I'm 2!!!

Technically, Grace turns two tomorrow, but we had a little party for her today! Of course, Elmo was the theme and Grandpa made some pretty cute cupcakes. It was the sweetest thing to see Grace and her 3 little friends celebrating/playing together. And to think that all 4 of them were in Hannah's Hope together before they came home to their forever families.... who just happened to live close together. God is good!

We love you sweet girl. You are the most amazing blessing! What a joy you bring to our lives.

Grace loves Ruby! (Have I mentioned that Grace and Ruby's birthmoms are friends? Melts my heart when I see these girls loving each other!)

Can it get any better than this??

What is it about the beach? All stress seems to melt away at the mere sight of a vast, open span of beach! More time is spent praying, talking, sharing, laughing, and playing when I'm at the beach. The kids PLAY non-stop... there's no time to be "bored" or to bug each other. There's too many adventures to be had, beach dogs to throw the ball for, drift wood forts to be made, kites to be flown, marshmallows to be roasted, and lots of crabs to find under the rocks! There's no need for T.V., video games, cell phones, computers........

It was a PERFECT weekend!

launching rockets!

Jake yelled, "raise your hand if you want s'mores!!"

after a hot-dog roasting dinner
sometimes baby and kitty need to come on the walk

Happy Easter!

Even in the cold and the rain.... we had a wonderful Easter!

Easter blessings to you all!

God of this City

I heard "God of this City", by Chris Tomlin today, and I just couldn't stop thinking about Ethiopia. I've had Ethiopia on my mind a lot, lately. I miss it! My heart swells when I hear about all that people are doing for this beautiful nation. I'm amazed at this adoption community and all that they are giving back to their child's birth country. I will be forever blessed by Ethiopia.

Sunday's Coming!

De-Lish!

My friend Nikki and I made our first Ethiopian meal tonight! We even invited another couple over to join us (and our hubbies) for dinner. --It's always a bit risky to try new recipes for dinner guests. But, the food turned out great!!! We went to an Ethiopian market yesterday and bought injera and berbere spice. We made Doro Wat, lentil stew, some sweet potato thing, veggies, and "the white cheese" that we were warned NOT to eat in Ethiopia!! (Natalie, isn't this what made you guys sick?? :) )

It was fun, and I'll make it again.

why is blogger rotating my picture?????

Sharks, Hair, and a dancing DVD

Well, I have had to step it up a notch lately with Jacob in the hopes of avoiding some of the behaviors that he's been exhibiting. The lazy mom in me just got irritated with him, but then I grew up a bit and realized that he needs more during his day. He thrives off completing tasks, activities, lessons, etc. Meaning, just hanging out at home (on his non-preschool days) and "playing" is not enough for him. So, I've been spending a lot of time reading homeschool mom blogs, etc... and am going to do some more learning activities with Jacob. (up until about 3 months ago, Jake would spend all day doing crafts, playdough, puzzles, games, workbooks, etc. But, he's growing up, and I need to meet him where he's at now-- more challenging stuff-- to create more pleasant days at home!)

Here's our first project we did today: A Shark Lapbook (this probably isn't a "do it all in one sitting" activity, but that's Jacob-- he had to finish it and was a bit disappointed we couldn't make another one too) Tomorrow it's Jellyfish!
New Hair product!!!

I'm hooked. I bought the deep conditioner and leave-in conditioner (see post a few back) by Mixed Chicks. I'm not 100% sold on the deep conditioner (I really need something thick that I can coat on Grace's hair in the tub and then comb her hair out before rinsing). I probably just didn't let it sit long enough before starting to comb it out. All Grace wants to do in the tub is lay on her back-- makes it hard to let the conditioner really soak in!! But.... the most fabulous product is the Leave-In! Every one of Grace's ringlets are defined, soft, and frizz-free!!

The picture makes it look like her hair is still a bit frizzy, but it really isn't. Amazing stuff!!

Dance with Miss Kim

I read about this "Creative Movement" DVD on someone's blog-- can't remember where, now. Well, it's about the cutest thing ever and Grace LOVES it. I have been having a bit of "mom guilt" lately since I just haven't done all the little activities with Grace that I did with Jake (lucky first born!!). But, this DVD is just like one of the cute little Creative Movement classes. Grace wears her favorite little tu-tu and watches intently while trying to mimic all the "moves". It's pretty sweet. It's only about 20 minutes long and if Grace had her way, she'd watch it over and over again!