3 Ways to Pray for the Mortellites

And now it's time for another installment of 3 Ways to Pray. Let's just take a second to pray for this sweet family and their process right now. 1. Pray for protection over our daughter in Ethiopia...pray that she can feel a sense of love from God and that she can somehow know there is a family waiting for her.

2. Pray for our hearts...this adoption journey has been difficult for us having known our daughter for over two years now, seeing her grow up in an orphanage and sometimes being discouraged knowing we're missing so much, but also trying to feel as though our story will be completed in God's perfect timing.

3. Pray for God's provision. When we look at the financial portion of our adoption process, it's amazing how much God has provided so far and we know we won't be able to climb the rest of the monetary mountain without Him leading the way.

Thank you so ridiculously much for your generous donations and spreading the word this week. The Mortellite family has been blessed with over $2100 towards their adoption and it's only Wednesday! Keep getting that word out. Lives are being changed here. Can you feel it?

Want to read more about this adorable couple? They're quite lovable, aren't they? Head over to their blog. They've got some fun stuff on there. And stop back tomorrow to see Kelly's favorite holiday recipe in action. I'm cooking it tonight!

See ya tomorrow,

Beth

 

Simple Amharic For Adoptive Families

Good Morning, all! We are having a record breaking week over here at Give1 Save1! The Mortellites have made over $1600 (this, embarassingly, makes me cry a little bit every time I check my email). Thanks for all that. There's still plenty of week left, so keep on giving if it makes you feel good.

Oh, you know who else likes giving? Amy Kendall, author of Simple Language for Adoptive Families. She has generously donated 5 copies of Simple Amharic for Adoptive Families and we're holding a little giveaway right here. I'll let Kelly and Nick tell you a little about their experience with the language.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj6n5RCK1KU]

I have the book and we are steady plugging along with it. The thing I love about this book is that it comes with a CD so I can slowly hear what it's supposed to sound like, and it's written out the way you are supposed to say it. You don't have to learn all the grammar laws and you don't have to learn how to chit chat. You learn what you need to say to your kid when they have NO idea what you are talking about and you're about to put them on a PLANE. You learn how to ask if they are sleepy or hungry or if they have to go to the bathroom. And you get to learn how to say "I am your mom" and "You are my daughter". I love that. It bridges the gap until they start learning English a bit better, but more importantly provides much needed familiarity and comfort to the child.

So, if you are adopting from Ethiopia, or thinking about it, this book is the way to go. Want one? I've got five and there are five ways to win. It all goes down in the comment section. You'll get one entry for sharing on facebook, one for liking Give1 Save1 on facebook, one for a comment telling me why you'd like to learn Amharic, one for a blog post, and one for donating to the Family of the Week, the Mortellites. Just tell me what you did in the comments section.

And suppose you're adopting from somewhere else?... Well, Simple Language also comes in Chinese, Haitian Creole (hopefully I'll be needing this one someday), Spanish, and Russian. If you don't win a book, hop over here and buy one. For $30 it's well worth the purchase. I use mine in the car when I go pick Will up from school, but the book is compact and easy to take around. I highly recommend. So good luck! We'll let you know who wins on Saturday morning.

Have a good one,

Beth

New week, new family

This week we're giving a big welcome to the Mortellite family. You guys, this is Kelly and Nick.



They have both spent some time working in Ethiopia and found their daughter several years ago. Imagine knowing her for that long and waiting for that long. I'll let them tell their story. Click on over here to watch their video and get to know them a little bit. They're a really sweet family. Let's give them a toasty warm welcome with cash, shall we? You know how Christmas is coming up? Oh, yeah, taxes too. Add an adoption on top of that. It's actually a little pricey and stressy. Let's just lift that burden as much as we can. Ready, set, go.

Deck the Halls!

So it’s Black Friday. You’ve found the deals and hidden the presents. Now, it’s time to go all Christmas on your house and put up the tree. So put on the holiday tunes, and check out our favorite new holiday décor ideas (courtesy of Pinterest).

When I was little, I used to make these ornament balls out of Christmas cards. Mine were always sloppy-looking, with glue all over. But these classic holiday crafts will keep your kids entertained every time.



I’m usually one of those nutty moms who searches high and low for the perfect gift wrap that will match the color scheme on the tree. Not this year. (I am trying to save for an adoption, after all.) So why not go green with these cute (and cheap) alternatives?

  

How about repurposing some things you probably already have in your house for some fresh holiday design? Love these ideas.



Sweaters turned into stockings. Genius.



So simple. So shabby chic. So full of holiday cheer.



Or perhaps you’re looking for ways to bring African culture into your Christmas? You can find this and other African ornaments on Etsy while supporting adoption. Melkam Gena is Merry Christmas in Amharic.

Have a good weekend, and we'll see you next week!

-Lindsay

A Leos Family Recipe

Hey Everybody! Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your house is smelling delicious right now. Mine does. I'm making pumpkin creme pies to take to our little family celebrations. I asked Rachel, our Mama of the Week, if she had a favorite Thanksgiving recipe.



Thanksgiving recipe, this one is actually hard. I am not a huge Thanksgiving food fan, I know, I am super weird. I do just about everything to get out of eating turkey and dressing. And if we eat it at Thanksgiving, we definitely don't eat it at Christmas - we have been doing Mexican the past few Christmases with homemade tortillas, enchiladas, and rice and beans. but for a favorite recipe that we start making at Thanksgiving, it would have to be these cookies. We start making them at Thanksgiving and make several batches through Christmas. 

Cranberry-Pistachio Shortbread

2 1/3 cups  all purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt (add more salt if using unsalted pistachios)
2 sticks unsalted butter , at room temperature
2/3 cup  granulated white sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup  salted or unsalted pistachios
1 cup dried cranberries

I used salted pistachios and Craisens; I loved the sweet and salty combination. I would recommend buying pre-shelled pistachios, it is worth the extra money. We bought the shelled kind when I made them last year and it was a huge pain! Also, I did not chop my pistachios or cranberries. When we sliced the cookies to bake, the knife cut right through the ingredients and this turned out perfectly.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat until smooth and creamy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract, then gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. (Add a couple tablespoons of milk if it seems dry) Fold in the chopped pistachios and dried cranberries, and make sure they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each half on the center of a 14 inch (35 cm) length of parchment or wax paper. Smooth the dough into an evenly shaped rectangle that is about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Wrap the shaped logs tightly in wax paper, twist the ends to seal, and refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to three days. Dough can also be frozen for up to two months. If freezing, it is best to defrost the logs in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and baking.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into ¼ inch thick cookies, and place the cookies on the prepared sheets, (I placed the cookies very close together as I was out of parchment paper, they didn’t expand so this was fine). Bake on the center rack for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until the cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Recipe makes about 45 cookies and they taste great with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee in the morning!

You guys, I made them and they were so yummy and Christmasy looking. They're all red and green. And super easy. I'll be making these again. Thanks for sharing, guys! So, speaking of the Leos family, they have had an awesome week on Give1 Save1. You guys must be feeling extra generous with the holidays and everything. The week is coming to a close, so if you haven't made a donation to help bring those babies home (for some tasty cookies), then go ahead and do it now. Before you spend all your money on Black Friday craziness! ;) You guys have an awesome weekend. I'm outta here. Lindsay's kicking off Christmas tomorrow. You remember Lindsay, right? Well, she's a Give1 blogger now. She's actually already done a few posts on family updates. So give a warm welcome to Lindsay, who'll be sharing some fun Christmas pins tomorrow!!! See ya next week.

Lots of Love,

Beth

3 Ways to Pray

Turns out I just love this 3 Ways to Pray thing. Let's just take a breather in the middle of our week here and pray for the Leos family. Here's what's on Rachel's mind:

1. That our children are safe, loved and protected physically and emotionally. That they would have a peace beyond all understanding as they also wait for us, as in order to be adopted, they will have to suffer a tremendous loss that they will likely not be able to comprehend – pray that God would use that loss for His glory and their joy as He promises to us through scripture.

2. For the process itself. We hit an unexpected snag last week. Although I can't share the details publicly and we are moving forward albeit some changes to our original desires, it was a great reminder to us that God is in control (after I had a slight freak out), and we constantly must put this journey, our lives and our children on the Cross. Pray that we rely on God during this time, that we are able to trust in His provision during this process. 

3. For our hearts. We are so excited to meet our kids and cannot wait to be parents, so the waiting is hard. Unexpected changes and lack of control over the process, which, although we know is ultimately controlled by our Father, is still hard. Pray for our hearts during the wait, that we will always remember Christ's love for us and our children and His sovereign plan over every detail. That we would rest in the peace that He will not be surprised as as the process unfolds, and that He is good in all things.

Turns out that there is strength in numbers regarding prayer. So many times we casually toss out an "I'll pray for you", but let's just freeze in our tracks and really do it. It means the world to this family and it moves the Heavens on their behalf. That's pretty darn powerful.

I know tomorrow's Thanksgiving, but finish up your casseroles and everything and meet me back here tomorrow. Mama Rachel is passing on her recipe for cranberry pistachio shortbread cookies and we can just kick off Christmas as soon as your last piece of pumpkin pie is polished off. Have a good one.

 

Super Cool Slings

  

The adoption world tosses around the 'attachment' word a lot. Like alot alot.  Truth is we all need help "attaching" to our kids and keeping that bond strong. I'm reading so many books about how to foster attachment with your adopted child, but honestly I'm finding all this stuff ridiculously helpful bonding with my birth kids. Of course I read all kinds of stuff like this when I was prego with my kids. And everybody under the sun recommends some kind of baby back pack to hold your bambino while you go about your daily business. Literal attachment. :) For babies, there are a ton of options. Wraps, back packy contraptions, and slings... I was a sling girl myself. These slings by Seven make me want a baby all over again. When my babies were small enough to wear in a sling my hair did not look like this and neither did my belly or arms...huh, weird...



Experts recommend that you hold and snuggle the toddlers and older kids as much as possible as well. This one by Ergo is BY FAR everyone's major top dog preference for giant toddlers and preschoolers. They aren't as cute as the slings. I know. But they're practical. I could probably carry my grandma in one of these suckers. And everyone says they're really comfy. And the color's not bad. They even have some Petunia Picklebottom prints. This is the route I'll probably be going.

Then they're a wrap style. There's some serious versatility in these. I love how the African women carry them on their back. Duh! Why don't we do that? How many times have I had awesome intentions to carry around my kid in a sling and then had my household duties nixed because the sleeping baby was in the way. You can't really chop onions with a six month old reaching for your knife. So anyway, those African ladies have one on us with the whole rucksack carry. Here's a good little tutorial on how to pack your baby like a proper Ugandan.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFLhddgIEIQ]

Rachel and Jesse are adopting two bambinos, so they're going to have to get used to using some of these things. Some of those Seven slings are manly enough for a guy I think. By the way, you guys ROCKED OUT day 1 of the Leos Give1 week. That was record breaking wildness. Thank you so much for everyone who has donated. You guys are awesome. Have I told you that lately?

New week. New family.

You guys are going to love this week's family. Go check out their video and stick around for the outtakes at the end.



They are adopting two little ones from Uganda! They even already bought their tiny baby Toms. This Thanksgiving week let's give them something to be seriously thankful for. Seriously. Let's blast them with dollar bills. Ready? Let's do it.

A Perfect Birthday Present

Another week and another Give 1 family has made progress on their adoption journey! Last month you supported the Narunsky family. They have two biological girls, a boy they adopted from Russia, and now they are in the process of adopting a ten-year-old boy, Joel, from Ethiopia.  They got their referral over the summer, and they were so hoping to get a court date before the offices closed in Ethiopia for the rainy season.

Well, that didn’t happen.

BUT, they did finally get their court date. And it coincided with Joel’s birthday. So last week, they were able to travel to Ethiopia and meet their new son...just in time for his birthday wishes. (Gotta love God’s timing.)

In Honor of Sisters

You know what? Two posts today. I had a little idea. I mentioned in my last post that I think we should give in honor of our sisters today. Fitting, to help bring Natalie's sister home. So I made this cute little picture. And let's just play a game here. Give a dollar in honor of your sisters. It doesn't have to be your birth sister. It could be. But the sisters you choose, too. Your girls. And send them an email or post on their wall that you gave in honor of them today. I'm going to! Use this picture if you like and tag them on facebook. Let's start a love fest, shall we? In the comments section tell me the names of your girls and who you gave in honor of!



I love this post that Karen, our mom of the week, wrote about her sister. Ready? Spread some love. To the Bowmans and to your girls.

A Girly Girl Room

 

So let me give you another little update. I know I sound so wishy washy telling you guys all this stuff, but I vowed to keep you posted every step of the way of our adoption. Some people want to see the play by play of how it all goes down. So here's what's new. We finished our home study Monday night. And though we had decided to go younger than our youngest at the suggestion of experts we have decided to open our request to also include older than our youngest, but younger than our oldest. Wrap your head around that. It basically means she might be younger than Abby or she might be in between Will and Abby. So she'll be age 1-5 at the time of referral. And I'm pretty sure that's final because now our social worker will draw up papers and make it super official. SO, that means a girly girl room for my little ones. I imagine they will share a room eventually, though I'm thinking she'll probably be in our room for a while. But I'm still decorating for a shared little girls room. And with that, I'm pretty smug with what I've come up with. I'm not a huge fan of themed rooms, but I can't help myself. Abby LOVES animals and all I know about my Ethiopian child at this point is that she's a little girl and she's from Africa. That's all I got so far. So based on that, I did a theme room. I did. That's so embarassing for me to say. I usually steer clear, but I couldn't help myself. It's African animals inspired by the art at Papaya. The have beautiful, calming colors and plenty of glitter. Here's the pinboard I've got going for it.

When I discovered this rug from Flor and that it matched the art... well, it's a done deal. This room is the final decision. Let the shopping begin.



Speaking of girly girls, I know a set of little ladies that are on my mind this week... Sweet Natalie and her soon-to-be sister. We've raised several hundred dollars so far towards the Bowmans adoption. I have a sweet idea. Give a dollar for all your sisters and daughters. All the girly girls in your life. And then let them know that you gave in their honor today. :)

HIV 101

So, when was the last time you were educated about HIV and AIDS? Fifth grade? Yep, for me. Honestly. My knowledge of HIV hasn't really changed since I had the fear put in me in 5th grade sex ed class. And really I guess I don't know more about it because it's not really a big issue here. I know other continents are being wiped out by it, so you'd think I'd want to steer clear of that, right? BUT HIV 101 isn't what it used to be. We definitely did not consider HIV+ to be something we'd be willing to take on with our adoption. Everyone asks us, but we have little kids... Well, I've recently learned that that doesn't make sense and I couldn't be happier. So I thought I'd share a few things with you just in case you need a HIV refresher course.

• HIV has never been spread in a household setting. (That was a game changer for me.) You can't get it from eating or drinking after each other, bathing together, sweating. Not even messy toilet seats that unfortunately DO happen occasionally with potty trainers under my roof. Not through scraped knees. None of that normal family stuff. Not in school either.


• It's only transmitted through sex, sharing needles, and mother to child.


• Once they are on ARV medication, the HIV is virtually undetectable.


• They are healthier than HIV negative kids because of the drugs they take.


• You don't have legally have to share the information with the school or anybody if you don't want to.


• Their life expectancy is into their 70's.


• It's actually maybe not a big honkin' deal after all.

I didn't know that. I sorta feel like an idiot. If you think I'm an idiot too, that's OK. Please don't beat me up in the comments section. I'm learning. That's the point, right? I'm just sharing because you may be considering adoption and maybe HIV is on your radar (or maybe it's not). But it's always good to learn something new.

New Week, New Family

Hey Everybody,

I hope you had a good weekend. Man, you guys are impressing me to no end lately! Your generosity is astounding. Seriously astounding. Every day when I get the total update from the family of the week I find my jaw dropping. Anyone who saw it would laugh. Really, you guys are awesome. We have obliterated the thousand dollar goal for two weeks in a row now. Amazing. So enough about how awesome you are (and your hair looks really good right now, by the way). Let's move on to our newest family. Say hello to the Bowmans. *Hi Bowmans!*

Karen is mom, and she's informed me that they have no family pictures of all of them together. :) Know the feeling?! We understand. So here's Mama Karen and their little sweetie, Natalie.



Natalie is three years old and was adopted in 2009 from Ethiopia. As it goes with kids, it takes you a little while to settle in, but before long you're thinking about another one. They're addictive little suckers, aren't they? And honestly, just look at Natalie. Yeah, I know.



Oh, and here's Dad, Chad and Natalie. Daddies and daughters are so cute.



So back to Natalie needing a sister. The Bowmans believe God's plan for their family is to be entirely built by adoption, even though infertility is not an issue for them. And I think that's really cool. Not just of them, but I see that of many people lately. And I love that adoption is becoming commonplace enough that we all have this unique story and tapestry as to why and who and from where. Anyway, so they figured it was time to have another and have made the unique decision to adopt a child older than Natalie rather than younger. Most agencies discourage adopting out of birth order, but as we all know, God has different plans for each of us and "the rules" don't always apply 100% of the time. The Bowmans feel that older children need to be adopted as well and they're willing to break the rules a bit to give an older child a home. They're adoption will probably roll a lot faster than many because they are adopting older. The lines aren't quite so long. So let's just bless this family and this adoption and help get Natalie's big sister home with as little financial stress as possible so they can focus on their family.

Wanna know more about the fabulous Bowmans? Here's their blog. So you can follow along with this whole process. Here's a great post that Karen wrote about their decision to adopt an older child. And here's a little hello video. Ready to give? Blast that Paypal button. Go!

family update: the mowens

today we’re checking in with one of the previous Give 1 families. remember the mowens? they adopted little jacob in may. when they were in ethiopia to finalize the adoption, brad (the dad) spent a lot of time playing soccer with the older boys at the care center. they got to know a boy named isaiah who was 10 years old. they talked to the in-country staff about him and found out he had a baby brother named kaleb. but the mowens were told the boys were not adoptable at the time. they were saddened by this news, but they were determined to adopt again.

when they returned home with jacob, they started the process of having their home study updated. it look longer than they expected, but they trusted God’s timing. when it was finally updated, they immediately looked at their agency’s waiting children list. i’ll let tara mowen tell you the rest: “I about fell over to see THE BOYS that we knew and loved on the computer. We were told that they might not ever be adoptable and HERE THEY WERE. I sent Brad a text message about checking the waiting children list, and I quickly got a phone call back from Brad. He was sobbing saying ‘They are our sons. They are really on the waiting children list.’ God's perfect timing- they were paper ready THE SAME WEEK we were approved!!!!”

since accepting the referral of isaiah and kaleb, the mowens have been faced with the challenges of affording not one, but two adoptions… within months of completing the process for jacob. they needed to raise a lot of money, and they knew they would need to do something drastic. so they sold their house! seriously. they cut their housing expenses in half and used the equity for the adoptions. and get this, their house sold the day after they accepted the referrals.
they are eagerly awaiting their court date, which is Dec 21. but until then, they are hoping that God will continue to provide, just as he has through this entire miraculous story. they need to raise more than $20,000 for travel and other fees. if you want to give the mowens the best Christmas present ever, send your gift to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Mowen Adoption #2363
PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744

(even better, your gift is tax-deductible, so you can squeeze in another deduction before the end of the calendar year.)

we are in awe of the mowens and their incredible faith and fortitude. but as tara mowen said, “…if there is anything we have learned in this process it is that God is bigger than anything we think might get in the way!”

Seems Familiar.

I love this illustration and it's one of my favorite verses ever, though I'm pretty well positive CS Lewis doesn't get to take the credit for it. He said a lot of wise things, but this one sounds familiar... :)

Anyhoo, I thought I'd let you know how the week is going with our Family of the The Week, the Daigles. They have raised, at this point, around $500 (*update. make that well over $700!) towards their adoption and are so happy about it, guys. But I thought maybe we could go a little further and pray for them during their adoption as well. So I asked Mama Daigle what areas she could use prayer in and here's what she said:

Pray for our kids! This would include praying for our new little guy, wherever he is, for safety, provision, health, all of the things you are praying for your little ones. Also be praying for our four dudes 'back at the ranch.' This will be a big change for them as well. Pray for them to be ready when the big changes start coming.

Pray for patience. We just got off the conference call with AWAA-Ethiopia. It was the kind of information I love...processes, details, flow-chartable kind of stuff. I love the details and I am typically obsessed with the How's and Why's. I'm the kind that needs patience.

Pray for funding. I'm cleaning an office building twice a week and keeping a friend's child. All of those pennies are adding up. Pray that God keeps providing ways to add pennies in the bucket!

I would love it if we could just stop what we're doing and go to God in prayer right now on behalf of the Daigles and all their boys, the birth mother of their soon to be son, and the authorities that help make this adoption possible. And if you haven't given to their adoption yet, there's still time for a few more days. Click right here to donate to help bring Micah home.

Fair Trade Christmas

My friend, Jenn came up with this awesome pinboard that deserves it's own post. You see, a lot of our kids are coming from a far off land where children aren't cherished, they're cheap labor. And their work is dangerous. And it needs to stop. How can you change it? Vote with your dollar. Here are a few choices when you're looking for Christmas gifts.



And I know it's more expensive sometimes. Hear me out, I know. But it's worth it. I'm starting to make some changes in my own life. If you're interested in learning more about fair trade and child labor click here for an interesting article that smacks you upside the head and sort of helps puts things into perspective.

What's in Your Bag of Tricks?

Hey guys, me again. For today's little installment of Peaceful Parenting I'd like to open a discussion. I want to know what's in your bag of tricks. The truth is my bag is sparse. It's often large, often forgotten, and usually feebly packed. SO when attempting a peaceful venture out in scary public, what do you bring to smooth the journey?

New week, New Family...

And this week we are welcoming the Daigle Family to our happy little blog.



Aw, look, there they are. ALL BOYS, ladies. Count em. One, two, three, four, and FIVE on the way! I'm giving her extra $ just for sheer courage and enthusiasm. Would you like to hear a little more about the Daigle's adoption? Come watch their video over here or visit their blog here. We busted a THOUSAND dollars last week with the Martinez Family. Want to see if we can do it again? Hit that donate button!!! ***insert rowdy imaginary applause and battle cries***

Peaceful Parenting: The Calm Down Jar

You guys, I have so much to tell you today. Pardon me if I'm a little all over the place. Let's start with Peaceful Parenting this lovely chilly Thursday. This week I attempted a pin that I saw on Pinterest. It seemed ridiculously wise. It's a Calm Down Jar. It's designed to be used to help your kid chill when they're all spazzy. You put in a tube of glitter glue, a cup of hot water, and a little extra glitter. The glue will make it fall slowly and your kid should watch it until the glitter settles back on the bottom.



The thing is that my kids hate it. They totally know it's just a prettier time out. Will whines the whole time. I try and tell him that it's pretty and just relax and watch it, but he protests so much that it is far from peaceful. So this week it's a Peaceful Parenting FAIL for me. Got any other ideas for spaz time?

Moving on to more updates. I told you this week that we decided to go for a 4 or  5 year old girl. Well, I know you totally don't care about every detail of our adoption, but I'm going to keep you up to speed because some people are following along to learn about the process. So here's the scoop. We've made one last final change. It's going to be a 2 or 3 year old girl for us after all. Studies show that the best case scenario for adopted families are to go with a child at least a year younger than your youngest. And for us that's 2 or 3, so that's our final decision. That also means that our wait time is going to be quite long. So you're stuck with me for a while.

Ok, now a goofy update. Remember last weeks' little sewing project? Check it out. I finished one! I love her. My friend Destiny makes fun of me every day for my freakish new doll obsession, but can you blame me?! She's so cute. And tiny. I know you can't tell how tiny she is, but she's only six inches tall. I decorated a mailer box from paper source (with watercolor, collage paper, and glitter) and made it her little "house". My daughter loves her to death, but this little sweetie is Africa bound. I'm putting her in a blessing bag, so some little girl will get a fun surprise. There will definitely be lots more of these happening before Christmas.



And one more update. The Martinez family now has over $1000 including the Dollar Mob donations!!! I have been waiting for us to bust 1K for a few months now and YOU did it. That's a big chunk, you guys! Thank you to everyone who ever told anyone about this blog or this family or one of our other families. Thank you for everyone who's ever donated and everyone who's ever added something to the shop. Just thank you! You guys are my favorite people.

Trust me. You don't want a picture today.

Pardon my lack of posting today. I'm here and I'm cool. But Abby puked in my car today. That's the kind of day today is. :P

And you don't need a photo to go along with that, do you?! Haha. I promise I'll be back tomorrow morning for Peaceful Parenting.