Why, God?

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why he allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when he could do something about it...but I'm afriad he might ask me the same question" - Anonymous

This is the incredible quote on the back of a great T-shirt you can order to help support another new friend's adoption! Please visit www.livingtolove.com and check out their journey, their t-shirts (kids sizes too!) and be a part of changing the world, one life at a time by participating in their fundraising and keeping them in their prayers. (They already have one adorable son from Tawain, and are in the starting stages of adopting sibling group from Ethiopia!)

God bless you and yours today!

HELP BRING ANOTHER ORPHAN HOME!

Adoption is one of greatest things we can be apart of, whether bringing a child into our own home, or helping someone else do it through prayer, financial contributions or just practical service to the family.

Not only is it a scriptural mandate for believers, its an amazing way to change a life FOREVER.

Many of you have supported us through prayer and encouraging words over the last year and a half as we journeyed through miles of paperwork, homestudies, approvals and finally across the ocean to bring home Samuel and Savanna. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

And now I'd like to ask you to help a friend do the same! A precious little 10 month old girl in Ethiopia is waiting for her newly adopted parents to come back and pick her up! (They have already been once for the court ruling - and had to leave Lucy behind, as the new laws in Ethiopia require parents to travel there a second time to pick up the child). While they will relish your prayers, they would also appreciate your financial contributions (still need around $3600 for the trip back to Africa to pick up Lucy). Please go to their blog where you can actually make a contribution right away - no matter how small, every dollar counts! As Jennifer states in her blog post, if 360 people gave $10, it would be done!

http://www.my-crazy-wonderful-life.blogspot.com

Many Blessings!

The Sneads

Happy Birthday, sweet Samuelli!

Fittingly, today's post will be all about Samuel (or "Samuelli" as he calls himself, and was called in Rwanda). I could tell a lot of funny stories, (like how he loves dancing naked), brag on his athleticism (like how he does perfect cartwheels with no prior training, and dribbles a basketball quite well, again with no prior training) or try to describe his fabulous laugh that lights a room, but instead, I've decided to give you some "one-word" descriptions of our precious gift from God, Samuel Irambona Snead. ("Irambona", by the way, is a word meaning "God sees me" - which fits him quite well. He is still overcoming fears of the dark and being left alone, and we can't wait until He finally meets the one whose eyes have been on him his whole life and been His Father even while his earthly father was not yet in his life...)

SWEET

EASY-GOING

SHY

ENERGETIC

ACTIVE

HILARIOUS

MUSICAL

FUN

FEARFUL

COMPLIANT

KIND

SMART

HANDSOME

BLESSING

...OURS...

And now some highlights from his happy day:

Samuel, Savanna, mommy and the cake (not the leaning tower of pisa, but the "yellow hat" from Curious George...)

Blowing out my candles and laughing hysterically when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me

shooting on his new goal!

sliding backwards with Josiah at Monkey Joes (we call Samuel and Josiah "the twins"...for obvious reasons....they look so much alike...)

Happy Fourth of July!

S & S's first July 4th! They're not technically U.S. citizens yet, but sure had a great time celebrating and watching the fireworks!

Going crazy. Wanna come?

Thought I'd send out a transcript of a comical, yet quite typical, car conversation that ocurred in the Snead van yesterday. I accidentally got on the freeway instead of the road right next to it which leads to our subdivision (don't ask....distracted and still getting used to a new city...) and somehow Samuel noticed....

Samuel: Mama, where goin'?
Me: Crazy!
Samuel: I wan' go!!!
Me: okay, Samuel, come on!
Savanna: Mama, where crazy?
Me: Anywhere we all are, sweetie.
Savanna: Oh. Okay.

And as if that conversation had made complete sense to them, they contentedly went right back to singing their rendition of "Days of Elijah" (which features their favorite lyric, "There no Gah like JehoBa"....)

So glad God has a sense of humor. Otherwise, taking a wrong turn would not have been so much fun!

Blessings!

Family-isms....

"Put on my baby soup?".....no, this is not a type of stew Savanna is suggesting, but rather what she calls her "bathing suit"! The kids have so many funny pronunciations of things, that some of them have just stuck, and we find ourselves all 6 using these "Savanna and Samuel - isms" - just for fun!



Another great one is "I beeya beeya beeya ..." for "I'll be right back"....Evidently, when we first got the kids, if we ever left a room temporarily we would be careful to say "I'll be RIGHT BACK". Because one day, Savanna was about to exit a room, but she stopped, looked at us meaningfully, and said "I beeya beeya beeya ..."....



"Si-lay" has turned into a new nick name for Silas because it was how Samuel and Savanna pronounced it for so long... He even calls himself that a lot now...



"moto car" - not many Americans call their vehicles this, but again, when S & S used it over and over (and sang it over and over every time we got in the van), it just stuck...



"Mama, I wan' play train-guh!" = seems like it'd be easier for him to say "train", but he just can't stop adding the "guh" at the end...so of course, Josiah has adopted the new pronunciation!....



some others include:

"Wallow" ("water")

"sitee" (sit)

"sockies" (socks - which by the way, I can't seem to pry off of Samuel. Everyday he comes down the stairs dressed in socks and tennis shoes, and everyday I send him back up to put on sandals telling him its too hot for "sockies"....To which he usually replies "Samuel no ot!" b/c he also has trouble with h's at the start of words - just ask Mrs. "Ah-ddy")

"book-ah" (again, Samuel always has to add an extra syllable!)

"Sho-siah" (Josiah)

"Music no too loud!" - Please turn up the music!

Words they have NO trouble pronouncing include: TV, cool aid, and Bible Study...go figure?



Hope you enjoyed a taste of our little "isms" .... we've had a lot of fun (along with many challenges) listening to their English come along, and are very amazed at how far they've come. But I must say I'll be sad when Savanna stops asking to put on her "baby soup"....its just so sweet and so "Savanna"....
This is Savanna with her newest cousin "baby Finn" (whose parents, Doug and Julie, she renamed "Papa Finn" and "Mama Finn")...

Samuel and Savanna's first views of the ocean!

Yesterday evening we arrived at Orange Beach in AL and our two newest children experienced the ocean for the first time....and loved it! But on top of that, our second oldest, Josiah has been to the beach a few times, but never been allowed to go in the water due to his trach (waves are too unpredictable and the water would've gone straight into his lungs!). So it was a cool experience for Art and I to have and watch them have! We were only able to enjoy the beach last night and today, though, as the oil has finally made its way to the shore now, and we'll most likely be staying away from the beach and hanging out at the pool.

But we're here with a large number of extended family and having a ball! (As my Aunt Linda pointed out today, S & S are probably thinking, "wow, we've moved in with some crazy people, and now they've brought us here to meet a whole bunch of other crazy people!").....

Savanna is completely captivated by her newest cousin, "Finn", constantly asking, "Where baby Finn?...".....Samuel is in love with the pool and cousin Doug's "claw" routine....... Josiah is enjoying getting some loving attention from his Sipes cousins.....Silas is enjoying his "twin" cousin (they are 3 months apart) ..... And tomorrow they will meet about 60 more cousins they've never met at the Headrick family reunion in Pensacola!

Made contact with a neat African Adoption Fellowship Group here in Nashville that meets once a month and can't wait to get to know them soon! (and hopefully get some help with Savanna's hair once it finally grows long enough to braid!!!)

Thanks for checking in!