Abundantly Blessed

JOY!

2012-02-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

What an awesome few weeks we have had! First, we received our I600A approval from the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) and second, our dossier (huge load of paperwork) was translated and is at the Haitian Embassy in Chicago. Hopefully our dossier will be in processed in Haiti in the next two months. YAY-YAY!

Many of you have asked about the adoption process in Haiti. Every country is different so I want to share the timeline we are anticipating:

Homestudy - 1-3 months
Dossier Completion - 1-3 months
USCIS Approval - approximately 45 days
Dossier Translation at Haitian Embassy - 2 weeks
Dossier Processed in Haiti - 4-6 weeks
Dossier is sent to Haitian Court (IBESR) - 2-8 months
First Travel Trip to Haiti - varies
Paperwork to Parquet (adoption becomes legal) - 2-3 months
Adoption Review - 1-3 months
Adoption File to USCIS for Approval - 3 weeks
Wait for Visa Appointment - 3 weeks
PICK UP TRIP!!!!!!!!!

The highlighted steps are what we have completed.

Praise God! It looks like a terribly long process but I am prepared for the wait as best as I can be. I know it may seem strange because I have never met Jeremiah face to face, but some days I miss him so much. I hold our little boy, who is about 6 months younger than Jeremiah, and I have such an intense love for him and I wonder if someone is loving Jeremiah with the same intensity. I laugh with my daughters, and I pray someone is laughing with Jeremiah often.

Two years seems like a long wait but I'll keep highlighting each step we go through with praises to God and joyful anticipation of our forever day with Jeremiah!

It sounds so repetitive, but again, I thank you all for joining us on our family's journey. Every word of encouragement, every donation and every prayer is so deeply appreciated.

Love and joy,
Susie

RAFFLE OPPORTUNITY

2012-02-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

Awesome new details from the Sea of Hope Quarter Auction committee regarding the raffles! There will be four amazing raffles at this year's Sea of Hope Quarter Auction. You will have an opportunity to purchase tickets in advance via PayPal or cash and your name and raffle will be entered to win. You may choose to buy multiple tickets and split them among the four prizes, however you wish. The winners will be chosen at the Sea of Hope Quarter Auction but if you are out of town, please feel free to enter because the winner will be notified! If you are paying in advance either with PayPal or cash, please let us know how you would like us to split your tickets. You may leave a message on the checkout page of PayPal, leawve a message on this post or email the way you want your tickets to be distributed to townsend164@gmail.com. You may also buy tickets at the Sea of Hope Quarter Auction on February 17.

The cost of the tickets are: $1 for 1 ticket, $5 for 7 tickets, $10 for 13 tickets and $20 for 25 tickets. Please use the PayPal button on this page. Thank you!!

Here are the four prizes:

1. $250 Gift Certificate to Runyon Photography - www.runyonphotography@msn.com

2. $350 Charter H (charter boat, two people, 1/2 day) - www.circlehcharters.com

3. $500 Gift Card to Ideal Image - www.idealimage.com/wilmington/index.php

4. One week vacation rental at www.blueknob.com from March 16 - August 25. Condo is 2 bedroom, 2 bath with full kitchen located in the mountains of PA. The resort has indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, 18 hole golf, padle boats, canoes, and amusement parks nearby. There is a $50 cleaning fee. Winner would call owner for availability.

The winner will be announced at the Sea of Hope Quarter Auction on February 17. If you do not attend the SOH Quarter Auction, you will be notified later that evening.

Save your quarters for a FUN night!

2012-01-16T17:39:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again! A Sea of Hope (www.aseaofhope.org) will be holding their Third Annual Quarter Auction on February 17. We are blessed that Jeremiah's adoption will benefit from this fundraiser! The Quarter Auction last year was a huge success and everyone had a wonderful time! If you are local, please come out and join us and if you aren't local, come stay and enjoy our area for the weekend! ;)

When?

February 17 at 5:00 pm

Where?

Northside Baptist Church Life Center

Cost?

Each paddle costs $5 and each paddle may bid a quarter to win! You may purchase more than one paddle. Be sure to bring LOTS of quarters!!!

Food?

You will have an opportunity to buy great snacks, drinks and hot dogs starting at 5:00 pm.

I realize this doesn't fully explain how a quarter auction works. Before I attended my first one, I had multiple people explain it to me and I still didn't fully understand it. You can google it for more information but you'll understand it better when you come out on February 17! I don't remember a single person leaving unhappy because it was full of laughs and joy and terrific prizes. So please invite all your friends and bring lots of quarters and join us for this amazing fundraising opportunity!

Bring in the New Year Giveaway!

2011-12-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

I know I say this a lot, but I am absolutely AMAZED at the generosity of people. I know we can sit and complain about the bad in the world, but I see Christ shining often and I rejoice in it!

On Sunday, a very generous person at church approached me with a $50 gift card to Macaroni Grille to use for a giveaway. Just out of the blue, she asked if we might be able to use it on our facebook/blogs as a giveaway to raise money for Jeremiah.

The love and encouragement is so overwhelming and so humbling.

After talking with my adoption advisors (very close friends who run all kinds of giveaways and have supported adoptions or adopted themselves) these are the rules we came up with:

You will receive an entry into the giveaway for each time:

1. You donate $5 using the CHIPIN button

2. You buy a Pancake Breakfast Ticket for January 14 (use the CHIPIN button but please leave a message saying you want a PB ticket and we will get it to you)

3. You place a 31 order (for every $5 you spend, you will receive an entry, you must use the button on the side of this blog and place an order under Jeremiah's party - look for Thirty-One information under Jeremiah's pic on the right side of this blog or click here )

4. Buy a t-shirt (click on the buttons on the right side of the blog to place an order)

5. Re-post on any media site and follow this blog or Sophie's blog.

Please leave us a message on one of our blogs letting us know what you have done to earn an entry!

Thank you!!!

IPAD2 winner is.....

2011-12-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

TAMELA R.

Congratulations to Tamela and thank you all for contributing! Hopefully everyone has read the post prior to this one, which explains how the winner was chosen. We had 32 contributors and 807 entries to the giveaway. I've included a picture of the random.com page to see the winning number. THANK YOU!!!

Again, we want to thank everyone for donating and re-posting and inviting friends to join our blog and Facebook page. Adoption fundraising is extremely humbling. It's not easy to ask for donations, it's not easy to see others ask for donations on our behalf. So often God takes us out of our comfort zone so that we may grow and that He may be glorified. It's my prayer that God has been honored through this giveaway. Every donation means something to us and every donation is one step closer to bringing Jeremiah home. Thank you again.

Tonight's the NIGHT!!!

2011-12-12T14:09:00.001-08:00

Who is excited?!?!?!?! I can't believe tonight is the night that the winner of the IPAD2 will be notified. There are still a few hours left to enter!

Take a look at Mandy's blog. I am going to do our IPAD2 giveaway the same way she did hers. This will give you an idea how the winner will be chosen.

THANKS AGAIN!

The flash giveaway winner is.....

2011-12-10T05:47:00.000-08:00

JOHN S.!!!

Congratulations!

Thank you everyone who donated! There are only two more days left of the IPAD2 giveaway! Be sure to check back for any additional flash giveaways in the next two days!

ANOTHER FLASH GIVEAWAY!!!!

2011-12-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

FROM MY MOM:

Time is running out on the IPAD2 giveaway! If you were planning to donate, you can win something IN ADDITION to the IPAD2!

Another great friend and fellow adoptive mom, has a beautiful jewelry business. Her store is http://oceanthoughts.goodsie.com/. She has donated this gorgeous necklace for us to use as a flash giveaway.

If you donate between 7:00 am Friday, December 9 and 7:00 am Saturday, December 10, you will receive an entry for every $5 you donate. If you share the IPAD2 giveaway on your twitter account, facebook or blog, you will receive another entry for each time you post.

PLEASE make sure you leave a comment on this blog or http://sophieshappyhats.blogspot.com/ letting us know you donated and how many times you re-posted.

THANK YOU!!!!

To see the item and description, please click on the link below:

http://oceanthoughts.goodsie.com/maluhia-collection#.TuItnsHPaxY.google

ANOTHER FLASH GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU!!!!

To see the item and description, please click on the link below:

http://oceanthoughts.goodsie.com/maluhia-collection#.TuItnsHPaxY.google

And the flash giveaway winner is....

2011-12-08T10:42:00.001-08:00

Beth K.!!!!!!

A very special thank you to everyone who donated! The last 24 hours pushed us over $600 so the IPAD2 will DEFINITELY be sent to someone on December 12! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please remember to donate - you could be the winner!

Beth, I will be contacting you shortly to get your home address so we can send your $50 restaurant.com gift card in the mail. THANKS!

Written November 19, 2011 (posted 12/07/11)

2011-12-07T09:12:00.001-08:00

The last 24 hours have been miraculous. It amazes me how constant God is and how He's always shining but sometimes He makes it really bright for me to see. There are times when I want to keep certain things He has done to myself or with Jack or just a few close friends and family, until I am ready to share His awesome wonders. Other times, I can do nothing but shout it out loud for everyone to know.

We received approval from the orphanage last evening. That was going to be the best news of the weekend until more good news came. The youth pastor at our church (Pastor JB) decided to do some fundraising on his own and called us up late last night to let us know that he had a $2,000 donation. Jack and I were praising God. THAT IS HUGE. We were appreciative to the person who donated it and we were appreciative to the one who humbled himself to ask for donations. But that wasn't all. I woke up this morning to a Facebook message from a dear, supportive friend who also has adopted and she and her husband decided to donate $3,000 to our fundraising efforts. There is only ONE who can make this happen. This is God. This is our Creator who cares about Jeremiah, much more than Jack or I do.

Every dollar counts. When someone gives $5, it makes a huge impact on me. Just knowing they love us and care for orphans is the best present of all. Today, we needed some big money. It's the beginning of the adoption process and this is when many bills are due. We needed $1,550 by Monday. Then $890 the following Monday and $1600 in December at some point. This is paid for and all the glory goes to God. We thank our supporters from the bottom of our hearts for listening to Him. By Christmas we'll need another $6900. There is no doubt in my mind God will provide this money. HE IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!!

December 7, 2011 UPDATE: I held the post above to myself for a while until we were able to hand in a few important documents to secure Jeremiah as our son in the adoption process. Things are going extremely well and as I mentioned above, I have absolute peace that we will raise $6900 by the end of December. It is absolutely insane to believe WE can raise this money in just a few weeks. I can't explain it but I really do believe God is going to do this. I am so excited to see HOW He does it!

Another Flash Giveaway!!!

2011-12-07T08:03:00.001-08:00

That same anonymous donor is at it again! She wanted to do another FLASH GIVEAWAY today!

For every $5 you donate today, you get one entry to win a $50 restaurant.com giftcard! And of course you will still be entered to win the IPAD2. This is a giveaway on top of a giveaway!

ALSO, for every time you repost (facebook, twitter, etc.) this giveaway and blog information you will get another entry into the restaurant.com flash giveaway!

Please reply in the comment section of this post or email that you have donated and reposted.

PS I just want to say that the person who donated this has an extremely large heart and cares for the less fortunate. She doesn't JUST limit her help towards orphans, she cares for the poor, those out of work, and widows and single moms. She is incredible and I love her very much!

Friends are so dear to us....

2011-12-03T16:02:00.001-08:00

I received a request from a very dear friend of mine this evening. She asked if she could donate something to our IPAD2 giveaway, to jump start the giveaway and help spread the word. People have been so kind to us and I have been absolutely amazed by their generosity. To this friend, please know Jack and I are so thankful for your support and encouragement.

Her letter is below:

I have been watching the IPAD2 giveaway and the chipin button has not been increasing as much as I had assumed it would. I would like to offer a donation ON TOP of the IPAD2 but only for those who donate in the next 24 hours. Here's how it works: If you donate in the next 24 hours, leave a message on this post telling me you donated. If you also post it on your facebook wall or on your blog, twitter or some other form of media, mention that too. For every $5 donation and for every re-post, you will be entered to win this:

You still qualify for the IPAD2 of course. This is just a FLASH giveaway to get the Townsend Family's chipin closer to the much needed $2,000 mark.

Have a blessed evening,

A Friend of the Townsend Family

IPAD2 GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-11-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

We are fundraising for Jeremiah's adoption! You can win an IPAD2 32 gb!

$5 Donation = 1 entry

$10 Donation = 3 entries

$20 Donation = 10 entries

$50 Donation = 30 entries

The winner will be picked on December 12.

Please spread the word by posting this on your blog or facebook.

THANKS!

November 19, 2011

2011-11-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

The last 24 hours have been miraculous. It amazes me how constant God is and how He's always shining but sometimes He makes it really bright for me to see. There are times when I want to keep certain things He has done to myself or with Jack or just a few close friends or family, until I am ready to share His awesome wonders and other times, I can do nothing but shout it out loud for everyone to know.

We received approval from the orphanage last evening. That was going to be the best news of the weekend until more good news came. The youth pastor at our church (Pastor JB) decided to do some fundraising on his own and called us up late last night to let us know that he had a $2,000 donation. Jack and I were praising God. THAT IS HUGE. We were appreciative to the person who donated it and we were appreciative to the one who humbled himself to ask for donations. But that wasn't all. I woke up this morning to a Facebook message from a dear, supportive friend who also has adopted and she and her husband decided to donate $3,000 to our fundraising efforts. There is only ONE who can make this happen. This is God. This is our Creator who cares about Jeremiah, much more than Jack or I do.

Every dollar counts. When someone gives $5, it makes a huge impact on me. Just knowing they love us and care for orphans is the best present of all. Today, we needed some big money. It's the beginning of the adoption process and this is when many bills are due. We needed $1,550 by Monday. Then $890 the following Monday and $1600 in December at some point. This is paid for and all the glory goes to God. We thank our supporters from the bottom of our hearts for listening to Him. By Christmas we'll need another $6900. There is no doubt in my mind God will provide this money. HE IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!!

December 7, 2011 UPDATE: I held the post above to myself for a while until we were able to hand in a few important documents to secure Jeremiah as our son in the adoption process. Things are going extremely well and as I mentioned above, I have absolute peace that we will raise $6900 by the end of December. It is absolutely insane to believe WE can raise this money in just a few weeks. I can't explain it but I really do believe God is going to do this. I am excited so excited to see HOW He does it!

November 18, 2011 (A little late....)

2011-11-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

WOW! The orphanage approved us to adopt Jeremiah! YOUSERS! This is a huge opened door. Jeremiah's birth country regulates that the adoptive couple may have NO biological children in the home. We have five kiddos and three are biological! The orphanage is allowed to make special exceptions, especially for special needs children and we qualify! PRAISE GOD! We are super excited about this!

What comes next? PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK. We need to have our homestudy finalized, apply for USCIS approval to bring an international orphan into the US, apply to our agency, AND LOTS OF fundraisers. God will provide, no doubt!

Thanks again for joining us on this ride. A good day, indeed!

Christmas CASH!

2011-11-15T13:21:00.000-08:00

Mandy has become a dear friend to me. She is adopting two sweet boys with Down Syndrome. This is an awesome way to support her family as they welcome two little ones to their family, as well as jump at a chance to win some awesome gift cards, right before Christmas!

http://findingourlittleone.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-cash-christmas-cash-christmas.html?spref=fb

Jeremiah

2011-11-14T11:02:00.001-08:00

Jack and I have a burden for a sweet boy named Jeremiah. He is an orphan and he is blind. We are asking God to show us how we can help this little man and have decided to begin fundraising for him immediately.

Reece's Rainbow is an organization that raises awareness for special needs orphans around the world. Please check out the little boy we are praying for, Jeremiah.

http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=jeremiah&x=0&y=0

How can you help? First, please start praying for him immediately. Pray for his health, pray for his spiritual and emotional well being. And please pray God will bring him a forever family to adopt him. Second, please join us in raising awareness for children with special needs that do not have a home. Lastly, please donate money in his name so that the family God calls to adopt him, won't be limited because of finances. It's so easy to do - just a click and you can donate! So many families would like to adopt but do not because of the high cost.

Thank you for your support.

Been a looooong time!

2011-11-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family!

Okay, it has been a few months since we have updated our blog. I apologize! Life with 5 kiddos keeps us busy. YES, you read that correctly, we now have a new addition to our family. Our son was born in March and he came home with us to NC at just a week old. He is an absolute blessing. Unlike P's adoption, this is an open adoption which means we have contact with the birth parents. Baby J's birth parents love him dearly and made a huge sacrifice to put him up for adoption. We will forever love them, as we do P's birth family.

Our faith was strengthened through this adoption process and there were times when God was shouting His love for us. He is so good! Our son is a special boy with an incredible disposition. He is laid back and calm and happy to have four older sisters spoil him!

God gave us wonderful friends and family who prayed, supported, and encouraged us during the adoption process. Oh and many who fund-raised! The Lord provided in ways we still can't wrap our heads around!

The girls are adjusting beautifully to our new addition. Life is busy and God is good, all the time.

I hope to blog more frequently. We have some news so stay tuned! ;)

Adoption Blog

2011-07-24T04:06:00.001-07:00

Check out this family! Their story is amazing! If you feel led, please support them! They have an awesome fundraiser going on right now and you could win something BIG!

http://findingourlittleone.blogspot.com/2011/07/heres-deal.html?spref=fb

Vera Bradley Fundraiser!

2010-12-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

A very kind friend has donated a new with tags Vera Bradley large tote to be used to raise money for the Townsend adoption. For every $10 you donate, your name will be put in a hat. On December 18th, a name will be drawn and the winner will have their bag shipped or delivered before Christmas. An individual may have an unlimited number of entries.

*The Paypal (DONATE) button on the top right side of the screen is an easy way to enter this fundraising give away!*

CHICK-FIL-A FUNDRAISER!!!!

2010-12-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

Chick-Fil-A at Mayfaire has offered a fundraiser for us on Monday, December 6 from 5:00-8:00 pm. They will donate a percentage of everything you purchase during this time.

They have great party trays, holiday pies, and yummy food so please come on out and support adoptions by ordering during this time. Be sure to save your coupons for another day though!

They will have fun prizes to win as well and everyone is a winner! Bring your $1 bills and you will receive GREAT coupons!

If you would be kind enough to post this fundraiser on your blog, Facebook page and/or hand out flyers, we would be grateful.

Lastly, it is imperative that you mention TOWNSEND ADOPTION when you check out your food.

Thank you again for all your help and support!

A Sea of Hope

2010-11-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

A Sea of Hope is a wonderful orphan ministry that has donated RELAXING EYE PILLOWS filled with lavender oil to sell and all proceeds go toward the Townsend Family Adoption fund. If you are interested in purchasing one of these, please email us at townsend164@bellsouth.net and we will ship one out to you for FREE! You can check out this amazing ministry at aseaofhope.org.

Sophie's Happy Hats

2010-11-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

Sophie is knitting hats to help raise money for the adoption. This is a very exciting opportunity for her and we have all been blessed by her enthusiasm to help out. If you would like to order a hat from Sophie's Happy Hats, she will custom make your hat in any color (s) and size. Just send an email to townsend164@bellsouth.net and include size, color and quantity. You can pay simply by clicking on the donate button on the right side of our blogspot or you can send a check.

LARGE - $12.00 (adult)

MEDIUM - $10.00 (child or fits a small adult, depending if you like yours snug)

SMALL - $8.00 (baby or doll, fits American Girl perfectly!)

Shipping is a $1.00 per hat or if you purchase 3 or more, it's FREE! We would be happy to deliver in the Wilmington area.

Thank you in advance for your help,

Jack , Susie and Sophie

2010-11-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family!

It's hard to believe we brought Pearl home a little over three years ago. Time has flown by but it's been an incredible journey. Everyone is adjusting well and we thank God for our four wonderful girls. A few months ago Jack and I felt the Lord planting seeds of adoption on our hearts. Honestly, it was easy to disobey God on this. We felt fulfilled with four children, we felt content, we felt completed. But our great big God had other plans. After much prayer, much research, we felt the Lord leading us to adopt again. We are beyond excited and can't wait to meet our future child.

As a family, we are completely in one accord. The girls are joyous to say the least. The process will not be the same this time around. With Pearl's adoption, we had money saved and paid from our adoption account as each bill was due. We do not have any money saved for this adoption. We are taking a huge leap of faith, trusting on God to provide the money. It's exciting and nerve wracking but we can't wait to see what the Lord has planned!

John 14:18 tells us, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." God sent His Son so that we may have eternal life. He adopted us. We believe God has called His people to adopt orphans here on earth, just as He adopted us. Please join us in caring for the orphans by joining us on our journey by praying for us.

Thank you for your love and support and encouragement during this exciting time. We look forward to keeping you informed throughout our process and sharing with you the Lord's awesome provisions!

With love,
Jack and Susie

Check it out!!!

2009-12-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

There is a great giveaway here: http://www.thethriftymama.com/2009/12/giveaway-extravaganza-wii-wii-fit.html so why not check it out!?

2009-09-17T13:37:00.001-07:00

Swagbucks

2009-06-27T17:31:00.001-07:00

Swidget 1.0great free widgetsWidgetbox

Annabelle's Surgery Pics

2009-05-11T10:37:00.001-07:00

Annabelle was playing air hockey just an hour before her surgery - she was so happy!

Starting to get a little anxious here...

All done! Another successful surgery completed!

Annabelle took her Build a Bear to surgery with her but Mia, her American Girl doll was waiting on her bed when she returned.

Happy to go home!

As mentioned on our Caringbridge site...

2009-05-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/townsendgirls

Hello!

Before I begin, let me preface this update with an apology. I should have posted long before now with updates and prayer requests and I am very sorry. That said, Annabelle had surgery to remove her hardware last week.

It was a bit of a roller coaster with her surgery date being moved around a few times but long story short, her hardware is out and she's recovery nicely.

We checked in on Wednesday and her surgery was Thursday morning. It was expected to last two hours but after the anesthesia was administered, the doctors only needed an hour and a half because her bones didn't grow as much as they expected. Thankfully the hardware was very easy to get out. Praise God! We stayed another night in the hospital and checked out before noon the following day.

As always, the staff and doctors were wonderful. An added blessing was the opportunity to visit with our friends that live in Greenville. We weren't able to leave the hospital once we checked in on Wednesday so they made the drive to see us and we dined together in the hospital cafeteria. We love the Smith family!

Annabelle will be allowed to begin walking in a week. Her post-op appointment is in three weeks and at that time we'll also take Ava for her check-up. Please join us in praying that her hip dysplasia has improved over the last few months.

Thank you for your prayers and again, please forgive us for neglecting to update this site.

Love,
Susan

PS I am planning on posting pictures of our patient soon!

Disney World

2009-04-23T06:49:00.001-07:00

Hi/Low Thursday

2009-02-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and get your link on their site.

It's hard to believe it's Hi/Low Thursday again! We've had such a busy week but it's been so full of joy!

HI: Today is Pearl's birthday! What a very special day! She is two years old today and what a blessing she is. She's talking and interacting - Pearl is such a toddler! Lately she has started climbing everything - chairs, beds, tables. Annabelle calls her a "little monkey" and Pearl just loves her new nickname. We took both Pearl and Ava for their well check appointments and both are healthy. Praise the Lord!

LOW: A little girl who has been battling Leukemia passed away this week. We only started following her blog recently but we fell in love with her spirit and of course our hearts are burdened for her family. Her site is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lydialimeieikomiyashita. Please lift her family up in prayer.

Ava's 4th Birthday!!!

2009-02-23T06:37:00.000-08:00

Ava turns four years old at 1:09 this afternoon. I know it's a cliche but I really don't know where the time has gone. Four years is what it takes to graduate high school or college! It's seems like that took forever and yet in a blink of an eye, Ava is already four.

She woke up early this morning ready for presents and cake. We assured her the cake would come later but she opened a few presents before daddy had to go to work. Her favorite gift is her new Bitty Baby whom she first named Black Beauty but in the end decided on Ella. We did not have time to go through her amazing birth story but we'll make sure we do that this evening. She already asked us to tell her all about how she was almost born in a car. :) I LOVE THE GIRLS' BIRTHDAYS!!! It's always so much fun!

Last night we arrived home after meeting my brother and our niece for another weekend in Myrtle Beach. We missed my sister-in-law and nephew (both were sick) but had a wonderful time. It's about halfway for both of us so it's a great meeting place. The girls had fun swimming and playing and celebrating Ava and Pearl's first birthday bash of the week.

This evening we are going to celebrate the birthdays with the grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. I'll post more pictures later.

Hi/Low Thursday

2009-02-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and for a chance to win $100.

This is our first time doing a Hi/Low post, though we have been reading many other blogs who do it every week. So, here we go!

HI: We are getting ready to celebrate Pearl's two year birthday and Ava's four year birthday. We have plans to meet my brother and his family in Myrtle Beach at our favorite hotel this weekend. The girls have had a lot of fun planning for our trip but the best quote is from Ava who said, "I can't wait to see my bestest friend, Lucia, so she can wish me a happy birthday and give me hugs and kisses." Lucia is her cousin and they are only a few months apart and she's been looking forward to seeing her since Christmas. Another highlight of our week was a really nice Valentine's Dinner at our church on Friday night. Childcare was provided, the youth served us and we played a fun Newlywed Game. Please don't ask what place we came in. EEEKKKSS...

LOW: We received our official admission papers for Annabelle's hardware removal surgery to take place in May. For those of you who don't know our history, check out our other blog (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/townsendgirls) which tells our story. The good news is this surgery is very minimal compared to the last one. When Sophie had her hardware removed, it was a piece of cake compared to the osteotomies so we're not too overwhelmed. We're counting it as our low for the week only because we had a pretty good week and it's not something we're overly excited about. :)

On a side note, please make sure you check out the Riggs' blog. They are an incredible family with an amazing faith. Please continue to pray for them.

Please keep praying!!!

2009-02-12T08:46:00.001-08:00

Prayers Needed

2009-02-08T06:20:00.000-08:00

Please pray for the orphans in Guatemala. Our hearts are absolutely burdened by this situation.

http://www.jcics.org/Guatemala.pdf