to ET for the court date (the rules changed a few months after we got back with Ellie). We'll have to come home without them :( and wait a LONG 6-8 weeks more before we can travel to bring them HOME!!!! So maybe MARCH!!!!! I can't even IMAGINE!?!?!?

PLEASE keep us in your prayers! I LOVE getting to play "keep up with God" - usually it's me running WAY far ahead. Every time I look at Ellie I see how God perfectly created us to be her family!!!! That gives me HUGE doses of faith to know that B & B (we can't say names or show pics until we pass court) will fit perfectly too!!!

WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!

We

Where does the time go?!?!!?

We've been having so much fun!!!

Fundraising for No Longer Orphans - check out the SUPER cute Tshirts!

AND Ben was so excited he took 1st place in the 10 & under division of our first ever NLO 5k!

The best man in our wedding - Corey Ries - was in town too! He fell in love with Elle right off the bat - of course! He then went home & convinced his wife to adopt too!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!


No matter how busy we get we seem to always squeeze in a little snuggle time....

and some being goofy time...
and some playin' in the snow time!

and lots more being goofy time!!!

I'm an AMERICAN now!!!!

I will admit I was a little nervous. Of course it was SUPER fun to wear the new dress Mom had gotten for me. In fact, when I tried it on at Macy's I hugged the mirror - wouldn't you? I look SO CUTE in it! I was a bit concerned that Mom would forget to find me cute shoes & made a bee-line for the dressing room door - but Mom said I had some at home already that would look nice.

The judge had us ALL walk in to his court room. I capitalize ALL because Mom invited almost all of Colfax! I know I'm a pretty big deal around here - but I didn't know that THEY all knew. The judge was relieved to see us - he'd had a bad day taking care of bad people. He said it was super nice to have something as great as ME to end his week with.

It went pretty quick. Mom said I was super good to sit on her lap so quietly. She'd told me we were having cake when we got home - I sure didn't want to mess THAT up. AND it was a Happy Cake from the Knox' - they love me so much!!!!


All in all it was a super fun day with lots of super fun people over after for dinner & cake! Mom & Dad tell me all the time how blessed they are to have me for their daughter....and I tell them they're right - I'm pretty darn great ;)

NINE months!?!?!?

Where oh where has the time gone??? We were just packing our suitcases, filling them with fun goodies for you & lots of great stuff to leave behind....and now you've been home 9 months.

You've absolutely settled in! You never laugh harder than when Caleb gets you going. Ben was excited to get to give you a bath last night & even wanted to try your medicine. When he gagged on it we all decided to cheer even harder for you!!!! You take it like a champ - 2 1/2 teaspoons of pure YUCK every morning & every night...and you smile while you're doing it. What a life lesson for all of us!!! Gabriel will play ring around the rosy with you until he's dizzy and Jack loves that you're a junior high girl-magnet!!! You're never happier than when Daddy's got your hand and you're headed outside. Mommy even found you some barn boots that are pink with polka dots - you were quite excited. You love getting rocked to sleep at night & Mommy LOVES rocking you!!!

I've been wanting to put together a little children's type book of your story so we could start reading it now - just the other night it came to me!!!!

Once Upon A Time...a true story

Once upon a time there was a Wonderful Family.
There was a Mommy and a Daddy
and 4 wonderful brothers - Jack, Ben, Gabe, and Caleb.
But that Wonderful Family needed a Special Little Girl.
In Ethiopia there was a Special Little Girl.
Her name was Tihun.
But that Special Little Girl needed a Wonderful Family.
God knew the Wonderful Family and the Special Little Girl would need each other.
So He created the Wonderful Family and the Special Little Girl so they would be perfect for each other.
The Wonderful Family traveled thousands of miles to bring the Special Little Girl home.
They were so excited to meet her!
They had waited so long to hug her and kiss her.
The Special Little Girl hugged her nannies good-bye.
She couldn't wait to go home with her Wonderful Family.
The Wonderful Family named the Special Little Girl Ellianna.
The name Ellianna means "God Provides."
God had provided a Special Little Girl for the Wonderful Family.
God had provided a Wonderful Family for the Special Little Girl.
Every day they thank God for each other and ask Him to help other Wonderful Families find their Special Children...
and Special Children find their Wonderful Families.

So what do you think????

Happy 2nd Birthday ELLE!!!!

Happy Birthday Ellie!!!

It was so much fun to celebrate your birthday!!!! You were SOOOOO excited to see all the streamers & your princess birthday cake. It made mom VERY glad she'd driven all over the county to find the ONLY black barbie with in miles! Your brothers didn't realize Princess Barbie was actually a cake....we haven't seen too many princess cakes at our house :)


One of the best parts was getting you ready for the party. You turned down the first two dresses I suggested....thank goodness I saved MY favorite for third! Thank you AGAIN Veronica for this one! It's GORGEOUS!!!! Then you insisted on picking out your shoes - of course they were the black patent mary janes - PERFECT for your dress. What an eye for fashion you have my dear :)

The only thing that got you more excited than the decorations or the cake or the shoes was when Auntie Jessie walked in the house with your PRESENT - but better than a present was the sweet DOLLY tied to the bow! We almost had to relent & let you open it immediately - the refrain of "It's my party I can cry if I want to" kept running through my head. But I remembered it's not REALLY a 2 year old's party if the honored guest doesn't breakdown at least once!!!

And the honored guests mama was a bit emotional too. I can't believe I almost missed out on the blessing of YOU! You've the most amazing little person. Your giggle is infectious! When you look at me & smile your impish - I just sat on grampa kitty grin - I literally MELT. I still tear up when you blow me kisses from your crib at bedtime. I think you might even love shoes more than I do...I've never met ANYONE who loves shoes more than I do...Caylene comes pretty darn close - but you my dear - I'm praying that if your feet don't get as big as mine - that they'll AT LEAST get as big as Caylene's - she does have some pretty fabulous shoes :)

In the midst of all of this thoughts of your birth mom kept coming to mind. One of my most heartfelt prayers is that she knows you're safe, and loved, and amazing!!! I'm so very grateful to her. She must have loved you VERY VERY VERY much. I know she wanted a better life for you than she could give you....and I so pray that that will come true for you!!!

Happy birthday Princess!!!

Summer Fun!!!

oh MY!!!! How the time has FLOWN!!!! I've barely had time to download the pictures from the summer - much less post them!!! Thanks for your patience!!! Hopefully these will be worth the wait :)
Have I mentioned how much Ellie loves the water???? Here Gabe's teaching how to stomp so hard you get mommy wet too!
She's gonna hate me for this swimsuit later - but isn't it CUTE?!?!?!
She made Dad go down the slide no less than a dozen times!

I've been eating a blue sno-cone - YUM!

Levi & Caleb.....2 peas in a pod doesn't BEGIN to describe these 2 best buddies!
To say she has a shoe fetish would be a GIANT understatement...they don't even have to be her size - as long as they match baby!!!
Is it sad that their favorite thing at the fair is the wheat box??? It's similar to a sand box, but instead of sand it's wheat.....and their favorite thing to do in the wheat box.....

I think I might have seen one to many Rams shown that day?!?!?!?! scary!
Gabe won Reserve Grand Champion (2nd place) with Frank! Thanks Brandon & Marty for letting us borrow him back :) He's one of the goats we bottle fed 18 months ago....we don't talk about what happened to the other goat....booo hooo hooo....that the part I HATE about living on a farm :(
Gabe, Ellie & cousin Eric posing by the goat pens.
I was across the goat arena when I zoomed in to take this picture.....I just thought it was cute she was so intent on watching big brother show his goat....it was probably best that I didn't know exactly WHAT she was doing!!!! I wonder if this is why her immune system is doing so great......

Cousin Annika & Ellie watching the ducklings....too bad they were already all sold...darn.....
Sportin' her new pink boots at the dance dance revolution booth!!!!

I can't believe she's been home almost 8 months! Everyone asks how she's adjusting.....I can only shake my head & point to heaven!!! God's grace has been so incredible! It's as if she didn't even HAVE to adjust....she's just always been our little princess....

So 2 quick little miracles & I'll be DONE! I promise!!!

Miracle #1 -
Ellie had her 4th blood draw on Tuesday. Driving in I was moved to say a quick prayer of "please Lord, if there's anyway you can help a nearly 2 year old have an uneventful blood draw - now is the time!" I felt a bit silly even requesting that - because DUH - I practically cry getting MY blood drawn. I had brought the bottle along - I know, I know - but if giving her a PONY would help her not to cry I'd do that TOO! So I pulled out the bottle when I sat her down on the bed. She simply stared at them & sucked while they put the rubber bandy thing around her arm. The lower lip quivered & a small whaaa came out when they poked her....about 1/2 way through another lower lip & whaaa.....and then we were done!!!! No alligator tears, no screaming until she's hoarse & you're deaf...just two little squeaks really.
God forgive me for not trusting you to help her through this!!!! Never let me forget that just because you allowed HIV into her life - you haven't forgotten about her!!!! She's more your princess than she is mine. I'm sorry. Thank you for the reminder of your faithfulness, even in the seemingly trivial things....which leads me to miracle #2.

Miracle #2 (not quite so incredible - but my husband still has a wife!)
So in the get all the animals to the fair scramble (and when I say ALL the animals - I mean - 1 pig, 1 sheep, 2 goats, 1 chicken, 1 rooster, and 2 ducks) Matt was short a stock trailer. Praise be to God our kind neighbor took pity & transported the pig for us in his trailer...but that still left quite a few behind....and I had the unfortunate privilege of being present for the loading of the remainder of the animals....it went something like this. Ben, where's the dog kennel? go get it. Grab the rooster, chicken, 2 ducks & cram them in it (it looked Noah's ark - the poultry version). Grab the sheep & goats and heft them into the back of the SUBURBAN (that's not a typo people - there was a sheep & 2 goats WITHOUT a tarp or ANYTHING under them in the back of my CAR!!!) oh it'll be fine yells my husband as he runs for the drivers seat & peels out of the driveway.....thankfully we live on a gravel road so he probably thought the smoke boiling out of my ears was just road dust. Meanwhile, I'm having visions of what it's going to smell like in my car after it's been sitting the summer sun all day.....my sense of smell has been really dulled down (???) I do have 4 boys living in a small house...but THAT?!?!?! does that smell EVER come out????
What do you know??? God is even in charge of a goat's colon!?!?!?!?! Those animals were in the back of my car for AT LEAST 15 minutes and not a DROP!!!!! Those things can't take 3 steps without something coming out of somewhere!
Needless to say - not that I don't trust God to do it again - I'm shopping for a stock trailer.....

No Longer Orphans!!!

I can't even describe how excited I am to FINALLY be sharing this!!!!

We have submitted the paperwork to start a non-profit called NO LONGER ORPHANS!

After we came home from Ethiopia I was in this funk....it almost felt like postpartum depression! I couldn't put my finger on it. Matt was worried. I was frustrated with myself! How could I be feeling so ick...Ellie was home! She was healthy! She was adjusting better & faster than we ever could have imagined.

It finally hit me. I didn't know how to process everything I'd seen. All the babies with arms upraised wanting to just be noticed. Children swarming around you....so excited for a balloon or a sticker. All these children. Why Ellie? Why would God chose HER? What about all the others? It was so unfair!!!

Meanwhile a day didn't go by that someone didn't say "I would so adopt, but it's just too expensive." It was all I could do to not shake them and say "SO WHAT!?!?" It's just money! We're talking about giving someone a LIFE. This happened over and over. With me biting my tongue and trying to tell them that God would provide.

So rewind 10 years. I was sitting in my living room, trying to tell God that what I was doing with my life couldn't POSSIBLY be right. I had all this education, leadership potential, bible knowledge....and I was a stay at home mom of 2 little boys with a seemingly silly little jewelry business to make ends meet. As clear as a bell God said to me, "Jill, you're not ready to hear all the plans I have for you. Just keep doing what you're doing." I left that meeting a new person. I had a purpose! I just wasn't ready to hear it yet.

I jumped full force into Premier Designs. More babies came, more moves...yet God blessed my seemingly silly jewelry business. Our team grew and grew. 2 years ago Premier became OUR business. Then, on a purely commissioned based income, during a recession, God asked us to adopt Ellie. I've never been good at telling God no - so off we went. Of course God provided and we were able to pay cash for all of it.

Now here we are. 5 million minus one. Ellie is home. Yet she left so many behind. Where do we go? How do we help? There has to be more we can do!!!!

Thus the birth of NO LONGER ORPHANS.

We're going to choose 1 family to sponsor (you'll be able to read about them SOON!) They will be our focus until all the funds have been raised to bring their child home. We'll connect anyone that would like to help provide pray support and/or financial support to their blog. You'll have the joy of being a direct part of helping a child come home!

My business has always been about keeping it personal. I want NO LONGER ORPHANS to be that way too! You'll be able to see the impact of your support....directly...through pictures! videos! stories! I can't wait!!!!

God is moving. Every day He gives me confirmation that this is His will. Just last night I innocently asked a dear friend if they were done having kids. She said "well, I'm almost 40, I just don't think it's going to happen" (she has 2 adorable little girls). I said "why don't you adopt." "Oh we would in a heart beat" was her response. "There's just no way we could afford it." She started sobbing when I told her what we're going to do....sobbing....they'd looked for organizations that would help them with funding...and hadn't been able to find anything. They thought that door was closed!

The verse we chose for Ellie is Isaiah 45:2-3- I [God] will go before you and and level mountains, I will break down gates of bronze & cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I AM THE LORD.

That is the verse we've chosen for NO LONGER ORPHANS. God is working!!!! Gates of bronze, bars of iron, seemingly closed doors, finances, uncertainty - they're nothing to Him. He is Jehovah-Jireh, our provider! I can't WAIT to see what He's going to do!!!

And I can't end a post without a few pics of the cutey-patootey!




yeah...I guess she's doing ok.....ha!!!!

......

I don't even know how to title this post....I can barely see my keyboard to type much less come up with an appropriate title.

Please please please jump over to this blog.

www.talkissheep.blogspot.com/

Jody is in Ethiopia RIGHT NOW with Ordinary Hero. She adopted a little girl from Ethiopia just over a year ago & it's her first time back.

5 MONTHS?!?!?!

Where has the time gone???? Ellie has filled our days with all the fun of a toddler under foot :) She's curious about EVERYTHING & LOVES LOVES LOVES to do whatever "bad" thing her big brothers have done.....like spit, or yell, or run away when Mom calls!

I'm dying to write more - but at the risk of waiting to post these FABULOUS pics - I'll write more later!!!

4 MONTHS!!!!

Where has the time GONE?!?!?!

Elle I can't even believe you've been with us over 4 MONTHS! It seems like you've always been here!!! I can't imagine my life without you in it :)

You're practically running everywhere. You LOVE the animals! That's quite a change from when you first came home. We have 2 little kittens & you're quite proud of yourself when you can manage to catch one & walk around with him.....amazingly enough neither Bert nor Ernie seem to mind much! You love to throw things in the garbage. You'll grab my hand & drag me over to your high chair when you're hungry. Your favorite breakfast is yogurt with cheerios mixed in. You INSIST on eating everything with a utensil - although sometimes you'll use your hands to put the food on your spoon :)


You LOVE LOVE LOVE being outside! The swing is a big favorite -but so is climbing up the play structure at the park & sliding down the slide!

You're babbling all the time now. I can understand Mommy, Daddy, dog, bye, yum, and bottle....I don't think anyone else could though!!!

You're still not a big fan of anyone talking to you while Mom's holding you. In fact you'll shake your head "no" and bat their hand away if they try to touch you. Should we sit down and have a chat with them you'll climb off my lap and with in 5 minutes be over "chatting" away with your new friend!

Ellianna - I can't even IMAGINE life without you!!! You're such an incredible, kind, loving, FUN person to be around....and you're not even 2 (maybe it's BECAUSE you're not 2 that you're all these things! ha! But I bet you're even wonderful when you're 2!!!)

I love you Princess!!!

Mommy

Giggle fest!

Oh she's just WAY too much fun! She LOVES wearing girly things - dresses, skirts, purses, headbands, hair-bows, and mommy's jewelry is a #1 fav (for both of us!).





This mother is SOOOOO blessed!!! Thank you Lord for this INCREDIBLE gift! I'm honored that you would entrust such a special child to ME!!!!

Fun Photos!

Jill & Rockelle with their Ethiopian Cuties!
Rockelle and I were best friends in High school - and then 20 years happened. Many moves for me (military) and kids for both of us....and we'd talked in just a handful of times in those 20 years....until November '08 & God had moved on both our hearts to adopt from ET!!! In fact, unbeknown to both of us we submitted out paperwork with in weeks of each other. Well MANY phone calls, emails, and visits later we both got to rejoice over the homecomings of our new little ones this past week. I couldn't stand it a moment longer & scooped up Ellie & Gabe for the 7 hour drive to Lynden, WA. It was SOOOO FUN to get to spend a few days with them. Ellie & Amariah are going to be fast friends - just like their mommies - I can tell! And yes...we were tired in this pic! 2 nights of way past midnight yappin' away! Just like old times....except we get to get up early with the babies....although Rockelle let me sleep in (until 8am!!! woo hoo) the last morning - thats a dear friend for ya'!

"See Amariah - this is where your mommy hides all the really fun stuff! Like the beater for the mixer & the lid for the blender - WAY more fun than the giant baskets of toys she has for you! My mom does the same thing...except your mom's cupboards are WAY more organized than mine!"Amariah - 9 mo, Mattea - almot 5, Michal - almost 3, Gabriel - 7, Ellianna - 15 mo. Add them all together & you get two days of non-stop action!!! We had a blast!

We got to see our other dear friend from from High School - Heidi. She gave birth to her 4th 3 weeks ago! I think we're all proof that 40 IS the new 30!!!!
Ellie LOVED Michal's rocking chair!
And being chased by mommy with the camera....the little toot!
Rockelle has a bin of girly dress up clothes - which our house has NONE of, we have every super hero known to man instead! Ellie was quite taken with the butterfly costume - and putting the paci in the dollies mouth!
The only thing better than the paci in the dollies mouth was the paci in her mouth :)


Mattea & Gabe had fun showing off their new baby sisters!
Thanks for the SUPER FUN visit you guys! We can't wait to see you again!!!!