Whoa...

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti... Please Lord, help those people who are still struggling. Give them hope and a future with you. Keep our babies safe and healthy and protect them. Keep their hearts filled with love for you, especially on this day. Bring Big Eyes home to us soon. Amen.

 

We are setting up some fundraisers! Wanna help?? Please do. We are doing a  Polar Plunge - Judah's Jump on Saturday March 17th, 2012 at 10:30 at Pine Point Beach in Scarborough, Maine. It's going to be epic. Who wants to sponsor me? Come on people! I'll post pics of our jump. You know you want to see that! hahaha. If you're not in the area and cannot make it, you can sponsor me or Hubbs through paypal:  dobbsfam@roadrunner.com  OR you can go here:  Adopting Judah

OR if you just feel led to help us (since we still need to raise $6,000.00) with funding, you can give either of those ways also.

Wow...

...I seriously *stink* at keeping up with this.


So, last I blogged, I was going down to meet our son in Hait. I did. It was... amazing, trying, wonderful, emotional, hard... He is a beautiful boy. Full of attitude, spunk and mischief. :)  He's a handful! hahaha. I brought our dossier down with me, so now our adoption process is in the hands of the Haitian govt. We are waiting to hear about our IBESR number and court date. This could take 6 months, or it could take 24. It's all in God's hands.


We had a whirlwind, but gorgeous summer. The sun was out a lot, and we made good and went to the ocean, pool and lake many times. The kids swam to their heart's content and I enjoyed the sun. I missed my old friend. ;) ha.

Bean started school. Kindergarten! I still cannot believe it. She loves it so much. She's learning and making fast friends. Squid (aka Sprout) and I are enjoying our time together. It's amazing the personality that has shone through without his big sister around to boss him around. hahaha. He is so loving, helpful and talks up a storm. We have fun, but he really does love it when we go to pick her up every afternoon... the big buses, the cafeteria, getting to take her dismissal slip and hand it to the teacher all by himself. Makes him feel like big stuff, I tell ya. 

Going to be turning the big 3-0 soon... Just one wish - that all my children will be together when I turn 31. :')

A blessing...

...in 2 short weeks, I will be traveling down to Haiti to *finally* meet our son. By myself... well, not by myself, but without Hubbs coming. I'm nervous, but totally excited. I cannot even really put it into words. I read my friend's blogs and just cry because they have expressed exactly how I feel... the raw emotion that's  always there... hiding... I watch Bean and Sprout play, laugh, cry... live their lives. Then I feel a sadness like none other because I am not a part of Big Eye's experiences. I don't get to see him live his day-to-day life. Walk him to school. Watch him grow. Kiss his booboos. Hug him before bed. Read him our nightly Bible story and follow that up with our family prayer time... I don't know his favorite foods, colors, animal... I've only heard him laugh on a quick snippet of video that was taken of him... It's really hard for me to live our "regular" life as a family, knowing that it's not all together... that a member is missing from it. Sometimes, I cry at the worst moments. People will ask me how the process is going, and there I go again, leaking from my face! I cannot help it. Hubbs says that God gave me a really, really big heart. Usually, he says this with a soft laugh. He knows that it makes me who I am...

But, I keep remembering where he is and I know that he could be in such a worse place. God is watching over him, keeping him safe. I also remind myself that my children aren't mine. They're God's. He just gave me the privilege of raising them... molding them... loving them... teaching them His ways... explaining to them His grace...

I know that God brought him to us in such a way... an amazing way. We are blessed to be in this walk God has for us. So blessed. God's plans are going to blow my mind... they are continuously doing so now, so I expect no less.

A man said to me the other day, after hearing that we are adopting, "Wow. I must say, it's people like you that make this world a better place. So, I thank you for adopting and changing the world. What a blessing."  To you Sir, I say, "Thank you." It is only through God's grace, perfect planning and adoption of me that I can do anything.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Busy beavers...

Sometimes I feel as busy as a beaver... this past weekend was a whirlwind of chaotic, amazingness. We are working on our kids having sleepovers with their grandparents. Friday night was their second one. The get to alternate between my mom and stepdad and Hubbs' parents, every other weekend. It has worked out nicely thus far. I felt like I would worry needlessly, stay up all night wondering if they were keeping people awake... but, they've done well and couldn't wait to push us out the door when it was time for us to leave them there. Ha! I try to take it nicely. ;) hahaha... Saturday, we had a surprise 70th birthday party planned for Hubbs' gram, and it was so much fun. we had made a 50's theme and people had some amazing costumes. Gram loved it. Smashing success! Sunday, we were able to have the blessing and honor of having Pastor Rigaud, from Kingdom of Kids Orphanage speak at a local church here in Maine. It was awesome! There were over 180 people, over half were adoptive parents who are adopting from KKO. It was an amazing experience. To meet these people, see their children, their love, the support... just... wow. And then to hear Pastor Rigaud speak and give his testimony... of how God has challenged him and his wife to take these 80+ orphans (with more coming every day!), take care of them, approve potential parents, help with all our paperwork... just unbelievable, and yet so believable. Does that make sense?? One man, hears his calling from God, listens and obeys and LOOK at all the people who benefit from it! Who are blessed by him and his work. I am in awe. It was an exhausting day, but it was so worth it. To top our amazing weekend off, Hubbs had the day off yesterday and we were able to skype last minute with Big Eyes!! It was wonderful!! He's been asking everyday for his Poppy, which was sad and uplifting to hear. We heard him say "I love you!" in Creole/french. *sigh* It had been over 3 weeks since we had been able to contact them for a skype session.

This Muma's heart is happy. <3

I love...

...the way Bean "reads" a book to Sprout.

...the way he laughs when she does the voices.

...the way Hubbs gets home and roughhouses with them.

...the giggles that ensue with said roughhousing.

...the smell of a 50 degree day in February winter.
 
...the sound of Sprout growling like a big, bad bear.

...hearing giggles while they color, only to discover that Sprout has colored his face with washable marker... that doesn't wash off that well.

...watching Bean try to teach Sprout everything that she knows.

...knowing that God has placed Big Eyes in a safe orphanage and that He is looking over him until he can come home.

...the love that Bean and Sprout have for the brother that they've only seen on skype.

...my orange living room (I know. random.)

...that I have a husband and  friends who keep me accountable and grounded in God's word.

...that even if I don't want to hear it, they speak truth and honesty to me, knowing that I will accept it even if I don't like it.

...all the blessings that God has bestowed on me. I just wish I deserved them.

Our children...

God has blessed me richly.

The Bean... Drama Bean that is.

The Ninja Squid is too busy to look at the camera...

Laughter.

Serious.

We love photo ops.

beautiful 4 year old.

boy wonder at 19 months.

Muma says "pose." This is what I get.

Stopped him in running mode...

Our handsome son in Haiti.

Ha! This just makes me laugh every time.

Poppy and Big Eyes.

Big Eyes fell asleep on Poppy during church service.

3 year old smiles.

2 of my 3 handsome men.

Sprout, the Ninja Squid, had to stretch his legs.

The sun is warm. *giggle*

My children are my great blessings.  I pray for them daily. I love them every minute, every second.

Luckily, I get to share these blessings with my best friend since childhood...

...books...

I just got my new books!! I say this with excitement because I've been banned from buying books anymore. I have a problem. It has to do with hoarding books... and not good, make-your-life-better books, I'm talking the kill-you-in-your-sleep books that I'm drawn to... I can't help it. I enjoy crime shows too. Sue me. Hubbs made me weed through and get rid of almost ALL of my books a year and a half ago. We're talking over 600 books... now, don't go hating the hubbs. After all, we DO live in a bungalow...

Anyway, I was given the go ahead to order 3 new books from Amazon. We ordered "Taste of Haiti", "Haitian Creole Phrasebook" and "Adopted for Life"... I've peeked through the first 2, mouth watering at the soups and sauces of Haiti, tongue tied at the nuances of a new language and already thoroughly engrossed in "Adopted for Life"... I figure, when you're sobbing halfway through the forward, it's probably going to be a good book. I'll post my thoughts upon completion of said book.