"Your daughter is so photogenic!"

We often have people ask how we get Elisona to be so photogenic. The truth of the matter is that we only post the best of the pictures we take of her. Apearently Cydil isn't the only professional photographer that sometimes struggles to get a good picture of Ellie. While looking in Elisona's backpack this afternoon we noticed this school picture which we had the option to purchase or return. We decided to purchase it for the express purpose of this blog post!

Announcing the first waggoner.blogspot.com contest!

Please post an appropriate caption to the picture below. The "best" entries will win an autographed copy of the picture! We hope this picture and contest will bring a smile to your face!

As Ellie was looking over my shoulder she said, "Ellie is a mean lady in that picture!"

Ellie Has Some News to Share

I know Mommy and Daddy are the ones who usually write these blog posts, but I'm quickly learning how to navigate Mom's phone and Dad's I-Pod Touch. Not to mention that my vocabulary is growing every day and I constantly long to be heard. This may be a fun new avenue to connect with my bloggy friends.

I also feel the need to speak out louder now because my voice may be diminished shortly. Let me explain.

For a long time, Mommy and Daddy have been asking me if I wanted a brother or a sister. I couldn't decide. I still get confused when I am supposed to use the proper gender pronoun! The one thing I was sure about is I am excited about a plane trip to Albania. And it looks like it might be happening soon!

Last week my mom and dad started talking about stuff in whispers when I would come into the room. They were also on the phone a LOT! It didn't take me long to put two and two together (that equals four, by the way) to realize something was going on. The question changed from, 'do you want a brother or sister?' to 'do you want a brother?' Apparently the sister option is currently off the table.


They showed me a picture of a little baby in Albania. He looks pretty cool. Really cute, actually. I think he needs a big sister. Mommy and Daddy say he will need to go to the doctor a lot when we bring him home, but that's okay because I like to go to the doctor's office. He looks really smart for a baby, and I can already tell that he'll want to get into all my stuff. I'm getting to move to a big girl bed so he can have my old crib (which I prefer to call a 'cage'). Her Albanian name is Reni (Or is it his name? Those pesky pronouns!). He has good caregivers. I had to ask mom and dad what that word meant and they told me it was the people who are watching Reni until we can go and get him. They are nones. The Mother Teresa type! They gave him a new name when he moved into their home - David. Mom and dad thought that was great since they were thinking of that name already for a boy. I was never consulted. They let me name the turtle, and I think Ziggy would be a good name for a brother too!

David Reni, as mom and dad call him, is a good eater. Maybe I will get to feed him some! He already crawls and pulls himself up, but it might be a while before he walks. He doesn't have any feet! This is the first thing I noticed! I have been checking out lots of other babies, and they all have feet. I think his feet are just curled up and the doctor can unfold them and give him toes. Mommy and daddy say that his feet will have to be made out of plastic. That is why we will be at the doctor's a lot. Since he has legs to below his knees, he should be able to be able to run and play with me with his new legs when he gets them! He is 8 months old, so his birthday will be this summer after I turn five. We hope we can have him home before his first birthday, but we need a lot of people to pray for us!

Until more things are "finalized" (I have to remember to ask mommy what that means) we can't post more pictures or video of David. Mommy thinks there will be other things to blog about though - room designs, packing lists, answered prayers, and of course more pictures of me!

Hi! This is Nathan. I caught Elisona writing this post and decided to fill in a few gaps! David's referral was given to our agency and not specifically to us. Cydil and I had requested a 'healthy' child under 36 months of age, but Bethany Christian Services sent us an e-mail with David's picture (not the one in this post) and a few lines of information just in case we were interested. Since that e-mail a week ago today, there have been lots of prayer, tears, phone calls, prayer, research, laughter and did I say prayers? We are aware that there will be challenges ahead that we can't even imagine, but have a peace that only can come from a living and active God! We have been encouraged over and over again through scripture and the assurance of the prayers of our family and friends. Reni's "Christian" name of David itself brought tears when we discovered it. Cydil and my dads both carry that name. As I pondered King David's story I was reminded of the often qoted Biblical truth that came at his introduction to Samuel:

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b

Our prayer for David is that he will also be known as "A man after God's own heart."

We appreciate so much your interest in our family! We have been dying to share about this from day one because we covet your prayers! Feel free to ask any questions. Feel free to leave a comment to let us know your thoughts. The aventure is beginning again. It may be time to update our blog header!

We have sent our letter of intent to adopt. The Albanian Adoption Committee will be meeting sometime in early May to review our letter and hopefully formally refer him to us.

Pigtails and Piggies

I apologize for neglecting our blog so much these days! Today we debuted a new hairstyle which warranted bringing out the camera. We are so proud of how our girl is growing up.

This spring she has discovered new aspects of nature to captivate her attention. First it was a VERY large earthworm which lived in some dirt in a jar for several days. That was followed by a baby turtle which was snagged on a Kentucky River kayaking trip (who was conveniently fed the giant earthworm). The only 'home' we could provide Ziggy the turtle was last summer's hermit crab container -- which seemed too small for the little guy. Mommy couldn't bear the thought of sentencing an innocent turtle to a shortened lifespan so after just two nights he was released back into his natural habbitat.

Now Ellie is fascinated with a nest outside the kitchen window housing two beautifully blue robin's eggs. Frequently throughout each day she will request we check to see if the birdies are hatching. We caution her that too much attention might scare the momma bird away!

Bedtime

There is a lot of teamwork in getting Ellie to bed each night. Cydil pretends to be a dental hygienist and helps clean Ellie's teeth. Potty and pajamas are next as well as some sort of bedtime story. Then comes our Bible story and prayers before the lights go out. We use the "Read and Share Bible" that Nonna and Pappa gave Ellie for Christmas one year for the Bible story time. As God's timing would have it, we were reading about Jesus' triumphal entry, trial, death and resurrection this past week! What a privilege to share with her Elisona how much God loves her! Ellie especially likes the illustrations in the book and was almost as excited as Mary Magdalene to see the angel sitting on the rolled away stone! The burial clothes confused her a little though as she was sure that Jesus had broken his leg. I thought I had cleared that up, but two nights later when Jesus was pictured with his rejoicing disciples, Els exclaimed, "Look dad, his leg is not broken anymore!"

As with any child going to bed, Ellie has her stalling techniques. One is asking for specifics about what is going to happen the next day. We have to be careful to only mention things we are sure will happen because she never forgets and our plans are the first thing out of her mouth in the morning. (see post below)

A couple of nights ago after our entire bedtime routine:

Ellie:

"Daddy, tell me the story of Ellie goes to the doctor."

Me:

"No Ellie, we have already read stories, it is time for bed."

Ellie:

"Please daddy."

Me:

"How about the story of Ellie goes to bed. One night Elisona brushed her teeth, put on her pajamas, read a Bible story, climbed into bed, laid her head on her pillow and went to sleep without complaining."

Ellie:

"No daddy, that was a THREE page story. I want a FIVE page story!"

I was smiling inside as I turned off the light and kissed her goodnight. Ellie's story continues to add pages and each one is a blessing to her mom and dad!

Spring has arrived!

With the forecast of 80-degree weather today, Nathan and Els couldn't wait any longer to take the kayak on it's inaugural 2010 dip in the river. Mom stayed home this morning to hold down the fort, but not before snapping this pic of Ellie.

When I picked her up out of her bed and carried her down the hall to our room to fully wake up, Ellie mumbled (with her eyes still closed), "I want to go boating today."

(sounds like she's promoted our humble little kayak to yacht-like status, doesn't it?)