Bringing Macy Home

Thank you, Dr. King

2012-01-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

Hearing Dr. King's speech gives me chills. Reading about and seeing video of the racial separation that took place just a generation or two ago blows my mind. Even in my generation, as a family with a black child, we still get odd, inquisitive, and even disgusted looks on a daily basis. But as for me and my house...as for MY children...they are growing up in a home, and hopefully a generation, where seeing children of different colors and races holding hands and hugging each other is the norm.

Thank you, Dr. King, for helping dreams become reality. Because it wasn't an easy road to get here, and good gracious some people still have a ways to go, but how thankful our family is for a man to stand up for what was right, and to lead the way.

On the growth chart! At last!

2011-12-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Macy went for her four year check-up, and lo and behold, the child is FINALLY on the growth chart! She's still a LOT smaller than the typical four year old, but she's in the ninth percentile at least! Yay! And just to let you know what kind of growth we are talking about: in one year (the amount of time she's been home) most kids her age gain about 2 lbs and grow about 2 inches. Macy gained EIGHT AND A HALF POUNDS and grew FIVE AND A HALF INCHES!!! (Afro not included in that measurement. :) ) And to emphasize even further....I'm not the healthiest of cooks. Like, not at all healthy. So if this child grew THAT MUCH in a year - it just from getting FOOD period! Not even healthy, nourishing food everyday. (To my benefit, we eat a LOT of fruit - just not too keen on the veggies around here. Unless they are dipped in ranch.) So there - the girls is growin' and on the growth chart! That's what some Southern cookin' and some family lovin' will do for a girl!

Our Itty Bitty Ethiopian

Our Big(ger), Sassy, Southern-Talkin' Sweetie

Luke 2:19

2011-12-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

I love the nativity story. I never get tired of hearing the sweet story of our Savior's birth. The wise men, the shepherds....all of it. But since December 2005, the first Christmas I spent in the role of "Mommy", one particular verse has pulled my heartstrings more than the others. It's a verse that often gets overlooked. One that most people probably read quickly through, or even skip over. But good gracious, how I "get" that verse.

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

I "get" it. I SO get it. I get staring at your baby and wanting to just visually soak him in...his tiny hands, his perfect little mouth....wanting to remember everything about that one moment. Looking at him and wishing that time could just stand still. Feeling like your heart could just about explode from the depths that you love this child. Trying to wrap your mind around the fact that this is YOUR child...YOUR responsibility...a little life that YOU are responsible for molding. As a Mom, there have been so, so, so many times that I've stopped to "ponder them in my heart". These moments are usually at night, when I sneak in to their quiet bedrooms and see them sprawled out, mouths open, dreaming away. (Gah, don't they always look so stinkin' perfect then....even when they've been horrendous during the day...at nighttime they look like little angels). Many nights I've sat on the edge of four little twin beds, prayed specific prayers over each child, and just marveled at the thought that little ole ME is their Mom. And every.single.time it absolutely astounds and honors me that our Lord thought that I was fit to be their mom. I treasure these moments. I ponder the responsibility and the blessing. And oh, how unfit I feel. How there's never been one night that I've thought, "Yep, today I nailed it. Today I coulda won that Mom-of-the-Year Award". Nope. I sit there and think, "Geez, I blew it today. But thank you, sweet Lord, that I get to try again tomorrow. Thank you that You trust me with these four precious, amazing children, because I know I just couldn't live without any one of them. You brought them through high-risk pregnancies, weeks in the NICU, even across the world to be my children - and tomorrow you are going to let me wake up to four little faces expecting great things from their Mommy. Thank you that I can expected great things from YOU to try to make that happen."

I don't take my title as Mommy lightly. I think. I plan. I stress. And being a Mom to a three, four, five and six year old isn't easy. But at the end of the day, when it's all done, I stop. I treasure the moments. And I'll ponder them all in my heart. Because no matter how badly I don't want it to happen, they ARE going to grow up. That sweet baby I rocked on Christmas Day 2005- well, he's six now. There's no more footie pjs or rocking to sleep or me being the only one to console him. Those moments with him are treasured up.

Merry Christmas from our family.

Miss Macy turns 4!

2011-12-08T21:11:00.001-08:00

Our sweet Macy turned FOUR today!When I look at how tiny she is, it's still hard for me to believe that she's actually that old. But GOOD GRACIOUS does she have the personality to make up for her height! She may be small in stature, but she's big in sassiness, attitude, and just out-right FUNNINESS (is that even a word?). And she's changed soooo much in the past year! I got tickled today because my bff watched the kids while I picked up the cupcakes today, and she said that Miss Macy used the word ya'll in the plural possessive form. As in, "I like ya'lls Christmas tree." Yep. We've ruined her. We took this precious child with this gorgeous dialect and oozed our Southern slang onto her, and we've just ruined her. Oh well.

As some of you may know, three of our four kids have birthdays in the same week in December. For real. Oh, and did I mention that our anniversary is thrown in there too? Yeesssssss.....and then Christmas. Genius on our part, huh? Well, the past couple of years we've been throwing one big party for the kiddos....as for right now they don't know any better. This year's party actually fell on tonight...on Macy's actual birthday. I'll share about the party soon....maybe tomorrow. But for tonight I just wanted to give Miss Macy B a big ole' shout out and say WE LOVE YOU, Silly Girl. And just can't imagine life without you!

No More Babies

2011-12-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

As a kid I remember how my Mom adored my little brother. I mean, she loved all of us, but he was totally her fav.o.rite. Me, with my Classic Middle Child Syndrome, absolutely hated this. But there was no changing it. He was always cute. He was always funny. He could pretty much do no wrong. I always thought it was because he was the only boy. I was wrong...it was because he was the baby.

Fast forward a couple of decades. I adore my children. All of them. I adore them probably more than is healthy for one person to love four little things so much. But my Hootie is different. It's not that he's my favorite, because he's not. You are not supposed to have favorites as a mom (ahem....mom!). He's just my precious. He's always cute. He's always funny. And he can pretty much do no wrong. (Okay, he can actually do A LOT of wrong....I just forgive it a lot quicker than some of the other wrongs happening around here.) Part of me knows this has to do with him being our Little Miracle. (Zero percent chance of survival? I think not!) But good golly, the other part is because he's the baby.

And today my baby woke up, smothered my face with his hot little kisses, looked me square in the eye and said, "It's time for my burf-day Momma, and I'm not your baby anyyyymore." Ugly tears from me proceeded to fall, and he skipped off happily into the other room.

Happy 3rd Birthday to my Precious Houston James. You bring so much joy and humor to our family, and we love you to pieces.

No words necessary.

2011-11-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

One Year Home!!!!

2011-11-05T17:22:00.001-07:00

This time one year ago I was hurrying as fast as I could through the Nashville airport to get my family all together for the first time. Our sweet Macy was finally home. I can't believe it has already been a year. An amazing year of having the priviledge of parenting this beautiful little girl.

We love you Macy Bereket! You amaze us every single day!

Macy's First Time Trick-or-Treating!

2011-10-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

This was Macy last year on Halloween.

Although we had custody of her, we were still in Ethiopia, so we weren't able to do the "Halloween-y" stuff (although dadblastit I was gonna have her looking the part in her festive dress!).

And this was her this year!!!

She LOVED trick-or-treating! And I mean LOOOOOVED it!

And honestly, we thought she would HATE it, because she hates anything with a mask. Or that looks like an animal. Or looks scary. Or weird....or ANYTHING. We figured we'd have a short night because she'd just totally lose it. But NOOOOO, this girl was skipping down the sidewalk singing "I'm off to see the wizard" and saying "Look at all my candyyyyyy!". I think this girl could do Halloween every single day of the year.

Our Wizard of Oz Crew....

So her first "American" Halloween was a huge success! Of course, it may have just been due to the sparkly shoes and the wig...but our girl had a great time!

Happy Gotcha Day, Sweet Macy!

2011-10-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

It is surreal to believe that one year ago today our precious Macy was placed in our arms for good. She was tiny and bald and scared. 365 days later, she's a Southern, sassy, confident, growing little girl. And yes, she finally has hair. A head full of kinky, crazy, curly hair.

This time last year Macy had a year full of "firsts'' ahead of her. Of course holidays and birthdays come to everyone's mind. But she also had other firsts you may not think of...climbing stairs for the first time (for a three year old!), riding in a buckled carseat, taking a hot bath and then a shower, worshiping in church, playing on a playground, rolling in the snow, tasting sweet tea (I mentioned she's now a Southerner, right?), coordinating her squeaky shoes with her hairbows (she is SUCH a diva), been in a pillow fight, screamed through immunizations, starting preschool, playing hide-n-go-seek, outwitting her siblings, and the list goes on and on. This girl has had QUITE the busy year. And there's been firsts for us as parents too...learning to fix that head of hair has been a learning experience for me. And figuring out how to get a lodged jellybean out of her tiny little nose. And teaching her not to wash her hands in the toilet. Oh, the adventures we've had with our little priss.

Imagining life without Macy is hard. Not just because it seems she's been ours all along, but because it's honestly HARD to think of what HER life would be like if she hadn't come home to Tennessee. Some information we found out during our second trip to Ethiopia made us realize that if we hadn't come at the time we were there, she may have never been matched with a family. And then Ethiopia adoptions have all but come to a halt. (Oh how I pray for all of our friends still in the process!). And then the horrific famine. It makes me realize if we'd waited just a couple more weeks to mail in our paperwork or raise our money or ANYTHING - we would not have THIS child. OUR child. Gah....see how that's hard? See how we praise our Maker, then One that loves this sweet girl even more than we do, for orchestrating everything PERFECTLY to bring our daughter home?

We are so very blessed.

Happy Gotcha Day to our spunky, little girl. We love you more than you'll ever know.

Happy Meetcha Day!

2011-09-27T18:55:00.001-07:00

One year ago today a tiny, sick, quiet, little girl was placed in my arms. The moment was surreal. That child we had been praying and dreaming about for the past 12 months was finally, FINALLY with us. Just like the day I birthed my other three kiddos, it's a day I will treasure forever. Jason and I sat anxiously in plastic lawn chairs waiting to be introduced to our Macy Bereket. When the Head Momma walked in carrying our tiny little girl, our hearts just about burst. It was love at first sight. I didn't blog about it then, but those first couple of minutes with her were of course joyful, but also nothing what we could have prepared for. Macy was MUCH smaller than we had expected. And I know I had read that a lot, so that really isn't big news. But along with being so small, she also had very poor torso control, and had a hard time walking. She also had a lumpy noggin'. Lumpy enough to cause Jason and I both to be concerned. She acted lethargic and loopy. And no matter what we did, we COULD NOT get that girl to smile. We thought something could very well be wrong developmentally with her. On top of all of that, she was really sick with some kind of respiratory funk. I was worried out of my mind. Back at the hotel that night we laid in the bed and decided that no matter what the future held, we were committed to adopting her. She was the child for us.

What makes that kind of humorous now as we look back on it is that there is NOTHING wrong with that child. When we went back to Ethiopia just three weeks later to bring her home she was running and jumping and smiling and talking. She was a COMPLETELY different kid. The lumpy noggin, which she still has (you can't tell with all that crazy hair!) ended up totally fine. Just part of her makeup. She was healthy and happy and gaining weight. Like I said, a totally different kid. Looking back, we believe that due to her illness, she may have accidentally been over-medicated. Probably some kind of cough syrup or something. Because she was loopy and lethargic like she was drugged up on something.

So our original "Meetcha Day" was awesome, and alarming at the same time. But good gosh what a difference you can see now! That funny little girl has more spunk than all three other kiddos combined. And some A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E. Whew!

What an amazing 10 months it's been! We love you Macy B!

One year ago...

2011-09-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we loaded our bags...

boarded some planes...

traveled 17 hours....

to meet our daughter.

To read about the beginning of that trip, click HERE.

School is in session!!!

2011-09-04T17:48:00.001-07:00

My kids are ALL in some kind of school! Aidan started KINDERGARTEN (sniff...sniff) and Hannah, Macy and Houston are all in two-day Mother's Day Out. You may THINK that I do a happy dance when everyone is dropped off, but no....those are the days that I work, so no watching soap operas and eating bon bons for me. (As if.)

Aidan L.O.V.E.S. kindergarten. I mean, the kid could do school every minute of every day, and it still would not be enough. In fact, he is rather upset that he has a four day weekend this weekend. And remember all those ~~crying fits~~ fears I had (HERE) about him starting school? Well, those were relieved when I met his precious teacher. She's been teaching kindergarten for 19 years, and she knows her stuff. In fact, being in her class almost makes me miss teaching. Almost. He's already come home telling me words in French. Oh, how I love my little nerd.

The other three kiddos are attending two-day-a-week preschool about 3 minutes from our house. Hannah is in Pre-K and has a teacher she's known for a while. She's my crafty one, and is really enjoying her class. Macy, who I wasn't sure about putting in school yet or not, LOVES it. She talks about it ALL WEEK LONG. She has Hannah's teachers from last week and just prances on in like she owns the place. Houston, who I fully expected to scream bloody murder and cling to me for dear life, thinks school is wonderful because there are trains there. Thank you God for trains. So NO crying from ANYONE! Even me! It's been a great transition for everyone!

Whoop whoop! Pumped for school!

First day of preschool!

In they go!

Aidan goes to meet his sweet teacher, Ms. Tracy! So that's it! Jason and I are entering into a new "season" as Aidan starts big school. And then next year Hannah will start. And the next year Macy will start. And then the next year, (if you can pull him from my grip) Hootie will start kindergarten.

And I will sit at home and cry.

Or watch soap operas and eat bon bons.

Never a dull moment

2011-08-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

The girl has some moves!

2011-08-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I was able to catch Macy dancing without her realizing I was recording her. Stop the music at the bottom of my blog so you can hear her dancin' tunes. Oh, and disregard the incredible mess behind her. Consignment sale season is upon us, and I am gettin' ready!

Enjoy the video!

Birthday Boy

2011-08-10T20:57:00.001-07:00

Our Aidan turned six last week! I can't BELIEVE that my first born is six - and going to kindergarten this year!!!! We had a pool party to celebrate. The boy had a BLAST! Now, if I can just slow him down from growing up too fast, this Momma would be happy!

Happy Nine Months Home!

2011-08-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

Miss Macy has been home for NINE MONTHS TODAY! Oh, okay....it's after midnight, so technically she's been home nine months and 41 minutes. But hey, it's been a long night. As you can see, it's been an eventful couple of months!

a BIG FAT AMEN to this!!!

2011-07-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

This video is blog-worthy for sure! It echos exactly how I feel. Jason and I aren't going to aspire to reach the "American Dream". We are going to be as "uncomfortable" and "inconvenienced" and "broke" as the Lord will let us be - ALL for HIS GLORY! Doesn't seem like a very hard decision when I look into our sweet Macy's face. We could have made excuses all.day.long on why we SHOULDN'T adopt. But at the end of the day, they just weren't convincing enough not to bring one of His children home.

Our Referral-versary!

2011-07-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we got the phone call that changed our family forever. (To read about that incredible day, click HERE.) There was a little girl in Ethiopia that needed a home. A little girl that through sickness had become fatherless, and through poverty had become an orphan. This little girl needed a family and a home, and we were it.

Last July 14th, this was the first picture we saw of our precious daughter.

And this is her today.

I'm not an overly, sappy, emotional person. But as I look at her first pictures, as I've looked at hundreds of times over the past year, tears pour from my eyes. Because LOOK AT HER. Look at how scared and confused and malnourished she was. And then look at that sassy little girl today. My heart breaks at the thought of "what-if". What if we hadn't made the leap of crazy faith to start the adoption process. What if the "it's so expensive" and "what will people think?" thoughts had won. What if.

This precious daughter of ours has changed so many lives already. More kiddos are coming home to their Forever Families because THIS LITTLE GIRL has impacted several of our friends. Do you understand how amazing it is to know that our adoption wasn't just about bringing Macy home, but how it's encouraged other families to start the process to bring their sons and daughters home as well? It truly is humbling.

One year ago today I went to bed praying for Macy's birthmother. The woman that gave her sweet baby life, and then after two and a half years of trying to provide for her, had to make the agonizing decision to take her youngest child to an orphanage. Today, my thoughts are on her again, as they are everyday. I want her to know how happy, healthy, smart and funny her daughter is. How wonderfully well-adjusted she is. How much happiness she has brought to our family.

What an amazing year. A year I can't believe that is already passed. A year of fears, trials, joy, and overwhelming appreciation to our Father who has so perfectly knit our family together. I tell everyone that He picked the perfect child for us. She was a Humphrey just needing to come home.

July 4th

2011-07-07T14:21:00.001-07:00

The man who started it all....

2011-07-07T13:29:00.001-07:00

Back in the summer of 2009, an amazing speaker and author named David Nasser came to speak at our church. We looked forward to his visits. He was funny and REAL, and totally rocked mine and Jason's world. He spoke passionately about the world's orphan crisis. About all these children without families. Or a hope. Or a future. He talked about the amazing process of adoption, and reminded us that WE had ALL been adopted into God's family and given a new hope. And a new future. Jason and I had never thought about adoption. Honestly, we thought it was just for couples who couldn't have children, and since we the crazy, fertile couple having three babies in three years, adoption had never even crossed our minds. But then David said something we just couldn't shake. If you've seen our adoption video, (if not, click HERE) you know that this one particular statistic is what pushed us "over the edge": "If just seven percent of THE CHURCH (not the world's population, not American citizens, just THE CHURCH) would adopt, then there would be no more orphans". Good GRACIOUS that hit us like a ton of bricks. So one Sunday back in the summer of '09 we got into the car after church, and while sitting in the parking lot decided we were going to be part of that 7%. Our decision was that quick and that easy. We were all in.

Fast forward to October 2010. It's been over a year since we'd heard David speak. After a CRAZY time trying to fly back from Ethiopia (see that story HERE...for reals, it's so bad it's funny) we arrived home after 17 hrs in the air on a Saturday night from our first trip to meet our new daughter. We were tired and jet-lagged (and I was an emotional basketcase having to have come home without Macy), but knew that David Nasser was going to be speaking at church the next morning. So we took our bleary-eyed selves to church. After service I grabbed Jason's hand and rushed backstage on a hunt for David. I wanted to let him know how THANKFUL we were to him for planting that seed in our hearts. I showed him Macy's pictures, and of course, cried my eyes out. He listened to our story, asked to keep Macy's picture, and prayed the most incredible, touching prayer over us. He is THAT KIND of guy. You know, the Real Deal. We were incredibly touched. The next day I got a knock on the door from someone delivering a precious gift from the Nassers, with a handwritten note about how amazing adoption is (they have an adopted son as well).

So NOW fast forward to this past Sunday. It was time for David Nasser to come back to Long Hollow. Whoop Whoop! Again, I rushed the stage after service and was so excited for him to meet our spunky little Ethiopian. She passed out the hugs and love - and thought he was pretty cool too. This time we were able to meet his sweet wife as well. It's so great to talk to other adoptive mommas who "get" it. We snapped some pics so we can show her someday WHO IT WAS that prompted us to adopt. (And of course, Hannah had to jump in the pics too. That is SO Hannah!)

Needless to say, the Nassers hold a special place in the Humphreys hearts. We will be FOREVER grateful! Because of this man, and the message that God spoke through him, Macy's life has been redeemed. And that hope and future I spoke of....well, now our daughter has them. And we give ALL the glory to God.

Our "not-so-lazy summer"

2011-07-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

I knooooooooooooow it's been forever since I've blogged. But GOOD GRACIOUS we've been busy this summer! I'm now working full-time for our church, working part-time as a photographer, and doing a lot of it from home which means, of course, I've got four little "helpers" with me all the time. Life is GOOD, but it is BUSY! On top of that, I've had some major computer problems, so the fact that I actually got this blog post up and running is nothing short of a miracle.

So here's some pics of Miss Macy from our beach trip. She LOVED the ocean and the pools. The waterslide...ummmm...not so much. We had a wonderful time. This was the first year since becoming parents that we've actually been able to just watch our kids play, and not have to hold or chase a baby the entire time. I'll be honest....it was lovely. As crazy as my 2 toddlers and 2 preschoolers are, they sure are a lot of fun.

One year.

2011-06-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

One year ago today our sweet Macy was relinquished by her birthmother at a local government office, and then taken to an orphanage to wait five months to join her Forever Family.

That was a year ago.

This was today.

We are so thankful that Macy had two and a half years with her birthmother. We firmly believe that is why she was able to bond so quickly with us. She knew the love of a Momma. She had experienced bonding and attachment before. And as soon as she was placed in my arms, the process started with her new Momma.

So a year ago today our little girl was scared and alone. Today she jumped waves with her family.

Life's good, folks.

Macy sees the ocean for the first time...

2011-06-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Gulf Shores yesterday and are having a BLAST! We spent yesterday and this morning at the rockin' awesome pools they have here on sight, and this evening after dinner decided to take a walk on the beach across the street. Macy had seen the ocean from the condo balcony, but not up close yet, so I wanted to document her reaction to seeing the vastness of the the ocean. And for the record, her reaction was absolutely priceless.

Here she is walking up the boardwalk to the beach....

And just LOOK AT HER SWEET FACE when she sees the ocean for the first time in her life!
She was in AWE...this beautiful little girl from Ethiopia just took in the wonder of the ocean!

She loved the sand, the waves, all of it!

Yes, we came to the ocean to walk and look for shells.

All four kids ended up soaked and sandy. Lovely.

This is how Jason had to finally get her to leave.

We will be back first thing tomorrow morning!

Oh, and by the way, as of yesterday Miss Macy has been home SEVEN MONTHS! Yay!!!

Daddy Adoption Blog

2011-06-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! While there are PLLLLLLLENTY of Mommy Adoption Blogs, there just aren't many Daddy ones to be found. So my stud of a hubs has decided to remedy that! Check out his new blog at HERE. It is going to be primarily in video format, because...well...you know how long your man's attention span is. I mean FO' REAL!!! So tell your studs to check it out!

Chillaxin'!

2011-05-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Summer is HERE!

2011-05-21T14:20:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's officially SUMMERTIME here in Middle Tennessee!!! The days are long, and we are staying outside until dark. SO FUN! The kids have been in the sprinkler, are getting ready for swim lessons this week, and leave for the beach in a couple of weeks. WHOO HOO!

My girl, Miss Macy, LOVES the sprinkler! It's SO stinkin' cute!

Hope all you folks out there are starting your summer with some FUN!

More Changes...

2011-05-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are local and know me, I just wanted to share a change going on in the Humphrey House. As I mentioned a couple of months ago, I took the job as the coordinator of our church's bookstore and coffee shops. This was "supposed" to be a small part-time job, but quickly grew to 35 or more hours a week. We were okay with that, as we felt like it was God's Provision for our family. Sundays were hard, because I didn't see the kids AT ALL until 5:00pm. I was working hard and liking my job, but was missing our "family time" on the weekends. ANYWAYYYYY....after just 11 weeks "on the job", I was approached by our Executive Staff about taking on a bigger role at our church. They wanted me to come onboard as the church's Volunteer Specialist. It's a full-time job (about as many hrs as I was working already), but after explaining that I didn't want to be away from the kids in an office 5 days a week, they offered to let me work part of my hours from home. SCORE!
We are pumped about this new venture. I LOVE our church and the people that work there, and am super excited to be in this new position. My Mom says I'll be good at it because, "Amanda honey, you just love to talk". Yep. That's me.
So, just wanted to let those of you who are at LHBC with us know that I've made this change!

Not Sure How It Happened....

2011-05-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but somehow this little baby...

graduated from Pre-K this week, and will head to the big world of Kindergarten this fall. (Pictured here with his precious, PRECIOUS teacher, Ms. Debbie, who we totally L.O.V.E and wish she would just go to kindergarten with him.)

I think it's important not to let your kids hear "Oh, I'm going to miss you and be so sad when you are gone and blah, blah, blah" because I don't want my kids to think there's anything to be sad or apprehensive about. But not long ago I was telling Aidan how cool "big kid school" was going to be, and that I will miss him being here but will know he's having fun". His response was, "Oh don't worry Mom, you'll still see me on Saturdays and Sundays."

BWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

(Insert "ugly cry" here.)

I mean I'm READY and all for him to go to school, but I'm NOT READY for another woman (his teacher) to be influential and with him ALL DAY LONG, when I have been that woman for the past 5 and a half years. Erg.

Oh well. August will come, and he will go to school, and I will probably cry.

And he will love it.

Macy's Dedication

2011-05-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

I remember last Mother's Day typing a post about how I felt incomplete without my daughter home with us. (Read that one HERE.) We were waiting for our referral and I was DYING to get that magic phone call.
Well, this year....my heart was complete! I had four little ones wishing me "Happy Mudders Day, Momma". I didn't get the whole "breakfast in bed sha-bang" that a bunch of other Momma's got, as since I work for our church I was there preparing for our services at 6am, long before my babes ever woke up. But celebrating later in the day was just as fun. And this year our church's Baby Dedication fell on Mother's Day - so we were finally able to dedicate Macy.
We have dedicated each of our kiddos at our church. And since Hannah was born, we've always taken the siblings up on stage as well. We felt like it was a family affair to present our child to the church, and it's always gone smoothly. Well, Saturday night I realized, "Wow, we are totally going to be hauling FOUR kids ages five and under onto that stage. THIS should be interesting."

So yes, it felt like we took up half the stage. And I"m pretty sure we were the only ones with four kids up there. But other than Hootie announcing "I'M GRUMPY!" at the top of his lungs just before we went on stage, they all actually did pretty well.
(And let me just give a Shout-Out to my amazing hubs. Since I have to be at church so early, HE is the one who gets them dressed for church each Sunday. Granted, I have everything laid out for him, and I do the girls' hair once they get to church, but doesn't he do a GREAT job?!?! Pretty impressive, huh? I think that should be a Love Language: "Husband Can Care For Children". Sorry ladies, he's taken.)

Our little princess received a pink Bible, which she's rather proud of.

Wow. Five out of Six of us are looking at the camera. Now that one's Blog Worthy.

Here's one last pic. Remember Jadon who came home just a few weeks after Macy came home? (Read about that HERE.) Well, he was dedicated on Sunday as well, and we just had to snap a pic. You know, to show at their wedding and all. (Doesn't Jadon seem thrilled to be holding Macy's hand?)

Hope all you Momma's out there had a great Mudder's Day!!!

What being in a family for just 6 months can do for ya'!

2011-05-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated our Macy Bereket being home a HALF OF A YEAR! And since I practically have a camera attached to me at all times, I just HAD to take a picture to remember the day. And then I had to go back and look at OLD pictures of her. What a SHOCK to see these pics side by side. She doesn't even look like the same kid! Sure she's grown, and yes she has hair now (yippee!), but look at her eyes. You know how they say the eyes are the window to the soul? Well, whoever "they" is, they are totally right. Do you see the hopelessness, confusion, and fear in that first pic? Can you even imagine what she was thinking? She had just been brought to the orphanage in that picture. Imagine the uncertainty my daughter had going through her innocent little mind. Little did that precious child know that we were praying and waiting and praying some MORE for HER.
And then look at that silly, happy little girl in the second picture. Wanna know what she was thinkin' in THAT picture this afternoon? She was wishing her Momma would hurry up and snap the stinkin' picture so she could run off and play with her brothers and sister. Oh the JOY in that picture! And the safety and love you can see in THOSE eyes. THAT picture makes me smile!
So, in six months Miss Macy has done some growin'. That's because the girl can EAT. And eat and eat and eat. Since her first dr. appt here on American soil 6 months ago, she's grown TWO AND A HALF INCHES! And FIVE POUNDS! That's a LOT for a little girl who started out at just 22 pounds for almost three years old! (FYI, my other kids were OVER that weight by their FIRST birthday.)

Her favorite foods: Pizza and Pasta - she's totally our Italian Ethiopian
Her favorite activities: Picking out her many outfits (total diva!), coloring, taking all toys away from Houston, her "bigger, little brother".
Her favorite sayings: "Oooh la la", "More snack, please", "Rock me, Daddy".

Her language skils are crazy good. She can understand EVERYTHING we say, follow directions, and talks a TON. Gone are the days of her using any of her native language and singing the songs she learned with her birthmother (which makes me a little sad). Hannah will still try to use some of her Sidaminga and Amharic words with her little sister, and Macy just gives her that "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis" look.

Thanks for sharing our journey with us!
I'm looking forward to looking back at these same two pictures in ANOTHER six months!!!

Happy SIX MONTHS HOME, Miss Macy! We love you more than you will EVER know!

P.S. One more thing...I have been AMAZED at the response we've gotten to Macy's adoption video. Completely DUMBFOUNDED, in fact. I've had people- total strangers- from other parts of the country contacting me saying what an impact it's made on their friends and family. And I'll tell ya, folks. That's what I WANT. I want others to see our journey, and to be moved. And prompted. 'Cause ya know what? There's 146,999,999 more Macys out there needing a home.

Our video is finally finished!!

2011-05-03T19:44:00.001-07:00

On Thursday we will celebrate Macy being home SIX MONTHS!!! HALF A YEAR!!! She has now been with us longer than she was in the orphanage and transition home combined. We are AMAZED at this sweet child EVERY SINGLE DAY! It's only taken me six months, but I've finally finished her Adoption Video. For those of you who don't know, I am TOTALLY "computer stupid", so accomplishing this is nothing short of a miracle. I hope you enjoy. I'm also hoping someday I can watch it without needing a tissue.
(NOTE: BE SURE to scroll to the BOTTOM of THIS page, turn off the music on the Playlist - stop is the circle with the two lines, Mom - that way you can hear the music that goes along with the video.)
Oh, and if you'd rather see it FULL SCREEN (the way I like to see it) check it out on Vimeo by clicking HERE.
Okay...NOW you are ready to watch! ENJOY!!!!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Dancin' the Night Away

2011-04-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

Last night Jason took the girls to a local "Daddy - Daughter Dance". He took Hannah last year and she vividly remembers how much fun it was. So she's been literally counting down the days until Friday night. After work last night Jason came home presenting each girl with a tiny wrist corsage. They helped Daddy pick out his suit and tie (notice:pink), I got everyone prissied up, took pics, and off our little princesses went with their prince.
Hours later when they returned Hannah ran in and at the top of her voice screamed, "MOMMA, I ATE STRAWBERRIES AND I DANCED LIKE A CHICKEN". Thus, telling me they had her favorite food and did the Chicken Dance. Apparently, this combination of activities made her night.
It was especially sweet to see Macy all excited about spending the evening with her Daddy. He's the first Daddy she's ever had, and OH HOW SHE ADORES HIM! A far cry from how scared she was of him just five months ago.
Everyone had fun. But GOOD GRIEF is there not such a thing as a "Mommy-Son Dance". Because I know a certain five year old (oh, and ummm...me!) that would REALLY like to go to one.

Showing off their corsages.

Pics from Easter

2011-04-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Houston was there too...for some reason I just didn't get a picture of him from the front. Oh well.

Thoughts on Easter

2011-04-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to a weekend full of egghunts and family. But the BEST part of this Easter holiday is the fact that my older two kiddos "get" what Easter is about this year. Let's face it, Easter isn't as "sweet" as Christmas. With Christmas you get a baby born in a barn under a big shiny star. But Easter...oh Easter...it's painful. And bloody. And humbling. And although I love Christmas, and I am so very thankful that God sent a baby to save me from my sins, it's EASTER that humbles me. It's the fact that His Son, that baby He sent, died for ME and for YOU in a very painful, public way. Do we deserve for Him to do that for us? Heck no. But that is what it is ALL about. The fact that we DON'T deserve his Mercy. His Grace. The fact that I'm a sinner indeed, and that God's only Son died on that cross for me.
Jason and I watched the Passion of the Christ the other night. We went to see it in the theater in 2004 when it was released, but of course being Easter week it's on tv every night. The first time I saw it, I cried like a baby. It's PAINFUL to watch...it really is. But HELLO??!?! that's the point. As I watched it the other night from the comfort of my own couch, I focused a lot on Mary in the film. You see, back in 2004 I wasn't a Mommy yet. Now I'm a Mom to four precious little souls. And as I watched the agony that Mary was in my heart BROKE for totally different reasons than when I watched that movie several years ago. This time I imagined if it was MY son on that cross. Or ANY of my children for that matter. A child that I had held and cuddled and wiped tears from his eyes....and then having to watch my sweet child be beat and spit on and tortured and finally hung naked on a cross to die. Oh the AGONY. And then I think of how that same son of Mary is God's Son. And how it pained Him to see His child suffer like that. AND THEN I thought about how WE are all His children (keep up with me here!) and how it pains Him to see US hurting. And lost. And hungry. And hopeless. And of course, it all came back to Macy for me, as things often do. How God loved her before I ever laid eyes on her. How it hurt Him to see the pain and loneliness our daughter felt. How she now has a hope and a future. Just as WE all have a hope and a future thanks to His Son on the cross two thousand years ago.

And again, I'm humbled.

Happy Easter from The Humphreys.

"Sassy" is apparently a universal language.

2011-04-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

As I've said before, Macy's language skills are CRAZY advanced. We are amazed everyday at how quickly she's picked up our language. Not just English, but our SOUTHERN spin on it. And on top of that, she's totally become a little sass-a-frass as well.

Macy's new favorite phrases:

1. "Mommy! NO TALKING"

2. "NOOOOOO way."

3. "Come here RIGHT now!"

4. "I don't think so."

6. "I don't WAAAAAAANT TOO!"

7. "Hootie did it."

8. "Hands off."

9. "Get outta here."

10. "Watchu doin', Mom?"

Lucky for her, being so stinkin' cute gets her out of trouble for being such a sassy little princess.

Easter Portraits with Live Bunnies!

2011-04-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last year's bunny sessions were such a HUGE success, I've decided to do them again this year! So tell your friends and share the news! No appointment needed!

Portraits with Live Bunnies!

This Saturday!

April 16th, 2011

9am to 12:30pm

At the Beautiful Spring Haven Mansion in Hendersonville

(check them out at: http://www.springhavenmansion.com/)

Price: $20

(includes session and

edited cd of 5 to 10 images)

From more information contact Amanda at 615-308-8793

Directions to mansion: If in Hendersonville, turn on the street right next to Bluegrass Market (Carrington Road). Go straight until you get to the gate. For more in depth directions, visit the website above.

Happy FIVE months home, Miss Macy!

2011-04-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

So last night I fell asleep SITTING UP at the computer while typing a post about Macy being home FIVE months as of yesterday!!! But...alas...this Momma is just tired by the time these crazy kids get in bed at night, so I never got it posted. I'll try again another day. BUT, I am still THRILLED and in DISBELIEF that our girl has been home FIVE MONTHS. Where the heck did THAT time go? (Do you folks out there get sick of me saying that. I bet you do. But GOOD GOSH these kids are growing up too fast.) One more thing, my good friend Cindy and her hubby fell in love with a little girl while on a mission trip to Haiti last year, and now they are adopting her to give her a FOREVER FAMILY. Whoop whoop whoop!!! Anyways, for my local friends out there in Bloggy Land - she is having a HUGEMONGOUS (ehh?) YARD SALE this weekend!!! I mean, it'll be CRAZY BIG! Check out their blog at www.BringBeatriceHome.blogspot.com for details. I'm planning on popping in tomorrow before heading in for kidney stone SURGERY - AGGHHH!!! So maybe some Yard Sale Retail Therapy beforehand will calm my nerves. :) Anyway, I promise to get back to bloggin' soon. Life's just been a bit nutty lately!

Top of the Mornin', to ya!

2011-03-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patty's Day

from the Humphreys!

And yes, believe it or not, this was the BEST picture of the four of them out of the dozen that I took. Granted, all four are smiling. But I have no idea what Macy and Houston are looking and smiling at (since I was the ONLY other one in the yard!). Oh well....I tried!

Hope you all have a fun day!!! We sure have!

Home FOUR months - and a big girl bed!!!

2011-03-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend marked Macy being home FOUR months. Where has that time gone?!?! We are AMAZED at how fast our little princess is growing and changing and TALKING. I'm starting to pack away clothes that she's outgrown (that's what some good southern cookin' will do for ya!) and she's putting together four and five word sentences like a champ. Life is still GREAT and she is adjusting wonderfully (knock..knock...knock on wood). And because she is GROWING so much, she can now hike that little leg right over the top of her crib. So this weekend the crib came down....and the big girl bed went up.

Even though this was a fun milestone for us, it was also a sad one for this Momma. Because... someone else's crib came down this weekend as well.

Yes, in the past 5 years we have owned 4 cribs. This weekend, my last two cribs were disassembled because my freakishly.athletic.toddlers can climb right out of them. As totally dumb as it sounds (because Jason has told me how dumb it sounds) it REALLY made me sad. The fact that I will (probably) never have another baby in a crib again. (I say PROBABLY because we realize that every time we are "content" with the number of kids we have, God laughs at us. BUT, if we EVER did adopt again, it's very doubtful it would be a baby. Thus, my emotional breakdown about taking down my cribs. Sniff. Sniff.)

So it was a big weekend for half of the Humphrey kids. And the other half were excited about the "babies" getting their big beds. Oh, except when Houston stunk up Aidan's room (because he will now be sleeping in a twin bed in his big brother's room), and Aidan starts screaming and crying, "OHHHH NOOOOO! I forgot about him POOPIN'!!!! Get him OUT of here!". Tee hee hee. Yes, we laughed and told him, "Too bad, you are stuck with him".

So HAPPY FOUR MONTHS HOME MISS MACY and enjoy your slumbers in YOUR BIG GIRL BED!!!

Hope you all have a great week!

Seeing Double...well, kinda.

2011-03-01T14:16:00.001-08:00

So I am one of those moms who likes to dress her kids matchy-matchy. I never thought I WOULD be that kind of Mom, but I am. It just makes stuff so much easier. Like, if one of the kids went missing I'd be able to say, "Oh yeah...that's what he's wearing"...and scan the crowd for that outfit. Get my point? No? Oh well, it's not like I am THIS bad:

(No, this isn't my family. Nor do I have any affiliation what.so.evah with this family. However, their heinous outfit choice landed their picture on the internet, thus allowing me to use them as my ridiculous example.)

No, I won't ever do that. I don't think.

Anyyyyyyways.... Okay...where was I? So a couple of weeks ago I dressed Hootie and Macy kinda coordinatin'. They looked cute, so of course I had to snap a few pictures before wranglin' everyone into the Swagger Wagon and head to church.
Later that day I remembered that Aidan and Hannah had worn these same outfits together many moons ago. Okay...well, they wore them in November 2007...however many moons ago that was. Today I had fun looking back through the old pics.

Those pics make this matchy-matchy Momma smile.

Hope you all have a great week!

Mommy-Guilt and God's Provisions

2011-02-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

So today I complete my first week of work in the past six years. You know, "REAL work" - not this stayin' home and eating bon bons business that my hubby thinks I've been doing since I became a Momma. Last week I interviewed and got offered a job up at our church. I was looking for a job keeping kids during the ladies' Bible study, and ended up hearing about a job running our church's coffee shop and bookstore. So I interviewed for it and got called the next day! It's working 30 hours (well, supposed to be 30 hours...but the way I want it to be I'll be putting in more than that I am sure) a week doing everything you can think of that's required to run these two growing ministries in our church (ordering and preparing product, staffing volunteers, etc.). I was really pumped to get the job, and even more pumped to be "bringin' home some bacon" to help out our family of 6. This week's been crazy because there's a 4 day special event going on up at the church that has required the cafe to be open. Plus the normal 6 services that we do every week. So needless to say I've been busy this week. And thennnnnn.....the Mommy Guilt set in. And what's PITIFUL is that I'm working SO much LESS than "real" working Momma's work. My awesome boss is a guy who went to Haiti with Jason and is being SOOO flexible. I made it clear that I was going to rock at the position he was giving me, but that my first job is to my four little bosses. And it's been great. I've worked when the big kids are at Mother's Day Out while my Mom watches Macy and Houston, during naptimes, and evenings when Jason can be here with them all. So it really is the IDEAL job for me. But after about day three I started feeling bad for even going back to work for just part-time. (However, the kids could so far totally couldn't care less.) So I threw myself a little hormonal, over-whelmed pity-party one night and vowed to suck-it-up. So the next night I finished up a few minutes early and was able to sneak into service for a little bit of the praise and worship before heading home to tuck my sweet kids into their beds. While in worship the Lord changed my whole thought process about my new work adventure. Yes, I was excited before by the challenge the new job gave me, but I still thought of it as "working because I HAD to". In service that night it became clear to me that God was once again blessing us with His provisions. We needed some extra income, and this job kind of just landed in my lap. And do you realize just HOW many people right now are looking for jobs in the cruddy economy? So I stood there during worship in awe, once again, of how our Father is providing for our family. In awe of His blessings and provisions. And OH how thankful I am! I'm thankful that I'm able to work at our church which we ADORE, thankful for co-workers that are understanding and super-flexible with my schedule, thankful for my Mom who has graciously committed to chasing a two and three-year-old around two mornings a week, thankful for a supportive husband who has totally rocked at caring for these four crazy kiddos four straight nights this week. So NO MORE Mommy Guilt from me. Just a grateful Momma lookin' forward to another challenge. Oh and the happy, shrill screams of "MOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYYYYYY" when I walk in the door are just a bonus.

Prepare yourself for some cuteness!

2011-02-16T13:14:00.001-08:00

I took Miss Macy down to the Greenway park today to get some energy out in this BEAUTIFUL weather we are having here in middle Tennessee. Oh, it's just gorgeous out (as I type this on the back deck with kiddos swinging on their playground). I took my camera with me so I could snap some pictures of The Princess to mark her being home 3 months. She LOVED playing the creek. Next time we will be going back with our rainboots so she can actually get down and dirty (I wasn't about to let those new Mary Janes get all soggy!).

Her Partner in Crime was along for the fun. Ohhhh the things these two get into!

As you can see I am having loads of fun with my new fancy-smancy photo software. Maybe a little too much fun. :)

Hope you all are having beautiful weather too!

First attempt at a hair-do

2011-02-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

So, I have three sick kids (Macy, Hannah, Houston) and have been stuck in the house all week. What do I do to amuse myself, you may ask? I *pretend* to be able to do a hair-do on Macy. But, "She only has an inch of hair", you may say. Yeah...well...that's why I say "attempt".

If you look really hard you can see four little bundle poofy things in the front of her hair.

Yep, that's about as elaborate as I could do.

Once her hair grows in and is heavy enough to loosen up some, I really do think the child is gonna have some rockin' awesome hair. She's got these tight spirally curls all over her head. I always wanted a curly-headed kid. Well, I've got me one now!

Of course, Macy wasn't the only one who wanted to be sportin' the cool hairstyle. And yes, I totally took a picture AND am posting it on the internet so all of his high school buddies can find it someday. But...ain't he pur-ty? :)

Both kids loved their new hair-dos, and I had fun attempting to try something new. However, I think we will keep relying on Macy's plethora of headbands and bows to accessorize. And in order not to mess-with-his-gender-identity, we will just keep Houston dressed like a boy.

And you may think, "Oh, how ridiculous for her to even try to style hair that is only an inch long". Well I am, in fact, the same Momma that once did this.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

3 months home!!!

2011-02-05T19:41:00.001-08:00

Look who's been home in Tennessee for 3 months tonight!! Whoop whoop! But GOOD GRACIOUS where has that time gone? I mean geesh! - 3 months is a quarter of a year! Has time really flown by that quickly??? And then on the other hand I feel like she's been ours forever. Oh how we just love her to pieces. I can't imagine life without her. And every "lost" piece of paperwork, every extra day we had to wait for our referral, and even counting down the days until we could bring her home are ALL becoming a distant memory. I was reminded of that this week as a sweet friend of mine is waiting to bring home her kiddos - how when you are in that moment it seems like it's taking forever. OH how I cried while I waited to bring our Miss Macy home just TRYING to be patient. And NOW that she's home - that just seems so long ago! She was worth every single day of waiting though!

Unfortunately, Macy's "3 Months Home Anniversary" wasn't all that fun. Both she and Houston were up screaming during the night (very odd for our house since everyone sleeps 12 straight hours) and then I was awoken this morning with Houston puking his guts up. I spent the entire day in the rocker or on the bed cuddling with him. And JUST when he started perking up this evening, Macy spiked a fever of almost 102 degrees. AGHHH! So then the evening was spent cuddling with her on the couch. But that girl is one tough cookie - she's dealing with it much better than her bigger-little-brother. But I WAS able to snap the above picture while we were cuddling tonight. She's even cute when she's sick, ehh?

Happy 3 Months Home, Macy B!!!!

Come on and "like" me!

2011-02-03T22:41:00.000-08:00

Well now that I have my new snazzy jazzy camera and some rockin' awesome editing software, I've decided to step up my photography business a little bit! I am really excited to see what happens with this! I've enjoyed photography for years, and stayed really busy with it while we were saving money to bring Macy home. Well now the sweet girl is home and adjusting beautifully, so Jason and I feel like it's time for me to step it up a notch! I'm launching a "Facebook" page and I'd love you to sign in and "LIKE" it. Check by there often because I am going to be posting about specials, giveaways, and featured sittings coming up this Spring and Summer. (You know, if it EVER gets warm again!)

So sign on into Facebook and "LIKE" my page: Amanda Humphrey Photography!

P.S. I'm wanting to launch a website too - if you know of anyone who does web design, let me know!

Making homemade doughnuts

2011-01-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-01-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

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?

2011-01-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-01-20T21:22:00.001-08:00

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

2011-01-18T21:04:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2011-01-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

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.

2011-01-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

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.

"So, how is Macy adjusting to being in your family?"

2010-12-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard this question, well, I'd have more than just a couple of nickels.
Let me just SHOW you how this child is adjusting:

I mean, SERIOUSLY.

There ya have it, folks. Any further questions on how she's adjusting to life in the Humphrey House? :)

This girl is doin' just fine. It's like she's been here all along, when in reality it'll just be 8 weeks this Friday. Man, how time flies when you are having fun (as noted in the pic above - doesn't every Ethiopian princess need glittery cowboy boots and hat?).

Christmas 2010!

2010-12-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

I was so busy yesterday on Christmas Day that I didn't get a chance to post any pictures about our fun-filled holiday. Plus, we had MORE celebrating to do this evening - and I just now got to sit down and take a look at the pictures I have taken in the past three days. We have had a LOT of fun this Christmas - it's been PERFECT - I LOVE having four little kiddos running through the house full of Christmas excitement!

Here they are waiting to come down the stairs on Christmas morning.

Apparently I wasn't moving fast enough for Houston.

The only thing Hannah wanted for Christmas was a Barbie Jeep.
I've heard that Santa shops Craigslist too. Because there's no way he'd pay $250 for a new one to sit out in our garage. (If it ever gets out of our living room.)
The only thing that Houston wanted was a "CHOO CHOO" (pronounced "Cheeeeewwwww Cheewwwwww"). And although we kind of doubt that he made the "nice list" this year, his precious smile got him his first train (complete with remote controls).

Miss Macy got this sweet Baby Doll and doll buggy. (Along with other stuff - all of which she ignored for this doll and buggy.)

Apparently it's not just for dolls.

Aidan got a rather ghetto, yet AWESOME gift - PVC Pipe! This kid LOVES to build and invent, so Santa was able to pick up 60 feet of pipe and two dozen assorted connectors for right around 5 bucks! He LOVES them! In fact, ALL the kids love them! SCORE! for a cool, cheap gift!

Hootie also got a slide. And he found a lot of different ways to slide down it.

He wasn't the only one who enjoyed the slide.

Our little Rockstar.

What a fun morning!

Opening stockings...

This kid is just a riot. Hence why he gets lots of camera time.

(Notice that Santa is safely buckled up. But the baby is recklessly standing in the back of the jeep as she hitches a ride.)

Macy and Daddy opening gifts at Nana's house tonight.

Okay, my crazy brother and sweet sis-in-law got one of the kids this weird toy. They LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's the oddest toy I've seen - it's made of rubber and they sit on it and jump and bounce like crazy. And Macy jumping on it with her shades on is just too good.

Macy decided that she'd open all the adults gifts as well. Of course since my family adores her they didn't mind the help one bit! This little girl has opened a lot of presents this month! Between her birthday and now Christmas, she's gotten good at ripping through some paper!

It's been a FUN Christmas this year! The kids are at awesome ages and it was so fun to see the wonder in their eyes. I wish I could figure out how to upload video, because Macy just squealed and screamed when she saw what Santa had brought her. She absolutely AMAZES us everyday how "NORMAL" she is - she's just like any regular kiddo - not one who has only been in our country for 7 weeks! How thankful we are that we haven't had any difficult behavior or attachment issues out of her. She's just great! And I really think she enjoyed her first Christmas. Hope you did too!

Delicious!!!

2010-12-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Macy had her first Christmas Craft Day today! My best gal pal and I got our kiddos together to make ornaments, reindeer food, and of course, cookies!!! The cookies were definitely the activity that the kiddos enjoyed the most. (Heck, anything with icing gets my kids super-excited!)

Apparently I was getting a little to close to her precious cookies.

Houston was in Hog Heaven. I caught him more than once sucking the icing straight from the tubes. And we wonder why he's 33 pounds at 2 years old.

Oh that's just lovely, Hannah.

I had some sticky, sugared-up kids when this was all over and done with. But OH how I love making these kinds of memories with my babies! How very fortunate we feel to be entrusted with these four precious children.

And now that the kids are down for naps, I am going to go enjoy me some cookies.

(And NO, they aren't the ones that they decorated. Are you kidding me? Did you see those things?!!)

Oh goodness, she's just so YUMMY!

2010-12-22T11:56:00.001-08:00

Now that our Christmas cards are mailed out (FINALLY!), I can share these incredible pics that my sweet friend Kristen took one week after we got home with Miss Macy. Oh, and the Santa pic was the next week, also by Kristen. I LOOOOOVE these pictures, and can't wait to get some up on my wall!

Oh Be Still My Heart. This is by FAR my favorite. These two are best friends.

They worship the ground that the other walks on. Absolutely PRECIOUS!

This is the "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" look.

We get this look often.

I mean COME ON!!!!

How could EVERYONE not want a little Ethiopian Sweetheart!?!?!

My Fab Four

GORGEOUS!!

There ya have it folks! Oh, well actually Kristen took over 300 pictures - but these were my faves. I'll cherish them forever! It's already fun to look back at them and see how Macy is changing. Her hair is longer and super thick, and she's gaining weight like a champ. Now granted, she still isn't even on the growth chart - but she's gaining just the same!

The Humphreys are gearing up for a fun Christmas! We are looking forward to spending this weekend with our family and friends. We are VERY fortunate that all of our family is local, so we don't have to travel. The kiddos are geared up for Santa (yes, we do Santa in our house), and tomorrow we are making cookies and preparing reindeer food. (Every time Macy sees a Santa or a Santa hat or ANYTHING to do with Santa she yells at the top of her lungs, "HO HO HO!") We do all of this as we emphasize to the kids the REASON for Christmas. We are so thankful for God's love, and the best gift ever - His Son! As Aidan puts it, "Christmas is all about Jesus' birthday. And it's a super great bonus that we get gifts too!". Well - we are workin' on him! Ha!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! We are feeling EXTRA blessed this year with our sweet Macy home to enjoy it with us. It's still kind of hard to believe that she's home FOREVER with us!

Check out this great giveaway!

2010-12-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am not the one doing the giveaway. I honestly don't know what I have that would be worth givin' away. (And no, my sweet Ethiopian Princess is NOT up for grabs.) Wait. (However, I may be able to auction off her little bigger brother.) Ohh. (Ok. I am kidding. I probably would miss him and all his ruckus.)
Okay, moving on. So a sweet friend of mine has a great giveaway on her blog right now, so check it out. SHE is actually the one that led us to our adoption agency, WACAP, which in turn led us to Miss Macy. Her art is gorgeous and unique and just total awesomeness. So check her out at www.PitterPatterArt.wordpress.com

But don't enter her giveaway or anything. Because if YOU win and I DON'T - well, I might just have to come beat ya up.

On that note - have a BLESSED weekend!!!

SNOW!!!

2010-12-13T20:22:00.001-08:00

Our sweet Ethiopian Princess played in the snow for the first time today! Here in Tennessee, we don't get many "good" snows, but this was pretty stinkin' good! Seeing how Macy had never experienced the cold stuff before, I wasn't quite sure how she would react. But OHHHHH how she loved it! She kept screaming, "SNOW! SNOW!". It was so funny! It's hard to believe that just 5 weeks ago she was living in Africa!

Her FAVORITE thing was to do was being pulled in the sled. LOVED it!

What a fun morning! When we came back in I made hot cocoa for everyone. Macy DESPISES milk, (all kinds - strawberry, chocolate, you name it - we've tried it!), but I made her some EXTRA chocolatey cocoa, and that girl DOWNED it. So I am not sure if it was because she actually liked it, or if she was just so frozen she didn't care! Ha!

Hope you all have a wonderful and WARM week!!!

Where'd it go?

2010-12-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

If someone could please tell me where the past 4 years have gone, I'd be eternally grateful.

Yes, our Hannah turns 4 years old tomorrow. When my mind thinks back to the night she was born 4 years ago, I get chills from head-to-toe. You see, it wasn't that sureal experience that women dream and hope for. It was scary and painful. And painful. (Oh, did I already mention that one?) To hear the story of Hannah's birth and first few weeks of life, click HERE. I was determined for Hannah to have her picture taken with Santa for her first Christmas, but she was in the NICU. Anyone recognize this Santa? (Yes, I have a precious, precious husband.)

She was a chunky, happy, precious baby!

And a SPUNKY toddler!

Meeting her new sister for the first time.
She's come a LONG way since those first weeks in the NICU.

Ohhhhh.....how time flies.

MY wish as she blew out those four candles...

that the next four years go by much, MUCH slower.

Happy Birthday Hannahbelle!

We love you!

Happy Birthday to MACY!!!!!!

2010-12-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

Guess who turns THREE today?!?!? Yep, today is Macy's Birthday!!! As I type this she is dancing around my desk in her little tutu singing, "Pappy Dirt-Day to Macyyyyyyy". And I took these pictures of her just a few minutes ago. JUST LOOK AT HOW STINKIN' CUTE SHE IS!!!!

I think this next one is my favorite pic of her ever. It SO shows personality!

I mean SERIOUSLY FOLKS - is she not just the sweetest little thing?!?!? Oh, how we adore this child!
And check out this video below - you won't be sorry. It's pretty powerful stuff! (Just be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to mute my blog music so you can HEAR what's on this awesome video!)

Happy One Month Home, Big Birthday Bash and SNOW!

2010-12-06T10:43:00.001-08:00

Macy has been home one whole month!!! And on her "One Month Home Anniversary" (well, I gotta call it somethin') she woke up to SNOW for the first time ever! (I can say this pretty matter-of-factly, as I doubt she ever saw snow in southern Ethiopia.) She enjoyed standing at the window in her jammies and watching it. Of course we didn't get any accumulation, but I have a snowsuit and sled waiting for her when we do! The other big news for the weekend is that it was PARTY TIME!!!! Houston turned TWO last Thursday, Macy turns THREE on Wednesday, and Hannah turns FOUR on this coming Saturday! Whew! So we threw one great big party for all three of them last night. And let me tell ya, the gift opening was rather overwhelming. Imagine your house on Christmas morning, and then multiply that times about 20. It was C-R-A-Z-Y! The kids got a TON of new toys. It's nuts. Macy rather enjoyed her first birthday party, and even blew out the candles on her cake just perfectly. (If I can figure out how to upload video to the blog, I will.) She enjoyed opening her gifts and playing with all of her new loot. Folks you would be SHOCKED to see this girl! You would never know she's only been home ONE MONTH! She fits right in with all the kiddos, and can even hold her own when push comes to shove. (Oh, and she will totally tell you off in her native language. I have no clue what she's saying when she's wagging that finger, but I am pretty sure it isn't nice.)

Three yummy cakes!

Blowing out her candles.

The Birthday Girl and her cake!

Opening gifts.

Yes. I do in fact have my hands full.

Happy One Month Home Macy! And a BIG Happy Birthday to Hootie, Macy and Hannah Lee! Wowzers - you guys are fun! We love you TONS!

6 years and Counting....

2010-12-03T22:36:00.000-08:00

Six Years Ago Today
December 3, 2004

And Today
December 3, 2010

My how time flies when you are having fun. And having babies.

Happy Birthday, Hootie!!!

2010-12-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

In less than an hour, my miracle baby is going to turn two years old. If you haven't heard about how he is our miracle, you can read about that here. For the child that amazed the specialists by even being born, he hasn't stopped amazing us since he burst into this world (Thank You Sweet Jesus for ridiculously fast labors. Amen.). Those first minutes after he was born on December 2nd, 2008 were filled with many tears. (And FYI - I wasn't cryin' at the previous two births. Okay, maybe crying from the pain, but that's it.) We cried because we KNEW that the power of prayer had gotten that preciously perfect 8 lb. baby into the world. But I was also crying because this was THE PRETTIEST BABY EVER BORN. No really. YOU think your baby was pretty. Nope. Mine was. And I can say this honestly because my other two homegrown kiddos weren't as perfectly pretty (God love'em.) He really was THAT pretty. I mean look. He was about a half an hour old at this picture. I told you. And he stayed that beautiful. He has these amazingly gorgeous blue eyes and to-die-for eyelashes. But was even more INCREDIBLE is that he was the BEST baby ever. The kid slept through the night at 6 weeks old. He ate and laughed and was PERFECT. He was laid back and happy as can be. He really was just a joy to be around. He was awesome.

But as history has proved with my kids, the terrible screamin' demon babies turn into rockin' awesome toddlers. And well, the perfect, sweet, amazing babies turn into this...

(Here I am pretty sure he is crying over the heinous haircut.)

Yes, about 4 months ago my perfect Houston James turned into a hellion. And it's not that he's just bad ALL the time. (Don't get me wrong, he can be plenty bad.) But he's just a HURRICANE! He can't walk 3 steps without making some kind of a horrid mess out of something. It can be ANYTHING, and he can destroy it. Books, curtains, food - ANYTHING. As Jason says, "The Force is strong with this one".

But he's such a Momma's Boy and a total little lover. When he isn't hitting and poking, he's giving hugs and kisses. Of course, the problem there is that he's so stinkin' big (32 lbs at 23 months; only 7 lbs. lighter than Aidan, who is five), he usually knocks little Macy over just trying to be sweet. And every once in a while I am lucky enough to catch one of these....

But more often than not, I am usually catching him doing something like this instead...

And here he is today....still gorgeous, but a TOTAL HANDFUL. If you'd told me two years ago, during months of being on bedrest, that I'd get to wake up to this every morning (screaming "MAAA MAAA MAAA!" from the crib we have had to make into a makeshift cage to keep him from climbing out of it) - I'm not sure I would have believed you. But oh Dear Lord...I am so glad I can.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Hootie!

Mama and Daddy love you!

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

2010-12-01T15:39:00.000-08:00

Wahoooo!!!! for December!!! It is in fact the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year".
As I was mixing up a yummy family tradition today, I thought it might actually be of some interest to a couple of you ladies out there.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

You will need these items:

1 (16 oz) container of Coffemate Creamer (original)
Nonfat Dry Milk - entire box that makes 8 quarts
2 cups powdered sugar
2.5 lb container of Nestlee Quick powder (original)

Mix all ingredients in a HUGE container. I like to use this clear-ish one so I can look and see if I mixed it up real good. I made some today to give as party favors at the kiddos' party this weekend. I'm wrapping them up in cello bags with a candy cane attached (for stirring it up - yum!), and a note for mixing directions. "Fill mug 1/3 full of mix and add either hot water or hot milk." For some extra festive fun I top the mix with mini marshmallows and sprinkles . The helpers at my kiddos preschool will be receiving it as well.

Just thought I'd share! Make ya some and get in the holiday mood!

Oh, and P.S.. I am totally typing this with one hand and with two naked babies on my lap. We are potty trainin' here, ya'll.

Thankfulness

2010-11-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

"Give THANKS to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever" Psalm 136

Jason and I have A LOT to be thankful for this year. First and foremost, we are thankful for God, who sent His son Jesus to pay our debt. We are absolutely nothing without Him. Second, we are thankful for our family and friends who are just LIKE our family (you know who you are!), who have been loving and supportive during this very eventful year.

And of course, we are sooooo thankful for these 4 precious babes that are our world:

The Bible says that children are a gift from the Lord, and boyyyyyy do we fill blessed! Each of them have their own little personalities, and being their parents is a complete privilege. We are also thankful for the many things the Lord has taught us in the past year. Mostly, He has taught us about obedience. Deciding to start the adoption process was ALL about obedience. We knew it was going to be hard. And expensive. And possibly inconvenient and painful at times. But the verse that "sealed the deal" for us was Proverbs 24:12 - "Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, KNOWS WHAT WE KNOW and holds us responsible to act". Wowzers. Once we read that, we KNEW that we had to be obedient to His calling for our family to adopt. He KNEW we were being convicted about the orphan crisis in the world. And after all, not obeying is DISOBEDIENCE, and heck fire - I know better than to be disobedient to the Lord's Will. I mean, I don't want to be standing at the Pearly Gates someday and say, "Well God, adoption was going to be hard. And expensive. And possibly inconvenient and painful at times. So we decided not to." Yeah....not going that route, folks. And because of our obedience to Him, look who we had at our Thanksgiving table this year!!!

Wow. What a gift indeed! What an AMAZING reward to our obedience! And to be thankful for Miss Macy, means that we need to be thankful to one more person today. Someone who is now another member of our family. And that would be our daughter's birthmom. I really debated on whether I should show her picture or even discuss her on our blog, but I think as a rightful member of our family, it is okay. Our sweet daughter indeed has two mothers, and we don't ever want her to forget about her first momma. This precious, quiet, little lady tried her very hardest to raise our daughter for over two years. And when she finally realized that she couldn't give her daughter the life that she had wished, she relinquished her in hope that someone else could provide her with it. When we asked her, "What would you like us to tell (Macy) Bereket someday when she asks us why you relinquished her, her answer was, "Because she is the youngest, and she deserves a better life than what I can give her here". Can you imagine the pain? No matter how selfless an act it is, it's still painful. This sweet lady has been a mom for over fifteen years. I can't imagine how hard it would be to take your youngest baby somewhere and have to leave her. Honestly, I can't imagine. But she understood what was best for her child, and because of that we have the honor of being her parents. It makes me very happy knowing that we will be able to have communication with Macy's birthmother throughout the years. We promised her we'd send her pictures and updates, and she was very appreciative. And today, we are thankful for her.

So this year, Thanksgiving is even more special to us. We have one more kiddo at the dinner table, but we also have all the lessons that we have learned in our process of bringing her home. And for all of that, we give thanks.

Happy Turkey Day, ya'll!

Our Sleeping Beauty

2010-11-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

So I know I haven't really posted much about our trip. All of our recent posts have been about how Miss Macy is doing now that she's home. So I am going to post pictures of our trip a little at a time, and a blurb regarding the pic. The above picture is of Macy taking her nap at the hotel on our "Gotcha Day". Notice she's wearing her hairbow and shoes, and gripping her toy for dear life. Well, that's because she would throw a TOTAL FIT if you dared to remove her bow, or come anywhere near her shoes! I'm talking hysterical, on the ground, screaming tantrum. We realized it's because she probably had never had any of those "accessories", and wasn't about to let go of them without a fight! I decided it wasn't a battle worth fighting that first week, so she slept in bows and shoes for about 4 days before she'd let us coax her out of them. Now that we are home, it's absolutely no big deal to change clothes or remove hairbows and shoes. But the girl LOVVVVVES to feel pretty. Even when we were in Ethiopia she would stand in front of the big, floor length mirror and strike some awesome poses. She loves wearing her big hairbows and headbands - in fact, if she doesn't have one on she'll go fetch one out of her room. And her favorite part of our house is the shoe basket next to the door where we all dump our shoes. She will sit at that basket and try on every stinkin' pair. It's the funniest thing! Jason calls her a total diva. I say the girl just likes to accessorize!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-11-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

Yep - The Humphrey Family Christmas Tree went up tonight. I figured, heck - if everyone else is putting their stuff up, then dog-gone-it, so are we! And OF COURSE I had to put the kiddos in their coordinating pjs for them to "help" "decorate" the tree. I am using both of those words rather loosely, as it took me longer to undecorate and redecorate the tree after they were done. And if Houston takes the ribbon off one more time, ohhhh...gosh...I don't know what I will do. But I'll tell you one thing, it's not gonna be good, folks. Anyway, Macy thought it was a bit funny that we had a tree INSIDE THE HOUSE. But she got into the decorating right away. Now, as far as the Santa pillows and stuffed snowmen around the house, well - she could totally do without them. This evening when she thought nobody was looking, I saw her beating the crud out of one of the snowman all while yelling, "NO NO NO!" to poor ole Frosty. Not quite sure what her dislike of any kind of stuffed animal/snowman/Santa/My Little Pony is, but it's not a great relationship so far.
As for our girl that's been HOME for two weeks tonight - well, she's just P-E-R-F-E-C-T. I mean God knew EXACTLY what kind of kid we needed around this house, and He picked her just for us! She is the funniest, quirkiest, sweetest thing there ever was. She is adjusting just AWESOME, and we feel like she's been around The Humphrey House forever. She fits in just perfectly. (The joke right now is that she's currently the best-behaved kid in the house. The other three kids have a baaaaaad case of the Christmas Crazies. Luckily, she has no clue what's about to hit next month with the Birthday and Christmas Chaos headed her way!) Her language is developing SOOO fast - we just can't believe it. The other day she and I were in (my-all-time-favorite-store) Target, and she was sitting in the cart playing and hid something in a bag. So she looks at me and says, "Mommy, where'd it go? GONE!". I bust out laughing! Because not only did this little girl that had only been in the country for 11 days have the thought process to hide something and want to tease me - she actually verbalized it in English! Her current favorite words are "No No Hootie", "NOOOOOO Hootie!", and "Mommy, Hootie NO NO!". Okay, she does say more than that, those are just the ones I hear the most. She also says "More", "Thank you", "Night Night", "I love you", "Book", "Ball", "Go", "Come", "Baby", "Bye bye see you later!" and all kinds of other stuff. And she understands SOOOO much! We are totally amazed!
Just wanted to share some Precious Cuteness to start off your weekend! We are headed to see Santa tomorrow, so we will see how that goes!

Minus One

2010-11-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

Although the National Orphan Sunday was last Sunday, our church celebrated today. We thought it was a perfect day to wear our fundraiser t-shirts. And OF COURSE I had to snap some pictures before we loaded up the van and headed to church. There's AT LEAST 147 Million Orphans in the world. Minus One! Have YOU ever hurt for the plight of the orphan? We are SO honored that God broke our hearts for what breaks His. Look at this precious child of His! Look what we have been blessed with because we did what HE WANTED US TO DO! What a HUGE GIFT we have received for just being OBEDIENT!
There's 147 Million more out there folks!

Have a great week!
Oh, and P.S.: I love the pics of Macy and Hootie. Because that is SOOOO their relationship. They love each other, but he totally drives her crazy.

One week...

2010-11-12T21:35:00.001-08:00

As of tonight we have been home with Miss Macy for one week. And WHEW! What a week it has been! It's honestly an adventure every day discovering her little (or not-so-little) personality! Each day brings new discoveries. I'd say that 90% of the day is absolutely perfect. We play, giggle, tickle and cuddle. The other 10% of the day I am either breaking up "fights" between her and Houston, or trying to calm a tantrum. Yes, she is two-years-old, and she can throw one good tantrum! Imagine being ripped from everything you ever knew, being flown across the world, having three new In-Your-Face siblings that you can't understand a word of what they are saying. So to be honest about it all - our girl has moments where she gets very, very frustrated. But I know that is fear. And some anger. She has had some BIG changes in the past 5 months of her life. We have had over a year to prepare for her, and to be excited about her arrival...and she didn't quite "get the memo", if you know what I mean. She DIDN'T get the chance to prepare for all these changes. Now don't think I am complaining...because I am not. I'm just relaying what we are learning, in case you are lucky enough to witness one of these Award Winning Tantrums.

The fun stuff...well, it's FUN! She is SO DANG FUNNY! This girl can make some funny faces that will just knock your socks off. And she has some major dance moves. And she loves to kiss and cuddle. And even though she and Houston drive each other crazy, they are also best friends. No matter how many times he whacks her on the head (with a shoe, toy, or mini golf club), she STILL follows him around everywhere. Don't worry - she's one tough cookie and can give the "affection" right back to her bigger-little brother.

As for Jason and I...we are getting used to being the parents of 4 children ages 5 and under. It's work, folks. And no...I didn't think that it WOULDN'T be work. I knew that. It's just bussssssy right now. Aidan and Hannah are doing pretty good. But poor Hootie is totally in "defense mode" of his rightful place on Momma's hip. And it just so happens that is where Macy wants to be too. So whoever isn't on my hip at any given moment is usually voicing his/her opinion about not being there. Let's just say that I feel very, very loved. :)

So, here's Macy's "1st Week Accomplishments":

1. Knows her name and responds to it.

2. Knows all of our names. And her Nana's.

3. Likes any kind of pasta you put in front of her. And bananas. And eggs.

4. Will nod or shake her head in response to your questions. We are amazed at how much she's starting to understand.

5. Today's language development: "NO, NO Hootie!" :)

6. Loves shoes and hairbows.

7. Loooooves to dance.

8. Slid down a slide for I believe the first time ever. And liked it.

9. Has learned how to go up and down stairs. (Never had to learn this skill before.)

10. Rode in an elevator, car, stroller, and swing. And is cool with all that.

This is what it's all about, folks. On the good days and the bad. This is what we get to wake up to each morning. Now try to tell me that's not worth all the work.

Love this girl!

The test results are in....

2010-11-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

We just got the call from the pediatrician's office that we'd been waiting for. Our sweet girl is HEALTHY! All bloodwork came back perfect, and we couldn't be more thankful! Jason and I had already decided that no matter what the results were, we know that this child is ours, and God has picked us to be her parents no matter what. But WHEW! What a relief knowing that there aren't any medical surprises!
Macy is doing awesome! She's LOVING her siblings, and they all love her. Even Houston! Ha! Jason and I are doing well, and the jet-lag is sloooooowly getting better.
I'm about to head to the store with three kids ages three and under - let's see if I survive!

To the doctor we go...

2010-11-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

This morning we took Macy for her first check-up with our family pediatrician. We LOVE this man! He has been with us through a lot since we became parents over five years ago, and completely trust him with our babies. Macy did wonderful with him, which was a relief. (She sometimes takes a while to warm up to strangers, especially men.) He said she looks great! Some of the concerns we had for her aren't even on our radar anymore! She appears to be a healthy, spunky 2 year old. Oh, and we asked his opinion on her age as well. When we first visited her during our court trip, we were fairly certain that she was younger than what paperwork stated. But now that she is healthy, and we've been able to get to know her, we think she is in fact close to three years old. She can zip zippers, work puzzles, fasten latches, and walk backwards. She sings and dances. All things that a child closer to three-years-old would be doing. Dr. E agrees and we are just going to leave her birthdate on December 8th.
After his initial examination and my zillion questions, he then asked to pray over our sweet girl. It gave Jason and I chills to hear him speak so eloquently about how God has already written all the days of this precious child's life, and thanking Him for placing us in her life as her parents.
And let me tell ya folks, we NEEDED those prayers for next came next. The needles and more needles. My poor girl got FIVE shots, ONE TB test, and TWO blood draws. It was AWWWWWWFUL!!! The sad thing was that she really was brave, but a little girl can only take so much pokin' and proddin'. At one point she was screaming, "MOMMMMMMYYYY....MOMMMMYYYY!". It totally broke this Momma's heart. All test results should be in this week. We aren't expecting any surprises. OH...and we get to go back in 4 weeks for more shots. (That's what happens folks when your child has no known immunization record!)
Oh - please note - the above pic is of our sweet girl this morning BEFORE her torturous doctor's appointment.

He places the lonely in families...

2010-11-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

We are home. ALL of us. And I am adjusting to being the mother of four kiddos, ages 5 and under. And I couldn't feel more blessed. It's funny, because in the past several weeks we have heard multiple times, "Oh, she's such a lucky little girl." Really? Because WE feel like the lucky ones. God took a precious little girl, from half a world away and not made of any of our DNA, and placed her perfectly into our family. She's quirky. She's independent. She's strong-willed. And she's OURS. WE get the privilege of raising this little girl. WE get to see her big toothy smile each morning. WE get to cuddle her during her two-year-old girl tantrums. WE get to be her moral compass. WE get to teach her about the love of her Heavenly Father.

No folks...she's not the lucky one. We most CERTAINLY got the better end of this deal!

Slight delay

2010-11-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

The Humphrey's flight from Houston left just a few minutes late, and they will now be arriving in Nashville between 5:30-5:35.

Sarah

Welcome Home Party!

2010-11-05T13:11:00.001-07:00

Amanda just called from the plane in Houston. They are leaving on time, so the welcome home party will be at 5:30 as planned just outside security! The Nashville airport website actually says they will be a few minutes early (landing at 5:12), and as of now, they will be coming into the A concourse. See you soon!

Sarah

Fun Day!

2010-11-03T15:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the most recent update from Amanda. They leave Ethiopia tomorrow!!!!

Sarah

We've had a fun day today! Macy has REALLY come out of her shell. Tonight she has been talking a lot, and she'll say: Mommy, Daddy, Aidan, Hannah, Hootie, Nana (all from pictures in her book), ball and shoes. She'll also say "I luv youuuuuuuuu", which is so stinkin' cute in her little accent. She's coming up to us and kissing us for no reason at all. We are amazed at how much we can already love this little girl. She's understanding a lot of what we tell her, and we have picked up a lot of her language. But she'll just sing and talk up a storm and we have no clue at all what it is most the time. Right now she's standing at the wall pouting about who knows what. She's a total diva - it totally cracks us up.

Jason and I started packing as soon as we woke up this morning. Granted, we had like 36 hrs before heading to the airport. But we are soooo anxious to get on that plane, we were very happy to start putting stuff in suitcases! I am praying Macy does well on the plane. She's really well-behaved, so I think we might be okay. She loves to eat, so I am packing plenty of snacks. And she goes to sleep when I tell her to (in bed, in the van, laying on me in the carrier), so I am hoping she sleeps just fine. We will see!

We passed Embassy!

2010-11-02T14:46:00.001-07:00

I've copied Amanda's e-mail update below. Praise God!

Sarah

Our embassy appointment today went great. Except for when Macy threw a fit because I fussed at her for throwing Jason's wedding ring across the room. And Lordy....she's loud when she cries. But other than that - wonderful! We are still due to leave Thursday evening. We should have her visa that afternoon.
I am sitting here waiting for more Italian take-out. We are over the Ethiopian food. Except Macy, of course. She's in there eating her traditional food. Hope she can adjust to chicken tenders and casseroles once we get home. (She does eat pizza though...we've already discovered that!)
Things are still going great except we are VERRRRRRRRY ready to come home.

Quirky girl!

2010-11-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Amanda's e-mail update from this morning is below. Their embassy appointment is tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1 PM (5 AM CST)!!!!!

Sarah

Hello again! We went to the Goodbye Ceremony today. Macy did just fine. At one point Jason and I were out of her sight, and she started screaming and ran to Jason. This was actually good because it showed that she trusts Jason. And even when I was next to him, she stayed in his arms. Right now we are in the office at the guesthouse where some traditional dancing and music is on tv and she is just groovin away watching it. She's gonna have to teach the other kids some African dance moves. Pretty funny. We are seeing A LOT of her funny little personality. I talked with her Nanny today, and she said that she has "a very strong personality". It's good to know that it's not just with me and Jason. Today I asked her if she wanted a banana, she nodded, so I went to peel it and she grabbed it, threw it on the floor, and ran to go pout in the corner. She is VERY independent. OH! Dinner just arrived! I found an Italian place that will deliver. Gosh, I hope it's good!!!

October 31st update

2010-11-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here is Amanda's e-mail update from yesterday. Sorry it is a day late!

Sarah

Macy is doing really well. She slept 11 straight hours last night, and woke up perfectly happy. She is having some BAD diapers, so that has been very interesting. (And I think our housekeeper is going to end up hating us as she's changed the bedspread on Macy's bed too many times.) She LOVES LOVES LOVES me. But, Jason....not so much. We are having to work on that. I don't think she's been around too many men. She's okay with him if I am sitting with her, or if he has food. But other than that, she screams bloody murder if he tries to hold her. If he tries to play with her she'll either stick out her lip and put her head down, or she'll throw a toy. We are starting to see more of her little personality. This morning she was dancing to some African music and smiling. She's really smart. I am starting to think she might actually be close to the age the dr originally gave her. She LOVES getting dressed. And if you take off her shoes or hairbow she screams and cries. Yesterday I finally just let her nap with both on. As soon as I did that she was asleep in 2 minutes. She'll look in the mirror at herself and kind of "pose". It's pretty funny.

I had a kidney stone hit in the middle of the night last night. At first I though it was just pain from the bed, but soon realized what it was. I ended up taking some prescribed pain killers (that I brought just in case this happened) and drank a lot of water. I woke up when Macy did at 9am feeling great. So hopefully it's okay for right now.

Talk to you all soon! Going to try to make Macy play with Jason!

She smiles!

2010-10-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

First night with Macy

2010-10-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest update from Amanda! Thanks for your continued prayers.

Sarah

Macy did GREAT last night. She fell asleep as soon as we laid her in her bed, and slept a full 10 hours!!!! Of course, Jason and I barely slept because we were watching and listening for her all night long. She is a VERY noisy, but sound sleeper. And she moves all over the bed! Since there are so many little babies here, and the cribs are all taken, she is in a twin roll-away bed. I was just sure she was going to fall out during the night and bust her noggin'! She ate great for breakfast, and has been doing wonderfully. She prefers to be held by me, but laughs and grins every time Jason plays with her. (He tends to get all the smiles!)So far, life is going good!

Gotcha Day!

2010-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Amanda still can't log in to update the blog, but here is her facebook status:

"October 29th, 2010: Macy Bereket Humphrey's "Gotcha Day." We have a very wide-eyed little girl in our arms. Forever."

Sarah

Safe in Ethiopia

2010-10-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

Amanda called me earlier today to let me know that they arrived safely in Addis. They will be seeing Macy in the morning (about 2:30 AM CST), and she said she will update the blog after that. Amanda and Jason are both feeling good and were headed to the hotel to get some sleep. Thanks for praying!!!

Sarah

Off we go!

2010-10-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

We leave for the airport in about 8 hours to begin the journey to bring our sweet girl HOME FOREVER! I can't wait to get my hands back on her! We will arrive in Addis, Ethiopia on Wednesday, visit her at the transition house on Thursday and Friday, then take custody of her on Saturday. Tuesday is our appointment at the Embassy, and we head home on Thursday evening after receiving her visa. We will arrive (hopefully!) at the Nashville airport at 5:23pm Friday evening. We'd LOVE to have a group there welcoming our little girl to Tennessee! (See details in prior post!)
While we are gone, please pray for the following:
1. Safe travels. Let's make that "Safe, undelayed travels". :) Especially on our way home.
2. Macy's health. When we left her several weeks ago she had a raspy cough. I am praying for healing so she comes home happy and healthy.
3. That she begins to bond quickly. Our last visit makes me think this should not be an issue - but you never know with a two-year-old!
4. Our health. I think I am fighting the stomach bug that the kiddos have had this week. Jason hasn't had it yet, so I am hoping he stays free and clear of the germs. I am also fighting kidney stones in both kidneys. Praying they wait to "hit" until we get home.

Well...back to packing! I will be updating my Facebook page and blog as much as possible - so stay tuned!

Amanda

Welcome Home Party!!!

2010-10-21T09:39:00.001-07:00

Lots of you have asked about welcoming us home at the airport when we arrive back on Tennessee soil with our sweet Macy. Well, now that we finally have our flights booked, I can plan it!
We are flying home on Continental Flight 2474 from Houston. It is due to arrive at 5:23pm on Friday evening, November 5th. We would LOVE to have a big group there welcoming our little girl home!
We'd like for everyone to meet us right on the other side of security, which is upstairs from the baggage claim area. You will be able to check our flight status to see which concourse we will be arriving in. Just be looking for Aidan, Hannah and Houston toting their signs. Surely you won't miss them! (I CANNOT WAIT for them to meet their new sister!!!!!)
My friend, Sarah, is going to be updating our blog and my Facebook page with our flight status, so you can check either to see if we are arriving on time or not.

Hope to see you at the airport at 5:30pm on Friday, November 5th!!! (What better do you have to do on a Friday evening?!?!?!) :)

Now, back to packing!
Amanda

New birth certificate and HAIR!

2010-10-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today we received an email attachment of Macy's new birth certificate. We are listed as her parents, and her new legal name is "Bereket Jason Humphrey". Ha! That's how they do it until we get her home and legally change her name to "Macy Bereket Humphrey". But what I was SO tickled about is that attached to the certificate is a picture they just took - and my girl HAS HAIR! While at the orphanage they had been shaving her head, but it looks like now that she's at the WACAP House they may be letting it grow. I think she looks so precious! Of course, she has the typical "Macy Scowl" on her face, which is not surprising at all. Every picture we have of her she has the same expression. It's just gonna make that first smiling picture that more special! Anyway, just wanted to share!

Meet Macy

2010-10-06T11:41:00.001-07:00

Macy's birthmom brought her valid ID card to the courthouse in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this morning, thus relinquishing rights to her sweet little girl. As sad is this is for her, we are thankful to be able to bring Macy home to receive proper medical care, food, and housing.
Here's a video of pictures of our newest addition. Be sure to turn off the blog music at the bottom of the page before you start the movie (as it has music as well).

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oh my.

2010-10-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

As I sit here typing this blog post, and trying to think of a "title", nothing profound comes to mind. The last 4 days have been an unimaginable wonder and an total mess. "Oh My" really does describe it best. Let's see...where to start.

Thursday morning we woke up early (as we did everyday in Ethiopia, thanks to the "call to prayer" chanting. And the dogs. And the roosters.) and arrived at the courthouse around 10am. A few minutes later, as we were sitting in the lobby outside the judge's office, Macy's birth mother walked in. I recognized her from a picture I gotten at the orphanage. She's beautiful and tiny, and I tried not to stare at her, although I felt her eyes on me as well. We locked eyes a couple of times, and did that weird, uncomfortable smiling thing. After sitting there for a while, she was called into the judge's chambers. A few minutes later she came out. Not long afterward it was our time to go see the judge. In typical "Amanda-fashion" I had totally over-prepared for court. I had this whole script written up and had rehearsed with Jason which questions he would answer and which ones I would take. (Of course, I gave him the easy ones!) Everything went fine (it only lasted about 4 minutes), until at the end she says, "I am so sorry to tell you but the birthmom has lost her ID card, and can't legally relinquish her child without it." I was SURE that I had heard wrong, so I asked her to repeat it. She did, and then I got cold and clammy and wanted to vomit. I COULD NOT believe we had come this far, and now we couldn't technically "pass" court due to a lost ID card. The judge, and our WACAP guy, Ato Teklu, (a former Supreme Court justice) said they had both never seen this happen before. OF COURSE! BECAUSE IT WAS US!!!! I was so upset. When we came out of the courtroom all the other adoptive families, each of who had passed court with no problems, came up hugging and congratulating us. We had to tell them what had happened - erg. Not fun. So now the birth mom has an appointment to come back on Wednesday morning (which will be Tuesday night for us) with a new ID card. I have been promised that staff will get her there. I am holding my breath until I get notified that everything is official.

After court we were driven to WACAP House, which is where Macy will be moved to on Monday. This is a home owned by our agency where she will live until we come pick her up. In the orphanage she was one of 51 kids. At WACAP House she will be one of 6. So I am cool with that. I have already stressed how I want her seen by a dr immediately to be sure her nasty cold doesn't turn into anything worse. She also has a bad case of ringworm (which, I have learned is in fact NOT a worm, but a fungus like athlete's foot) that looks like she is being treated for. But hence why they keep shaving her head to treat it with ointment. I am praying for more specific medical care while she is at WACAP house. So anyway, WACAP House was nice and clean. We got to see her bed and leave her a baby doll and some toys (see pic below) for when she arrives tomorrow. We toured the whole campus and I was impressed with what I saw. You know, as far as institutionalized care in Ethiopia goes.

Not long after we toured the facility, the van of birth relatives arrived. After everyone had some coffee and popcorn (traditional hospitality stuff), we were able to meet with Macy's birth mother (we refer to her as Macy's "tummy mommy" to our kids at home). We sat down outside in some plastic lawn chairs with the woman who tried her hardest for two years to care for this precious child. I had two pages of questions to ask her, along with a dictophone to record the conversation. (Of course, the dictaphone with new cassette and fresh batteries is worthless when I forget to turn it on. Oh well.) Our questions had to go through two translators. One translated our English into Amharic. The next translated the Amharic into Sidama. This of course made several questions literally get "lost in translation". We could tell that she was nervous. She barely made eye contact, and fiddled with her hands a lot. She looked through the scrapbook I made for her to keep (with pics of Macy, our home, our other three kids, etc.). I could tell she appreciated this gift and I was so glad I spent the time making it "just perfect". We asked lots of questions, each of which she shyly answered. Several answers were very hard for Jason and I to hear, but we are so glad we had such an amazing opportunity to spend time with Macy's first momma. One question that blessed my heart was answered by hearing that she is a Christian. I adore the fact that Macy will meet her momma in Heaven again someday. When we were done with the questions, I asked if she would take her picture with us. She removed the scarf from her head (she had great hair!), tried to "fix up" like all of us ladies do before someone snaps a photo of us, and clung to Jason and I as our picture was taken together. I loaded the pictures last night, and LOVE that she has a big smile in one of them. We then finished with lots of hugging and "thank you's". Jason and I went back inside and cried our eyes out. Good tears, sad tears - lots of tears. When we left the campus in the van I turned around and saw her feverishly waving goodbye to us. My heart was happy.

Needless to say, after court not going as planned and the emotional birthmom meeting, I was emotionally "spent" that afternoon when we needed to get ready to head to the airport. As I was packing our bags, Jason went to pay for our stay at the guesthouse. He came back saying that the credit card, which we hadn't used the whole trip, wouldn't work. He tried it down at the hotel. It was declined six times. So then he headed to the bank to try to use it to withdraw money. (And he took the stinkin room key with him, which left me locked out of the room with lots of packing left to do!) He comes back and says it still won't work. By now I am sweating. Our awesome WACAP guy came and convinced the clerk to let us pay them on our next trip. Awesome! (Please be advised that if you are travelling internationally you will need to call Mastercard so they will allow you to use it out of the country. I was obviously never made aware of this extremely important detail.) So I finally breathed a sigh or relief, frantically packed up the rest of our stuff, and ran to the taxi. We got to the airport a few minutes late, and were NOT prepared for the flurry of traffic. Okay. Imagine a city with 3.5 million people. With no traffic lights. Now imagine the airport. One word: Mass Chaos. Okay, that's two words. But you get the picture.

When we finally get inside the airport, I start crying because I don't want to leave Macy. But then the airport security guy goes through my luggage, takes out the air mattress, asks us what it is (because apparently it looks like a bomb???), and has us inflate it. In the middle of the airport. More mass chaos. Finally, after I realize I shouldn't be telling him that it uses batteries to "blow up", we get repacked and head to the ticket counter. We are then met by an overly-smiley KLM Airline agent who tells us that the plane will be at least 2 hours late. Bummer, but no problem. We can still barely make our connecting flight. So for two hours I sit and cry while Jason politely tells me to "get a grip" as I throw myself a pity party missing Macy. Two hours passed. And then three. We are then told that the plane has been in an "accident" on the tarmac in Sudan, and will not be able to fly. Something about the wing being damaged. So the flight is delayed for 24 hours. After hours and hours and some more hours of waiting for a plan, at 3:30 am they check us into the Hilton. (Please remember at this time we are out of $$$ with a credit card that won't work. I was a bit irrational.) We fall asleep and wake around noon on Friday morning. We called home (with me sobbing) and tell our family about the change of plans, and that we should arrive home at the same time the next day. We arrive at the Craziest Airport in the Universe again at 8pm that night, get to the gate in time, and then the unimaginable happens. And when I say unimaginable - I mean really, folks - I can't make this stuff up. The dreaded KLM agent comes out and says that the plane has arrived, but that something is wrong and they will make an announcement in 30 minutes. My heart starts racing. 30 minutes later she says they need another 30 minutes. By now, all the people who had now been delayed for 25 hours, became a bit, well....restless. One man was mad because he was going to be fired from his job for not being there, another family adopting sweet nine month old baby twin girls was sick - meaning both parents and babies were puking their guts up, and THIS MOMMA was a crying mess because I just wanted to get home to my other three kiddos. So, the imaginable: Miss Perky KLM Agent announce to the mob of angry, tired travelers that the plane outside was the same plane that was in the accident yesterday. And it hadn't been fixed. And due to something with fuel and aerodynamics, we would all be leaving our luggage in Ethiopia and she needed to see a show of hands of who felt safe getting on the plane. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP! They left it up to a mob vote to see if the plane would fly. SERIOUSLY! So by now I am a sobbing mess, saying that I am never gonna get out of Ethiopia. Jason and I decide not to fly, as we didn't feel like it was 100% safe. I call my folks (paying $3 a minute and almost completely out of money) and between sobs that are breaking their hearts, tell them that we aren't getting on the plane and have no idea when we would be getting home. (As KLM did not have a "backup plan" for us.) Before using the phone I had asked if the pilot could come out and talk with us. (Yes, I am a Botts - I do stuff like that. It's in my DNA.) After getting off the phone, he comes to me, tells me reassuring stuff, takes me to the window to show me the broken part of the plane, and Jason and I make a rash decision to get aboard. (Some people still stayed behind. I bet they are still in Ethiopia!) We pray for a safe flight and fall asleep not long after take-off. Obviously the plane did not crash, and every passenger cheered and clapped when we landed safely in Amsterdam. Once in Amsterdam I quickly ran to the KLM desk to try to get our connecting flights worked out. Instead of going through Detroit as previously planned, they had us going through Minneapolis. Yeah....um....Minneapolis isn't exactly close to Nashville. (I know this because I actually asked Jason if we could just rent a car and drive home. Remember me? The irrational momma?) The agent at the desk tells me to "take a number". My number:130. I wait for 45 minutes as only 5 people are helped. I started sobbing, cut line, and spilled my guts to the agent at the desk. She took pity on me and got us seats on a plane leaving soon to Detroit. So we fly to Detroit in 8 hours and immediately check about a flight to Nashville. Back in Amsterdam we were told that I had an assigned seat, and we were both booked on the Nashville flight, but we would have to get Jason's ticket once in Detroit. So, more running through the airport. When we get there they say they had somehow cancelled MY seat, and that Jason couldn't get a seat as the flight was overbooked. I HAD COME THIS FAR! I honestly started wondering why Satan was trying to keep us from home. So I cried some more and made the Delta agent ticked off. They load the plane and at the last minute announce "Humphreys - board the plane". I think I could have kissed her, but chose to just board the plane instead. Jason and I were sitting on opposite sides of the tiny, crowded plane, but I totally didn't care. Heck, I would have ridden on top of the stupid plane if it would just get me home. So we arrive in Nashville on time after 30 hours of delays and our tickets being changed 5 times. I was dancing through the terminal 'cause I am so happy. Of course as I type this we STILL don't have our luggage. But we are home and life is back to "normal". Except "normal" kinda stinks now, because I have a daughter, who is sick, on the other side of the world. And I just wanna bring her home.

If everything goes as planned and birth mom shows up on Wednesday (fingers crossed....fingers crossed) we should still be on target for a November 2nd embassy date. Which means we get to board a plane in just over 3 weeks. Needless to say, it won't be Delta or KLM.

Sorry for the incredibly long blog post, but it was a VERY eventful 48 hours. If everything gets finalized on Wednesday I will be able to share pics of our sweet girl!

Leaving Macy

2010-09-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

This morning was our last chance to visit Macy Bereket before coming back to the capital of Ethiopia. It was VERY hard to leave her. She clung to me the whole morning, which broke my heart. She is fighting a bad cold right now, which makes me nervous to leave her. I talked with the dr. on the phone, and hopefully they will be giving her medicine now. For three days we have tried to make her smile. She wouldn't budge. She would either scowl or frown, no smile. Then as we were leaving the orphanage compound, I was waving to her from window and she smiled the biggest, cheesiest smile you have ever seen. Of course, I bawled my eyes out. I am so ready to scoop her up and bring her home.
Tomorrow morning is court. PLEASE pray that everything goes smoothly. Immediately after court we will be able to meet with her birthmom. I am anxious about this, as it will be hard for both mommas, I am sure.
The people of Ethiopia are beautiful, as is the land. But the poverty here is like nothing you have ever seen. Think of the poorest conditions you can imagine, then multiply it by 100. It's heartbreaking. There are 51 BEAUTIFUL children at Macy's orphanage. I mean GORGEOUS. And sooooo many of them don't have families yet. The worst is that the director pointed to an precious older girl (maybe around 8) and said, "She will live here until she is 18 years old. Nobody wants her because she is too old." That killed me.
Jason and I are determined to get home and share our story with anyone who will listen. We are SOOOOO blessed that God has choosen us to come on this journey.
Court tomorrow, then meeting with birthmom, then board a plane late tomorrow night to come home. Love you guys!!!

Meeting Macy

2010-09-28T07:10:00.001-07:00

Life here is great, except for the fact that this computer is about to go dead. So I will type fast. We have visited Macy twice now. She is so precious. I can't even believe that God has chosen US to be her parents. She is tiny, and won't speak to us, but she loves being held and rocked and spoon fed (all of which we are loving to do!). I have taken about a bazillion photos that I can't wait to share when we get back. Please continue to pray for us. Tomorrow will be our last visit with her, and we are really dreading it. She has a runny nose and a cough, which of course bothers me that I won't be here to tend to her, and have to hope that SOMEONE does.

I will try to post again when we get back to Addis tomorrow.

Greetings from Ethiopia!

2010-09-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

We made it!!!! After 27+ hours of travel, we finally arrived in Ethiopia late last night. Our luggage and donations made it as well - so we are thrilled. The weather here is GORGEOUS! The kind of cool, brisk but sunny weather we WISH we had in TN right now. I am writing this from the internet cafe around the corner from our guesthouse. I think it has the slowest connection known to man. (Jason says they must have a hamster running on a wheel to power the place.) Nonetheless, it allows me to stay in touch with everyone back home, so I am happy.
This morning we woke up to barking dogs and the VERY loud Muslim call to prayer. But it made us laugh, so we are up and energized. We are going to try to find a shop open (it's Sunday here) to find a comb and brush, as I left BOTH on my sink at home. (And please imagine trying to comb and style my mane of hair with my fingers. Not the best.) Then this afternoon we are going to go to a festival here in town celebrating Meskal. This is a week long holiday celebrating the Finding of the Cross, and today is the "kick off" of the celebration. So that should be interesting. And tomorrow we head south to the town of Hawassa to meet Macy. WAHOOO!!! Our driver last night said that is "very, very far" when I asked him about Hawassa. So that should be lovely. OH - quick funny story. So we brought 2 bags of clothing for us, and 3 of the suitcases of donations. (The other 2 bags we will bring on the next trip.) I informed our caseworker that we would need a van to transport all this from the airport. Well, apparently the message never made it to Ethiopia, because our driver showed up in a tiny hatchback car. Not cool. But somehow the driver, and two random guys that showed up out of nowhere to "help" (unsolicited help="pay me") got every bag into the car. Granted Jason was crammed in the backseat with bags on top of him, but we made it to the guesthouse just fine.
Okay, gotta run. Just found out that internet costs more than call home. Interesting.

OFF WE GO!!!!

2010-09-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the day!!! At 9am we are headed for the Nashville airport. From there we will fly to Detroit, have a 3 hr layover, then fly to Amsterdam, have a 3 hr layover, then fly to ETHIOPIA! We land in Addis, the capital of Ethiopia, late on Saturday night. It's going to be a looooooong trip there, but we are SO ready. And speaking of being prepared, take a look at all the medications we are taking with us.

Now, isn't that just ridiculous? But if you know Jason and I, we are BOTH germ-a-phobes. So if there is ANY medication we can take to avoid getting sick, we are going to take it! (And after having a baaaaad case of food poisoning last week, I am determined NOT to get sick!) But seriously, we ask that you pray for our health while we are gone. After we arrive in Addis we still have an 8 hr van ride to Macy's orphanage. And that wouldn't be enjoyable AT ALL if we were ill. Plus, we want to be able to concentrate completely on our sweet little girl, with no distractions.

Now - check out this line of luggage!

No - we aren't super-diva-travelers. Actually, only two of those bags contain our clothes, supplies, and gifts for Macy. The others all contain AWESOME donations that many of you have donated for her orphanage! We are taking medical supplies, formula, clothes, shoes, school supplies - ALL KINDS OF STUFF! Thanks to YOU! And we are able to pay the ridiculous fee of $200 per extra bag (erghhh...Delta Airlines) THANKS TO YOUR FINANCIAL DONATIONS!
Wowzers! We DO hope that the scale at the airport is forgiving, because we have weighed and weighed these bags on two different scales, and still aren't really sure how many of them are under the 50lb weight requirement. Keeping our fingers crossed on that one!

Many of you have asked if I will be able to update the blog while we are gone. The answer is YES - I am gonna try my darndest to get online from an internet cafe in Addis. I am not sure how often I will be able to do it, but stay tuned to this blog to see how our meeting with Macy, visit with birthmom, and court go.

For those of you wanting to pray for specifics, here's our itinerary"

Friday: Fly away!

Saturday: Fly some more! Arrive in Addis LATE.

Sunday: Our "free" day to roam aimlessly around Addis. And hopefully do some shoppin'.

Monday: Travel to the town of Awassa, where Macy's orphanage is. This is a 8 hr drive.

Tuesday: MEET MACY!!!! Spend lots of time with our sweet girl.

Wednesday: Visit Macy again. Leave her (BOOO!) and travel back to Addis.

Thursday: Court hearing. We will be in court with her birthmom (!!!). After court, if she is willing, we go across the street to a coffee shop to spend time with her. (And I ask her a bazillion questions about Macy.) Late Thursday night we board a plane and leave Ethiopia.

Friday: Arrive home around 1pm.

Many of you have also asked what we need prayer for:

1. Our health and safety.

2. For our travels to go smoothly, with no delays.

3. For us to pass court.

4. For Macy to be comfortable around us.

(I am going to try to not be a crying blubbering mess, so I don't scare her. We will see how I do with that.)

5. For a sense of peace and understanding between Macy's birthmom and me.

6. For my Mom and sister, Sandi, who will be caring for these 3 little monsters, um, I mean, blessings.....

7. And for those three, precious blessings to be safe, happy, and healthy while their Maaaammmmaa and Daddy are on the other side of the world meeting their sister.

THANK YOU so much to each and every one of you who have been with us on this journey! Jason and I value all of your friendships, and can feel the prayers going with us to meet our baby girl! Next time I post, it will be from Ethiopia!

Now off to bed....as if I could sleep.

Amanda

One Week

2010-09-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

We will board a plane in one week to fly to Ethiopia. One week. Seriously. I prayed for this month to fly by, and BOY did it ever! And now with one week to go, I have a variety of crazy emotions.

I am SO excited! Just the THOUGHT of me seeing and holding Macy gets me choked up. This is my DAUGHTER. In the many years ahead of us I will watch her grow, learn, go to school, go to prom, get married - the list goes on and on. We have many years of Mommy/Daughter stuff ahead of us. But before any of this happens I am going to meet her in an orphanage on the other side of the world. It's really hard to fathom.

The other major emotion I am feeling is fear. And anxiety. And stress. Okay, so I know that is technically three emotions. But right now I can't really distinguish one from another. I am a basketcase thinking of leaving Aidan, Hannah, and Houston. The "what-ifs" come creeping in on me, and I panic. WHAT IF the plane crashes? WHAT IF something happens to one of them and I am not here? WHAT IF? And yes, they are going to be in PERFECTLY good hands. My mom is the brave soul keeping them, and other than Jason and I, there is no one on Earth who knows them as well as she does. She visits nearly everyday, and knows all of their funny little quirks. And she's sooooo overprotective - so I am not at all worried about their safety. Seriously - she's that kind of grandma that would totally beat the crap out of anyone who looked at her grandbabies wrong. It's US I am worried about. It's flying across the ocean to a region of the world that isn't exactly super-safe right now. (And it doesn't help that my crazy husband keeps talking about terrorist attempts.) Yes, I know my kids are going to be fine. Yes, I know God is in control of it all anyway. I just need some prayer to rest MY soul. I want to be cool, calm, and collected (yeah, right!) when I meet our Macy for the first time.

But what it boils down to is that it doesn't matter how nervous, stressed and anxious I am - in seven days I am going to get on that plane (and then another plane...and then another plane) to fly across the ocean to meet our girl. It just has to be done - it's part of the process. I am counting on God to ease my spirit and calm my fears - because there's no way I can do this without Him.

But isn't that how it's SUPPOSED to be?

One week folks. One week!

Pampered Chef Gift Certificate up for grabs!!!

2010-09-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

After launching last week's "Sorta-Silent Auction", I had another precious friend offer a $50 Pampered Chef Gift Certificate. Whoo hoo! Check out their website at www.PamperedChef.com They have some GREAT stuff, ladies. (Or you MEN who want to pleeeeease your ladies!)So my friend Barbara, who is a Pampered Chef consultant, said she would offer a $50 gift certificate for ANYTHING in their catalog. (So it's not like you have to choose from product that she's already picked out or anything.) And if you aren't in the Hendersonville/Nashville area - that's OKAY! She will mail you a catalog, you pick out what you want, and she'll have it shipped right to your door. Now seriously, does it get any easier than that? The starting bid is $25. You can either leave a bid here on my blog as a comment, or email me at Amanda_Humphrey@comcast.net , and I can add the comment/bid for you.

I will close the "bidding" next Tuesday evening. All money goes to our travel expenses to Ethiopia! So let the bidding begin! And a HUGE thanks to Barbara for helping us bring our sweet girl HOME FOREVER!

Winners and OUCHHHHHH!

2010-09-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well I had three people bid on the three items in our super-silent auction, and each person "won" their auction! Thanks to the people and businesses that donated and especially to the people who bid! I've had someone else donate a Pampered Chef gift certificate. So you ladies be lookin' for that email sometime next week!

Now, to the OUCHHHHH part! So who would've every thunk (makin' my english teacher proud) that SHOTS would cost AND hurt so much!!! Honestly, I think the COST hurt me more than the actual needles did! Just for MY vaccines - NOT including anything for Jason or the ump-teen prescriptions/medicines we have to take with us - just MY shots cost us $1,015!!!! SERIOUSLY! Can you stinkin' believe that? And that was with us getting them at the cheapest places possible, including the local health department. (I had to go THREE different places to get all of them.) I am floored - I had no idea shots were so expensive. The goods news is that I'll be immune from everything for the rest of my natural life. The bad news is that it COST OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS! Sigh...

Oh, and yes the shots hurt. And I mean REALLY hurt. So for those of you adoptive parents out there - just get ready. My best friend told me to think of it as my "epidural". I love that idea. Except for when I got my epidurals I was getting RID of pain, not enduring more. But every single stick got me closer to our girl...so I took it.

Please note that I opted out of the Rabies shot. I promised the doctor I would not pet any stray dogs or feed any monkeys. (Yes, there will be wild monkeys hanging out near Macy's orphanage.) So if you have Rabies, please stay away from me. That's the only thing I am not immune to. ;)

Have a great lonnnngggg weekend everyone!

A "Sorta-Silent" Auction"!

2010-08-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, after a moving service at our church prompting us to do something CRAZY for the Lord, Jason and I got in the van and while sitting in church traffic, Jason turns to me and says, "I think we need to adopt". My first response was, "You realize that we have a just-turned 4 year old, a 2 year old, and an 8 month old". He says, "I know, it's crazy". I said, "Okay, let's do it". And we jumped into the adoption-world with both feet.
Now exactly a year later we have been matched with the most precious little Ethiopian girl. And in ONE MONTH FROM TODAY, on September 30th, we will stand in an African court stating why we want to bring this precious child of God home to our family. Forever. And there will be ONE LESS orphan in the world due to us deciding to do something totally crazy one year ago. THANK YOU, God, for breaking our hearts for what breaks yours! It hasn't been an easy year (but that's a whole 'nother blog post!), but it has been worth EVERY single second!
So to celebrate, we are gonna do a "Sorta-Silent Auction"! I have had three people/companies very generously donate gift certificates. I will have a "starting bid", and then the person with the highest bid on Friday at 1:00 (that's naptime in the Humphrey house!) wins! Okay, I say "wins", but I really mean "gets to make a donation to our adoption account with their winning bid". :) Just leave a comment on our blog with your bid. You can check back to see if anyone else has outbid you.

Sooooo....the first item up for auction is....

A $25 Gift Certificate to Nana Rosa's Italian Food and Market in Hendersonville. YUM YUM! Check out their menu at www.NanaRosa.com
Starting bid - $15.00

Also...

$40 worth of Mary Kay gift certificates, courtesy of Jennifer Green.
Starting bid $20.

Also...

A $50 gift certificate for AB Recyle. This is that service with the red tubs all around town. This covers 3 months of Recycle/Pickup service. Check out their website at www.abrecycle.com Gift certificate courtesy of owners, Stacey and Julie Hull.
Starting bid $25.

Let the bidding begin!

I am also determined to sell our last four t-shirts. (See picture to the right!) I am sold out of the adult shirts, but have three kids pink ones (sizes Youth XS and Youth Small), and one kids blue one (size Youth Small). I am marking them down to $10 each. (Will add shipping charges if needed.) Get yours now!