(this cute picture of Grace almost didn't make it to the blog because the pantry door is seen open...let it go...let it go...it is hard for me to actually post pictures of the chaos I live in)
Oh how I love seeing my little Ethiopian beauty hold up an adorable (and delicious) Africa cut out cookie...we have been making these super cute treats a long time before Grace was with us. I ordered the cookie cutter months ago to make special cookies for our big fundraiser/gold party. Since that time, we have made many Africa cookies just for fun. This weekend we needed to have some special Africa cookies because our family was participating in The Africa Hope Run and I thought it would be a fun way to "carb up" before the big race :) (obviously I am not a big runner).
It's so cute how flour shows up on Grace's beautiful skin. She was covered by the time the cookies were cut out.
My daughter and her friend helped make cookies the night before the big "race."
I LOVE how excited all of my daughter's friends are about Grace, our journey to bring her home, and those left behind in Africa. Who says 8th grade girls are self centered? These sweet girls were so excited to participate in the run and help make a difference in the lives of those who the race is benefiting. They also proudly wear the Africa necklaces that we are selling to help support LIA orphanage...so cool...
The girls had to get up early to get to the run. Gotta love teenagers who are willing to wake up early on a Saturday morning for a good cause.
Here is another super sweet family who woke up early to join us for the run. This family has been so supportive of us throughout our adoption. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives. They also love Grace and were excited to be a part of the first ever Africa Hope Run.
My dear friend Kimberly. Getting up early to run/walk would not be her first choice for fun, but she would do anything to help support Africa and orphans and is the kindest, most caring person I know. She has also been a huge blessing throughout our adoption (and it rocked that she is a notary and could help me with so much paperwork!).
Here we are ready to start running/walking. Half of us ran and half walked. Grace got to ride in the stroller and kept insisting that she could walk. Maybe next year sweetie...the most precious part of the run was when we were about a block away from the finish line and I decided to let Grace get out of the stroller. She has never seen a race and had no way of understanding what we were supposed to be doing that day, but when her little feet hit the ground, she took off like a shot. Her little legs ran so fast and she did NOT look back once. She took off for the finish line. It was the cutest thing ever (keep in mind that this is the Africa Hope Run and she was probably one of about three African people there). It was like she was the little mascot running across the finish line. The crowd cheered her on like crazy and the pastors were all at the finish line giving her high fives. She had a blast! Who knows, maybe she has some of that awesome Ethiopian running skill in her! (did you know that Ethiopia, not Kenya, has been the most successful long distance running nation over the past ten years?)
Oh how I love seeing my little Ethiopian beauty hold up an adorable (and delicious) Africa cut out cookie...we have been making these super cute treats a long time before Grace was with us. I ordered the cookie cutter months ago to make special cookies for our big fundraiser/gold party. Since that time, we have made many Africa cookies just for fun. This weekend we needed to have some special Africa cookies because our family was participating in The Africa Hope Run and I thought it would be a fun way to "carb up" before the big race :) (obviously I am not a big runner).
Our church was sponsoring the 5K/10K run/walk to raise money for orphans in Malawi, Africa. We are so happy to be a part of a church that cares deeply for Africa's orphans and works closely to sponsor an orphanage and school in Funsani, Malawi. Our church's mission statement says it best...the goal- "becoming people of character with hearts for the world." Love it! I also love that one of our pastors and his wife are in Ethiopia right now meeting their new son for the first time! Awesome...
So, anyway...we needed Africa cookies...
It's so cute how flour shows up on Grace's beautiful skin. She was covered by the time the cookies were cut out.
My daughter and her friend helped make cookies the night before the big "race."
I LOVE how excited all of my daughter's friends are about Grace, our journey to bring her home, and those left behind in Africa. Who says 8th grade girls are self centered? These sweet girls were so excited to participate in the run and help make a difference in the lives of those who the race is benefiting. They also proudly wear the Africa necklaces that we are selling to help support LIA orphanage...so cool...
The girls had to get up early to get to the run. Gotta love teenagers who are willing to wake up early on a Saturday morning for a good cause.
Here is another super sweet family who woke up early to join us for the run. This family has been so supportive of us throughout our adoption. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives. They also love Grace and were excited to be a part of the first ever Africa Hope Run.
My dear friend Kimberly. Getting up early to run/walk would not be her first choice for fun, but she would do anything to help support Africa and orphans and is the kindest, most caring person I know. She has also been a huge blessing throughout our adoption (and it rocked that she is a notary and could help me with so much paperwork!).
Here we are ready to start running/walking. Half of us ran and half walked. Grace got to ride in the stroller and kept insisting that she could walk. Maybe next year sweetie...the most precious part of the run was when we were about a block away from the finish line and I decided to let Grace get out of the stroller. She has never seen a race and had no way of understanding what we were supposed to be doing that day, but when her little feet hit the ground, she took off like a shot. Her little legs ran so fast and she did NOT look back once. She took off for the finish line. It was the cutest thing ever (keep in mind that this is the Africa Hope Run and she was probably one of about three African people there). It was like she was the little mascot running across the finish line. The crowd cheered her on like crazy and the pastors were all at the finish line giving her high fives. She had a blast! Who knows, maybe she has some of that awesome Ethiopian running skill in her! (did you know that Ethiopia, not Kenya, has been the most successful long distance running nation over the past ten years?)
Glad you guys had fun on the run. Your cookies look so good...mine did NOT look that cute. Let me know how you did it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! What a fantastic community.
ReplyDeleteI love that your family did this and that Grace crossed the finish line! Oh, and thanks for the 'I love my hair' video. We've been loving that!
ReplyDelete