The Best Things In Life Aren't Things

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 22:22:00 +0000

Sparkle Project merchandise has arrived!

Orders are on their way!

Thank you so much for your support of our project and the beautiful girls in Ethiopia that you are helping to sponsor.

Merry Christmas!
Love,

Deena and Alyssa

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 01:00:00 +0000

Only Three more days to order Sparkle Project apparel for this year!

We are so thankful to everyone who has already ordered. Please know that your contribution will make a huge impact in Ethiopia.

www.thesparkleproject.bigcartel.com

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 20:04:00 +0000

It's hard to believe, but it's time to launch our Sparkle Project Fundraiser for 2014!

We are excited to show you some of the new products and designs we have this year!

Our new design is awesome! We kept the girls we sponsor in mind with the design...as you can see, we wanted to inspire them as well as anyone who wears the new artwork!

"Be brave, strong, & courageous. Love deeply. Shine brightly."

We kept our original design as well. The Mother Theresa quote seems to be a favorite for people and the message is perfect!

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."

We have a second tote option this year as well:

As you know, one of the main goals of The Sparkle Project is to do what we can to support girls and women in Ethiopia. We have partnered with a wonderful organization called Eyes That See to sponsor girls in Ethiopia. We were fortunate enough to visit the site of ETS while we were in Ethiopia. We have also met the founders of ETS in person, and know first-hand about the incredible work they are doing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Eyes That See provides school tuition, uniforms, healthy meals, and emotional support for the children they serve. It costs $25 a month to sponsor a girl in Ethiopia.

Here is how you can make a positive change: by purchasing a Sparkle Project shirt or tote you can sponsor a child for a month!!!! It's like spending $$$ to sponsor a child (a great gift in itself), and getting a cool shirt or tote along with your donation!

Every time you purchase a shirt from The Sparkle Project, you receive your shirt, and a card containing a photo of the girl you are helping to sponsor. We are so excited to offer you an opportunity to see the girl whose life YOU are supporting. Please take time to think of and pray for the girl you are helping. Each gift package that you purchase will help support a girl in Ethiopia for a full month! Please consider making a difference in the life of a child...

With each shirt or tote you purchase, you receive:

Your shirt or tote

A card with the photo of the girl you are helping to sponsor.

The satisfaction of knowing that you are making a difference in the life of a girl in Ethiopia!

We are doing a pre-sale for shirts and totes. The pre-order shirts and totes will ship to you in December.

Everything will be shipped in beautiful packaging -explaining that "The purchase of this shirt helped to support a girl in Ethiopia for an entire month" - great for gift giving!!!!

We are only selling for TWO WEEKS, so please visit our online store and order as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your support!!!

www.thesparkleproject.bigcartel.com

Thank You!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:36:00 +0000

Check out this cute photo of Grace...I bribed the kids to go out in the cold to take a few pictures for our Christmas card. It was super cold, but Grace was a trooper and did a great job of posing!

(they were rewarded with ice cream when we finished our 15 minute photo shoot)

I wanted to THANK everyone who purchased something from our Sparkle Project fundraiser. The order is at the printer now and it should arrive to me by December 9th. I promise to package and ship the orders ASAP so that you can enjoy your shirts or totes and so that your gifts will be ready to give for Christmas.

Once again, thank you for your support!

THREE More Days!

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 14:37:00 +0000

You have THREE more days to purchase Sparkle Project shirts and totes.

We are so thankful to all of you who have already made your purchases...you are helping to improve the life of a girl in Ethiopia (and getting some super cute stuff along the way!).

Please head over to:

www.thesparkleproject516.bigcartel.com

to order.

The Sparkle Project 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 04:08:00 +0000

CLICK HERE to visit our store and see all of the items for sale.

Last year, Alyssa and I decided to start doing something to support girls and women in Ethiopia.

We started a blog, did some service projects, did a little fundraising, and had an awesome time doing it!

We have partnered with a wonderful organization called Eyes That See to sponsor girls in Ethiopia. We were fortunate enough to visit the site of ETS while we were in Ethiopia. We have also met the founders of ETS in person, and know first-hand about the incredible work they are doing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Eyes That See provides school tuition, uniforms, healthy meals, and emotional support for the children they serve. It costs $25 a month to sponsor a girl in Ethiopia.

Here is how you can make a difference: by purchasing a Sparkle shirt or tote, you can help to sponsor a child for a month!!!! It's like spending $$$ to sponsor a child (a great gift in itself), and getting a cool t-shirt or tote along with your donation!

Every time you make a purchase from The Sparkle Project, you receive your shirt or tote, and a card containing a photo of the girl you are helping to sponsor. We are so excited to offer you an opportunity to see the girl whose life YOU are helping to impact. Please take time to think of and pray for the girl you are helping. Each (adorably wrapped) gift package that you purchase will help support a girl in Ethiopia for a full month! Please consider making a difference in the life of a child...

We are doing a pre-sale for shirts/totes. Your order will be shipped the beginning of December (in time for holiday gifts).

Everything will be shipped in beautiful packaging -explaining that "The purchase of this shirt helped to support a girl in Ethiopia for an entire month" - great for gift giving!!!!

Orphan Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Today is Orphan Sunday. Those of you who have adopted know this. Many of you have heard about how November is National Adoption Month. We hear that there are over 147 million orphans in the world, but it doesn't really sink in easily....until one of them looks you in the eye and calls you "Mom." Suddenly there are not just 147 million orphans in the world, there are 147 million real, live, children that you can't stop thinking about.

It has been three years since Grace has been home. Today as we honor Orphan Sunday, we will do what we do every day...

It's really very simple:

We celebrate adoption every day, not just once a year. After all, how can you look at Grace's beautiful face and not be reminded of the love we have been blessed with? Not only are we able to experience her love, but we experience God's love by witnessing first-hand what it means to be redeemed...her story is so beautiful; tragic and beautiful. And trust me, we are the ones who are blessed. We are the ones who have learned so much and grown so much. And, we are so lucky have experienced the true, selfless love that Grace's birth family has shared with us through her life.

We share our story. It always makes me smile when I think about how long it took us to decide to adopt (when I say us, I really mean Doug and he knows it). It seemed like it took forever for us to take that giant leap of faith and to start the adoption process. Looking back, I know that this was really meant to be. If it were not for God's perfect timing, we would have rushed into adoption and Grace, who was meant to be our daughter all along, wouldn't have been ready for us. It's a classic case of 'thank God for unanswered prayers.' Now, I smile because my once reluctant husband is the poster child (OK, poster dad) for adoption. He loves to talk to people about our adoption story. He is also willing to talk to any reluctant fathers out there! Seriously...give him a call if you have a reluctant husband, who know what could happen?

And most importantly,

We remember the children still waiting. Our family has a connection to and commitment to the waiting children who pray for a family of their own. A part of our hearts will always be in Ethiopia. We made a decision to always honor the country that Grace is from. We look forward to the day that our entire family will travel to Ethiopia and reconnect with the wonderful friends and family that we have there. In the mean time, we will continue our efforts to support the many Ethiopian children that need an education, sponsorship and in some cases, adoptive families. This is a passion of ours, and in the next couple of days, we will share a few ways that you too can partner with us to help sponsor some of these children (and get yourself some awesome clothes and gifts in the process!).

Grace is a beauty. I love the look on her face when I see her deep in thought. I will never really understand what she remembers about her adoption journey or how she feels about the experience. At times, she looks like she is still processing so much. One thing I know for sure is that she loves us. She shines brightly. She also loves her country of birth. Please consider partnering with us this month as we set out to support some of the 147 million orphans who still wait. I promise you will never regret helping one of these sweet children.

What in the world have we been doing for the past four months????

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:00:00 +0000

It's funny how when we were in the process of adopting (I was obsessed with reading blogs of people who were also adopting), I would be so disappointed when I hadn't seen a post from my "virtual friends" for a long time...how could they possibly be too busy to update me on their life????

Well, I am not sure anyone reads our blog anymore, but I want to keep updating in an effort to share some family memories, but most importantly, remember some family memories (because let's face it- I am NOT scrap booking these days...another long forgotten hobby that I really tried to keep up with).

So here is a quick update on our family...

Bryce turned 10 in January and was thrilled to receive a five pound gummy bear. Seriously. He loves it. It sits on his dresser. It is heavy (five pounds of gummy bear is solid I tell you).

Bryce also received a special surprise from his crazy mom...turtles! Illegal turtles. Please don't turn us in to the authorities, but I guess it's illegal to own turtles under four inches long. Funny, it was pretty darn easy for me to order these little guys online. They were shipped from Florida, and arrived safely overnight (I paid more for shipping than the turtles). You don't have to write to me to tell me how scary these little guys are to our health...I had my fair share of freaking out about salmonella, but I did my research, and we are VERY diligent about hand washing and disinfecting.

We have also been busy attending our fair share of basketball games. Bryce played ball, and transformed himself on the court, and off. This is Bryce at the beginning of the season (white jersey...#33). Notice his beautiful flowing locks?

BEFORE

AFTER

What??? Break this mommas heart! This is the same basketball player after he decided that it "was time" to cut his hair(red jersey #33)! The boy had not had a real haircut in all of his ten years of life. When he showed up at school, the kids thought there was a new student in their class. I overheard some dads at basketball practice questioning who the "new player" was. At the end of one basketball tournament (following Bryce's haircut), a parent came up to me to ask why I was there..."Bryce isn't even playing..." they said. Funny, no one recognized him. I am finally getting used to his new look.

High school dance team season also kept us VERY busy this winter. There were many dance team performances (which came with awesome varsity basketball games to watch on Friday nights) and competitions to attend. The girls had a great season.

My favorite performances were their pom numbers, but...

Their hip hop routine is what took them to "state." It actually turned out to be a really cool routine. Gotta love those baggy M.C. Hammer pants.

When dance team season starts to wind down, studio dance teams are just getting started.

We are in the middle of tons of (studio) travel team competitions (that will have to be another post).

Grace recently turned six (had a great birthday) and is doing fantastic at school and loving kindergarten.

She is also sporting a new "do."

We absolutely adore extensions. They are such a time saver in the morning. It takes a very long time to do the braiding, but after that...easy peasy. We love the look on Grace too.

Something new for our family this year, was watching Drew shoot at the state archery tournament.

I knew NOTHING about archery until this year. It's actually pretty cool. We were very proud of Drew. This is something we knew nothing about. Doug doesn't hunt or shoot, so it was totally up to him to learn how to shoot. Turns out he is really good! Drew even qualified to go to "nationals" for archery! Crazy to think my 7th grader will be driving across the country to compete with 10,000 other students at the national archery competition in Louisville...

And, last but not least, when it comes to the furry part of our family, there is good news and bad news.

Our sweet dog Blue is getting old. His health is not great.

We thought we were going to lose him about a month ago, but, it turns out that he is pretty darn resilient.

He is hanging in there, but is 11 years old and slowing down a ton.

The doctor was surprised we were able to celebrate his 11th birthday since he is losing weight and not eating much (he only weighs 30 pounds...crazy for a dog his size...thank goodness for his fur).

The good news is that soon Blue will have a new friend.

We are adding this little cutie to our family soon.

I am pretty excited about this little guy. I am looking forward to having a little dog in the house.

He is a cavalier king charles spaniel. He doesn't have a name yet (at least that's what I'm letting everyone believe...we can't agree on a name, but the way I see it, he's mine to name because I am the one who will be training him and getting up in the middle of the night with him).

So, there you have it. We have been busy. This last picture shows where I am heading in my next blog post...road trippin to South Dakota. Funny, our adoption blog is the reason we headed to South Dakota...gotta love this crazy world of "virtual" turned real-life friends.

Because of these two girls...Spring Break part one...

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:26:00 +0000

because of these two girls.........

two mamas reached out to one another from different parts of the country.

because of these two girls..........

two families became friends when they otherwise wouldn't have known about each other......

because of these two girls........

they will have a friend for life who has a similar story......a VERY similar story.

because of these two girls.......

there is a LOT of love going around.

because of these two girls.......

two families find a way each year to reunite.

God blessed us all.
so it's really because of
HIM.

***this post came from my friend Kendra's blog...thanks for letting me share your beautiful words Kendra!

Grace's Rainbow Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 01:55:00 +0000

It's hard to believe, but our little girl is six! Time really flies- especially when you start celebrating birthdays when you are three years old. Grace's fourth and fifth birthday parties were a lot of fun and excitement for her. When she came home from Ethiopia, she had no idea what her birthday was or why celebrating it was so significant. My have times changed! This time around, she was ready and excited to count down to her birthday!

It's always a little bitter sweet to celebrate a birthday with an adopted child (at least for me anyway...). Celebrating the day Grace was born brings to mind all of the changes she has experienced in her short life. I can't help but to praise God for Grace's birth mother and the amazing choices she made for Grace. We are so thankful that God placed such a strong, capable, and courageous women with Grace when she entered this world. We also praise Him for guiding this amazing woman as she thoughtfully and selflessly chose to place Grace in an orphanage with the belief and hope that Grace would have a better chance of success and health if she had a different opportunity.

So, as we celebrate Grace's birthday, we are also celebrating the amazing woman who made it possible.

For those of you who have been encouraging me to blog about the party (all two of you...ok, three if you count Grace's grandma), here goes...

The theme was RAINBOWS!

It is super easy to throw a rainbow birthday party with resources like Pinterest and Hobby Lobby out there. Rainbows don't have to cost a lot of money, and they can be created out of just about anything.

I was really behind schedule and didn't give out invites until one week before the party...to make sure everyone remembered the party, I wanted to make sure the invite was cute. I love how these turned out! I found a template for the cloud, and used clear bags filled with rainbow colored licorice. The back of the bag had a piece of cardstock with all of the party info on it.

We started with the rainbow wall of balloons. Thanks to the idea from my adoptive mom Chrisanna, we had a beautiful backdrop for photos and an easy way to add color to the room. The balloon wall was PERFECT for one of the craft projects too. Just a little hint if you plan to do the balloon wall...use an air compressor (great idea Keith!). I think my husband said he was able to blow up three or four balloons a minute (tying them took a bit longer).

The paper pom poms were premade at a party supply store. Lucky for me, I have a wonderful teenage daughter who is crafty and helpful. Thanks to Alyssa, the decorating was a snap!

I bought six different colors of tulle to use throughout the room. I tied tulle on the back of each chair (the six colors of the rainbow) and used a little to jazz up my cupcake plate.

Of course, we greeted the guests with our balloon wreath (made this little number last year). I added a quick picture of Grace to it so that guests knew they were at the right house :)

Alyssa's very talented boyfriend was kind enough to draw a unicorn with a rainbow horn for Grace. The intent was to use the poster for a "pin the horn on the unicorn" game...we had so much fun that we ran out of time. The poster was still a great decoration.

There is no limit to the amount of things you can do with a rainbow color theme.

I came across rainbow ribbon at Hobby Lobby and decided to give each guest a rainbow headband. We played a little game and each girl got to win one (tried this approach so that they filled their goody bags up as we went...prizes went right into the bag and were all set to go home at the end of the party. The goody bags also had individually wrapped rainbow licorice and bags of rainbow goldfish crackers...I know, so much artificial food dye at this party!).

The rainbow wands were also a prize for playing a little game. We had a version of musical chairs, but instead of chairs, there were colored pieces of paper (each color of the rainbow) on the ground in a circle. There were also two white "cloud" paper pieces. When the music stopped, if you were standing on a cloud, you won a cloud/rainbow wand. The girls really seemed to like the game and the wands.

As far as crafts went, we made rainbow bottlecap necklaces with the girls names on. I love making personalized crafts (with names) because so many girls have unique spellings for their names. It is fun for them to take something home with their name on it. I made the bottlecap part ahead of time, and the girls strung rainbow colored beads on a ribbon necklace...easy peasy.

Our rainbow balloon backdrop was perfect for taking photos of the girls when they arrived. The girls painted rainbow frames. The frames were unfinished wood frames that cost a mere dollar from Michael's. With a little white spray paint, they looked perfect for the girls to decorate! It was fun to print the photos right away so that the frames were complete when the parents arrived. Many were impressed with the quick turn around time :).

There are so many cool snacks to have at a rainbow party!

One of my FAVORITE things at the party was the rainbow jello!

It was super easy, I just had to allow enough time for each layer to set before I added another.

This was a huge hit with the girls (and my family).

I made my favorite rainbow cupcakes as well. They still amaze people when they take that first bite...it's so fun to watch kids ooh and ahh when they discover the rainbow inside their cupcake. (These are always requested by my kids for their school birthday treat...Alyssa even wanted to bring them for her dance team the other day...).

All in all, the party was a huge success. We've been enjoying the rainbow balloons and decorations for over a week now...they seem perfect for spring, and I don't have the heart to take them down!

A very happy birthday girl (and her very tired mom) :)

Happy 6th Birthday Grace!

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000

It is so hard to believe that our little Grace is six years old. It seems like just yesterday she was on an airplane coming home to meet her new brothers and sister. What an incredible three years it has been.

We continue to be amazed by how well Grace is doing. What a blessing she is. We are so thankful that we were chosen to be Grace's family.

Here are a few facts about our SIX year old:

Grace is such a smart young lady.

She is starting to read like crazy.

Grace loves school.

Grace is a little "talkative" with her "table friends" at school (like mother like daughter?)

We are getting the feeling that Grace will be a great athlete (soccer is her current sport of choice).

She is daring and always willing to try new things.

Grace loves her stuffed animal friends and has a favorite doll (whose name changes from time to time).

She continues to like all things girly and "fancy."

Grace loves spending time with her siblings.

She loves technology (the computer and TV are favorites).

Given the chance, Grace would eat candy 24/7 (luckily, she is also a fan of veggies and she will try anything).

Grace is thriving and growing like crazy.

She has a kind heart, is a good friend, and will always welcome an invitation to play.

Thank you for being such a sweetie Grace. We love you and look forward to watching your sixth year of life be filled with joy and love.

Happy Birthday Grace!!!!

(I promise to post about Grace's 6th birthday celebration soon..."Rainbows" was the theme and a great time was had by all!)

Happy Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day 2013!

"The best & most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the Heart."

~Helen Keller

BRYCE

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:11:00 +0000

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYCE!

We are so lucky to have Bryce in our family. I love how God designs families so that each and every member is unique. We all have our own interests, talents, and personalities.Our family is blessed to have Bryce. Some of Bryce's current favorites are: rocks (says he is going to be a geologist when he grows up), Skylanders, basketball, legos, reading (yeah!)- his favorite book series this year was The Series of Unfortunate Events, and listening to music/playing games on his ipod (the boy can sing and dance, but only when he is alone...no audience for this guy...he's way too shy).

It is hard to believe that ten years have passed since the day we met Bryce (interestingly, it's been less than ten years that he has been Bryce...he didn't have a name for two days!!!! He was "Baby Boy" on his hospital chart because we couldn't decide on a name for him- clearly I was in denial that I was having a boy). Thankfully we love the name Bryce AND the fine young man that he is becoming.

Bryce is such a sweet boy. He has such a kind heart and has always been a sensitive soul. He was, and is, such a cutie!

We are looking forward to celebrating Bryce's special day with him. He deserves to be celebrated! He is super excited to be "double digits" (his mom is a wee bit sad about no longer having a nine year old).

Happy 10th Birthday Bryce!

We love you sooooo much!

***Be sure to check back in a few days to see an update on Bryce's birthday surprise...it is a doozy (in my opinion...we'll see if I can handle his gift).

Dr. King

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:01:00 +0000

The following is the same post that I included on our blog last year...I can't think of a better first post for 2013...I promise a family update soon, but for now, enjoy a few of my favorite Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have a dream...that little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

August 28th, 1963, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.

(Grace and Alyssa - two years ago...)

And what would Dr. King say about the 147 million orphans in our world?

...when considering adoption,

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just the first step."

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Wishing you the Peace, Joy, and Love

that the true meaning of Christmas brings.

With love,

The Marquis Family

Sometimes It's So Hard To Write A Blog Post

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 14:21:00 +0000

I haven't really blogged about our life for a long time. When this happens, I start to reflect on why it's so hard to write. I would say that our busy schedule is the reason, but it's really more than that.

Sometimes it is just hard to express how I feel. I've noticed that when I don't write on the blog, there is usually a reason. It is often that I am processing my feelings and wondering what I am being called to do next. Alyssa and I have been working on The Sparkle Project, and our first project was to raise money for girls in Ethiopia to be sponsored to go to school. It was a huge success. It felt great to work on something with purpose and know that our efforts were making a difference in the lives of girls in Ethiopia.

So, what else has been on my mind? Ethiopia. It's the time of year when consumerism and materialism really gets to me. I enjoy shopping and gift giving. I love to celebrate the holidays. I treasure the decorations, family traditions, and treats. I am working extra hard to make sure that our family celebrates the true meaning of Christmas, but it's so easy to forget...so easy to get caught up. Yesterday I found myself at a store wandering aimlessly to find a few more gifts for the kids...really? I was just wandering...they need nothing...

And ...then my heart remembers Ethiopia. How can I worry about having the perfectly decorated house when people that I know living in Ethiopia have this house to decorate?

How do I complain about having to do holiday grocery shopping and meal preparing when this is the local grocery store that many will visit in Ethiopia?

Preparing holiday meals and treats is a lot of work...how can I complain about it when others across the world prepare even their grain from scratch and have just enough to get by?

Sure I would love a few new and improved kitchen gadgets or appliances this holiday season, but do I need them? This is the kitchen at the orphanage Grace was at. They served about fifty people from this kitchen. Notice the water source?

Part of the excitement of the holiday season is experiencing the holidays through the eyes of my children. I can't help but think of these children, who are working daily to help provide for their families.

And Christmas gifts, well, I can only hope that my own kids appreciate the blessings and special gifts that they will receive this Christmas as much as these sweet street boys did when we gave them a soccer ball. It was a treasure to them. They were so full of joy!

So, there you have it. That's what has been on my mind. I know that my lack of posting has something to do with a heavy heart. I miss Ethiopia. I miss seeing the love, joy and hope that the people in Ethiopia have. Having experienced Africa and coming home is a juggling act. You never want to forget, get complacent, or stop serving. I know that "I need Africa more than Africa needs me..."

Last Day To Order Your "Sparkle" T-shirt!

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:24:00 +0000

It's not too late! You can still order your awesome "Sparkle"

t-shirts until the end of the day today. I am submitting our order tomorrow, so please don't delay. I want each and every one of you that is interested, to have the opportunity to support a beautiful girl in Ethiopia. Remember...the shirts make great gifts and you will receive a photo of the girl that you are helping to support.

You can find all the details to order HERE

Thanks so much!!!

"Black" Bat Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:54:00 +0000

Funny story.

Grace is super excited about Halloween. She has spent a lot of time scouring the costume magazines that we have gotten in the mail.

Grace decided that she really wants to be Bat Girl this year. (I have to say that I am pretty proud of myself for agreeing to let her be a caped super hero type of character...I would typically be very into a beautiful hand-made princess costume or something of that sort).

So, anyway, people have been asking Grace what she is going to be for Halloween.

I can't help but giggle to myself when she tells them.

She will proudly say, "I am going to be black Bat Girl."

Grace is just referring to the fact that she is not going to be the pink Bat Girl that she saw in the catalog.. I don't think most people know about the pink version, so they usually look at me and smile. Perhaps they think I am just really encouraging Grace to be proud of her AA identity (which I am), but it makes me smile every time she proclaims that she is "Black Bat Girl!"

Buy A Shirt, Sponsor A Girl in Ethiopia for a Month!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:44:00 +0000

Check out these adorable shirts...

Head over to The Sparkle Project blog to learn more about how you can buy a shirt and sponsor a girl in Ethiopia in the process.

The shirts make great gifts, and come packaged with a card that includes a photo of the girl that you helped to sponsor.

One of the main goals of The Sparkle Project is to support girls and women in Ethiopia. We have some exciting news... We have partnered with a wonderful organization called Eyes That See to sponsor girls in Ethiopia. We were fortunate enough to visit the site of ETS while we were in Ethiopia. We have also met the founders of ETS in person, and know first-hand about the incredible work they are doing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Eyes That See provides school tuition, uniforms, healthy meals, and emotional support for the children they serve. It costs $25 a month to sponsor a girl in Ethiopia.

Here is how you can make a positive change: by purchasing a $25 Sparkle shirt, you help sponsor a child for a month!!!! It's like spending $25 to sponsor a child (a great gift in itself), and getting a cool t-shirt along with your donation!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Check out our new blog!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:30:00 +0000

This beautiful girl:

has been working on an AWESOME project that I can't wait to share with you!

Alyssa and I were inspired by this little cutie: (the one with the curly hair)

to do more in this world. We came up with a project that we are super excited about.

It is called

The Sparkle Project.

We believe that if we all shine our lights, others will sparkle. Simple, right?

We have some awesome things planned and we are thrilled to be able to help support girls and women around the world by creating and supporting service projects that we hope will inspire and motivate.

We hope you will join us and let your lights shine too!

PLEASE check out our new blog:

www.thesparkleproject516.blogspot.com

We have some exciting projects that we want to share with you, a few really cool giveaways, and Sparkle merchandise that we are launching this week!!!

****Shirts are on sale now...check them out, leave us a comment today or tomorrow, and we will enter you for a chance to win a free shirt!!!!

Grace's First (paid) Modeling Gig...

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:09:00 +0000

A few months ago, Grace and I were approached while we shopped at Sam's Club. A very nice lady told me how beautiful Grace was, and mentioned that her modeling agency is always looking for children to be photographed for print and television ads. Hmmm...my skeptical self sort of thought...creepy. Well, after talking with the lady for a few minutes, she asked me if Grace was from Ethiopia. She explained that one of her best friends also adopted from Ethiopia. Turns out I knew the person she was referring to. The whole "modeling agency" thing started to seem more ligit and I took her card. I knew why we were approached. Grace is adorable, but she is also diverse for the area we live. It got me thinking...we should see diversity in magazines, advertisements, etc. I thought about it for a couple of weeks (i.e. forgot about it), and then came across the business card that we had been given. I called the agency, had an appointment with the owner. She met Grace and said she would love to have her as a "client." We hadn't heard from the agency for awhile, and then we got a call to see if Grace was available to model for a Christmas toy catalog. Mill's Fleet Farm (a store where you can buy anything for fishing, hunting, home improvement, housewares, etc.) has a huge toy department for the holidays. They call it Toyland, and they send out catalogs with all sorts of Christmas toys featured. The stores are located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota.

Well, to make a long story short, Grace was given an opportunity to model for the toy catalog. She did a great job. I couldn't watch (I'm sure they don't want crazy stage moms around), so I had no idea what she looked like or how she posed. Turned out, she was a natural. The whole thing took a matter of minutes. I think we spent more money on gas to drive to the job than she was paid, but she is proud. Our catalog came in the mail last weekend (I still had no idea when it would be published, etc.). Grace was fine with it. No big deal. At school on Monday morning, a few people told Grace they saw her in the catalog and she thought that was pretty neat. One person asked for her autograph. So...with that, Grace has had her official "15 minutes of fame."

Grace For President...Wordless Wednesday...

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:00:00 +0000

***A great book featuring an African American girl who wonders why there haven't been any women presidents...the book does a great job of explaining the election process. Check it out here.

Two Years Post Adoption - What's it really like?

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Wow. Two years. In so many ways, time has flow by. In other ways, it seems like we have always had Grace in our lives. She has been with us for just over two years. It's funny to think of a time when she wasn't here. It seems very natural that she is part of our family. From time to time I forget that she looks different than we do (in fact, this week I had a woman tell me that she resembled me). At other times, it is very obvious that our family was not made up in a totally traditional manner. Having Grace start school brought reminders that we are a family that has been blessed through adoption. People notice differences. People ask questions.

Celebrating two years home. Grace drew pictures of "her" two flags.

So...the truth about adoption two years later...hmmm...I've sort of avoided writing this post, because I don't want to give the impression that our adoption was a breeze, but we have been very fortunate with Grace's adjustment.

There are so many things to love about Grace. She is:

Friendly, Smart, Daring

Creative, Loving, Determined

Athletic, Kind, Beautiful

and, A little "spicy"

Grace's first trip to the ocean. She was so excited!!!!

Grace's favorite things to do:

Gymnastics, dance, soccer, swing, ride her bike, draw, make "cards" for people, go to school

Grace's first season of soccer (I promise, her hair was not as crazy as it looks in this picture...)

There have been some tough times throughout the past two years. It's hard to write a blog about adoption/family life without sugar coating things. I want to be transparent and "keep it real," but that's hard to do that when family, friends, and (possibly in the future) Grace will read the posts. I would say that most of the tougher times relate to my relationship with Grace. It is different to parent a child that you meet as a little person, and not an infant. I don't have experience with this, so it challenges me from time to time. Grace and I must be a lot alike, because we both seem to feel the same way about our relationship. We have a lot of love for each other, but we also challenge each other and drive each other nuts at times. I was lucky enough to attend one of the Created for Care retreats last spring. One of the best parts of the conference (for me) was hearing this common theme from other adoptive parents. It seemed like many of the conference sessions that I attended involved an adoptive mom admitting that her adoption/relationship with her child was somewhat challenging from time to time. Many moms openly discussed how hard it was to bring a new child home. It was refreshing to hear stories from other moms. It also put my concerns into perspective and made me feel like I was not the only one. It is just not something you read about on many adoption blogs. Thanks to those of you who are being honest.

The second thing that continues to be an issue for us right now, is that Grace is more aware of being "different" than she was when she first came home. She is the only "brown" kid in her class, and she is really noticing this more and more lately. She wishes that her hair was as smooth and straight as her sister's. She loves to tell me about it when she sees other kids that look like her (which can be a little strange if we are out in public and she isn't using a quiet voice). I realize that it is my job as a parent to do my best to interact with other African American people as much as I can...trouble is, we are not living in a diverse area. I really didn't think this was going to be a challenge for Grace yet. I was wrong to assume that we would have time before these issues surfaced.

Truthfully, adoption = normal family stuff...

Our family is so darn normal, adoption doesn't really change that.

Grace still struggles with normal stuff, like not wanting to hear the word "no", being told it's time for bed (although she is a total angel when it comes to sleep...no complaints), and trying to find something "fun" to do. She also doesn't really love having her hair done or having a mom that prefers to pick out her clothes for her ;) We also deal with the normal family stuff that comes with a family of six. Sometimes our kids argue. Sometimes mom and dad yell. Sometimes, we forget how lucky we are.

The kids convinced me to go to Golden Corral for dinner while we were on vacation (ugh...I tend to avoid buffet restaurants like the plague), and they were loving the chocolate fountain, dessert bar, and all you can eat cotton candy.

One of the best parts of adopting, is meeting new friends that have also grown their families through adoption. There is just something about connecting with people through this experience. It is also super important to stay connected with those friends, because they are some of the people that can really understand the ups and downs of having a child that was adopted.

Grace loves to spend time with other kids who have families that look like ours.

We are so blessed to have all of these wonderful adoption friends and families in our lives...

For us, adoption has also meant falling in love with another country.

What we didn't know, was that the love that we have for Ethiopia would not stop after the excitement of the adoption process was over.

Our love for Ethiopia has not faded since we boarded a plane to come home. I can not wait until we are able to get on a plane and head right back to Addis Ababa. In the meantime, it has been a joy to watch our kids fall in love with Ethiopia too. Alyssa and I are in the middle of working on a great project that I will be sharing soon. We cherish those who support Grace's homeland, and as a family, we will continue to serve the beautiful people of Ethiopia however we can.

So there you have it, time has definitely gone by quickly...just take a look...

Grace 2010

Grace 2012

Happy Ethiopian New Year!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 02:22:00 +0000

Melkam Addis Amet!!

Happy Ethiopian New Year!

Since we aren't lucky enough to celebrate the Ethiopian new year at an Ethiopian restaurant, or spend time with our favorite adoptive families and friends, we settled on Ethiopian flags and Africa cookies (my go to treat to celebrate all that is Africa/Ethiopian).

Today also happened to be "orange day" in kindergarten. They were all supposed to wear the color orange. Imagine Grace's teacher's surprise when Grace handed her a beautifully wrapped Africa cookie (complete with a matching Ethiopian colored bow) and wished her "Happy New Year!" first thing this morning...she was a little puzzled, but Grace explained that it is now the year 2005 in Ethiopia! I love explaining that little factoid to people :)

Well, at least Grace had a (somewhat) orangish shirt (that just so happened to have the continent of Africa on it) to wear to school today. Perfect!

First Day of Kindergarten!...and 10th Grade, and 7th Grade, and 4th Grade...

noreply@blogger.com (Deena) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:46:00 +0000

The big day has finally come!

As I type this post, I am home alone...it is quiet...strange.

Grace has been waiting for this day for two years. She is thrilled to be starting school and can't wait to learn, meet new friends, and stay at school all day.

This mom's heart worries bit because she is the only (as Grace put it) "girl with brown skin" in her class...broke my heart to hear that from her (more to come on that later). I know she will hold her own and will do just fine. We were blessed to have Grace placed in a kindergarten class with an amazing teacher and friend of mine. I know that this year will be filled with so many new experiences for Grace, and I can't wait to watch her flourish!

In addition to having a new kindergarten student, we have...

A 4th Grader

A 7th Grader (who is not impressed with the sign he was forced to hold)

and a 10th Grader!

One of the few times that the kids stand next to each other for photos...

As I sit in my house all alone, I think I am at peace with the quiet. I am pretty sure I will enjoy the lack of noise...or am I just trying to convince myself? Five years ago I had the same self talk with myself...I had just brought my baby to kindergarten. I never thought I would be a kindergarten mom again...

Little did I know that God had some other plans for us!

Thank God for allowing us to change our plans and to grow our family and hearts in such an incredible way.

Who knows what this school year will bring, but for now, I am going to enjoy the start of an exciting chapter.

Happy First Day of School 2012-2013