Today....

...this was me. I am praying for a better tomorrow.

I Will Go....

...and serve our Lord!

Candy..? Yumm!

Megan's second performance at the recital was to the song "I Want Candy." The girls did a great job with their kick line and loved using the candies they made one night at practice.

This was Meg's last dance as a Wee Kix. Next year she will be in the Mini Kix group working on routines for competition. Her group will even travel to Minnesota for a national competition next March. We are already looking forward to it!

It's s Small World!

Here are some pics and part of as video from Kate's second performance on Saturday. I just loved her costume this year ~ it matched Kate's personality ~ sparkly and fun!

Get Your Head In the Game!

One of Megan's performances at the recital was to the High School Musical song "Get Your Head In the Game." All the girls were so excited to learn a dance to this music seeing as it is their favorite movie these days.

Meg had a great time learning this hip-hop dance. She was also sure to pick her favorite Culver's Restaurant blue and yellow basketball to stick out of the crowd. (Secretly, I hope she loved it because it was b-a-s-k-e-t-b-a-l-l... I still have high hopes for my daughter to take up my all-time favorite sport!)

Way to dance, Meg! We are so proud of your dedication and hard work this year with Just For Kix!

Enjoy the very short video clip of the dance. I am still trying to get the hang of this video taping thing. So far, I am not too successful!

Little Orphan Annie

Kate with her dance buddies...

The Just For Kix Spring Recital was Saturday. Kate's dance class did a routine to the song "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the musical Annie. Parents made costumes similar to the movie. Kate was definitely the most color-coordinated orphan in the class. Guess I couldn't resist making her cute with the hot pink bandanna and patched pants.
The dancers love the kick lines!
The show was wonderful and all the children did a great job. I have many more pictures to post from the show, so stay tuned!
It is a hard knock life, isn't it?!

i am...

i am: a kid at heart.

i think: you should treat others how you want to be treated.
i know: we were lead by God to adopt.

i want: the best for my children.

i have: everything I could possibly need!

i wish: for my children to live long, happy lives.

i hate: when people are deliberately mean to one another.

i miss: teaching.

i fear: touching roaches. YUCK!

i feel: so blessed!

i hear: my calling to be a missionary.

i smell: Spring. FINALLY!!!

i crave: to make a difference.

i search: the Internet all the time.

i wonder: what it will be like when we tell Daniel we are his forever family?

i regret: that my children never knew my mother.

i love: my husband more each day!

i ache: for suffering children around the world.

i care: about people.

i always: kiss my kids and husband goodnight.

i am not: a jealous person.

i believe: all things happen for a reason.

i dance: the Cha-Cha Slide…it’s my favorite line dance!

i sing: quietly, so no one hears....

i cry: at happy-endings.

i don’t always: keep up with the laundry like I should.

i fight: for my kids!

i write: a family blog so my children have a journal of their upbringing.

i never: miss an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
i listen: with a caring ear.

i can usually be found: reading blogs on the computer.

i need: a good 8 hours of sleep each night.

i am happy about: our I171h finally arriving!!!

how about you, Karla, Karen, Kathy and Sarah?

So Much to Say!

It's been a busy week here. The girls had their Spring Dance Recital, Kate began t-ball, Tim spent a day touring Illinois' capital, and Megan lost a tooth... I could go on and on. However, I will save each fun time for other posts. Today I will post some of the other exciting news for our entire family...

Our I171h approval FINALLY arrived!!! After several months of waiting and a revision of our home study, we finally have approval from our government to pursue the adoption of Daniel and Jonathan. YAHOOOOOO!!!!
It could not have come at a better time. I am going to be going down to Haiti next Saturday ~ assuming all is quiet down there. There is a team of adoptive parents traveling to the orphanage for a week of work and fun, and I was able to squeeze into a spot. I will be able to hand-deliver our entire dossier. Hopefully, soon after, things will get rolling on the Haitian side of the adoption process.

Thank you to everyone who has listened to my whining, prayed and hoped along with our family. We certainly appreciate all of your support and love during this journey. We still have a long road ahead of us; however, we have made it past one of the big turns down the adoption highway.

Spring Is Here!!!!

It is currently 77 degrees here with sunny skies and a light breeze. Spring is finally here ~ thank goodness! It was a very long winter for me and I am so glad to say goodbye to it. Kathy, we FINALLY have daffodils blooming, too. Not many, but there are a few.

Guess Who's Going Bald!!

What would you look like bald? You'd look like a hero to kids with cancer. Shaving your head is a great way to show your support for kids undergoing chemotherapy treatment while raising funds for life-saving research.

In two weeks we will know just what Tim will look like bald. In two weeks, Tim is going to look like a hero to kids with cancer. Tim is going to show his support for kids with cancer.

One of our local salons is holding a St. Baldrick’s fundraising event on May 1st. Participants will shave their heads in solidarity with children who have cancer and typically lose their hair during treatment, while raising critical funds for childhood cancer research. As soon as our son Tim heard about the event, he decided he was going to help. Tim is working on raising money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and will shave his head bald if he reaches his personally-set goal.

In the US, more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease. Funds raised through St. Baldrick's events are helping some of the world's finest researchers to find cures for childhood cancer. Since 2005, over $16 million has been granted for cooperative research to help doctors work together to find cures for childhood cancers. The foundation also helps families in need of financial assistance to carry out the cancer treatments for their children.

When Tim heard just what St. Baldrick’s does to help children with cancer all he said was, “Mom I can shave my head if it is going to help find a cure for cancer. Shaving my head bald head is nothing compared to what kids with cancer have to go through. No one should ever have to die from that disease.”

If you are interested in learning how you can also look like a hero to kids with cancer visit St. Baldrick's website to learn more. http://www.stbaldricks.org/

How Funky Is Your Chicken?

What is with that word anyway? Funky? Funkiest? Funk? I have decided I don’t like the word.

Seems like so many of us are in a “funk” lately. So many of us bloggers write about being down in the dumps. Many of my friends say they are depressed lately. And, I know I have been in an awful mood for some time now. I know I could grab my bible, find some scripture and read how God is with us through thick and thin. I also know if I sat down and took time to think about it, I could figure out why I am so bummed out. However, right now I just want to acknowledge the “funks” ~ PERIOD!

I also think it is about time we, the “funked,” unite and conquer!!!

There is so much going on in our everyday lives. We are just plain busy with running here and there. So little time is devoted to ourselves. Our over-booked schedules make life crazy, tiring and difficult at times. Day in and day out, we run full-speed trying to accomplish our list of things to do. Yet it seems our list never ends. Life is just too darn hectic a majority of the time. We need time to recharge. We need time to let off some steam. We need time to just sit back and relax. We need this, our bodies need this and certainly our minds need this! If we continue to run on fumes, we will never get ahead, let alone catch up.

I have decided to make every Friday “Let the Funk Out Day” for EVERYONE! Including you!!! This means we all must take some time for ourselves. Whether it is five minutes, an hour, half the day, or if we are lucky enough, the entire day, we will take some time to devote to ourselves in some way. These means you can go for a walk, spend time with a friend, go out to lunch, take a nap, go shopping, or anything you would like to do. You can choose to do whatever will get you out of your funk.

So, we will begin this Friday as our very first “Let the Funk Out” Day with a celebration of us and our rekindled spirits. No matter what you choose to do to help lift your mood, do it! We all deserve to slow down and relax. We deserve it!
I look forward to hearing what everyone chose to do to celebrate this newfound day for ourselves. It’ll be fun to know what everyone did to recharge and relax, as well as spread some good cheer about how good it made us feel. Cuz’ it’s time to get out of these funks we are in!

Don’t you agree???

Yo Yo Yo! This Is Tim Here....

I know my mom blogs all the time about my skill and perfection (well at least she better.) So, I thought I’d take a crack at it. Please note: I’m really not that conceited. I’m only kidding!
I saw on my mom’s post she said 8 random things about herself. Well, here are 8 random things about me:

1. My favorite music artist is Soulja Boy.
2. I only have 3 bottom teeth.
3. I think Homer is the best character on The Simpsons; he’s such a goofball.
4. In my opinion, weather reports are the least accurate things ever created.
5. I almost cried tears of joy when I heard Brett Favre was quitting football.
6. When I was 2, I dressed up as Barney for Halloween.
7. My favorite shoe brand is DC Shoes.
8. I learned to water ski when I was 4 years old.

I Will Wait...

The medical mission trip has been cancelled. Certainly, this was the very best decision made for everyone involved. Even if the team were to safely travel down to Haiti and open clinic, the patients could not travel to see us. So, for now we will all wait. I will wait...

I will wait for another opportunity to serve our Lord. I will wait until the next time I can help the people of Haiti. I will wait to be able to pray and worship with a dedicated group of people willing to work for Three Angels. I will wait for another visit with the boys at St. Joesph's. I will wait until I can offer assistance to the students and faculty of Three Angels Christian Academy. I will wait until I can play with all the children at Angel House. And, I will wait for the moment I will once again see my sons Daniel and Jonathan, hold them in my arms and tell them, "Mwen renmen ou!"

.............The People of Haiti Need Our Help! ................... ********** PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PLEASE!!!!! **********

For the past few days, there have protests and rioting throughout Haiti’s capital city Port au Prince. The Haitian people are angry over soaring food prices and the fact they can no longer feed themselves or their loved ones. Prices of food have increased over 40% internationally over the past year and the people of Haiti have been affected by this increase more drastically than most. This country, the poorest in our western hemisphere, is seeing ill effects from the cost of living as many, many people are starving to death ~ LITERALLY!

As a medical mission team is scheduled to travel to Haiti next Saturday, many of us are in prayer mode. We are praying for a solution to the food situation for all of the hungry people in the country we so love. Although there will probably never be a complete resolution to the problems of Haiti ~ in my lifetime anyway ~ we pray for peace among these people. They need our prayers now more than ever!

Certainly many of us still hope we will be able to travel next week, but we know there is a strong possibility our trip will be postponed. It has been our hope for many months to carry out the Lord’s will to serve His people and help them with many of their needs. So, times like these when we are unable to do so, is quite disheartening. The people of Haiti need our help now, more than ever!

Many of us hoped to visit the children we are adopting from the orphanage. We were looking forward to spending a week getting to know them, showing them lots of love and making cherished memories. Selfishly, we are saddened by the fact the time apart from our children will be longer now. The staff of Three Angels has not been able to leave the O while others cannot come into work. It just is not safe enough to be out on the street right now. Everyone is doing well at Angel House as of today; however, the situation is not good at all for anyone. This is also disheartening, as they need us, too, more than ever!

I am asking you, my faithful blog readers, to please take the time to pray for the people of Haiti. I ask that you pray for peace to overcome the horrific violence. I ask you to please pray for the leaders of this nation so that they may see the need to do something to aid the helpless men, women and children of their country. The people of Haiti need our help, our prayers and our hope, more than ever!

OUR MEGAN!

Meg with her latest reading project for school.

Meggeroni, Megalin, Meggers, Megsters, M&M, Meg, Meggie... So many names for one little girl. So many sides to one little girl. So many reasons we love her so, so much! I am so proud of our middle child this year. Third grade has brought her much growing, maturing and happiness. Meg has come out of her shell and truly blossomed into a sweet, young lady (of course, continuing to carry her stubbornness with her!)

I admit I was a bit worried about our sweetie when she began school four years ago. I could tell Meg struggled with grasping concepts and understanding the big picture. Being the youngest in her kindergarten class, she took a bit longer to catch hold of new ideas. It took her more time to understand something and retain it. Missing a day of school was like missing a week for Megan. She really needed that instruction, repetition and review.

First grade brought on more struggles with concepts but also problems with her self esteem. She saw her big brother gliding through school, so Meg felt the need to do the same. She worried about being wrong and strived for perfection. We just wanted our baby to be happy and do her best. However, for Meg, that was not enough and because of this, disliking school became an entirely new issue to deal with.

Second grade was a lot of the same. Megan absolutely hated reading as she struggled with it. To her, she was not perfect at it, so she did not want to do it at all. She hated to write anything because she could misspell something and that would make her so angry. Basically, she did not want anything to do with school except for math. Memorizing came easy to her, so math was simple. She had her basic facts down and loved that she could shout out the answers faster than her third grade brother.

At the beginning of third grade, not only were we dealing with this sibling rivalry, but also the need to get her to at least tolerate reading. Colleen knew this was a BIG year for that! Third grade becomes a very important bridge for emergent readers. They no longer learn to read, but read to learn. How could Megan begin taking reading material to learn when she hated to read and struggled with the subject? Now we would worry not only about her reading and writing, but also her social studies and science she would now be reading a lot. What a year this was going to be for all of us!

Things began on a positive note when Megan was assigned the teacher she was hoping to have for third grade. Not only was Ms. Waltrip pretty cool, but she also owned two shelties. In Meg's eyes there was doing no wrong for her teacher when she has the same kind of dogs as we do. Plus, there was a focus on organization for the third graders this year. Each student would receive an assignment notebook and be responsible for more homework. This was right up Meg's alley ~ she loved being neat, organized and loved, loved homework (quite opposite of her brother!) So, for the start of the year, Megan was happy and we became optimistic for her.

To top off a great start, Megan was assigned the new reading specialist to help her with her reading. She absolutely LOVED Mrs. McMahon and was thrilled to get to see her each day for reading. Not only did she want to please her new reading teacher, but she also wanted to do her best ~ all we ever asked of her the past 3 years.

The teachers could see Megan was beginning to improve. They wanted to go with this and continue to see her climb. Megan began meeting with the school principal a few times a week for Reading Club. A few kids who lacked the will to read were invited to Mr. Doyle's office for fun reading activities. This was so cool for all of them. The children admire Mr. Doyle, so to have a special invitation to hang out with him in his office was way cool. And, if they were meeting with him for Reading Club, it meant reading was cool, too!

With all of this, Megan began to sore as a student! She could not read enough in school or at home. She wanted to share her stories and accomplishments with all of her teachers. It meant so much to Meg to have her teachers' approval, reassurance and acceptance for who she was as a reader and student. She was so proud of herself. Megan had a new confidence about her we had never seen and only wished for her.

We could not be more pleased with Meg's progress in school this year. All a parent ever wants is the best for their child. We want Megan to be happy and we wish school to be something she enjoys. We hope for less struggles and we want learning to be fun. Thanks to three wonderful adults in her life this year, it is all happening. We couldn't be more proud of our sweet daughter nor could we be any happier for all she does each day in school.

Spring Is FINALLY Here!!!

We had a beautiful weekend here ~ FINALLY! It has been a long-time coming after our very drawn out winter. The kids played outside all day everyday, I did some yard work and Mike attempted to begin the boating season. (Bummer was the boat's new leak which now needs repair...) Our pool contractor even stopped by to see when we would like the pool opened. Although we are weeks away from swimming, knowing we need to get the pool deck cleaned up and ready to go makes summer seem so much closer. Yahoo!

Ummmm.... Hellllloooo...!

I am waiting for you, Mama... When are you going to get here?

Mama will be there in 14 days, Jonathan! Yahoo!!!

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~For those of you wondering if they let Jonathan play in the baby powder today... Nope! It's calamine lotion because our boy has the chicken pox.

We Are Super Stars!

Check out the Three Angels' website. The Monfils family is now famous!

And, after reading the article on our adoption, check out the Three Angels' School page and consider sponsoring a Haitian student. Your monthly contribution will ensure a child continues schooling for another year.

...If you are hoping for an autograph from us now that we are famous, please be patient. Requests are streaming in and it may take a while for a reply....