Steppin' Heavenward

Our Absent Minded Professor~

2012-01-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

I love this sweet boy so much. He has the most amazing mind. He is smart, smart, smart. He also always puts at least one item of clothing on backwards. Really though, when you can create Lego masterpieces like this what does it matter if your jeans are facing the right way.

We Went to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...

2012-01-26T19:56:00.000-08:00

We took a field trip to the zoo today! The weather was amazing and we had a great time.

Eben tried to convince me we really didn't need the stroller as we have enough backs to carry little ones. He is so funny. I agreed with that, but reminded him that we needed something for our water bottles to ride in HA! Nobody wants to tote 13 water bottles on their back.

I loved this giraffe. He was too funny. I wonder if our neighborhood's HOA would approve a giraffe.

The sign on this bird told us he was shy, but could kill a human if disturbed. I am pretty sure the only thing saving us from attack was that chain link fence. ;o)

Elephant tusks = perfect pull up bar. Who knew?

Naturally, they all had to try.

Ben being Ben. He cracks me up.

The whole gang. Well, minus one. The bird didn't get him. He's in Mexico.

Samuel making friends.

A trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without a ride on the carousel.

Hailey's words as we left, "The zoo is a really nice place, but I really do feel like they could make a better effort in improving the smell of it." HA! I love that girl!

A really fun day with some really fun people.

The Spice of Life~

2012-01-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

Joel showing me this morning that we are running precariously low on hot sauce. Perhaps we should put FEMA on standby.

Cover Boys~

2012-01-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

"Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not."

I love these boys.

2012-01-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

Jim's parents came to visit us for several days. We took the to the beach on Saturday as they don't get much beach time in the DC area.

Samuel has been to the beach quite a few times and he is not a fan of the water. Or the sand. He does love chasing the birds though. He will chase and laugh hysterically all the while. It's too cute...well for us, maybe not for the birds so much.

Ben-Ben approaches the ocean like he does everything else. He dives right in on full throttle.

Sweet times!

The whole tribe with Grandma and Grandpa!

Saturday Night the TKD kids had their banquet! Oh my, they are growing up fast! I love these days, but I do wish they would slow down just a smidge.

Photo Flurry~

2012-01-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

We were blessed with an amazing Christmas. Every year the true meaning of Christmas, God becoming flesh, so that we could have the gift of eternal life. It's truly too marvelous to comprehend.

This year He also gave us the gift of times with family and friends. Our wonderful cousins were here, as well as my Mom, my brothers, and sister-in-laws. It was amazing!

Could they be anymore beautiful? My dear cousin and her gorgeous daughter.

Sweet Little Ones singing praises on Christmas Eve.

Rockin' out to Christmas music.

Christmas Morning!

Samuel had so much fun on his first Christmas!

Exchanging gifts..

My dear friend had a Christmas surprise when she went into labor on Christmas Eve.

A Christmas Night light tour with friends via foot. Too fun!

Surfing with the Uncles..

Spending time with the Cousins!!

Soccer Games ..

Love these guys!!!

What a celebration! Thank you Lord for your wonderful love and these wonderful people.

Christmas Fun!

2011-12-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

The older 4 kids had a Christmas party the other night. There was a costume contest of your favorite Christmas character..

With a name like Ebenezer-

He thought this was the best choice. Too funny!

While the older guys were at their party the little ones went for a "Christmas Lights Tour" in their PJ's. They even got to eat in the van. Wild and crazy times. :o)

Christmas Came Early~

2011-12-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

We are so blessed to have our sweet Samuel HOME for Christmas!!!

We have been home with him for a little over a week. Jim and I spent two weeks in China-Beijing to Jinan to Guangzhou to Hong Kong and HOME again.

We kept a journal for our family here byplaneandtrain.blogspot.com

It was an amazing trip. Our first meeting of Samuel was like a dream. He is very sweet! He kept us laughing all across China with his funny personality and traveled like a champ.

Our homecoming was precious. We missed our children SO much, but our family did the most amazing job caring for them, and giving them love and parties, and the time of their lives. We can never thank them enough.

Samuel loves his brothers and sisters and all of the toys. Most of all he LOVES playing outside. He will just go and stand in the sun and let it shine on him.

He does not love the "medical tour" we have been on. Poor guy has seen 5 doctors already, and we have a few more to go.

You may notice in pictures.. he only has half a smile. His facial muscles on the right side of his face are paralyzed right now with what they think is Bell's Palsy. It may take a few months to resolve.

We have a TREMENDOUS praise in that he will not need another heart surgery until his teens. His heart is doing GREAT! Thank you Jesus!

We truly stand in awe over God's goodness to bless us with this amazing little boy. It truly is a wondrous gift!

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

James 1:17~

Eatin' and Treatin"

2011-11-01T16:44:00.001-07:00

Last night the kids raided the dress up boxes and their closets to dress up and greet the trick or treaters with some candy. They LOVE passing out candy more than they do receiving it.

Em decided wigs are for the birds and ditched Daphne and went for the Little Mermaid-if The Little Mermaid wore Under Armor.

Yippee, cute kids at the door. We had so many little ones come.

We were having a picnic and movie time in between customers.

She was plum wore out.

And he was up to his old tricks.

Trunk Or Treat~

2011-11-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday Night our church held our Annual Trunk or Treat. So fun.

The Little Trunkers. Em is Daphne to go with her Scooby-Doo Noey. They were too funny.

Ben-Ben had so much fun. he kept saying Dooo-do Do I'm Super MAN! He was so into it. I do believe his love language is lollipops.

Jim demonstrating the Heimlich Maneuver on me..Ha!- not really.

Noah gave out some rockin' candy.. we may want to check the expiration date on those..

He did not love this. Not one little bit. ;o)

The big kids hanging with their friends.

It was a great time with our church family. They are such a sweet blessing to us.

2011-10-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

A side effect of having 8 brothers..drawing football team logos for fun. I love how she borders it with flowers. As Warren Wiersbe once said, "Blessed are the balanced".

Sweets~

2011-10-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Katie and Eben have really been wanting to try their hands at a fondant cake.

So, what better thing to do when your ball team is losing BIG time than make a cake paying homage to them.

This is seriously, messy business.

I think it turned out really cute! I was really impressed how they did for their first try. It tasted pretty good too and Katie figured a way to make it all vegan cause she's awesome like that.

A little more sweetness from early this morning. Our babies are growing up so fast!

Favorite Adoption Books?

2011-10-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Mindy was asking me about my favorite adoption books. I can't get my gmail acct. to open, so I though I'd respond to her and maybe Y'all can share what books really helped you.

I thought "With Eyes Wide Open" was an excellent course.

I also liked Attaching in Adoption by Deborah Gray and

I think Empowered to Connect seems like a really a great resource. I am just discovering it and haven't read through it all, but it seems very worthwhile.

I think it is good to read a lot of books and to be as informed as possible, and while these were not necessarily "easy" reads, they were beneficial to me Toddler Adoption; The Weaver's Craft and Parenting the Hurt Child

I would really love to hear what books you found valuable.

Hebrews 12:1~

2011-10-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

We did quite a lot of running this summer and this fall. The kids and I have a lot of fun doing it, and it's great having accountability partners. When one of us doesn't feel like running chances are there are at least two others who will drag us out the door. The hardest part of each run always seems to be laceing up your shoes and stepping out the front door.

Here are Eben, Hailey, Nick and I after a 3 races in less than 24 hours challenge race we did. In the spring I had talked about maybe doing a 1/2 marathon. Eben really wanted to do it too. During the week we kept our regular runs with Nick and Hailey and then had several Saturday mornings of long runs. We learned a lot about distance running, and we made a lot of mistakes, and we had a lot of laughs, and we had a few run until we thought we'd die moments...well not Eben, he's a machine, but one run I thought about crawling home.

So... last weekend Eben and I ran our 1st Half Marathon. It was a lot of fun and God gave us the perfect weather day for it. The course was beautiful, and the atmosphere was so encouraging. Eben is much faster than I am, but he ran the first mile with me. It was great to have him to talk to and laugh with. Once we hit the first bridge, he was gone and I didn't see him again until the finish. He did great finishing at 1: 56. I was hoping to finish under 2:10 based on a previous 15 K time I had, and was really excited when I hit mile 11 to see I could perhaps finish under 2:05. Our eldest son Nick always does my playlist on my ipod for race days, and just at the moment I was contemplating if I was going to just finish or try for a better time the song "Go Hard or Go Home" came one. perfect timing :o) I finished at 2:04.56 HA just barely. The best part though was hearing a voice cheering me on at the finish I didn't expect..my sweet Mom woke up at 3:15 a.m. to drive the 2.5 hours to watch us race. It was such a blessing and an encouragement to us!I am really thankful for a family that encourages me so, and who is crazy too!Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1~

2011-09-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

We pretty much have China on our mind all the time lately.We received our I800 approval last week and our NVC letter yesterday. Our agency rep delivered our packet to the US Embassy in Guangzhou today!!. We hope to have our Article 5 in mid October (The Embassy is closed the first week of October) and then we will wait for our Travel Approval. I don't even know what language I am speaking anymore. HA! What I do know is we are another step closer. Thank you Jesus. We would love to travel in November, but it looks like it will be December. We are so excited!

Our lunch today and our current read aloud.

Eben helped me make lunch. He loves Chinese food. Eben and Joel's first meal in America was Chinese food with Jim in NYC.

I was so tickled tonight..we walked up to the park and he had brought his "Samuel" with him. So sweet. I hope he is as enamored with him when he comes home. The latest measurements we have put Ben-Ben and Samuel at the same exact size (Ben-Ben is 2 and Samuel is 5)Thanks for following along with us on this blessed journey!~

Psalm 24:1-2~

2011-09-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Psalm 24:1-2~Jim blessed the older three girls and I (plus Katie's lifelong friend) at with an overnight trip away. We had so much fun playing in the ocean and the pool and the hot tub. We really suffered. HA! Seriously, it was such a blessing to get some time with these awesome young ladies. We played, window shopped, ate, watched movies, and played some more. They are really amazing young ladies who have such loving and pure hearts. God has created them each with unique and wonderful gifts and it is exciting to hear how He is planting desires in their hearts that will give Him glory.

I went for an early morning run on the first day of fall and God gave such a beautiful sunrise. At first it looked like the clouds were going to prevent a view of the sunrise, but as I ran along the sun broke through. It looked like a heart for the longest time. For God so loved the world that He went through the biggest storm imaginable..death and separation from the Father, and then He broke through it all. Sin, death, clouds, despair. He is so good to us.

Thankful.

Sa-WEET!

2011-09-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

We had a little Immigration update this week. Did I mention last time that Immigration could not locate our paperwork even though Fed Ex delivered it to the LockBox in Houston? I didn't because just typing that out gave me heart palpitations. This week they know where it is, thank you Lord, and the officer said late next week she should be sending us an approval. I love her. Much happier news..and I can stop my "Houston we have a problem..." freak out moments to Jim. Oh, and we were able to send our sweet boy in China a care package and a cake!!! Is he not the sweetest thing!!!??!!! We used http://www.ladybugsnlove.com/ and were very happy.

I love this picture. I do this all the time. Not really, but haven't you wanted to?

Sweet, sweet, sweet!

2011-09-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

AACk-Blogger is not letting my paragraphs stay. My apologies to your eyeballs. I hate that. It's been like forever. We had such a great summer. A lot of fun times and great memories were made. We spent many days at the beach just playing in the surf and the sand. The BEST part of the summer was spending time with family. We were so blessed to have so many of our family come and visit. We love and miss them all so very much. So many days I wonder why we don't all live together instead of spread out across the country. We just finished our third week of homeschooling already! We have had a great time. We always get asked what curriculum we use. We use a mix of curriculum. The hands down favorites this year thus far are Notgrass American History and the Apologia Science books. We also are really liking the "Jump In" writing program by Apologia. We were beyond thrilled to receive our LOA from China on August 18th. We filed our I800 and sent away for our visas to go to China. We have our visas back, but are still looking for any info from immigration. Patience, patience, patience. Yesterday after school we took a little trip exploring some history sites and walking some nature trails.

There are two not seen here. I haven't lost anyone at the grocery store, I promise. Nathanael's blue shirt can be seen behind Noah and Nick was doing ACT prep.

Wondering how many loaves of bread this oven can hold..Is our Immigration approval in there?

This hut was so cool. Is our Immigration approval lurking in there? I am not obsessing. At. All.

Is she looking out imagining what life must have been like for Early Americans coming ashore....OR wondering how long it would take her to swim to the mall from here. HA!

I love the look on Ben-Ben's face here. He is like "She forgot the Ergo (backpack)!!!???!! Amateur. " This trail was a mile long. They had signs along the way helping to identify vegetation and wildlife. It was all good until we reached one that warned of lurking rattlesnakes. I then had 4 small children and one 9 year old who wanted me to carry them the last 1/4 mile. They dug deep and pulled through just like the Von Trapp children did while crossing the mountains...kind of. Kidding. They did really great. My favorite little people.

SO thankful for fun days with them.

Matthew 19:14~

2011-07-16T19:27:00.001-07:00

I love, love, love spending each and every day with my Littles. They teach me so much about love and faith.

Tonight as I was getting them ready for bed they started asking me questions about Jesus.

Em: "Can Jesus see us and hear us right now? Does He always see us? Did He see me when I snuck and took Philip's lollipop without permission?"

Noey: "Yes, He always sees us and loves us even when we are naughty. He always gives (forgives) us too."

Precious moments and precious truths from sweet tender hearted children. I think too many times we as adults can become a little hard hearted and cynical and we forget how much Jesus loves us and how comforting it is that He sees our every move. He is always there to protect us sometimes even from ourselves. Through His Son Jesus He is always ready to give us (forgive us)..

How radically our lives are transformed when we walk in that truth.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14~

Nerds Gotta Have Fun~

2011-07-15T20:03:00.001-07:00

Today I was so blessed to have a "Girl's Day Out" with our 4 girls. They are so fun and so funny. We laughed so hard and just enjoyed each other so.

We jokingly always refer to ourselves as nerds. It's just an inside family joke -well, that's kind of true. HA! We love books, and Jane Austen, and maps, and tape measures. Seriously, our daughter Lily was so thrilled to find an orange rhinestone tape measure at the World Market. It is so her in each and every way.

We headed to Plato's Closet. Do Y'all have one of these? Such a great second hand store for younger people.

The shoes were incredible. So many and organized by color. Oh happiness!

We had so much fun laughing at the goofy shirts.

We thought this was hilarious.

This was our favorite. HA! Too funny.
We did have some really cute finds. Don't worry cousin Hopie we didn't succumb to too much tackiness. Haily even found a really CUTE JCrew dress.

Look she's got the whole world in her hands. We loved this map so much at the World Market that we bought it.

Em is the World's Best 4 year old shopper. Six hours and she never tires. Just happy to bop along and try on the bling.

We ended the day with Letters to Juliet.

So thankful to God for a wonderful day!

2011-07-13T19:23:00.001-07:00

Noah Moment..

He and Em are always picking flowers and putting them in jelly jars of water for me. They are so sweet!

Yesterday I was sitting with these two as they had their lunch. Everyone else had either eaten or were off doing something.

I notice Noah taking a drink of water and a pile of flowers next to his cup (They also drink out of jelly jars. We are classy like that.)

I said, "Noah! Is that the water the flowers were in?" He says, "Yep." I say, "You can't do that, it's dirty.." blah, blah, blah-you know typical overprotective Mama Drama

He looks at me nonplussed and continues eating...

Then-

Noah: Oh GREAT, now all of the bees will be after me trying to make honey out of me. "

I laughed and laughed. He is SO funny. I love this age and seeing how there minds work out things. Such a blessing!

2011-07-09T19:30:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess I left with the inmates running the asylum. ;o)

We were off on a wonderful vacation for a few days. It was so much fun.

Take a guess at whose the leader of these guys. HA! Noah is such a trip. He used to be so afraid to swim and this year he is doing flips into the pool.

I was thinking a lot about Samuel and what he likes and dislikes. I can't wait until he comes home and to have him be a part of our family.

We had a really blessed 4th of July too!

Friends~

Food~

Fireworks~

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Donny and Marie 2.0

2011-06-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

The other night Noah and Em were jamming on the Karaoke Machine..while standing on the coffee table. Our 15 year old daughter walked in the room and stood there in shock.."Mama. You are letting them dance on the table? And you are taking pictures? You never would have let Nick and I do this."

We looked at each other and cracked up. Because seriously, I wouldn't have.

I like to think parenting children spanning a range of 16 years has given me a better perspective of what really matters, but maybe the inmates are running the asylum..Who knows? I do know these two crack me up.

She's a little bit country..

And he's a little bit rock and roll.

A good performer always leaves the stage with flair.

I really think this is how Donny and Marie got their start...or maybe not.

Happy Father's Day!~

2011-06-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's day to two of the most important men in my life.

Thank you Dad for all you have done for me. Thank you for caring for and loving me. Thank you for teaching me and guiding me even during times when I was unteachable and stubborn. Thank you for giving me the happiest of childhoods. I love you more than words can say!

Thank you Jim for being the most wonderful Daddy to our sweet children. Thank you for living the Christ walk daily before them. Thank you for imparting the Word on the hearts and thank you for constantly lifting them in prayer. Thank you for teaching them what they need to know and thank you for gently pushing them to be more than they think they can be. Thank you for teaching them (and me) not to take ourselves too seriously and thank you for always filling our dinner table with laughter. Thank you for loving us fiercely and thank you for working hard to provide for us. Thank you for letting me snap pictures as you try and herd us out the door for church. Thank you for all that you do.

I am pretty much crazy about you. :o)

We saw this today at church and the kids and I laughed until we cried. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there who are living the "Dad Life".

DTC!

2011-06-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our dossier went to China!!!

Praise the Lord for He truly made it happen. We are so happy to be one step closer to bringing home this darling boy.

F is for Friday~

2011-06-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Friday was National Flip Flop Day. We love our flip-flops. We love celebrating. Each year in honor of this great day Tropical Smoothie offers FREE smoothies to patrons wearing flip flops.

2011-06-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

When I was downloading some pics onto the computer I found this one. It made me laugh. Apparently, when Mama is out Daddy is of the "Glasses are optional philosophy."
HA!

On a side note-the So Delicious Coconut Ice Cream is very good if you are eating dairy free and or gluten free. The ice cream bars are great too, but do contain gluten.

Have a blessed Wednesday!~

Proverbs 27:17~

2011-06-14T18:39:00.001-07:00

One of the greatest blessings Jesus gives us in this life is friends. Friends to share the journey, to encourage, and to bear one another's burdens. We are truly rich in friends.

Today we had an end of the school year day with some of our amazing friends. Many of our children have known each other since the day they were born. We started this homeschool journey together with 3 children each (We each had a five year old, three year old, and a one year old at the time)..Today we have 22 children between the 3 of us. Our children range from sixteen years down to two. They love each other faithfully and fiercely. It is such a blessing to see how God is working in each of their lives. I thank God that He has blessed my children in this way.

I am so blessed to have such dear friends. Friends who love my children and who love me warts and all. Friends who have stood in the gap for me and friends who have prayed for me. Friends who never cease to amaze me with their love.

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27: 17

2011-06-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Once I became a parent I quickly realized how amazing my parents truly are.

Now teaching our eldest to drive I am realizing my parents are not only amazing, but are rock stars. I was a horrible driving student.. They were sssooo patient. My Mom spending long hours out in the cold acting like a pole so I could learn to parallel park. My Dad calmly sipping coffee and coaching gently (Except that one time I made at right turn at 45 mph without breaking. HA!) He would also say Terra Firma at the end of each lesson and kiss the ground. :o)

Our eldest son is really a good student and an aware driver. Still I find myself clutching the dashboard and sing songing the phrase "You are a little too far to the right.." repeatedly. And praying. A lot.

He is doing most of his driving on Clifford the 15 passenger van. My parents had big station wagons and said if we could learn to drive them we could drive anything. Little did they know one day my "ride" would be so big.

Thanks Mom and Dad for all you have done.

And please Jesus..take the wheel.

2011-06-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

Having fun with his new toy :o)

2011-06-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers! We received our approval from USCIS today. Thank you Jesus! It's making it's way to the capital and then to the Chinese Consulate and will hopefully be at our agency soon so our dossier can go to China!

2011-06-08T14:05:00.001-07:00

Happy 5th Birthday sweet boy!!! We love you and can't wait to bring you home!

Missing Piece~

2011-06-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

Small adoption update. We are hanging out and waiting for our Immigration approval and then our dossier can go to China. We have been waiting for over 50 days and we hope and pray an officer will look at our file this week and approve us.

Everything else for our dossier is signed, notarized, certified, and authenticated.

We are anxious to have this missing piece, so we can journey on to the next step.

2011-06-04T19:26:00.001-07:00

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Helen Keller

How to lose your training wheels~

2011-06-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

1. Find a grassy hill and practice getting your balance.

2. Once you have your balance practice pedaling down the hill while saying "You're killing me Mama!" HA!

3. Once pedaling and balancing are mastered take it to the road and take off while saying, "This is the BEST thing ever!"

4. Ask for a celebratory picture with your Mama.

5. Show off your agility on the rings. Then inform the family that you would now like to go by the name "Spider Monkey."

Still Here~

2011-06-02T17:25:00.001-07:00

The end of the school year is always a hoppin' busy time!

It's amazing how time flies!

We have celebrated 3 birthdays!

Learned how to once again run in the 90 degree heat..

Our son's team won their Bible World Series..

Had some wonderful time with our cousins..They have been doing this "trick" for over 5 years :o)

Maybe if we chain ourselves together we will never have to say good-bye.

We had a nice trip away together..

An have enjoyed various choir events our children were in. Our sweet little lobster also earned his green belt in TKD :o)

We are excited to be flying into summer!

1John 2:10~

2011-05-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 1John 2:10

2011-05-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Nick and Katie were invited by good friends of ours to a Pride and Prejudice Regency Ball. The attendees don't go as dates. The dancing is the English Country Line style dancing? Many of the parents attend too. Jim was preaching out of town, so Nick and Kate went with our friends.

Katie was so excited. We LOVE the P&P movies. Nick was rather unexcited as he is more into playing ball than he is attending one. We have had so much fun ribbing him about the whole thing. He said he was going as a bodyguard only LOL I told him he must dance every dance so as not to blow his cover. . I love boys. He really is a great sport and has had fun giving us a hard time too.

They BOTH ended up having a great time.

2Peas in a Pod~

2011-04-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

(Picture by Em our Sweet Pea)

2011-04-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

1Peter 1:3-4~

2011-04-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

We had a blessed day celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. It's such a miracle and a joy to know Him and worship Him, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is so good and so gracious to us.

We had an amazing time of worship and praise at church and then had some family and friends over for a casual lunch a a fierce game of kickball.

My brother Tony and his wife Alexis were with us for the weekend and they were so much fun, and we laughed so much (Mostly at my brother....kidding. Sort of. Ha!)

I hope your Easter was filled with worship, love, and laughter.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,

Q&A~

2011-04-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some answers to questions I have had. I hope Y'all are having a BLESSED day!

Jennifer asked-

Were your older children as adventurous as your little ones? I'm enjoying the photos of them in action.

Our older children were just as adventuresome. Our eldest Nick, broke the mold on adventuresome, and they all have followed suit. Noah is our most cautious child. There for a while he would "Die Factor" everything wanting to know if he could die from any activity..even truly harmless things. He seems to have outgrown that, and is now a jumping, climbing, skateboarding boy just like the rest of the children.

Grateful for Grace asked-

Q: why do you have to have a blood test?

China has a very specific medical exam form for adoptive parents. They require adoptive parents to be tested for HIV, Hep B, and want info on blood counts and liver enzyme levels.

Grateful for Grace asked

Are you kidding? I thought I remembered you saying your boys know how to get every ounce of meat off a chicken bone.

YES! Eben and Joel would actually eat the bones themselves when they came home. It's very common in West Africa. In their early days home meat=security to them and they were so tiny and needed to grow, so we let them eat meat as they willed (even though we had eaten vegetarian for years). We never thought they would give up their meat, but last May they decided to go veggie and haven't looked back.

(Joel enjoying a lettuce wrap from a knock off PF Chang's recipe)

Kathy C asked

Is it hard for him being on a different diet than the others?

It is a little bit. We have been able to find GF/CF treats for him for specail occasions, and he is a very adventuresome eater. Our son Eben (Our wonderful son who loves to cook) has come up with some really good recipes using rice flour and that has really helped.

Anna said-

We also have one son who has been on this diet about 6 weeks too! Do you tend to cook 2 meals or same for everyone? We're trying to find a balance...

We tend to cook related meals. If we are having pizza he will have a veggie filled pizza with no cheese on a rice flour crust. If we are having beans and rice he will have avocados instead of cheeses. We have found rice pasta to use in pasta dishes, and potatoes are a favorite of his.

How is your son doing? We have seen some really positive benefits.

Anonymous asked

What do you think about adopting boys older than young pre-verbal girls already in the home? I have been told it is too risky, but I wondered what you thought, would you mind sharing?

It is something that must be taken very seriously with young children of both sexes and all ages. Prayer and counsel from your Social Worker and Adoption Agency are very crucial as well as some precautions. There was a great discussion on this topic here It is best to be fully aware and well read on all scenarios.

Laurel said

-Wow! Your big kids really are runners. That's awesome. My kids all love to run, but I don't know how and when to get them started doing 5k's. Would love some tips. :)

Two years ago we did the Couch to 5K plan together. Now we like to follow Hal Higdon's Training Plans. We have a lot of fun running together. Our older 7 have all done 5K's and Hailey and Joel did an 8K with me in February. Last week Eben ran 7 miles "with me" and beat me soundly by a good 7 minutes. He said he wasn't even really that winded. I love running with our kids. They are so much fun and encourage their old Mama so much to do more than I think I can.

We are vegetarians..

2011-04-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

but we won't be without a ham this Easter...

Oh, we love this boy so much!

2011-04-18T18:27:00.001-07:00

Our son Johnny has been on the Gluten Free Cassein Free diet for about 6 weeks now. He is doing really well on it. Last night as I was fixing his plate he looked at me and said, "This is why every one should have a Mama.." It was such an unexpected statement and it brought me to tears of gratitude that I can fix a plate of food for my sweet boy. He is such a blessing to me and I am so thankful God has allowed me to be his Mama.

My next thought was of this little boy.. Oh, he needs a Mama so badly. He needs a Daddy and a family. His time is quickly running out. PLEASE pray mountains will be moved and that he will have his miracle. Pray that a sweet Mama will have the blessing of fixing him a plate of food, the opportunity to tell him he is the best boy ever, and the honor of singing him good-night songs.

Perhaps you are Vanya's miracle. Please go to the Link and read about him and look at his precious face.

2011-04-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

We have had such a blessed week. Jim's sister and her husband and their three adorable children were here. We had so much fun. Beach day, park day, pool/water park day, fun times, beach day, and today was a pirate and princess party.

Happy times with family. It doesn't get much better than this.

Proverbs 17:22~

2011-04-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

Our dear sweet girl. She is such a blessing to me and such a joy. She always makes me laugh and is a great helper. She is wonderful with the little ones and is an expert baker and the resident seamstress.

Last week was of course, April Fool's Day. In past years I have had so much fun playing tricks on the children. This year I was pretty immersed in adoption paperwork and it really just flew under my radar much to the kiddies disappointment.

Our Sweet Girl however, pulled off the April Fool's Day trick that will go down in our family history as the one to beat. We woke up on April 1st and found she had stealthily sewed one of her brothers to his sheet. Oh, my! It was so funny. And we all had a good laugh over it (Including Nathanael the victim who was chosen because he sleeps like a rock).

So thankful, for the joy and laughter the children give to us.

A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22~

A Wordless Wednesday~

2011-04-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Thank You!

2011-04-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you ALL so much for your sweet thoughts and prayers!

Here is our Little Guy's hand. Isn't it so sweet? I am not sure when I will be able to share pics online, but trust me he is just adorable. This must be the *thing to do* with Chinese children. I have seen so many pictures on the Lists of children from itty bitty toddlers to teens doing the "Victory Sign" (I read that's what it was). It makes me smile.

I thought I would try and answer some of the questions we are being asked.

Our Little Guy is a "Waiting Child" in China which means he has a special need. There are so many waiting children in China. Their special needs range from missing limbs to more serious conditions to just being an older child. They are all beautiful and in need of families.

China may issue a waiver for larger families adopting children with special needs. We had to submit financial information and pictures of our home and family as well as a care plan to see if we could be accepted into their program. We are so thankful for this opportunity.

Our Little Guy has a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. He was very ill and they performed open heart surgery on him in China. He has recovered nicely and is doing really well.

We have a wonderful Pediatric Cardiology Group here who has treated both our Noah and our Benjamin. One of the Dr.'s has even adopted a little girl from Ethiopia.

Yes, it is a another boy! LOL! We really do love girls and boys. All of our adoptions we have gone into without a gender preference, as we have both girls and boys. The Lord keeps blessing us with sons, which is wonderful. There are so many boys of all ages on China's Waiting Child Lists.

Our children are all so very excited. When we told our oldest two children about what we were considering they both were so enthusiastic. They couldn't wait to share with their friends and are just chomping at the bit to post his pic on Facebook. The other children are so happy too. Eben and Joel are experiencing for the first time this side of adoption. The day I had to get my blood work done Eben came to me and asked if I had to do that for his and Joel's adoption too. He could hardly stand the thought of us having to give blood (He really hates needles). I assured them it didn't hurt and we were happy to do it. Our little guys are so excited to add another little one to the little kid club. They all have so much fun together. Such sweet children we have.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

2Corinthians 4:18~

2011-04-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

The journey of 7,600 miles (or so) begins with one step..

We are making the leap..

We are taking the plunge...

We are diving in..

And giving it all we have..

We are taking a leap of faith..

Knowing that Jesus will be with us..through it all..

As we go the distance........ to bring our newest son home from China!!!!!!!!!!

On March 22, we received Pre-Approval from the People's Republic of China to prepare our dossier for a sweet little 4 year old boy on the waiting child list.

Please pray for us and for our sweet little guy.

We are all so very excited to have this little one in our family! We serve an AWESOME GOD!

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2Corinthians 4:18~

2011-04-01T20:11:00.001-07:00

The other night we were cleaning up from dinner when I asked the older kids to put on a Wiggles song for the little ones to dance to. Nick and Eben both balked and assured me that they had something they would like much better....

and they put on the Newsboys. Great hilarity and funky dance moves abounded. Too fun!

2011-03-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

The "Little Kiddies" were playing and suddenly they all came rushing to me tripping over their words. Through the jumble I deciphered that our little Em had "Said a bad word".

She stood there with a great big frown and two huge tears rolled down her little face. She said, "I didn't know it was a bad word." I told her why we didn't say the word that way and just told her she would need to remember not to say it again.

She looked at me and said, "But are you going to tell Daddy?" I told her that Mamas and Daddies don't keep things from each other , but that he would understand it was an accident.

Throughout the next hour she alternated playing and coming to me and asking me to please not tell Daddy. I would assure her that it would be fine, but she just couldn't bear the thought of her Daddy not being happy with her. It was tearing her up.

Now she knew that she had nothing to fear from her Daddy. He loves her to pieces and just has to correct her with a look and she melts.

Finally, I told her we needed to just call Daddy on the phone and tell him. We did, and I watched as she told her Daddy and then saw her nod her head and smile. She handed me the phone and skipped off to play. She was free , she was happy.

They say confession is good for the soul, and that day she showed me a visual picture of what my relationship with my Heavenly Father should be. I should so desire to please Him that just the thought of disappointing Him should grieve me deeply. I should immediately go and confess my sin..His Word tells us.. 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He wants us to come to Him not so that He can punish us, but so He can give us grace and forgiveness, and that we may be free.

Here is a pic from last spring of Em looking at her Daddy.

2011-03-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Busy Days. Good Days. Getting a lot done. Having a lot of fun. Enjoying each other.

Our Sweet Girl Lily Anne turns 11 tomorrow! So hard to believe! Words can't describe this girls heart. She is so kind and loving. She has the gift of administration and is always organizing us. She's a math whiz and the kids lovingly call her the "calculator". She has heart of gold and is a blessing through and through.

2011-03-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
—1 Peter 1:8

Literal.

2011-03-24T18:39:00.001-07:00

She asked me if she could use the broom to sweep the "Little House".. "Sure.." I said, thinking what a sweet little thing for a little girl to do..

I turned around and found that she had taken housekeeping

to a whole new level... :o)

2011-03-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

On Monday as we were doing our run on the trail I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A long slithering black something. Oh yes, second day of spring and it's time for the snakes to come out. They are always there of course, but they know when it is time to make their appearance.

Satan, the serpent, who is always there, knows now is the time to make his appearance.

He is showing himself strongly in the adoption world right now.

We entered the world of international adoption in 2003. Over the past few years there has been an awakening of families seeing that God's heart is for the orphan. People are realizing that it is not enough to say they are pro-life with their words, but they need to live pro-life with their lives. It has been amazing and awesome to see the fatherless placed into families. It has been a blessing to see the passion and the hearts of so many stirred to an area that the Bible clearly tells us is close to God's heart.

Satan hates adoption. Satan hates children. He likes nothing more than to see them destroyed either in the womb, or to see their lives ruined.

There are so many who are struggling now to bring their children home. There are so many children across this globe in need of families. I believe 100% that adoptions should be pure and ethical. It sickens me to hear of those abusing children in poverty for monetary gain. That is of the enemy.

The enemy would like nothing more than for us to quit or walk away from adoption. That is not what God tells us to do. Jesus told his disciples that following Him would cost them. Right now families in process are paying the price. The emotional price of not knowing, fearing, longing, and the long suffering of the wait and the unknown.

Jesus is in the midst of it all. He asks us to simply stand and He will fight the fight for us. He asks us to pray and call out to Him and He delights in answering our prayers. He asks us to bear one another's burdens and heart aches. We must band together and lift each other up during these days. If you know of a need share it and pray without ceasing.

Jesus loves each of these little ones so much that He went to the cross with them on His mind and in His heart. He has a plan for them, and He has a plan for us. Stand, pray, and reach out and we will see that great things He is doing.

2011-03-23T11:30:00.001-07:00

I keep telling him his middle name is Mark..

He keeps showing me his middle name is "Danger" :o)

And his Native American name is

"IGiveMamaLottaGrayHair"

This Family's Story-

2011-03-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

Last week, as we sat in the courtroom and suffered through five agonizing hours of difficult questioning, we were not prepared for anything but an approval of our case. Two doctors, two social workers, and the Minister of Children’s Services all made very strong statements on our behalf. They fought for us. Hard.

But when the ruling was read, the judge said, “Your application to adopt is rejected.” The basis given was that Kirill was “not socially adaptable” due to his “medical condition” and he was better off in an institution than in a home with a family. We were told we could adopt another child, and the judge would approve it, but not this child. Why? The only reason? Because he has Down Syndrome.

Read more HERE

And Pray for them and for Kirill. The battle is not over. His life is precious. He matters to God. He was not created to live in an institution, but in a family.

2011-03-21T18:08:00.001-07:00

Early yesterday morning while we were getting ready for church the power went out at our home. Funny how these things always seem to crop up on Sunday mornings.

We embraced our inner pilgrims and gave the children..

battery powered candles. HA!

And flashlights. I love boys life=adventure.

Eben brought me his head lamp so I could get the Littles ready with a hands free light. :o) So FUN!

Thankfully, the sun came up so we could get our make-up on. Evidently, our inner pilgrims are pretty high maintenance.

Pray.

2011-03-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Please pray for this sweet little girl. Her family rushed her to the hospital as soon as their plane landed in the US.

She needs a touch from Jesus.

Three years old and 11 pounds..heart wrenching.

Here is an update

Lord, forgive me for all the times I have been indifferent to those suffering in this world.

2 Years Ago Today~

2011-03-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our Sweet Little Fella was born!~

Oh, what a happy day!

We love this sweet boy so much!

He was so cute.."Hmmm...what is this all about.."

He is so BIG now and has brought us BIG fun. We are going to have his party next week. So, tonight we celebrated with muffins.

Such a precious blessing! Thank you Jesus for our Little Ben-Ben.

2011-03-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

These are two great Blog posts you will want to read..

My friend Erica's husband wrote about his view of adoption

And

Anita has posted a letter from Dr. Jane Aronson on what is happening in Ethiopian Adoptions..

2011-03-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

This week every time I turn around someone is wearing these glasses (they have no lenses). The Littles are enjoying playing dress up with them.

They look so cute.

Five of the children had their annual eye check ups this week. I am so glad they did. Apparently, even with his glasses Noah can't see out of his left eye. He has another stronger prescription and then a recheck. I feel so badly, I had no idea. He is doing so well in his schooling, and he must be working his right eye overtime.

We saw a new Dr. He was really nice. He had immigrated form Kenya and loved talking with our Ethiopian sons.

He also confirmed with me that our John-John's left eye does wander and he will be getting glasses too. I had mentioned it several times to our other Dr. but he kept telling me it was an optical illusion due to the way his eyelid is shaped.

Not a very exciting update, but it's what is happening here.

Move over Vanna White :o)

2011-03-10T19:37:00.001-08:00

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Helen Keller

Matthew 21:16~

2011-03-10T05:42:00.000-08:00

The 4 and 5 year old Choir sang in church last night. Noah was so excited. He loves to sing in church.

The first two years after he came home he would cry and bury his face in my neck whenever anyone outside of our family would talk to him. He was so shy and scared.

Now he can get up and sing in front of 200 people and he loves it. God has made him so strong. It's so wonderful to see how God works in the lives of our children. he is so good and faithful!

I love, love, love this boy!

He also rocked him math test yesterday :o). Great day for our Noah!

"And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" Matthew 21:16~

2011-03-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

"A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." ~ W. Shedd

Ethiopia

2011-03-08T13:04:00.000-08:00

Many are now aware of the statement made by MOWA that Ethiopia will be cutting down on adoptions by 90%.

We absolutely 100% believe in ethical adoptions. However, this action has the potential to leave children orphaned instead of being adopted into loving families. This is heartbreaking and we feel an over reaction on the part of the Ethiopian Government.

If you have adopted from Ethiopia JCIS wants to hear from you! Please go here and read how you can help-

EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN FOR ETHIOPIA

If you would like to sign a petition to help please go here

PETITION

and here is where we need to fight the battle daily...

ON OUR KNEES

2011-03-07T19:09:00.001-08:00

Some days....It takes a village..to get out the door on time. :o)

Happy Monday!~

Parkin' It~

2011-03-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me the other day where I have been. Where have I been? LOL! I can't really figure out *how* the days are going by so fast. Having teens and tots is so much fun. I do think the teens and their activities equal 2 tots a piece. HA! It's all good though. They are involved in some really good things with some really great people and it is fun to watch them spread their wings.

I have often thought I should just commit to posting a pic or thought a day to record our days. So many moments I don't want to forget. Maybe posting I will do it will make me accountable. :o)

We had a great morning at the park. The older 6 got in a long run on the trail while I played with the Littles at the playground.

Some of the runners. They had an 8K last weekend and are doing a 5K tnext weekend.

Our Philip is growing up so fast right now. He's an amazing kid!

Sweet John-John always smiling.

The dynamic duo. Em ended up in our bed last night crying from what I though was a bad dream. It turned out she just wanted her Noah.

Crazy- how big Ben-Ben is! He was so perturbed the olders weren't there. He just sat on the bench and kept saying their names looking for them. He loves his people.

After they came back he was so happy and got down to play. So funny!

As we were leaving the park a boy looked at his dad and said, "Wow. That is one big family." His Dad looked embarrassed but,our 16 year old and I looked at each other and laughed.

It made me think of this quote-
“Do you have a million dollars, Daddy?” Billy asked.

“No,” said Dad a little ruefully. “I have a million children, instead. Somewhere along the line, a man has to choose between the two.” from Cheaper by the Dozen

Zephaniah 3:17~

2011-02-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

I have loved seeing how everyone celebrated Valentine's Day! So fun to take a day and tell those we love how much we love them. We can do that anytime, of course, but I think it's fun to take a day and really say it. Too often we just put it off.

After schooling and lunch I told the kiddies to put on their shoes so we could go on a drive..

To Krispy Kreme! Sweets for our Sweeties.

And hats. You can't eat KK's without the hats :o) Then we headed to the park. It was such a pretty day.

John-John reminding us how Jesus is the ultimate example of love.
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

There is simply no greater love than that!

We had homemade pizzas and fruit salad for dinner by candle light after Jim fixed the dryer. Poor Jim got home and walked through the door and into the laundry room and noticed that our dryer wasn't working correctly. In our family that is an emergency. I can't imagine what would happen if we didn't do laundry for a day. So thankful for Jim for so many things, and so thankful he has dryer fixing skillz ;o) Romance at it's finest.

We each had a jar and each member of the family wrote what they loved about each person and put it in their jar. This was so fun.

We laughed so hard at some of the responses.

And had some aww moments.

I am so thankful that I am their Mama.

And that he still calls me Valentine.

2011-01-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

I was folding laundry yesterday and could hear these too talking outside the door..

Emma: "Noah, you are my pal."

Noah: "No, I'm not Emma... I'm your friend and pal."

Emma: "Is it because I have super powers?"

Noah: "Uh-Yeah."

They crack me up.

2011-01-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown

A Wedding!~

2011-01-04T15:06:00.001-08:00

We were out of town last week for my older brother's wedding. It was a beautiful and precious time for our family. My new Sister in Law is a firefighter and arrived to the ceremony via firetruck with lights flashing. She insisted the children ride with her too. FUN!

What a blessing to have such an amazing new sister in our family.

2010-12-27T19:04:00.001-08:00

" One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving"
— Amy Carmichael

Merry Christmas!~

2010-12-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight I can't help but wonder about the night of that first Christmas. So many men, women, and children gathering in their hometowns to take part of the Census. I wonder if it was like a reunion with celebrations of family and friends who hadn't seen each other in some time. Were they laughing and having fun and making merry while not knowing the Christ Child was being born in their town? Where were Mary and Joseph's family? Did they not wonder as to their where abouts? or were they scorned because of her pregnancy? So many things we don't know....

It would be so easy for us too to miss Jesus this Christmas. There are so many things vying for our attention, Good things and happy things..good times and happy times.. but if Jesus is not at the center and the One we adore it is all for nothing. We could miss the whole thing.

We could miss Jesus the One who left heaven and came not as He deserved, but in love and humility to show us how we are to live and to love. He came to make a bridge for us..a way to the Father that would be impossible without His precious blood.

I pray that you will all know and bask in the grace and love of Jesus. It is the most perfect gift ever given.

2010-12-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

Three years ago today I made this POST with this picture...

Our son Eben and the children at Eban House making preparations for their Christmas Dinner.. Such precious children who, Praise Jesus, all have homes and families.

I love that around the world and throughout time food (although quite varied) is a part of the preparation of celebrations.

Eben is our resident chef. He loves to be in the kitchen and loves cooking. I tell him one day when he opens his restaurant I will work in the back and wash his dishes for free.

Today we were working together making different sweets. We were laughing so hard as he does everything perfectly and my creations look like a two year old made them. He just shakes his head and laughs at his silly Mama.

Tonight there are millions of children around the world wanting nothing more than to be part of a family. They want nothing more to be loved for who they are.

THIS CASE is very urgent.. Time is literally running out for this boy. Please pray he will find a family in time. Could it be you?

Are you looking for some GREAT shirts for Christmas? Would you like to help an orphan come home? My friend Erica and her family are working to bringing home their little Princess. Proceeds go to help them bring home their new daughter from Ethiopia.GO HERE for some really cute shirts with great messages. I have a few of these and my eldest daughter and I are always taking them from each other. We love them!

Song of Solomon 6:3~

2010-12-21T05:22:00.000-08:00

Nineteen years ago today I married my best friend! Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband. I thank God every day that he gave me Jim to share this wonderful life with.

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: Song of Solomon 6:3~

4 Years Ago Today..

2010-12-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

God brought a little pink bundle into our home...

And he was smitten..

She is still pink..

And he's still smitten.

We all are so in love with our Sweet Pea. She is the icing on our cake and the belle of our ball. We are so blessed!!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2010-12-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a beautiful Lord's Day. We are so blessed with a wonderful church.
This morning our Adult Special Education Sunday School Class started off our worship with two songs. It was so beautiful that I can't even begin to describe it. Perfect praise.

The following song was done by our choir and orchestra. I have never heard it before this year. I love it and the truth that it conveys..

I hope you had a blessed Sunday!

Getting a Little Sugar~

2010-12-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

Look who just made the naughty list..HA!

Kidding! We don't even have a naughty list..and with a face like that? Well, he wouldn't be on it for very long. I think he's repentant ;o)

Sometimes I wonder what point in my parenting was it that I lost my mind and started grabbing a camera to capture these things.

Love our Little Fella.

2010-12-17T17:09:00.001-08:00

Jim and I both came down with a yucky respiratory thing this week. I really wasn't feeling up to making our sugar cookies this week as planned. The older children insisted they do it for the Littles and they made several dozen from scratch. I was so impressed and so thankful. We had such a fun time decorating cookies and watching Charlie Brown's Christmas.

The part where Linus tells Charlie Brown about the real meaning of Christmas always gets me. Then Eben (our resident neat freak germaphobe) carrying on about the grossness of PigPen was cracking me up. Family is just the best :o)

I hope your days are being filled with sweetness and fun.

Decking, Singing, and Jingling~

2010-12-16T12:35:00.001-08:00

This is such a wonderful time of the year to focus on the wonder of Jesus and the gift He gave us all. We have been having fun decking our halls, singing praises to Him, and "Jingling our Bells" in a charity 5K run.

I am such a boring Blogger these days..I have these great thoughts (Ha! so I think) when I am out or in the middle of the night, but they all go poof when I sit down.

Love this Little Nativity, but I have go hunting Jesus each night as I put it away. I call it the "Wise Men Still Seek Him Hunt". I find Him in the strangest places..hanging out with Spiderman? Reminds me of how the Pharisees were surprised at who Jesus hung around and ministered to.

Sweet Joel decorating the tree!

Waiting for the Christmas Extravaganza to begin!

Sisters!

Four of those children belong to us! I love to see them sing their hearts out to Jesus.

He LOVED singing. He was front and center. Afterward he told me, "Mama, that was so, so fun and I'm not sure but I think I did a pretty good job." Yes, he did!

The singers and the Little Fella who decided he needed to be in the picture. They all did a GREAT job!

We ran the 5K together. It was a lot of fun and very crowded running the streets at night. They had luminarias lit and the houses were decked out with lights. Some fun people ran dressed as elves and Santas. There were a lot of jingle bells on people's shoes and it was a great time. SO proud of our 12 year olds. They ROCK!

2010-12-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

In a Stable

This is such a good word (click above). Be Blessed!

Our Adventure~

2010-12-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed to be given passes to Disney! So I took ten of our kiddies along for an adventure. (Jim, our oldest, and the Little Fella stayed home for a guys weekend-they had a lot of fun too!)..

Here we are on our way. So excited!

Our first stop was my Mom/Mimi's House! We had a great time at the park, on the most hilarious nature walk ever, eating pizza and decorating Mimi's tree.

Playing drums.....

and decorating Mimi's dog :o) HA! Lucy is *so* feeling the Christmas love.

Disney!

We had such an amazing time and stayed well after midnight! What a blessing!

The next day on of my very best friend in the world Robin met us at church with her hubby and 2 kids. They had driven 40 minutess! It was such a gift to walk into a church you had never been in before and see the faces of some of your most favorite people. Thank you Robin, Jack and Boys!

Last, but DEFINITELY not least, we went to wait at the finish line of the Bike Race my Mom was riding in. We had so much fun cheering her in as she completed the 68 MILE ride. 68 miles. Yes, 68 miles! She *is* a Rock Star!

So thankful for such a blessed time and for being blessed with such incredible friends and family. Thank you Jesus!

Vacation Part 2~

2010-12-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

We spent the rest of the week with our fabulous COUSINS!

My dear sweet cousin Deborah and her family have such a gift of hospitality. I believe at all times there were between 25 and 50 people coming and going. The love of Jesus just shines through them all.

We had to laugh one morning as we came across this article helping people not too have too many overnight guests at the Holidays. HA! So glad Deborah uses Hebrews 13:2 as her guide rather than modern magazines. She actually has it stenciled on her kitchen wall.

Oh these two are going to take on the world one day. They are just awesome together. So glad God made them family.

Our Sweet youngest daughters-there is always something yummy cooking at Deborah's House..

And always someone to give you a boost..

Love is spoken..

And iron is sharpened..

Memories are made..

And goals are accomplished..
(I just love that SHE is still standing amidst those boys on the ground)

Creativity blossoms..

(Wee Boy gives great faux haks ;0)

And the peace of God dwells there.

We are so thankful for our sweet family and for the time God gives us together.

2010-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

I suspect one day I will find Buzz and Woody at my door staging a rescue of the toys who reside here. ;O) Until then..it's the stockade for Bitty Baby and Elmo.

Vacation Part 1~

2010-12-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

We just returned form a wonderful 7 day vacation! So fun! We first headed to Atlanta to spend time with Jim's brother Mike and his wife Crystal and her family. They took us to hike Stone Mountain.

Up, up, up we go!

Jim was our trusty photographer and helper of little ones.

Aww honey-you shouldn't have ;o)

This was gross. A gum, gum tree. People over time had stuck their used gum there..EW. So gross.

Much better view!

Me and my climbing buddy :o)

Mike, embracing his inner Ninja before the last climb to the top.

At the top!

The whole gang.

By the time we reached the bottom the Little Fella was plum wore out. Climbing is hard work. :o)

Thanks Mike and Crystal and Rogers Family for an amazing time!

Romans 15:5-6~

2010-11-20T06:00:00.001-08:00

SO proud of our kiddies! They worked really hard and last Saturday earned their Black Belts.

Their testing had several parts (as it does at each belt level). There is sparring, breaking of boards, and their forms. The forms are a series of moves and blocks that are done in a certain order. At this level they have learned many many forms and are expected to do them in perfect sync with one another. They don't do this to music and aren't to look at each other, so to stay together they have to synchronize their breathing. This means they must listen carefully and be aware of one another throughout the whole form.

As exciting as the breaking and sparring are it is watching our children do the forms together that really moves me. When they move together they have to listen to and for each other. They may have to slow down or speed up their movements so they can be in perfect sync..and it is a beautiful thing to see.

This is really what we are to be doing together in our daily walk. Listening to one another. Preferring to one another. Adjusting to one another...traveling this journey toward Home in one accord.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. " Romans 15:5-6~

Rock, Paper, Scissors..

2010-11-10T07:46:00.001-08:00

Too bad we outgrow this way of settling things. ;o)

Trunk or Treat~

2010-11-02T15:00:00.001-07:00

2010-11-01T14:09:00.001-07:00

I love these people. They are so fun and so funny. They make me smile every day. They are also keeping me busy this year. Busier than we have ever been. It's all good though..cause they are all growing up, and it is so fun to see them spreading their wings and using the gifts God gave them for His glory.

However, if they could all just stop for a moment, so I can freeze this time and this moment...AND it would really help if they would all stop out growing their shoes. :o)

Ha!

On another note..what does one do with their Blog feeds with Bloglines shutting down. I know, nothing like waiting until the deadline is past. Thankfully, Bloglines has extended to the 15th for other slacking procrastinaters like me.

2010-09-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

Came upon this scene Sunday Morning as we were getting ready for church. I love how he opened his mouth as he applied her lip gloss. In the background Eben was giving him pointers on how to keep his hand steady. Too sweet!

I watch how they are with their littlest sister and hope and pray they will be wonderful husbands..and I pray she won't be a high maintenance wife. Ha!

2010-09-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Little Fella turned 18 months old on the 18th!

It crazy how fast time is going by.

He is such a sweet, cuddly, and happy guy.
He loves, loves, loves cars. He plays and plays with little toy cars all day long. We recently went away and we forgot to bring his cars. It was pitiful. One morning at breakfast he was pulling the blueberries out of his muffin and saying vroom, vroom.

He is a schedule boy. No matter where we are at 10:30 a.m. he falls asleep. He has fallen asleep in my arms at the pool, at the beach, at the park, etc. So funny.

He loves to play outside. He is an early bird waking at 6 a.m. and when I get him dressed he signs and says "Shoes" and wants to head outside.

He can say almost all of his brother and sisters names. It's too cute.

His siblings have many nicknames for him. They call him Bubba, Get-Get, Gamos, Daceba, Little Fella, and Benji. I have no idea where these nicknames came from..but they each have their own little name for him and he answers to them all.

He likes us all to be together. He gets very upset when someone leaves the house. He likes his Peeps with him.

He is a snuggle bug. He likes to tuck his head up under your neck when you hold him.

He is a blessing and we thank God for him every day.

2010-09-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

He planted the seeds for his beloved pepper plants and faithfully watered and waited for them to grow. The spice he loves and craves is a taste of the home he left behind. Every Friday afternoon he picks the ripened, fiery peppers and then comes in to make the dough. He mixes and kneads the dough until it is smooth and shapes them in to pizza crusts. Pizza..the food of his new home which he loves and craves. He adds the peppers carefully to his pizza and with it the old and the new come together in a spectacular combination. I marvel at how this perfect blend pictures him and the beautiful person he is.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9~

1 Timothy 6:12~

2010-09-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight at TKD the Instructor was determined to help the kids find their "Fighting Face". The face that would show their opponent that they were going to take them down..

Her scary face..Scared?

Scared Yet?

Danger ahead..smoochable cheeks.

O.K.... This really is a mean face for Joel. He is always smiling, so he was working it here.

OOH. Now that *IS* scary. 40 pounds of something fierce wrapped up in one scary little package ;o).

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12~

The Meeting.

2010-09-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

The meeting was called to order..

It appears to be a serious matter...

And plastic shovels are involved...

Suddenly I hear "1, 2, 3 ..It's Showtime!" and they break off on a mission..

A Mission involving what? I giggle and wonder if they are plotting an escape.. or a Coup..Ha, ha.

Nope. "We are banging our shovels to scare away the Mountain Lions, Mama.."

Can you guess what movie they saw over the weekend?

I love them. I love the way they love each other. I love the way they band together and stand together against their imagined opponent...and I pray that they will always be shoulder to shoulder fighting the one the Bible calls the Lion. The one who comes to rob and steal. May they bang the truth of the Gospel all of their days..together.

2010-09-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Our boys doing "Partner Push-Ups" at TKD.. Push-ups are difficult enough, but partner push-ups can really stretch you. Especially when you and your partner are as mismatched in size as these two are. Not only do they have to perform the push-up, but they have to adjust their movements and compensate for their partners strength, or weakness, so they can smack hands at the right time.

It's a lesson we can all learn. Stretching, reaching, preferring others over ourselves..things that we as Believers are commanded to do. We must extend to one another grace. This grace is to permeate all spheres of our lives...family, church, homeschool...

Umm.. Homeschool. In the past several years I have noticed that we as a homeschool community can sometimes lack in giving grace towards our fellow homeschoolers and even to ourselves. Yikes. Did I just say that?

I think that homeschoolers tend to be researchers, readers, and information gatherers. We read articles, books, blogs, and anything we can get our hands on in regards to homeschooling. We attend conferences by homeschooling experts and listen to DVD's. There are some wonderful teachers out there, and some not so wonderful teachers.

A problem we can run in to is we get all of these "voices" in our heads whispering to us what a good homeschool should be. Many times the experts give advice on everything from nutrition to finances. It isn't long before we have shaped into our minds a picture of what we as a homeschool families are supposed to be like.

I have had two homeschooling women in the past two weeks apologize to me for..

1. Buying store bought bread

and

2. Using a textbook curriculum

You would have seriously thought they had just robbed a bank the way the lowered their voices and their eyes as they "confessed" these things to me. I assured them quickly that I have done, and still do both of these heinous things.

We all homeschool differently and for different reasons. Never let anyone make you feel less than because you homeschool in a different manner than they do. Don't beat yourself up thinking there is a perfect homeschool way or a perfect homeschool family. There is not. The beauty of homeschooling is the ability to teach and raise your family in the way God is leading you. God may not be leading you the same as someone else and that is o.k. Give yourself grace, and reach out and give others around you the same.

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14~

2010-09-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

This article has had me giggling all day "Why Big Families Might Be Easier"

2010-09-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

2010-09-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1~

We have a fun weekend coming up. A cousin coming to spend the night and running a race with us in the morning. Jim will be off on Monday which is such a treat. We love days when Daddy is home.

Anyone have fun plans? I hope and pray everyone has a blessed weekend.

Here are some LINKS I found interesting this week:

Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

As Allen writes, “We place kids in schools together with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of other kids typically from similar economic and cultural backgrounds. We group them all within a year or so of one another in age. We equip them with similar gadgets, expose them to the same TV shows, lessons, and sports. We ask them all to take almost the exact same courses and do the exact same work and be graded relative to one another. We give them only a handful of ways in which they can meaningfully demonstrate their competencies. And then we’re surprised they have some difficulty establishing a sense of their own individuality.”

Does Your Language Shape the Way You think?

As a Mom to children whose second language is English I found this to be very interesting.

When your language routinely obliges you to specify certain types of information, it forces you to be attentive to certain details in the world and to certain aspects of experience that speakers of other languages may not be required to think about all the time. And since such habits of speech are cultivated from the earliest age, it is only natural that they can settle into habits of mind that go beyond language itself, affecting your experiences, perceptions, associations, feelings, memories and orientation in the world.

For a Taste of Real Freedom, Check Out the Duggar Kids

Great article on the Duggar Family and Freedom.

My Learning Curve Meat+ More Meat = Security

As a family where most of the members are vegetarians this article sounded very familiar. Eben and Joel were down right obsessive about meat until recently. This past May they both declared themselves vegetarians (after an conversation with my older brother on farming practices in the US) and have chosen not to eat meat since.

When I was working in Ethiopia and told people I was a vegetarian, they either laughed out loud or shrank away in suspicion. At restaurants, waiters wanted to know why I would ask for “peasant food” if I could afford to go out to eat. I was once told that as a “rich American,” I should be eating beef – morning, noon, and night!

Matthew 5:16~

2010-09-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16~

It is always so hard when you don't Blog for a bit to jump back in. I never know where to start. I didn't intend to stop Blogging regularly..life just got busy. Then I became aware of some Blog controversy that made me stop and ponder exactly what this Blogging thing was all about. It can be so disheartening to see people tear each other down.

I have been so blessed to have lovely people read and comment here.

How is everyone? We have had a blessed summer. We did school up until August 1st. We also had a lot of fun at the beach, pool, free movies, and just enjoying each other. Our highlights are without a doubt the visits we had from family. Our sweet cousins came as well as our Mimi and Aunts and Uncles. We have some really fun and cool people in our family.

We had 4 Birthdays. We now have two 12 year olds. One sixteen year old..and a 41 year old. July is so FUN!

The older 7 children are in heavy training for their TKD black best test which, Lord willing, will be in November. They are teaching classes and then having hours of class time for themselves.

They are also training for a 5K.

We officially have 10 children in our homeschool. We have had a good week and seem to be finding a pattern. I told Jim our school could really use some janitorial and kitchen help. HA!

I hope you are all doing well. Are you back to school (Public/Private/Homeschool) Doing anything new in your schooling?

Much Love,
Renee