World On Fire

A friend of Lincoln's sent him this video. I only wish it went a little slower!! :0)

Enjoy!

Now that we're family...

I'll be moving all my posts about the boys to my main family blog. Thank you all for following along here on this blog and supporting us along the way!

Ashley

Craft Inspiration

I am always looking for fun crafts to do with my kids. I subscribe to Family Fun, and tend to find lots of good ideas in there, but sometimes our inspiration comes from real life. Like this photo that we saw today of a room where our boys will be staying... (cropped to keep other people's kids and waiting children out of the picture)


I commented on the paper chains and Hunter immediately wanted to learn how to make them...so, we sat down and made some for his bedroom! He can't wait to send a picture to S and B to show them that he has paper chains in his room too!


Look! I can post a picture of this adorable little boy with his paper chains...because he has a family! How excited we'll be to start posting pictures of our new precious additions...because they will have a family too!

Yes, son I'll try...

Me: Hunter, you won't be going with us to Ethiopia to get your brothers, you're going to stay here with Grammie and Graysen.

Hunter: No way. I'm going.

Me: Honey, it will be too hard of a trip for you to make.

Hunter: Then you have to close your eyes.

Me: What honey?

Hunter: You have to keep your eyes closed Mom!

Me: You want me to keep my eyes closed when I go to Ethiopia to pick them up?

Hunter: Yes.

Me: That would be really hard, why would I do that Hunter?

Hunter: Because I have to see my brothers first Mom!!!

S and B,

Your brother Hunter loves you so very much. He has been praying for you for almost a year now. He can't wait to get you here with us. He wants to share his toys and teach you all that he knows about life here. He is very excited about reading his bible over again with you. He hopes that one of you will want to sleep in bed with him rather than just in the same room with him. He wants you to teach him Amharic. He is excited that he will have brothers to go to school with, he was rather unsure about Kindergarten before, but is super confident now that he will have his brothers by his side.

We love you so very much. We look at your pictures every morning and are in wonderment that you are actually our boys. God designed us to be a family...and we can't wait to start!

Love,
Mom

One Little Thing

that will link us and our boys together...

until we can get them home. We made them bracelets that are being sent in their Welcome Bags and we are all wearing ours until they get here!

We miss you S and B!!

Me - Trendy?!

Yesterday I was sitting in my sister's salon chair. Like I do every Tuesday morning. Graysen and I have standing appointments. Tuesdays and Thursdays - 9:15 - 11:15. We drop Hunter off at pre-school and then head to Kara's to get our hair done. It's a nice time to catch up with my sister...plus I don't have to do my hair two days a week!

As I was sitting in the chair I over heard an older woman in another chair.

"Well, look at that, that girl must do all the trendy styles in here."

Was she referring to my hair as trendy?! I've never once thought of myself as trendy. Never. Not in High School, not in college, and definitely not since becoming a mom 5.5 years ago!

But, as I sat there looking at myself in the mirror, with my hair nicely washed and styled by my sister, holding my precious baby girl on my lap with her hair neatly braided in double french braids and her finger and toe nails freshly painted I could see it. Just for a moment, I was a trendy girl. I was a trendy mom.

Love is an action word

Read this!

No, seriously. Go read it. I've started a thousand posts (okay - maybe more like 10) trying to say what this woman just said.

and please...if you have any questions, please, please, please ask.

Although we are bringing home our two sons we would love to help bring more home. If you want us to pray for you heart...for your spouses heart...if you want us to answer questions, if you want us to sit down and explain the process...we're more than willing.

Our lives are forever changed

There are really no words. I've been waiting for 6 days to write this post, but still, the perfect words elude me.

We started the adoption process on March 26, 2009. We made the commitment together that night to ourselves, our family, and most importantly to The Lord to follow what we felt like was His calling in our lives. We immediately started researching different home study and placement agencies and decided on the ones that fit our family the best. We finished all of the paperwork and our Dossier went to Ethiopia on July 21, 2009.

On January 19, 2010 we received the call that forever changed our lives.

"Hi Ashley, this is Susan from ***. I have a file for twin 6 year old boys if you're interested in reviewing it."

Wow. In those simple sentences my heart became the mother of two more children.

So, there you have it! We are now emotionally the parents of twin 6 year old boys. We'll call them S and B for now. I can not share their picture over the internet in any way (email, blog, etc.) I can not write their full names on here.

What's next? Now there is more paperwork to be done. We will have a court date (with our POA representing us) in Ethiopia in about 12 weeks. After we pass court we will legally be the boys' parents. We will travel sometime in April or May (hopefully) to pick our sons up and bring them home with us to join our family forever.

There are names to be picked. Bunk beds and a mini van to be bought. We get to put together "Welcome Bags" to send. There is a trip to Ethiopia to plan. There is a lot to be done, unfortunately I'm not getting much done.

We just keep staring at their pictures and praying for their hearts. I can tell you that they have beautiful big, brown eyes. I can tell you that Hunter and Graysen are smitten already and talk about them every 5 minutes or so. Yes, they look alike, but are not identical. We pray together for the transition that they are about to make. We research Ethiopia, for their country and culture are about to collide with ours and we want to help them hang on to as much of it as possible.

Thank you all for your support over the first part of our journey. You have been amazing. You have lifted me up when I needed it. Please pray for our children and our family...all 6 of us!

Our lives are forever changed

There are really no words. I've been waiting for 6 days to write this post, but still, the perfect words elude me.

We started the adoption process on March 26, 2009. We made the commitment together that night to ourselves, our family, and most importantly to The Lord to follow what we felt like was His calling in our lives. We immediately started researching different home study and placement agencies and decided on the ones that fit our family the best. We finished all of the paperwork and our Dossier went to Ethiopia on July 21, 2009.

On January 19, 2010 we received the call that forever changed our lives.

"Hi Ashley, this is Susan from ***. I have a file for twin 6 year old boys if you're interested in reviewing it."

Wow. In those simple sentences my heart became the mother of two more children.

So, there you have it! We are now emotionally the parents of twin 6 year old boys. We'll call them S and B for now. I can not share their picture over the internet in any way (email, blog, etc.) I can not write their full names on here.

What's next? Now there is more paperwork to be done. We will have a court date (with our POA representing us) in Ethiopia in about 12 weeks. After we pass court we will legally be the boys' parents. We will travel sometime in April or May (hopefully) to pick our sons up and bring them home with us to join our family forever.

There are names to be picked. Bunk beds and a mini van to be bought. We get to put together "Welcome Bags" to send. There is a trip to Ethiopia to plan. There is a lot to be done, unfortunately I'm not getting much done.

We just keep staring at their pictures and praying for their hearts. I can tell you that they have beautiful big, brown eyes. I can tell you that Hunter and Graysen are smitten already and talk about them every 5 minutes or so. Yes, they look alike, but are not identical. We pray together for the transition that they are about to make. We research Ethiopia, for their country and culture are about to collide with ours and we want to help them hang on to as much of it as possible.

Thank you all for your support over the first part of our journey. You have been amazing. You have lifted me up when I needed it. Please pray for our children and our family...all 6 of us!

The phone call that ended in this...

Hunter has been trying to prove to his dad that he is responsible enough to have a cat ever since Aunt Sissy got one for Christmas.

I got these messages from Hunter on my phone Friday night:

"Mommy, I would really like to have a kitten that I found on the internet that needs a home and me and Grammie were looking at a cat book that my Grammie has and she has her claws out and she uses the litter boxes and she loves to have kids around and um, she's fantastic with kids, and guess what? What? I love this kitten and I really want her so talk to my dad about it, bye."

"Okay now, mom, I have a question to tell you, guess what? I did my chore chart today and guess what? A chore cart of the kitty. And I cleaned it's litter box, and I even got its food, it's water, cleaned the bowl out, and I did everything for the kitty, played with her."


Guess what those messages did to a Mommy's heart?!

Saturday brought this...

During my blogging break

As suggested by Kelley, here are some of my favorite happenings during my blogging break (which occurred from October 11th - December 28th 2009). I'm not going to include Graysen starting dance class or her birthday - both of which will get their own posts!

1. Going to the Pumpkin Patch and Halloween.

I absolutely adore our trip to the pumpkin patch every year. There's something about getting out in the crisp fall weather all bundled up in our sweaters. I love watching my kids do fun fall activities that always include corn, hay bales, and fields of pumpkins! This year we went to the little patch in Dixon. It was the first time we'd been there (we almost always go to Eckert's), and we loved it! I definitely think we'll go back again next year. There was a fun corn stalk maze (that took way too long to get through), animals for the kids to feed, a huge hay bale thing to jump off of, a spooky house, corn to sit and play in, and a hay ride out to the pumpkin field.

My sweet boy tromping through the maze

Seriously, how much fun is all this corn?!

For Halloween this year Hunter was Indiana Jones. No, I have not let my 5 year old watch any of the Indiana Jones movies. He saw it in one of the costume catalogs that we got and would not be satisfied with any other costume. Graysen was a ballet dancer for the Halloween party that we went to, but on the night of Halloween, she wouldn't dress up (so she wore her candy corn dress her Aunt Becca made for her). She is typically scared of costumes, so I didn't even attempt to get her any kind of other costume. We had a good Trick or Treating night, the Smith's came over with Easton and we went to the Shaner's home. Then we went to First Baptist Church Trunk or Treat.

Graysen in her dress made my Aunt Becca

Indiana Jones

Hunter pretending to be scared of the "Mummies" we made for lunch one day.

2. Visiting Lindenwood

On October 23rd Megan and I took a small group of our dancers to Lindenwood University to tour of the campus, take a ballet class with my former college ballet teacher, and attend the student directed dance concert. It was such a great day spending time with some of my dancers, seeing them outside of the classroom setting. I enjoyed being back on campus, seeing how much things have changed. It was great to see Miss Jan, and awesome to see all the new dance facilities! After a lunch out and some shopping we headed back to campus for the dance concert. It was a great show, the first I've seen in several years. My friend Amy, from my college dance days met us for the concert! I was transported back in time for the day, enjoying my old college campus, professors, friends, and town. Although it made me miss those times, it also made me appreciate what I have now!

3. Jennifer's Baby Shower

On November 8th my cousin and I hosted a baby shower for one of our friends. I have known Jennifer for a few years now, after she and her husband joined our bible study group. I love hosting get togethers, so this baby shower was right up my ally! Babies are especially close to my heart, so I found this to be a perfect opportunity to show my love to her during her first pregnancy!

4. A visit with a great friend.

My wonderful friend Nikki came to Cuba for a whole week in November! I was able to spend an entire afternoon with her, and it was amazing! She was also able to attend Graysen's 2nd birthday party and take pictures for us (she's a professional photographer in the KC area), which was very special. We were very good friends in HS, and she lived with us for a time following HS. She was the guest book attendant for my wedding, and I was a bridesmaid in hers. She has a beautiful little girl named Ella. I just adore my time with her, unfortunately it's too far between our visits.

5. Thanksgiving

I always love Thanksgiving! It may be my favorite holiday simply because you get to gather with your entire family and eat awesome food, but no gifts are expected! So much less stress! This year we had Thanksgiving breakfast with the Redburn's, then went to Aunt Kim's for lunch. This year we also had Chad's birthday on Thanksgiving, so after lunch we went back to Mom's for birthday cake and gifts! :0) The day after Thanksgiving we went to Chuck E. Cheese for Chad's "surprise" birthday party. Hunter was so cute, he really believed he was keeping a secret from Chad for several weeks as we planned his party. So adorable.

6. The start of Basketball Season

So...maybe this isn't really a favorite per say, but it was a huge occurrence in our home. The season has been a bit different this year, I'm not on bedrest, and I don't have a child under a year old in the house! Hunter is old enough to go with Lincoln to pre-season conditioning, and we are blessed that both children are old enough to be dropped off with Dad at practice for a few minutes if our work overlap time is less than 1/2 hour. I have attended considerably fewer games this year due to me working on Tuesday nights this year. Aside from having a babysitter more often then we like, basketball has caused much less stress on our family this year than any other year! I think it's only going to get better!

7. Christmas Carol

I was lucky enough to take my oldest son on a date to see A Christmas Carol at LU this year. It was his first play. I only expected to make it to intermission, but when presented with the opportunity to leave during intermission he said "I definitely think we should stay to see the rest of it Mom!" I was thrilled to see that my son has an interest in the performing arts. He laughed at all the appropriate places, and we both jumped in our seats during one part! I was extremely proud of the well behaved 5 year old I took with me as my date. I hope we can make it a tradition!

Hunter and I before leaving for our date

8. Cookie Baking

We usually do some kind of holiday cookie baking in my family, but this year the bug really bit us and Mom chose some 8 different kinds of cookies to make! We had all the ingredients purchased and gathered at her house...only to find that the oven would not work on December 23rd! Two days before she was to host Christmas for our entire family! So...everything was moved to my house and we had a baking extravaganza here instead! My Aunt Kim was able to join us this year, and my cousin Jayna via phone for a little while. I really enjoyed seeing my kids interact with my Aunt, who I have so many wonderful memories with growing up.

Aunt Kim helping Graysen make Sugar Cookies

Hunter: "Seriously Mom, quit taking pictures and just let me make cookies!"

This flour is so much fun! Let's do this every year!

This is real life

Last night I slept from 4:30 p.m. - 7:50 a.m. 15 hours. straight.

Sure, I could've gotten up, but it was easier not to. It was easier not to deal with real life.

My children weren't misbehaving. My husband has been extremely helpful lately.

So, why the ridiculous amount of sleep? I'm stressed. Welcome to my life as a high school / college student. This is what I do. I hibernate. The world could be falling down around me, yet, I sleep.

It's partially this time of year. My world fell apart around this time 4 years ago. I faced what I never dreamed I would have to; the loss of a child...for the second time in a row. As much as I try to stay busy and avoid any memories, thoughts, or recollections, they come flooding back, replaying in my mind as vivid as they were the days they were happening.

I'm also mentally exhausted. It hit me the other day that if we had just gotten pregnant in March '09 when we started this adoption process we would already have a baby. Do I regret the decision to adopt rather than have another biological child...never, no way, absolutely not. But, the honest part of international adoption is this: it's heart wrenching. You attach yourself to a child or children thousands of miles away on anther continent. You've never seen them, you don't know their life story. All you know is that you've committed to loving and raising these kids for the rest of your life. And you can't hold them. You can't tuck them into bed. You miss setting plates for them at meal times. You wonder when their birthday is and if they've ever heard of Santa Clause. You can't wait to teach them to pray and see them ask Jesus into their hearts. You miss your kids. Everyday.

So, I woke up this morning, rested and ready to tackle another day. Another great day with my two children here with me. Ready to do a couple of loads of dishes, a few loads of laundry, and to clean my bedroom. It's another typical day in our home, yet I'm always on pins and needles, waiting for the phone call that will change our family forever...the one that tells me I've got another child coming home.

Project 365 - First 2 weeks

I'm super excited. I just read about this little challenge called Project 365. Although I didn't learn about it until now, Day 9, I'm going to hop on board and see what I have from the first 9 days as well. I'll try to do a bi-monthly recap, and I'd love for you all to join me!!

January 3rd. Seeing my children hard at work hiding the word of God in their hearts is irreplaceable!

January 7th. Hunter immitating Chad while wearing his MS&T hat. Ha ha, are you proud Chad?

January 9th. Hunter had so much fun exploring the snow with his Aunt Sissy and Chad. Thank you for taking him out when I was too wimpy!

January 10th: Graysen is Kara's mini me.

January 11th: These are the days I will miss. I love it when my kids create a game and play nicely together!


January 12th: Graysen is learning to get herself dressed. If you'll notice the jeans are on backward, but she would NOT let me change them! She was very proud!


January 13th: My precious little girl. These are her favorite PJ's of all time.


January 14th: Graysen and Adelyn. She loves babies these days, especially real ones! She just wants them to sit on her lap though...

Enough about me...what about you?

I just found out that today is "Delurking Day"!

I've never heard of it, let alone participated in it, but I'm excited to start!

I know most of you (maybe all of you!), but some of you don't know each other...and I always love to learn more about my friends! So, whether you're a dear friend, a relative, or a new reader who tends to lurk around here once in awhile, I'd love to hear from you!

Please answer one, two or maybe all of these and introduce yourselves!

1. Where are you from?
2. Tell me about your daily life. What's a typical day like for you? What's your favorite part of the day?
3. What book or movie changed your life?
4. If you're a fellow blogger what's your URL? What do you write about?
5. What's your favorite food or drink?
6. Now that I've canceled our Dish TV, what should I order first from Netflix?

Mothering

"Inspiring Natural Families since 1976"

Mothering Magazine might be my all time favorite magazine! I won a subscription to it at a National Breastfeeding Fair a little over a year ago and have not put it down since! I keep almost all of the volumes as references.

I am encouraged, inspired, and challenged every time I sit down to read.

Although I don't necessarily think of our family as a "natural" family, my beliefs line up with this magazine more than I ever thought they would! Of course I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding. More nights then not we have a family bed. I am a baby wearer (still). We tend to agree with most of the discipline techniques and ideals discussed. I would say the only thing that we don't participate in is all of the wonderfully healthy eating habits they suggest...not something I'm proud of.

I get very excited for my monthly subscription of Mothering to come, and when it does, you can guarantee that I will be taking a nice, long, hot bath in peace and quiet to soak in all of the wonderful articles that are sure to fill the pages.

Delaying Formal Schooling

It's no secret that I'm very nervous about my children's educational career. We held Hunter back a year, choosing not to send him to pre-school until age 5, and Kindergarten at age 6.

I recently read that Britan has officially recommended holding children off of formal schooling until age 6 as well, putting them more closely in line with other European Countries (like Germany and France). The article said that it would allow children more time to learn while playing, which I have always valued. I think there are a million real life lessons that can be learned while playing with toys and each other!

I felt better about our decision and my strong feelings after reading all the stats this article provided. I think we made a good decision for our son.

Words of Wisdom from a 5 year old

"You're surrounded by joy!"

These are the words I was awoken by this morning. I opened my eyes to see one baby on each side and Hunter was right, I was surrounded by joy.

Where he gets this stuff, I will never know. But I'm sure lucky he was right!

Are there days?

When the vaccum falls over 3 times when you try to put it away?

When sweep the kitchen floor just to find 5 minutes later that your 2 year old has gotten into the brownies and they are now all over the floor?

When you try to label pictures because you've realized your memory is already failing you and your kids will NOT play by themselves? Am I wrong to think that my 5 and 2 year olds should be able to play in their playroom stocked with toys by themselves for 15 minutes?

When you make your bed only to find both kids have thrown all the blankets off and are jumping on it a few minutes later?

When you break 2 glasses while unloading the dishwasher because they are still too hot? Darn me for being dilligent and getting right on unloading as soon as they are clean!

Today, I think I'm going to quit trying. Tomorrow is another day.

Happy 2010 from The Redburn's!

We hope that this letter finds you feeling refreshed from your Christmas vacations and celebrations. We pray that you all were able to stop and enjoy the real reason for the season and celebrate Jesus' birthday with your friends and families. Hunter requested birthday hats this year for our Christmas dinner rather than a birthday cake for Jesus like in years past! What good is a birthday party without the hats right?!

Lincoln is still working the weekend day shift at the Walmart DC. He loves his job and doesn't look to change anytime soon! He has also started making some deliveries for Phelps County Rental during the weekdays this year. It's just on a "need" basis, so we still have some days to enjoy as a family. He is also in his 6th year of coaching boys basketball at the St. James High School. He loves the opportunity and responsibility of helping shape young boys lives on and off the court.

Ashley stopped doing in home daycare in May 2009 and has been soaking up the time with her kids every day since then! She couldn't ask for anything more then to be able to be home with her children experiencing life with them and making their house a home for the entire family. She is teaching all forms of dance and Zumba at The Dance Studio in Rolla three nights a week this school year. She appreciates being able to get out of the house for a few hours each night and continue a passion that she has had for 23 years now!

Hunter Lee turned vie in August of this year. He started pre-school two mornings a week at an awesome Christian Church herein town and is very much enjoying being introduced to the school setting. Mom and Dad couldn't ask for a better place to send him for a few hours a week. We are thrilled with the instruction and staff! He is very much a "boy". We are thrilled with his imagination we see while he crates huge worlds with his action figures and his sister's doll house. He still loves to play all sports and enjoys cheering for the Tigers while at his Dad's basketball games.

Graysen Faith turned tow this year! She has turned into a beautiful, very passionate little girl. Whether it's that she adamant it's "her turn" while playing Bubby, or because she wants a certain pair of shoes for the day, she definitely lets you know her opinion! She talks up a storm and is your typical little girl. She has an obsession with shoes, clothe,s hair bows, and nail polish! She started dance class the week after she turned two. She loves it! She is often showing anyone (even strangers in the store) her dance moves - and to make Mommy even more proud she even uses correct French terminology! Her favorites include turning with arms in fifth position, shuffle step, posse' (foot at the knee), sote' (jump), and plie' (bend of the knees)!

In family news, we started the adoption process in March of this year! We are adopting form Ethiopia and are just waiting to receive a referral (picture, medical info, and name)! We hope to hear something in early spring and then travel to Africa to bring our much awaited baby brother home before Christmas 2010. Although we are anxious to add another blessing to our family, we of course know that it's all in God's timing and He already arranged thing to work out perfectly!

Much love from our home to yours,
Lincoln, Ashley, Hunter and Graysen

Thank you Lord for giving me a sister

who is the best Aunt in the whole world!!!

I am not an outside person. So, when all this now came I might have said a small prayer to God asking Him to NOT let Hunter ask to go out in it...maybe...



So, when Kara called asking if she could take Hunter sledding I was thrilled. Seriously.

Hunter's first experience on a 4 wheeler!

Kara and Chad,

Thank you for being so involved with my kids. You are both the best people I could ask for! I can always count on you to keep routine and discipline while we're gone, and splurge with fun, outrageous activites with them while we're around. My kids are so blessed to be able to make so many memories with you, they will last a lifetime.

Love always,
Ash