Earlier I stepped on the scale with her this week. She is up to almost sixteen pounds! That is great news! She was just a little over thirteen pounds in late August. She had been at thirteen pounds for months. She is just taking off with good nutritition.
Adah has started physical therapy with a therapist from our school district. She comes once a week for an hour and works with her. The first week Adah didn't want anything to do with her, but the second week she was actually quite pleasant! When we first brought her home she couldn't put any weight on her legs at all. She would just instantly go into a sitting position. She didn't have any muscle tone in her lower half. Now, she's scooching a bit forwards and backwards and if we stand her up she'll at least put her feet on the ground now.
She's still not turning over on her own, but she is pivoting around if she's on her belly.
Yesterday she started puckering up for kisses. Of course, we all take advantage of it! She's just a little dream baby. So adorable. I just wish I'd had her the first eleven months too!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Zackey Family: Have you heard of them?
Hold on! This might make your head spin!!!
Zackey family featured on Local Television
Posted 6/6/2007
The local television station, WIVB TV4, featured a story on the Zackey family. Below is a link to the video and a transcript.
Story with Video
Large Family Tries to Make World Better Place
(June 2, 2007)
The next time you feel overwhelmed with the daily stress of family and work, think of this story. It's about a family of 17 children and their two parents who have opened their hearts and home to make this world a better place for others across the world. News 4's Victoria Hong has their incredible story.
Meet Tom and Candy Zackey, and their seventeen kids, nine birth children, eight African adopted children, plus an exchange student from Liberia.
Candy Zackey: "I have always wanted to adopt. It's just been a desire God just placed in my heart."
Victoria Hong: Did you ever imagine seventeen?
Candy Zackey: "No, I just wanted to adopt one little boy."
Initially, husband Tom was against the idea.
Tom Zackey: "We were having our own family. I had no desire to adopt children."
He had a change of heart after a banquet about the plight of orphans in Sierra Leone, and in 2004 they adopted two girls from West Africa.
Candy Zackey: "We're not a real loud rowdy group, but we just have lot fun together."
The children range in age from three to twenty-one. They share nine bedrooms and six baths, and all the chores, which is the key to Candy's sanity.
Candy Zackey: "I don't cook, I don't clean, I don't do laundry. I don't do most of the work of the house, unless I choose to."
Tom Zackey: "The kids do it."
Candy Zackey: "...because I've trained the children to do all that work."
Candy homeschools all the kids. Their school year ends in April, so all the boys and one of the girls can help Tom with his landscaping business.
As the master organizer, Candy's biggest challenge is...
"...adjusting to the amount of food we have to make."
So what about food?
They go through ten gallons of milk a week, fifty pounds of rice a month, and eight loaves of bread a day, which they make. Dinner never costs more than twenty dollars, total.
Once a month, they prepare as much food that can be stored in three refrigerators and one freezer.
And if that doesn't have your head spinning, this will.
Tom Zackey: "For the last two years, we have been working with three orphanages. Right now, me and my oldest son Jack are leaving in about three weeks. We are looking to build our own orphanage that will hold 750 children."
...in Liberia, West Africa, where they adopted six of their children.
Between the parents and oldest children, they spent 38 weeks over there last year. It's their life calling.
Tom Zackey: "We're busy, but it's not stressful busy, it's enjoyable busy."
Candy Zackey: "I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
Zackey family featured on Local Television
Posted 6/6/2007
The local television station, WIVB TV4, featured a story on the Zackey family. Below is a link to the video and a transcript.
Story with Video
Large Family Tries to Make World Better Place
(June 2, 2007)
The next time you feel overwhelmed with the daily stress of family and work, think of this story. It's about a family of 17 children and their two parents who have opened their hearts and home to make this world a better place for others across the world. News 4's Victoria Hong has their incredible story.
Meet Tom and Candy Zackey, and their seventeen kids, nine birth children, eight African adopted children, plus an exchange student from Liberia.
Candy Zackey: "I have always wanted to adopt. It's just been a desire God just placed in my heart."
Victoria Hong: Did you ever imagine seventeen?
Candy Zackey: "No, I just wanted to adopt one little boy."
Initially, husband Tom was against the idea.
Tom Zackey: "We were having our own family. I had no desire to adopt children."
He had a change of heart after a banquet about the plight of orphans in Sierra Leone, and in 2004 they adopted two girls from West Africa.
Candy Zackey: "We're not a real loud rowdy group, but we just have lot fun together."
The children range in age from three to twenty-one. They share nine bedrooms and six baths, and all the chores, which is the key to Candy's sanity.
Candy Zackey: "I don't cook, I don't clean, I don't do laundry. I don't do most of the work of the house, unless I choose to."
Tom Zackey: "The kids do it."
Candy Zackey: "...because I've trained the children to do all that work."
Candy homeschools all the kids. Their school year ends in April, so all the boys and one of the girls can help Tom with his landscaping business.
As the master organizer, Candy's biggest challenge is...
"...adjusting to the amount of food we have to make."
So what about food?
They go through ten gallons of milk a week, fifty pounds of rice a month, and eight loaves of bread a day, which they make. Dinner never costs more than twenty dollars, total.
Once a month, they prepare as much food that can be stored in three refrigerators and one freezer.
And if that doesn't have your head spinning, this will.
Tom Zackey: "For the last two years, we have been working with three orphanages. Right now, me and my oldest son Jack are leaving in about three weeks. We are looking to build our own orphanage that will hold 750 children."
...in Liberia, West Africa, where they adopted six of their children.
Between the parents and oldest children, they spent 38 weeks over there last year. It's their life calling.
Tom Zackey: "We're busy, but it's not stressful busy, it's enjoyable busy."
Candy Zackey: "I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
I am not scatterbrained.
My friend Debbie was tellling me how my wonderful husband, I won't hold this against you Hon, mentioned that I am quite scatterbrained lately. I instantly protested. "I am not scatterbrained!"
I no sooner get home and see this darling husband of mine and tell him that I am not scatterbrained. I also explain that most women would not be able to do all the things I do and he agrees. I tell him that I just have a lot to keep track of. He agrees.
So the question comes. Where's Jesse? We know that Jesse was just behind us at church. "Sarah, Do you know where Jesse is?" "No," she replies. The question goes around the room. Okay so no one knows where Jesse is. "Joe, hand me the phone," Steve says. "Jesse, where are you?" "I'm at Isaac's." Ummmmm......"Oh yeah," I say sheepishly, "I forgot he told me he was going to Isaac's." I get this look from Steve that says YOU ARE SCATTERBRAINED!!!! He wasn't going to say it, but I know he was thinking it!!!
Steve says, I can see if he told you last week, but he told you tonight! I protest because is forgetting something the same as being scatterbrained? I don't know. I explain that when he told me he was going to Isaac's I was making some very important quilting decisions. I was deciding if I should put the black square next to this creme square or next to the green square ? Does the burgandy need some purple or black next to it?
Just don't tell me anything important. I might just give you a blank stare. I don't think anyone is home in my brain lately. If you see me wandering around just point me to someone in my family. They'll know what to do with me.
I no sooner get home and see this darling husband of mine and tell him that I am not scatterbrained. I also explain that most women would not be able to do all the things I do and he agrees. I tell him that I just have a lot to keep track of. He agrees.
So the question comes. Where's Jesse? We know that Jesse was just behind us at church. "Sarah, Do you know where Jesse is?" "No," she replies. The question goes around the room. Okay so no one knows where Jesse is. "Joe, hand me the phone," Steve says. "Jesse, where are you?" "I'm at Isaac's." Ummmmm......"Oh yeah," I say sheepishly, "I forgot he told me he was going to Isaac's." I get this look from Steve that says YOU ARE SCATTERBRAINED!!!! He wasn't going to say it, but I know he was thinking it!!!
Steve says, I can see if he told you last week, but he told you tonight! I protest because is forgetting something the same as being scatterbrained? I don't know. I explain that when he told me he was going to Isaac's I was making some very important quilting decisions. I was deciding if I should put the black square next to this creme square or next to the green square ? Does the burgandy need some purple or black next to it?
Just don't tell me anything important. I might just give you a blank stare. I don't think anyone is home in my brain lately. If you see me wandering around just point me to someone in my family. They'll know what to do with me.
Rag Quilt
Last night at church I worked on my rag quilt. Shenna showed us how to lay out all the squares. My quilt will be seven squares across and nine down. I am bucking the system though and am going to have 1/2 seams instead of one inch seams. My teacher is not happy with me. ; ) I asked her if she really expected anything less from Jake's mom, but to buck the system.
First I laid all my squares down and decided how I wanted it to look. I tried to balance out the cremes, greens, maroons, and black/purple. When I was satisfied with that then I had to flip it over and match my front squares with a back square. Then they get flipped back over to the right side of the quilt. Shenna labeled each row for me and now they sit in a pretty stack. I have been told NOT to touch them so I don't mess them up. Can I possibly follow directions and keep my hands off them. I hope so!
First I laid all my squares down and decided how I wanted it to look. I tried to balance out the cremes, greens, maroons, and black/purple. When I was satisfied with that then I had to flip it over and match my front squares with a back square. Then they get flipped back over to the right side of the quilt. Shenna labeled each row for me and now they sit in a pretty stack. I have been told NOT to touch them so I don't mess them up. Can I possibly follow directions and keep my hands off them. I hope so!
Potato Soup
Today I made potato soup for dinner. It's a nice meal that you can leave on the stove and ,most everyone can help themselves. This recipe is from our pastor's wife with some of my directions added in.
Potato Soup
(I often quadruple this recipe for our family and have it simmering for several meals.)
6 slices bacon (save grease for onions)
1 cup onion
2 cups cooked potatoes
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (10 1/2 oz. size cans)
2 cans milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons parsley
Cheddar cheese for the top of soup (optional)
Fry bacon and set aside. Take some grease from the bacon and fry your onion until the onion is transluscent. Fill pot with some water, enough to cover your potatoes, then peel and cut up potatoes to desired size. Drain water from the potatoes when done. Add everything to your soup pot and set on low. You don't want this to boil, you just want to keep it warm. After serving top soup bowls with bacon and cheddar cheese.
I usually make corn bread in my cast iron skillet when I'm done with the soup. Yummy!!! I'll add the corn bread recipe tomorrow. If I did it now that would require me to get up and it's 1:33am in the morning. If I get up now it's to go back to bed.
Potato Soup
(I often quadruple this recipe for our family and have it simmering for several meals.)
6 slices bacon (save grease for onions)
1 cup onion
2 cups cooked potatoes
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (10 1/2 oz. size cans)
2 cans milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons parsley
Cheddar cheese for the top of soup (optional)
Fry bacon and set aside. Take some grease from the bacon and fry your onion until the onion is transluscent. Fill pot with some water, enough to cover your potatoes, then peel and cut up potatoes to desired size. Drain water from the potatoes when done. Add everything to your soup pot and set on low. You don't want this to boil, you just want to keep it warm. After serving top soup bowls with bacon and cheddar cheese.
I usually make corn bread in my cast iron skillet when I'm done with the soup. Yummy!!! I'll add the corn bread recipe tomorrow. If I did it now that would require me to get up and it's 1:33am in the morning. If I get up now it's to go back to bed.
Happy 27th Anniversary to me. Happy 27th Anniversary to me!
Monday was our 27th wedding anniversary! We've been celebrating all weekend by going out every day for a bite to eat. We even went to see 3:10 to Yuma and LOVED it. I love westerns anyways and this one was really well done.
Steve and I have been together since 1976. I moved in with him when I was fifteen and he was sixteen. We lived at his mom's house for about two years. When I was a senior in high school we moved into our own duplex. Not too long after I graduated high school Steve bought a house where we would live for the next sixteen years We also got married, received Christ as our Savior, and had four children while there.
Our wedding was quite small. In fact there were only five people there. The pastor, me and Steve, his brother and his brother's girlfriend. After the ceremony we went to lunch and then headed off to the Covered Wagon across the street from Knott's Berry Farm. Disneyland and Knott's was our destination.
I never thought we would make it to twenty-seven years. I thought one of us would have killed the other in the process somewhere along the line. But, we didn't and now our marriage is stronger than ever. I still find him wildly attractive and have a hard time keeping my hands off him.
We often prefer to be alone than with others. We're each others best friend. I would never dream of having a woman as a best friend. It's just not me. I did when I was a teenager, but since I've met Steve he's been it.
Now with ten children total and eight still living at home. We make it a point to go to bed at the same time and to spend time together every evening. We like the same things except for football. I am not a football fan in any way, shape or form. Now that I have my iPod, I can sit there and look at the TV with my earphones on while he watches football. :-) Other than that we're very compatible. I challenge you to make your husband your first priority. He'll love you for it.
Steve and I have been together since 1976. I moved in with him when I was fifteen and he was sixteen. We lived at his mom's house for about two years. When I was a senior in high school we moved into our own duplex. Not too long after I graduated high school Steve bought a house where we would live for the next sixteen years We also got married, received Christ as our Savior, and had four children while there.
Our wedding was quite small. In fact there were only five people there. The pastor, me and Steve, his brother and his brother's girlfriend. After the ceremony we went to lunch and then headed off to the Covered Wagon across the street from Knott's Berry Farm. Disneyland and Knott's was our destination.
I never thought we would make it to twenty-seven years. I thought one of us would have killed the other in the process somewhere along the line. But, we didn't and now our marriage is stronger than ever. I still find him wildly attractive and have a hard time keeping my hands off him.
We often prefer to be alone than with others. We're each others best friend. I would never dream of having a woman as a best friend. It's just not me. I did when I was a teenager, but since I've met Steve he's been it.
Now with ten children total and eight still living at home. We make it a point to go to bed at the same time and to spend time together every evening. We like the same things except for football. I am not a football fan in any way, shape or form. Now that I have my iPod, I can sit there and look at the TV with my earphones on while he watches football. :-) Other than that we're very compatible. I challenge you to make your husband your first priority. He'll love you for it.
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