Russian Adoption Diary

Endings and Beginnings

2008-09-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, a new chapter has started in our family's life. I have thoroughly loved writing this blog. It has been a great way to journal about the adoption and other things. It helps me to date things. I have met many wonderful blog friends and feel bonded to many of you. I have enjoyed following your lives and hope to continue to do so as much as possible.

However, with my new life overseas, I'm finding that I'm way too busy to keep up 2 blogs. I've known it for a while, but just couldn't bring myself to wrap this one up.

Many of you know that I started a private blog about our adventures in Asia. It has to be private for many reasons. I wish it did not have to be that way, but that's beside the point. Some of you are already reading it and have access to it. I'm really not sure if very many people ever click over here anymore because I haven't been able to post much. However, if any of you out there still do and would like access to the new blog, just post a comment containing your email address. I cannot give mine out in a public place such as this, so we will have to do it this way. I do have comment moderation enabled and will not post any comments that contain an email address. Once I receive your address, I will send you a personal invitation to read the new blog.

So, the time has come dear friends to turn the lights out on this blog. For over two and a half years I have laughed and cried on here. I've opened my life for you to see. It is hard to end a chapter and open a new one, but it is time. Thanks so much for all of your wonderful support and care. I hope that each of you are blessed in your life as much as I have been in mine. May God bless each of you.

Goodbye Russian Adoption Diary!
Hello Asian Adventurers!

We're Here

2008-08-22T02:32:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we're here and doing well. We just got our internet connected today. I'll post more later.

Leaving Tomorrow

2008-08-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it is here. We're leaving for the other side of the world tomorrow evening. We are scrambling to do last minute packing. The kids are mostly all packed, even their carry-ons. It has really gone quite well. We are wrapping everything up, saying our last goodbyes, and getting everything ready.

Our house has not sold yet, but we have had 3 showings this last week. One of those is extremely interested. We're waiting to see what God will do.

Overall, everyone is doing well. H and her sweet friends are naturally having a difficult time. Many will be hanging out here today and she'll have a huge send-off tomorrow at the airport. A good portion of her youth group plans to be there.

Yesterday at church was gut-wrenching. It was very difficult, but also a sweet time. We love it there and will miss it very much.

We'll update with pics and news when we arrive.

Next time, from the other side of the world...

Tooth Tales

2008-07-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Last week we were gone to some training for our future (very near-13 days) move. We had to go to California for the week. The kids were not required to go so we left them with my family here in Oklahoma.

Here's a picture of us on the last night.

Friday we flew home. Our plane landed at around 3:00 in the afternoon. We had our luggage and were on the way to my parent's house by 3:30 p.m. About 20 minutes before we arrived there, we received a phone call saying that there had been an accident. J was walking toward the kitchen when El came barrelling around the corner (yes, running in the house is a violation of the rules). El's head is the exact height as J's mouth. You guessed it.

As soon as we arrived at my parent's house, we looked at it and headed back out to the urgent care. The blow had gashed his mouth and lip and had even knocked out a tooth. Thank goodness it was a baby tooth, not yet loose, but now gone. At the urgent care, they put in a couple of stitches on the outside, but chose not to stitch inside. We're wondering about that decision now.

My good friend is a nurse. She came over today to take out the stitches. She took one out and then decided that it didn't look too good. She's afraid that they should have stitched the inside too. He's got a big pocket of tissue that has formed outside where the cut is healing. We'll head to the doctor again tomorrow to have it checked.

Here's the poor little guy. It looked much worse the next few days as the swelling increased.

While we were at the doc getting stitches, my family went and got him this balloon. Notice the bandaid on the duck's face. Cute!
Now...

On to brighter smiles...

Costly smiles...

Straight smiles...

Introducing beautiful H without her braces...

H had her braces put on in March 07. When we found out we were moving overseas and there would be no orthodontic care where we were going, we had to have the doctor step it up. She just got them off today. Doesn't she look good?!

Update: I took J to the doctor and they put him on an antibiotic. They said there is definitely something wrong. They can't tell if it is simply an area under the gum that is swollen because of infection or if the insides have come out and have been sealed out. We go back for a recheck on Monday. If it looks better, they will stay the course of antibiotics. If it doesn't, we will be sent to an oral surgeon. This will all be 1 week and 1 day before we depart.

Auction Update

2008-07-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a video of the auction to put on here, but it's not going so quickly. Therefore, I thought I'd give everyone a quick update and post it later when I get it done.

The auction day was an absolute blessing. Many people showed up bright and early that morning to help us move everything out into the yard. What should have taken hours was done in one hour that morning because of all of the wonderful help we had.

Attendance for the auction was pretty low. However, most of the people who were here were either family or church friends. Some showed up just to support us. It was a little slow at first and we had trailers half full of boxes go for $5 and $7. That was a little hard to swallow. Most of the prices paid for our things were pretty low. Believe me, you could have got some real bargains, cheaper than garage sale prices sometimes. However, some things went well, like D's car and the Cub Cadet mower.

At the end of the day, we looked back and were pleased. The goal of getting rid of everything we owned had been accomplished. We knew that many of the people who bought the items at incredibly low prices really needed the stuff, including several single moms. Some people, including a 7-year-old foster boy, bought bags of our blankets to donate to a project our church is working on to send blankets to Kazakhstan and Morroco. One friend personally bid way more than the auctioneer started at on an item just to help us out. Even the good friend that bought the trailers full of boxes at next to nothing said the stuff was for a benefit garage sale to help a man injured in a motorcycle wreck who isn't able to make ends meet right now.

We were just completely blessed by the sheer outpouring of love for our family. Some people helped prepare for the auction during the week, some ran concessions, some stayed all day and cleaned up, some tried to bid items up to help sales, some asked us how we were doing, some set up early, some tore down late, some just came, and some did all of the above. All of the workers, including the auctioneers volunteered their time to us that day. Almost all of our family was there. I have never felt more loved or blessed.

The next day at church, the auction lived on. I was helping to sort some clothes our church is shipping to people in Morocco (that's where all of our clothes went) and watched a lady pull 3 of our best coats out of a bag. Someone had bought them at the auction and had donated them the next morning. Many people asked how the auction went and all we could say is that GOD WAS THERE. He walked and breathed in every volunteer that helped, every bid that occured, and was present in our hearts with a peace that passed all understanding. I felt like a free bird that day. All of the worldly possessions that tied me down were gone and I felt a freedom like I never had before. Jesus walked among us that day and we were so glad that we could give back to Him everything He had given to us.

Auction Time

2008-07-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it's here. On Saturday we will get rid of all of our earthly possessions, except for a few boxes of pictures, memorabilia, family heirlooms, and stuff to pass to the kids when they get older and have homes of their own.

This morning the auctioneer is coming to go through all of our stuff. We have spent the last few weeks loading everything into lots. He will come and make sure it looks good and get an idea of what we have. He will then come back for the sale on Saturday. We are going to have to carry everything out and line it up for him to sell. It is estimated that it will last about 4-5 hours. Yes, 4-5 hours to sell 17 years worth of stuff.

All of the kids did great packing up their stuff, no tears at all. Each of them has a bucket of clothes and a small box of belongings. We are down to using plastic plates, cups, and tableware and washing those for reuse. We have saved one skillet and our crockpot for cooking over the next month.

We booked our tickets last week. We leave on August 12, my birthday.

2 YEARS

2008-07-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today marks 2 years since the bwins officially became ours. This was the day that the judge said, "Da". Looking back, the whole experience seems so different at this point.

Two days ago, we sat in a child psychologist's office and she told us about our boys' diagnosis. After spending 5 hours each testing with her, she read over the results. She determined a good amount of brain damage, irreparable damage. In many areas, the boys scored in the first percentile for their age group, meaning that they are in the lowest possible grouping. One area even ranked 1 year old 10 months development. Their IQs were 80 and 83, not good at all, but not the worst. They just have many processing problems. She gave them a pFAS diagnosis. It is full blown FAS, minus one or two facial markers. Here is a definition from Wikipedia:

Partial FAS (PFAS)
Previously known as Atypical FAS in the 1997 edition of the "4-Digit Diagnostic Code," patients with Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome have a confirmed history of prenatal alcohol exposure, but may lack growth deficiency or the complete facial stigmata. Central nervous system damage is present at the same level as FAS. These individuals have the same functional disabilities but "look" less like FAS.

The following criteria must be fully met for a diagnosis of Partial FAS :

1. Growth deficiency - Growth or height may range from normal to deficient
2. FAS facial features - Two or three FAS facial features present
3. Central nervous system damage - Clinically significant structural, neurological, or functional impairment in three or more of the Ten Brain Domains
4. Prenatal alcohol exposure - Confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure

She suggested other doctors to go see for certain problems that they have. She also gave us many ideas about activities to help them in their weak areas. Basically, it is going to be a long road full of understanding and repetitions. She said there's no way to know about their future- whether they will ever be able to leave the home, get a job, hold down a job, etc.

On the flip side, and the one we will focus on, she identified some strengths. They scored at age level on one test and above age level on another. They also scored mid-Kindergarten on their actual knowledge, not learning ability. She said she could tell that they had been really worked with. She also commented that although they probably had some minor attachment problems, she felt that they had good bonds with us. She said she could tell they were loved.

This doctor was a gift from God. She told us that she has tested over 200 FASD kids. Only 5 had a complete FAS diagnosis. She shared many stories with us to explain problems we may face in the future, how to handle them, and basically said that she thought we were giving them the best shot at life. We absolutely loved her and she loved the boys.

As far as their future goes, I know WHO holds that. It is all in His hands. Looking back on two years ago, I know we didn't know what we were getting into, how it would eventually affect our family, the enormity of what we were taking on at that time. What I do know is that the events that took place leading up to these boys becoming our sons were nothing but God events. Therefore, all I can conclude is that He chose this for us and He has a plan. We will work at it with all of our might as if working for Him, taking care of the precious blessings He has placed in our life.

The day we got the results, L kept coming to me, looking me in the eye deeply, and grinning. Eventually, he would say, "Mom, I love you." At the end of the day, when D was putting them to bed, he came to me and said it again. As he was walking away, he turned around and said, "Mom, tomorrow I'm going to tell you I love you again." He continued to yell, "Mom, I love you," even after being put to bed. I don't know why God chose that day for L to be repetitive about that. He repeats many things, all day long, every minute of every day. Sometimes it can be quite bothersome. However, not that day, not those words.

Thank you God for the very small boys that you brought into our lives two years ago. Thank you for the very big blessings they are to us.

Bwins, Mama loves you and I'm glad you're forever home (no matter how long that means).

Camping

2008-07-02T16:16:00.001-07:00

Camping. That's what I've been doing for the last two weeks. The week of the 16th, we went on a mini-vacation with my parents, sister and her family. Here's our fun in picutres.

Hangin' out at the dock

Fishin' at night

Fishin' in the daytime

Swimmin' in the cool pool

J doing the lumberjack log (He was excellent at it.)

Going down the slides

Roastin' marshmellows

Tubing

H's first time to ski (she was a pro)
Coolin' off in the swimmin' hole

After returning from this trip, I had a few days to wash clothes and repack for church camp. The week of the 23rd, the four oldest and I, along with 65 other people (6 other adults, 4 other teens, and 55 other kids 2nd thru 5th grade), for a week of children's church camp about 4 hours away.

A good friend and I found out we were the camp cooks for the crew the week before camp. We hurried to make a menu and grocery list. I was a little concerned because neither of us had ever fed masses like that. However, it really wasn't that bad because we worked so well together. We actually had a great time and the week went by too quickly.

Since returning home, it has been full speed ahead preparing for our auction a week from Saturday. Nothing like packing every possession you own into lots and having them fill your home, all while trying to sell it. Oh, by the way, our air conditioning went out today. It was 103 degrees according to a local bank temperature.

8 YEARS OLD!!

2008-06-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today is J's 8th birthday. He is such a special boy! H took this picture of us while we were taking family photos. It wasn't posed, but it is one of my favorites. J is very loving and affectionate. He loves super heros, kung fu, and gymnastics. He is very intellectual, taking in information and can remember it forever. He loves the computer, reading his children's dictionary, studying his children's almanac, and snuggling with his mama. Our life is so enriched with J in it. He always keeps us laughing. He is full of humor and prides himself with being the "funniest member of our family".

Happy 8th Birthday JB!! We love you and are very proud of you!!

Mirror Image Twins?

2008-06-12T05:14:00.001-07:00

I posted a while back about the possibility that the boys were mirror image twins. Well, we have taken it to the extreme. L has wanted a mohawk for over a year now. D always gives the boys a summer buzz in June. So, in keeping with tradition, he was giving them haircuts last night. To satisfy L's craving for a mohawk, we told him he could have one for a day. El was given a "reverse mohawk". Now they are truly mirror image twins, right? BTW, they're getting the full buzz tonight.

Did you get your laugh in for the day?

Happy 7th Birthday Bwins!!!

2008-06-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the bwins' 7th birthday! I now have three 7 year old boys in my house (for a week).

This is the second birthday that they have spent at home with us. It was so great to see the sparkle in their eyes to know that they had a special day. L's first question was, "Do we get presents?" El just kept hugging us and telling us he loved us. Both boys said "thank you" many times throughout the day.

The morning was laid back. We had special waffles for b-fast. Then for lunch we went to Sonic. The boys had received coupons for free Wacky Pack Kids' Meals. They never EVER get anything like that (too many kids), so it was a real treat for them. Afterwards, we went swimming at a friend's house. She had b'day cake and presents for all 3 boys (J's is in a week). About 5 p.m., we headed back home to cook dinner and get the party started.

Each child had gifts for the boys- from clearance sunglasses to toys that they just decided to give. We also gave them our gifts. H's gift to the boys is below. She made them a Nemo cake. Isn't it cute? She did a great job!!

It baffles my mind to think back to what it might have been like 7 years ago when they were born across the ocean in another land, to another momma with another language. They were tiny, topping out at 2 3/4 and 3 1/4 pounds. We have been told that El was the first of two babies. That's all we know. We don't even know what time they entered this world.

I wonder what kind of healthcare they had, what they went through, how long they were in the hospital. None of that information is known by us. We missed the first 5 birthdays, but we cherish the last two we have had with them and look forward to many more.

Here are some pics of the birthday boys that I took yesterday. They are absolutely too precious and cute!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Seven Year Old Boys!!!

Your family loves you!!!

Gymnastics Finale

2008-06-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

Last night was the big gym end-of-season banquet. We rented the banquet room at Spaghetti Warehouse and had a great time. The meal was delicious. Then we started with the awards. Every child got a certificate. Then other awards were handed out.

Here's what our family brought in, minus one plaque.

The bright colored flowers were given to me on the last night of work. The others were given to me by some of my gymnasts at the banquet. The certificate is for E for being the most improved Level 6 gymnast. The trophy on the right was to Z for being the hardest Level 6 worker. The trophy on the left was for J for being the boy's team "Rookie of the Year". H was picked for the girl's team Leadership Award and received a plaque (not in picture). The other plaque was a coach appreciation plaque for me. Then every year, the gym presents a "Star Award" to someone who contributes a lot to the gym and exhibits great team spirit. It can go to a parent, a gymnast, or a coach. I got quite a surprise when they gave it to me this year.

Last Friday was my last night at work. Everyone surprised me with a going-away party. Each of the gymnasts made homemade cards (the best kind) to give to me. They sat me on a chair and had me read each one of them. They were so cute and sweet. I particularly liked the one that said I looked 17. :-) They also gave me the money tree in the pic above. Then we had a pizza party and ate a beautiful cake that said, "We'll Miss You Coach Kim". It was a very precious time. Lots of tears were shed.

Here's a pic of the Star Award. It said, "Presented to Kim ____, In Appreciation for all your outstanding efforts in coaching and organizing _________ Gymnastics. 2005-2008".

It was such a good time at the banquet last night, full of hugs and memories. It was a great way to wrap everything up.

Events in the News

2008-05-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks there have been several events in the news that have saddened our hearts.

First of all, we are immensely saddened by the loss of lives and souls in the earthquake in China. For those of you who are wondering, this is not the area we are going to for the first few years. However, seeing the pain and suffering on their faces and knowing the terrible trauma they are going through just wrenches our hearts to the very core. We have had a love for these precious people placed on our hearts and it is horrible to see their suffering.

Secondly, words cannot express the grief we felt over the news of the death of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Maria. We have been lifting them up daily. I cannot imagine the loss of a child, much less having to deal with the fact that another child is suffering too because of the accident and the way it happened. Many of you may remember, but SCC's adoption foundation, Shaohannah's Hope, provided us with a grant to bring the bwins home. He is one of the biggest promoters of adoption that exists. Now, one of his precious adopted daughters is gone. The good bit of news is that she had trusted Jesus with her heart and made a personal faith decision just weeks before the accident. She is now with her Eternal Father. (BTW, he is the writer/composer of "Cinderella". Here is a link to the video. The song was based on their two youngest adopted daughters- Stevie Joy and Maria. He tells the story behind the video after the video. It is heartwrenching to listen to at this time.)

Wrapping Things Up Around Here

2008-05-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

August 2007

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

May 2008

Wednesday was the kids' last day at school. They have officially completed their year. Everyone did very well academically. Below are some pictures of their awards assemblies.

E and Z with all of their awards.
E: Readers are Leaders Medal for over 116 reading points, Top Music Student award, A/B Honor Roll, Oklahoma State Reading Award
Z: Readers are Leaders Trophy and T-shirt for 194 reading points, Top Music Student award (E and Z were the two from their class picked for this), A Honor Roll, Oklahoma State Reading Award, Spelling Bee Grade Qualifier, Outstanding 4th Grade PE Student, and three other PE awards (Their school does various contests in which the kids can break school/grade records. Z was the top fourth grade girl in pull-ups. She did 15. She also set the record in hula hooping at 40 minutes. This was also a school-wide record.)

H: President's Award for Educational Excellence (This is actually from President Bush. It requires a 4.0 grade average, citizenship, etc. Only 20 kids out of around approximately 330 in their school received this award.), Oklahoma Middle School Honor Society, Top 8th grade Math Student (trophy)

J: Spelling Bee Grade Qualifier, Oklahoma Reading Award, Readers are Leaders Medal of Achievment, Outstanding 2nd grade PE Student, A Honor Roll, PE Award for the most pull-ups for boys in the 2nd grade

In addition to wrapping up school, the gymnastic season is over and we have pretty much finished up our involvement there. State Gymnastic competition was the first weekend in May. All 3 girls did really well. As you can see in the pictures above, E is in a cast. She has a stress area in her left foot, near the big toe growth plate. She had been in pain a lot leading up to the State Meet. She had been unable to practice much at all. However, she gave it all she had and ended up as the State Level 6 Vaulting Champion with a 9.525. She also placed 3rd on Beam with a 9.7. H wrapped up her final year well too. She was State Runner-up on Beam with a 9.6 and State Runner-up on Floor Exercise. She placed sixth all-around in the state. Z was very consistent as usual and wrapped up her year well also.

Bwins update: We saw a geneticist on the 12th. He diagnosed them with FASD. Yesterday, the 22nd, we went to a child psychologist who did her field research in FASD with Native Americans in Alaska. She was incredibly helpful and will be doing further testing with the boys and giving us direction for their future. She is the first person we feel like has expertise in the area and has already helped a ton.

Thank You

2008-05-05T05:00:00.001-07:00

I wanted to say thank you to all of you for all of your help. All of your info was quite helpful. The most helpful posts were the ones from those of you who know where I am. I felt so alone. No one I knew could understand what I was going through. No one understood. Here is part of a poem I found that expressed my feelings so well.

I am tired and I can't bear it, I think I will break,
surely no one else lives like this
No one else has these FAS days.
It must be me, a problem in how I chose them to raise.
Maybe I don't punish enough maybe I am to short on the praise
OH Please someone help me, tell me it will one day be okay.
Tell me what to do right, what never to say.
I am lost in a world I have so few skills to live in
I don't know what to do. I feel like I have no friends.

I no longer feel this desperation. I know that there are others out there that do understand. I also have accepted the gift God has given us. At first, I was in denial that they had problems. Now, I realize that they probably have many problems, much deeper than I ever imagined or thought. I kept thinking love would make it all okay. Now I know that love helps but may not cure all and have accepted what has been given to us from above. I will continue to love them just for who they are and will entrust them into God's hands.

Now I know that they are different...special. I have to deal with them differently than the other four. I have talked to many people over the last few weeks. I have heard a lot. I have made a ton of calls and so has my mother trying to get this figured out. Basically, I don't think we'll get a diagnosis before we leave. FASD is such a new area that many don't know a whole lot about. Therefore, it is very difficult to get into the doctors that do the testing.

We have found one child psychologist who will do cognitive and neuropsych tests on them, but she even said she can't diagnose it. I have talked on the phone and in person to several "special needs"/special ed. professionals. Here's some of the info I gleaned from just telling them the behaviors they are displaying.

First of all, they feel that we are dealing with not one, but multiple issues. They feel that there is some FASD (somewhere on the spectrum). One said that the things they were displaying sounds more like drug babies predominately, with alcohol mixed in. We know their mom was involved with both drugs and alcohol. It has also been highly suggested that we are dealing with RAD, still adjusting to the language (which the above complicates), failure to thrive (in their first 5 years), and multiple learning disabilities (many due to the above).

All in all, I don't know where we will go from here. I don't know if we will have them tested by the child psychologist if that's all she can tell us. I also don't think a lot can be accomplished diagnosis-wise before we leave. Therefore, I have decided to learn all I can about the issues and get as much advice as possible, esp. on educating them since I will be their teacher.

When all is said and done, I feel a lot better just being able to accept their difference and know that there are others alongside me. I am willing to do whatever it takes to give them the best shot at life as possible. I am dealing with everything a lot better just knowing that I am not alone in this, that there are others who deal with this every day too and can understand that even though they look normal, they are not. I am learning how to love them in a deeper way and have a different outlook on who they are. My expectations are lowered, not because I don't have high hopes for them, but because they are not able to go to the level I once thought. This helps everyone in the long run.

I will continue to learn and love. Thank you to all of you who helped. Keep it coming.

HELP!!!!- FAS/FAE

2008-04-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is a desperate cry for help. As you know we have suspicions that the bwins have FAS/FAE/FASD. I finally crashed last week with schooling/disciplining them. We need help. We need a diagnosis one way or the other so I know how to deal with them.

I have been trying to find out how and who makes a diagnosis. I called Child Study Centers in Ok and Texas and they are booked until September. Obviously, this doesn't help us any. We leave in August.

HELP! Who does a diagnosis like this? Can it only be done at a Child Study Center? We need it done soon. I want it to be done by professionals who truly know what they are doing, but are these study centers the only people who know about it? HELP! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cardboard and Duct Tape Boat Races

2008-04-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, a friend of ours entered a contest for a college scholarship. She had to make her prom dress out of duct tape. She did an excellent job and made it quite a ways in the contest.

A few weeks ago, H came home and announced that her 8th grade was going on a field trip as part of a science project. When she first told me about it, I laughed. I thought it was almost impossible for an 8th grade student to accomplish what they had been asked to do. Their assignment was to build a boat out of cardboard and duct tape and then race it.

The kids spent the first part of last week achievement testing and the last part building their boats. Yesterday, they went to a local college aquatic center to race. I told H that I wished I could be a fly on the wall. Instead, she took her camera.

All of the kids had been put in groups of three to build the boats and they had to pick a representative to race it. H was the chosen one. Yesterday after school she was so excited to tell me that her team had taken second place!! Over 30 boats raced. Her group was the only group of girls to ever even win a race and she made it all of the way to the finals. She had to row with her arms and she's got the bruises to prove it!!

I was so proud of her. The picture at the top is of the two final boats. H's boat was the colorful striped boat. I have uploaded the video of one of her races on youtube. Here is the link in case you're interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbXTzsESbHM It's really pretty cool. Congratulations H, S, and L!! You girls rock!!

For Sale- The Best House Ever!!

2008-04-21T12:52:00.001-07:00

Well, it's done. The house is officially for sale.

2700+ square feet

4-5 bedroom plus study

2 full baths

large living room and kitchen

full utility room

fireplace

MIL

2 1/2 acres

3/4 fenced back yard

lots of trees

wooden treehouse/play structure with swingset

Anyone interested?

This may not be the fanciest house with the finest features, but it is the best house ever. On beautiful sunny days the kids have all the room in the world to run and play. We've held fun softball games in the back. The kids ride their child-sized four wheeler out back. We are off the main roads so it is very private. I never have to worry about the kids being outside playing for hours. On beautiful spring evenings, it is so nice to open all of the windows and enjoy the fresh air.

To tell you the truth, we have realized how much we love where we are and how much we adore our home. We will go from our beautiful, large, peaceful, quiet country-like setting to a concrete home with concrete all around. We will most likely be several floors up (we've heard 5- with no elevators) in an apartment. There will be no quiet. We will be in the city. There will be no fresh air. There will be no yard to play in and ride bikes all around.

Some days like this are very hard. Our selfish nature pulls us down and shows us all that we're leaving behind, all that we love, all that we consider perfect. However, we know God has a plan. We are just praying that His timing is perfect for the sale and that the next family will love it as much as we do.

All for HIM!

Firehouse Fun

2008-04-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we went on a field trip to the fire station. One of our closest friends is a fireman. He works at the main fire station in the city. His wife, one of my dearest friends, also homeschools. They have a daughter that is in Kindergarten just like the bwins. They also have a 3 year old daughter that they brought home from China last July and are in the process of bringing a precious little boy home from there hopefully this fall/winter.

Here's a picture tour of our exciting trip!

This was actually the finale. A ride in the fire truck!!

How cool is that! As you can see, everyone was all smiles.

This is the only fire station in the city still with fire poles. There are about 6 or 7 of them all around the station. They are very high up so our friend gave the kids rides. Here's El taking his turn. There are flaps on the floor that open up as they slide down. Poor J (our friend) had to climb several flights of stairs each time to take the next kid down.
L getting to spray the fire hose. Lots of fun!

All four kiddos on the front of the truck. This is one of my favorite. It shows the bwins' true size. The wheels of the fire truck are the same height as the boys. They will be 7 in June. They are completely and utterly fascinated with wheels on any vehicle. They notice the wheels before they notice the color or style.

"Driving" the fire truck.

Gymnastic Happenings

2008-04-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

J wrapped up his first (and last) gymnastic season about three weeks ago. He had his State Meet on March 14. He had 25 kids in his age group, the largest group there. He finished 3rd on floor, 5th on vault, 7th on pommel horse, and 11th all-around. I thought he did terrific for his first year.

(The photo above was of a meet he participated in where he had 20 boys in his group and he was the all-around champion. I didn't get to see it because it was 2 days after my surgery. The trophy is still on our mantle. )

Last weekend was the girls' State qualifying meet. All three girls did well. E competed despite her fingers and right hand being swollen from a beam fall. She even won the floor championship. Z is improving at every meet and is doing really well too. H took second on balance beam and had a good meet as well. Their State competition is the first weekend in May.

Tattling and Turtles

2008-04-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

Tattling. It's a word that every parent has to define and draw their own lines on. When is it okay and when is not? This is an issue that we have been dealing with on a regular basis with L and El recently. L especially has had trouble with it. On several occasions since Easter candy arrived, he's run in after I've been doing something else and said (quite proudly I might add), "El got Skittles (really M & Ms) out asking." Of course, I correct his "out" to "without" and then tell him that he is tattling. I talk to El also about the situation. After 4 or 5 rounds of this, I notice one brother trying to get the other in trouble a lot and a second brother repeatedly disobeying/stealing. Of course, both had to be dealt with.

Last Saturday, I went to help H and her youth group with a fundraiser for their summer mission trip to New Orleans. I returned to a front yard littered with candy wrappers. Apparently, D had told them they could have some Easter candy and they chose to be very irresponsible with their trash. I called L out and asked who did it. The answer: "El." I next called El out and asked who did it: "L." They both got a good talking to about littering, but mostly about taking responsibility for their own actions, not others. Then they were made to pick up the trash.

Now for the progress... Last night my ankle was absolutely killing me. I had been on it a lot, it was very swollen, and I had a large raw sore around my incision on the outside. The boot is hard to walk on without another shoe on the other foot. It makes me too uneven and hurts my hip and back. Therefore, I constantly have to wear a shoe, no sock feet or bare feet. I was walking to the kitchen to get a drink of water before going to bed and heard a squish and then a stickiness. With each step, my foot was sticking to the ground. Yep, you guessed it, GUM! I took off the shoe that was balancing me out and looked at it. Red gum. Hmm... The bwins were chewing some red watermelon Extra gum earlier. I set my shoe down and resolved to find out who the culprit was in the morning.

This morning I showed the bwins my shoe and asked whose gum it was. L immediately started in, "El...(pause, brain was thinking)... I threw my gum in the trash." WOW! Sweet momentary victory. He started to blame brother and get him in trouble, but rethought everything and told me his personal status. I was very proud of him and told him so. I thought this was great progress. It's hard for adults sometimes to think this way, much less a 6 year old boy who doesn't think clearly all of the time due to his b-mom's irresponsibility. I felt we had gained a behavioral victory.

As for El, he, knowing he was stuck and better not lie, told me he threw his gum on the floor. I emphasized how wrong it was to throw gum on the floor and then gave him the natural consequence of cleaning my shoe. He did not like this task one bit and cried in frustration throughout the whole time of trying to remove the gum. Soon he realized how bad it is to throw gum down instead of in the trash.

As for turtles, here's the massive turtle the boys found in our driveway after a recent rain. They tried to keep him in the wagon, but we ended up having to get a large cardboard box to keep him in until all of the siblings came home from school to see him. He was released to freedom the next day after the compassion of Z was expressed.

Gearing Up For Next Year

2008-04-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

5 Pair of SNOW BOOTS- 400 and 600 grams of Primaloft insulation, waterproof, slush-busting leather suede, gripping rubber soles, and most importantly...antimicrobial so they don't stink!

Yes, we're gearing up for next year. We are a family that enjoys the warm weather. Other than the other year we lived over there, we have not weathered a real winter. Where we will be this coming winter has temps that will drop below zero and don't come back up for a while. They have snow and ice festivals where they carve magnificent structures in the snow and ice and they stay there for months. Needless to say, this will be a little different environment for us. We are trying to take advantage of end-of-the-season sales to gear up for next year. Everyone now has boots, except H. D and I bought Arctic Parkas at the same clearance place (Land's End) that we bought the kids' boots. D and I clearance shopped for winter sweaters recently, getting several for around 10 bucks a piece.

Brrrr...... For those of you from winter areas, I know I'm sounding a little like a sissy. That's because I am. I like being warm. Actually, the new coats are very toasty with their down lining and the kids absolutely love their boots. El and L like to wear them around with their short sleeve shirts and shorts. Ha! Ha! All of the kids are looking forward to snow.

Family Easter Pic

2008-03-26T05:48:00.001-07:00

Here's the family Easter pic off of H's camera that I promised.

Easter Pics

2008-03-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted pics in a while. Here are some of everyone enjoying Easter.

Here's the egg decorating. Two and a half dozen eggs- five a piece.

We did Easter cookies the day before, but I don't have pics of that.

Easter morning- ready to hunt. Anyone see any eggs?

Everyone in their Easter finest.

J-always a sharp-dressed man on Sundays.

Hubby forgot a full-length pic of E. We are working on our paperwork for moving and everyone has to have 10 passport photos. This is the one he took in preparation for cropping it to be used for documents. You can sort of see her outfit under her sweater. It was a cute capri outfit that was yellow with bright polka dots all over it.

Z in her pretty dress. She is a definitely a girly-girl, although a little cold in this picture. The temperature dropped a lot on Easter here. We had to add sweaters to everyone's outfits.

What a handsome El! He couldn't stop looking at himself and grinning.

Good Lookin' and Charming L!

Can this really be my firstborn little baby girl? H, you look more beautiful every day! Stop growing up!

We also attempted a family picture, but it is on H's camera because we could figure out its timer. I will post it later. She has her camera with her.

Hope all of you had a great Easter and enjoyed our day in pictures!

HE IS RISEN!!!

2008-03-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!!!

He Is Risen!!!

Eternal God, unchanging, mysterious and unknown
Your boundless love unfailing, in grace and mercy shown
Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight around Your glorious throne
They raise their voices day and night in praise to You alone

Hallelujah, Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah, Glory be to our great God

Lord, we are weak and frail, helpless in the storm
Surround us with Your angels, hold us in Your arms
For our cold and ruthless enemy, his pleasure is our harm
Rise up O Lord, and he will flee before our sovereign God

Hallelujah, Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah, Glory be to our great God

Let every creature in the sea and every flying bird
Let every mountain, every field and valley of the earth
Let all the moons and all the stars in all the universe
Sing praises to the living God who rules them by His word

Hallelujah, Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah, Glory be to our great God

---Todd Agnew
- Hear it here (Click on "Our Great God"). It's one of my favorites!

Have a wonderfully blessed and joyful Easter!!

Good Friday

2008-03-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

Why is this day called "Good"?

This is a question that many people ask since it is the day that Jesus died. Why would the day Jesus died be called "good"? There is a book that I read to my children called "Good Friday" that explains it all. Here are the first few lines.

"It was a bad day, a terrible day,
A day to run and hide.
So why do we say, "Good Friday"
When we speak of the day Jesus died?

Though it seemed to be a hopeless day
When Jesus laid down His life,
It was part of the plan God had for His world
To make all the wrong things right."

The book then goes on to explain all that Jesus endured that day- jeering, ridicule, tortuous beatings, denial of his so-called faithful followers, everyone turning against Him, unjust ruling, being nailed to the cross, more jeering from the soldiers, and finally death.

It ends with a note to parents, but I think it can be applied to all. It explains that God gave His Son to die for us because of His great love for us. God's good plan rescued us from eternal death in hell. As Jesus died, His last words were "It is finished". His redeeming work on earth was completed and He died as a victor.

The "good" in Good Friday stands for the goodness of a loving God who gave us the gift of eternal life through the death of His Son. And as most of you know, the story does not end there. Sunday is right around the corner... Celebrate!

Doin' It All Over Again and Random Updates

2008-03-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't put a family update in for a while. Everything just seems to take so much longer to get done and we've been going like crazy.

Me:

I have done away with the crutches and as people say, "I'm gimping around." I ache badly by the end of the day, but at least I have use of my arms. Actually, the last week has shown a lot of progress. I get my cast off on March 25 and get to put on a boot instead. I have been driving this week. That is difficult and painful. I'm short and have to have the seat pretty close which doesn't allow room for my massive casted leg.

Kids:

They are continually passing sickness between each other. We are regulars at the doctor's office. The week of and after my surgery found all 6 kids sick and needing some kind of medicine- mostly anibiotics, but E even had to have an inhaler. We've had the strangest strep infections going through the kids too. El, L, and Z have had it go to their glands in their necks causing them to look like tumors were forming on their necks. E is currently home with strep, running high fever and vomitting. She can't hardly keep anything down. We're keeping a close eye on her. I will be so glad to wrap up this school year in the public school system.

Post Title: Doin' It All Over Again:

We are in the heat of paperwork for overseas again. It is so much like preparing an international adoption dossier. We have visa applications, passports, birth certificates, adoption certificates, marriage license, etc., but this time it is TIMES EIGHT!! Sometimes my hand wears out. Everything is due by April 15. The only difference is that some of the papers not only have to be notarized and apostilled, they also have to be sent off to the Consulate for authentification before being official. The key word is "stamps". The more official stamps, the better!

Preparation for Leaving:

We are beginning to go through our things and price them for a garage sale. I've had garage sales before, but I've never sold a whole house full of stuff literally! It's quite overwhelming. We are getting ready to contact an appraiser and get an estimate on the value of the house. We need to put it on the market soon.

The goodbyes are getting ready to start again. We are winding down gymnastics season. J's State Championship is tomorrow. That will be his last competition ever. The girls will wrap up their final season and I will be done coaching in about a month and a half. The time is approaching quickly. We are both excited and overwhelmed at the same time.

Worry

2008-03-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let PETITIONS and PRAISES shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

YOU

2008-03-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

I found this poem while cleaning out a drawer today and thought it would be encouraging to someone.

Just think,
you're here not by chance,
but by God's choosing.
His hand formed you
and made you the person you are.
He compares you to no one else-
you are one of a kind.
You lack nothing
that His grace can't give you.
He has allowed you to be here
at this time in history
to fulfill His special purpose
for this generation.

---Roy Lessin

True Selflessness

2008-03-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

Today, I started in the book of Philippians. Chapter 2 contains one of the best descriptions of Christ and what He sacrificed. I am doing this Lent blogging leading up to Easter. What a better thing to remember than Christ's true selflessness. I have known these verses since I was a kid. The Message states them very plainly.

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death- and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth- even those long ago dead and buried-will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father."

He is Master of all! All glory and praise and honor is due to Him!

Parenting with Love: The Ultimate Example

2008-03-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

Parenting is one of the hardest tasks imaginable. It is also one our biggest responsibilities. How we parent can determine what the next generation will be like. There are many parenting issues, many things that seem to walk the line. Many questions seem to arise and in two parent homes, there is always a difference of opinion somewhere in the parenting years. How strict should I/we be? What should we let slide? What are the absolutes? How do we discipline? What methods should we use for each individual child (believe me, we have a multitude around here because every child is different)?

The very first verses I read today in Ephesians 5 talk about how we should model ourselves after God just as a child models himself after his parents.

"Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that."

Whew! That gets to me. I am constantly in the parenting learning process. Yes, I am a veteran with much experience, but I am ever having to keep learning as my children grow and go through different stages. Love is often seen as mushy gushy feelings. Yes, that can be a part of love. However, love can come in many forms- from a warm cuddle when a child is sick to a privilege revoked for disobedience to an ice cream treat after a tough day at school to just plain saying "no" for the good of the child.

God loves us so much that He sent Christ to die for us. That truly is extravagant love. He loves us enough to not give us everything we want all of the time, but to teach us dependence on Him much of the time. He loves us enough to have sent the Comforter to help us in times of distress and pain. He loves us enough to discipline us through natural consequences when we sin. His love is the most pure and unadulterated kind. I, for one, am grateful for His marvelous love that He pours out on us and what it teaches me about how I should love and live.

What are You Here on Earth For?

2008-03-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

What are you here on earth for? This is a question that many people debate. Some believe it is just to be a good person and help as many as possible. Some think it is to have fun, party til you drop. There are many opinions about it. One thing is for sure, almost everyone has thought about it.

I truly have strong feelings about why I am here and what my purpose is. However, I never feel adequate.

Today in my reading, I came across some verses that summed it up for me.

Ephesians 3

"This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to the Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities."

I believe my life's work is the same as Paul's. I am not a preacher. I don't have very good Biblical exegesis skills. I worry about how to share and what to say. However, according to the verses above, God equips us regardless of ourselves. In fact, according to the verses at the beginning of the next chapter, He wants us to move forward with what we are here to do at full speed ahead.

"I want you to get out there and walk- better yet, run!- on the road God called you to travel. I don't want anyone sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes to nowhere."

So the question now repeats itself for both me and you...What are you here on earth for? Are we here to stroll down a path leading to nowhere, just aimlessly "making it" through this adventure called life? Could there be a greater plan? I know these have reaffirmed to me the direction my family is going and it truly encourages me to be careful not to get distracted by "strolling off, down some path that goes to nowhere". I pray that I'm always headed straight down the path He wants for me.

Adoption

2008-03-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

Most who read this blog are adoption blog buddies. Many of us have followed each other's journeys for years. Regardless of any other differences in beliefs, we know we share one common passion: adoption. Adoption has changed our lives forever and I think we have a unique insight on life that no one has unless they have gone through it themselves.

With that in mind, I want to share some verses I came across that speaks to what God thinks of adoption.

Galatians 4

"You can tell that you are now fully adopted as His own children because God sent the Spirit of His Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father! " Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with compete access to inheritance."

Ephesians 1

"Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!)"

The second set of verses really wows me. He planned for our adoption into His family. Before He formed anything in the world, He was thinking of us. That's how special we are to Him. Just as we planned and worked to bring our children home. He planned and worked for our adoption. It even says he took pleasure in it. Wow! To me, it is incredible to realize the amount of sacrifice and love that went into my adoption as His child.

On those days, in those hours, okay... often in those minutes, that the boys are giving me grief and every time I get frustrated with them, my mind always jumps back to my own adoption. I know that I must daily, hourly, okay...often every minute do things which displease Him. He always responds with love- whether it comes in the form of comfort, reassurance, conviction, or discipline, it is always pure love. The closer I get to Him, the more I realize what a horrific sinner I am and what a merciful Savior He is. I am so grateful that He adopted me and took me into His family and His love is truly unconditional.

Who Are You?

2008-03-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

These verses were especially challenging today.

Galatians 6

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can do with your own life.

What Happens When We Live God's Way?

2008-02-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments.

Meditate a few minutes on the character traits above. These are gifts from God.

Warning: Incision Pictures

2008-02-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor yesterday and I got to see what he did. My original scar goes from the top of my leg around to the back of my leg horizontally across the inside of my ankle and has 11 staple marks. The following pictures show what he did in the surgery.

This is the outside. The scar is going to be a couple of inches long. These stitches came out fairly easily.

This is the inside of my ankle. The incision crosses the other one and was about 3 1/2-4 inches long. I will have a very stylish ankle to show off in those summer flip flops! :-)

The second set of stitches was more painful due to the nerve damage. However, I survived. Then I got a lovely light blue cast that is already half-covered with beautiful autographs and artwork from my kiddos.

Trying to Rejoin Civilization

2008-02-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to rejoin civilization a little this week. The recovery period has been harder than I anticipated. I was supposed to get back into the doctor 7 days after surgery to have the splint removed, stitches taken out, and to be casted. However, they were booked, so I was scheduled for today. Then on Friday the office called and moved it to tomorrow. I'm scared to death that my stitches will permanently be a part of my leg. My nerve damage is still very present and I'm a little nervous about the pain it will inflict when removing ingrown stitches! :-)

We've had quite a week- five out of six kids have been sick and on antibiotics this past week: 3 cases of strep, one sinus infection, and one round of brochial spasms resulting in the need for an inhaler. (Update: Number 6 came home from school sick today.) My mom and dad stayed last week to help out. They were super help. D has also been incredible. Saturday I got cabin fever and decided to go to Z's gym. meet and ended up regretting it. A three hour event turned into a seven hour nightmare. I was bushed when I got home and my foot was swollen pretty badly again.

I realized last night that I needed to get back on track with my Lent postings also, so here are some verses for today. These are all found in Galatians 3.

"Does the God who lavishly provides you with His own presence, His Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does He do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust Him to do them in you?"

"And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure."

"The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him."

Surgery Update

2008-02-17T08:28:00.001-08:00

I'm about 50 percent awake right now so I'll do a quick post. Please excuse any typos, etc.

Surgery went fairly well.

Here's D's synopsis in some emails he sent out:

1. Nerve damage on inside of foot. The Dr. said that her nerve was pretty badly caught up in her previous scar tissue. He did all he could but got to a point where he felt going further might cause more damage. He says it may be two months before we really know how well this is going to heal (if at all), because the nerve may (or may not) slowly progress.

2. Pain in outside of foot. This part is much more hopeful. As was the plan, the Dr. removed a bone chip and re-attached a ligament. However, he also found that she had some pretty bad bone spurs which he also cleaned up. Dr. feels that the operation should make a good positive impact on her pain.

Right now, I'm relying on the pain meds quite a bit. My toes are very swollen and I have to keep the foot up or the pain is pretty bad. I'm supposed to go in later this week to have the splint taken off, stitches removed, and a cast put on.

I want to send out a big thank you to my hubby, kids, my parents, and our church small group for all of the help they've given to help us get through this time while I'm down.

Four and a Half Years of Waiting

2008-02-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

In August of 2003, on our way to gym, this happened:

E and Z were okay. H was pinned in the front passenger seat (yeah, I know, terrible mom- never again since). She had to be removed with the Jaws of Life. She is our miracle child. She shouldn't have survived the crash, yet came out with no broken bones. She had a faceful of glass that still surfaces to this day, but other than that...nothing. We have told her many times that God preserved her life for a reason and He must have a very special purpose for her.

I didn't fair so well. Because I was pressing on the brake so hard to stop the vehicle, I experienced a compound dislocation of my ankle. Basically, my right foot popped totally out sideway, tearing all my skin and exposing my leg bones at the bottom. My foot all but totally separated from my leg. I was like Humpty Dumpty, they put me back together again, but I've never quite been the same.

I kept telling the doctor that something with my nerves wasn't right and that the outside of my ankle really hurt. He said it was all normal and to give it time. A year later, he ran a nerve test and found a pretty good amount of nerve damage. Scar tissue had grown up where they had reattached the foot and was strangling the nerves. He said there was nothing wrong with the outside. I needed surgery to release the nerves and repair the foot.

One problem: When the wreck occurred we had no medical insurance and the car insurance had already been settled. Any surgery would be completely out of pocket. We didn't have the money. In 2005, we moved...expensive. Then we started the adoption...super expensive. Then we petitioned our new insurance to remove the rider on the ankle... no go! We decide to move overseas and serve there...extremely expensive.

The older I got, the more trouble I had with it. There were some days, especially after gymnastic meets, that I could barely walk the next day. By January 2008, I had resigned myself that I would never get my ankle repaired. The nerve damage I had gotten used to. I had accepted the fact that I would never wear cute shoes or walk barefoot on the grass again. I gave up my dream of a surgery to God.

Sometimes when we give up our dreams, God gives them back to us. At the end of January, D told me to go see a doctor. When I did, he told me that not only did I have the nerve damage, but there was a reason the outside hurt so much. I had several bone chips in there and a disconnected ligament.

Therefore, tomorrow, Valentine's Day, I'm getting the best Valentine present ever...a fixed foot. The doctor will be cutting into both sides of the ankle and repairing the damage. He will clean out the scar tissue on the inside and release the nerves and will clean up the bone chips and reconnect the ligament on the outside. I will be down for a week, then I will get a cast. I will be on crutches and with a cast for 4-6 weeks and then in a walking boot for a 2-4 more weeks.

Truthfully, I am a little nervous. I have wanted my foot fixed for so long, but now I am scared. I remember how hard it is to be a mom with no arms (crutches) and only one leg. I remember how hard showers are and cooking, even grocery shopping, etc. I'm trying to learn to drive with my left foot. I am not just dreading the recovery period, but I'm also a little nervous about the final result. It has been damaged for so long, I truly wonder how good it can be. The doc said there is no guarantee on the nerve damage side of things because it has been so long.

However, I am grateful to God for providing for us in a way that I can have a shot at it. It will hopefully make life easier in a country where walking over unpaved or poorly paved roads to go anywhere is the norm. It will help in climbing the million stairs up and down to our fifth floor apartment that they think we will have (no elevators). All in all, I hope it keeps me on my feet for many more years than I could have been otherwise.

I would truly love any of your prayers for the surgery tomorrow and for the recovery period afterward. I will try to update and let you know how it went as soon as I'm off the drugs enough to concentrate on a post. :-) In the meantime, I wish each of you a very happy Valentine's Day!

Extravagant Love

2008-02-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

I will not be posting tomorrow on Valentine's Day for reason I will post about later on today. So, today I want to post about love, extravagant love. A few weeks ago we sang a new song in church about Christ's extravagant love for us. Since then, during my Bible reading time, I have seen the word extravagant several times in reference to Christ. I find it quite fitting for Valentine's Day. Christ is the only one with pure love, not mushy gushy feelings, but pure, unadulterated, unconditional love. I am so grateful for it!

Definition of extravagant from dictionary dot com:
extravagant:
1. excessively high
2. exceeding the bounds of reason, as actions, demands, opinions, or passions.
3. going beyond what is deserved or justifiable

Christ's love was most evidenced to us in His sacrificial death on the cross. As I look at the above definitions, especially number three, I can definitely agree that His love is extravagant.

Here's the song mentioned above. It is by "Casting Crowns".

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel I'm moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in the secret place
Cause Your love is extravagant

Spread wide in the arms of Christ
there's a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known;
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again

You can hear it with a video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp1uaBAuZiQ

Happy Valentine's Day! Celebrate His extravagant love!

Weakness or Opportunity- All in Your Perspective

2008-02-12T04:59:00.000-08:00

How do you view your weakness? What are your weaknesses?

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul speaks of a "handicap", a weakness, that God had given him to keep him humble. See how Paul views this weakness:

"Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three time I did that and then he told me,

'My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.'

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I QUIT FOCUSING ON THE HANDICAP AND BEGAN APPRECIATING THE GFT. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size-abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

What's your weakness? I have a ton. Paul in 2 Corinthians challenges me to see them in a different light. Perspective always changes everything.

Reading Progress

2008-02-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

After many, many months of long hard work, the light bulb has switched on! This is L's reading page last week. He read every single word!! El has been able to sound out short vowel three letter words for several months, but it just hadn't clicked with L. All the hard work is finally starting to show!! Woo Hoo!

100 Percent Commitment

2008-02-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

3 quotes for today:

#1- from "He Shall Be Called...150 Names of Jesus and What They Mean to You" by Robert J. Morgan

Our Lord...would rather have one person who is 100 percent committed to him than a hundred people who are 80 percent committed.

#2 John Wesley

"If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and determined to know nothing among men but Christ, and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire."

#3 Story from book in #1

Queen Victoria once asked General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, for the secret of his success. "I guess," replied Booth, "the reason is because God has all there is of me."

Challenge question: DOES HE HAVE ALL THERE IS OF YOU AND ME?

Hanna Project

2008-02-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Today's reflection is going to be in the form of a prayer request. One of our closest friend works with the coordinator of the Hanna Project. It is an ongoing project to bring hope and healing to places in the world that need help. They have many different areas that they are working in, but currently the team is on their way to the Ivory Coast. They will do dental, medical, and vision clinics and minister to the people there in remote villages that wouldn't get care otherwise. They are also rebuilding a school and have collected thousands of school kits to take with them for the children there. This spring they are helping build playground equipment for children in Kazakhstan. They are also planning work in Morocco and Tajikistan. I know there is a plan in the works to build an orphanage somewhere sometime.

Anyway, several of our church members are going- one of them is our dear friend. Please pray for their safety and that God will forever change their lives through this experience. Pray that their eyes will be open to the world and its needs. Pray for their families that remain here and hold down the fort while their loved one is on the other side of the world.

Living Large and What You Do in Hard Times

2008-02-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

After writing yesterday's post (yes, it has been edited), I started receiving phone call after phone call. It resulted in a meeting with the mom, me, and my boss. It seemed to go well, the mother even apologized and said it wouldn't happen again. She didn't own up to many of the things that she reportedly did and said, so we'll see how it goes from here. My boss was awesome and fully supported me saying, amongst other things, that I was the fairest coach he has ever seen. I am posting this to let you know that God was my Defender. I don't necessarily believe it is all over and everything will be happy sunshine from here on out. Words are hard to take back once they've been said. The repercussions of this could last a while. However, I am confident that God will continue to uphold and defend me.

Today's verses:

II Corinthians 7:10 (Message)

"Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets."

What do you do when times get hard? Do you run to God or away from Him, blaming Him?

II Corinthians 6:11-13 (Message)

"Dear, dear Corinthians, I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life...The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way... Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively."

LIVE LARGE!! This makes me think of Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "The Great Adventure".

Saddle up your horses

Started out this morning in the usual way

Chasing thoughts inside my head of all I had to do today

Another time around the circle try to make it better than the last

I opened up the Bible and I read about me

Said I'd been a prisoner and God's grace had set me free

And somewhere between the pages it hit me like a lightning bolt

I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say "let's go"!

Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze

Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown

This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure

Come on get ready for the ride of your life

Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind

And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored

This is what we were created for

We'll travel over, over mountains so high

We'll go through valleys below

Still through it all we'll find that

This is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see

The love of God will take us far beyond our wildest dreams

Yeah... oh saddle up your horses... come on get ready to ride

Letting God be our Defender

2008-02-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

Today's reflection is going to be about something very close to home. It's amazing to me how God knows just when to send what verses my way.

I have been dealing with something at the gym for several months. I have always loved coaching and have had great relationships with my gymnasts and their parents over the years. When we moved and I left my old gym, there were many tears. I still have those parents approach me at competitions and beg me to come back and tell me they miss me or it hasn't been the same since we left. That has been almost 3 year ago now. I have the same relationship with the parents I have coached at this gym. At least until a few months ago.

This year we have had several new gymnasts come our way because of discontent at another local gym. Sometimes there is difficulty with transition from one place to another or one coaching/training style to another. However, it usually works itself out within a relatively short period of time.

This year we had one family transfer over that has been what I call my "sandpaper". I believe God places people in our lives to rub off our rough edges and make us more like Him. We have been round and round with this family.

The problem has really escalated and has become a great burden on me. I have never had a more stressful gym year. I have prayed every day that God would allow me to forgive her and love her regardless of what she has done to me and my girls. I truly want to be a shining example of the love He has for her. I talk to my girls about how Jesus prayed for and loved even those who were mocking Him and spitting in His face. However, truthfully, the longer this goes on, the harder it gets. Forgiving and overlooking injury once, twice, even three times is much easier than when it is overlooking it many times more. Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven. I'm trying, but it is hard when there is no remorse on the other side. It is totally a one-way street.

Last night, as I was coaching and trying to fight through my worldly human emotions toward the mother and child, I remembered watching a movie recently called "Flywheel". It was made by the same people that made "Facing the Giants". In the movie, the man was trying to live righteously, but his name was getting smeared by people in competition with him. An older man in the movie told him to let God be his Defender. The man prayed and gave his reputation and these problems to God and asked Him to be his Defender.

This hit me hard. I knew that I had not treated her child any different than any other child I coached. I knew I had been fair in all things. I knew that I had made every effort to hold my tongue even when I was taking a hit and my kids were taking hits. I am naturally a defensive person and so this is an area where I was being challenged to grow. It was so releasing this morning as I prayed for God to be my Defender. I have new resolve to go in to the gym tonight and be the best coach I can be and leave the rest to Him.

Several verses in my Bible reading this morning reaffirmed His role in this:

II Corinthians 1:12
Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldy wisdom but according to God's grace.

Message: Instead of trusting in our own strenth or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally- not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead!

II Corinthians 2:7-8 (Message)
"Now is the time to forgive...If all you do is pour on guilt, you could very well drown him in it...pour on love."

Ouch! Today's verses hurt! :-) Change my heart God!

Please pray for me that I can pour on love and trust in God's strength to do it instead of living in unforgiveness and hurt.

Lent

2008-02-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of the Holy Season and the beginning of Lent. We are not Catholic, but we feel that this is a Christian celebration for all denominations. It is a time to reflect on Christ's sacrifice for all of us.

For those of you that may not know, many people give up something during Lent. It is a sacrifice that reminds us of the greatest sacrifice paid for our salvation. I have chosen something to give up, but felt really led to give something else too. I am going to post daily about what God taught me in His Word that day- it may be a verse, a saying I read in a devotional, or just something that He spoke to my heart. I realize that there may be days I will miss due to unforseen circumstances or things beyond my control. However, that is my goal. I will also continue to post regular posts, but I want to glorify Him and shine a light on Him as we lead up to the celebration of His resurrection. For all of you out there saying, "Oh no, she's getting preachy again," please bear with me, take time to consider what is posted, and then decide whether to discard it or take it to heart.

With that said, here is the verse that stuck out to me today:

I Corinthians 15:58 (The Message)
"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort."

This verse stuck out to me and encouraged me because I had someone the other day say that they didn't understand why we would uproot our family, move to the other side of the world, to an area where we may see little or no fruit. This verse confirms to me that He is faithful, whether in the big things or in the small things. Whatever He has called you or me to do, no matter how big or small it is in the world's eyes, it is not a waste of time or effort if we are doing it for Him and in obedience to Him. Stand your ground! Don't hold back! Throw yourself into His work! It is not in vain.

He Did It Again

2008-02-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

My comical second grader has done it again. His creative boyhood mind has made us put our sides in stitches once again. Last night, as one of his homework assignments, he had to write a "No Smoking" ad campaign. It is for a contest all across the state. The winner and his/her ad will get a television appearance pushing the "Be Smart-Don't Start" theme.

All of our elementary school is doing it. Therefore, he wrote it in deep secrecy and wouldn't let his sisters see, in fear that they might steal his idea for themselves. So, please everyone out there- no plagarism! :-)

Here is his ad (written out below):

Once upon a time there was a man named Fire Boy. He liked to smoke. And one day Ice Man said, "Don't smoke. It's bad."

The next day Ice Man showed up at Fire Boy's house, and he was still smoking. So, Ice Man threw an ice ball.

The next day Ice Man saw Fire Boy smoking. He got really mad and made a giant ice ball.

The next day Fire Boy finally stopped smoking. Ice Man was happy.

He writes from a life obsessed with super heroes. Can you tell? Actually, I thought it was quite creative. I think the ad campaign could take Fire Boy and Ice Man and really reach the younger population. What do you think?

Misconceptions

2008-01-31T06:36:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays are half price movie nights at the dollar theater here in town. Therefore, we can take our family of 8 to the movies for $4.00!! This is like renting a movie at home, but to the kids it is much "cooler" because we get to go to the theater. This past Tuesday we took the kids to see "The Game Plan". We were completely pleased with this movie. Z is now even calling it her favorite movie ever.

Anyway, another thing we rarely get to do is go out to eat with the Crew. I had a bonus that I was given at Christmas that I saved for such a time as this. We have a new Mexican restaurant in town that is supposed to be excellent. It is a chain and I've been to one before and it was very good. We decided to check it out.

Upon entering the restaurant we got several looks, including from the employee taking our name and how many needed to be seated. There were only 5 or 6 people waiting in the lobby. She looked at us and told us it would be a 25-30 minute wait. It was already about 7:15 at night and it was a school night. I told her thank you, but that we couldn't wait that long.

As we were exiting, I commented that I didn't understand the long wait time since there was hardly anyone there. D said she told me a long wait time hoping we would leave because of all of the kids.

We went down the road to another Mexican place who promptly seated all 8 of us. In fact, they seated us next to a table with 10 adults...10 drinking adults...10 very loud disturbing adults...you get the picture. After about ten minutes, E leaned over to me and said, "Mom, they really aren't acting very well and they are really annoying." We took the opportunity to teach a life lesson about drinking. However, I found it quite interesting that we were possibly turned down from one restaurant because of a misconception they had about the number of kids we had and the problems that might result from it. Then at the next restaurant, there were grown adults acting like children and it was acceptable.

What the first restaurant didn't know was that a good number of times that we have gone out to eat with our Crew, we have been complimented on how well-behaved they are. We have had waiters, waitresses, and other patrons stop and comment on how some people can't keep their one of two children from crawling under tables, making messes on the table, or throwing fits. I found it interesting that my just turned 10 year old daughter was noticing the childlike behavior of the people around us and talking about how "annoying" it was when we were just put out because of the misconception that our children would act that way. The whole thing was enlightening.

BTW, Mexican restaurants are one of the best places for large families to eat. We ordered two sets of fajitas, drank water, and even shared a dessert for $30.18. Not bad for 8 people at a nice restaurant.

Another dose of J

2008-01-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

Check out those 7 year old muscles! J had another gymnastic meet last weekend. He did really well. For those of you who don't know, he does all six events- vault, parallel bars, high bar, floor, pommel horse, and rings. There were 48 seven year olds. They divided them into two groups. J placed 6th on floor and high bar, 10th on parallel bars, and 12th all-around. This was pretty good for only his second meet.

Okay, now for a little J humor:

Number 1: The night before the meet, he was at practice. His teammates were telling jokes. One of them told the "What's black and white and red all over?" joke. When they were finished, J said, "Okay, I've got one. I made it up myself. What's green and green and green and black and white? Give up... it's 3 pickles wrestling with a skunk."

Number 2: Before the competition, I had packed his bag with all of his things he would need, the heaviest of which was a water bottle. During the competition, I noticed he was having a hard time lugging his bag around. It seemed super heavy and hard to carry. I commented that I wondered what he had put in there. After the competition, I inquired. "Oh, mom, I brought my dictionary with me in case I had time to read." This is unusual for many reasons. First of all, not very many people enjoy reading the dictionary, especially 7 year olds. Also, he had lugged his huge hard-backed Children's Dictionary through the entire meet. This is no small book. In reality, I don't think he had much reading time, but he was prepared anyway.

DOUBLE DIGITS!!!

2008-01-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

Today is DOUBLE DIGITS for E and Z! 10 years old! What else could that mean for a girl around our house, but ear piercing?!

E was the first to go. She made some funny contortions with her face, but did great!

LEFT EAR

RIGHT EAR
Z almost backed out, but the lady was quick to get the left ear done...
... OW! That hurt! "Mom, I don't want to do the other one." Me: "You can't walk out of here with just one earring."

RIGHT EAR (in tears, poor baby/ the price we pay for beauty)

Every girls' birthday wish: NEW SHOES

E's were too big. I'll have to make a return.

Z already had hers on. She balanced so I could get a picture.
Best friends, closest pals, sacred secret keepers:

My Beautiful 10 Year Old Twins!

Don't the ears look cute?

Happy 10th E and Z!!!

A Year and a Half at Home

2008-01-21T07:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday marked a year and a half since we landed on American soil with our Russian sons.
I've had a lot of news to report on the other kiddos, but haven't done a bwin update in a while, so here it is.

First, here's a picture of the bwins in our hotel room on the day we took them from the orphanage (July 14, 2006). The shirts are 2T and the shorts are 18mo. This picture was taken in our Moscow apartment when they discovered the CD player. They were fascinated and listened to it forever and begged to listen more. It was the first thing that they stopped long enough to sit for since we got them. They both love music, but L has a special draw to it. He loves to listen and to sing. He's always singing something, although not very many of the words are correct.
This picture was taken this Christmas when they were given FP3 players by MeMa and PaPa. They are the kid-tough MP3 players made by Fisher-Price. I thought this really showed how much they've grown from the pic above.
The boys have wrestled this fall/winter season and have done well. They have won a few medals, but above all, have learned some much needed self discipline. They enjoy days out with dad, their wrestling coach. Every time I hear Steven Curtis Chapman's "All I Really Want for Christmas", I cry. It's about a little boy who is an orphan and just wants a home. One of the lines says, "But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with, Maybe they could teach me how to get along." This has come true in our family.

This picture was taken at our trip to the pumpkin patch in early November.

Such handsome boys!

This picture says it all.

A family.

This was taken on Christmas Eve 2007 when they got their new jammies.

A lot of progress has been made over the last year and a half, but there is always more work to be done.

Here's a few other updates:
Weight in Russia: L (25 pounds), El (25 1/2 pounds)
Weight now: L (30 pounds), El (31 pounds)

Size clothing in Russia: 2T shirts, 12 month shorts
Size now: 4T length, still need super adjustable waists or strong elastic

Language: They communicate extremely well, but still get sentence structure mixed up. They also tend to use wrong verb forms (much like a 3 or 4 year old). We are continually working on their vocabulary expansion. They have learned to point and say "that" or "this" to so many things, but don't actually know what they are.

School: We have homeschooled Kindergarten this year and progress has been slow, but it has been there. They know all of the letter names and most of the sounds. They have quite a bit of trouble with u, w, and y sounds. El can sound out almost any short vowel, three letter word. L struggles a little more in this area, but can get it depending on the day. They have also just started learning silent e on the end of a word and long vowel sounds. They can recognize all of the numbers through 10 and the number words through 10. They can do one digit addition and subtraction problems (usually with their fingers, but at least they have the concept).

The true challenge in school has been in the area of discipline and frustration levels. They require great amounts of review. For example, they know how to write their names, but if they don't practice it every once in a while, they don't remember how to do it. We do a lot of drills and repetition. We have to review how to do everything after we've had any break, even a weekend.

Every day, we have several outbursts. At the beginning of the year, we had a lot of screaming, yelling, crying, throwing fits. It really made it hard to learn anything. What I started doing a few months ago has really helped. The minute they start fussing or whining or whimpering, they are sent to sit on their bed until they can come back and work with a good attitude. They usually run off screaming, but have to make their own decision to calm down and work. They come back and usually apply themselves much better.

They can definitely learn, it just seems as if they don't always retain things well. We can do a page of addition problems, turn the page, and they don't know how to do the next page of addition problems even though it is exactly the same. It has truly been a different year of teaching than I've ever had before.

Discipline: A year and a half ago we were spending half our day in time-in with the boys trying to keep them from tearing everything up. They still go to time-out on occasion and we still have a lying incident once or twice per week, but all in all things are much better on this front. They still get incredibly angry when they have to be disciplined. It is a fierce anger, but they are learning to control it better.

They still require tight boundaries. It seems if I let up and give them a little more freedom, I mean a little, they take a bunch and run. They don't know how to manage it well yet. They're gradually getting better, but it is always a test and see situation.

Memories: Over the past year and a half, we've heard several stories of their past. They are trying to sort everything out. The other day, they asked E when Mama and Papa picked her up from the orphanage. E went on to explain that she came out of my tummy, not from an orphanage. She told him he came from his Russian Mama's tummy. L said, "Yea, she told us she would come back and get us one day, but she never came." Little things like this pop out from time to time. Memories will be sparked by a word someone says, a song they hear, something they see on TV.

Letters from gma are becoming less, but are still happening. In the last letter, she mentioned the boys' father. We have no paternal info on them, so this, of course, spurred our interest. We wrote back asking for some more info, but haven't received anything back.

Attachment: I think the boys have attached really well. They still sometimes get overly touchy and suffocate people, much like they did at first. However, they seem to usually have a good balance. They absolutely love their siblings, grandparents, and cousins.

All in all, it seems like they've been here a lot longer than a year and a half. I feel that they've progressed well considering their first five years. They are six and a half years old. In some things they seem right on target, but in many ways they are more like four year olds. Sometimes this is hard for me. However, I feel that they are doing really well. The last year and a half has definitely been an adjustment in many ways for our family, but I can't imagine life without the bwins.

Spelling Bee

2008-01-17T05:04:00.000-08:00

Z and J at the spelling bee. The numbers were their spelling order.

The spelling bee was yesterday and went well. The kids did a great job. You could tell they were really nervous. Z was the only girl out of 12 kids who qualified until a last minute little girl showed up. I thought that was quite interesting. She ended up going out on the word ACCUSE. She got nervous and said ACCUS.....S. When they said she was out she looked bewildered. She thought she had said an E on the end. She quitely spelled other's words while they continued, words like AERIAL and AISLE. I think she was disappointed, but we were proud of her. J went out on the word ACCESS. He said ACCES. He had one to few S's and Z had one two many.

Both kids did great and were cheered up to hear that as a reward for being a spelling bee finalist, they get to go out for pizza next Friday during school as a treat. They thought that was pretty cool! Way to go J and Z!

First Semester Down

2008-01-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

The first semester is over for the kids and they are into the second one. They brought grade cards home the other day and I thought I'd do a little momma braggin' again.

J's 1st semester averages(2nd grade): 96, 98, 100, 99, 100 (He was very upset that there were only two 100s. )
E's 1st semester averages(4th grade): 87, 96, 91, 91, 93, 93 (This is very good for E.)
Z's 1st semester averages(4th grade): 97, 97, 95, 95, 96, 97
H's 1st semester averages(8th grade): 96, 97, 98, 94

Overall, school has been good for the kids. I miss them, but it has been a real challenge to school the two little guys this year. It was the right thing for everyone to send the others to school. They have learned many life lessons that will help in the future and I have had time to work with the bwins more intensely. Just in case you wonder, all of the kids say they like school, except for E on occasion. However, all of them can't wait for homeschooling again next year. They're already asking about it.

**Bonus: The school spelling bee is tomorrow. There are 12 children participating out of around 390 kids. Two of the twelve are from our Crew. I'll let you know how it goes.

**Double Bonus: A paper that came home in J's folder (all grammar as he wrote it).

My Favorite Parts of Christmas:
I love Jesus's birthday.
I love decorating my house.
I love making a Santa letter.
I love watching my family open presents.
Last but not lest I love getting to visit my Grandma and Grandpa.

The Tides of Life

2008-01-07T19:23:00.001-08:00

Life is an endless cycle of gaining and losing, firsts and lasts. We learn to deal with loss and we learn to celebrate with gain. We revel in the firsts and cherish the lasts. Two years ago, we had all of the "lasts" as a family of six while we were anticipating the boys. Then last year we went through a series of "firsts" with them- first Christmas, first Easter, first bike, first birthday party, etc. Now this year we are back to "lasts" again, and along with the lasts come the goodbyes.

This fall, we began realizing and marking many "lasts"- the last time to dress up for Halloween, the last birthday with family members, the last Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family, etc. When we lost the big tree in the ice storm, we said a goodbye to our home as we knew it, a special memory. Then D's grandpa passed away and another goodbye came our way. Our last Christmas with our families was special despite all of the illnesses we had and are continuing to have. But with the passing of Christmas comes the beginning of getting rid of "stuff" for us.

We are not moving with the military or any business that would be sending employers overseas. We are a part of a group, but there are no moving expenses because we raise all of our own support. Therefore, when we board the plane next summer, we will have almost nothing to claim as ours other than what is in our suitcases. Yes, we will store some memorabilia, pictures, etc. We may even store some basic supplies for when we make trips back for visits. However, most everything we own will be sold in a garage sale or given away. There's no shipping of furniture, etc. We will not own a vehicle.

I am not a "stuff" person anyway so this concept has never really bothered me much. We won't have much space when we get there anyway. We are "hoping" on a 1000 square foot apartment for the 8 of us. We've even been told we would have a western toilet. Woo Hoo!!There won't be much room for much else besides beds, clothes, schoolbooks, and basic necessities. We don't need any of our "stuff".

A few weeks before Christmas, our pastor preached a sermon on how traditions bind the children to the family. They bring security and a sense of belonging. After that sermon, we decided that we would pack up our most special Christmas items and send a very small box over so we would have familiar things with us next year. Each child picked two of their favorite small ornaments. We are going to wrap them in our stockings and send them over. We have also included a book we always read on Christmas Eve.

Other than that, all of our Christmas "stuff" will be going. My mother is taking a few items and we asked our small group to come "after Christmas shop for FREE" at our house. We found a good home for our 7 1/2 foot Prescott Pine prelit tree. Next year we're hoping for a table top tree. Really, I am thrilled to give away all of Christmas things. I would rather them go to people we love than just be sold in a garage sale for a quarter. However, my heart does ache, not for the "things", but for the memories. I don't know how to explain it, but I guess I'm just going through a little loss. I'm sure a little fear of the unknown, fear of the future is there. However, I think it is mostly a kind of saying goodbye to the way things were.

I know Who holds the future and I am totally confident in His plan. I know that next year will be an incredible one filled with exciting new adventures and marvelous opportunities, especially at Christmas. But for right now, I'm quietly and inwardly weeping over the loss. The tree, grandpa, and Christmas are only the beginning of the goodbyes and the losses. Our next 7 months will be filled with them. I know that dealing with loss and saying goodbyes are just part of the tides of life. However, I look forward to next year when the cycle of "firsts" begins again. I know that God will use the next few months of the shedding of everything we've ever known to draw me closer to Him and prepare me. The one thing that helps is to remind myself that my goodbyes and my losses are nothing in comparison to God's sacrifice of His Son on the cross or Christ's sacrifice of His very life. He did so much more for me than I could ever do for Him.

We need a doctor in the family!

2008-01-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well, the sixth child, Z, finally got the stomach virus on New Year's Eve. It caught up with me at about 3 a.m. this morning. I tell you what, this is one fierce bug. I warned D that we were now at 7 out of 8 of us receiving the stomach flu. He's the only one left. Hopefully, we don't go for 100 percent in this arena.

Also, H was out with her youth group on New Years Eve and fell into a drain ditch, fracturing the growth plate in her ankle. She is in a big boot and on crutches for six weeks.

E had her MRI arthrogram done on her shoulder. We were supposed to have the results back today. However, I just called the doctor and the nurse said that he was wanting to show them to a second doctor to get another opinion before sharing the results with us. In other words, we have to wait through the weekend and won't know anything until Monday.

I am sooooo ready to be rid of these health problems. They seem to just be coming at us left and right. However, I refuse to get discouraged and look forward to a great next week. Hope everyone has a super weekend!

Spelling Champs

2008-01-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, the holidays are over and now I'm going to play a little catch-up.

The first item of business is a mama's bragging rights. About mid-December, J's teacher sent home a note saying that he was one of the second grade spelling bee contestants from his class. In his school there are 6 second grade classes with about 22 kids per class, around 132 kids total. Each class chose its top 6 spellers to compete in the second grade spelling bee. The top four second graders overall moved on to the school-wide spelling bee. J did so well, and as usual, was very exact and professional in his spellings. He finished fifth. Therefore, he is an alternate if one of the top four can't do it. The picture above is him at the second grade bee. His teeth were so loose they were about to fall out.

Two days before Christmas break, Z got in the car and announced that out of her grade of approximately 130 kids, she made the top four and would be in the school-wide Spelling Bee. Both J and Z brought home a booklet full of words to study. The big spell-off is on January 16th. We have done a little studying, but with everyone being so sick, we haven't done as much as I would have like to have done over the break. (Z got the stomach virus on New Year's Eve. Six out of six. We like to do everything 100%! :-0 )

Anyway, I wanted to make sure that I posted about this great accomplishment. As you can tell, I'm really proud of them both!

The Church in Action

2007-12-31T15:20:00.000-08:00

As many of you recall, we had a terrible ice storm a few weeks ago that destroyed many of our trees. We do not own a chainsaw and really had no way to clean up the disaster area in our yard. Saturday, unknown to me, one of the guys in our small group asked D how our tree cleanup was going. D explained that it wasn't going. The next thing we knew, we were told that all of the men in our small group would be at our house at 8 a.m. this morning.

Early today, chainsaws were humming and limbs were being hauled off. The men worked from 8 a.m. until around 12:30 p.m. today. D's dad also showed up. 6 men, 4 chainsaws, 2 trailer beds, and 19 trailer-fulls later, the street out by our house was lined with a good part of the rubble. We also saved back some of the better chunks for firewood and there are some damaged branches higher than anyone could reach. It was amazing to see the piles!

Here's our limbs stretching from one side of the picture as far as you can see to the other end of the picture.

Each pile was similar to this: all 19 of them!
Whew! That's a lot of tree limbs!

We could never have done all of this work. We did not own a trailer, we did not own a chainsaw. Our small group gave of their time to help us out and we are so grateful. We have no family local enough to see often. Our small group has become each other's family. We know they will continue to be a support to us in the months and years to come as we make our move. We are so thankful to God for putting us with them and building the relationships we have with them. If any of you guys read this blog, we love you! Thanks for being the Chuch in action!

(BTW, for those who may not be familiar with what a small group is: A small group, sometimes called cell groups, are several families who meet together on a regular basis to pray, study God's word, and do various community/ministry projects. We have small group meetings every other Sunday evening. We rotate whose house it is at. We are getting ready to do the Nooma DVDs, but have done many other studies. We usually have a meal or snack time together, do our lesson, and then pray. We involve the kids in every project we do and our families have truly become knit together.)

The First 8 Days of Christmas Break

2007-12-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well, here it goes. D and I tried to fit it into the Twelve Days of Christmas song, but we weren't that talented.

Day 1: Found out E has to have an MRI Arthrogram on her shoulder. She hurt it about 2 months ago and hasn't moved it hardly at all since. Her original MRI back in mid-November showed fluid buildup. Doc sent her to therapy for a month. Not much better. Now she has to have a 3 inch needle injected into her shoulder joint shooting dye for a clearer view. The doc suspects a possible tear, which would mean surgery.

Day 2: L is extremely lethargic after his wrestling tournament. D says he fell asleep on the mat between matches. H snuggles with him on the chair to comfort him. L throws up all over the chair and H. H has a low gag reaction anyway. She runs to bathroom, throws up in sink, starts the water running in it to rinse it out, goes on to toilet to finish her ordeal. After about 5 min. she turns around to turn the water off, only to realize the drain has been plugged the whole time and the entire countertop, the drawers, all of the cabinets, and the carpet are flooded with what she deposited plus tons of water. Two hours of cleanup and sanitizing followed.

Day 3: Good; good day at church, getting ready for Christmas

Day 4: Christmas Eve; drove about 2 1/2 hours round trip and spent the day with D's mom and sister. Good get-together, our last Christmas with them.

Day 5: Christmas Day: Great beginning. Lots of fun. Kids had a blast. Took out at about 1 p.m. to head to my family's home(about 2 1/2 hours away). E starts complaining of a tummy ache. We blame it on motion sickness which happens quite frequently with her. A few hours after we arrive at my parent's house and many trips to the bathroom later, we realize this is not car sickness. We go to the bathroom many times during gift exchanging and by about halfway through, she begs to go to bed. By the time we're done with gifts, Z is begging to go to bed. By the time D and I go to bed, Z is running a very high fever and complaining of a bad headache.

Day 6: Z wakes up on fire still and says her throat hurts. Mom takes us to Urgent Care. Z is diagnosed with strep throat and is given an antibiotic. E is not puking every 5 minutes, but is definitely not normal still. H and J stay with mom and dad because we will see them the next day at D's gpa's funeral. We head home. L is running fever when we get home.

Day 7: The four we had with us were doing better in the morning, but Mom calls saying that H didn't sleep at all because she was up all night vomiting and has a fever. J is also complaining of a stomachache. We are preparing to go to D's grandpa's funeral (died on the 17th, H's b'day; would have been 100 on Valentine's Day, D was in charge of the funeral). Mom and Dad decide to come on to the funeral with the kids (about 3 1/2 hours). Mom calls shortly after they leave, J is now throwing up too and running fever. We go to the funeral (D did a great job). Mom stays with the sick kids in a separate room at the church. By the time the funeral was over, El came to me and was completely lethargic and running a fever. We made it to within 15 minutes of home before he started throwing up. We get a call from E's doc that says they can't get her MRA done until Jan. 2. Our deductible was already met for 2007, but I guess we'll get a good start on 2008! After getting home, L seems extremely tired, I let him nap thinking he was just worn out. Nope! At bedtime, D goes to pick him up. He is on fire. He had 104.2 degree fever. We medicate him and put him in bed with us.

Day 8: Everyone else seems back to normal somewhat, but I'm dying. I've fought sinus trouble all week and it has escalated. The doc is booked. I go to Urgent Care. I have a sinus infection and am prescribed an antibiotic.

Tomorrow begins days 9-13, then it is back to school. I think things are looking up. Everyone seems to be on the mend. Tomorrow is H's big 13th birthday party. It should be fun. At some point, we have to Lysol everything, put away Christmas gifts, unpack, and get the house back in some order.

The last few days sure have been crazy: 5 rounds of stomach virus, 1 strep throat, 1 sinus infection, many unexplained fevers, and a funeral (all but 1 round of stomach virus happened within 3 days). However, our last Christmas at home will obviously be very memorable. We certainly didn't enjoy all of the yucky parts, but we did have sweet times with our wonderful family. We enjoyed traditions that will go on next year without us. We enjoyed thinking about how we will incorporate them when we are gone. We enjoyed laughing and playing games with our loved ones, even amidst the craziness and chaos. There were many wonderful moments that we will cherish forever. We also look forward to what next year brings and what this time of year will mean to us over there. It's actually quite an exciting thought! Hope you all had a great Christmas! We look forward to 2008!

A Reply From Santa

2007-12-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

J found Santa's reply to the letter posted below in his stocking. Here it is:

Dear J,

Thank you for your letter this year. It was one of the sweetest I have ever received. You have a good heart and have been such a good boy.

Because you have been so good, I wanted to make sure and answer your question about the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas is how much God loves you, J. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to earth to be born a baby. God loved His Son very much, yet He sent Him here just for you.

That little baby grew up to be a man, a perfect man. He never ever did anything bad. He only did good. However, one day people nailed Him to the cross and He died. J, do you know why Jesus died on a cross even though He didn’t do anything wrong? He did it just for you. He took the punishment for your sins. He died for you because He loves you.

The true meaning of Christmas is celebrating the best gift ever given- the gift of Jesus. Another gift is given to any who will accept it. It is the gift of salvation. J, I hope and pray that one day, you will accept this wonderful gift that God has given you. Then you will completely know the true meaning of Christmas! I’m sure your mom or dad would be glad to tell you more if you have any questions.

Have a great day with your family! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!

Love,

Santa Claus

This letter could have been written to any one of mankind. Maybe you're struggling with the true meaning of Christmas. You won't find it in the hustle and bustle of the mall or in the frazzled pace of going to parties and wrapping gifts. The true meaning of Christmas is found at the feet of the little baby born long ago to be the Savior of the world. This little baby can make all things new as seen in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NaSROohLzs . Please take time to watch it. However, please view it before showing it to any children. It is very difficult to watch.

I hope each of you has a very Merry Christmas and that the true meaning of the season is alive in your hearts. If anyone would like to talk more about what is above, feel free to contact me.

A Letter to Santa

2007-12-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

J came home with his Thursday folder full of schoolwork from the past week. Apparently, they are practicing proper letter writing form (heading, greeting, body, closing, signature). They were using their writing skills to write a letter to Santa.

Here's what J's says:

Dear Santa:

I have tried to be good this year and all I want for Christmas is to learn the true meaning of Christmas and please put it on a piece of paper.

Love,
J

That's it. No games, toys, or other such requests. I'm sure he will have a special note from Santa under the tree this year, all about the true meaning of Christmas.

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth...

2007-12-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

The song is quite appropriate around our house as of last night.

(Isn't he a cutie?!)

It's Official!!

2007-12-17T09:34:00.001-08:00

It's official. I'm the parent of a teenager! Ugh!

H turns 13 today. She is such a beautiful young lady. Yes, we have our teenager/parent moments, but overall, she is an incredible girl. She is the oldest of the crew and handles that responsibility very well most of the time. She loves her siblings and is helpful with them.

She is doing very well in the 8th grade. She is a straight A student and even has 99-100 % averages in most of her classes.

She has overcome a lot of physical problems and has been able to again try the sport she loves, gymnastics. Many days are hard, but she is a fighter.

She is very involved with her church youth group. She is known as a leader there and has made many wonderful bonds with the kids there. She loves Jesus and has quite a bold witness with her school friends. She is never ashamed to wear Christian shirts or to speak about God and church. Several of her friends have come with us to services and one family is even regular attenders now.

H is who she is. She has an amazing gift in the fact that she does not seem to be heavily influenced by the crowd. She is definitely not a girly-girl, but is not completely on the other side either. She is everyone's friend. Everyone likes her, everyone enjoys being around her. She doesn't have a "group", but is connected somehow with everyone. Most of the time, people guess her to be a year or two older than she is because of her stability and character.

H's true inner beauty has really started shining through with our decision to move overseas. She will probably be one of the most affected of the kids. However, she has accepted the transition and is ready to do what God has called us to do. Yes, she has another side that wishes not to go because of all of her friends, but she also has a heart for the poor and underprivileged and unreached.

All in all, she is a beautiful young lady with a wonderful future ahead of her.

Happy Birthday, HB! You are a treasure.

Getting Back to Normal...Maybe

2007-12-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

Well, the kids headed back to school today for the first time this week. Most area schools are out for the rest of the week. Many of them still do not have electricity or they have roof damage due to fallen trees. This was the most damaging storm Oklahoma has ever seen. More electric customers lost power than ever before. My parents and sister were out for several days. We were very fortunate in that we only lost power for a few hours. However, our tree damage was severe, some of the worst I have seen as I was out and about. I guess our trees were weak and old. It will greatly affect our property value when we try to sell it in a few months.

We are truly grateful to God that we were all safe and that our home wasn't damaged. We are also very appreciative of our electricity for heat and cooking. We had no stores of wood and our house is totally electric. We would have had to seek shelter elsewhere. Now the real work begins. Cleaning this mess up will be hard and expensive, but we are grateful that it wasn't worse.

OUR BACKYARD TREES- ALMOST NO BRANCHES LEFT

THE KIDS POSING FOR A WINTRY PICTURE
OUR BACK YARD NEAR THE PLAYGROUND

BTW, a snowstorm is supposed to hit tomorrow and Saturday. They are forecasting around four inches of snow (give or take a little) on top of this stuff. Luckily, today is supposed to be in the mid-40s, so we ought to melt off a little.

Good Morning!

2007-12-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

THIS IS WHAT WE WOKE UP TO THIS MORNING:

OUR DRIVEWAY

OUR BACKYARD PLAY AREA

A TREE BRANCH

OUR TREE LINE ALONG THE FENCE SEPARATING OUR PROPERTY AND THE NEIGHBORS' PROPERTY

OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE TREE IN THE FRONT YARD

THE KIDS' "CLIMBING TREE", READING TREE, SHADE TREE FOR THE SANDBOX BURIED UNDERNEATH THE RUBBLE, THE TREE THAT BLOCKED OFF OUR HOUSE FROM VISION OF OTHERS(PRIVACY), BEAUTIFUL BRADFORD PEAR

CAN YOU TELL WE ARE DEVASTATED?

Update: The forecast is for more ice and rain over the next few days. These pics were taken this morning and it is about 11:15 a.m. and we have lost even more trees. The weatherman says tomorrow will be the big day for tree loss and electricity outages because the precipitation will continue, the temps are staying low, and tomorrow the wind comes back.

BTW, the pics are a little dark on the blog. You can click on them to see them up close and a little more clearly.

Last Weekend- In Short

2007-12-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

Whew! That was a long drive! We made it about halfway on Friday and finished it out on Saturday. When we got there, we went to Opry Mills (mall). D said, "It's like the biggest mall I've ever been to...put on steroids." There were so many people. We picked up a few things, but mainly just got our exercise in from all of the walking. That night we stayed at the hotel and watched the Sooners win the Big 12 Championship. Boomer Sooner!

Sunday: Went to church, Went here (extremely interesting), Went here (entertaining), got soaked running back to our car in the torrential rain, ordered in pizza at the hotel

Monday: Interview, visit with everyone about everything, lunch, interview, got approved, started home (made it about halfway by 10:30 p.m.)

Tuesday: Finished drive- made it home by the time the kids got home from school, kids ate, took showers, and got ready for program, went to kids' school Christmas program (more on this later)

Wednesday: Travelled to the big city to see my new nephew (born on Tuesday), did school with boys, went to work

It all starts again tomorrow when we head back out of town for gymnastic competition starting tomorrow evening and ending Saturday evening. Then I'm speaking at a church on Sunday and back home for hopefully a more normal week next week (yeah, right! :-) ).

I'll post some pics of everything when I have time. Hope everyone has a super weekend!

I Thought I Was Done Taking Tests!

2007-11-28T04:56:00.001-08:00

Since July we have been meeting and talking with another group of people about our future plans. We have been approved through one group, but they encouraged us to try to be dually aligned with this other group.

We decided to move forward in this area. We did all of the applications, references, etc. Then, about a month ago, they sent us two tests. One was the exit exam that they give their graduates from their Bible colleges. It had around 150 questions on it. She said not to spend much time on it because everyone that takes it misses a ton. Of course, I graduated from college fifteen years ago and have a terrible memory. This was not a good thing for me. There was a wide range of questions- from the super easy "duh" questions to questions about things I had never even heard of. It truly made me realize that I needed to know the Word much better.

The second test is more detailed. It is a 10 question essay test. Unfortunately I have put it off until the last minute and began working on it this week because it looked very overwhelming and I just hadn't found the time to devote to doing it. They said we could research the questions and then answer. Therefore, I have been so grateful for the advances in technology since my college graduation. Research for this meant internet surfing versus burying my head in tons of library books. I think I have finished my research (at about midnight last night). Today is the composing side of things. D should be finishing his today too. I am hopeful that we can send them to our coordinator by tomorrow.

The reason this is cram week is because we leave this Friday to head to Tennessee where we will have the big candidate interview on Monday. D and I are going alone. My wonderful parents are going to be coming down to stay with our six kiddos and make sure they get to school, birthday parties, church, etc. I have been busily preparing instructions of who goes where when, etc. D and I will get to spend childless time together for the first time since being stuck in our 10 day wait after court in Russia. It will take a completely full day to make the drive there. We will have Sunday to settle in, interview on Monday, and begin the drive back Monday evening. The kids' school Christmas program is Tuesday evening. We will probably arrive home just in time to go.

Thanksgiving Through Their Eyes

2007-11-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

Here we sit at Thanksgiving 2007. We have so much to be thankful for. We have a God that loved us enough to send his very own Son to die for our sins. We live in a country that has freedom to worship God. We live in a land of abundance and opportunity. We are blessed with family and friends. This year is quite reflective and special to us because it will be the very last one we spend with our families, possibly ever.

The other day, in school, L and El made Thanksgiving wreaths. They colored leaves that we glued on paper plates. In the center it said, "I am thankful for...". I wanted to share Thanksgiving through the eyes of two six year old boys, adopted a year and four months ago. These are listed in the order said to me, with no help or prompts. They are quite insightful.

El:

I am thankful for...
LOVE
FAMILY
JESUS
I LOVE JESUS
GOD LOVES ME
I LOVE YOU
GOD LOVES ME FOREVER
MOM LOVES ME FOREVER

L:

I am thankful for...
PEOPLE LOVE ME
I LOVE PEOPLE
I LOVE PEOPLE WHO TAKE CARE OF ME
GOD LOVES ME
I LOVE GOD
THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF ME
PRESENTS
BIRTHDAYS

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Updates from the Weekend

2007-11-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

Eye doctor update: The boys' eyes checked out fine. He said they had the lowest amount of near-sightedness and the lowest amount of astigmatism. However, he said there were no concerns. He did validate that the light sensitivity problem was linked to FAS, but said he was not allowed to make those kinds of diagnoses. Therefore, the result is... their eyesight is good.

Gymnastics: J had his first gymnastics meet this past weekend. There were more 7 year old boys than any other group. He had 27 in his group and finished 4th on floor and high bar. These were his highest placings. He would have finished second or third on rings, but our team had an extra swing in our routines and it cost us dearly. I thought he did great on all 6 events! It amazed me how strong some of these little guys were. He had a lot of fun, and, of course, I thought he was not only the cutest, but the best out there.

Wrestling: Each weekend gets better for the bwins. They are doing really well. El and L had 11 boys in their group this weekend. El ended up 2nd and L ended up 4th. They both brought home another medal.

Watery Eyes

2007-11-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, my bwins have a watery eye condition, not allergies. I'm just wanting to know if anyone else has experienced this with their adopted children or if it is due to something else.

Their eyes seem to be light sensitive. Someone told me it was because they are blue. However, I know a lot of blue-eyed people who do not have this problem. Many times when they are exposed to a lot of light, their eyes water and it looks like they are crying. The skin around their eyes also turns red.

It doesn't seem to make a difference what kind of light it is. Sometimes while they are eating lunch and the sun is coming brightly through the living room window (faces the dining room), they have a very difficult time. Fluorescent and other kinds of light bulbs can also affect them. It also happens randomly, not every time. I like a lot of light in my house, but sometimes we have to dim the blinds for them.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas of the cause? The only guess I have is that they were in a dark orphanage without much light and their eyes aren't used to it. They've been here over a year though. Any suggestions/ reasons?

Update: The boys have eye doctor appointments on Monday. We have found possible FAS links. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Good, but Busy Weekend

2007-11-12T08:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a whirlwind. Friday night, D and the boys drove to stay overnight at their wrestling venue. The girls and I got up Saturday morning and left for Dallas by 6:30 a.m. We had a meeting to attend regarding our China adventures.

The guys had an exciting weekend with the bwins winning their first ever medals! L took 3rd and El took 4th. They don't know which one is which. They just know that they both got a medal. They actually had to wrestle each other for the first time. D told the ref that he wasn't coaching or saying anything to either one of them. He just let them wrestle and stood back to see how it went. When I called to see how they had done, El answered the phone telling me he got a medal. When he handed the phone to L, he said, "Did you know we stay at motel. We sleep there." The medal was nothing in comparison to the utter joy of staying in a cheap motel! :-)

As for the girls and me, our day was long, but good. We enjoyed learning more about our organization and about the process. We also enjoyed meeting other prospective teachers. We made it back home on Saturday by 8:30 p.m.

Sunday was another big day. Of course, we had church and Sunday School in the morning. Then, in all afternoon and evening, was the Hope Symposium.

Again, we had Becky Wright, singer of "Child of My Heart", in concert. Then we had testimonies from an adult who grew up in a foster home, an eleven year old girl who spent 4 years in DHS custody and was adopted along with her 2 sisters a year ago, and then our family covered the international side of things. We had 2 breakout sessions where people had the choice to attend sessions covering DHS, 2 domestic adoption agencies, 2 international adoption agencies, homestudies, legal issues in the DHS system (taught by my hubby), financing an adoption, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and another mentoring group. After two sessions it was dinner time (3 kinds of chicken, tons of veggies, rolls, cookies), more music from Becky Wright, and a testimony from a birthmother. Then it was off to another session and we wrapped it up with an agency information fair. It went from 2:30-8 p.m.

All in all it went very well and I think it helped many people. Hopefully it will result in changed lives for children and families everywhere.

I think all of the adrenaline of keeping moving kept me going all weekend, but this morning I'm moving a little more slowly. We've kind of picked up from the tornado of a weekend and have done math. I think we'll do our phonics and sit around and relax a little this afternoon.

Wrestling Season Has Begun

2007-11-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

L and El started wrestling season this past weekend. D practices with them on our living room floor in the evenings when we're gone to gymnastics. J isn't wrestling this year. He decided he wanted to do gymnastics this year and is on the boys' competitive team.

L and El are in the smallest weight class- 37 pounds. However, they are topping out between 30-31 pounds. Therefore, they're definitely underweight for their group.

The first tournament was this weekend up near my parent's house. My sister and niece's birthdays are today and so we were able to do birthdays and wrestling all in the same weekend.

The bwins did really well! D told me that they had improved a lot. He was right. They had 24 kids in their group and L finished 5th and El finished 7th. The kids that beat them were just bigger. They didn't necessarily outwrestle the boys, they just were bigger and therefore had more power.

I was so proud of both boys. They pinned several kids each, fought hard against the big competitors, never gave up, and never cried like many of the others. They were tough little guys and they had a lot of fun. We were all so proud of them.

I questioned the sport at first, but I can truly see the discipline that it has built into them which was so greatly needed. It also helps that they have a great coach (Dad)! He was so good with them, unlike so many others in the sport.

I had pictures, but I left the camera at my parent's house and will not be able to access it this week. I will try to post pics when I get it back.

Congratulations to all my guys!

Pumpkin Contest

2007-10-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last winter we had a snowman contest on the blog.

Tonight we open the pumpkin carving contest.

THE CANDIDATES:

PUMPKIN NUMBER ONE:

(please do not deduct for mom's fuzzy camera ability)

PUMPKIN NUMBER TWO:

PUMPKIN NUMBER THREE:

The Crew with their masterpieces (in no particular order).

The contest was the idea of H.
Please take time to cast your vote for the best carved pumpkin.
Thank you for your support.

She's Back!

2007-10-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, H had hip surgery in August of 2005. In March 2005, H started having a lot of pain. She was a somewhat of a high level gymnast at the time (Level 7 out of 10), especially for her age. She made it through State competition, qualifying as an All-State gymnast, but shortly afterwards she could barely walk on some days because of her pain. She was ten years old.

Her recovery was over a year and a half long. About 6 months ago, she decided she wanted to give gymnastics another go. She started coming to the gym a couple of days per week. She missed a ton during the summer. Then this fall, she started coming about three days a week. She soon discovered that it was going to be a long road. They had to do a partial cut on her IT band to help release her hip a little. Because of this, she could hardly lift her leg for a while. The muscle had to learn a new job. When she would go to gym, she couldn't hold her right leg up while doing things like she was supposed to. It is still pretty weak, but it is getting stronger.

Last week, H, knowing competition season was starting this past weekend, decided to drop back a level from where she had been and try to learn the routines. (All three of my girls are now competing at the same level on the same team.) She went ahead and competed this last weekend. I honestly didn't know what to expect because she had been out of competition for two and a half years, had major surgery with a long hard recovery, and had just learned the routines last week.

I'm here to say, "She's back!" H did so well. She was always a competitor and was so excited to be back doing what she loved. She had about 15 girls in her age group. She ended up being the bar champion (she had never been the bar champion before), took 5th on vault, 3rd on beam, and 4th on floor. She ended up 2nd all-around! Wow! She was so happy and I was so proud of her! Many wouldn't have given it the shot she did. Many would have given up a long time ago instead of working through it. I was excited she won second, but I was even more proud of her for going for it and working hard at it through everything.

They're Out!

2007-10-26T06:42:00.000-07:00

I meant to take a picture, but had to leave pretty suddenly to deliver everything. The first family newsletter about our Asian Adventure is out, all SEVEN HUNDRED NINETY-ONE of them!! Yes, 791!!!

Over the past month, we have been in the process of getting the word out and beginning to raise support. You see, we will have no other income, except the support of family and friends and others devoted to the Cause. We finished the newsletter at the end of September, but had many hitches in actually getting it processed and sent out. We had to get more supplies because our group shepherd asked us to send it to several hundred fellow members. The great thing is that he also offered for us to use the non profit bulk mail they have and that the sending committee would pay for the mailing! Big help!

We priced sending the newsletter out for printing and it was over $400. Therefore, we decided to do it on our own with our $100 printer. It wore out. It was a good printer, but had been used for the entire adoption (dossiers, copies, travel plans, etc.), in addition to home schooling, gym paperwork, Hope stuff, and many other things. It had breathed its last breath at around 350 copies of the newsletter.

We bought a new $100 printer (actually we got a great deal for a little less). It didn't work. We returned it and got yet another one. Along with countless ink cartridges, lots of paper, almost 3000 mailing labels (mailing address, return address, and postage), and tons of envelopes, I took them to the post office yesterday and they're off!

I can't tell you the relief I felt when I drove away without them. Now it's just watch and wait time to see how He is going to provide! It's only about a month or two until we get to do it all again- newsletter #2!

Provision Again

2007-10-24T05:43:00.001-07:00

Last night we had our first official speaking engagement. We were able to share our hearts and our passion for the people we are going to go live with. It was a good first run. We were speaking to a group of 42 ladies from various places around our district. We had a great soup & salad meal beforehand and then we spoke.

After we finished, they gave us a heart filled with Hershey kisses. They told us there were a few gift cards in it as a thank you for speaking. This was totally unexpected and we didn't open it up until we got home. We were shocked! Inside were two $50 gift cards and one $35 gift card to Wal-Mart and a $50 gift card to Braum's (a localized dairy store).

Here's the deal. Our cupboards are bare. Everyone has been complaining about the lack of food around here. It's not that we lack food necessarily, it's just that nothing goes together. We have hamburger helper kits, but no hamburger. We have several cans of stuff, just nothing that pairs up. As far as the kids' snack pile, it's almost non-existent. All of the "good" stuff is gone. I just kept giving them my famous "some people have no food, be glad you have something" speech that they love to hear.

It's just been one of those months when other things were needed- like warm clothes for kids who had hardly any. The bwins have outgrown nearly everything, which is a huge praise! H also needed some stuff. We were also bombarded with birthdays/birthday parties this month.

Anyway, long story short. No one knew our shortage, except God. We were content to finish out the month with what we had and make it through. We considered it a good trial run for next year. However, God, in His wonderful way, sent us blessings we didn't expect. Provision, yet again.

"J-isms"

2007-10-16T04:56:00.000-07:00

J is our 7 year old son. He is a totally awesome kiddo. He has really been the easiest child out of all 6 of them. As a baby, he was very content and happy most of the time. As he has grown, his personality has truly emerged as one who is very laid back in most areas, a very easy-going type of kid. One of the joys of his personality is his humor. He has made us laugh since he was very little. Because of his personality, he can say absolutely hilarious things with a very straight face. We call them "J-isms". Several of these came out on vacation and I wrote them down.

1. In Branson, there is a Titanic Museum. The structure literally resembles the ship. You can see it here. D and H had talked about going. I had told them that I would watch the others if they wanted to go see it. They decided not to do that. On one of our last days there, we were stopped at a red light right by the museum. I looked over and saw a huge line waiting to get in to the museum. I pointed it out to D and he said, "Yeah, it looks like it would have been hard to get in to anyway." J, in his casual manner said, "Why? Is the water too high already?"

2. J rode his first roller coaster on the trip. We started with a mild one and then he tried the one called the Powder Keg. It goes 0 to 53 in 2.8 seconds, catapulting you up a high slope immediately upon take-off. Then it sends you through several loops and curves at high speed. Everyone else on the coaster was screaming, laughing, raising their hands, etc. J remained very silent and still, his hands simply holding onto the rail in front of him. When the ride came to a close, I asked him what he thought. He turned and with no expression whatsoever, he said, "It almost took my face off," and turned around very nonchalantly and waited until the ride came to a complete stop.

3. We were all riding the swings, the ones that lift you up in the air and then spin you around in a circle. They have those super long chains, therefore, they twist a little while going around. E is the exact opposite of J. She is completely dramatic about everything. She was getting a little scared when her swing would twist. With some panic in her voice, she kept saying, "I don't like these. I want down. When are they going to put us down? I'm scared." J, just as calm as can be, looked at her and said, "C'mon E. Just close your eyes and think of your happy place." That made her relax and laugh.

4. Back at the place where we stayed, we were just hanging out and D ruffed up J's white-blond hair. Remembering back to when we took a red-headed baby(H) to China twelve years ago, and knowing that J's white hair would also stick out, D said, "J, you know the Chinese are going to want to touch your hair all of the time." J simply responded, "Why? Are the Chinese bald?"

Well, I hope those brought a smile to your face. We feel so blessed that God gave us little J to keep us smiling and laughing. He is certainly a blessing!

Law Office, May I Help You?

2007-10-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, D had shoulder surgery last week. He's recovering well, but absolutely despises his sling. The doc has allowed him to take it off some around the house and let his arm just hang as long as he doesn't try to move it around any. He is becoming more independent with many of the "daily" tasks. However, it is a major problem that it is his right arm when it comes to work.

After getting the kids off to school everyday, D, the bwins, and I have been loading up and going to his work. It really has been quite interesting. I've cleaned his office, taken notes with clients, made phone calls, answered phone calls, typed many different kinds of legal documents, assisted in court, filled out court documents, etc. The bwins have been so good. We tote along their schoolwork and I double-time teaching and typing. They have played in another room of the office area while clients were in and have been absolutely wonderful. They have loved packing their lunch boxes to go to daddy's office.

Truthfully, it has been a tiring week. After working all day with him, we'd drive straight to the school to pick up the other kiddos, home for about 10 minutes to change attire, then off to the gym to work for 4 more hours. Afterwards, it's errands, homework, dinner, and getting the kids to bed. This weekend we're going to have to get the house back in order. However, as exhausting as it's been, it has been good to see what he does every day. I could never be a lawyer. My emotions would get too tied to the client. D is good at what he does. I've enjoyed having some time with him on the drives back and forth (about 45 min. one way).

Today, he has given me the day off. He's going to go it on his own. I think he'll be okay driving and doing most things, but I don't know how in the world he'll get all of his paperwork done. I'm sure I'll have to go over a few times per week until he is able to use his arm more.

For me, however, today is "do everything else" day. I have a list a mile long of things I need to get done for gym, competition season starts in two weeks. Leos are coming in, warm-ups are at the embroiderer's, bags are being made and labeled, and fees and entries are needing to be submitted. This is the busiest time of year for me with the gym. HOPE Ministry is also gearing up for another adoption/foster care symposium on Nov. 11. Therefore, I also have many obligations for that. In addition to those things, we're working on getting our first newsletter done and information sent out for our overseas adventure. It should have been sent out about 2 weeks ago, but our pastor requested 800 more copies, our printer broke, our new one doesn't work, and we haven't had time to fold and stuff over 1000 envelopes. BTW, did I mention that several of the kids have outgrown everything they own and need clothes now that the weather is finally getting cool? One more thing on the list... shopping, and doing it frugally!

You know, I am a very blessed person. I have a wonderful husband who has a good job that he's good at doing. I have 6 wonderful kids that make me smile every day. I have an awesome Lord that has chosen us to serve Him. I am so thankful that God caused me to realize all my blessings in the midst of all of the chaos. I wish each and every one of you a blessed weekend!

Crazy Hair Day

2007-10-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give everyone a smile today! Today was Crazy Hair

Day at school. H went for the Pippi look.

Have a terrifically Pippi day!

Update: H went to school and said she had the best "crazy hair". However, hardly anyone called her Pippi. They all said that she looked like "that girl on the Wendy's sign". We giggled and asked her if she informed her friends that "the girl on the Wendy's sign" is actually WENDY! :-)

Prayers Appreciated

2007-10-08T04:57:00.001-07:00

In my last post, I mentioned my mother had to be put into the hospital for a blood clot. Apparently, the ER doc that admitted her wasn't very competent. She knew it was probably a clot, so she did admit her, thank goodness. However, she didn't start any of the treatment she should have needed to have and even lied to another doc about a test she should have done, but didn't. Thank goodness a different doc saw her last night.

Anyway, my sweet momma has a one large clot that runs from below her right knee into her groin area on that side. It is not several individual small clots, it is one large one. They have had to elevate her leg above her head, have put her on some more medicine(she was already on Plavix- an anticoagulant- when the clot formed), and are putting hot packs on her leg regularly. They will not allow her up even to use the restroom. The doctor said it will probably take 6 months to dissolve this one. They are going to regulate her meds and then release her sometime later this week. She'll have to be closely monitored because as it dissolves there is a possibility of it breaking off, moving up the bloodstream and lodging in the lungs. This, of course, would be extremely life threatening.

She also told me they are going to run some blood work and test her for lupus. She has had some clotting issues before, but never of this magnitude. Truthfully, I've read all of the stuff online about lupus and can't figure out the connection. She doesn't seem to fall into the categories for it. Can anyone help me on this one?

Yes, I am extremely concerned for my mother. However, I am praising God because I feel it is a miracle she is still here with us. My mom and dad took an Alaskan cruise the first week of September to celebrate their 40th anniversary. My dad said she was having leg pain way back then and was having trouble walking. Apparently this clot has been building for a long, long time. I praise God that we got her to the hospital in time. I truly believe it's a miracle that she's still with us and I thank God for His grace and mercy. I pray for my dear mother's complete healing and know that whatever the outcome, God reigns supreme.

Thanks for any prayers.

Update: I just got a call from my dad. My mom's blood clot is non-existent. Praise God!!! They think that instead it is a Baker's cyst. We don't know much about that, but what we do know is that it is a much more manageable diagnosis, not life-threatening! Thank you Lord!

Speaking Up

2007-10-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had to speak at a women's retreat at my mother's church. I spoke at 3 different session breakouts. I have spoken to groups before, but they've always been groups I was involved in and knew the people. This weekend I was a little nervous.

They asked me to speak about 6 months ago, required a seminar synopsis in June and a general outline that was to be printed in all of the books by the end of August. They were very prepared, but it was a little difficult to estimate what exactly would come out when I started talking.

The sessions were 50 minutes long and when I practiced for D this past week, I was at an hour and 10 min. Whoops! I cut a lot of it and still had to rush through some of it when it came right down to it.

My title was "Crossroads: Faith vs. Security". The general premise was that, as Christians, many times we don't want to step out on faith and take the risk for Christ, we would rather stay in the warm cozy shell of presumed safety. I used many examples of risk-takers from the Bible and from today's times too. I was able to share about our adoption story.

I really had a good time with my mother at the retreat and it was good to get out of my comfort zone a little and have to speak in front of a crowd. Maybe I'll share more of my topic content later if anyone is interested. It is certainly a passion I have.

My mother's birthday is this Wednesday, maybe the last birthday where I will be able to hand her a gift face-to-face. I was able to give her a new Bible, a NIV Study Bible. I was so excited.

Last week when my parents were down for the camp-out, I noticed that my mother's knee was swollen. This weekend it was still swollen, but it was also swollen into her leg area. Last night, by the time I drove home, my dad had called and said they were admitting her to the hospital with a blood clot. My mother got on the phone a little later and said that she had suspected it all along, but didn't want to miss the retreat with me. Mother, Mother! Please pray for her healing and that it will break up with no complications.

As for my dear hubby, he's healing, but is very impatient with being in the sling. I had to go to work with him last Thursday to play "catch-up" and I have a feeling I'll be taking him to work quite a bit over this next month while he has to keep his right arm immobile. He gets his staples out tomorrow and hopefully E gets her boot off tomorrow. They have the same orthopedic doctor.

Catching Up

2007-10-02T04:54:00.001-07:00

Whew! We've had busy weekend/beginning of the week. My parents came down last Thursday and brought their RV. Our children's pastor at our church owns a ranch that he uses for children's retreats, events, etc. This last weekend was Ranch Camp. We left on Friday afternoon and came back Saturday afternoon. In addition to worship services in the barn, there were fun activities like a wiener roast/s'mores, trip through the Bible hayride, fireworks show, screamin' eagle zip line, frisbee golf, BB golf, gold panning, petting zoo, several inflatables, horseback rides, and a trip to a laser zone fun center with laser tag, bowling, and mini golf. Needless to say, the whole family kept busy. It was a lot of family fun! The kids got the added excitement of sleeping in MeMa and PaPa's big trailer.

Sunday was busy with church, Hope Ministry meeting, and small group. Then yesterday morning we had to be up bright and early for D's surgery. We were at the surgical center by 5:45 a.m. and he was hooked up and headed to surgery at around 6:30 a.m. It was a rough first day, but overall it went well. We were so grateful to God that they didn't have to cut on him and were able to take care of everything through the scope. He has 4 small incisions. They found out that his labrum in his shoulder socket was torn back and frayed out, in addition to a little bursitis. They cleaned everything up and put 3 "anchors" in to tack it back down in place. He is in a straight-arm sling and isn't allowed to move his arm/shoulder for a month. After that, he will start physical therapy.

He had a rough time with the anesthesia and as of when we went to bed last night, the nerve block was still in affect. I have a feeling he'll be in more pain today, but hopefully everything will be fixed and in a few months he'll feel a lot better. Thanks for everyone's prayers.

Progress Reports

2007-09-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

All of the kids have now received progress reports and are doing really well. Almost every average for all four school kids is 95 or above. E had one subject that is a 90 and H has one subject that is in the 80s (there's a long story behind that one). Overall, everyone is doing really well academically. They all have met several friends too. H still says she doesn't like public school, but never complains. She says that it is a whole lot less work.

Yesterday when I picked the kids up from school, I had two great reports. H made a 100 on her science test (the average in the 80s). Also, Z hopped in the car and said she now holds the school record for chin-ups. She can do more chin-ups than everyone else in her elementary school (K-5). I was pretty impressed.

A few weeks ago, I still wasn't sure about the school thing, but everything is starting to settle down. We're beginning to get in a groove. At first the kids were bringing home a ton of homework. They kept asking me just what I was thinking: How come we're at school so long and we still have to bring so much work home? They kept saying that they got a lot more work done a lot quicker when we homeschooled. So true. I tried to explain possible reasons. The bottom line is: they're right.

Overall, it is giving me a good break before we homeschool the rest of our lives starting next year. Also, L and El are certainly demanding my complete attention and even more with their schoolwork and even behavior this year. It is a good time to work with them. I know God led us to put the big kids in school and I believe it will be a good school year.

I'm Back

2007-09-24T11:10:00.001-07:00

This weekend went really well. As I mentioned, I went out of town this weekend. My MIL's husband sent my MIL, SIL, and me to the Joyce Meyer Women's Conference. I had never really heard Joyce Meyer before, so I was a little leery. I really didn't know where she stood on many issues and beliefs. It was definitely out of what I am used to at our home church, but overall it was really good. I went along with about 90 percent of what she said.

The Christian band Delirious? led the worship music every session which was awesome. I love music. In fact, H was a little jealous because she likes the band. (I brought her back a poster.) CeCe Winans also sang and led some of the worship. Boy, is that woman blessed with a voice. Her backup singers were incredible too!

Bishop T.D. Jakes preached the first night. He was very good and it was very interesting. He sure got fired up! We left a little early that night, but the next morning they said 900 people had made decisions either for salvation or rededication of their lives to Christ. There were almost 30,000 women at this conference! It was huge!

Joyce Meyer taught the Friday morning, Friday night, and Saturday afternoon sessions. The theme was passion and purpose. She asked what is your passion and what is your purpose. The answer was that we should be passionate about the things God is passionate about- the needy, the poor, the orphans, the widows, the children stuck in prostitution, the hungry, etc. She burns with a passion for missions all around the globe and tried to give everyone a global view on life. Of course, I totally agreed and even felt a bond with her in these areas. They are truly my passions.

Next, she said that our purpose was to glorify God in everything we do, whether that is teaching 30,000 women or washing dishes at home. Whatever God puts in front of us at that time is our purpose. She said we mix our purpose and our vocation up too much. She said it doesn't matter what you do for a living as long as you do it mightily for the Lord.

Saturday morning, Christine Caine was the speaker. I had never heard her before either. She is from Australia and was terrific. She said that the church has gotten so full of "religion" and there is no relationship. I couldn't agree more. She was a very energetic person, full of passion for what she was saying.

Saturday afternoon after the conference, we went sight-seeing and souvenir buying for the kiddos. We walked to the arch, but didn't go up in it. It is definitely an amazing sight. The rides to the top were sold out. I bought E, Z, El, and L something there. We then caught the Metrolink and went to Cardinals Stadium. My SIL bought something for her two boys and I got a pennant for J. We went to eat and went back to the hotel. The trip went pretty fast, but was good. I learned a lot and a lot was confirmed to me.

A Little Break

2007-09-20T04:37:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, my MIL called and said her husband had booked her, my SIL, and me for a women's conference this weekend. He was buying airfare, booking a hotel, etc. After arranging for time off from work and getting everything with the kids lined up, I'm ready to go.

My family hasn't been without mom for a long time. I've written detailed plans, prepared everyone, etc. This week has been so hectic that I haven't had a chance to pack or even do my laundry to get ready to go. As I was going through stuff last night with D, I realized that I was telling him about a b'day party the girls are supposed to go to that they have no present for. I guess I have a quick trip to the store to add in to the before noon.

Anyway, I'm gone until Sunday. I'll let you know how it goes.

Orthopedic Problems

2007-09-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, as you all know, we frequent the orthopedist's office. However, we've had a few months off. A few weeks ago, right after vacation, E hurt her foot/toes at the gym. They have had a lot of swelling and pain and she's been walking on the side of her foot. Therefore, we finally took her to see the doc. The result: she's in a boot for two weeks. They will re-evaluate then. He gave her the choice of a boot or a cast. She obviously chose the boot, but it's huge. It was the smallest one they had.

D's shoulder has been bothering him for quite a while. We wanted to make sure he had it fixed before we move. A while back, he had been told it was just bursitis and to take some ibuprofen. However, it has been getting progressively worse. So he went to the orthopedist today also. He has shoulder surgery scheduled for next Thursday, the 27th. They are going to try to scope it, but may have to open him up depending on the extent of the damage. You have to understand, this man took his first ever trip to the hospital two years ago when he got a bad cut taking the trash out and had to have stitches. This surgery will be a major deal to him.

I am also still hoping to get my ankle fixed before the move. The insurance denied removing the rider, so it will all have to be out-of-pocket. D is hoping to have enough saved by the beginning of 2008.

SDC

2007-09-17T10:44:00.001-07:00

More pics. This time of Silver Dollar City. This was the hit of the vacation, of course.

I love this one of the six kiddos. What a crew!

My kids found themselves in some trouble and had to be put in jail.

(Actually, there was a real cell in there with a fake man lying on a bed. There was a recording playing that sounded like he was snoring. It scared El half out of his wits and he refused to go in for a little bit.)

Lost Mine ride. It was a slow boat ride through tunnels with tons of targets set up everywhere to shoot at. D was the master of this, getting more points than all the rest of us combined. What I love about this picture is El's face. This is the face he makes when he is concentrating super hard on something or working at it with all of his might. D first noticed him doing it on our first trip to the orphanage. He would make the face when he would throw the ball back to D in front of the orphanage.

This is H and I on the Giant Barn Swing. It went back and forth over 7 stories high, covering 230 degrees of the sky at about 45 mph. Here's a link so you can see the full picture.

The log ride. El cried. He didn't like getting wet, even though we were quite hot. L loved it!

I will ride almost anything, but this is the one ride D rides with the kids. I was scared to death to let L and El on it, but they loved it! They are toward the middle of the boat. The girls are out toward the top end. J and I stayed on the ground this time.

Pool Pics

2007-09-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here's some more vacation pictures. This is the pool area at the place we stayed. Up under the gazebo-looking area there were waterfalls that the kids loved to swim in and out of.

Kids' play area/wading pool

Under the waterfall in the "big" pool.

I love this one!

to.do.list.

2007-09-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night is family night. All of us are home on Tuesday nights. I told my boss that I needed one night off from gym and so did my kids. Anyway, the kids always have big plans for Tuesday nights. One special "treat" is that they like to watch some TV because they never have the chance to at any other time.

This past Tuesday night after homework was done, J disappeared for a while and came back in and showed me a piece of paper. Here's what it said:

to.do.list.

make super poshen.
trie poshen.
watch two shows.
eat dinner.
watch two shows.
walk with mom and dad.

Now, as we all know, our lists never get completed. He only watched one show all night and the kids had dinner cleanup duty while mom and dad walked. He did however eat his dinner and both make and try his super "poshen".

You see, J has a fascination with all things superhero. He also loves science and experiments. He took a bowl and made a mix of lotions, powders, and some of the thousands of the girls' "smelly sprays". He then announced that he had made the "poshen" for the boys so they could do well at wrestling practice (which takes place several nights per week in our living room). After rubbing it on them, they had superhuman running and jumping ability, as well as amazing strength!

The next day, J had gymnastic practice. Before we could leave, he had to put his "poshen" on his body. However, before doing so, he had to add in a few superhero powers: a locust shell so he could transform into a being with a hard protective shell, a piece of paper so he could crumple into another form, and a bug wing so he could fly.

Anyone interested in marketing the stuff for us? It smells really good.

Asia It Is

2007-09-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

As many of you "uncovered" in a previous post, we are moving to China. My husband is giving up his law practice and going to teach English in a university over there. He will have two years of intensive language learning and then be assigned to a university. We are so excited about serving in China.

As many of you know, we spent a year in China in 1995-96. We will be going to a different area this time. By next summer, we will have sold everything we own, except for probably a suitcase and carry-on for each family member. We will be gone for two straight years while D is learning language. Then we will be able to come back to the US for a few months in the summer of 2010 to visit. Every summer after that we will be able to return for a visit during the university's summer break.

We have always loved the Chinese people and their culture. We have thought about going back for many years. Last April, we began thinking heavily about it again and felt very directed that it was time for us to return. H was with us on the first trip, but none of the others. E, Z, and J have never even been on an airplane before.

We are busy learning Chinese with Rosetta Stone and hoping to get some tutoring also before we go. We found out about a Chinese school for language and culture very near to us, but so far that isn't going to work out because of when it takes place.

D has already given us all Chinese names and is progressing very well in his language acquirement. He has a Master's degree in Linguistics and is an extremely natural language learner. I, on the otherhand, am the extreme opposite. I can handle Spanish, easier languages like that, but Chinese is one of the most complicated languages there is because it is tonal.

Well, there it is. I'm thinking about starting a new blog in the next few months that would focus on this new adventure. If I do, it will probably be a private blog for many reasons. Of course, if you are a regular reader, you will just need to request an invitation. That's all a little ways down the road though. For right now I have enabled comment moderation, so bear with me in this phase. I appreciate everyone's comments, but from now on I must be careful about which ones I post publicly.

Cave Pictures

2007-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from our first day: Talking Rocks Cavern.

We had some time to kill before our cave tour, so we hiked up to a lookout tower.

Here are some rocks that the kids climbed up along the way.

Here we are at the top of the tower overlooking the Ozark Mountains.

I love this pic! They are inside an air bubble in the cave where it washed out. It was a little room (sort-of).
Stalactites meeting stalagmites.

This was a really cool part of the cave. The picture, of course, didn't do it justice. At the bottom of the picture there is a formation looking like angel wings. The guide said that the angel was bowing to something and they always wondered why. One day, someone pointed out what seems to be a formation that looks like a cross higher up on the cave wall. It really was pretty cool, but is hard to see. My camera angle wasn't great either. I have traced it in red in the picture below the original.

Our Trip Tour

2007-09-04T12:09:00.001-07:00

Here's a tour of our vacation. It started on Sunday, August 26, with my hubby taking "the scenic route" through the winding hills. Everyone enjoyed the view and the thrill (freaking out) of turning those tight curves and going down those dangerous hills in Big Red, except for E. E gets car sick pretty easily and was ill along this path. When we let her out at one stop, she refused to return to the van. She actually made it to within the last 30 miles before spilling everything (twice).

We arrived here after the long, hot, scenic drive. The kids were so glad to get unpacked and jump into this.

On Monday, we headed here for great exercise and an incredible history and science lesson. We hiked up to a lookout tower before going deep down inside the ground. We swam again that afternoon and went here for our evening entertainment. The kids LOVED it, especially J, our own little magician.

On Tuesday, we hung around the place for most of the morning, took a nap after lunch, and went swimming in the afternoon. We went out to dinner and then went here. The boys liked the fake fights and the gun shows. Z looked at me at intermission and said, "I don't get anything that's going on." The plot was a little complicated and had to be unravelled for her 9 year old mind.

Wednesday was a menagerie of a day. We did a little schoolwork and hung around in the morning. After lunch, we took out for town. We went to see this at this place. We tried our hand at this. (Guess who won? ME!) We ate dinner and then went here that evening. Let me just say, "WOW!" For a bunch of gymnasts, this was super interesting. We now have our own family show if anyone would like to attend. They can do all kinds of breathtaking things (okay, at least they do things that make you gasp in great fear).

Thursday and Friday we went to this place. It was the family fav! The funnel cakes are the best! I rode enough rides for everyone! I'm the designated rider. D isn't really into roller coasters and such.

Thursday evening we went to go see this.

Saturday, the gals went and fulfilled a dream of E's. It was a lot of fun. That afternoon we did some last minute shopping and took the pic in the last post. Saturday evening was for a final swim and packing.

Sunday's drive home was fairly uneventful (no puking this time). We took the straight shot home. We rested and tried to do some more schoolwork.

All in all, it was a God-blessed vacation. No injuries, no breakdowns (automobile or mental), no hitches! Hope you enjoyed the tour. I'll post real live family pics over the next few days. BTW, where we're moving to is hidden in this post.

Howdy Folks!

2007-09-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey there, y'all! We was up yonder Missouri way recallin' the paths of ourn kin this here past week. We et sum really tasty vittles an' seed sum really citin' shows! We ride sum right fearful rides and jumped in the swimmin' hole a batch o' times too. We had to work on sum readin', ritin', and rithmetic. That ain't be too fun! I'll be a fillin' ya'uns in over the next lil' spell bout ourn outin'. Hope yous like the family pictograph. Maybe I be fixin' my grammar soon now that we be civilized folks agin!

We're Outta Here!

2007-08-25T09:27:00.001-07:00

Next August, we will be outta here, really outta here! I still haven't received word on what we can share. I'm sorry that this is drawing out so long. There was a delay in the answering of this question.

For the time being though, we're outta here for vacation. It is our first ever full family vacation. We have been to two gymnastics camps before, but not really a real live family vacation. I'm so excited! We are packing like crazy today. Laundry, more laundry, and more laundry. Packing for 8 is no small chore, in addition to bringing games, toys, some kitchen items, etc. We will be gone for a full week. We planned the trip back in May when we thought we would be home schooling again this year. The kids' teachers sent tons of work, so I guess we'll be home schooling again this week. Mostly though, we'll be relaxing and having fun together. We're going to get to see a magic show, an outdoor play, and some acrobats/contortionists. We're going to an amusement park and other attractions. We will also be hanging out by the pool quite a bit.

To keep you busy while I'm gone, someone suggested a guessing game. Many have already guessed our reason for moving. I will ask that those of you that have an understanding of this, please be very careful in the way you word things. For right now, here's the question: Where are we moving? Let's see how many get it right before I return from vacation.

Which One?

2007-08-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Which picture do you like the best? I need to pick one of them to go on some cards.

A. Fun (not as many good smiles)

B. More Traditional (better smiles- minus J who is at that weird smiling stage)

Field Trip

2007-08-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine is also homeschooling her kindergartner. K is good friends with the boys and they love to play together. K's family just brought her sister home from China about a month ago. After dropping the kiddos off at school, we go to K's house. K's mom and I walk while K, L, and El ride their bikes. K's sister rides in her stroller. This is our morning exercise.

Yesterday, we decided to do something a little different. We schooled first, then we went on a picnic and took the kids to the local duck pond to feed the ducks. We had a great time! We fed not only the ducks, but also huge fish and a massive turtle. Here's some pics.

Great Quote

2007-08-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

No, I can't tell you anything yet. Our situation is somewhat sensitive and I'm still waiting to find out how much I can share on an open blog. However, I will reveal a little: We are moving.

I will leave you with one more thing. This quote was on the bottom of an email I received today and I thought it was incredible! Hope it encourages you.

"God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises...leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Birthday Presents

2007-08-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

I promised pics of the birthday gifts I received last Sunday on my birthday!

My gifts from J. At the top is a "spear" like the one he made in church that morning when he learned about David and King Saul. He made me one so we could have spearing contests. The first time out, he got me right in the throat. My advise is never to mess with J in a spearing battle!! The hand he also made in church. It lists all of the things important to him.

My gifts from the gwins- a complete handmade jewelry set, including necklace, bracelet, anklet, ring, and earrings.
My gifts from the bwins- an American flag, a book, a soccer notepad and pencil, a drawstring bag, a cross necklace made at KidsFest, and El's "first timer" award for obedience in Sunday School. They also gave me a little stuffed bear that was absent in the picture.
"Child of my Heart" statue from my parents. My mom also took me shopping.
This is me with the cake that H made. It is a homemade chocolate cake! It was delicious!! (I'm also wearing the jewelry from the gwins and necklace from the bwins.)

For all of you who are waiting for THE NEWS, I should be able to post something this week.

First Day of School

2007-08-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, they're off!! I prayed really hard for everyone to have peace and comfort. God helped me by D staying home with me today. We all went together to drop kiddos off this morning and that helped tremendously. I think I would have been a basket case if he hadn't been there. We dropped H off first and it was difficult to watch my "baby" go alone into that big school, knowing she didn't know anyone. However, I find comfort in knowing she isn't alone. God is with her. That's one thing I reminded all of the about. (H was so sweet. Last night as we were talking about today, she said, "Mom, it's going to be terrible. I have to worry all day long about the other three and wonder if they are okay." She was worried about E, Z, and J. I informed her that I understood. I had to wonder all day about FOUR kiddos. :-) )

Then it was off to the elementary school. We took J first. The last hug was a little awkward, but I think he was okay. He was a little hesitant for us to leave and blinked his eyes quickly a few times, but was very brave.

Next it was E and Z. This was our hardest. Upon getting out of the car, E announced that she couldn't go and that she was so sick to her stomach that she thought she would throw up. I held her hand while she fought back tears. We set their lunch boxes and backpacks at their desks and went to find their class outside on the playground. They were just lining up. When I gave last hugs and turned to walk away, E grabbed my arm and started bawling! The teacher suggested that I take her on inside and wait on them in the classroom, so I did. When the class arrived, the teacher talked to her and asked her about L and El who were with us. I waved goodbye and slipped out. That's the last I've heard. I think she will be fine once she gets used to it and they get busy doing things.

We came home and I spent time praying for all of them and then L and El did their school. The picture below shows the last thing we did- shaving cream on the desk top. We practiced letters, writing their names, and shapes. In addition, the desks got a great cleaning. I've been trying to stay busy with other things, hoping to dwindle the time away until 3 p.m. when I pick them up. I'm still trying to figure that all out. How do you pick up 4 kids in 3 different buildings when they all get out at the same time? Ugh!

Thanks for all of the prayers. Here's some pics.

E and Z in front of their classroom.
J in front of his classroom.
All four kids with their backpacks heading out the door.

(J's jeans aren't dirty, the light is reflecting on them from the window.)

Update: The first day went well for all. The elementary kids had a good time and enjoyed their teachers. H also did well. She loves her Social Studies teacher and the one teacher that we didn't really care for at "Back to School Night" seemed to be all that we thought he would be. She's a little worried, but I know she'll do fine. All 4 kids met new people. All in all, everyone survived, even Mom! :-)

Update#2: I apologize for the print size. I don't know what's going on. It was fine until I did the update, then the top writing was unreadably small. Then I made it larger and it is overly huge. It won't do just the normal size font when it publishes.

Quick Post

2007-08-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

This is just a quick update post.

Saturday's event: Good, hoping to hear final news soon.

Birthday: Great! Mom and I went shopping Saturday and my kiddos loaded me with gifts on Sunday. Will post pics later.

Back to School Night: Good, liked 8 out of the 9 teachers we met. Dropped off school supplies, put money on cafeteria accounts, got schedules, paid a bunch of extra money for a lot of extra things the teachers required, etc.

My emotional status: Not Good. I've been very teary today. We've got lunch boxes packed, except for last minute things. Backpacks are ready. Clothes are laid out. I've got the schedule for wake-up, breakfast, drop off at middle school, drop offs at 4th and 5th grade center, and drop off at elementary school all planned out. I'm going to take and pick up the first few days. After that, they'll probably ride the bus once we figure that whole mess out.

I know that this is what we were supposed to do this year. We prayed heavily about it and God gave us peace about our decision. Up until this point I've busied myself with things hoping to distract the reality. Reality is here. I'm praying like crazy some more. My mama heart is breaking in a million pieces. I know once we get in a routine it will all be better. The kids are excited, except H who is petrified. That's who I'm most worried about. I wish I could be there to hold her hand and help her along, but I can't. She's a very capable young lady. Okay, I'm just rambling. I'll try to post again soon if I can swim my way to my computer through my tears :-)!