A few random pics from the past few days...

First Steps..... Walking with her walker...



A BIG Brother's work is never done...



Man, her hair is getting long....





Snuggling up...

Game #3 Red Stars vs. The Green Machine

Ado(red)

What more can one say?

Miscommunication....

This is exactly how it happens.... And is hillarious, all at the same time...

Scrimage and Game #2...

Enjoying a day at the soccer field...



Scrimage shots...









Game #2 Red Stars vs. Orange Crush...







Apparently all this soccer works up a thirst...



Cheering on her Brother...

My sweet girl....

It is so nice to see Ava peeking out from her crib at me.... She is turning into such a big girl.... Here she is standing in her crib after nap....





And then sneaking up on Leyton, who was also napping.... She loves her brother!

The Long-Awaited Shots...

See, I'm not such a bad mom, after all.... A fellow 'soccer mom' took some shots from the first game.... Here they are..... Finally.... Check back tomorrow for the newest pics... I have to downsize them!

Trying for a week now...

Sorry... I've been trying for just over a week to post some pics from Leyton's first game... I don't know what is up with Blogger, but it isn't allowing me to attach pics... I will keep trying, and maybe they will get it straightened out. So check back... because, now I have pics from both the first and second games, and I think a random one or two to throw in there...

Soccer Begins...

Fall is here... Along with it came a new season of Soccer! Leyton has been waiting to play for months... Practice began two weeks ago, and they had thier first game on Friday... Of course, I had taken about 30 pictures, when I realized that I didn't have a card in my camera.... UGGGGGHHHH....



These pics are from practice, but I promise that I will double check my camera before I leave the house, and be ready with full-action game pics this week!

I'll leave you with a pic of my little, posing,
SUPER STAR!

What can we do?

Oprah has a way of making me think...
And AFN (Armed Forces TV) has a way of showing her message over and over and over again, until I can't do anything BUT think....

A few months ago, I nearly drove myself crazy with worry, thinking about what would happen to our kids, if something were to happen to us... This was brought on by an episode of Oprah, about families who were crushed due to a variety of unfortunate accidents/events... There was one family in particular that I still see sometimes in my head.... They were the sister, brother-in-law, neices and parents of a bride on her wedding night. They were leaving the reception, headed for the hotel in a limo that the bride and groom had provided. Somewhere along the way, a drunk driver struck their car head-on (going about 70mph the wrong way on an interstate), killing the driver and one of the young girls. I could just see the mother of that child sitting along the road after the fact, holding the lifeless body of her child... and it brought me to tears... again, and again. (Even now, I'm a little teary thinking about it...) I couldn't sleep that night, Because you just never know what might happen... It really made me evaluate my relationships with others... Who could I possibly trust with the GINORMOUS task of raising my children, if something were to happen to Jon and I? Thank God, we have GREAT Friends and Family...

Well, Oprah did it again. Yesterday on her show, she had Bill Clinton, Andre Agassi, and a few other 'givers', all talking about ways that we can make our world a better place. Some of you may have received an email from me and KIVA.ORG, yesterday... I hope that you took the time to check out the site. Even if you don't want to participate, I think it is great to see what others in our fast-paced, 'its all about me' world are doing to help those, who are just trying to make a better life for themselves, and their families.

Many people are skeptical about donating money... you don't know how it is REALLY being used... and some of us, just don't have the money to give. This got me thinking about all the ways you can make a difference in this world, and not spend a cent.

If you click on the link in this post for Bill Clinton (like him or not, he is doing great things...) you will be directed to his foundation, his new book 'GIVING' and can be linked to plenty of organizations that help thousands... probably millions.

Just by clicking on the Pink Ribbon at the right of this blog, you can help to donate a mammogram to a woman in need, somewhere in America. It only takes a second to click... and there are sponsors who donate money for each one... Add it to your favorites, click it each time you log onto your computer... Help a woman to receive an early diagnosis... Save a life.

I'm not trying to brag here, only put some ideas out there, for those of you who might not know where to start... or what you can do to make a difference....

These are some of the things I am passionate about... in no real order...

~ I put spare change in the Firefighter's boot, when he stops by my car at a red light... and help to fight Muscular Dystrophy.

~ I click the pink ribbon each and every time I log on to this computer...
Someday, there WILL be a cure....

~ I sponsor 2 children to go to school in Ethiopia, through our agencies Orphan Student Project. For pictures of the kids, that we sponsor, and journal entries from our trips to see them, check the archives from February and April.... The kids that we sponsor want to be a Doctor and a Teacher. Imagine what they can do...

~ I donate a portion of the money I make selling my Swarovski Crystal and Sterling Silver Jewelry to Adoption Advocates International, our agency, to help with the placement of older and special needs children.

~ I have made loans on KIVA.ORG to entreprenuers in deveolping countries.

~ I always pick an Angel off the 'Angel Tree', and purchase a gift for a child who might not otherwise receive one for Christmas.

~ I put spare change in cans on gas station counters, for the man who needs a kidney transplant, or the child with leukemia...

~ I sponsor friends who WalkAmerica with the March of Dimes, and help to save premature babies.

~ I've purchased bags of apples on the streets of Addis Ababa, and handed them out to the hungry. It cost me about 10 cents.

~ I write letters to soldiers who are deployed to places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Albania, that might not receive any mail, otherwise.

~ I organized a vitamin drive for an HIV+/AIDS orphanage in Ethiopia, and carried them to Addis Ababa.

~ I recycle...
Every now and then, Jon likes to call me 'Greenpeace', though I'm not a die-hard activist, I believe that they are giving our planet a voice, and helping to make things better... Conservation is still in my heart.

~ I search the web with GOODSEARCH, and raise money for Adoption Advocates... You can raise money for your charity, too... just by using the GoodSearch engine.

~ For 5 years, I was the President of a tiny Private Organization on our military base, that raised money to provide holiday meals for military families with financial difficulties during the holiday season. We also organized the local Angel Tree.

~ I make purchases on Amazon.com who gives a portion of my purchases to KIVA.ORG, or through IGIVE, I can shop a number of places, including EBAY... and donate money to the charity of my choice.

~ I pick up the glove that someone dropped in the snow, while digging the keys out of her purse. I also smile when I can, to the people I pass on the sidewalk... The world doesn't revolve around me, or you... Take time to notice who else lives here. It really is the little things that make a difference.

I hope that I haven't bored you to tears... and that maybe this post, and these links will help you to come up with your own way to Give.

The First Day of Kindergarten... Again.

In Germany, kids go to Kindergarten from age 3 (In Leyton's case, 2.5) until age 6... when they then begin 1st Grade. This is Leyton's 3rd year at our towns Kindergarten. Its hard to believe he will be 5 in a few months!
Anyway... Summer is over, and school has begun again. Here are a few pics from Monday, his first day back (after 3 long weeks of summer break... The kids go year round here... it's Heaven... )

In our Backyard before school...



At the gate to the Kindergarten...



Sitting at his cubby, where he hangs his coat and sport bag, and puts on his house shoes in the morning....



My, how he's grown.

Our 'Daddy' Is Home...

Go Ahead, See for yourself....


'Daddy' and the kids...



They can't get enough of him... I don't know if he will make it for the next 13 months, Leyton hugs him, and Ava slimes him a couple of times a day... Its so nice to have him around...

Right where he belongs...



Not quite the same as having the real thing at home, but he doesn't snore, steal the covers, or sweat me out.... Life is good.


I don't know if I have mentioned this on here before or not, but we have to thank the good people (and donors) at FlatDaddies for making our 'daddy' possible... This company out of Toledo, Ohio prints and sends off flat daddies/mommies for free (+ shipping) to military families who have loved ones deployed. It really does make a difference.

Some great pics.... and 5 Months.... WOW.

We went last week to have some pics taken for Ava's 6 month Post Placement Report (By Ethiopian Law, all children who are adopted from there, MUST have a series of Mandatory reports written up and sent with photos back to Ethiopia... a way to sort of keep tabs on the kids, and see how they are adjusting to life in their new families. These reports require a visit from a social worker, who asks a series of questions, and observes life with our new addition. She then writes up a report, and sends it to our agency who then forwards it to Ethiopia. These initial reports are due at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the child arrives home. We as a family are then required to write our own reports at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and then annually until Ava reaches 18.) We are also required to send a minimum of 6 photos with each report, and some need to be professionally taken... so we will have plenty of pics of the kids this year!
Anyway... We went last week for our sitting, because our photographer will be on vacation all of September... Can you believe that she has been home 5 months? Sometimes it feels like we just came home... I can still smell the smells of Addis... But, it really does feel like she has been with us forever. I can hardly remember what life was like without her. She is an angel (as you will see by the photos), the sweetest little girl, and really a perfect fit for our family. She is making so much progress. She is cruising now, along the couch and around the coffee table, and really wants to walk. Her Physical Therapist is bringing out a push- behind walker that has lockable wheels, so that she doesn't push it out from under her, and we are hopefull that she will be walking in no time. (Of course, we have given up on crawling all together... she just isn't interested. She has, however, developed a lovely 'butt-scoot', though... and uses that more than her perfected 'roll' - which is nice, since her hair doesn't get nearly as ratty when she 'butt-scoots'! I will attach a pic, because this is hillarious.


**********
DISCLAIMER... CLEAR YOUR MOUTH OF FOOD AND DRINK BEFORE VIEWING THE ATTACHED PHOTO.... WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CHOKING, OR DAMAGE CAUSED TO YOUR KEYBOARD FROM THE SPRAYING OF AFOREMENTIONED LIQUIDS.
**********

The Butt-Scoot



And, without further ado.... Keep in mind that most of the shots are of Ava, for her reports.
For your viewing enjoyment.... here are a few of the proofs....





The next few pics are inspired by this pic from when Leyton was about 7 months old... aren't they going to look cute hanging on the wall next to each other!







The next few pics are of my two little 'Ethiopians'...

A Surprise visit from an Old Friend, and his Family!

It was a great surprise when early last week I received an email from an old friend... He said he would be passing by, and wanted to get together. Friday, I received a call, and he said they would be here on Saturday... Saturday evening, we were reunited after 12 long years....

Some of you might remember Martin, He was an exchange student at our high school (what seems like 100 years ago!). He arrived with wife, Diana, and daughter, little Ema. It was great to have them for a visit... and nice to sit and catch up after such a long time!

Here are a few pics from the visit.