From HIV to Home: Make Hope!

I have joined with From HIV to Home to help waiting children with HIV!!

I will let them say it:

"Today 6,500 people will die as a result of AIDS.

6,000 of those people will leave behind children.

Those children will join the already 15 million children who have lost parents to this treatable disease.

2.3 million children are infected with HIV world-wide.

It is estimate that, without treatment, 50%of HIV+ children in resource-poor setting will die by the age of two.

In most of the world, HIV is a death sentence, a label, a lost of community, three scarlet letters.

But a child is not a label.

At From HIV to Home, we seek to pave a road home for the world's HIV+ orphans by partnering with in-country, community-based programs that care for HIV+ orphans and by connecting children with adoptive families.

Join us in paving a road home!"


Today is Orphan Sunday. All day, I have been thinking about Orphans. The orphans we held in South Africa with HIV, the orphans in Ethiopia, the boys and young men at Kolfe. All day, the faces of these have been on my heart and in my prayers.

HIV is not a death sentence. It is not a reason to not be adopted. Please support From HIV to Home, buy purchasing one of these beautiful necklaces.

The proceeds from these homeade necklaces will help to provide a living wage to the Ugandan women who created them. The proceeds will also go to children waiting to be adopted that are infected with HIV. Help pave their way home!




The necklaces are $20! They would make a great gift for your self, or to others! Each necklace comes with a special bag, and also literature about HIV to Home. You will also get a tax receipt!

If you are local and would like to purchase one, email me! Also, if you are not local, I will mail them to you if you are intersted! niandowen@yahoo.com

Thank you for supporting such a wonderful cause!

Hair workshop and Dinner!

Today, we met with people from all over the area to talk about hair!! Our good friends David and Theresa, along with Calypso Hair were our hosts, and they did a great job! There were stations for learning braiding, which I tried!Along with stations for products, and relaxers. I got many of my hair questions answered! It was great. Even better was meeting so many new families from all over the area that have been blessed by adoption! After talking hair, we met at a local pizza place! Owen and Abe were very well behaved during the hair clinic, but relieved when we could relax for pizza! Solomon was excited too!

I didn't pull my camera out much, but managed to catch this photo of the boys and just a few of the friends that were there.


Thanks again David and Theresa for planning!

Bedtime

When I was tucking the boys in tonight, I was thinking about our nighttime routine. Our boys are awesome at bedtime, but they each have their own "thing"!

Owen is all about being cozy! He is always sure that he is wearing the coziest PJ's. He loves his slippers, and wears Jared's old huge flannel shirt. He even wears the eye cover that we got from Ethiopian Airlines. He has cozy down!


Every other night one of the big boys gets to fall asleep in our bed. After the lucky little man falls asleep, usurally 5 minutes :) Jared moves them to their own bed! One of the reasons they like to fall asleep in different rooms is because they like different music. Owen loves to fall asleep to African music. This month it has been the Women of Africa puntamayu CD...loves it! Abram, oh my! He listens to The Beatles. Not just the Beatles, but he picks one song and puts it on repeat. This month... Chains. Don't even ask, there is no way I could explain. He loves most Beatles songs, I don't know why he needs to do this, but he is a boy of routine.

Solomon is still on the floor. Just to fall asleep...in the doorway. At least he is not alone anymore. Big bear is with him. All is good, and he is usurally asleep in minutes if he AND bear have a pillow, and a blanket. Jared and I also have to kiss and hug him and the bear. We also have to ask the bear his favorite part of the day, just like Soli!


So, yes, our bedtime routine is very easy, and smooth. Maybe a little odd...but it works!

My Montage 11/6/09 at OneTrueMedia.com

Owen started piano lessons this week. He is LOVING it!! He has practiced at least 45 minutes a day everyday since, and can not wait for his next lesson. He is very lucky to have my cousin Jenny as his teacher! This is his first official song!!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Too cute!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Halloween!

The boys had a great time trick or treating tonight! For the first time ever, we went door to door! We still visited some family, but the boys have been asking to go door to door, so we thought we should give it a try! I am glad we did! FUN! The boys were excited to have their good friends Noah and Cole join them! We stopped for a little while to eat, before getting back to TOT business! Thanks to Joanne, we had yummy "mummies", yogurt, and fruit.
My boys!!

Owen was a police officer. He really enjoyed the handcuffs!

Abram was a South Africa Rugby player. A springbok, to be exact. I felt a little sorry for anyone who called him a football player, or a soccer player. He was quick to correct them, explaining the difference in sports.

Solomon was also a rugby player. A New Zealand All Black!

The boys trick or treating.

This lady came out of her house, and crossed the street to give them candy!

We walked to Annie's. Talk about lucky, to come right as oatmeal cookies were being pulled out of the oven! I think we ate the whole plate! Yummy! Thanks Annie! The boys were excited to see Jenny and Aimee too.

Now, this is team work! Noah is playing and singing, Solomon is the page turning, and Solomon is in control of the pedals!

We then went to my parents new house! We also did some TOT on their block. The boys loved that they ran into the school lunch lady! You would have thought we ran into a celebrity!


And, of course....B!!!

The last stop was Jared's parents. Abram fell asleep in a chair at their house. Owen fell asleep on the way home, and Solomon not too much later!
What a great day!!

Moving Day....again

Another sad goodbye, and another new beginning. Jared's granparents moved from their home of almost 40 years, into a twin home. It was hard to watch them take everything that they had from a huge semi, and have to find a new place for it, but exciting too. I pray that they make this home, "home" quickly.
There was way too much work to do, so there are not many pictures.

Bison Buddies

So, we are not basketball people...but Abram is turning out to be an Illtryanythingandloveeverything kind of guy! Since I can not sign him up for soccer, hockey, and basketball all at the same time, I thought Bison Buddies was the perfect compromise. The boys got a free basketball, T-shirt, and ended the session with a pizza party! They had a wonderful time learning great basketball skills,and will get to do halftime at an upcoming game.