GINGERBREAD MANIA...

This is the finished product. Avery and Addie decorated this Gingerbread House. THANK YOU TO THE HORNES for having us over to decorate houses. We had a BLAST!


This picture is so funny because you can tell Avery was trying to convince Addie to do it HER WAY.


Abel took a little break for some play time.


Aidan's gingerbread man, Charles.


Ted's creation (Above)... A levitical priest!

Addie's gingerbread WOMAN

Avery's gingerbread girl... Rebecca

I accidentally dropped Charles... I FELT HORRIBLE!

We repaired him as best we could and even gave him a cane... since he lost a leg.

This is our make shift ER that we took Charles to.




Below is Samantha totally preparing for the Gingbread Contest... She was taking it OH SO SERIOUSLY.
Samantha won the BLUE RIBBON for this AMAZING gingerbread house.

BIRTHDAY WEEK!

Three of our four children had birthdays last week... WOW... We are still recovering!!!

We only had ONE PARTY...
we still have TWO MORE TO COME!

We celebrated Avery's birthday last Friday night with a little AMERICAN IDOL party.
It was great fun!!!

The Burks (our dear friends from Texas) were in town. THANK YOU DEANNA for all the pictures you took during the party!!!
YOU ROCK!


THE NINE YEAR OLD... last year of single digits! LOVE HER!! and I am SO PROUD of her! I love you Avery Ancelet!!
It takes a village to raise a child and give a party! Thank you Christy and Deanna for painting nails and to Charlotte for doing ROCK STAR make up! What a fun night! Thanks D for also taking pictures!


I think Abel did a DUO with everyone who sang. He grabbed the other mic to sing with them!
PRECIOUS GIRLS!


Sing it AUDREY!





My GIRLS!

Abel... is the music that bad? or is it that good that you need to clean out your ears to hear it better?
Avery saved up all her birthday money to get an American Girl Doll. Thanks to Granny Charlotte, MawMaw, Deanna and the Hornes... It was possible! SHE WAS BEYOND EXCITED! Thanks everyone!


Sweet Holly and Avery have the same American Girl Doll... HOW FUN!?

Abel turned TWO YEARS OLD the day before Avery's birthday. We haven't celebrated yet... but when we do, I will post pictures!

We had 20 girls come over to celebrate Avery's birthday! OH WHAT A NIGHT!!!
Even the boys had to jump in for a little SING TIME!!! THE BOYS ARE BACK! (from HS Musical 3)

Happy Birthday to Aidan as well. He turned 7 on the 7th. We will be celebrating his birthday in a few weeks! These birthday parties need a little spacing out!! FOR SURE!
LOVE THESE KIDS! Thank you LORD for such amazing gifts!!!

FALL FESTIVITIES!

Here are some fun pictures from our FALL FUN!
We went to the Mazons on Friday night for their neighborhood gathering (Oct 30th) and then on Oct 31st, we had a Fall Festival. Our youth group hosts this each year in our neighborhood. This year we are living in a neighborhood NEW TO US... so we got to meet a lot of neighbors. It was so much fun!

Here's Aidan as Iron Man


Abel as a Pirate (not a very mean pirate!)

Avery was Selina Gomez...

Addison went to a TINKERBELL party at her friend, Gracie Kate's. She had a BLAST!!!

Here are more of her tinker bell friends...
THIS WAS SO FUNNY... our dear friends, Stephen and Emile came dressed as a HUGE robot (he's almost 7 ft tall) and a ballerina. They are such a hoot!


How absolutely precious are Becky and Johnny!!! LOVE THEM! This brought back some serious memories. I can recite the Pink Ladies Pledge... and yes, I am proud of that!!!

On Halloween it rained! SAD! But we still had lots of visitors to our Fall Festival. We had a cotton candy machine and a popcorn machine. SO FUN!

This was HILARIOUS! Samantha was going to be Taylor Swift so she asked if Abel could be Kanye West... SURE!!! HOW HILARIOUS IS THIS COSTUME!!!

PUMPKIN FUN!

I took the kids to this little pumpkin stand last week. We LOVE the Fall. We've had some wet days over here in East TN. But last Friday we got out (before the Tornado watch) and went to this precious pumpkin stand. This lady sets up every year on the corner of Middle Brook and Piney Grove Church Rd. She actually has a stand all year long but during this time, she sets it up so CUTE!

Things are moving at a crazy fast speed over here. We've had Fall break this week and been doing a project on weather. It's gone by way too fast but I've loved having the kids home all week. We start back to the co-op next Monday.

I have been so busy with photography. My site is www.anceletphotography.wordpress.com
Ted is working on a new logo for me. I am really excited because I am thinking of having some things made (stickers, t-shirts). I have 22 shoots booked this month. WHICH IS GREAT... because I owe on my new camera that I just bought. I have much to save for as well because I recently added 3 lenses to my wish list, some new lighting and I would love to get some basic backdrops. ALWAYS SOMETHING TO UPGRADE TO IN THIS BUSINESS. I am taking it slow but I absolutely love what I am doing.

Precious Moment in the Car

Last night I was driving home with Addie and Abel. Ted has youth group in our home every Wednesday night so I always go out with the little kids and run errands. Last night, we went to TJ Maxx. It was a fun trip... looking for a dress for an upcoming wedding and getting Avery another pair of jeans because the girl is growing like a weed.

We get back into the car to come home and I have the radio station on 88.3. A song comes on and Addie says... "Mommy, I think this is a God song." I said "Yes, baby, it is.". So we listened to the song. Then another song came on. This one was by Dave Crowder. It was called "You never let go.". She is listening to the words and talking about the song... She says "Mommy, is the person singing this song dead?" I said "No, babe he is not." She said "It says God never lets him go." (I think she took that literally... like God is holding Dave Crowder in heaven). I told her that God is with us here.
She said "God is every where." I said "Yes, he is" and she said "he is in our house, he is in this car. He is in everybody's heart". (Ok... I wish you could hear Addie talk while you are reading this because it's the cutest thing EVER!).
I said "Addie, God is in the hearts of those who believe in his Son, Jesus Christ and who have recognized they are sinners and need forgiveness. Those who ask him to live in their hearts.. He is in them". I then said "Addie, do you know what a sin is?" She said "No." So I explained to her when we are ugly to other people and when we lie (keeping it simple)... those are sins. We are sinners.
She said "like Avery?" (that is where a HUGE CHUCKLE IN ME ROSE TO THE SURFACE - but I did not let it out). I said "Addie, Avery is a sinner but so am I. So are you. We all need Jesus... not just Avery." She said "Yes." I explained to her how sin keeps us away from God but Jesus came and lived a sinless life. And he was the sacrifice for our sins on the Cross. I kept it simple but I could see that she was understanding me. (as I looked at her through the rear view mirror).
She said "Mommy, I want to ask Jesus into my heart... will you help me?"
I said "Sure Addie"
and then my PRECIOUS DAUGHTER ADDISON KAYLEE gave her heart to Jesus. Right there in Ted's car on Bakertown Road.

The greatest part of the story (besides the part about Jesus!) is that I made a wrong turn last night and we were lost for a several minutes. Had I not made that wrong turn, I would have gotten home before the Dave Crowder song ever even came on.
I AM SO THANKFUL FOR WRONG TURNS IN LIFE! Because there was NO WRONG in that turn... it was JUST WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE!

Praising Jesus today for my precious daughter Addison. Her name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life!

THE CAST

is coming off tomorrow!
YEAH!!!!



I love this picture! DETERMINATION!


My Addie lost her second tooth today. It came out while she was trying to open a "Littlest Pet Shop" toy. OOPS. It was WAY LOOSE. So she's excited and now I have to go find a dollar.... Time to play tooth fairy.


Addie helped me get Abel out for a little photo shoot. I wanted to get some pictures of him before the cast is taken off tomorrow. SO SWEET! These two kids are crazy about each other.


I know I haven't blogged much lately. I have been neck deep in homeschooling and cleaning and photo shoots and LIFE!

But I will try to keep up! More to come....

SCHOOL DAYS!

What an eventful day... It started last night with a trip to the emergency room which ended at about 1:15am.
Sweet Abel broke his little arm (fracture). Long story short.... rough play with siblings... and now he'll be in a cast for 3 1/2 weeks. He got a Cowboy Blue cast. Daddy helped him pick it out.
It was so sad to see him hurting that like.

In the ER... at first, they thought it was just a dislocated elbow. Not the case. The arm he is holding the Popsicle with is NOT the broken arm :-)

This was at the Orthopedic office.

How cute is he with that sling on. OH MY.

This is small but he has a blue cast on. I'll have to take a better pictures ... SOON...

We are so thankful to Charlotte and Helen for staying with the big kids while we spent hours in the ER.

This morning, after some sleep (little), we got the big kids ready for their first day of school at CFC. They were so excited. We were too. It was Aidan and Addie's first time to school. We have homeschooled... and now they are going to school 3 days a week. So we are moving from full time homeschoolers, to part time homeschoolers :-)

This was a tradition in my home... Holding up a sign that says "School Days" with the year we were going into. So here are our kids... keeping the tradition alive.

How cute are they in their plaid shorts. :-)

I love Addie and Aidan's giggle faces.

BACK PACKS!

Here is Addie in her class. Doesn't she look scared? I know I was... But she came home SO EXCITED. She gave her teacher the biggest hug when we left school. She said she a fun day.

When I picked Aidan up from school, I saw his class on the play ground. It was so fun to watch him. He is growing up so fast. LOVE HIM!

The pictures I got of Avery in her class wasn't good and she wasn't real crazy about me pulling out the camera while all of her friends were sitting there. We were late to her class because we were getting Addie and Aidan all settled in their classes.

GREAT FIRST DAY! 09-10 HERE WE COME!

MY WAY MADNESS

I adore this baby boy.....

But it seems lately... this is the face we see.... It's what I like to call MY WAY MADNESS. He has to have HIS WAY! His daddy thinks I have spoiled him by giving him his way A LOT (ok, I am guilty!!!). But HOW CAN I SAY NO to that precious face!

He was enjoying this icecream cone.... It's not good unless YOU WEAR IT! I love that his NOSE is in the cone.

This is Abel's buddy, Sammy. Sammy enjoyed the ice cream too!

What's wrong Abel? My guess is, he was told no.

This is how we got him all clean... water hose! He loved it!!

Sammy... I think it's your turn for the hose!

He liked it too!

I love this picture... He looks like he is riding down the street on a scooter. He is just standing on it. He was bossing Tori (Sammy's big sister) around having her push him on the scooter. He doesn't talk really... he just grunts out his orders. It's cute!

TOO CUTE NOT TO SHARE!!

Eat my sparkles.. I mean my bubbles

This is such a fun story about my Addie.

Avery is the first born and the one who tries things out before the others. Avery has been doing swim team all summer. The other kids have watched her practice. I even asked Aidan and Addie if they wanted to try it out. Aidan said "no". Addie said "sure!". She joined the swim team. FOR 15 MINUTES.

When she tried it out, she didn't know how to swim but the have a class called the "feeders". She liked how they played ring around the rosie and went under the water but when she tried practice and they were done with that, she wasn't interested any more.

I didn't push her and her time on swim team was done.

WELL... this past Monday, I asked a friend if she would stop by and pick Avery up for swim team and then I would meet them there. She came to get her and said "does any one else want to go with us?" Addie said "I want to go". So she did.

Addie had been learning to swim this summer. She watches all the other kids swim and she practices in the baby pool. I have worked with her some in the shallow end and even talked her into jumping into the deep in to me (while I was on a noodle float) and then I would help her swim to the ladder. But she was not a swimmer. UNTIL MONDAY.

She rode with Andrea to practice... and with out me knowing, SHE (re)JOINED THE SWIM TEAM. When I got to the pool as practiced ended, they all told me how she almost swam the entire pool.

So the next day, I sent them with Andrea again. What I later found out was there was some pep talking going on in the car on the way. AND ADDIE WAS LISTENING TO ALL OF IT.
They talked to her about swimming in the meet on TUESDAY and she said YES. (of course, they told her she would get some Hannah Montana lip gloss if she did it... what a girl will do for lip gloss!)

Another (bribe) thing that Andrea did was she told Addie and Gracie Kate (that's Andrea's daughter) that she would get them all dolled up for the swim meet. WITH NAIL POLISH, SPARKLE TATOOS, BLUE HAIR STREAKING, MAKE UP...

The girls were MORE THAN HAPPY to be in the swim meet.

Here they are looking pageant ready for a SWIM MEET :-)

Gracie (the Diva) Kate

BEST COACH IN THE WORLD... Sarah!

The Bribe... LIP GLOSS

On the blocks waiting for the horn to blow. Addie is right next to me so she didn't make this shot.

Here she is.... I was SO proud of her!

GO ADDIE GO!

She finished 4th

Gracie Kate got a little freaked out. Coach Sarah jumped in with her to encourage her through the last little bit.

SHE MADE IT!

What a fun night! I am SO PROUD OF YOU ADDISON!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!!!

LIGHTS
I just got some lights from a friend. I borrowed them because I am doing my FIRST WEDDING tomorrow. Ancelet Photography has expanded and now we (meaning me - haha!) are doing weddings. I am so excited and nervous all at the same time.
I borrowed the lights so I can use them on the bride while she is inside getting ready.
Addie let me practice on her today. She was such a good sport. She loves having her picture taken. She had lots of funny face pictures but I just put a few of them up :-)

CAMERA

So the "ACTION" part of our lives go something like this...

wake up, put on bathing suits, head to swim team practice, swim, swim, swim some more and then stay and play with friends. Come home, Abel naps, play, play and play some more... bed time... start all over.

SWIM TEAM - GO WAHOOS!

We had our first swim meet this week. It was on Tuesday night. This is Avery's first year to do swim team. It has been so much fun. I know it's a lot of practicing but I love that she is learning to be disciplined. She loves going and is enjoying being apart of this team.
Meet the Wahoos. I thought they made the word up... but it's really a fast fish... who knew! Just thought this was a cool picture. There are 130 kids on the swim team. This picture shows warm up time.

Great coaches!

My sweet Avery... Getting ready to practice before the meet.

Before every meet, the Seniors do a skit to get the team pumped up. Then they do cheers. It was so much fun. Avery was grinning from ear to ear. We actually WON THIS MEET!!!

Coach Brad leading the team in GROUP CHEER

OH MY... These ladies make life fun! I met Amanda (on the left) about 3 years ago. She has adopted from Liberia and that was an instant connection for us (adoption). Then, this summer...to my sweet surprise, I met Andrea. She is FUNNY! Look at that face she is making. It cracks me up. She is constantly saying something that makes me laugh.

Here's my girl swimming back stroke. I was so proud of her.

FUN TIMES!!!

FAMILY DAY!

We went to the mountains on Sunday for a family day. It was so good to just be together and hang out for the day. We got donuts on the way out, went and threw rocks at the Mountains (the kids' favorite), went and drove Cades Cove (BEAUTIFUL!) and then went through Pigeon Forge. It was FAMILY FUN!

Abel loved the rocks. He has such a good time picking them up and throwing them.
Aidan found big rocks! They all had a rock collection. We told them they could bring home 2 rocks each (I think Ted changed it to three) but they had to be SMALL.

Abel would get a rock in his hand and then back up to Ted so he could help him throw it. PRECIOUS!

Of course, I had my camera out there... I had fun taking pictures of nature. It was a GORGEOUS day!

This is how we spent of first part of our time... all 4 of the kids in the water. We forgot to bring towels but we did bring a change of clothes for each of them.

This is our drive through Cades Cove. If you are ever in the Smoky Mountains, you have to drive Cades Cove. It is 11 miles long. It is absolutely gorgeous. This was a picture I took from the passenger seat... you can see the side mirror view as well.

We saw 4 bears. This one was the closest we saw. What kills me is that people get out of their cars (WITH THEIR KIDS) to look at the bears. Not us! I will just look from the window.

We also saw deer. Several of them. Here is one.

Here is one of those guys who got out of the car to get closer to the bears.

See the three black dots... those are black bears. I think they were cubs... You know what they say... if there is a baby bear, there is a momma bear close by. That guy above... CRAZY! I chose to stay in my van, with my zoom lens...

FAMILY DAY = GREAT DAY!

Ethiopian Gathering

We got together today with our Ethiopian community. It is SO good to see everyone and hear of chlidren that are now with their forever families. To hear about those waiting to travel, those who are waiting for court dates (YAY AMY and DARRIN!) and those waiting for referrals and those who are waiting for home studies to be finished! We also had others join us today that are from Ethipian and Liberia. It was a great day!
Here is Miss Maya. Love her! I haven't seen her in TOO LONG! Julie told me that we are hanging out every week ... once a week... so we should be seeing more of her sweet face on THIS BLOG! How precious is this little one? She knows when she sees me to just smile and pose for a picture. What blesses my heart is that she knows my name!! You are a beautiful girl Miss O.

Maya and Abel... I was getting pictures for their slide show at their wedding. haha. RIGHT JULIE!??

This precious girl is gonna have a little sister! Her momma and daddy are going through the adoption process for the 4th time. Two from Guatemala and now there will be two from Ethiopia! Can't wait to meet her!

Lots of yummy food!

How about this flag cake?

Abel was having a blast playing soccer. I know you can't tell that's what he is doing in this picture but he is. He was watching the soccer ball. He likes to pick it up and throw it though. He doesn't get that you kick it. That'll come...

Here is his big brother showing him how it's done.

So sweet... Momma giving some love to her Sunny.

How great is Julie H? She brought stuff to make braclets. We need to restock her braclet beads. My kids had a BLAST making braclets. Even Abel got in on the fun.

This is so their future... Abel chillin' in the lawn chair and Maya making a phone call. Probably to her momma. This handsome boy just came home 4 weeks ago.

This precious girl has an older sister from Ethiopia. She was adopted from China. She came home 2 months ago. BEAUTIFUL!

My Addie :-)

This is what happens when you have sister...

I hear giggling... and then I see this. Abel dressed up like a granny (that's what they called it). TOO CUTE

My dancing little man...

Love this!

What's Happening with the A-Team

We have been busy settling into our new home. We have now been here for 3 weeks. We have all the boxes unpacked... well, there maybe a few out there still to unpack... but nothing urgent. Everything seems pretty settled. We've painted a few rooms (kitchen, half bath and office/piano room). We have several more to paint. I think we'll work on the kid's rooms in the month of June. When we finish, I will put a few pictures up.
After painting the kitchen, I panicked a little. It seems SO green. But it is growing on me. I don't have much down time, but when I do, I like to watch HGTV. It gets me in trouble. I get a wild hair and then BOOM... GREEN KITCHEN. haha.

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Over the last 5 1/2 years, we have had the privilege of doing ministry with the Swoboda family. We moved here to be a part of a church plant which Brandon, along with Johnny Mazon were heading up. We have all been here the last 5 1/2 years watching the Lord's will unfold before our eyes.

We did not plan on the Swobodas leaving Knoxville, but the time has come for them to go home to Little Rock, AR. Betsy grew up there and her parents live there. They felt called back home to live life with her parents (not in the same house, just the same area :-). As they were in this transition, Betsy found out she is pregnant with their 7th child. They are looking forward to being settled in Little Rock where Brandon will working for Fellowship Bible Church there as a Community Pastor and both him and Betsy will have help with their full quiver of children :-)

WE LOVE YOU SWOBODA FAMILY. You will be greatly missed!!!!

We met the Swobodas at the park on the day they were leaving just to hug their necks one more time and say good bye. Of course, our kids all went straight for the creek and jumped in. I love that!

This Swoboda is our 5th child. He loves coming to the Ancelets. We will miss Conner Rey so very much. He loves Aidan and when asked his favorite places to go... He says our house and Disney World. How sweet is that?!!!

This is Betsy Jane. When we moved here... the Swobodas had 3 children. All BOYS. We have seen 3 baby girls born into their family. What a precious lady! I love you Betsy.

Loving on Abel before she goes....

Brandon and Ted

The guys and ALL 10 OF OUR KIDS!!

We love you guys!

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Also going on in our lives... My little photography business is growing. I have had so much fun doing this (very part time). I have actually booked 3 weddings for this summer. It is the summer of LOVE for Ancelet Photography. I am nervous and excited about these weddings. I will really be thinking through if wedding photography is something I want to pursue.

I was able to get some new equipment this summer. I still have SEVERAL things on my wish list but hopefully those things will come with time.

Here is a picture I took at the park yesterday with a new lens I just got.

If you want to see more of my pictures... go to

http://www.anceletphotography.wordpress.com/

Of course, all of the kids are a HUGE part of our lives and what we have going on. Abel keeps us in stitches though. He has the FUNNIEST FACES! Tonight we all sat at the dinner table and he just entertained us. He loves to have an audience. Here he is at the park... LOVE THOSE EXPRESSIONS!

In other Ancelet news, Avery will be starting swim team on Tuesday. I am excited for her to be a part of something that will push her a little bit. She is busting with excitement. After watching Michael Phelps at the Olympics this year, she decided she wanted to be a swimmer. She always has really enjoyed swimming. So we will be spending LOTS of time at the pool this summer.

Aidan found his love ... just yesterday... BASKETBALL. Maybe we can start saving for a goal. He played at a friends and did really well. He was glowing after making a few baskets! AND Aidan learned to ride a bike with out training wheels. Just about 2 weeks ago after we moved into the house. We live on a cul desac and he just went out there and took off! We were blown away!

Addie is so busy being a mom to Abel that she hardly has time for anything else. She drives him CRAZY. Yet, she is the one he wants to be around. It's too cute.

Ted has been working at church with Youth and teaching on Sundays. He has also been working for an organization called REACH. He is currently working with the city on their Ten Year Plan to end chronic homelessness. It's been an amazing opportunity for him. He is honored and humbled to be a part of the process.

I will try to be better about blogging. I am looking forward to a great summer!

Here she comes 3rd grade...

Avery is officially finished with 2nd grade. Her last day of school was last Monday. On Wednesday, they had a fun day at the park. She had such a great time playing kick ball. They had the 2nd grade compete with the 3rd grade. They didn't win but they had a great time.

I was so proud of Avery because she won 2 awards on Award Night. She won the Most Compassionate for her class and she also was awarded Best Sportsmanship for all of 2nd grade. Way to go Avery. We are SO proud of you.

She made the honor roll as well the last six weeks! WAY TO GO AVERY!

They had such a great time getting their faces painted. All three of the older kids got it done. Abel just hung around, chased bubbles, played on the play ground. Fun for the whole family.

The principal, Mr. Moe, brought this fun tractor that had a cart that wobbled on the back. It was suppose to wobble. The kids got a big kick out of it. The girls were just giggling riding it.

Aidan will also be attending CFC next year. He'll be a big 1st grader. I can't believe it! I absolutely love this school and I look forward to the two of them enjoying their 3 days a week at school and then 2 days at home.

I will be homeschooling Addison... as of right now... but she is on the waiting list and possibly will be attending CFC as well. If not, we'll be doing Kindergarten at the kitchen table :-)

I love the days the kids are all home. I look forward to this next year! I can't believe the kids are growing so fast.

The fun day was a HUGE success. All grades were there K-8. They are adding a high school in a few years. I am so excited about that. We look forward to our summer... swimming and hanging out with friends. We had a great year!

WE LOVE CFC!!!!

It's a BEAUTIFUL DAY!

We went to the park today. SO FUN!
Here is Sammy with his momma's tea. Spilled it before she even got to enjoy it... OH NO!

Wait... Abel... what are you doing with my drink??? ALWAYS! THIS KID DRINKS MY DRINKS!

I get by with a little help from my big sister :-)

Lukey Pookey :-)

Miss Molly

This cute dog was stealing the hearts of all the kids .... stole my heart too!

Again ... big sister Addie

Luke Sky Walker (ok, so I think he looks a little like Yoda)

Princess Laya (not sure if that's how you spell it)

Big boy "E"

Looks like an adventure... probably a bug... oh, let's get Abel to grab it.

Avery and her buddies

Light Saber Fight (it's ok, no one lost an arm)

Is that a ticker tape parade... NOPE, it's a WOOD CHIP PARADE

Abel says "REVENGE" except he is facing the wrong way :-)

Good-bye Overton Lane

This is where we spent the last 5 1/2 years of our lives. I love this house. I love the memories that were made here.

Here's a top ten list of Overton Lane Memories (in no particular order) .....

10. The flat drive way and how all the neighborhood kids would gather here

9. The murals on the walls (OH HOW I WILL MISS THEM!). Thanks to my friend, Melissa Clayton, the kids enjoyed the most beautiful murals on their walls the entire time we lived here.

8. Bringing home baby Addison in Feb of 2004.

7. Looking at a picture of Abel FOR THE FIRST TIME in the living room on referral day (Dec 2007).

6. Bringing home Abel from Ethiopia in 2008.

5. Having the student ministry from our church start in our living room and then move to the basement... and then move out of our home because it was too big. Oh how I will miss the basement... the CATCH ALL!

4. Sweet relationships! These walls have heard LOTS of laughter, seen tears shed, heard prayers prayed, games played (Friday game nights!!), meals shared... so much relationship!

3. The Cherry Blossom tree in our front yard. I LOVE THAT TREE! I will miss the Bradford pear trees as well. The flowers are SO pretty. I won't miss the smell of the Bradford pear trees!

2. The Fall festivals that we would hold in our drive way for the neighborhood families (we will continue the Fall festival, it will just be in our new "hood".)

1. The love shared in this HOME! Having the Lord so faithfully meet us in this home. Seeing our kids grow in this place. Avery was 3 when we moved in and now she is 8. Aidan was just a year old and is now 6. They have lost their first teeth in this house, started school in this house (literally because we homeschool). We've doubled the amount of children while living in this home. We've had so many memories...

YOU WILL BE MISSED OVERTON LANE!

We have been through a whirl wind the last 2 weeks or so. I am THRILLED TO SAY, we closed on Overton Lane yesterday and on our new home TODAY! We have almost lived here for two weeks. We had a title issue on our Overton Lane house. Long story short, it all worked out (it had to do with the woman who owned it before us and her signing a document wrong)

Everyone involved was SO cooperative and all are THRILLED that it is finished. The girl who moved into our house (she moved in before the closing date) loves the house. She is so excited to be there and we pray it will bless her!

HERE IS WHERE WE NOW LIVE....

Just a whopping 4 miles away from Overton Lane. We fell in love with this neighborhood in November of 2008. I did not think it was possible for us to sell and move into this neighborhood, but we have. What a journey.





Here are a few pictures of the inside. I am still working but finally feel some what settled.




MORE PICTURES TO COME. I just need to take them!
We are so grateful to start this new chapter in this new home. We are so thankful to the Lord for the way he ordered each step in this whole situation. We had several moments where we just knew it was HIM THAT MOVED for this to happen! THANK YOU JESUS!

E-MAIL ADDRESS CHANGE

I have a question...
How can I change my e-mail address in blogger? I changed my e-mail address and will no longer have my knology account in about a week. I get my comments sent to my e-mail address and need to change that but I can't seem to figure it out. ALSO, I sign in using my e-mail address... so how do I change that??

Please make note of my new e-mail address
tracieancelet@gmail.com

Thanks :-)

PS - we are in the middle of packing. we are moving in a week... not moving out of town... it's an IN TOWN move. I'll post after we get settled! PRAY FOR US :-)

Happy Easter!

Today we celebrated the risen Lord.... It looks like Abel is looking up to the sky to see if he can see JESUS :-)

Sorry there hasn't been much bloggin' lately! UPDATES COMING SOON!

RACE DAY!

Today I ran in the Knoxville Marathon Race. I ran the relay.... 4 of us as a team completed the entire Marathon course.

MEET MY TEAM! Me, Becky F., Lindsay and Chelsea!


Becky ran the first leg of the race, Chelsea ran the second, Lindsay ran the third (and longest leg), and I ran the fourth!
Becky came in averaging a 9 min mile! We waited for her at the relay tent (this is where we are in the picture above). We took a quick picture together because Becky had to leave us (she needed to get home). Then Chelsea took off. She averaged a 10 min (maybe a little less) mile. I heard from other runners that she had the HARDEST part of the race. Lots of hills! YOU GO GIRL!
Lindsay ran the third leg of the race. She ran 8 miles. She averaged 8 1/2 min miles! I was SO PROUD OF HER! She thought it would take her an hour and a half. WRONG... I was in the porta potty and then chllin' with Abel on my hip and there she was... waiting for me (OOPS... Sorry, we lost a few minutes there).
Then I ran the last leg of the race. It was a RUSH! I averaged a 10 min mile. I slowed down after about 3 1/2 miles to drink water and was having a hard time getting going again. Then I met a girl named Katherine. She was struggling as well so we finished the race together... encouraging each other to keep running.
I LOVED MY RUN... I got to run over the Gay Street bridge and then run right through Market Square. I finished my run with my team mates waiting outside of Neyland Stadium for me. We all ran in to cross the finish line together.
We ran the ENTIRE MARATHON (with 4 fresh set of legs!) in 4 hours and 18 minutes! WOOT WOOT!
(Above) - that's us running through Neyland Stadium. The finish line was on the 50 yard line.

Crossing the finsih line! BEST FEELING!!!!

It was celebrate the race day! We ate out with the Crenshaws for dinner. My friend Becky is the one who challenged me to do this on January 1st of this year. I am so glad she did! What a huge blessing!

Becky ran the half. She completed it in 2 hrs 13 minutes! Her husband Brent ran it as well. I am so proud of the Crenshaws!

My Talented Children....

I just videoed my kids... I got a kick out of the second video... and I LOVE the seriousness of Aidan's face in the first video...

So here is my Samurai and my Dancer :-) ENJOY

"hi, this is Addie... I am gonna show you some of my dance moves..."

Notice... the Samurai is still going in the background

Of course we have the dramatic ending... she hurt herself so she laid out like that. I love this kid!

One thing I realize is that the kids talk A LOT to each other. When the older two kids aren't around, Addie talks my head off! I LOVE IT. Tonight, her and Abel went with me to the gym. On the way home, Addie started her talking. She said "Sometimes people are mean to me." I said "Really? Like who?" She said "You.".... I said "What?" and she said "Like when you send me to my room... when I get in trouble". So I said "Addie, I am not being mean, I am disciplining you because you've disobeyed." She said "But mom... when I throw a pillow at Aidan's head, it's sometime a little hes fault". (I love the way she mixes up her pronouns). We went on with our conversation and then she started talking about her "love" Bruce (little Bruce Randall). She talked about how sometimes he hurts her feelings and I said "but you still want to marry him don't you?" She said "Mom... Let's not talk about that marry thing right now."

TO KNOW THIS CHILD IS TO LOVE HER! I wish you could hear her voice when she talks (oh you can on the videos above). She's five but she still has that baby tone when she talks. I want to pause this age. I LOVE IT.

DAFFODILS

In Texas it was Blue Bonnets... In TN it's Daffodils...

They are all over the sides of the Highway. I know in TX it is against the law to pick a bluebonnet. Don't know if it against the law to pick the Daffodils but they were pickin' before I could say NO DON'T ... ITS AGAINST THE LAW!

www.anceletphotography.wordpress.com

SPRING IS IN THE AIR ... and so is Lysol!

We have been SICK over here and I think I've sprayed my weight in Lysol around the house! Today the "germs have left the building!" ... or the house!
We were so happy to get out ... so happy Addie has to give Aidan a kiss!

These kids are best buds! Or partners in CRIME.

Our trees have bloomed. It is beautiful and stinky all at the same time! We have 3 huge Bradford Pair trees in our front yard and a Cherry Blossom. Can't wait for the Cherry Blossom tree to bloom... it is BEAUTIFUL!

Here's Aidan... hanging from the tree. YES... we went to Wal-mart today!

We got a pizza and headed to the park! We needed the fresh air and play ground.

Abel was laughing at Aidan. He always has a show going on in front of him from one of the kids.

It is Spring Break over here. We've spent the first half sick... I am not sure what the second half brings. I think we might try a trip to the Mts for the day! FUN STUFF. I'll keep you "posted".

FIRST LOVE...

The chase started like this....

Then it went like this....

How beautiful is Abel's little love ....

Precious Babies...

Yesterday I got to do one of my favorite things! TAKE PICTURES! Spring is around the corner and I am THRILLED to be back in business :-)

Head over to
http://www.anceletphotography.wordpress.com/
and check out the precious TWINS I got to take pictures of yesterday. I also got to take pictures of one of my dear friends little boy.

Just wanted to share!
Guess who I am photographing tomorrow??? MAYA woot woot!

and I am SO SHOCKED that my friend, Sondra, put me on her blog...
http://lebenphotography.typepad.com/blog/
I did a trash the dress session for Sondra. I got married 13 years ago so it was a HOOT to go out in a wedding dress. She bought a dress at David's for like $99 and it was my size so she asked if I would let her practice on me! HOW FUN! This was done back in August. I was so surprised to check out her blog a while back and see that picture. HOW CRAZY! Sondra is an AMAZING photographer and has been SO GRACIOUS to me. She's my photographer idol :-)

Singing in the Rain...

I have been on a bit of a vacation over at Ancelet Photography
Today I was itching to get out with my camera so we went out in a little rain. It was fun! The girls were so willing to be little models.
I have some shoots coming up so I am trying to get geared up! I am excited for the SPRING!

Kids say the darndest things...

Addie says "I AM STARVING" (dramatic as always)
Aidan says "No you aren't starving because people who are starving haven't eaten in a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY long time and they are about to die!"
Addie says "I AM ABOUT TO DIE!" (again... with the drama!)

I know this is so wrong but I asked Addie "Who do you love more me or Daddy?" She said "I love you both the same" (I was totally prepared for her to say Daddy). I said "GOOD answer!" then I asked her "Who do you think we love more... Avery, Aidan, you or Abel?" with out even BLINKING... she said "me!"

Last night we were watching American Idol and I decided to start singing. I was acting like I was on the show. Avery said "Mom... you would not get past Simon... infact, you wouldn't get past any of the judges... except for Paula". haha! Does she know that show OR WHAT?

Happy Birthday "Party" Addie!

Tonight we celebrated Addie's birthday. It was a fun night. I am worn out!!
Addie went back and forth between wanting to have a Walle birthday party or a Tinkerbell Birthday party... she went with Tinkerbell. I am glad because I am not sure what we would have done for Walle.
We decided to have the girls who came dress up like princesses. Addie didn't have a Tinkerbell costume so her sister Avery created one for her! Thank you AVERY! Here is the outfit as a whole... It's the only picture I got of the entire outfit!

She has on a skirt (dress up clothes), one of her shirts (that goes with leggins) and some wings. Put it all together and BAM you have Tinkerbell (Ted said she looks like a tree fairy). She's cute ... anyway you look at it.

Here are some more pictures of my princess!

We ordered the cake from Emile's Edibles! YUMMY! HOW CUTE!

Just a cute picture that pretty much sums up our days. I say "Who rolled out all of the toilet paper?" and they all point to Abel. I say "Who peed on the floor?" and they all point to Abel. I say "Who smells?" ... You get my "POINT"... ha.

Abel knows how to enjoy a party! He finds the candy... and sits in the middle of the action so he won't get caught!

What a treat! Mr. Cliff surprised us with "story time". It was quite a story. All I heard was something about lint in someone's belly button... The girls were cracking up! Too cute! Thanks Cliff!

Addie opening her gifts. She wasted no time tearing into each one of them!

Penguin pillow from Aunt Charli!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ADDIE... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Has anyone seen Abel? OH... There he is!

Addison... we are CRAZY about you. Your dad and I adore you so very much. Here are 5 things that we LOVE about you!

1. Your JOY! The giggle that comes out of you is contagious!

2. Your humor. You make us all laugh with the funny things you say.

3. Your obedient heart. We appreciate the way you always want to help us.

4. Your imagination. We enjoy seeing the way you set up Polly Pocket world in your room and play for hours.

5. Your relationship with your siblings. It blesses our heart to see you love them so well. (yes, you love hard and fight hard... but we love the way you love them!).

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY!

IT IS ABEL DAY!

Happy Abel day to you... Happy Abel day to you... Happy Abel day dear ABEL... Happy Abel day to you!

A year ago today we walked through this gate...


and this is what we saw....




We were already in LOVE but we got to see and hold our SON FOR THE FIRST TIME!


It was a dream come true!

and ALL of our LIVES were forever changed... FOR THE BETTER!!!!

We adore you Abel...

You can read about that day .... http://anceletadoption.blogspot.com/2008/02/we-are-here.html

TO CELEBRATE ABEL DAY we went to Chic Fil A and let Abel have his very own ICE CREAM CONE! ARE WE NUTS???

Abel... you put your ice cream down?? WHY?

OH... You got a phone call... You crazy TODDLER YOU!

What is that Abel?... you want some of my coke?... SURE! It's Abel day... drink up. (Every day must be Abel day because I always give this kid a sip of my coke!)

So Abel... how do you feel about being in our lives for ONE YEAR TODAY?

That's how we feel too! We are SO GRATEFUL and we APPLAUD OUR GOD IN HEAVEN who blessed us with you! We love you SO MUCH!

Long Time... No Post (SEE POST BELOW ABOUT ADDIE'S BIRTHDAY)... I posted these in the wrong order

I have not posted in a while. Just been busy. I really do want to post more. I am going to try to.

I haven't been taking many pictures lately. Here are a few things that have been going on....

Abel loves to strip off his diaper. There are many days where I see cute little brown buns running across the living room. I love it! I just don't love it when I sit in pee. YEP... you heard me right. We didn't realize he was diaperless... Normally we can tell but this day he had on overalls that were not buttoned on the legs (that makes sense if you are a mom of a baby who wears overalls)... anywho... We didn't know he was bare bottomed. I sat down at the kitchen table (which is Abel's FAVORITE place to hang out... he is ALWAYS climbing on chairs) and I sat in "water". I was putting on my shoes to run out the door because we were late headed to a birthday party. I asked Ted if he could button Abel's overalls before we left. He said "He doesn't have on a diaper!!". THAT WAS NOT WATER I SAT IN.

Abel also feels very relaxed when he takes a bath... how do I know? He POOPS! YEP... we've had a few of those episodes lately.

One more cute Abel story. I realized the other day that he was trying to sing something. He was make two grunt noises and then he would sit down. I thought... I bet he is singing Ring Around the Rosie. So I started singing it. IT WAS! Someone must have taught him that. I am guessing he learned it at Thursday school (where I teach). It is so cute to see him do it. I have to get it on video. When I do I will post it.

Avery had a science fair this week. She did a project on levers. It was so cute to see her present her project. I am so proud of her! She is doing great in school and went to her first slumber party a week ago. Right now she is really into the books that her daddy reads to her (he is reading Ink Heart to them) and she loves to change her earrings. She bought her first pair of earrings today (with her own money).

Aidan is learning to read. I am so proud of him. We are making it through our phonics lessons and he is catching on so well. He really understands math and loves to make up his own problems. It's cute to listen to him. He is always skip counting. He is also coaching Addie on her math skills (she struggles in the math department). Aidan is all about Ted's old Game Boy. He plays old games on it. He wants a Nintendo DS but is so content to have his dad's older model.

Addie turned 5 TODAY. I'm gonna do another post tonight about our day. She would just giggle when you would mention her birthday was coming up. She is such a love. She is so obedient right now. She has been that child that has always kept us on our parenting toes. WELL... She is in a phase right now where she wants to please us. She is always offering help and loves to do chores. I am SO THANKFUL for this phase!
Here are a few fun pictures...

This is so typical. Abel loves to sit on top of the kitchen table. Ted is good about telling him not to. I just think it's so cute how proud he is of himself. Here he is eating a muffin. It was Aidan's muffin. Smile with your eyes... (cause you ALWAYS have that passie in your mouth). In fact, he walks around with a few in hand.

My black scarf. Just thought it was a cute picture.

This has become a bad habit. She loves to sleep in OUR BED! Just call me a BIG FAT ENABLER... because I love to snuggle with her. I am so thankful for Avery because Avery has started sleeping in bed with her so she won't come in our room at night! What a great big sister. YES... they both sleep in a twin bed.

another sleeping picture

This kid LOVES to eat. He grunts... and NOW HE IS SAYING "MAMA... MAMA"... until he is fed. He does not lack in persistence! AT ALL

SISTERS! although Abel loves to put things on his head. It is very normal for me to see him walk out with something on his head. Yesterday, it was TED'S UNDERWEAR... (they were clean!)

Birthday....Valentine's Day... HOW FUN!!!

In my book TODAY IS MY DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY but it is also shared with the rest of the world (or America) in that it is Valentine's Day.

Here is OUR VALENTINE....

We had a BLAST today!

Our day started with donuts. ALWAYS! Our tradition is Dunkin Donuts on birthdays. Addie got to go with her Daddy to pick up the donuts. He gives them the option of staying to eat them (just dad and daughter) or coming home with them. She wanted to come home!! I love donut days!

After donuts the kids got to watch Madagascar 2. They had not seen it yet.

(I headed to the gym where I almost died from a Cardio Fuel class. . . DONUTS are not good fuel for Cardio. I had to quit the class! I felt like I was gonna puke!)

We all got ready for the day and then HEADED TO THE MALL! This was Addie's birthday treat!

She got to pick where we ate lunch. She decided on McDonalds. We went through the drive through and then headed to the mall food court. Charlotte (aka Aunt Charli) and her boyfriend joined us for lunch. After lunch we took Addie to the Disney store to spend the money she got her for birthday from Ted's mom and dad. She picked out a Stitch plush doll, a cat plush doll and a Tinkerbell doll that you can fix her hair (a big one where it's just the head and shoulders of Tinkerbell).

The Christian radio station was having a fun day at the mall. Addie got her face painted and Abel cuddled up with the cow. It was his nap time and I think he thought... a soft place to chill... so he went up to the cow and raised his arms... how cute!)

Here is Abel just chillin' with cow! Do you think the girl in the background is smiling for the picture?Avery got her face painted too!

Charlotte asked me if I would host another dating game for some of her friends... OF COURSE I WILL. She set it all up and we hosted. It was SO MUCH FUN! I laughed a LOT tonight. I think my favorite was Caroline saying Paul wanted to be Soldier Boy (when asked if he could be any famous person, who would he choose). It was just a FUN time. I love to laugh!There were 6 couples in all. Above is Rachel and Winston (ENGAGE AS OF LAST NIGHT!) and Charlotte (my little sis) and her boyfriend (who is dear to my heart)Critter.

Below is Karli and Kevin, Janie and Kendal, Kelly and Andy (WINNERS) and Caroline and Paul (who are getting married in August... guess who their photographer is?

What a fun day! I am so thankful for MY BIRTHDAY GIRL and Valentine's Day!

Frost E. Snowman

It snowed BIGGY TIME today! School was cancelled (after it had already started). The girls went out and built this snow man! HOW FUN. Tomato eyes, carrot nose and blueberry mouth!

Here he is NAKED!
Here are the girls... they are so proud!

A clothed Frost E. Snowman!

Avery got two sticks off of the tree for his arms

Ok... so maybe I helped a little. I dressed the poor guy.. He looked so COLD. Ted took this picture and I didn't know he was taking it. HA!

ETHIOPIANS UNITE!

Today we had our 3rd East TN Ethiopian adoption get together. It is SO ENCOURAGING AND FUN! I love it when we have these get-togethers. It is precious to see all these kids who have come home, hear about the ones who are coming home and to see HOPE in the eyes of those who are starting the process (or are in the middle of the paper chasing!).

I know I need to start learning how to cook Ethiopian food (I am still working on how to cook American food - ha!). But truth be known, I LOVE these gatherings for the FOOD TOO. I got to eat some YUMMY Ethiopian food today!

I took A LOT of pictures today! here are a HUGE handful of them!





When I walked in the door, my friend Stacy came up to me and said... Abel has a LOOK ALIKE here today. He sure DID! Look how much he and this little guy look alike.

Can you tell she enjoyed a CUPCAKE?

BEAUTIFUL
Remember this "cheese" girl? (see a few posts below)... well, HER MOM AND DAD ARE ADOPTING FROM ETHIOPIA!!! I am SO EXCITED!

Miss Maya has teeth coming in!

Love me some BEELERS!

We met ANOTHER Maya today (I think she spells it Maia). How cute is this little one?

Maya and her daddy... LOVE THE JACKET!

This little girl has the prettiest hair

Maya + Abel = LOVE ... they just don't know it yet!

Abel and his Ethiopian women!

I just love the look on his face... it's one of my favorites... PURE JOY!!!!

And the one that inspired us all (well us and the Beelers... and MANY OTHERS!). Look at that smile!

Me and Maya... WAVE TO THE CAMERA (or tell your mom you want your passie back).

Precious picture of mom and daughter!

This lady and her daughter moved here from Ethiopia. Karey brought her today to our gathering. How amazing to have her come and support us all. What a beautiful lady!

16 Seconds of Cuteness!

FUNNY FACES AND FEET

I brought my camera to church today. I worked in the nursery and had too much fun with the camera! Here are a few fun faces I got to see today :-)

How cute is she? She was saying CHEESE... can you see it?

Molly ba golly!

Of course a few of my own kids were in with me today...

This picture is totally out of focus ... BUT LOOK AT THOSE LIPS! MY OH MY!

He is upside down in this picture!

AND THE FEET... How cute are those boots?

These are actually Abel's feet. His Aunt Charli and her boyfriend, Critter got Abel these shoes for his birthday. Aren't they SO CUTE! I told Charlotte I want to hang them from my rear view mirror after he grows out of them! HA!

PLEASE CALL...

Tonight we went to the mall. Fun for the whole family ... right? We ate in the food court and then we headed down to the soft play place. As we were walking down the mall, we passed Victoria Secrets... MY OH MY... the images that are outside of that store!! They were seriously offensive and basically pornographic. I was not a happy mall goer. I went inside the store and asked if I could get a number to call to complain about what my 6 year old son just saw outside the store. . . IT WAS NOT TASTEFUL AT ALL. AT ALL!!!!
The girl said "Let me ask." Another lady came up to me and said "PLEASE PLEASE CALL AND COMPLAIN and get everyone you KNOW to call and complain as well". AND SHE WORKED THERE. She had called to complain herself. It really is bad.

Here's the number
614-577-7111
This is the number for Client Relations. I am not sure where it is located. I don't recognize the area code... I am guessing their advertisement is the same in all malls.

Will you please join me in calling this company...

Thanks :-)

SNOW WAY! YES WAY!

IT SNOWED TODAY! Actually it has been snowing all day! I love it. It seriously looks like a snow globe outside. HOW FUN!

I didn't get a picture of Aidan but I will try to in a little while. Here are the other three.


This was Abel's first real snow. He wasn't sure what he thought about it.

I love this picture of Addie... it is SO Addie.

Can you tell this little guy has big sisters... YES HE DOES... but he has a big brother too... check out the batman toy in his hand :-)

PLEASE PRAY FOR ABBY

Please pray for this precious child. I have had the opportunity to know her family in a small way (through being blogging friends). They are a precious family. Abby's older sister Sammi was at Hannah's Hope when we went to pick up Abel. We got to meet her and take pictures of her.

We were so sad to hear that Abby was sick this past summer. Please pray for her as she undergoes very aggressive treatment tomorrow.

SNAP SHOTS

Ted and I celebrated OUR MARRIAGE today!

We would like to share a few snap shots with you through the years....

Here we are after our rehearsal and dinner. HOW YOUNG DO WE LOOK? Our ages... I was 20 and Ted was 23

And our wedding day... lighting the unity candle. We got married in Groves, TX at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Ted and I were both raised in the Catholic faith.

A little toast ... Here's to US!

After getting married, Ted and I moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. He was a Mechanical Engineer and I was a Junior at the University of North Texas.

After graduating from UNT, I was a 4th grade teacher. About the same time I graduated, we became volunteer youth leaders. Here we are at a Halloween Party... we were cloudy with a chance of rain.

First comes LOVE, then comes MARRIAGE, then comes ... AVERY in the baby carriage.

Avery was born in November of 2000. She is actually one in this picture (above). Some where in between this snap shot and the next, Ted went into full time ministry. He first worked at a church as Pastor to Students in the Dallas area. I taught school for 3 years. I started staying home in May of 2001.

4 days after Avery turned 2 years old, her baby brother was born. Aidan came into our lives in November of 2002.

We moved to TN in Sept of 2003 for Ted to be a part of a church plant. Addie was baby #3! She came into our lives in Feb of 2004. Our precious valentine. This picture below was taken on a family vacation. She was 18 months old.

This picture was taken in November of 2005.

In 2008, our family grew (yet again!). Ted and I traveled to Ethiopia in Feb of 2008 to pick up our precious son! Abel was dedicated to the Lord shortly after coming home. This picture was taken at his dedication.

AND HERE WE ARE NOW!

Between all of these snap shots a LOT OF LIFE has been lived. Good times, hard times, LOTS of change. Births, deaths, dreams shattered and dreams that came true! We've experienced laughter (lots of it!), tears (lots of them!)... SO MUCH LIFE! And I am thrilled to have spent this many years married to the MAN I LOVE.

OH... yea.... I FORGOT TO SHARE HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN MARRIED!

THIS LONG....

WONDERFUL YEARS!

NEW YEARS EVE

We had a VERY SIMPLE new year's eve.

Perfect!!!

The Randalls came over for pizza. The kids watched Kung Fu Panda and then we all had Hot Chocolate! Fun times...




(Click on picture above to see it bigger)

IT IS COLD here in K-Town. FINALLY!! I like the cold weather. We were going to put a fire in the fire place but my friend Christy was afraid her Sammy (1 year old) might crawl in. SO...NO FIRE!

Here are Ted and I... ringing in the New Year (at 8:30pm :-)


My buddy Christy!

The Randall Clan...

Excitement from 2008 -

-THE COMPLETION OF OUR ADOPTION OF ABEL!

-Gotcha Day Feb 18,2008 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

-Avery starting school at CFC

-Trip to Disney World! What a BLAST!

-Aidan starting Kindergarten (at Home - home school)

-the "birth" of Ancelet Photography

-Ted making 2 A's in Seminary classes

Our HOPES for 2009...

Well, for me (Tracie)... I just want to let the year be what it will. TRUST is my word for 2009. Trusting the LORD with our lives and what HE HAS FOR US.

Ted's word is REBIRTH. (he'll expound more later)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

FLIP VIDEO

I got a new flip video for Christmas from Ted and his mom (mostly his mom! :-)

How fun!!!
Here is a sample video.




and this one too.... (not done with the flip camera but wanted to share :-)

CHRISTMAS FUN!

What a DAY! It was relaxing, productive (we cleaned out the kids rooms), and WAY FUN! Here is Abel... clapping... I clap for Christmas! This so describes Addie today... just hanging out in the background. She got a new polly pocket toy and she spent the night in her room just playing. She also stayed in her PJs ALL DAY.
Abel on the other hand... was in the MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING!

We had a family day until 5pm. Then the Randalls came over and we had Christmas dinner ... Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and we were suppose to have salad (I accidentally froze it). Bruce made these amazing chicken wings. It was a great meal! Lots of desserts as well. The Hornes came over after dinner for a little hanging out and KARAOKE!

Here is Abel looking into his gift from the Hornes. HOW CUTE. He isn't really sure just yet what to do with the whole "gift thing".

How fun is this gift :-)

Just loved this picture...

SAM BONE

This is Abel's buddy (or partner in crime :-)

OUR DJ... Let the Karaoke time BEGIN!

HOW SWEET is this :-)

Savanna and Samantha were Karaoke addicts. We could not get the microphone away from them. The kids were all crying begging for a turn but... they would NOT SHARE!

COME ON GIRLS... SHARE!

Can you tell how into it they were?

FINALLY... they gave the microphone up to the little children.

JK... They (Sav and Sam) only sang one song. These girls were the ones that couldn't get enough. We ended the night singing some Christmas Carols... SO FUN!

We got our Karaoke machine for Christmas from Ted's parents. WHAT FUN!

WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! and a happy new year :-)

Christmas Eve

I took lots of pictures tonight. So many expressions!
You can also check out my photography blog... http://anceletphotography.wordpress.com/2008/12/25/christmas-eve/
.... I put a lot of pictures from tonight on there.

This is Abel having his first Christmas Eve dinner. HOW ABOUT THAT HAM?

GOOD STUFF!

I love Avery's expressions! She was talking about the book "City of Ember" which Ted is reading to her, Aidan and Addie right now at bed time.

TIRED!

She had such a great time tonight!

Aidan showing a gift he got from Charlotte and Buddy (aka Granny and Papaw) ... They are the sweet family that has had us over the last 6 Christmas Eves. When we moved here to K-town, they asked us to come over that first Christmas. We've gone each year since. We are SO THANKFUL for their generous hospitality!

Here are the gift set out for tomorrow morning. Ted and I stuff our kids stockings and the gifts they open are from Ted's parents. We sure wish MawMaw and PawPaw were here with us as we open them. We'll be sure to take pictures and video :-)

It's WAY TOO LATE (1am)! I should be in bed because there are going to be some HYPER KIDS up EARLY in the morning! They are so excited!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! WE ADORE YOU!

Smiths in Ethiopia

This family are friends of ours. Our paths crossed for a while in Texas and we loved being friends with them. It just wasn't long enough!
They adopted from Zambia several years ago and planned on doing two years of mission work there ... well, the Lord had other plans. They ended up in Ethiopia!
Here is their blog.
I am blown away by their HEARTS FOR JESUS and their WILLINGNESS TO SERVE!

www.smithsinethiopia.com

Check this sweetness out...

Ho Ho Ho!

My crazy kids in their PJs :-)

We tried Pizza Kitchen for the first time last night. Abel ate his weight in the bread they bring out before the meal.
I wish I could remember Aidan's quote about Santa last night... It was something like "I just don't get that Santa guy". We don't do Santa but he is amazed by everyone believing in him. I told him DO NOT RUIN IT FOR OTHERS (hope there are no little kids reading this...oops)

The puffy vest girls :-)

The Cove park has a carriage ride and bon fire thing in the park for charity (bring canned goods to get in) every year. We went last night. Here is Ave roasting some marshmallows. Here are our two horses (above).
We decided to start caroling on our carriage ride. We had everyone singing. HOW FUN! Actually my friend Becky Crenshaw (who is a Karaoke winner down at the local family bowl) got the tunes going. SHE ROCKS!

This must be the picture (below) where I lost my cell phone. I realized as we were leaving that i didn't have it. GONE! YEP! BUT ... in the Spirit of Christmas, some nice man called this morning and he found it. He is on his way to bring it to me right now. HOW NICE! Ted and the kids are gone so if I end up on forensic files, find out who this dude is. Kinda weird that I gave him my address... I got all into the "Spirit of Christmas" and told him where we live and that my family was gone right now. WHAT WAS I THINKING! Abel climbed into this decorative bucket this morning and I thought it was too cute not to share! I LOVE MY NEW little camera!

It's been a while...

I am not posting as much as I want to. Honestly, every time recently that I have put batteries in my new camera, they weren't strong enough. I am always taking batteries out of my flash (for my other camera) and putting new ones in (to make it power up faster) ANYWAY... I have a bowl full of DUDS! I just got some new recharables! I AM SO EXCITED!

ANYWAY... here are a few updates of what we have been up to over here...

Our last day for the semester at co-op was last Thursday. What a fun day! I love these kids!
This is my first class... BLAST (Bible Learning And Share Time). We do a lesson and a craft each week in this class. The kid learn Bible verses and we are WILD FOR JESUS :-)

This is my second class... Look Into Lit. I normally share a book with the class and then we do some type of lesson with that book. Sometimes we cook, we do crafts, we do geography lessons, science lessons, math lessons... It is a FUN CLASS! This day was bring your favorite book day.

I DID NOT TAKE A PICTURE WITH MY 3rd CLASS - which is my K-2 Math class. AMUSING MATH.

This is my 4th class... AMUSING MATH 3-5. This is my biggest class at Thursday Connection. We have LOADS of fun playing math games to learn math concepts. This class is full of LIFE!

Our co-op starts back up in January. I will miss the kids! I am going to enjoy the break though. I have lots to prepare for ... next Semester will be even better than the first!

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We had our 2nd annual Christmas party for our LIFE group out at the Taylors. It was lots of fun!

Rudolph and his lovely wife picked us up and we drove out to HALLS together! ROAD TRIP. It's only 30 minutes but in K-town that is far :-)

Here are the ladies in my LIFE group (minus Patty)... TALL PEOPLE all around me!

I would have taken more pictures but this was one of the times my camera died.

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Abel is all about the remote at our house. He is ALWAYS finding them... trying to change the channels. I caught him this morning IN ACTION. HOW CUTE IS HE?

There are many a days that this little dude wakes up with NO DIAPER on. He takes it off. We need to learn to put pants on him. We usually just put him in a t-shirt to sleep. Well... here is again with out a diaper on. This is so Abel. He loves to be diaper free and he LOVES getting into the kitchen cabinets. I put the child proof things on there but he can pull them off.

SWEET STORY ALERT!
Tonight we were at Kohls. We were doing a little Christmas shopping and right at the end, Ted went to the car with the boys and I stayed in the store with the girls to check out. Well, Avery and Addie decided to play hide and seek while I was checking out (they now know that is NOT OK). So after calling Addie's name several times... she came out but she forgot her kitty. She had brought her favorite stuffed animal into Kohls and when she hid, she set it down.
She realized when we got to the car that she didn't have it. She started CRYING SO HARD! We went back in and could not find Sarah the Kitty. Addie is ALL ABOUT penguins in life right now. She LOVES them. She grabbed this penguin while we were in Kohls with HUGE tears and started hugging it for comfort. WELL... little did she know, I had already purchased that $5 penguin for her. She was crying and hugging the penguin (sending me a message ... mom, if you just buy this for me ... I will heal from the loss of my kitty). I leaned down and told her "Addie, I bought that penguin for you for Christmas... it's at home and when we get home, you can have it". She started to giggle. THE ADDIE GIGGLE. I love it. Here she is tonight... all snuggled up sleeping with her SNOW the PENGUIN. I wish I could have recorded the conversation in the car about how she should name the penguin Sarah to keep the memory of the kitty alive. It was hilarious... Ted and I just listened to the kids talking. She decided on Snow. HOW PRECIOUS!

1 year ago today...

was our REFERRAL DAY. We got the call about a precious little baby boy named Tefaye. I can not believe it's been a year! HOW TIME DOES FLY. Click here to read about that day.

Just wanted to say ... TESFAYE ABEL ANCELET... WE ADORE YOU!

Christmas Parade and Other Random Things...

So I found a GREAT DEAL on a Canon Power Shot yesterday and got it (Merry Christmas to me!). I have not been taking pictures of the kids much lately because I don't want to take my big camera. I just use that gear for my shoots. I had been wanting a smaller camera that I could just slip in my purse or pocket. Perfect timing because we were on our way to a Christmas Parade down town. SO FUN! SO COLD! So many pictures to take.

We ate at Subway first.... How big does he look in this picture? This is Abel sitting in a booth.


Avery ready for the parade.

Me and my friend, Becky.

(Above) Aidan all bundled up. (Below) Some of the Mazons. Our fellow parade goers. We reminisced about how we went to a Christmas parade together in Texas 7 years ago. Neither family has been to a Christmas parade since then. This one was VERY good. The paper today said that 35,000 people were at the parade. I believe it... it was PACKED.

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Today we got out for a few hours. Lunch at Chic Fil A (with the Horne Girls) and a trip to Old Navy and Target. I woke Abel up for our outing. Poor thing... look how well he was resting!

He transitioned well :-) What a happy boy! By the way... he walks EVERYWHERE now. He is into EVERYTHING. He loves to giggle and wants to be in the middle of what his brother and sisters are doing.

At Chic Fil A. Do these two look just alike or what?

Savanna... we are doing crazy faces... where is yours?
OH MY! Two precious girls!

A little fun with the camera at Old Navy

CUTE!

Avery got some money from the "tooth fairy". She had two teeth pulled at the dentist. I think that if you get a tooth pulled you should get two dollars. So she got two dollars for each one of those teeth. She was thrilled (PS... she knows we are the tooth fairy). She was so excited to spend her money. She bought a key chain at Old Navy. It was the first time she purchased something. She was so proud... and guess what? I had a camera to catch the moment!

Moving on to Target. We were in the dollar section and put this hat on Abel. Think it's cute? Well, he wore it for the click of the picture... then he RIPS it off. NO HATS FOR HIM. It doesn't matter how cold it is.

AND GUESS WHAT MOVIE I GOT FOR $4 AT TARGET??? GIRLS JUST WANTA HAVE FUN. ... Only the best MOVIE EVER!

Fun Times had by all!

On a domestic note... I am trying something new. Now those of you that figured this out a long time ago, I AM SLOW when it comes to time management in the home. I am ALWAYS and I repeat ALWAYS up to my eyeballs in laundry. Mainly clean. I can wash just fine... it's the putting away that TAKES ME OUT! Well, I decided to start something new with my kids. If their clothes are clean at night... we wear them again the next day. INCLUDING ME. If Avery is going to school, she can wear something different (I don't want to scar her), but if we are just gonna be at home or going around town (errands, etc), we wear the SAME CLOTHES. Can I just tell you something... FREEDOM! That is what I feel! We wore two outfits this WHOLE WEEK. And we don't smell... come, be near us... take a BIG WHIFF. It's crazy that we wash clothes so often.
Now, I just have to figure out how to better do EVERYTHING ELSE around the house. If you have any tips. LET ME KNOW. I know about the Fly Lady. But if you've done anything that has helped you... Please, share with me. I NEED HELP!

It's BEGINNING to look A LOT like CHRISTmas

PS - these were just a few pictures I took today as we decorated around our house (thanks for asking KN :-)

GIVING THANKS and THANKSGIVING

I forgot about these pictures so I thought I would post them. My friend, Deanna, took these when she was in town. I love these pictures... thanks Deanna!

I give thanks for FAMILY! (see post below where I talk about my sweet JESUS).

I adore my husband and the best friend and love he is in my life!


I am thankful for each child and their unique personality.

THANKSGIVING DAY 2008.

What a sweet time (in fact, we are still here right now). We had Thanksgiving with our dear friends, the Stevens.

Ted making the gravy.

Elizabeth and Clark... Such a precious couple.

All this good food made in the ....

THANK YOU CLARK AND ELIZABETH FOR THE YUMMY FOOD! What a treat!

Girls with their dolls...

I got a new lens a while back and decided to practice on some of the kids. I am gonna add other pictures to my photography blog.

This dude loves the play ground.

I COULD GOBBLE HIM UP!

THANKFUL...

No pictures. Sorry. I haven't had the camera out much lately (only for photo shoots).

I am thankful for this song by Steven Curtis Chapman named YOURS. Have you heard it? It moves me each time I listen to the lyrics.
I recently found (I am sure I am a little behind) that he wrote a new verse to the song after the loss of his precious daughter, Maria.

Here is the new verse...

I’ve walked the valley of death’s shadow
So deep and dark that I could barely breathe
I’ve had to let go of more than I could bear
And questioned everything that I believe
But still even here in this great darkness
A comfort and hope come breaking through
As I can say in life or death
God we belong to you.

Isn't it just like God to put a song in our hearts during such tragedy.
MOST OF ALL THIS THANKSGIVING I AM THANKFUL TO BE A CHILD OF GOD. He doesn't promise us easy times. In fact, Jesus tells us in this world, we will have trouble. BUT GOD GIVES US BEAUTY FROM ASHES! He puts a song in our hearts!
WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE! I AM SO THANKFUL FOR HIM!!!!

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my family...
my precious mom and dad who are in heaven. my heart will always long for them...
I am so thankful for the husband the Lord has given to me. I feel so unworthy so many days.
and I am so very thankful for the precious babies he has given to me.
This is Abel's first thanksgiving with our family. WHAT A GIFT!

FATHER... EVERYTHING IS YOURS!
REJOICE WITH ME! and if you don't know THE GREAT I AM, THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, THE ALPHA AND OMEGA, THE PRICE OF PEACE, THE SAVIOR!! ... ask HIM TO SHOW HIMSELF TO YOU. HE IS FAITHFUL.... so very faithful!

Retreat Fun!

We had our Women's Retreat this weekend. It was a lot of fun. We grew in relationship with one another through the opening of the WORD, meeting in triads (groups of 3), and having LOADS OF FUN. I wish I would have taken more pictures but I was too busy listening, talking, Karaoking, dancing, doing hair, laughing SO HARD, etc.
On Saturday we got some free time and I did GLAMOUR SHOTS. It was so funny! It was not a planned event. It started with me just curling my friend, Christy's hair. Then I decided to make her look like Deb from Napoleon Dynamite. I was crackin' up. Then I decided to make it a mini glamour shot. (none of the fancy make-up). We found Peggy's scarf to add the "Glamour" effect. OH MY! What fun!

My second victim ... I mean client.... ROBIN.

This reminds me of the Dreamsicle Angels I collected in the 90s.

Laughter is one of my favorite things in life!

This is my crazy friend, Emile. How about this shot... We were trying to do "high school senior" pictures with the rose. But she decided to go for the CRAZY STALKER in high school look.

If you ever meet Emile, ask her to tell you her most embarrassing moment story. You will laugh so hard, you'll cry!

And while you are having Emile tell you her Embarassing story from 8th grade... have her tell you the jungle juice story too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNY! I'll never forget your dance moves! YOU CRAZY GIRL YOU!

Me and my homie...

Who has the best NANNIES in the WORLD? WE DO WE DO!

Nanny Beck and Nanny Gwen... you guys are the best aunts in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD! Thank you so much for coming and loving on the kids! and us too! From the crafts, to the gifts for the kids, to the cooking... ALL OF IT WAS SUCH A GIFT TO OUR FAMILY! Thank you!!

WE LOVE YOU BOTH SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

The A Team

Our baby isn't a baby any more!

How did 8 years already pass since she came into our lives? It's gone WAY TOO FAST!

Avery's party was so sweet this year. She had her "girly themed" party. Last year and this year we have done a "mock slumber party". The girls come in their PJs and we do fun things like we'd do at a slumber party but it's a "NOT SO" SLEEP OVER (as I call it).
Last year and this year I put my hair skills to work and did hair. It's like a mini Libby Lu in our basement. The girls got their hair done, did crafts, made necklaces and bracelets. GIRLS JUST WANTA HAVE FUN.... and we did!

OUR GIRLS. LOVE THOSE A TEAM GIRLS!
Here is everyone after their "up-dos".

Ted is leading them through the pinata. It was a Hannah Montana Guitar.

Daddy is always so funny... I love this picture of Avery laughing at him (below).

This year Avery is in school (co-op) so she has a class full (well just 7 total) of little girls. It was so fun to meet them and get to put faces with the names I always hear about.

Avery had the cutest cake. Again, thanks to Granny Charlotte who buys the cakes for our kids. It is SUCH a blessing and always fun to see what they look like. This one had all "girly" stuff on it. It was perfect!

Avery received so many fun gifts! Our craft closet is STOCKED!

Avery...

Where do we begin? You are DELIGHTFUL. We are so proud of who you are becoming. Here are 8 things your dad and I love about you..

1. Your servants heart. You truly do love to serve (you got that from your dad!)

2. The love you have for others... It amazes us how things touch you deeply. You have such a compassionate heart and it is beautiful.

3. YOUR FAITH. It amazes us that you ask such deep questions at such a young age. We can not wait to see what the LORD has for you! You are always quick to pray about a situation. What a gift the LORD has given you.

4. Your creativity. We love to see what you will create next!

5. Your love for adventure. Your dad delighted in reading Narnia to you and I delighted in hearing the gasps and sounds you would make as he read it.

6. You are such a nurturer. We enjoy watching the LOVE you have for your brothers and sister and what care you give to each of them.

7. Your love for detail. When a story is told... you want ALL the details ... and as your mom, I LOVE THAT! It's such a sweet, genuine curiosity.

8. Your love for singing. We always know if there is music on... YOU ARE SINGING! And the best part is the performance that goes with it!

We adore you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY!

This BUNDLE of LOVE turned one just over a week ago...

This picture (Above) is when we met our son... Feb 18th in Ethiopia. The picture (below) is a picture we looked at for weeks before going to meet him in person. HOW SWEET ARE THOSE EYES!

WELL... Here is our SON NOW! He is ONE YEAR OLD! Happy Birthday SWEET Abel!

I love that when we sang to him he started singing too. Can you see his mouth open? He is singing. I still sing Happy Birthday to him to see him do this. It's adorable.

FUN TIMES... opening gifts.

His buddy MAYA was here to celebrate. She's the older woman in his life.... She turned ONE a month before Abel did. They actually had their first "fight" (haha) while she was here. I want to forever remembers Maya's "mad" face. It's SO CUTE ... OH MY! Abel took her lunch box and she was not having it.

This picture was taken as she was leaving. We didn't really have a full out photo shoot of the two of them. I just snapped a few.

Abel...

We are THRILLED to have you in our lives. We are crazy about you. Each one of us love you so much and could not IMAGINE our lives without you. We are humbled and honored that the Lord chose you for us and us for you. Before the foundation of the world... all your days were ordained before ONE OF THEM came to be (Psalm 139)... HE KNEW that you would be a part of our family. He knew you would bare our name. It thrills our SOULS to have you as our son. We adore you...

Love, Mom and Dad

Abel started walking the week of his birthday. He is taking steps all over the place. It's still not his main mode of transportation but he can do it! He loves to eat. We love to watch! It's so much fun to see him try new foods. He is doing the sign language for "more" and "all done". He is CRAZY about his momma... and it thrills me to pieces. He always wants me. I was beyond thrilled when he cried when I left him in child care at our co-op. Attachment is such a gift. I am thrilled that he feels attached to us... we are VERY attached to him! The older kids beg to see him in the morning ... each day it's like Christmas when we go to get him out of the crib. What a gift has been given to all of us in this precious boy. We are grateful!!! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Birthday Week... OUR BOY IS 6!

Birthday week has been over now for a week! I am still catching my breath. I feel like I forgot someone (to invite) or something (for each party)... but it is all done. It was a sweet week... to celebrate each one of these precious children the LORD has given us! THANK YOU FATHER for these gifts that you have entrusted us with.

Because this is how I scrapbook, I wanted to share about each birthday party!

Aidan's party was a huge hit! I am so thankful for Ted's creativity! He put together a treasure hunt for the party. We put out "little treasure" all along the way. The kids had a great time. It was a super hero, treasure hunt party... with a Transformer cake (thanks GRANNY!) and Starwars napkins and plates. Aidan dressed as Iron Man... Talk about MIXED THEMES... THE MORE THE MERRIER! All his favorites in ONE PARTY!

Aidan here are six things we JUST LOVE about you!

1. Your joy... you always have a smile on your face and it's CONTAGIOUS!

2. YOUR LOVE FOR LIFE! You truly find joy in everything!

3. Your love for your family. You are such an encouragement to us... even at the young age of six.. you seem to tell me (mom) "You're beautiful" at the sweetest times. OR you are professing your love for us when we don't ask ... it blesses us so much!

4. Your desire to be a HERO... You are a great brother to your sisters! Your relationship with each one of them is life giving. You also are a encouragement to Abel. How blessed they all are to call you brother.

5. Your persistence in life... whether it's how hard you are playing a game, how much you get into a video game OR how many times you ask for apple juice until you have it in your hand... you are persistent and we dig that about you! (even though at times it is challenging :-)

6. Anyone who meets you says what a gentle spirit you have. You are ALL BOY and yet, you have such a loving way about you.

We have loved reflecting on your precious life! We look forward to this next year and what it holds! LET'S HAVE A BLAST TOGETHER! WE ADORE YOU!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Birthday week is over...

This is the order that the BIRTHDAYS went (not the celebrating... just the birthdays).





Avery's was MONDAY

Abel's was WEDNESDAY
And Aidan's was FRIDAY

Ted and I have 4 children and 3 of them have birthdays IN ONE WEEK... not just one week but in 5 days!

FUN TIMES (tired mom)

YOU turned my MOURNING INTO DANCING!

This is birthday week here at our house. As most of you know, Abel was born on the 5th anniversary of my mom's death. Today is HIS FIRST BIRTHDAY! I can not believe it. TIME FLIES! Today marks such sadness and JOY! Last year, before Abel was born, the Lord laid on my heart that He would bring beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.) He lead me to the verse as I was at a retreat last Fall. The date this took place was November 3rd.

The picture I saw while reading that verse was my parent's grave with a flower blooming on top of their burial site. My beauty for ashes... Little did I know, our precious Abel would be born two days later on the exact anniversary of my mom's death. THE FLOWER... THE BEAUTY FROM ASHES!


In that same time, knowing that we were adopting an orphan, I was able to thank God that I knew in a SMALL (very small) way what it felt like to be orphaned. Though I was 25 when my dad died and 27 when my mom died, I still longed for them and knew that they were not coming back. I began to THANK GOD for this gift of knowing a small part of my son's heart... even though I had no idea who he was or when he'd be OURS.

WELL... HE IS SUCH A HUGE PART OF OUR LIVES! Here he is with a picture of my mom and dad next to him.

Who's birthday is today? MINE!

ALSO CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK.... Our precious AVERY. She turned 8 on Monday. I wanted to post that day but things have been moving faster than I can! We will be celebrating her birthday this coming weekend.

AND... ALSO CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK... Our brave and noble knight, AIDAN! He will be 6 on Friday and we celebrated his birthday this past weekend.

I use to to say that my joy sandwiched my sorrow. Avery's birthday being the 3rd and Aidan's the 7th and then my mom's death occurring on the 5th. WELL... HE HAS GIVEN ME A GARMENT OF PRAISE INSTEAD OF A SPIRIT OF DESPAIR. We are celebrating today!! WHAT GOD HAS DONE! He has taken my mom home and given us NEW LIFE to celebrate.

Just wanted to share this JOY with you! May you FIND HOPE in the midst of your sorrow! We serve a MIGHTY GOD!

I Pity the Fool Who Doesn't Vote for this Woman ...

Mr. T and Sarah Palin

Hey... I'll get every vote I can... even if it's a COW... MOOOOVE ON OVER OBAMA.

We had our 2nd Annual Fall Festival in our driveway. It was SO MUCH FUN. The Stu from our church (youth ministry) sponsored the event. We reach out to our neighborhood and share the INCREDIBLE NEWS of JESUS. It was such a sweet time! My friend Robin posted lots of fun pictures on her blog.

This is what I was going for....

This is what I got...

Maybe next year we'll have this... (Thanks Tory)

Aidan was IRON MAN
Addie was Jasmine.Avery was Mulan.
I am going to try to post some more pictures later. I have so many from this night. FUN TIMES... had by ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD!

WHAT A JOY!

What a humbling request. Our dear friends, the Burks, came to visit us this weekend. One of their reasons for coming was to have Ted baptize them (or Bap-ma-tize... as Avery would say). Today we went out in the FREEZING weather. I am not kidding... it was in the 40s. My sweet friend, Amy, turned on the heater on her pool for the baptism but it didn't really work. They were FREEZING but it was SO WORTH IT! What sweet memories were made today. We have been friends with the Burks for 10 years now. In our early years of friendship (before kids), we were in ministry together. Eric and Deanna helped us out with a college ministry at our church in the DFW area. We have had some REALLY SWEET moments together.

When they decided to get baptized, they wanted Ted to baptize them... how sweet. It was so touching.

Here were the "witnesses"... how sweet to see our kids out there. Ted talked to them about what baptism symbolizes. It was a precious moment.

Here's Eric getting baptized.

and Deanna...

I love this picture!!!! (below) It looks sunny and warm (it wasn't)... but there was such an amazing feeling ... What a memorable event.

What great friends these guys have been... WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

PUMPKIN PATCH

What a beautiful day! We had such a GREAT time at the pumpkin patch today. Our dear friends, the Burks, are in town and after a rainy day yesterday, we decided to head out to the Pumpkin Patch in Greenback, TN. We packed a picnic and basically, Deanna and I were on a photography field trip. She is as crazy as I am about taking pictures. I think she might be a little crazier (right D?). Well... we took a BAZILLION (is that a number?) pictures.
Here are just a few ...

Deanna and I were cracking ourselves up. We were trying to get the perfect "kiss" picture of Ted and me in the cornstalks. It didn't happen but I have some fun pictures of us crackin' up while trying for the perfect (not looking retarded) picture. Now I know what I've put a few people through on photoshoots... SORRY!

Deanna and her oldest daughter, Holly, look SO MUCH ALIKE but have totally different coloring. Pretty girls!

After the Pumpkin Patch... we headed to DQ Country.

Abel had his first (ok... not really his FIRST but first photographed) ice cream cone. This was his biggest "dose" of icecream.... more than he's ever had. Him and I shared... he just ate the end of my cone. He loves him some icecream. I can't believe I am giving him sweets and he's not a year old. Is he my 4th kid OR WHAT?

Misplaced Texans and A WALKER (Texas Ranger...what?)

The BURKS CAME TO TOWN! YEA!
We are having a good time just visiting and catching up. The weekend is still young but I thougth I would get on and blog a bit. I am giving Deanna a bloggin' lesson. She'll be blogging soon... I'll post the link when she does.

Guess who is walking... well, ALMOST. The cutest thing ever is when he stops to clap for himself. It's too cute!

Shakin' Hands and Kissin' Babies

YOU BETCHA!
Please vote for me and my Maverick running Mate JOHN McCAIN on NOVEMBER 4th....
(Ok... so maybe I am taking my costume party a little too far)

MY LITTLE FLOWER GIRL

My sweet Addie was a flower girl this weekend for this beautiful bride and handsome groom.

This is the bride... Kristin. We went to rehearsal on Friday night and on Saturday ... the WEDDING!



Addie loves her some Charlotte! Charlotte is best friends with the bride, Kristin, and was a bridesmaid. Addie stood with her after walking the aisle.

Avery was Addie's flower girl coach. Avery was a flower girl at a wedding ... 2 1/2 years ago. She explained to Addie exactly what she would be doing. It was really sweet. Addie did GREAT! Thanks to Avery's coaching! (and our bribing!)

My boys! I can hear Ted saying "Boys? Do you call an alligator a lizard?" So MY MAN and MY BOYS!My "sista" Charlotte! LOVE HER!

This is Kristin. She is dear to my heart! I was so excited to be a part of her special day. I got to get ready with her and the bridesmaids. I did hair (for a few bridesmaids and Addie), I got to take pictures... I was not the "official photographer" but I got to shoot with her. I had a BLAST! When Kristin and Justin asked Addie to be in their wedding I was SO EXCITED! It was such a special day and the wedding was GORGEOUS! Kristin and Justin will be living on a family farm and the wedding was out on this farm. It was a beautiful Fall day.

Addie loved every minute of watching Kristin put on that beautiful dress. She watched Kristin's every move.

WHAT A PRECIOUS FLOWER GIRL!

I know I am not blogging much lately. I have been TOO busy. I am about to SLOW DOWN (or so I think!). This week is Fall Break! We are doing Home Study week for Avery's school. We will be studying Ethiopia. I am so excited about it. We also are going to hang out with friends and spend time OUT DOORS... it is beautiful here in K-Town!

I feel like I have moved into a new stage of motherhood. The kids are getting bigger and the things they can now do are so very interesting... Like for instance... yesterday, I had the kids stay in the car (NOT UNATTENDED... PUT DOWN THE PHONE FROM CALLING DHS - ha!). I had Savanna with us (sweet family friend and baby sitter). We were at a park and I was taking pictures. It was too cold for the kids to get out and play (just yet). SO... Avery decided she would try to fix our broken DVD player plug in the car. She put the broken plug into this extension thing... long story short... SHE SHORTED the radio/CD player. It is currently broken. Today I told Addie several times to get her underwear off her head... yes, you heard me right. Abel is almost walking. He is so cute I can hardly stand it! Aidan says the word "snap" all the time. For example... "Aidan, we are at Wal-Mart and you forgot your shoes!? Didn't I tell you to get them?" and he'll say "Awe snap! I forgot Mommy"... Yep... Where did he get that? AND YES, I don't know how many times we get to our destination and someone doesn't have shoes. No shirt, no shoes.. OH WELL!

Avery is doing so well at her new "part-time school". (That's what I call it). She goes three days a week for 4 hours on those days and we homeschool the rest of the days. The motto for the school is "Best of Both Worlds" (and it has nothing to do with Hannah Montana)... and it really is. We have had such a great experience. The only subject she really struggles with is Spelling... She got it honest. Ted just finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia to the kids and Avery was SO into it. After finishing the last book and saying "The End", Avery began to cry. She was so sad it was over. She loved the books!

We are about to celebrate some birthdays on the A-Team. We have a Monday, Wednesday, Friday... OF THE SAME WEEK .... birthdays. Avery's is first (she'll turn 8), Abel's is next (he'll turn 1) and then Aidan (he'll be 6). It's a few weeks off but we are about to start our party planning.

Our best friends, the Burks, are coming to town this week! (from Texas) I can't wait to hang out with them. They have a LONG road trip ahead of them. It is always such a sweet time of fellowship when they are here.

That's a big FAT update on our family.... HAPPY FALL!

Grab Your Partner....

Want to have some fun with your church community? SQUARE DANCE! We had a BLAST last week at our Community Gathering when we were surprised with square dancing lessons.This was the place we had dinner ... it was BEAUTIFUL. This was our view.

We all were cold until the dancing started... then we were shedding our coats.

Always ready for a good time... Tammy and Keith!

My crazy friend, Emile. Doing her "Baby Mama" call.

Hmmmm.... Don't ask.

The Vickers... Can't remember what this move is called but ... Hey... Good Job!

How Cute!

Let the LINE DANCING BEGIN!

This was a FUN TIME! And who knew square dancing is such a great work out!

Field Trip!

We went to the Mayfield Cornmaze yesterday for a field trip. We had a great time. We went with Avery's 2nd grade class. I didn't take pictures of the hay ride and the cow milking demo... but took out the camera for the corn maze.

This is one of Avery's friends from class ... It was fun to have lunch with her, her sister and her mom.

Children of the corn... :-)

Look Who Got a Hair Cut... and other fun stuff...

I've been at a loss with Abel's hair. Not sure what to do with it. It has been growing in patches. He has these two puffy patches over his ears and then a lot on top. But there is a real thin area above the ear patches (are you following?)
I always get the biggest kick out of combing out his hair. He looks so stinkin' cute with a mini afro.
He loves to climb onto the fireplace.

Here he is in my bed. I had just combed out his hair (I don't do this all the time... just sometimes when we are hanging out). Then I gave him the comb. He was trying to comb his hair... how cute!

So today I got the bright idea to give him a trim. Here's the hair I cut off of his head.

Here's his new look (no more puffs above the ears)

We went out to some friend's house tonight. They weren't there (but knew we were coming). They are a very generous family that lives out on a farm. I met her through our adoption process and now our kids go to the same co-op. ANYWAY... her property is GORGEOUS and I wanted to go and do a VERY SMALL photo shoot. We asked some friends to join us. We had so much fun playing that we didn't really take too many pictures!

I did like this picture of my sweet Avery.

Our friends have paddle boats on their property and so we just had to go for a little spin in the boat. Our kids got the biggest kick out of this.

MY TURN!

This is what I see SO OFTEN (and I LOVE IT!) during my day. Abel crawls up to my leg and climbs up my pants... How sweet are those eyes. Of course, I scoop him up!

How cute is this little dude. I took pictures of him when he came into the world. You can see them here.

My baby girl (below)

We had a bon-fire as the sun was going down. And my friend Becky brought stuff to make SMORES! HOW FUN!

Me and my buddy Becky :-)

I am practicing ROCKY TOP because I am heading to the UT game tomorrow night. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I am going with my "lil' sis" Charlotte. She invited me to go (she was given two tickets). GO VOLS GO!!!!

My Babies...

Just a few pictures ...
We've been busy around here with school, photography, church, baby proofing the house. keeping up with 4 active kids, going to the park, enjoying the Fall, watching football...

How sweet are these faces :-)

These yellow shirts are the ones that Carey sent me from the Blog Union. THANKS CAREY! Julie and I were set to go but ended up staying home because Julie's mom was diagnosed with cancer. Her mom had surgery and all of the cancer was removed! They are doing radiation to make sure it is completely gone.

This girl makes the craziest faces every time I take a picture of her. I LOVE IT! She is such a nut!

How cute are they?

Addie drives poor Abel crazy. Always wanting to invade his personal space :-) Too cute.

Look at that face ... LOVE ME SOME ABEL.

The family joined me tonight as I did a photo shoot. They were doing a scavenger hunt (Geo cashing) while I took pictures. I snapped a few shots of them afterwards.

Lookin' at me.. Lookin' at you!

HA!

My friend, Tammy, took pictures of me taking pictures of Cooper. HOW FUN!


You can see his photo shoot here
This shoot was totally spontaneous...

We were actually saying goodbye to a sweet family that is moving... I WILL MISS YOU SHAWNA!

PHOTO SHOOT

We had a photo shoot today...
check it out
HERE

Hurricane Update and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HURRICANE UPDATE
Our friends and family are fine. Thank you so much for praying. My friend is home (with out power). They didn't have much damage to their house but did have damage to their apartment complexes.
Ted's sisters didn't have damage... just a few trees down.
Other friends had water damage... lots of water in certain areas.
But the good news is... NO LIVES LOST. That is what is important.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Last Thursday was the Ethiopian New Year. Yes, September 11th was when Ethiopia rang in their new year... 2001. Yes, you read that right... they are 7 years behind us. Why, I am not sure. So, Abel was really born in 2000. So he is just 2 days younger than Avery (figure that one out!).
We got together with friends that have adopted and are adopting to celebrate. There were 13 families there and a total of 58 people. Not that it's about numbers but it BLOWS ME AWAY that GOD IS BUILDING THIS COMMUNITY of adoptive families from our SON'S BIRTH COUNTRY... right here in our area. AND... I know of several families that did not make it.
My pictures are not that great... I didn't really take a bunch of pictures... I was too busy enjoying the ETHIOPIAN FOOD and talking with new and old friends!

Maya and Abel looking outside... too cute!

Food and Fellowship!

The Mizes :-)

Abel loved this toy... it's his friend, Liyah's but he had a good time on it.

Maya checkin' out her boyfriend's ride.

Tom flying Abel around the house!

Jules and Trendy Mindy

That's me with my daughter-in-law Maya!

Love me some Beelers!

Please Pray

Ted and I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Hurricane Ike is headed right to our home town and surrounding areas... We have family and close friends there. I just got off the phone with my best friend from high school and she just evacuated for the 3rd time this month. She has 3 small children and her husband is always one of the first ones called back in to town because he works at the refinery there. After hurricane Rita, she was unable to go home for almost 3 weeks (due to power outages).
Ted and I both grew up in this area. His parents now live in South West Louisiana and his sisters live in South East Texas. One sister has evacuated and the other sister is staying behind. Her and her husband helped a lot of the service men after Hurricane Rita and are staying behind as long as they can to help.
PLEASE PRAY! My heart is heavy for them and I can not imagine the anxiety that goes with these storms and the aftermath.

Characters, Characters and MORE Characters

One of the BEST things about Disney is the Characters you meet while there. They come alive to the kids ... and to us too. I got so excited to see so many of these guys/gals :-)

Here are some of the characters that I didn't share pictures of during my posts below!

and here is a question for you...
Who is your favorite Disney Character? Mine... SIMPLE AS CAN BE... IS MICKEY MOUSE!

Dreams Really Do Come True...

I decided on Day 5 that I had to take pictures of our resort. We stayed at a Value Resort but COME ON ... IT'S DISNEY WORLD! Even the Value Resorts are LARGER THAN LIFE!
We had this right outside our complex.... I felt safe with Buzz protecting me :-)

Do you see Avery at the feet of Buzz. That's how HUGE he was.

Sweet Savanna (from the family we traveled with) had a few sick days. She wasn't feeling good this day. Our family headed out to Magic Kingdom first and then met up with Angela and Samantha later at MGM (Hollywood Studios).

At Magic Kingdom... WE MET MICKEY ... and HIS GIRL MINNIE WAS THERE TOO. We didn't expect that! We were so excited to see her!

Minnie played peek-a-boo with Abel. It was precious!!!!!!
After riding our favorite rides at Magic Kingdom (Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain), we headed to MGM.
We didn't know it was NIGHT OF JOY... which is a Christian concert weekend at Disney. We didn't have tickets to it but the artists were Chris Tomlin, Mercy Me, Rebecca St. James... and MORE! HOW COOL?! I was kind of hoping we'd see Chris Tomlin on one of the rides. I actually met him one time before (YEARS AGO !!) and he looked at me like I was SO weird! haha... surprise surprise! I saw him in a hotel and walked right up to him to tell him people we knew in common. I'm sure every one plays six degrees of separation with him. I don't think it's his favorite game.
ANYWAY... No Chris Tomlin or Michael Phelps (A friend told me she heard he was at Disney the same time as us).

If you knew me, you'd know... I will just about do anything. So I volunteered myself for some show at Disney (MGM). It was my movie debut... don't I kind of look like I'm on Apollo 13 or something like that. Well, if you saw my acting, you'd think it was a SAD remake of the movie Airplane. I didn't really hear the instructions that the lady told me (she was talking so fast) and so LONG STORY SHORT... I looked like a fool. We got a good laugh out of it though. Especially when the guy said "HIT THE DECK" because it was a "mock" movie set and a torpedo was crashing into the water. I saw the water splashing up and instead of hitting the deck, I threw my arms in the air like I was a kid running through a sprinkler. I heard the audience laugh... had no clue they were laughing at ME!

This night we went to the Fantasmic show. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
One thing Disney does well... IS EVERYTHING! But this was UNBELIEVABLE! and scary too. They definitely have the scare element down at Disney!


DAY 6
We spent our last day at MGM. It was my second favorite park. I loved it! This is the order of my favorites... Magic Kingdom, MGM, Epcot and then Animal Kingdom.

After coming in and going straight for the Rockin Roller Coaster, we went to get fast passes to Toy Story Mania (LOVED THIS RIDE... I REPEAT ... LOVED THIS RIDE). After the fast passes, we went to the show Beauty and the Beast. It was EXCELLENT! It had the BEST preshow!!! What we thought were maintenance guys were really this singing group. One guy acted like he was doing a mic check and then bowed... the audience clapped and so he went back to the mic. Then 3 others joined him (but in the most comical way) and they were this incredible singing group. They did all their music with their voices. I can't explain it but it was SO GOOD! And then we thoroughly enjoyed the show as well.

This little guy (below) loves STARWARS!

Here's my favorite ride... Toy Story Mania. I wanted to ride it OVER AND OVER... only problem. The wait was an hour long. I only got to go on it two times.

Look at that face!

I would like to thank the academy....

After we left MGM (and I dried my eyes... because I was slipping into my Post Vacation Blues), we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner.

Here are S and S with Cinderella... wouldn't they be great princesses at Disney?

This was one of those moments I want to keep forever in my mind! Addie was dancing in the streets. There was music playing and the girl could not contain herself. She started HARD CORE dancing. Then she started doing the robot. I could hardly stand it! I wish I had a video camera!

I have a few more pictures from our last day... and then I have some fun character pictures.... I am gonna share more. I am trying to figure out what to do with all of my pictures. I think I took about 900 pictures. Ok.. maybe a little less... BUT A LOT!

Thanks for reading about our time at Disney. It was such a HUGE deal for our family to get to go. What a blessing! We are so grateful!!!! We don't know when we'll get to go again but what a great time and what great memories!

Houston... We made it home safe!

I plan on writing about our Days 5 and 6 at Disney and sharing other fun pics. Just not tonight.

I am looking forward to a GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP IN MY OWN BED! I have seen way too many Dateline NBCs and 20/20's to not live in fairy tale world (even in Disney) about what LIVES in hotel rooms :-) IT IS GOOD TO BE HOME!!!


So... GOOD NIGHT... SLEEP TIGHT... and DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE!

M.I.C...K.E.Y.... M.O.U.S.E.

So... here I sit once again, in a room full of sleeping people. I am drinking a cherry coke (wonder why I have trouble sleeping??) and eating Doritos. SICK RIGHT? Well, I had to share a few more favorite pictures and honestly... if I don't journal what we did NOW... I might forget. I am so tired, but I am HAVING A BLAST!



Day 3 - We headed to Hollywood Studios. We thought it was called MGM (it use to be)... no wonder we couldn't find the bus! ha! You learn something new everyday. Especially when the bus is right in front of you and leaves before you find someone to ask "Hey... where is the MGM bus?" "Oh... so it is that one that JUST LEFT!" We caught the next one.





This (above) is the big "take you picture in front of this" THING (can you tell it's late) that is at MGM... I mean... Hollywood Studios.



Here I am with sisters S and S.

Not sure what language this is (below) but I know COCA COLA when I see it! I am a HUGE coke drinker... it's my "coffee"

Meet Prince Caspian. Check out that hair-do (or hair don't). Ted is reading the Chronicles of Narnia to the kids right now. They were so excited to meet Casp. (I know ... sounds like we go way back)
I loved the parade they do at Hollywood Studious. I got out in the street and danced! It was so fun. I am sure I looked like a fool. AND I am sure I embarrassed my kids but when I heard "come! join us!" I DID :-) No pictures of that... I had the camera around my neck.

These (below) were taken at the Rockin' Roller Coaster (in the store after the ride). THIS WAS MY FAVORITE RIDE OF THE ENTIRE TRIP. IT IS AMAZING!

I think this has to be my favorite picture of the ENTIRE TRIP... HOW FUN!

Being the good mom that I am, I took Aidan and Avery in the Tower of Terror. They'll be scared for life!

Aidan DID NOT like it. Avery on the other hand went right back on. YEP! She's nuts!

I loved seeing the Power Rangers come to life for Aidan.

Remember how I said we came during free dinning week? Well... we have eaten some of the BEST food since we have been here. FREE... yes, you heard me right! They only offer this once (maybe twice a year). I think they offer it during their least busy time to get people in the park. Well... I don't have pictures of where or what we ate but one night, we went to dinner at the Polynesian Resort. After a WONDERFUL meal, the girls got to hula dance. Then they had Ted come up and dance with them (no hula for him)... SUCH A SWEET MOMENT. I wanted to bust out in song. Of course, my song would have been "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman.

(Heck, I might have even sang Butterfly Kisses... it was SO PRECIOUS)

Day 3

We started our day at Animal Kingdom. We had dinner at Epcot. AND finished out our night at Magic Kingdom.

Abel's face says it all! WE REALIZED ON THIS TRIP THAT OUR SON IS QUITE THE LITTLE FLIRT. He made friends every where he went. He had people looking his way and commenting on how precious he was EVERY WHERE WE WENT!

The tree at Animal Kingdom

Yes, we got a fast pass (see above) for ALL OF THE RIDES at Animal Kingdom. It's the Year of a Million Dreams and Aidan was picked to receive the Fast Pass for the day and because we were all in his party, we got the passes too. WAY COOL

This picture of the baby giraffe was taken on our safari ride at Animal Kingdom. The tour guide mentioned you will RARELY or NEVER see a giraffe lying down. SO TRUE. Isn't this baby beautiful?

AND MY FAVORITE PLACE OF ALL.... MAGIC KINGDOM!!!

This man... Walt Disney... is simply a master mind! I was blown away learning about his life while on this trip. The best part was seeing all the failures before he found success. What an inspiring story.

Just a cute picture!

It's A Small World After All...

Oh how I love Disney. When I was growing up, my dad had a tin can that sat in the laundry room and it had change in it. He always said it was our Disney fund. We never went. Well, about 5 years ago, we had our first SMALL taste of Disney and I walked around all day saying "Dreams Really Do Come True!"

Thank you Uncle Sam (IRS... Mr. President... US of A)... this year, we put our economic stimulus to good work. I am sure if we would have given it much more thought, we could have put it to even better use (college funds, groceries... etc).... but NO.. WE BOOKED A TRIP TO DISNEY.

It seemed rather like an "A HA" moment.... we find out about the "economic check" and about that same time we hear about the DEAL OF A LIFE TIME (not really but you get my point)... discounted tickets, free dining week, and friends that wanted to go at the same time. It was a YES for us! When we booked the trip we had like 150 days until departure... WELL, TIME FLIES!


WE ARE HERE!




On the BUS to Epcot. Our family had only been to Magic Kingdom so Epcot was new to us. We had a great time! The family we are traveling with ... The Hornes ... they are GREAT PEOPLE! We laugh and think "What have they gotten themselves into... Traveling with the A-Team"

Here we all are on Day 1. At Epcot we did SO MUCH. Here are the highlights for me (I would take a survey of the family... but they are all sleeping and of course, I am up! I have sleep issues when I am not in my own bed).

My favorite at Epcot... the ride, Soaring. The ride where it feels like you are hang gliding. I will NEVER hang glide in my life ... so that was a BLAST for me to experience!

Funniest moment of the day... We went into a sea turtle show and Crush from Nemo talks to the audience (which is AMAZING!). He is animated or computer generated... whatever that is called - haha! ... well, he hears Abel squawking and says "I'm sorry dude I don't speak Dolphin". It was so funny because Abel was the only baby in the show and Crush talked about him a few times ... The whole gang!

I have and will have so many funny stories from this trip... of course, 4 kids will do that for you! I want to memorize everything they are doing and saying because it is stealing my heart!!! (I will have to tell the story of our "beach picture"... I'll tell it later. We tried for that family picture on the beach... long story short... my kids were SOAKED before the camera ever pointed at them. Not just wet... SOAKED!
So when we got this picture (below) with Belle and everyone is looking at the camera I said "this just might have to be our Christmas Card picture". Maybe I could photoshop Belle out - ha!

Here's my boy (below) in a little African section at Epcot... Africa is not a country in their "countries" but it has an "outpost" ... not sure what that means... but my boy loves to beat on the drums! He is always beating on something!

I love this Mickey Mouse doll. I didn't buy it but I so wanted too. I wanted Abel to just want to cuddle it but he looked at it, hugged it and then threw it out of the stroller. If he can live with out it... I can live with out paying for it!

OH - the reason I titled this post "It's A Small World..." is because at Epcot, we ran into someone we met on the plane when we were coming home from Ethiopia with Abel. They had just adopted a little girl from ET. Her name is Ella... anyway... I see the husband/dad walk by and I couldn't remember his name so I scream "HEY!!! I KNOW YOU!!!!" It was so fun to run into Joel and Jennifer. Their baby girl is getting SO BIG!


DAY TWO

One of my princesses!

I'll take the one in the middle!

MY GIRLS!


Can't remember the name of this ride but it's where they tell all the "punny" jokes. Well, Aidan was asked to drive the boat. We were so proud. We were cheering him on.

We had lunch with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too! (and Piglet and Eeyore).

Favorite memory of today for me... Riding the rides with the kids. Addie rode Splash Mt. and she CRIED... HARD! Then a few hours later she said "I want to ride it again". So we did... TWO MORE TIMES. This is the time of year to come to Disney because there are NO LINES (It could also be because of the Hurricane... which we have not had any bad weather here). WELL... we are on our third time to ride Splash Mt., when the ride had a MALFUNCTION... while we were on it! NO big deal... just me and three of my kids on a ride (Ted was sitting out with Abel... he's not fond of the water in this ride). SO I had to keep them entertained in a log for 3o min.

I must turn in before my computer turns into a pumpkin! :-)

Get your tissues...

This is my dear bloggin' friend... who I feel a SOUL SISTERHOOD with but I have never met. We have talked MANY times though and she was such a part of our adoption ...
WELL... It is THEIR TURN...

You have to see this video :-)

Happy Birthday to MY MAN!

Happy Birthday to my Ted. He is 36 tomorrow (His birthday is on Monday.. the 25th). Here are 36 things I love about him.
1. His heart for Jesus. This man sits at the feet of Jesus daily. He loves the Lord and honors him with his life. He challenges me in this area with out saying a word. I have so much respect for him!
2. His love for our children. He is an INVOLVED dad.
3. He discipline... if he sets his mind to something, he does it.
4. His wisdom. I tend to follow the flesh but Ted is a man who is slow to speak and quick to listen.
5. His humility.
6. His love for me! I know that I know that I know that HE IS IN LOVE WITH ME.
7. His loyalty.
8. His love for education.
9. How after all these years, he still laughs with me (and at me!) ... a lot!
10. His PATIENCE.
11. His faith - this kind of goes back to #1 but Ted trusts and has such faith.
12. His GOOD LOOKS!
13. His grilled steaks - I LOVE IT WHEN HE GRILLS OUT!
14. His heart for community.
15. His ability to remember where I put the keys (ok.. KEY.. our key is broken so I just have this one key). He a lot of times will see it and put it where he knows I will find it.
16. His humbleness in driving the piece of junk that he does. He doesn't complain at all. And this car is held together by gorilla glue.
17. His willingness to put others before himself.
18. His excitement for life!
19. His willingness to always listen.
20. I love that he has walked through HARD TIMES with me and not given up!
21. He has served me... and been such an example of sacrificial love... especially when my mom was sick. He would go and check on her. He took her to all of her treatments and insisted that I stay home with our baby. Until the day she died... he served her. He loved her so well.
22. His commitment to prayer.
23. I love his go-T
24. I love that he is a dreamer.
25. I love to hear him teach.
26. His support (especially recently with my photography bug!)
27. His longing for me to grow as a person.
28. His seeing my heart!
29. His AIR DRUMS! (he always plays air drums in the car).
30. How he memorizes things that our kids do ... he is so in tune with them.
31. His willingness to apologize... especially when I see him do this with our kids.
32. His love for STORY! He loves a good adventure.
33. His longing to be whole. Allowing the Lord to reveal his heart to him.
34. His always telling me he loves me. I hear it through the day.
35. I love the way we are HIS FAVORITE people and he wants to be with us (the family).
36. HIS ZEAL!

I love you Ted. Yes, I am declaring to whoever reads this blog my love for you! YOU ARE MY MAN and I AM SO PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE! I am honored to be your wife! Thanks for fighting for my heart and I pray this next year is filled with blessing! and that blessing being KNOWING MORE OF HIM!
YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!

PICNIC FUN!

We had a picnic out at the Swoboda Farm last Sunday. It was such a GREAT TIME! Here are some pictures from the night.

There were blow up jumpy houses and water slides. The kids had a great time. We have over 100 kids that come to Fellowship Kids each week. A lot came out for the picnic. They had a blast... and there were no injuries. Wait... I think I remember a bloody nose (right Maddie?). AND a wound care issue. Thank God for a sweet family in our church that are both Doctors. :-)

Look at these eyes!

This is a friend of mine... she is having a baby this Fall. I love her shirt!

I've never entered any kind of contest ... but if I did... I would enter this picture right here (below). Is he not adorable? He belongs to a family in our church. I just love his sweet look in this picture. It's priceless!

I actually made it into a picture! That's me with my blonde friends!

How precious is this little girl? She was helping me out with Abel. She fed him his first watermelon... HE LOVED IT!

Here are a few more kiddos that loved them some watermellon :-)

Abel has a new member of his fan club. This 6th grade girl is pretty crazy about our baby boy.

This blue-eyed beauty is one of 6 kids in her family. She's a little love!

I got a giggle out of this little one (below) singing the Happy Birthday song. I asked her "Who's birthday is it?" and she said "Mine". I turned and asked her parents and they said "no, it's not her birthday". It was so cute. She was convinced it was. I was too :-)

This (below) is Abel's buddy. They were both adopted and even share hair care products :-)

All three pastors from our church got into the dunkin' booth. It was so much fun to watch them get dunked. Not sure why all of us "church goers" got such a kick out of throwing a ball as hard as we could at the pastors... BUT IT WAS FUN! The crowd went wild when the pastor went under!

Ted and Addie watched Brother Brandon (haha...) get dunked! Little did Ted know... he was next. Actually he did know. He just really enjoyed seeing Brandon get dunked!

IS IT COLD?

Johnny was talking smack them minute he got in there (jk)... The first person to dunk him... a 4 year old named Savannah. YEP.

This is one of Aidan's best buds!

And last but not least... this is my crazy FRIEND Robin. She was actually doing a little country dancin' when I took this. She's a HOOT!

What a fun evening!

My baby girl is growing up...

Ok.. So she's not a baby by any means... but I still see her as my first born baby girl!
Well, she went to school for the first time today. I almost cried taking her in.
She is in 2nd grade and we have home schooled exclusively the past 2 years. We did some enrichment classes at Thursday school (where I teach).
This year, we