Adoption Memoirs

Ayana is growin like a weed!

2011-12-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

Ayana is only three years old an is already 3ft 2inches. So since I am only 5'3...how long before she is taller han her mom???? Hmmmmm

Ayana soooo Tired!

2011-02-04T21:01:00.003-06:00

I haven't had time to post in a while but I couldn't help but share this. I am probably a terrible mom for posting this but I can't help it, it's soooo funny! (especially at the end) Big sis captured this video while babysitting during dinner.

The illiterate of th

2011-01-21T11:34:00.001-06:00

The illiterate of the 21st century will notbe those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ...alvin to

In dallas listening

2011-01-19T09:54:00.001-06:00

In dallas listening to a coach talk about living BOLD...Business Objective: A life by Design

Praising our Amazing

2011-01-05T09:15:00.001-06:00

Praising our Amazing God this morning. Rick's reports came back and he is cancer free!!!

Santa Baby!

2010-12-05T23:01:00.008-06:00

Merry Christmas

a Very Blessed New Year

from the Boyds!

Love,
Rick, Amber, Savannah & Ayana

My baby isn't a baby anymore. Sniff Sniff...

2010-10-26T23:10:00.004-05:00

One day you look up and that baby face is gone and replaced with the face of a little girl.

Happiness is circums

2010-10-24T19:33:00.001-05:00

Happiness is circumstantial, true joy comes from the Lord no matter the circumstance. I choose JOY!

'Sesame Street' Teaches Self-Esteem

2010-10-20T20:05:00.002-05:00

A friend sent this to me....and I'm so glad they did. Please watch it and let me know what you think.

It has been too long....

2010-09-27T22:22:00.007-05:00

I want to start out by apologizing for not posting in so long. I didn't want to be one of those moms that stopped posting after the adoption but that is what eventually happened. I also want to be very honest and tell you that I will still not be posting regularly due to a hectic schedule but I will try when time allows.

So much has happened since I posted last. Ayana is looking more like a little girl instead of a baby, Savannah looks more like a women and not a little girl! My hubby has been in the hospital 3 times in the last 60 days and just had a quadruple bypass 4 weeks ago. Things have been crazy to say the least. Thank the Lord that Rick is on his way to better health now.

Savannah started high school, which totally blows my mind. She went to her first Homecoming last weekend. She looked so beautiful! She went with a big group of friends instead of a date. (Thank goodness! :) She had a great time. She is becoming such an amazing young women with opinions and self confidence. She loves the Lord and I couldn't be more proud. Below is pictures of the BIG night....She lost weight before that week so her dress was about to fall off. They have been conditioning in cheer and running a lot but we didn't have time to alter the dress. It still worked out fine.

Ayana is getting so big and she is so smart! I can't believe how much she knows and talks. She can hold a regular conversation. She is in an awnry stage where she likes to have her way so we are working through that. She is also very attached now and doesn't like it at all when mommy or daddy goes to work. Rick and I bought her the cutest little kitchen to play with. When I opened the box, there was soooo many pieces and 18 pages of instructions. UGHH!!! We got through it and the end result was a hit! She LOVES it! She is also a true Texan now because she owns a pair of cowboy boots! Oh yeah!!!

Ayana said she was talking (on the phone in the picture above) to PAPA (Grandpa Dave)...

Sorry Mom.

I miss talking to everyone in BLOGLAND! I feel so out of touch. For those that want to chat more often, please find me on FACEBOOK where I post more often. (there is a facebook button on the side of my blog) Hope to talk to you soon!

Blessings,

I can't believe that

2010-08-22T21:05:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that my baby girl is starting her first day of High School tomorrow!

Teaching a class to

2010-05-26T14:29:00.001-05:00

Teaching a class to some awesome students in Lubbock!

Just celebrated Ayan

2010-05-15T20:23:00.001-05:00

Just celebrated Ayana's 2nd birthday ( a day early) she loved the cake and presents!!! We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Just finished doing

2010-05-13T12:16:00.001-05:00

Just finished doing community service with the rest of the agents at kw for our annual red day at the community garden in rockwall thay feeds people in need. Everyone chipped in got done in record time. Who knew a city girl could farm?! :-)

My ethiopian princes

2010-05-12T20:50:00.001-05:00

My ethiopian princess is turning 2 on sunday and today was a big day....she learned how to use the big girl potty!!! I know, TMI, but i am so proud!

On a break...everyti

2010-05-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

On a break...everytime i see myself i am in shock. last night i asked to get some highlights....the towel comes off my head and BAM, wow, that is blonde! wow

There is no chance,

2010-05-12T11:16:00.001-05:00

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent, hinder, or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.

In BOLD seminar toda

2010-05-12T09:27:00.001-05:00

In BOLD seminar today...we are learning the five step buyer system for maximum success with ads and sign calls.

You must marry belie

2010-05-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

You must marry belief with action.

A successful man is

2010-05-06T09:29:00.001-05:00

A successful man is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks that are thrown at them.

More New Photos!!!!

2010-05-03T22:07:00.005-05:00

Can you believe our Ethiopian beauty is turning 2 this month? She is so tall and such a little sweetie. Her sweetness was short lived during the photo shoot. We got the shots and got out. lol. Here are a few of my favorites...

New Pictures!!!

2010-05-03T21:45:00.007-05:00

We had a photo shoot over the weekend with the girls...I will post Savannah's first. She was so cute! She is growing up so fast and getting so womanly if you know what I mean. Ughh! When did that happen??????? I am so proud of the lady that she is. Well I am a lady of few words because of time so here ya go....(Ayana's will be next)

Easter at the Boyd house...

2010-04-05T00:39:00.008-05:00

Ok, Ok, I know that I haven't posted in a while. I have been so busy at work and when I have time off I have been spending time with the kids and have not had enough time. I still hope to blog about our missions trip to Ethiopia. I have amazing photos but I have so many to sort through so it will take some time.

In the meantime....Here us a few photos of my favorite girls on Easter.

Happy Easter! He has RISEN!

2010-04-05T00:07:00.003-05:00

Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (NIV)

Romans 1:4-5
And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. (NLT)

Romans 6:8-11
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

One year ago today, gotcha day!

2010-02-21T06:00:00.003-06:00

I can't believe that it has been one year since we picked up our sweet pea. It has been an amazing year. Life sure has changed since adding a baby to the family but I wouldn't give it up for anything. Adoption has been an awesome experience. What a blessing "A" has been to our lives.

A video to celebrate our one year....

Thought for the day...

2010-02-20T15:27:00.002-06:00

Attitude is one of the most important things in life....why? Because attitude is the only thing we can control.

Happy Valentines!

2010-02-15T21:14:00.004-06:00

This is the 9th Valentines Day Rick and I have been together. I can't think of a more perfect way to celebrate the weekend than what we did....We renewed our wedding vows and Godly covenant to each other. I love you babe!

Memories...

What 'A' has been up to...

2010-02-01T18:54:00.001-06:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

They safely landed!!

2010-02-01T15:33:00.001-06:00

Amber just called me and they landed!!!! Just wanted to update everyone!!! -Lindsay

They are on their way home!

2010-01-31T13:24:00.003-06:00

They got on the first of two planes on their way home 8 hours ago. They will land at DFW on Monday afternoon. Ayana and I are so excited that we can almost pee in our pants...Well, actually Ayana does still pee in her pants but I break that habit a long time ago! We just got back from church and Ayana is down for her nap. We looked like twinkies today at church: we both had on dark wash jeans and cream colored sweaters and we are two curly headed babes! We were so efficient in getting ready this morning that we went to the grocery store before chruch! Ayana had a hard time sleeping last night because she was up a few times. I would hear her babble for a few minutes and then she would go right back to sleep. She was wide awake at 5AM though so I changed her diaper, made a bottle and she went right back down until 9AM. Yesterday we went to see my mom becasue I had to get a tax document that arrived there in the mail. We all went out to lunch at Cheddars and Ayana was so cute. When the waitress walked up to get our order, Ayana would point at herself and say "Ayaya, Ayaya, Ayaya" like she was introducing herself. It was hilarious. She did that to anyone who stopped at our table. The rest of the day we just chilled at the house and played with toys. She had a hard fall yesterday and tripped on the carpet and went face first on to a toy and then the ground. She was screaming and crying so loudly it scared the bajesus outta me! I was standing a few feet away when she fell and it looked like it really hurt too. But after a few tears and 5 minutes of consoling, she was all smiles and giggles and back to playing and not even a mark to show her fall thank goodness! That's all for now...we are counting down the hours until Amber, Rick, and Savvy get home!!!!!

Day 6 with Ayana

2010-01-28T20:04:00.006-06:00

Ayana is so great. We spent about 45 minutes on the couch reading/looking at her books. She loves the Elmo book the best. We looked at it for 20 minutes. She is so smart. I would say the names of items in the book and point to them. We went all through the book identifying items. Then I would say items and she would flip to the page and point at them! She knew all of them! Sometimes she would even say the names if she could pronounce them. I couldn't believe she could focus that long...She's only 20 months old and I'm 23 and I can barely stay focused on one item that long! But she was just sitting in my lap the whole time. Then she took a fascination to my socks. I'm actually wearing Amber's socks because I forgot to pack my own! Don't worry Amber, I will wash them before you get them back! She would take one off of my foot and take off with it so I would chase her around the living room and get it back. She thought that was hilarious. I would put it back on my foot and she would do it again. We put the socks on her feet and it was so cute. They went all the way up to her knees but she liked wearing them. I wish I would have taken a picture because it was soooo cute!

-Lindsay

We talked to Amber & Rick on the phone finally!

2010-01-28T18:24:00.004-06:00

As soon as I came home from work, we called Amber and Rick on a new number they gave us. We actually woke them up because it was 3AM in Addis but they were excited to hear from Ayana. Amber said they were awake because the city was doing the Muslim prayer and they can hear it in their room. We had a five minute conversation without being disconnected. It was so exicting to actually get to talk to them and have a clear connection. Ayana was talking up a storm saying, "mama, dada, nana". It was great! We are going to call again tomorrow during lunchtime so they will be fully awake as it should be about 8 or 9PM there.

Email from Amber!!

2010-01-28T13:17:00.002-06:00

"We miss Ayana so bad!!!!! But we are glad we didn't bring her. Too many risks to have her here. The polution is so bad that when I blow my nose, black comes out.
This morning we were at the prostitution ministry and this evening we rode out to a village outside the city where one american missionary couple are. They have started a ministry for the children to school and feed them. It felt like we were on National geographic.

It was a remote village with no electricity or water and they live in mud huts. They held a ceremony for the whole village to bless a new peice of land that they aquired to build a new school for more children. The school is about the size of ourt master bath and closet and it holds at least 20 children. CRAZY! The elders of the community were there to bless the land and to tell the people what was going to happen. They slaughtered an ox and cut it up and put it on a hige platter and used their hands to pass it out to everyone to eat, RAW! I didn't want to be rude but we just could not do it! They also cooked some of it but they were so dirty that I just couldn't eat it either.

They all ate like vultures becasue they hadn't eaten in days. Our group supplied the missionaries with the money to buy bread and the ox for the viallge to eat. Seeing the children there was devastating. They had ripped clothes and were so dirty. Some of the children had fungus growing on their heads and some of their skin looked unrecognizable. Some were covered in scabies and other skin infections. I felt guilty for feeling this way, but I was freaking out on the inside. You know that I am a germaphobe and I was absolutely freakin out on the inside for hours. It was horrible. We couldn't help everyone, there was just too many of them. It was so hard.
On the way home, we stopped at the pharmacy and got scabies creme. My skin is absolutley crawling!!!!

I have so much more to tell but I am so tired. Call when you want, no matter what time. We love you guys and miss you so bad!

Give Ayana a big hug and kiss for us! Love you,

Amber, Rick, Savannah"

That's all I have for now. I'm going to try and call after I get home from work so Ayana can talk too.

-Lindsay

Day 4 with Ayana

2010-01-27T10:00:00.002-06:00

Ayana is doing amazing well. She slept all through the night and went to sleep as soon as I put her down. The dogs started barking at 1:30AM so I went downstairs to check everything out and change her diaper. I guess the dogs brought her out of that deep sleep so when I started changing her diaper, she woke up. So I made her a bottle and she went right back down. In fact, she was still asleep when I left for work at 8:20. I woke up at 7:25 to unlock the door and open that gate for Ester but I forgot to unlock the actual lock on the door handle so poor little Ester was locked out. I came down stairs to get something and I saw her car in the driveway but she wasn’t inside. So I went to check the door and it was locked. I felt so bad. She was sitting in her car so went out to get her! She was only been out there for 5 or 10 minutes but I still felt bad.

Last night we went over to the Dudley's because I was in need of some home cooked food. I called Shelley and said "If I have to eat another frozen meal or fast food I'm going to barf!" I wanted to make enchilada casserole but I don’t really know how to make it for one. So we went to the Dudley's and I cooked enchilada casserole. A didn’t get to enjoy my famous casserole because I thought it might be too spicy for her so she had a little chips and guac and some mandarin oranges.

-Lindsay

Boyd Update

2010-01-27T09:58:00.000-06:00

Amber sent me this email:

"Lindsay,

We have not been able to connect by phone, what a bummer! I am really missing Ayana so badly.

Don't have much time to talk because the internet comes and goes and the power goes out at least once a day in the whole area.

We are all doing fine. God is working in amazing ways. We are emotionally drained and heartbroken.. What we saw today was more devastating than anything I have ever seen or imagined. I can't even put it into words at this time. PLease continue to pray for our safety and health as we continue our mission. I have been journaling when I can so I can share details when I return.

Thank you for taking good care of Ayana and please try to call the number I gave you so we can talk.

Love you.

Amber, Rick and Savvy"

Email from Amber...

2010-01-25T14:07:00.001-06:00

We tried to answer the phone when you called but we kept losing connection. How is A doing? We miss her real bad.

Today we went to a drop in center where they run a place for kids who have lost a parent or both and need somewhere to go. This was not an ophange but a place they can go to school and get fed. They go home at the end of the day to a relative. They were all extremely poor but so happy for us to be there to spend the day with them. When we got out of the van, over 100 children bombarded us. They were so appreciative to have someone spend time with them. They looked as if they had not bathed in months and their clothes and shoes were torn. The smell was bad but I remebered that God hung out with the people no one else would hang out with. They were precious human beings. The kids loved Savvy's hair. They kept touching it and trying to braid it. We were able to give a lot fo donations, including much needed shoes.

Later in the afternoon, we tried to visit Toukoul, the orphanage where A was adopted from. Even though we had an appointment, they would not let us see the children at all. It was very disappointing. I may try again later in the week as I don't plan to give up that easy.

Love you

Amber

Day 2

2010-01-24T20:38:00.003-06:00

Last night A woke up at 3AM so I came downstairs, put a bottle in microwave, waited for 48 seconds to pass and when I went to grab the bottle, it slipped out of my hands and splashed all the way down to the ground. It went down the double ovens, onto the cabinets, all over the floor & all over me...EVERYWHERE! Ayana was crying, I was drenched in milk and it was 3AM. All I could do was put another bottle in the microwave, change A, and clean up! I may have said a few choice words along the way but after one diaper, 2 bottles, a few kitchen towels, and a quick shower and a fresh pair of jammies for me, it was back to catching some zzzz's. Ayana woke up at 9. We ate breakfast and called Rick and Amber. I spoke to them briefly last night and they wanted to talk to A but it was 10:30pm our time so I told them I would call them back today so they could talk to Ayana. I called them twice but there was no answer. So I gave A and bath we got ready for church. While we were upstairs getting ready, they called my cell phone twice but I didn't notice the call until we came back downstairs. We called them again and finally Rick answered the phone. We got disconnected after 30 seconds so we called back and got to speak for about three minutes before getting disconnected. A got to talk to 'mama' and 'dada'. She looked at the phone and smiled and said 'mama?' 'dada?'. It was cute. We went to church afterwards, A had a nap as soon as we got back home, had chicken nuggets for lunch, applesauce and roast beef for dinner and down for bed at 8! There was lots of playing and laughing in between all of that, of course. -Lindsay

One day down...

2010-01-24T20:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was out first full day in Addis. It was jammed pack and very emotional. First, we went to a local church service, call Baza International. (means Redemption, I think) They had an English session and an Amharic session. It was an amazing church. Everyone was so on fire for God and it was inspiring to watch and take part.

The second part of the day, we went to Entoto (sp?) where 4,000 HIV Ethiopians have fled to the mountain because they heard that the Orthodox church there had holy water that could heal them. The lady that I spoke to said that she has been waiting seven years and she is not healed yet. She invited us into her home, which was the size of my mater bath at home and holds a family of five. Her husband already passed away from the disease and she is not raising all the kids and is very sick herself. She laid in bed while we talked to her and loved on her. I asked her if I could pray with her and she said no, because she believes that God already healed her through her priest so only her priest can pray for her. I was so sad for her.

The way we knew about this mountain side, is there is a ministry running there that makes jewelry and gives all proceeds to the mothers so they can learn to support themselves. The lady we spoke to, did indeed work there. As a matter of fact, over 100 women work there from the mountain. We bought some jewelry to help support them. This is an amazing ministry to help mothers learn a trade and get some money to sustain their family when they leave the program. The children also go to school while the moms are working.

We also got to play with the children in the field from the mountain and they were just precious. The sad part is that everyone from that mountainside has a stigma attached to them with HIV and they are rejected by most of society. The children were full of life and oblivious to the fact that they had now shoes and their shirts were torn so bad, they were hanging off of them. We brought all the mothers food/noodles for their families and then ministered the best we can. We wanted them to know they were not any less special than anyone else on the planet and God loves them equally. We pray that a seed has been planted in all of their hearts. Pray that they continually feel the love of Jesus surrounding them daily and for healing.

Thank you Lord for allowing me to see You through your people. I am in awe of your goodness.
Amen

Rick and I miss Ayana so bad already! Savvy is doing awesome on the trip and we are so pproud of her. Please continue your prayers. I will post pictures when I return.

They made it safely to Ethiopia!

2010-01-23T19:20:00.003-06:00

Amber emailed me at 2:06 pm our time today... "We made it to Ethiopia. Long journey but we are excited to be here." I will call them later tonight and get more of an update but that is all the news I have so far. On another note, I want to be sure to document everything Ayana does while Rick, Amber, and Savvy are gone so they can see what's been going on while they are gone doing God's work.

Day One with Ayana: I put her down last night at 8 and she went right to sleep. I woke up at 3AM and changed her diaper while she was sleeping in her crib. Since she was sleeping, I was trying to be as delicate as possible to not wake her. So I decided to not put her jammie bottoms back on her. I thought I was smart in doing this but when I went in this morning at 8, she had taken her diaper off and peed in the crib! Needless to say, I got to change and wash sheets today!! The rest of the day was far less eventful...bath in the morning and we chilled at the house most of the day until we went to Johhny Carino's for dinner with the Dudleys. That's basically it for the day. Now I'm about to get her ready for bedtime. Let's hope she sleeps through the night again! -Lindsay

We are on our way to Ethiopia....

2010-01-21T22:57:00.002-06:00

In just a few short hours, we are leaving to go to Ethiopia for our missions trip. In the end we decided to not take Ayana and I am going to miss her so bad! We will have an intense schedule of things that she couldn't go to while in country and I didn't want to leave her with someone she didn't know all day. Our nanny and my firend Lindsay will be watching her. She will be in her bed and stay in her routine while we are gone. I have never left her this long and we will be so far away. Please pray that our strong bond will not be affected long term by us being gone and that she does well.

Also, please pray for our trip and for God to work in His perfect plan.
Here is our schedule and the description of some of the places we are going to:

Day and Date Morning Afternoon

Sunday the 24th Church (Beza International) HIV colony in Entoto with Beza
Monday the 25th Bright Hope School Kechene drop-in-center
Tuesday the 26th CHE drop-in-center Mexico & boys halfway home Lafto Thomas Center Orphanage and Bole Bulbula Village VBS
Wednesday the 27th Boys at the City Dump Leper Colony/Hospital
Thursday the 28th * Optional Morning After School program with Baers
Friday the 29th Hannah's Hope Transitional Home with Almaz Ephrem's Soccer Ministry
Saturday the 30th AHOPE HIV Orphanage IEC Ministry Bazaar
Sunday the 31st. Church (Bible Army Church) Afternoon wrap up and debrief

Beza International is a bilingual, Evangelical church that in the past 3 years has grow from 12 to over 3500. They are extremely intentional in reaching out to those in their community and have an amazing outreach to those affected by HIV and AIDS. The worship service is similar in style to what you might find at an Assemblies of God church.
The HIV colony in Entoto houses over 4000 individuals with HIV and/or AIDS. The site is located on a mountain top overlooking Addis. The initial reason that those with HIV came to the area is because of a local Orthodox church which was understood to have holy water to cure their disease. Unfortunately, there has not been a documented case of such holy water healing. Beza church began a work that is now reaching over 400 in the community. One way they are able to reach this people group is to provide them a job making jewelry and other handy crafts. This provides them a sense of dignity and also helps them to open up to the only real answer in Jesus Christ.
Bright Hope School is one of the oldest schools in Addis with no formal funding. It is located near the Leper colony and dump. In November of 2009, a church came to the school to build the first ever wall around the campus (keeping out hyenas and also protecting the children from any other unwanted visitors. We will join a team that is spending a week at the school. Keep in mind that the primary need is to simply spend time with the kids. You don't have to be a professional at anything...just be willing to give your love and open your heart to the love they have.
The Kechene drop-in-center is a community based model of care. They provide schooling, discipleship, and a solid meal…all wrapped in a blanket of love. Peter Aberra started the center after leaving his position of Area Director for Young Life Ethiopia. People thought he was crazy to leave a job as the director of an American (well-funded) ministry. He left by faith because he saw a need that he couldn't help but do something about. These kids have nothing...and have everything...a fantastic picture of the joy the Lord can provide. We partnered with Peter to help him start a second drop-in-center just one street away from the guest home.
Children's Home Ethiopia (in conjunction with The Forsaken Children USA), have a drop-in-center in the Mexico area of Addis that serves to connect with children on the front lines of need. They build relationships with children who have nowhere else to go. Some have no parents and are on the streets...others may have one parent or grandparent, yet are on the edge of having no adult to care for them. Some have even been found to live under plastic tarps in the median of the busy road outside their center. For those with no adult whatsoever, they have begun a halfway house in Lafto (near the guest home). This provides a sense of family and provides a commitment to these kids to be there for them.
The Thomas Center Orphanage and Bole Bulbula Village is run by pastor Abdissa Benti. Last year, Dave asked Pastor Abdissa where the team could serve. Although he pastored two churches, runs two separate orphanages/transitional homes…he took us to an area that he knew had more need. That area is Bole Bulbula. Although one can see the airport runway from the village...it has been largely passed up. The main source of income is generated by selling cow dung (which is used for fuel...and to build humble buildings). He started a new church now reaching 75 kids and sharing the good news of Jesus.
The city dump is less than 10 minutes from Ethiopia Guest Home, and years ago was far removed from the center of the city. Over time, the city has grown out and it is now unavoidable. Women and children scavenge alongside of vultures, dogs, and pigs (which they do not eat in Ethiopia). Sammy is one of the translators on staff with Ethiopia Guest Home. He grew up in the dump and leper colony (near each other). He still knows many of those at the dump and has helped build a bridge as the Lord has done much in his life. We are looking at creative ways to help give a hand-up vs hand-out to those who long for something more.
The Leper Colony (Korah) is home to the only Leprosy hospital in all of Ethiopia. Alert Hospital is well known throughout the world…yet extremely primitive. There is still a stigma on those with Leprosy as individuals are often shunned by their families. We have connected with Kasa...a man in his 60's who came to Korah in 1967. Without any fingers, he manages to make rugs and makes a living for his family with the income generated from the rugs. Other women there cut plastic bags (originally used for milk storage) into strips that they then make the most amazing purses from. Whether purses or rugs, tapestry, etc...The work provides both physical therapy through motion in their hands as well as a sense of dignity. We are looking to deepen our connection with these individuals and lay the groundwork for sharing the gospel.
Bingham Academy is an International School (only those with a foreign passport are permitted to attend), that serves missionary families, business families, and other internationals in Ethiopia. We will tour the school and find out more about the history and goals they have.
Prayer walk to the Orthodox Church near Lafto. We'll see many faithful Orthodox believers making the trek up the hill/small mountain to connect with God. Additionally, women in Orthodox churches cover their heads with a white scarf ( Men also wear the scarf, yet do not cover their heads. While we may have different specific beliefs, it's important to see the preservation of the Christian faith through the Orthodox church as Ethiopia has a long historical connection with Israel as the Queen of Sheba (from Ethiopia) had a son from King Solomon...it will be a quiet time of prayer at the church.
Tom and Sally Baer are full time missionaries in Ethiopia who are rather new to Ethiopia. They have located a remote area about one hour away and started an after school program designed at building relationships and addressing real needs…which in time will lead to open hearts to the gospel. We will spend some time with their family...hearing about what life is like in Ethiopia and learning about their ministry. We will then buy a sheep or two on the way to their project and kill them together with the people of their community and have a celebration feast. We'll have some great time to connect with the kids there as well.
Hannah's Hope Transitional home sets the bar for orphan care. Children there have been referred to parents who are in the process of adoption. Almaz is the Director. You'll notice a real peace and Joy of the Lord at the center. We'll spend time with younger and older children and hear from the staff as well.
Ephrem Hagos has a soccer ministry to boys on the streets of downtown Addis. Two years ago when we first connected, he was working with 25 boys. Now, his work has swelled to over 100. He started a soccer league for boys on the street…the first of its kind in Ethiopia. He has long term dreams of getting each of the boys sponsored so that they can stay in school. He would also like to have a place for those with no parents of any kind to be able to come and sleep...and receive a solid meal. We'll take some of the boys for ice cream and hear from them about the challenges they face and the hope they have.
AHOPE is the largest HIV + Orphanage in Addis. As there is a tremendous stigma on those with HIV, it's a miracle AHOPE even exists. We'll spend time with the children and provide them with the same love that every child deserves. There has been an increased movement by those in the states and Europe to adopt children who are HIV +. Having spoken with these adoptive parents, they all said that medically...HIV is a breeze. It's the social stigma that exists everywhere that they run into. We'll have some time that night to remember these families in prayer.
The International Evangelical Church (IEC) is one of the oldest churches in Ethiopia started by missionaries with SIM. On the last Saturday of the month, over 50 ministries converge to sell items they have made that in turn help them to pay for the various ministry activities they incur costs for. While it is great to bring home a souvenir...it's even better to bring home a gift that makes a difference.
The Bible Army Church. A trip to Ethiopia would not be complete without a trip to an extremely charismatic church. These are people who love Jesus…and who have some energy about it. There will be dancing, shouting, maybe some people rolling on the floor. It's refreshing to see such energy in the expression of faith...something I'm sure we could use more of.

Well anyway, that's it for now. Gotta go to bed and get ready to go! PLEASE PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Skin and Haircare Update

2010-01-16T15:22:00.008-06:00

In a previous post, I wrote about how Ayana Hair and skin care routine. In that post, I mentioned that Ayana had bumps on her cheek and I didn't know what it was. Since then, we found out that it was Eczema, the doctor said it is very common with children with allergies, which Ayana does have. In that post, you guys left some great comments and I have been able to try some great products.

So...4 months after trying a lot of products on Ayana to see what works best for her, here is what has worked best for us.

A has dry skin in general but battles Eczema on her face that is very persistant in a spot of her left cheek. We tried many, many things that were reccomended and nothing took it away, UNTIL.....we applied straight Tea Tree Oil to it several days and WAA LAA, it went away. The first few days it gets rogher as it will scab over and then heal. We bought it at Wal; Mart for under 5 bucks.

We also apply RENEW intensive skin therapy lotion daily to her face and body and it is awesome stuff!

Our Second favorite lotion is Eucerin Calming Creme. The Eucerin lotion is great but can leave a greasy film on skin that can prevent your skin from breathing and from research it doesn't stand up to handwashing like Renew does, so you have to constantly reapply the Eucerin.

For hair care, we are still trying a variety of products. We just started using the Carol's Daughter Product line but we are experiementing. Their are so many products to try. Ayana has beautiful hair but as it gets longer, it is harder to manage. The back of her head gets so ratty and tangled when she sleeps at night. Do any of you put something on their head to keep it from getting that way and do they keep it on at this age?
More to come on haircare in a future post and my findings on all the differnet products....

We are preparing to leave on Friday to Ethiopia and things are CRAZY at work. I will update you as I can. Thanks for all your support. We are very excited!

Our First Christmas with Ayana! Part II

2010-01-05T07:52:00.003-06:00

Our First Christmas with Ayana!

2010-01-01T23:16:00.003-06:00

We went to Kansas City for Christmas. Before we moved to Dallas, we lived in KC and a lot of my family and Rick's family live there. The car ride there is about 9 hours. This would be our first long road trip with Ayana. Savvy and I hate car rides because we get car sick easy but we were ready for the haul and excited to see the fam. We get about half way there and stopped for gas and then we couldn't get the car to start back up again. The battery was dead. It was COLD too! A nice man helped us and thankfully we were at a gas station on not on the highway! *WARNING* do not read if you have a weak stomach...So we get on the road again and about another hour into the drive, Savannah starts yelling, EWHH, Ewwhhh!
I looked back and poor Ayana was throwing up everywhere! So I flew into mommy mode and made sure she wasn't choking. Rick pulls over to help. It was everywhere, on the carseat, her whole body, her hair and well you get the picture. Anyway, we get everything cleaned up the best we can on the side of the highway and change her clothes. After it was over, Savvy and I thought we were going to lose our cookies too but luckily we didn't.

We finally made it and it as it started to sleet and snow. We stayed with my Mom and Step-dad's. I spent many years in that house so it was weird that this will be our last Christmas in that house. My parents are selling it because they are going to be full time missionaries and hope to leave for Africa in February.

My mom always cooks great food and takes such good care of us. Thanks MOM and Dave! I wish I had gotten some pictures with them. Bummer!

This was our first Christmas with A. Ayana spent her first Christmas in an orphanage in Addis so it was so special to have her with us for this Christmas, our first one as a new family. Because she is only 19 months, she wasn't really that excited for presents but her favorite part was playing with all her cousins. We have a lot of young kids in the family and you would think she was in heaven with all the loud, hyper kids and so many toys. She learned so many new words that week and learned to be more vocal while around the other kids. Yes, That was a nice way of saying that she has learned to scream loud and she thinks it's so funny!

We also got to spend time with Rick kids. I just LOVE them! We always have so much fun. For the new blog readers, Rick has two grown children from his previous marriage. They were there with their families at mom's too. We love to play a friendly game Texas Hold em' when we get together. Who are we kidding, it's not always friendly, we are a competitive family. It can be brutal but always FUN!

Here are some additional pic's....

The whole clan...

She makes this face every time she sees a camera. LOL!

I love this one...My girls!

I also got to see my best buddies from High School. We used to be inseparable. We have been lucky enough to stay in touch through the years. It was great to see them!

I want to wish everyone a Blessed New Year! Thank you for all your friendships!

Pictures Galore!

2009-12-13T20:43:00.011-06:00

Things are good at the Boyd household. Very busy as usual but we continue to thank the Lord for all our blessings every day. I haven;t posted in a while so I have a lot of photos to share.

Ayana is still growing like crazy. She just had her 18 month well baby check up. I can't believe she will be 19 months on the 16th of this month. She is very healthy and totally on track on all levels, praise the Lord! Ayana is so tall! She is 90 percentile in height and weight. Who needs a boy in the house when we have our own little linebacker already. :) The doctor thinks she will continue to be a very tall girl which is funny since most of our family is SO short. Rick joked that if Ayana didn't know she was adopted she will now. (he was kidding of course)
A is getting into everything. She is climbing and exploring all the time. This is the most exhausting stage yet and also so fun! She still is a total daddies girl. She always wants to be with him. It's so cute!
She was also getting into everything at the doctors office as seen below...

Before Shots...

After Shots...

I love this age because she still lets me pick out her clothes!

1st Christmas with Ayana!

She cracks herself up, it's so funny!

Savvy has been very busy too! Competitive cheer season is on and she is also in school cheer. She is now on a senior level 4 in competitive cheer and it is very demanding. I am so impressed with her gymnastics and athleticism.

Picture of her warm up in the 1st competition.

Fun Misc. picture at home.

Savvy's cheer team and parents worked at a local shelter a few weekends ago and worked with the children. They decorated a tree and helped the kids make their own stockings. The hit of the party was the team mascot, Marty Mustang! It was a great experience. God was working in the lives of so many families and it was an honor to see.

We are continuing to pray for the funds to make it to Ethiopia in Jan. Please pray with us as we don't have much more time.

We will spend the Holidays in MO with family. Most of Rick and I's family live there so we are excited to see everyone that we miss so much!

Merry CHRISTmas to all of my dear blog buddies too! Be blessed!

Thanksgiving, Friends and Holiday decor!

2009-12-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving was great. A lot of family came into town and we ate so much! God has blessed us beyond measure! Thank you Lord!

Some Holiday pic's...

A's day in Court...

2009-11-29T20:12:00.006-06:00

On November 18th, we had our court date in Texas for Ayana's re-adoption. In this proceeding, the state of Texas recognized the adoption we did in Ethiopia. She will be re-issued a new birth certificate and will have an official name change. It was a fairly easy process except for the fact that A wanted to keep grabbing the microphone and talking up a storm while the judge was trying to talk. What can I say, she is an active child. Anyway, we will now have the paperwork we need to file paperwork to take her from being a permanent resident to a US citizen and she will have all the privilege's that go with it. Rick thinks that she might need it so she can become president one day. :)

I am still amazed that Ayana is ours! What an amazing gift!

Africa, here we come...again!

2009-11-09T23:56:00.004-06:00

We are excited to tell you that we are going back to Addis in January! No, it's not to bring home another child...We are going to Addis on a missions trip with a small group. The vision for the trip: We are seeking to find the Christian Solution to the Orphan crisis.

We will be spending time with children at drop-in-centers, orphanages, on the streets, and in surrounding villages. As we ask the directors of these centers what they need most, the answer still surprises me. Consistently, they answer that they need others to come and spend time with the children. The message they have received so far in life is that someone does not love them. Although this is often not true (as often parents dying of HIV/AIDS surrender them to an orphanage because they do love them), when others come specifically to love them, it is utterly life changing…for everyone involved.

We will also be spending time with one of the ministries that works to get prostitutes off the street. Many times, they feel they have no choice but to be on the street. There is a ministry that is providing hope to them. They take them in for a certain amount of time and they are given a loom. They them teach them how to use the loom to weave things that they can sell. They provide childcare and food for them and their children while they are there. While they are in the program, the missionaries who run it help them sell their blankets to Americans who want to help over the internet and the women develop a little nest egg before leaving. After they leave they get to keep the loom so that they can continue to sell products to support their families. I am really excited about this ministry because it may keep more children with their parents and provide more of a long term solution.

This trip is also a means Rick and I asking, “What does God have for us?” Are we called to do more in Ethiopia? Whatever it may be, we are excited to go and be part of the solution…and to listen for what God may have for us. Bottom line, we want to show them the love of Jesus!

We are excited to be bringing the whole family on this trip also. We were not able to bring our 14 year old, Savannah, with us when we picked up Ayana and we are eager to take her this time. I think it will be life changing for her to work with us in these situations and to see where her sister came from. We will also take Ayana. We are afraid that being away from her for 10 days after having her for only 9 months may damage the attachment we are growing. We will stay at the Ethiopia Guest house with friends that will watch her during the day while we are ministering. This is financially a huge burden for 4 of us to be going but I know it’s God so He will provide and make a way.

Calling all Prayer Warriors: Please be praying for our group to raise the money we need and for God to move among the ministries we will be working with.

Also, if you have good fundraiser ideas, I am all ears…Please share.

Is it really November?

2009-11-02T23:27:00.008-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. We have been really busy and I have been sticking to my goal of not being on the computer much at night so I can spend time with family but that has limited my posts since I am at work all day or teaching.

Everyone is doing well. Here of some pic's from the last few weeks including A's first Trick or Treating experience.

Savvy's cheer photo's....

Boyd Update...

2009-10-11T20:46:00.011-05:00

I haven't been able to post in a while. Lots going on as usual. This is the first time I have had my computer on at night all week. It is a deliberate effort to put family first over work and any other distractions. Rick and I have been working hard at making sure our priorities are God, each other and family. This is easier said than done and requires sacrifice of some of the things you normally have time for. It has been hard, I won't lie and a daily effort. I honestly don't think Balance exists. I think it is a daily effort of counterbalance. It is all worth it though! God blesses those who follow His word and we are BLESSED!

Family recap:

Rick and Amber: Work is still busy! Bottom line is that we both have stressful jobs that require a lot out of us. We are doing our best to manage the stress.
We changed churches a little while back and we are really enjoying it. We are also connected in a small group. The current topic is class called, Marriage on the Rock.This is a 10 week course of videos and a workbook that each couple goes through that asks some GREAT questions. It has been AWESOME! I think all married couples, no matter what stage in life, should take it.
We are attempting to have a weekly date night. So far, we are on week 3!
Also, our anniversary is on Tuesday. We have been married 8 years!

Savannah: Savvy has been busy with school and cheer. This coming week is homecoming week and the 8th grade cheerleaders will be featured on their own float in the High School Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally. They also have their first competition in competitive cheer on Nov 8th so they are in full swing.

She will be going to a church conference for teens at the end of October so she is trying to find ways to raise money for that.

Rick and I really aren't happy with the school that she is going to so we are praying hard about whether or not she should go to Christian school. This is a big decision that we will not make quickly and we are talking with Savvy about it a lot and value her input as well.

The cheer squad had team pictures and they were on location at an old Texas Barn. They had pictures in uniform and one in western wear. I do not have the professional ones back yet but I did manage to take a few shots on my camera between shots. They are below with a few other random shots of her with some friends....she looks so grown up. I hate that! I am so proud to have her as my daughter!

Ayana: A is doing really well. She has Exema on her face and her skin is very dry. The docotr suggested we use The Eucerin Calming creme has worked really well. She has bad allergies but medication seems to have it under control. She is very active and into everything! She is absolutely solid, like a linebacker. I can't believe how big she is getting. She is displaying her independence more each day and can be very stubborn. She has started getting up in the middle of the night wanting to play and thinks its cute. Ughhh, not so much.

We turned in our 6 month post placement report to our agency finally. (a little late since we have been home 7 months and 3 weeks)

"A" will be 17 months on the 16th.

She is such a joy to watch each day. Her personality is developing more and more. One of the most recent things she does is to notice anytime there is a camera in the room and she puts on the total cheese! She looks up and crinkles her nose and squints her eyes and smiles. What a HAM! See for yourself....

In closing, I miss my family really bad! None of them live in Texas and I am really feeling it this week. Love you guys! I know I have been busy but I think of you always.

Happy birthday to my brother Josh and sister Autumn. Also Happy Anniversary to Autumn and Kyle who got married one day before Rick and I did.

A girl and her shoes...

2009-09-28T00:30:00.004-05:00

You may recall me telling you about an awesome pair of shoes A got for her birthday...They are called Mooshu Trainers. She LOVES them! Don't let the picture fool you, they have a surprise about them...

This video is for Jess!

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

Cheer season is back...

2009-09-19T19:48:00.007-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again...Cheer seaon is upon us. Savannah is in competitive cheer year round but she is also in School cheer during football season. We went to the opening game to see her get her cheer on. She is really talented at cheer and she loves it! Ayana loved cheering her sissy on and she couldn't get enough of Marty Mustang, the Mascot. She was obsessed with it. It's always great when we can be together doing stuff as a family and supporting each other in our interests. One game down...

Dancing Queen...

2009-09-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

A loves music and she loves to dance. It cracks me up daily to see her moves!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Before and After...

2009-09-14T21:38:00.003-05:00

In just a few days on the 19th of this month, we will have had Ayana for 7 months! It seems like we have had her forever and then again it seems like we just got her and the time is flying. It's hard to describe.

She was so little and fragile when we first picked her up. She is so different now. It is amazing what how much she has changed physically, mentally and emotionally.

I thought I would compare pictures of when we first got Ayana and now...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ayana had a check up last week and she has grown an INCREDIBLE amount, 4 inches! She is 31 inches and 25 pounds. She is in the 75 percentile in height and weight. WOW!

I will write more later if I can about some major changes that have taken place in the last few months with her. God is Good!

So funny....

2009-09-12T18:43:00.001-05:00

So Ayana has started to copy her momma and she is carrying her toy pail around like I carry my purse. It is hilarious! We always say to her, Where is your purse, Ayana? and she goes looking for her pail. Look for yourself....

Today...

2009-09-11T13:50:00.003-05:00

Today, I bring attention to:

9-11-It is still fresh in my head....I like this quote,

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. ” by President George W. Bush.

and in happier news....Melkam Addis Amet!

Today is also the celebration of the Ethiopian New year (Enkutatash). Enkutatash means the "gift of jewels". When the famous Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her bolts by replenishing her treasury with inku or jewels. The spring festival has been celebrated since this early times and as the rains come to their abrupt end, dancing and singing can be heard at every village in the green countryside.

But Enkutatash is not exclusively a religious holiday. Today's Enkutatash is also the season for exchanging formal new year greetings and cards among the urban sophisticated - in lieu or the traditional bouquet of flowers.

Thinking of Ayana's mom and all the kids in the orphanage. I wish I could be there celebrating with them. I miss Ethiopia!

A's Hair and skin care...

2009-09-07T23:47:00.005-05:00

So when we knew we were adopting an African American baby, I decided to do some research on how to do African American hair. I did not want my baby's hair to scream, "I have a white mom who clearly doesn't know how to do my hair!" So I did a lot of reading and tried to get familiar with what products and processes to use. I understand every one's hair is different but I figured research couldn't hurt!

So Once I got Ayana, I abandoned all that I had read. Ayana's hair was so soft and not at all what I thought it would be. I am not trying to stereo type people, I just read a lot of blogs of other children from Ethiopia and was expecting her to have more dry coarse hair. We washed A's hair every other time she took a bath with regular Johnson's baby all in one wash and didn't have to brush or put product on it after and it was soft and very manageable. The back was a little more dry than the front. (probably since it lays against the bed while sleeping)

Fast forward...I learned I need to go back to what I read. A's started scratching her scalp a lot. So much so it started bleeding. I felt so bad. The frequent washing was drying her hair and scalp out to bad. Not just washing it but too much water cab dry it out because it strips the oils that her scalps needs. Her hair is also getting thicker and longer so we did have to buy a wide tooth comb which we only use when it's wet. We only wash every 10-14 days now and it doesn't get greasy at all in between washes. Her hair and scalp are doing great now and she is back to having really soft and shiny hair.

Hair Products: I have a lot of friends who use "Carol's Daughter" products but I haven't tried that yet. We are using the "it's a curl" organic baby curl care and we love it. You can find it at this website.

We usually bathe A once a day which can dry her skin out if you don't moisturize daily. A loves baths!!! I told our nanny that A could not get her hair wet anymore and that I would wash her hair from now on. Sooo......One day I walked in from work and our nanny was giving A a bath so I could hear her giggling when I walked in the door. I went to the bathroom to see and what I walked into was HILARIOUS! A was sitting in the tub playing with her toys. The funny part is that she was completely naked of course except for a GIANT sunhat on her head that the nanny must have been using to keep A's head dry while A took a bath. LOL! I can;t get the visual out of my head. I wish i would have taken a picture. It was so funny!

~Sunhat she was wearing in the tub except she had the strap around her face to keep it on~

So this incident prompted me to go to the drugstore to get a shower cap for A so she doesn't have to wear her sun hat in the tub. She wore it today around the house. It was so cute and funny!

Skin Products: I love the smell of Johnson's baby lotion but A has really dry skin and I found she needs something a bit heavier for her skin so I have been trying Aveeno Baby Fragrance Free Daily Moisture Lotion and I like it but am open to comments if you have a product you like for babies skin. A does have a lot of bumps on her left cheek and it sometimes leaves white marks on her cheek where the skin pigment gets lighter. I'm not sure what it is. We will be going to the pediatrician on Wed to take a look.

I would love to hear feedback from other parents. What are you using for your babies skin and hair? How often do you wash? Any other tips?

An amazing week!

2009-08-30T22:04:00.005-05:00

I just got back from Austin, TX for a week called, "Mega Camp and Mega Leadership Camp" with Keller Williams. By the way, it was very hard to leave Ayana for 6 days! I missed both my girls so bad! and you too honey! :)

One of the speakers at the camp truly blew me away and has me so convicted in my life right now. His name is Nick Vujicic. You may have heard of him or his ministry called, "Life without Limbs." Nick has a Remarkable Story of God's Grace. Nick was born with no arms and no legs. The doctors told his parents that he would never have a life and would live in bed. It's too much to write but it's worth you reading his story. Read his inspiring story HERE:

Here is one of the many videos on youtube about him: (Sorry for the subtitles)

Part of his speech was him telling us a story about a conversation he had with his mom. He said Mom, I want to be a speaker!

Mom: Who will you speak to? Nick: I don't know.
Mom: How will you get around? Nick" I don't know.
Mom: How will you get hired? Nick: I don't know.
Mom: What will you speak about? Nick: I don't know.
Mom: How will you promote yourself? Nick: I don't know.
etc...

Every question he answered with, I don't know.

I guess the point is that he didn't know how he was supposed to get there but he knew where he was going. He knew if he kept his eye on the goal, he would get there and everything else would come with Jesus leading him. So that is exactly what happened. Today, Nick is a speaker and has achieved so much and is making a difference in many lives in his 11 ministries.

At 26, Nick has:
Spoke in over 24 countries
to more than 3 million people
and over 200 thousand souls come to Jesus for the first time
He has over 2,100 speaking invitations pending
and the list goes on and on....

His testimony was so inspiring. The whole time I listened to him I was convicted on the limiting beliefs that I have been having.

I have had a lot of feelings over the last 6 months that I do not know how to sort or deal with. I am not sure what direction God is taking me in but He has been working on me BIG time and I do not know what to do with the thoughts, visions and convictions I'm having. They are so strong, it can be painful sometimes. Have you ever had such a strong vision or conviction but wasn't sure what to do about it?

The thing Nick said that really stuck with me is he said ask yourself 3 things:

1. Why am I here? What is my purpose?
2. Where am I going?
3. What am I doing to get there?

There is always the question of How? He said once you have those 3 things answered, you just take one step, and one step, and one step. As you keep taking steps and seeking Him, Jesus will have led you to the HOW!

This hit me hard. This is why I am a Christian and why I follow Christ. I don't have to know how to do everything. I just need to focus on those three questions and seek the LORD and He will take care of the How. This may bot be anything new but it's what I needed to hear in my life at this time. Hallelujah!

Side note:

Another powerful moment was when he had us write down the 5 things that mean the most to us on a piece of paper. He then said, is health on your list? All of us said yes because if we don;t have our health we can't be around for the other 4 things on the list. Duh?

He said if health is on your list, and it is so important that it is on the top 5 things that are the most important to us, answer this question...Do you exercise? not much, I replied to myself. Do you eat healthy? Uh, pretty sure I do not.
He said, how is it important to you if you said no to both of those questions than it isn't important at all. That hit me in the gut! Ouch!
He asked that if a camera crew were to follow us around to see a day in our lives, we would truly see what is important to us and that is how we spend our days not what we say is important. I believe in GOD, family, then business but if someone was to follow me around for 24 hours, is that what you would see? Wow, another OUCH!

I HEAR YOU LORD! I HEAR YOU! I am will continue to pray and answer the 3 questions, and take one step, one step, one step.....

A night for mommies...

2009-08-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I recently had a night for mommies at our house to relax and enjoy the company of some great women. We had a margarita spa party to be exact. We had a spa lady and a masseuse at the house. It was a lot of fun. Gotta love some girl time!

Missed recap...

2009-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post how Savannah's camp went. In this post, I told you about Savannah and her cousin, Austin going to Teen Mania Extreme Camp.

In one word, it was AWESOME! They absolutely loved it and were totally on fire when they got back home. They learned a lot and described life changing experiences and they had awesome one on one time with team counselors too. They also got to watch some of the top Christian bands. She will definitely go again next year. She might also go on a missions trip next year too if she is ready. The funny thing is that I went on missions trips with Teen Mania over 16 years ago and they are still going strong.

I was only to take pictures when I picked them up:

If you want more info about the camp, go to: http://www.extremecamps.com/

We really loved having Austin with us too other than the fact that I learned I have to keep him away from the ladies. Aparantly, the girls think he is HOT! He lives in MO and since we have moved to TX, we haven't been able to see him as much. He is really an impressive young man. Austin and Savvy were born close together and have been close ever since. Thanks mom, for making the arrangements for Austin.

School's back baby!

2009-08-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Well the day has come, the first day of 8th grade. Savannah was not looking forward to school. When I asked her if she was excited to go back to school, she said, no. I said, aren't you excited to see your friends at least. I guess, I just don't want to learn.

Ummm...I think I might be in trouble. Don't you go to school to learn? Not if you ask a teenager. lol

Letter to Savannah:

Your first day of 8th grade... You are simply growing up too fast Savvy! I pray you learn to appreciate what education can do for you. I pray that you will choose Godly friends and stay strong when under peer pressure. I pray you will take the road less traveled even when it's not the cool thing to do. I pray that you are a leader and not a follower. I pray that your inner beauty is even more astounding than your outward beauty. I pray you lean on God, Mom and Dad when you need support. I pray your mother doesn't embarrass you too bad. lol

I love you bubba!

Ok, now I am going to go cry...

I love it...

2009-08-20T21:11:00.004-05:00

I was able to capture a few moments on video with the help of my friend, Lindsay. Nothing can get me down when I hear this. In the words of Rascal Flatts, I melt!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Bad blogger!

2009-08-18T21:45:00.006-05:00

Ok, I have been a BAD BLOGGER! I am so sorry to anyone still reading. Things are fine but very busy at work. This is the busiest time of the year in real estate and when I get home I spend time with the family and then there is no energy left to blog. I will try to do better. I don't even know where to start, so many things to tell....

Let's start with the fact that Ayana is into absolutley EVERYTHING! She is running around the house like a mad women. Every day a new adventure...

She has 12 teeth now inlcuding her molars so she can eat table food like a champ. Anytime she eats she makes noises like a trash compactor until she swallows. It is so funny!

Words: she doesn't talk too much but she says ma ma a lot. She can also say:
da da
Ball
Ba ba (bottle)
Bop bop
and a few other random sounds like, wa wa.

She is adjusting and bonding very well and is still a total Daddies girl. As soon as he gets home from work he can't even go to the bathroom without her following him. She will cry anytime he leaves the room.

She also absolutely loves her nanny that comes to our home everyday while we are at work to take care of her. She gets so excited when she gets to the house. She waits by the door and screams when her car pulls up.

Overall, only good news. she will be going to the doctor next week for her 15 month check up and I will let you know what happens...

Grateful....

2009-07-28T22:42:00.004-05:00

Tonight, I am feeling so extremely grateful for all that God has blessed me for. An awesome family, a great job, and best of all, grateful to have Jesus as my saviour.

On that note, Below is an updated video of Ayana. She loves to dance and drool! (maybe it's more like spitting)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Me and my girl!

2009-07-22T20:42:00.007-05:00

Rick is out of town and Savvy is at church camp, so...me and my girl are getting some quality alone time. Her personality is really coming out now. Every day is a new and exciting experience.

Ayana is a total Daddies girl! She lights up when Rick is in the room. It is so sweet!

I call these shorts, Ayana's booty shorts....lol

Wait, maybe I should call them, Adorable Chunky Thighs shorts!

She loves her "sing in play" toy!

She is so helpful in the kitchen...

Just cute! Gotta love my girl!

Savannah is off, again...

2009-07-20T22:39:00.006-05:00

Savannah has only been home a week and she is off again. This morning, I dropped off Savannah, Austin (my newphew from MO) and Syndey (one of Savannah's friends at the Teen Mania EXtreme Camp. They will be there until Friday. I am very excited about this camp. I am praying that it will be a powerful experience for the kids and that God will move in their lives.

Here is the mission statement for the camp as written on their website:

Acquire the Fire's Extreme Camps are designed to help teens genuinely discover God and live an extreme life for Him. Our goal is to provide a unique camp experience unlike any other as a catalyst to see the youth of this generation come together in Jesus name to discover what being a Christian really is all about. We desire that this will be more than just another event but a stepping stone for change in the student's life as well as in their youth group.

Sounds good to me! Please pray with me for God to move in all the young teens lives at the camp.

New picture of Savannah:

The girl likes her accessories...

2009-07-14T18:36:00.003-05:00

Savannah update...

2009-07-06T22:01:00.004-05:00

Ok, so a few posts ago I let you know that one of my chick's has left the nest for a few weeks. I talk to her almost everyday. She is having fun but misses home and her own bed. I just received news that I have a business trip for 4 days the day after she comes home. Oh man, that stinks!!!

I am so lucky to have Savannah. She is so amazing. We have a great relationship and we talk a lot about almost everything. I am proud of the Godly decisions she is making in an age of so much peer pressure. We chatted and laughed tonight on the phone and it made the wait for her to come back home a little easier.

She has been spending time with my neice and nephew, Austin and Tori. (my brother Sy's kids) Austin and Savannah were born the same year so they have always been very close. Then we were blessed with Tori too. I was surprised to get photos in my email of them today. Austin and Tori's mom had a photographer take photo's of them together. This is so special, I can't even tell you. Soon Austin will come to stay with us for a few weeks and he and Savannah will go to Teen Mania's Extreme Camp together.

Here is one of the photos. Amee is going to give me the rest when Austin comes to Dallas. :)

Starting from the left: Tori, Savannah, Austin

Ahhh....Could they be any cuter? Love you guys! XOXO

3 month post placement

2009-07-05T22:02:00.003-05:00

Today we met with the social worker to do our mandatory 3 month post placement report for the adoption. She basically checks on Ayana's health and to see how she is adjusting. She said that her progress is AWESOME and she seems to be right on track and has bonded to us. She gave us some suggestions and things to look for as she gets older.

Ayana showed off her skills: Walking, blowing kisses, says momma~dadda~ba ba, waves hello and bye, kisses with an open mouth and blows raspberries and spits every where. This kid has talent I tell you. :)

When she is through with the report, we will send it and updated photos to the agency and then they are required to send it to several parties. I swear, as soon as she left, Ayana was walking and got a little too excited and fell on her face on the tile floor. She let out a scream! She cried and cried. Within minutes, her top lip was swollen, poor thing. She cut the inside a little with her new teeth.

She is also cutting three more teeth. Ughh, she hasn't slept through the night in a week from the pain. I also found out the hard way that she is allergic to infant's Motrin/Ibuprofin.

One of the neighbors did give Ayana a new toy though that helped to distract her. It's a floor bouncer! Thanks Debbie! She doesn;t understand how to use it yet. She will not bend her knees when we show her how to bounce. We try to bounce her and she is like a stiff board. lol

So I go to bed tonight feeling so BLESSED! Ayana has done so well.I am also so proud of Savannah and the adjustments that she has made. She is an amazing sister. It is amazing to watch actually. People say how Ayana's life has changed drastically because of us but I say that she has changed our life and has added joy every waking day. Thank you Lord for our little blessing and for another day of joy tomorrow.

One of my chic's has left the nest....

2009-07-03T20:32:00.004-05:00

Savannah has been gone for 6 days now. She is in MO visiting her dad and my side of the family for 2 weeks total. It seems like an eternity. She is having a ball on the lake and visiting friends and family. I call her often and she is doing fine of course, but I miss her bad. Last year when she left I cried when she called one time and I am trying my hardest to not do that this year.

We miss you bubba!
xoxo

A day in the life...

2009-07-01T23:04:00.003-05:00

Savannah is in MO for 2 weeks visiting her dad and my side of the family. I miss her so bad already! Any whoo, life continues in the Boyd house....

A girl on the go!

2009-06-27T16:39:00.002-05:00

Ayana took her first steps a while back but now she is really on the go! Check it out: (Rick is wearing beads to bribe her to walk to him :0)

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

Happy Father's Day, Honey!

2009-06-21T23:52:00.002-05:00

Finally, the video is finished!

2009-06-14T12:18:00.003-05:00

This video is the journey we took when we adopted Ayana from Ethiopia. It is a little long but I couldn't cut it down, I just couldn't do it!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ayana strikes a pose!

2009-06-09T22:57:00.011-05:00

1 year pictures...

and... we're done...

School's out baby!

2009-06-08T07:36:00.002-05:00

School is out for Savvy! I am so proud of her. She is making wise choices in the tough years of junior high. She is so pretty on the inside and out! She is already bored and school has only been out a week. She will be going to Cheer camp soon and to Teen Mania Extreme camp in July for a week.

In the meantime, she has decided that she wants to come to work at my office to make extra money. I told her that I do have some things she can do to help if she wants but she will need to treat it like a job and wear nice clothes and clock in and out (on my fake time sheet)and treat it like any other job, not moms place. I will pay her for the hours worked. She is doing 3-4 hours at a time and sleeping in and swimming the rest of the day. Today was her first day. She did really well and worked hard. She even was talking professional saying yes maam', no maam. It was cute. It was so cool having her there with me. This is a great way for her to earn money for the things that she wants, teaches her responsibility and I get to hang with her. Win, win. I hope it lasts. She is grwoing up way to fast and I will take what I can get!
I love you Savvy!

Oh the suspense...

2009-06-07T22:18:00.004-05:00

12 Month Checkup: Everything seemed to be normal, then...

Ayana had her 12 month check up a few weeks ago and I am just now getting the time to post about it. The pediatrician thought she looked very healthy and the visit went well. Although the Dr normally advises that a baby start to ween off formula at 12 months, she asked that I keep Ayana on formula for 3 more months because we do not know what kind of nutrition she had for her first 9 months while in Ethiopia. She did switch her to a formula for older babies. She can also eat some table foods.

Ayana weighed 22 pounds!!! She is now in the 50th percentile in weight and the 25% percentile for height. Praise the Lord, she is growing and developing so well. She now has a whopping 7 teethe with her molars also trying to cut through. (I forgot how cranky babies get when they are teething.)

Anyway, I wanted to have her blood tests redone just to make sure that the info we got from Ethiopia was accurate and the doctor agreed. They had to take 8 small viles of blood, poor baby. It was not a fun 2 minutes. They tested for Hep A, Aids, allergies and other common diseases.

While at the doctors office we had lots of visitors come into the room. Apparently, others doctors and nurses in the office had heard about Ayana and wanted to see her. Everyone was so nice. Ayana really got a kick out of her "mini fan club".

Fast forward, I get a call from our doctor's office on Friday. I was working and didn't realize that I had missed a call so I listened to the message and it was the Pediatrician telling me that she was calling with the test results and to please give her a call. The doctor's office was already closed so I had to wait until Monday. So I called back and got the nurses voicemail and then I went to teach a class. During the class, I missed her call back. Dang! So I called the doctor's office and told them that I was dying here and to please overhead page the nurse so I wouldn't have to play more phone tag. I sat on hold and then the Doctor answered. Wait? Why is the actual doctor talking to me and not the nurse? Is that bad or normal?

So anyway, The doctor comes on the ohone and says that they got Ayana's test results back and that she is a very healthy baby. Whoo, that was a relief. She kept talking about the tests and said again, Ayana is a very healthy baby. Ok, wait, I get the feeling that there is more. She asked, Did the US Embassy or Centers for Disease Control call you? I said, Uh, NO! What the heck? Why? She said, Ayana has Hep A.

She began to tell me that Ayana had Hepatitis A in her blood work. OMGSH!!! I am confused. I asked what we need to do to treat and she said we don't need to do anything. She probably had it in the orphanage and is now over it with no symptoms. She has built up antibodies to it so it is still showing up in her blood stream.
Once you recover from hepatitis A, you develop antibodies that protect you from the virus for life. An antibody is a substance found in the blood that the body produces in response to a virus. Antibodies protect the body from disease by attaching to the virus and destroying it. This is how we know she must have had HEp A in the orphanage. This was not mentioned on any of Ayana's medical reports so I don't know if they didn't know or didn't report it. The doctor said she is NOT contagious anymore.

This news just blows my mind because when we picked Ayana up she had Giardia, scabies, double ear infections, upper respiratory infections and had just gotten over chicken pox and now we find out she also had Hep A!!! It is just the Lord that she is alive! How her 14 pound little body took all that at once, was truly the Lord looking out for her. God is Good!

The day of her check up:

Update...

2009-06-03T23:30:00.003-05:00

Thanks for those who commented. We are fine. I have been trying to find balance between work, marriage, kids, God and my own body screaming at me. I have been very busy at work and my body was telling me to slow down.
Balance is a hard thing to achieve. I am trying hard to focus on re prioritizing to make sure I have things in the right order and some things have gone to the back burner. I love to BLOG and I will continue to do so as I can, when I can.

I think alot of moms including myself, put a lot of pressure on themselves to be the "perfect mom" and always be "child centered" but in reality, we have to be "God centered". We aren't perfect and it's ok, God loves us anyway. Isn't that amazing?

Rick and I got to take a short vacation just the two of us last weekend. Mom came and spent the weekend with the kids. Rick and I jetted off to Scottsdale Arizona for Golf and R & R. It was so nice to spend time with my honey. Rick and I had a great time and decided that we need to do that more often. :)

Gotta go, Ayana got professional photos done so I will post soon if I can.

I am still alive!

2009-06-02T22:39:00.003-05:00

Hello faithful blogging buddies! Has it really been 2 weeks since I have blogged? In case anyone still reads, I have been going through a bit of a rough patch but hang in there with me, I will return...

A birthday to remember...

2009-05-21T22:30:00.006-05:00

When we were in the process of adopting, we really, really wanted to have our sweet pea home by the her 1st birthday. God really blessed us when we brought her home at 9months! We are so thankful to have her. I wasn't able to load all the video from the party but I got some of it.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We had so much fun on Ayana's birthday. Jessica, Rickey and Abby were in town to help us celebrate. In addition to having fun in the pool, she got gifts and have her very own cake! She loved squishing the cake and icing between her fingers.
Jess and Rickey got her two pairs of the cutest shoes ever! They are called Mooshu trainers. They have a squeeky thing inside them so they make noise when they walk which is totally amusing. There is a way to pull the squeeker out if you want.

Thank you Lord for such a precious gift! Happy Birthday sweet pea or as your dad would say, Happy Birthday scooter! We love you!

Ayana the fish...

2009-05-18T23:32:00.007-05:00

Ayana had a big birthday over the weekend. She turned one! Can you believe it? Anyway, we had a great party but I still need to sift through all the photos. I will post them in the next day or two.

Rickey, Jess and Abby were in town over the weekend. We had such a good time. The boys played a whoppin 3 rounds of gulf and we just chilled int he pool and got our nails done. They left this morning and we miss them already.

I am sharing photos of Ayana in the pool from Saturday. She LOVES, loves, loves the water! She is not scared at all. I had to watch her closely because she wanted to take a nose dive right into the water. Savannah was at six flags with a school group so she is not in the pictures. Ayana has become such a cute chub bucket. I love the fat rolls on the legs, wait, and the arms, oh, don't forget the one on the neck. Delicious!

Stay tuned for birthday video and photos!

Surprise!

2009-05-13T21:34:00.005-05:00

A surprise to remember....

So my surprise started last Friday. My assistant and I were so excited to treat ourselves to a lunch at one of our favorite places on break at the end of a hard week at work. We pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and I was practically drooling because I was so hungry. Just then, my cell phone rang and it was my nanny. She has never called me at work before, so I immediately answered. She doesn't speak good English so she handed the phone to Olivia. Olivia comes over every 2 weeks to clean. Olivia sounded a little panicked so I was really getting concerned. She began to tell me the best she could in English, "snake snake!" I said, "Inside or outside?"
She said, "in Ayana's room!" What!!!!!!!?????? Oh my gosh, get out of there and I am on my way. So we left the parking lot of the restaurant and immediately headed to my house. We live only 3 miles form my work. When we got there, they showed me where the snake was. It was in Ayana's window, between the screen and the window. On the outside, thank God. The cleaner opened the shutters in Ayana's room to dust and discovered the snake. She was terrified, of course.

It was coiled up so I couldn't see all of it. My assistant and I went to the garage with our high heels on and grabbed a nine iron out of the golf bag, we knew what needed to be done. lol, can you imagine? What were we thinking!

So we are in our work suits and heels in my front yard with a nine iron and we begin to hit the screen lightly to get the snake to pull out of the screen. Mr. snake did not like that we were disturbing him. he came out of the cracks for us to see him. Just then his head popped out and I freaked out! My daddy taught me if it has a triangular head, it is probably poisonous. This snake definitely had a triangular head and was no gardner snake. So we stopped hitting the screen. It started attacking the window trying to get to us and you could see venom on the window! OMG!!!! So we called animal control and they came and got him out. Did they pull him out from the outside of the house? No, they came into Ayana's room and opened the window and pulled it out with a snake pole/catcher. Ughh!!!!

Turns out, it was a poisonous snake, it was a Trans-Pecos Copperhead Snake.
I captured a picture on my phone before animal control came out. Enjoy!

Actual snake in our window:

Look on the right hand side of the picture where the tail to get an idea

of how long it is. Some of it was up in the window seal.

I found the next picture on the Internet. This is the same kind of snake. UGHH!!!

Good times!!!!!!

Mother's Day recap...

2009-05-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

I had a wonderful Mother's day. We went to lunch and then had a stroll outdoors at the Harbor by the lake. It was my first Mother's day with Ayana and another great mothers day with Savannah. Rick was sweet watch Ayana so I could sleep in. That was the best present, I love to sleep!

Me and my girls!

Ayana looks so amused. lol!

Love me some Savvy!

The Harbor

We also went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory. Yumm! Rick watched Ayana while Savvy and I picked out a yummy! Rick paid and I was handing him his credit card back and you will see from the picture below...Ayana is catching on at a young age when she is trying to take daddies credit card. I am glad I had my camera out. So funny!

I really appreciate all that I have. It was a great day!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

2009-05-10T22:08:00.003-05:00

I wish I could tell you, Mom
how much you mean to me....
But there are no words to say
how much I admire you...
how much I appreciate you...
how proud I am of you,
how much I thank you
for everything you've done in my life.
I love you! Happy Mother's day!

Ayana's Birthmother...

2009-05-09T08:57:00.006-05:00

I would like to say Happy Mother's day to Ayana's birthmother. I have been thinking about her a lot this week. I am going to try to get some of my feelings down in a letter. It might be random but I try to write uncensored with pure thoughts. Forgive me, if it turns out scattered.

Dear Y,

Words can't even do justice the joy I feel from having Ayana as my daughter . I will be eternally grateful for the gift that you have given to us. I pray for you and I think of you often. I wonder what you are feeling and where you are sleeping tonight.

I feel a permenant bond to you even though I have never met you. You will always be remembered. I promise to never let Ayana forget you and her beautiful mother country.

I want you to know that I will be there for Ayana in good and bad times. I will be there for her in her first steps taken to the steps she takes as she walk down the isle at her wedding and all the way, you will be with us, like footprints in the sand.

Happy Mother's day to the mother who made the ultimate sacrifice when Ayana was just 40 days old. Because I can't hug you myself, I pray that you can feel God's arms wrapped around you in the warmest embrace letting you know Ayana is loved and cared for. Happy Mother's day!

Love and gratitude,
Amber (Ayana's 2nd mom)

Funny Video...

2009-05-07T09:57:00.004-05:00

One of my agents sent this to me today. It's for Mother's day and Very funny!

To make your own video, Go HERE.

Thanks Sharon, very sweet! I have the best mom to learn from!

Daddy's girl.

2009-05-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

Ayana has turned out to be a daddy's girl. Rick makes her laugh every day. He is so good with her and it's so fun to watch and of course...da da was her first words.

Side note: I would also like to add that it is very sexy to watch a man be a great dad. Don't you think that ladies?

Check it out and vote!

2009-05-05T10:05:00.006-05:00

Hi all,

Ayana got her first professional photos taken and I am having trouble picking my favorites.
If you are interested in helping me pick, Go to http://www.getinfocusphotography.com/ click on "online ordering" and then click "Boyd". Side note, Some of the photos are of nose, ears, knees etc...they are using those for a collage.

Vote for your favorites in the comments section. Here is a preview:

Thanks for your help! :)

More guests...

2009-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ayana had some special visitors this last weekend. She got to meet her Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Roxanne, my dad and step-mom, for the first time. They flew to Dallas right after Grandma's funeral. We had a great time even through the severe thunderstorms and tornado watches.

Thanks for coming to visit. Love you!

Special friends...

2009-05-03T21:28:00.010-05:00

The Internet can be a wonderful thing. Through the Internet I have met so many wonderful families who are or already have adopted. Some of the most wonderful relationships have blossomed from yahoo groups and blogs. One of these relationships is the Reeves family. Scott and Leah adopted Gabre from Ethiopia. She is so precious! They all came to visit again and we had the best time. You can find their blog, Hope, here.

You may remember that the Reeve's family has made an appearance on our blog before. Go here to see that post. Gabre has grown so much since that last visit.

They got to meet Ayana for the first time and Gabre ands her played so well together. Here are a few pic's.

Thank you to all the families who have been such great supporters! I am so blessed!

In remembrance...

2009-04-26T10:34:00.004-05:00

We received the news that my (Garden) Grandma went to be with the Lord yesterday, exactly one year to the day that my Grandpa passed away. They were married 57 years.

It was just last Saturday that we were in Mo and got to visit with Grandma. She was so excited to meet Ayana for the first time. Thank you Lord for that precious time!

I love you Grandma, give Grandpa a hug for us.

OMG, so TRUE!!!

2009-04-25T08:12:00.002-05:00

Ok, I saw this on Jen's blog and I had to post it to! So funny!

Our weekend...

2009-04-21T21:47:00.006-05:00

We got to go to MO to see the family. Most of them met Ayana for the first time, including her older brother and sister. We had so much fun. It was hard to leave...I miss you guys already!

Thanks mom for hosting a very fun weekend!

Ayana's First Easter!

2009-04-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

My Redeemer Lives!

2009-04-12T20:37:00.004-05:00

Jesus has risen from the dead and was I praising the Lord for His gift?
No, all I was doing this morning was hustling to get ready for church and getting Easter baskets ready and wiping snotty noses and getting cranky from lack of sleep.

Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Lord, I repent for putting emphasis on the wrong things today. Today is the celebration of the precious gift you gave, Your sons life and then Resurrection. It's not about Easter baskets and bunnies. Thank you Lord that I can face death with confidence. Thank you that I can look forward to eternal life. Here and now, I can live in the power of His resurrection. There is no better gift or Holiday to celebrate. I love you Lord, THANK YOU!!!!!

Would you like a glass water?

2009-04-10T14:43:00.007-05:00

Hi all,

We have been home for 7 weeks now with our Ethiopian Princess. We want to continue to be a part of Ethiopia beyond just our adoption.
Some of you have already heard of Charity Water and have joined in on this wonderful cause. In case you haven't, I urge you to pray about donating WATER.

We have a TIME BOMB!

WHY WATER.
Right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us.

WHO WE ARE.
charity: water is a non profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. We give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need. Just $20 can give one person in a developing nation clean water for 20 years. To find our more about Charity Water: go to their website at: http://www.charitywater.org/

A fellow Ethiopia Adoptive parent and blogger, Lori, has started Team Ethiopia. She and others are raising money to build wells in Ethiopia. we are excited to be a part of it. Thanks Lori, you are AWESOME!

In Lori's words:
Team Ethiopia's mission is to build well(s) in Ethiopia where most of our adoptive children came from. After many of us parents have been to Ethiopia we came home different on several levels. One thing that is very clear to us is that we need and want to do more for the Ethiopian people. They are beautiful inside and out. Dirty water causes many kinds of illness and can even cause death. Several of our children came home to America with some of these water born illness' that thankfully could be treated here.

The urgency of this cause is enormous and the cost is so little. Please, donate any amount you can. Our goal is to try and get every family to donate $50. But any amount will get the job done. Together, Team Ethiopia will bring water to the many men, women, and children who desperately need it.

Won't you please join our Team!

But please, if you want to donate to our team well, you MUST do it from this page and not from the charity: water main page. If you donate from the main page then your funds will go to the general fund and not to our well.

Click on the picture to donate now!

Team ETHIOPIA! 96 members and climbing!

Live Drilling from Ethiopia:

Thank you for considering this wonderful project!

Sick baby girl...

2009-04-08T22:38:00.006-05:00

So baby girl is sick. I knew there had to be a reason why she wasn't excited to see me when I got home the other day. No seriously, I have noticed she has not been herself. Sure enough, she woke up yesterday with goop all in her eyes and looked so bad, poor thing.

Things got worse and she didn't sleep hardly at all last night. She was having a hard time breathing and was whining and crying all night because she felt so bad poor baby. I was able to rock her to sleep a few times but it was short lived. I had to put saline drops in her nose and it kept running for hours and I would try to suck it out but it wasn't working that good. Of course, she thought I was the devil after using the nose sucker on her. Way to bond mom!

So I was exhausted by this morning and decided to not go to work but to take her to the doctor instead. Diagnoses: She has a cold/fever and allergies. They cultured her eye to make sure she didn't have pink eye too. If she didn't think I was the devil with the nose sucker, she did now with having to hold her down to get the eye culture.

It's 11:10 pm and she finally is asleep but I don't know for how long. I'm going to bed to try to get a few hours of shut eye before I have to get up again.

Please pray that Rick and I don't get sick too. Savannah already has it.

Motherhood: It can't be fun all the time.

Bed time or Play time?

2009-04-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

I took these a few nights ago at 10:30 pm when Ayana still was not asleep... How can you resist that smile looking at you saying, "let me out of jail please."

Another day...

2009-04-07T20:32:00.003-05:00

Today was a little better than yesterday. I came home and Ayana was taking a nap. When she woke we cuddled. She isn't feeling well. One of her eyes is watering badly and it looks a little hazy. She is also acting weird. Not eating much, very sensitive and crying a lot.
I am going to take her to the doctor tomorrow and have her checked if I can get her in. She is on allergy medicine and I have kept the dogs away from her lately just in case.

Work was crazy again today and I had to go to a Booster club meeting for cheer tonight. Ugh! I hate those things.

Breathe, one day at a time...

HARD day!

2009-04-06T20:23:00.001-05:00

I had a rough day. Today was my first day back to work after being off for 6 weeks with Ayana. We have a caretaker coming to the house to watch her while I’m at work. When I got to work, 6 weeks of backed up work waiting for me that needs to be done yesterday. Overwhelming!!!!!!!! Then an agent wanted to show our house in the middle of the day at the last minute and the house wasn’t exactly in showing condition so I rushed home and the time I would have spent with her for lunch was spent cleaning.
I get home after a hard day and Ayana didn’t act excited to see me but was in love with the caretaker. I guess I should be happy she likes her but I have to admit, I was so jealous. She normally gets so excited to see me. Will she think the caretaker is her mommy and not me??????????????????

Heartbroken,

Amber

Who knew adoption was so controversial?

2009-04-05T21:58:00.006-05:00

I was watching the news and saw that Madonna was rejected by the Malawi court to adopt her second child. Madonna's case has sparked much debate on International adoption. From what I read, she was rejected because part of the Malawi law requires prospective parents to live in the country for 18 to 24 months while child welfare authorities assess their suitability — a rule that was bent when Madonna was allowed to take David to London in 2006. When she was able to adopt David, this caused a lot of controversy in the adoption world. In addition, her son may have had family that could take care of him and it was questioned if he was a true orphan. Madonna is appealing the recent court decision.
This post is not to give my opinion on this case...see below.

Madonna and David

"Mercy"

The reason why I bring this up is because there has been a lot of chat on the adoption yahoo groups, blogs, personal emails sent to me and more about International adoption and some difficult questions. The media is now bringing attention to some of these topics. Some of those questions include but are not limited to:

Are the children being adopted true orphans?

Should the children be allowed to leave their birth country?

Why don't you give money instead of adopting so the child can stay in their country?

Why don't you adopt domestically and not internationally?

These are just a few of the questions/comments that we have encountered personally not just heard on the media.

I read an article today that was written after the Madonna court rejection. It really sums up my thoughts and feelings and gives the answers that I would give to some of these questions.

The article was written by Melissa Fay Greene, an author and mother of five adopted children. Melissa is the mother of four biological children, four children adopted from Ethiopia and one adopted child from Bulgaria. In the adoption community, She is a very well known author of a book called, There is no me without you.

Here is part of the article published by CNN.com:

CNN: What's your initial reaction to the news that Madonna's adoption of a Malawian child has been rejected?

Greene: Surprise. ... It was awfully tricky with Madonna's first adoption, when the child turned out to have devoted family members nearby. [The singer's adoption of a Malawian boy was finalized last year.] And if that's true with this child also, it seems a similar sticky situation.

That's not the situation for the majority of orphanage children around the world, who don't have caring grandparents or aunts and uncles a short walk or bike ride away.

I think it gives people an odd perspective on what international adoption can mean for children who don't have any support network outside the walls of an orphanage.

You often hear attacks on international adoption as robbing a child of his or her culture, and that's both true and false. It's true that an internationally adopted child loses the rich background of history and religion and culture and language that the child was born into, but the cruel fact is that most children don't have access to the local, beautiful culture within an orphanage. ...

There's a culture in orphanages that children are eager to escape from, and it's a culture of being reared as a group and not being doted upon by parents. For any child, that's the bottom line. The fact is that a human child wants that mommy or daddy or both. We're just wired to want that and to need that. And there's no way an institutional setting can give a human baby what the child needs. It's impossible. So you have to balance priorities. ...

I think what some of the human rights group say is absolutely accurate: that international adoption does not begin to solve the problems of the world's orphaned children. It's truly not the answer. ...

At the same time, international adoption, even though it doesn't solve the whole problem, it solves a problem for a few. I think it can be a brilliant solution to the problem of adults wanting a child in their lives or wanting more children in their lives and the problem of children who want parents in their lives.

To read the rest of the article and to hear more answers to some of the questions that were posed in this post, go HERE.

Well said Melissa!

So most of the time when we're living our day to day lives, people are very supportive. But sometimes, people can be downright rude and judgemental. To be blunt, I don't care if you approve or not. I can't please or be popular with everyone. We followed all the US laws and all Ethiopian law when adopting Ayana. She was an orphan in an orphanage with no one that could care for her. Money would not give her the love of a parent. I know that God called us to adopt from Ethiopia. When God is in control, it can't be wrong, right?

Sorry, rough day... ranting.