Making homemade doughnuts

Today we made homemade doughnuts, and OHHHH THEY WERE YUUUMMMO! To get the super-easy "semi-homemade" recipe, click HERE.
So this was my first attempt to ever make doughnuts. Okay, except for when I was five-years-old in Sunday School and my teachers would make them ALL the time. Mental picture: A dozen 5-yr-olds and a hot electric skillet full of grease, with the cord stretch across the room. (I remember that part because I vividly remember the teachers telling us "WATCH THE CORD!" about thirteen million times.) I mean WHO DOES THAT IN A ROOM FULL OF KIDS?!?! Anyway, I digress....
So after promising my kids we were going to do this when they woke up, I realized I had about a half a cup of oil. And well, that just wasn't going to cut it. So I totally improvised and used the fry-daddy. This worked out SO much better, so I am pleased that I wasn't quite as prepared as I'd hoped to have been. Oh, and I totally didn't have the small circle cookie cutters either. (I know, Slacker Mom over here) so I used the tops of two bottles of Karo syrup. Totally did the trick.
The kids REALLY enjoyed their doughnuts. I made the regular icing (oh, except I was out of vanilla extract. Okay, so the moral of this story is I should have looked over all my ingredients and supplies before I promised the kids we'd be doing this) and then totally took the easy-way-out and used Nutella as the chocolate icing. The kids LOOOOVED it. Oh, and while I was scrambling searching for the vanilla the container of sprinkles fell out of the cabinet and Hannah says "OHHH GOODY! Sprinkles on our doughnuts!". (Am I the ONLY MOM OUT THERE that hates using sprinkes with toddlers/preschoolers?!?!?!) So yes, we had sprinkles too. Here's the pics!

This girl can throw down on some food, ya'll. No wonder she's gaining weight so fast!

Hootie icing his doughnut.

(OF COURSE the messy two year old chooses chocolate.)

Houston AFTER icing the doughnut. Yes, that's icing on the wall behind him.

Hannah carefully using her sprinkles.

Aidan just digs on in.

So it was a fun activity. Took me about 20 minutes to scrub the icing off of everyone and everything, but fun nonetheless.

Hope you all have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND! We are hoping to get outside to finally try out Hannah's new Barbie Jeep and Aidan's new bike. You know...outside, instead of inside the house.

What made my heart happy today...

I just now went to the mailbox and was tickled to find a cd with pictures on it that another traveling family had taken. This adoptive father traveled to Macy's hometown to visit with his children's birthfamily, and was able to meet with Macy's birthmom and older brother as well. (Thanks, Jim!) Above is pictured Macy's sweet "tummy Mommy" with a picture of our precious girl! I think of this woman EVERY SINGLE DAY as I am sure she thinks of her sweet daughter every day as well. It makes my heart VERY happy to see her smiling while looking at pictures of Macy (with her Daddy in the background). Oh happy Friday for me!

Sweet Dreams?

Tonight as I poked into Macy's room to check on her, I found her lying wide awake in her crib. (Not surprising as the big kids were making a mighty loud ruckus while decorating the counter with toothpaste brushing their teeth down the hall.) When I got to the side of her crib I noticed she looked sad. I'm still not sure why exactly. It was probably because it was WAY past her bedtime or because she didn't really want to be in that bed. I happily took the opportunity to scoop her into my arms and cuddle up in the rocking chair with her. After about 20 seconds of rocking and singing, I realized she was fast asleep. And she looked so peaceful tucked into the crook of her Mommy's arm. I just stared at her and prayed thanking her Maker for bringing her home to us. The longer I rocked the deeper her sleep became. And then I started wondering what she was dreaming about. Do her dreams place her here or in Ethiopia? Are they happy dreams or sad ones? Is she heartbroken in them or joyful? I mean think about it: she's only been here for two months. I imagine she still has dreams of Ethiopia. I mean my family moved from our childhood home on Bluegrass Drive around 17 years ago, and I STILL have dreams several nights a month of living in that house. Weird, huh? But my point is: I wonder what she dreams about. Is she upstairs right now dreaming about being strapped to her birthmom's back as she worked in fields of coffee beans? Or being toted down dirt roads while her siblings searched for water? Or of being the tiniest kid in her overcrowded room at the orphanage? Or is she dreaming about running wild at the First Baptist Church play area this morning? Or playing dress-up with Hannah complete with glittery boots and pink feathery boa? Or riding on Jason's back until she laughs so hard I'm scared she'll puke? Or having a bubble bath tonight with her new brothers and sister? What's going through that sweet little fuzzy head of hers? I'll probably never know. But whether they are dreams of Aleto Wendo, Ethiopia or Hendersonville, Tennessee, I sure pray they are sweet ones.

Oh, my heart just skipped a beat.

How I LOVE my MAN! Yes, I love my precious kiddos and all, but I'd be nothin' without this guy - and he's SUCH an incredible Daddy. And seeing him praying with our sweet Macy, makes my heart go KABOOM. Yep, in these days of Mommy-hood, these are the things that make my heart skip a beat. (And I mean skipping a beat in a good way. Not in the "OH MY GOSH Houston is falling down the stairs AGAIN!" way.)

Just had to share the sweet pic!

Oh, and go on over to my friends The Schells website and order a cookbook they have compiled to fundraise to bring home their sweet boy from Korea. I can't wait to get mine! I've found these are the BEST kind of cookbooks - ones that everyone submits their BEST recipes. I can't wait to get mine! And if you are out of town, she will ship it to you. So go getcha some.

Interesting story NBC did on Ethiopia

This story makes me even MORE thankful that we have a happy, healthy little girl! This is how it REALLY is for women in Ethiopia.

***Be sure to pause my music at the bottom of this page before clicking on the video.***

A blessing that could have been missed

This week I have talked or emailed with THREE different families that recognize that God is tugging on their hearts concerning the plight of orphans. That's THREE new families that are considering adoption! Not to mention the others that we have talked to that have started the adoption process since following our journey to bring Macy home. I have started hearing phrases like, "Wow - look what you have started!" and "How wonderful that you were able to influence people!". But HOLD ON, folks. I am the first to admit that Jason and I deserve NO praise or glory - it is ALL God's. Does it make my heart happy that He is using our story to touch other people's lives? Heck yeah. I am MORE than happy to be a tool to help bring more of HIS children home to families. But I am VERY VERY quick to point out that the Glory is all to God.

So all this started making me think. WHAT IF we hadn't followed God's calling for our family? What would life really look like for the Humphreys if we had stayed a family of five? This is what I came up with:

1. I MIGHT be able to cook dinner without at least one child on my hip. Or back. Or shin.
2. I wouldn't be breaking up fights/"exaggerated hugs" from two toddlers.
3. My house MIGHT not look like a disaster area. Well, okay, it MIGHT still look like that. But not quite as bad.
4. Trips to the grocery store would be easier. (As in enough seatbelts in a cart for each little one.)

5. We'd still have a retirement fund.
6. We wouldn't have ticked off some friends and family members by adopting. (Ouch. Hurts, but true.)
7. Houston would have stayed the only "baby", and probably would have been a Momma's Boy until he left for college.
8. I'd spend a lot less time at the doctor's office getting blood drawn and dropping off stool samples. (Ugh. Gross, but true.)
9. Life would be "calmer". You know, as calm as life can be with 3 little ones.
10. I wouldn't be counting, "1 2 3 4" all day long making sure I haven't lost someone. All.Day.Long.

The list could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Would life be "easier"? Maybe. Would life be as rewarding as it is right now? Absolutely positively not. Macy has brought us more JOY in the past nine weeks than we could have ever imagined. But do you know what is even BETTER? The PEACE we have. The PEACE knowing that we followed what God instructed us to do. And when he said "GO", well we jumped. Jason and I aren't really wait-it-out kind of people. Who knows, maybe we are a bit impulsive. After a few weeks of feeling the tug, we literally decided one day to adopt, and the very next day started interviewing agencies. (Our reason: Give me one good reason that God DOES NOT want us to do this.) That's just how we work. Because if we would have thought too long and hard about it, Satan would have creeped in and told us all the reasons we SHOULDN'T adopt. Like it's expensive. (God provided every penny. It's His money anyway.) It's scary. (God quickly calmed those fears.) There are unknowns. (Guess what? There's unknowns with our homegrown kids as well. Thanks to our pediatrician for pointing that one out.) Maybe it's not for OUR family. (Really? They are His children. If His child Jesus was standing in front of you hungry and hurting, would you not take HIM to your home and care for Him?)

Okay...stepping down off my little soapbox now.

So when I sit back and think of the "What Ifs?". Gosh, what IF we had chosen to ignore this calling? What a HUGE missed blessing it would have been. I can't even imagine the Humphrey House without that little spunky Ethiopian running around. And WHAT IF for Macy? Well, there's a VERY good possibility, for several factors that came to light later on, that she would have NEVER left that orphanage. She could very well had stayed there until she "aged out" as a teenager and was turned onto the street. And I saw each night on those streets what young ladies do when they have no means or education to take care of themselves. And I shudder to even think.

God opened our eyes, and OH am I so glad He did. He held us responsible to act, and WE are the ones that received the blessings. This week I came across this verse, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and not do what I tell you?" (Luke 6:46) - and GEESH! That hit home!

And no, I am NOT trying to GUILT anyone out there for not adopting. All I am saying is that if God's already tuggin' at your heart for the plight of orphans, you may want to listen to that tug. 'Cause He's not gonna stop tuggin'. And we are praying for those of you who are processing all of this. And we are THRILLED for those of you who have told us you are acknowledging that tug. And we REJOICE for those kiddos that are going to find out, "You have a family coming for you". (Can you even imagine being a child, thinking you'd NEVER have a family, and hearing that?!?! Goosebumps!) Because if Jason and I had listened to our OWN reasons, well, look what we'd be missing:

And that Little Stinker is worth every single drained retirement fund, every fight/"exaggerated hug" I break up, every person we've ticked off, and EVERY single hectic day. And to even THINK we could have missed this blessing! Oh how thankful we are!

Welcome Home Forever, Jadon Scott!

For the first time since Macy's airport Welcome Home party, I was able to be on the OTHER side of security to welcome home another sweet family with their beautiful little boy from Ethiopia! David and Cindy Scott are friends of ours from church, and found their little fella, Jadon, on their agency's Waiting Child list about one month before we were matched with our Macy. Due to some delays, they are just now able to bring him home - and OH he is SO worth the wait! This little guy is just precious!

Waiting behind security for the new Family of FOUR!

Here come David, Cindy, Big Sis Lily, and JADON!!!

OHHH MELT MY HEART!

For some reason Macy wanted NOTHIN' to do with this sweet boy. I tried to get their picture together (you know, to show at their wedding someday!) and she just WAS NOT having it! I think she was jealous of his rockin' awesome curly hair. :)

But what can I say....she's even cute when she cries!

So WELCOME HOME JADON! And congrats to the Scott Family on your new BEAUTIFUL addition! We are looking forward to some playdates!!!

Baby portraits

Hey everyone! Even though it is coooooooold outside, and I'm not doing many outside portraits, I wanted to make sure you all knew when I am still doing INSIDE baby portraits! Newborn portraits are some of my favorites to do - there's nothing like capturing those sweet baby expressions in the first few weeks and months of life! I also do GIFT CERTIFICATES, so if you are in the Hendersonville/Nashville area and need a baby gift - I know all Mommas love pictures of their sweet babies! Sessions (and gift certificates) are still ONLY $80. That includes the session, cd of ALL edited images, and copyright release to reproduce the pictures any way you want. Please share this info with your friends and family, and give me a call (308-8793) if you'd like to schedule something!

*Please note that I am still doing on location portraits (in your home, etc.) or even outside pics if you are willing to brave the cold!

Some Post-Placement stuff and PLAY!

Today was our first Post-Placement visit with our sweet social worker, Kelly. We think she is just PRECIOUS and have sent A TON of business her way! In fact, she joked that the business we have sent her is paying for their ADOPTION OF A LITTLE BOY FROM ETHIOPIA! Wahooo!!! He's gonna be around Macy's age - so we may just have to do some match-makin'! Of course Kelly just fell in love with Macy, because - seriously - how could she NOT!?!?! Today we also went to Peek-a-boo Playtown for the first time ever, courtesy of the kids' Pops. We had a BLAST! Such a cool idea - I totally should have invented this and become a millionaire. The kids had a BLAST!

Okay, so every male in my family will be mad that I posted this. But isn't he just pretty cute?


Bubbles!!!

Hannah and my future son-in-law. Notice Snow White is carrying a sword.

It was a good day! And to top it all off I have a clean house since I busted my tail trying to straighten up this trashed house for our visit with Kelly! I'm enjoying it so much we are going to have sandwiches for dinner so I don't have to mess up my clean kitchen! :) Gotta love it!

Happy TWO MONTHS HOME!!!

Look who has been home in Tennessee TWO MONTHS today!

Yeah, I know it isn't the cutest, dolled up picture ever. But we stayed in our pjs ALL DAY LONG! And we are still in them! We were thrilled that Good Ole Mother Nature celebrated with us today by sending some gorgeous SNOW! And if you remember, we celebrated Macy's ONE month home with snow too! And her first Christmas! Geez - hope she's not expecting that for every fun milestone!

It's been a FUN two months! Yesterday I looked back at video from the night we came home two months ago and I was AMAZED at what a different child she is today! She's this spunky, funny, strong-willed little DIVA and we can't remember life without her! Well, except maybe it used to be easier to type, as right now I have both toddlers on my lap. Kinda makes it hard to see what I am writing! Oh well - I wouldn't change it for ANYTHING!!!

Happy TWO MONTHS HOME Macy B!!!!

God loves Stupid People too.

Here's my conversation with the check-out lady at Food Lion from my first adventure to the store with all four kids this morning.

Her: "You are one brave babysitter to bring all these kids with you to the store."
Me: "Actually, they are all mine."
Her: "Whatchutalkingabout? Even THAT one?" (Pointing about 4 inches from Macy's face.)
Me: "Yep. Isn't she great?" ;)
Her: "Well, where'd you get her from?"
Me: "We actually just brought her home from Ethiopia in November."
Her: "So, did you have to go over there, or can they just ship them over here?"
Me: (Catch my breath, and try not to imagine daggers going through her eyeballs.) "We traveled to Ethiopia to bring her home. Can I get my receipt?"

Lucky for BOTH of us, I only had about 5 items and then sprinted right out the doors with my four, wonderfully behaved kids in tow. But yes, I coulda killed her.

Cute kids, cute shirts!

I wanted to share these pics of my crazy toddlers (yes, I know it seems like they are always in pictures together - but they are believe-it-or-not the only two of my kids that will stay still for a picture!) AND I wanted to share these great shirts!

Aren't they great?!?! Yep, same message as the ones we did - just different. I am wearing mine as I type this post, and OH how I love it! AND theirs has what I believe is one of the Bible's most comforting verses on the back: "No, I will not abandon you as orphans - I will come to you." John 14:18. So here's the story behind the shirt: My sweet, sweet friend Cindy and her hubs Trey are adopting from Haiti! Combined they already have six kids - and now God has made it quite clear that they are to bring home an 11-year-old girl named Beatrice from Haiti! Trey and Cindy met Beatrice on a medical mission trip to Jeremie, Haiti where our church has built an orphanage and is caring for these sweet children. God has opened doors for them to be able to start the adoption process and give this sweet girl a HOPE and a FUTURE!

And folks, this is what a hope and a future will do for an orphan!:

(Cue shameless plug for my cute kids.)

So click on over to http://www.bringbeatricehome.blogspot.com/ to check out the Emerson's story, follow their process to bringing home Beatrice, and BUY one of these rockin' shirts to help them along! Adults are only $20, and kids are $15.