Happy New Year

Wow. 2009 was quite a year for us! The last week was no exception - busy and full of family. My brother's family was in town from Pennsylvania, so the kids all got to hang out with their cousins and do sleepovers and such. We had a blast!

Here's the cousins (from my side) all together on Christmas Eve. The kids did a book gift exchange. Yes, there are 10 grandchildren on my side of the family. 7 boys - 3 girls. Luckily, there's a sweet little baby girl on the way. Oh, NOT from me - my awesome sister in law is pregnant, and we are all so excited!

Bryce was a great help all week. He's super patient and was great with all the little ones. It's sort of the blessing and curse to be the oldest grandchild, I guess, but he's pretty awesome.

We celebrated with the MacDonald side of the fam late in the day on Christmas Eve. That was great. Yummy food and tons of fun. The kids were giddy and loved all their presents. Of course, they got spoiled rotten. It's alway nice to see Ryan's Grandma Eileen (and the kids love having a great grandma!), and Ryan's sister and her daughter, Emily. Bryce and Emily are only 11 days apart and have been steadily growing up right before our eyes.

Back at home, the kids each got a new ornament to put on the tree. It's a tradition to get a new one from mom and dad, and also from Nana and Papa each year. The kids love having their very own ornament all to themselves. We gave them... Solange - Santa with the Statue of Liberty, Grace - Yellow Submarine (she might be the best 5 year old Beattles fan), Bryce - a disco ball because he's just really cool and Joseph - a moose with a fish (think Colorado trip last summer).

Bryce is reading "Twas The Night Before Christmas" to his brother and sisters before going to bed on Christmas Eve...

We're all ready to hit the sack in our Christmas jammies. Oh, except Ryan is in his Snuggi. Nice!

Christmas morning was very special. I remembered last year at Christmas when I could literally feel the ache of not having Solange and Joseph home. They were so sweet and cute - totally in awe of Santa and thankful for each and every little gift.

Later in the day, it was off to Nana and Papa's to celebrate with the visiting cousins and the rest of the local Phoenix crew. The best part for Joseph was the turkey leg. That boy can strip a turkey or chicken bone like you've never seen.The grandkids all got remote control cars, which was pretty crazy - all 10 grandkids outside trying to control their cars which were being controlled by eachothers' remotes. Pretty funny. They had a blast and loved every minute.

Christmas was great. Long and exhausting, but really great. We were certainly aware of every one and every thing we have to be thankful for.

The next day, the whole crew went to a circus. All 19 of us. We were sort of our own little circus (ha ha), but anyway it was really fun. Thanks to Nana & Papa for the tickets! Grace was sitting front row...

All 3 girl cousins together...

I don't know why this photo didn't flip (ugh, sorry!), but check out Joseph. He was laughing hysterically during most of the circus. He thought it was pretty crazy - the man on the unicycle, the clown, the dancing dogs... it was right up his alley.And, we also managed to cram in some quick family photos, which were taken by Ryan's sister. She's awesome and was really patient with all the kids. Thanks, Christa, I owe ya!

So, from our family to yours, Happy New Year! We hope 2010 is full of peace and love and all things joyful!

buy one - get one free haircare products

Miss Jessie's makes some mighty fine hair products. So if you're in the market for some natural, healthy products for your kinky, curly kiddo - right now there's one heck of a deal. Until December 31st, for each product you purchase, you get another one free. I'm a big fan of:

• Rapid Recovery Treatment - I used this immediately on Joseph and Solange and saw immediate improvement. When they first came home, both had very dry, irriated scalps and Solange's hair was extremely brittle. Trust me, this product does wonders and is worth every penny. I still use it on Solange about once a week. In 8 months, her hair has grown about 3.5 inches and is really quite healthy and strong.
• Baby Buttercreme - when styling, it's helpful to have a product that will smooth the hair and keep it hydrated. I almost always use this when braiding and twisting. This creme is really soft and creamy and has a light scent.

I recently ordered the Creme De La Curl Shampoo & Creme De la Creme Conditioner, but haven't used it yet. I only shampoo Solange's hair about once a week at the most. And most of the time, I scrub and "wash" with conditioner only. That was recommended to me by a few friends that have taught me most of what I know in the world of African hair, so that's what I do.

So, there ya go - my two cents in the realm of discount shopping and haircare!

December 24th already?

I don't know where the time goes, but it might have something to do with school holiday performances, class Christmas parties, shopping, etc.

Here we are at Christmas Eve morning. My girls are giggling away with their cousin, visiting from Pennsylvania for the week. We had a girl's night sleepover full of junk food and fingernail polish. Joseph stayed at Nana's house last night for a boy's sleepover with his twin cousins. It was odd not having Joseph in the house this morning - he's usually the first to come in and announce that he's awake. Bryce and Ryan went to the Suns game last night (thanks for the tickets Papa!) along with my brother and my nephew. It's shaping up to be a really fun visit from my brother and his family.

The whole family crew (19, I think?) will be here in about an hour for breakfast/brunch, so I better get movin'. Here's a few pics of the last several days...

Grace at her school party...

Makin' gingerbread trains and sleighs...

Joseph was very proud to have won a giant soda at Papa's company Christmas party!

And this is Bryce doing an ollie off of a shipping dock at Papa's work...

Have a great Christmas Eve, everyone!

Another visit from the tooth fairy

Congo does not have a resident tooth fairy. So ever since we introducted our kiddos to this amazing (insane) idea of a fairy exchanging money for teeth... well, there tends to be a lot of wiggling. Last night, after the kids were all in bed and Ryan & I are sitting up watching tv, Solange calmly walked out and put out her hand to show me a tooth. "Mama, my tooth is out". No big squeels or counting to 3 and pulling hard. She just calmly pulled it out of her mouth and brought it out to me. No pain, no drama. She didn't even tell Grace until the next morning, and they share a bedroom!

Solange is about 7 teeth ahead of her fellow first graders, but who's keeping count?!

She was delighted to find a dollar bill under her pillow this morning (what's the deal with the tooth fairies these days that are paying like 5 bucks for a tooth?!?).

By the way, in case you're wondering, her little "hat" is her night cap that she wears to bed over braids/twists/etc. to protect her style and keep down the frizzies. It really helps. Sort of like swimsuit material, very stretchy and smooth against her hair. A satin pillowcase also works well, but we like cute headwear around here! :)

a gift for mama

Solange came home from school with a present for me. She claims the teacher said I could open it today and she wasn't about to wait for Christmas for me to see what she made for me. SO, I unwrapped her little creation and watched her glow. She was so excited. Here's my new pencil/pen/scissor/misc holder.
If I ever get my scrapbook desk cleaned off, it will look really cute there.

Some Christmas Cheer

Found this on another blog and wanted to share. *remember to pause the music player before starting the video*

HAPPY birthday, Joseph!

Joseph is a really happy kid. He's goofy, funny, silly and generally joking, making funny facial expressions, laughing for some reason or another, or just plain being cute. His birthday was no exception. You coudn't wipe the smile off his face all day. He was looking forward to so many things - school friends coming over, a bounce house in the back yard, hot dogs for lunch, cake, a pinata, presents, grandparents.... oh my!

The bounce house was a hit.

I was really proud of Joseph - he was very gracious when opening gifts - he genuinely thanked each of his friends.

Basic Costco cake

Nana and the girls...

Grandma & Grandpa M with the birthday boy

Joseph got a gift card to a sports store from his little buddy Morgan, and on the day after his party, it was his turn for date night. He and I went to Sports Authority and managed to use a coupon, a gift card and some money from Grandma Eileen to purchase these super cool roller blades. Man, he was excited. He plopped those things down and told the cashier "I'm buying this all by "meself".

Happy Birthday, Joseph. You make me smile every single day.

Love you more than you know,
Mama.

and the winner is...

Today is Joseph's 7th birthday, so I let him do the honors... Carrie, you win!

Carrie is the mother of 2 cute kiddos, Grace from China and Haven from DRC. Ryan was able to hang out with little Haven in Kinshasa before his daddy arrived to bring him home. He's a doll! Carrie has a great post on her blog right now, called Gifts That Give Twice - great gift ideas from companies and organizations that support the greater good with their products.

I'll get the little (RED) product prize pack in the mail to you on Monday, Carrie. Enjoy!

Now, I must get back to party prep - there's a certain little boy looking forward to his first big American birthday party tomorrow.

World AIDS Day & a giveaway!

Today is World AIDS Day and people all over the globe are coming together to become more educated and more aware of the HIV virus.

There are 33 million people in the world living with HIV.

22 million of them are in Africa.

It costs about $.40 per day for the ARV pills that can help keep a HIV+ person alive.

More than 70% of people in sub-saharan African live on less than $2 per day and therefore these pills are out of reach for them.

There are many great organizations that champion the cause of prevention and treatment for HIV, but today I'm focusing on (RED) because I like how it works. (RED) is not a charity. Not a cause. Not a theory. (RED) is a simple idea that transforms our collective power as consumers into a financial force to help others in need. It has been said that (RED) is where desire meets virtue.

I think we all want to help, but the problem seems so big. It is very big, but to date, more than $140 million has been sent to Africa through (RED) partners and events. This supports programs reaching 4 million people! That's a huge number, but it's not enough.

The thought of...

a child suffering with a disease they were born with, or

a child becoming an orphan because of HIV, or

a girl or woman raped and infected with the virus, or

a teen contracting HIV while working as a prostitute to feed her siblings, and

even loving couples sharing the disease because of lack of education and protection...

It's terrible. But there are ways we can help.

Join (RED). It's so easy!

* Go to this website .

* Learn about this crisis. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 4,100 people dying each and every day from this preventable & treatable disease!

* Go to the (RED) blog and learn about upcoming events, stories and partner companies like Starbucks, Dell and Converse.

* Shop. Support the companies that are helping to fund the Global Fund and the fight against AIDS.

The effect of HIV medication is simply amazing. When treated properly, men, women and children can live full, happy and productive lives while living with the virus. Check out the "Lazarus effect" that is bringing people back from death's door in about 90 days. The medication is essential and we can help them get it. We're talking about 40 cents a day for this medication!

As a thank you for taking a few minutes of your time and learning more, I'm giving away a few things from the (RED) product line!

This handy polyester tote bag from Gap. It says (RED)UCE. It's all folded up neat & tidy, but when it's open, it measures about 16" x 16" with nice wide straps.

Music CD from Starbucks - "All You Need Is Love" featuring U2, John Legend, Dave Matthews Band & Playing for Change. Four great tunes!

This beaded pin made in South Africa by men and women affected by HIV/AIDS. I love that this pin not only shows our support for those suffering from the virus, but also helps to employ them! The card with it says, "Do the (RED) thing"! Sadly, the adorable elf holding the pin does not come with it. That's Jerry the Elf and he's keeping an eye on the kids and reporting back to Santa. Sorry, but I'm really enjoying having our elf around.

To enter, just leave me a comment after this post. Let me know... something you learned from the (RED) website, your feelings about HIV/AIDS awareness, your favorite (RED) product, etc.

I'll be drawing a winner on Saturday, December 5th.

Thank you, friends (and good luck)!

It's final! AND get ready for a giveaway!

Our adoption was already done/final/certified, but we chose to "re-adopt" in Arizona, which certifies the adoption in our state and makes it less complicated to get new birth certificates, social security numbers, etc. Our hearing was scheduled for November 21st - National Adoption Day! The kids were excited and it was a fun day for us and many other families.

My silly girls Waiting outside the court room... The judge let Joseph bang the gavel and say "order in the court!"
Here we are!

It was great. Thanks to Nana & Papa, G & G MacDonald and (great!) Grandma Eileen for coming to the court and sharing the day with us!

*CHECK BACK TOMORROW* for a special giveaway I'm doing!

Please tune in tonight!

Tune in tonight at 7 pm EST to find out how conflict minerals are fueling the world's deadliest conflict. Congo has suffered enough. Find out what is really going on and why. And most importantly... what we can do about it. Thank you!

A picture is worth a thousand words

I keep coming back to this photo from our friends, The Sullivans, who just returned from DRC with their two little boys. Only days after meeting his new mama in Kinshasa, little Ian was giving kisses.

I love how his little fingers are holding on tight and he's loving on this beautiful woman who traveled across the world to be with him.

Of course, little ones need food and water to survive. Everyone aches to think of a poverty-stricken child dying of an illness like malaria or even simple, terrible starvation. But right now, it occurs to me that all over the globe, there are children who have a different, desperate need. We cannot overlook that children need mothers.

I'm grateful beyond words that we allowed the light and easy conversations just a couple of years ago to blosson into research and learning; and the research to turn into opening our hearts to the serious thought of adopting. Our family would not be complete without adoption and it really all started with a thought and a feeling.

If you've ever felt the call to adopt, or even the slightest curiosity, please don't brush off that feeling.

welcome home

Today, 4 little ones from Congo will arrive home in America.

Join us as we welcome home:

darling Gabriel

little baby Cloee

adorable brothers Chad & Ian

We wish them well as they adapt to their new country, new language and most importantly... their new families.

Congratulations to our new friends! We have enjoyed watching your family grow!

All our best,

Cami & Ryan

quick hair post - new "do"

So, this one was tricky. I watched a youtube video of a mom doing cornrows that would criss-cross with each other halfway down. It was super cute. I still can't seem to braid/plait with the length I have to work with, so I thought I'd try it with the 2 strand twist. The first few, closest to her ears, worked really well but as I got further along and closer to the top of her head, the criss-cross was getting difficult. Of course, I was too far in and had invested too much time to start over, so I finished it up and this is what we got. She loves it and that's all that matters, right?!?


These photos don't neessarily show her hair that well, but I keep forgetting to snap a picture of just her hair, so this is what you get...

She loves to swoosh her head back and forth and hear the gazillion beads & snaps rattling together. She tells me that her teacher keeps asking her if Mama can do her hair too! Funny, eh? Also, we went out to breakfast yesterday and an older man asked her who did her hair - she lit up and said, "my mom!", and he complimented her on it. It makes all the hours of hairtime worth while to see her feeling proud and pretty!


By the way, if you're in the same boat when it comes to hair time... my favorite products are from Taliah Waajid and I'm loving the new "Kinky, Wavy, Natural" line. It's reasonably priced and is working very well for us. I've been using the Protective Mist Bodifier since day one on Solange and Joseph and it is great for detangling and hydrating.


Happy Stylin'!

Recap of this week's happenings

At the park last weekend with our friends, the Dunne's. Joseph loves to climb trees.

October 26th - 6 months since Solange and Joseph came home. I spent the day being very grateful for smooth transitions, healthy bonding and my fun and crazy kiddos.

This is one of my favorite styles I've done on Solange's hair so far. "Hair time" takes some patience, but it's grown to about 3 inches long when it's fully stretched out and it's getting easier to twist and braid. This was an ear to-ear flat 2 strand twist - 6 of them, I think. Then about 50 or 60 little hanging twists in the back, secured by snaps.

These boys have bonded really, really well and are such typical brothers. I love these guys!

The night before Halloween, I was feeling like #%$*, which is how I've been feeling for about a week now. Ryan was awesome and gave me a nice early bedtime, while he took the kids to Aunt Christa's house for some pizza and pumpkin carving. Christa is sort of a Halloween expert! Check out her blog here.

Aunt Christa let the kids try on Emily's outgrown costumes, and the girls loved wearing the flower fairy dress and the flamenco dancing gown. Yes, she IS an amazing seamstress! Spidey came courtesy of a $2 garage sale find. If only I would have held on to Bryce's numerous superhero costumes from over the years. Who knew I'd have another little Spidey on my hands?!

Trick-or-treating was quite a success, although I was surprised at just how many ADULTS came for candy! I'm talking about people my age, not high school or college kids. Grown people sticking a bucket in front of me and asking for candy! I mean, I try to give out the good stuff, but it's not dollar bills, or anything!

Anyway, the kids made out like bandits and they spread out their stash on the kitchen table before diggin' in. Solange was tossing Bryce's favorites over to him and since he helped pass out the goods this year, his stash was pretty limited. He thought that was pretty nice of her to share!

Grace is devising a trade with her siblings. Hmmm, candy corns for a sucker, anyone?Joseph has been looking forward to this night for a long time. Ever since we explained that he would be obtaining candy from anyone and everyone with the simple phrase of "trick or treat", he's been counting down the minutes! Seems like he did alright in the candy category, eh?

Hope you had a great Halloween night, and here's to a great November!