Maree made breakfast!

Usually when we make pancakes, its Meyas job to be my helper. This morning, Meya was in the shower, to I recruited Maree (to her complete delight!). Here she is, in all her glory, with her first ever pancakes! She did a good job too!

Hannah's first spelling test :-)

School years come with many firsts, including the 1st spelling test :-)

Officially our 1st ever garden!

So, last night at Walgreens (while making a mad dash for ice cream to cry into) I see they are selling Topsy Turvys for $9.99.....I just couldnt resist! We now have tomato plants hanging from one, and yellow peppers from another. And in the ground are some strawberry plants, watermellon and cantelope! Hopefully we have more success this year with fruits and veggies then we had last year with flowers!

My heart yearns.....

I loved this picture when I saw it. I still love it. When I look at it, I want to be her. I want to reach down and feel a tight firm belly about to burst. I want to feel strong and powerful, making a person. Yet humbled and blessed to be called for such a task.
......but..... it isnt to be. I dont know why I was 1 out of every 100 women who suffered from HG. I dont know why my childhood desire to make and nurse lots of babies was not to be. I dont know why I vomited relentlessly for 7 months with each pregnancy and suffered heart and mind issues because of it, while others didnt.
I struggle with jealousy. When I see pregnant women, so full and beautiful. When I imagine the feeling of a child moving and turning in its mothers womb. When I imagine her folding snow white onsies in the nursery. When I imagine her breast feeding her new baby.
I know its not right to feel jealous. I know its wrong. But I still feel it. I try to hide it, but I cry when Im alone.
Several of my friends are pregnant or have new borns. Im happy for them, I really am. Im also jealous. I want a baby. I want to give birth.
So, the lady in the photo isnt me. I wasnt strong, I was sick.

Psalm 37:
Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (Verses 3-5).

Visual Processing

There is a saying that goes something like this "Parenting doesnt come with a manual". Well, as any well seasoned or prepared parent knows, there are actually ALOT of parenting books on the market. And as a mother to a 'spirited' child, as well as a bio and adoptive mom, Ive read a wide variety of them! But, for some reason, none of them mentioned Visual Processing. I first heard about it about a year ago from another adoptive mom, but I kind of dismissed it. Then again, about 6 months ago, while posting some questions on an adoption board, had two more mothers mention Visual Processing. So, now that Meya is homeschooled and we have more time for appointments, I decided to look into it. And I am THRILLED to say, that 4 minutes into the first test, the dr turned to me and said "Mom, you are in the right place!" YEAH!!! We have unveiled a mystery!! And now, it makes SO much sense!!!
Im thinking by the time people become grandparents, they should be awarded PHD's in Parenting!
If you'd like to learn more, check out this site.

Easter 2009! He Is Risen!!

Easter Sunday started off with a 9am church service, followed by injera for lunch (with Indian toppings :-), then Easter baskets and an Easter egg hunt.
Matt 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen!

Day 10-The Final Day

Beautiful group of kids, wouldnt ya say!!
On Saturday, before our departure from the North East and our long drive back home, we had a wonderful Ethiopian lunch feast! The kids all stuffed themselves, and okay, the adults did too! It was sad to say 'good-bye', but we will see our dear friends again soon!

Day 9

On day 9 of Spring Break, we drove back through NYC to New Jersey to visit family/friends. On the way we were able to catch a 'glimps' of the Statue Of Liberty. Not as close as we had planned on getting to her, but that will have to wait. For now, this photo will make due!
We got into New Jersey later then planned, due to traffic. But, we were able to make it in time for dinner and a wonderful Good Friday service at our friends church. It was great seeing the Kramers again. Our girls are bio cousins with one of their daughters, and its such a joy to see the girls together :-) (sadly I have no photos from that night:-(

Day 8

Day 8 of Spring Break was nice, we just relaxed around the house and took a few family photos :-)

Day 7

Dying Easter Eggs and shells!


The final products! The kids dyed the eggs, added sand, and strung together the eggs, shells and beads.


Meya holding the bag....in the FREEZING cold wind!

Picking up mussels (we meant to get clams.....shows how much we know about shell fish! But hey, I hear they tasted good!!)

Day 6...cont.

To pass some spare time while waiting for our ferry to get in, we went to Ft.Griswold State Park. It was so beautiful!!!!

Day 6

On our way back to New London to catch the ferry back to NY, we stopped by a town called Lowell in Massachusettes. I had never heard of Lowell before, but what a neat town, so full of history! This town in where the US industrial revelution began, via textiles! Driving around town you can just picture it 150 years ago, business men proudly riding around in horse drawn buggies, streets lined with row after row of large brick manufactoring facilites, smoke pouring out of smoke stacks and all the hope one could imagine. The American dream! But, like many things in life, it eventually came to an end....
The girls enjoyed building and weaving, while Luke learned how the inside of a machine opperates. Meya explained the difference between the looms in the museam and the one her grandfather used. A great experience.
If you are ever in the area, please visit Lowell, you wont be disappointed!!!

Day Five.

Day five was longggggg...... We started the day at 6am! Drove to Long Island to catch a ferry to New London, CT. And up through Rhode Island. Then, we drove into Boston to get some AMAZING Ethiopian food, and visit the Roger Williams National Memorial. From there we hit the road and drove up to Vermont, through New Hampshire and to the bottom tip of Maine. Now we can say we have been there! :-) By this time it was really late, but we had to still finish our drive back to Boston to sleep for the night.
The Northern states were VERY charming. Just what you would expect from seeing photos in books. Small square homes nestled in rolling hills and fancy brick city halls, with an occasional raging river running through it. I could live there :-)
Oh....and it rained/sleeted the ENTIRE DRIVE!!!

Day 4

We began the day with a delicious homemade blueberry waffle breakfast, mmmmmm! Followed by a family Bible study. Then got ready and headed to the Montauk Point Lighthouse and Museum, the countries fourth oldest lighthouse. We climbed all 137 stairs to the top! My camera battery then went dead, and I missed out on some AMAZING photos of the kids climbing the rocks around the shore. Lesson learned, I went and got another battery!!

In Awe of God...

When we bought our big house in NM, we KNEW it was God! We got it for about half of its value, and so on. But, we had no idea how God would continue to bless us through that house. We are now doing our second home exchange, and WOW!
I dont know why God blesses us this way. We dont deserve it. I feel like we are enjoying a piece of the 'good life' without having to become part of it. (something I wouldnt want, because I dont know that my faith would be strong enough to survive when being tempted with anything my flesh desires every moment of the day). (oh, and Id have to shave my legs more often, ug :-)
This morning we did a Bible study, followed by one on one prayer (which was great!) We are using this time as a Family Spiritual Retreat.
I sit and gaze out the windows at the endless ocean tides and Im speechless. In total awe.
I pray we as a family get from this all that God wants to show us!

Good Morning Day 3!

View of the ocean waves from bed this morning....what a way to wake up!

Spring Break Day 2

Day two has been long and exciting... We went from MD to DE to PA (where went saw the Liberty Bell) to NJ to NY! And we are TIRED!!! Not only from the long trip, but once we arrived at the home where we are vacationing (thank to Home Exchange!!!), the door was not open as we had been told it would be. So, after close to an hour of digging around in the pine needles in the DARK looking for a faux rock with a key in it, the home owner learned that the housekeeper had moved the key and it was on the OTHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE from where I was looking. ug.
But we are in the house and cozy, it is just 100% charming! Busting at the seems with charm! Cant wait to drive around the area in daylight, and will be getting pics of the kids enjoying the house soon!

Spring Break Day 1

Day one of spring break took us from VA to MD. Along the way we visited the George Washington birth place. In MD, we visited the stayed the night with a family friend of Calvins, and the kids had a BLAST! The guy owns a really wonderful home on a huge amount of land, complete with a pond! Though we were all ready to complete our voyage to NY, we were sad our stay in MD was so short.

The Brooklyn Bridge

Shots of the Brooklyn Bridge from a moving vehicle. Now way I could convince the hubby to pull over in NY rush hour traffic, but OH! The pics would have been worth it!!