For My Daddy Picks...

Shhhhh. Don't tell my Papa.

'For My Daddy' by VintageDutchGirl

Gifts my Daddy would love and appreciate for Father's Day...

Washington Plyboo Cutting Bo... AHeirloom $40.00	Circuit Board Tie - Metallic... ScatterbrainTi... $30.00	BIKES Letterpress Art Print 1canoe2 $15.00
Geolog Mini Wood Grain Noteb... CampfireChic $5.50	Cool Mint Dark Chocolate Tru... KianaChocolate... $12.00	MAGNET BOLT Micro Cache Wate... CacheCreations $7.99
Scales of Justice beautifull... collageOrama $6.99	Hiker Symbol - Button Pin Ba... theangryrobot $1.50	Happy Camper Pillow - green chickabeestudi... $10.00
Leather iPhone, Droid, Cell ... TinderBloom $27.00	Mt. Baker 3 folded greeting ... dwinjames $7.95	Wild Thing Set evesimone $24.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

One Hundred Shades of Happy....

I am one hundred shades of happy right now.

Just found out my Brother and Sister-in-law have just met THEIR NEW DAUGHTER!

In ETHIOPIA.

Yep, they have met the sweet baby girl that they will take home to be theirs. So very exciting, God is SO good. Yep, she is my second Ethiopian niece/nephew. The joy doesn't stop there. We have ANOTHER brother and sister-in-law who are on the waiting list for THEIR baby girl too! Our family is growing by leaps and bounds!

Just finished booking an AWESOME hotel deal (with an indoor heated pool for Mr. Energy to swim in) in a few weeks to go and meet our NEW NIECE.

We will be waiting to welcome her home to her forever family in the airport baggage claim area. Love it. Love it all.

Just scheduled a late morning coffee date with a dear friend where I can squeal and gush all about my NEW NIECE.

God is GOOD...

A

The Flute Got Flushed...

I was all excited last week to give the kids a toy flute and harmonica to play with. After all, we are excellent parents providing our offspring with creative, mind enriching toys.

That flute was LOUD. VERY LOUD. It kept getting "lost" on top of the piano and on the highest shelf in the cupboard. Sad, very sad.

However, Bubbalu kept finding it and playing with it. And yes, the flute did get flushed down the toilet last week. It wasn't the ENTIRE flute, just a four inch mouthpiece that makes the remaining pieces of the flute...well...NOT like a flute.

More like a blue stick with holes in it.

And guess what?

It's a Mute Flute.

Yep, completely quiet. He can try and try to make it whistle, but nope, that thing is mute.

And I'm not ONE bit sad about it.

Fast forward a few days to 9:30 pm Saturday night. I'm busily scrubbing down the bathrooms in anticipation of hosting a family BBQ right after church Sunday morning. (What?!? Doesn't EVERYONE scrub their bathrooms at 9:30 on Saturday night? SUCH a life of luxury I lead...)

Scrub the toilet and flip the flush lever. And the toilet is hardly draining. It SLOOOWWWLLLLY finishes flushing and I remember that stupid flute mouthpiece.

Argh.

Which leads to a 9:35 PM Saturday night phone call to my dad, "Uh, Dad, how do you take apart a toilet?"

And what does he say? "I'll be over in five."

Awww, thanks Dad!

Mom came along to witness the fun and helped me finish scrubbing the house. After we made a much needed Dairy Queen run for refreshments we reviewed the pics I'd snapped of the Toilet Flute Incident of 2010:



Dad pointing to the place where they found the flute mouthpiece:



And we've sealed our Classiest Neighbors on the Block status by using our FRONT LAWN as a toilet hosing out location:



Extra fertilizer, right?

I'm just glad it was dark:



After the whole thing was over my husband says to me, "Do you have ANY idea how disgusting it is to pick up poo with your hand?"

UMM.

Did you REALLY just ask me that?

A. You got to wear gloves when you cleaned up poo

B. You got to haul the whole thing out the front door and hose it off. Can't really do that with the kids. Well, I COULD, but that's a little harsh.

C. I'm a Mama with two kids under 3, so yes, I DO KNOW what it's like to clean up poo with my hand...and it happens on an alarmingly frequent basis.

But, I've gotta give him props, he fixed our toilet!

I'm watching Bubbalu like a hawk around the toilet. Especially if he's been playing with musical instruments. I REALLY don't want to have to call my Dad at 9:30 at night explaining that his grandson flushed the harmonica, bongo drum AND maracas down the crapper...

A

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A Beautiful Court Date...

I was in court today.

For an INCREDIBLE reason.

No no, I wasn't contesting a traffic ticket (never even been pulled over - holla!)

It was for a much more beautiful reason.

Remember my awesome sister Rebecca? Yaknow, the one who had a precious baby girl only three weeks before her newly adopted 6 month old son was brought home from Ethiopia by her husband Dusty?

( psst! You want to see some grown folk cry the Boo Mama coined "ugly cry"? Force them to witness a newly adopted child be brought home and placed into his exuberant and loving new Mamas' arms. Yep, ugly cry. But a GOOD ugly cry.)

Today, I witnessed my Father in court (haven't seen that since I was probably ten), who represented my Sister and Brother in law, as they finalized/re-adopted their sweet baby boy...my nephew!

It was an awesome day.

Except when Bubbalu bonked the JUDGE on the nose with the balloon airplane toy he was given right before entering the courtroom.

This Mother? Mortified.

The Judge was cool about it. After all, he's worked with my Dad for many years and has a heart for children. He was wiping away tears with the rest of us.

(Besides, I don't think you can hold a 2 year old in contempt of court.)

Welcome to the family Isaiah! We love you and are honored to be your family.

(psst! And your Auntie Amanda ALWAYS has cookies for you. ALWAYS!)

A

Welcome Home...

She was completely and all-encompassingly focused. You could try talking to her, but you wouldn't get far.

She stood amidst a swarm of strangers not seeing them or caring about them. It was busy and loud as families, spouses and friends were reunited. She couldn't hear them. She stood staring at the exit of the escalator waiting to see a familiar face. She was quiet. She was focused. She was waiting.

She's been waiting over a year for this moment. This moment that will forever be etched in her heart and mind.

She has a three week old precious baby girl. She has been a single parent for over a week as her husband has been gone on this journey. She is tired and emotional but eager.

Her brother whistles and motions that he can spot them coming up the escalator.

The video cameras start rolling...the cameras are turned on and ready to go.

Her heart is ready.

She first spots her husband's brilliantly smiling face. He has never smiled so brightly before...not even on their wedding day. It is a proud smile. A tender smile. A fatherly smile.

Next she spots a little dark head that he is carrying in his front pack. As he nears the top you can see two little dangling arms, two dangling legs.

She runs forward and clings to her husband and her new baby boy. They fumble with the many straps, struggle to lift him out and then finally, finally FINALLY she is at last holding him in her arms...and in her heart. She is sobbing and shaking as she holds him, the enormity of the moment overwhelming her.



She kisses her husband and turns to face her waiting family.

She walks over, shows him to us and says, "this is our son!"



He is introduced to his little sister. Their family has doubled in less than a month.



Welcome home Isaiah Melkiso. Welcome home and welcome into our hearts. You are muchly loved.



Love your Auntie,

A

Off To Costco...

I'm busy getting the kiddos and myself ready to head back to Costco again, coupon book in hand. So busy, in fact, that I have time to sit and write a post. I am SUCH a procrastinator!

On the shopping list today:

• Pull-ups - $4.00 off
• Starbucks Frappaccinos - $3.50 off

Um...that's it folks. Two things on my list. Want to take any guesses how many things I'll have in my cart by the time I get to the checkout line?

I just needed a really good excuse to get out of the house and play today. My Mom was already planning on going so I invited myself and two littles along for, you know, the FUN.

My Brother and his lovely wife are in town this week and we are planning a glorious time full of Settlers, homemade donuts, clamming at the bay and laughs. Lots and lots of laughs.

Hence the need to go to Costco and stock up on vittles...

A

I'm Off.....Again....

Before I go on my second cruise in 2 weeks, I want to give a shout-out to my NEWLY ENGAGED little brother Shane and his beautiful fiance Joanie!


Aren't they SO adorable?

We LOVE you guys and are SO EXCITED for you!

(As if the all caps didn't clue you in already.)

A