Andrew loves "talkie walkies"

Mya and Luke each got a a set of "talkie walkies" from Uncle Johnny. Andrew loves them too. Especially if you are singing his favorite song thru them....Shimmamarink a dink dink...Shimmarink do.... I love you. I used to sing this song to him in Bulgaria. He loved the w talkies and would laugh even. I couldn't get the video to download but the smile in the first picture shows how much he liked it.

A visit from Uncle Johnny and lil John...made us all :)

Johnny is my older brother and lil John ( although not so little anymore ) is my nephew. We don't get to see them very often but they came up yesterday afternoon and we had a great time with them. All the kids love them and wish we lived closer to them. Johnny's wife, and John's mom, Barbara just passed away in Oct... So it has been a lonely holiday season for both of them but they added lots of joy to our day yesterday.

Please help this cause... something dear to my heart

Here is a link to an orphanage building project that is very close to Paul's and mine's soul and heart... It is one that we can be personally involved in to... and one that we would love to see lots of people donate money, time - help to build it, and prayers for the children of this area of Ghana. We have adopted 3 precious children from this area and have personally visited Ghana in October. We know the organization and the people involved in building it. We also have met precious children who would benefit from this project.


Ghana is a very poor country. We have adopted from Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Ghana. It is by far the needest country we have been to.... This is an easy way to support someting that I know is close to the Lord's heart as well...

John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.

Psalm 68:6 God sets the lonely in families.

I Samuel 1:27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.

2 Corinthians 6:8 I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord
Almighty.

Matthew 18: 5 Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

James 1: 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this :
to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being
polluted by the world.

Okay I can't ask or say this any other way but to plead this cause for the orphans of Ghana.....They need help....Many of you who read my blog already have a soft spot for orphans and for the things of the Lord......I have no doubt that God is in this project.....and most all of my readers are Christian...

What do you do with Bible verses like I wrote ? What do you do with this one in particular ?


Proverbs 24 : 10- 12 If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited. Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those who are stumbling toward slaughter.....Once our eyes are opened , we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and knows our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.

Love is a verb and if you love the Lord I believe we are required to act on this love.....Here is a good way to make even a small donation or to consider helping to actually build an orphanage, and to lift them up in your prayers.... Won't you please partner with our family to support this project ? http://www.ujimacare.org/orphanage.html

Here is a link to the buiding they have already started to do...http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=179321785425351&set=a.179321598758703.42096.147271701963693

A treasured handmade gift for our "grand babies"

Our dear friends, Dick and Helen from church who have anywhere from 4 to 6 kids over every week for some special activities... fishing, baking, playing games, swimming, to taking them to soccer games and visits with their family in Northern Virginia.... they are more like family to us than they are friends. They have watched a group of the kids for the weeks we traveled to Bulgaria as well. They take us out to eat... our last special time they took just Paul and I to eat out lunch just before Christmas... They even met us at the airport when we brought home Andrew and Gracie on Christmas Eve at 11 pm a yr ago. Needless to say they are very special and dear to all of us... They are our prayer warriors too.... Whenever we have prayer requests they pray and share our needs with those they know who pray as well. This past August they asked if they could do a project with the kids for Jenn and Mary Kate's family for a Christmas gift. Ever week when the kids went over they worked on these Noah's Arks. Each one is filled with 15 pairs of animals and they can roll the ark.Dick had made each one of their own children's family one of these when they had little ones.... Boy that made us even feel more special. As I reflect on some of the many blessings from this past year....Dick and Helen are ones who come to mind. Thank you Lord for the love shared with us thru your servants Dick and Helen.

As you can see when each family was given them ....they were a big hit.

More pics of our Ghana blessings :)

This was at a Christmas party they went to :) My heart just aches to hold them. We are waiting on one document to be submitted... and then we can get their approval I600 done... and then the visas... and then go and get them :) This is Stephen dancing and Stella is in the white with blue and yellow stripe dress and of course lil ol...Annabel in the pink.

Christmas morning...total chaos and total joy.

We even had it snowing Christmas morning...the kids were up early and could not wait to come downstairs. We had a wonderful family....Molly , Mike and puppy "Hank", Mary Kate, Keith and the girls joined us for our main meal of the day, Christmas brunch. We even took naps, played with toys, watched a movie and played games. The XBox 360 Kinect was the favorite. I recommend it. You don't need controllers and it has a camera... you can even skype on it... fun, fun day and very tired ... We were blessed with pictures of our chidren in Ghana celebrating their first Christmas... and waiting for us to come get them.

Christmas Eve sillies....

Christmas eve. the kids made a gingerbread village and managed to get some icing on each other. We ate chicken trays and a 6 ft. long sub ( Keith laid down on the floor along side of the sub to prove it- he is 6 ft tall). Leah won these antlers at the youth white elephant sale and they found their way onto lots of heads... I am so glad the pups are so accomadating and laid back. They didn't mind it at all.

This just came thru...Our 3 in Ghana :)

Our facilitator just sent this picture of our kids plus others who are being adopted...are they not the cutest and it made all of us smile to see them. I think this is them going to church on Christmas... Kofi shared it was a good one for them....Just think next year and they will be with us for Christmas...:) Our Stella is in the blue on the end and Stephen is behind her in the blue striped shirt and Annabel is in the yellow and white.

My precious ones from Bulgaria

Gracie and Andrew home one year tonite....Thank you Lord for these 2 precious children and how far they have come.

This little stinker found his old toy

We brought this toy out for Mady ( Mary Kate's baby) the other week. Andrew found it and promptly got himself in it and started jumping :) I had bought lots of baby toys to encourage him to sit, stand and use his muscles... and Andrew loved finding this one that he out grew .

Aren't they the sweetest ? Or am I a proud NaNa ?

Mady and Ava were posing for momma and I thought these pictures were beautiful... even if I am a bit biased :) They have to be the cutest, "grand" babies in WV... of course there are some pretty cute grand babies in NC to... visit our daughter, Jenn's blog to see-She did a great post today as well for teaching kids about wants and needs. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of my other 2 grand children- Laura Jeane's but they are just as cute.....:)