October 24th was my dad’s 61st birthday. We had a small celebration at home with spaghetti, salad, bread & flan! Here are a few pictures from the party.
The kids love to help Wello read cards & open gifts.
Here’s my flan. It doesn’t look very pretty, but it tastes awesome!! My aunt Marie taught me how to make it from my Nana’s recipe.
Surprisingly, Avery did not like it, she was actually gagging. So she had some ice cream instead.
Haley & Christian were cuddling up on the couch & we all watched “So you think you can dance” together…
The girls celebrated Hispanic Heritage Day this week, after learning all month about hispanic countries this last month. Each class adopted a country and transformed their classroom into a wonderful assortment of heritage, including music, dancing, food, and historic facts. I traveled with Avery’s class to many countires, they even had passports to be stamped after each visit. We visited, Columbia, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Cuba and Spain.
Here they are in Columbia, learning a traditional Columbian Dance…
So, Rich’s new profession might be a supermodel? We (Melissa, kids, our mom’s & dad’s) are so proud of Rich making the list, Hot 20 under 40, for the next generation of Bay Area “movers and shakers”… The magazine is called Tampa Bay Illustrated & is available online http://www.tampabayillustrated.com/hottwentyunder40 or in book stores, I got mine at Barnes & Noble.
We know there are some family members possibly even friends who question our decision to adopt, especially internationally. Our response to these questions are, this is what God has put on our hearts. Yes, there are many children in the US that need a family and it breaks our hearts that any child would be without a family. BUT, the Lord has put the orphans of AFRICA deep in our hearts. We had the amazing opportunity to see first hand the crisis in Africa. We can’t imagine NOT doing something to help one of those precious children. So, we have prepared our hearts, our children & are trying to prepare our families that we will have an African son. This is what God has called us to do and we are being obedient.
I have this post from several months ago on this blog, but thought I’d put it out there again. I borrowed these words from a family that are currently in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. www.babeofmyheart.blogspot.com
This “Why Ethiopia”question is one we have already gotten a lot of–and one we fully expect and anticipate answering many times during our lives. My answer is really a question right back: Why not? The simplicity of it all is that we love children, our biological children desire this as much as we do, and we feel it is our responsibility as Christians to love these children deeply as they were our own…so much so, even bringing one to live with us forever.In just a month’s time, I have gotten much encouragement in our step of faith to follow God in our choosing to adopt. How thankful I am for those who stand with us and behind us! I have also already gotten some resistance–and surprisingly some comments from other believers who I look up to…but even for these I am thankful. I am reminded that I must keep my eyes on the cross–on what God is calling us to–and to not look to man or worry about what man thinks.
Our love to orphans should show no boundaries. I feel we should love them whole heartedly as we love our own. We should not only give our money and time–but also our hearts. To love them as Jesus calls us to requires sacrifice–maybe some of us will feel led to sacrifice to the point of lifestyle change by giving sacrificially so they may live until they are grafted in a forever family; some may be called to family change through adoption or others may change to the point of moving across the world to serve the orphan (www.kissesfromkate.blogspot.com) But one thing we must remember, is that when we follow Jesus wholeheartedly we will no longer be living as the world lives and our lives will look different–and thus, not everyone will agree with us…even some who call themselves Christians.
I overheard a recent opinion about our adoption that truthfully caught me off guard but how thankful I was to hear it so early in the process. It was said that we should take care of our own children first before we adopt. This was puzzling to hear from a believer–but I have to say that we truly already believe the children in Ethiopia that God has set apart for us are OURS…and we are actually trying to take care of our “own” children first by pursuing them now whole-heartedly…to rescue them from the dying and to graft them forevermore into THEIR/OUR family! We also feel we are taking care of our biological children by pursuing this with them and not allowing ourselves to get too comfortable in our world. They are getting to see firsthand the gospel of Christ–a transformation from orphan to son/daughter forever. How thankful I am that God didn’t take care of His own flesh “first” or wait until life seemed perfect and peaceful to persue us. How thankful I am that He made sacrifices and chose to rescue the dying…even at the very expense of his own flesh, His Son. How thankful I am that I am no longer an orphan because He was willing to fight for me at any cost. These children are our OWN. We love them already, and we are willing to fight for them because they are OURS.
The UN now estimates 6 million orphans in Ethiopia alone and approximately 132 million worldwide. So while we can’t rescue them all–we can rescue one. And now is as good of a time as any. We are not promised tomorrow, so today is really the best time for us to begin. Mother Theresa said it well–if you can’t feed 100, then feed 1. And it is our prayer that God will use this one to one day make a difference in the lives of many. When looking at those numbers the question to ask is not “why” but more obviously “why not”. And to that question we were left with no answers…and joyfully the paperwork has begun. Help us all Lord to love beyond borders, to show no boundaries and to love orphans as they are our own. Call us Lord deeply into your heart…and help us to love sacrificially as you do.
Bell Shoals hosts the annual GOC, Global Outreach Celebration! GOC is a week-long event that hosts missionaries and shares what they are doing to further the Kingdom. We have nightly events to Celebrate the Lord’s work & love on the missionaries who so faithfully serve. Sunday was the GOC kick-off. There is a group called Projecto Vida (Project life), which is a team of college aged student in Brazil that live on a bus and travel the country to share the gospel, through dance and skits. Their targets are schools & parks. Rich has had the opportunity to go with the Youth Department to Brazil the last 2 years and has worked with Projecto Vida and was so happy to see them here in the US. They will be at BSBC though out the week, so please try to come out & see their presentation. You can email me for specific times.
After church we met up with Poppe, Tracey, Billy & Tony for lunch at Green iguana. Avery was particularly happy to see her Billy & Haley & Lorin had a great time coloring with Poppe.
After lunch we headed to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out a few pumpkins. Later, Rich took the girls out to the Ranch & they painted Pumpkins with Poppe & Tracey.
Saturday night, I was able to go to see Selah & Avalon in concert!!! My mom, myself, my aunt Rachel Jane & Uncle David went to a small church in Riverview for the concert. If anyone knows Selah & Avalon, you know they have awesome praise & worship music & let me tell you they were spectacular! There was no video recording allowed, so I will just add a few links to my favorite songs they did… Here are a few pictures. We had great seats!
This Saturday after the KCC race, we went to our good friends home for a birthday party. Miss Aleena turned 6! Avery & Aleena were in preschool together & Haley & Lorin are great friends with her 2 older sisters, Isabelle & Mandy… It was such a fun party, being so close to Halloween! Aleena’s mom Amy had some great ideas for the party & the kids had a fantastic time & they all got along for the most part. She made the best snack mix, with popcorn, Halloween m&m’s and candy corn!! SO good!!! Then the kids painted pumpkins & later they all got to dip their own caramel apples to take home as their party favors!
The kids all went outside to paint baby pumpkins… Here’s Aleena the birthday girl!
Left to Right is Isabelle, Lorin, Avery & Mandy
Birthday girl with all of her gifts…
Then we sang Happy Birthday at ate a giant cupcake cake, yummy!!!
This weekend was so busy! Saturday started off with the 2nd annual KCC 5K Race/ Family Fun Walk, it’s one of our major fundraisers at KCC. We all met at KCC at 8 am and were greeted by some seriously loud music, bubble machines and local entertainment. Each family had the option to either runt he 5K race or walk as a family. My brother Anthony & nephew Christian met us & we did the walk together!! The girls actually skipped half the time, which was more difficult than it sounds. The Family Fun Walk was 1 mile. After the walk/run, there was a complimentary pancake breakfast. I heard today that there were over 75 participants, so this years’ race/walk was a complete success!!
Our Monday night routine is to meet Rich at KFC for dinner & then he takes Haley & Lorin with him to BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class. We’ve been doing this for several weeks now & it’s a fun little thing for Monday night and the girls love their class, plus I don’t have to cook! Yay me!
We go to a tiny little KFC & we’re usually the only people there… See, it’s EMPTY!
Rich gets the food, I pick out a seat (lots to choose from) and the girls get the drinks.
Haley & Lorin like to sit by themselves, it makes them feel grown up, plus we’re not all trying to squeeze in the booth…
Here’s Avery being her usual gross self & Rich looking on in disapproval of why his princess acts like a boy.
Avery is always our entertainment… Here’s what Lucas (her best friend that we swear she will marry one day) has to look forward to… HAHA!
Today I made an Almond Pear Cream Cheese Torte for my bible study class tomorrow… It’s SOOO Good!!!
Almond Pear Cream Cheese Torte
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
1/4 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
BEAT cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add to pears in large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.
BAKE 10 min. Reduce temperature to 375°F; continue baking 25 min. or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store leftover torte in refrigerator.
