Drew's Fish Tale

Leave it up to Drew to keep things exciting. I tell ya, that kid is a riot! Besides the fact that he is absolutely adorable, and has the most kissable cheeks, he is also an accident waiting to happen.

The other day he asked if he could ride his bike with one of the boys I was watching who is 9. So, they went out to get his bike and within minutes Zach came running in yelling that Drew had a fishing hook stuck in his finger. So I go running out and sure enough, Drew is crouched down in front of the garage with a fish hanging from his finger. The garage door wasn't even open so I am assuming the hook was caught under the door.

Poor Drew is on the ground screaming so I yell for Jaxon and he comes and opens the garage door. I tried to pull the hook out not knowing that is a "no no." But, as soon as I did, I realized it wasn't going to come out so we loaded Drew into the van and headed to the E.R.




By the time we were out of the addition Drew had stopped crying and was just checking over the hook hanging from his finger.












Luckily they weren't busy so they were able to get us in right away. I had Jaxon with me and he texted Matt while we were on our way so he was able to meet us there. If you have never seen a hook removed, all I can tell ya is it is interesting. They numbed up his finger with 5 shots, but the fish part off the hook and then pushed the hook all the way through his finger so they could pull it out. Apparently because of the barb, you can't pull it back out, instead it has to be pushed all the way through. I felt so bad for Drew. He was screaming like I have never heard him do before. Although they numbed it, they had to numb it more because he was feeling it. But, as soon as it was out, he was fine. They cleaned the area, gave him an antibiotic and sent him home with a band-aid on his finger. He was ready to go home and show off his awesome camouflage band-aid to the other kids.

The nurses and doctors kept asking him if he caught a fish and how big it was. So you can imagine how funny it was when I told them he wasn't fishing, just trying to get his bike out of the garage.

As soon as we got home, the kids were waiting on him, but he didn't have time to talk about it because he was more concerned with wanting to ride his bike.

Fundraiser Update:

The Vera Bradely Fundraiser is set to end this Friday, but it hasn't done as well as we had hoped so we may extend a few more weeks. We were hoping to at least cover the cost of what he paid for all the purses. These are beautiful purses and would be great to keep or to give away as a gift. But, the best thing about them is knowing that by making a donation you have helped another child be united with her forever family. We have overcome many, many hurdles with Kalia's adoption and we are still remaining faithful that He will provide.

Below are the details about the Vera Bradely Fundraiser to bring Kalia home. Please e-mail me at mmyag@comcast.net if you have any questions.

I have also been getting tons of e-mails about the clothes I posted a few weeks ago. YES I will be selling more. I am working on fall designs now and I can promise you it will be worth the wait.

Sorry, one more thing. We just found out that we have been awarded a grant from Brittany's Hope for $1000.00. This is a matching grant which means we need to raise $500.00 and they will match this up to $1000.00. We are so thankful for this grant and cannot wait to see what else He has planned for us.

#1. This is the Buttercup pattern. This set includes the Honor Roll duffel bag, Tootsie purse, Please Hold wallet and the Make Me Up makeup bag. This would make a great set for a little girl or even a tween.





#2. This is the Purple Punch pattern. You will get the Saddle Up purse, Double Eye eye glass case, and the Compact Wallet.





#3. This is the Puccini pattern. You will get the Double Eye eye glass case, and the Taxi Wallet.





#4. This is the Bali Gold pattern. This set includes the Stephanie purse, Double Eye eye glass case, and the Compact Wallet.





#5. This is the Carnably pattern. This is the Stephanie purse, the Double Eye eye glass case, and the Euro Wallet.





#6. Make Me Blush pattern. This is the Reversible Tote purse, and the matching Taxi Wallet.





#7. This is the Call Me Coral pattern. This is for the Cha Cha Hadbag, and the matching Best Bud wallet.





#8. This is the Patchwork pattern. This is for the Medley Tote.





#9. Palm Beach Gardens Pattern. This is for the Pretty Tote purse.


#10. This is the Day and Night pattern. This is the Comin Up Roses Handbag and the matchin Best Buds Wallet.





#11. This is the Loves Me pattern. This is for the Comin Up Roses Handbag and the matching Best Buds wallet.



I know pretty cool, uh? These are some great bags for both big girls and little girls. Emma has one of the Tootise purse and Best Buds wallet and LOVES them. In fact, she was begging me to let her keep the Buttercup set, but backed off when she realized it was to bring Keliah home.

So, here's the deal. All you have to do is follow the instructions below and you will be entered to win one of these awesome prizes.

1. For every $25.00 donated, you will receive 5 entries!
2. For every $50.00 donated, you will receive 10 entries plus a free bracelet (pictured below) in your choice of color.
3. Post about the fundraiser on your blog, receive 3 entires!
4. Post about it on facebook, receive 3 entries!
5. Become a follower, receive 3 entries!

Please use the Chip In button to the right. I know there are some people who do not like or don't have a paypal account so if you would rather donate another way, please contact me at mmyag@comcast.net

Back to the Daily Grind

After 65 looonnnnnng days, the most wonderful time of year came today when I was awakened at 6:15 a.m. by my alarm clock. Yep, you guessed it, the first day of school. Now don't get me wrong, I love my kids dearly and love having them home during the summer, but it was time. I was ready, and believe it or not, they were ready too.

Don't let these faces fool you, they were all ready to go. Jaxon is actually trying NOT to smile and Mylee is upset because she had just found out that I was taking her to school and she was not walking with Gabe and Emma (Mylee started late today so the parents could go with them for the first 2 hours).




I think of all the kids, Mylee was the most excited. She is starting Kindergarten and will be going all day. I truly think the highlight of her day will be eating lunch at school. That is all she has talked about all summer. "I'm going to kindergarten and eat lunch." Between eating lunch at school, and recess, I think the whole learning thing will just be a bonus for her.



Gabe is in 1st grade this year and was the first one ready to go this morning. He was out on the front porch at 7 this morning waiting to walk to school (they don't leave until 7:30). Trust me, this will not be the norm for the year. In fact, he is the hardest to get up and going in the morning and I am not looking forward to tomorrow.



Emma was ready too. She was ready to go see her friends. She was so excited she had a terrible time of going to sleep last night. Of course that was after she tried on several different outfits, shoes, painted her nails, and messed with her hair. She is in 4th grade this year, and if last night was any indication of what we are in for, we are in trouble, BIG trouble.



School starts at 7:50, but this being Mylee's first day she didn't have to be there until 9 and had to bring a parent for the first 2 hours. This is a great way to get the kids comfortable. However, Miss Thang had no problems. She is so ready for school. The teacher had several different activities for the kids to do with their parents and Mylee was eager to jump right in.




She has her very own locker which she thinks is pretty cool.


Sorting things by the letter they start with. She had no problem with this and was more than willing to help those that did.


Tracing and coloring.




She had to draw a picture of herself. I love that everything is the correct color. She is quite into details. In fact, by the time the picture was done she had drawn grass, dirt, clouds and of course the sun.


Right before it was time for the parents to leave the teacher had them all sit on the circle rug to say goodbye. Mylee had no problem in this area either, in fact as I was getting ready to walk out the door I hear Mylee ask when they were going to eat lunch.


Sorry for no individual pics of Jaxon and Blake, as you can see, I was lucky to get the two that I did get. They are both going to be Freshmen this year which makes me feel very, very old. Both of them were ready to back and see their friends as well. They are both playing football this year so we will definitely be busy in a couple of weeks with football games.

I can't wait for everyone to get home so I can hear all about their first days!

Cha Cha Change!

We are making some changes! Nothing too crazy, I promise. First, we have decided to extend the end date of the Vera Bradley Fundraiser. It was supposed to end tomorrow, but givn the fact that we haven't even raised half of what we need, we felt we should keep trying. I have relisted all the details below regarding the fundraiser. ALL the money raised will be going to pay for the orphanage donation.

As of today we are on day 51 of our LOA wait. We truely have no idea how much longer it could take. Originally we were told that once we were DTC, things would mroe than likely be much faster since we were reusing our dossier from Jaxon and Drew, but so far, NOTHING has been any faster.

I will admit as much as I want to see an e-mail letting us know our LOA has arrived, there are days when I am hesitant to check my e-mail for fear that it will be there. Don't get me wrong, we want Keliah home as soon as possible. We cannot wait to get her home and make her a part of our family. But, the reality is that we just don't have the money. To be honest, if we got a call today saying we could leave tomorrow to get her, we would have to say "no." I get so stressed out when I think about it, and am constantly reminding myself that God has shown us more than one time that we are on the right path, and that I just need to let go and let Him remain in control. But it is SOOOOOO hard.

So, if you cant' help out monetarily with the fundraiser, we completely understand. But if you can spread the word, that would be just as awesome! I know this can be done, I have seen time and time again. I know in the end, He will provide, and I just keep telling myself to be patient.

This adoption has been by far the most difficult, the most stressful, and just plain hard. But I also know that at the end, when I am able to wrap my arms around Keliah, all the ups, all the downs, all the roadblocks, the mountains, and even the snags, will be worth it.

"Faith sees the invisible,believes the incredible,and receives the impossible." ~Unknown~


The other change has been with with a name. When Matt and I decided to take yet another huge leap of faith, we knew instantly that the name Faith seemed so appropriate. We knew instantly once we lad our eyes on her that her middle name would be Faith. And surprisingly, her first name was not a hard decision either. We had heard the name Keliah and both fell in love with it. What we didn't know, was that by spelling it the way we did, it would create so much confusion. Unless they have heard it, not many people know how to pronounce her name which is pronounces Ka lee a.

So, in an effort to make it easier on everyone, we are thinking of changing the spelling. Instead of Keliah Faith, we are thinking Kalia Faith. I actually sat and wrote it over an over the other day, both ways and think that the new spelling is so beautiful when written out in cursive.

What do you all think? Any imput would be greatly appreciated.

So, that is it for the changes, for now at least. Please be sure to check out the awesome Vera Bradley sets up for auction and PLEASE spread the word.







#1. This is the Buttercup pattern. This set includes the Honor Roll duffel bag, Tootsie purse, Please Hold wallet and the Make Me Up makeup bag. This would make a great set for a little girl or even a tween.





#2. This is the Purple Punch pattern. You will get the Saddle Up purse, Double Eye eye glass case, and the Compact Wallet.





#3. This is the Puccini pattern. You will get the Double Eye eye glass case, and the Taxi Wallet.





#4. This is the Bali Gold pattern. This set includes the Stephanie purse, Double Eye eye glass case, and the Compact Wallet.





#5. This is the Carnably pattern. This is the Stephanie purse, the Double Eye eye glass case, and the Euro Wallet.





#6. Make Me Blush pattern. This is the Reversible Tote purse, and the matching Taxi Wallet.





#7. This is the Call Me Coral pattern. This is for the Cha Cha Hadbag, and the matching Best Bud wallet.





#8. This is the Patchwork pattern. This is for the Medley Tote.





#9. Palm Beach Gardens Pattern. This is for the Pretty Tote purse.


#10. This is the Day and Night pattern. This is the Comin Up Roses Handbag and the matchin Best Buds Wallet.





#11. This is the Loves Me pattern. This is for the Comin Up Roses Handbag and the matching Best Buds wallet.



I know pretty cool, uh? These are some great bags for both big girls and little girls. Emma has one of the Tootise purse and Best Buds wallet and LOVES them. In fact, she was begging me to let her keep the Buttercup set, but backed off when she realized it was to bring Keliah home.

So, here's the deal. All you have to do is follow the instructions below and you will be entered to win one of these awesome prizes.

1. For every $25.00 donated, you will receive 5 entries!
2. For every $50.00 donated, you will receive 10 entries plus a free bracelet (pictured below) in your choice of color.
3. Post about the fundraiser on your blog, receive 3 entires!
4. Post about it on facebook, receive 3 entries!
5. Become a follower, receive 3 entries!

Please use the Chip In button to the right. I know there are some people who do not like or don't have a paypal account so if you would rather donate another way, please contact me at mmyag@comcast.net

Splish Splash

It has been unbearabley hot here in the midwest the last couple of weeks. We have tried so hard to avoid the heat, but after a couple of days we were getting cabin fever so I took the littles to the new park and splash pad in town (the older three were in Myrtle Beach with G'ma and G'pa).

They had so much fun going from one thing to the next.




















Yes, Gabe was there too, but he asked me not to take any pictures of him. He has been sick off and on and that day happened to be an on day, so he wasn't feeling too well. We are in the middle of trying to rule things out with our doctor, but still haven't ruled anything out. Our of no where he will have major stomach pains, vomitting and diarhea that will last anywhere from a day or two to over a week. It goes away as quickly as it comes and he will be fine for a while and then out of no where, he is sick again. We have ruled out all types of bacterias, celiacs (glutton allergy), etc. So, prayers that we figure out what is going on with him would be greatly appreciated.



We are on day 48 of our LOA wait. We are hoping and praying we hear something soon. Supposedly since we are reusing our dossier from the boys things are supposed to be faster, but I haven't heard from amny people that they are. So for now, we just sit and not so patiently wait.

I think we are going to extend the Vera Bradley fundraiser. As you can see, it is not doing so well. Please help us by spreading the word about it.