I asked Ellie to be patient. 

I asked Ellie to quiet down. 

I asked Ellie to not move the cart.

Before I go on, I should explain my tactic:  My “Mama Really Means Business” tactic -   She knows that when I bend down to her level and look her straight in her almond eyes and lower my voice I mean business, especially when we are in a store.

So I bent down to her, “Ellie, Mama has told you not to continue pushing the cart by yourself.  You could run into someone and hurt them couldn’t you?  How many times have I asked you not to do that?”

Ellie answered, “6″.  She was so wide-eyed as she nodded in agreement that her almond eyes were as big and round as quarters.

Trying not to crack up and lose the lesson, I said, “Boy, 6 is an awfully big number isn’t it!”

But instead, she muttered, “Whoa, slow down horseys,” after I told her to wait for me to help her as she sifted through the refrigerator looking for a snack.

Ryan is bringing home a pizza and the salad is already made up and waiting.

BTW, even though it is 91 degrees and the sun is fierce, it is only 17% humidity.

Ellie and I were practicing the “all aboard” call to get on board to learn about Jesus.

Ellie was wiped after a week of VBS and sacked out on the couch this afternoon.

Here are my goofy girls on a sugar rush from the carnival our church held tonight to wrap up VBS week.

Here are the three of them supporting our hometown team with new hats.  I forgot to ask Ryan if he is still a Cardinals fan or if he is going to make the switch.  I know he also really likes Boston.

Three of the cutest fans in the stands.  Notice how sunny it was?  Yep, we noticed too!

It was a great game all the way to the end, but the Rockies beat the Pirates sweeping the series.

We had a great day with Daddy celebrating Father’s Day.

 Thanks, Ryan, for all you do to take care of our family.

Ellie piped up from the backseat, “yeah, it’s a good thing we have a daddy!”

I guess because it really would have been a shame to miss such a fun day if there wouldn’t have been a Daddy to celebrate.

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This morning we were walking (rushing, actually) into church for VBS.

Hannah kept clearing her throat.  Then she said, “Phew, I had to check…there was something in my throat, and I had to make sure they weren’t my teeth.”

She said it nonchalantly, and I thought it was such funny thing to say - but it makes perfect sense since she has a mouthful of loose teeth.

Yep, we’re embracing our “Western-ness”.

We took them to a rodeo a couple of days after this trip to the Buffalo Bill Museum.  It was really cool, but 8 seconds is a long time when you are watching a cowboy “ride” a (very mad) wild mustang.

For days after the rodeo, Ellie tried to make a lasso.   One day, Hannah’s forehead bore the brunt of that stunt, as she spun around Daddy’s belt! 

We still have a few months to wait for our referral, but I am beginning to get excited about Hale #5.  We received word today that Bethany is adding staff to their operations in Ethiopia to help move things along.  I had a flashback to our wait for Ellie when everything slow e d    w  a  y     d o w n     .  It was hopeful to hear that efforts are being made to get the process streamlined in order to reduce time that children are waiting to join their adoptive families.  The wait, on our end, is a matter of patience and endurance, but limiting the amount of time a child is institutionalized is of primary importance.

I started our stockpile of diapers today.  I figured diapers are a good place to start - they are gender neutral and size 3 fits forever.  Ryan said, “ugh, diapers!  I hadn’t even thought about changing diapers again!”

I think we have settled on a boy name  It is a combination of both of our favorite names.  Girl name is still in negotiations…we both have one we are holding out for, but no one is conceding yet.

Henri Nouwen

I need to read more Nouwen.

Ellie’s piggy-tails.  Her hair is long enough to be in her face all day long, but too short to sweep out of the way.  So I went for this look today.

She is in full three year old form today.

We were looking at the globe and she wanted to know the name of the countries. 
Ellie: “What’s the name of this state?”
Mama: “Russia.”
Ellie:  “Russia?!?  That’s because they are always in a rush.”

Later on:
Ellie:  “I am a tiger.  My name is Fast Eater.”