Merry Christmas!

Tomorrow we head to Liberty for a couple of days. The boys will get to do Santa and gifts with their Granny and Grandpa and then Papa and Nini. Aaron and I are feeling extremely blessed this year. Grayson and Abram are such sweet, loving, little boys and they are so excited about Christmas:) What makes it even more fun is that they have little to no expectations. They will be thrilled with anything they receive. It's such a great age in a sense that they haven't been "spoiled" year after year and don't expect game systems, laptops, cell phones, etc. I hope that over the years we can help them to maintain this sense of gratefulness for what they have and ward off a desire for material things.

It's this time of year that I think about other children in the U.S. and around the world. How many will go without gifts, without food, without warm clothes, or without a family? As I sat and ate a sinful amount of food tonight, I wondered if my child in Ethiopia was hungry, like millions of others around the world. I don't mean to put a damper on the holidays, but sometimes it just seems so unfair. It's so hard, at this time of year, not to question God's sovereignty. But, I know it is God Himself that puts this feeling of sadness and injustice in my heart in hopes that I will be moved into action. This is something I hope to work on in 2011...giving more and "needing" less.

Merry Christmas!

Getting ready for Christmas....

We're in full swing this week. I finished all my shopping this past weekend and just have a little more wrapping to do. I'm trying to prepare for the fact that we will be gone for the next week and a half. I'm keeping up on laundry and slowly, but surely, starting to pack for a few days in Liberty and a week in Florida. For a super-organized person like myself, this task can tend to throw me in overdrive! It always gets a little stressful as my time to get things accomplished gets shorter and shorter; but, in the end, most everything always gets done and we always have such a nice time with our families.

This year, in addition to the packing and planning for going out of town, I'm making a final push on our dossier before the holidays. A lot of things have been slow to get done with many people being on vacation or offices being closed. But, I'm determined to get a few things accomplished that we are in control of. I'm hoping (and praying) that, barring any complications, we can have our dossier submitted by the end of January!

Finally, a new post:)

It's been quite a week around here! Last Friday, as we were about to head to Lafayette for my physical (necessary for our adoption paperwork) when I realized Abram had pink eye! That was the start of a crazy week for us. Saturday, I woke up with pink eye and felt horrible on top of it. Each day, Abram or I would wake up with another infected eye! Luckily, we had enough eye drops to go around. But, between pink eye, my cold/flu symptoms, and the horribly cold weather, we were stuck inside for several days! And, let's face it, after just a day of not being able to get out, the boys were acting like caged animals!!!! Finally, on Wednesday, I was feeling well enough to get to Target for some necessary groceries and just to get out of the house for a bit. Thursday was my birthday, and I was pretty much back to normal health. We went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory...mmmm:) Today, the weather was much warmer and everyone was healthy, so we went to the Jingle Rails exhibit at the Eiteljorg Museum here in Indy. The boys had a great time looking at the trains. And, despite the fact that they had been caged up for days on end, they didn't go absolutely nutty...they were very well behaved and did a great job not touching the trains and all the intricate scenery:)

Booked my flight:)

This past Friday, I booked my flight to Ethiopia! I'm leaving February 25th and will be returning March 6th. I'm going with Ryane's mom, Pam, and we will have a very busy and productive week!

We will try to spend as much time in the Mt. Entoto community as possible. Right from the airport, we will head to Mt. Entoto to observe the Saturday school program. This is a program for kids in the community to attend to work on their English, sing songs, and have a good meal. Mesfin, the man who started the program and who was funding it out of his own pocket until Connected in Hope came along, says that many families in this community only eat one meal a day. So, to receive a meal is a big deal. Mesfin has been reporting to Ryane each week the number of children attending the program. It seems that around 120-140 kids come each week, with new kids every week:) Mesfin has also appointed people in the community to serve on an Advisory Committee. This ensures that the ideas we come up with are truly fitting the needs of the community. Pam and I will meet with the Advisory Committee while we're there. I am also hoping to put my newly acquired photography skills to good use. We need to get pictures of the families and children in the program as well as pictures of the Saturday school in progress and the community itself. I can't tell you how excited I am to have a totally new environment to photograph!

We're also currently brainstorming ways to help the families in the community better support their families. We would love to establish as women's cooperative in which select women would make a product that we would then buy from them at a fair price. We would bring the product back to the U.S. and sell for a profit. The money made would then go back into the Connected in Hope funds and help support our programs. Another idea is to help families establish a "business" through microlending. We would loan them money to get started say beekeeping or raising chickens and they would pay us back over time.

We have so many ideas for this foundation...it's really exciting to be a part of. I think this trip will be a great way to find out what is feasible and what may be a bit of a stretch. But, one thing I know for sure, with God on our side, Connected in Hope is going to do GREAT things!

Hats

I love winter hats on the boys. They look so cute in them and it allows me to get away without doing much to Abram's hair:) In the years past, they wouldn't leave them on. Now, they seem to like them about as much as I do. So, I went to Michael's and bought a set of hat looms and some yarn. Last night I crocheted a hat! It was so easy! So, now I'm going to have to look into how to get fancy with them like switching the color of the yarn:) So, don't be surprised if you get a hat for Christmas!

Depraved Indifference

If you have 8 minutes to spare, please watch this video.




Not only is this man an amazing speaker, his message is so thoughtfully articulated. I was so moved by the statement, "that's MY Hudson." God's heart aches for each and every orphan like we would ache if it were our child (my Grayson, my Abram) halfway across the world, alone and hungry. This video really reminds me that it's not about my comfort level (financial, emotional, social, etc), it's about "defending the cause of the weak and the fatherless." It's about "doing unto the least of these." It's about scooping up God's Hudson (Grayson, Abram, etc) and loving him, feeding him, giving him a home until the Lord can get to him. Please Lord, take away our indifference...help us to see these children through Your eyes.

An answer to prayer

Just the other day I got a great email...a true answer to prayer.

My entire life, I've had a desire to help those in need. And, while I wouldn't trade my job as a stay-at-home mom for anything, it sometimes leave me feeling like my mind/talent/desire to give back is being wasted. So, for quite some time I've been praying that an opportunity would present itself that would allow me to find my "place" in making a difference.

That opportunity just presented itself. A friend I came to know during Abram's adoption is, along with her parents, forming a non-profit organization to benefit families in the Mt. Entoto community of Ethiopia. During a trip to Ethiopia, her mother met a man running a Saturday school program for local children. As part of the program, the kids were provided a meal on Saturday. It is a quite popular program and this man found himself running out of funding. So, Connected in Hope is being formed! Connected in Hope will help support a program that is already in place with the hope of continuing to expand.

As part of the IRS process to become a non-profit, a board of directors must be formed. This is where I come in. Ryane so generously asked me to be on the board of directors:) I was so ecstatic and honored I could barely reply to her email fast enough! And, her mom is going back to Ethiopia in March and I'm trying to make arrangements to go with her! While there, we'll spend a lot of time in the villages visiting the family and children in the program. It will be such an amazing opportunity to really feel connected to the organization I will be working with.

Thanks, Ryane for this amazing opportunity!

Our big announcement:)

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we surprised our family with exciting news. We're adopting again! Yeah, a big surprise, huh? We're adopting from Ethiopia again, but this time we're requesting a girl! I think a girl will provide the perfect balance in our house:) Plus, I don't think I can go another year without buying baby dolls, Barbies, doll houses, etc. And, let's face it, I want to go prom dress shopping someday and plan a wedding. I love my boys...more than anything. But, how many sons do you know who come crying to their mom when something's wrong? Or, call their mom on a daily basis, just to talk. I don't think I could go through life and not have the relationship with a child that I have with my mom. This isn't to say that I don't think I will be close to my sons as adults. I know we will always be a very close-knit family. But, a mom and her daughter are just different than a mother and son. Adults sons have families of their own to provide for, care for, and keep happy. It's a big job, and one that keeps them very busy. So, I will certainly be more than understanding if my adult sons don't call me every day. But, I hope one day, my daughter will stay at home to care for her children, and when bored, will give me a call:)

Now, I also need to share how it was that Aaron and I came to this big decision to adopt again and all the ways God has already had His hand in this adoption.

I should first mention that after Abram came home, we (I) had decided that was our last adoption. I was getting tired of the financial stress it was putting on our family. I was so ready to just be out of debt. But, the Lord had different plans for us. A few months ago, Aaron accepted a job that changed things for us. Suddenly, we couldn't use the, "we can't afford it" excuse. And, quite frankly, as we began praying for guidance in how to grow our family, it became quite clear that adoption was God's plan. Within days of our prayers, we began noticing adoption all around us. At least 3 nights in a row, when we sat down to watch TV or a movie, the show would involve an adoption. Aaron suddenly started getting lots of comments and compliments on the boys when out in public. I had several people come up to me and say, " God bless your family," or something of that nature. So, it didn't take us long to see where God was leading us. But, for whatever reason, we went a couple more months without making any decisions. We kept wavering between domestic and international. There's a huge part of me that likes to take control and try to find the quickest route to achieving a goal. I was searching for the "fastest" adoption program. Aaron's heart was still in Ethiopia. Then, one day, standing in the sanctuary in bible study, God spoke to me clearer than He ever has in my 27 (almost 28) years. He literally, out of nowhere, answered a question that I hadn't even asked myself. Literally, out of thin air, I heard myself say, "it's because you don't trust Me." It took me a minute to realize that the question was, "why haven't you settled on Ethiopia." And, in that moment, I immediately knew He was right. I didn't trust Him to get us through another long wait....another emotional rollercoaster....another difficult transition. I didn't trust Him. It took me a couple of days, but I told Aaron about my unbelievably clear message from God. I knew it was what we were supposed to do, and Aaron had known for some time but didn't want to push. So, a couple of days later, I filled out our application. Then, I let it sit on the table for a few more days. I finally mailed it the week before Thanksgiving. That night, my fortune cookie at dinner said, "to reach distant places, you have to take the first step." I don't believe in fortunes, but I do believe God can use anyone/anything to send His message (even a donkey). Okay Lord, I get it. You are in control.

And so, here we go again:)

O Christmas Tree

We went to get our Christmas tree the other night. Luckily, it was the night before it turned off horribly cold. Grayson loved every minute of it. Despite our best efforts, Abram slept through every minute of it:( After we had it in the house and decorated, Grayson asked to eat his dinner by the tree. We agreed. He's since eaten lunch by it several times.

Outside:)

Today I was determined to get the boys outdoors to burn off some energy, regardless of the temperature. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite warm! I put hats on the boys, but they had those off in just a few minutes:) They ran around, playing soccer, driving the Jeep, and finding chunks of ice that had frozen on various things in the yard. They stayed busy while I raked some leaves, bagged some brush, and threw away all the pumpkins we still had sitting around outside:) Here are a couple of pictures of the boys before they took off their hats!

I Heart Faces: Scenic B&W

This week's photo challenge at I Heart Faces is Scenic B&W. I love B&W pictures, so this should be a week full of great pictures. To check out other entries, click here.

New actions

I bought a few new Photoshop actions yesterday. I've really enjoyed learning Photoshop and how each layer you apply effects your original picture. But, I have to say, it's nice to have a set of actions you can click on and let Photoshop do the rest. It may seem like "cheating," but the great thing is you can then study each layer that the action applied and learn a lot about Photoshop. So, it may be a short cut, but one you can learn a lot from. And, it still doesn't change the fact that you have to have a good picture to start with. Or, the fact that each action does not look good on every picture. So, it does require using your personal judgement to decide which action best enhances each picture. Here are a couple before and afters:)




The differences are very subtle, but I think when it comes to Photoshop, less is definitely more:)

Pictures:)

I had such a great time yesterday taking pictures for an old friend. I babysat for Stacy's kids for about 3 years while I was in college and graduate school. I can't believe how much they've grown!

Shutterfly's Holiday Cards

Shutterfly is offering 50 free holiday cards to bloggers who blog about their new cards. So, here goes:)

Just the other day, I was on Shutterfly's website, browsing all their new holiday cards. I was so excited to find a card to go with our family pictures! I couldn't believe how many (hundreds) of designs they had. And, they were so classy! Not to mention, there were so many colors to choose from. I wasn't sure I would be able to find something to go along with our blue/cream clothing, but I had a lot to choose from! There were even cards that has a place for a picture as well as a place to write your Christmas letter...I thought this was a great idea! This has been a great year and I can't wait for others to see our beautiful family pictures displayed on such elegant cards!

I have ordered Shutterfly products in the past and have been very pleased. Their photo books are really nice, and I always order their picture cards for birthday invitations or adoption announcements. Their products have always shipped quickly and are great quality.

This may be the first year I am actually really excited to address all those Christmas cards! I may even get them sent out in a timely fashion!

Here's my favorite card!




And, here's links to their other great products

greeting cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/5x7-folded-greeting-cards
· Christmas photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
· personalized mugs to http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs
· birthday cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery
· photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery
· graduation invitations to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/announcements/graduation-announcements


Be sure to check out Shutterfly for your holiday cards:)

Just a little Thursday afternoon/evening project:)

That's right; I tore up more carpet:)

It all started with a play date in our neighborhood earlier this week. The other ladies were talking about their hardwood floors and I was sharing that I had just ripped up the carpet in our dining room. They asked if we had hardwood upstairs and said their houses did. So, as soon as I got home, I went up to our bedroom, crawled in the closet, and tore up a corner of the carpet....HARDWOOD:) I checked the linen closet in the hallway and found more! I'm telling you, this discovery really did my soul good. I love old houses, and was beginning to feel our 1968-built home was too new. I had been looking at houses for sale online, dreaming of built-ins, hardwood floors, and leaded glass windows. Aaron was beginning to get really nervous. You see, I'm afraid if we moved again we would have ZERO friends...their backs are still recovering from this past move. So, while it may seem silly to tear up brand new carpet, I can't help it. And, if Aaron acts the least bit annoyed, I just tell him to start packing boxes and he immediately begins admiring the hardwood floors:) No, in all seriousness, he has been VERY helpful in this project. He lugs the carpet to the curb and spends his evenings installing new thresholds between rooms:) Yesterday's project was the upstairs hallway. We are planning to leave the carpet in the bedrooms (for now), but wanted to expose the floors in the hall and eventually down the stairs. I can't wait to begin shopping for an oriental runner to be installed on the stairs:)

Just a little Monday morning project:)

I love Mondays because we have no where that we HAVE to be. For the most part, we stay home and just enjoy a day before the busy week starts. Today, I was feeling motivated to do a project. I had stared at the carpet in our dining room long enough...today was the day it was going to the curb:) So, I started ripping it up! It only took a little over 2 hours to get the carpet and padding up (and out the door), tack strip removed, staples out, floor swept and mopped with Orange Glo, and all the furniture moved back in:) And, I only had to stop about 15 times to help the boys with snacks, drinks, DVD's, games, puzzles, etc. I sent Aaron a text message telling him what I was doing (he hates these kinds of projects) and then made sure it was complete before he got home! I sent him a picture message letting him know it was done (I was afraid he might not come home until super late in hopes of avoiding the project). The only thing he needs to do is get the carpet to the curb:) Here are some pics!

More pics...

Here are some more pictures from this weekend...just because:)

K Family Pictures

I've been wanting to take pictures of someone other than the boys, so our wonderful friends volunteered! Here are some pics from today.

Another puzzle update...

I bought Abram a 35-piece Thomas puzzle today, thinking that would surely slow him down. He put it together for the first time like he'd done it a million times. It took a little longer than the others simply because it's more pieces. When he's doing puzzles it's not a simple trial and error thing. He starts in one spot of the puzzle and looks for the specific piece that matches up with the spot he's working on. It's amazing! So, we're now in search of a 48-piece puzzle that has a character on it that he's interested in. Problem is, 48-piece puzzles are recommended for ages 5-7 so the characters are typically Spiderman, Transformers, etc. I think I know what Abram will be getting for Christmas this year:)

More textures and a puzzle update.

I'm really enjoying working with textures in Photoshop. They can really put the finishing touches on a picture. I really liked the way this picture of the berries turned out.

An update on Abram, the puzzle genius. He completed a 24-piece puzzle that I bought him just 2 days ago in under 4 minutes. Such a little smarty-pants. I had a shirt when I was young that said, "Left-handed Genius." Wonder if I could find it for him:)

Family Pics

So, I realize this spoils the surprise of your Christmas present for many of you:) But, I can't possibly wait 6 weeks (is that all) to show you. They turned out so good! We'll definitely be making pics with Jenny an annual (if not more) occurrence.

Watermarks

I've been working on watermarks in Photoshop. Not that I see myself being a professional photographer anytime soon, but I think they are neat:) And, it never hurts to protect your pictures when posting them on the internet! Here's a pic I took today at the museum with a watermark I created this afternoon:)

Learning more and more:)

I'm sure it's starting to get a bit old, but I am just loving Photoshop! I've been working on textures and (with help from Jenny) figured out how to erase the texture off the subject of the photo, leaving just the background textured. It really gives the photo more dimension. I've also been practicing taking more pictures indoors. This is something I've struggled with due to poor lighting. The camera has trouble auto-focusing without the flash, but using the flash can cast all kinds of shadows. So, I've been making the most of the natural light from the windows and having Grayson pose for me near a window:)

In more exciting news, Abram has become quite the puzzle genius! While out visiting Courtney, he started sitting at the table doing 24-piece puzzles. At the beginning of the week he really struggled and had to have me do most of it for him. But, over the course of the week, he would sit at the table with the puzzle completed (by me) and take out a few pieces and then put them back. He did this over and over. Eventually, he was doing the puzzle on his own. When we got home, I got out four 24-piece puzzles. By the end of the week, he was doing all four on his own. Today, I bought him 2 more puzzles, hoping to challenge him. He had them both together in a matter of minutes. It's amazing! So, I think I'm going to look for a 48-piece puzzle. I love that he just sits at the table so content and works and works. He's so engaged that he's actual had a couple of accidents while sitting in the chair because he forgets to go potty!!

Family Pics Sneak Peek:)

Here's a sneak peek of a few of the pictures Jenny took yesterday! She is an amazing photographer and was great with the boys (even with a grouchy, uncooperative Abram). If you want to take a look at more of her pictures you can check out her website here.