Madeline

There is a little girl who I have seen around town at MOPS and other outings for the past three years that I would ask you to all pray for. Her name is Madeline and she is three years old and has already had numerous heart surgeries. Things are really bad right now and I can't imagine what this family is going through. I have met her mom, Cindy, on a few occasions and she has always struck me as an amazing, strong, fun woman of God. They are so hopeful and prayful - please pray for a miracle for Madeline and peace for her family. After reading their blog, it seems unbearable, tiring, and long! Here is the web site if you want to know more: www.madelinelester.com

Home Study

We had our 1st home study a couple of days ago for our adoption. I say first, because we forgot to ask how many more times, if any at all, that she comes. We must have fooled her because she said that she thought we would be a good family for our new child. All kidding aside, all went well and we thought really highly of the social worker. She has been with AAI for many years and was an African Studies Major, so she has a real heart for the continent. This is her first Ghanaian adoption, so she is excited as well to go through the process with us. She gave us some ideas of books to read and we told her of a documentary that we had just rented from Netflix. It is a documentary of a boy in Ghana that is disabled and has changed the mindset of many, not only in Ghana, but in the world. The movie is called Emmanuel's Gift. Emmanuel is disabled with only one leg and decides to bring awareness of the many disabled in Ghana by riding a bike across the country. He decided that he would never beg because he was disabled and found a way to do what all the other kids were doing, without complaining about his disability. Oprah narrates some of it and the movie shows a lot of the culture in Ghana, both in the capital city of Accra and out in villages.

Date Nights

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Like Mother, Like Daugher

I don't know if this is a good thing, but I think Greta is following in my footsteps.... Not only has she started playing soccer this year, but she also asked me to sign her up for the cheer camp that the high school was putting on last Sat. I played soccer through Junior High and was asked to join the travel team. My parents decided not to have me do it because they traveled on Sundays and they didn't want us to miss church. At least that is what they said. I think it was because they didn't want to miss the football games after church on tv (is that right mom and dad?). Anyway, I wanted to be a part of some team, so the next natural choice was cheerleading, of course. I went on to cheer for football and basketball for the next 6 years. "Gimme a G-R-E-T-A, GOOOOOOOO GRETA!"

Justimonte's Goal

I just happened to turn the video camera on when Justus scored a goal in the first half of the game. Justus played goalie the second half and didn't let anyone score on him and their team won, 3-2. This was his second game of the season and his second goal.........Yeah! I am allowed to brag about him on our blog, right? He didn't score at all last year, so he was pretty excited. Daron and I missed the first game, so it was nice to get this one on video. (Sorry about the high pitched scream on the video, but I guess that is what soccer moms do).

Blessed

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and something didn't feel right. I then noticed that there seemed to be an orange glow outside through the blinds. I got out of bed to look out our window and the house diagonally in back of us was up in flames! I have never seen anything like it, the flames were so high over the roof line. I woke Daron up and said, "The house was on fire!" Then I had to let him know after he jumped 5 ft. over to the window that I didn't mean our house, but the house outside. Still scary. The firetrucks weren't there yet and the whole roof was up in flames and one whole side of the house. By the time it was put out, the whole home was damaged. I still can't get that thought out of my head. Daron went over to the scene to see if he could help and the two people that lived in there got out safely and it looks like it was an electrical fire that must have started while they were sleeping; we will have to see. It really put things into perspective though and got me thinking about the fire safety we needed to go over with our kids. How quickly this house went up in flames and was unsalvageable within minutes. The sheriff came knocking on our door to make sure we were awake and ready to evacuate if the fire spread from the wind or trees. I really don't see, but by the grace of God, how none of the other homes were touched as close as we all are and how windy it was yesterday. It took me a while before I could go back to sleep around 5am after I triple-checked on our children and made sure the fire was out. I am so thankful that no one got hurt! Please keep the two young guys that lived there in your prayers.

Labor Day Weekend

This weekend we spent up at Cascades Camp in Yelm, WA near Mt. Rainer. It is a Covenant Camp and they hold an annual family camp during this weekend. Three families from our church all went up and we had a blast! We heard some great music, canoed, blobbed, climbed the iceberg, rode horses on an our trail ride, drove the Rubicon(4x4)'s, and also bobbed(that is Daron on the yellow bobber- He was the only one I saw that actually tipped it all the way over- what a stud!). Even though we camped, I have to admit that we got the meal plan, it was great! No cooking and some pretty good meals! Oh, and they received 3 thumbs up for their espresso stand! What is camping without a 16oz. nonfat latte in WA???

Back to School!

The new school year started yesterday and it has been so much fun for everyone already. The anticipation of who the teachers are going to be and which friends are going to be in their class was probably even more exciting for me. I always remember back-to-school with such great memories. We always got to pick out our school supplies and maybe a new outfit or two and it was so fun! I tried to make it as exciting for our kids, but I seriously think I enjoyed it more. We started out the morning with some eggs and bacon, a good midwestern start to the day! Then after taking the annual pics in front of our door, we were off to school. Unlike other children who were clinging to their parents, I had to remind them to give me a kiss good-bye at the classroom door. After the smooch, I was hightailing it down to my house for the 2nd Annual Back to School Mimosa Party that my friend Suzi and I co-host! Last year we were dropping off our kindergarteners and 1st graders and lamenting them being gone for a whole day. This year the toasts were much more enthusiastic to our cherished schedules we were getting back that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Cheers to the 2007-2008 school year!

2nd Annual Halverson "Boys" Fishing Trip

The guys all went up to Canada for three nights together to go fishing. They pulled out of Kingston early in the morning on the Nordic Dawg (my parent's boat). If you can't tell, the "Dawg" is for the Washington Huskies. Our fam are supporters of this team and we now have the boat to prove it- even a flag! Anyway, back to the 3 day excursion...... My dad, Brad, Erik, Joel, Daron and Justus all got to go for some male bonding. They went through the Vancouver check point and along the way saw some orcas, a seal pup, a starfish eating a crab, and fish, of course. Justus was in his element as you can see from the pictures! The trip ended with our Halverson Fantasy Football Draft! Go Lady Wildcats! (my team)