Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread.

Well, Thursday my friends and family threw Kidus a wonderful baby shower at our church. Of course, Taylor and I accepted all the gifts and hugs on his behalf, but I am sure he would have loved it there. I hope to have more pictures soon (ahem, April?).

One gift that I cannot help but dream about Kidus wearing is his dedication suit (the suit he will wear when he is dedicated at our church). My mother-in-law purchased it for him and it is absolutely beautiful. I think the reason it stands out so much to me is because it will be worn when he is safe at home.

Of course, we received so many wonderful gifts and cards, that I could not even begin to discuss them all. Some of the friends who helped throw the shower were also busy all week long working on Vacation Bible School at our church - Talk about exhausted times two! I am so touched by the outpouring of support from our friends and family. We are truly blessed.

On the adoption front: I actually have some news! Our caseworker has informed us that the court proceedings have been initiated, but they do not have an exact date yet. I am not sure EXACTLY what this means, but I do know that this means we are no longer at a standstill. We are officially closer to bringing our baby boy home!

How much money, in pennies, is lying on the streets of the world?

Well, the garden is doing wonderful! I was down there today, weeding, and learned that it is just a matter of time that I will be canning my little-pea-picking-heart out. Of course, to even venture out my front door I need to apply 100% Deet. The deer flies have taken me hostage!

I do need to do some research on a few plants that I have never grown before: Tomatillos -When to harvest? Carrots - When to thin out? Otherwise, I am sure that all 63 plants of tomatoes will be ready to harvest about the time that we go to get Kidus. Is that pessimism or what? :-) On that note...

On the adoption front: No news.

Are there seeing eye humans for blind dogs?

Whew! It is at least 152 degrees today. My house is built into the side of a hill, so it is pretty cool. Translation: Nothing better to do than get online and blog my little heart away.

We had a garage sale this weekend. All the money raised is going to purchase medicine, books, etc. for the Adera and Oromia Orphanages in Ethiopia. We only had it two days (Friday & Saturday), and relied on signs alone as our advertising medium, but we were able to raise almost $300.00. My husband works at a Pharmaceutical company so we will be able to turn that money into a large amount of children's acetaminophen, cough medicine, etc. God is awesome!



We also had a friend stop by to help and bring us lunch on Saturday. You may recognize her from The Voke's Adoption Journey blog ... maybe you won't since we went incognito most the day :-)


We saw an awesome rainbow as a reminder of how faithful God is (you can read more about it on the Voke's blog). Hopefully you can see it in this photo, but of course pictures do not usually do rainbows the justice they deserve.

We had a great time, but it was a lot of work!

Speaking of work... Our church has Vacation Bible School this week, so I will be away from home not checking my email every second (waiting for news about the adoption). However, it will still be on my mind every second, so have no fear. That reminds me...

On the adoption front: No News.

If you have an open mind is there a chance your brain might fall out?

Okay, two things:

1. I am so grateful for friends, old and new, that help ease this difficult time of waiting. You all know who you are!

2. I have large houseplants that sit on the floor. Should I sell them in my garage sale? Are they unsafe or impractical with a toddler around? I need advice from experienced moms!

On the adoption front: No news (sigh)

If you try to fail and succeed which have you done?

When I was pregnant for my daughter I had dreams that I had bought all girl items (because I had an ultrasound that showed she was a girl) and she was born a boy. I had that dream at least once a week for the last month of my pregnancy.

Last night I had a dream that we had our baby shower and then the adoption had fallen through. I had also opened everything so I couldn't return anything.

I guess it is official: I am expecting. This includes all the stress dreams. This goes to show it is stress, not hormones, that causes all those weird dreams.

Now if I could just go find a pickle and a gallon of ice cream...

On the adoption front: No News.

Why is it when you get from here to there, you're still here and not there?

Well, it has been a busy weekend, but probably not a whole lot worth blogging.

James and I went and registered for baby items on Friday. That was a lot of fun. Although, it was kind of difficult at times trying to decide what stage/size Kidus would be when he finally makes it home.

Shopping for Kidus was also a time of mourning some losses for me: the loss of the early stages, the loss of the ability to breastfeed, the loss of the itty bitty clothing, the loss of pictures each month for the first 12 months of his life, etc. I can honestly say I did not dwell on those things, but they were fleeting thoughts as we purused the aisles of every baby item you could ever need (It has been 15 years since I have had a baby and they have even more cool stuff then they did back then!). I was able to look forward to some things: his first set of swimming trunks and a dip in Grandma's pool, the books we will read together, bath time, camping... The list is truly longer than the list of things I will be missing.

We also faced a new dilemma that had not crossed my mind when thinking of a boy. We were in the bathing section trying to decide on baby products like soap, shampoo, lotion,etc., when it dawned on us that we were not sure if regular baby shampoo would be okay for his curly black hair (okay, maybe this was more my dilemma than James'). You may be thinking "Duh, Deanna! Of course it will." but I really wasn't sure. Around the time that I was mulling this over, this very nice black woman and her little girl passed us. I suggested to James that he should stay put because I was about to go have a heart to heart with this woman (honestly, what goes through my head sometimes?). I found her in an aisle and asked her for help. I explained my situation and inquired as to what shampoo she used on her daughter's hair. She humored me and I learned that baby shampoo was okay, detangler works if needed, and that I should wash his hair often or cradle cap may develop. Really, very nice woman.

I was also able to go shopping with some friends for Vacation Bible School supplies this past week. I know that may not sound like fun, but it really was... I guess I needed to get out of the house and quit checking my email for an afternoon because I felt better for it.

Oh yeah, we also decided to have a garage sale next weekend. Whatever we raise will go towards purchasing items to bring to Kidus' orphanage. Prayer for good weather and that we don't go insane. I hate having garage sales, but since the money will be going for a good cause, I think that will make it much more enjoyable.

Have a great Father's Day, everyone!

How do fish know that worms will taste good? Are there random worms swimming in lakes and rivers?

And on the topic of fish and worms, is that not the best example of "if it looks to good to be true, it probably is"? Is there ever a case that a fish is just swimming along, sees a floating worm bouncing around in front of his or her face and is able to eat it with no strings (pardon the pun) attached? Now, what about the fish that grabs on, gets off somehow and then grabs back on? Is that optimism in its purest form? Case and point that pessimism is the best way to go if you don't want to get snagged.

As of Friday, James and I have been married for five years! It seem like it has been so much longer. And I know that many of you read that and think "ouch" that was rude, but I mean it in a good way. James and I have a great marriage. So great, in fact, it feels like we have been together since the beginning of time. Okay, enough of the mushy stuff; I will share some photos.

James and I love fishing, so that is where we spent Sunday afternoon for our anniversary. We caught a few pan-fish and that was about it, but it was a very nice, relaxing way to spend an afternoon with my husband.

Yesterday, the whole family took a trip to Grand Rapids for a plethora of shots and travel information. We left the doctor's office with sore arms and a deflated checkbook, but a good feeling. It is nice to feel prepared and that is how we feel right now. (disclaimer: someone please remind me I said this before I get on a plane to Ethiopia!)

On the Adoption Front: Still no news, but yesterday was the day that we received some fantastic photos of Kidus from Ben and Joanna, who are in Ethiopia right now. In the last few hours I have scoured our contract with Adoption Associates, trying to decide if we could share his photo online. I came to the conclusion that we could. However, I just now inserted it into my blog, felt funny about it, and immediately deleted it again. I am not sure why, but I cannot bring myself to post his picture on here yet. If you would like to see the pictures, please feel free to email me privately and I will be happy to share them with you. He is gorgeous, after all. ;)

Ben and Joanna went above and beyond the call of duty by video taping Kidus attempting to crawl. I cannot wait to watch this video. I know I will bawl like a baby, but when you are at this part of the process, you hang onto every little shred of hope you can.

Speaking of hope, some dear friends of mine have decided it is time I have a baby shower; Apparently they are tired of walking on egg shells around me and need to see me smile or something. Just kidding (kind of)... Actually, my friend April is a pretty smart lady and she knows that I need my spirit uplifted and that this shower is just what the doctor ordered. I am so excited! I was fifteen years old when I had my first (and only) baby shower. I truly did not appreciate it the way that you do when you are 30 years old.

And onto the the part about uplifting your spirit... I went to the Gull Lake Bible Conference today for their annual Ladies Day. There was a phenomenal speaker there by the name of Priscilla Shirer. She was very motivating and really convicted me that lately my prayer life has not been what it should.

Here is a picture of me, my mother-in-law and great grandma-in-law (94 years old!) at the conference.

I have a somewhat related question out there to my reader: is pessimism realism at its best or faith at its worst? Just a thought I am pondering... Still don't know how Blogger makes their money, though.

Well, back to the real world.

(By the way, the title of this post is courtesy of my husband, James)

Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Deep in thought tonight.

A very nice couple we met just a few weeks ago is in Ethiopia right now, preparing to meet their baby boy in a few short hours. I imagine they are having difficulty sleeping and I can almost feel their excitement from the other side of the world. When they posted on their blog that they had made it to the guest house, I felt my heart jump. The internet is an amazing invention because it allows you to feel or be close to someone that you have only met once or in some cases, not at all. This couple also has a very special gift for Kidus, from us, because he is in the same orphanage as their son. It does my heart good to think that Kidus will have someone he spent the first few months of his life with right in the mitt of Michigan with him.

So, Ben and Joanna, Godspeed. May your meeting with your son be as wonderful as you have imagined it. Enjoy each second looking over his toes and fingers and running your hands through his rich, dark hair.

On our adoption front: Nothing, but Kidus will be seeing pictures of us very shortly. Pray he still wants to come home with us!! :)

Why is yawning contagious?

Ok, I have a question I won't to pose to my reader:

According to blog etiquette, does one respond to comments on your own blog or on the blog of the person who left the comment? For instance, Marissa asked what kind of chocolate I like. If I wanted to answer her, would I post it here or on the Voke family blog? (By the way, I like ALL kinds of chocolate or anything on, in or around chocolate). Also, Karen commented that she needs one of those I-am-adopting-so-I-am-becoming-clinically-insane-t shirts. Would I commiserate with her here on my blog or on the Our Family Expansion blog? Inquiring minds want to know...

Why do you often see a shoe lying on the side of the street?

Ok, I found an awesome t-shirt today. You can check it out at this link:

"adoption" Design on Products : CafePress.com

But this photo of the design sums it all up:
(you can click on the photo to see it close up)

How do they get deer to cross at the yellow sign?

So, I really have no news whatsoever about my life to share. Considering how mind-numbingly boring life can be, I will spare you the details of laundry, gardening, and other everyday things that I do. I have been thinking a lot about orphanages lately (hmm...wonder why?) and that specifically made me think of my visit to an orphanage in Tanzania in 2005. I met some beautiful children there and thought maybe I could share some of the pictures.

This sweet little girl's name is Tumani (Too-Mine-EE) which mean Hope in Swahili:









Tumani had a really big impact on me. Of course, there were lots more children, all very sweet and equally hard to leave:



On the adoption front: No news.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

And people who do not sleep like babies are usually waiting for one to come home from Ethiopia. Man, I am sick of not sleeping. If this continues, there may be another 3 or 4 very thoughtful posts by me based on the thoughtful comments of others. Someone may need to intervene if my thoughts become too thoughtful. :-)