Red Thread Play Pictures

This was from last Saturday when we got together for a play date with our Red Thread friends. We had a great time playing & Maddy loved the little splash/cool off area where you could play in the water mist.

Mothe Nau- In Loving Memory

We lost a dear friend from Fiji this past Thursday. We have known her & her family for 12 years. Through the various mission trips we have taken to Fiji over the years and the trip we took for our 10th Anniversary in 2005, this family has become very special to us. Pastor Marie (aka Nau, which means Mom in Fijian) was such a special lady, you really coudn't find anyone nicer. She & her husband came to visit the U.S. back in 1998 and they stayed with us in our home. From then on she called me 'Lewa' which means daughter in Fijian. I always referred to her as Nau or my Fiji Mom. We also hosted her daughter Taina for 6 months so that really knit our families together.

We are really going to miss her. Our hearts go out to her family. Please keep them in your prayers. For now we say Mothe (Goodbye) Nau, until we meet on the other side of heaven, we leave you in God's loving care.

Here are some pictures of her family from 2005:

Thankful Thursday

Her is Joyce & I at their going away party

Today I am thankful for all of the wonderful people that I have met in my life. One of my best friends, Joyce, and her family just moved away this month due to relocation. I am sad to see her leave but also excited for the new opportunity they have been given. They are just a short 6 hours away in Milwaukee, so hopefully we can make a road trip soon to visit or meet up at the Wisconsin Dells.

I am also thankful for all of the families that we have met thru the adoption journey. It was such an encouragement to me during our wait to have people that I could relate to and continues to be an encouragement today. It has been so fun to see new additions arrive and also to wait on edge for those waiting for referrals.

Lastly, I am thankful for family. I am blessed to have one parent still living. I am blessed that Maddy has so many great grandparents & grandparents. I am thankful for all of the cousins she has and the loving Aunts & Uncles that have opened their hearts to her. It was my Mother-in-law's birthday this week so I want to give a happy birthday wish to her.

Truly I thank God for everyone in my life!

This is Maddy w/her Grandma, Happy Birthday!

Happy Father's Day!

This post is dedicated to my husband Matt. We celebrate today a long awaited day, his first Father's Day as a daddy. I am so pleased to have shared this long journey with him & can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. He is such a wonderful father to Maddy and has so much love for her. Happy Father's Day Matt! I love you!

I also want to give a shout out to the others we know celebrating their 1st Father's Day and to the waiting fathers. Hope you have a special day!

Teddy

Maddy's new favorite toy is her 'Teddy.' He has to go everywhere with her. Yesterday she insisted on having him at breakfast so Daddy out a bib on him & put a banana under his arm in a chair at the table. She thought that was pretty funny & said 'silly' to Daddy.

They also went out for a bike ride & she insisted that he ride along with her in the trailer. Unfortunately, we don't have a bike helmet that will fit him so rides at his own risk : )

Here is a page I made dedicated to Teddy:

Happy Birthday Patra, party pictures

One of Maddy's travel group sisters had her 2nd birthday party yesterday. 4 of the 5 the girls were at the party so it was fun to see how big everyone is getting. Below are a few pictures from the party. We tried to re-create the 'Red Couch' photo but it was a miserable failure!

Brianna & Maddy

Patra & Maddy

Couch picture take 1

Couch picture take 2

Couch picture take 3

Playing at the Lake Calhoun Tot Lot before the party

Patra's bubble machine

Ava & Maddy

Dawn, Maddy & Ava checking out the pictures

Fun Summer Days

Today we had a couple of our Godsons over & our newest Goddaughter that is 11 months old. Matt entertained the boys while Maddy & I took Aarilyn & her mom to the park. Maddy & I also got a little early morning garage sale cruising in and scored a few good deals. I went in search of a little push car/bike and walked away victorious with a little car for $3! Tomorrow one of Maddy's travel group sister's is having her 2nd birthday party so we are really looking forward to seeing our travel group again as it's been 6 months since all of the girls were together.

Here are a few photos from today:

Maddy & Aarilyn on the slide

Jamel, George & Maddy hanging out

Check out my new ride!

Slide Show from the weekend

Weekend fun & another round of tag

Ruby, Maddy & Libby
Maddy with the tiger

We had fun this weekend, going to Como Zoo. We were supposed to be meeting up with our Red Thread friends but were running a little late so we missed the group. We ran into another late comer (Diana, Ainsley & Ruby- thanks for the picture!) and got to meet a couple of new families so that was fun and it turned out to be a nice day. Above are a couple of photos.

On Saturday we also went to a surprise party for Matt's cousin Anne (who turned 30). Maddy got to play with several of her cousins. I think the sweetest moment of the day was when her 2 year old cousin Isaac found her sippie cup on the ground and brought it over to her. What a true gentleman! (I'll do another post with a slide show from this)

Lastly, Maddy got to meet her great Grandma Vi for the first time. That was very special. I am having a hard time adding more pics so that will get added to the slide show.


Also, Tracy from A Red Thread to China tagged me so here goes-

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago I was still working for the same company, living in a different house & getting ready to go on a mission trip to the Fiji Islands.

2) What are five things on my to-do list today (not in any particular order)? Maddy's down for the night so anything goes. Pretty much sleep, sleep, & more sleep.

3) What snacks do I enjoy? Dark chocolate, chips with guac, skim lattes & an occasional bag of Carmel corn from a popcorn stand in the skyway downtown Minneapolis.

4) What are some places I've lived? Amery, WI; Syracuse, NY; Madras, India, Montpellier, France; Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, & Robbinsdale, MN

5) What things would I do if I were a billionaire? Give bunches to Half the Sky, Sharing & Caring Hands, World Vision, etc. Buy a farm/ranch somewhere in MN or WI with a lot of acreage so I could open a retreat center, buy a house on the ocean somewhere and invest the rest so I could do random acts of kindness often. I've also always dreamed of opening a tea house or a coffee shop so maybe do something like that too.