Fall 2010

Helayna had her first homecoming dance last month...her and her BFF went together.

Fall 2010

Late Summer, Fall 2010

I can't believe how much time goes by sometimes in between posts for me...A friend reminded me I haven't updated in a while,so here goes....

Let's see....what's new since June?

Well, it's not like we're living on the face of the sun anymore, thank goodness. Summer in Arizona seems to last FOREVER!!!! It feels like it's NEVER going to cool down and pretty much every year, I start wondering why the heck I chose to move here!!!! But then, fall comes and with that, beautiful temperatures and I remember what I love about Arizona....while everyone in the midwest is freezing, we are enjoying the sun and beautiful 60's-80's....so, I think we'll stay a while longer...
We spent July 4th with friends and watched fireworks in their driveway, which was nice. They also lit off their own fireworks which I thought might kill us, but we ended up surviving after all....this was Sebastian's first 4th of July and he wasn't affected at ALL by the loud noise or lights...not really surprising, since he's not affected by much at all. He is one of the most easy going kids I've ever met.
He pretty much likes everyone, we can take him anywhere and as long as we bring cheerios, he's fine. He gets a little grumpy when we take his food away, but other than that, he is a happy little guy.

I took him for his 18 month checkup last month and he's gained 3 lbs and grown 3 inches since he came home in January. He's in the 50th percentile for height and 25th for weight, so he's right on track.

He eats and sleeps well, is running, jumping, trying to talk, and into EVERYTHING...he definitely keeps me busy! His favorite words are: please, shoes, shoot (thanks to me!), car,Sid (from Sid the Science Kid tv show), outside (he says "side!"), Daddy, Momma, Dia for "Mia", Bon Nwe (which means goodnight in Creole), cake,cookie,cereal, and of course, NO! He has learned sign language for "eat, drink, please, more and cookie". Sometimes, he does them all if we aren't giving him what he wants. It's pretty funny.

He's definitely starting to have some separation anxiety...when I leave the house, he usually cries and if Helayna comes with me, he cries even more.
Me and the girls took a weekend trip to Flagstaff last month with a friend and Eric stayed home with Sebastian. I think it bonded them a little more. I noticed he was saying "Daddy" a lot more and when he hears the door open, he screams for him. It's so cute.

We have Sebastian's adoption court date on Nov 24, and our adoption might be finalized then. Although we don't have a paper with consent from his natural parents, so it may be a little more difficult, but we're hoping not. Since the earthquake, a lot of paperwork has been lost and what's not lost is at the Embassy. So, difficult to get a hold of. We'll see what happens. We aren't worried.

Eric hasn't been back to Haiti since June, but Leve Project is going strong. We have partnered with an organization called Fonkoze, which handles microloans so we don't have to. They've been around a long time, so this is a great partnership. We can now concentrate on finding the women in need, developing a relationship with them, helping them with childcare, sharing meals, doing bible study and more. Fonkoze will handle the financial aspect of the program, which will hopefully, get them back on their feet. This is very exciting and we're hoping to get over there right at the beginning of 2011 to find housing, since the first house fell through.
We've had some wonderful volunteers step up to help, support and set up meetings with churches and we are so grateful for this. We still need TONS of help, though...if you are interested in helping in any way, plesae check out our website or contact one of us:
www.leveproject.org

Our church opened up it's new building a few months ago and it's been a crazy ride...it's so much bigger than the original, so at first, it seemed strange to us. Just didn't feel like Parkway....we had some issues with sound, finances, attendance, and just all out bad stuff happening to many members. It just didn't feel right. But, we all hung in there and things have come around. Changes have been made, we've all rededicated ourselves to God and serving Him and I think we have a new focus. We've been led by a wonderful pastor who has a vision that he is willing to adjust if needed, and continues to challenge and inspire us by his openness and being "real". I feel honored to be a part of this place and hope that our family can contribute to what's going on there.

We had "Trunk or Treat" on Halloween and it was CRAZY! Our small group decorated our car with a giant spider and passed out candy to the thousands (yes, thousands!!) of people that came through. We had games, food and lots and lots of candy! It was packed full!!!! And so much fun....
We also took the kids trick or treating on actual Halloween night and since it was Sebastian's first Halloween, we were excited to see how he reacted. He loved it! We gave him a bag and walked with him up to the door. He was a little confused why the man put candy in his bag and he just sat there, holding it open....Then, he started to walk into the house! He thought we were going in! So funny...he got the hang of it after a few houses and got lots of candy. Mia ran ahead with her little friends and had so much fun! Helayna walked around her best friend's neighborhood, which I still haven't gotten used to, even though she's almost 15!

I still can't believe I have a high schooler! Helayna will turn 15 in December and has turned into a wonderful young woman...I know that sounds cheesy but it's true. I am so proud of the person she's becoming and pray that she continues down the road she's on. She's doing so well in school, helps me so much with the little kids, and has been hanging out with us and our friends a lot lately. She really just doesn't like the "drama" that usually accompanies teenagers, so she says she has more fun with us. Which is fine with me....I enjoy her company and I think my friends do too. Of course, she still has typical teenage moments, but they are few and far between. She really really wants to go back to Haiti with Eric and I respect her so much for that. She has fallen in love with it and the people and her dedication amazes me. She really wants to become a nurse and go back to help the people there. I can't wait to see where God leads her.

Mia is my little firecracker....little body with big attitude! She is doing well in first grade, although we had a rocky start and I even thought of homeschooling her. But, she's come around and things are going well. She loves math, writing and reading. She is reading so well now, and I love to see that! She spends most of her time at her little desk in the family room, writing and drawing. She hardly plays with toys. Her 7th birthday is coming up in one week and I cannot believe it! We are having her party at a place called Kidding Around Playtown, which should be fun for the kids.

We did take a trip to San Diego (Coronade Island) and it was a blast! We absolutely loved it and want to go back. It was so fun driving across the bridge every day and our hotel was incredible...feet from the water! We had a day at Sea World and also at the beach. The beach was, by far, everyone's favorite. Just beautiful...

We ended up getting rid of the stray dog we had for a couple months. She was so sweet but we learned she was dog-aggressive and I didn't want to take a chance with our other dog or my kids. So, it was sad and hard, but we had the humane society come pick her up. Hopefully, they found her a better home. So now we're a one dog home and I'm loving it! So much easier and Logan is so much happier....

Alright, well, as I type, Sebastian is having a fit because I told him to not stand on the couch, so I better go....He is SUCH a boy!!! And I truly thought I'd never say that...I've learned it's SO true!

I will add some pictures below....enjoy!

Michele :D

Beginning of Summer

Hello all,
Well, it's officially "summer break".Both kids are done with school for the year and it's freaking me out that Helayna is going to be a freshman in the fall!!! Crazy, since I was just in high school myself...HOW does that happen, seriously????
Mia will be in 1st grade in the fall and acts like she's going into 5th at least!
Eric left for Haiti this morning to work on our new project there, Leve. The team will be taking pictures and video to put together to show what our program is about. They will also be looking at property to possibly rent/buy for the project. He is so excited to get back, do some work there and see all his friends that he's made over the few years he's been going.
Although it's a little hard for us (esp ME with 3 kids now!), we support him and love what he does there.
We made our vacation plans a week or so ago and have decided to go to Coronado Island in CA. Originally, we thought we'd do a cruise since we never have, but I started having second thoughts and since we normally don't take "real" vacations, I thought this one better be good. So, we looked into all inclusive places, but VERY expensive...and we ended up thinking California! We can drive, which is a HUGE plus, there is a TON to do and I've wanted to do SeaWorld for a while now.
So, it should be fun. We're staying for 5 nights. I can't wait! A little nervous about taking the baby....even thought about leaving him with someone at home...but I think we've decided to take him with. Since it IS a family vacation..So, we'll see!!!
Last Friday, I was driving home from a movie with friends and a white dog with leash hanging ran across a main road. I pulled to the center of the road, and called to her. She came right to me....To make a long story short, we now have another addition to our family!
We think she's about 2 yrs old, and a pit bull mix. So far, she's pretty healthy, just skinny. I really had no intention of keeping her, but she is seriously the sweetest thing ever. We took her to the vet yesterday and so far, all looks good. I really really really don't want another dog, so we'll see what happens...I've contacted a rescue just in case...and am still trying to find her owner. But so far, she's ours..
Well, I started this 2 days ago and just got back to it, so I'm going to post it now and try and write more maybe another day next week or so.
Happy Summer!
Mich

5 things.............

So, I'm going to steal an idea from a couple friends' blogs and let you know 5 fun facts about each member of my family. Well, they may not be "fun" but hopefully they will give you a little update on all of us and look inside our family.
So, here goes:

I will start from our youngest, Sebastian 1 yr old:
1. His favorite word is Dadadadada
2. He is ALWAYS jumping!!! Either in his crib, in the pack & play or on the ground
3. He rarely cries, only when he goes to bed or down for a nap or when he fell and bit through his tongue the other day (poor little guy)
4.He LOVES to pull Mia's hair (She, on the other hand, doesn't love it so much)
5. He came home to us from Haiti almost exactly 3 months ago and it seems like he's always been here....

Mia, 6
1. Is coloring/drawing/writing at least 75% of the time she is awake
2. Her favorite food is Ramen Noodles
3. She just hit the 30 lb mark on the scale and we all celebrated!
4. She asks me about 100 questions a day....
5. She loves to read and be read to

Helayna, 14
1. is so wonderful when it comes to helping with her little brother and sister
2. was homeschooled up until 7th grade, when we sent her to a charter school
3. Has a VERY VERY silly side that only family and close friends get to see
4. HATES to wake up early, but will wake up 2 hours before school because looking good is more important than sleep to her
5. wants to live in Haiti and be a nurse

Eric, 39 (haha)
1. Also wants to live in Haiti...but not be a nurse:)
2. Spends most of his time working on our new project in Haiti, "Leve Project"
3. Is an amazing father and husband and although I tell him this, I probably don't do it enough
4. his favorite past time is working out (as most of you probably know)
5. He loves to grocery shop (I know, right?)

Me (Michele), also 39 (I am trying to embrace it!)
1. might be able to be talked in to living in Haiti, if that is where God calls us
2. LOVES to read and tries to every night
3. found out today that I am terrified of heights when I tried to climb down a ladder
4. could live on chocolate, bread and water
5. wants to go on a helicopter ride sometime in the near future


And there you have it!
Hope you enjoyed learning a little about us....
xoxoxo
Michele

April 2010

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted last...and with good reason. Almost 3 months ago, our world was shaken up and changed forever when our little boy came home from Haiti after the horrible earthquake there. We had one days notice and had to fly to Florida to go get him and we've never looked back....
Of course, it took some adjusting for all of us....but we are SO happy and feel so fortunate and blessed to have him at home where he belongs.
I was so scared for him that first week after the quake. I didn't know where the kids at the orphange were sleeping, what they were eating or if they were safe. I went to bed, worried about him and woke up thinking about him too.
It was a crazy trip to Florida to get him. We left on a Tuesday, got to Florida, had to drive 3 hours to where he was and then drove 3 hours back to Orlando that same night.
We got home late on Wednesday and I don't think I've ever been so exhausted in my life. We arrived at the airport where about 50 of our friends and family, PLUS a news crew were waiting to greet us with signs and all! We were so overwhelmed with all the love and support and continued to be the first few weeks...people brought us meals, babysat for me, painted the baby's room, set up all his stuff that was donated to us, brought over diapers, wipes, toys, clothes, exersaucers, bathtubs, and everything a baby needs...I have never experienced such generosity!
Because we were on the news, Sebastian was basically a superstar at church that weekend! It was so funny and so heartwarming at the same time. To think how much this little boy has affected so many is amazing to me.
Anyhow, now we are a family of 5 and I can't really imagine our lives without him. He just fits in so perfectly...he's silly, sweet and pretty much always happy. I've been very blessed...We all have been.
Helayna has been a HUGE help, almost a second mom to him and he loves her to death! Mia is always wanting to help and is great at making him laugh! Eric loves finally having a son and I love seeing the joy on his face when they play.
There are moments when I wonder, "how did this child get here???" But then, I realize that, with God, anything is possible and we are perfect examples of that.
Sebastian is a true blessing from God and I hope that he always knows that.
I will try and update more...but my time is limited even more now....
xoxo
Michele

Sebastian is home with us, where he belongs!!!!! Here's his first week....

Sebastian and his Grandma

Sebastian and Mommy at the doctor....our first self-portrait

Playing.....

Sisters helping with Sebastian's bath

Our first shopping trip to Sams!

How NASCAR Came to the Rescue of Haiti Orphans

This is a story about how Sebastian's orphanage got out of Haiti:

How NASCAR Came to the Rescue of Haiti Orphans