husband/wife getaway ?????

Well, doesn't this look like a place we could all spend a few days at? I would never pay for a stay here, but if my husband won a trip.... I guess he could drag me there. It is called the Terranea resort and it is in So. Cal. Jeffrey won the Summit Award at his work for the 3rd time. Previously we went to resorts in FL and Arizona. We had just gotten home with Will 2 years ago when we went to the winning trip to FL, so we took Will and the girls to FL with us. We were the only parents there who took their kids along for the trip. Yes, I was looked at rather weird for bringing my kids, but it was either that or I wouldn't go. Who would leave their recently adopted little one for a few days/ Since it was in FL, Jeffrey's mom was able to come and watch the kiddos during the awards ceremony so that worked out well. This time, Jeffrey kinda wants a little getaway with just the wifey, so after humming and hawing, I guess I will accompany him to get treated like a queen for a few days. I'll hate every minute of it though and miss my kiddos. I worry how Will will do, but his Auntie from FL with her two girls and Gramma from FL are going to fly up to take care of the brood while we are gone. We cant forget we have a dog that needs a couple walks a day and a cat that needs shots twice a day, so them coming to our home is a great help. I struggle with doing things like this because I feel money like what his company puts out for this should go towards helping those who need help.... like Ethiopian orphans, instead of paying for me to be pampered. Have to get over this or my husband is going to commit me to the looney bin. We leave in May, so I have a while to prepare Will for it.

Take a good look at my baby's front teeth. Soon there will be an open space there with room for 2 new teeth to grow in! My baby! Pretty soon his clothes won't fit on the little hangers anymore and that is when I will really lose it! Spring has hit NC and we are enjoying all the time we can outside. A lot of the trees in our yard are flowering trees so of course I have to throw my kids up in them and take their pics. The previous owners of the house planted bulbs that I was not aware of, so it has been a pleasant surprise watching so many of them come out and up from the ground! Will and I check out their progress in growing every day. Yep, soon you will be seeing pics of him with tulips and daffodils all around!

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

- Mother Teresa

We got away for a little one night getaway to Greenville, SC this weekend. It was nice to stay in a hotel, let the kids swim, sit in a hot tub and visit with Jeffrey's sister who was in Greenville visiting her friends. We went to a beautiful park that had great landscaping and a beautiful waterfall and river running through it. Always nice to get away from the routine. This weekend Will has soccer, Jack is running a 5K and playing tennis for our subdivision team. The team started playing matches last weekend. Permits for the deck/screenroom are being applied for and we hope construction starts on that by the end of the month. Thats about all that is going on with the Googins household!!

Let the deck demo begin!!!!

The kids knocked the railing boards off. They can't wait to get the thumbs up to continue the demo. We have to have the HOA approve the new deck/screenroom so we are waiting for that before we destroy the old deck!
The deck will extend out to the left where the screen room will close in from the right of the outside door to the space between the window and edge of the house. Should be a fun home improvement. At least the dust and mess is outside!
Mr. "Big Hair" I think it is time for the summer shave!!!
Even got a little help from our neighbor Elle:)
Once Jaymie got the sledge hammer in her hands, there was no stopping her!
My Handy Manny!!!!

When we were house hunting in Mooresville last year, I really loved all the screen rooms on many of the houses we looked at. Unfortunately the house we felt was a perfect fit for us didn't have a sunroom. So... the demo begins. We have had 5 bids on replacing the deck with a composite board and adding on to it to build a screen room. We hope to add a fireplace as we want to convert our inside one to gas instead of propane,and our current fireplace backs up to the screen room, so we plan to but back to back fireboxes so we can enjoy the fire in the screen room to0. Those who know me well, know I am a total pyro, so this is pretty exciting for me!! The kids quickly moved in on the action when they saw me starting to demo the deck. They pretty much took over. I'll post some before/after/during pictures as the room gets built. I'm going to hit the flea markets to find the "perfect mantel" for above the outdoor fireplace.

Happy "Williversary"

Has it been two years already? yep, today marks the day I carried Will on to the plane in Addis, arriving in Dubai, onto the plane in Dubai to fly to NY and then and then catching a plane in NY to fly into Chicago and then we drove him home to WI. LONGEST DAY OF MY LIFE HANDS DOWN! Wow, what a scared little boy we had on our hands and my earliest memories almost fade, but thanks to this blog I can remember how those early weeks, months were and how far we have come. The doctors, the fear of dogs, his language and the words we used to communicate...... I will never forget Woosha, makeena, ooo ha, mastica, shinte, ishe. The drawing of blood for tests, the administration of awful medication, the meltdowns, the screaming tantrums. But all of this so worth what we have now. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat (hint hint husband). As all those who have followed our adoption know, Will has blended so wonderfully into our family. The pictures below show him today with his sisters and 2 years ago at the orphanage with Jeffrey. I think the picture of Jeffrey and Will is my all time favorite picture of Will. You can see in his eyes a bond, a sense of hope that this was the daddy who was going to protect him and care for him as best he could. So, we are now on to year # 3. More memories to make as a family and showing the world what LOVE can do. Pure LOVE, unconditional LOVE......the world needs more of it!

The 3 peas in a pod. Will.... 2 years after he set foot on US soil! WE are blessed.

You smell

Will can say the funniest things sometimes. The latest was his interpretation of the song "You Smile" by the infamous Justin Bieber. According to Jacklyn it was the first song her and her date to the 8th grade formal danced a slow dance to. So she is walking around the house singing "you smile, I smile" This of course heard singing out of her mouth a few hundred times a day is liable to get caught in your head. Well, it got caught in Will's head. He was kicking it on the couch singing to himself and I overheard his catchy little tune.... except the words were wrong. He was singing in perfect tune, but the words "you smell, I smell" I said Will, it's not you smell it's you smile. He had this look like, yeah you know, I was wondering why you would sing a song telling someone they smell. Now it all made sense to him. Glad I cleared that one up!

8th grade Winter Formal

Jacklyn and her favorite brother!
The lovely 8th grade couple! Could Jacklyn be any skinnier?
I love this photo! So cute!
Mom had to get them to do some fun poses! Always makes for cute photos!
Well, this week did me in, I registered Will for Kindergarten and my firstborn attended her first school dance with a BOY! A very sweet southern boy I might add! She had so much fun and I got some really nice pictures of her and her date so I thought I would share them! Will even got to step in for a photo with his sister all dressed up.

Coupon savings!!

Besides teaching Will how to read, my other new years resolution was to start couponing again like I used to. We have a store in town that doubles coupons up to .99 every day and about once every 2 months they double coupons up to 1.99. Well I had been saving my $1.00 and up coupons to use, and yesterday was the day! Will and I hit the store with all the other coupon fanatics to see what we could save. Well the photo above is a sample of what we got yesterday as the total was 90.00 and we got it down to 34.00. Saving for that next adoption could add up quicker than I thought if I keep saving this way on my grocery budget! (hee hee) The store paid me to buy 4 packs of yogurt and I got a tub of butter that was reg. 2.29 for .29. I also got 3 tubes of toothpaste for free! Can't say it is not worth it to coupon!

terrific Tuesday

Here's my Jaymie Claire looking as cute as ever! I love how creative my kids can get on the photo programs on the computer! They really have a lot of fun with it.

. com

(Will and his little friend he met at a Bobcats came last week! Too cute)
I started teaching Will how to read the first of the year. Actually I made it one of my new years resolutions. Anyhow, he is doing really well (level 4 teacher friends) and he knows the first 25 sight words. Well, today I was having him write a sentence on kid pix on the computer and I told him to write the sentence "Will is fun" as fun was one of the new words in his book for the day. Well he wrote the sentence and then I told him to put a period at the end of it. He said "mom, what is that" I reminded him it was the dot at the end of the sentence. He proceeds to put a dot at the end of the sentence and then says shouldn't I put "dot com" Cracked me up. So I had him write out com by sounding it out. So apparently he has created a website called willisfun.com. Haven't gone to visit it yet thought..LOL

. com

5th snow day in a row!!!!

What do you do if your kid's school has been cancelled for the 5th day in a row, yes that's right you heard me. Day 5 snow day! Really? I thought I moved away from the midwest winters, only to come here and get school called off for what they say are icy road conditions. I guess the district lines go way North of us and the "country" roads are icy. I can't believe they don't spread sand or salt down on them and move on with it! My kids are in awe that they have called school off all week for what they see on the ground here. Well, since the kids are going stir crazy, I thought I'd get a jump start on having them make their homemade Valentines. Boy am I ahead of the game this year! Out came the glue and glitter and foam hearts and ribbon and I let the kids go to town creating their Valentines. So far they have made a good dent in the amount they need to make. Makes me happy to keep their creative juices flowing while we wait for the ice to melt on the country roads!!!

Asheville, NC

Before Christmas we traveled about 2 hours from our house and toured the Biltmore. Quite an amazing house that was built 115 years ago and is still the largest house in the US. It was all decorated for Christmas and the decor was beautiful. It was amazing to think that they accomplished the building of this house so long ago. The attention to detail was pretty amazing. We were able to use some of Jeffrey's Hilton points to stay at the Hilton in Ashville, so the kids got to use the pool and hot tub. That is always a special treat this time of year. You can't see too much of the Biltmore in our little family photo but believe me. It is huge! I would like to go back during the summer time as I hear the gardens are breathtaking. The other photo is of our little ham. He found the shower cap in hotel rooms bathroom and thought he looked pretty cute sportin it on his head. Always good for a laugh! I've been a BAD blogger lately. I told Jeffrey I was going to stop, but then he reminded me I have people visit my blog that like to see how the adoption process of a toddler is going and our story encourages and inspires toddler adoption for some. There is a service that turns your blog into a book in paper form and I may do that, as Will loves this blog. He visits it a couple times a day to check himself out! So, I will move on and continue to post and advocate toddler adoption. Who wouldn't want to adopt once they meet this little character and his wonderful blending into our family? I have to get ready to start Will's 2 years home post placement report for the Ethiopian government and our agency. I think they will agree, Will had no complaints!

Photos of 2010 present opening!

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My Christmas Gifts.....

All I want for Christmas is for these 3 little angels to stop growing up so fast!!!!

Wordless Wednesday!!!!!!

wii fun

After this round on the wii, Jeffrey went to his room to pout! Poor daddy is being schooled by Will on the wii sports homerun derby!

Something to think about!

"Borrowed" this from another blogger! Something to put in our hearts and think about!

Early this morning I sat snuggled up on the sofa. As the soft glow of the Christmas tree lights filled the room, I opened my bible to the book of Luke and began to read about Jesus birth.
Over and over the words "there was no room in the Inn" swam through my head and the Lord began to open my eyes to what He was trying to show me....
Door after door closing.
Person after person shaking their head no.
Voice after voice saying - 'we have no room'.
No room.
And I couldn't help but wonder how many of us are still doing that same thing today?
Because you see, while Jesus may not be roaming the earth today in human form looking for a place to stay-Matthew 25:45 tells us "whatever you did to the least of these, you did unto me".
Mother Teresa said it this way "Each one of them is Jesus in disguise."
Statistics tell us that there are 147 million + orphans in this world today.
A 147 million who are looking for room....
Room in our homes
Room in our hearts
And room in our lives.
If each one of them is Jesus in disguise- and we have no room for them- then have we truly made room for Jesus?
Or could it be that we have No room because those rooms are already full of things that don't really matter?
Stuff that isn't about His kingdom- but ours?
I cannot help but wonder how many of those Inn keepers ever realized that they missed the chance to be a part of the greatest miracle they would have in their lifetime?
And I cannot help but wonder how many of us still do the same today?

Fav foto Friday!!! TGIF

The kiddos enjoying Jaymie's birthday dessert! Jaymie's party with her friends is tonight! Should be a fun night with 5 little girls sleeping over! We have crafts and a Christmas movie on the big screen planned. My social little Jaymie is looking forward to it.

Happy Birthday Jaymie!

10, yes, 10 years ago today we welcomed Jaymie Claire into the world. Happy Birthday to my one and only JC! You are truly a gift from above and have developed so many admirable qualities that make your dad and I so proud of you! Keep being the special girl you are with a tender heart and compassion for others. These qualities will serve you well in this world. Enjoy your day and know you are loved more than words can say. We love you! Mama and Daddy:)

Elfie returns

Look where Elfie showed up this am? yes Will named him Elfie! Will hunted for him for a half hour this am until he found him. Kept the little guy busy! He giggled so hard when he saw him hanging out in the light in our hallway!

Elf on a Shelf!!!!!

If you haven't heard of Elf on a Shelf you should google in and check it out. I'm starting this tradition with Will this year and he is absolutely fired up about the whole thing. I introduced the elf with the book today and he went hunting around the house for the elf. We still have to give him a name, but all in all Will is pretty enthusiastic about this little elf visiting his home and watching him and then going to Santa every night. When I ordered it, I got to choose between dark and light skin, but really the dark skinned elf kinda just looks like he has a good tan. No worries though, the skin color doesn't seem to bother Will. It is so fun seeing the magic in Will's eyes. He truly does have a twinkle in his brown beauties! So the hunt is on every morning at the Googins household! We will be searching different hiding spots where the Elf returns every morning til Christmas! Should be fun!

A day of thanks!

Being thankful takes on a whole new meaning once you visit a third world country. My heart has never been the same since leaving Ethiopia, and never will be the same. I struggle a lot more with "things". Not wanting my children to have everything because so many have nothing. Yet wanting to show and teach them about being thankful for the little things in life and knowing that is what matters. The simple frozen cube we all call ice is what I truly missed while in Ethiopia. It is a luxury to me now, and I give thanks every time I press my cup up to the lever on the fridge and I hear the beautiful sound of ice falling! It is a daily reminder to me of little things in life we are to be thankful for. Family and health are top on my list of things to be thankful for. I had a scare with breast cancer this year. It is mind blowing what one goes through when the dr. comes through the door saying they see something that they want to further investigate. My thoughts during that ordeal go directly to my children and not wanting them to go through that journey with me. They are the reason I go in for a yearly mammogram for early detection. My hubby is my soul mate and I also am so thankful for him. His ability to juggle work, school and family continue to amaze me. I'm so thankful that his heart opened to adoption. So many families out there have the means to adopt.......so why don't they? I open up about adoption when I am approached and hope that I make an impact on the hearts of those who inquire. I am thankful for those who do inquire, as it is a first step to do what He has wanted us to do and that is to take care of orphans and widows. Will does know he is from Africa and will once in a while ask some questions, but he has never spoken of another mother or father as his memory may not remember. I sing praises of thanks to his biological parents and hope they are at peace knowing he is well cared for and loved or they are watching from heaven as their little boy grows up surrounded by love. Of course we all know I am forever thankful for the timing of Will and when he came into care at the orphanage we were adopting from. We were the next family in line waiting for a toddler right when his paperwork was complete. It is an unexplainable joy watching Will as he grows and thrives in a family that can provide for him and showers him with love. My children,my husband, my family, our health.... and ice! we are blessed and we are thankful! Happy Thanksgiving!

Fav foto Friday!!! TGIF

Mommy and her little man!

Here is me and my little man before we left for preschool this am. Will has a performance in preschool today that I get to go watch. I sure he will look adorable on stage! It's been busy around the Googins' household. The girls stay busy with lots of homework and projects. For Thanksgiving this year we get to travel down the street to the neighboring subdivision to my sisters. I'm in charge of bringing the beverages! I'm always assigned the beverages. Must be my culinary skills that my family is not to thrilled with. The weather here in NC is still spoiling us! Leaves are still on the trees and we can go outside without bundling up! I'm enjoying that a lot! I will never take this weather for granted. I love it~Well off to preschool we go!!!

a little Will update!

This little ham has been home with us for almost 21mo now. Just a few short months and I will be working on my 2 year post placement report. Wow, Will has added so much to our family. He continues to do so daily for us. His relationship with each family member is so special. Lately this little guy has been astounding us with his number sense. Numbers are his thing (just like his daddy) and his memory is so good too. He is adding numbers like 7+5 and rather quickly too. He knows when zero is added to a number the number remains the same and can add one to a number without even thinking. He also counts to 100 and beyond without a hitch. Will has a NBA logo memory game that he plays with Jeffrey a lot. A little brainwashing on Jeffreys part to get Will to learn his NBA teams. He knows them though and recognizes the icons when he watches basketball on tv with Jeffrey. He knows how to read the scores and which team has what score. It is pretty amazing to watch and I love that he loves sports. He is going to keep Jeffrey busy on fields and courts from here on out that is for sure. Thats the latest little update on our little man. I get to spend the day with him all day today as he does not have preschool. Lucky me!

Halloween 2010

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Wordless Wednesday!!!!!!

Fav Photo Friday

We squeezed in a quick trip to a pumpkin patch this weekend. Here are a couple photos from the visit. We also had soccer that afternoon which is why Will is still in his soccer gear! On Sat Will got his Ingerra bread and we tried out the modeling agency. It was a pretty legitimate agency, but many of the people there were older tweens and only a handful of small kids were there. They wanted the kids to walk down a stage, and I did not know they were going to ask Will to do this, so I did not prep him for that. It's not like I am going to have him modeling clothes live! I think he looks great in the still shots! Anyhow, little man was intimidated by the stage walking, so we left. We weren't going to force him. Jacklyn and Jaymie were pretty upset as they wanted Will to model so badly. I say just give it time and when he is a little older he may be a little more ready to understand it. It is not like this kiddo is going to lose his modeling looks overnight. He can only get more handsome in our book!

He's got the look

I have been stopped on more than one occasion by strangers, friends, family etc... on how beautiful my little son in. I was out with Will last week sometime and I had 3 women stop me and comment on how he should be a model.... Well, I decided to do a little research on agencies in the area and I emailed his photo off to a couple of them. Low and behold, I was called by a scout this week that wants to meet Will on Sat. Well, the big subdivision rummage is this SAT and my girls are going to try to sell all the stuff we hauled here that didn't work in our house. It ends at noon and the scout wants to meet Will in Charlotte around 1:00 on SAT. So, if I can pull it off I'm going to look into it. It could be a scam and they call everyone who sends them a photo, but I figure it is somewhere to start. I've researched and they say to not give the agencies $$ up front. They are actually working for you if they are interested in his looks and once they find Will work, they can get paid. So, that is the latest in the life of Will. Tomorrow we are also off to Ethiopian food for some much need ingerra bread. Be on the lookout for Will modeling GAP clothes!

Wordless Wednesday