Resurrected?

Yes, it is true! Back from the ashes. After not even thinking about this dusty old blog for over six years, I've decided to get back to it.  Get away from the drama of social media for a while, write about what is really important to me. Facebook and Twitter can be fine in small doses, but it is so easy to be drawn into the background noise and drama of so many things that further complicate life (which tends to be inherently complicated with no extra help required).

My girls were talking about blogs the other day, and I mentioned that I used to blog.  They were shocked! "Mom, YOU *blogged?*" Yep, imagine that. So I showed them this blog and they encouraged me to pick up the hobby again. My oldest even added "it would be so much more meaningful than Facebook." Out of the mouths of babes.......

So I am off to revamp this old thing.  Get rid of non-functioning and irrelevant links, etc. There is a LOT that has changed about Blogger/blogging since 2011. I have some re-educating to do. I am actually looking forward to this.

Stay tuned.

Hamster Love & Forever Families

A few weeks ago, we broke down and allowed AlinaJayne to get a hamster. I have to admit, he is quite cute and easy to care for, so it hasn't been the nightmare I thought!

On the way home from the pet store that evening, AlinaJayne told me that day would be her hamster's "Adoption Day." I thought that was sweet, and soon we were home, getting the newest member of our family settled in.

A few days later, Mr. Panda Hamster (yes, this is his name) was in his exercise ball in the girls' bedroom, and I overheard AlinaJayne telling him his adoption story: "Mr. Panda Hamster, you came home to me last week. Your Tummy Mama could not take care of you, and we might never know why. But God knew you needed a Mama to take care of you, so he brought us together, and now we are a Forever Family."

This Mama's heart simply melted. We are so blessed that God made us a Forever Family.

God's Creation & Our Vacation

We just got back from a short family vacation. We usually go away over Labor Day weekend to Shipshewana, Indiana, however, this year, we decided to do something different. We went to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. Amazing doesn't seem to quite cover it! It is a 70,000 square foot life-like Bible exhibit, with everything from dinosaurs, to the Garden of Eden, to gorgeous botanical gardens, a petting zoo for the kids, and Gomer the camel-the girls got to take a ride on him, and they loved it! We also added on the planetarium show, which I highly recommend-an explanation of the creation of the universe from a biblical perspective. There is a nice cafe, and I loved the bookstore-I could have spent all weekend in there!

It was a amazing trip, you really need 2 days inside the museum to read everything. It is self-guided, so you can move at your own pace, but with a 6 1/2 and 4 year old, that pace was a little faster than what I needed to absorb it all. However, the kids loved it! AlinaJayne was telling us all about the scriptures that related to each display, and she kept saying, "this is sooooo awesome, I love Jesus soooooo much!" She took a few pics of her Daddy and I. When she took one of us in the Garden of Eden, she warned me "not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." I thought, whew, something I can't screw up, someone else already did!!!!! ChallieJayne was belting out Bible songs-until the dinosaur displays-she was terrified! I recommend 2 day passes, which we had. You don't need them to see the botanical gardens or go to the petting zoo. Unfortunately, we were not able to use our passes for a second day inside the museum. On our first full day there, AlinaJayne was not feeling well-luckily there was an urgent care right across the street from our hotel. She had a very nice doctor-poor child had a urinary tract infection. It was all she could do to get through the outside activities on our second day :O(

So we are back home. I really liked Kentucky. It is so much prettier there than it is here in the North-I think I could live there. The people there are so much friendlier than they are up here too. There is some truth to the "Southern Hospitality" saying. Onto the next big thing-the girls want a hamster. We have 2 German Shepherds, 2 house cats, 2 betta fish, and now they want a hamster. The dogs and cats were not acquired by their requests, but the fish were. Hmmm.............it is beginning to seem a bit like a petting zoo around this house!

I have added a collage of pics below. You can click on any pic to enlarge it.

Check back soon. Blessings................

The Gift of Unanswered Prayers.......

New blog title, new year, almost ANOTHER new year!

To say this year has slipped away is an understatement. This blog has been seriously neglected because, well, life gets in the way, and of course, that darned Facebook is just so easy to give a quick status update and be done. However, I realized that I missed blogging, so I am back, to stay.

So much has happened in the last year. As you know, our baby girl came home from Ethiopia. There were a lot of struggles and adjustments. She was very sick when she came to us, but finally we think all of that is behind us. She had what we think is her last of the medical challenges addressed in early August, which was a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy-which should address her obstructive sleep apnea-YAY! However, even that was not without challenges. She had some post-op complications that required a trip back to the hospital :(
On top of the medical challenges of the last year, there have of course, been the challenges of the family of three becoming a family of four, and getting to know each other. The greatest challenge of all, has been for AlinaJayne, who until June 12, 2010, had been the only child. We know it was tough for her to be 5 years old and suddenly have a 3 year old sister. No amount of pre-adoption preparation could prepare a child for that, regardless of what the "professionals" tell you. Then top of the last year with the cherry-Mama started a new job just 4 weeks before ChallieJayne came home. Whew. Through it all, and only by the Grace of God, things get better each and every day. Praise the Lord!

So, why the new blog title you might ask? It is simple.

Matt and I knew each other in High School, dated briefly and then went our separate ways. In June 1999, our paths crossed again (thanks to a chance meeting by our siblings) and we went on a date arranged by them. We were engaged in July and married in November!

It is no secret that for many years, Matt and I tried to have a biological child. When we realized that would not be an option, we discussed adoption, donor eggs, surrogacy, and every other road to parenting. We had felt a calling to China, but foolishly thought it was "too scary to deal with a foreign government" so we briefly pursued a domestic adoption. It did not take long to realize that was not the path we were meant to take, and that our child was waiting for us in China. In 2005, we started the process to bring our oldest daughter home, and in May, 2006, at the age of 15 months, AlinaJayne joined her Forever Family. We always wanted two children, but this time, we felt the Lord pulling us toward Ethiopia, so in 2007, we started the process to bring our second child home. In June, 2010, we welcomed 3 year old ChallieJayne to her Forever Family.

Wow, that was easy! Right? Piece of cake. Kristy and Matt couldn't have a biological child, so they "just adopted and they all lived happily ever after." The Lord was in control and it all worked out as it should. Right? WRONG! Well, yes, the Lord IS in control and it did all work out as it should, but we did not know that at the time!

For years and years, we tried the "traditional" way to have a baby. Then moved on to fertility pills. Then fertility pills and intrauterine inseminations. Then fertility shots and intrauterine inseminations. Then fertility shots and in-vitro fertilization. Soon our lives revolved around medication calendars, injection cycles, trips to the fertility doctor and ultrasounds. Matt even learned how to give me a shot into my hip muscle every morning for months at a time! Month after month, cycle after cycle, year after year, nothing, nada, zip, ZERO (except one very early miscarriage). Matt and I were not Christians at the time (well, not in the true sense, we went to church but were not saved and had no clue). We prayed, begged, pleaded with God, made deals, bargains "Please, if you just let us get pregnant ONE time, we promise to do ABC, XYZ." Guess, what? The Lord is not in the bargaining business! He did not answer one of our prayers! It was so difficult for so many years-I couldn't stand to see the baby section at the grocery store, or a department store, and a baby shower invitation? Forget it! It was a miracle if I could even bring myself to MAIL a gift. I was spent! The Lord never listened to one of our prayers, never paid a bit of attention to our pleadings. I cried out, and he ignored me..................

It is all so clear to me now. People ask me all the time "aren't you even a little bit sad that you never got pregnant? Doesn't it ever bother you that you never gave birth?" I can say, without reservation, with complete and total honesty and transparency, a resounding NO! When I look at our children, I thank God. I thank Him for them continually. I am blessed to be their Mother. I look and them now, and it scares me to realize I would have missed out on all of this, if I had gotten *my* way. I thank the Lord for unanswered prayers. When I look at my children, I am reminded "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9.......................

Home 6 Months................

Six months ago today, ChallieJayne was welcomed into her Forever Family. It is hard to believe it has been six months, but at the same time, it feels like she has always been here. That's the amazing thing about adoption. I think because that new child has grown in your heart for so long, it is as if they are "here" the entire time.

There have been and will continue to be many firsts for us and ChallieJayne. She had her first Halloween, first Thanksgiving. Her first overnight stay with Papa (after begging to have both of the girls at the same time, I think that will be the last time he asks to do that), and now her first Christmas. I don't think she fully understands the real meaning of the season, but she sure has the American mindset about it "Mama, Daddy, I want THAT....and that and that and and and!!!

The adjustment is getting easier each day, we are slowly figuring each other out. Her English skills are phenomenal, especially considering this is her *third* language. She spoke the Oromo language in her birth town, then Amharic at the orphanage in Addis Ababa, now English. Fairly amazing. The girls are together part of the day in school. In the AM for a while before AlinaJayne goes to K-5, then after K-5 until they come home. They are still sharing a room, but giving ChallieJayne her own room is a priority after the first of the year. The intentions were good, allow them to share a room for bonding, but they could both use their own "space."

I have added a collage from Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the start of the Christmas season. Each of the girls have their own tree, decorated with ornaments from their birth countries. Of course, ChallieJayne only has one ornament, as this is her first Christmas home.

Enjoy the pics and have a blessed Christmas!

Where *did* the time go???

Wow, I have been remiss in updating this blog! Shame on me! It seems with Facebook as a distraction, I don't seem to get to the business of blogging! I'd thought about deleting our blog, but I have put a LOT of time into it over the years, and I'd like it to be preserved for our kiddos, so here I am!

It has been an eventful few months. We went from a family of three to four (seems like overnight). AlinaJayne is a big sister now, and of course, ChallieJayne has a Forever Family. We have been through many medical issues with ChallieJayne since she has been home, but we seem to be making our way with those. AlinaJayne's medical issues are (hopefully) all figured out (not cured, her situation is a life long issue) but manageable nonetheless. PRAISE THE LORD!

When we had our second post-placement adoption visit with our Social Worker last month, she asked "what fun stuff did you do over the summer?" I thought, SERIOUSLY? We arrived home with ChallieJayne on June 13th, she was in the ER on June 15th, and from there, caring for her medical needs and getting her to specialist appointments was a full-time job. Not to mention the fact that Matt and I work full-time, I had just started a new job in May, only had two weeks off (Matt took three weeks off after I went back to work), we were strangers to this new child, suddenly AlinaJayne was no longer an only child, she was sleeping in her own room for the first time (after sleeping in our bed since she was home from China in 2006), AND we had just gone through a two month scare earlier this year when we thought AlinaJayne had leukemia. Whew! A multitude of changes this last 10 months. We give thanks to our Lord for carrying us through it all! But fun? Really, I don't recall having a free second for that!

I'm not complaining, only reporting. Things have settled down, and we are all settling in to this new normal more each day. It is fall (my favorite time of year), the leaves are vibrant orange, red and copper, and there are so many opportunities to see God's work on a daily basis. I really think I am stronger and more appreciative of all of the gifts and blessings in my life as a result of all of our experiences. It's all good!

Enjoy the pics. I promise to refrain from being a stranger!


(Click the photo to enlarge)

Almost one month

On Monday we have been a family of 4 for a month. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday that she came home-in other ways, it seems like she has always been here.

She has certainly been through a lot in her short time here. A nasty respiratory infection that took 3 weeks worth of antibiotics, steroids and breathing treatments, a horrible intestinal parasite (successfully treated), two trips to the lab for bloodwork, two stool sample collections (I'll spare you the details), and two dental appointments. She was scheduled to have 4 crowns and 2 fillings, but once the pediatric dentist got a good look, she determined that some fillings and re-surfacing would save her top 6 front teeth. Thank God!

Whew........now we are on to just settling in. Although that is going very well. She initiates family hugs. She says "I love you." She sleeps in her own bed at night. And she and her sister are getting along like, well, sisters! They both have very stubborn streaks, and are very independent and strong-willed. Makes for an interesting house! In fact, her first full English sentence was the other day......she informed Matt "Ababa, Sissy not be nice to me." Yikes. Today she announced "Sissy got in trouble." Let's just say they are very entertaining!

On to the next challenge. Getting AlinaJayne to sleep upstairs in their room all night. Aside from one night, she has been in our room every 1-2 hours all night, every night, while her new sister sleeps soundly upstairs.

On that note, I guess I'll stretch out in our bed all by myself. Matt gave in and went upstairs to sleep with the girls (AlinaJayne) after her second trip downstairs.

(click to enlarge)

 

A New Week

Well, it is back to work for me in the AM. I know it could not be avoided, but it hurts me to have to go back so soon. It is a new job, and I was only there for 1 month before I had to take a "leave" for the adoption, so there was no other way. I know Matt will have a great time with the kids, and they need that special time as well.

We are all starting to settle into a routine now-although we hope it will not be our normal routine. ChallieJayne has been very sick-pneumonia that will not go away. One ER trip, 2 doctor appointments, 2 rounds of antibiotics, 2 rounds of oral steroids, and 8 breathing treatments per day (all multiple times per day)-not to mention her treatment for an intestinal parasite. That in itself is a part time job. We had to make a medication chart to keep up with everything! We also think she has a couple of food allergies, so we are trying to solve that puzzle as well.

AlinaJayne is still very......"Mothering" to ChallieJayne, but she is doing much better this week. ChallieJayne is finally allowing me to be out of her sight without having a meltdown! Thank you Jesus!

The other "fun" at this house is our "program" to get the girls to sleep upstairs in their own room. Or should I say, AlinaJayne? She has slept with us in our bed since we came home from China over 4 years ago, so this has been tough for her. In fact, she didn't even want to sleep up there with *me* in the room. She wanted all 4 of us to be in our bed downstairs, or all 4 of us in their room. ChallieJayne does not like to co-sleep, so this was not happening! I spent the first 2 weeks home sleeping upstairs with them to get them used to the room-and I spent the last 2 weeks rolling off of the twin bed onto the floor every time I tried to roll over! This week, it is Matt's turn, so I get OUR bed! YAY! His plan is to gradually leave them up there to sleep alone starting this week. Wish us luck! He even "bribed" them by adding a TV and DVD player to their room today. In all fairness, we have our TV on in the bedroom all night, so AlinaJayne is used to that. Plus, ChallieJayne is used to the noise of an orphanage, so this will help her too.

Tomorrow is ChallieJayne's first (of what will be many) dental appointments. She needs a LOT of work. I hope she cooperates-the language barrier makes it tough.

More later. Enjoy the pic.

A little over a week

(Back home-click to enlarge the pics)

 

I cannot believe we have been a family for a little over a week now. So much has happened since we became family of four!

Sweet ChallieJayne has been sick since we met her at the airport, and was diagnosed with pneumonia on Tuesday. She has been on two breathing treatments, an oral steroid and an antibiotic since then. Last night was really rough for her in terms of breathing/coughing, and Mama was awake all night with her. I arm starting to think she has asthma too. Then we found out (but were not surprised) that she has giardia. Anyone familiar with that knows this is not fun. The medication is very nasty tasting, and the treatment is long. We had to have the medication made especially for her by a compounding pharmacist so she will take it. Poor baby has been through so much.

Other than the health issues, she seems to be settling in nicely. Of course there is some competition between her and AlinaJayne, but I'd expect nothing different. They'll get there! She calls me Mama or Mommy, and Matt "Ababa" which is Amharic for Dad. AlinaJayne is "Seesy." I think the cutest thing is what she calls Papa. That would be "Apapa." Like a combination between "Ababa and Papa." It is so sweet to hear her say "I love you" and to recite her ABC's. The accent is too cute!

Mama goes back to work in a week, then Daddy is home for four weeks with the kids. I will miss them, it has been nice to be at home with them, but I know they are in excellent hands! They've got themselves a great Daddy! Which, by the way, AlinaJayne has decided to start calling Matt "Baba" again. This is Mandarin for Dad. Hmmmm...........

Speaking of Dad. We had MY Daddy up for Father's Day dinner on Saturday. We were not able to attend the party at his house on Sunday since ChallieJayne has been sick. I took a lot of fun pics, so do enjoy.

Off to try to sleep a bit tonight.

Check back soon.

(Father's Day Weekend-click to enlarge the pics)

 

Forever Family Day (and the entire weekend too)!

The day FINALLY arrived! Our daughter is finally home from Ethiopia. But keeping true to the drama of our journey, not without some worries.

We knew ChallieJayne's flight was scheduled to land at 3:40PM on Saturday June 12th in Newark, NJ, and that she was being escorted by Ivy, who works for our agency in Ethiopia. We knew she was in good hands. All of the immigration paperwork was done (and done correctly), the POA's were in place to have her escorted to the USA. We left the hotel and took the shuttle to Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport at 1:45PM. It should go off without a hitch, right? Sure, if it was another family's life!

We had time to have a quick, last lunch as a family of 3 before heading down to the International Arrivals Terminal to wait for our baby to arrive. We got to the waiting area at 3:00PM, and received an e-mail notice that the flight had landed early a 3:20PM. So we waited, camera ready, AlinaJayne waiting with the stuffed elephant she had for her new sister. At 3:45PM, a rush of travelers came out of U.S. Customs. Nope,she was not in the group. At 4PM, another group came rushing out. We knew we'd be meeting our newest child now! Nope, not in this group. Matt checked the monitor again-yep, the flight had landed. At 4:15PM, another group, this time we even saw the flight crew from Lufthansa. She MUST be coming!

5:00PM came and went, as did another group of travelers through customs. No ChallieJayne. We started to wonder, at what point should we be worried? Who do we call? What can we do on a Saturday anyway? We decided to move to some chairs and figure out what to do next. AlinaJayne had been so good and patient waiting through all of this, way better than we were!

Finally at 5:20PM, we saw what looked like Ivy (we had seen pictures) and a little girl being pushed in a stroller-it WAS ChallieJayne!

She was very shy at first (we had heard from many families who had traveled to get their children how sweet and loving she was...........but she seemed very, very shy and unsure). She really wanted to stay with Ivy. Then Ivy told her "Chaltu, you need to go with them, they are your Mommy & Daddy & Sister." Finally she allowed AlinaJayne to talk to her, then she approached me and felt my face. I allowed her to come to me, and she motioned for me to hold her, so I did. Then, without warning, she kissed me on the cheek. This was a very different experience than it was with AlinaJayne!

Ivy said her goodbye's and it was then that ChallieJayne started to cry for her. She continued to cry as we waited for our shuttle back to the hotel, all the way back to the hotel (in China, people expected this, they knew the Americans were there adopting babies, so they were understanding-here, nobody had a clue, thought we had a misbehaving child), and up until we got into our room. Once she was there, she did stop crying, played with the toys (although she did not immediately take to AlinaJayne), ate a snack and had some juice, and allowed me to give her a bath. The poor baby fell asleep sitting on a suitcase after supper, so Matt put her in bed with him!

We made a 12 hour trip back home on Sunday, stopping briefly so Matt's Mom and my Dad could at least see her (although she never woke up once)! Both of the girls traveled extremely well, even if ChallieJayne never woke up-even when I got her ready for bed after midnight! During the trip back, she decided that AlinaJayne was pretty cool. She even allowed her to play "rock, paper, scissors" with her, AND put her shoes on her! The night before, she wanted NOTHING to do with her!

The entire family slept until 10AM, then headed out to run errands (and to have ChallieJayne's first of two bloodwork appointments). She is settling in nicely, and learning her way around the house. She calls me Mama or Mommy (has NO trouble yelling for me), calls Matt "Ababa" which is Amharic for Dad, calls AlinaJayne "seesy" for sissy, and is absolutely terrified of our youngest cat. Not sure how she will do when the older, grouchy cat and German Shepherd are home on Tuesday! She also randomly tells us "Mommy! I love you!" or "Ababa, I love you." She counts to 10 in English (started doing this by herself, but AlinaJayne has been helping her). She sings songs and speaks in Amharic all day, but mixes in some English when she sings "B I N G O" and "Old McDonald."

Lots of new things around this house. We are so blessed. Enjoy the pics and check back soon.

***Click on the pics to make them bigger*****

(Forever Family Day)

 

("Almost" and Back Home)

 

We're Here!

After a 10.5 hour road trip (including 4 stops and one wrong turn) we are here in Newark NJ. ChallieJayne is on her way here (Via Frankfurt, Germany, which is so appropriate since my Mom's family was from Germany) as of this posting! Her flight is scheduled to arrive at 3:40PM.

During her stop over in Frankfurt, she was able to spend some time with another family from our agency, and she will be sending some pics. It was nice to wake up to a Facebook update from her today confirming she is on the way!

We are about to become a family of FOUR!!! in a few hours.

More later!


(The view from our hotel room)

 

FINALLY!

Well, I have finally put aside my caution and decided it was time to post-CHALLIEJAYNE IS COMING HOME!!

As international adoption goes, this has been a roller coaster. We knew on May 25th that ChallieJayne's embassy appointment for the visa interview would be on June 2nd, and that her homecoming was tentatively set for June 12th. We have been waiting for the final itinerary (which we still do not have)so we wanted to keep things under wraps until we had that. However, our agency assures us that this *is* happening, which means we will leave next Friday, so I simply cannot keep this quiet any longer! I am trusting in the Lord that this will all happen according to His perfect timing.

A couple of other families from our agency were in Ethiopia this week adopting their children, both of who were at the embassy with her during the appointments. One e-mailed me and wrote "Just wanted to let you know Samantha and I saw your little Chaltu at embassy today. Jessica brought her and was raving about what a great personality she has. Afterward we all went to Kaldi's for coffee and Jessica bought her some ice cream. She was having a great time. We wanted to get a picture for you but they didn't allow cameras at the embassy."

Another posted on my Facebook wall just today "Guess who I hung out with in Ethiopia?! Your Chaltu! I held her on the way back from her embassy appt! I learned that she loves: gum, sunglasses and ice cream! Got pics too!"

Can I say WOOOOOOOO HOOOOO???!!!!???

We are so thankful for all the support of our friends and family during this seemingly endless wait. A big thanks to all of the families who have traveled to Ethiopia to meet their children, who have taken photos of our girl for us-those are precious and helped sustain us during the long wait.

There will be more to come. Check back soon!

One more milestone

Just a quick update here.

We received a notice from the National Visa Center yesterday, informing us that ChallieJayne's immigration approval was forwarded to the United States Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Once the staff there downloads the information, they will issue her an appointment for the visa interview, and issue her a visa to enter the United States-and she'll come HOME!

We are not sure what the timing will be, but we are hopeful it will be in the next month or so. WOOOOOO HOOOOO!! Praise God!

Stay tuned. More to come :O)

5/10/10......SO WHEN!!????

Well, on May 10th we found out that our document to classify Chaltu/Challie as our immediate relative was in fact approved. In fact we found out it was actually approved on May 6th!

For those of you who do not know this, this is the document that states she can be issued her American Visa to enter the country and come home to us!

So now we wait for notification that she is ready to be escorted here. We have been told it could be on the East Coast on May 28th, or the West Coast on June 2nd. Or even DC on Jun 10th. All we can do is wait!

What a day that will be!!!!!!

Check Back Soon!!!!

Of Mothers & Daughters...............

Today I am celebrating the best gift I have been given (next to my hubby of course), being a Mama. Four years ago today in a hot and stuffy room in Changsha, Hunan, we met AlinaJayne for the first time. I have been blessed beyond comprehension to be able to parent AlinaJayne. I tend to be very focused and driven, and she makes me stop and realize what is truly important in this world. It's amazing how much a 5 year old can teach an almost 42 year old about life. God knew what he was doing when he made us a family.

I am also thinking about our youngest daughter who is waiting for us in Ethiopia. I would give anything to have her here with me on this Mother's Day, but we are at the mercy of a less than perfect Immigration system that does not see the importance of bringing children home to American parents. I will never be able to fix the system, so all I can do is pray that she is safe, send love in my prayers, and hope that another family who is traveling to bring their child home will take pictures for us. Her birthday was May 7th, and we missed that. Our agency spoke with the immigration officer on April 28th, and he said the supplemental documentation that our agency provided would be sufficient, so we expected to receive written confirmation of this last week. Unfortunately, this did not come, so we keep waiting. I have to say that I am doubtful that she will be home by the end of June-even though our agency predicted the end of May/early June. A Mama always knows...

On this Mother's Day, I also find myself thinking about AlinaJayne & ChallieJayne's Birthmothers (and AlinaJayne's Foster Mama/ChallieJayne's nannies).We owe so much to them. Without the selfless and painful decision their Birthmothers made, we would not be their parents. We are also so grateful for AlinaJayne's Foster Mama and the nannies who are caring for ChallieJayne until she can come home. They have all had such an important part of these children's early lives.

Today we did the annual Mother's Day planting. We always landscape my Mom's grave for the spring/summer season, and then come home to plant roses and lilies for AlinaJayne's Birthmother (aka Tummy Mama) and Foster Mama. Next year we will also be planting a rosebush for ChallieJayne's Birthmother.

I will end this post with a profession of love and gratitude for my own Mom. She sacrificed so much for us, always putting herself last to be sure we had what we needed. When you are a child, this selflessness is lost in the drama of day to day life. As a Mama, I realize that I own her more than I could ever re-pay her. I can only hope to be a fraction of the woman she was.

I saw this on a friend's webpage today and wanted to share it.

IF ROSES GROW IN HEAVEN


"If roses grow in Heaven, Lord, pick a bunch for me, place them in her arms & tell her they're from me. Tell her that I love &
miss her and when she turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek & hold her for awhile. Because remembering her is easy. I do it everyday. There's an ache within my heart that will never go away."

Enjoy the pics. You can click on them to enlarge them.

Happy Mother's Day.

 

(Mother's Day)

 

(ChallieJayne)