The Carnivore

OH my goodness? Could I be any luckier? I don't think I could.

Ever since Deedle got confused and called the carnival a "carnivore" last year, I can't rightly call it anything else. This year Chancho left me for a backpacking trip so I had to go it alone. But that was okay. Chancho has never left me to go on any type of trip (other than one or two overnighters for work) during our entire marriage. I, on the other hand, go to St. George each year with my sisters, and traveled many times to Guatemala and Haiti sans him or the kids. So, he deserved to go, even if the backpacking event turned out to be much more of a survival camp than a vacation.

My sister Amy and her husband Al once again hosted the S. O. Days celebration in their backyard. There was a lot of good food, family, a perfect entrance to the park and carnival, and a prime spot for viewing the fireworks. And, best of all, lots of wonderful cousins to help out with the kids. Here Ryliegh and Tess head off to the carnival with the girls.Jessica and Jordan were the best. They took my kids on tons of rides which I couldn't do because I had Finn snuggled in a pack (and because I would have thrown up). String Cheese is especially grateful!!!Come to find out, my girls are extreme dare devils when it comes to the rides and Deedle was very sad that she was not allowed to ride everything she wanted to. And poor Loumy was forced to grow up quickly. He started out on rides like this:

But then, never willing to be outdone by his older sisters, he was forced into stuff like this:I also got to meet Christian's darling new fiancee, Sara.The End

Mmm...yummy!

Two months ago these little cousins were vastly different in size. Israel (actually Finn's cousin-once-removed) doesn't seem to mind at all that Finn has put on some delicious meat! These photos were also taken on the night of the carnivore.

Hard Things

*all pics of orphans removed from post per request*

This morning I was in the bathroom getting ready when Loumy came in complaining about a sore on his wrist. We had covered it with a bandaid earlier but for some strange reason four-year-old boys are not known for keeping themselves excessively clean, so his sore looked like it was festering a bit and was hurting him. As I put on Neosporin and a clean bandaid he looked up at me and asked very seriously and sadly, "Mom, why do all hard things have to happen to Haitians?" I was shocked for a second and then I thought I might cry. "I don't know bud," I finally responded with a sigh. "I've asked myself the same question a thousand times."

Last week my sister, Kathy, went to Haiti for the first time. I was sad not to be going with her but was so glad she was able to go. She works for Wasatch International Adoptions, so she went with Chareyl to do adoption stuff and also she and Chareyl were able to do some things for Haitian Roots. We have added a new, amazing Haitian coordinator, whom I'm SO excited about (but will save details for another post). We are also adding 20 new children, so we are hoping to send 135 children to school this year. Our fundraising is only about 1/3 of the way there for the year so please feel free to spread the word about Haitian Roots and the need for education in Haiti to end the poverty cycle.

Anyway, Kathy has always been supportive of Haitian children, but of course she is even more passionate about it now. She is a very giving and loving person and has special ties to Bulgaria and China, as well. I was worried about Kathy because I love Haiti so much and I want everybody that I know to love it to and care about it like I do so when somebody is "meeting" Haiti for the first time I always pray that their hearts will be touched. I have rarely seen somebody come back with a passive reaction for Haiti. Most of those I've known have one of two reactions: 1. Either they are so horrified and disturbed by the whole situation that they can't wait to get out and never have a desire to go back (even if they feel compassion and would still like to help); or 2. Something gets into their blood and they are forever changed. Its like an addictive chemical that makes you crave Haiti fortnightly. Luckily I know that Kathy is now hooked to Haiti forever.

The addiction usually only takes place after experiencing a lot of "hard things". Here are a some of them:
*lots of needy orphans!

*lots of garbage! these dumpsters were donated by Unicef but nobody manages or uses them.*lots of poverty
*lots of rain! a short rainstorm in Haiti can mean a lot of destruction. Hurricanes are devastating.
*lots of sick babies

* And then there was the hardest thing of all...FALLING IN LOVE WITH JTI think I'll do a separate post about gorgeous JT.

So, now you ask, with all of these "hard things", why would one ever want to go to Haiti, why would you want your sister to fall in love with the place, and why in the world do you feel like it is your second home and the place where half of your heart belongs? Hm...I guess you'll just have to come to Haiti with me some time and find out!

Please Pray for Avrie!!!

I don't usually send out prayer requests, but this is urgent. I met Michelle Gordon in Haiti last October with her husband, Scott, while they were visiting their sweet little daughters (in the process of being adopted), Gracie and Destina . Their first little girl whom they were adopting, a little angel named Ellie, had become ill and died. When they arrived in Haiti for this trip (in October) they discovered that Gracie had become very ill. I took this photo of them. They nursed her the best they could while they were there. Gracie struggled for a few more months and then passed away in January. The family was devastated but, eventually they decided that they would press forward and accept the referral of a third baby girl. They named her Avrie. She turned 2 in April. When Michelle was in Haiti at the end of January, Avrie weighed 19 pounds--small but doing well. Michelle excitedly waited for this parent trip in June to see her daughters again. She arrived in Haiti on Sunday and found that Avrie is very, very ill--down to 11 pounds! My 3 month old, premature son weighs more than she does! Avrie has parasites, and bacterial infections, scabies and ringworm. Her life is really hanging in the balance right now. It is so so so not fair that little children just an hour flight from the US have to live like this. The Gordons are doing all that they can for Avrie-- took her to the hospital and she is on lots of medications. Please pray for Avrie. And please pray for the Gordons!

Three Months Old

Finn turned 3 months old yesterday. He is not really as chubby as he looks in this top photo but I had to show off his cute little smile. And he is growing very well. He is over 11 pounds now--that is more than 3 times his birth weight! He continues to be the sweetest and most docile baby I have ever seen. I am just head over heels for this little guy of mine. And with these photos I think we can officially say his eyes are blue, don't you think?

Dear Hair,

Thank you for coming back the last few months. I really did miss you. I thought I was mostly over you but having you come back has really made me feel good. This last week, though, you are giving me indications that you don't want to stay. Why? What can I do to convince you that this is where you belong? I wish I knew. Perhaps you'll change your mind and stay on a bit longer. And if you want to stay for good, that is great with me. But if you decide to go, please invite my positive attitude and self-confidence as a bald woman to come back because I really don't want to have to go through the search again.

Dear Loumy,

The other day when friend Maddie came over to play and I was putting sunscreen on you all, you broke my heart. You said to Maddie, not knowing I'd overhear, "I wish you were from Haiti, Maddie. That would be cool if you were from Haiti. I wish somebody else was from Haiti around here." You said the last part with that joking little voice you use, but I could see in your eyes as you looked at your skin compared to hers that it hurt you to feel different.

I think that most of the time you know how truly handsome you are. I hope you know that. I don't think you have a problem with the color of your skin or the color of anybody's skin. You made dad and I laugh in the car on Sunday when we were playing "I Spy". It was Dad's turn and he said, "I spy with my little eye something brown..." and before he could even finish giving his clue you shouted gleefully, "ME!!!" It wasn't you, but it was a good guess and it made me think again about how aware you are becoming of things that I didn't think you would be aware of for much longer. You know your skin is beautiful, its the being different part that is hard some times.

I am so grateful that you are my son. I think that in Heaven you must have been so noble. The Lord had a plan for us and your part was going to be extra difficult. I can picture you volunteering to do it to save your siblings any pain. That is how you always are now, so I'm sure it wasn't any different then. Even today when I was telling Addie that she needed to clean her room, you said to me resolutely, "Mom, its okay. She doesn't need to do it. I will clean her room for her." I didn't let you do that, but you would have done it just to make her happy and me happy. You like to do things that you think will make our home more peaceful, even if it means a sacrifice on your part. You were meant to be a part of our family. We need you and we love you.

I hope you always know that the Lord loves you. I wish I could take away any of the times where looking different hurts you. I wish you could also know how every place we go I see women smile with delight at how absolutely gorgeous you are.

I also wish that everybody could know how clever and funny you are. You love to be silly and you are getting so smart. And sometimes you say things that are very funny with out realizing that they are funny. Last week when Dad's PlayStation 3 FINALLY arrived in the mail, you cheered and shouted, "I knew it! I knew it would get here before Isaiah was resurrected!"

My dear, sweet, beautiful, Haitian Sensation, I am so happy we belong to each other!

Love,

Mom