Today Juergen and I sat down with a local adoption social worker. We wanted to understand the present state of the German International adoption system. Some of you know our family has been nominated for a German national award for values in the everyday life , The Werte Award, "Heroes of the everyday life". The award ceremony is on Sunday afternoon in Hanover. There have been some amazing individuals nominated for this honor. We would be pretty surprised if we actually won something. We felt it was only right to go to the award ceremony because we were invited. Juergen wants to visit with his parents any way. They only live an hour from Hanover. His mom is very sick. This is why our whole family will not be going. We are sending Juergen and Nicole (the A team - Adoption team). The German National Minister of Families will be there. We hope to have a chance to share with her our ideas on improving the adoption system in Germany. German families receive no benefits for International adoption. Not even the right to deduct adoption expenses on their taxes. They also do not receive the benefits other Germans receive when they have a biological child. Our adoption trips were made on our vacation time with no Maternity leave. Perhaps we will be able to influence the adoption system in some positive way. International adoption should not be a privilege of the rich. It is rather expensive to adopt (15,000 Euros on average/ $20,000+ USD). The social worker told us of one case she handled. A young woman had no womb and could not bear children. Her grandparents saved for years so this woman could adopt a child. She now has a beautiful son from South Africa. Germany has a negative birth rate. Almost 20% of the population has trouble conceiving children. For every 1 German child available domestically for adoption, there are 22 sets of parents waiting to adopt. International adoption is a win win for the nation of Germany. They need to make some changes to make adoption a possibility for more families. Please be praying for Juergen on Sunday. It would be really cool if we won a prize, but what would be even better is to find some kind of audience with the family minister. Please pray that the time Juergen spend in Hanover will have a positive influence on the International adoption laws and benefits in Germany. The result would equal children finding families. Nothing would make me happier!

Sarah has been a real Papa's girl lately. This morning Juergen said goodbye to her and took Philip to school. Sarah sat on the stairs and cried for a half hour. She would not eat or get dressed. She is overly tired. She will not go to bed at a descent hour. Juergen and I still take turns putting her to bed. Lately she cries when it is Mamas turn. She only wants Papa. In the mornings she could sleep a few hours longer, but she insists on getting up to say goodbye to her Papa. Something has got to bend here! She is overly tired. She gets really mean and clingy when she is tired. I guess Sarah and I are very much alike. We both are obsessed with Juergen, never get enough sleep, and never want to say goodbye to the man. The big difference is I’ve got coffee.

Ladybug gloves

IAAP has a real cute waiting 3 year old on their new list. She has a arachnoid cyst which causes some weakness of the left side of her body. It sounds like she is basically healthy and smart...and really cute. The girl that looks just like Sarah is also still available. I know many of you think we should adopt her...but I think we just are not ready to adopt again. Maybe in some time or maybe never again. Juergen is 48 and I'll be 46 on Sunday. We don't have so much energy or money anymore. Sarah has really taken a toll on us! I am praying this Sarah look alike finds a family soon!

I tagged my oldest sister Shelley to share 8 things about her very nice Kitchen. She is really just beginning to blog. She has so much to say. It’s a great post. I hope you will visit her blog and say "Hi"!
Shelley also just added the letter her beautiful daughter Lisa wrote this week. Lisa and her husband Nate just lost their first son Isaac. He was Shelley’s first grandchild. If you want a good cry, but also a very strong dose of courage and grace I encourage you to read this post.

My Fish!

I just read about a set of 7 year old twin girls who desperately need to find parents. They live in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The girl’s information can be found HERE. The site reads,"These 2 girls are in a rather precarious situation and we would like to find them a home asap. They have never known their mother and their father is not involved in their lives. They are living with a non-family member who cannot take care of them." I do not know much about adoption from Haiti, but all that information is also on the above website. I think they have beautiful smiles and I pray they find their families soon!

Some of you may have noticed I deleted a rather long, angry post. It was in response to something another blogger had written. I admit it was an over reaction. Boy did I over react! Something she wrote pushed a very sensitive button in me. For this I am very sorry. In a way it only illustrates how very human I really am. I hate it when people try to make us out to be anything other then what we are...parents. I realize that there are allot of people stuck in an indefinite waiting line to adopt from China. The wait is the hardest part. I am very sorry you have laid your whole life out on paper, signed on the dotted lines, notarized everything, and made copies and now you are stuck waiting. It is very painful to wait. All parents deal with pain in the course of bearing or raising their children. It embarrasses me when people try to place us in any other category then the category of "parent". As Dr. Dobson said in the title of his book, parenting is not for cowards. I pray God grants courage to those who wait...and that he helps me learn to exercise some self control next time someone pushes one of my buttons. Kim, I am very sorry I reacted the way that I did.

I just entered the scary photo contest with this photo I call "A mine field in Israel". I took it in Northern Israel in 2005.

Enter a "Scary Pictures" photo contest and you could win up to 2,000 4x6 prints. I think this is a great prize. I am going to have to think of a good idea for a scary photo. Any ideas? Winkflash also has a sale now on Photo books. It does not matter how many pages you order, the price will be $19.95. It's a good time to order photo books as Christmas gifts or get your adoption or vacation photos printed into a book!

Poor Sarah! Philip and Thomas just rode off on their bikes and they didn't take her! This kind of thing happens all the time. The boys are getting busy doing what 9 and 10 year old boys do. They can ride bikes, play football at friends house. They experience a certain level of trust and independence a 4 year old just does not have. If they can go...why can't she? Sometimes the 5 year age gap really is a problem. Sometimes I think we should adopt another girl close to Sarah’s age. Of course Juergen does not share this way of thinking!

Juergen worked with the kids in the garden this morning while I cleaned the house. Our mosaic in the front yard is almost finished. Juergen has taken it on and is really getting into finishing this art project. I'll be sure and give you pictures of the final project once it is done. A mosaic is a very interesting symbol. It is made up of hundreds of pieces of broken ceramic...but together they form a beautiful picture. We are not perfect people...but our family is a beautiful mosaic that has been placed together by the hand of God. Alone we are not so grand but together we are a work of art!

I'm beginning to question myself. Why am I blogging? It gives my practice writing. It makes me a better photographer. It helps me see a day to day what we have gone through...and how far we have come. Mostly I want to blog about adoption just to promote adoption. I am passionate about this whole miraculous process that brings children into families. It's the most wonderful act of redemption...and it is man willed. We can will to change a child’s life. It's not the easiest process in the world; I've tried to be honest about this. On the other hand it could not be so hard or we would not have been able to manage it! I've thought about quitting my blog lately. I'm busy, and I've got other goals. I enjoy blogging...but I want my motives to be correct. I think I'm going to keep doing it for now. Maybe I could convince one person to adopt. I wish I had the words to convince someone to please adopt. Maybe if you could see what being in a family has meant to Sarah, Philip, and Thomas you would consider adoption? I can only hope!

Sarah took these highly attractive photos of me today. If you would like to post 5 photos from your child then please add your link to our Mr. linky. See the world from your Childs perspective.

The photos are from this week. Sarah is wearing Philips scary teeth, Philip& Sarah build a Lego tower, we decorated the house for Halloween, The flag is from stand up agents’ poverty day, and Juergen and I had breakfast out to celebrate our 17Th wedding Anniversary. Our Anniversary is Oct 6TH but I was in America then. We still haven't had Sarah stay with a babysitter at night but that is going to happen soon. Mommy and Daddy need to spend time out with out the kids. For now I'm glad Juergen could take the morning off while Sarah is in Kindergarten.

Happy Birthday to Jill at Waala House of Fun! Jill and I have the exact same wedding Anniversary (same day and year). Jill & Philip have the same birthday. I just love this woman!!!

We may never really know the real day of Philips birth. He was found in November of 1998 in Central Thailand. He was placed in a basket in a crowded market place. The police came, and no one came forward to claim him. Philip had 2 holes in his heart (ASD and VSD). Thailand gave him a birthday of Jan 1, 1998. Maybe he really was 11 months old, or only 2 months old? We don't really know. We are changing his birthday to October 17TH. My mom had a dream about the date of his birth. It's a long story, but we are going with the date in her dream. Today Philip is 9 years old. He is very excited. He expects ALL GOOD THINGS today. He has been saying, "on my birthday I want this to eat", and "on my birthday, I get to do that"! He plans to milk it for all it's worth! I am so happy to give him this special day, even if it may not actually be the real day. Today he is a prince and we honor the day he was born!
The photo was taken in Thailand September 2006

This waiting boy is 8 years old. He can be seen on Wide Horizons web site. You only need to give them your e-mail address to get access to their waiting kids. Juan Carlo is from somewhere in Asia. I'm guessing the Philippines. BTW the Philippines allows singles to adopt. His profile reads, “Is a cheerful and attentive little boy who is Hep B positive, but otherwise is in good health. He is good at sharing and particularly enjoys physical activities, singing, dancing and drawing. He is learning English and appears to be motivated to succeed. He is well-behaved in school and relates well with his peers." My son Philip turns 9 years old tomorrow. Boys are allot of work at this age but they are also a huge joy to have! Boys wait so much longer then girls. Please pray for this adorable boy to find his family soon! We often consider what we want in a child, like we are shopping for a car. I am trying to write to those of you that would consider what you have to give. All kids need families. Older kids and boys need families. 80% of the people who adopt will only adopt a girl. Please, are there any families who will consider giving a boy a family? If you want to adopt a boy, but a baby then check AAI's new waiting child list from China. They have a beautiful baby boy that is Hep B+ and only 11 months old. . AAI does not photo list their kids, but if you want to take a look then you can e-mail Ky at AAI kyaai@olympus.net.

I mentioned my sister Shelley in my last post. I have sad news. Her daughter Lisa was expecting a baby. The baby died. I guess Lisa even needed to go through labor to deliver it because of how far along she was. I've never miscarried so I do not no the pain she is going through. I'm sure many of my readers do understand this pain. Please pray for Lisa and Nate, and also Shelley and her husband Eric. This child was very loved. The loss is so sad!This was their first child, and the first grand child.

I've been tagged by Beverly to show you 8 things in my kitchen. First you need to know my kitchen is so small it can only hold about 8 things. I'm not really sure how I manage to cook for 7 people every day in this very small room...but it's what God gave me and I am grateful for my house!
1. I have magnets on the refrigerator. This big magnet is from OSU (Oregon State University). I graduated from OSU in 1984. I was 5 years old when I graduated!

2. I've got this cool coffee can from Israel. The coffee in Israel wasn't very good, but I love the can! I actually keep my ice coffee mix in the can.

3. I have this photo of Rick's cafe on the wall. I love the movie Casablanca. My brother is named Rick. I found the photo in the trash...waste not want not!

4. This is my new cast iron skillet. I just carried it home from America and I love it! It isn't washed because my facet just broke this morning. Here is Juergen trying to fix the facet!


5. This is where we keep the cookies.

6. This old wooden wall hanging came from route 66 in the good old USA.

7. I got this pig at a second hand store.

8. I have two sets of Staffordshire dinner ware. One set is red, and the other is blue. I plan to give these dishes to two of my kids (probably Sarah and Nicole). I got the dishes on E-bay . As you can see I shop at second hand shops, and on E-bay allot. I never (ever) pay full price for anything! I love looking for treasures in all kinds of places.

Those are my kitchen 8. My sister Shelley just started to blog. She has a very nice kitchen. It's about as big as my whole house! Shelley I tag you to share 8 things from your kitchen.


This is Shelley's beautiful kitchen, not mine!