My Haitian beauties...

It's quite the challenge to get all 3 of them to sit still and look at the camera while I take a picture. Phoebe is going to have to teach them how to pose for the camera :o)

Shaki's foot...

Here are pictures of what Shakira's left foot looked like Sunday morning before I left. It is "wetter" looking than it had been because Sandy & I tried something different Saturday to help keep it cleaner but it also made it wetter which wasn't good. Michelle sent me an E mail last night saying that the skin has healed over her toe that lost the tip so that is great & I pray that the toes don't get re injured by someone stepping on them or her stubbing them before they are completely healed. Thanks for all of your prayers!

Home but very tired...

after getting to PAP airport...delays...going through passport control, customs, running through MIA airport to be delayed...once, twice...running through Chicago airport...thankfully the flight was delayed twice so I could get home last night...then I got on the plane & it was about to take off when they got word that there was a power outage at the EVV airport...are you kidding me??? Waited on the plane for about 20 more minutes & then we took off...got home at 11:45pm & went to sleep around 1am. Me & Phoebe exhausted so we decided to take the day "off" & rest :o) I'm going to try to download my pictures today & hope to post some soon.
Please keep praying for Shakira's foot. She's not out of the woods until it is completely healed. Please pray that Michelle & Angela get Visa appt's scheduled today. Thanks!

Update...

So to make a long story somewhat less long...Friday I celebrated my birthday. Saturday morning I was informed that Shakira's foot needed attention. I really wanted to go to Haiti but with the $1000 ticket price knew I couldn't go unless God blessed me with the money. By Saturday evening I had E ticket iternary in my hand...Praise God!!! I arrived in Haiti around 7pm...4 & 1/2 hrs later than scheduled but thank God I made it safely.

Shakira's foot looks "good" as far as the wound goes. They are working very hard to keep it clean until it's healed. Unfortunately the injury happened to her good foot but I am thankful that her injury isn't any worse that it is because it could have been. We're still not out of the woods yet regarding it's healing & not getting infected so I would appreciate continued prayers for that.

I have been having some very good bonding time with my children. I think they are "fully" attached to Mama & ready to come home. Caleb cries every time I leave the room & lights up like a Christmas tree when I come back. It's a good thing they are ready because we're one step closer to them coming home...

We're out of Parquet!!! Our files are being transcripted & we should be in MOI soon. Praise God!!! Please keep praying for movement for all the 3A files...it's working!!!

It's Haiti "hot" here :o) but so far I'm doing good. I would like to take out a blind rooster that wakes up at 3am but other than that things are good here :o) I am suppose to arrive home Sunday evening & it is my prayer that I really do! If you remember my Dec. trip, there was a major delay & I had to spend the night in Miami & didn't get home until 10am Monday.

Wild weekend...

It's been a wild weekend here & I am beat so I'm going to leave with you some pretty pictures to look at :o)

"The BIG 40"

I would like to thank my Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ for blessing me with 40 years of life so far. A BIG thank you to all of my friends & family who bestowed countless Happy Birthday wishes, prayers, thoughts, cards, flowers, & presents on me today!!!

This morning I was feeling very reflective & had planned to post my thoughts about today earlier but I got side tracked. Now it's 9:24pm...past my bedtime...and I'm tired so it's going to have to wait until tomorrow :o)

The sound of...

silence. We haven't heard any news regarding our adoptions for the past three weeks. We continue to pray that we will exit Parquet soon & quickly enter & exit Archives & MOI. Please continue to pray for God's strength, endurance, & perserverance for Randy, Phoebe, & I as we have been struggling with the waiting ever since Randy came back from his trip. Thanks!

Thank you Lord...

for blessing us with a free dishwasher! Thank you so much!

My children...

Shakira's foot...

Please pray for healing for Shakira's foot. This is an excerpt of the report I got.
"A metal bench fell on her toes. The two toes next to the baby toe were affected. The one next to the little toe was cut deeply and the next toe lost the nail. I cleaned it & put an antibiotic cream on that I had, and secured it with a bandaid to hold it in place. The nail was almost off so I took it off completely. We are cleaning and putting cream on it and keeping a sock over the bandage to prevent infection."
For all of those of you who know Shakira...keeping a sock on it will be no easy feat! (no pun intended :o)

Momentous Occassion...

After several months of diligent practicing of tieing shoe laces with her "shoe lace practice book" she did it all by herself for the first time today. She was so excited!!! Tomorrow I'll have her try it on "real" shoes.

Renewing Vows...

I meant to post this last night but didn't get around to it. Last night was a wonderful night for me & Randy...minus a "freaky incident" at a local restaurant which I will reserve for a separate post.

Randy & I have been participating in a Couples activity called "10 Great Dates" over the past few months at the church where Phoebe went to preschool at. It has been a wonderful experience for us. For one we got to have 10 great dates with free baby sitting provided which is always a plus :o)but the book itself along with the alone time together has really reconnected us. Last night was the 10th date. Typically we would go to the church & join other couples for about 15 minutes of video time which reinforced what we were reading in our books & then we would go on a date by ourselves. Last night after the video, all the couples were invited to go into the sanctuary where the Pastor was waiting for us & we could renew our wedding vows if we wanted to.

We had renewed our vows on our 10th wedding anniversary & had planned to renew them again on our 20th. We're coming up on our 19th in August. We decided to go ahead & renew them now & I am so glad we did. It was really an awesome experience & it was great to share it with at least 10 other couples. When it was time to say my vows, my voice got really quite just like it did on our wedding day but this time tears were streaming down my face & I was very emotional. Not to say my wedding day wasn't emotional or not wonderful because it was & our renewal at our 10th wedding annivesary was very special too but this time it was different in a way I probably can't adequately put into words. Although the flame can seem to fade a bit in some marriages with the passing of time, I think in our marriage it has made it stronger. I reflect back on the years we have been together & everything we have been through...the good & the bad, the pretty & the ugly sides of marriage...and I have come to appreciate them all because they have caused us to grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus & to each other...and for that I will always be thankful. Thank you Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful husband!

Private Party...

After several weeks of thoughtful consideration I have decided to make my blog private. Please E mail me at chattykathy1986@yahoo.com if you are not on my E mail list & would like to continue to read my blog. Thanks!

Twirly Girl...

Golf Buddies...

May Flowers...

Legacy of an adopted child...

Hi Nancy & Cindy!!! It was so good to talk to the both of you last night! Thanks again for calling! Don't forget to E mail me soon!

Okay...back to "regular" programming :o) My friend Carolyn sent this poem to me the other day. I don't know who the author is. If you happen to know the author, please let me know so I can give them credit. Thanks!

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD
Once there were two women
Who never knew each other.
One you don't remember
The other you will call Mother.

The first gave you life
The second taught you how to live it.
The one gave you a need for love
The other helped you to learn your limits.

The first gave you emotions
The second calmed your fears.
One saw first your smile
The other dried your tears.

The first gave you away
It was all she could do
The second prayed for a child
And God led her to you.

Heredity or Environment
Which are you the product of?
Neither, my darling, neither
Just two different kinds of love.

Praying mothers...

I know that many of us adoptive parents that are waiting for our children to come home are saddened by the fact that we are "missing out" on precious, valuable time with our childre...time that can never be replaced. While this is true, there is something we can & should do for our children every day...whether they are in our homes or not, & that is to pray for them. Some people may think this is a small task in comparison to other parental duties but it is not. I prayed for Phoebe for over 2 years before I even knew she was born. I have prayed for my Haitian children as soon as we felt led to adopt again even though at the time we didn't even know when or where we would be adopting from. Today I may not be able to hold them or kiss them but I can & will pray for them. The following is a devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah about the power of a praying mother.

Great Moms Who Made a Difference: Mary Truett

He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:6 NIV



Recommended Reading
Psalm 126



George Truett was one of the greatest pastors and soul-winners of the twentieth century, serving for forty-seven years as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas. He came by his gifts honestly, for his mother Mary was a prayer warrior and soul-winner, too. She earnestly prayed for twenty-six years for the conversion of her husband and children, and all of them at last came to Christ.

Years later, when she was living in Whitewright, Texas, evangelist Lee Scarborough came to her church to hold a series of evangelistic meetings. During one service, he said to the congregation, "I want every one of you who was led to Christ by someone in this audience to go shake hands with that one." He noticed that over twenty people went to one simple, plainly-dressed woman—Mary Truett, the mother of George Truett.

"The mother is and must be, whether she knows it or not, the greatest, strongest, and most lasting teacher her children can have," wrote Laura Ingalls Wilder, adding, "Lessons learned at a mother's knee last through life."


One mother achieves more than a hundred teachers.
Yiddish Proverb

Future Glory...

I've had a lot of scripture verses rolling around in my head lately. Last week my Pastor preached on Romans 8:18-30. Sometimes I have to be reminded that this "suffering" I endure now is nothing compared to what Christ has endured for us & also that it is about HIS glory, not mine.

"Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death & decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to this present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain & suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently & confidently.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God & are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, & he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers & sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, & he promised them his glory."
Romans 8:18-30 NLT

"Whitewashers"

I've been reading Ezekiel lately. It's a fascinating book! But of course what has been "rattling" around in my brain for the past couple of days is not really fascinating but "in your face confrontation." So I am now compelled to share it with you. Following the verses I am including footnotes about them from my Bible.

"These evil prophets deceive my people by saying, "All is peaceful!" when there is no peace at all! It's as if the people have built a flimsy wall, & these prophets are trying to hold it together by covering it with whitewash! Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstorms & mighty winds will knock it down. And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, "Where is the whitewash you applied?"

"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says; I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, & with hailstones of fury. I will break down your wall right down to the foundation, & when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the Lord! At last my anger against the wall & those who covered it with whitewash will be satisfied. Then I will say to you: "The wall & those who whitewashed it are both gone. They were lying prophets who claimed peace would come to Jerusalem when there was no peace. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"
Ezekiel 13:10-16 NLT Life Application Study Bible

13:10-12 These false prophets covered their lies(a "flimsy wall")with "whitewash"-a pleasing front. Such superficiality can't hold up under God's scrunity.

Birthday phone call...

Phoebe & I just had a Skype phone call with Caleb to wish him a Happy Birthday. He could see us but we couldn't see him. After we finished singing to him, Phoebe decided to entertain him by making a bunch of silly faces. I could hear him giggling & laughing. It was a blessed sound! We love you Caleb!

Happy Birthday Caleb!!!

Today my "little man" turned one. Here are some pictures of his birthday party that Randy gave him on May 7th.

"Walking Man"

Randy says Caleb can walk by himself but he prefers to hold onto things. This is an attempt to get him to walk by himself for his Mama but he just didn't want to let go...until he decided to "whop" someone upside the head. I can't tell what child it is but the child has my sincerest apologies.

Saturday in the park...

Here's a very small sampling of the "Pictures in the Park" that our friend Todd took today.

A year ago...

I just realized that it's been a year ago...May 12th to be exact when I sent off our dossier. It arrived in Haiti on May 17th. Wow...it's been one wild year! Although I really want my children home now...I am thankful for this journey & everything I have learned so for. A big thanks to all of you who have been so supportive to us during this past year. Thanks to a wonderful group of ladies who have listened to me vent, cry, pray, & even snore :o) I don't know if I would have been able to get through this journey thus far without you all. I thank God for giving Randy & I the strength & resources to do the "crazy" & adopt 3 children at one time. It will not be easy when they come home but his grace is sufficient.

News!!!

I got word today that all 3 birthparents showed up yesterday for their Parquet birthparent interviews & they all went well. Praise God!!! Thank you for all of your prayers!

Happy Birthday Angela!

I know you have a lot going on right now & a lot to think about but I wanted to let you know that I am thinking about you & that this family will never forget you! We love you! Happy Birthday my friend!

She's growing up!

My little girl graduated from preschool Wed. evening. I can't believe it!

SS...

Okay...I thought it was necessary to announce to everyone that I have given someone a "nick name." Well, not really a nick name but initials. I hope you don't mind Stephanie but seeing as you currently make the 3rd mama Stephanie at 3A's I felt it necessary to come up with some way to keep myself from being confused. If you already have a nickname that you would prefer me to use, please feel free to let me know. Welcome to the family & congrats on your beautiful daughter!!!

Haiti scenes...

Praying...

I want to share the following devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah about praying for our children as well as to ask everyone to be in prayer about our Parquet birthparents interview that is scheduled for tomorrow. Please pray that the interviewer & all 3 birthparents show up & that the interviews go well. The birthparents should be arriving to the orphanage some time today. Thanks!

A Mother's Prayers

She continued praying before the Lord . . . . Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.
1 Samuel 1:12-13


Recommended Reading
1 Samuel 1:8-18


Someone once said, "It's not easy being a mother. If it were easy, fathers would do it!"

That's especially true for mothers torn between work and home. Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir put it this way: "At work, you think of the children you have left at home. At home, you think of the work you've left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent."

But Christian mothers have a secret weapon—prayer; and the "patron saint" of praying mothers is the biblical hero named Hannah. In half of all the verses about her in 1 Samuel, she is praying; and her prayers produced one of the greatest heroes of the Bible, her son Samuel.

You can pray for your children when you're at work. You can pray for them when they're at school. Your prayers can pursue them to college, to Iraq or Afghanistan, or to the far corners of the world. Your prayers can mold, shape, protect, recover, and enrich them. And in praying, you can trust the Lord with their welfare and remain hopeful for their success.

In an age of "Hannah Montana," it's time to rediscover the original Hannah and to emulate her example.


Praying Samuels come from praying Hannahs. . . . Praying leaders come from praying homes.
E. M. Bounds

Randy's trip part 3

Randy's trip part 2

Randy's trip part 1

Fixed...

Our computer problem is fixed so now I can go back to my "normal" blogging self :o) I have a lot of thoughts & feelings running through my head & heart right now but can't seem to put anything into a comprehensible sentence at the moment. Randy & the rest of the team arrived home Friday night. It was a great trip & I am so glad that Randy was able to go. I will be posting some pictures of the trip & I hope that they will speak volumes since I wasn't there to give a "real" commentary on them. I was very surprised that Randy took as many as pictures as he did, however he did take a lot of "scenery" pictures so not as many of the children as I would have liked. There are a few pictures with other children other ours in them but not a lot. He did however spend a lot of time playing with the other children whose parents were not on the trip or who do not have parents yet. I asked him how he pulled that off with Samara around & he said, "I did it when she was at school." :o)

Mother's Day...

Here is a picture of Mother's Day cards from my precious children starting from the oldest to the youngest from left to right. Phoebe did a couple at preschool & one with Daddy so that's why I have 3 from her. I am looking forward to when I can celebrate Mother's Day with all of my children.

At the library...

I apologize for being MIA without any warning. I had planned to post before Phoebe & I left for Missouri early Saturday morning but I didn't get a chance to. I don't have computer access when I'm there. Phoebe & I left right after Randy left to go to the airport to go to Haiti. We went to MO to spend time with the "G force" aka...grandparents :o) So we came home last night & I was eager to get on my computer to type a new post & get caught up on all the blogs that I read. Well...I was able to do half of that. I can read things on the computer but I can't do anything that requires me to use the keyboard. I haven't figured out if it's the keyboard connection that plugs in the hard drive that is bad or if it's the entire key board. So until Randy is able to take a look at it & decide what to do, I will not be commenting on the blogs because this library computer is slow as molasses :o)

Randy & the rest of the E team are scheduled to arrive home tonight. I can't wait to see him! He called me once while he was there. He wanted to let me know that our birth parents Parquet interview had been rescheduled for Wednesday. I found out today after he arrived in Miami that the interview had been scheduled for last week & all 3 birth parents showed up but they had to reschedule the interview because the person who was suppose to do the interviewing didn't show up :o( So they rescheduled for this past Wednesday & only one of the birth parents showed up. And for some reason foreign to me...instead of interviewing that birth parent then...they are rescheduling the interview for next Wednesday & are hoping that all 3 show up...along with the interviewer. So please pray that everyone will show up & the interviews will go smoothly & will will exit Parquet quickly after that. Thanks! :o)

Now to show some real excitement as well as thanks & praise for God answering our prayers for movement..........................Yeah, yipee, yerah, wooooooohooooooooo, Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, & of course last but not least....a very big & extreme HBWD for Michelle, Angela, & Fiona exiting MOI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please pray that their final steps will go very quickly & smoothly & that they will be bringing their kids home very, very, very soon! Also ditto all of the above happiness for Kristina who is celebrating their presidential approval that they have been waiting a very long time for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully I will be typing a review of Randy's trip tomorrow on our computer as well as posting some pictures. He says the kids are doing well & that he really enjoyed his visit with them.

Pray for movement...

Please pray for movement for all Haitian adoption files. It has been slow going to say the least even on a good day. The recent unrest in Haiti had brought everything to a screeching halt. Things have calmed down now but we have not heard of much movement with adoption files. Please pray that everyone who has been "stuck" in IBESR, Parquet, & MOI will move out of whatever office they are currently in & quickly move to & through the next step(s). Thanks!