My baby boy lost his first tooth!

Noah FINALLY lost his first tooth! Callie lost hers when she was 4, so Noah was quite convinced that his teeth were not supposed to fall out! But on Sunday, he finally got one out. This could also be because Noah waits for them to literally fall out. Callie on the other hand wiggles the dog out of them until she can get one side lose and then yanks....the other side usually still has some root on it! Can you say "OUCH!!!!"?

I just love it when they have a gap...he is so cute....but reminds me he is growing up and that makes me a bit sad!

Family Fun!

Here are some pictures of our favorite family activity....swimming in our pool! Toben was scared to death to do anything but sit on the step and splash when we first put him in the pool. Now, he jumps off the diving board all by himself and kicks, flails himself to the ladder to get out and do it all again! So much fun! He tells everyone, "I swim in water!" He is doing so good! We are truly blessed!

What do you want from me, God?

I know scripture says that I have the mind of Christ, but many times I think my brain is short circuting if that is the case! This morning is one of those times that I want to get on my roof and shout at the heavans, "What do you want from me, God?!"

I got an e-mail last week from Sheku, the contact that informs us about Eden and has sent pictures from time to time. I just kind of read it and pretended like I hadn't. I tend to deal with stuff right now by ignoring it and pretending it doesn't exist! But with my friend waiting on her investigation outcome in SL and all our adoptive families waiting to hear about court decrees, my mind goes frequently to my little girl in SL. My heart almost can't handle thinking of her. I wonder if God is preparing a way for her to come home to us after all these years....but then I wonder if I can really handle child number 5 being a 6 year old from another culture who doesn't speak my language! Can my current children handle that disruption also? I know if God says "do it", those other questions don't matter, He will supply all our needs! But is he saying "do it" or is this one of those doors that just because it is open doesn't mean we need to go through it?

It has always been very important to us that she attend school as we know that is the key to a better life for her and her future family! So we asked him to send us her tuition bill so that we can send money for he tuition to make sure she remains in school. Past that, I don't know what our role is in her life except to cover her and prayer and be open at any time for God to say, "I promised you she would come home, and NOW is the time!" But if I am honest, I have to say that I didn't sign up for a SIX year old little girl! I would have to say I don't "want" that for my life right now, but I have to be open! And I know if that is what God wants, he will change my heart, and it will be my desire too. Until that time, we wait, pray and seek wisdom to know what to do, and look at pictures of my holding a little girl that still holds a special place in my heart whether she ever has a bed under my roof or not!

Satan can take a break.....

You know, I often think that in America (probably other places too), Satan can just take a break...he can go have a Frappaciono because we Christians will just kill each other while he watches in awe. No matter how hard I work or how much of my life I give (even to the point of physical illness), it will not be enough for some people. They will attack as if I were the enemy.

I am sure God is teaching me in this that my only point of approval is HIM! Nothing else matters. I just wish my heart believed that...it must still just be head knowledge.....

Explanation....

Since I have gove public, I am trying to keep our last name off the blog. So if you see P-tree, you know this is not a typo, but my way of keeping the actual spelling of our last name from a search to find my blog in case some sicko out there is watching me! :) You just never think you are going to have to worry about that....and then your name is in international headlines......its really not all that great to be famous! ha! (Maybe I would think differently if my stint in the news came with $$$$$........or probably not!)

Prayers for my friend....

Hello all you blog buddies! I have a dear friend who found my blog several months ago right before she went to Sierra Leone to meet her twins! They are expecting to hear something this week on their orphan determination after an extensive field investigation by the US Embassy. All of you adoptive moms know how hard this last wait is when you know the news that could mean you get to bring them home or not is expected! You want with all your might to "know", yet as long as you don't "know" there is hope for a postitive outcome! They went into this adoption fully aware of the situation in SL, but like many of us have jsut walked by faith into a scary zone of unknowns taking their hearts with them! Of course this is so close to my heart because this is the step in the process where we lost our Eden. And in the back of my mind, I know if children start coming from SL again, there is a chance Eden might actually come home! So if you have a second, check out Jody's blog and say a prayer that Zeke and Kora are approved as orphans and they can go pick them up and bring them home! You can find her here. She is actually having a cool give away today, so you can also put your name in for a cool little stuffed animal! :)

Introducing.........

Princess Bella "P"....Bella for short! We will register her as Princess Bella so that she will have a "fancy" sounding name and the traditional "P" of the Petree pet names. She has been so much fun! All the kids love her and she loves them. I am a little tired of poopy messes....between her and Ava....but other than that, she has been a perfect puppy! She has been very theraputic. Since John will not let me have another baby, I had to settle for a puppy!

Going public again

Well, I am going public with my blog again! I hated not being able to read comments from new blog world friends that found me through other blog world friends. Now that the smoke has blown over with the issues in the African country we were in earlier this year, I am hoping it is safe to go public again. I have taken our last name out of the blog and I don't have my address on it.....I will try for a while and if I see issues, I will switch back...so if you want to link me to your blog, feel free and I will be linking more of you to mine now!

Happy Birthday, Ava!!

My baby turned two yesterday. I didn't have the energy and we really didn't have the money to throw a party, so we just took a family trip to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. Then we had cake and ice cream today with Nana and Granddad and Uncle Jason after church.



I can't believe my baby is two years old! Ava is the little surprise package that we learned about just two months after my trip to Sierra Leone to adopt Eden. I told John I was pregnant with Ava by turning on the light in the middle of the night and saying, "Well I guess you will be the one to go back to Africa to get Eden." We ahd been fighting about who would go get her! He was totally asleep and took a minute to even realize I was talking to him...then I said it again and showed him the test! We had no idea at that moment just what a precious gift and ray of hope Miss Ava would be for us. When we learned that Eden's adoption had failed, it was the life I carried inside of me that kept me from going crazy. I knew I had to hold it together because someone inside was relying on me!

Then when she came, she was more than a mom could ask for in such a little bundle! Now two years later, she is still such a joy! She makes me laugh when I need it, and reminds me regularly not to take life too seriously! She is the calm in the storm of my other strong-willed children! She can tear up a room faster than any of the other children, but at the same time she is the most laid back and easy-going child I have met. She just rolls with the punches!

So Happy Birthday my baby girl! I love you!

Mother's Day gift....for my kids! (Cross posted)

Well, today was a wonderful mother's day. But as I sat in church this morning, those familiar thoughts went through my mind. Why can I not conquer the weight? How much better mom would I be if there were 100 pounds less of me? Yes, I was able to crawl in the Chuck E. Cheese tubes last night, I haven't lost that, but I can't imagine how much more energy at the end of the day I would have it I carried around 100 pounds less through out the day.

So I got to thinking. In one year from now, where could I be in my weight? I have always heard that 2 pounds a week is healthy weight loss. That would mean I could lose 104 pounds in a year. So that means I could be at my goal weight by this time next year! I could lose Noah, Toben and Ava...I know how badly my back hurts when I have to carry Toben or Ava around for a little while and how tired that makes me. When I think that my excess body weight is the same as carrying all three of them on my back, that just sounds in sane! Oh how much better I would feel with out them on my back all day! :)

So next year for Mother's Day, I want to give my children a gift. I want to give them less of me! I want give them a mom that has the energy to get through the day with out being grumpy by dinner because I am so exhausted I can barely put one foot in front of the other. I want to give them a mom who can run around the park with them and not be winded after a couple of laps. I want to give them a mom who is all the God has called her to be which is not "skinny" but healthy and walking in obedience in the area of food.

I also have a little alterior motive for wanting to lose weight. John, if you are reading this, just skip this paragraph! I don't want you having a panick attack on me! :) On this mother's day, I really reflected on ALL my children...the four who live with me, the one I lost to a miscarriage before Callie and of course Eden and Addy. I also pondered future children. Everyone says you know when you are "done", and I can't imagine being done! As we celebrated Ava's second birthday, my heart just about burst with the desire for another biological child. I would love to adopt again too, but I love being pregnant and experiencing all that means. But the next time I am pregnant, I want to be one of those cute pregnant women! I don't want to have to buy larger size women's clothes because no maternity clothes fit. I want to have the cute little bump of pregnancy instead of barely showing because the baby can't be seen through the layers of fat. I know if God (and John) allow me to have the experience of another pregnancy, it will most probably be my last one. I want to be skinny when I start! Since Ava is two and I am 34, another pregnancy needs to occur in the next year or two if we are going to do that. So I need to get this weight off!

So Mother's Day 2009, I will give my kids a mother who is at her goal weight and more of a mom because there is less of me there!

You don't have to fit in....

This is for all my friends out there who have had the conversation with me about not fitting in here in this world! Seems like that is a theme running through my circle of friends right now. I bought a book that had been recommended to me called His Princess: Love Letters from Your King by Sheri Rose Shepherd. I would HIGHLY recommend it! I can't put it down! So here is one of the letters....to you, God's Princess (or Prince for any men who might be reading this!)

My Princess, you don't have to fit in!

I know you want to be accepted by others, but you were not made to fit in. You, My Princess, were created to stand out. Not to draw attention to yourself, but to live the kind of life that leads others to Me. Remember, it's your choices that will pave your path to life. I will not force you to do anything. I have given you a free will to walk with Me or to walk away from Me. I want you to know that you can put on your crown at any time and let people know that you belong to Me. You have a royal call on your life. I want you to remember you wear the crown of everlasting life, and through you I will do abundantly more than you would ever dare to dream.
Love,
Your King and Crown Giver

Rest in that my dear sister (or brother)! Its ok to not fit in! Our King and Daddy says so! I love all you rebels out there! You inspire me!

First Family Picture....and for a good cause!

Well, here it is! The first picture of all SIX P-trees! It took us three months to get it, but it is here! And we are in the t-shirts that my friends Kami and Jeremy are selling to open another orphanage in Liberia with Addy's Hope. So if you would like a cool shirt like us (she has them in many colors!) then click on the link on the sidebar of my blog and order away! She gets them out very quickly!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

My sweet husband surprised me with a puppy for mother's day! We have been talking about getting a small indoor puppy. We found this little gal last weekend when we were in Lubbock for a conference, but we didn't know anything about her breed. After coming home and researching, I have fallen in love with the Cairn Terrier breed (like Toto on Wizard of Oz). I was looking at breeders all over the place as I couldn't find one closer than Dallas. John arranged for a co-workers daughter who live in Lubbock to go pick up the puppy and bring her home yesterday. The kids and I are all thrilled! She is a sweet heart! But we need a name! I have a poll on my sidebar, please vote and give your opinion!

A song for mother's day!

My friend Karen Fisher wrote a song that has blessed me over and over! It is a truthful testimony of a mom that is ready to run away, but knows her home is where she belongs. She has it on a site and needs votes to get her to the top. Please go here. Then where it says view our other charts view the "Songwriter" genre. The name is "Anywhere but Here" and the artists if Karen Fisher. Give it a listen then give it all the stars if you like it! It will bless you and would make a great mother's day gift! Her whole CD is wonderful! She is a gifted "real" songwriter!

Thanks for voting for her! This one needs to be on the radio for all mothers to hear!