BAD NEWS

I won't be able to post vacation pictures for a few days. My laptop of 8 months lost its hard drive today. I am lost without it.
At present I am using the clunker computer, "family computer" and it is on its last leg, literally. It makes this really nasty noise now and is very slow.
The odd thing is I told Blake earlier this morning I didn't think Clunker would be around much longer. But it outlasted the high tech laptop. Never underestimate the power of an older model (in anything such as computers, cars, wives, husbands or whiny children).
Clunker can't print or post pictures because it doesn't believe in working that hard.
I should be up and running again no later than Tuesday they said.


On a brighter note, I received an email tonight that Jake is ready for his Embassy doctor's appointment. Man this is going so fast.

I am so excited I can't sleep. So yes the time stamp on this post is correct. I am still wide awake and ready to take on the world.

EXCITMENT IS BUILDING

I didn't go to sleep last night until after 3 AM. I am getting so excited.
DNA was to be done this morning and we were told we should have a pink slip in about two weeks.
When I couldn't sleep last night I was laying in bed thinking about my little guy. What does he look like now? How does he act? How is he going to react to us? What is his little personality like? What is he going to think when he comes home to 5 siblings and the noise level that occurs with all of us home?
How am I ever going to make it to the grocery store again once the older kids go back to school? Am I really going to be able to keep up with three little guys? Am I too old for this? (Answer is yes but who cares?)
Today we are going to pack his suitcase. Marvin and Anabeli are excited to help. They have each picked out a toy for us to take to him. I still need to make a picture book together with every one's picture in it and need pictures of cousins, grandparents and aunts and uncles.
I am still swimming in dirty laundry.

But honestly at this point I DONT CARE!!!!

God has given this wonderful little boy and it is almost time to pick him up!!!

Blake got out the calendar last night to figure roughly when we will go. He is excited too.

Other news---- Most of the pictures of vacation were taken on Blake's camera. I don't know how to download pictures yet so he will need to help me tonight. So stay tuned...

2nd DNA

Received word tonight that the second DNA will be done on Wednesday. I am getting excited.
We should be traveling in about three weeks.
I can't believe we have made it this far!
Please keep us in your prayers that things will continue to speed along. As a lot of you know, things tend to get lost at the good Ol' Embassy.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

We are all so happy to be home! I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it feels to know in a few minutes I will be getting in my own bed and going to sleep.

BUT even better news:

WE HAVE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been doing the happy dance since Wednesday. Passport was done on Friday!

So I have come home to do lots and lots of laundry, get someone to watch the kids and then in a very short time we are leaving for GUATEMALA.

Even with all that needs to be done I am so happy. There is an end in sight.

More tomorrow. I am going to enjoy my night in my own bed.

Vacation is great but like Dorothy said, "There's no place like home."

UPDATE 2- ANNIE

Annie has been busy.

She is out of school and enjoying summer. Also she is working part time for daddy in the evenings helping out with office paperwork. It is sure giving me a break.

Since school has been out she has spent the night with her best friends and they have been here a lot too.

These sweet, skinny girls can sure put away the food!!! They will tell me they are not hungry and not to worry but as soon as I go to bed I can here them raiding the kitchen.

Now the boys will eat microwave frozen pizzas and chips but the girls are a different study. My freezer is no void of all ice cream and I have gone through five pounds of flour in two weeks! Around midnight I hear the mixer working and if I am awake long enough I will smell the sweet smell of cookies. When I get up in the morning the plate will be empty. Salad and fruit go faster than I can buy it too. I just don't understand how they stay so thin.

It is nice to hear the giggling of the girls at night but the running up and down the stairs can keep us awake.

Ann cannot drive until the September due to a fender bender in January. She slid on ice and hit a telephone pole. In Ohio it doesn't matter what the reason is if you have a wreck in the first year you lose your license. She can drive with us in the car but not being able to take out her little Mustang is putting a huge cramp in her style. Getting into the Mustang is a big cramp for Blake's back and my legs.

Unfortunately Kierstan also had a wreck so it is up to Courtney to do the driving. She doesn't seem to mind.


I guess it is our fate most of the summer to hear giggles and smell cookies. :) They are a happy bunch.


Courtney, Annie and Kierstan getting ready for a dance. They are gorgeous girls.

SUNDAY SWIN DAY

It is so hot here. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today all had temperatures of 92 or above. In Ohio this is very unusal for this time of year.

Friday I packed up all the young ones and we were off to the pool. I forgot my camera so no pictures.

Sunday we went swimming after the sun was not quite so hot.

Four out five kids hanging in the water. I am sure we will spend a lot of time here this summer.

Hey Mom these floatie things are kind of fun. I can swim.

This is Anabeli's version of "swimming under water".

Sam jumping off the diving board.

Jesse spent a great deal of time helping Marvin and Anabeli learn how to swim alone with floaties.

RUMOR HAS IT...

I am so excited. Rumor has it Jake's birth certificate will be released tomorrow!!! I am trying hard not to get too excited in case it doesn't happen but I can't help it.
Tuesday might be an exciting day here.

Lil B goes to Hawaii

I just received a new picture of Lil B. Talk about cute. He is so adorable.

The Eagle's Nest says he cries to be held. The say he is spoiled.

How could you pass up on holding such a cute little guy???? I just want to cuddle up next to him.
Please continue to pray for Lil B and all the other little babies left in Guatemala with no immediate hope of a family. All children deserve parents and love.

AWESOME FACILITATOR

We have such an awesome facilitator. She took time out of her day today and called just to check in with us.
You know you have made the right choice with an agency when people go out of their way to make you feel good.
THANKS TRACEY!
Anyway she also said RENAP is releasing Birth certificates and hopefully we will get one soon. I have my fingers, toes and knees crossed for good news.

To all of you who have sent emails, etc. Thanks so much for you support. I am doing much better and feel all of this will happen when God's timing is complete. It is once again just that ol' control factor. I believe I will fight to the day I die to get the control thing settled down.

UPDATE 1- Grumpy GUS

I am off a few days on the updates but we are busy.
Update 1 is just about the normal day to day lives.
We still don't have the birth certificate for Jake. I am one step away from needing a padded room. I am also very down about it. (I mean really down). We are to leave on vacation very soon and he won't be going with us.
Which brings us to our next subject- VACATION
We are all excited but a little sad Jake won't be going with us. We are going on a Carnival Cruise and I am really getting pumped. I booked the cruise several months ago with cheap fare and couldn't understand why the price was so low. (I know I am very slow) Then I started looking for airline tickets. This was before the big jump and the prices were still really high.
Finally after weeks of looking we were able to get reasonable (it's all relative at this point) airfare but will leave from a smaller airport two hours away. No big deal since it takes us about one hour to get to Columbus Airport and it is usually so busy.
SUITCASES- Here is the fly in the ointment. I had already packed one of the big suitcases for Jake and I was going to add Marvin and Bell Bell to it. So today I have the task of putting his stuff back.
I haven't been able to do it yet. I am too sad at this point.
I decided to check out luggage the other night and found out that one of our big rolling bags has a huge rip in it from last year's vacation. I thought it was a small rip that could be sealed with Duck tape but I was wrong. I sure don't want to be pulling my suitcase around and all my unmentionables fall out the hole so I had to get two more suitcases, one for me and one of the big boys to share.
We have plenty of sunscreen, good books and toys so all we need to do is bag it all and GO!
Blake, Jesse and Sam are going to do something called "rip cording" through the jungle in Jamaica. It sounds like so much fun. Ann and I will probably take M and A and walk into town. They were definitely two young to rip cord and Ann is afraid of heights so we are chilling that day.
Just for Marvin, one day we visit a pirate ship for lunch and he gets to see real pirates. Marvin loves to talk about pirates so I am sure this will be a fun day. He is trying decide if Jesse or Sam should "walk the plank".
Another day I will stay on ship on M and A and Blake with the older kids will go see the Mayan Ruins. I am soooo jealous but I really didn't think this would be fun for them and I really thought Jake would be here too. (sniff, sniff)
That tour ends up with two hours on the beach so Ann is happy.
One day Blake and I are going to visit the Mayan ruins alone. Then I will be able to enjoy it.
So that is vacation. All in a nutshell. We are going to have so much fun.

REMODELING- Months and months ago we decided to basically remodel the whole first floor of this house. Nice master bath and a huge kitchen with an even bigger eating area than I could hope for all open to the family room.
Our floor plan now works but it will help so much to have the kitchen up to the family room. When we moved into the house nothing had been updated since it was built in 1976 so it is time.
We should be ready to start on that as as July. I am going to take before and after pictures. Thanksgiving will be so nice without everyone walking on top of everyone in the kitchen. This is the most exciting thing so far to me.
We are expanding the basketball court by cutting down some trees and repaving it along with the looooonnnnngggg driveway to our house. They were supposed to cut down trees today but the tree service felt it was too wet after almost two inches of rain yesterday!!!
The driveway will be done by the end of the month.
This will give Sam a great place to ride his bike and skateboards and play basketball.
It will be a bigger place for Ann and Jesse to have friends park.
M and A will be able to ride their bikes. Right now the drive is so old and cumbly they find it hard to pedal through the rocks.

That about covers it for the main house update. We are just chugging along here.

Summer is such a great time in the woods. The trees are gorgeous. The sun is beautiful. Every window in the house has a breath taking view. God is so good. It is amazing how beautiful He planned our world. Things like this don't just happen by accident. Someone mightier than us had to plan it all out! All that I can say is "Thanks God." Hardly seems like enough though.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMBONI

Today is a very special day.

My little Samuel Curtis K. turns 12!!!!

THEN

Sam's first picture

Sam's first trip to Disney World

My all time favorite "home boy" picture.

NOW

Sam being Sam

Sam's last day of School

Sam today

Last night Sam decided to stay up until midnight. That would allow him to open his presents because it would officially be his birthday. Did NOT work.

After he finally went to bed Blake and I walked down memory lane.

Sam is a true miracle from God.

I was sent to bed at 14 weeks for preterm labor with Sam. The doctor told me that day he really didn't know if he would make it full term or even live. The words he spoke to me before I left the office that day are still so real to me.

"Sometimes we don't understand what is going on. Only God knows what is in store for this little baby. He might choose for things to end now or we might make it all the way. At this time we just don't know."

I left feeling very downhearted. The whole pregnancy was that way.

We didn't talk about names for a long time. I was afraid that would make things too real if something did happen.

Finally after many ultrasounds it was clear to us we had a little boy. We were thrilled. Jesse was thrilled. Ann cried. She wanted a sister.

We fought tooth and nail to keep this little guy safe and sound. Every week that passed I would breathe a sigh of relief. We were coming closer to his due date.

The time came at about 24 weeks for us to pick a name. We knew his middle name would be "Curtis". It is my father's middle name and it was very important for him to have a "family" name.

Blake and I talked about names but nothing seemed to fit this little guy who was literally fighting for his life every day.

One night I was reading my bible. I put it down and when I picked it up the book Samuel was open. I thought it was an interesting name and started to read. Hannah's struggle for a baby suddenly became very real to me.

I Samuel 1:20 jumped out at me. "She named him Samuel saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him."

What a startling reality. I had asked, begged, pleaded, bargained and cried for this child. He was to be named Samuel too. Blake agreed.

When I looked up his name in a baby book it said, "Asked or given of God". To me that was even a better meaning. We had asked God and the time had come to believe God was giving him to us.

Even at this time we still were not sure if Sam would make it without severe difficulties.

There were still many scary moments. But Sam fought hard and was born only three weeks early. He was so skinny. He reminded me of a little turkey after Thanksgiving.

Sam did not have one ounce of body fat. You could count every rib. I cried the first time I gave him a bath. He was so skinny and looked so little. How did this poor little guy ever survive?

Two weeks after he was born we went back to the doctor. He had gained almost three pounds!!!

The one thing I have learned from Sam is God has a sense of humor. Does He ever.

I loved Calvin and Hobbes and Sam is still my Calvin.

That child has taught me more about life and living that anyone else in the world. He is not going to miss a thing. He lives life to the fullest and dreams great and mighty dreams for his life.

He has given me lots of gray hair.

Sam loves to walk on the roof, jump out of very high trees, jump his bike across the creek, play hockey with a golf club, try hot sauce even though it is really hot, knock out teeth gracefully, jump off the diving board BEFORE he can swim, make counterfeit money with paper and staples, throw everything that is not nailed down out of his bedroom window, be James Bond, be Superman, be Indiana Jones and lots more.

Through Sam I have learned to love unconditionally, pray harder for protection, see the world through rose colored glasses and laugh until my sides ache.

God has truly given me a blessed gift. His name is Samuel. I can't imagine how boring life would be without Sam. He makes me smile, laugh and want to be a better mom. He helps me dream big dreams.

Sam,

Don't ever change. Continue to be yourself. There is not another you in this whole world. There never has been or ever will be. You are one of a kind and we love you for that.

God has great plans for you. Your life has been in His hands from the very moment you were conceived. He has worked to protect you and has given you a strong will to live.

He has given you a zest for life that I have never seen before.

I am so proud to be your mommy. I thank God every day for such a wonderful young man.

I will love you forever and like you for always.

Grow strong in all the ways of God. You will continue to walk an exciting path.

I also hope at some point in your life you will have a child just like you. Life is never dull with you around and I want you to experience this as a parent!

Love, Mommy.