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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
More Like An Episode of SURVIVOR !!
Close your eyes and picture w/ me the sounds that have my eye twitching, my migraine at capacity, and my shoulders tense w/ keeping myself on full alert ALL DAY...
The OATSVALL TEAM is on vacation (aka EPISODE OF SURVIVOR) in Florida in a 1 bedroom condo ... YES, 1 BEDROOM (like 500 sq. feet) ... Joseph is flicking the door stop that is making a loud pinging noise, Maggie is screaming my name MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, Elijah has Daisy in a headlock tickling her which I am not sure if she is crying or laughing it is so LOUD, and Jeremiah has the TV at the highest volume possible ... CAN YOU HEAR IT ???? and where is Scott - locked in the bathroom !!!
My sweet and amazingly frugal husband planned this vacation before we knew Joseph/Daisy would be home and has the sweetest of intentions ... I am proud of his frugalness, although at times I tell him otherwise ... It is because he is frugal that we have been able to do the many things that God has called us to do without going into debt ... So even though I may be aging 10 years this week I am one blessed wife and mother !!! Please forgive me for my scowl this week, honey !!!
As we get out of our van, walk to the pool, play on the beach, or walk in a restaurant ALL EYES HEAD OUR WAY ... Two white skinned, two mocha skinned, and two black skinned beauties just file in w/ us !!! Most people have been so curious and kind with their comments (with the occasional stare of PLEASE CONTROL YOUR KIDS) ... I love how people feel the need to tell you very fast that they never felt called to adopt as if I am trying to solve the world's 147 million orphan crisis all by myself and would love for them to pitch in ... I always laugh in my head (and feel a little sorry for them missing out on the adoption journey) and then proceed to encourage them to get involved with the ORPHANS of the world (in my very sweet southern draw .... lol ) !!!
Five weeks home w/ Joseph and Daisy and we are still trying to find our footing and honestly days are tough right now ... I appreciate all your prayers ... Joseph goes to see a specialist on Aug. 2nd ... We realized and our pediatrician confirmed he has more going on than hearing loss ... It does break our hearts and changes the road ahead ... BUT IT GOD'S ROAD and we will walk it ...
Well, I off to try to sleep (now that is a pipe dream !!!) and rest my mind for the noises and blessings of tomorrow !!!
The OATSVALL TEAM is on vacation (aka EPISODE OF SURVIVOR) in Florida in a 1 bedroom condo ... YES, 1 BEDROOM (like 500 sq. feet) ... Joseph is flicking the door stop that is making a loud pinging noise, Maggie is screaming my name MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, Elijah has Daisy in a headlock tickling her which I am not sure if she is crying or laughing it is so LOUD, and Jeremiah has the TV at the highest volume possible ... CAN YOU HEAR IT ???? and where is Scott - locked in the bathroom !!!
My sweet and amazingly frugal husband planned this vacation before we knew Joseph/Daisy would be home and has the sweetest of intentions ... I am proud of his frugalness, although at times I tell him otherwise ... It is because he is frugal that we have been able to do the many things that God has called us to do without going into debt ... So even though I may be aging 10 years this week I am one blessed wife and mother !!! Please forgive me for my scowl this week, honey !!!
As we get out of our van, walk to the pool, play on the beach, or walk in a restaurant ALL EYES HEAD OUR WAY ... Two white skinned, two mocha skinned, and two black skinned beauties just file in w/ us !!! Most people have been so curious and kind with their comments (with the occasional stare of PLEASE CONTROL YOUR KIDS) ... I love how people feel the need to tell you very fast that they never felt called to adopt as if I am trying to solve the world's 147 million orphan crisis all by myself and would love for them to pitch in ... I always laugh in my head (and feel a little sorry for them missing out on the adoption journey) and then proceed to encourage them to get involved with the ORPHANS of the world (in my very sweet southern draw .... lol ) !!!
Five weeks home w/ Joseph and Daisy and we are still trying to find our footing and honestly days are tough right now ... I appreciate all your prayers ... Joseph goes to see a specialist on Aug. 2nd ... We realized and our pediatrician confirmed he has more going on than hearing loss ... It does break our hearts and changes the road ahead ... BUT IT GOD'S ROAD and we will walk it ...
WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER HONEY !!!
Well, I off to try to sleep (now that is a pipe dream !!!) and rest my mind for the noises and blessings of tomorrow !!!
PLUS A LITTLE COLDSTONE NEVER DID HURT MY MOOD !!!
Friday, July 23, 2010
The "MAYVALL'S" (as we affectionately call ourselves) WANT TO INVITE YOU ...
Josie Love has opened our eyes and hearts to a whole new world of hurting and abandoned children ... We want to invite you to join our 147 family at the event below ... It is recommended for children 12 and above ... COME AND SEE AND BE CHANGED !!!
August 8th - 15th (FREE EVENT) BRENTWOOD, TN
(SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION)
As a visitor to The World Vision Experience: AIDS, you will be taken through a 2,500 square foot interactive exhibit that takes you on a "virtual journey" through an African village to personally experience the lives of children affected by AIDS. This FREE tour will guide you through one of four children's stories of tragedy and triumph by using stirring audio and captivating photography. You will gain a new perspective on the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time... AIDS
Here are a few links that may be helpful to you and that you can use for your marketing.
Trailer video: http://www.
For the more information about the experience, you can visit www.worldvisionexperience.org
and register to tour or volunteer for the exibit, you can visit www.worldvisionexperience.org/
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Check Out My Sister Katie !!! and the women and children you help each time you buy 147 Gear !!!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
"My Best Summer Ever" by Jeremiah Oatsvall
Joseph and I walking the road to town in Jinja
Another trip to town w/ Abdulah the driver
Serving food to the Amazima Kids
A day I will never forget ... meeting and hanging w/ the Amazima Kids
Katie, her girls, and a few other friends getting ready to feed the Karamojong School Children ... Kids just like me !!!
Serving ... This is some fast paced work !!! and the food is super hot !!! See the pots of food behind me !!! Now that is a lot of beans !!
Me and Fred (the only Piki driver my mom would let me ride with )
Anna Bliss, Fred and I driving to town
Shaq and Team 147 (national champs baby !!!)
Our Team 147 Families !!! They are so Cool !!
Elijah and I on the court together
My MVP trophy from the National Tourney
Cold Stone Baby ... Hanging w/ my boys and Dad !!
Animal Kingdom/Disney World w/ the Mayernick's and MacDonald Family ... There
were like 50 people in our 3 families ...
This has been by far the best summer EVER. We went to Africa and won the National tournament. The plane ride to Africa was probably a death ride. It was the worst. When we got to Africa it got better. Meeting Joseph and Daisy was the best moment of the trip. As i got to know Joseph i understood he could't talk well. Meeting Katie's girls was a blast. I made a relationship with every girl .( even patricia).
feeding the Amazima kids was great and humbling and i met a lot of new friends. One of the funny parts is when one of the boys my age at the Saturday worship would look at me, say something in Lugandan to another kid and laugh at me and i didn't even know what they were saying. Africa was the best experience. The nationals was another great experience . After watching the movie "More than A Game" i was bound to win it all. As my dad told me a million times " Just 1 game at a time." When we got to the championship i was determined to win. Just before the game started my dad told us" be calm and play your game'' and that is what we did. After the game we gave the glory to God and we were off to Tennessee.
By: Jeremiah Oatsvall, 12 yrs-old
I am so proud of you Jeremiah ... You are my heart and I know what you have experienced this summer will help mold you into the man God is calling you to be ... Always be a leader for the Lord !!!
Love Mom !!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Cut The Sleeves Off For Summer ... 147 Million Orphans (dot com)
Who knew this could be so CUTE !!! Suzanne cut off the sleeves of our 147 baseball tee for our trip and we love love love the capped sleeve look and this tee is simply the most comfortable tee around and now it is breezy for summer ... SO GET OUT YOUR SCISSORS AND CUT AWAY ... We have new baseball fall designs coming so no worries on losing your favorite shirt because you can get a new 147 baseball tee in September ... 147millionorphans.com
Thursday, July 8, 2010
What Is Your Fairytale ???
This is my family !!! I have been thinking a lot about the Radical book by David Platt, our daily life right now, 147 Million Orphans, Amazima, and so much more ... I think I paint a pretty real picture of our lives and I have no idea how many people read my blog, but it has been requested that since I have a large audience (not sure if that is true), but that I have an obligation to tell the truth about adoption and make sure people understand what the journey REALLY looks like ... I will say this sorta of didn't sit well w/ me since I think I do and it is my blog so I get to write what I want ...
TRUTH #1
No two adoption journeys are alike ... I have had easy, hard and beyond difficult !!
TRUTH #2
I have been wiping bottoms for the last 12 years (except for a one year break) ... Do I like wiping nasty just came home, stomach adjusting poop to start my day ... NO WAY, but I am the MOM so I do ...
TRUTH #3
Your body adjusts to NO SLEEP ... Don't forget to take care of yourself (I try my best to workout 5 days a week), but the bottom line is we are called to die to self everyday ... So waking in the middle of the night to a screaming tantrum child, who is healing from trauma is what I do because I am a MOM ...
TRUTH #4
I don't like laying down w/ my kids at night ... I have been w/ them all day - playing, laughing, feeding, healing booboos, kissing foreheads, and tickling silly, so at bedtime I just want them to go to bed ... I have a million things to do and if I lay w/ one child then I have to lay w/ 6 and by the end of that I am toast !!! But I lay down w/ kids because I have one who needs me to feel secure to go off to bed and I do this because I am a MOM ...
TRUTH #5
I don't like putting bandaids on pretend injuries ... I am a pull yourself up by your boot straps kind of girl ... Both of my parents worked as I was growing up, so I learned how to take care of myself and my brother pretty early in life ... I don't like whiners or cry babies, but when the cries and whines come from a deep place within a child that is really just testing if you LOVE THEM OR NOT then I put a smile get out the bandaids and pretend we are preforming a serious operation ... I do that because I am a MOM!
TRUTH #6
More people could do what I do because I am no one special ... I am just a MOM being available to the Lord ...
I could go on and on about this, but the bottom line is that if you think I live a fairytale life or you want a fairytale adoption journey then you are living a fantasy world ... I am living out the fairytales that are written about in scripture ...
SERVING
GIVING
DYING TO SELF
LOVING THE LEAST OF THESE
TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS
SEEING MY BROTHERS / SISTERS THAT ARE HURTING
Prince Eric/ Ariel ... Prince Charming / Sleeping Beauty ... Cinderella / Prince ... Jasmine / Alladin ... Got nothing on Scott and I !!! You decide which FAIRY TALE you want to live out on this earth because it will determine which life you live for eternity ...
Sunday, July 4, 2010
From Uganda to Disney World to National Champions !!
What a world wind week we have had ... I thought it would have been a great reality show to see the past week of our lives ... Getting off the plane from Uganda to packing and heading to Florida for Disney World and the National Tourney for team 147 ...
There are so many highlights from the trip, so I will try and cover a few ... First we have the best families on our 147 team ever ... We have all grown together over this season and with each tournament we have brought so much recognition to the orphan crisis ... This week people asked us about our name (TEAM 147), researched our site and hearts were called to action by those we met ...
After one game we started talking to this other team, whose goal is to glorify the Lord also and a young 12 year old boy asked our dads to pray over him because he was feeling called to be a pastor one day ... Watching our dads lay hands on him and pray for him was a HUGE highlight ... Our Team 147 was definitely the smallest size team there and I felt like most games it was DAVID VS GOLIATH and just like in scripture DAVID WINS ... Most of life is a heart game ... Our boys have such big hearts and they play with a passion ... They have put in many hours on the court to learn the game of basketball, but more than that their families and us as a team have put in time making sure our son's hearts are right and the we understand the true purpose of existing here on earth !!!
The championship game was intense to say the least and it was back and forth the whole game ... We won by 5 pts and we were all screaming, jumping, and dancing around (I almost threw Daisy up in the air I was so excited) ... as we are exiting the gym in walks SHAQ ... He is the biggest man I have ever seen and our boys got a picture made w/ him ... Did I mention we beat his son's team the day before (another intense game .... Their fans were so much fun to sit beside ... we just went back and forth the entire time and then laughed after the game at who is more intense US or the BOYS playing the game) ...
Now on to Disney World ... What can you say - Joseph / Daisy stayed mesmerized the entire time !!! Retta, Scott, and BooBoo were sweet to take them back to the condo after half a day, so Anna and I could take the 4 bigs ones and enjoy some bigger rides and shows ... Jeremiah finally got a love for roller coasters, Maggie met her favorite princess Ariel, Emily was finally tall enough to ride big girl rides and she loved it !!! Elijah my dare devil wanted everything faster and bigger !!!
Scott and I agree this was the best vacation we have ever had ... The Oatsvall's,Mayernick's, MacDonald's and Washburn families hung for the day at Disney World and we had a blast ... We were a huge group so we definitely drew some attention and the 147 Million Orphans was represented well ... It is fun to watch people stare at us and wonder !!!! I can only imagine what they were all thinking especially the way Josie Love and Joseph will just run up to strangers and give the lots of love, jibber jabber, and smile from ear to ear .... lol
There were so many funny "pee in your pants" moments that I won't even try to describe them because they were truly YOU GOTTA BE THERE MOMENTS ... like driving around for 45 minutes trying to find a COLD STONE ice cream, wishing people w/ sour puss faces would just get a life, our neighbors downs stairs threatening us (have you seen how big my husband is ... well when they did let's just say the complaining stopped), watching Joseph every moment of the day, Carol and I doing our ghetto girl dance during the time outs of the championship game, Suzanne and I giggling at Retta counting children every 60 seconds to make sure no one was lost, Mal/Anna sitting in pee/puke/gatorade ???, and so so so many more !!!! I can honestly say we laugh all the time together ... We enjoy the chaos and when the stress comes from being a big family we know we are not alone ...
This has truly been a once in a lifetime moment for our family ... Joseph and Daisy home, amazing family vacation, and a National Championship !!!! Thank You Lord !!!
We finally found COLDSTONE ... 3 times in seven days !!! hee hee ... Now that is a good week and now time to get back on the wagon !!! Just in case you ever go ... ask for the FOUNDER'S FAVORITE NO PECANS ADD HEATH ... I guarantee you it will knock your socks off !!!
There are so many highlights from the trip, so I will try and cover a few ... First we have the best families on our 147 team ever ... We have all grown together over this season and with each tournament we have brought so much recognition to the orphan crisis ... This week people asked us about our name (TEAM 147), researched our site and hearts were called to action by those we met ...
After one game we started talking to this other team, whose goal is to glorify the Lord also and a young 12 year old boy asked our dads to pray over him because he was feeling called to be a pastor one day ... Watching our dads lay hands on him and pray for him was a HUGE highlight ... Our Team 147 was definitely the smallest size team there and I felt like most games it was DAVID VS GOLIATH and just like in scripture DAVID WINS ... Most of life is a heart game ... Our boys have such big hearts and they play with a passion ... They have put in many hours on the court to learn the game of basketball, but more than that their families and us as a team have put in time making sure our son's hearts are right and the we understand the true purpose of existing here on earth !!!
The championship game was intense to say the least and it was back and forth the whole game ... We won by 5 pts and we were all screaming, jumping, and dancing around (I almost threw Daisy up in the air I was so excited) ... as we are exiting the gym in walks SHAQ ... He is the biggest man I have ever seen and our boys got a picture made w/ him ... Did I mention we beat his son's team the day before (another intense game .... Their fans were so much fun to sit beside ... we just went back and forth the entire time and then laughed after the game at who is more intense US or the BOYS playing the game) ...
Now on to Disney World ... What can you say - Joseph / Daisy stayed mesmerized the entire time !!! Retta, Scott, and BooBoo were sweet to take them back to the condo after half a day, so Anna and I could take the 4 bigs ones and enjoy some bigger rides and shows ... Jeremiah finally got a love for roller coasters, Maggie met her favorite princess Ariel, Emily was finally tall enough to ride big girl rides and she loved it !!! Elijah my dare devil wanted everything faster and bigger !!!
Scott and I agree this was the best vacation we have ever had ... The Oatsvall's,Mayernick's, MacDonald's and Washburn families hung for the day at Disney World and we had a blast ... We were a huge group so we definitely drew some attention and the 147 Million Orphans was represented well ... It is fun to watch people stare at us and wonder !!!! I can only imagine what they were all thinking especially the way Josie Love and Joseph will just run up to strangers and give the lots of love, jibber jabber, and smile from ear to ear .... lol
There were so many funny "pee in your pants" moments that I won't even try to describe them because they were truly YOU GOTTA BE THERE MOMENTS ... like driving around for 45 minutes trying to find a COLD STONE ice cream, wishing people w/ sour puss faces would just get a life, our neighbors downs stairs threatening us (have you seen how big my husband is ... well when they did let's just say the complaining stopped), watching Joseph every moment of the day, Carol and I doing our ghetto girl dance during the time outs of the championship game, Suzanne and I giggling at Retta counting children every 60 seconds to make sure no one was lost, Mal/Anna sitting in pee/puke/gatorade ???, and so so so many more !!!! I can honestly say we laugh all the time together ... We enjoy the chaos and when the stress comes from being a big family we know we are not alone ...
This has truly been a once in a lifetime moment for our family ... Joseph and Daisy home, amazing family vacation, and a National Championship !!!! Thank You Lord !!!
ENJOY A GLIMPSE OF IT
Daisy doesn't quite realize yet that Josie Love is her bestest friend !!!
This is our cheering section ... The younger siblings on our team ROCK !!!
The Oatsvall Brothers on the court together !!! Makes my heart happy !!
See what I mean by David and Goliath !!! You go Michael !!! These are 11 yr old boys !!
Look at that glowing face !!!
More pictures to come ... My camera got wet on the first day and wouldn't work anymore so I am relying on my girls to give me some pictures ... Have a blessed 4th of July !!!
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