Six Months HOME

I am in awe that I can even use the title of "Six Months HOME". So many still wait! My heart goes out to those who are still waiting.

I just sent our "six month home report" off on it's journey to Haiti. I can not believe so much time has passed already. The girls are doing more wonderfully than I could have ever hoped or imagined. They are huge blessings in our lives. How can it be that they seem like they have always been my daughters!?!

God is GOOD all the time!

Suzanne

Lovelie and Rosalynda....Three Months Home

I wrote this entry a month ago and was going to get around to editing it and adding pictures...but never did...so now I will post it as it was a month ago.....

Ok....so I haven't posted for awhile.....and ya'll seem to care whether I have or I haven't. April is a very BUSY month for me, and my family.

The girls are doing great! They want to learn the ins and outs of everything. They voluntarily sweep the dust bunnies out from under the couch because they say it is dirty. They started unloading the dishwasher...just because it needed to be done. Their English is really good. We try to listen to Creole tapes now and then so they don't loose it their Creole completely. My boys and my girls play and play together....as if they were always together.





You see that is the thing....the girls feel and seem like they have always been here. I can completely forget that they haven't been. Or that they speak another language....Or that I am white and they are black. The one thing that makes me remember is when we go out into public, and we are just being a family, and people are starring at us. I start to wonder why they are starring at us, and then I remember...oh yeah.....I am white and my girls are black.



I really hope they are just curious, and not thinking we shouldn't be together. Of course, it really doesn't matter what they are thinking....I believe God brought us together, and He wants us together. He could not have gotten a better fit.



I forget so easily that Lovelie and Rosalynda are not my bio kids that when I am filling out paperwork for them....I start filling in Chris' and my families health history...as if it is our blood pumping through their veins. I completely forget that 3/4th's of my family has never even met them.




So much has happened since I last wrote.....



We had 16 more baby goats born (about 3 weeks ago, and one triplet died)



Four baby lambs born (two just yesterday, and two 3 weeks ago)



We dyed Easter eggs and had an Easter egg hunt with plastic eggs filled with the girls' favorite food in America, chocolate; on Easter day.



We planted two cherry trees, and have transplanted lots of bulbs, flowers, and strawberry plants.



Our asparagus is coming up, and we have had several meals with it already.


Our iris and daisies are beginning to bloom, and I think some of my wildflowers are coming up after all.

Most of my seedlings are growing away in the basement under the lights; ready to go in the ground as soon as it dries back out and we get the beds raised. We planted lettuce, peas, rosemary, basil, more potatoes, more onions, radishes, and beets outside.


100 chicks (I suppose we have about 96 left....it is pretty normal for a few to die....and a dog took off one of their heads when we moved them outside), and 9 ducks arrived and are now 4 weeks old and are outside.


Last week 3 turkeys (one died....I think one of the chickens got in it's box and killed it), and 3 geese arrived....they were back ordered...and are now in the basement.





A friend of mine moved away and needed someone to take her dog....I needed a new dog like I needed another hole in my head, but she had done so much for us while she lived here. (she took care of our animals when we were away, and she buried our dog, Midnight, on Christmas Day this last year when she died while we were away)

So now we have Cleo....Oreo and her are best friends, and she has revived in Oreo one of her favorite pastimes....chasing cats. Those cats are very rarely seen on the ground now, and are mostly found up in our trees.



We made it thourgh a killing frost with the fruit flowers still intact the next morning. Praise God!



I am finished with my Lyme meds!!!!!!!!!! YIPEEE! However, Chris is still on his. The one he is on now is one of the worst. I am not doing so well with that this time around! Please pray for us as we travel down this difficult road.



The boys and Chris are doing shooting sports for 4-H. I think they are enjoying it alot.


Our cow, Cupid, looks like her bag is going to explode.....so I am thinking she will give birth any day now.


take care,

suzanne

Rain and Snow and Wildflower Seeds

Last Thursday evening, it started to rain. At first it was a light gentle rain. I was so exited we finally got most of my wildflower seeds sowed fairly early this year, after several years of failed attempts to grow wildflowers here and sowing the seeds too late. BUT the rain continued and by Saturday the rain was coming down hard! By late afternoon on Saturday it started to snow.

You see we were suppose to get 8 inches of snow on Saturday. I thought the nice gentle rain, then covered by the snow would be great for the seeds. HOWEVER, the temps stayed warmer for longer, and it poured and poured..........and then dropped 2 inches of snow.



I was happy for the warmer temps for my fruit trees that were already flowering, but I think my wildflower seeds are somewhere.........

down this river that used to be our creek!

Good bye my beautiful wildflowers. Maybe some year I will actually get you to grow here.....

Suzanne

Friends!

Good Friends make life so much more enjoyable!!

It is so much more fun when you have friends to share it all with..........

Suzanne

Startin' Seeds

Oh, I know I should have probably started this a month ago.....but we finally got to starting our tomato and pepper seeds inside on Monday. (I am way behind Logan and Lukas)


Chris got me a rack and lights, and Logan set it all up....so I am good to go. Logan also mixed the soil for me. We are using peat moss and perlite mixed together for the starting soil this year.

What a huge help my kids were.

Suzanne

Jonquils in Bloom

Rosalynda is a "card" all the time..........

so I thought I would post a picture with more of her personality shining through.

take care,

suzanne

New Babies

We started getting new babies again during the torrential rain showers we received on Saturday.

They were a bit of a surprise as well. I didn't expect these does to give birth until April 22nd, even though they were looking very close. I had tried to breed a few Nubian and Nubian crosses for January births, and then put the same buck back in a bit later for some births about now. However, when no one had any January births that had been in with that buck, and since he had not bred anyone last year successfully, I just assumed he was sterile. So we put a new buck in for births starting around April 22nd, and that is when I assumed these does would give birth.

But, surprise! I guess he was fertile.

His kids are adorable too. So far we have six live babies on the ground. Five girls, and one boy. We also had one little boy that died.

We have about 7 or 8 does left to kid right now. One was bred by a Nigerian buck. Then the end of April/beginning of May there will be a few more, bred by an Alpine buck. Then in June we have two pygmy's due who were bred to an Angora buck, and maybe a few more Alpine crosses.

We also still have 2 or 3 sheep to lamb (one should be any day now), 3 cows to calve, and hopefully 1 llama to have it's cria.

Oh, I love babies. Especially, when they are strong and healthy, and alive.....I just hate dead babies, it is reality, but I still hate it.

Suzanne

Workin' On The Garden

We have been workin' on the garden when the weather has cooperated. Chris and Logan added a bunch of manure last fall, and Logan tilled it for me.


We decided to try to do some raised beds. I know they make a huge difference, but I have never tried them without permanent sides, so I am very excited to see if they will work.



We are also using newspaper and straw mulch to try to cut down on my overwhelming weeds that I get every year, and to preserve moisture as well.

The girls were excited to help with the prep and planting. So far we have in some onions and potatoes. I know the lettuce, radishes, peas, and such should be in already. However, I didn't have my seeds in time, and now that I have the seeds... the ground is too wet.

Suzanne

We Talked to Jhislaine

After 7 weeks or trying to get though....the circuits were always too overloaded every other time we tried....we finally got through to the girls birth mom, Jhislaine, in Haiti.

The girls were squealing with delight, I was jumping up and down, and Jhislaine was laughing the whole time. It was so precious. They talked for 12 whole minutes (before my phone card ran out). Jhislaine kept asking the girls how they were in Creole, and they kept saying, "I am good", in English. I was like no, no , no,....in Creole...tell her in Creole...she doesn't know English. I want them to retain their Creole so bad so they can continue to talk to their mom...but I know the odds aren't in that favor.

Lovelie also said that "Jhislaine say Mesi! Mesi! Mesi!" (Thank you, Thank you, Thank you). She is such a precious women...I should learn more Creole so I could talk to her. I am sure it would be well worth my time.

take care,

suzanne

Spring Is Here!

Oh! How I Love Spring! The birds singing, and the smell in the air. The ground calls to me in the spring. I want to plant and plant some more. It makes me do things that I would otherwise think impossible or insane to try to accomplish. Of course, my house turns into a disaster, as I try to beautify the outside.


The grass is greening up and the daffodils are blooming.....we brought in 35 stems the other day, and now I have told the girls we should leave some outside to make the outside beautiful too.

We vaccinated all the goats and llamas. Frontlined the dogs and got their rabies shots. The sheep will be sheered next week if we don't get rain that day, and we will vaccinate them when we catch them for sheering. Then I will set up an appointment with the locker to take in 3 goats and 1 sheep,once the shearing is done.

Makes me feel good to be getting things accomplished. The girls preview birth certificates were sent out for us to go over and sign. Rosalynda's had an error, so they are sending out a new one. I sent Lovelie's back for the official one. Her name is now changed. I will have to get her a new certificate of citizenship with the name change on it also.

I lost my mind this last week( no comment chris!), and put in 156 small braid/twists into Lovelie's hair. I stopped counting after 3 hours, when I wasn't even half way done. I started Rosalynda's hair and Lukas finished it for me. Even though it took forever....I love Lovelie's hair this way. It is really staying in nice too. My hope was that I wouldn't have to do it as often.

Lori, I posted the recipe for the body butter that I make a while back on my blog. However, if you don't want to try and find it...I got it from Magestic Mountian Sage's recipes. http://www.thesage.com/recipes/recipes.php?.State=Display&id=149 I also got all of my ingredients there too. It is not hard to make. I also found a really EASY lotion recipe that I will have to post very soon.

Well, I better go....time is a wastin' I will talk at you later,

suzanne

Blessed! Blessed! Blessed Beyond Words

I don't think I ever get across to others, be it on this blog, or in talking personally to others; how blessed I really feel we are. It seems Too Big for words; Too Much to explain.

Oh, sure we have our share of problems and heartaches...this lyme disease has been a huge hurdle for us, and we have had 10-12 goats die already this year (including babies), and 1 llama (Canuk died yesterday).

BUT, and this is a big BUT, overall we have been VERY BLESSED!

These girls are the most precious blessing of all....I still look at them and can't believe how fortunate we are.

Our BIG NEWS today is that Chris is still employed. WHOOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!

I know so many of you have been praying....and some have called, as the anticipation of knowing is making you crazy. Thank you so much for all of your prayers (the most important part) and concern.

I, truthfully, have been on an "even Kiel" through all of this. I think God has really changed my heart. I KNOW "THIS" (here on earth) is all TEMPORARY. I KNOW with God on my side, I will survive whatever comes my way. That knowledge helps keep me from panicking and falling apart.

Am I glad Chris still has a job when so MANY lost theirs?.....OH MY, YES! Would we have still been OK if today he didn't have a job anymore?....yes, we would have. Do I pray for all of those who did lose their jobs?....you bet I do. Some of Chris' friends are among them.

In the end God has blessed us beyond what we had hoped for...AGAIN!!

We hoped Chris would still have a job today.....what we got was Chris STILL has a job....but it's a NEW one with less travel (something he has been praying for for a while...but couldn't see how it could become a reality), and a boss he has had before, that he really liked, and most of the work he is at least familiar with. AND his pay....remained the SAME.

God is Bigger than our problems .....all the time. AND.....God is GOOD....all the time! How freeing that is for me!.......I would have thought that even if Chris were jobless today.

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. Ephesians 3:20

Now I have thought the above MANY times and did not even know it was written in the Bible for me.... Until I read it today. I am sure I have read it before.....but somehow....I never READ it until TODAY!

take care ya all....The God of the Universe wants you as HIS children....and is watching over you daily....even when you are not aware of HIM....

IN HIM,


suzanne

More Fun Memories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ym6MGc35_s


Suzanne

Oh....The Memories

In the few hours today that I wasn't fixing hair, I have been trying to figure out YouTube. Figuring out how to get a video uploaded to it, and then how to get that video onto my blog. Even though I watched the instructional "how to" video, I still failed to embed the video here. I couldn't get it to copy over the entire embedding sequence for some reason. So here is the lam-o link to it....I know, not near as exciting as having it right here.


This is a look back at when we were living in the barn circa 2004. Oh, the memories. I loved that place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rINcV0LNQ9k

Enjoy!

Maybe I will get a few more uploaded to YouTube in the future. They are treasures. We watched a bunch of them today....we kept saying ohh I remember that, or I didn't remember that.

Suzanne

Week Five Home Photos

Enjoy!

The girls wanted Oreo to have a flower in her hair too.

The girls got to witness their first goat birth at Brenda's. They enjoyed it immensely.

Suzanne

Checkin' on the Flowers

Every day the girls and I head out to check on the "flowers". We have several patches of daffodils and other flowers that are around the site of the old farm house that used to be on this property, but was torn down before we moved here.

The daffodils are so close to blooming, and they are very excited about it.

We also made homemade play dough this week. The girls( and Lukas) think it is great. They roll it out over and over, and cut it with the vast amount of cookie cutters we received from their Grandma over the years.

This last week the girls started grabbing hold of whole sentences and running with them. It is crazy to hear when a whole English sentence, that is not chopped up, comes spewing out of their little mouths. I frankly have to really think about it when people ask about communication issues, I very often forget that they speak another language. Since communication is rarely ever an issue.

One of the teeth that Lovelie got fixed started hurting her this last week. So for about three days in a row, I would find her acting very strange and moping about, because her tooth hurt.

I have been trying new hair styles on the girls, hoping to cut down on the amount of time I spend fixing their hair. This week I divided their hair up into sections, and did french braids in each section. That took me 1 hour and 45 minutes, as opposed to the 3 hours I spent doing their hair last week.

I finally got around to making my body butter again for their hair. WOW! What a difference it makes, especially on Lovelie's very full hair. It calms it down and smooths it out alot, and makes it feel very moist and healthy. It is also MUCH less greasy then some of the other things I have tried, that I read about on forums and such. I also put my lotion directly into their hair. The lotion is not greasy at all, but I need the body butter to keep it from drying out.

We also went in front of the judge, very informal and easy, and changed Lovelie's name from Lorvelie to Lovelie. So now they sent in the name change with the "recognition of foreign adoption" to the state, and we should be receiving the girls birth certificate drafts from the state very soon. Then on to social security numbers that we need for taxes, and we will get passports as soon as possible after that. Not that we are planning on traveling, just a good extra measure to have in place for internationally adopted kids in chase their citizenship ever gets called into question.

No news on Chris' job.

take care,

suzanne

4-H Regionals Model Meeting

The boys 4-H club preformed their model meeting at regionals. They had a really good turn out, despite the distance and the snow and ice.

Lukas preformed his project talk on Photography. He did great. I couldn't have been prouder.


I didn't get to see the club preform at the county level, since we were in Haiti, so it was nice to get a chance to see the performance.

There was messin' around at the back of the room, before it officially began.....

but the girls were quiet for most of the performance....

Here's a shot of recreation during the meeting.

They did really well. The club received a blue. Very impressive for such a young aged club, and for never preforming at regionals before.

suzanne

Snow

It snowed here last Saturday. Now all the snow is almost gone, and the weather is beautiful again.

However, I thought you might enjoy a few pictures, from around this place, with snow on the ground. Even though I hate the snow, and the cold that comes with it, it does look pretty.

Chris was so glad the girls got to see snow before the season was over. I would have rather done without it. The girls were very excited about the snow though, and came running into my room in the morning yelling....SNOW!! SNOW!! Gade (Look) Mamma, Outside!

When the girls held the snow in their bare hands, they were amazed that when the snow melted it turned into water.

The wind was blowing that day as well, and the girls thought it was "COLD!"

suzanne

Lovelie and Rosalynda....One Month Home

Well, it's been a month! The girls are wonderful....they are better and better every day.

I finally have some photos posted....but still have a bunch I need to post from the first three weeks. I am preparing their one month home report, so I went out and took some photos of them yesterday to include in the report. So all of these photos, except the last one that I accidentally posted, and then didn't want to delete; are from yesterday.

Lovelie and Rosalynda received their "Certificates Of Citizenship" in the mail this week. They said it would take 6-8 months....more like 3 weeks. I about started crying when I saw them.

We applied for the Kansas "Recognition of Foreign Adoption". Very easy form to fill out and cost only $12 per child for Topeka and $14 per child at the District Court...very cheap. Then we will owe another $12 per child for the Kansas birth certificates. We also set up an appointment with the judge for next Tuesday to get Lovelie's name changed from Lorvelie to Lovelie. That is free of charge. I love Kansas.

The girls had dentist appointments this week. Lovelie got 9 of her 11 cavities filled with white fillings. Since all of them were in her front upper teeth, she looks like a whole new girls and is very proud of her new teeth. She did awesome and the dentist was very impressed. Rosalynda has perfect teeth with no cavities. We also had Rosalynda's blood redrawn to retest her liver. The last test was off.

When we got to town for the dentist appointments, I mentioned to my family that I had just spent 3 hours on the girls hair....and 20 seconds on mine....to which Logan replied "you should have spent about 40 more seconds". He was right.

We broke down and bought pull-ups....the first we have ever bought. I was concerned that Lovelie would be jealous of them and wet the bed to get them as well. However, even though Rosalynda is compliant in wearing them, she wants to be done with them as soon as possible, and has not wet her bed since we got them.

Logan got his 7th coyote this week. We shouldn't have any left. Should we? Maybe my chickens will stand a chance now when they cross the fence.

The weather has been wonderful. So warm and nice. Great for the girls to be outside. They just love it outside. However, today it turned cold with the chance of snow. I hate cold weather. My flowers think it is spring and have started to come up.

Lukas' fair goat died this last week. What a bummer. He will have to chose a girl to take instead of his buckling. You know no one ever told me that some breeds of goats will die if you breath on them wrong, before we got these. The ones we have left are our toughest ones.

The boy's 4-H club qualified for regionals with their "model meeting" performance. So they will be competing tomorrow morning with that. They will have a reduced club though, since not as many can attend, but the leaders wanted the rest of the club to be able to compete at a regional level.

Chris' boss lost his Managers job today. He will now be in the pool with everyone else to see if he will get another job or be laid off. It will probably take them another week or two to sort through everyone at Chris' level and then they will announce who gets to stay and who has to leave.

take care,

Suzanne

Oh My, How Time Flys!

Well, its been 3 weeks. Time just gets away from me these days. Chris keeps bugging me about posting, says I am suppose to be wonder women or something like that and should have plenty of time. He is also upset there are no pictures....says others are complaining as well. I really wish it took less time to upload them....I think blogs without pictures are boring as well. I really need to be in the right mood to take the time to upload all of them, just haven't hit that mood in the last 3 weeks.

We are doing really well. We are enjoying the girls very much. I think they enjoy being here too. They simply adore their Pappa....he can do no wrong. I think I have fallen even more in love with them, if that is possible. I adore having them as my daughters. Logan and Lukas are playing with them with real love now. I am so glad to see it. They still have their moments. Rosalynda wet her bed two times this week. So we are not totally finished with that yet. Lovelie JUST learned to tie her shoes. I just showed her how this morning. They are quick learners.

My nephew, Derek, and his wife Kim made a surprise visit this week. We had so much fun having them here. They got to get up close and personal with our llamas. Anyone who has met our llamas knows what I am talking about. They come right up and get in your face to check you out.

Logan snared his 5th and 6th coyotes yesterday. I am in awe. The girls think he is amazing, and talk about Logan and his coyotes all the time. This morning in church, the girl sitting in front of us had a coat with fur around the hood. Rosalynda was enthralled with it, and thought it was coyote.

Chris, Logan, and Lukas stayed at a 4-H Junior Leaders Lock-In last night. The girls were very concerned when they were not back in the "machine" when they woke up this morning.

I can't remember what week we are on ....if Monday is Chris' boss's level layoff announcement or Chris' level. I am either in denial or have the peace that passes all understanding. After all of the adoption chaos....I KNOW that what is suppose to happen....will. So maybe that is why I am not falling apart and upset. Please pray for us. We would really love for Chris to keep his job, and for to be able to stay here on the farm, Or any other way for us to be able to stay right here. We are very fond of this place. I know we all feel we are in our element here. If, however, it is not in God's plan for us to stay....we will live. Life will go on, and we will find happiness elsewhere.

take care,

suzanne

Two Weeks

Wow! I can't believe it has been two weeks since the girls came home. They are doing great. The fits are less and less. Rosalynda has stopped wetting the bed. It feels like they have always been here, but yet they have filled a void I have had in my heart for many years.

Their little tummys have mostly quit sticking out like they were on those starving children's commercials. I think they have gotten rid of many of their parasites. They are very happy and joyful little girls, and incredibly smart. I think they have figured out every gadget we have. They have figured out how to do stuff on the computer I didn't even know it could do, and have also deleted some of my stuff.

They have very quick hands, and want to be doing stuff constantly, that part is exhausting to me (and everyone else in the house as well). They are starting to eat much better, without being sooo picky. They LOVE chicken, chicken eggs, and bacon.

We took Lovelie to the dentist. Her front teeth are in pretty bad shape. She has to get quite a few fillings, but there is no infection, and the rottenness has not affected her permanent teeth so she is fortunate.

Lukas has actually started playing with them. He still says they are a pain, but he is not acting like they are annoying every second anymore.

Logan snared a coyote this morning. I have to admit; I didn't think he would actually get one. So this afternoon we get to go and learn how to skin it out.

Rosalynda got to watch us castrate a sheep (Lovelie was busy throwing a fit so she didn't get to enjoy the spectacle) then we fried up the nuts, and so now they love to eat "sheep". They have both watched us give the baby goats shots, helped move the goats, and have helped with trimming their toenails as well; so they are slipping right into our lives.

take care,

suzanne

The Dog Ate My Camera

I must have dropped my camera in the pen with the animals. I searched all over for it in the house, and then Chris found it out in the pen. The dogs had chewed on it. In doing so, they destroyed the camera's ability to capture any more of our wonderful moments. However, the memory card was spared, and I am very grateful for that.

We are well. The girls are doing better every day. They spew out more and more English daily, as well. It is amazing. I had no idea I said "Oh, my word", and "Oh, my goodness" so much. They have those sayings down, and say them often.

They got more shots today, and took them well. Rosalynda's liver test seems to be off, so they will retest it in a month. Rosalynda began to wet her bed, as well. Not sure what to think there. Adoption stress, maybe.

Chris' bosses' boss lost his job on Monday. They are slowly trickling down the chain of command.

take care,

Suzanne

Thank God For These Little Girls

I know I haven't posted any pictures yet. I am sorry.

We have been busy soaking these precious gifts in. They have already brought me more joy than I thought possible.

Am I trying to tell you that everything is perfect? No, it is not. But, these girls are so precious and worth it. We have had many moments of pure joy.

The girls were not fond of Chewie and Oreo when they arrived. They are getting much better. Even reaching out to pet them at times. Chewie is being VERY patient. Oreo is always patient.

The girls were also a little nervous of the animals at first. But are now very excited about them, and ask to put on their "shoes toilet" many times daily and go out and see the cow. They are very funny.

I have to admit that I didn't think that I would enjoy Rosalynda as much as I do, since she has such a strong personality, but she is hilarious!! Logan says "She is a little black you, Mom". That is funny. I guess she really is my daughter.

We have had melt downs....the boys handle them...not so well. They have gone to putting in ear plugs, and going outside.

Whatever the issue is over.....once we have gone through the melt down....we don't have problems with it the next day.....OUR REWARD!

Lukas is having more problems with the girls entering the picture than I thought he would. I guess it is the youngest child being usurped. I am guessing that is what his malfunction is. He is getting better though. I am finding he is far more spoiled than I previously thought.

Logan is being so sweet....spending time with them....trying to teach them their letters and numbers....It makes my heart melt.

Lovelie is doing better health wise. Her eyes have cleared completely up.

I had better run. Maybe some day I will get those pictures up. I have many precious ones from our first week as well.

Suzanne

Girl's Doctor Appointment

We took the girls to the Doctor on Monday. Lovelie had pneumonia, and ear infection, and a red and running eye, and of course, parasites. Rosalynda was fairly well, with a cold, and parasites.

They drew blood to do a few more tests and gave Rosalynda a set of shots. We had to wait on giving Lovelie her shots since she was sick already.

The Doctor actually took the time to look through their medical records in Creole, and could determine quite a few things from them.

The girls took the shot and blood draws very easily...they didn't even flinch for any of it. They are also taking their medicine well.

Lovelie is 6% in weight, and 2% in height. Rosalynda is doing much better at 36% for weight, and 31% in height.

Suzanne

Bringing Home Rosalynda and Lovelie - Our Trip HOME

I uploaded most of our photos from our trip to Snap Fish and you can view them here......

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=278126130/a=83798989/t_=83798989

I will be adding some of them to the blog in the next few days....hopefully.


suzanne

My Girls Are Finally HOME!

and we are praising God for all He has done!

Suzanne

New US Citizens!!

We are in the Miami Airport waiting for our flights. When we arrived in Miami last night they were trying to implement new security measures that their computers didn't seem to be prepared for.....when we finally got to the smaller room it was PACKED with people.

So even though our flight landed early....7pm....it took until 10:30 pm for us to be processed. (they even moved us up in the line since we were US citizens) The girls did exceptionally well with it all. They are so glad to have their Pappa. Thank you Lisa and Alden for making that possible.

We got to see Aunt Cheryl for breakfast this morning and she came baring gifts (blankets, and robes)......thank you Cheryl, it was so good to see you!

We should arrive home tonight.

Thank you for your prayers.....Our time in Haiti went smoother than we could have dreamed or imagined!

take care,

Suzanne

WOOHOO!

Just recieved this e-mail....



"Congratulations! The visas have been picked up this morning by Ms. Saint Fleur!
Hope all will be well


Best Regards, Adoption Unit American Embassy, Haiti http://adoption.state.gov/"



Suzanne

Only A Couple Hours Left Before We Leave

Ok, so the Visas were indeed printed!! Not sure if this has all actually sunk in yet. Not sure it will until we land in the US with our girls.

Thank you so much for all of your support, and PRAYERS during this long process.

Yes, Shelley we can always use hand me down cloths.

take care....next time we talk I will have US citizens, Rosalynda and Lovelie Seagren....Wow, writing that choked me up,

Suzanne
Mom to Logan, Lukas, Lovelie, and Rosalynda

Chewie's First Birthday

Today, is Chewie's first birthday. In all of the choas we almost forgot, but Chewie received a birth e-mail card from the city vet a couple of days ago, so I went and looked up when it was.

Logan baked him some chocolate cupcakes for his birthday for US to eat. How very thoughtful.

Happy Birthday Chewie!


Suzanne

Ok....So I Shouldn't Have Asked

I called the Dr.'s office to set up appointments for my girls, for this next Monday, so we could start getting anything they might have brought with them, taken care of.

While I was on the phone, I had to ask, if they had ever gotten my CD57 test results back. They said they had some from December....Yep! those are it. To my dismay, they told me that I needed to continue treatment. Ack! "Are you sure?", I said. To which they replied, "Yes, your numbers are very low, it is Dr. ..... recommendation that you continue treatment."

So once the girls are home......I will have to start back on my antibiotics.....YUCK! Just the news I didn't want to hear. I should have never asked.

suzanne

We're Goin' To Haiti To Get Our Girls

Ok! so we have booked the flights. My sister, Lisa, and brother-in-law, Alden, have made it possible for Chris to come along!!!!!!!!!! YIPEEE! Thanks you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will be leaving our house on Thursday morning, overnighting in Miami. Arriving in Port-au-Prince on Friday morning, leaving on the Friday evening flight with our girls. Overnighting in Miami again. Seeing my sister, Cheryl, in Miami, then leaving to fly home on Saturday morning. Arriving home Saturday night.

A few different friends will be handling the boys while we are gone. I am so grateful to all of them!

Can't wait to finally have my girls home. I can't believe it will be THIS week!

Suzanne

Visa Appointment And Chris' Work

Our Visa Appointment was indeed this morning! It went very well. The girls Visas should be ready by tomorrow afternoon!!

We don't have anything booked yet, but I hope to leave tomorrow afternoon. I am not packed yet either, but it will be light. Carry on only. It may only be me traveling, without Chris. Bummer! Should be an adventure! Or not!

Two thousand of the eight thousand Sprint job cuts will be in the Kansas City area. Chris was informed that he will not find out his job status until around March 1st. That gives us an extra month. I am relieved. They will have some compensation also for those they do have to let go. Good News! Hopefully, he will keep his job though, but that is in God's hands.

Thanks for your prayers,

Suzanne

Beautiful Pictures Of Midnight

I finally found these beautiful pictures that Lukas took of Midnight just weeks before she died.

During her whole 13 1/2 years of life we were not able to get any other pictures as beautiful as these pictures that Lukas captured.

Suzanne

Our Good News and Bad News Day!

The good news is we could pick up our girls as early as Thursday this week...........

The bad news is Chris may lose his job at Sprint.

They just got word this morning that 8,000 jobs are being cut from Sprint....along with many benefits for those that actually get to keep their jobs.

Please pray that Chris is able to keep his job, or that he will be able to find a new one quickly in this horrible economy. It will take a miracle, but I have seen them many times.

take care,

Suzanne

Visa Appointments .... I think

We just received the following e-mail.....

"Dear Mr. and Mrs, Seagren,

Please be informed that the I-600 petitions you filed at the UCIS office in Haiti on behalf of Lorvelie and Rosalynda have been submitted today to the Adoption Unit of the Embassy.

An appointment is now scheduled for your children to come to the Adoption Unit of the Embassy on January 27, 2009 at 8:00 a.m.

Please contact your agent in Haiti if you need details.

Best Regards,

Adoption Unit American Embassy, Haiti"



I think this means the girls have their Visa Appointment set up for TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If this is so .....they could have their Visas by WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON!!!!!!!!!!!

Unbelievable!!

Suzanne

The Miracle We Hoped And Prayed For, For Months, Has Occurred

Hey Everyone,

We just received an e-mail from the USCIS office in Haiti that the I-600 petition that we filed for Rosalynda and Lovelie HAS BEEN APPROVED!

YIPEEEEE!!

Now, on to Visas!

Once we get a Visa Appointment (hopefully, that will be soon) ......the girls Visas "should be" ready the next day be 2 pm.

THANK YOU FOR NOT GIVING UP ON OUR GIRLS COMING HOME! YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS WERE (AND ARE) VITAL TO THIS COMING TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

take care ya'll,

Suzanne

Lovelie and Rosalynda....My January 2009 Trip To Haiti

Wow, they have grown........


I had alot of fun with them.......

They were so eager to learn.....especially English....I don't want them to loose their Creole though. If they do they will not be able to communicate with Jhislaine, their birth mom.....I don't know if it is possible for them to retain it though......

But we also had lots of adjusting to do..........many fits were thrown...........I know that is all part of adoption. Especially, adoption from an orphanage, when there are so many kids that you only get attention if you act out.

They just love to carry things around on their heads..........They want me to also...

Lovelie had just lost her first tooth before I arrived, and a second one was loose while I was there.....She was so proud of it............

They actually swam this time.........

I knitted them both purses, and put pictures of us and them in them. Their birth mom added her picture to the pictures in their purse. It was so sweet when she did. The girls wanted to look at her picture over and over. I brought it home and will laminate it for them so it will last alot longer.........

The adjustment road may be long and hard, but it will all be so worth it in the end. I saw improvements in the short time I was there. Lovelie actually crawled up on my lap and fell asleep there twice. Rosalynda did once as well. It reminded me of some of the first pictures I saw of them. They wrote that Lovelie "seems to be a bit overwhelmed by the orphanage. We can't wait to see her safe at home with a family to cherish and comfort her."

I think comfort, and the feeling of being "safe at last" is what they both need desperately.

Suzanne

Article on Jamie and Ali In Haiti

This is a great article written about two missionary sisters who work in Haiti with my orphanage. Jamie has her own house though, "Jamie's House".... unfortunately, my girls do not live there........


http://www.wqed.org/mag/features/0109/love_haiti2.php


Jamie does visit them though and read stories, and show them our photo albums that we left.


She is a wonderful women.

Suzanne

Haiti Trip Photos

I uploaded my Haiti photos to Snapfish and they can be found here.... http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=278037076/a=83798989/t_=83798989


Enjoy!

Suzanne

One of the Most Precious Women I Have Ever Met

Rosalynda and Lovelie's Birth Mom............

I loved her...........

I am so glad that I got to meet her........

Poverty is such a horrible thing.

Suzanne

New Babies

Now that I am home I get to see the precious new babies........


Even though we have had a few deaths.....I believe there are around eight live babies...



We are very thankful for them.

One of the babies climbed up some hay and fell in a tank of freezing water today. Lukas found him swimming in the tank screaming.

We warmed him back up good, and dried him off. He is back outside in a pen with a heating pad and his Mom tonight. I hope he will be ok.

Suzanne

Chance Meeting?

In the 4 1/2 hours I was stuck at Jamie's, because of the gas shortage, this little sweetheart caught my eye. She was left on the street, and found when she was about a day old.....

Oh, how I would love for her to be my daughter......

but sometimes finances get in the way......

but I can still pray for a miracle..........I have seen miracles happen. One just did this last week!

Suzanne

I'm Home!

I am home, and so glad to be here. The Welcome to the United States sign at the airport was a sight for sore eyes. I am so glad to be in my country. I love this place.

Even though many things went wrong on my trip, and much of it was not fun, the things that I needed to go right....went very right.

They got a hold of the mother the night before the appointment, and she said she would be at the orphanage the next morning at 7 am. We were at the US Embassy already when they arrived with her. I was so struck by how beautiful she was....her pictures do not do her justice. She was so kind, and nice, sweet, and wonderful. She went in for the parent interview with her daughters and told them that she wanted to have the girls adopted. The orphanage director was stunned. She couldn't believe it. It was all so surreal.

The orphanage director wanted me to stay until the visas were ready.....maybe another week, she said, maybe by Monday or Tuesday. However, since we had no confirmed Visa appointment (we should find out when on Monday or so), and because I was unable to stay at the hotel I was originally suppose to, along with having to hire a driver several times; the expense was overwhelming and I was unable to stay even one more day. When God closes the door....I just figure there was a reason....so I came home.

We set up preliminary arrangements to fly in, pick up the girls at the airport when the visas are ready, and fly out on the same plane; with Jamie in Haiti. So maybe we could do that as soon as next week, we will see. It all depends on when they schedule the Visa appointment.

Thank you all for your prayers. I will be posting some pictures soon, and uploading most of the pictures I took to Snapfish as well.

Please pray for Chris' job. Things do not look so good.


so glad to be home,

Suzanne

Update

My computer connection leaves today....so this will be the last update until I return home.

Please pray for the birth mother meeting and interview. They have not been able to get in touch with the birth mother, but she knows I am in town to meet her, so they are hoping she will just show up to meet me. Please pray that that happens. There is also a rumor that the birth father is in town. He is not in the picture, and not listed on the original birth certificates. It could just be by chance he is here at the same time or just a Haiti rumor. Please pray no problems come from it.

It is looking like we WILL most likely hire an agency after all to finish this up. Please pray for our decision, and that all goes well with that.


I have to go.

suzanne

Hello From Haiti

I am safely in Haiti......and I hear there are 6 new baby goats safely on the ground back at home....alive and well. I think there are maybe five more does to kid.

The girls are great.....but they have their moments. All is not roses, but that is to be expected. I have had great frustrations, been very scared for me and my girls, and have had wonderful times of pure joy while I am here.

There is a gas shortage here causing great problems for the Haitians and costing me alot more than expected. I have met some other people here who are adopting from Bresma as well, and they have been a great comfort, and have let me borrow their computer. However, they leave tomorrow.

I have not met the birth mom yet. They say she is very hard to get along with....so please pray for our meeting...and that she actually shows up to meet me.

My time is short...the Internet only works in the lobby and the girls patience is short.

Gotta GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

suzanne

Only A Few Hours Left Before I Leave

Well, as I have mentioned before the goats are due to have there babies. So for the last week I have been getting up early to go and check on them. No babies yet. Tonight, and tomorrow are suppose to be nasty cold here and so I hope they stay in the nice warm wombs for a bit longer. This morning I got up at 4:30 am and went out and checked on them.....then laid back down for about an hour....and them got up to finish preparing for my trip.

Yesterday, we got far more done then I could have ever hoped or imagined. For a while I was thinking I needed about 2 more days to get it all done. Mostly, house cleaning and food prep stuff I wanted to get done before I leave today. Can you believe we are still working on apples from this fall!?! We also picked up more pecans, cleaned out cupboards, sorted, rearranged, and finished cleaning up some messes I have been working on for a while, and did laundry, oh and got a few final pictures in town for my trip and laminated a few, taped Chris, Logan, and Lukas, saying hello to the girls (that was one of the girls favorite things last time, and they watched the tape over and over), and probably more that I can't remember right now.

I didn't get done baking bread, or taking down the tree. Oh well, I can't get to everything!

I have only a few hours left before we got out the door, and head to the city to eat dinner, and head to the airport! I can't believe I will see my girls TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It chokes me up just thinking about it.

take care my friends,

Suzanne

Yummy Bars

Ok, so I don't think their name is Yummy Bars. I think it might be Mock Heath Bars, but they are yummy!

Easy Yummy Bars

preheat oven to 350 F

1 sleeve saltine crackers
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar (I used half brown/half white)
1 bag chocolate chips

Line a bar pan with parchment paper, and cover the bottom with crackers, one layer deep.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and sugar over medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes until thick, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.

Pour over crackers, and bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the entire pan, when melted, spread evenly. Cool and break into pieces.

I used my new/used pan that I received at Christmas. It was Chris' Grandmother's pan. That makes it very special to me. It is huge. It measures 14 X 15 at the top, and 12 1/2 X13 at the bottom. Exactly one whole sleeve of saltines fits in one layer at the bottom of my new pan, along one edge of the pan, the crackers had to be broken in half. I love it when things fit.


Suzanne

Pickin' Up Pecans

Even though we are getting around to it really late this year, there are still lots of pecans on the ground to pick up......


Some of them are even pretty big.

Usually, there are not to be had, even shortly after they fall.....

But, this year the dogs have chased off all the deer, and squirrels....so the pecans are just waiting around on the ground for us to take the time to find them.....

It reminds me of when I was little, they would have an event at the fair for young kids to hunt for pennies in the hay. I loved that! It was never so much about the pennies, as it was the joy of the hunt.

Suzanne

New Pygmy Goats

A friend of mine has had these goats in her front yard for the last couple of years.....she decided it was time for them to go. So she asked me if I wanted them. I wasn't sure, but I thought we would give them a try....


So meet Daisy, and Lilly. They arrived here a week ago Saturday. Two days later, on Monday, Daisy was acting like she was in heat, and was trying to get in with our Alpine buck.

So we picked them out a nice Angora buck at Brenda's and took them to be bred. Daisy WAS in heat, and Lilly went into heat the next day.

We just picked them back up yesterday. In about five months they should be having little pygora (pygmy/angora crosses) babies.

Very fun!

Suzanne

Family Photo

We used Logan's new camera with a timer to try to get a family photo at Christmas. We didn't really know how to run the timer so it took my trials and errors to get the photos....Here are some of the pictures we got.....

We are working on one of them in photo shop right now to try to straighten it up. I think they turned out fairly well though considering they didn't know what they were doing.

Fun Times! Smile! Smile again! And again! opps! Missed it! Try it again!

Suzanne