From Baby to Toddler to....Little Boy xo

Shoe 'Tude

Can you tell who the serious big brother is??? The girls have no idea how lucky they are to have him to keep things in order for them. I am always amazed at the back to school shoe hunt. It reveals so much about your child and I think is a valuable peek inside their mind. Anna chose her shoes because of the Ethiopian flag colors-- These are totally her personality. Nehemiah chose the latest basketball shoe that I could afford to buy. Rebekah and Lydia chose my favorite shoe -- CONVERSE! I wear mine whenever I can get away with it.

The big news for us is that we are now pushing moving to Ethiopia to July. This will give us time to get our support in order. It is going great and in just about 3 months we are 70% supported for two years. We think this is a miracle given the state of the economy. Wycliffe is then wanting to see our funding coming in solid for about 3-4 months before they send us out, so we think this puts us at about July. We were on the phone with the school and were going over many different scenarios and this one just gave us the most peace and made sense in light of the kids and school. We are very excited now to charge forward with this plan.

Out of the blue a few weeks ago Beaverton schools called and asked if I wanted to come for an interview. They had laid - off over 50 Special Ed teachers this past spring so I never would have dreamed they would have any openings at all. When they called I thought I was in trouble since our kids were not enrolled in a school yet... I did not even have a complete file with my application and had not applied. After much prayer and stress I decided to go to the interview and just see what God was up to. I still can't believe they offered me the job and honored all of my previous years of teaching. So for this year we will have awesome insurance and really get things ready to leave with many dental and vision appts. God COMPLETELY worked this out and I could not have even if I had tried. It is part-time and not even a mile from where my kids go to school. So I still get to drop them off and be there for pick up. I am still in wonderment how this worked out. We also were not planning on having the kids return to the school we have been at for 9 years as we thought we would be in Ethiopia... but the day I was offered the job we found out that there was only one spot left in two of the their classes and room for two more. With a humble heart we are so grateful for the way the board and principal have made it possible for our kids to be there this year. BEYOND GRATEFUL ----

I have such peace in my heart even though our plans have been rearranged a bit. After seeing God just lay-out things so perfectly this fall how could I or dare I question where I am supposed to be ...

Thank you for your continued prayer and encouragement with us through this process.

Time is so sweet! My babies are growing up...

First Day of School! We have kids in the following grades: 8,6,5,and 3rd. They are all off to a wonderful start. I have more updates to post soon as our PLANS are coming together and I have total peace---

15 Years Ago --

Thinking back to 15 years ago I don't think I realized the enormous decision I was making. I think I thought I knew it all, but in reality marriage is so much more than I thought. It has to be the deepest, most meaningful relationship I have ever been in. It is not that things are always bliss and roses, but the determination to make it better and to be there for our kids have kept us focused on each other and God. I can't believe how much grace Aser has in his life for me. I can be a handful:) , but he is ALWAYS loving and kind. Even when I don't deserve his sweetness he is there. I would marry him all over again. I hope I can even begin to thank him for just how wonderful he has been to me and our babes. I am grateful to God for allowing me to marry Aser. There were voices that would say we would never make it. THere were people who wanted to tell me stats on biracial marriages, but for some reason I knew we could be different. I am amazed at how quickly these years have gone and wish I could slow down time. My heart beats for this man. I hope we can both still be alive to celebrate 50. My mom watched the kids so we could head to the coast for a night... fantastic!!! We saw about 100 pirates in Depoe Bay (it was a special game the town puts on) and even saw a whale. The walks and talks on the beach are the true treasures I hope I never forget.

Bingham Academy-- This is Where I will Teach and We Will Live

This is a promotional video done about two years ago I think. Murray Overton is the man we met with when we were in Addis. I love the part that shows life right outside of the gates. Also, you can really hear the hearts of the teachers by watching this. We will live on this campus in an apartment. Right now in Addis they are only allowing power every other day. I know this will be an adjustment as I think about cooking, teaching, and hairdryers:) It is so exciting and we are still praying we can make it there this fall. |
Enjoy!

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We have an opportunity to move to Ethiopia-- The video explains it all:)

We have an opportunity to move to Ethiopia this fall. The video explains the details and hope you can watch this. If you would like more information please email us or leave a comment. We are needing prayer partners to pray that we can raise support to make this happen. Thank you for taking the time to listen. We will be posting updates as they happen. We can not do this alone and know God can make it happen.

Can't Get Enough

Malachi could not stop screaming with JOY today when he saw Barney! When he came home last year often a Barney video was the only thing that would stop his crying. I KNOW many of you are probably disgusted that we would let him find comfort from a purple dino and his yellow counter-part, but those were some tired days and he had an exhausted mama who did not know what to do to make him happy. Often those videos were the only time in a day when he seemed content or could be calm. I am not sure if it is the music or seeing talking animals, but it worked.

Today our neighborhood Pump It Up had Barney night, please don't hate me, but we took Malachi. When he saw Barney he could not believe it. I am surprised Barney did not file a restraining order against Malachi as he could not leave his hands off of him. He hugged and hugged him and then would pull his tail to get his attention again. He was so happy. Only two of my big kids would come as the others did not want anything to do with the purple guy:)

It is a strange thing how when you are in a public place with other parents there can be a weird silence. I am not sure if it people trying to decide how these kids with different shades are mine or how at my age do I have a little one??? Sometimes I can be so strong to just ignore, but then at times I can't keep my skin so thick and I wonder why??? And probably in all truth it had absolutely nothing to do with me.

Rebekah took all of these herself with her own camera. Thank you BoBo!

"Look at Malachi hanging out with me!"

Nehemiah LOVES LOVES his little brother. He has never complained about Malachi waking up so early and throwing blankets and books to wake him up. He never complains about not being able to go in his room during nap. He doesn't complain that there are toys and baby things all over their room. He is a super big bro! He was so happy that Malachi wanted to listen to music with him while we were waiting to leave today. Don't worry he had it pretty low for those baby ears:) They have a special bond that is gaining somedeep roots. Malachi knows he can trust Nehemiah all of the time and feels secure when he is with him. Nehemiah worries that when he goes to college it will be hard to stay close since Malachi is 11 years younger. I think they are building a great foundation that will be in place forever.

Go Ahead and Make My Day

I don't think our kids have any idea of the impact they can have on our hearts. The other night my 8 year old daughter was gettting in her bed and sat up and said in the sweetest voice, " I can hardly wait for Mother's day... because of you mommy!" This was followed with a big hug!

For some reason this has gotten me through much of this week. Aser is working nights right now and our schedule is off and it makes me a bit off. Whenever there is a change Malachi really struggles. I did not think this would have any impact on him but... it has. I am so anxious for him to be able to talk and share what he is thinking and feeling. He is such a fun toddler, but he LOVES a boring life where it is very predictable. I hope one day he finds the humor that he has a very spontaneous mom:) I have tried and tried to make his life predictable, but it is not my natural style.

Thank you my Rebekah-- You made my day!