You tube help...

I want to try my hand at a you tube video but I know from past experience with me doing new "technical" kind of things that I usually end up doing it the very hard & time consuming way when there were easier ways to do it but I didn't know about them for one reason or another. So before I spend hours & hours trying to figure it out...I would appreciate any tips & pointers from people who have done you tube videos before. Thanky! :o)

For Elaine...

This picture is for Elaine...my NC mother who is a "die hard" Tarheel fan. Randy & Phoebe are modeling their Christmas presents from her. Thanks Elaine!

An amazing family...

This is the family that Phoebe & I went to MO to see. They are an amazing family & I am so glad that we went. Words will never be able to express how I feel about them...each one of them who are mighty servants of the Lord with gracious & generous hearts & spirits. They are beautiful inside & out. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of their lives & to learn from them.

Out the door...

Although things are not perfect

Because of trial or pain

Continue in thanksgiving

Do not begin to blame

Even when the times are hard

Fierce winds are bound to blow

God is forever able

Hold on to what you know

Imagine life without His love

J oy would cease to be

Keep thanking Him for all the things

Love imparts to thee

Move out of "Camp Complaining"

No weapon that is known

On earth can yield the power

Praise can do alone

Quit looking at the future

Redeem the time at hand

Start every day with worship

To "thank" is a command

Until we see Him coming

Victorious in the sky

We'll run the race with gratitude

X alting God most high

Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...

Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

Please pray for Phoebe & I as we head to MO to comfort a close friend whose dad died on Christmas Eve. We'll be back Saturday morning. Have a blessed week!

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

What Christmas is all about...

The following is a devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah. Jesus was born on this day to save us from our sins & to love us just the way we are.

I Wish You Were Mine

The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and the
widow . . .
Psalm 146:9

Recommended Reading
Isaiah 42:10-17

Mary Ann Bird was born with a cleft palate. Her classmates made it known
how she looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked
nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech. She was convinced no one
outside of her family could love her. However, her second grade teacher,
Mrs. Leonard, proved otherwise. Every year the school conducted a
hearing test in which the students would stand against the door, cover
one ear, and listen for the teacher to whisper things like "The sky is
blue" or "Do you have new shoes?" after which they would repeat the
phrase back. As Mary Ann listened intently, she heard the seven words
that changed her life forever. Mrs. Leonard whispered, "I wish you were
my little girl."

A beloved hymn reminds us that Jesus accepts us just as we are. It
doesn't matter if you are poor, disabled, divorced, or in prison. Jesus
is willing to extend His arm of love and help to you. Listen today as He
whispers the words that could change your life forever, "My child, I
wish you were mine."

It does not matter if we are old or young . . . men or women . . . rich
or poor . . . The Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of everybody. Barrie Wetherill

Merry Christmas Family & Friends!

Wishing you a very blessed & Jesus filled day!

Merry Christmas Kids!

We love you very, very much!!!

Our first...

We waited 14 years of our married life before Phoebe came along. I had a couple of pictures of her included in the previous post of the day she came home but for some reason they "disappeared" when I posted the pictures. Needless to say we were filled with a joy & love that words can't fully describe. I could write a book on this child but since I don't have time to write a book right now & you probably don't have time to read one...I'll try to be as concise as possible.

She was a very laid back & happy baby. She was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, & reached most of her phsyical & developemental milestones early. It was such a joy to watch her grow up...and then she turned 18 months. At 18 months she turned into "someone else's child." She came as close as you can to being demon possessed without being demon possessed. I'm not kidding either!!! Turns out it was "just the beginning" of her being independent & asserting herself!

She is very independent & strong willed but she is also very sensitive, caring, & discerning. Her faith at her young age amazes me in a wonderful way. I can't wait to see how God uses her in her life for His glory! She is our "shining star." Phoebe means shining & her middle name is Starr :o)

Phoebe...

Our youngest...

We didn't know if we would ever have a baby boy & then God blessed us with this amazing little boy. Caleb turned 2 months old when we met him in July. He is now 7 months & it's wonderful to see how well he is growing. He is a very happy, smiley baby but his smiles seemed to be even bigger when he saw me...I may be imagining that but I don't think so :o) I didn't get a whole lot of one on one time with him this last trip but I cherished the time I did have with him. I did get some one on one for an hour or so in the middle of the night on both nights he stayed with me at the guest house. He laughed & cooed & played with his toys. He is a snuggler too & likes to be held every waking minute. He sits up well & is starting to crawl. I gave him banana baby food while I was there & he seemed to enjoy that. I can't wait until he is home with us!

Caleb...

Our younger middle child...

Samara or "ti poul" as she is known at the "O", is the shy one in the family but don't let that fool you. She is very smart & independent. She's not quite as strong willed as Phoebe...thank you Lord! You can see a totally different side of her when it's just the two of you & no one else is around. She gets all giggly & turns into a "turkey ham." She's very much a cuddler. She attached to my hip in July when we first met & our visit together a week ago was no different. She's perfectly content to be on my hip & carried every where. I love the cute way she say's "wi" which means yes but was not so impressed by the way she demanded "dlo" which means water, every night before bed. We had to have a little talk about that :o) She was a little skittish of Papa in July but has since really warmed up to him. When she looked at his picture in her picture book she excitedly said, "Papa, Papa!" She also talked to him on the phone while I was there & she told him that she loved him. She is very sensitive & observant. She watched everything I did & tried to imitate most things I did. It was so cute to watch her in a full length mirror as we were putting our swim suits on to get ready to swim. She did every thing I did including running her fingers through her hair...which is not easy for her considering it's all in little tight braids. She looked at me in my swimsuit...which isn't one of my most flattering moments...and said, "Mama bel" which means "Mama beautiful."

I was somewhat saddened about how she reacted to us leaving in July & did not know what to expect this time. In July when she was told that we were leaving & she couldn't come with us yet she just shut down & walked away from us & wouldn't talk to us anymore. This time when she saw me she just started crying...which was my response the first time I saw her. When she was told this time that I was leaving & she couldn't come with me yet, she just clung to me & practically had to be peeled off of me...which to me was a "normal" response. I can't wait to hold her again & look into her beautiful eyes.

Samara...

Our oldest...

Shakira is our oldest child at a "ripe old age" of 5 :o) Her middle name is Joy & if you have ever met her, you know why. She is an amazing girl! She has an assortment of photo faces ranging from totally estatic to her "serious, deep thinking look." It was so encouraging to hear other parents tell me on my last trip how much of good difference they can see in her when she is with me. She has so much potential & I can not wait for her to get home so that her full potential can be tapped & unleashed. During my recent week with her she went on the potty chair 3 times, used eating utensils properly through entire meals, hugged me tightly & called me "Mama" & told me that she loved me. She signed words that I had signed to her as well as saying a lot more words verbally. She seems to speak more English than Creole which is interesting. We went on an outing together just the two of us without the other 2 children & she really thrived with the one on one attention. She also discovered a love for hot dogs & french fries! She did have one time out during the week...but so did Samara so I don't think that was too bad. The amazing part is that she actually "got" why she was in time out & sat there until time was up & then she apologized for her behavior. She also did a shape puzzle & stacking rings by herself. She loved the swimming pool at the guest house but felt better if I was holding her hands even though she could touch the bottom & had a life jacket on. I can't wait for this child to blossom into a beautiful, mighty servant of the Lord.

Shakira...

The four of us...

Happy 7 months Caleb!

Today my "little man" is 7 months old. He has grown so much since July! The nannies have totally "spoiled" him.

"Squirts & Shivers"

I know that many of you are eagerly awaiting details of my 2nd Haiti trip. I thank you in advance for being patient as I continue to recover from a significant case of the "squirts & shivers" that I acquired while I was in Haiti. I am also recovering from over stimulation & sleep deprivation as well but am thankful that I made it safely home, even though it was 12 hours later than planned. I will try to give you excerpts of my trip over the next few days. I will say now that our children are doing well & it was so wonderful to see them again.

Two Horses...

There is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing. If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow. As you stand and watch these two horses, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....

Good friends are like that... you may not always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

(Author unknown)

An extra ornament???

We found our mischeivous kitten in the Christmas tree today.

Christmas cookie baking...

Phoebe & I started our Christmas baking the other day. We made a "few" cookies so far. I'm taking 9 dozen cookies with me to Haiti for the Christmas party.

A house full of jewels...

The past couple of weeks have been somewhat difficult for me as I have been struggling with people who just "don't get it" when it comes to our children.
When we adopted Phoebe, people would tell me that it was so "nice" of us to adopt a transracial baby who needed a home. Now that we are adopting three children from Haiti at one time, & one of those with special needs, I am getting a lot of "it's so "nice" of you to do this", "you are a better person than I am", "you are so brave", "you're really going to have your hands full." Ugh!!! Some days I just want to scream & pull my hair out!
I have to really restrain myself so I don't shake them & say, "Don't you get it??? It's not about us...it's about God!!! We're not doing this because it's something "nice" to do. We're not doing this because we're bored & don't have anything else to do. We're not doing this because we're delusional & think that adopting 3 children at one time will be easy. We're not even doing this because we love children...which we do. We're doing this because God called us to do this!!!"

God knew I needed some encouragement so he had my "dreamer" friend call me the other day. I call her my "dreamer" friend because God speaks to her a lot through her dreams. The last dream she had about me was that we were adopting 3 children instead of 2 & that one was a boy. So when she called & said, "I had a dream that I need to share with you" I said,"Okay"...and braced myself for anything. Before she told me about her dream she said, "You do know that there is a specific reason why you are adopting these 3 children. That God hand picked each of your children for specific reasons that are part of His plan. That this wasn't just some random thing going on." I told her that I did know that although I don't know the specifics of it at this time. This was her dream: She & many other people were at my house with Phoebe, & they were stocking our pantry, frig, & freezer with food & getting the hosue ready as Randy & I were gone to bring Shakira, Samara, & Caleb home. During this time she noticed Phoebe standing in the living room holding a very large diamond in her hands. She asked Phoebe several times to give it to her & each time Phoebe would say, "NO...I can't...it's me...it's who I am." She was getting more & more frustrated with Phoebe & then we came home with the other children. She said as soon as the children walked in the house, jewels just started dropping off of them. Rubies were dropping off of Shakira, some beautiful purple stone that was not an ameythest, was dropping off of Samara, & sapphires were dropping off of Caleb. She said all of the jewels shined brightly & not one shined brighter than another. Then she woke up.

She knows the difference between "her" dreams & God's dreams so she asked God what the dream meant. God told her that our children's gifts will shine like those jewels & that our house will shine with the essence of these children & their gifts that He has given them. I just started to cry & then I thanked God for giving me that encouragement. I long for the day when all four of our children will shine brightly together in our house!

7 more days...

until I'm back in Haiti holding my beautiful children!

Advent Tea...

Yesterday was my church's 2nd annual Advent Tea that I coordinate. I had been apart of the Advent Tea of my previous church for several years & have really enjoyed starting the Christmas season off with it.

Thanksgiving Road Trip...

Here are the limited pictures from our "sick" trip to Missouri for Thanksgiving. And yes, there's a reason why I'm not in any of the pictures...I'm not photogenic on a "healthy" day much less a "sick" day!