From the Mouth of Xander

I haven't shared many Xander-isms lately. Perhaps in part due to our conversations daily getting more complicated or perhaps due to him talking in such great quantity I have to activate my 'mom filter' in order to sprinkle a little silence into my days. Here are a couple of recent comments that have brought a smile.

ON FORGETTING:" I'm sorry. The thoughts just come [fall] out of my heart."
ON CONFUSION (while shaking his head pathetically): "I just don't know. My mind is all mixed up. I just can't talk right now."
ON FINISHING HIS LUNCH: "Mom, I am done. All I have left is the food which God provided."
The other day, I mentioned to Blake I was planning to make my grandma Z's potato salad for a 4th of July party to which Xander exclaimed, "You can't do that, mom. Don't you remember that grandma is already dead?"

Family Pictures 2012

I have tried to post these pictures for the past several weeks but ran into some blogger issues, which I think are resolved. Anyways, we recently celebrated my dad & mom's 40th wedding anniversary with an open house & family time together. The weekend also included family pictures. The kids were (surprisingly!) cooperative and Megan Steffen (MS Photography) captured our family beautifully. These are simply some candids from the day. 

brooke avery & brenda ann

little landry & kid-favorite kara 

sisters -- and yes! we do have the exact same nose!

one of my very favorites from the weekend!

Quick Adoption Update

Last week we were advised by our placement agency (CHSFS) that the Ethiopian government deemed all the paperwork in our file EXPIRED. What?! While certain forms we knew would expire due to the extended wait times and which we’ve diligently updated/re-filed, who would have thought our entire dossier would be considered invalid? Argh!

Medical reports, good conduct reports, employment verification, re-issued money orders, copies of tax forms, etc. Paperwork has been signed, notarized and sent to the State for certification. Simply waiting for the package to be returned.

Here's hoping the reason our file was reviewed is because there is a potential referral in our very, near future. I know that is absolutely & completely wishful thinking – but hey, after three years of being paper-pregnant, a girl deserves to dream, right?

By the way, if you ask Alexander about his brother/sister in Africa he will probably state quite emphatically, "I have a brother in Ethiopia. We're going to name him John." Just another example of why you should only believe about half of what our little guy says.

Book Review: The Fiddler

Here is another book review for you. I recently wrapped up Beverly Lewis’s new book entitled, “The Fiddler”, the first book in the Home To Hickory Hollow series. I received a free copy of this book to review thru the Bethany House Book Reviewers program; all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the book; it was a fun/easy read. Both Michael and Amelia were genuine, believable characters. I also liked the characters of Ella Mae (the Wise Woman) and Joanna (an Amish friend). While the plot was often predictable, it was a sweet story nonetheless. I sometimes avoid Amish fiction because much of the storylines seem to present young people in opposition to the Amish church/way of life. If the character makes a decision to join the church, they are GOOD. If they choose to pursue a fancy/Englischer life, they are BAD and/or spiritually lost. This book is generally different.

The most inspiring aspect of the book, in my opinion, is this: The gifts/talents which God gives to each of us can either be used for our own glory or for HIS. There are not certain gifts/talents which are more spiritual than others, ALL gifts are from God. Amish or an Englischer – it does not matter to the God who has created each of us with unique abilities meant to be used to bring glory/praise to Him.

Playdate with the G-Girls

We are big fans of the G-family around here. Alexander & Riley (big sister) are preschool friends. Riley's little sister, Noelle, was a waiting-for-preschool-to-be-over playmate of Avante's. Heather (mom) is sweet friend to me. The G-girls came over to play last week and so I snapped a few pictures of our fun time together.

"No, really, Riley. It's not too high. It's fun up here."
She was never convinced enough to try :)

Here, dinosaurs had invaded the park.