Celebrating the day of Keith's birth was fun- yummy food and more dancing

 Celebrating Keith's 25th b-day with chip beef gravy over biscuits, quiche, applesauce and berry jubilee with ice cream was yummy...but my favorite part was when we found some music from Ghana and the dancing began. We must be in a dancing crazy and I love it.

Milo is doing so well - home for 4 weeks now.

Amazing how easily Abby and Ava have bonded.

Daddy with his little boy and new fishing hat.














Abby was very excited to celebrate her daddy's birthday tonite. I love the ease that these 2 grand children have transitioned into the family. They have easily walked into Keith's and Mary Kate's family and don't blink an eye with the mega grand family of aunts and uncles....Happy Birthday Keith .

We have shrunk at least for a week

Since Wednesday when Cate left with Anna, Mya , Isaiah and Joseph who drove them to NC, it has felt oddly small in our family.They are watching Jenn and Jeremiah's kids as they are in Montego Bay celebrating their 10 yr anniversary. Then we have had some helping others and next week 3 more will be gone thru Thursday. So we have shrunk and it feels odd. We don't get to eat out often or treats even like ice cream because of the cost but Paul took them up to McDonalds for ice cream tonite. Our weather has been gorgeous the last 2 days and we have eaten outside for lunch and dinner...the tables have some empty seats and the clean up, wash, cooking even is so much easier with this small group of just 16 kids....half of our family :)

For I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe :)

My husband, Paul -married 1 yrMe in a clown ministry-pregnant with LJMy first adoption trip with Abraham from Mexico in my arms...October 1985

Our first family minus Ben....

My first children's legs in the shower at a beach house 

My first 3 children- Jenn, Molly and Laura Jeane

Our Christmas pic taken right after we got home with Joseph, Cate and Leah

This Easter picture with those at home

 A picture Molly and Mike gave to us....do you notice the red metal circle container on the left ? It was given to me 28 yrs ago from the friend, Laura and Eliadora who were a wealthy, christian Mexican family who God used to help us get Abraham home. She gave it to me to remind me of her :) I think of her often and how the Lord used her to get Abraham out of a very dire and unsafe situation.

All of this I was reminded of today during my devotional time. I was led to read Acts 13: 13-23. While there I noticed in my very old Bible a note on the next page from 6/02. It was on the verse Acts 13:41. It was given to me to encourage Paul and I to go ahead with our adoption of our first 3 of our adoptions  that the Lord knew we could never have imagined....in the next 10 plus yrs we would walk the adoption journey to bring home 26 more children into our home. Yes, He was correct, " I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you. " I have always loved children but , I never would have imagined being the momma to 32.

Isaac Happy 16th Birthday- Some pics thru the years

Last nite celebrating

This was when we first met Isaac in Russia- He, Lily and Jacob were our first Russian adoption ( actually from the Chechnya region in Caucus mountains ). You have heard about this region recently because the Boston bombers are from the same area. We traveled in 2002 and back then the State dept. warned us about the dangers of that region. We were not allowed to travel by ourselves...we were locked in to our apartment each day. Even with the apparent dangers we loved the area and the people we worked with . We were in Russia 28 days. Issac was 5 and a half yrs but the size of an 18 month old....We called him our little munchkin. He was also non verbal they said. 

This was our first littles group with Isaac, Lily, Mya, Luke and Josiah

Our family picture when we only had 14 children- 2 of our daughters were not in the picture because they were married.

They were a lot fun and quite the personalities....

Molly called him , " Her stud muffin"

It was fun looking thru some of the old pictures for Isaac's 16th birthday. Happy Birthday Isaac !

After dinner fun times

After dinner the little ones were running around as usual. We were playing "come get me". Then I got a squirt bottle and boy the fun began...they ended up taking off their clothes and challenging us to get them. Then they would come up to me so I could squirt some water in their mouth. We have so much fun with these little ones. Keith and Mary Kate's Milo fits right in just like we thought he would.

This is how we were looking this am...in the middle of an extremely busy week and they still are getting their school done

Cate and the twins with Kloe doing school on the tablets

Jesse practicing writing ( he at 2 yrs knows all the letters, can count to 20, identifies all colors and shapes) 

Mary Kate teaching part of her group

Doing extra work 

Some of my middles doing their own school

Sari doing a phonics program on the computer

This week has been very crazy and full of all day doctor appts. in Baltimore, 4 hrs at the pediatrician with Mary Kate and her 2 new ones for blood in thier urine and sweet Abby running a fever of 105 for a few days ( more on that later) , one IEP meeting for Gracie, getting fingerprinted and a home study visit in for our adoption and it is only Wednesday....So our school has been going even with all of this and me being gone. I love that we can run this efficiently even without me being in our home consistently for these past few days....My family has been wonderful with all the stuff we have had going on. We are hoping to send Paul or both of us back to Ghana in May to deliver our dossier. Just waiting on the clearances to come in this week or next.