Dancing with Cinderella

This past weekend was extra special at the Page House. Mary Ellen's school hosted their first "Daddy Daughter Dance." The excitement started a little over a week ago as Meme (nickname) and I began to plan her attire. She had in mind the look she was going for and it all revolved around a pair of sparkly shoes. We headed to Target with a mission in mind: french tip polish, shower gel (she wanted to smell extra clean), and a gold headband to match. This was all very specific to her look , of course. As the day progressed, she just couldn't stand it: she had to try on the complete outfit! My little girl modeled her dress and giggled with anticipation. While twirling she asked, "Do you think Daddy will like my dress and shoes?'' I assured her that her Daddy would love anything that she loved! She secretly laid out everything in her closet days before the dance. It was so cute to see her excitement grow with each day.

The big day finally arrived. Fingers and toes were filed and polished; hair was clean and straightened. She was ready to party! The babysitter had arrived for Rosie, Kenzie was out with friends, and Meme and I were waiting for Scott to return home. The doorbell rang. Meme quickly answered the door. She was greeted by her Daddy with a warm smile and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. She was on cloud nine! The three of us headed out the door to the dance. ( I was lucky they needed volunteers) As we pulled up to the school, I noticed the red carpet that was rolled out for the occasion. The decorations consisted of gold streamers, white lights, multi-colored metallic balloons, hanging stars, white table clothes, and all sorts of glittered decor. The refreshment table held a huge variety of cookies with the "famous rainbow sherbet punch." EVERY LITTLE GIRL'S DREAM! After pictures and cookies, the two of them headed out to the dance floor to join the others. There were lots of giggles, twirls, and swaying. By the end of the night, they had worked up a sweat and were tearing up the dance floor! Scott's jacket was off and Meme's shoes were nowhere to be found. What an amazing night! Precious, precious memories!

Fingerprinting Day

My week is off to a great start! I had a bagel and coffee with my man before heading down to Ft. Smith for fingerprinting. We made "Page Record Time" and were first in line at the CIS Office. We would have been in and out in no time at all, but my fingerprinting took longer than normal. I asked the Clerk why we were having problems and her response was: "Your husbands prints were clear and defined; your fingers, on the other hand, are very worn and cracked." When I stepped back into the waiting room, Scott greeted me with a sarcastic: "Man, what's the hold up?" I was pleased to tell him that there was difficulty retrieving my prints because I have LITERALLY worked my fingers to the bone. Now, his prints on the other hand.....

Funny Story

Funny story....... I was eating lunch on Wednesday, No. let me rephrase this... I was texting, loading the dishwasher, putting away groceries, feeding Rosie, and wiping up a spill, while scarfing down a quick bite of chicken, when the unthinkable happened. I failed to notice, in the midst of multitasking, the small bone in my rotisserie chicken. One bite, a quick chew-no time to enjoy, and swallow. Ouch, I knew immediately that I had swallowed a chicken bone! As the day progressed, I tried not to panic. After all, I was breathing and talking. Someone told me to eat something dense, like bread, to dislodge the bone. One loaf of bread and liters of water later, it was still there. I must say that I found the trick! DIET COKE! With each sip, I could feel the bone begin to move very slowly through my esophagus and down my body. VERY WEIRD FEELING! Finally after many, many carbonated beverages, the bone pushed through last night! YIPEE! The moral of this story.... Chew your food completely and slowly. If possible, sit down while eating. Lastly, for all you Diet Coke addicts here's one good reason not to stop!

Why Ethiopia?

Over the last few weeks, Scott and I have had the privilege of sharing about our decision to adopt. We have seen quite a variety of responses. All of the conversations center around "Why Ethiopia?"

Let me first start by saying that I think that there is no place better than another. I feel that every family that pursues adoption feels drawn toward an area or even a situation. For example, I have several friends that are either in the process of adoption or have already adopted and each have a unique calling. One friend feels very strongly about pursuing adoption through the Foster Care System. Their family's desire is to leave a healthy, loving impression on as many children as possible. We know other families that have heart strings toward other countries such as: Guatemala, India, China, and the Ukraine; they have engaged adoption internationally, as well. Still other families feel that domestic adoption is their calling. After all, there is a large number of children that need homes here in the USA.

For the Page family, we were drawn to Africa immediately. In fact, we tried really hard to think outside of Africa, but just couldn't! I told Scott years ago that if he wanted to move there to work in an orphanage or dig wells for those who needed water- I WAS IN! I think this is partially because of my gift mix. (You see I score really high on the "Helps" section of the Gifting Test.) I think the other reason I have a tender spot for this area is for this time in our lives. The Lord has been preparing my heart and paving the way to our son.

Over the years we have been trying to teach our family the importance of looking outside of ourselves. (This is a hard concept for all of us.) We want them to understand there are people outside of the United States that have value and importance. For Scott, this is one reason he loved the idea of international adoption. Through the adoption of our son, we will have a forever connection to this country. In the future we want to travel there for extended periods of time and serve in an orphanage, help in a school, provide humanitarian aid, etc. Our true desire for the Page Family, for generations to come, is to have an active role in sharing love, peace, and the one TRUE HOPE to a place that's hurting.

The raw numbers really got to us! There is roughly over 4.6 million orphans alone in Ethiopia. The number is climbing due to poverty and the Aids epidemic. One out of ten children will die before their 1st birthday. Many are dying from malnutrition and dehydration. The more we read about the situation the more heartbroken we became. This in itself was really hard to get over!

We have several friends that either have or are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. It is so comforting to know we are not alone. I love the idea of living in community with families that share a similar story. I think this will be so important for our son, as well. Our dear friends Mike and Corrie just brought home their sweet Sosi a few weeks ago. What an amazing celebration! Our family had been anticipating this day! Rosie, our youngest, had been walking around for weeks carrying her picture. "Loving and kissing Sosi." That evening at the airport was so special; Rosie immediately recognized and reached for her friend we had been praying for and talking about. I anticipate the day we will be on the plane bringing our baby boy home! What a great day that will be!

One Step Closer

Yesterday was such an exciting day. We had our homestudy! Everyone and everything was spic and span! Andrea rolled in town around noon and had a light lunch with us. To be honest, I was a little nervous about the intensity of the day. I knew there would be a lot of processing situations, scenarios, and philosophies. My nerves were immediately calmed as we began talking. With each question, we were reaffirmed with our decision to adopt. There was something about getting "our story" on paper and even talking about the potential hard situations we could face. No topic was too overwhelming. In a lot of ways it was therapeutic. Throughout the day, we were filled with peace and utter excitement as we talked about our son and his future. The girls were more than willing to sit down for an interview. There were only smiles from ear to ear as they talked about their brother- to- be. However, there was a little disappointment to learn that there is 15-18 months of waiting from the homestudy. Even so, the Lord is in control. Thank you to my troops that rallied to pray for the Page family. We love you all and appreciate your support. We are one step closer to our "little man!"

My Cup Overflows

Today I am filled with such joy! As I look at my family, I am reminded of how unique and wonderful each of them are. I truly admire the way my hubby lives his life. In the words of Scott Page, "He has a BIG TIME wherever he goes!" I love his passion and enthusiasm; it is so contagious! My Kenzie is so diligent and responsible. She loves a tidy room - a girl after my own heart! She could run our household with no problem! Sweet Meme, she has such a tender spirit. At times I am amazed at her depth of compassion. She overflows with thoughts and emotions. Our baby girl, Rosie reminds us all of how fleeting life is. We see how quickly she is growing and changing. I want to cherish each hug and kiss; relish in each stage of life. I am so thankful for this beautiful gift of family. As I go to bed tonight, I will pray for the families in Haiti that have been separated and devastated. Please join me.

The Road to Ethiopia

I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll start at the beginning..... Over fifteen years ago, I married my college sweetheart. We had big dreams, as most newlyweds starting out. However, our perspective on life quickly changed after a series of trials early in our marriage. We began to experience God in a deeper more intimate way. This resulted in a heart change, as well as a career change. Over the years we have been blessed with three beautiful girls. They range in age from 12 years to 16 months (and yes this was planned). They are such a joy to us! We live a full life ministering in a local church, in addition to serving in our community.

In the last few years, God has been moving in our hearts in many ways. We started asking questions like: "Do our lives truly bring glory to God? Do I love others as much as I love myself? How much of the time do I put God in a box? How can I love God more?" We began to realize that our family wasn't living as biblically as we thought we were. We had changes that needed to made! As we read scriptures and prayed, we were prompted more and more to act. We needed to love people without expecting anything in return, restructure our schedule so we could serve more, and change our spending so we could give more. This was only the first steps to a change in lifestyle.

Last Fall it all changed! I began feeling a strong push to pursue adoption. Adoption has always been on my heart and mind. Even after the birth of Rosie, I felt like our family was incomplete- there was someone missing! I felt as if the Lord had placed someone in my heart to love, pray for, and pursue. I knew there was someone out there who needed us and we needed them. Scott and I began to discuss what adoption would look like for the Page Family. The more we discussed, the more excited we became. The more we prayed, the more confirmation we received. With Scott being an only child along with having three girls of our own, the "Page" name would end with him. We were thrilled at the opportunity of having a son to carry on the "Page" name. As with all our children, we are so excited about the physical and spiritual heritage that they individually will be leaving. Our hope and desire through adoption is to bring our son home, while always having Ethiopia in our heart and minds. We would count it a privilege to love and serve the country of Ethiopia throughout the years. After all, God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others.