Meet Maximus Samuel... my nephew..(okay not really, but he feels like one, and I love him like one, so let it be. )

Born: 4.30.08 @ 7:32 p.m. est

Height: 20"Weight: 9lbs 9oz

This little man is named Maximus because it means "The Greatest." And believe me If you only knew the testimony around the miracle of his life,you would agree it is one of the greatest testimonies. And you would be in awe right now, as I am , of God's faithfulness and Abounding love for his children. With so much negative stuff going on in the world right now, I thought we needed a reminding that Miracles ARE happening everyday, and little Max is a perfect example.

Some day, when his parents choose to tell his "story", I will direct you there, as it will BLESS YOU immensely, as it has me.

We Love you Emily, Colton, Sam & Jen, and Maximus.

So the other night we are sitting at the dinner table, just sharing about our day, when, suddenly, we all smelled something a little suspicious. I thought maybe Hannah had left us a present in her pull-up. I ask her if she needed to go potty, or if she had maybe already gone and needed changed. (turns out it was the dog. no really.)

Allie jumps right in and very matter-of-factly declares, in between bites of her grilled cheese sammy, " Oh no mom, Hannah doesn't need to go poop. She already went poop.... And Grace and I changed her."

****uh, I'm sorry what?Come again?****

" You already changed her, what do you mean?"

" Grace and I changed Hannah's diaper. Right before dinner. And boy was it poopy. Poopy everywhere. Biggest Poop ever. And Stinky. And the Poop was sticking to her legs. Poop was everywhere. Yup, it was a big poop alright. But Grace and I took care of it. Didn't we Hannah sweetie. "

Didn't know exactly what to say to that one, so I go with the encouraging " Well, Thank you very much for being so helpful.We did wash our hands really well before dinner, right? Yes? Good. Would you Excuse me for a moment?"

And I casually head upstairs to the where the changing supplies are, thinking this might be a good place to start in my hunt for the extracted poopy diaper. I did not need to look too far or too hard....

This awaited me...

Underneath the pile of used wipes, about a package worth, is the poopy diaper.

I am thankful for their resource fullness, and their willingness to help out.

But most of all I am thankful that we are in the habit of washing our hands before meals. (and also for carpet cleaners)

:)

I have started this post so many times, and then I delete it and start over again. Because no matter what I find to say, it doesn't seem enough.

Let me back up...

I don't know if you are new here or have been around long enough to remember me bragging on The ELISON Project. Take a moment and go peek at THIS post....I will wait.


<<<do be do be do- be do be do be do be- do be do be do. >>> (This is my hold music. Don't laugh. I remember my Neenaw singing like this in her car, and when we would go grocery shopping together. And it always makes me smile. And it is just perfect for situations like this).


So now that you are caught up, let me tell you a little bit more about The ELISON Project.... I am going to pull a few things from their website...

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"The members of the ELISON project are of the opinion that the best place for a child is in a loving home. We believe that EVERY child has the right to be loved and nurtured in a family....Our foundation was created with the hope of encouraging potential parents to consider bringing a child with special needs into their family. The cost of adoption is substantial and often the process can be overwhelming. It is our goal to help ease the financial burden on families and to educate parents about the joys and rewards of parenting a child with special needs.
The vast number of children needing homes makes it a challenge for any child to find his or her family, but once a child is labeled as having a special need it becomes increasingly more difficult for agencies to find families for these precious children. We believe that the label is just that…a label. We believe that each child brings with it special and unique parenting challenges, but we also believe that children with special needs bring unique and special joys. "

***************************************

The ELISON Project recently chose to award our family a $1000 grant to be used towards our agency costs. Out of the blue, the organization contacted us and asked if WE WOULD MIND if they gave us the money. All they asked in return is to be able to use our adoption story in the hope that it may encourage others to consider SN adoption or to GIVE BIG so that ELISON can place more grants to help bring these children home.

I know.... AMAZING.

As additional insight into this special group, I just want to give you a little bit of Shelby's (ELISON's Director) e-mail to me when she was asking if we would accept the grant... This is just a taste, but it will give you a little peek into her heart...she has such a heart for these Children.

"I would like to explain a little bit about my dream. My dream is to do something worthwhile with my life and one way to do that is to help bring children home from China. I swear to you I pray everyday all day long for God to allow me the opportunity to do something that matters. ELISON was a step into that direction...".

To us, this grant is not just a check. It is so much more. It is a chance to be a part of something we feel passionately about. Adoption has been a calling of mine since I was a little girl. And now, obviously, the Children from China hold a special place in our hearts, and have become a passion of ours as well. To be able to take part in The ELISON Project is such a HUGE BLESSING to us. It is our desire to be used by God in any and every way He asks to help these children, and all children, find homes. So to have the chance to help out in this little way is a prayer answered.

Our grant is also a TESTIMONY to God's faithfulness. When we felt called to adopt again only a few months after being home with Hannah, we weren't sure where all of the money was going to come from. We were always planning to go back again, I just am not sure we knew we would be blessed so soon. But when we felt the call again, we didn't blink about the cost. There were SO MANY signs telling us this was our son, and once we realized what God was showing us, we took the leap of Faith. We believe that God has shown us OUR SON and that He WILL make the finances all work out. Not a doubt in our minds. The ELISON Project contacted us, because Shelby believed God showed her that our family was supposed to receive that grant. It still gives me goosebumps to think about. Our GOD is so good. Johnathan's story is full of "Godincidences" like these!

So if you are sitting around, wondering how you can make a difference, please consider stopping by The ELISON Project and making a donation to help bring these children home. If you work for a corporation that has a charitable matching fund (most do!), why not steer them in the direction of The Elison Project? The Elison Project is a young organization and could use some publicity and funding to help them grow and expand. And if you work for or with an adoption agency (I know a few of you reading this are...shout-out!), why not consider partnering with The Elision Project to get the word out to families?

I want YOU to be a part of this too. Think about the difference you can make. And then, when The ELISON Project is HUGE..and placing grants by the thousands...you will be able to say, "I knew them when..."

THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts, ELISON PROJECT, for blessing us in so many ways. We feel honored to forever be a part of your story and to have you be a part of ours!

I have been tagged again, by my FORMER friend Stefanie. :) You know I love you , and I will do it, because I love you, and because I owe you one. But girl, why so many questions? why?


Here we go....


Favorite person (outside family)?
I am going to kick it off, by breaking the rules. Sorry, but I have to include family. My family is full of my best friends. My Mom, my sister, and My SIL Kristen and I hang out most of the time . And while I don’t get to see my other SIL as much because she is crazy busy, she is a hoot. And I adore my brother. And I keep a very close knit group of friends. I have my posse from church and a few close friends. And of course all of my bloggy friends. Guess what I am saying is, everyone is my favorite. I am truly blessed to have the coolest people to hang with on a daily basis.

Favorite Food?
Chicken and Noodles and Mashed potatoes, oh my. Carb-Coma!

Quirks about you?
Too many. Can’t stand to hear people chew. Will drive me mad and makes me make irrational requests like" Can you eat those chips outside?" I am super sensitive to smells, light, taste, touch, sounds blah blah. I could seriously make a living as an FBI sniff person. Also, I fluctuate between hot and cold every 30 minutes, and when I do, I need relief right away. So I will blast the AC, then it will be a fridge in the house. Then the furnace gets a workout, and I will look as though I have just run a marathon. And so it is back to the AC blast. Yes. I have considered that I may be peri-menopausal, but thanks for mentioning it. Way to bring a girl down.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less?
Jeff said, "Loving, hard-working, selfless, painfully funny, patient, honest, God-centered, sincere, and kind…no, Amie did not pay me to describe her that way, I hit the soul mate lottery on this woman!" .... Should I have put that in bold, cause that is good stuff? btw- I am the one who won the lottery!

Any regrets in life?
One of my mottos is, “No regrets.” Don’t ask me what any of my other mottos are, I can’t remember. I am one of those annoying people who believe there is something to be learned from every situation. I think I might just use that as a crutch to rationalize all the mistakes I have made.LOL. Whatever. It works. :) I have a life rich with Blessings, how could I have any regrets?

Favorite Charity/ Cause?
Obviously, the Children of China. Wow, Maybe that wasn’t obvious. Don’t want to make you feel stupid if you wouldn’t have guessed that. Sorry about that. Actually, anything involving children.

Favorite Blog recently?
Please don’t make me pick. I love all the blogs I read. I don’t have time to read blogs I don’t love. I did find a new blog recently that has inspired me greatly in my personal relationship with Jesus. I hope she doesn’t mind me linking to her. Is that bad blog etiquette? I have a feeling she won’t mind if you stop by. Please read her story from the beginning. With a box of tissues in hand and a gallon of ice cream on stand-by. I am not going to tell you anything about Angie, cause it is her story to tell, and it is an amazing one. Stop by and You will come away stronger in Faith. http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

Something you can’t get enough of?
Sleep. Sugar. And Jesus. (not in order of importance). Quite the combo.

Worst job you’ve ever had?
This is kinda sorta not a job, but when I was in College I was a Resident Assistant for one year. Might have signed up to do it because you got a single room by yourself. Given that the year before my roommate “had a moment” and threw all of my stuff out of my drawers and off of my bed because she wanted more room for her clothes and she decided she wanted the top bunk, and then the next day when I left the room for a moment to see a friend down the hall and came back to find out she had locked me out, and stood on the other side of the door and said she would never let me back in, my own room was a high priority.

For my dorm assignment, The Resident Director decided she would place me in the dorm with the Fraternity and Sorority that had been suspended from the Greek system due to abuse of alcohol and violent behavior. It was a good match considering I was a 5’1, 102 lb(might have just lied about that part) short-stuff who did not like to tell people No , who did not like to drink, and who would have just prefered to hide in her single room rather than confront anyone causing trouble. As you can imagine, Good times for me. I think it might have been a good year for the Greeks living in my dorm though. I might have even gotten a gift basket at the end of the year. What did I learn from this situation you ask? I know what pot smells like. (let’s be clear, can’t identify it, haven’t smoked it, but definitely smelled it. Didn't get close enough to the people to see it. Was hiding in my room like a good RA would).


What job would you pay NOT to have?
A debt collector. That is just not nice. I would sit at my desk and pretend to call the people and get nothing done. I would be fired within the day. Actually, I would probably end up spending my time trying to fund raise to help the people pay off their debts anonymously. Sorry if you are a debt collector. I know you are just doing your job. But doesn’t option 2 sound more appealing? :) .

If you could be a fly on the wall, where?
At the throne room, in Heaven. I have so much to learn. Though, the purpose of being a fly on the wall is to listen without the people knowing. Otherwise, why wouldn’t you just go there and listen instead of turning into a dirty nasty annoying fly? And God would already know I was there, and actually he would know before I was there, so I guess it defeats the purpose. I think I would rather see if he was available for lunch.

Favorite Bible verse right now?
I would be lying if I told you I had one on the top of my head, as I do not have many committed to memory… but this seems appropriate for me right now…

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Guilty Pleasure?
Do I have to out myself on this one? I might like watching a little trashy reality tv show every now and then. It is not very often, but it happens. I have seen K*eeping up with the Karda*shians, an episode or two of Th*e B*achelor in previous seasons, D*esperate H*ousewives of O*range C*ounty...There I said it. I feel better.

Got any confessions?
I might like watching a little trashy reality tv show every now and then.

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it?
Who is YOURSELF? And can I meet them and get to know them a little before deciding how to spend the money?

Favorite thing about your house?
That I live in the same neighborhood as my Brother and SIL and their family, and that I live within minutes of my sister and the rest of my family.

Least favorite thing about your house?
That it is not self-cleaning. The J*et-son’s had it back in the 70’s, so am I really asking too much, nearly 30 years later?

One thing you are bad at?
Dressing myself. I have NO fashion sense whatsoever. I am waiting for the G*ranimals for Adults line to come out.

One thing you’re good at?
Indecisiveness. I think.


If you could change something about your circumstances, what?
That Johnathan was here and not there. But having said that, I am a firm believer in God’s timing.

Who would you like to meet someday?
Predictable, but Jesus.

What makes you feel sexy?
I can’t tell you… You might use it to hit on me.

Who is your real life hero?
Anyone who is able to maintain Faith in any circumstance. Again, check out Angie’s story at http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

What is the hardest part of your job?
Staying on top of the cleaning up after all the kiddos, and they even help a ton! Mr. Jetson… call me!!!

When are you most relaxed?
When all the kiddos are happily tucked in bed, after some good snuggle time. During Tornado off-season…

What stresses you out?
TORNADO Season! I sleep with the tv on all night and wake-up throughout the night to see if there are any warnings. If the sky even looks the tad bit off, we are down in the basement. I will not tell you if I have ever made our whole family of 8 sit squished in our basement tub for 30 minutes until the storm passed, During a Tornado WATCH.

What can you not live without?
Jesus in my life. My Family. And Laughter.

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists?
I am with Stefanie on this one… if it is not on Y*ahoo, or on my favorite blog list, I don’t know what is going on. My sister laughs at me cause I will call her feeling all on top of things and current with what I consider to be a good nugget of information,like “The D*uggars are expecting #18, or the N*ew Ki*ds are getting back together.” And her response is always, “I know, I have Yahoo too,Amie.”

Why do you blog?
Before the paper chase for Grace, I didn’t know what a blog was. Once I found out, I started a travel blog to journal our trip and then carried it over for when we got home. I keep it up because I have made so many friends through the adoptions that I enjoy keeping up with through their blogs, and I want to extend the same to them so they can keep track of our going-ons. I also remember living vicariously through others by reading so many people’s blogs, people I didn’t even know, to help pass the time while we were waiting for Grace, and I want to be able to return the favor to other families in waiting. I also pray that maybe just maybe, my blog might plant a seed in someone’s heart for adoption. You just never know how God plans to use you. And also, apparently I might be narcissistic. :)


Who are you tagging?

New Bloggers: I got nothin'. Don't know them yet. They are new... Was this a trick question?

Bloggy Friends: Colleen (cause you are just so good at them) and Margie(cause you ducked out of the last one...and it was only 3 questions...bwahahaha!)

Bloggers You would like to get to know better: Barbie and Michelle


Bloggers who you don't think will respond, but you hope will :

Jennifer(because she is so busy off doing cool stuff with her 3 awesome boys, and besides, I think she might not like someone telling her they think she won't do something,and therefore, I think there is a good chance she will. :)Your welcome Jennifer!lol) and JoAnn(I might have cheated, I know she likes these things, but I want to hear her answers! Is that breaking the rules again?). I am going to cheat and add one more, Lisa. (She is far too busy to do a tag, but I just think she is so stinkin cute and I want to get to know her better! ,so I will chance the rejection!)

Rules:
1. Answer the questions (Did I really have to include this as a rule? Duh!)
2. Link back to whoever tagged you3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same, 2 from each category.New/ newer bloggers (since we want to share the love and send them traffic)Bloggy friendsBloggers you’d like to get to know better;Bloggers you don’t think will respond, but you hope will.

Have fun friends!

:)

THANKS FOR THE SMILE!!!!

What a Blessing...
:)

A Father's Love 3/11/08

Today we received PA for our Little Man.

God's Timing is so Perfect! I think for once I am speechless, as I am in Awe of God's handy work.

There is really nothing more to say other than...

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A thousand Million Gazillion Times over, PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!

For the people of China.



As most of you know, there was a major earthquake in China last night. Thousands are reported to have died. It is the middle of the night there, and they are still trying to dig people out of rubble.



Please keep all of these poor people in your prayers. Many friends have called and e-mailed about our little man and whether his province was hit. His province is further south, and from what we know , was not directly affected by the earthquake. Praise God for that. But while our child is okay, others are not.



Please pray for these people during this horrible time. For those families who have lost someone, for the families who have members unaccounted for, for the whole country during this awful time. And also for the mommies, daddies and families who worry for their children who are far away and who ache to hold them right now and know that they are okay. Hugs.



:(

You did read that last post right!... . And no, you did not miss a previous announcement post.

We have wanted to tell you , really. But you were always busy, and I couldn't find the right time to slip it in to conversation.

We have been praying on a little boy whom we hope China will give us permission to bring home in early Fall. He is a doll and we are so in love with him already!!! I cannot wait to be able to share his adorable little face with all of you. God is so Good!!!!

;)

Today in church, our elders put together a little something to honor all of the moms in the church. Part of their "celebrations" involved handing out Gift Cards to some moms. The first Gift Card was to be handed out to the mom who has gone the longest since seeing a "mommy" movie in the theatre. A cute little mom with 6 boys won. My kiddos kept trying to get me to raise my hand on that one, because they knew it had been a while since I had been to a theatre to watch something that didn't involve animation or puppets dancing about. But those who know me, know I would have never raised my hand even if I qualified. I really and honestly do not like to take things away from other people. I get Joy out of good things happening to friends. I don't say this to toot my own horn, but rather to give you some context for what I am about to tell you. So that you can appreciate how quickly I abandoned that principle, and left my Friends hanging. nice. :)

So the next gift card went to the mom who had fed the most mouths this past thanksgiving. I was safe on that one, because I never have to cook on Thanksgiving. Thankfully, my MIL does it every year, so I have been spoiled. I am already looking forward to her stuffing and mashed potatoes. Tangent, sorry.

So he pulls out the next gift card and he says "This one goes to the mom whose child lives the furthest away." So I am smiling and turning around searching the church, looking for the next mom to "whoop it up" for, when from the back I hear my dear SIL yell out,


.......... "Amie. " "Amie's the one with the child who is living the furthest away."


Then it clicked. And I started to bawl. The big ugly cry. With.everyone.watching. I couldn't even say anything. Through my tears and my sniffles and my gasps for air, I just gave the thumbs up.

Yup. You heard me right. The thumbs up.

So as I am bawling and trying to keep too much snot from dripping from my nose, he brings me over the gift card. And do I graciously decline, so that someone else can win it and do something nice for themselves? Nope! You better believe I grabbed that bad boy, pocketed it, and through the sniffs and tears gave the biggest,boldest and most grateful thumbs up ever. I am a sentimental sucker and that apparently took over my desire for good to happen to others. :) I will be praying on that one later.


Thank you God for that moment. For allowing our little man to be a part of it in a special way. For the 6 little smiles beaming up at me when I grabbed that gift card and for the little hugs and the "it's all right mama's" and the "it's her happy cry." that came along with it. Thank you for my life. I am so AMAZINGLY blessed.

As for what I will be doing with that gift card, you ask? (I heard you , you did ask.) . It will be going towards the fund for bringing our little man home...

Happy Day to all you Beautiful Mommies! I pray your day is full of Heart Smiles!


Much Love~
Amie
(Mommy to 6 Beautiful kiddos at home... and to 1 adorable little man, waiting for us in China.)

Pedicure Cost: $106.75

$ 5.00 for Nail Polish of your favorite color
$1.75 for Nail Polish Remover to remove polish from rest of foot and legs.
$100 for Carpet Cleaning to remove polish embedded in carpet from pedicure.
I don't charge for labor. I am still working towards my license.


E-mail to schedule appt.
(I do my best work during nap time, when mommy thinks I am sleeping.)

btw- I also do hair, with my specialty being bangs :)

~Grace