tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63953044153192513582024-03-14T03:59:33.088-05:00Life With The LakeysLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-15036119685672518702015-06-09T07:41:00.002-05:002015-06-09T07:44:06.327-05:00Joy in the midst of hardship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a copy of a blog post I wrote for Watermark during our trip to Haiti in February. I've been meaning to post it here for a long time and am just now getting around to it. Here is a <a href="http://watermarkblogs.org/haiti/category/2015-feb-family-trip/" target="_blank">link</a> to all of the blog posts from our trip. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a question I have asked myself many times after my son Owen was born with spina bifida. Spina bifida is a birth defect that has impacted Owen’s physical abilities in several ways. The most significant is that he can’t stand on his own and uses a wheelchair fulltime. My wife and I have wrestled long and hard with God on the answer to that question. Over his 11 years, Owen has also wrestled with that question. And while we don’t have a full answer to that question, God has shown us again and again that He can be trusted in everything, even hard circumstances like being in a wheelchair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But this week, we were not the ones asking “Why?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the children we had come to serve in an orphanage in Titanyen, Haiti. During a time of free play, a group of children gathered around Owen and asked why he was in a wheelchair. With the help of a translator and some transition questions from me, Owen explained a little about spina bifida and what life is like in a wheelchair. He shared that it is hard for him sometimes when other kids are playing sports that he can’t play. He also shared that he can still have joy today because he knows that someday he will be in heaven with Jesus and be able to walk. Owen then explained that he knows he is going to heaven because he believes that Jesus died for his sins on the cross and has accepted Him as his Savior.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Owen’s wheelchair is normally something that makes him different from other kids. But today, God used Owen’s wheelchair to build a bridge to a bunch of kids that have experienced significant hardships.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This same story played out twice on the streets of Titanyen yesterday. Each time a crowd of people got to hear from an eleven year-old boy about how he has joy in the midst of hardship because of his relationship with Jesus – and that this same joy is available to them through Christ. I wasn’t the one asking “Why?” today, but I was not oblivious to the not-so-soft whispering from God reminding me that Owen is God’s masterpiece and He has created him anew in Christ Jesus, so that Owen can do the good things He planned for him long ago (paraphrased from Ephesians 2:10).</span></div>
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Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07453638615078016597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-45763813989782182082013-04-28T15:48:00.000-05:002013-05-01T07:01:50.667-05:00Haiti Trip - Feb 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Poverty, orphans, trash, and sickness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joy, beauty, purpose, and yes,
hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these words describe
what Henry and I (Eric) saw in Haiti.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When people
ask how our trip was, it is hard to give a simple answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To say it was good, seems to gloss over the fact
that there are a lot of big problems in Haiti that seem insurmountable</span><span style="font-size: large;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To say that it was hard,
ignores the awesome things God is doing through Mission of Hope and the great people we met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I decided to write this blog entry to give a more complete, less
simple answer.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">On Valentines Day, Henry (our 4th grade son) and I and 43 other parents/kids
from our church left to go to Titanyen, Haiti for a 5 day mission trip to serve
a local ministry called Mission of Hope (MOH).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mission of Hope is an amazing organization and one thing
became abundantly clear this week, God is at work through these wonderful
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<a href="http://www.mohhaiti.org/">www.mohhaiti.org</a>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Take a look at the pictures below to see some of what MOH is up to in Haiti.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">As part of the preparation for this trip, we were asked to read a book called “The Hole in our Gospel”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished this book on the flight home and it is an awesome book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
author's main point is that the gospel preached in most American
churches skips over a critical piece of the job Jesus gave us to do as
followers of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caring for the poor. <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I <span style="font-size: large;">have struggled with why </span></span>God doesn't do more to <span style="font-size: large;">solve poverty and hunger.<span style="font-size: large;"> But <span style="font-size: large;">what if God's plan is to use <span style="font-size: large;">us<span style="font-size: large;">?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Here are some startling facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">If you make more than $25,000 a year, you are wealthier than 90% of the world’s population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">If you make more than $50,000 a year, you are wealthier than 99% of the world’s population.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">American
Christians make up about 5% of the global Christian Church, however we
control about half of the global Christian wealth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">It’s not just about money, but what if God has given us this money so that we can help him eradicate world poverty?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
would take just a little over 1% of the income of the American Church
to lift the poorest 1 BILLION people out of extreme poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">God is really working on me right now through our trip to Haiti, this book, and some other things. I feel strongly moved to action but I need to find an avenue for this energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know part of the answer is getting financially involved in helping the poor through organizations like MOH.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
But I want to be open to the idea that God may have
a bigger plan for how he wants to use us.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We'll have to wait and see!</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Here are some highlights from our trip: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVx2mETZ-GDr_wRrXVNtrudJSDKOYiIli6s_RHFU5-K3CwYNEKkB64sTcbQWCMgbnxW9w1rh_tZO1r6fP5ja40OJ_qx5-MPBix166228BlD6RzfD-LJDWB42qJNYxGM5UHu0bzIjl9g/s1600/IMG_3045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVx2mETZ-GDr_wRrXVNtrudJSDKOYiIli6s_RHFU5-K3CwYNEKkB64sTcbQWCMgbnxW9w1rh_tZO1r6fP5ja40OJ_qx5-MPBix166228BlD6RzfD-LJDWB42qJNYxGM5UHu0bzIjl9g/s320/IMG_3045.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">This is the food distribution center that supports a network that feeds 54,000 Haitians a day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6yywNaaXAHcdy-joFeMpfSgq4xudL9RME15d2wV-xe3vGYBvifdHjHvLWMnC14NV6QsP10HpgNJkss8TdqGwA7Q-B3EJ0uVj1qWUedktWvqaS_qnYBF_GRA2xBZeEN-Zf3qH_5_bkw/s1600/IMG_3056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6yywNaaXAHcdy-joFeMpfSgq4xudL9RME15d2wV-xe3vGYBvifdHjHvLWMnC14NV6QsP10HpgNJkss8TdqGwA7Q-B3EJ0uVj1qWUedktWvqaS_qnYBF_GRA2xBZeEN-Zf3qH_5_bkw/s320/IMG_3056.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">MOH now has three schools that they run in Haiti that serve around 3000 students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their goal is to have 10,000 students by 2015!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first day, our group served at the Bercy campus doing whatever needed to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among other things, Henry and I helped spread a bunch of gravel around a playground for the school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrzKjMemljO1h-NC9qMbPL0DFtZjcWEdpsomdUmwWKWTbx5Be0Z2czf_-5oCTXGyLVhFUTmpMR-Jy2u9A_J7RfZvhQHT3ZDG-WZYR74sHmtKB3lV2aVtIu8vT-pq162diJfaAXaBzZQ/s1600/IMG_3080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrzKjMemljO1h-NC9qMbPL0DFtZjcWEdpsomdUmwWKWTbx5Be0Z2czf_-5oCTXGyLVhFUTmpMR-Jy2u9A_J7RfZvhQHT3ZDG-WZYR74sHmtKB3lV2aVtIu8vT-pq162diJfaAXaBzZQ/s320/IMG_3080.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: justify;">This is a picture of a young man I shared the gospel with named
Etson.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">We had these really cool
tracts that had the gospel in English and in Creole, so we were able to share
the gospel with people even if we couldn't speak their language.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">Many of the local kids would ask to take pictures with my camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point, I got a little nervous because a boy I had loaned my camera to
took off running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fearing the worst, I called out to him, but he communicated
with his hands that he would be back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I decided to trust him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was rewarded with this fine picture of a goat!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">One of the most humbling things we saw was the city of
Leveque.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a large
community of people here still living in the temporary shelters that were built
after the earthquake in 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are very small and only meant to last 6 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MOH has been and is continuing to build
real houses for these people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
can see these brightly painted houses down the hill in the background of this
picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are also in the
process of building a church near these houses and are working with the people
there to establish local leadership of this new community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">On our last day there, we cleaned up trash at the school on the main MOH campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the morning session of school was over, all the kids came out and wanted to play with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This was one of my favorite memories from our trip.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">This was taken at a beautiful beach resort we visited on our last day. It seems weird to go to a beach resort as part of a mission trip, but it's an intentional part of the trip. The MOH staff wants us know that even in the midst of a lot of devastation Haiti is still beautiful and with God's help it can be beautiful again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">One thing I learned as I was writing this is that if I feel a little weird about going to a nice beach on the last day of my mission trip, shouldn't I also feel weird about the fact that my home <u><i><b>is</b></i></u> a resort compared to what we just saw in Haiti? Yes. I think I should. I am more and more convinced that God didn't provide me with what I have today so I can be comfortable. But let me clarify. Guilt isn't the desired result. It's action. Action to feed the poor. Action to serve the orphan. Action to rid the world of injustice. And you know what we get out of helping the poor? Joy. True Joy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Psalm 41:1a Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!</span></span></div>
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Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07453638615078016597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-31665848954651593162011-12-20T06:12:00.000-06:002013-04-28T15:10:52.612-05:00Merry Christmas! (2011)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Merry Christmas Everyone!<br />
<br />
Welcome to our first video-enhanced Christmas letter with the help of our blog. (No, they're not 3D videos, maybe next year...) If this is your first time to our blog, feel free to browse through past posts for a more detailed look at our 2011 or you can just take a gander at the two videos we made to sum up the year.<br />
<br />
Our first video sums up our journey to bring our little girl, Sarah, home from Ethiopia. We just got home with Sarah in early December. As things kept getting delayed this year, we kept having to push out our "plans". I just hope we bring her home by her 1st birthday. Well, maybe by Thanksgiving? OK, not Thanksgiving, but can we PLEASE bring her home by Christmas? Yes. Yes, you can. <br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34108056?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe>
</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
We
are SOOOO thankful to have Sarah home for Christmas this year! While we waited for Sarah, life didn’t
stop here in Dallas. Henry and
Owen are now in 3<sup>rd</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> grade respectively while
Meghan is enjoying her last year of pre-school. Henry has dropped soccer for the moment and is focused on
his love of basketball. Owen is
still on his swim team and is experimenting with sled hockey. Meghan loves her ballet/tap class. In order to showcase our children’s
amazing musical abilities, we put together a brief “music video”. I know you may be thinking “Hmmm,
home video of piano and ballet recitals that look like they were filmed during
an earthquake. I’ll watch that
after I get done watching this youtube of a hamster that gets stuck in his
exercise wheel.” But don’t let
your fear of home videos scare you away.
Check this out.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34107742?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe>
</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
I’ll
give you the straight scoop on Laura and I. This has been a tough year. We never expected the process to adopt to be this
emotionally draining. Good friends
warned us that it would be difficult.
But who listens to those people anyway?<br />
<br />
If you’ve ever read any Christian book, article, or blog
post about adoption you’ve seen all of the parts of the Bible that talk about
how much God loves orphans. In
fact our decision to adopt was largely based on the fact that God loves us, we
love God, God loves orphans, so we should love orphans. Makes perfect sense, right?!?<br />
<br />
So here’s the question Laura and I
struggled with this year “God – If you love orphans so much, why is it so hard
to adopt one?” But when I said
“hard”, it was probably more like “HAAAAARRRRDDDDDUH.” My perspective on this question started
to change when I read this <a href="http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/07/06/fighters" target="_blank">blog post</a> by Jen Hatmaker. I began to realize
that we aren’t fighting against God on this. We’re fighting along side of Him and He has been fighting
this battle for a lot longer than we have.
God isn’t surprised that the life of an orphan is not fair
and that the processes that are designed to protect orphans also end up hurting
them by keeping them from being with families that want to love them. Nothing about an orphan’s life is fair,
but that doesn’t mean God isn’t in control or doesn’t care.<br />
<br />
God loves us enough to allow us to
choose and unfortunately for all of us, we don’t make good choices and we end
up with orphans, genocide, rape, war, and other things we don’t like. God isn’t crazy about them either. I heard <a href="http://www.ijm.org/staff/gary-haugen" target="_blank">Gary Haugen</a>, CEO of the International Justice
Mission, say something along the lines of “We are God’s plan for solving
injustice in this world. There is
no Plan B.” I’m not crazy about
this idea because it puts too much pressure on me, but I think he is right.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The
point of all this is: This has
been a very tough year but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Not only because the end result is
Sarah being in our family, but also because God used this to expose us to a
world outside of our little bubble. That
world is broken and messy but guess what?
God is out there fighting and we want to be there with Him because in the middle of pain and heartache we found true joy.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
I’ll
close with some lyrics from “Don’t Waste Your Life” (the rap song we used in
our music video…) </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .2in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
Your
money, your singleness, marriage, talent and time<br />
They were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine<br />
That's why it's Christ in my rhymes<br />
That's why it's Christ all the time</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
Merry
Christmas everyone and we’re praying that everyone has a great 2012 that
completely rocks your world like our 2011 did!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
Love,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
the
Lakeys</div>
</div>
</div>
Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07453638615078016597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-24097629588528154272011-11-28T12:06:00.000-06:002011-11-28T12:18:47.402-06:00Gotcha Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgCGjokE0QIi6PwA_WGGY5hFb55FLqEZhCCSScYt5Lu6q3kilPovUAnN1rPNaVI4vA9-KGe7HkdYCHYzyvaQDy4kI2HHetcKpvaQ0txA9iJS7OjpBxMSG6pzXhFh-s6tRL0iu2LuKIyw/s1600/Selam+016.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgCGjokE0QIi6PwA_WGGY5hFb55FLqEZhCCSScYt5Lu6q3kilPovUAnN1rPNaVI4vA9-KGe7HkdYCHYzyvaQDy4kI2HHetcKpvaQ0txA9iJS7OjpBxMSG6pzXhFh-s6tRL0iu2LuKIyw/s200/Selam+016.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680112745716428386" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndWBQoRFCi9_wVrvyOKYVGOp59DUSA7MXjGWMyI99aGTF31fmzpY2ZnUpfJPwpSvnVnnMWWndyqwLWhtzazchjZDDfNSVP0wRl0TbQY3iQk1t45jdzlaussofjCZmZAgz5u_kKlS1HDw/s1600/Selam+049.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndWBQoRFCi9_wVrvyOKYVGOp59DUSA7MXjGWMyI99aGTF31fmzpY2ZnUpfJPwpSvnVnnMWWndyqwLWhtzazchjZDDfNSVP0wRl0TbQY3iQk1t45jdzlaussofjCZmZAgz5u_kKlS1HDw/s200/Selam+049.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680111477374322866" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHqDf0eK2xYC6ZxRVLjvwOE2EoJp85wsDRFU0L04YNQcDA7gvQEaSslifYUbqGq_uW12tRWkXWheh3y6ZWu262X0JzBHoa1OHZKfioX4ObFRnvxZbB0ir3ZKcYA9LdwoBXgpAi_yPPlU/s1600/Selam+037.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHqDf0eK2xYC6ZxRVLjvwOE2EoJp85wsDRFU0L04YNQcDA7gvQEaSslifYUbqGq_uW12tRWkXWheh3y6ZWu262X0JzBHoa1OHZKfioX4ObFRnvxZbB0ir3ZKcYA9LdwoBXgpAi_yPPlU/s200/Selam+037.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680111458881742850" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSI974-U3zIxsZY_rpCmFQ0m7JAbaXcBfX0AxsYeQinmcTqJVdG6eCoT-dUvp6vOWuZ4mjfote3c-nTAyBVQdhc5x2kko8eZH1eIVAmHb64-kZshyphenhyphenZ0hilWiUvG8ksXbIu779P9yrEQ3I/s1600/Selam+024.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSI974-U3zIxsZY_rpCmFQ0m7JAbaXcBfX0AxsYeQinmcTqJVdG6eCoT-dUvp6vOWuZ4mjfote3c-nTAyBVQdhc5x2kko8eZH1eIVAmHb64-kZshyphenhyphenZ0hilWiUvG8ksXbIu779P9yrEQ3I/s200/Selam+024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680111450882146994" /></a><br />We've tried emailing pictures and that didn't work very well, so we're trying the blog. We'll send out more detailed updates later. For now, pictures..Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-63702249521113005582011-11-11T06:51:00.000-06:002011-11-11T07:00:26.896-06:00It's time...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaHl7bopFsi5tAWoOppN4cLw4tbDMA5bS4yQNy3jSHtoGsH2j4NuXcYgX4ypfegY4DGSnl1Di9SCG9HoU56gTxYG7ocLtEpwIBSEH1ovddfXEh9Gs1SgIMOAmmMj_hEtgz2ahilkyu1A/s1600/SAM_0602.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyaHl7bopFsi5tAWoOppN4cLw4tbDMA5bS4yQNy3jSHtoGsH2j4NuXcYgX4ypfegY4DGSnl1Di9SCG9HoU56gTxYG7ocLtEpwIBSEH1ovddfXEh9Gs1SgIMOAmmMj_hEtgz2ahilkyu1A/s200/SAM_0602.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673720979288156354" /></a><br />This is Eric... I remember during the pregnancies of our other children that after we hit the 37 week mark, I would always secretly hope that Laura would wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me “It’s time.” She of course would say it in a really calm voice and no matter how much I had rehearsed it in my head, I would jump out of bed like a madman and start running around the house trying to find suitcases that were already packed and ready by the foot of our bed. As you all know, we are in month 30 of our adoption process or “paper pregnancy” and are currently waiting on approval from US immigration office. A US immigration team from Nairobi, Rome, and the US has been in Ethiopia since Monday processing cases like ours. Based on the timing of events related to our adoption I did not expect to hear anything this week so I have not been checking my email in the middle of the night or even first thing in the morning. But this morning I woke at 5 which was an hour before my alarm was going to go off. After laying wide awake for a few minutes I felt as if God was telling me “I woke you up for a reason. Go check your email.” So I did. After checking it, I nudged Laura while she slept and in a very calm voice said “We got an email.” At which point Laura jumped out of bed like a madwoman and ran around the room. The excitement quickly mixed with fear because the email could contain bad news as easily as it could contain good news. The letter itself was in a zipfile that I couldn’t open on my phone, so we went downstairs together to find out whether or not we were days/weeks away from bringing our daughter home or months away… I then couldn’t open the zipfile on my Mac and the tension mounted while I rebooted into Windows. After what seemed like hours of waiting and Laura repeating “LORD, no matter what happens we know You are with us.”, we got to read the following words… “The visa petition you have filed has been approved.” We haven’t gotten any good news related to the adoption since early August so we of course had to keep reading to make sure there wasn’t a “but” anywhere in there. And there wasn’t!!! Then there was more jumping, laughing, crying, etc. :-) We are now waiting for a final decision from the US Embassy and a date for when we can go bring sweet Sarah home. We could hear from the Embassy as early as Monday and travel within the next few weeks. God was good before we got this email and He is still good now, but we are so thankful to Him that we’ve made this big step towards bringing Sarah home.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-15008198329781678272011-09-06T12:23:00.001-05:002011-09-06T12:27:30.005-05:00More Pictures of Sarah....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sTH3fBpuPEhye4pLfwr0xf9cwgpnR31GW7tnZ3t9qlwVOMvIqcLEnnCKYdL0Eff9EaUa0TayKhZPLAorRfUDYPFmETMF5S15czNscIZ-oJG88IW8Rayce62mcFBtvo6Oeses95ak6oo/s1600/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%25283%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sTH3fBpuPEhye4pLfwr0xf9cwgpnR31GW7tnZ3t9qlwVOMvIqcLEnnCKYdL0Eff9EaUa0TayKhZPLAorRfUDYPFmETMF5S15czNscIZ-oJG88IW8Rayce62mcFBtvo6Oeses95ak6oo/s320/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%25283%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649299531891488178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflbnNxYa4L9nXJo6VTC0LXNuGoLyCnljaVLg4abphV0ezQQLYKe3YDnwjYRMRjoRffjtLemU9ikbZ5tdYfyu4engutfv5YwMqdj9clSbMMilJand9X28kLjCSeaSuUvp7Tqd55vMwjZU/s1600/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%25288%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflbnNxYa4L9nXJo6VTC0LXNuGoLyCnljaVLg4abphV0ezQQLYKe3YDnwjYRMRjoRffjtLemU9ikbZ5tdYfyu4engutfv5YwMqdj9clSbMMilJand9X28kLjCSeaSuUvp7Tqd55vMwjZU/s320/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%25288%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649299473827245378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_lyGkeUtr64snpisioNNkFEwGN0JWIH5d76BNX6JEpHwwPFiyax_QrAisQQPDRWLRQhARMJLGvjGwIwU3Sfgyc7VyGeZfEnwdFMvve5a786SGg0xGxDanqfQ-FeRt-6UiFFGNgZUaqM/s1600/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%252811%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_lyGkeUtr64snpisioNNkFEwGN0JWIH5d76BNX6JEpHwwPFiyax_QrAisQQPDRWLRQhARMJLGvjGwIwU3Sfgyc7VyGeZfEnwdFMvve5a786SGg0xGxDanqfQ-FeRt-6UiFFGNgZUaqM/s320/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%252811%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649299417160927282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNas7fCHll0JNyXSXlqLs1qydH91V8i-G07vxFJi6ZIhx1QudBxGQSkKsChsf4t_V312s1Li1OX0Q6BXxreoyVbeSpgCk2fEPEZ74gpnBo6M2FfqnNg6SZvs6RrU3UpqggUm2HAtg7gTs/s1600/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%252815%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNas7fCHll0JNyXSXlqLs1qydH91V8i-G07vxFJi6ZIhx1QudBxGQSkKsChsf4t_V312s1Li1OX0Q6BXxreoyVbeSpgCk2fEPEZ74gpnBo6M2FfqnNg6SZvs6RrU3UpqggUm2HAtg7gTs/s320/Selam%252C+25+August%252C+2011+%252815%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649299368026697138" /></a><br />We are really ready to hold her rather than just look at pictures of her. We are very weary from the wait. We continue to hope that we will be able to go and get her this fall. Our new dossier is en route to Ethiopia as of late last week and should be there any day. We are praying that it will be reviewed with favor and that there will be no complications. In the meantime, we enjoy the pictures but they are bittersweet to look at as she continues to grow up. Enjoy.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-70303593766971449262011-08-28T21:07:00.000-05:002011-08-28T21:14:08.450-05:00Popcorn Anyone?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNbfIBRH_26YU29iWr5bq1w-0bWvAWyKn5Ey9rQjwhRE9AT9NcCKO4j3xjq9Un90QyT4-OIFpfmIHo3hsoLYKSuciVZH3oeGQtB6yaN4rTX6p1SM9rnG0cq_qVAC-a-lo5ve9qEj4pyc/s1600/IMG_1441.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNbfIBRH_26YU29iWr5bq1w-0bWvAWyKn5Ey9rQjwhRE9AT9NcCKO4j3xjq9Un90QyT4-OIFpfmIHo3hsoLYKSuciVZH3oeGQtB6yaN4rTX6p1SM9rnG0cq_qVAC-a-lo5ve9qEj4pyc/s320/IMG_1441.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646094732730210322" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkW9SBoJqRzUmxVah5go7d4fweq_lwEI3CNnrBrcU_VBC4TiIiwyo9-5OJ6jvm_1hcdUS-VIeU3kmHBElgqDpSPr9IDflr8hUklJmHkAYg7QDTr_rinDopSHZdWhPRJUirhToMDE_ULcE/s1600/IMG_1443.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkW9SBoJqRzUmxVah5go7d4fweq_lwEI3CNnrBrcU_VBC4TiIiwyo9-5OJ6jvm_1hcdUS-VIeU3kmHBElgqDpSPr9IDflr8hUklJmHkAYg7QDTr_rinDopSHZdWhPRJUirhToMDE_ULcE/s320/IMG_1443.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646094586466027266" /></a>
<br />Here are Henry and Owen dressed in their scouting uniforms. This is Owen's first year as a cub scout. He is a wolf and has several friends in his den full of other 2nd graders. This is Henry's 2nd year and he is a bear. They are both very excited about cub scouts. The very first thing that cub scouts do during the school year is sell popcorn to raise money to support the pack (and pay their dues so their parents don't have to!). If you are interested in knowing more about popcorn and how you can support Henry and Owen, send me an email and I'll give you the scoop.
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<br />So far the entire family has spent two 108 degree afternoons knocking down doors in Lake Highlands and selling to our neighbors. Of course, the cub scouts make it into a huge competition with all sorts of prizes to win. Meghan, Mommy and Daddy are currently thinking that we deserve a portion of any prizes earned because we have to stand out there in the heat while they charm their buyers.
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<br />Enjoy the pictures.
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<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-51102914163090646532011-08-22T12:20:00.000-05:002011-08-22T12:38:37.432-05:00New Sarah Pictures!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxRr2KjOi4TPdjmhAubRDrXgWbNKYuIm2MHFQwGSfXh5UyuHst2U5Y_ze15yeCai_djb2JMoXicfv2o5TFAd3K4pBWcTMeTGHCCWYk1RaOi84Dp0-WgMsugbIk7X87Eui6mOG7ks49WE/s1600/Selam+19+August+2011+%25286%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxRr2KjOi4TPdjmhAubRDrXgWbNKYuIm2MHFQwGSfXh5UyuHst2U5Y_ze15yeCai_djb2JMoXicfv2o5TFAd3K4pBWcTMeTGHCCWYk1RaOi84Dp0-WgMsugbIk7X87Eui6mOG7ks49WE/s320/Selam+19+August+2011+%25286%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643733510278314034" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM5N3tcURzFTfkjE1d9sTyxfdopnOjIKXEbqCPnjOD6VjaRrDoHKoBwTQx3ThSWlM6xuDBP9Ei2wjeKFCoT12eG22ulvrpioWLj9p7XRc3f-z0QItXl4keKNTnMFambQuxWpWUBaozdo/s1600/Selam+19+August+2011+%25285%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM5N3tcURzFTfkjE1d9sTyxfdopnOjIKXEbqCPnjOD6VjaRrDoHKoBwTQx3ThSWlM6xuDBP9Ei2wjeKFCoT12eG22ulvrpioWLj9p7XRc3f-z0QItXl4keKNTnMFambQuxWpWUBaozdo/s320/Selam+19+August+2011+%25285%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643733410861242610" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw44dVjqbQBgUUoiH-QhyC70acYPfVbnAPhmx18m-8RgomPBg-CClV0kpusjqr4aRE5Q0y2X3Ytz8MmMVfm8FYpZ7t2P336jx0uU5KwbfAZDwVUTVGFsIJX8fIg9F55nHW3p_9yrYz8Q8/s1600/Selam+19+August+2011+%25284%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw44dVjqbQBgUUoiH-QhyC70acYPfVbnAPhmx18m-8RgomPBg-CClV0kpusjqr4aRE5Q0y2X3Ytz8MmMVfm8FYpZ7t2P336jx0uU5KwbfAZDwVUTVGFsIJX8fIg9F55nHW3p_9yrYz8Q8/s320/Selam+19+August+2011+%25284%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643733287705537266" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PLAFt6pYcg2JqIspq8scI4ZgBnhFjo5bQjm_nGND69hvZgvztfsGww_LAAu4opFWoU6WiKVIMnLtQxLQigGun2UyHWdUTSuRVQ7Ol2DuWzGjS_C9wilYvMk_VWCdJZfFpTXYXWbT78c/s1600/Selam+19+August+2011+%25283%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PLAFt6pYcg2JqIspq8scI4ZgBnhFjo5bQjm_nGND69hvZgvztfsGww_LAAu4opFWoU6WiKVIMnLtQxLQigGun2UyHWdUTSuRVQ7Ol2DuWzGjS_C9wilYvMk_VWCdJZfFpTXYXWbT78c/s320/Selam+19+August+2011+%25283%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643733182962997202" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrBwhPGeU0ymtHFwo3790j7RXPE4LUA3PqcNkgfJIq4NQKO7w8VndpFU7aPSXd1nQY5GdzRDtJXGVlUPBahOdsVzBZdEg7ebj_14p0wBnuW7vBbyqpMw4iSX2W_XEHh52_LmLRjPJOD8/s1600/Selam+19+August+2011+%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrBwhPGeU0ymtHFwo3790j7RXPE4LUA3PqcNkgfJIq4NQKO7w8VndpFU7aPSXd1nQY5GdzRDtJXGVlUPBahOdsVzBZdEg7ebj_14p0wBnuW7vBbyqpMw4iSX2W_XEHh52_LmLRjPJOD8/s320/Selam+19+August+2011+%25282%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643733057815728866" /></a>
<br />We received new pictures of Sarah this morning.... isn't she cute! Looks like she is standing and crawling and her smile will melt your heart. Can't wait to bring that girl home!!
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<br />As many of your know, all of our original paperwork (called our "dossier") was lost in the process this summer. The entity within the Ethiopian government that lost it was willing to write our opinion based on a copy of the dossier and therefore our case was able to be closed before the court closed for the 10 week rainy season. But they are requiring us to create a whole new dossier. Originally, the new dossier had to be completed in time for us to bring it with us when we travel.
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<br />Last week, however, things changed a little and now the government there is no longer willing to move forward with processing our case until we fedex them the new dossier. So we are scrambling to collect all the necessary pieces we need. We are almost done gathering up our documents and hope to begin the authentication process tomorrow or weds. Our dossier has to be sent several places to be authenticated. I don't know a whole lot about this because it is all handled by a woman that we hired who specializes in preparing and authenticating dossiers. She helped us the first time we did this (2 years ago) and she is helping us again as we do our "dossier do-over."
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<br />Anyway, after we get things to her this week she estimated about 2 weeks until our new dossier is in Ethiopia. Please pray that things go smoothly and that it gets there as quickly as possible. Within a few weeks of the dossier being received in Ethiopia, Sarah's papers can be released to Gladney and submitted to the embassy. Then we wait for the embassy to approve us and give us our travel dates.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-1616198569797224632011-08-20T23:21:00.000-05:002011-08-22T12:20:02.657-05:00Sled Hockey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5citvikj7R-eNUOoCWP1uyHXMvRvboyv-HA3bawISKETK5zme7yyhUnYS1BjYBJF3ZFK7S9beOHoXF_w40TPo7kuW1mGDHwW3wjUH_5gkZt2WBmr0-n4aT-thimJ0FxKXSbvRgAAdMoY/s1600/IMG_1050.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5citvikj7R-eNUOoCWP1uyHXMvRvboyv-HA3bawISKETK5zme7yyhUnYS1BjYBJF3ZFK7S9beOHoXF_w40TPo7kuW1mGDHwW3wjUH_5gkZt2WBmr0-n4aT-thimJ0FxKXSbvRgAAdMoY/s320/IMG_1050.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643511909358864034" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Pg2DjuqckkhMQicAIsBE0jRJUhfC4JogoLqcVLtjRkNJu89xcncak-b4AAAheJcAV9Q8KksFKwFkW7X0fhf00f1qL1YAC97h3-MSqYJKz5Np_0ldDUWenpFA5cgasjL-oOvVuDiumww/s1600/IMG_1037.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Pg2DjuqckkhMQicAIsBE0jRJUhfC4JogoLqcVLtjRkNJu89xcncak-b4AAAheJcAV9Q8KksFKwFkW7X0fhf00f1qL1YAC97h3-MSqYJKz5Np_0ldDUWenpFA5cgasjL-oOvVuDiumww/s320/IMG_1037.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643511614705881234" /></a>
<br />Owen tried sled hockey for the first time tonite. If you have never seen sled hockey before, it is basically ice hockey played in narrow sleds on skates. The players sit in the sled and use short sticks to propel themselves across the ice. It is ALOT of work. Owen did so well and really seemed to enjoy it. There were several older players there who helped him along all evening and gave him lots of encouragement. I was just so proud of him for trying something new. It was very fun and we are hoping to do it again soon. Enjoy the pictures.
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<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/27993222?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/27993222">O_skates</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ericlakey">Eric Lakey</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-58255523158667054482011-08-20T23:00:00.000-05:002011-08-20T23:25:41.950-05:00Gulf Shores: Sarah!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d7uAG7wN-pMct1XaVbY2LTPIi9TVrvcBTmrUn7kgvmJmbQqxQFUx0G8yMP-19Izejlh5YA2xzQtfLEObWk5wRSs6XgU7wDTOaDnB29EJPrVVT7znnbBtORTO4V1wbSKB8vJA5f0SwNA/s1600/Selam+27+June%252C+2011.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4d7uAG7wN-pMct1XaVbY2LTPIi9TVrvcBTmrUn7kgvmJmbQqxQFUx0G8yMP-19Izejlh5YA2xzQtfLEObWk5wRSs6XgU7wDTOaDnB29EJPrVVT7znnbBtORTO4V1wbSKB8vJA5f0SwNA/s320/Selam+27+June%252C+2011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643160697239575202" /></a>
<br />Next year, can I come too? Here she is, our sweet baby girl who is patiently waiting for us in Ethiopia. The news of our finalization came while we are in Gulf Shores. I suppose since she is officially part of the family now that we owe her a return trip. :)
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-54100029590463050132011-08-20T22:55:00.000-05:002011-08-20T23:00:12.066-05:00Gulf Shores: Part 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIuegwCTP3GHdxhutYe4F5FGNZ0qJKhPd_ELiEbytzJCt0ILIP63a0iN3V9W56pwt065PbE_H4GdxnLOMYnphohnY8xXP29IstRP-KUZwBGEKiPu3pZsBWMU7wsSXiTVLLI3EE0eUslc/s1600/IMG_0711.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIuegwCTP3GHdxhutYe4F5FGNZ0qJKhPd_ELiEbytzJCt0ILIP63a0iN3V9W56pwt065PbE_H4GdxnLOMYnphohnY8xXP29IstRP-KUZwBGEKiPu3pZsBWMU7wsSXiTVLLI3EE0eUslc/s320/IMG_0711.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643154028738101106" /></a>
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<br />Even more pictures!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-59586439915104740572011-08-20T22:46:00.000-05:002011-08-20T23:37:08.987-05:00Gulf Shores: Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY0M0iJVXlmilp8PM-qx-VLL9Xu2SLXOlYcIkk5LdDYO59CSGu_NmDc9fgKJTMvS_QaCGNZ_BcLFIQDGxStXsGtMDNcfZE_DSeI96o2-dNQEv6T9_IjEaKdKMDNWSEDlXAUNW_eRQkfY/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioY0M0iJVXlmilp8PM-qx-VLL9Xu2SLXOlYcIkk5LdDYO59CSGu_NmDc9fgKJTMvS_QaCGNZ_BcLFIQDGxStXsGtMDNcfZE_DSeI96o2-dNQEv6T9_IjEaKdKMDNWSEDlXAUNW_eRQkfY/s320/IMG_1427.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643152242357805218" /></a>
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<br />More pictures!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-84686594709374342712011-08-20T22:34:00.000-05:002011-08-20T22:55:00.624-05:00Gulf Shores: Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_me0rPbOZGe3WXalblm9LsuM_P5cU8yjAYhUuOjlXIBD6sRa0TcI_VUjaVW3TNITuEsB09e0wlzQxYEmx8duac-bleYsWuuWNgkH9-oWgLOYIQR8pfNHiV8YbdZTPN4AvnrZ4n11VB8/s1600/IMG_0547.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_me0rPbOZGe3WXalblm9LsuM_P5cU8yjAYhUuOjlXIBD6sRa0TcI_VUjaVW3TNITuEsB09e0wlzQxYEmx8duac-bleYsWuuWNgkH9-oWgLOYIQR8pfNHiV8YbdZTPN4AvnrZ4n11VB8/s320/IMG_0547.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643150597294435778" /></a>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HgHONzBWAmQELjpM8RueGyJdLEnI58GIxZ-YNH17RFh7ExJCb6-H4zo_DDMjFxZOqBFq7S8lnl7bR3RAHHKjeieXrTD95WxDJeKbDxwUsGYzRFns49a63WecVLNG0TnugU8_QSG6pa0/s1600/IMG_0578.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HgHONzBWAmQELjpM8RueGyJdLEnI58GIxZ-YNH17RFh7ExJCb6-H4zo_DDMjFxZOqBFq7S8lnl7bR3RAHHKjeieXrTD95WxDJeKbDxwUsGYzRFns49a63WecVLNG0TnugU8_QSG6pa0/s320/IMG_0578.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643150338213447058" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG-Ln29hqh182b2qXwKIB4CBxexQ6ySnf1dhasRmPF69Mr1sYeI9aWN4tXZ8wykug1r-hyZKNHoR0EBPK_8je4C0d7y9cGjdVD_nJ-jpfn_C9p8iy9to536Yf0cegQjo-Oz1k8rWeDKU/s1600/IMG_0581.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG-Ln29hqh182b2qXwKIB4CBxexQ6ySnf1dhasRmPF69Mr1sYeI9aWN4tXZ8wykug1r-hyZKNHoR0EBPK_8je4C0d7y9cGjdVD_nJ-jpfn_C9p8iy9to536Yf0cegQjo-Oz1k8rWeDKU/s320/IMG_0581.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643150210960779666" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t4FwzzS2cU5eVN54xro71O3NU3oNy2gRpw5ehmMXUUQ5pzg-Ngm8SIMWdAHwsThLrHO7Eq4eSuOa09SBiUek2zPy85WTyydOOYgjBPn3yWSkkG55y-CEECWonxOHatsgMqmllKvej18/s1600/IMG_0586.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t4FwzzS2cU5eVN54xro71O3NU3oNy2gRpw5ehmMXUUQ5pzg-Ngm8SIMWdAHwsThLrHO7Eq4eSuOa09SBiUek2zPy85WTyydOOYgjBPn3yWSkkG55y-CEECWonxOHatsgMqmllKvej18/s320/IMG_0586.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643150060569241074" /></a>
<br />We enjoyed a week away on the gulf coast in early August. The average temperature was about 10 degrees cooler than here so that was a nice change. We had so much fun as a family for a couple of days and then the extended family arrived and the week just got funner by the minute. We enjoyed playing in the sand, riding the waves, playing in the pools, taking a boat ride in search of dolphins, eating in some new restaurants and spending time together.
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<br />In the pictures you will see Owen's "beach wheels" which we rented for the week. This made getting on, off and around the beach so easy. The wheelchair was basically a power chair with huge wheels. He had so much fun driving that thing around..... it was a real highlight for him.
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<br />Also note in the pictures that we "dug a hole to China" right there on the beach. We also created other sand animals.
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<br />We had alot of fun playing with Uncle Chris, Mimi and Papa, Bret, Brooke and our sweet 1 1/2 year old cousin Elizabeth. When asked about the best part of the trip Henry said "all the time that we spend with family"..... and boy, was he right.... it was a blast!
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<br />Of course, the week was made that much better by the fact that on Wednesday (8-10) we heard news from Gladney that our adoption was finalized and that Sarah is officially a Lakey.
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<br />Enjoy the pictures.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-72501839778542849062011-08-15T11:36:00.000-05:002011-08-20T23:29:26.414-05:00Lake Highlands Spray Ground<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbj3WD4YBBzsaJdAjWCYla4J3ZU-mBqJ-57OZWDJidzlSCQxpSxjzP0zIgsFLf55qjTKCio9hXWlSzvxMWR9PhjlVsHuMVjhA8rVGfbO73GNze7iEHZ0pGv3fMEKrUt_xbD9j6n3gTxw/s1600/IMG_0440.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbj3WD4YBBzsaJdAjWCYla4J3ZU-mBqJ-57OZWDJidzlSCQxpSxjzP0zIgsFLf55qjTKCio9hXWlSzvxMWR9PhjlVsHuMVjhA8rVGfbO73GNze7iEHZ0pGv3fMEKrUt_xbD9j6n3gTxw/s320/IMG_0440.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641123995872686530" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KYwbgos1EIhKD_pX8ODt5CpfNtjIWLBDDq1bTg-2DkcwssuFX-n242-2jffSHOr9NMW864pJVTuXbUXgI5qwnGgcIP_mHE4My4CmZNU43LhUcxcIL4c5gkajsEsr-2UlUxX3MzW0G70/s1600/IMG_0444.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KYwbgos1EIhKD_pX8ODt5CpfNtjIWLBDDq1bTg-2DkcwssuFX-n242-2jffSHOr9NMW864pJVTuXbUXgI5qwnGgcIP_mHE4My4CmZNU43LhUcxcIL4c5gkajsEsr-2UlUxX3MzW0G70/s320/IMG_0444.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641123843844606194" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQ-nM-OhTxFoIz4wMVYCge_tQ1YSuywy9Lt3myPZFzIf79_JkaBlkWU6skWj-U8UXg54nCPMQNxgUowDa6eB1smtClGqZIfnaoCKPnMrZZPNz1LNz1dFn6cqNhUXj0NPr5WtUhKiqJ6s/s1600/IMG_0453.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQ-nM-OhTxFoIz4wMVYCge_tQ1YSuywy9Lt3myPZFzIf79_JkaBlkWU6skWj-U8UXg54nCPMQNxgUowDa6eB1smtClGqZIfnaoCKPnMrZZPNz1LNz1dFn6cqNhUXj0NPr5WtUhKiqJ6s/s320/IMG_0453.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641123702335057410" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSiEk1QTh64x6iOuGyke-5stmpf2P4NXm8_ZEAvahrivIdcx7OfEko_tbwwCitZe9D9z9RPHtIGS5IGx32XyOmlVlv3wIfDA-FTBL0l97sJ8ja8CZGKUuOPUvQBrMZ-7IBNbONEvhHDHQ/s1600/IMG_0457.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSiEk1QTh64x6iOuGyke-5stmpf2P4NXm8_ZEAvahrivIdcx7OfEko_tbwwCitZe9D9z9RPHtIGS5IGx32XyOmlVlv3wIfDA-FTBL0l97sJ8ja8CZGKUuOPUvQBrMZ-7IBNbONEvhHDHQ/s320/IMG_0457.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641123443707133666" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4zOkP2Sl0yH44qYz-SYVpWSeOk8cVhKTiOdi7UIKzEAN2cqGf-1XPLtyKLusk2SBbgchz9je2BD-L5RBdAGreB9OZjEJyA0UzKxkc-e5HwiLhy8geQYNhEeI-VVWPjBuumpJeYtNiD0/s1600/IMG_0462.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4zOkP2Sl0yH44qYz-SYVpWSeOk8cVhKTiOdi7UIKzEAN2cqGf-1XPLtyKLusk2SBbgchz9je2BD-L5RBdAGreB9OZjEJyA0UzKxkc-e5HwiLhy8geQYNhEeI-VVWPjBuumpJeYtNiD0/s320/IMG_0462.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641123294233108802" /></a>
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<br />We have a spray-ground or spray park (whatever you want to call it) nearby. One morning this summer we decided to go to do something different other than just the pool. When you live in Dallas and you want to play outside during the summer, it almost has to involve water. Anyway, the kids had fun and we had the place virtually to ourselves for the first 45 minutes or so. We played for a good 1 1/2 hours and then what did we do? we went to the pool, of course!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-38551580410673229282011-08-15T11:27:00.000-05:002011-08-15T11:35:24.267-05:00A Somewhat Shorter Perspective<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TJmMkJ_HqlsVr5cNjCZ56Kae9j7mOpjdYZufBXDJ2_p9mFQcOCCJOUo_hi4K5AIRYqzqbfS4sfJ9X_RJ105Yj4Bq-z1QpZH70QTjZMgJRhGMJOVNNJK-D41uaLdNQmPStSj8Naj71tA/s1600/IMG_1346.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TJmMkJ_HqlsVr5cNjCZ56Kae9j7mOpjdYZufBXDJ2_p9mFQcOCCJOUo_hi4K5AIRYqzqbfS4sfJ9X_RJ105Yj4Bq-z1QpZH70QTjZMgJRhGMJOVNNJK-D41uaLdNQmPStSj8Naj71tA/s320/IMG_1346.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641121529949097186" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpB5iVNqe7OY3k9BHTL_roOmgVE1_eQymPDASv_cEg6PcWCx3OR0GrU4abpn2cS1FmZJoTl-753CXv83EkcfTo4hfNzhJrGxdV0tY6JgyQ47e1nepQVxaQ86ryysnTDyE2ypPiGjkS-0/s1600/IMG_1360.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpB5iVNqe7OY3k9BHTL_roOmgVE1_eQymPDASv_cEg6PcWCx3OR0GrU4abpn2cS1FmZJoTl-753CXv83EkcfTo4hfNzhJrGxdV0tY6JgyQ47e1nepQVxaQ86ryysnTDyE2ypPiGjkS-0/s320/IMG_1360.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641121406379708194" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k5o_3il986ekCMPEHL63N1ALmh7Z6uNPRM4LVPGZGNAahx5VCO9C6-7St5OtqupZNMKbNnW1Uv6J3eeDmfjZ4cryKHy86A0HxYkP7YZLFYOxLd0n1S8zUEGmLPxSvUbXwTd5XE52TSk/s1600/IMG_1369.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k5o_3il986ekCMPEHL63N1ALmh7Z6uNPRM4LVPGZGNAahx5VCO9C6-7St5OtqupZNMKbNnW1Uv6J3eeDmfjZ4cryKHy86A0HxYkP7YZLFYOxLd0n1S8zUEGmLPxSvUbXwTd5XE52TSk/s320/IMG_1369.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641121299519780610" /></a>
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<br />Meghan loves to get ahold of my camera or phone and walk around the house and take pictures. I usually know she is doing this and tell her it is fine but ocassionaly she will get sneaky and take some pictures without me knowing. It is always funny to download the pictures from the camera and phone and find some unusual ones taken from her perspective. She has even managed to capture herself in many of them... enjoy! You can tell she is roaming the house with the camera by all the clicking sounds and also the faint "cheese, say cheese, cheeeeeeeeese."Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-10120089539570231882011-08-15T11:15:00.000-05:002011-08-15T11:26:22.007-05:004th of July in Tyler<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCIiJBTUppqKITjVBvhjglGOcDqe0dZ0dyCH4bZKVryjqEji2fkYwfYPerCWYjdRJW0lLcr6ZPuD93QKR_YByIcPPzPa-LORY9Qr1xfdXIUI34C07u26qxoXxOeRRWuxK0WMsMy748xQ/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCIiJBTUppqKITjVBvhjglGOcDqe0dZ0dyCH4bZKVryjqEji2fkYwfYPerCWYjdRJW0lLcr6ZPuD93QKR_YByIcPPzPa-LORY9Qr1xfdXIUI34C07u26qxoXxOeRRWuxK0WMsMy748xQ/s320/IMG_1252.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641119903979670802" /></a>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTua0E2E6amRNqOLId-zDBTBIHlm9N9YDHZWcPapX2CmsI9ik0uNhhhoABeSwCMYqXm4hMWQD4x2J4IVAc9DIjLcjrfScsRKwYq1XseO5rsfcyyPXmbE4FALKnFaVLZkStU1sxt_hkk8/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTua0E2E6amRNqOLId-zDBTBIHlm9N9YDHZWcPapX2CmsI9ik0uNhhhoABeSwCMYqXm4hMWQD4x2J4IVAc9DIjLcjrfScsRKwYq1XseO5rsfcyyPXmbE4FALKnFaVLZkStU1sxt_hkk8/s320/IMG_1267.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641119250044447010" /></a>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkhBee4nlIY_zobi7g09OUDOcZZTUEs1mIO2XGP4QV0V4KnsXsOG_pJM6CT3iEjINl2gOUK-ryX6PBSFdFzLiLHUaBM-OXZw6I6bm-EfZUFOj2TglziNkgKIWxbH_CqmRItSDeNBZ4xM/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkhBee4nlIY_zobi7g09OUDOcZZTUEs1mIO2XGP4QV0V4KnsXsOG_pJM6CT3iEjINl2gOUK-ryX6PBSFdFzLiLHUaBM-OXZw6I6bm-EfZUFOj2TglziNkgKIWxbH_CqmRItSDeNBZ4xM/s320/IMG_1303.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641118779387974850" /></a>
<br />We spent a 4 day weekend with Nana in Tyler over 4th of July. It was so much fun and we all came home exhausted from all the fun we had. Included here are pictures of playing at Nana's kitchen table, swimming at a nearby lake and playing on the beach, picking blueberries in nearby Edom and fishing. Unfortunately, all 3 kids came down with a stomach virus. Meghan got it on Saturday night and kept Nana up all night- Eric and I were conveniently sleeping in the other cabin :) Both boys got it on our last morning in Tyler and Henry had it the whole drive home (about 1 1/2 hours). He really got the worst of it.... poor thing! Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-68865564917328080452011-08-15T11:04:00.000-05:002011-08-15T11:14:33.661-05:00Meghan's Dance Camp<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CPB7eorQWlVPHQKZHQXRi7_XjzMPlLuSFYa_IkEGSKhSsHiA5D-DN04Xjn1dBap1xTqBDM779sRKxaJ0AJIQw9B1lL3Zam5OhJMw5WvexzBTbQ26ZL80qCMwjwM9YVEYEkN5Mm_HKxI/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-CPB7eorQWlVPHQKZHQXRi7_XjzMPlLuSFYa_IkEGSKhSsHiA5D-DN04Xjn1dBap1xTqBDM779sRKxaJ0AJIQw9B1lL3Zam5OhJMw5WvexzBTbQ26ZL80qCMwjwM9YVEYEkN5Mm_HKxI/s320/IMG_1221.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641116863748493458" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpVI1hxsa8CTXE-OkrvzbakB4hDgaoFMMyV2XJ0LRsYXvDs8_cPStKgEBEHY9JzZcA8HCZVlB7tG4KGUFOqyjiv89rpkkJHsBYPtfBCuMxX5eip3jkwRiaZ6aH4i4Kx8zhpx-Kuvq7iM/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpVI1hxsa8CTXE-OkrvzbakB4hDgaoFMMyV2XJ0LRsYXvDs8_cPStKgEBEHY9JzZcA8HCZVlB7tG4KGUFOqyjiv89rpkkJHsBYPtfBCuMxX5eip3jkwRiaZ6aH4i4Kx8zhpx-Kuvq7iM/s320/IMG_1222.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641116740381519330" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBNjiLhYWi80qA2_mUdLJt5xWbQOxUWiOPV-BMM3e_erbHI-BS23EwzVsbJRAeaqp-3hr7q-GS1ThGnn0HMrHl-si3yAVu1_qkg_7S59b_1O3rL6jw1YxDOPddgKHsEzZP41jtGJgcHk/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBNjiLhYWi80qA2_mUdLJt5xWbQOxUWiOPV-BMM3e_erbHI-BS23EwzVsbJRAeaqp-3hr7q-GS1ThGnn0HMrHl-si3yAVu1_qkg_7S59b_1O3rL6jw1YxDOPddgKHsEzZP41jtGJgcHk/s320/IMG_1239.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641116655618105570" /></a>
<br />Meghan has her first introduction to dance this summer at Dallas Ballet. She took a week long camp and loved it! Here are some pictures from her performance at the end of the week. She is pictured here with her dear friend, Landry.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-91657203632256324192011-08-14T22:42:00.001-05:002011-08-15T08:06:03.584-05:00Meghan Swims!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImj9N11kRacUUCJCWh2F3V_ZVxpP1xHgLa0-RRS1tXP5BP16i6Qoo2Xh4xztbMk5CeO3tVMi9nYbAxSkz3DIgsY7m907B-eQDB5GTEAD86azKXPZmKPJbGXepfY72e6NoOYeczQMdcE0/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImj9N11kRacUUCJCWh2F3V_ZVxpP1xHgLa0-RRS1tXP5BP16i6Qoo2Xh4xztbMk5CeO3tVMi9nYbAxSkz3DIgsY7m907B-eQDB5GTEAD86azKXPZmKPJbGXepfY72e6NoOYeczQMdcE0/s320/IMG_1193.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640923932636215330" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggi5Natz-4GsmxwaJraj-yDUFZInHqfpAw-pbLXbbGikvlRL0YOwKO4w5LABXxaF2rV3ayT321-2vYsf85LrZV7Lj-A9X8NJwUrg3z-60rlMajIrR2x1UMjTqQkROrw7lZ8aRkQ9T7rro/s1600/IMG_1217.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggi5Natz-4GsmxwaJraj-yDUFZInHqfpAw-pbLXbbGikvlRL0YOwKO4w5LABXxaF2rV3ayT321-2vYsf85LrZV7Lj-A9X8NJwUrg3z-60rlMajIrR2x1UMjTqQkROrw7lZ8aRkQ9T7rro/s320/IMG_1217.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640923583625098834" /></a>
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<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/27708794?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/27708794">M swims</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ericlakey">Eric Lakey</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
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<br />Meghan took swim lessons in late May. She did so well and was swimming nicely by the end of the 2 weeks. She took from Miss Carol who has taught both of our boys at one time or another. Enjoy the pictures and video.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-3276814367606420432011-08-14T22:27:00.000-05:002011-08-14T22:31:50.697-05:00Piano Recital<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHj7piwLVdADFQLZM_hJi0fCSmXegeKefdkwL69qFPvqBSu6wUml0XpauALLNO1n0a5V55Y6SbU7EY8Y1g1_qGnkTPUImbuj2WJy8itxKZxWpe5wr9HvP8_hYLhHOzKtylspZWa1xgmf0/s1600/IMG_1146.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHj7piwLVdADFQLZM_hJi0fCSmXegeKefdkwL69qFPvqBSu6wUml0XpauALLNO1n0a5V55Y6SbU7EY8Y1g1_qGnkTPUImbuj2WJy8itxKZxWpe5wr9HvP8_hYLhHOzKtylspZWa1xgmf0/s320/IMG_1146.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640920178532997282" /></a>
<br />Both boys took piano this past school year. They both practiced so hard all year. Both boys improved in their piano skill but more importantly we watched them both grow in their discipline and determination as they faithfully practiced.... even when they did not want to.
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<br />Their recital was awesome in the sense that it taught them both that while we often perform imperfectly, we can persevere through hard things and have joy in the end. They were both models of perseverance and it was one of our prouder moments.
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<br />Here they are pictured with our sweet teacher, Mrs Gustafson.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-40218235250780469712011-08-14T22:14:00.000-05:002011-08-14T22:40:10.257-05:00Henry Turns 9!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR3vtsHD4g_NHPDGyicNyuMHEZpuQJh2CIclOXwO_pF0z0X7Becfrl8kRYCUyxc8BpfPlXVt6P4z5XDId_c3pM4VmT8T2SPbJK6hvkQf3YfJHXX1ex4FHRTrjELXaf5HQ130WcWDyreU/s1600/IMG_1081.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR3vtsHD4g_NHPDGyicNyuMHEZpuQJh2CIclOXwO_pF0z0X7Becfrl8kRYCUyxc8BpfPlXVt6P4z5XDId_c3pM4VmT8T2SPbJK6hvkQf3YfJHXX1ex4FHRTrjELXaf5HQ130WcWDyreU/s320/IMG_1081.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640918972616827778" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy_7Tnz0PWdhpiYlkVuJHCsDKkTeB3sYp9S_UfPluIq9cvwoP63qdOMej0hnUch69Uo3j0HrHaUWx2s0nTova7VDxHo7tEbm-GYI8BSn1dqMoKoiPWB1bgpdfgHtOr0BiNddCJilscaM/s1600/IMG_1095.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRy_7Tnz0PWdhpiYlkVuJHCsDKkTeB3sYp9S_UfPluIq9cvwoP63qdOMej0hnUch69Uo3j0HrHaUWx2s0nTova7VDxHo7tEbm-GYI8BSn1dqMoKoiPWB1bgpdfgHtOr0BiNddCJilscaM/s320/IMG_1095.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640918864822572642" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC2Bb_OxIEnb0XZ_Zsqz4-m2gIl2ipxNVKDq12AwK4C6pIiAUrUh8sZI8Pp8VckngtCzGz3XjCthi73LEFH7J_Y-WYuMFgt1vbA_cafjH96VbN8vZvSbSoxLxuqVWQSJz5QwPQjVjKz0/s1600/IMG_1097.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC2Bb_OxIEnb0XZ_Zsqz4-m2gIl2ipxNVKDq12AwK4C6pIiAUrUh8sZI8Pp8VckngtCzGz3XjCthi73LEFH7J_Y-WYuMFgt1vbA_cafjH96VbN8vZvSbSoxLxuqVWQSJz5QwPQjVjKz0/s320/IMG_1097.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640918742264800850" /></a>
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<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24092115?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/24092115">Trampoline + Giant Ball = Fun</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ericlakey">Eric Lakey</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<br />We could hardly believe it that Henry's 9th birthday was upon us. How can that be? Three months later and I still can't get used to the idea that he is 9 and headed into 3rd grade this year. Oh, how the years have gone by so quickly.
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<br />Who can complain about a birthday when your stack of presents is that big? We celebrated on his actual day, a Wednesday this year, with a birthday lunch for family in our backyard. Nana, Mimi, Papa and Gigi were all able to come and enjoy the day. He opened lots of presents that day including his much-longer-for Nintendo DS.... something he has waited for for the last year. He was so excited.... the pictures show it all.
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<br />We had fun on the trampoline that afternoon.... see Eric's quick video :)
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<br />In addition to his family gathering, once school was out (about a week later) he had a small group of friends over to play and watch a movie. His two good buddies, Caleb and Zachary, stayed for a sleep-over in the backyard. What fun! Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-57251789665280689072011-08-14T21:57:00.000-05:002011-08-14T22:08:47.395-05:00Mother's Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVLKhNJ68MFOV1onx2Jtt0yJk9Jbf3BHK9Yv-I4eq7Xk1Q5webRSOmEr0oZuaTQzTIr00AGf_0BQBHGoAEuSkCGt1i-mfbqqegdhmtCtRY9HwqKe7SUH0bw4NP9tDk4b4FAAMW-bZjcc/s1600/IMG_1042.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVLKhNJ68MFOV1onx2Jtt0yJk9Jbf3BHK9Yv-I4eq7Xk1Q5webRSOmEr0oZuaTQzTIr00AGf_0BQBHGoAEuSkCGt1i-mfbqqegdhmtCtRY9HwqKe7SUH0bw4NP9tDk4b4FAAMW-bZjcc/s320/IMG_1042.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640913710699341490" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjNlCsOyEXAaAOqapa5sS7Ke3qXDjC2hnE6-mJpucHU1mcfZJMgvrpRe-uzBeDiqFDeg1ClUihyphenhyphenfzraa47zswTkI1HxBbCaX9gSIkO1HlIZp-MXQX5uKva81bGEqYLWx0el4jFG7x4v8/s1600/IMG_1043.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjNlCsOyEXAaAOqapa5sS7Ke3qXDjC2hnE6-mJpucHU1mcfZJMgvrpRe-uzBeDiqFDeg1ClUihyphenhyphenfzraa47zswTkI1HxBbCaX9gSIkO1HlIZp-MXQX5uKva81bGEqYLWx0el4jFG7x4v8/s320/IMG_1043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640913479946322306" /></a>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5dib3JwovZ4xgcHVnh1mW_uI-cKWydN1qA6iNC-ZzYwuyx2nqIx5vxMGdSfMVGH6Bn6Sw2rxMQOUyphb-ITcA3XEbu-waTmk9caxbqbV5J1BdFgLNE5F6I3URuCB9yG1V-9Ln4nuuBQ/s1600/IMG_1047.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5dib3JwovZ4xgcHVnh1mW_uI-cKWydN1qA6iNC-ZzYwuyx2nqIx5vxMGdSfMVGH6Bn6Sw2rxMQOUyphb-ITcA3XEbu-waTmk9caxbqbV5J1BdFgLNE5F6I3URuCB9yG1V-9Ln4nuuBQ/s320/IMG_1047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640913211098804818" /></a>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZF0vM2-ZT4vWrqlackIQj6DbQlBJrIJiLevsjqFyQ5_x2XBNKxzbR5TKpOVZfdx_C5_q8y_9cuG_YOREJFtOGs_e3WRQA5w3tHSwdNF7OP5Kjr6E02_Jir7epH3pBUQCaKy_14CWVn0/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZF0vM2-ZT4vWrqlackIQj6DbQlBJrIJiLevsjqFyQ5_x2XBNKxzbR5TKpOVZfdx_C5_q8y_9cuG_YOREJFtOGs_e3WRQA5w3tHSwdNF7OP5Kjr6E02_Jir7epH3pBUQCaKy_14CWVn0/s320/IMG_1077.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640912806943297538" /></a>
<br />We spread our Mother's Day celebrations out over the whole weekend. When there are as many mothers around as we have around here, you almost have too! With the addition of Gigi and Nana into the area this year, there was just too much celebrating to do it all in one day. It was fun to celebrate and to be celebrated all weekend long.
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<br />Here are some pictures from a park outing we did with Mimi & Papa and Gigi on Saturday. We had such a nice picnic. We enjoyed watermelon (obviously the boys had more fun with the watermelon than the rest of us), fried chicken and potato salad. We brought bikes for the kids and they rode and enjoyed the nice weather while the rest of us relaxed in the shade or walked alongside of them as they biked. It was a wonderful day. We were thankful most especially to have Eric's grandma (Gigi) with us.... it was our first Mother's Day with her.
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<br />We spent Sunday in Tyler with Nana. That was fun too since she has not been around on Mother's Day for several years. We drove out after church and enjoyed an afternoon at her house playing in the woods and eating barbeque... and trying on hats.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-28333479494805078152011-08-14T21:40:00.000-05:002011-08-14T21:55:49.979-05:00Easter 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnaWkUjdQkjY9nBbvMR8Wbq8JTOEUZTPO4tQW_4DMzeeb9Jqa9y2jHqiQ6IAKWyCUYjgg3kKQCMD_F57afOFCQzTnEWjnWMzRlD0G6le9h2eKyvonL8gKGaTMGnw00Z8a_7uCrNN5gWE/s1600/IMG_1015.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnaWkUjdQkjY9nBbvMR8Wbq8JTOEUZTPO4tQW_4DMzeeb9Jqa9y2jHqiQ6IAKWyCUYjgg3kKQCMD_F57afOFCQzTnEWjnWMzRlD0G6le9h2eKyvonL8gKGaTMGnw00Z8a_7uCrNN5gWE/s320/IMG_1015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640911026602349378" /></a>
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<br />Easter was filled with lots of fun this year. The bunny hid the eggs outside so we spent alot of the morning in the backyard. Enjoy the pictures. Included, of course, is the annual picture of at least one of the boys with his Easter basket on his head. If Henry had his on his head this year, I failed to snap the picture. Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-68048471281986599992011-08-14T21:29:00.000-05:002011-08-14T21:39:38.487-05:00April Cub Scout Family Campout<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NGILdKPgKTa83i6e7JLmRkDKOndvP3AYoRHyEyyQv0I3x4mrcFX5YBAAIQit5zRBgN-skNgKpbDDqajCyv0BFMn9ugEcvCJAiP68wy2QqgTpmEP_rmXwramYjgrH0kWkhTqG8RiNkNI/s1600/IMG_0934.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NGILdKPgKTa83i6e7JLmRkDKOndvP3AYoRHyEyyQv0I3x4mrcFX5YBAAIQit5zRBgN-skNgKpbDDqajCyv0BFMn9ugEcvCJAiP68wy2QqgTpmEP_rmXwramYjgrH0kWkhTqG8RiNkNI/s320/IMG_0934.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640906531697888674" /></a>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKR3FUI-wdUU1Z0LDHu98HeUdolP8hxJw-XjdpxhLYTCcCXB9FFnTnRZmSZlVFYd9YQuYxIORvN4Pm-A-cdup_eSBGMinfOPjA6nnuTkep4FSOpx6IrJvnYaIXr_9zFetzA4ZyLDGMcw/s1600/IMG_0987.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKR3FUI-wdUU1Z0LDHu98HeUdolP8hxJw-XjdpxhLYTCcCXB9FFnTnRZmSZlVFYd9YQuYxIORvN4Pm-A-cdup_eSBGMinfOPjA6nnuTkep4FSOpx6IrJvnYaIXr_9zFetzA4ZyLDGMcw/s320/IMG_0987.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640905516021135442" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCjlAwbX0Btm2IjkD_jCIVdLBlzSjTD1YK4lpabMOEawCssFJP0d14hVZ9RXtB0gKt5jTb4IMlsKC_Tg8ORDRQA5nABXP5HMH6oe5uf3s2rWkKtna4vScAp_tRnYx14-_nYed-JTtDjA/s1600/IMG_1005.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCjlAwbX0Btm2IjkD_jCIVdLBlzSjTD1YK4lpabMOEawCssFJP0d14hVZ9RXtB0gKt5jTb4IMlsKC_Tg8ORDRQA5nABXP5HMH6oe5uf3s2rWkKtna4vScAp_tRnYx14-_nYed-JTtDjA/s320/IMG_1005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640905345534511650" /></a>
<br />There are way too many pictures from Cub Scout campout to include here. Needless to say, it is the highlight of Cub Scouts. Henry had so much fun hanging out with the boys in his den. Meanwhile, back at camp, Meghan and Owen and Mommy and Daddy had lots of fun too. This campout occurs once in the fall and once in the spring and it is fun for the whole family.
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<br />Included are pictures of Henry and Owen learning to fish, Meghan playing in some serious mud, Owen swimming in the lake, Henry helping with flag ceremony and also the end result... all three of them passed out in the tent. Finally, a picture of our ride home. We have found that if you let the kids eat the leftover marshmallows the ride home is a little quieter. Enjoy!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-75128134710292610812011-08-14T21:24:00.000-05:002011-08-14T21:28:48.753-05:00Future Blackmail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqgM-C3-MPEPhuGzQul7pxv-4mq68aljea-d-F6OYTnDYqiSNZmKCs929sW85izRHQvl38kXCkovQ_RO_A6KlWwFrySLeG_SfZeIEe6yNdNCjXR46FDll-PGQoXorMV9MzRkWDvUyR80/s1600/IMG_0910.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqgM-C3-MPEPhuGzQul7pxv-4mq68aljea-d-F6OYTnDYqiSNZmKCs929sW85izRHQvl38kXCkovQ_RO_A6KlWwFrySLeG_SfZeIEe6yNdNCjXR46FDll-PGQoXorMV9MzRkWDvUyR80/s320/IMG_0910.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640904069224479154" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_0lbtAwp4YFsBSdmXbG6dN0J5ITMM56PkRnIcSv1G569U6FacrCDEAh3_tfEXoxN2K1d3rb4oIsNe4f36IywVbKtWAwmSO5j1H4D-PGzXrlXFBA7QWayKBn5LqEkXKuz0cvBNzcwQ34/s1600/IMG_0907.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_0lbtAwp4YFsBSdmXbG6dN0J5ITMM56PkRnIcSv1G569U6FacrCDEAh3_tfEXoxN2K1d3rb4oIsNe4f36IywVbKtWAwmSO5j1H4D-PGzXrlXFBA7QWayKBn5LqEkXKuz0cvBNzcwQ34/s320/IMG_0907.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640903972027511730" /></a>
<br />These pictures ought to come in handy some day when we need to blackmail the boys.... no idea what they were doing or thinking here. They are busy playing with friends, Lauren and Lindsey, on the trampoline. Hmmm..... your guess is as good as mine.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395304415319251358.post-4458400490805598572011-08-14T21:13:00.000-05:002011-08-14T21:23:42.294-05:00Back Home!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQd0I6XiNxxbL-2Nex2ytllp8gZMof47fpXDsN6cuKjnpncA2nXqVklle7p3I6zu59Ol9ptXoOU4JQtu_obQHwiw2rsIH9YMLUSrDhtBSsbxlmNH_jB5UGebQk_1XLBAysAJ0Y-rmIfk/s1600/IMG_0911.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQd0I6XiNxxbL-2Nex2ytllp8gZMof47fpXDsN6cuKjnpncA2nXqVklle7p3I6zu59Ol9ptXoOU4JQtu_obQHwiw2rsIH9YMLUSrDhtBSsbxlmNH_jB5UGebQk_1XLBAysAJ0Y-rmIfk/s320/IMG_0911.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640902753795281986" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTh-Nvg2fUJf9Fz3LgQTpgsiAc-Lb41lp_XJ7rtMqEw1hATB30YsZxxjLUbJwOQ_bBPUiALqtKiOjhh13xHNr-WM5_EkpBcu_Em7lFuB5gRqmjbYv21oRsfGWlbxZgCZttiGOrvYku_ls/s1600/IMG_0913.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTh-Nvg2fUJf9Fz3LgQTpgsiAc-Lb41lp_XJ7rtMqEw1hATB30YsZxxjLUbJwOQ_bBPUiALqtKiOjhh13xHNr-WM5_EkpBcu_Em7lFuB5gRqmjbYv21oRsfGWlbxZgCZttiGOrvYku_ls/s320/IMG_0913.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640902632048701730" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-4g3FWc7RCHxVKcQUaVDEoTxfHHAx4NgX_1RU8L2O07CXkXpxeEizrHAV3MO3akYRFMr1VEFYsZxbp5cErknyQkAuFHHwDRi8v1GcDDofrjf8auN2gTlCnY4VXVqN5YiwuWcrCSv3kQ/s1600/IMG_0923.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-4g3FWc7RCHxVKcQUaVDEoTxfHHAx4NgX_1RU8L2O07CXkXpxeEizrHAV3MO3akYRFMr1VEFYsZxbp5cErknyQkAuFHHwDRi8v1GcDDofrjf8auN2gTlCnY4VXVqN5YiwuWcrCSv3kQ/s320/IMG_0923.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640902085101669746" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypfOE8mS2c_0H7oxOxFJfu3Ezu9tRdhFF3uxIpTcH3zg3Dg2ESY6qctZCwleD1Wvq3XVJP-wBM9bUu59UYtl1JJnTqsYXpSMhmz-ksGvE85DBm8P6Ojwf1pyvHAsKFxlOFviOmldvK-I/s1600/IMG_0924.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiypfOE8mS2c_0H7oxOxFJfu3Ezu9tRdhFF3uxIpTcH3zg3Dg2ESY6qctZCwleD1Wvq3XVJP-wBM9bUu59UYtl1JJnTqsYXpSMhmz-ksGvE85DBm8P6Ojwf1pyvHAsKFxlOFviOmldvK-I/s320/IMG_0924.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640901937193548930" /></a>
<br />Once we got back home and settled we were left feeling happy to be here with our three biological kids but sad to be so far from Sarah. That feeling would continue throughout the long summer as we waited and waited to hear an update on our case. Still feels that way as I type this tonite in mid-August. While I have peace and trust that God is taking good care of Sarah, at the same time there is that unsettling notion that "things are not as they should be"..... she should be here with us. So we wait.
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<br />And while we wait, we get busy! Here are some pictures of our first project after returning from Ethiopia. Remember that garden box (aka coffin) that Eric built last year? Well, 2010's results were pretty pathetic with almost no fruit to show for the summer's efforts. So we decided to get an earlier start this year and plant in mid-March. Here are the pictures from the day of planting.
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<br />We did end up with a few tomatoes this year. Also, our cilantro plant grew and grew and came in very handy as one of the main ingredients of the salsa we make. The beans, pumpkins and cucumbers did not fare so well. Maybe next year?Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071664637307178341noreply@blogger.com0