PSF and Marnold

Meet Marnold.


Marnold, a pygmy puff, was a gift to me from Lauren on her recent excursion to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.  (I know you're dying to know what she got herself.  A wand.  Hermione's wand.  Yes, she is cool.)

Now, I love Marnold.  But not quite as much as Melody does.  From the moment she noticed Marnold, or what she initally referred to as the pink puff ball, she has taken care of him.

She even named him in a way.  His initial name was Arnold Jr.  However, Melody said she didn't like saying that name and was just going to say Marnold.

Marnold's day begins with breakfast, followed by an eventful time watching Melody play with her toys, and then a nap.  At bedtime Melody will place him in my bed and kiss him goodnight.  She also checks him in the morning to make sure he actually did sleep in my bed.

Who knew Melody was destined to be a pygmy puff mommy?!

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

8 days and counting...

The official count down to Sasha has begun...8 days!!

After a few weeks of anxiety about what is about to happen, I finally feel relatively prepared (kind of).


We had long day of training on Saturday.  I wasn't actually looking forward to it, but we felt so encouraged afterwards.  There was a plethora of information.  There are so many cultural differences that I had never considered or knew about.  And aside from just general cultural difference, it's impossible to even begin to image what these children face in their orphanages.  Aside from basic necessities we completely take for granted, such as clothes that fit and seconds at the dinner table, ultimately their childhoods are completely stolen from them.  I can't even begin to think about how I need to pray for him.

While there were many heart-wrenching things to consider, there were uplifting topics as well.  Listening to the stories of families who really connected and bonded with their child.  There were stories of children who were stoic and timid when they arrived and by the time they left, they actually knew someone loved them unconditionally.


We also told Jack, Melody, and Charlie about Sasha's visit this weekend.  We started by talking about things we do to show God's love.  I showed them Sasha's photo and asked if they knew what an orphan was.  When I told them that Sasha would be visiting our family for 5 weeks, Jack's immediate response was, "I'm so excited!  Can I tell him about Jesus?"  I knew they would like this idea, but I have to admit I was a little concerned about their initial response. I am so happy that they immediately embraced the idea.

I plan to spend a good portion of this week preparing for his arrival.  I need to get him a couple of things to wear once he arrives.  Once he's here we'll go shopping to get him more clothing and other necessities.  I am also finished up the last of my Christmas shopping.  I pretty much having everything finished except for stocking stuffers.


So, that's where we are.  Counting down and eagerly anticipating.

Update on Sasha

If you regularly read my blog, you know that our family will be hosting a child this Christmas.

I sent out the following email to family and friends the other day and thought I would post it here for anyone I might have missed or those who are interested in being updated.

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Hello and Merry Christmas,

If you are receiving this email, it is because you have contributed to our cause in some way, prayed for us, or shown an interested in being updated.  We really appreciate the amazing amount of support we received in reaching our goal.

Since we initially sent out our first email 6 weeks ago, a lot has happened.  We finished all the paper work required to be a host family and have found out that Sasha will be arrive to spend 5 weeks with us on December 13!  Sasha is from Ukraine and is 13 years old.  He has been to America one other time.  Other than that, we don’t know any more about him but cannot wait to meet him.

Although we are looking forward to having Sasha here with us, we are feeling a little anxious as well.  Aside from obvious cultural differences, we don’t know exactly how much English he speaks.  We will be attending a thorough host family training session on Saturday and expect this to offer us more guidance and direction.  We would appreciate any and all prayers for us and Sasha as we continue on this path.  We would like to especially pray that Sasha and all the other children and chaperons have safe travels over here.

We will send out emails periodically with updates and pictures (once Sasha arrives) and will update our blog (http://5powellsinatlanta.blogspot.com) as well.

Thank you again for your prayers and friendship.

Alex and Emily

The Traditional Photo...

No, not a Christmas card photo.  The traditional Snellings / Powell kids photo.

You can view the previous editions here, here, here, and here.

They're a cute bunch, aren't they!?

Turkeys, Cupcakes, and Wizards

We had a blast in Tampa over Thanksgiving with some of our favorite friends.

Our holiday included some fun crafts

Some involving icing

A beautiful table

With a seriously tasty meal

even better company

And a trip to see Harry Potter 7 (Yes, that's Lauren with her wand and my pygmy puff, Marnold.  Yes, we are that crazy.)

Thanks to this great couple for hosting us!

Gobble Gobble Gobble says the bird...

Happy Thanksgiving from my three little turkeys!

Her first...

Sleepover!

Melody and her bff, Ava, have been begging for a sleepover for a while now.  So on Sunday night we finally decided to give it a whirl.

We had a fun movie night.  And then it was bedtime.

Kind of.

It was really like play-in-the-bedtime!

Finally after about an hour and a half, I had to separate them. I moved Melody into our bed and both girls were out in about 3 seconds flat.

They are so cute when they're asleep.

Enjoying breakfast the next morning.

When Ava left, Melody looked at me and said, "I can't wait until my next sleepover!"