Tired...but blessed

I know, I know. Its been a LONG time since I've written any gut-wrenching, motivating, personal blog entry. I've got 3 words for you....



I AM TIRED!



Tired from...



homeschooling, cooking, cleaning (okay, so I haven't been doing that one), trying to get highlighter drawings off of my bed sheets (no, I did not draw them myself, or I would have chosen a lighter color than florescent orange), attempting to teach one of our kids to count in English...to ONE...unsuccessfully, almost lighting the kitchen table on fire after teaching about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,



taking 3 kids to baseball practices and games where I try to shout to Samuel where his "knees" are (cause the coach is wondering why he's not bending them while at bat), cleaning candle wax out of Savanna's hair (if you know her, you don't have to ask), making sure to pour the right kind of milk for each child (one needs extra calories, one does not, one needs lactose free, and one gets whatever is leftover at that point),



realizing that the temporary still and quiet moment I am experiencing is only because Savanna has found my makeup again and is pouring the base all into the bag, trying to explain to her the reason I can TELL she had my makeup is because she has put it on her face, and we have slightly different skin colors...., searching for shoes - not even matching, just any 2 shoes that will fit the child making us late b/c he can't find any, taking ibuprofen, cleaning out Goodwill, smiling at the employees of Publix who now greet us all by name, wondering why they know our names?...



enjoying visits from family and friends, learning 3-4 new songs each week for kids' worship at church, scheduling and enduring doctors and dentists appointments for 5 (sorry Art, you're on your own), collecting more stool samples from Samuel (or as we call it around here, "pooping in the hat"), tending to Josiah's continuous tube-feeds during the night and calculating how many calories he has taken in during the day, taking a little more ibuprofen,



Drinking more caffeine than I should, yelling more than I'd like, laughing a lot, crying occasionally, sleeping really hard when I can, clinging helplessly to power and wisdom from the Holy Spirit (when I remember to call upon God cause I can't do this in my own strength)...



THANKING GOD THAT THE REASONS I'M EXHAUSTED ARE NOT BECAUSE I'M HUNGRY, HOMELESS, OPPRESSED, POVERTY-STRICKEN, LONELY OR LIVING WITH A LACK OF PURPOSE.



I'm THIS TIRED, because I'm THIS BLESSED...

BUILDING THE BLOCKS...: While we wait...

A neat post I came across this week - something to think about! Also want to shout out a LOUD congrats to our cousins Curt and Lanaea who have just become adoptive parents to a precious baby girl! One less "fatherless" child in America! Praise God!

BUILDING THE BLOCKS...: While we wait...

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!