God Gives Us a Wink!

So, I remembered the other day that I used to have several dark-skinned baby dolls when I was little. My sister and I had twin cabbage patch premies that were cute, bald, and black-BeBe and Grace (how funny that Weedy named her doll BeBe which is what Zeke calls her). I also remembered recently that there was a photo of me with one of my other black dolls...I was on the couch recouping from being sick. This is it:

My mom recalled another photo of me, my sister, and her in which I was holding one of my little dolls. This is it:

As my sister would say, I think God was/is giving us a wink! It's like God is saying, "See, even way back then, your heart was ready for what I had in store for you!"

The View

Apparently the entire hour of The View on Thursday was on infertility. I haven't watched it but I'm really happy to know that a TV show that reaches so many people tackled this important topic. Infertility can be so lonely and heartbreaking and the support for couples experiencing it can be so lacking. I really want to scream from the top of my lungs: YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Check out the blog for a family that just passed court!

You can see a lovely video on their blog by clicking here.

And still waiting on an email...

I had really, really hoped that we would get our "on deck" email this week, telling us we are 1-3 months away from getting our referral. It hasn't come. We got another useful email with information about the referral process but it wasn't THE email we had hoped for...Oh well. Of course, I'd take a referral over the "on deck" email any day but typically, our agency sends the "on deck" before the referral. Pray for our continued patience as we wait to see who will be our Quilla!!!

Flux

I haven't posted in a while because there hasn't been much news to report. We have been DTE for more than 6 months now. Hooray! But there are rumblings that the US Embassy is getting more deeply involved in investigating cases. We have no official word on this and what the implications might be. Since we've been there, done that with the Embassy in Vietnam, we've seen first hand how God will not let any bureaucrat or piece of paper hold up an adoption. So, we rest in that comforting knowledge. If we hear anything more, we'll let you know. Just pray that we'll be able to bring Quilla home in late summer or early fall. That is our heart's desire.

If you'd like to see some photos of a family with our agency that just got back from Ethiopia with their kids, click here. It's fun to see kids in their new homes!

Some Christmas Photos Courtesy of Zeke's Great Uncle Blue!

Zeke and Auntie Bebe

Our Robert E. Smith Painting

Sent from my iPhone

The Death of an Artist

Not too many people outside our little hamlet will note the passing of artist Robert E. Smith, though his work has gained national fame. You can see some of his work by clicking here. For one of our early wedding anniversaries, I commissioned Robert to do a painting of our wedding day. This was my gift to Brad. I turned over a handful of photos to him from our big day and waited eagerly to see how our painting would turn out. I was so pleased with how it looked. He always hand wrote a story and recorded himself reading it on a cassette for each painting he did. It was so fun to listen to the recording and how he said my name: "Maaasseee." Here's his obituary:

Artist, writer, singer and actor Robert Eugene Smith peacefully passed away Feb. 13, 2010, aged 82, surrounded by friends and family.

Robert was born Oct. 14, 1927, in St. Louis, Mo., the only child of Clarence and Mary Agnes (Walls) Smith. He grew up in St. Louis, Union and Garland, Tx. He was forced to drop out of high school to help support his family, and was very proud to have earned his diploma in 1970, at age 42. In 1981, he completed 60 college hours at SMSU and earned a substitute teaching certificate, and later taught occasional art classes.

Robert moved to Springfield in 1975, with hopes of acting at Landers Theater. Although he spent time in Columbia, Jefferson City and St. Joseph, Springfield became his home.

Robert held many jobs, among his favorites, selling concessions at Busch Stadium and selling Grit newspapers. But it was Robert’s artwork that brought him fame and national recognition. Though he had drawn since childhood, he didn’t take his art seriously until 1967, when he sold his first collection of drawings to a friend for $25. Robert was self-taught, taking inspiration from coloring books, photos, history, news stories and his own experiences. His “story paintings”— complete with a hand-written description of the painting and a cassette of Robert himself reading the story . The paintings overflow with color, humor and incident, representing a triumph of the imagination over a strenuous and difficult life. They have been shown at New York’s Museum of American Folk Art, Vanderbilt University, the Springfield Art Museum and sold at distinguished galleries across the country. He is featured in The Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art. His paintings are on display in hundreds of Springfield homes and businesses. A mural of his painting of Springfield’s former Colonial Hotel, complete with Elvis Presley and Ray Charles, remains downtown at Campbell and Walnut.

Robert was also a prolific writer, producing many self-published volumes of poems and semi-autobiographical stories.

Though he didn’t drive, Robert traveled coast to coast by Greyhound Bus and bicycled all around Springfield — once even riding to Branson. He carried a camera everywhere, to record scenes and faces for his paintings.

Robert loved life. He loved to sing, anywhere from recording studios to answering machines. He loved to be on stage and on camera, recently appearing in the film To and From. He loved to dance with pretty girls. He loved wearing bright colors and costumes, often appearing in a sombrero, wig or clown shoes. He loved baseball, holidays, parades, Shirley Temple and telling stories.

Robert had an incredible memory. He recalled the make and model of every car his family owned, St. Louis Cardinals scores, and the names of girls he danced with when Sinatra and Elvis songs first played the radio. Friends’ birthdays were always marked with a phone call, a song and often, a small painting.

Managing Stuff

As we get closer to a referral and Zeke is closer to being able to crawl out of the crib, we are starting to think more seriously about rearranging the furniture. We are going to see if Zeke will sleep in the queen bed from the guest room (soon to be Quilla's room) so we can move the crib in there. It makes my head spin to think about managing all the stuff in our house. We've decided that once we get Quilla home, we will begin the hunt for a bigger house. Even now, I'm praying that we will find the right buyer for our house and the right space for our family.

Junk

All three of us are battling junk. We've got junk in our noses. Zeke is on antibiotics now. I had a terrible night with my nose stuffed up (not even nose spray could save me!) so I'm going to go to the doctor today or tomorrow. Blah. One more reason I'm ready for warmer weather!

I was thinking about the two families we know who adopted their children this winter. It will be SO MUCH FUN when the weather is nice and they can take their babies to the park. We love taking Zeke to one park in particular where there's a small lake with lots of ducks. There's also a big grassy area where we would spread out a blanket and just sprawl out. *sigh* Can't wait to do all that again!!

Ash Wednesday-The Start of Lent

Observing Ash Wednesday and Lent are still relatively new to me. This time of reflection and repentance has become a very important part of my spiritual life. During Lent this year, our church is doing a study called "One Month to Live." How would we alter our behavior, thoughts and priorities if we knew we had one month to live? It's a powerful question and we're looking forward to this Lenten study. If you are unfamiliar with Ash Wednesday, as I once was, here's some info on it.

From Wikipedia:
Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and it marks the beginning of Lent. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. An ancient example of one expressing one's penitence is found in Job 42:3-6. Job says to God: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. The other eye wandereth of its own accord. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

You may have heard someone say they were giving up something for Lent. Our church encourages us to GIVE for Lent instead of just giving up. For example, you might decide to give up Starbucks coffees for Lent and donate the money you would've spent on lattes to a mission project. Lent asks us to honestly evaluate our priorities and then make the necessary changes.

Lent leads up to Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. Our church offers such wonderful observances of all these events. On Palm Sunday, children walk down the center aisle, smiling and waving palm branches as a man portraying Jesus re-enacts His entry into Jerusalem. The Maundy Thursday service commemorates the Last Supper. It's held at twilight, ending as the sun goes down, leaving the sanctuary in darkness as the congregation files out in silence. There is a prayer vigil at our church on Good Friday. And that evening, our youth group will light a bonfire in the front yard of the church at the foot of a giant wooden cross. They keep watch here in shifts until sunrise on Easter morning. There are amazing stories of how people driving by the busy road in front of our church have been impacted by the site of young people sitting at the foot of a cross. People who don't attend our church have stopped to pray in front of the cross during the vigil. It's a powerful testimony to our community and I'm always so proud of our youth for doing it. Of course, this all culminates in the beauty and glory of Easter morning. With all that in mind, it's with anticipation that I begin Lent...

Waiting for Spring

I loved going through Target today with Zeke. We both found fun pairs of spring/summer shoes. There was also Easter decor and candy out and a few summer outdoor items. There WILL be an end to this long and cold winter! I think almost everyone will agree with me. It's time for some warmer weather! I love that today is Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent. I always begin to feel more hopeful that the cold won't last THAT much longer when we enter Lent. Ok, so here is Zeke with his new shoes.

Missy's new shoes

Well, as hard as we try, the glasses sometimes get askew.

Zeke loves to line up cars.

Yep, that's Baby Signing Time on the TV in the background. For some reason, he's been wanting to watch that lately.

Zeke Explains Turkeys

Mom: "Zeke, where does the turkey go when it snows?"
Zeke: "To the turkey house."
Mom: "What does the turkey eat?"
Zeke: "Pizza."
Mom: "What does the turkey play with at the turkey house?"
Zeke: "Cars."

Zeke thinks the neighbor's shed is the turkey's house. Maybe he's right!

On an unrelated note...File this one away under "be careful what you ask for." I was just saying not long ago how I'd love to do travel writing. Lo and behold if I didn't get info a week later from a friend about doing freelance travel writing for a website. It's been fun and some nice extra $$. I just got a "bigger" assignment that pays better and is even more fun to write. I won't name the website for which I'm writing but here's a hint. The website had an ad on during the Super Bowl!

Lunar New Year Celebration!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Zeke and the Turkey

First, cutie Zeke. (Scroll down for photos of the mythical turkey!)




It's our belief that our kitty Pierre Clovis has bewitched the turkey and is keeping it around as his pet. We believe these two photos are proof that our theory is correct.

An Adoption Journey to Latvia

We first met the Tuckers at Cheddar's in late 2006. We had just started talking about adoption. This family was the regional contact for Great Wall China Adoptions and they met us at Cheddar's for dessert to discuss adoption. We met Kristin and Tim along with their two beautiful daughters: one biological and one adopted from China. It was so great to see how perfectly normal they all were. Not only normal but exceptionally kind and willing to answer all our questions. Even though we are unsure if we'll ever adopt from China, given the slow pace of that program, we are thankful that we met the Tuckers. They gave us so much advice as we prepared our dossier for China. They are wonderful advocates for adoption! Now, they are in the process of adopting two girls from Latvia. They are in Latvia now. You can follow their blog by clicking here. We are so very excited for them!

Musings

Zeke is doing so well with his glasses! He's a real champ about keeping them on. He doesn't like having them put on but once they're on, he leaves them alone.

We had dinner Saturday night with Greg, Laura and Baby Anna. Anna is so CUTE and is super happy. It was so much fun to see her and Zeke together. Zeke talks a lot about Baby Anna. It's been a good starting point to introduce the idea of us getting a "little baby." Zeke refers to himself as "big baby" so we assure him he will still be the big baby, even when the little baby arrives. Of course, we don't talk about it a lot yet because there's no way to make it concrete for him yet. Once we have our referral, we will have Quilla's photo around the house (just like Zeke's!) and it will be easier to talk about her arrival with him.

The passport is on its way. Putting my beloved passport in the mail yesterday was a leap of faith. It's silly because if it gets lost in the mail, I can just apply for a brand new one. However, that passport symbolizes all the fun trips I've made in the last ten years: my first trip to Europe, subsequent adventures all over Europe, my first trip to Asia, my first trip to the Caribbean, our journey to Zeke. It's such a neat keepsake.

Passport

The reality that we might be getting kinda close to a referral prompted me to get moving on my passport. It expires in June. It's so hard to believe I've had it almost ten years! I originally got it for our trip to Paris in 2000. I've come a long way since then as an international traveler. It's exciting to think that the first documented trip in my new passport will be our trip to Ethiopia! So, I will send off all the documents this afternoon, ensuring I get my new passport in plenty of time.

There's really no new info on the wait for our referral. We just keep hanging on, eager to see what news this month will bring!

A Tasty and Healthy Recipe

BANANA BERRY MUFFINS
¾ Cup All purpose flour
¾ Cup Whole wheat flour
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Oatmeal
2 tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Salt

2 Bananas, mashed
½ Cup Soy milk, unflavored
1 Egg
2 Tbs Vegetable oil
1 tsp Fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Vanilla
1 ½ Cups Fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk to blend. Place bananas in a separate, large bowl. Stir in milk, egg, oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and then add the blueberries. Mix.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and serve!

SOURCE: Zorba Pastor on Your Health