- PLEASE PRAY -

steven curtis chapman’s youngest child died wednesday evening after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s williamson county home - maria, one of the christian singer’s six children, was taken by lifeflight to vanderbilt hospital, which confirmed the death, according to laura mcpherson, a spokeswoman for the tennessee highway patrol - "the 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother", she said - police didn't give the driver’s name - "the teen was driving a toyota land cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30pm & several children were playing in the area", mcpherson said - "he didn't see maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her", she said - “it appears to be a terrible accident & no charges are expected", mcpherson said - "the accident was witnessed by two other children & the entire family was home at the time", mcpherson said

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singer/songwriter chapman, who recently was inducted into music city walk of fame, is one of contemporary christian music’s most recognizable & most awarded names - he & his wife mary beth have long been supporters of international adoption, having brought three girls from china into their family - maria was the youngest - the couple's so active in the cause that they formed an organization, shaohannah’s hope, to aid families wanting to adopt - with his latest music tour, which came through nashville in november, chapman started a campaign called “change for orphans” - he asked audience members at each stop to bring spare change to the concert, where it was counted & given to a local family to aid in their adoption process - “i don’t know of anybody who loves his children more than he does & is so committed to the adoption concept, & to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension”, said john styll, president of the nashville-based gospel music association - “he talks about his kids all the time - that’s his life - his kids are more important to him than music, that’s for sure”

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the tragedy was announced during wednesday-night services at harpeth hills church of christ, which the family attends - maria had just graduated from the church preschool & word spread throughout the tight-knit christian music community on wednesday evening - styll got the news not long after maria’s death - “i’m confident i can speak for everyone in the community to say we'll do everything we can to support this family, as we'd do at any time, but especially at a time like this”, he said

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most of the chapman family was at vanderbilt children’s hospital after the accident & couldn't be contacted - the long, gravel driveway leading to the home west of franklin was blocked off by williamson county sheriff’s deputies

(left to right: will franklin, maria, steven, shaoey, mary beth, stevey joy, caleb & emily)

- LOCKED OUT -

yep, i got locked out...out of my storage unit that is! - we loaded down the van last night to the max, since we've got to be out of this house in just a few more weeks & i planned on taking a van load over to our 'little' storage unit & dropping it off - i get there & my key won't work - i called spike, he called the owners & they said they'd accidentally put the wrong lock on our unit the other day when spike was over there GRRRR - i didn't know what to do as there was no where to put kiara when i picked her up from school & i didn't have time to take the stuff somewhere else to drop it off - spike then reminded me we'd our camper stored there as well, so i went & stacked everything in the camper WHEW

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we'll be getting a 'big' storage unit this week & will transfer everything from the little to the big, then we'll move all of what we've to take with us, over to the rental house - we'll stay there about 4-5 months & then we'll move from there in the new house & will also move all our things out of the big storage unit as well

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so, all in all, we'll be moving from somewhere to somewhere else many time in the next 5 months & i'm already tired - if anyone has any free time, loves to pack & unpack (or babysit & carpool), please let me know as i'm sure i can find something for you to do

- "MOMMY, WATCH THE BACK OF MY HEAD" -

today, karleigh says, "mommy, watch the back of my head" & then she turns away from me so i could only see the back of her head & she begins to shake it back & forth as if she's saying, 'no' - she then turns to me & smiles to which i say, "you're shaking your head?"

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she says, "no mommy, watch the BACK of my head!" & then she turns away again & begins to shake it back & forth the very same way - she turns to me & says, "did you see me?" - i say, "i saw you shaking your head 'no', is that what you mean?"

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she says, "i'll do it one more time for you, but this time watch the BACK OF MY HEAD, okay?" & then turns to repeat what i've already witnessed 3 times now - i said, "karleigh, you're shaking your head back & forth, but what's it for?" - she says [grinning from ear to ear], "that's what they do in the movie enchanted when they're kissing, so i'm just pretending [& then winks at me!]"

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UGH, pray for this mama ya'll!!

- DEFINITION OF 'MOTHER' -

this' for the mothers who've sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with oscar mayer wieners & cherry kool-aid saying, "it's okay honey, mommy's here"

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who've sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted

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this' for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair, milk stains on their blouses & diapers in their purse

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for all the mothers who run carpools, make cookies & sew halloween costumes

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this' for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see & the mothers who took those babies in & gave them homes

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this' for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors

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for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars & that when their kids asked, "did you see me, mom?" they could say, "of course, i wouldn't have missed it for the world," & mean it

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this' for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store & swat them in despair when they stomp their feet & scream for ice cream before dinner & for all the mothers who count to 10 instead, but realize how child abuse happens

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this' for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat

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for all the mothers who read, "goodnight, moon" twice a night for a year & then read it again, "just one more time"

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this' for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school & for all the mothers who opted for velcro instead

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this' for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook & their daughters to sink a jump shot

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this' for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home, away at college, or have their own families

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this' for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just fine once they got there, only to get a call from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up...right away

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this' for mothers whose children have gone astray & who can't find the words to reach them

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for all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year old dyes their hair green

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for all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings & the mothers of those who did the shooting

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for the mothers of the survivors & the mothers who sat in front of their tv's in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely

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this' for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful & now pray they come home safely from a war

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what makes a good mother anyway? - is it patience? - compassion? - broad hips? - the ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner & sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? - or is it in her heart? - is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? - the jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? - the panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door & know they're safe again in your home? - or the need to flee from wherever you are & hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident or a child dying?

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the emotions of motherhood are universal & so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes & sleep deprivation & mature mothers learning to let go

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for working mothers & stay-at-home mothers - single mothers & married mothers - mothers with money, mothers without - this' for you all - for all of us... hang in there - in the end we can only do the best we can - tell them every day that we love them, pray & never stop being a mom

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please pass this to a wonderful mother or mother figure you know

- WHAT WAS THE TRUTH? / WHAT WAS THE LIE? -

well sorry all, but i forgot to post the answer to the '5 truths/1 lie' game awhile back [OOOPS!] - here's the choices you'd to choose from... 5 are truths, 1's a lie

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1) i smoked for one summer when a friend of mine & myself were trying to 'act grown up' & have never smoked again
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2) i drank 'beer' once & quickly found out it wasn't really beer, but instead... motor oil (just a beer can my father was using to store old oil in!)
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3) i, along with 2 friends, tp'd (toilet papered) the entire high school's front lawn after sneaking out of my parents home in the middle of the night
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4) the most terrifying thing to me in all the world is bats (the mammal)
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5) i graduated & never skipped a day of school (not even a class!)
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6) once, when selling concessions in high school, i'd to take a large tray of sodas up into the stands & on my way up, i tripped & spilled them all over a group of people sitting there to watch the game

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#3 is the lie!

- FOR RENT -

well, i spent my entire morning searching for an apartment/house for rent UGH - i hate doing this, but if we've got to be out by june 26 & our new home won't be completed until the end of october, we've gotta find a place to stay, but moving twice does NOT sound fun to me at all! - i started by checking out apartments, but was floored to find they're as much as the house payment we're making now! [to some you make think i'm living in the dark ages, but really i had no idea they were that much] - i did find a home [3 bedroom, 2 full baths] that we could handle - i'm going to check it out this afternoon so i'll let you know how it goes - he said he was even willing to let us take it on a 4 or 5 month lease in stead of a 1 year (PTL) - he bought it, gutted it, put everything in brand new & it's supposed to be finished today - we'd be living in basically a brand new home, until our brand new home's completed, but moving twice does NOT sound fun to me at all! - brittan & ruby would be able to ride the bus to/from school, but i'd have to take/pick up kiara everyday as it's out of the school district from where we'll be living eventually - i'll post later on tonight as to how the place was & what i think, i'm just soooooooo ready to get this move behind us as moving twice does NOT sound fun to me at all!

- QUALIFICATION DAY -

spike [aka: honey, sweetie, baby-that's enough for now-*wink*]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!

well, tomorrow's spike & my anniversary [17y] & so we headed to the 500 race track today - we'd a wonderful time, great weather, perfect company & all in all a good day! - we were going to head down tomorrow too for the last day of qualifications, but we just got home [11pm] & have been gone since around 9:30-10am this morning & we're bushed

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since it looks as if we've sold our house [PTL], i think we're going to take tomorrow & get some more things done in preparation to move - we've got some boxes out in the garage that i'm going to pack up yet, more things & spike's going to work all morning long on getting all the final paperwork that we need to be able to turn for the finalizing of this house

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we'd already taken off tomorrow morning from church [told those around us that we'd not be there tomorrow, etc.] & so with this house thing coming up, we're just taking the day & a bit further along with it... we're soooooooo ready to get this all behind us!

- GOING TO ANOTHER LEVEL -

alright, it's official, as of last night we had an offer on our house - for us, it's not the best offer as they asked for a lot of 'extras' [lots] thrown in for good measure - we counter offered tonight [about an hour or so ago & right now it's almost midnight if that tells you anything] & accepted most of what they asked for [even some of the things that really hurt us], but didn't accept them all, so now we wait
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they [& us too] are all pre-approved, so now once they hopefully accept our counter [which their realtor thinks they will], we both have to get our final mortgage approval - if it all goes as planned [pray it does!], then we'll close on this house on june 16 & will be given 10 days to move out totally - between now & then [june 16], we've got to come up with a place to live from the time we close on this house to moving into the one we're building [total of about 4 months] for this family of 6 - we've also got to have all the financing worked out for us to be able to close on the new home [4 months down line] & for us to have it when it's needed!
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after that very stressful [to me] meeting at starbucks, spike & i went & had a bite to eat & talk - we then left to head home, but had to drive separately as we all met, since we were coming from all different directions - i got in my van & went to turn on the radio & instantly my cd player kicked on & out BLASTED the first song of our praise/worship team at church called, "going to another level" (chorus below)
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i'm goin' to another level
i'm goin' to another level
don't stop reachin'
keep believin'
come on we're goin' to another level
don't stop pressin'
for your blessin'
come on we're goin' to another level
gotta keep pressin' on
gotta keep on pressin' on

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i just thought that was appropriate for what we're going through, don't you?
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spike has projects [he's a project manager], that have said they'd hire him whenever they get ready to do something & a couple of them could literally start anyday - it'd REALLY be nice if at least one of those would take off right away, as it'd make the funding of this thing a whole lot better for us so please pray with/for us
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if all goes well, we'll be moving in june, living in an apartment [all 6 of us] until at least the beginning of october [keep in mind that we'll be adding another little person [total of 7 now], come late august/early september], then moving again in october for good & then shooting right into the holidays EEEEK! - yes, please pray!!

- SIGN UP & EARN $ -

it's very much like paypal, except without the fees - you get $25 for signing up & then $10 for each person who signs up under you - you can make some serious cash by adding a badge to your blog sidebar & spreading the word - there's nothing to lose & you can easily raise money for your adoptions [or anything else you're needing money for!] - click the badge below & earn some cash!

- STARTING WEEK 25 -

fetal development in pregnancy

(ending week 24 - starting week 25)

ahniér in 6th month

this' another big week for ahniér! - at this point, she's growing steadily, with about a quarter of a pound (now weighing between 1.4# - 1.9#) of new weight & still approximately 1' long (picture an ear of corn), that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body's filling out proportionally & she'll soon put on more baby fat - sure, she's not so chubby yet, but just wait that'll come - her lungs are also getting more prepared for the outside world - just take a look at the checklist for this week 1] ears: done 2] fingernails: done 3] lung walls: secreting 'surfactant' what's that? - well, surfactant's sort of what it sound like - a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist ahniér's little lungs during inflation [as in, filling with air, not getting more expensive] - just in case you’re curious, she's still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing & rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb - by the end of this week, she'll weigh around 2# & be 14" long - she may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near her full baby-fatted cute-self - most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (& slightly dreaded?) third trimester - woohoo! - get ready! - her skin's thin, translucent & wrinkled, her brain's growing rapidly & her taste buds are developing - her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" & cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily

- MY SILLY (helpful) SISTER -

for those of you that don't already know, my parents adopted a 14y girl from haiti that just arrived home this february '08 - madisyn helps out so much around the house & is so thoughtful & considerate - when she first got home, mom would let her do a few things, but never 'made' her as she wanted her to blend in & didn't want her to think they just adopted her to 'work' for them - after just a few weeks, madisyn broke down & when asked what was wrong, she said, "i want to do more around here - mom, you do everything & only let me do just a little bit & i want to do more!" - they all agreed that she's part of the family, so therefore she can help out as much as they do & it's been going great

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well mom told me today (in front of madisyn) that last night mom was showering & madisyn was cleaning in the kitchen - well, when mom got out, madisyn said, "look what i did!!!" [& was pleased at her HUGE accomplishment] - mom looked & you all know what teflon looks like in a new pot/pan? - it's the shiny black stuff that coats the pan so things don't stick, right? - well, guess what??? - yep, mom's new pots/pans have NOOOOOOOOOOOOO teflon left on them!! - madisyn said that she couldn't believe how dirty mom's pots/pans were because in haiti when they're left in the fire to cook foods, they get all black & you must scrub them really, REALLY hard to get all that black off & then that tells you they're then... clean - well, she wanted to give her mom 'clean' pots/pans & boy was she a happy young girl to do so too

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as mom was telling me this, i looked at madisyn & she was just beaming from ear to ear - i said, "you really got it clean, huh?" - she smiled & said, "VERY clean!"

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[sidenote: you all must know one thing - years ago when my memaw [mom's mom] was alive, she stayed at the house one day & while mom was gone/busy, etc., she cleaned up after dinner - well, she'd never had any of the new fangled stuff called teflon pots/pans, so she scrubbed the heck out of them & took all the teflon off - after memaw left, mom noticed what she'd done & was furious! - not mad at memaw helping, as she appreciated that, but we'd no money to get any more pots/pans & she was so upset for what she was left with - it's kind of been a funny jab over the years remembering back & saying, "you remember when your memaw ruined my pots/pans?", etc. & now she's got a daughter that did the same thing, but....... since memaw's passed & we all miss her so much, i know mom would love to have her back, even if it was just to destroy her pots/pans again & for this reason if for no other, madisyn got in no trouble at all & mom will still go on using those scratched up, ugly pots/pans because life's short]

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memaw... i'm sure madisyn would say thank you if she only knew how you paved the way for her!

- I'M GIVING UP! -

...on brittan that is

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now don't all panic & think i don't love her, i love her more than words can say & she knows this, but i give up!

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she's a great girl & very mature for her age (in a lot of areas), but then there's the 'forget' area when it comes to finishing things UGH - i finally told her yesterday when she came home from school, "i'm giving up!" - she looked at me wide eyed & i said, "i'm not telling you anymore to feed & water your cats, gather all trash or clean up the entire kitchen after dinner (which are her jobs) - i said, "you say things like, 'i fed them, but just forgot to water them [cats]', 'i gathered the trash, but just forgot to get that last wastebasket, so i'll just get it later' or 'oh, i got everything else put up, but did i forget to put that in the refrigerator?' & i'm not messing with it any longer - i'm not asking you anymore, i'll just do what needs to be done...myself"

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i get all done & she, still looking wide eyed at me says, "gosh, i know what you mean, but i never realized you were doing it all for me when i 'forget' - you're telling me this & you're not even mad!" - i told her i loved her & off i went

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later that night she helped (without being asked) clean up everything after dinner, took care of her cats food, water & litter box, helped with laundry, got everything ready for school & asked if there was anything else that needed to be done (as she knew we'd a house showing today), etc.

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don't get me wrong, she helps out soooooooooooo much around here, she really does & i shouldn't complain at all, but it drives me nuts to see a job ½ done

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she did a fabulous job last night & something tells me that now she 'sees' what i'm talking about, it won't be an issue any longer!!

- A FALLING STAR -

although we didn't take this picture, spike & i did see a falling star on tuesday night on our way home from the airport - we were driving along, chatting, etc. & there it was! - it was neat as i've only seen 2 in my lifetime!! - just thought i'd share 'our find' with ya'll

- END OF THE YEAR... for some -

karleigh on her 'graduation day'

[ruby's picture to be inserted here later tonight]

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well, today's ruby & karleigh's last day of school/program day - we had karleigh's program this morning & ruby's is tonight - brittan & kiara still go until the 29th, but they're not far off!

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we're looking so forward to our summer of camping as much as we can (YEAH), vacation at myrtle beach with caswells again (double YEAH!) & ahniér arriving (triple YEAH!), among other things as well - i know it'll be over before we know it, so i'm going to work very hard at making the best of every day (even on those 'rough days')

- HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY -

spike's mom

my mom
"A newborn's conversation with God"

a baby asked god, "they tell me you're sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am i going to live there being so small & helpless?" god said, "your angel will be waiting for you & will take care of you." the child further inquired, "but tell me, here in heaven i don't have to do anything but sing & smile to be happy." god said, "your angel will sing for you & will also smile for you & you'll feel your angel's love & be very happy." again the child asked, "how am i going to be able to understand when people talk to me if i don't know the language?" god said, "your angel will tell you the most beautiful & sweet words you'll ever hear & with much patience & care, your angel will teach you how to speak." "what am i going to do when i want to talk to you?" god said, "your angel will place your hands together & will teach you how to pray." "but who'll protect me?" god said, "your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life." "but i'll always be sad because i'll not see you anymore." god said, "your angel will always talk to you about me & will teach you the way to come back to me, even though i'll always be next to you." at that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from earth could be heard & the child hurriedly asked, "god, if i'm to leave now, please tell me my angel's name." god said, "you'll simply call her, 'mom'."

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we just wanted to say happy mothers day to both our moms - we're blessed to have you for mothers & hope you'd a wonderful day!

- RANDOM PICTURES OF OUR DAY -

from left (grey shirt) to right:

spike, dustin, ruby, madisyn, karleigh, mom & kiara

(this picture looks as if spike & mom are mad at each other as they're 'staring straight ahead so as to not have to look at one another - knowing this, dustin's giving madisyn the 'aren't you glad you're part of 'this family' look, right after they've both threatened ruby & karleigh to face forward... or else!

kiara's just glad she's got a snack!!)this looks like dustin & madisyn are discussing all the nonsense that goes on in our family & ruby's heard what they're saying & is afraid others sitting near them will hear what's being said & not like us! our beautiful daughter brittan getting ready to play her guitar piece,

oblivious to the fact that she's one of 'us' (*insert evil laugh here*)the paparazzi caught spike & his birthday girl

kiara was caught heading to her 'birthday lunch' with her favorite nana

kiara's feasting on peanuts at logans roadhouse

while waiting to be seated, so she can then... EAT!kiara's been brought up so the crowd can sing happy birthday to her to her
(take notice of how/where her arms are positioned... scroll down)alright, the song's now in full gear & look at those hands/shirt now
(kiara, keep your shirt down... scroll down)

it's good they were done singing or this post might have been X rated!

(kiara, cover up that tummy!!!)kiara, her daddy & her new puppy 'precious'

(her daddy's in the grey t-shirt... but I call him 'precious' *wink*)

kiara & 'her' birthday cake

i know it's a bit small, but we're trying a 'gluten free' diet with her to help with some allergy things & this cake's all for her & gluten free!

(we'd another one that was for everyone!)brittan looking all grown upkiara & ruby riding kiara riding falling
ruby
karleigh

- HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY KIARA -

kiara @ 6m

kiara @ 6y

i can't believe it, but you turn 6 today (BOO HOO) - the first time your daddy saw you, you were the tiniest thing he'd ever seen - you were only 4 months old & weighed about 7# soaking wet! - he was hooded the minute you looked into his eyes & it's been that way ever since

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you're a wonderful little girl that we love more than life itself - you're one that loves being at home, sniggling (cuddling), mother of 'our bunch' & you don't take that job lightly - you've grown from the little 7# baby girl that daddy first met, to one that's healthy & happy, attends kindergarten & loves playing with her 'cousins'

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jesus loves you so much, as do we & i'm sooooooooooo happy that he allowed me to be your mommy as that was one of the best days of my life

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thank you for being you & for loving me back! - have a happy birthday kiara... we love you!

- GOING INTO WEEK 24 -

fetal development in pregnancy

(ending week 23 - starting week 24)

ahniér in sixth month

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at this point mama's pretty much adjusted to the fact she's got a moving little gymnast inside of her, but now ahniér's going to kick up the party a notch because she can hear & react to sounds from the outside world - sounds from an alarm clock, barking dogs, a wailing fire truck, a thunder roll, or that darned car honking across the intersection can actually jar her little ears enough to elicit a kick or violent bout of squirming - what's been playing on her stereo system these days? - of course this also means that her little ears are picking up the sounds of mama's voice & those near her, so when we sing her a lullaby if she start kicking, it’s likely she just wants you to stop… or maybe it was a kick of approval? - all kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: from air exhaling from your lungs (deep breath now), those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach & intestines, our voice's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth)

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her tiny taste buds are still growing & her bones are continuing to ossify (harden), her tiny veins are visible through her translucent yet wrinkly skin (think of it this way... she's been swimming in the equivalent of a long hot bath for the past 23 weeks, so you can’t blame her for being a little prune-like)

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she's sporting a crown-to-rump length of 8.4-11" (standard letter size) now & weighs more than 1# (about as much as a large mango) & could top 1.5# by the end of the week! - she may be able to feel mama's movements now, so we can put on some tunes & dance around the house - she looks red now due to blood vessels showing through her transparent skin - her true skin tone will develop over the course of her first year - blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare her for breathing, but complete lung development will take many more months - the lungs are the last organ to fully develop - wondering what she'll look like? - if we had a baby cam, we'd almost be able to tell by now - that beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed - what's missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under her skin - until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin's still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones & blood vessels - fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer - babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about 6oz. each week, with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, tissues, bones & muscle - this weight will mostly consist of muscle, bone mass

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she now has basic control of all of her senses: vision, smell, touch, hearing & taste - her head's still large compared to her body size & she can now swallow - blood vessels in the lungs are developing, she's almost fully developed eyelashes, she's starting to produce white blood cells, which fight disease & infection, her inner ear is now completely developed & her teeth are just below the gum line

- A HUGE SURPRISE! -

i just want those of you that were involved in my surprise baby shower know how very much i appreciated all the wonderful things that were purchased for our new daughter, Ahniér - it was a HUGE surprise as i 'thought' i was just meeting angela (caswell) for lunch & had no idea it was a 'big shindig'... for me!!
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i walked in to see a huge diaper cake (theeeee cutest, let me tell ya!) & boxes, packages, bags, etc. FULL of stuff - we received everything from, diapers, tshirts, diaper bag, outfits, sleepers, rattles, photo books, bibs, nose sucker, nail clippers, gift cards, power, lotions, baby bath, shampoo, rattles, crib sheets, nightgowns, stuffed animals, hair ribbons, embroidery pillow, diaper baggie dispenser for dirty diapers, etc., etc., etc. - even though this' child #6 for us (& another girl), we were DONE at #5, so it was a bit of a shock even for us to find out we were adopting again, so even more of a testimony of how much these things are appreciated as we'd saved NOTHING from any of our children as... WE WERE DONE!
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i've gotta admit i was speechless (yes, me!), as not only did i have no idea in the world, but that my best friend would go to all the trouble & work it took to put this all together - she lied (she's good at it) & said she needed the haitian camp mailing list (which i gave her as she's the one that puts on haitian camp with me every february, so it seemed ok) & now i'm finding out that's how some of you got involved!
`
i also find out all her kiddos knew & said nothing! - i had them all weekend long a couple weeks ago & not a word was spoken at all - i mentioned that today & was told, "I THREATENED 'EM!!
`
again, all i can really say's thank you from the bottom of my heart at your kindness & thoughtfulness you have all poured out, it was truly a blessing that was VERY unexpected
`
angela, you're my best friend in all the world & i appreciate not only you thinking of doing this & putting it all together, but for just being my friend - for loving my kids as much as if they were your own & for always being there - god will bless you, as you're a blessing to me - love ya!

- WE LOVE MRS. SPEAR -

today, i picked kiara up from school & the first thing she had to tell me was that. "mrs spear wasn't at school today, but that they had a 'boy teacher' & he didn't teach them anything!" - she adores mrs spear & although she wasn't there, kiara still seemed to handle it alright (sometimes this isn't the case)
`

well, this evening it was all about, "will mrs spear be there tomorrow?" - "do you think mrs spear was sick?" - "i think mrs spear will want to come back tomorrow, don't you mommy?", etc. - this went on all day & into the night

`

right before bedtime, she asked me if she could write a letter to mrs spear & i said, "yes" - she was getting VERY frustrated when she'd mess something up, not leave enough room to finish a word & things of this nature

`

i suggested she & i go to my desk & she could type a letter the mrs spear - she was very excited, so off we went - she worked so hard on making sure it sounded just as she wanted it to sound too - she was sounding every word out & putting HARD emphasis on every syllable - after she finished it, she wanted to print it off so she could take it to mrs spear in the morning - below's what it looked like - i added the paragraph at the bottom of the page, so mrs spear would know exactly what it said

it was then time to head to bed & as i was going in to pray with kiara, here's what her prayer sounded like (below) - if you can't tell, she loves her teacher (we do too!)

kiara's 5 years old (will be 6 this saturday, may 10) & has been having some 'struggles' for awhile now - we've been in constant contact with her school, principle, teacher, aides, counselors, etc. & have come at this more with 'team effort' than as an individuals

`

her classroom at school, as well as at home, at church & even friends of ours that she stays with occasionally, are all VERY structured - even with that, she gets 'lost' sometimes & what i mean by that is: when mrs spear's leading the classroom on tuesdays from their room, down the hallway, making 1 turn & ending at the library (it's an every tuesday routine), she 'veers off' & walks in another classroom, only to be brought back to her classmates by the 'retrieving teacher'

`

i went to 'parents day' at school last week & i was the first parent there, but over a short amount of time, the room became FULL (literally) - she did fine when it was just me, then 'ok' when a few more came in, started getting 'antsy' when more showed up & by the time it was overcrowded, she was 'zoned' (ie: sitting, staring blankly, sucking her thumb & as she/i were reading together, she'd not know sight words that she's known for a long time, etc.) - mrs spear even came over & tried to talk & it was like pulling teeth to get her to talk & she seemed 'far away' - we'd even taken the kids outside for recess & it took her quite awhile before she'd really play, but 'zoned' again as soon as we came in - here's a picture (below) of that day on recess as soon as we got outside, before she loosened up (it's the same look we saw, while in the FULL classroom)

`

academically, she's doing great, knows what she needs to know, etc., but emotionally (& otherwise), just isn't where she needs to be (in our opinion) - we've weighed it out (ie: holding her back & doing kindergarten 1 more year or moving her on to first grade next year) - we've prayed about it, talked to the school, etc. & we've decided to hold her back & give her that 'catch up' time

since our house's for sale & once it sells, we'll be moving to the other side of town, she'll be attending a different school anyway - with knowing that, we thought it was the best time if we were going to hold her back, to do so, as she really doesn't know that not everyone takes kindergarten 2 years in a row!

- JUST FOR THIS DAY -

just for this morning, i'm going to smile whenever i see your face & laugh when I feel like crying

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just for this morning, i'll let you wake up softly, all rumpled in your flannel & i'll hold you until you're ready

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just for this morning, i'll let you choose what you want to wear, smile & say you're beautiful

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just for this morning, i'm going to step over the laundry, pick you up & take you to the park to play

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just for this morning, i'm going to eat a huge breakfast, with bacon, eggs, toast & waffles & you don't have to eat any

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just for this morning, i'll leave the dishes in the sink & let you teach me how to put that 100 piece puzzle together

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just for this afternoon, i'll unplug the telephone, keep the computer off & sit with you in the garden, blowing bubbles

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just for this afternoon, i'll not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream & whine for the ice cream truck & i'll buy you one if he comes by

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just for this afternoon, i won't worry about what you're going to be when you grow up or who you might have been before your diagnosis

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just for this afternoon, i'll let you help me bake cookies & i won't stand over you trying to 'fix' things

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just for this afternoon, i'll let you put all kinds of barettes in my hair & put lipstick on my face, & i'll tell you how pretty you've made me look

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just for this afternoon i'll take you to mcdonalds & buy us both a happy meal so you can have both toys

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just for this evening, i'll hold you in my arms & tell you a story about how you were born & how much we love you

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just for this evening, i'll let you splash in the bathtub & not get angry when you throw water over your sister's head

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just for this evening, i'll let you stay up late while we sit on the porch swing & count all the stars

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just for this evening, i'll bring you glasses of water & snuggle beside you for three hours & miss my favorite show on t.v

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just for this evening, when i kneel down to pray, i'll simply be grateful for all that i have & not ask for anything, except... just one more day

`

Sally Meyer
C. 1999.
No portion of this poem may be reproduced, copied, or forwarded,

without express written permission by the author.

`

- PICTURES FROM TONIGHT -

karleigh

karleigh

karleigh

karleigh

ruby

ruby

ruby

kiara

kiara

kiara & ruby

ruby, kiara & karleigh
kiara, karleigh & ruby
kiara, karleigh & ruby dustin

PS: it's not that i don't want to take pics of brittan,

it's just that she's never 'near the camera' at photo shoot time!

- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISYN!! -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MADISYN...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

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we love you madisyn & hope you enjoyed your surprise birthday party tonight!! - enjoy being 15, as the years will pick up speed & every year will seem to get shorter & shorter - alright, everyone who reads this, go to my parents blog & post a comment on there to madisyn & show her some lovin'!

- 22 WEEKS HAVE GONE... BYE, BYE!! -

well, we're just starting week 23 (starting today) & the grow must go on! - no wonder mama's getting so big, she's now housing a wonder-baby who weighs nearly a pound & measures nearly a foot in length - ahniér's perfect little pancreas is now further developed & she's also started producing her own hormones - ahniérs future in the circus as a world-famous tight-rope-walker' secure: her inner ear's now developed to the point that she has her own sense of balance - lucky for her, balance also promotes physical dexterity, which has her actively feeling out her surroundings where skin, body parts & the resident umbilical cord are the big sensory experiences - ahniér's now about a foot-long in length, weighs about a pound, is looking a bit like an oversized raisin & more wrinkles are showing up each week - not to worry, all that excessive wrinkling is just her skin’s way of planning ahead for the time when she’ll start piling on that irresistible baby chub - what's more, she's started to produce her own hormones as her little pancreas continues to steadily develop