On the road again....

As I sat here folding a basket of clothes, I decided to check my email tonight. It's a good thing I did because I would've missed more beautiful pictures of Pala. Special THANKS to Greg and Colleen for taking Pala a little doll and outfit from her Mommy and Daddy. We will most likely not ever see them again, but I'm prepared because I bought 3 of the dolls. :) They were soft and cute and.... only $1.50 each on clearance at KMart!

We are leaving first thing in the morning to begin the first leg of our journey to Iowa. We will be stopping in Cleveland, Ohio at the zoo for lunch and to stretch our legs and then head into Chicago to stay with my Uncle Chuck for a few days before hitting Des Moines, Iowa Wednesday afternoon for Treyton's OM competition. It's about 11 hours to Chicago so it'll be a long day for us. I still have a few things left to pack so I better pull myself away from staring at my Sweet PEA for now. Pray that we arrive safe and that Treyton's team has fun and does well. We'll try to post some pictures throughout our trip.

A treasure...

I have been stalking my mailbox for over a week now and it finally came today!

Hope you enjoy our first video of Pala as much as we have.

There isn't a whole lot to see but it is certainly a treasure to us!

Not a happy camper...

Well, today we received new pictures of Pala and they are heartbreaking. She is sooo sad looking and I can't do anything about it. The email stated that she had been woken up for her photo opp and had been crying pretty hard. One thing I can say is that she is just like her Mama... I am MISERABLE if woken up! Let me wake up on my own and give me a good 1/2 hour to function. I'm not a coffee drinker so there isn't much that helps this groucho in the morning except to steer clear. :)

How does that saying go again?

"Like Mother, like Daughter!"

Sweet PEA is 8 months today and the boys are keeping me busy!!!!

Pala is 8 months old today and ironically the boys are keeping me extremely busy!! Well, they always keep me busy but today I'm stretched a lot thinner than usual. Tonight Cooper has a baseball game, Austin has art work debuting in the Spring Art Show and Treyton has his OM spaghetti dinner that I'm supposed to work at. Wowzers! Some how I will manage to make it to all 3 events tonight and my 3 amigos will all be happy! I will try to post some pics tonight after we get home. Did I mention I have to find time somewhere in there to make a "dish to pass" for a luncheon tomorrow.... OK so the pics might have to wait until tomorrow evening... Oh, wait... we have baseball again! :) A mom's work is never done!!!

A little bit of everything...

I've been really bad about uploading my pictures but wanted to share some of them with everyone.

My very artistic son, Austin made this for Shad and I for Easter. I couldn't stop crying when he gave it to us. He asked if he could take custom orders to help raise money for the adoption. Bless his little heart!!



Pala's little Easter basket.

My sister-in-law and I had lunch a bit ago and she surprised me with a little outfit and Pala's first Easter Bunny. Jacque has been a huge help to me through this long process. She's even been gracious enough to pass on her girls' outgrown clothes and stroller. She is working on her 3rd adoption (Guatemala, Ethiopia, and now India) and we are both currently waiting on NOC.

This little doll is my new niece Elly that was born in March. She was celebrating her first Easter with her Gram Kay. I host Easter for my side of the family.

Thanks Aunt Peggy for the box of goodies for Pala.
Shad's Aunt Peggy sent us a box of goodies from Arizona.
It appears to be that all we are missing now... is Pala!!
I should probably get started on her room!!

Quick update on our Sweet PEA...

She is currently 13 lbs and 25" tall.
She gets on her hands and knees and tries to crawl.
She's doing great developmentally.

Thank you Lord for watching over her and keeping her safe.

It has been well over 100 degrees and extremely humid in Kolkata. Those dear Ayah's and babies must be miserable. Dillon was finally able to purchase some air conditioners for the orphanage. The middle of May will bring a new judge to the Kolkata courts which could mean delays as he familiarizes himself with the international adoption process. Please pray that he's a quick learner!! :)

Believe...

Well, we've always felt that this journey to our daughter was in the hands of the Lord. Only he knows our true destiny. This week he has opened our eyes and confirmed that Pala is our daughter. How, you ask?! In the simplest way! Her name... "Pala". Our sweet little ones name means "shining" in Hindu. I know that there are many meanings depending on the part of India, religion, etc. but this was the first that we had found and never thought twice about it. Pala ironically was born on Shad's grandmother Ellen's birthday, who is now deceased. Do you know what Ellen means?! You got it... "shining" or "shining light". Coincidence? I think not.

So, we feel that our daughter's middle name should be ELLEN. We will most likely still some how incorporate her birth mother's name with it but we won't know what that is until we have our guardianship papers.

PALA ELLEN ALSWORTH

For now... she is our lil' sweet PEA.
(Thanks Gidget for that one!!! lol It sounded much cuter with your Kentucky draw!)

Jyoti and Pala

Pala in early April

Jyoti telling her how much her mommy and daddy miss her and can't wait to hug her!!
(Notice her smiling back at Jyoti!)

Simply put...

Wishing you and your families a very blessed Easter.

Pala is 7 months and new pictures to share!!

New pictures of our little angel!!! Looks like she's losing a little of the chub in her face. I still want to pinch her juicy cheeks though!! She is 7 months old now and got some lovin' by Jyoti and Parrish this week when they traveled to pick up their little girl. Thanks a bunch for giving her hugs and kisses from her mommy, daddy and big brothers.

We're going to Iowa!!!

Watch out "WORLDS", here we come!!!!

Yep, you got it.... Treyton and his team placed 1st at the New York State Odyssey of the Mind competition this past Saturday!!! They are off to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa May 27th for "WORLDS"!! There were 18 teams competing in Division I- The Lost Labor of Hercules. I am so proud of them!!! They did awesome!!!! The other team from Wellsville Elementary was Division I- Superstition. Both of the Elementary teams placed 1st !!! Great job guys!!!!

Here's a little background on the problem that Treyton's team has...

Problem 3: The Lost Labor of Heracles
Divisions I, II, III, IV
Teams will create and present an original performance about the ancient Greek hero Heracles. In Greek Mythology, King Eurytheus ordered Heracles to perform 12 labors. The team will reenact Heracles performing one of the 12 labors, as well as a Lost Labor--a team-created thirteenth labor forgotten in history. The performance will also include a god or goddess from Greek Mythology, an original mythological creature that plays a role in the Lost Labor, and the team's version of why the Lost Labor was forgotten in history.

Many, many THANKS to my "blogger buddies" for sending pictures for Austin's Social Studies project. It was a big success!!

Here's our version of Shah Jahan in 2009!! :)

He was very embarrassed about having to dress up but the idea was to NOT spend money and to use what we had around the house. OK, so he doesn't look exactly like Shah Jahan but... I think he did a good job for what he had to work with. They were graded on a report, timeline, display board and costume. Alot was factored in so I think he did very well!!! After all this is 2009 NOT the 1600's, right?!

Blessings galore!!!

Pala's paperwork arrived in Kolkata, India on March 24th.

We have had plenty to be thankful for lately!! March is certainly a glorious month for our family!! We recieved a referral of a healthy baby girl and we are blessed with sooo many birthdays.

My 2 nieces Aliya and Alana both turned 4 on the 18th. No, they are NOT twins! Believe it or not, Aliya is Shad's brother's little angel and Alana is my sister's princess. How ironic that they have the same birthday, eh?! Happy birthday girls!! Aunt Mimi loves you!!

The real excitement was the following week!

On Tuesday, March 24th we welcomed...

ELLYANA DALAINE JOHNSON


to our growing family.
(Alana is now a big sister.)


On Wednesday the 25th, Austin turned 12.

He is now old enough to take his Hunter Safety course so he can hunt with his dad. Shad had been waiting forever to give him this Browning pump shot gun for his first gun. Shad has had it for quite awhile but I wasn't ready to let Austin have it yet. I kept telling him "Not until he's old enough to take the safety course." Well, the time has come and I had to keep my word. I have to admit though... I DID try to get out of it! :) I'm still a little nervous about that but he is very responsible for his age. I've learned that quickly after working in the middle school for the past month!! (And he finally decided to get a hair cut!!!!)

On Thursday March 26th, Cooper turned 8.

Cooper got all of his catcher's gear for baseball this year. He was pretty easy to please!! That's all he wanted.

We kept things simple but each boy got their own special dinner on their birthdays and family stopped by to celebrate with us. I can't believe how big they are getting. It's so amazing to see how much they've grown and changed. They are a true joy to have and I am sooo proud to be their mom.

Friday, March 28th was my cousin Wendy's daughter Alyssa'a birthday.
(Happy Birthday from your cousins in NY!!!! We love and miss you!!)

I have been asked time and time again about when we are going to get Pala and why it takes so long and how hard it must be to wait.... so many have told me that the hardest wait is after the referral but I really hadn't felt that until now. When we accepted Pala's referral it was like a huge weight had been lifted from our hearts. We had waited so long for the call! We finally have a face to stare at. We now have a little girl to get ready for. Every night as we are getting ready for bed we say a little prayer for Pala and imagine what she is feeling as she is just waking up to start her day (about 6 am in Kolkata) and we are going to bed. Shad laughs and says "she probably is fussy and wants her mom because she is ready for a diaper change." (Typical dad comment!) Then we talk about what it's going to be like having a baby in the house again. With all of the birthdays and birth of my new little niece it has finally hit me that I have a daughter waiting for me on the other side of the world and I can't be there to watch as she changes and hits milestones in her development. I was doing sooo good until I started typing this and then all of a sudden I became flooded with all of these emotions!!! Ugh...