Back in April Sadie had her 1st loose tooth. It wasn't loose but a day. But the fact that it was loose was all our girl needed! She worked on it all morning, all afternoon and all evening until FINALLY the sucker was - well at least according to Sadie - ready to come out! She pulled and tugged and yanked and voila she was toothless and later rich ($1.00 is a lot to a 5 year old) :-).
Well...2 weeks ago Sadie came home from school with yet another loose tooth. And all I think was on no, not again...But guess what? This time she wanted it to last as long as possible. It was like a game. She wanted to see just how long she could keep the loose tooth in her mouth. (I think she might have some control issues, but that is another post).
Anyway, last night she decided it was time. And so...she pulled and tugged and yanked and voila she claimed victory on another baby tooth and then asked for a raise! My daughter thought she was entitled to 6 quarters because now she was 6! Oh my!
Now, I know you're all waiting for the picture lowdown. So with out further ado...
Daddy tying the string. Enabling his little girl to inflict pain on herself...
String didn't work, so now we are using moms idea of a paper towel. You know to get good traction....
Ok, so mom's idea wasn't any better. Sadie returned to her original method, the one she discovered back in April with her 1st loose tooth. You just push it out with your tongue. I know it's weird but it really works!
Success!
A little swish with salt water.
And of course a phone call to Nana.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sadie 2 - Teeth 0
Monday, September 29, 2008
El Salvador - Birth Certificate Pictures
While in El Salvador, BG's team were able to receive and deliver a handful of birth certificates to these precious children who prior to holding this coveted price of paper had NO identity. To date IDFC has given over 40 children their birth certificates and they have an additional 90 in the process. It was an honor for my husband watch God in action here in El Salvador and to serve along so many who love God's children and are working tirelessly in this effort for them!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Coffee = My Love Language
As you all know the love of my life was in El Salvador this week.
I welcomed him home last night and couldn't wait to hear all about his trip. But before he would get to the good stuff he wanted shower us all with the thoughtful pieces of El Salvador he brought back for each of us.
For Ethan he brought him a bright yellow shirt with a cool lizard on it. Ethan was THRILLED! He loves T-shirts with pictures.
For the girls he brought them each back a hand made change purse. Both had a beautiful assortment of colors around a main color - pink for Madison and purple for Sadie. They were PERFECT.
And for me...well after 14 years of marriage I can say this man knows his woman!! He brought me back 3lbs of freshly ground El Salvadorean coffee. Oh, was I delighted! Last night I actually dreamt about drinking it this morning. As I was sipping the hot, rich but so smooth coffee I fell deeply and madly in love with him all over again...:-)
It's the simple things, really!
Oh, and I will post the praise reports and pictures soon.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
La Casa de mi Padre
I just received this news letter from one of the orphanages Brian visited in El Salvador.
Since La Casa de mi Padre opened its doors in May 2002, we have seen God’s hand upon the ministry in many ways. He has led us through an adventure of finding some 50 children living in an abandoned house filled with despair and fighting for survival, to a vibrant ministry of restoration of hearts, lives, and hope for a better future.
Over the past several years we have provided the children a loving, safe, Christian environment. We have sought to share Christ with the in very practical and tangible ways, but we have discovered that their needs go deeper. Due to their difficult pasts, our children have wounds hidden deep within them. Their hearts are broken and emotional scars are evident in each one. These scars often manifest themselves as an inability to relate to others, behavioral problems, and a lack of clear direction for their lives. In understanding the extent of their needs we are repositioning our program to address these by sharing Christ’s love, healing, and hope with them. Our desire is to restore their hearts, relationships, and lives. We strive to stop the dysfunctional patterns that have been going on in our children’s families for generations.
Please be sure to visit their website http://www.mfh-elsalvador.org/ and click on their latest newsletter. There is so much more I'd love for you to know about La Casa de mi Padre.
Please pray for these children and for the faithful workers at La Casa de mi Padre. May the Lord's hand continue to be upon them. May they be showered with His peace, healing, restoration, hope and above all His love.
I also just want to say thank you again for praying for my husband and the gentlemen he is sharing this amazing journey with.
Blessings
El Salvador - Update
I wanted to share a short El Salvador update with you all:
I spoke with Brian last night. They had a great day in El Salvador yesterday! They visited several orphanages and had the privilege of playing with and loving on many of the children there.
Their meetings are going well and they are looking forward to another productive day today.
The plan this morning is to go on into a remote part of El Salvador in hopes of getting information about a birth mother for an orphan child. This background information is imperative to establishing identity for the child.
This investigation may include watching locals be interviewed in villages and surrounding areas.
Please pray with me that these interviews are successful and they are able to get a birth certificate for at least one orphan this trip. It can change a child's life for eternity!
Also, please continue to bathe these gentleman and this mission in prayer! Through them, may we all be able to feel the plight of an orphan child.
Monday, September 22, 2008
El Salvador Bound
Hello my cherished friends and faithful blogging buds:
At 10:55 this morning my husband and good friend Bob boarded a plane to El Salvador.
Once in El Salvador they'll meet up with another good friend BG and 2 locals.
The purpose of this short missions trip is to help open the doors of adoption in El Salvador and establish identity for children (orphans).
They'll begin their day with a visit to 3 orphanages and they will meet with the orphanage directors to learn about the children and hear some of their stories.
They'll end their day meeting with the the board members and dinner at someone’s home.
Please pray for their safety and for the Lord to work through them to accomplish GREAT things in El Salvador.
I will post regular updates as I receive them.
Many thanks in advance!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Spelling Bee Champ
Well that may be a bit premature since Sadie just received her 1st list of spelling words. However, with the help of my faithful friends and blogging buddies I feel confident that the goal is obtainable. So here are the words:
Please share with me the spelling word technique that works best for your champ. Don't delay our first test is Tuesday...:-)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Because Football & Cheer are NOT enough
We added TWIRLING to our weekly schedule. Sadie & Madison are taking baton lessons with their gal pal Kelli. The girls started lessons with hopes of performing in two Christmas Parades, a mardi gras parade, St Patrick's Day parade and the show at the end of the year.
They are also selling raffle tickets for a $1.00. If any friends or family would like to support the M & M Sweeties and have a chance to win $300, please let me know how many tickets you would like.
Of course, I will also keep everyone posted on the parades and performances! And you can count on lots pictures.
For my PSL friends I HIGHLY recommend this class. The girls LOVE it!!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
It's Football Season....
This is our our first year of (flag) football and cheer, and today was our 1st practice/jamboree.
The day was beautiful and the weather was perfect!!
Brian & I tag teamed during practice because Ethan was playing football and the girls were cheering at different locations. Thankfully we all meet up for the game and it was great to be able to watch them all at the same time.
Unfortunately I only have a few pics of the girls learning their cheers and NO pics of Ethan in his football gear because the battery in my camera went dead!! :-(
Take my word for it though - Ethan was SO cute! And he REALLY loved playing the game. And...I think I REALLY love being a "sports" mom. :-)
It was a fabulous day.
Family Fun Night
The Kids wanted to watch a movie for Family Fun Night. The movie was picked (A Knights Tale), the "camp" was set up and the popcorn was popped....
I left the kids for a few minutes to clean the kitchen and switch the laundry around.
This is what I found when I came back into the room:
Either Family Fun Night wasn't very "fun" or these kids were VERY tired!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Are You Smarter than a 1st Grader?
OK, so I joke all the time about looking forward to the fun stuff I am going to learn now that my kids are in school. You know all that stuff that was missed the 1st time around....
Well apparently that was no joke!
This week Sadie checked out a book from her school library titled The Pledge of Allegiance. We read the book together and here are just a few facts about the American Flag I found interesting and thought you might too:
2. When the President is not in Washington D.C. the flag outside the White House doesn't fly.
3. The first flag is believed to have been designed by Francis Hopkinson and sewn by Betsy Ross (BTW, Betsy sat near to George Washington in church).
4. Red is for bravery, White is for liberty and Blue is for justice.
5. The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy for a children's magazine called The Youth's Companion.
So, truth be told.... Are You Smarter than a 1st Grader?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Bad Hair
Do you have bad hair days?
Check out these pics of my Sadie - this is her hair EVERY morning...
And it is my sole responsibility to tame this mane day after day!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
A Walking Counter
WOW Nicole and I are having an adventure on our walks not to mention all the miles we are racking up!
