I really can't believe it's already April! Time has really been flying by...I've been drowning in paperwork and trying to keep up with laundry, homework, piano lessons...ugh. But I had a lot of fun April Fooling my girls this year (a good laugh and stress reliever!) The night before I set all of our alarm clocks an hour ahead (and the alarms) so they thought they were waking up at 8 a.m. when we should be out the door - which totally freaked my conscientious girls out (it's OK, I didn't play it up for more than a minute.) Then I put sardines in Josie's lunch (which she grossed out about but Maggie devoured after school. ha ha ha) and a big hunk of cheese in Ellie's (which in her mind is a million times worse than sardines.) he he he

Anyway, last night we took the kids to "Children of Hope," an international children's choir composed of mainly orphans (www.worldhelp.net.) They sing to raise awareness of the orphan crisis around the world and specifically the AIDS orphans in Africa. The numbers and statistics are staggering. It's amazing what Christ's church could do if we'd all be His hands and feet!

What was as touching to me as seeing those precious kids sing their hearts out and dance in utterly pure worship, was to see the awe and budding passion in my girls' eyes. Ellie was especially touched. As we got in the car she said, "I really, REALLY want to adopt now!" My sweet, sensitive, DRAMATIC, introspective girl sat at the end of her bed last night and said, "Mom, I feel so different tonight. I feel really good. I'm not worried, or stressed out about homework or anything!" It's so neat to watch her grow, stretch, and begin to look past her own wants, needs, and desires and to see the needs of others - and feel that passion and desire to reach out!

And Ellie is officially 10 1/2. I can't believe it.