My Steve and his "Buhbuh"

I love watching these two interact. Lucia puts up a racket if Steve doesn't give her his attention as soon as he walks in the door. She practically throws herself at him then revs up the belly laugh for his slurpy kisses. Her cocoa eyes follow him around until he looks at her. Bursts of wiggles and squeals ensue! The following pictures don't capture that laughter, but I love how she is looking at him in these. I love that my honey is such a hands on dad. I love it.

How about those eyes!

Okay, so blog negligence is my middle name! Here are a couple of pics I took yesterday. There are so many pics to post and mental conversations I have had with you, dear friends. Things I have wanted to share along the way. It makes me feel "clogged" just thinking about all that I had hoped to post. So, I decided that for today, a couple of pictures would suffice. As soon as I posted them, I showed Emma and Amanda, who said, "Those are cute but not nearly as adorable as she is in person." Yep, it's true! She is the HAPPIEST, most EXPRESSIVE, CHATTY (really, really noisy), down right FUNNY baby EVER! Crazy cuteness!

Lucia & I

Steve posted this picture yesterday while I dove into my soft, feathered bed. The trip was miserably long but Lucia was an absolute sweet cake! I'm a puddle of goo over our happy, adorable baby! I have so much to tell about her, the trip, the orphanage, Ethiopia, the great new friends I made! Somehow it all seems overwhelming to put into words right now. I am so thankful....My cup runneth over and over! Thank you for praying us through this week. I will always look upon my time in Ethiopia with unreserved joy and tenderness. It was priceless to walk off the plane, to see the looks on my family's eager faces, to experience the squeals of love and laughter, the reveling in our newest babers. I can't wait for you all to meet her!

triple scoop (cuz everything comes in threes, right?)

1st) Our daughter, Lucia Josephine, is officially ours and we are hers!!!! Happy, happy, happy!!! Everything sailed through today in Ethiopian courts. Thank you, Lord! In regards to her name, well, we are the worst name "picker-outers" (Is there such a word?)! Add to that our combined stubborn streaks and you end up with either a really, really long name or one that can be said five different ways. Take your pick. Lulu, Josie, Jo, LJ (thinking of you here, Jase). We are a family peacefully divided and will surely have one confused little girl! Oh well! (fat grins here) By the way, I like Lucia, pronounced (Lu-SEE-a, with an accent on the i). :)

2nd) Ayisha is scheduled to be admitted to the epilepsy monitoring unit on April 7th, where she will undergo extensive testing. She'll be taken off of all medication in the hopes that she will have several seizures while under their care. This testing could last from 2-10 days. We will be having a time of prayer for her on April 5th at Cornerstone Church (6:00 p.m.) for anyone local that would like to join us.

3rd) I will depart for Ethiopia on April 25th to bring our baby home! I cannot travel any sooner due to processing and embassy schedules (and as it turns out, it is better this way anyway). We are delighted that my parents will be able to come and care for the girls while I am away. Now, if we could convince them to bring their adorable new puppy, Harriet, along!


As a "topping", Easter Sunday and Caleb's entrance into glory will be deeply remembered and commemorated the same day this year. It is my heart's desire that we not be within hospital walls by then. My eyes sting, just thinking about it, truthfully. Still, please pray that we would rejoice in the Lord and maybe taste of Him, our hope, not only despite our circumstance but in it. May we remember well that even though we do have trouble in this world, He HAS overcome the world.

I Am Rich, Rich, Rich!

Years ago, I scrawled a children's poem with this title. It is about friends. Wonderful, real, faithful friends.

Tomorrow, dear Naomi is stopping by for a last good-bye before they head cross country, then back home to Mozambique. Tuesday evening their family and Trudgens gathered here for shared food, warm company, and laughter. The kids all prepared a show for us, the acting out of a hilarious joke, ending with a q&a for the talented cast. So very cute! It struck me all at once, that we have known every one of our *combined* eleven children since infancy (or in Ayisha's case both Naomi and Ginger knew her in Malawi as a toddler, even before we did). That at one time, we couples sat around the table as newlyweds, full of ideals, full of ourselves, and full of somewhat untested faith. We have celebrated each other's babies, grieved our losses, wrestled through heartache, and dashed dreams together. We have seen each other through glorious victories as well as more subtle changes, perhaps recognizable only within the context of old relationships. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses well. I know I have been loved despite glaring character flaws, aggravating habits, and a sinful heart. Love has covered over a multitude of sins and youthful folly. I have been loved far better than I could ever hope to love. These friends are honest, devoted, transparent and full of grace. I see Jesus in them. I know Christ's love better because of them. I am accepted by them. And this is no small thing.

Tomorrow, because Naomi and I both have MK (missionary kid) issues, we won't say good-bye really. We'll say a quick, "See ya later!", give a deep hug and pretend poorly that it is just another day. Yes, we'll insist that it is only a matter of time (DAYS) before we live down the street from each other, when we can just pop over for a good cup of tea, embarrass our children with ridiculously loud, thigh slapping laughter, debate books, and basically spill our guts. With each passing year, I am more and more convinced.

That, truly, I am rich beyond measure.

Miss Ayisha

She has had a couple rough days. Yesterday, while in the middle of active play, a vicious seizure took hold. This is the first time this has happened outside of a sleep cycle. And honestly, it is unnerving to realize a new pattern may have begun. We have been working with her neurologists on getting her admitted to an epilepsy unit, where her seizures would not only be closely monitored but instigated with the intent of pinpointing their origin. If, as it seemed up until yesterday, the seizures are localized, then surgery may be a possibility for her. I desperately hope I am wrong, but I think yesterday's seizure began on the opposite side of the brain from the norm. If so, this immediately eliminates surgical options.

Please pray for our sweet girl, for her sisters (as I am convinced the Lord intends to build something uniquely beautiful in them through this), and for Steve and I as we continue to lift our daughter before the throne of the ONE who made her.

May we persevere in faith, hope, and love.

Manda and Bossy

We suspected from day one that this bossy chick was a rooster, but his teen-age, strangled crow has confirmed it! Although we told the kids that any rooster would make a nice chicken fricasse, well....who has the heart (or doesn't as the case may be)....NOT I!

Back to blogville

Hello, friends and family! If you are still out there, I will be posting pictures and Glover craziness soon! There is much to tell! The months have spun by, as we have been blessed with extended visits with family and friends, homeschooling and exciting (if consuming) photographic developments. A photography website will be appearing soon, a logo/brand has been in the works as well as lots of new wedding images. You can check out some of Dan and Arielle's wedding images at my photography blog, linked to the right.

Last, but by no means least, we have a court date of March 25th for our baby's adoption in Ethiopia. We will not be physically present for that date, but will receive our travel dates as soon as the hearing is finished. We are told that we can expect to travel four weeks after that court date. So, it looks like I (yes, little ol' me, all by my lonesome, EEK! Actually, I am feeling mostly excited about it now) will be going to Ethiopia at the end of April to bring our baby home! We'll keep you updated on the dates so you can be praying for safe travels! If any of you know my prior travel stories (I really should write a book, or an article at least), anyway, if you know then you KNOW, I NEED the prayer!:) Oh, and our baby girl (still undecided between Lucia --Lulu for short or Josephine --Josie or Jo for short) is now rolling onto her belly, laughing out loud and reaching for things to put in her mouth. She is four months old and it is KILLING me that we have to wait another two months to bring her home! On the other hand, we are working hard to get a LOT of schooling done, to get a lot of our business stuff taken care of, and some other issues regarding Ayisha's seizures settled (more on that later).

I've decided that in order to get back into the swing of things with blogging, I am going to start back up by posting an image a day. In true procrastinator fashion, I am not starting that quite today, but soon! Hah! :)

Lots of love to you all (all two of you that follow this blog by now)! Hi Mom and Mom #2 (Steve's mom)!

Sweet dreams!

blessing upon blessing

I am officially giddy, silly even! My honey is home for two whole weeks, my dear friend, Naomi, is within driving distance for a few happy weeks that will blink by (before she returns to her home in Mozambique), the girls are contented bees, sewing, crafting and basically glowing in grand-parental attention. Christmas day is drawing near, and GUESS WHAT??!!!!!! Our baby girl (yes, girl) will soon be joining our family!

Our tiny two month old, named "Life" in her native tongue, will likely be ready for travel by the end of February. So now we wait some more....but we have pictures (which for confidentiality reasons I cannot post) and will receive regular updates.

Praise the Lord, His mercies never cease!

favorite things (and fruitfulness)

red and white




Portuguese linens



living rosemary wreath



fruit filled lemon tree (Yay!)





Last spring our lemon tree suffered a bad frost. While we were grateful not to loose it altogether, it was disappointing when it brought forth only leaves. I missed my yearly supply of lemon curd, bars and Barefoot Contessa pound cake! I have been waiting, waiting for harvest time and can't help but feel Christ's direct instruction that I too be fruitful. I have often wondered if all I have produced is greenery, a show of what might come, only for Him to be frustrated at the lack of real, lasting fruit.

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." Matthew 7:19 and Mark 11 where the fruitless fig tree is told, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."

Dear Lord, I draw near. Help me, that I may bear fruit in You, by You and for You.

why don't we just begin with pie?

fatal attraction? :)

We have ten downy baby chicks. Gypsy is especially interested! Thought ya'll might enjoy this sneak peak into our latest farming venture! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

yummy reads

Each week I select a section from a favorite read aloud book for copywork or dictation exercises . The girls LOVE this (especially dictation) and often ask for more! This weeks dictation was from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This popular book is well loved in our home as we have read it yearly for the past three years (I admit I'm a sucker for blatant demands when a book is thrust into my hands and cute children pile around expectantly).

This weeks dictation work (Grandpa Joe's lively response to the prized golden ticket):

"Then very slowly, with a slow and marvelous grin spreading all over his face, Grandpa Joe lifted his head and looked straight at Charlie. The color was rushing to his cheeks, and his eyes were wide open, shining with joy, and in the center of each eye, right in the very center, in the black pupil, a little spark of wild excitement was slowly dancing. Then the old man took a deep breath, and suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, an explosion seemed to take place inside him. He threw up his arms and yelled 'Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!' And at the same time, his long bony body rose up out of the bed and his bowl of soup went flying into the face of Grandma Josephine, and in one fantastic leap, this old fellow of ninety-six and a half, who hadn't been out of bed these last twenty years, jumped on to the floor and started doing a dance of victory in his pajamas. "

It is so fun to read, I found that the girls wanted to read it over and over even as they were writing. How could they help but grin from ear to ear! We could roll around in these wonderul expressive words!

Maybe that's why we HAD to have a nibble from my not-so-secret chocolate stash at the end of each read! Sure glad we've moved on to Strawberry Girl, except, we did bake molasses cookies the day we read all about sugar caning and how molasses is made. All this reading is not so good for my figure! :)

love thy itty bitty neighbor

Our VERY helpful little neighbor while building our chicken coop! WAY too cute! :)

sugar tin

All out of agave sweetner for my morning tea. I'll just have to dip into real sugar from this sweet lil' tin. Too bad. :)