On Second Thought...

O.K., yeah...just takes too long to resize the pictures and upload to do an album for every month. I really want to do that, but just don't have the time. It was more feasible in Campinas when I started, but not here. So...I had really hoped to avoid this, but what I will now probably need to do is find the best plan to choose and upload (not resize) pictures to another web album that will also print into a photo album. Have looked at Shutterfly and Snapfish a bit now, but nothing in-depth. Who has done this already? What do you recommend?

This blog is where I 'share' and will always be printing out this as a book. So, I'd hoped to just add the albums to this, but now hope to just put a few on here and then print out the others from the other site. Or...show a few here and also provide a link to the online album that I want to print? Not sure that's a possibility. Anyway, I'm sure all of what I just said is about as clear as mud. But, any ideas? Let me know what you know. Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks!!

In other news, the adoption classes have been just great. Love them. Very excited about meeting together with people who all have a heart to help these kids...and be blessed by them in return. So exciting to think about. Can you all pray for one specific child in particular? His name is Washington Gabriel (I just love his name; this is not a picture of him, but we were told that he had light skin and hair and green eyes...this little boy has blue, but this is kind of how I pictured Washington in my mind). :) He developed toxoplasmosis in the womb (ladies, you know how they warn you to not touch the kitty litter while preggo...this is why; you can also get it from a number of other sources, but that's what I always associate it with). He is 2 1/2 and is released for adoption. But, they are having trouble placing him. They mentioned him in the first class and we asked about him after class. We did some research afterward on the disease.

We are all called to care for the orphans. But, we all have our specific callings within that. Some will finance. Some will adopt. Some will take care of multiple totally healthy ones. Some will take in physically or mentally challenged. We will continue to be open, but we sought God that first week about the possibility of Washington. And, at this point in our lives, we know our limitations. We felt no peace about pursuing the adoption of Washington. So hard...he needs a home too. But, we very much know that we aren't the ones for him. So, be praying for him...that his special family will come soon for him. Thank you.

And, big Rebecca is doing very well. As her Dad said, this has proven to literally be a life-saving miracle surgery for her. She is out of the hospital and will return home to Houston on Monday. You can continue to read about her progress here. Thank you for praying for her. (this picture was taken in Jan. 2006...last time I saw these two; Amy Terry Shneberger on the left, 1 of the 4 of us roommates, Rebecca, and me...we missed you Rebecca Porter; I had just found out I was expecting Eissa)

Now on to some family news. Homeschooling is going great. As you can imagine, with all the travel we've done, we're playing catch-up now. It's going well. Lots getting done and lots of learning going on. It's really fun and we love it.

Today the kids stayed with a sitter and Joel and I went and did us a little Christmas shopping. It was quick, but it was fun. Got some Christmas decorations...don't think we've ever really bought any. But, like I said...we're doing some settling now. Ahhh...feels right nice (insert Andy Griffith voice and accent). We are still in search of a tree, but have mostly everything else.

We plan to get the kids settled in their rooms for their Christmas presents (shhh.). ;) The girls are getting iron beds. Only 2 beds will actually fit in their room without doing a bunk bed (which we don't want to do), so we plan for the younger two to share one of the beds (like the older 2 are doing now...Cass uses the crib). Or, we might also use trundles. But, someday I'm sure we'll move to a bigger house and will make the 3rd bed for our dear little Cassle.

We have accumulated the greatest bedding for them already. Our great friends, the Carmos, when moving back to the United States, gave us 2 Pottery Barn twin quilts. Then when we were in PA this summer, Joel's aunt and uncle had us over for supper one night. I was getting the tour of their house and she had just redone one of their rooms for the girls (they have 4 girls...cute as buttons). They had picked up some new bedding for a good deal and so I just casually (with the wheels turning in my brain) asked what they would be doing with the old bedding...which I had just happened to have already noticed looked like something from Pottery Barn. (little background: I've drooled over Pottery Barn stuff for years, but have never actually owned anything from them) Well, she conferenced with her hubby poo and it was given to us a few days later. We have 3 girls. We now have 3 Pottery Barn (really, really cute) quilts for girls. Perfect. (picture is not of our bedding...ours is cuter) :)

Grady has a great boy bed (with a trundle...and a top bunk for assembly as needed). So he will be getting a few things for his room, but he's mostly set. Then they will each be getting (by and by...not by Christmas, but in the future) a great hand-painted picture with their names and other wonderful stuff on it, done by none other than my incredibly talented and able-to-do-anything friend (since childhood...she also helped with my wedding), Tanya (hopefully...we are still talking through the logistics). Not only is she talented, she knows me. Knows my style. My flowers were just perfect for me for my wedding. Perfect. Because she knows me. So nice when doing something of this sort. Oh, and the kids' rooms will also be getting some paint. Yay. I'm excited. (picture is a small sampling of Tanya's artwork...she does all kinds; if you are interested in getting something done, I'll be glad to give you her business contact info....she does stuff for people all over country literally...and hey, now all over the world :) )

Someday maybe me and Joel will get a bed and some paint in our room. And wall hangings. For now, our made-and-taped-up-by-our-kids art will do just fine. ;) It's the best there is anyway.

I'll have to tell you the full stories about the beds we are planning for the girls another day. It's very interesting the way you get things accomplished around these parts. ;)

It's been a very rainy, wonderful, relaxing, but very productive day here at the Ebersoles'. I hope you had the same.