Already?!?

Last night, we took Jalen and Jordan to Kindergarten Round-Up! It's so hard to believe that my babies will be in school next year! I asked them what in the world I was going to do next year by myself during the days, and Jordan responded, "Just go meet daddy every day for lunch. It will be a fun adventure! Or just go to your bed and sleep." Either one sounds good to me, but I'm thinking I'll find plenty of things to keep me too busy for his suggestions. :-)

The boys loved meeting and playing with their classmates last night.

And then we took them out to eat.

My little guys are growing up way too fast! Have a great weekend, everyone! 

Does Your Heart Have Room?

This little guy, who is very dear to my heart, is being offered for hosting this summer through the New Horizons for Children orphan hosting program. He is a wonderful and energetic child who loves to help around the house, play musical instruments, sing, listen to music, and eat (especially bananas!) He has a medical condition, but takes his medicine religiously and seems very healthy. Could you find room in your heart and home to welcome him this summer? For more information about him or to learn more about orphan hosting, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tWwrq3gCBoxWYDM4XEbM6IIgvoOtESGbL6AAm45WMZs/viewform or the New Horizons For Children website at www.newhorizonsforchildren.org. $1000 of his hosting fees have already been paid!

Bits and Pieces...

1. Last summer in Gambella, Ethiopia, as I was walking down the street from the hotel to visit prisoners in the local jail, I noticed 2 adorable children standing in front of their home watching us. I snapped their photo as we passed by, and when we got home, I uploaded it and other photos of our trip onto a Gambella Adoptive Family Facebook group that I am a part of. Imagine my surprise this morning when I received a message from a new member of the group....she had been looking through my photos on the website, when she ran across a photo of her children! She received a referral for them in September of last year, so they must have been placed into the orphanage shortly after I snapped their photo at their home in July. She should be traveling to Ethiopia soon to bring them home. I was also able to give her pictures of their house and cows. Who knew that a random photo taken on a muddy street in a remote corner of the world could mean so much to someone? Only God.

2. I have been working on centerpieces for our orphan care benefit dinner in Dayton, Ohio, on April 24th. We would love for you to join us! Please click here for more information or to register/donate.

3. The twins love to draw, and we have been seeing lots of this around our house lately:

4. We finished our basement years ago...all except for our kitchen area. I guess we got tired of working on it, and it has been a messy storage area for the last several years. As of last weekend, however, our basement kitchen is finished! Yay! I'm enjoying the extra cupboard storage, and the counter-top has been a nice work space as I put together the aforementioned centerpieces!

5. Is anyone going to CAFO's 2014 Orphan Summit in Chicago on May 1 & 2? If so, Chris and I will be there working at AGCI's booth...stop by and see us!

6. Spring is here, although the weather isn't cooperating much. Today, it's snowing again like crazy! A couple of weeks ago, it was 65 degrees outside, and a lot of the snow melted away. The next day, however, looked like this out our back door:

And school was cancelled again. The kids have lots of snow days to make up at the end of the year! Although it has been a very hard winter, we have noticed a few signs of spring....big, fat robins in the yard and v's of geese heading north. Hopefully soon, the trees will start budding and flowers will appear! I call this photo, "Waiting for Spring:"

7. Probably due to the fickle weather, Ashton has bronchitis pretty badly. Hope he's feeling better soon!

8. Jalen and Jordan constantly keep us amused. The other morning, Jalen informed me, "Mom, Jordan slaughtered all over the bed!" Oh dear. Thankfully, he meant "slobbered." 

 That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you!

Do you remember my posts about Tom, our Ethiopian friend who needed life-saving surgery? A huge thank you to all of you who donated toward his medical care! In a few short weeks, $47,500 was raised, which covered his round-trip airfare to Bangkok, passports and visas for Tom and his interpreter, hospital payments, medical expenses, extended stay and additional expenses in Bangkok, and medical bills in Ethiopia. Tom is recovering back in Ethiopia now, and has a tearful message for all of his supporters: "I am grateful for you and I pray that God will bless you as you have. And I love you all very much.”

Thank you for having a heart of compassion. Tom will continue to be a blessing to the many orphans that come through the gates of Hannah's Hope because of your generosity!

You Are Invited - Have a Heart For Ethiopia!

Chris and I have been working with All God's Children International to organize the "Have a Heart for Ethiopia" orphan care benefit dinner. The dinner will be held on Thursday, April 24, at the Presidential Banquet Center in Kettering, Ohio (near Dayton). You are invited to join us for a special evening celebrating the life-changing work for orphans in Ethiopia. Host a table, sponsor, or become a supporter. You can make a difference in an orphan's life by joining us at the benefit, and can reserve your table or contribute to the evening at our online invitation (click here!). Formal business attire is suggested. Thank you so much!

Recent Happenings...

** We booked our mission team's tickets to Ethiopia!! Yay!! I am getting so excited. Our trip agenda looks pretty amazing, and I pray that God will bless our time while we work to serve the people of Mekele and Samre, Ethiopia. We will, of course, be spending some time with the children at Hannah's Hope in Addis Ababa, too. Our team consists of 11 people: Lester, Staci, Mitch, Kelsi, Tiffany, Richard, Rachael, Larisa, Chris, Ashton, and myself.

** We recently traveled to Bay City, Michigan to visit some friends. We had a great weekend!

** We also recently traveled to Canada to visit friends. The twins were able to use their  U.S. passports for the first time, which they've been begging to do since we got them!

** Shana got a superior rating on her science fair project, and was given the opportunity to compete in the District competition. Great job, Shana!

** We have been praying for Ukraine, and the people that live there. Will you join us? We have a loved one there - he is very dear to my heart.

** Chris and I have been working to organize a fundraiser dinner to benefit orphan care programs in Ethiopia. Stay tuned for more information, which I hope to post soon!

Have a great day, everyone!