Going to Camp

Headed off to camp tommorow with Jeff and the kids. Camp Courage does a family cam for families with a child with a brain injury, we have tried to get a spot before, but only 15 families can go each year. This year we got a spot...The kids are excited, but confused about how we could be going camping without the camper, LOL!

Not much to say today, just getting the kids packed for camp, will pack Jeff and I tommorow, and stop at the pharmacy for med refills....

Hey! Digi Ridoo Scraps opens this weekend, all of you will see it before me, LOL! I only wish they weren't opening the weekend we will be out of town, and no wifi, i checked, LOL!

Well you all have fun checking it out.....http://www.digiridooscraps.com/index.html

No word yet on Nevaeh, the adoption workers are trying to hammer out a meeting place and time. Usually they come to your house for the meeting. Did I mention my ceilings are ripped out?? Oh, well, I know they want to see REAL, ripped out ceilings is pretty real :0)

Blessings to you all! -DeAnna

Oh, I almost forgot!!! Scrappy Shannon let me play with her new kit, Called Home. I had fun playing with it today, and Addie enjoyed posing for the photo for me, she adores the page. The page was made with Shannon's new kit, of course, and not just pinks, LOTS of blues, greens and browns. I just, well, have six daughters, so I use a lot of pink....You can also get the QP of this layout from Shannon....It will be on her site soon...Check it all out at her website: http://scrappyshannon.blogspot.com/

Nevaeh

We got potentially exciting news today. We are being interviewed to adopt a little girl named Nevaeh. Read that name backwards.....yep, Heaven. She turned 4 about two weeks ago. We don't know much about her but her age and a beautiful picture I have of her (I am not allowed to post for privacy reasons)

The kids are jazzed about it, they would love to have 10 more sibs. I am up for whatevever God has planned. I stopped trying to guess years ago, as i never would have guessed I would have nine kids, I never would have guessed I would EVER digitally scrapbook, and BLOGGING?? No way! "Be still and know that I am God". I am working on that one, being still is not my stronguit :0)

Waiting is tough.....May 7th will come though, faster than I think. The hardest part we went through in adoption was waiting to bring our kids home once we knew they were ours. There is song (Christian, of course) that goes:

Cuz I just want to be with you

Just want this waiting to be over.

I just want to be with you

And it helps to know the day's getting closer.

Every minute takes an hour

every inch feels like a mile,

till I won't have to imagine ,

and i finally get to see you smile

You can see it on Youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTKdSBIuGdA&feature=related

The song really embodies the angst i felt while waiting to bring my kids home. It was toughest with the second adoption, as we had to keep bringing the kids back to a situation we knew was bad. During that time, this song would come on the radio, and i would have to pull over the car to compose myself.

God tell us to be "anxious for nothing". I am going to work on that.

Now, what to post for scrapping today??? Let me check my scrap files and see what I find :0)

Crazy Wednesday

I am so excited Scrappy Shannon has a new kit for me to play with, "Called Home" Close to my heart as my nephew went home to Jesus at birth in 1995, I will create something for his parents, they have so painfully little of him.

Today will be a little dicey, Addie (still 8, almost 9) has been coughing like crazy and has lost her voice and I seem to be developing another kidney infection. Sooooo we will have to get to the doctor today. We also have a meeting at 1:30 at the school. I need to clean the youth center, and then there is confirmation. So busy, but good, except for the doctor part, LOL!

I have high hopes for the meeting. It is hard for people to understand Reactive Attachment Disorder. It requires on to understand how profoundly early abuse and neglect affect a child. I too could have never grasped the profound affects before adopting. I DO empathize with those who don't understand, but it is frustrating as well. Well meaning people just think my girls need just a little more love. There are loved at home. Why else would we still be here 5 years later after all this family has been through to have these children in our family? The hard part for people is they LOOK so typical. They're wounds are on the inside, and difficult to address thereputically as they have little to no concious memories of what happened in those years.

They have made so much progress, and yet I am still so frightened for them. They still lack an ability to fit into societal norms, making and keeping freinds is very challenging. Staying focused on schoolwork is very difficult, and yet they are exceptionally bright children.

We struggle every day with how to best meet their needs, as do their therapists, doctors and mental health workers. When all these professionals are stuggling, how can people on the outside who have no training in RAD seem to think they know all about these girls and what they need. It is hard. These are people I like and respect, but again, wrapping your mind around what these girls have survived is painful for adults, so they focus on the fact that they LOOK so typical.

I read a quote in a book I borrowed from my freind Cheryl it said "There are no children here, they have seen too much to be children". I cried when I read that, as it seemed to embody my girls. Amazing children, survivors, if we could only get them to understand their potential and the amazing plans God holds for these girsl.......

Blessings! -DeAnna

Oooops! Almost went the day without showing you some scrapping....Here is Meg (13), Alexandra (still 15, but not for long) and Brittany (still 20, but not for long) they were just playing around in the kitchen around Valentines day, and you guessed it, I grabbed the camer. Not a layout so much, just an altered 4x6. One of the reasons I love these is they make GREAT postcards (and only 9 cents each!) I just have them printed as 4 x 6's, then draw a vertical line down the center of the back. Now write the address on the right side of the line (I like to use a journaling stamp to create the lines) along with a postcard stamp, and write your message on the left, VIOLA! A custom postcard for only 9 cents, you just saved paper (vs. sending a card with envelope) as well as postage, I have made Thank You cards as well, and keep them with the bills on the counter (I know, ironic I keep Thank You's with the bills, LOL) but I HAVE gotten better about sending thank you's!

Blessings! -DeAnna

Go Bonnie!

My dear freind Bonnie (see picture) WON a Cricut Expression today! I was so excited for her, I think I can hear her screams all the way from Fargo! I love seeing wonderful things happen to wonderful people. God has really been showing himself to me lately, and not just through a Cricut. After a five year uphill battle, we FINALLY were blessed with a spot at the Academy for the Blind for Annie. There just are things she can't learn from sighted people. It would be like trying to submerse yourself in chinese culture without going to China. Ain't gonna happen.

We had also been working for close to a year on getting one of our other children into a theraputic program that we have hopes will be able to help her. We finally heard today she has a spot starting in June! God is just amazing. I know that all the time, but sometimes I need reminded. Big shout out to all the parents with special needs kids, you know what I am talking about. Sometimes we have to work so hard to have our childs needs met, it just makes you want to beat your head on a wall. I remember right after we adopted Annie, the lifegaurd at the healthclub we belonged to told us Annie couldn't use the waterslide, because she's blind. I just couldn't understand that....now if she was a qaudrapalegic (sp?) I guess I could understand a bit more, but shes' just BLIND. I tried to explain the law to them. They were not interested. We cancelled our membership. Little did I know then that it would be one of the lesser battles we would fight.

Anyway, God has always made it possible. These last two weeks was just a wonderful reminder that he is here in the big stuff and the small stuff. Thanks, Bonnie.

Not an exciting day today, Carlos, Addie and Alexandra are off to the Children's Theater. Tyler is till in Geogia, and go his care packages. (yeah!) Annie has an appointment this afternoon for new orthotics in Mankato, so I will get to use my 50% off coupon at Michaels.

Doing housework this morning...how can I do so much housework and still never have a clean house? I can think of 9 reasons, LOL! Tried to call Isaih's former foster mom Fertimmia yesterday, I had sent her a layout of her and Isaih, the pictures were taken when we first met Isaih at Ferimmias' home. I could not reach her. I am anxious to find out if they have a web cam as it would be fun to put Isaih on the webcam with her. She has not seen him (except in pictures since he was nine months old....he is now almost four.

Jeff only has this week and next week left of firefighter classes! Just four classes to go, woooohoooo! Excited for this, as then Jeff will get to fully participate in firefighting, and this will no longer consume our lives....

So if today's subject is Firefighting and Isaih, what will our layouts be of?? Yep, firefighting and Isaih, this is the layout I mailed to Fertimmia a couple of weeks ago.

Well, off to try and clean up the house. I often think of the phrase from "The Cat in the Hat". It says "And this mess is so big and so deep and so tall, we cannot clean it up, there is no way at all." Blessings! -DeAnna

I wanted to wait until the first to tell you all, but I just couldn't wait! I am now also on the CT for Digi ridoo Scraps opening on May 1. It is going to be an awesome store! Make sure to check it out come May1st! And Yvonne, who wants to know where the pictures of me are, right there, sister, on the web site, LOL! Remember, the site does not open until May 1, but I will post a link ASAP......Blessings! -DeAnna

Another dreary day....hectic mornng, mondays are shower days for the kids, which means getting them up a bit earlier and laying out their clothes in the hallway outside the bathroom. We can do 5 showers in about 15 minutes, assembly line style....then meds, teeth, hairbrushing, glasses, shoes, breakfast, after breakfast we blowdry hair....I guess it would look a little crazy to someone who didn't live here, but the kids know the routine and it typically goes quite smoothly.

We have a PCA assesment for Annie this morning, I hate those appointments, they focus on all the ways my child is not like other children, no focus at all on all of the amazing accomplishments she has made. I know it is neccesary, but I hate that on paper, my child looks so incapable.

There is a story of what it is like to parent a child with needs. They say it's like saving all your life for an amazing trip to Ireland. You dream of seeeing the Emerald Isle. You plan, save, and finally pack for your amazing adventure.....then the plane lands and the captain announces "Welcome to Italy". Italy is amazing, the language, the people, the buildings. You see and do everything you can, but your heart aches for Ireland.

With adoption it's a bit different, we knew we would go to Italy. But seeing my child struggle, to see her stared at in public. To see her poked and prodded by specialists....my heart aches for Annie to go to Ireland. For her, not for me, I chose Italy, she wanted Ireland. That said, we know God has amazing plans for Annie, she is an amazing child.

Anyway, since Annie is the topic today, I will post another layout of her..... You can click the image (as with all the layouts) to see it larger....

Already looking forward to Memorial Weekend!

Looking forward to Memorial weekend....four days with my favoritist people (that don't live in my house, LOL) at Birch Park retreat, one of my favorite places....My best freind (mom) and many other wonderful and dear freinds Cheryl, Sandy, Bonnie, Kim, Yvonne, Kathie Jean, Natalie....the list goes on....fun, prizes, scrapping ....I just can't wait. Not much left to do to plan for it either, which is nice. Pack up my stuff and go!

http://www.birchparkretreat.com/

Precious Petals, Freebie QP's

It is a rainy, dreary day here in Southern Minnesota....the perfect day to try some more blogging and learn some new tricks....

I recently joined Scrappy Shannon's CT, and am having a great time with it. Shannon recently blessed with me her new kit, Precious Petals. I have had so much fun with this awesome kit! I made a layout of my daughter Annie (age 10) and a few Quickpages (see above) you can get from Scrappy Shannon. http://scrappyshannon.blogspot.com/ you can also preview her fab kit on her blog as well.

You can get her awesome kit here http://prettyscrappy.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=65

Yeah, I know, I found the typos in the layout of Annie and will get them fixed....I should learn to check spelling before I save a layout....

No church today, Jeff didn't get home until 5 Am, busy night on police reserves. Just wasn't up to taking nine children to church alone today, and no way would I get a chance to shower this morning with Jeff in bed and the kids all nuts from being cooped up in the house....It just doesn't feel like a Sunday without church. If I can keep the kids quiet enough for Jeff to get some sleep, we can go to evening services.

Blessings! -DeAnna

About me.....

I am very new to this whole blogger thing, but will figure it out with the help of my children, LOL! My name is DeAnna, I live in southern Minnesota with my husband, Jeff and our nine fabulous children. After our first four were born, we started growing our family through adoption. Clearly God has blessed us like a freight train, LOL!
I started scrapbooking 5 years ago when freinds insisted I have some time to myself, it has gotten a bit out of hand since then :0) I started digi scrapping about 6 months ago and LOVE the freedom of it. No mess, and I can scrap whenever time allows!