The Blessing

ESL Moment

Elijah: "But mom, I'm boring.  I'm just so boring."

Win an Ipad and help adoption

This is a win-win opportunity!  There is a special family who is wanting to give a home to a precious little girl who needs one...sounds very simple but this will be their third international adoption in five years and as most of us know, international adoption is not cheap, so a cool fundraiser has been started to help offset a bit of their expenses.  Click here to participate.

Gull Lake

On Saturday, we went to Gull Lake for a gathering of adoptive families with children of African heritage.  It was such a great day!  For us, it was our first family outdoor activity this summer because Gracey was finally healthy enough to spend part of the day outside so that in itself was awesome but meeting other families and sharing stories and meeting all these beautiful children made it even better.  One of the first people I encountered that day was Hazel and her daughter Biset, which was very surreal because Hazel is the first person I remember "meeting" online when I began the information gathering for our Ethiopian adoption about four or five years ago.  She and I have never met in person before and it was especially wonderful to see her with her daughter.  Motherhood suits Hazel and it was fitting that the first time I met her, she was already in this role.

There were so many faces that I was able to put to names through the day and some new names to add to the mix too.  Mark took the primary supervision of the kids duty so that I could chat more with other moms. I wish that I had had more time to visit though as most people I was only able to exchange just a few words with but hopefully, this will not be the last gathering like this. Our kids really enjoyed the day and the beach and playground right on the beach.  

Sedaya loving the sand

Eliana

miss Gracelyn

Josiah 

Elijah and Eliana

Jonah played so nicely with the younger kids.  Mackenzie was at work that day so were we all able to fit in the van which was good but he missed out on the beach day.

The story behind this picture is that Jonah is joking about throwing me into the mud!   

Eliana fell asleep in minutes on the way home 

147 Million +

There are at least 147 MILLION ORPHANS worldwide.  That number is on the low end of the estimates that I have read so for argument's sake, let's go with that one.  The natural human tendency when faced with such an overwhelming number is to turn away, to assume that the numbers are too big for us to make a dent in them, to hope that someone else will do something about this tragedy.  We all have those moments of hoping or presuming that someone in a higher political position, or someone with more money, or someone with influence will tackle this problem and have success but the truth is that there is more strength in numbers than in any of those three things.  If each individual person in North America were to care, heck, if only 7% of us in the developed world would care, this wouldn't be a problem anymore.  It is too much for one person to take on but together, we really can make changes.  So what can you do?

"I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do". - Edward Everett Hale

-Educate yourself.  Without understanding the roots of this crisis and becoming passionate about changing it, little can be done.  There is a lot of information available but it is difficult to want to learn about it, to want to know how bad things really are.  I think some of the reason that I personally find it difficult is that it brings with it some guilt about being born into a country where even as a female, I have opportunity and freedom and hope.  Burying our heads in the sand and pretending that atrocities are not happening elsewhere in the world doesn't make it less true.  It just enables us to pretend.  But there is a reason that all that pretending doesn't feel good and that is because all of us on some level already know that there are starving children, persecuted people, slavery, human trafficking, war, preventable disease, lack of education, unclean water, and over 147 million orphans.  And that knowledge makes most of us uncomfortable, so we might as well take our heads out of the sand and start doing something about it!  a great book to start with because it is very concise and contains a lot of information is "One...A Face Behind the Numbers" by Vaden Earle. Buy it, stick it in your bathroom and read a couple of pages at a time.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". - Edmund Burke

-Educate others.  This does not mean that you have to get in people's faces, get preachy, or lay on the guilt but once we have more information, it is easier to get into discussions that create more awareness in others.  One easy way is to lend out books or point others to organizations that you believe in.  Another is to make small changes that will educate others just in the doing.  An example of this is to give gifts that give back.  When there are people in your life who need nothing and it comes time to give them a gift, give them a gift that helps others.  You can donate to a charity in their name or there are many places that allow you to buy a mosquito net or a sheep or cow for a family in a developing country.  I usually buy mine either at Ten Thousand Villages or on-line with Samaritan's Purse.  Samaritan's Purse has some great gifts to give children or teens such as school supplies, sports equipment, or medical supplies for children in other countries.  I get my kids involved by having them choose what gift we are going to buy for their friend's birthday.  Some families throw birthday parties for their kids where instead of gifts for the birthday child, they accept donations to a charity or food for the food bank or even where the party is hosted at a shelter and the activity is feeding the homeless.  True, these ideas fall a bit more into the action category, but they educate others at the same time.  Another way to educate others is to wear it.

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people". - Martin Luther King, Jr.

-Adopt.  Obviously, one way to chip away at that seemingly insurmountable number of orphans in the world is to make them orphans no more.  I know that not everyone is called to adopt but if you have ever thought about adoption but have not followed through because you have thought that you were too poor, too old, too single, too whatever, I want to encourage you to rethink those excuses.  It's true that international adoption is expensive but there are thousands of children in foster care who can be adopted for free.  There are also grants, loans, and fundraising opportunities for those who choose to pursue international adoption.  In the USA, there are many grant options, but as far as I know in Canada, there is only one: orphan's hope.  As for the too old argument, I know several families who have started diapers all over again and are raising their adoptive children as their grown children raise their own families and are loving it!  As for single, I know that ideally, it would be wonderful if every child could have two loving parents but one loving parent is all it takes to give an orphan a home and hope and a future.  I'm sure there are other reasons that people hesitate and I would be more than happy to speak with anyone who has questions about adoption or who would like help knowing how to get started as it can be overwhelming at first.  "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27  The Bible mentions caring for orphans many times and implores us to protect them.  Adoption is one way to care for and protect orphans.  Choosing adoption is not an easy road.  When I think about the turns our lives have taken since we chose this road ten years ago, I think about Robert Frost's poem about the road less traveled.  It has been more challenging and there are a lot less people on this road with us, but it has also been the most rewarding.  The hardships have made the triumphs that much sweeter.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase". - Martin Luther King, Jr.

-Support Someone Else.  Not all of us are called to open up our homes and adopt children who need a family but those families that do need support.  There are many ways that you can help these families.  First and most importantly, encourage them.  It is a tough road and one that is often thankless.  Support, kind words, listening without judgement, and encouraging go a long way to ease their burdens.  Support them financially by attending fundraisers they host to cover the high costs of an international adoption or give their family a gift certificate for groceries or pizza once they are home with their children.  When we were adopting our last two children, friends of ours organized fundraisers to help cover our travel costs and it was such an incredible blessing.  It helped to ease the stress at a time when our stress was already very high.  One of our neighbours dropped off a gift card for pizza shortly after we came home with the kids and it was such a nice break to be able to order pizza and not worry about the cost.  The financial cost of adoption continues until kids are grown so if you know an adoptive family, you could offer hand-me-down clothing for their kids if yours are in a larger size or drop off an occasional meal.  Meals are also a great help when the family is first home with their new child(ren) and are busy with appointments and adjustments and attachment.  Help with their laundry or their cleaning or child care.  Click here for ideas. The point is, help.  It is needed.  It is appreciated.  And it enables that family to do a better job of raising their children and possibly even enables them the boost of energy and help they need to adopt another child.  Some people are gifted when it comes to hospitality or evangelism or missions or music.  Others are called to care for orphans in a hands-on way.  The number one thing others can do is offer encouragement and not judge them. (I know I said that already but it needs to be said again.)

"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can". - Sydney Smith

-Prevention.  I will try to list below some of the methods that come to me but the general idea is that currently, the number of orphans worldwide is rising at an alarming rate, due mainly to the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS and to wars but also famine, natural disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, and oppression and lack of education among women in developing nations.  By addressing these concerns, we can prevent the number of orphans from continuing to rise.  

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never laid in bed with a mosquito". - Betty Reese

-Give generously.  There are many wonderful organizations out there that are striving to make a difference and none of them can survive without funding.  By giving of our money, we can be a part of the changes that they are attempting to accomplish.  There are many charities, large and small, that are doing what they can to alleviate the burdens of poverty and disease throughout the world.  In the research I have done, I have come to believe that not much change can happen in any community before ensuring that there is access to clean water.  When I look for a good organization, I look for one that uses clean water as a foundation and then builds in things like education.  I also look for one that focuses energy on women in a community (not as a feminist platform!!!) because studies have shown that when you educate a man or teach him skills, it only teaches him but the women will educate their villages and spread what they have learned.  The other important factor to me in looking at charitable organizations is their use of local people.  In my opinion, things are more sustainable if locals are taught how to manage them and I believe in the adage of "helping people to help themselves" or "a hand up instead of a handout" as these provide lasting change and a feeling of pride for people.  I love programs that involve sustainability or things like microfinance.  One of our personal choices as far as organizations to support is Hope International.  I would encourage you though to do your own research and find an organization that you feel passionate about helping.  Giving is something we all have the means to do, no matter how small our financial resources are as there are sacrifices (like a daily coffee or monthly movie) that we can make.  Even small donations go a long way in developing countries.  Bag a lunch to the office even once a month and donate what you would have spent otherwise or set aside your weekly slurpee money!

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one". - Mother Teresa

"Live simply so that others may simply live". - Mahadma Ghandi

-Make Small Changes.  Buy fair trade products.  Be aware that your habits as a consumer really do affect those less fortunate.  Sponsor a child.  There are many wonderful organizations to do this through. Fundraise.  The garage sale fundraiser I just held raised over $660 for Faya Orphanage in Ethiopia.  A bake sale I held a year and a half ago raised $700 for Faya.  Fundraisers can be as simple as helping your kids hold a lemonade stand to as complicated as getting other like-minded folks together and organizing a dinner and silent auction.  Host a Bead for Life party.  It's fun, saves lives, empowers women, and prevents further children from becoming statistics.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give". - Winston Churchill

-Demand Change.  Though we live in North America, we still have elected leaders who have the power to effect change in the world.  By making our voices heard, we can make a difference.  Choose the issues that you feel passionate about (making it easier for Canadian families to bring home internationally adopted children, debt cancellation for African countries, fair trade laws, protecting the rights of women in developing nations, righting injustice) and get writing!  Our politicians will only bring forth issues that they feel their constituents care about.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". - Martin Luther King, Jr.

-Teach your children.  Raise your children in an awareness of what is really happening in the world.  Teach them to care.  Children learn what they see.  If you care about orphans in another country, you will raise the next generation to care and take action.  "Train up a child in the way he should go; when he is old he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6  For those of us trying to raise our children with good character, if we teach them the Bible but do not teach them to put into practise loving our neighbour, what will we really have taught them?  

It has been difficult to organize my thoughts on this and there is so much more that I wish I were doing but I hope to get the wheels turning for you.  I hope that after reading this, you will be asking yourself "what can I do?" and that one little question will propel you into action.  I hope if you get nothing else from this post, you walk away believing that it is the small things and the ordinary people that are going to change this world.

Book Review Ten

"House Rules" by Jodi Picoult

This was a very interesting read for me because the story revolves around a boy who has Asperger's syndrome and our son Josiah has Asperger's so I read it with a familiarity about some of the symptoms shared by he and the main character of the book.  I have always enjoyed Jodi Picoult's writing style, mainly because she generally writes from the perspective of all the characters in the book so you end up with a well-balanced understanding of the plot and the events' effects on everyone involved.  I find that some of her books are more predictable than others and also that some are more disturbing than others, as she always writes about things that are at least somewhat controversial.  This book was, admittedly, one of her more predictable ones, which was disappointing but it still kept me interested.  Since it is difficult to know how much of my interest was because of Josiah's Asperger's and how much was for the actual plot and narrative, I can't objectively know if the book would be interesting to someone who didn't have a personal connection to Asperger's.  I related to some of what the mother in the story expressed, though Josiah's symptoms are not as severe as the boy's in the book so I appreciated reading her thoughts and recollections.  I also was able to remind myself of some of the challenges that Josiah faces and after I finished reading the book, I had an idea of getting him ear plugs and an eye mask to help him sleep at night since he is so affected by sensory issues and has trouble falling asleep.  It didn't help but me acknowledging to him that I understood that he had a hard time blocking out the sounds and light did help so it wasn't a complete loss.  For me, being reminded of the world that my son lives in was well worth the read. 

Summer Tips

- Rice Krispie Squares can be frozen!  Make up a few batches, let them cool, cut them, toss them in a freezer bag and the next time you are heading out the door for a playground or picnic, grab as many out as you need.

-this one I just figured out this year and wish I had thought of it sooner.  The problem around here with popsicles (even the homemade kind) is that the kids leave the sticks all over the yard.  Solution= I now use a Sharpie marker to write each child's initial on their stick...that way I know who left them lying around and the consequence is that the next time, they don't get a popsicle...works really well!

-Sharpies are also helpful for putting names on water bottles, sandwich bags, even juice boxes when going for a picnic or day out.

-when I see things on sale that would be good for road trips, picnics, days at the lake, etc. I buy them and put them in a storage room that has a lock on the door.  Then if ever the weather is nice and we want to spontaneously go to a lake or even to the mountains, I go up to my stash and pack.

-most kids love frozen grapes (strange but true)...makes a healthy and fun snack!  

-I may have mentioned some of these before (my memory stinks) but hopefully there will be something a bit helpful for someone here.

Our room is not our room anymore!

When we moved to this enormous old house in the country, Mark and I got to have our own room!  In our previous house, Eliana's crib had been in our walk-in closet so having this huge room to ourselves was great.  There were enough bedrooms for everyone to have their own room and even a guest room.  Slowly, the little creatures have overtaken our room.  It began after we brought Elijah and Sedaya home from Ethiopia.  In an attempt to organize the laundry of nine people, I began to set up piles in our room because there is a lot of empty floor space in there.  Then at the end of December, we started doing Attachment Therapy with Elijah and moved him into our room.  He loves it in there on his little makeshift bed on the side and I don't know if we are ever going to get him to leave!  With Elijah came Elijah's stuff so there are stuffies and books and even a few toys in our room now.  Recently, the migration of the small creatures and their belongings has gotten out of control!  Eliana is extremely afraid of thunderstorms so there have been a number of nights where the only way we could get her to sleep was to let her sleep on the floor in our room.  With Gracey's lungs being bad lately, more nights than not, she is also in our room.  Part of that is laziness on my part.  Getting up four times a night to get her medicine and put her on her machine is exhausting so if she's right next to my bed, all I have to do is reach over, pour the medicine in, put the mask on her face, and flip a switch.  With Eliana or Gracey in our room, Sedaya and Josiah want to sleep there too.  We usually don't let them but on more than one occasion, we have woken up to find them sleeping in there anyway.  And then there is morning when anyone who was not already sleeping in there comes and climbs in our bed (with the exception of Jonah who sleeps in and Mackenzie who comes in and stands at the foot of our bed talking to us).  All I can say is I'm glad we have a King size bed and a giant bedroom but once in awhile, it might be nice to go to my own room and be able to talk to my own husband without worrying about waking our children scattered all over the floor!

July 13

A year ago today, our world turned completely upside down.  We were in Banff for my parents' 40th Anniversary and I got a phone call from my friend Justine telling me that there were rumours swirling around that our adoption agency, Imagine had gone bankrupt.  Soon after came the words that made the bottom fall out for me, "only three days of food left".  At the time, two of our children, Elijah and Sedaya were at Imagine's Transition Home in Ethiopia and we were four months away from getting the visas we needed to bring them to Canada.  I don't know that I will ever find the words to accurately portray what it felt like to be here, literally half a world away, and helpless to protect my children.  There were 43 children in the Transition Home, at least 5 sets of siblings included in that number, so less than 40 families represented but each of those families know what I was feeling that day.  We are a small group and though most of us have never met and many of us have never even spoken or e-mailed, we are all bonded in a way because we all understand what those first days were like.  Even now, one year later, it kind of feels like my life is divided into before the bankruptcy and after.  

The end result is that we brought our children home months earlier than planned and they are safe and adjusting and we were able to be with them for more of their life but that blessing doesn't negate what we and they went through to get to that point.  For six weeks leading up to Imagine's bankruptcy, my children, who we had paid a reputable agency to take excellent care of, were only being fed one small meal a day.  They were scared and were picking up on the feelings of caregivers who were worried.  They were reminded of times before they came to the Transition Home where they had gone hungry.  Elijah was cut with a stick by another child there and probably required stitches but there was not enough money to pay for gas to get him to a doctor, not was there enough money to pay the doctor.  We are fortunate that the accident wasn't worse but I still have thoughts of "what if?" at times.  As for us, we struggled with feelings of helplessness, powerlessness, guilt, fear, panic, and desperation.  We were frantic.  I couldn't sleep or eat for days after the news and Mark and I had to cram four months of preparation into one week.  There were decisions that had to be made and financially, we were in no position to pay summer prices for flights to Africa on no notice but we knew that we had to go.  Two of our children needed us.

For five or six days leading up to today, I have been having terrible nightmares.  None of them were about the bankruptcy so it took me a few days before I clued into why it was happening but all the dreams related to situations which left me powerless.  Some nights, I would wake up several times from nightmares.  As this day got closer, I started having daytime symptoms as well.  I had this nervousness in my stomach and anxiousness almost all the time.  It felt like I was waiting for something bad to happen, for bad news to come.  I guess I have been anticipating what happened a year ago, like my body is trying to prepare me for what was about to happen.  When it actually happened, one thing that was very hard for me was how shocking it was.  I had no warning.  There were no signs or rumours leading up to July 13 that would have given me any inkling that my kids were in any kind of danger.  Just three days prior, I had received an e-mail from my Case Worker at Imagine and the tone was cheerful and encouraging.  On June 22, the day we had passed court, we got pictures of Elijah and Sedaya and they were smiling.  We had no way of suspecting that anything was amiss.  So I think all these nervous symptoms are just a way of trying to prepare my one year ago self, if that makes any sense.

Other than the small group of us who had kids at the Transition Home, there was another large group who was affected by our agency's death.  There were over 400 families who were waiting to adopt through Imagine.  For those families, this day a year ago felt like the end of that dream, the end of a long-already journey, the end of a child or children whom they did not know but already loved.  This was a very dark day for so many but I am happy to say that those parents were determined and the love for their yet-unknown children so strong that they got the agency back up and running themselves against all odds and slowly, there are beginning to be referrals and children from Ethiopia who need families are finding them again in Canada.  I am thrilled about that end result, but again, a year ago today, those families only felt pain and had no hope that someday their dreams might be realized.

I have decided to make this post about the families and children affected and will only give this one line to the woman who caused all this heartache.  Sue Hayhow, who allegedly embezzled money from Imagine and tried to steal the dreams of so many families and stole food from my children's mouths has still not been arrested, due largely to the fact that she is hiding in another country.

I know that perhaps I should feel like today is a day of celebration because the 43 children from the Transition Home are safe and with their forever families and more children are finding homes thanks to the pluck and determination of amazing parents but I am reliving that day a year ago when fear and sadness reigned.  I am aware of the blessings and am grateful for what I have but can't help how I feel.  Soon, I will celebrate things like the day Mark was united with Elijah and Sedaya and the day we brought them home but today, I am going to let myself feel this in whatever way I need to.  I am also going to be praying today for the future of the Ethiopia program and for those who are still awaiting referrals.  And I am celebrating in my own way.  Purely by coincidence, my friend Heather is coming over today with her kids, three of whom were adopted in Ethiopia and my friend Debbie is going to join us too with some of her kids, including her two from Ethiopia, so even without meaning to, I have turned the day into a bit of an adoption celebration!

Very Quick Post

-Started paperwork and bloodwork to have Gracelyn approved for the new drug today.  Found out process will take two to three months which was a bit disappointing to hear BUT...

-Got the green light for her to be able to go outside!!!!!!! AND...

-Can start weaning her off Prednisone!!!

-Great news!  It took the sting out of her having to have a needle for the bloodwork (needles are the only thing my brave little girl is super afraid of)

-am looking forward to introducing all the kids to summer...spray parks, playgrounds, picnics, berry picking, parades, festivals, Farmer's Markets, hikes, walks, lakes, day trips, bring it on!  We only have about four or five weeks before the next bout of allergens come...end of August and beginning of September is Gracey's worst time of year so we will be cramming in as much fun as we can into the next little bit.

Garage Sale Results

Thank you to everyone who contributed to make the Garage Sale such a success.  This is a difficult time of year for me due to the Imagine Bankruptcy Anniversary being tomorrow (more on that tomorrow) and it was nice to focus on something positive and that will make a difference for children in Ethiopia.  All the money raised is going to Faya Orphanage in Nazret, Ethiopia.

Thank you to Carla and Don, Mandi and Teri, my mom, Julie, Diane, Michelle, and Matt and Steph who donated items for the sale.  Thank you to Mark, my mom, and Mandi who helped with the kids during the sale.  Thank you to friends who came out specifically to support Faya...Holly, Tesha, Amanda, Shannon, Tracy (and for the lovely flowers), mom, Matt and Steph, and anyone I am forgetting.

$660 + dollars was raised for Faya!!!  So I think that for an acreage garage sale on a weekend in summer where the weather was not the most cooperative, that's pretty darn great!

I must say though that some people are weird.  One man who came with his pregnant wife or girlfriend actually took a DVD and shoved it down his pants in plain view.  Gracey saw him do it, I saw him.  Weird! Who steals from a fundraiser?!?  There were also people who would have an armful of items that totalled about $20 and would say "would you take four dollars?" which again was a bit odd because it was a fundraiser BUT there were also people who were so generous and gave well above what the cost of their items were and that more than made up for the others.  There were several people who recognized our family from the news last year and struck up conversations, asking how the kids were adjusting or asking about adoption.  I always love when the opportunity comes up to share about adoption so that was great too.  The first day, we got all the tables, boxes, and larger items set up outside and then the skies opened up and it started to pour so we ran all the stuff into the garage (I had left one side of the garage empty in case of rain as a contingency plan) and then as quickly as it started, it stopped and was hot, overly hot actually, so we carried all the stuff back out.  That evening, it rained again so back in everything went! The next morning, it started off raining so that made things easier.  I just rearranged everything inside so it all fit and later when it slowly warmer up, we carried the odd thing or box out but kept all the tables inside the garage.  I got quite a workout!  My friend Shannon and her three girls were here for most of the sale so it was an added bonus to get to visit with her and for my kids to have friends to play with.

Gracelyn was my big helper at the sale (though all the kids helped).  She stayed here both days as she could not go out much and couldn't go swimming.  Because of the rain, I did let her come outside with a mask on Friday and without a mask Saturday and so far, we aren't paying the price for it.  The rain helps settle the allergens in the air.  This morning, we go back to her Specialist and are hoping that he will give us the go-ahead to start weaning her off the Prednisone and to let her outside.  Thursday night, she developed an ear infection.  She has never had one in her life but with being on the Prednisone for so long, she has very little immunity to anything.

Here is a pic. of two of my other helpers.  The concession table was my way of involving the kids and teaching them about working hard to give to others.  It was fun for them most of the time, boring some of the time.

 

Got Junk???

This is short notice but this Friday and Saturday, we are going to be holding a Garage Sale at our house with the proceeds going to FAYA Orphanage in Ethiopia.  If you have any stuff laying around that you would like to donate, we will gladly take any donations.  It's not exactly the best time to be holding this (a bit crazy right now actually) but several other houses in our subdivision are going to be having garage sales those days so I thought I would take advantage of the shared signs, ads, etc. and participate.  It gives me the chance to de-clutter with a deadline and the opportunity to raise money for something very special to me so if you have any junk you want to get out of your house, bring it on over anytime this week.  Or if you want to stop by and support FAYA, then come by Friday between NOON and 9 or Saturday from 9 to 5.  If I get organized enough, the kids will have a little concession stand set up as well.

Book Review Nine

"The Devil Came on Horseback" by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace

I don't know how best to describe this book because on the one hand, it is a must-read in terms of having our eyes opened to what has happened and is happening in parts of Africa, but on the other hand, it is almost too horrible to read.  This book chronicles the experiences of an American who is part of a monitoring team in Sudan and ends up a witness to the genocide in Darfur.  What he sees is beyond imagination, the evil of man too great for me to even comprehend.  I had to at times put down the book down because I felt nauseous at what I had read or because I had to allow the horrors to sink in and accept that this was not, in fact, fiction.  It took me a long time to read this book because it was so difficult to get through all the accounts.  I will admit to not wanting to finish reading it more than one time as it just is so heart-wrenching.  It also left me feeling like there should be something that I can do to stop this from happening.  In that regard, the book is obviously extremely effective.  It should not be easy for us to shield our eyes from the truth.  

If you are up for being moved to action, go pick up this book, set aside some time, and be prepared to be shocked and horrified.    

another quick update

-I have internet and a computer that is virus free and without a broken video card so I am back in the virtual world!

-Gracelyn is hanging in there.  Last week was rough and she is still having trouble with her lungs but she is at home.  Tomorrow, we see her Pulmonary doc. and take the first steps towards getting her on the new drug that may really make a huge difference for her.

-Elijah, Eliana, Sedaya, and Mark all have colds so sleep is illusive around here.

-I want to give a sincere thank you to everyone who has prayed for our family and especially for Gracelyn these past weeks.  It has been exhausting but I know that the prayers are helping.  I feel a real peace about our decision to begin the steps towards getting her on this medication.

-Mackenzie starts summer school tomorrow.  Hopefully between that and work, he will stay busy this summer.

-With Mandi's help, I was able to clean out our storage room, something that has been bugging me for over nine months now when some little people (who may look somewhat like my children) went down there and dumped out all my carefully labelled and organized boxes to the point where you could hardly get the door open.  For now, it is free of garbage and clutter!!!  (obviously, at this point, small things make me happy!)

-Mark came home early on Wednesday so that I could go to the Farmer's Markets.  I have been wanting to go for weeks but with Grace not able to go outside, it hasn't been possible.  I took Jonah, Eliana, and Sedaya and we had fun and bought fresh veggies and fruit as well as some delicious Ukrainian food.

-I had been looking forward to Canada Day ever since we got our referral over a year ago.  I had planned to take the kids to our local Canada Day Festival in matching red and white outfits, planned out Sedaya's hairstyle, imagined the looks on Elijah and Sedaya's faces as they watched their first Parade, gotten excited about the pictures I would get that I could later scrapbook.  None of that happened.  I am only the tiniest bit disappointed.  Obviously, Gracelyn could not go outside.  Mark offered to stay home with her but I was so exhausted from our hospital adventures and from caring for her at home that the thought of taking six kids by myself to the crowded Festival was overwhelming.  My tiredness won over and so Elijah and Sedaya's very first Canada Day was spent at home mostly watching movies and attempting to learn to sing "Oh Canada".  I normally would be really disappointed by something like this but right now, am just feeling grateful that I have seven children, live in a country where I can take my daughter to the hospital without worrying that I may not be able to pay my mortgage that month due to the cost, and can be free to love God and teach my kids at home and feel relatively safe.  So Happy Belated Canada Day!

Quick update

No Internet...typing this on Mark's phone. So far can't find another Internet company who has high speed out where we are. Trees grew too tall between us and the tower. Gracelyn is very sick. She caught a cold last weekend. She ended up in hospital two nights ago for nine hours. They gave me the option of having Her admitted but since we have all the same medication at home except the oxygen, I opted to have her here where she could get more sleep. Prednisone for five or six weeks straight now creates concern about cold turning into pneumonia. Now we are playing hospital at home. Please pray that she is able to get ahead if this. Also we have decided to go forward on putting her on that new drug but will face the hurdles of getting special permission due to her age and then fighting our benefit company to cover the cost of over twenty thousand dollars a year(about 25K)...yikes! We start the process on monday.

Track and Field 2010

Homeschool Track and Field last year was pretty much the highlight of the year for the kids.  This year, they had a great time and it was the first track experience for Elijah and Sedaya but it rained all day.  Again this year, one of my favorite things was how the kids don't seem to care which ribbon they get.  Pink is seventh or eighth place and that is a pretty popular one because of the color!!!  Eliana was complaining a bit this year because she only had red and white ribbons (firsts and thirds!) and not rainbows of ribbons like everyone else!  Here are some pics...

 

Update on Gracelyn

The last time I gave a quick update on Grace, I had just been to her specialist and she was improving and we were told that we could start weaning her off her Prednisone.  That was a short-lived celebration as just 24 hours later, she took a huge turn for the worse and we have not been able to wean her off, in fact, we have had to increase her dosage again.  Two days ago, we went back to her Pulmonary specialist (who if I haven't mentioned it a zillion times before is the BEST) and the news was not good.  She is much worse than she has been in a long time and has now been quarantined to the house until a marked improvement.  She cannot even go from the house to the van, even with a mask on, so yesterday I got all my groceries and ran all my errands while Mandi was here watching most of the kids because I can't take Gracey out with me.  For now, the Prednisone at the higher dose stays, as does all the other medication and she goes back on Friday to have her lung function tested again.  It has been a month now (this time) of Prednisone which I hate but it keeps her alive (which I love) so I guess you could say that this conflicting love-hate relationship I have with the drug is an on-going source of conflict for me.  As for my sweet Princess girl, she, as always, has a positive attitude.

Sunday for Father's Day, Mark and the other kids went floating down the Pembina River and enjoyed a hot dog roast there with our friends Bonnie and Troy and their girls but Gracey was stuck here with me.  We made the best of it, turning it into a mother-daughter day of her doing my hair, us baking cookies, making jewelry, and scrapbooking, but I know she would much rather have gone with the other kids.  She commented once that she had no one to go on the swings with and when I offered to go with her, she said "no, that's okay mom.  It's not the same."  Other than that, no complaining from my cheerful, glass is half-full sweetie!

Big Day

One year ago today, we passed court in Ethiopia, legally making us the parents of one handsome little boy and one adorable little girl.  On that day, we were surprised (we passed on our first court date just one month after referral), emotional, happy, and excited.  I started making plans for all that I had to do before we went to Ethiopia that November to pick them up.  Little did I know that just a few short weeks later, our adoption agency would be bankrupt and we would be making plans to go much sooner than anticipated.  But one year ago today, all I knew was that I had a new son and daughter and I could hardly wait to meet them.  I wondered so much what they would be like.

Today is a big day this year too as today is the day that my second son, my Jonah, becomes a teenager.  I can hardly believe it myself but Jonah turns thirteen today.  It seems like yesterday that he was born and we were bringing him home to our sparsely furnished place in Victoria.  Happy Birthday to a boy who is fun and sensitive and helpful and sweet and stubborn and easy-going (those seem like a contradiction but they co-exist in this child!) and who I look forward to watching continue to grow into the man God intends him to be!

Jesse's Wedding

These pics. are at the request of Deanne.  It is nearly impossible to get a picture of all of us so you'll have to pretend like Sedaya's hand isn't covering her face from the sun.  It was a beautiful wedding, a gorgeous day to spend time outside in a garden, and the dance was super fun, especially for the kids.  The bride and groom did a wonderful job of making everyone feel welcome.

my girls
my boys

the bride and groom chatting with Sedaya

Mackenzie and Opa

Elijah and Oma

   
  

Book Review Eight

No, I have not given up reading but I am very behind on my Monday book reviews so I'll give it another go.

"Small Town, Big Miracle" by Bishop W.C. Martin with John Fornof

If you have not heard this story, read this book.  If you have heard of this story, read it anyway.  This inspirational true story really does narrate a miracle.  It defies belief that this actually took place.  In Possum Trot, Texas, a town so small it is not on most maps, a town most would consider poor, in a church of two hundred members, a decision was made to follow God's call to adopt and SEVENTY TWO children were adopted from the foster care system.  Think about the math on that.  At most of the churches that Mark and I have attended, churches with between four hundred and two THOUSAND members, there is usually only one or two other families who have adopted and that is in our fairly affluent community.  But in this tiny Texan town where most people live in run down trailers, a church of two hundred adopted seventy two kids, all of them from the foster care system, many of them with special needs, all of them having lived through trauma or abuse and coming with baggage.  Just the math of it is a miracle but within that, the individual stories shared in the book about some of the specific families and the sacrifices made are even more miraculous.

The book is not particularly well written.  In fact, I'm being generous in even saying that.  The Bishop Martin is not gifted in writing, though the parts written by his wife are eloquent and so well written that they highlight his lack of writing skills even more.  It doesn't matter though how this book is written because the story is so compelling.  Also, he tells it passionately.  In the book, he calls others to adopt and reminds us that God calls us to care for orphans and widows.  He also points out that even if we choose not to adopt ourselves, there are many ways to help others who have adopted or are adopting.  I also like it when true stories include pictures which this book does and has an update on how the children and families are doing now, which this book also does.  Once you read this book, it is difficult to explain why there continues to be such a lack of foster parents and adoptive parents in North America.  If a town this tiny with so few resources can do this, what excuse does the country have for kids being cared for in hotel rooms by workers on eight hour shifts because of a shortage of foster homes or kids aging out of foster care because there is no one to adopt them?

Lighter

The last few posts have been on the heavy side so I thought I would put up some pictures and good news.

-yesterday's visit to Gracelyn's Pulmonary Specialist resulted in the green light for us to wean her off the Prednisone.  we have every reason to be optimistic that she will be a bit more stable until August.  Good news!

-last night, I went on a date with Jonah who is soon to turn 13.  We had a great time.  We set out to get him some shoes and a shirt for the wedding and we ended up getting neither.  We got a bit sidetracked...we both love reading and we visited four bookstores and left with some books to read this summer, though Jonah will be done his stack in a week or two, I'm sure!  We also went to a movie, though it wasn't good, we still had fun.  Good conversation, good crab, good books, a great night!

 
Elijah and Sedaya pose during a session of dancing around the living room in their traditional Ethiopian outfits.

Alberta in the Spring!!!

While the other kids made snowmen, Gracelyn made a snow horse!

The African Children's Choir

Sedaya dancing at the African Children's Choir performance...the kids absolutely LOVED it!

my beautiful girls!