We started the depressing task of taking down the tree and the Christmas decorations today (although we didn't get very far before we found ourselves playing on the floor with the kids). Oh well, if we keep the blinds closed maybe no one will notice in the Spring that it still looks like Christmas in my house. Or...we could just say that we're getting ready "early" this year if anyone asks. I mean we won't be able to even see, much less find, the Christmas lights outside until all the snow we've had melts....maybe we'll just wait until then.
About Me
- From our family to yours
- Married twenty-five years to my wonderful husband and best friend. We have 3 "home-grown" kids and 1 hand-picked by God from Africa. Our life is blessed. We are a close knit family with strong Christian beliefs. Come along with us on our journey…you might have a great laugh or two.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Maybe we'll just wait until then...
We started the depressing task of taking down the tree and the Christmas decorations today (although we didn't get very far before we found ourselves playing on the floor with the kids). Oh well, if we keep the blinds closed maybe no one will notice in the Spring that it still looks like Christmas in my house. Or...we could just say that we're getting ready "early" this year if anyone asks. I mean we won't be able to even see, much less find, the Christmas lights outside until all the snow we've had melts....maybe we'll just wait until then.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas from our family to yours...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sometimes you just gotta laugh...
Sometimes you just gotta laugh when...
-in the middle of the biggest blizzard of the decade (the night before you are to fly out) your snow blower "pull-start" cord breaks and you are left to shovel and shovel and shovel
-your flight is one of only three to leave your airport (because of the blizzard) and yet they still lose your luggage (and I mean ALL of your clothes are gone...and you've got ten days still to go)
-you finally get into your hotel room in Ethiopia late, with little to no sleep for two days, only to be awoken by a Muslim mosque chanting VERY LOUD for hours on end early the next morning
-if the mosque didn't keep you up at night, then the packs (and I do mean "packs") of wild dogs fighting all night would
-the next day you go to a shopping "mall" (because you've been in the same clothes now for days and you're pretty tired of it) only to be told by a sales clerk in choppy English that "we have no clothes to fit you" just by looking at you
-you realize over the next few days that all of the pictures you are taking during the trip will later look like all the same day...due to you still wearing the same clothes
-the shared computer in the lobby of the hotel has a "dial-up" connection and you become ecstatic when you get one e-mail through
-driving on the streets in Ethiopia is much like driving in the worst traffic on the planet...with no rules...and you realize that you just might not make it out alive
-near the end of your week there the laundry service in the hotel has taken pity upon you and brings your one outfit up to your room after it has been cleaned
-the day you are to leave you call to confirm your airline reservation only to learn that it has been cancelled and you are stuck in the country (thank goodness for emergency numbers)
-after you finally leave Ethiopia you land in Istanbul and have to go through 6 different passport and immigration checks which by this time petrify you enough that you debate you will never leave the United States again (if you ever make it back...)
-you land in Chicago to a plane that skids sideways on the runway...why am I not surprised after this whole week
-you miss the last flight and have to spend the night in Chicago...oh, to be so close to home
-you make it home with the most wonderful bundle of joy who for the entire trip was the biggest trooper and never did complain
This was our "labor" to bring him into our family. Oh what a story to tell him when he's older...
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
This is our amazing journey...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
We finally made it home and look who we brought back!!!!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Dial-up Connection Update!
- Left for Ethiopia in a blizzard… one of only three planes to leave the Des Moines airport that morning.
- Missed all connections… had to re-route (lost one of our bags of luggage in the process).
- Landed in Ethiopia after 40 hours of travel… still no luggage so none of our clothes arrived with us.
- Slept on a bed as hard as a board… no kidding… but happy to be here!
- Met our son the next day, so worth all of the trouble to get here… we got the happiest one!
- Next day, still no luggage… had to go shopping for a pair of pants and a shirt (getting tired of the same clothes)
- Played with our son… did I mention that he’s REALLY cute and VERY happy?
- Got to meet the birth mother… very emotional meeting for everyone, but definitely glad we did it.
- Not doing well with the food… coming back skinnier (new Ethiopian diet!)… still no luggage.
- It’s Sunday today and we’re now resting… waiting for the chance to see our son again tomorrow!
There you go – the fastest update ever from the country of Ethiopia!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Our bags are packed...look out Ethiopia here we come!
The biggest snow storm since 2007 is right upon us and about to dump 10 - 14 inches of snow...right now and into tomorrow. Very early tomorrow morning we are to be flying out in blizzard conditions (that is if they fly at all...). If we miss our connections through DC and NY, we will miss the only flight out of NY to Istanbul and then on to Ethiopia...and we will be stuck waiting for the next day's flight. Needless to say, we are incredibly stressed. So I've decided, this is our "labor"...and what a "birth story" to tell our son.
Hang on my little one, we are packed and coming...whether I have to help shovel the runway or not. I'm on my way!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Way to go kids!!!
If you are unfamiliar with Lego Mindstorm, it is a two part competition. The first part the kids had to create a Lego robot using a special computerized "brain" which has to perform certain "tasks" on a special playing field (you get points for doing different things). The second part of the competition is the research project, where the kids have to present a project on a certain topic. Crazy enough as it might sound...our team won first place in the scoring part of the robot competition and we have now been invited to compete in the state level of the competition.
Way to go kids!!!
Friday, December 4, 2009
I'm still here...
Today is my birthday...my 40th. I am sure my guardian angels up above never thought I would make it this far...much less my parents (I am highly accident prone...and I have been stitched up and raced to the hospital more times than I care to admit). Nevertheless, I'm still here...still "ticking" but with slightly slower batteries. I wake up in the morning and sometimes hurt in places that I didn't think had muscles...but I'm still here. I have begun to tell my kids the..."I remember when" stories and they just look at me like I'm crazy...but I'm still here. I now have to circle the "40 - 45 division" when I enter a running race...but I'm still here.
So the way I see it, turning 40 isn't really that bad...let's look on the bright side....I'm still here...and that's a really good thing.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Do you know how this stuff works??
It's funny if you think about it. Here I am a mother of three "home grown" kids (11, 10 and a 5 year old) and yet I have never in my life bought formula or even a bottle (and apparently there are tons of those as well). I nursed all my children for the first year of their life and then they went straight to the sippy cup - it was quite easy to say the least.
So here I am standing in the formula aisle and I look over and see a very young mother of a small baby. I smiled in her direction and asked..."Do you know how this stuff works?"
Her face was priceless...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Hangin' on this week...
Crazy...but we seem to just be hangin' on this week
Saturday, November 28, 2009
A Thanksgiving success...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Checking things off the list...
The kids and I went out to do our Thanksgiving shopping this morning. It's hard not to "float" over to the baby section and pick up diapers and such. However, I am trying to stay on task and not shop for that stuff until after Thanksgiving. As my husband puts it..."prioritize your list"...and I think I've got to cook a turkey first, before I begin to pack diapers otherwise, I just might have...a mutiny on my hands.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Travel dates...
...it will be a Christmas to remember forever.
Friday, November 20, 2009
We are approved and are headed to Ethiopia!!!!
We're going, we're really, really going...
Happy Friday, everyone!
Today, as we headed out the door to go to the zoo (which I might add we had all to ourselves - one of the benefits of going during the "off season" - not to mention the fact that no school wants to do their one field trip in the cold)...I armed my kids with our digital camera and a photo scavenger hunt list and away they went. I loved seeing them race ahead screaming the things they saw on the list. Granted they fought about whose turn it was to take the picture (believe me, a remedy was quickly found), but they loved being outside and learning some different things about the animals they've seen thousands of times.
At the end of the morning I wanted to get one picture of all of us together, but there was no one around to take it (I'm not kidding...the entire place was empty...except us and the animals...and the way my kids were running around it was hard to tell which was which). So with the camera propped precariously on a railing, the timer on and six pictures later...here's what we got. Happy Friday, everyone!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Adoption through the eyes of a 5 year old...
"Mom, where do they get all of the kids?" my smallest one asked. "What kids?" I asked scrambling to figure out what she was talking about (5 year olds change subjects like the wind...). "You know...the brown ones?" "Oh..." I knew instantly she meant the kids at the adoption center where our son is located. "Each child has a Mommy that had him from her tummy and she just didn't have enough money or food to take care of him. So she loved him so much that she wanted him to grow up with food, clothes and a big, loud family that would love him just as much as she did and would never let him forget about her." "So how many kids are there?", my little one asked. "There are lots and lots of them that need a family to love them." She thought for a very long time and then finally said...
"So this is going to take us a while, huh?"
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
We got our court date....
So we are asking just one more time if you could please join us and pray for our little one on November 18th. Pray for the paperwork, that it will all be in order and that there will be no delays (we have no control over this, as the Ethiopian government puts it together for us). Pray for speed, that these last few documents will be processed extremely fast. And please pray for us, this is so very hard as we can see the finish line but just can't quite get there yet.
We know that God is with us through all of this, but it sure does help to have some fierce prayer warriors walking along side us as well.
Monday, November 16, 2009
In the hot seat...
...that is, all but the one in the front passenger's seat.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Aren't you tired yet?
Believe me, I have asked my dog a million times..."Aren't you tired yet?"
Friday, November 13, 2009
Havin' a party...
It's just a lot more fun to have a "party" as we go along.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
One year....
...for our lives to never be the same
Monday, November 9, 2009
Falling like dominoes...
We live in a neighborhood with a wooded lot that backs up to a creek. It's quite nice really with all the trees in the summer as most of our backyard is quite shady and cool. Sure in the fall, it is a bit of a pain to rake all of the leaves, but the colors are the most brilliant reds and yellows. It's quite beautiful. Well, apparently, this was not to my neighbors liking, for his lot used to look like ours.
It began one day with one tree, he choose to cut down, then another and another. He just didn't stop. So today I wasn't at all surprised to see that a team of tree cutters were there cutting down almost all of his trees on his lot. They fell like dominoes one after another until there were about three small ones left. Now, these aren't your everyday trees, these are enormous ones with huge trunks.
So as we ate lunch today and watch one tree fall down after another, my little one turned and said..."I guess he really doesn't like trees." "Yep, I guess you're right"...sadly.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
One little invention...
...hand sanitizer
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Voracious readers...
This being said, we spend A LOT of time at our library. And to tell you the truth, I love the library just as much as the kids do. I mean, who doesn't love the fact that you can "request" any book, movie, CD or anything really from the comforts of your home and then they will e-mail you when it's ready to pick up. If they don't have the item already, then they'll buy it and you get to be the first one to get it. Best yet...it's all free!.....How awesome is that!
Now, if they could just do my grocery shopping for me or even a little bit of laundry...is that asking too much???
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Celebrating the little things...
Now this was something I could really relate to. I love to whoop and holler and get excited about stuff (and to have a reason to and not just look like you are crazy...hey, that's even better). It was such a wonderful perspective on how to celebrate the small things in your child's life...so you never miss it. Case in point...one mom said she had the "special red plate" she used. When her child finally mastered something she had worked hard on (such as her multiplication facts) then that night she got to eat from the "red plate". Another said that she journaled back and forth with her husband because she felt that she was missing out on their busy lives together.
When I left the meeting that night I realized, it's not really important about what you do exactly, but just that you do something. Whether it's praising someone for a good job or serving them on a "red plate", the fact that you acknowledge them for who they are makes it worthwhile. It's just down-right, good ol' fashion enjoyin' the moment.
It's hard enough going through this life as a child or an adult, wouldn't it be more fun to celebrate the little things as we go along.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Candy Bar Cake...
Candy Bar Cake
2 big candy bars (or a whole bunch of little ones) - freeze for a while in the freezer
1 dark chocolate cake mix
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 12 oz cool whip
Cake: Mix cake mix as directed and put into 3 small round cake pans (could use 2 if needed). Cook as directed on the box.
Icing: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and cool whip until smooth. Chop up candy bars into little pieces and mix in with the icing. Assemble cake in layers and then make sure to refrigerate cake afterwards.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The race is on...
My son is so tall (and incredibly skinny) that I've had to make his winter pj's because he needed the long length in pants but not the width you get in the bigger pants. I've even had to "take-in" elastic waistband pants because I was desperate to find the length. (and yes...I have tried the "slim" fitting pants...still too big. That boy is a bean pole, I tell you)
Right now, it's a good thing that I'm in a sewing mood...because my kids are really putting me to the test on just how many things can I sew...and fast.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Pumpkin Party...
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Turning a corner...
On a different note, we had some good news on Friday about our son in Ethiopia. We received a more in depth medical report (if you dare to call it that...) which said that he was feeling much better now and had even gained some weight. YEAH!!! They wrote that he has a really big smile and loves to smile for the nannies. I just can't wait to see that for myself.
Soon, my little one...very, very soon.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sick...as a dawg
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Close enough...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
My brain has flown off...
Take for instance, today. I thought I would vacuum up our eat-in kitchen area. Now, this is the place where we eat all our meals, but it is also a place where I store all the plants that can't make it outside during the cold season. Basically, it looks like we eat our meals in the jungle...so to speak. Anyway, many of the plants had lost a bunch of their leaves during the transition to the inside and I thought I'd save myself some time and vacuum them up instead of picking them up by hand. This folks...is where my brain must have flown off.
Here's how it went...I begin to vacuum under one plant near our table when I knock off one of the place mats. As I bend down to pick it up, I vacuum up one small plant (the entire plant) in one swoop. Quickly, I pull it out and knock down another place mat. Bending down to pick that one up, I wipe out half of another plant. By this time, I pull that one out and scramble to get a trash bag...leaving the vacuum on (folks...it's just not a good day). The vacuum then sucks up one of the cords to mini-blinds and part of my curtains. By this time, I'm screaming..."someone pull out the plug - for the love of humanity!!!"...not that I could have easily turned it off right next to me. People, my brain has flown off for sure....
...but really I'm pretty smart...I think
Saturday, October 17, 2009
You just never know...
There is just one funny thing about this entire evening that just goes to show you that God really does have a good sense of humor. Well...the potluck dinner was at our old house. Yep, the people who bought a house of ours (3 houses ago...remember we relocate a lot) hosted this event. How funny is that??? I must admit it that it does feel a little weird going up to and through a house that you use to live in for several years. Although some things had changed, the memories just flooded back the minute I walked through the door.
Well, after this evening I thoroughly believe....you just never know, who God's going to bring into your life.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Creativity at its best...
In the past I have sewn such costumes as a flying monkey (from the Wizard of Oz), peregrine falcon (with actual feather fabric), a mushroom (don't even ask about that one...), and Sonic the Hedgehog...just to name a few. This year is no exception.
My little one wants to be a pink poodle. Sounds simple, right? Well, not when you talk to my five year old who has specific ideas that it must look "just like her pink poodle Webkinz". Needless to say, I'm up for the challenge. But I now know what I put my mother through years ago, when I created a "special" costume for her to make me on Halloween. Sorry about that one, Mom...
I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Small e-mail...but I'll take it
Small e-mail...but it was good...and for that I'll take it!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Still no news...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Who ordered the snow?
For now though...let's just bring on the hot chocolate.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Do we or don't we???
It's just too bad the vaccine can't fix the whole arguing thing...
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Sound of Music...
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Lots of nervous energy...
Today, my project was painting our exercise room. O.k. basically, it's a large closet with our exercise equipment in it...but it got painted. Goofy, I know. Who really cares about what color is on the walls as you are panting and sweating on a treadmill, right? But...I needed a project. If I don't get word soon about my son, I might just have to go to someone else's house for their projects, 'cause I will have completed all of mine...any takers?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
...even if I am
...even if I am
Monday, September 28, 2009
A helpless feeling...
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wheelin' and dealin'...
Now, it's on to the next project...no rest for the weary here.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A crazy life...
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
It's my privilege...
The more I get into homeschooling...reading, teaching and just being with my kids...the more I am realizing that life...just life...speeds by. I see changes in my kids today that weren't there a few years ago. I don't mean growing up size-wise, but growing up - period. I think the author of the book I just finished sums it up perfectly when she says....
"Don't we often have the mistaken idea that it is our job to finish training our children? God gives us the privilege of training them in the beginning; it is God who finishes what He wants to accomplish in them. Philippians 1:6 says, I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
The outcome isn't always what we expect or necessarily what we want. Life moves fast and it's messy, even when children aren't toddlers any longer. We survive through hard times, tears, laughter, disagreements, joys, work, accomplishments, prayer, and praise all mixed together to form our unique family. Nevertheless, we can be sure that the outcome is what God has designed. Certainly, we are to do our part, and we will by God's grace, but He is the author and finisher of each of us, including our children." (from the book Homeschooling by the speed of life by Marilyn Rockett)
So this week as I seem to be "hanging on for dear life" just to get through...I am reminded (yet, again) that I am not in control of the outcome. Right now, I have the privileged of teaching/being with my kids...whether my home is in perfect shape or not, whether dinner is home-cooked or pre-bought, or whether we are schooling in our classroom or at the pool. God has us in his hands...and he's not letting go.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Don't stand still...
So right now in our house, you'd better watch out. If you stand still long enough I'll either tag you, organize you or throw you out.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Out of my comfort zone...way out
So see, God did not put me in that (computer savvy/technological) line when I was born. I guess I just stayed way too long in the artistic line. So as I branch out to coach a Lego League team, I realize that this could go one of two ways...it could be as funny as me trying to text someone, or we could hit it out of the ballpark. Either way...
I am out of my comfort zone...way out
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I just know I'll get this done...
Now, you would think that since we've had to relocate a few times I would not fall guilty under the "clutter chapter". I mean who would WANT to move all of that clutter from one house to another and another. But humbly, I admit...we do. Pathetic really. This past move I did try the hardest and threw out/gave away/sold an enormous amount of stuff...and still...sadly to say it took one large 18 wheeler and half of another one to move us...so sad. Thus, the reason why I'm captivated by the clutter chapter. What could I possibly still be doing wrong?
At the beginning of the chapter she asks several questions which I admit I could answer no to (whoo-hoo for me!) but then came the second half of the list (and reality set in)...they were as follows:
1. If you had to sell you home today, would you be able to show it to prospective buyers within a twenty-four hour notice without embarrassment? (O.k....my answer...CAN ANYBODY DO THIS????)
2. Do you have boxes in the attic or basement that only God knows for sure what they contain? (I loved that one...we really do. We've moved enough that some boxes don't ever get untaped)
3. Do you attend yard sales regularly and come home with bargains you couldn't resist? (O.k., this for me is toys...LOTS OF TOYS)
Finally, this last one hit me like a ton of bricks...
4. If the Lord called you home today, would you be horrified if your spouse accepted help from friends, relatives, or especially your mother-in-law to sort through your things? (For me, I just wouldn't want to put extra burden on anyone)
So how do you achieve the balance that's best for your home? How do you not throw everything out and also not keep everything at the same time? The book called it "functional neatness"...neat enough to be peaceful and messy enough to be happy. I liked that.
So, here's my thought...I've got a few months before our new son arrives (after he gets here, I'm not going to get anything done...), I've decided to take control of our "clutter issue". My goal is to NOT move the mountain of stuff in our house one more time. I know it won't be easy (I've got to let go of the girls baby clothes...sniff, sniff), but I really feel that this is important. So, I'll take all kinds of tips for organizing that worked best for your family...from toys to paper clutter.
With a few tissues, plastic containers and lots of trash days...I just know I'll get all this done.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Thank goodness for wood floors...
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Say cheese...
Anyway, after your session is up you get to look at all of the pictures on a big screen and they can digitize it whatever way you would want. O.k....now here's the best part...you can pick your pictures up in about 15 minutes and if you buy the basic package it's only around 10 bucks. Granted, with three kids there was no way we were walking out of there for 10 bucks, but on the flip side...I was very pleased with everything. I mean everyone smiled, there were no major fights, and for a brief moment everyone was combed and clean (that is until snack was handed out at the end in the car and chocolate ended up on my son's shirt...to be honest, I'm really not surprised).
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Waiting on you...
They have to apply for a birth certificate for him (in Africa birth certificates are not given out). Next, a court date is issued for us, which, if we pass, will legally give us custody of him...(however, you sometimes fail if your paperwork is not all in order). We, personally, are not putting the paperwork together, the court in Ethiopia is...so we can only pray things will go as planned. As of right now (in the month of September), the court is closed for their annual break...UGH! So we can't even get into the line to get a court date until they open back up...talk about frustrating.
After we pass our court date, then a travel visa is issued for us and a passport is issued for our son (so he can exit the country). Finally, our final travel arrangements will be made that will allow us into the country.
So you can see, it's not an easy question to answer...not because we don't know the date (that's part of it), but because it's hard to be patient through all of this knowing your son is on the other side...waiting on you.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Where do I sign?
Let's see...hmm, it might go something like this...you stand on the starting block and rip open the paper and read...travel to America, land in your kitchen and make dinner for 5 in 20 minutes...all the while doing two loads of laundry, finishing history assignments, teaching piano practice and organizing Spanish lessons. Making sure you make it to soccer practice on time with all the gear on that your kids need, and entertaining the rest of your crew located in the back of the van. You will encounter a "road-block" along the way which will probably be the fact that you have to stop for gas or buy milk for the umpteenth time for that week as you are running late out the door. Oh and yes...did we mention that at the end of this "amazing race" you will receive no money, no endorsements, no "hoop-laas"....just a whole lot of love, kisses and "thanks Mom and Dad".
O.k....I'm crazy enough...where do I sign?
Monday, September 7, 2009
Being blessed...one bag at a time
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The feeling of completion...
Now, because we had rented this ladder all day I wanted to utilize it as much as possible so I decided that I would paint the walls in our family room...did I mention that it was a cathedral height room (it is crazy high when you get up on a ladder holding paint). Well, that was also a "group" effort project and between all of us we got it done. YEAH!!!!...don't ever want to do that again...personally, I am not built to go up high places. Anyway, it's all done, looks great...on to the next project (something on the ground preferably).
Tomorrow my husband has the day off...we'll just see what we can get into.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Help is on the way...
...help is on the way
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Oh, the things our parents taught us...
Actually, the only time I ever saw it work was on a car that my husband and I had (early in our marriage) that had a tendency for the thermostat to become stuck and would over heat. We had stopped at a gas station with him on a trip and he went in and asked if they had a hammer. My husband and I burst into laughter at the scene as out he came with the "prize" tool. He proceeded then to "pound" the engine (who knows where...) and low and behold the thermostat began to work. I tell you I've never laughed so hard in my life and my Dad never looked so proud.
Fast forward to today...as I have been having trouble with one of my window blinds (it's stuck, really and won't stay up...frustrates the fire out of me). After working for several minutes and trying different things, I headed straight for the garage to get...what else but...a hammer. And as I hopped back up onto the chair I stopped dead in my tracks and busted out laughing...
Oh, the things our parents taught us...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Our sweet middle girl turned 10....
Friday, August 28, 2009
Next time it's Daddy's turn...
I truly hate immunizations. It is so hard to watch, hold and know that it has to be done for your child to be healthy and safe. To cause so much grief and tears...as a parent, seems unnatural. We are there to protect and love not to cause pain. So as the last of my kids held me tight and the shots kept coming, my heart by this time was in my throat and the tears were in my eyes I realized two things...
...some days it's just hard being a parent and...
...next time Daddy gets to do this.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Moments like these...
Monday, August 24, 2009
The things that never go as planned...
Of course, wouldn't you know it, the few days that we had planned to go the weather forecast is calling for rain. Well, we leave tomorrow and...we are undeterred. Because sometimes, the things the kids remember most...
....are the things that never go as planned.
Friday, August 21, 2009
With smiles plastered on their faces...
We ate food that was on a stick (everything...and I do mean everything...is on a stick at the fair) and we saw all the baby animals you could think of. The kids even got to ride on a camel and see a "zedonk" (yep, that's really it's name...believe me, I saw the stinky thing).
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Check this one off our list...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I am...
Today for Language Arts, my son had to write a personal poem entitled..."I am". With his permission, I wanted to share it with you. So sit back, be blessed, and remember what it's like to be 11...
I AM
I am a creative boy who likes nature.
I wonder what God is like.
I hear the tinkling of the stars.
I see the wind moving through the trees.
I want to see new places.
I am a creative boy who likes nature.
I pretend to be a hero.
I feel happy when I fly.
I touch the moon.
I worry about scary things.
I cry that so many people die.
I am a creative boy who likes nature.
I understand that you have to work hard to get through the problem.
I say let everyone be happy.
I dream to be a hero.
I try to be happy.
I hope to see Jesus someday.
I am a creative boy who likes nature.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
We hit the motherload...
We had indeed...hit the motherload (stay tuned to see how it turns out....)
Friday, August 14, 2009
You bet it is...
Lots of people ask me about homeschooling...we talk about it everywhere...the grocery, garage sales, play dates. I find that people are very curious as to how we home school...what does our classroom look like? and how can I teach three children three different curriculums at the same time?
Our actual "classroom" in our house is technically the study. We've only been at this house for over a year but we are lucky enough to have floor to ceiling bookcases. However, in years past, our classroom has been in the living room as well as at the kitchen table...but this classroom has been the best one by far.
We have a fold down table that the kids work at everyday (to make it more spectacular, I let the kids pick the "wrapping" paper that goes on top of it to cover the table and then we cover that with clear plastic wrap...viola!..a brand new table). This year the kids chose polka dots...not my personal favorite, but it's not my table.
Our room has maps, calendars, number lines, phonics sound posters...anything that will be of help in school and give them a classroom feeling. I have set up a playdoh center and just today bought an art center with a chalk board/painting area. We have a computer and a piano (all in the same room, I know...but you can't be too picky when you only talking about one room).
My curriculum is quite planned out already for me. I love it. I just open the main manual and teach what it tells me to do for that particular day. If we can't get it all done by the morning/afternoon, then we are discussing geography or math or science over dinner. It just gets done. Does all of this take a lot of time?...Yes!Is it all worth it?...You bet it is!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Until the next time we go...
Monday, August 10, 2009
And then there was none...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The doctor is in....
...the doctor is in now
Friday, August 7, 2009
We got our referral!!!
The kids and I had been out at the grocery (where else do you go...) when we walked into the door and there it was...the blinking message light. With an armload of groceries, and three kids scrambling to "get through the door first", I didn't even have time to push the message button by the time the phone was ringing again. Now, our answering machine talks...goofy, I know...but I don't have to go the phone to see who it is...it talks to me and tells me. So when our adoption agency name was stated, you've never seen a crazy mom drop everything and "plow" through the kids to answer that phone. That would have been reality TV at it's best. Needless to say, the breathless "hello" probably didn't sound to good, but I'm sure they loved the "Woo-hooing" after they told us of our referral. Yep, you don't have to be a kid in this family to jump up and down screaming "it's a boy!...it's a boy!". I didn't care...we got our referral and it was a boy!!! I scrambled to find my husband's work number and called it three times (he has lots of meetings you know...) before he calmly said "hello". After that, I'm really not sure if I put a coherent sentence together, but I did get out that it was a boy and he was healthy. From that, my husband got the jest.
For now, we have more waiting to bring him home. We have to be assigned a court date and then more paperwork has to be filed. To us, he's already ours and a part of our family. He's healthy, but small (almost all children are due to malnutrition) and he has big brown eyes. Our favorite part was that in his referral picture they dressed him all in pink...he'll love that part later in life. I so wish we could post a picture of him, but our agency has asked us not to until we bring in home. So now, we are back to waiting and praying for more paperwork to hurry itself along so we can go to Ethiopia and bring our baby boy home.
A beautiful baby boy... we have been blessed yet again.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
As small as a mustard seed...
This is by far one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I have been thinking a lot about faith this week. You know, the faith like Peter had when he stepped out of that boat and walked on water. Faith like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it straight down to your bones.
As we are just days away from getting a referral, I keep thinking back to the very beginning when it all began. Our story is a simple one. Years before we had my son, God planted the adoption seed in our hearts. We wanted to be parents...and it didn't matter to us where the children came from...we knew we could love them no matter what. Fast forward a few years and we were blessed with our son. Our middle daughter followed shortly thereafter...but the seed never left. Finally, we were yet again very blessed to have our smallest. Now, the seed was ready...ready to plant. So we decided to adopt and step out of the boat, step out in faith and again let God choose our child. So you see, our story didn't happen overnight and it didn't happen on a whim. It happened because it's all part of God's plan.
We may not be able to change the world, but we can change the life of one child. And it's all because of faith...as small as a mustard seed.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Box Day has arrived...
Monday, August 3, 2009
What if we all lived like this...
from "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson
Sunday, August 2, 2009
You eat it...no, you eat it
Saturday, August 1, 2009
17 years ago today...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Woo-hoo for us!!!
Look out Ethiopia...we are NUMBER TWO!!!!!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
My heart skipped a beat...
"Hey..." I said. "Hi guys, I just wanted to check in with you and see how you guys are doing?" She had no good news. Nothing to share...she just wanted to see how we were doing. We'll I'd be a tee-tiny little bit better with a referral (is what I wanted to say...ARGHHHH!!!!!) This waiting thing is so incredibly hard. So now, I'm back to racing to the phone and waiting for a referral. I guess I'm just glad I've got caller id...otherwise, all my family and friends would really think I'm just that crazy.