Drew is 6!!!

Our sweet boy, Drew, is now 6!  He is so proud to be 6 years old and proudly shares it with everyone he encounters.  He had a very nice birthday with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese with our neighbors, the Leuzingers, the night before the big day and then a family birthday party at home the next night.  He loved his batman cake, but the best surprise came when Pops showed up to celebrate with him!  Drew was thrilled!!

We love you so baby Drew....opps, your a big boy now!   

My heart on Mother's Day

Here Jack is giving us his heart for mother's day.  It is a "bleeding heart" flower from my garden.  And in a way I feel like my heart is bleeding.  It is bleeding with my intense love for my children.  I love them so much it sometimes hurts!  At other times it bleeds with emotion for my sweet girl whom I do not know on this mother's day.  Today my heart bleeds for my sweet girl's birth mother and for the reasons she is not able to care for her our sweet girl.  It bleeds with desire to know and hold my daughter.  It bleeds with love for my daughter in Africa and for the sons I am able to love and cherish each day.  As a mom your heart bleeds....

Big boy underwear for Jack

I have been waiting for Jack to show a true interest in going on the potty.  This morning the message was loud and clear when I went into the bathroom to see Jack had ripped off his poppy diaper and was on the little potty.  So, today is the official first day of potty-training and wearing big boy underwear.  We are using a timer to remind both of us to get to the potty every 30 minutes.  So far (it has been 3 hours now) he is doing great.  Just another sign of Jack becoming a big boy.

Garage construction begins!

Today the garage construction officially began!  The big digger is exciting to watch!  More to come on this...

And we wait...but the fiddleheads are popping up!

  


The wait for our sweet girl's referral continues...over 12 1/2 months and counting.  I am distracting myself with all kinds of art projects, house projects and gardening.  This weekend Juddy had his first day of soccer where I saw a baby who looks EXACTLY how I imagine our sweet girl.  Well, after a debate in my head, I decided to approach the Daddy holding him and asked the question "May I ask you a personal question?"  He said, "Yes", but was probably bracing himself.  Of course, I was asking if his son is from Ethiopia and he answered "Yes!".  I explained why I asked.  He understood and we started talking.  The baby was smiling at me and looked so happy with his Daddy it just got me all emotional.   Darn it!  I wish I could control that part of me better!  So, I got teary and started the "ugly face" cry for a moment.  My sunglasses couldn't hide the tear on my cheek.  Well, it was a tear of joy for my sweet girl, but also to see such a happy family and baby united.  I hope we will get to know this family better as they live fairly close.  It will be great for our families to know other Eth-Amer Families!  And so the wait goes on.  I am not on pins and needles, but have settled into the extended wait and am trusting the process as best as I can.  But, I can hardly wait!!!!

This weekend the fiddleheads are popping up in our backyard near the stream.  It is so beautiful to see their shapes and the way they appear to be snuggling together.  I just LOVE fiddleheads.  What is so special about them is that they remain fiddleheads for just such a short period before they bloom fully into ferns.  They remind me of children in how fast they change and must be cherished.  And they remind me of a family in how they are all curled together.

Bearing Witness Art show!!!

I am sooo excited!  My piece from "Message from Swaziland" called "Do Not Turn Away" has been selected to show in Chicago's ARC Gallery show Bearing Witness:  Art As Social Action

What an honor...and really it is a dream come true to show in a gallery like this.  It just goes to show anything is possible if you open yourself up to the possibility!  I am over the mooooon!! There are 18 artists total and I am so excited to see their works and the issues that they are bearing witness to. 

I am so happy this piece was selected.  It is one of the most powerful pieces in the series and very meaningful to me.  She was the first mother I encountered in Swaziland and her eyes said to me "Do you see me, do you see this child?  Do you see what is happening here? Do not turn away from what you see here".  I do see and won't turn away.  And now more people will see!

One year and waiting...

One year and waiting for our sweet girl.  It has actually been longer, but it is "officially" one year since we were added to the "list" at the adoption agency.  So many feelings and thoughts are going through my mind..."I know she is out there",  "She must be born",  "What is her first family going through?",  "Is she being cared for and loved?", "Is someone giving her everything she needs?"...and the list goes on.  Many unanswered questions.  My heart always feels heavy in knowing that our daughter and her birth family will have to go through a great loss in order for us to be united with our sweet girl.  It goes without saying...but I feel it should be said and acknowledged.  Our specialist at the agency has given us a heads up that we could get the call anytime between now and the next month and a half.  With that whenever the phone rings I think it could be CHSFS calling with our referral.  I am trying to stay busy and distract myself, but that is also in conflict with my desire to be connected to this process...the good and bad.  So, I am in the middle of that, some days I do better with distracting and other days I do better with connecting.  The phone just rang...Margo...not CHSFS.  See?!  It stops me in my tracks.  ;)  

I took this photo of my beloved orchids that Andy brought home as a surprise for me...likely to bring me joy while we continue to wait for our sweet girl.