tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61148545159383637362024-02-21T23:39:56.548-08:00Zoeller AdventureLauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-31697673317612681032011-08-13T07:10:00.000-07:002011-08-13T07:47:28.580-07:00The Zoeller Adventure takes a big turnFirst and foremost let me just say how much we love and appreciate everyone who has followed our crazy journey. We have laughed, cried, vented, confided and been encouraged with you.
<br />I have put this post off for several weeks only because the healing has been a tough journey for me. I really did not even want to write this post but I only feel that is fair to share with all the people that we have asked to help us through this process. With all that being said, Chris and I have decided to remove our name from the waiting list for the Ethiopia adoption process. Saying it in one sentence seems so simple but that one statement holds so much. I must say that it is one of the hardest and most painful decisions that I have personally made. I really do not feel like going into great detail about our decision since the wounds still are very sensitive for me. There are so many things that I could say but really do not feel as if airing them would be beneficial in any way. What I will say is that International Adoption is hard, sometimes unfair, and should not be entered into without realizing that the the end is not always as you expected.
<br />Chris and I have decided that if we were meant to adopt that we will be open to any opportunity that may arise for us to help. For now we are planning to support family preservation in countries like Ethiopia. This would help children stay with their families instead of being placed for adoption in cases where money is the major deciding factor.
<br />So what now??? For me that is the big question. For over two years I have imagined my life and our family with two beautiful Ethiopian children. I had a really rough night a couple weeks ago where I was very angry. I told Chris that I feel like I opened my hands and my heart two years ago to something very scary. I submitted to what I thought was God's plan for us. Now two and a half years later I stand here empty handed. After uttering those words, I realized that I was not empty handed. I have become very well informed about the reality of adoption and how it is nothing like what had been portrayed to me. I stand realizing that just because you submit, it does not always turn out like you want. My hands are open, my character has been stretched, my heart has been broken but my hands are still lifted and my face is still toward the God who is in control of my life and all the details. Even though this journey did not end like I wanted, I know that God has a plan in all this.
<br />For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11.
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<br />The one thing that I would ask for in all of this is prayer and sensitivity. Just because we have ended our adoption process, it does not mean that the healing process is over. So if I am reserved in answering questions or not willing to talk please extend some grace. If I have a hard time getting excited for other adoptive families just know that it is not personal.
<br />Again, thank you so much for your prayers and support. I am anxious to see where our adventure goes from here. What I will say is that there is never a dull moment. Thanks for loving us, praying for us and being part of our adventure!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-60327351447870792732011-05-08T17:10:00.000-07:002011-05-08T17:19:25.515-07:0016 MONTHSAs the Steve Miller Band would say, "Time keeps on tickin, tickin, into the future! The SMB concert was my first date with Chris. We never have knew those words would be so daunting now? <br />We continue to cross months off with no word or encouragement that anything is going to happen soon. When we signed up to adopt 2 children from Ethiopia the wait was 3 to 12 months. So, if you get a short answer from me, when you ask how things are going, hopefully, you will understand why! <br />I wish I could say that this has all been easy and I would highly recommend it to anyone but right now, I am thinking NOT! I hope something changes my heart because this is not how I intended feeling about this process. <br />So enough of my positive thoughts! Tickin, Tickin, Tickin.........LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-39449591441228636462011-04-28T16:08:00.001-07:002011-04-28T16:11:20.485-07:00Update on the Adoption.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br /><br /><br />And there you have it! You know everything that we know. Nothing, that's right, nothing. We will continue to keep you posted!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-89851203929565200512011-03-18T11:54:00.000-07:002011-03-18T12:42:54.538-07:00Fine, Fine, Fine, Just Fine!!!How could I not be fine, with these two cuties!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiouYvzSONR_zN4fVjoV8lAXQgaTSF034w05bCmkWoAWckxmGe9turabvVc95e2ufqdIXhpzGes9eiEFhzAcbhHolKWB1pS9vfX59IZfb5LF9t1P-9PDLaSTh7ZcFVeJRD9XzQyJk0l3ZN/s1600/03+17_6902X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiouYvzSONR_zN4fVjoV8lAXQgaTSF034w05bCmkWoAWckxmGe9turabvVc95e2ufqdIXhpzGes9eiEFhzAcbhHolKWB1pS9vfX59IZfb5LF9t1P-9PDLaSTh7ZcFVeJRD9XzQyJk0l3ZN/s400/03+17_6902X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585507372671936274" /></a><br /><br />Madie loves to read, even up in a tree!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhyphenhyphenyG6KY9e_PFwY3lLf4QT1Ee63EN9jjzAp2VCbt0G7lwbxsfl4WAU5b1hW0F_kIpy2tLFb_UwnoUJkr5pyw_Ce8vJ4LDhjUKZwZVsigWJ1DzXVydPsTG6LcZlS9QCiAHJXcCIFozjq9W/s1600/03+17_6905X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhyphenhyphenyG6KY9e_PFwY3lLf4QT1Ee63EN9jjzAp2VCbt0G7lwbxsfl4WAU5b1hW0F_kIpy2tLFb_UwnoUJkr5pyw_Ce8vJ4LDhjUKZwZVsigWJ1DzXVydPsTG6LcZlS9QCiAHJXcCIFozjq9W/s400/03+17_6905X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585507149820913058" /></a><br /><br />Max lost another tooth this week. I love this smile!<br /><br />You would think that when you get news that makes you believe that you are at the top of the waiting list for your internationally adoption you would be elated. That would be the case if we had not received altering news that MOWA in Ethiopia was cutting internationally adoptions by 90%.<br />So, needless to say, there have been a lot of people asking how we are doing. The reason it has taken me so long to write this blog is because to be honest, I was not really sure. At first, I teetered between sad, mad, frustrated, disappointed, disbelieving and plain denial. But since I have had time to let this digest,I can say, I am fine, fine, fine, just fine. No, I am not just saying this. Chris and I drove to Indianapolis last week to be re-fingerprinted by Homeland Security for our adoption. To be honest, we wondered why we were even making the trip if our adoption may be years in the future if we even continue the process. This gave us 4 hours to talk about the situation in Ethiopia and what the future looks like for our family. We discussed some really tough things but were very realistic about how things stand. <br />We started this process over 2 years ago and feel as if we have not made much forward progress. So, needless to say, with this news we wondered if we should just cut our losses and move forward. This, to me, did not seem like the right answer. After more discussion we decided to hold on and see what might happen. <br />I must say that I have been wrestling with the decision to hold tight and wait. Part of me just wanted to stop the whole process. I did think about switching programs and again made phone calls about domestic adoption. All of this just kept leading back to the same answer, WAIT. I kept being reminded of the scripture that says: but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. So, wait it is. In my waiting this week, I had this revelation. I have lost my joy. I have lost my joy in the everyday, in the adoption, in all things. I have gotten so consumed with this process that I have failed to see all the blessings that God has given me. I have an amazing family and a incredible life. I have two beautiful children that make my life a kaleidoscope full of emotion. I have a husband that loves me more than I deserve. But most of all I have a Heavenly Father that has given me blessing upon blessing. All of this to say, I am going to start living life again. I realized that I had allowed it to stop all in the name of adoption. No more. I am going to live. If this adoption is meant to be than that is great. We will gladly accept and love the children that God has for us. If it is not meant to be, we will be sad and mourn the loss of what we thought was to be. But no matter what the outcome, I believe that God is showing me that I need to live, for Him. <br />I must say that I have learned more about myself during this journey than I even realized possible. It is more about the journey than the destination. Too bad that I am so stubborn sometimes that it takes me forever to learn these lessons. <br />So, if you ask, as of today, I am fine, fine, fine. Actually, more than fine, I am blessed. So off I go, I have some living to do!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-82430277129671454802011-02-22T13:21:00.000-08:002011-02-22T13:46:48.379-08:00Got the Mojo Magnet<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0I6aT-8sbb95euK53ihWDF81Dl3M6vl0Ir9GaChQzJkDJ1zqOLzagKx1pmBheeRaqG2F-_augsBOxT25IYHsDjcOfsa02m-HColugycog3LBnJWOnhnp4H7Tb9GtR2WqfQKcO_1VsiBT/s1600/02+22_6814.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0I6aT-8sbb95euK53ihWDF81Dl3M6vl0Ir9GaChQzJkDJ1zqOLzagKx1pmBheeRaqG2F-_augsBOxT25IYHsDjcOfsa02m-HColugycog3LBnJWOnhnp4H7Tb9GtR2WqfQKcO_1VsiBT/s400/02+22_6814.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576631857068527890" /></a><br />What a treat today as I opened the mailbox to find an envelope addressed to me from a familiar name in the adoptive blog world. I knew exactly what it was as soon as I saw it and I laughed out loud. My neighbors thought that I was crazy before but even more so now. I could not even make it into the house before opening the manila envelope marked fragile. I knew that this envelope held power. MOJO! This item has some history. Another adoptive mom was so sweet to mail this to the couple that was in front of us on the waiting list. She posted a post about the magnificent magnet and the next day, she got her referral. So I emailed Meg and told her to hand it over. I NEEDED the mojo! I was kidding, kinda. She was sweet enough to get it in the mail right away. So, I am posting this hoping that tomorrow is our day. I would be more than happy to pass this back or on!<br /><br />I love the spelling words in the picture. How about I use them in a sentence. Meg, the teacher, might like this :)<br />I can not wait for the <strong>sight</strong> of our referral!<br />I think about the kids <strong>nightly</strong>.<br />A referral would bring such <strong>delight</strong>.<br />The chances of us getting a referral are <strong>brighter</strong>.<br />We are so ready to take a <strong>flight</strong> to Ethiopia.<br />This wait will no longer <strong>frighten</strong> me!<br />Ok, enough already. :)<br />Follow the magnet below!<br />http://by-dirigible.blogspot.com/ <br />http://kwatkinsinfl.wordpress.com/LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-58838504491865070502011-02-20T16:56:00.000-08:002011-02-20T17:02:15.796-08:00Many SignsThere are many signs that lead us to believe that we may be next on the list for a sibling pair with our agency. We are so excited but trying to keep ourselves contained. We realize that there could be any number of people in front of us that are unaccounted for. They seem to sneek in without anyone knowing about them. However, we are hoping that this is not the case. With that being said, we are sending out a cry for your prayers. PLEASE join us in praying for a quick referral. We are so anxious to get our children home. We feel we are very close but want to also keep things into perspective. So quit reading and start praying, please. Any and every prayers is accepted. I am praying that I can post this week that we got good news. Nothing is too big for God! Thanks for lifting us up!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-71792130237867382302011-02-18T15:44:00.000-08:002011-02-18T15:52:42.950-08:00My Funny Valentines and the Igloo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuR_47uyieItD6rxyc5vM7MSvVd6Grg0Ef8ZP44NrN4Vah7OB3yxE_FCm8YaM4I5r1E63RK8f8mJqUTxNaMMgoutm2zEc3eex_lyJDY6S430H4jHpxEeBMFxX5E8CbINZoQcT1gzSjFlyI/s1600/02+12_6763.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuR_47uyieItD6rxyc5vM7MSvVd6Grg0Ef8ZP44NrN4Vah7OB3yxE_FCm8YaM4I5r1E63RK8f8mJqUTxNaMMgoutm2zEc3eex_lyJDY6S430H4jHpxEeBMFxX5E8CbINZoQcT1gzSjFlyI/s400/02+12_6763.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575181346212622818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpF0miPTinznfz8nwwJEkl7hit95u8OOMlFUMkYNOdyoN-_CLDNAJ6ZK6Pqfz5EJGnP3JrLfMgPp9r9RFvX4__aAcpBW7lruWTjgOPUDoy6iwfSp0LlKCiA3ixS6QqXcEwOrVurnnWD21/s1600/02+12_6768.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpF0miPTinznfz8nwwJEkl7hit95u8OOMlFUMkYNOdyoN-_CLDNAJ6ZK6Pqfz5EJGnP3JrLfMgPp9r9RFvX4__aAcpBW7lruWTjgOPUDoy6iwfSp0LlKCiA3ixS6QqXcEwOrVurnnWD21/s400/02+12_6768.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575181212021781250" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZIXlcOyCNUN8xJiCpLk676uYQwJURgfoaj2eAXWUQIRnhfYOHvGISZqyt_PjNMcAtJJuAX3z-UV004E-z_zUAzf_Os68wY-MJzNrNrPlCjH3xvupXYtbQ1EWJhudTNZD8jbHhvCwdmsG/s1600/02+12_6783.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZIXlcOyCNUN8xJiCpLk676uYQwJURgfoaj2eAXWUQIRnhfYOHvGISZqyt_PjNMcAtJJuAX3z-UV004E-z_zUAzf_Os68wY-MJzNrNrPlCjH3xvupXYtbQ1EWJhudTNZD8jbHhvCwdmsG/s400/02+12_6783.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575181058844193362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdzHkv8fcPUQ-GdxPceEvvYV2C9etAHRF3dkb4OidOaHdu58F_FhrgVzmtmsHjr9VFH0wNoG18RkFc73klwxJ2J-pb7kXzos5sXbijNXIT_NNSYEt6CPUJIkTcKyjoP_f8aZuqJ2g7378/s1600/02+14_6734.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdzHkv8fcPUQ-GdxPceEvvYV2C9etAHRF3dkb4OidOaHdu58F_FhrgVzmtmsHjr9VFH0wNoG18RkFc73klwxJ2J-pb7kXzos5sXbijNXIT_NNSYEt6CPUJIkTcKyjoP_f8aZuqJ2g7378/s400/02+14_6734.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575180894738988370" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhw4BrxjfsB8EMH5X7hyphenhypheni0qE-SILXS7o94kSoahTzOextmG1c_iJzWx1YXeXOn41Sw3UEjBc5vBXoyP6VNK-_xhyphenhyphenqr4a_Ygemgox0gR13Yj1sLFP2eu-QYBk11rCaNvbkcIiZZsA51yVf/s1600/02+14_6736.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhw4BrxjfsB8EMH5X7hyphenhypheni0qE-SILXS7o94kSoahTzOextmG1c_iJzWx1YXeXOn41Sw3UEjBc5vBXoyP6VNK-_xhyphenhyphenqr4a_Ygemgox0gR13Yj1sLFP2eu-QYBk11rCaNvbkcIiZZsA51yVf/s400/02+14_6736.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575180534339007442" /></a><br />Just a few picture updates on what has been going on with us. First we had a great visit with Chris's sister and her family. With all the snow "uncle" Chris decided that he would recruit some help to build an igloo. It was really cool but it only lasted for a day since the temps got above freezing. <br /><br />Next are a couple of pictures from Valentines Day. We had a great dinner as a family. I sure love my family!!!!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-4814294786543820072011-02-15T11:07:00.000-08:002011-02-15T11:22:56.826-08:00<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T_yDWQsrajA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />If you want to watch the video, go to the bottom of the page and stop the music.<br /><br />Well today I realized we have entered into the Groundhog Day phase of our adoption process. Not only do I wake up every morning and wonder if today will be the day, but we have started to repeat things. We are at the stage in our process where our paperwork is expiring which means we have to repeat all of the fun. First up on the list, our fingerprinting in Indianapolis. Next will be our home study, followed by our dossier. Maybe this will give us the opportunity to really enjoy this part of the process this time around:) Since the first time around we were just wanting to get on to the waiting list, which feels like the black hole. We get to enjoy that fact that we can do something again, even if we are only pushing paper. At least we feel like we have a little control again. It removes the daunting fact that time seems to be standing still. So if you have not seen the movie Groundhog Day, I would encourage you to watch it. Just be careful though because you may wake up one day and find yourself in the middle of Groundhog Day. Especially if you decide to adopt.LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-58777441906546205712011-02-07T07:23:00.000-08:002011-02-07T08:00:39.257-08:00Adoption and Football - 13 Months TodayI will start off by telling you that today is 13 months since we officially went on the waiting list with our agency. We began this journey February 21, 2009. For those of you who are not counting like I am, that is 2 years. Or in the land of adoption, FOREVER! So with all of this brewing in my brain as I watched the Super Bowl last night, I could not help but find some similarities in adoption and the game of football. Let me just say that this is my way of dealing with the wait and is my attempt at finding humor is this emotional process. Please do not find offense in some of my analogies. So here you go:<br /><br />At the beginning stages of our process it was a coin toss as to what country and what agency we would end up with. We did not want any false starts, so we researched countries and agencies for about 4 months. After alot of huddle time we chose WHFC and Ethiopia as our game plan. So the ball was punted and the game had begun. Our team was doing well. We were in great shape, we had conditioned and we were strong. Our offense and defense looked great until we hit a mound of paperwork. We felt like we had taken a loss of yards at this point. We knew we had to call a time out and evaluate what our strategy was going to be. This proved to be helpful because we continued play and aggressively barrelled toward the first down. We began to make a lot of forward progress until the first penalty flag was thrown. Off sides was the call and the penalty was that the Ethiopia Program fees would be increased. This penalty hurt but our determination never faltered. On the very next play we experienced a very painful blow. We were sacked and not only were we sacked but it caused us to fumble the ball. There was a penalty called on this play for unnecessary roughness. We were informed that a new rule had been put into place and we would now have to travel to Ethiopia twice now instead of once. We were definitely ready now for our pep talk at half time. We needed to be re energized and find the determination to win this game. I think Laura even needed a bit of oxygen at this point. Back on the field we go and we get a call that we finally think is in our favor. Our agency called us with a possible referral. Not a typical call but one we had to evaluate and make a decision about. After much deliberation and prayer we decided that this play would be too risky for our team. After a lot of blood, sweat and tears we decided to stick with our original game plan. We felt like we had just thrown an incomplete pass. It looked good coming out of the quarterback hands but the timing was off and the ball was sure to be intercepted. At this stage of the game we are determined to continue to rush down the field. We have the end zone in our sights. We feel it is now time for a big play, maybe a quarterback sneak or an onside kick. We are beginning to get tired and we are praying that there are not too many penalties or commercial interruptions to endure. We are looking forward to a long awaited touchdown. And I must warn you, there will be penalty flags flying for the excessive celebration that will follow. I know that our team is going to win this game! We are just hoping this game does not go into overtime!<br /><br />Thank you so much for being our fans. We could not continue to fight as hard as we have without you. You make every yard worth it and we love seeing your excitement as we continue to move the ball. I know it has been a long game but hang in there with us and we will be victors. What a celebration it is going to be! We LOVE our fans!<br /><br />Thanks for humoring me! :)LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-48428092186312868842011-02-04T13:22:00.000-08:002011-02-04T13:43:26.593-08:00~7~<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgdrJSZWU8V5w4JsTjjXHsD4avfYaO6JW6vmW7wkyVwDIGF0M37j-v96ZA4UjKMNlyc1Q4SsBvIQxZrrbLrQZHnf0J0Y1U4nD_5Gj5bXXMWZf73ll3ikt-mNHYtgocbXUMTckv1bbb_4i/s1600/01+30_6457.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgdrJSZWU8V5w4JsTjjXHsD4avfYaO6JW6vmW7wkyVwDIGF0M37j-v96ZA4UjKMNlyc1Q4SsBvIQxZrrbLrQZHnf0J0Y1U4nD_5Gj5bXXMWZf73ll3ikt-mNHYtgocbXUMTckv1bbb_4i/s400/01+30_6457.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569953229168606834" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2NuAsf_EAuPmQypS0uNBqEkaysidRSwpOVCHK5D_aHsjr3n9CLGq_sOg__xNcvYZU_p2EdfNh-cWwuIN3Oc1aEUTAsThuhP3IgKIRY2vCOR2WzSy_gSax8xPcZ9X90Wo-zfOzyR2e9dG/s1600/01+29_6497.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2NuAsf_EAuPmQypS0uNBqEkaysidRSwpOVCHK5D_aHsjr3n9CLGq_sOg__xNcvYZU_p2EdfNh-cWwuIN3Oc1aEUTAsThuhP3IgKIRY2vCOR2WzSy_gSax8xPcZ9X90Wo-zfOzyR2e9dG/s400/01+29_6497.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569952977683246354" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vXpcf-Sqgz-4hf5F_XYUBCB8N9oeYwalbbeO-aPkiQ0DNkbgvvLcUmCjcZbDnX5hP0OhnoUqVeemPEfaVbpBzFVGgf9esSLvO_frB6spbtIZV1_LEWs4tIXH_9BNlP3D0dbc_gFbhPgO/s1600/01+29_6532.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vXpcf-Sqgz-4hf5F_XYUBCB8N9oeYwalbbeO-aPkiQ0DNkbgvvLcUmCjcZbDnX5hP0OhnoUqVeemPEfaVbpBzFVGgf9esSLvO_frB6spbtIZV1_LEWs4tIXH_9BNlP3D0dbc_gFbhPgO/s400/01+29_6532.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569952787366412402" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rXkFJUPYQh3C7mmyTrH_p65x_L_iNRzgrIPD7cwWdU63HdGr44b17EfpUlZmCLVi8HvK1s283wxvCyY8dtUM4t59IbqMYWYmtcPANaxJN_iKnHjpD1U6vyJDgyCVWWT5UesNsqSPCUld/s1600/01+29_6566.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rXkFJUPYQh3C7mmyTrH_p65x_L_iNRzgrIPD7cwWdU63HdGr44b17EfpUlZmCLVi8HvK1s283wxvCyY8dtUM4t59IbqMYWYmtcPANaxJN_iKnHjpD1U6vyJDgyCVWWT5UesNsqSPCUld/s400/01+29_6566.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569952517881714754" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPN5xdA-XnSs5dtk296RVzJGQoLT1Z4dJa54CGSsAEevxxU2YRqvGZH7OkV6mfue5R92kY9ndvWycaeD_KZclKWbrQSn7pi1pshrkXnKBrm5ZVK7EgxEpji3FP7nXrLdXBsepdpA0PXG0/s1600/01+29_6572.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPN5xdA-XnSs5dtk296RVzJGQoLT1Z4dJa54CGSsAEevxxU2YRqvGZH7OkV6mfue5R92kY9ndvWycaeD_KZclKWbrQSn7pi1pshrkXnKBrm5ZVK7EgxEpji3FP7nXrLdXBsepdpA0PXG0/s400/01+29_6572.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569952300290512882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZmP9fqjiR-QvKTxU4bRA_9Q8sJgWdS4TENrkxe89DGPYhp4lKkzUSZ60NvdgiX1fkNnc3tWTq4ZJ0aMK_EPm_NFEJlwTh6dy5rMamlfEUhroZJUqDpfenQhzKyFFzhhuDIm_Jur3Gfvc/s1600/01+29_6573.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZmP9fqjiR-QvKTxU4bRA_9Q8sJgWdS4TENrkxe89DGPYhp4lKkzUSZ60NvdgiX1fkNnc3tWTq4ZJ0aMK_EPm_NFEJlwTh6dy5rMamlfEUhroZJUqDpfenQhzKyFFzhhuDIm_Jur3Gfvc/s400/01+29_6573.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569952059168642802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cP3Fh2T6Kczhfi31-Yg4RwQpfFva3l96TL4i0srtPONzKTl9YQuvnv6nwgk76gFljGxg_4tzXQWSGofxe6FfpNoFVaCesL0qVKvIHxT37vXtlLw-4eDEoHWhEh6bYPWNsSMboyuMOn1a/s1600/01+29_6590.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cP3Fh2T6Kczhfi31-Yg4RwQpfFva3l96TL4i0srtPONzKTl9YQuvnv6nwgk76gFljGxg_4tzXQWSGofxe6FfpNoFVaCesL0qVKvIHxT37vXtlLw-4eDEoHWhEh6bYPWNsSMboyuMOn1a/s400/01+29_6590.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569951750552494946" /></a><br />Well, it is hard to believe that my little boy is 7 years old. So much can happen in 7 years. Since this sweet little boy was born, I decided to leave the world of banking and become a stay at home mom, moved from Louisville to Fort Wayne, decided to add 2 more little ones to our family. <br /><br />So to celebrate 7 years of sweetness we took Max to Legoland in Chicago. He had a great time. It was Star Wars weekend at Legoland, talk about double bonus. Once we had seen all the legos we could we ventured to downtown Chicago. We toured Michigan Avenue, which included a trip to the Lego store. After shopping we went to the Navy Pier. By this point we had worked up a big appetite. We decided to catch a limo from Navy Pier to our car. Max thought this was so much fun! We left and went to Giordanos - our favorite Pizza place in Chicago. <br /><br />We spent the night in Chicago and woke up early so that the kids could swim before we started our trip back home. <br /><br />What a weekend to remember!! I do not think Max will forget it anytime soon!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-90387658055749417232011-01-21T09:36:00.000-08:002011-01-21T09:53:37.804-08:00Look how far we have come - 15 years<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu1wvWE3hfUyfGE4t4BJzSDheKdH40XdxXnjOX-kRb_L_8iVH1La_CM4mdtvi-a4z9OLb7rqmtGh0zXjD-NWYzwacBNJMHxDzLJUJMGNvHuEwrM3Oxv73wjpedeTjWhffuzWxaCIwdVnV/s1600/01+14_6192.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVu1wvWE3hfUyfGE4t4BJzSDheKdH40XdxXnjOX-kRb_L_8iVH1La_CM4mdtvi-a4z9OLb7rqmtGh0zXjD-NWYzwacBNJMHxDzLJUJMGNvHuEwrM3Oxv73wjpedeTjWhffuzWxaCIwdVnV/s400/01+14_6192.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564698016840883426" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzzRm7Sey_fk0QhYkULXv_CAjBERNKNBLZ7XCB8wSPw1ula-mRPvTYY5pahhZ-HRDDQCegsMEiL1Nld5_kivziF-UrPmtlrDtU3tsi-NtK12UPiltKQbz4XN4fae0bkGqr1SFMXigO7ve/s1600/01+13_6216.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzzRm7Sey_fk0QhYkULXv_CAjBERNKNBLZ7XCB8wSPw1ula-mRPvTYY5pahhZ-HRDDQCegsMEiL1Nld5_kivziF-UrPmtlrDtU3tsi-NtK12UPiltKQbz4XN4fae0bkGqr1SFMXigO7ve/s400/01+13_6216.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564697785598352562" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxfYlPqcvHyWErfv3PSiLNMOjElH0n96zYeXS_-n8p4lD3ru8SfxtJJk8Gmft-rATQEraxzTfjTsLi0vffDBdYg1M7zfqh_wIFLrUp7iSQD3JoE3ubU3x_SZ6NmMx4Kozh2C3PkPxqMP-/s1600/01+15_6146X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxfYlPqcvHyWErfv3PSiLNMOjElH0n96zYeXS_-n8p4lD3ru8SfxtJJk8Gmft-rATQEraxzTfjTsLi0vffDBdYg1M7zfqh_wIFLrUp7iSQD3JoE3ubU3x_SZ6NmMx4Kozh2C3PkPxqMP-/s400/01+15_6146X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564697580114934354" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLgh6jxPhQYTQ-yAry_aJZLOWvRWj2R_OAGtTamNMZY6ZKPgxqZ-_Bwzbxo9dJrWVKbyBAnifhJkX8wBlG7O-mCjiJL1nDlFfb8i8MmFzDwG5U-ppBYMiYyN9fuv3IOt_NGLIGTySq4fY/s1600/01+16_5941X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 237px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLgh6jxPhQYTQ-yAry_aJZLOWvRWj2R_OAGtTamNMZY6ZKPgxqZ-_Bwzbxo9dJrWVKbyBAnifhJkX8wBlG7O-mCjiJL1nDlFfb8i8MmFzDwG5U-ppBYMiYyN9fuv3IOt_NGLIGTySq4fY/s400/01+16_5941X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564697249131118754" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_Upv19vyCj4TZygsxtqFDMUpfxIiPYsO6kqnhu3KqAiYLsqqKOoSc4CQz81L4f7-Bmc0ChVVqGzBvOFJHQ73DUCpbqCN3x4ip3J2MCp8bfU-e-9_ARBYLMw7gNu3qeo_sT9iBtxrJX_w/s1600/01+16_6069X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_Upv19vyCj4TZygsxtqFDMUpfxIiPYsO6kqnhu3KqAiYLsqqKOoSc4CQz81L4f7-Bmc0ChVVqGzBvOFJHQ73DUCpbqCN3x4ip3J2MCp8bfU-e-9_ARBYLMw7gNu3qeo_sT9iBtxrJX_w/s400/01+16_6069X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564697020622957362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHof6ewqWUTjtGyUOgtFqfZ_DHtrpV3ULRjKYOSrBiZw0pIB8t3LL-boU5IYBEYdQozFaiwRHUxsLXMflM_iuV9qFXgTv3QHtGEW7tXNhJkgivs-upHUqCR6d1S0ibZBjCcEIyT1ZgOz-/s1600/01+16_6074.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHof6ewqWUTjtGyUOgtFqfZ_DHtrpV3ULRjKYOSrBiZw0pIB8t3LL-boU5IYBEYdQozFaiwRHUxsLXMflM_iuV9qFXgTv3QHtGEW7tXNhJkgivs-upHUqCR6d1S0ibZBjCcEIyT1ZgOz-/s400/01+16_6074.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564696542990090178" /></a><br />Well if you are very close to me, you know that I have always wanted to visit Charleston, SC. Well for many years that has been the standing joke in our house because I have asked and asked and for some reason we always end up vacationing somewhere else. This year for our 15 year anniversary, Chris planned a trip to Charleston with some friend of ours from Louisville. We had a great time even though we were there for a record breaking cold day - seriously it broke records. We did all of the traditional Charleston sights. Rainbow Row, Slave Market, a Carriage ride, Live Oak, the Battery, Boone Hall Plantation, and lots and lots of food. Our condo was on Isle of Palm which was beautiful but a bit chilly. However, we had a very good time and it was great to catch up with our friends. Greg and Teresa both ran in the mini in Charleston on Saturday and I gladly stood on the sideline and cheered them on. <br />While we were there, we had our friend take some pictures of us. This would be proof of 15 years of love and commitment :) This will be one trip that my waistline and I will not soon forget!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-64219114928617389032011-01-18T17:04:00.001-08:002011-01-18T17:25:49.856-08:00How long must we wait???If you do not want the ugly truth about adoption, please stop reading!!! Waiting. Who would have guessed it to be so hard. We have a busy life with 2 great children. People have said that they figured that waiting would not be that difficult for us. I must admit, we do have a great life and our children keep us very entertained. I guess the part that is so hard for us is that our lives are on hold. We had this calling to add to our family and bring two children home and now we wait and wait. It never seems to leave your mind. You always think, will today be the day. 147 million orphans is the claim but it is not as easy to embrace them as you think. As days tick off of the calander, this process becomes very disheartening. You start stalking people in the blog world just to make sense of the wait. Hoping for any sign that your time might come soon. Holidays pass with you wishish that your new children could have been with you and shared in your joy as a family. Any news about Ethiopia and possible changes makes you want to literally throw up. How many fee changes, travel changes, program changes, wait time changes can we endure before we decide this might not be for us? In my heart I feel that we are doing the right thing but with so many people waiting, would these children be adopted even if we did not? Are we truely making a difference or do we just want to feel like we helped? These are the taunting questions that cross my mind. Have we lost it completely? What were we thinking? Then I go to sleep at night and dream about our children and everything seems to be ok. Will these dreams ever become reality. I hear people say that once you have your children that the wait just seems like nothing. I long for that day when I can look back and laugh at how crazy I have become. One foot in front of the other, day by day, minute by minute - We have to make it. I must see your sweet faces. Please Lord, do not let this wait be in vain! So for now we press on eagerly awaiting news, any news! I would settle for happy news for the people ahead of us on the list. Meg, please get a referral soon. Your 14 month wait makes me sad! <br /><br />Thanks for listening, not all days in the process are happy! This is for Meg, this wait can just "suck it".LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-88369233046083857942011-01-04T10:51:00.000-08:002011-01-05T10:47:29.273-08:00Yes we are still here and NO we do not have a referralHappy 2011 to all my blog friends. Wow! 2010 seemed to fly by in many ways and creep along in the adoption world. All in all we had a amazing year. 2010 did not lack in the excitement area. Here is a run down of the short list for 2010:<br /><br />Madie started 2nd Grade<br />Max started 1st Grade<br />Officially went on the waiting list for a sibling pair from Ethiopia<br />We hosted 2 foreign exchange students (Thailand and China)<br />Chris competed in an International Business Plan competition in San Francisco<br />Went to Destin, Florida for Spring Break<br />Zoeller Family trip to Smugglers Notch, Vermont<br /><br />Chris only has 2 more classes left to complete his MBA.<br /><br />We will continue to keep you posted with any adoption news that may transpire. We are headed to Charleston, SC soon so maybe since we are not sitting at home waiting it will happen. I won't hold my breath but it would be great!!!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-86846403346141623502010-11-15T07:23:00.001-08:002010-11-15T08:38:07.530-08:00HOLY Hairnets and Birthday Blessings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8P90ht1rgUMwSiOT3Msuzqwfc5LhBDPmFHcQp7HB7oEPl2FenwNE3XnqJtbvp_Ih7FAcSjdiLRfEcB5LT9IojhN6XvAvgszqZkM_B14ubbO3e58XhfOQpuCbGoLlJY3dusddHGPQggYQx/s1600/11+13_5223.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8P90ht1rgUMwSiOT3Msuzqwfc5LhBDPmFHcQp7HB7oEPl2FenwNE3XnqJtbvp_Ih7FAcSjdiLRfEcB5LT9IojhN6XvAvgszqZkM_B14ubbO3e58XhfOQpuCbGoLlJY3dusddHGPQggYQx/s400/11+13_5223.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539816152584405058" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9Zc_dCRv1l37GX3nn-irwzD_hAQMl-S83GrnhozQWIPavkAdJW9o2imta4bmaGX4uC9Bp3vnUI9fC5QkO5ScRLKtDg3Mh36EA2567FjPjis9z8eZPuOuwWQX3OSV9F2C3tuuwzb6pN_9/s1600/11+14_5206.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9Zc_dCRv1l37GX3nn-irwzD_hAQMl-S83GrnhozQWIPavkAdJW9o2imta4bmaGX4uC9Bp3vnUI9fC5QkO5ScRLKtDg3Mh36EA2567FjPjis9z8eZPuOuwWQX3OSV9F2C3tuuwzb6pN_9/s400/11+14_5206.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539815904557382674" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQ2DWbcwXyrECrgR_sDOUXQRsiiEbbZaSVQj8QxNCR7DmeInDnMXUsXL7Lik04k3XzvKIeRImTpI2vaeDNEaFP6vZn9BxptHDt1h5wrss_r4rahgv_koLPZr0Dm4fESZqPeteLMp_TrhC/s1600/11+14_5195.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQ2DWbcwXyrECrgR_sDOUXQRsiiEbbZaSVQj8QxNCR7DmeInDnMXUsXL7Lik04k3XzvKIeRImTpI2vaeDNEaFP6vZn9BxptHDt1h5wrss_r4rahgv_koLPZr0Dm4fESZqPeteLMp_TrhC/s400/11+14_5195.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539815679187822146" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAAd0EebkPQhcjh-W6Nl7icHG9A9ztnIAq9SaQqdb2nvol-sKxCFkz62m0yUgcW5KokC3Qw6t_ExYw8XxNSe8GVoOaZcF9APMI-ha5BpI6w0tlnyJg3XKDFgYpx8CD_tbAZbTuw-KPgt3/s1600/11+14_5153.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAAd0EebkPQhcjh-W6Nl7icHG9A9ztnIAq9SaQqdb2nvol-sKxCFkz62m0yUgcW5KokC3Qw6t_ExYw8XxNSe8GVoOaZcF9APMI-ha5BpI6w0tlnyJg3XKDFgYpx8CD_tbAZbTuw-KPgt3/s400/11+14_5153.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539815426747300594" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCjbBgBNUdA8-eakkDTJGSkEYQijl760_l9vs4_dKSds4X0dcMvv51D95jTjL2aknTlDZ-UqYvkQX3r0FuO47m_rTBD6pZ123quLiVSo5pzmffr3RHhf3tg8T50In8vQaoymPr0JEBGg_/s1600/11+14_5135_edited-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCjbBgBNUdA8-eakkDTJGSkEYQijl760_l9vs4_dKSds4X0dcMvv51D95jTjL2aknTlDZ-UqYvkQX3r0FuO47m_rTBD6pZ123quLiVSo5pzmffr3RHhf3tg8T50In8vQaoymPr0JEBGg_/s400/11+14_5135_edited-1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539815141319110882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooTRL9lSu2PXhOnL4jvBenNSSinIFKOl_yHrLjEBRaoD1N3DziYH7C-eFotE2wFfsKy6vLftO4-OeXY4end6ZLelM_m3HXymapWUIF5KpgxzavllgFUyFoWQ0pd81qPzHkzY79MaSV-jk/s1600/11+14_5127.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooTRL9lSu2PXhOnL4jvBenNSSinIFKOl_yHrLjEBRaoD1N3DziYH7C-eFotE2wFfsKy6vLftO4-OeXY4end6ZLelM_m3HXymapWUIF5KpgxzavllgFUyFoWQ0pd81qPzHkzY79MaSV-jk/s400/11+14_5127.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539814937488717218" /></a><br />Wow! That is all I can say about our weekend. I got my socks blessed right off of me. We volunteered again this year for the Feed My Starving Children event at Pathway. For those of you who do not know about this organization you can check it out at: www.fmsc.org. Chicken, Veggies, Soy, Rice, feeding children is so nice. Our group packaged 4,752 meals. This is what I want my children to understand, it is about helping others in need, "The least of these". Sometimes you wonder if they get it?? We do small things and hope that they understand. This year, I think that Madison may have understood. Once we were finished packing, the leader for FMSC asked us to gather around the pallets of food and pray for them. Of over the hundred volunteers that were there, my daughter asked to pray for the food and the children. Her heart was so precious and honest. All I could say was, thank you Lord that she gets it. <br />Well, our weekend of blessings continued on Sunday. Our small group from church threw a party for three children from a local homeless shelter. There were many people who came from the shelter to enjoy the festivities. It felt so nice to be able to do something good for these families!<br />As our weekend wrapped up, I could not help but wonder who was more blessed by these activities. I know that I felt awfully grateful to be involved.LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-49784921021550941942010-11-02T16:12:00.000-07:002010-11-02T16:48:20.588-07:0010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgBnxbqUQlHSwmj6zz_FwS4uLM5EDrveqv2Mkuc3WgpFpHkzQJeUZfSH9EfuL21y6orvHjen39obuKhQX3WABoBM7BPNfFrl9E8TnvH52YntLIph_PO0hcyr_SpofMAPYbJXng4vU99nD/s1600/10+23_4400X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgBnxbqUQlHSwmj6zz_FwS4uLM5EDrveqv2Mkuc3WgpFpHkzQJeUZfSH9EfuL21y6orvHjen39obuKhQX3WABoBM7BPNfFrl9E8TnvH52YntLIph_PO0hcyr_SpofMAPYbJXng4vU99nD/s400/10+23_4400X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535102865709001906" /></a><br />Well this week marks the tenth month of our wait. Wow, look how far we have come. Hopefully, no more than 2 months more of waiting to see two sweet faces. We definitely are starting to feel like we are getting close. <br /><br />So, what do we do to keep our minds off all of this waiting. We just keep up with our day by day activities. We just enjoyed a brisk Halloween up in Fort Wayne. We have enjoyed all the fall activities. Leaf diving, pumpkin pickin, pumpkin carving, a fall party, and trick or treating. Although, I could not help but think this year while trick or treating what in the world two little ones from Africa will think of people dressing up in strange clothes with bags filled with candy. From the outside looking in, I must admit, it seems strange. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FBqXyqAG6qOa5YRHoH-g6kBrvGzqtpJMGd2_haSjgpENx_A-KecHAwGt4KWPfMn2IIUQbZLflLm4SUtfJ_V0njzJp8shPSDTqIzRpvRhVsJYySjpeOT3SV_51mtcR5qp7zqz7A9o8mOe/s1600/10+31_4666.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FBqXyqAG6qOa5YRHoH-g6kBrvGzqtpJMGd2_haSjgpENx_A-KecHAwGt4KWPfMn2IIUQbZLflLm4SUtfJ_V0njzJp8shPSDTqIzRpvRhVsJYySjpeOT3SV_51mtcR5qp7zqz7A9o8mOe/s400/10+31_4666.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535101386105511074" /></a><br /><br />Our Ninja and Eskimo<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN6pe0JT68u0LH7x925nLuLye0bDkNxVVkq19FiLqccYzVlDAatl_vodw5xSv1RH-roZuF8kaTz3sTTzuwa8YvUIirDd9lXARfySsFuRJjQEgqayGfuZCME3FpJU-tzhj1kTxbxVyqenS/s1600/10+27_4730.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMN6pe0JT68u0LH7x925nLuLye0bDkNxVVkq19FiLqccYzVlDAatl_vodw5xSv1RH-roZuF8kaTz3sTTzuwa8YvUIirDd9lXARfySsFuRJjQEgqayGfuZCME3FpJU-tzhj1kTxbxVyqenS/s400/10+27_4730.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535100865687043810" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio13K9J-DVNoLK_FmD_iUW8jeNb2SvVx9nNnzeAVynEIcSUYLToof-hHsoXZSTGmK-U5HYiHJo2tmS7EbWwRLvdvg7jh-Uq-zwdWpPQiiIPfU1iKj-3_Jy20nEtDsGcqoiUxUo6P0iEd9T/s1600/10+23_4378X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio13K9J-DVNoLK_FmD_iUW8jeNb2SvVx9nNnzeAVynEIcSUYLToof-hHsoXZSTGmK-U5HYiHJo2tmS7EbWwRLvdvg7jh-Uq-zwdWpPQiiIPfU1iKj-3_Jy20nEtDsGcqoiUxUo6P0iEd9T/s400/10+23_4378X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535098810475282530" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr09luzmVFLc23cq3yrJ-0WIqpSI5bwf-JOhxSiwPpQLw5cfPtx76TBxyndoKgKpNWM1qDDMADOsI4Uqz11UsjG4fXKuYf7zI8GYFCfXR86OT0UrGyj6tYJVgpeFWLe8p9riRT8QxoxLf/s1600/10+23_4341X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr09luzmVFLc23cq3yrJ-0WIqpSI5bwf-JOhxSiwPpQLw5cfPtx76TBxyndoKgKpNWM1qDDMADOsI4Uqz11UsjG4fXKuYf7zI8GYFCfXR86OT0UrGyj6tYJVgpeFWLe8p9riRT8QxoxLf/s400/10+23_4341X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535098485544727074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hJOhfTYusrA4MveOlTQ5q-voBPYWWjpOLz7aUMgqHk2HkSo9f11QWhYdiirp7PUHwNDyCY_G1HVONwcFY3oeNhxHXmpqeuJwkiJm6xxuwu_7ViGD1KwLA4EMq33o50HR_asfLRc1wcNU/s1600/10+23_4342X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hJOhfTYusrA4MveOlTQ5q-voBPYWWjpOLz7aUMgqHk2HkSo9f11QWhYdiirp7PUHwNDyCY_G1HVONwcFY3oeNhxHXmpqeuJwkiJm6xxuwu_7ViGD1KwLA4EMq33o50HR_asfLRc1wcNU/s400/10+23_4342X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535098254245894018" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEM8HEIS13xlAxHt68sMljF0IuUvY2lns77ekFbpfdIh6qgmrc4ZznjdYlY6Tc3Qm86dIZIYgwhohXvWaNf0QweduQPj36lojPCsBKYXYalegZVEL22wuBVI7u7-J_wnoBwxYw21nzHfA/s1600/10+24_4448.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEM8HEIS13xlAxHt68sMljF0IuUvY2lns77ekFbpfdIh6qgmrc4ZznjdYlY6Tc3Qm86dIZIYgwhohXvWaNf0QweduQPj36lojPCsBKYXYalegZVEL22wuBVI7u7-J_wnoBwxYw21nzHfA/s400/10+24_4448.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535097877169264418" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7E0ZlHPbMbI4vDQHOOQ-CGQgjuCDaybH5odxa-xv9UTueQZtosJqeixPqP1MM_ZSpa7e6eb5rzXhjpiNZalPygyeY1MvFZ_7lA5W8k3uBvr-KzEQv-RyrnWP9D2nY29TEC4uYiZXtniN/s1600/10+24_4447.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7E0ZlHPbMbI4vDQHOOQ-CGQgjuCDaybH5odxa-xv9UTueQZtosJqeixPqP1MM_ZSpa7e6eb5rzXhjpiNZalPygyeY1MvFZ_7lA5W8k3uBvr-KzEQv-RyrnWP9D2nY29TEC4uYiZXtniN/s400/10+24_4447.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535097671632125698" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfD3PwQzpi4hfim_XxKVLU8x3oB_ipUF6odddWMjCpqkK4PZaVXuWICAZ3jPMEu899KZbQtu173itjIciJC17gK_Fq-aLCBNBP6tvYUHe4RiWfkcLfQ78z9laci8zJ5EMT_3tlIkGO5LWr/s1600/10+24_4451.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfD3PwQzpi4hfim_XxKVLU8x3oB_ipUF6odddWMjCpqkK4PZaVXuWICAZ3jPMEu899KZbQtu173itjIciJC17gK_Fq-aLCBNBP6tvYUHe4RiWfkcLfQ78z9laci8zJ5EMT_3tlIkGO5LWr/s400/10+24_4451.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535097485521656674" /></a>LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-23714978164231375902010-10-06T17:19:00.000-07:002010-10-06T17:38:31.767-07:00NINE - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Wow, it has been nine months since we were officially placed on the waiting list for our adoption. I must admit that I had hoped that we would at least know who our children were by now. But, God has different plans for us. I think this is the season of my life that I am to learn patience. I did not think I had a problem with this one until we started this process. Wow, the things that you discover about yourself in seasons of waiting. I am a doer, a planner, a list checker and this goes against my instincts. There is nothing at this point that I can do to make this process go any faster. Talk about handing over control. It is helping me to see the bigger picture of God and his will for my life. I feel that I always seem to have the answer and know what God has for me when in fact I have not even listened at all. I have not waited upon the Lord. So, in these past nine months I have started to see the virtue of patience as a vital part of my relationship with my heavenly Father. It is no fun being pruned but I am excited that someday, I may be a beautiful tree that brings glory, honor and recognition to the Gardener of my heart! Snip away my impatience and make me beautiful for YOU, Lord!<br /><br />Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord!<br /><br />The good news in all of this is that we should at least hear of a referral by January. This means that the biggest part of the wait is over. We are so much closer to seeing their sweet faces and holding them in our arms. <br /><br />Thanks for your continued prayer and support. We could not walk this journey without your love and prayer.LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-56686454689151723182010-10-05T10:42:00.000-07:002010-10-05T10:44:26.762-07:00Treasures in Jars of Clay: Stick With Me Till the End, Okay?-A GIVEAWEAY!Sharing a post from a sweet girl who has walked the adoption road to two sweet little girls! <br /><br />She is spreading the word about Adoption Sunday!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://jonandamyg.blogspot.com/2010/10/stick-with-me-till-end-okay-giveaweay.html?spref=bl">Treasures in Jars of Clay: Stick With Me Till the End, Okay?-A GIVEAWEAY!</a>: "I haven’t done a giveaway on my blog. I guess it ties into me being really tight with money. The good news is all that is about to be chang..."LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-87414030146796903392010-09-19T06:13:00.000-07:002010-09-20T05:24:39.309-07:00Fall is in the air!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ws-02x6mV1ZXKEfpIzbsHOG62pkaA5XB3aLotcY9epJSBD5kjG2GtJIv_-RP4SnPCRd_DOp7lU7YT2cCK1yicJeKjFEY1af-zjTcxGJmPNd4KPqTOgyPRB4lJWkf6yKgoIY9Qaytmuzi/s1600/DSC_4240_3170X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ws-02x6mV1ZXKEfpIzbsHOG62pkaA5XB3aLotcY9epJSBD5kjG2GtJIv_-RP4SnPCRd_DOp7lU7YT2cCK1yicJeKjFEY1af-zjTcxGJmPNd4KPqTOgyPRB4lJWkf6yKgoIY9Qaytmuzi/s400/DSC_4240_3170X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518969343056679986" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZByPqt-Q6lWJ9ZH8vewUF1bli1E_mdeJwkWthlzTBhrOUcl4r9o_j5rZuhZIEMao5YwhET89_R_1GKNB5Prbvb5gnYszGn8ZVEfDRy8Wk0GZjMp9XLK2hl_ACVSgpRzoGlMjLYzT-5tE-/s1600/DSC_4241_3171X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZByPqt-Q6lWJ9ZH8vewUF1bli1E_mdeJwkWthlzTBhrOUcl4r9o_j5rZuhZIEMao5YwhET89_R_1GKNB5Prbvb5gnYszGn8ZVEfDRy8Wk0GZjMp9XLK2hl_ACVSgpRzoGlMjLYzT-5tE-/s400/DSC_4241_3171X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518969160237199266" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mGsRfqH3CTMdD-SzxnD0ERiwj4Lc7qe9F8Pxj4iLNE839xUnV2_9owz3drlofORZzPeuUpW5FOxnScGSbj0d3FLfXxV1Ijtag-24Jmeeq43Z-QH9uI1bnoUc9dfjJabaUgCkQbFJJ-BL/s1600/DSC_4247_3177X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0mGsRfqH3CTMdD-SzxnD0ERiwj4Lc7qe9F8Pxj4iLNE839xUnV2_9owz3drlofORZzPeuUpW5FOxnScGSbj0d3FLfXxV1Ijtag-24Jmeeq43Z-QH9uI1bnoUc9dfjJabaUgCkQbFJJ-BL/s400/DSC_4247_3177X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518968757467287234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYy2VJq93Y2jimEPFkdeC3r37L3Snyj3-QQTI4aAPfUfLZ1eJUVbeGvvFP0ghaAGgI9khFZS3MOegH7_rmHKqGK-aooa2tDbnqmA-uD9ksIHZLvmaukGPVVGruko18KquWBu1u2usBreQ/s1600/DSC_4242_3172X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYy2VJq93Y2jimEPFkdeC3r37L3Snyj3-QQTI4aAPfUfLZ1eJUVbeGvvFP0ghaAGgI9khFZS3MOegH7_rmHKqGK-aooa2tDbnqmA-uD9ksIHZLvmaukGPVVGruko18KquWBu1u2usBreQ/s400/DSC_4242_3172X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518968559598991890" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaxNfqamEz2r8sZEfXARjtmJJSuiJNlalFfNKC2AHraSgyOvKHg5tyvbapr-GdnucgnC73Omrh6P93e3vN3sSl5LiwWtpHLz2WRP_ZnyvOO4_ckqogvPm9YMzEvFXfIopGf9tJq13VqGT/s1600/DSC_4244_3174X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaxNfqamEz2r8sZEfXARjtmJJSuiJNlalFfNKC2AHraSgyOvKHg5tyvbapr-GdnucgnC73Omrh6P93e3vN3sSl5LiwWtpHLz2WRP_ZnyvOO4_ckqogvPm9YMzEvFXfIopGf9tJq13VqGT/s400/DSC_4244_3174X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518968283425823762" /></a> ***<br /><br /><br />Well fall seems to come more quickly here than it did in Louisville. So, we thought that it would be appropriate to kick off the season with apple dumplings. This is my Granny's tried and true recipe. It brings back so many memories, the smells and the sight of fresh made dough and apples. I must say that it makes me miss her terribly. I am thankful that I have this recipe to share with Madison and Max and pass on the tradition. It was also fun passing them out to friends and neighbors. Although, they have threatened to take a petition to have me kicked out of the neighborhood, or addition, as they say here. I thought I was doing something nice but they did not really care for the extra calories. Sorry friends! <br /><br />Granny, thanks for such a great recipe and such amazing memories. You will never be forgotten.<br /><br /><br />***Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the finished product. I think we were too interested in eating them. I will try to do better next time.LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-231435833855310972010-09-06T13:21:00.000-07:002010-09-07T10:36:36.377-07:00Weekend with the Carriers and CarsOur long weekend was originally supposed to be hosting Chris' mom, however, see was not able to make it. Once she informed us that she could not make the trip, I called and tried to convince my sister to come for the weekend. It did not take much convincing, she was determined to come. They arrived late Friday night. On Saturday, we decided to go to a parade that they were having in Auburn, Indiana. The Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg(ACD) parade which displayed a number of old ACD cars. The weather was perfect for the parade. The kids enjoyed getting every car in the parade to honk. Everyone knows that Chris likes to do extreme things. He is always trying to do something crazy for his neices and nephews. This trip it was a 29 inch round pizza. I know that does not sound all that large but when we went to pick it up, they had to take it out the side door. We had to tilt it to get it in the sliding door of my van. Of course, Chris' goal was to see if it could all be eaten. Yikes, we did it! Sunday we went to the auto auction which is in conjunction with the ACD weekend. The boys enjoyed seeing and dreaming about all the muscle cars. We always love getting to spend time with my sister and her family. I already miss her like crazy. I can not wait for our next fun weekend together!<br /><OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-21073088e2907a4c height=375 width=425 contentId="21073088e2907a4c"></OBJECT>LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-52399317393430781022010-09-02T10:42:00.001-07:002010-09-02T18:05:42.986-07:00Just to CATCH you up - Almost 8 months of waiting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBmygnnTnSJUxznPi0QN6S5CygkBtG2WGzOmO5nKv1LEWxHkvMFPM6NvDrKj6A-8XS1KVlyloG2Tu1JFJ8nmumnOs26kL3YAZqWjKRk6vgCjJ6CtYGtwI6oKVw4N7VSua2gBGcsEiSexp/s1600/DSC_3998_3061X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBmygnnTnSJUxznPi0QN6S5CygkBtG2WGzOmO5nKv1LEWxHkvMFPM6NvDrKj6A-8XS1KVlyloG2Tu1JFJ8nmumnOs26kL3YAZqWjKRk6vgCjJ6CtYGtwI6oKVw4N7VSua2gBGcsEiSexp/s400/DSC_3998_3061X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512377925300246162" /></a><br />Seems like more and more people lately keep asking, have you heard anything about the adoption??? I guess most people do not realize that things are very quiet in the adoption world until you actually receive a referral. I wish that I had exciting news to share. Unfortunately, for now we just wait. It is not a bad thing with two other sweet children, I am just soaking up all the time I have with them before two more join our family. <br />We got news today that was a bit discouraging. Our social worker seems to think that it may not be until January now before we get our referral. Arrgg! We also found out that another couple who had a referral from another agency lost their little girl this week. She became ill and passed away before they could bring her home. This makes my heart ache. It also scares me. I continue to pray for our children that we do not even know yet. <br />Just a confession, I try to stay busy and enjoy my time but most days on multiple occasions I find myself thinking of sweet little orphan faces from Ethiopia. Will we get a boy and a girl? Two boys or two girls? How old will they be? Can they walk or talk? Are they in diapers? Are they grieving from loss? <br />I also find myself pondering on the things that I may never get to see. Their first smile. Their first tooth, first step, first word. With your own children you get to experience it all. All of these thoughts make me even more anxious to bring our little ones home and cherish every milestone that we will get to share with them. <br /><br />But for now, we wait!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-72961647669026411962010-08-20T05:28:00.000-07:002010-08-20T06:48:18.990-07:00Hello Old FriendHello to all who still follow this random blog. I do not know if anyone reads this or not but for me sometimes it is entertainment and sometimes therapy depending on the day. So much has happened since I last posted. A trip to Vermont, a trip for the kids to Louisville, a trip for Chris and I to Michigan, weekends on the lake with the boat. All of this fun and booom, school had to come and kill all the fun. <br />We had a great time in Vermont with the Zoeller family. The weather was great and the scenery was amazing. I joked that it was not much of a vacation because we hiked, mountain biked and kayaked. I had some sore muscles for a few days. <br />The kids have now started back to school, which seems unreal to me. Madie is in 2nd grade and Max is in 1st grade (which means he is gone all day now). I am struggling with the empty house syndrome. I have talked about all the possibilities for me, photography classes, golf lessons, volunteering but I realize that all of this will be short lived with two more little cuties that hopefully will bless our family soon. So for now, I will just take a deep breath and enjoy a little bit of quiet. Although, I hope our referral comes sooner than later! Our latest update from our social worker is that she thinks that we might get a referral in October. <br />Thanks for staying tuned in to the Zoeller Adventure. We still covet your prayers. <br />Love to all!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsprvI214yPBxhENZV1rHy5Mulrf_w6xGOD-vrM7EKbHHAqYwFTg4ohXPKIx0ShSMD31qwd0es1B8H8IWzVGQMMCAzWVreGGuqYuzu5OyRPBqniVcIttQYq2uLxHshUNAEa4AT_5m4Ekq7/s1600/DSC_3849-edited.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsprvI214yPBxhENZV1rHy5Mulrf_w6xGOD-vrM7EKbHHAqYwFTg4ohXPKIx0ShSMD31qwd0es1B8H8IWzVGQMMCAzWVreGGuqYuzu5OyRPBqniVcIttQYq2uLxHshUNAEa4AT_5m4Ekq7/s400/DSC_3849-edited.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507485478966951026" /></a><br /><br /><em>THE ENTIRE ZOELLER CREW IN VERMONT</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhlM9UzPcf38Nq74ZC-DPB_NoDJh3Z5zzN_wBeoCk_2ft-YqfmiX1RMOx4EygtpAl-xHW02QCJoHxtRLv-BP79c9UfmUetWAQ7YSoLU55nbpGZRWktSR165X2jmDfdL5pjXL5bcIOxH0U/s1600/DSC_3816_2468X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWhlM9UzPcf38Nq74ZC-DPB_NoDJh3Z5zzN_wBeoCk_2ft-YqfmiX1RMOx4EygtpAl-xHW02QCJoHxtRLv-BP79c9UfmUetWAQ7YSoLU55nbpGZRWktSR165X2jmDfdL5pjXL5bcIOxH0U/s400/DSC_3816_2468X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507484932336414242" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXRaaOMhCIBTyGo9R36QrXjMNS7-L_esQJ-kJis7VjZG6iWHZuNxAIREUHD7TU895cm2pm6N13vTH4DQTPtdtXuhyphenhyphenGD8Z3vPPRfhlmiz5J_BVcDW79lC48EgL8dvHDF8EcbJsXJHshQFS/s1600/DSC_3945_2407X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXRaaOMhCIBTyGo9R36QrXjMNS7-L_esQJ-kJis7VjZG6iWHZuNxAIREUHD7TU895cm2pm6N13vTH4DQTPtdtXuhyphenhyphenGD8Z3vPPRfhlmiz5J_BVcDW79lC48EgL8dvHDF8EcbJsXJHshQFS/s400/DSC_3945_2407X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507479500687193090" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-PkoNakoIS4MJRVu7XF-7RiPMDC6-78sYFZPboWLk3_68q84pjE3CMRTEQRqdQarxT26_jRdYSNfc5DgDAXOtseNWC-TotDbU-sESWUTfJsK6FVYQkPrJkU_MdDDOL-pA3HUhjCreJ94/s1600/ZFV+E+(200).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-PkoNakoIS4MJRVu7XF-7RiPMDC6-78sYFZPboWLk3_68q84pjE3CMRTEQRqdQarxT26_jRdYSNfc5DgDAXOtseNWC-TotDbU-sESWUTfJsK6FVYQkPrJkU_MdDDOL-pA3HUhjCreJ94/s400/ZFV+E+(200).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507478117790340386" /></a><br /><br /><em>ULTIMATE FRISBEE FUN! CHECK OUT THE SCENERY</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbuCKfIPR8fiKJivlFldSUvlxsC5hsQGkj_WbPEjHm8h6ptriA27pVn3AENF8IFtlEOZ-6YIFT2RKzpFIDSpm6CSjxCpanRv-tw6W91OVI7LCFaNeG_tYI_0tuTJpigRK8MjBsS0ji_8u/s1600/ZFV+E+(174).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbuCKfIPR8fiKJivlFldSUvlxsC5hsQGkj_WbPEjHm8h6ptriA27pVn3AENF8IFtlEOZ-6YIFT2RKzpFIDSpm6CSjxCpanRv-tw6W91OVI7LCFaNeG_tYI_0tuTJpigRK8MjBsS0ji_8u/s400/ZFV+E+(174).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507477589192186402" /></a><br /><br /><em>ZOELLER FAMILY KARAOKE - YIKES, IT WAS NOT PRETTY</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKseQ_AbM9oSL51CbCabMawbdNH6ypvQQY8yeCh2USekcjXXS0LIiQ07G0VMhUnZwZjFTczzEU6R6TPEUsSY0Kla403-g439lAOmM-jwGJXp8qnB_SBlpmu0YXZ1SS0QXaVxMJifFegPIM/s1600/ZFV+E+(21).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKseQ_AbM9oSL51CbCabMawbdNH6ypvQQY8yeCh2USekcjXXS0LIiQ07G0VMhUnZwZjFTczzEU6R6TPEUsSY0Kla403-g439lAOmM-jwGJXp8qnB_SBlpmu0YXZ1SS0QXaVxMJifFegPIM/s400/ZFV+E+(21).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507476585104067394" /></a><br /><br />JARED - DID NOT WIN THE WATER BALLOON TOSS BUT I LOVE THIS PICTURE<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hnAk7a7f0YE1xPIzDw4T8tVt_7WiIOlceLUchFnXjePSM02LQ_XEZpQFEnKwm9pJVKWtJWgzACFLXsQelf5wHR3Yr4CMoc-ZV5bbTFv2WTuhxKGCuZ2T3Pps-1rW8fPVk5aARekTvo5Y/s1600/DSC_3810_2463X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hnAk7a7f0YE1xPIzDw4T8tVt_7WiIOlceLUchFnXjePSM02LQ_XEZpQFEnKwm9pJVKWtJWgzACFLXsQelf5wHR3Yr4CMoc-ZV5bbTFv2WTuhxKGCuZ2T3Pps-1rW8fPVk5aARekTvo5Y/s400/DSC_3810_2463X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507475951373161026" /></a><br /><br /><em>YES, THIS IS ME! THOUGHT THAT I WAS AFRAID OF HEIGHTS BUT THE MAN INFORMED ME THAT WAS NOT TRUE. HE SAID YOU ARE AFRAID OF FALLING - OK, YOU ARE RIGHT!!!</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eWDx4wV-TUQlBQQa7e8k77Ug2wrJ8mGw3Q5SmSm9ccc_ieZkypCeDK1S3Vf8aTWY-zWLJBe0Dnmu0or2El08QsCX4HC8RYMin0IVHjx4Y4Vw2Aqd3giB0400hWCR8Xz7Ypibq2Gsvft-/s1600/DSC_3787_2449X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eWDx4wV-TUQlBQQa7e8k77Ug2wrJ8mGw3Q5SmSm9ccc_ieZkypCeDK1S3Vf8aTWY-zWLJBe0Dnmu0or2El08QsCX4HC8RYMin0IVHjx4Y4Vw2Aqd3giB0400hWCR8Xz7Ypibq2Gsvft-/s400/DSC_3787_2449X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507475681947764562" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5I32gmjpY-AvatmbL7x-PZqPWSQmlOAmXzDoZV3TSlG8eAJn4q63JpMyeDV8mpAnUN4qp9W4hYXqLFAiA5l54uKllzGd5ak7DUGPvz_R_N_DXTrg0zLLbi2gOfGJmpGdVSTOvwCknLh1F/s1600/DSC_3689_2571X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5I32gmjpY-AvatmbL7x-PZqPWSQmlOAmXzDoZV3TSlG8eAJn4q63JpMyeDV8mpAnUN4qp9W4hYXqLFAiA5l54uKllzGd5ak7DUGPvz_R_N_DXTrg0zLLbi2gOfGJmpGdVSTOvwCknLh1F/s400/DSC_3689_2571X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507475054128371570" /></a><br /><br />HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I AM A LITTLE COMPETITIVE? THE FACE SAYS IT ALL<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEYKeGpfHuX18z2zzIakomOtv-wjaAhu0mSO5sc2pTSm1sYQJyBejEeJHyyR1EbL1QGPaRfI15nm6vkIG3jVTnsOMJKqTm7fa__Nmizi4tMNUvcTXmh2klXGvyN6Qi3jdyveXtdDejsQM/s1600/DSC_3643_2854X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEYKeGpfHuX18z2zzIakomOtv-wjaAhu0mSO5sc2pTSm1sYQJyBejEeJHyyR1EbL1QGPaRfI15nm6vkIG3jVTnsOMJKqTm7fa__Nmizi4tMNUvcTXmh2klXGvyN6Qi3jdyveXtdDejsQM/s400/DSC_3643_2854X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507484232894910466" /></a><br /><br />DADDY AND MAX GETTING READY TO BATTLE<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOEZfltHrALbO_h2rRhtMVBZv7a2J6f-gI9twVHGeQoRRaI8pFY0X8BFqalWkYyWhZKz581QfFu4XYzxiB9IYYCRx2q9BEqA9TedrZB_tHHSoU4DpnIA0GAChyphenhyphen9FN2nvoIdnvVYsIb8IG/s1600/DSC_3506_2759X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOEZfltHrALbO_h2rRhtMVBZv7a2J6f-gI9twVHGeQoRRaI8pFY0X8BFqalWkYyWhZKz581QfFu4XYzxiB9IYYCRx2q9BEqA9TedrZB_tHHSoU4DpnIA0GAChyphenhyphen9FN2nvoIdnvVYsIb8IG/s400/DSC_3506_2759X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507483721678106994" /></a><br /><br />THE ONLY ONE TO RING THE BELL<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupsBWOQs4p8VkoTCKeV2igNtfcJMdvQZjH0ay-XS4DZCp1c-pRAEowzl1owfIFM4RBwbAH4e7Pd1MOl-xJNO39GGQxSqC7lOHE_bXGZSIN2UOnXMtET5FYIjF7Bu2h_EZD6plhrSdcErp/s1600/DSC_3599_2822X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupsBWOQs4p8VkoTCKeV2igNtfcJMdvQZjH0ay-XS4DZCp1c-pRAEowzl1owfIFM4RBwbAH4e7Pd1MOl-xJNO39GGQxSqC7lOHE_bXGZSIN2UOnXMtET5FYIjF7Bu2h_EZD6plhrSdcErp/s400/DSC_3599_2822X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507483391508136002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWt9V_XIPJLozVQggcdhS0-5EIU3_5uhEUWLeva6QEBsfHIsmyO7JU0J5Rsvgkm1L1gJXH7pAnQ8SKzQlm0tAC5Iml0a16ynYi1dBjVh-xKdQx59mUDCb9oKNCU0lyYnATJ9ZfPSL72e3J/s1600/DSC_3608_2829X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 362px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWt9V_XIPJLozVQggcdhS0-5EIU3_5uhEUWLeva6QEBsfHIsmyO7JU0J5Rsvgkm1L1gJXH7pAnQ8SKzQlm0tAC5Iml0a16ynYi1dBjVh-xKdQx59mUDCb9oKNCU0lyYnATJ9ZfPSL72e3J/s400/DSC_3608_2829X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507482768795715826" /></a><br /><br />CHRIS'S GOAL IN WHEEL BARREL RACING IS TO TAKE OUT HIS COUSINS - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHI7Li6Izh6qRtFxT_rY3_WPr9XrRZVNeZwu3w508OFexXfChjTOKMXK1lB0svwLlOZ9FnDmXzz8Zp8dhT3SXANPUUn9zOzgz82TaguwYMX9t7ttW1XgtRxzV-WFZ6QVvXTE1ZFiqJ1Kb/s1600/DSC_3617_2835X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHI7Li6Izh6qRtFxT_rY3_WPr9XrRZVNeZwu3w508OFexXfChjTOKMXK1lB0svwLlOZ9FnDmXzz8Zp8dhT3SXANPUUn9zOzgz82TaguwYMX9t7ttW1XgtRxzV-WFZ6QVvXTE1ZFiqJ1Kb/s400/DSC_3617_2835X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507482545864254514" /></a><br /><br />LOOK AT THOSE CUTE LITTLE CRABS<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MVTxvsclCgGbtrtOFAEVz9t8Zz7SIb8AicSCjF9OJccwyp59dOKpcRmiIRbr2HAOBqFjzMGeBPsdZkM0qevGTxAf6Wu0uCZ8dr_qLUm7b9YBnjzSee9nSp0DK3yZhJFvMC-Sw9h9OkWs/s1600/DSC_3574_2808.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MVTxvsclCgGbtrtOFAEVz9t8Zz7SIb8AicSCjF9OJccwyp59dOKpcRmiIRbr2HAOBqFjzMGeBPsdZkM0qevGTxAf6Wu0uCZ8dr_qLUm7b9YBnjzSee9nSp0DK3yZhJFvMC-Sw9h9OkWs/s400/DSC_3574_2808.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507482296676183570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgV1hdAcOgszl2no29CZXqtnz7p5YkZYgFNbmhCU5nWVbrLWojTmMcfp8-ATltwSN9E4RU2FYWX07MpB9ER4FE4d4oQx7Tt51sF7fzqbDXk7ZiJxxS1H4n5YRO7V6YMu8k-LX-oLeT0zYI/s1600/DSC_3569_2805X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgV1hdAcOgszl2no29CZXqtnz7p5YkZYgFNbmhCU5nWVbrLWojTmMcfp8-ATltwSN9E4RU2FYWX07MpB9ER4FE4d4oQx7Tt51sF7fzqbDXk7ZiJxxS1H4n5YRO7V6YMu8k-LX-oLeT0zYI/s400/DSC_3569_2805X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507481947930599506" /></a><br /><em>NOTHING ANYMORE FUN THAN BEING A KID FOR A DAY - PEDDLE CAR RACES, SACK RACES, WHEEL BARREL RACES</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSsE8jJRJXmOVrQUCerDgjoLM6RFs9hbPSjswGjYnzSbjqIxq_x14y-EyiA2KRRDsBP4QWptqhMODt5EPLkeHjKmMk14xlMKWgA_UE3WwctJwfrUUuCf0seyhHJP-_G2jbbiQ9TvfoNdx/s1600/DSC_4068_3000.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSsE8jJRJXmOVrQUCerDgjoLM6RFs9hbPSjswGjYnzSbjqIxq_x14y-EyiA2KRRDsBP4QWptqhMODt5EPLkeHjKmMk14xlMKWgA_UE3WwctJwfrUUuCf0seyhHJP-_G2jbbiQ9TvfoNdx/s400/DSC_4068_3000.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507480341059757698" /></a><br /><br />MY BIG 2ND GRADER<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLrpxdzCWeBNXm2knc2HelHBWNSOoraNmngcxkNRK3KRUEXZ97eSyVs3NpvZ4znGssc5XpL3Q-Ia_hTrLSlVWJLkdyXlSDHL9sEEbohqDMkhxQV660kdxDiLbBPJXRAO_L5xsPjXdXLt2/s1600/DSC_4076_3008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLLrpxdzCWeBNXm2knc2HelHBWNSOoraNmngcxkNRK3KRUEXZ97eSyVs3NpvZ4znGssc5XpL3Q-Ia_hTrLSlVWJLkdyXlSDHL9sEEbohqDMkhxQV660kdxDiLbBPJXRAO_L5xsPjXdXLt2/s400/DSC_4076_3008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507479833056442882" /></a><br /><br />I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT HE IS A 1ST GRADERLauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-53866739881842706212010-07-08T18:41:00.000-07:002010-07-08T19:08:31.680-07:00Louisville<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUmCM6LVNi9N87kQ8eyn6XucNkRISFNBrDcWOA7Si9ec8lKXorKc-K2i9JyaRuJx7UekeplihsWkF3xwV7UBSSfueExus1YL1rM1E61o4Wyx4km32c4I0iV5t3_dNZc0eTtfB2os0tu2P/s1600/DSC_2958_2398X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUmCM6LVNi9N87kQ8eyn6XucNkRISFNBrDcWOA7Si9ec8lKXorKc-K2i9JyaRuJx7UekeplihsWkF3xwV7UBSSfueExus1YL1rM1E61o4Wyx4km32c4I0iV5t3_dNZc0eTtfB2os0tu2P/s400/DSC_2958_2398X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491721834729562546" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjois4kU0k-IjSEIEIpwVRT9CgIqsOHNGNZ5sQzYWBvDoFfZx1kinlLC7y1ywLZYdJ7zZYjLEiHpGSqfR1391dQexLbXTF3fD7WR5gp4MVf2gF7uBfrG19Nhli5P3E7I28VLYB3XkWwLPQj/s1600/DSC_2868_2322X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjois4kU0k-IjSEIEIpwVRT9CgIqsOHNGNZ5sQzYWBvDoFfZx1kinlLC7y1ywLZYdJ7zZYjLEiHpGSqfR1391dQexLbXTF3fD7WR5gp4MVf2gF7uBfrG19Nhli5P3E7I28VLYB3XkWwLPQj/s400/DSC_2868_2322X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491721599094768098" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBGUy6jS_KenLKJhgzJrUHSoHe8w6b4_5GtjylmwTQBxd8HjDFrgrPGCBfMC9e5wrtPSbGkjuOL3pNcAX28EEckYyWhyphenhyphennbcu2cX84ISN-EFQ98w_b8D3wQgxgzkPfyaMntYBWUh9r_Lmk/s1600/DSC_2999_2268X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBGUy6jS_KenLKJhgzJrUHSoHe8w6b4_5GtjylmwTQBxd8HjDFrgrPGCBfMC9e5wrtPSbGkjuOL3pNcAX28EEckYyWhyphenhyphennbcu2cX84ISN-EFQ98w_b8D3wQgxgzkPfyaMntYBWUh9r_Lmk/s400/DSC_2999_2268X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491721197042943666" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstHea5HBYhQoEfGlxK-pd0U6M6QqP0qf0qQYxAHQX36Vr6C463i3QxuwQQnT1YYpu9aGmzcq3C92C2TKdCn5CgO0J8527MBZERV1HqWbwJdWNq-TonMX2j1MiqnWxHggmPJSiqy6m1exr/s1600/DSC_3048_2244.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstHea5HBYhQoEfGlxK-pd0U6M6QqP0qf0qQYxAHQX36Vr6C463i3QxuwQQnT1YYpu9aGmzcq3C92C2TKdCn5CgO0J8527MBZERV1HqWbwJdWNq-TonMX2j1MiqnWxHggmPJSiqy6m1exr/s400/DSC_3048_2244.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491720596338258114" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFooZVM25hrWnvMva38_r_P_0H73JCAMJ4YkDiFNEFUTNBXNSAZ3pklBAi4_Rozv8XgsfqJtoHylvu7RPntRWsDxWK8rgjEB6elSX3bfNDEuYDBWMABk-HtjeoXuiNC8ApmCn7kXCSTDn/s1600/DSC_3057_2238.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFooZVM25hrWnvMva38_r_P_0H73JCAMJ4YkDiFNEFUTNBXNSAZ3pklBAi4_Rozv8XgsfqJtoHylvu7RPntRWsDxWK8rgjEB6elSX3bfNDEuYDBWMABk-HtjeoXuiNC8ApmCn7kXCSTDn/s400/DSC_3057_2238.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491720099570123058" /></a><br />Well I decided a couple of months ago that I was going to make a trip to Louisville this summer once the kids were out of school. I had several people that I wanted to visit with (sorry to the ones that I did not make it to see, maybe next trip). I never seem to have enough time, so I planned for a week this time. Guess what, it still was not enough time. The beginning of our week was to attend the wedding of Chris' cousin Amy. On Saturday we attended the wedding which included family and lots of dancing for the kids. Max once again showed off his moves. Sunday, we celebrated Chris' dad's birthday. Then Chris headed home and we stayed behind to visit and play for the remainder of the week. We stayed with my sister so I could spend as much time with her and my niece and nephews as I could. I had such good intentions for the week but my plans were altered due to some unforeseen events. Max had to make a unexpected trip to the dentist. He had an accident at VBS the week before in which his teeth collided with another boys head. By Monday of the following week his teeth began to turn dark gray (not good). To make a long story short, Max had to have his two front teeth extracted. Not to mention, this was on the same day that I went to the International Travel Clinic and received 5 of the 7 shots needed for Ethiopia. Between the two we lost a good two days of visits. However, everyone has recovered and Max looks pretty cute without his teeth. <br />We spent the remainder of our week swimming, visiting and missing Daddy. <br />The week flew by and now we are back to Fort Wayne preparing for a family trip to Vermont. This is the big Zoeller Family trip. We are going to Smugglers Notch. I am sure there will be pictures and stories to post.<br /><br />By the way, we have been on the waiting list for 6 months now. If I were actually pregnant we would have an ultrasound by now and I would know what we were having. I just wish I knew. But we still wait - patiently or not. For those of you who know me this is not my strong suite!!! Thanks for the continued prayers and sharing this adventure with us.LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-43510981649143846232010-06-17T18:02:00.000-07:002010-06-17T18:19:55.942-07:00Fun in the Sun!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxENLXLtPX2pDMi_48zlmf4mly6bprnRStsE9RfIwkPAjbbJ4ubBS_gXDP2vWucXRCKBwuxlqhevj9lJCqnKIdiGQRrHDqcAOgVrIMPgAtuRAkdvTHRtn9KS_hHraa5SHcgY5T3NWBv9H0/s1600/DSC_2638_2012X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxENLXLtPX2pDMi_48zlmf4mly6bprnRStsE9RfIwkPAjbbJ4ubBS_gXDP2vWucXRCKBwuxlqhevj9lJCqnKIdiGQRrHDqcAOgVrIMPgAtuRAkdvTHRtn9KS_hHraa5SHcgY5T3NWBv9H0/s400/DSC_2638_2012X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483916946169579410" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy1oacKHzAkJz1zH9MdpAhyXSgX43d__-ldMyWcnQsqWl97yImHLUxmuBaVBhOuprQEhZz130MYFbjlLp-RAMkrtVN0KoCzJ0hLGjDXqXhfUqm4TyiU49JoC0nPp6xFSt4X2-xHni1tZ1/s1600/DSC_2687_2052X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy1oacKHzAkJz1zH9MdpAhyXSgX43d__-ldMyWcnQsqWl97yImHLUxmuBaVBhOuprQEhZz130MYFbjlLp-RAMkrtVN0KoCzJ0hLGjDXqXhfUqm4TyiU49JoC0nPp6xFSt4X2-xHni1tZ1/s400/DSC_2687_2052X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483916710266158610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOXvhX8DS5sUCV6jG6Ux1DbcNSnR2veMTJJJ9vv_WTwCsrr7I_6Zop5aFBON9GN1q1T79aDqzRzc2jrhCktI47itnu-HHsz54kBZilUjSjD84eVUH8E1Cotpr7jAoUXNfUdNhDbwTa8R4/s1600/DSC_2703_2054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOXvhX8DS5sUCV6jG6Ux1DbcNSnR2veMTJJJ9vv_WTwCsrr7I_6Zop5aFBON9GN1q1T79aDqzRzc2jrhCktI47itnu-HHsz54kBZilUjSjD84eVUH8E1Cotpr7jAoUXNfUdNhDbwTa8R4/s400/DSC_2703_2054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483916319126767346" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXLZXy3AloyGfYJNai-nq29o8m-SZyaGZz0CwTMMbya9wZTtVH35xfUB6lG9fsnLbohFLMETDO2HGpUnM9HubmM5gRkGPk9rEcDix-Hx1abzHfsuoVOzeeCPuQ_41VAGFanm668ARc2uh/s1600/DSC_2720_2070.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXLZXy3AloyGfYJNai-nq29o8m-SZyaGZz0CwTMMbya9wZTtVH35xfUB6lG9fsnLbohFLMETDO2HGpUnM9HubmM5gRkGPk9rEcDix-Hx1abzHfsuoVOzeeCPuQ_41VAGFanm668ARc2uh/s400/DSC_2720_2070.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483915761175550258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSus7nMIGkFnNf7iUiikvqqRBdBWMkbnP0EGRxSdqHjDjrncIv94ew2d_jXyLiL971CcNrfpIUcQSH4IHDX7Qb5BiWua4-qwCKz8bIKjkjy2qf4UbKE6n4gWmVG0c1a9gfaPssxpV1lbks/s1600/DSC_2728_2078.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSus7nMIGkFnNf7iUiikvqqRBdBWMkbnP0EGRxSdqHjDjrncIv94ew2d_jXyLiL971CcNrfpIUcQSH4IHDX7Qb5BiWua4-qwCKz8bIKjkjy2qf4UbKE6n4gWmVG0c1a9gfaPssxpV1lbks/s400/DSC_2728_2078.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483914773822022770" /></a><br />Our house feels very quiet now that we are down to four people again. Madie and Max have been sad the last several days since Tami and Pam are now gone. I have found Max all alone sobbing because he missed the girls so much yesterday. Talk about breaking a moms heart. So, I decided that we needed to have a little fun. I found just what would turn those frowns upside down - a three person, racing, slip and slide. Magically, I got some smiles! <br /><br />We also went to our local library where they had craft making and a visit from Olivia the pig.LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-33928123133722131562010-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:002010-06-13T13:11:24.560-07:00Leavin On A Jet Plane<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1yy_hH8Yl9YY4I9c3TToRAVhCsDSXo3Lq0AmLaQY4szofv_c18tdTKiMaqawY_FZqB0xp0jVJL-gj2NHiqLq5pRMt3p4f9sHFVONmtSa-rf4fqiMY951kxF8Qofy_Tz9drBNYYaAM3ML/s1600/DSC_2418_1794_edited-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 323px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1yy_hH8Yl9YY4I9c3TToRAVhCsDSXo3Lq0AmLaQY4szofv_c18tdTKiMaqawY_FZqB0xp0jVJL-gj2NHiqLq5pRMt3p4f9sHFVONmtSa-rf4fqiMY951kxF8Qofy_Tz9drBNYYaAM3ML/s400/DSC_2418_1794_edited-1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482349620743328866" /></a><br /><br />Well as I write this post, my heart is aching. I have officially said goodbye to both of my exchange students. It is amazing how attached you can get in 5 months. I must say that saying goodbye to Pam this morning was hard for me and my family. She was such a joy to have in our home. We will have a hard week adjusting back to a 4 person family. Maybe this will only be for a short time! Thanks for everyone who took the time to get to know Pam and Tami. I know that they really enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you. <br /><br />The one thing that I have learned in life is that it is far better to have love and lost than to not have loved at all. This has been fun to explain to Madie and Max today. But the crazy thing is, they understood it! <br />May God Bless Pam and Tami where ever their journey takes them! We are so happy to have been a part of it.LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114854515938363736.post-38577198060191167822010-06-08T18:53:00.000-07:002010-06-08T19:34:20.096-07:00Hello Again BlogSorry that I have taken such a long break from my blogging. It has been a little crazy with the Zoellers. We had to say goodbye to Tami last week. But in return I picked up my niece and nephew for the week. Never a dull moment at our house. We are trying to get lots of practice before having 4 of our own. <br /><br />Saying goodbye to Tami was hard. However, saying goodbye to Pam this Sunday is going to be heartbreaking. I think that the last 5 months have flown by and I wish I had more time with the girls. I keep telling Pam that she can not leave and threatening things like kidnapping. I know that Madie and Max are going to have such a hard time with both the girls being gone. With that being said, hopefully a referral will come soon from Ethiopia. <br /><br />We have had a lot of fun over the past several weeks. We went camping for Memorial Day weekend which was an adventure all on its own. Lets just say we made our food contribution to the local raccoon population. My nephew, Matthew, said we are in big trouble because the signs clearly say, "Feeding Raccoons is strictly prohibited". I told him that we did not willingly give up our food that it was stolen. We had good intentions for the weekend but the boat had other plans. This was the first big outing for the year so it did not feel like running. Oh well, it was great to spend time with my sister and her family and a few thousand mosquito's.<br /><br />As for the rest of the happenings I will fill in with pictures.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx97DTd9oASkXqIXqLr0pEJcKy4PDnhQqq0yjaDQHFjnbwCcQgSw5f_1EJGgDhqxADK-lSKsLUHIPk1sutRbomtnNjxLBLKWYHygmQYQ_8GY3nFw-Xtr11fO5_j4H3vBQ3z49Icdb1Hzii/s1600/DSC_2411_1727X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx97DTd9oASkXqIXqLr0pEJcKy4PDnhQqq0yjaDQHFjnbwCcQgSw5f_1EJGgDhqxADK-lSKsLUHIPk1sutRbomtnNjxLBLKWYHygmQYQ_8GY3nFw-Xtr11fO5_j4H3vBQ3z49Icdb1Hzii/s400/DSC_2411_1727X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480591762170056610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIpJ00Gr-kSL8bTOMXGec16-02Mm1ZOjzbOkuqzoHX2tMzUaSkL3KkLQvtbLYpeIJi5BQ0SdJXlYyOihmhHhgNEaY5971iQ2adpPAyFiqJzYjr8FU4QpLGjzZNJIFjD5Ihxjr9-Orplui/s1600/DSC_2365_1682X.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIpJ00Gr-kSL8bTOMXGec16-02Mm1ZOjzbOkuqzoHX2tMzUaSkL3KkLQvtbLYpeIJi5BQ0SdJXlYyOihmhHhgNEaY5971iQ2adpPAyFiqJzYjr8FU4QpLGjzZNJIFjD5Ihxjr9-Orplui/s400/DSC_2365_1682X.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480591455984207810" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1D8-EDV1jj8eiskmTda8d8njzYW2pUnXsFTUdiKGTHTSCgmpBEer9kXaMvpB5xoroCJQPw7CXQXOjjrKW_91-lQILK7C5wNOM_Gy3tqtJprVPsRlBTO3IHX0jSEgmPE35SGBMlF792G4U/s1600/DSC_2343_1665.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1D8-EDV1jj8eiskmTda8d8njzYW2pUnXsFTUdiKGTHTSCgmpBEer9kXaMvpB5xoroCJQPw7CXQXOjjrKW_91-lQILK7C5wNOM_Gy3tqtJprVPsRlBTO3IHX0jSEgmPE35SGBMlF792G4U/s400/DSC_2343_1665.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480595214312066162" /></a><br />Pam and Tami go to prom<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYuWyDfBH6Q4q47Da8r2kACRP6mPfH0QhLxjJqFSjokrmQkxxXADbZhp1ft6AjD95zvW1lIOjXBuLCUyuI7lExlmhXxPN8N16YlVJJSOASSKqL1_meTKYay1E_bual-v5FkoIYnR-Zq-0/s1600/DSC_2603_1927.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYuWyDfBH6Q4q47Da8r2kACRP6mPfH0QhLxjJqFSjokrmQkxxXADbZhp1ft6AjD95zvW1lIOjXBuLCUyuI7lExlmhXxPN8N16YlVJJSOASSKqL1_meTKYay1E_bual-v5FkoIYnR-Zq-0/s400/DSC_2603_1927.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480590311098514962" /></a><br />The Camping Crew<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOINACT7lMiFp4xcoIvXNv2jYC0Xt5V7BMHKN3TsP_RcWEd7hP0A7hEQNqfVNBCqroEvn_Kab8VawRjlCx5WnF36WBuJVtNve7TbkcEukR5lr511uDqd9nWETrB-yIoii4xoBE0letBeN/s1600/100_0626_1964.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOINACT7lMiFp4xcoIvXNv2jYC0Xt5V7BMHKN3TsP_RcWEd7hP0A7hEQNqfVNBCqroEvn_Kab8VawRjlCx5WnF36WBuJVtNve7TbkcEukR5lr511uDqd9nWETrB-yIoii4xoBE0letBeN/s400/100_0626_1964.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480589883333779410" /></a><br />Fort Wayne Childrens Zoo with Josh, Hannah, Pam, Madie and Max<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9XCvX6zGiUSnEntuMTAcHTWnlXSIDj48AZRYjcGwKzCdRh7Q7fMAHJLMg91vkOv_BmnN7A03S0YJG5sTA7vtlRt0v75j-J-rvuZZRs61_0ztD9vCCSbm5LfSYZo2Ow1h8FM-oJBEdCqr/s1600/DSC_2619_1976.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9XCvX6zGiUSnEntuMTAcHTWnlXSIDj48AZRYjcGwKzCdRh7Q7fMAHJLMg91vkOv_BmnN7A03S0YJG5sTA7vtlRt0v75j-J-rvuZZRs61_0ztD9vCCSbm5LfSYZo2Ow1h8FM-oJBEdCqr/s400/DSC_2619_1976.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480593141399587650" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR54Md73Vk9jl_e9J_Uwz2qnYUVhwFGLXenF0kRNZsjgcvqInYRKLCNcY_2EQD1cBgHaDnIMVSbbnX6io8CEa0J9L22_DYm8aqgnZduJQ-6qWJKBi_02BVu7mVDx-cxQtgpYXHH4e6U9QO/s1600/DSC_2607_1965.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR54Md73Vk9jl_e9J_Uwz2qnYUVhwFGLXenF0kRNZsjgcvqInYRKLCNcY_2EQD1cBgHaDnIMVSbbnX6io8CEa0J9L22_DYm8aqgnZduJQ-6qWJKBi_02BVu7mVDx-cxQtgpYXHH4e6U9QO/s400/DSC_2607_1965.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480592788025303042" /></a><br /><br /><br />We went stawberry picking with the kids on Sunday<br /><br /><br />More summer fun soon to come. I will try to update more often. We have a fun filled summer planned. I can not wait to blog about it ALL!LauraZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12131118067012851712noreply@blogger.com1