Psalm 100:4~

A blessed day of food, fun, and family....


It was such a blessing today to prepare the meal with our children.  We had a wonderful time and ate way too much.  We were supposed to be with some of our most favorite people on this day, but sickness prevented us from traveling.  Please pray for Sweet Pea if you think of her.  She woke up today feeling quite sick again and had a trip to Urgent Care.  We are so thankful for such easy access to medical care and doctors.


We have so much to be thankful for this day.  God has truly blessed us beyond measure.   I look around our table an can not believe God has allowed me to know and love all of these wonderful people.  They are amazing.

I hope everyone had a day full of the joy of family.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Psalm 100:4~

Photo Notes~


~The older 7 children were amazing today cooking and helping.  Sweet Pea needed me to hold her and the children were so happy to fix a large portion of the food while Sweet Pea and I sat and talked and watched them.  

~Our creative 9 year old daughter put together the table.  I gave her free reign to do whatever she wished.  I love her funky and artsy style.

~  Our boys are wonderful cooks.  I tell them they should open a restaurant together someday.  Their pizza is the best I have ever eaten. 


~ Notice the now traditional for our family hot sauce. This is Eben and Joel's second Thanksgiving.  It was so fun to see how excited they were about today.  They love having past memories of time with us.  They bless us so much.



~ The pic of our 7 yo ds and his mashed potatoes is for Aunt Deboo.  He \no longer dances for them but he still loves them!  He ate that helping and more!  


~The Wee Boy has new specs!   I think he is just adorable.


~Finally in the words of our children..


Our 9 year old daughter said,

"Thanksgiving is wonderful.  It's not everyday you get to eat mashed potatoes."


AND


From Joel
"Every day is Thanksgiving because we should be thankful all the time.  We don't eat all of this food every day though."

1 Chronicles 16:8~

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what he has done. ~I Chronicles 16:8

Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863
"It has seemed to me fit and proper that (God's gifts) should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens...to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."



May you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!   Love to you ALL!

Matthew 11:30~

 An aquaintance approached me a few weeks ago to speak about adoption.  She and her husband had brought home a sweet little 2 year old from China.  They had been home for a month and she was tired.  As we talked I shared with her how exhausting the first months home were with our toddlers.  I shared how they were like mobile newborns ..into everything yet completely unaware of danger. I recalled that they were sweet times, but oh so busy.   I felt like my house constanly looked like Toys R Us had thrown up in it and I don't even remember putting food on the table, but I must have because nobody starved. 

As we talked I could see her relax and tears welled up as she had found someone who understood that while a new addition is a happy time it can also sap you of your physical and emotional reserves.  She told me that she was so happy she had come to me and that she had been  hesitant to because I always appeared so calm and put together.   Oh, did that ever make me sad.  I am anything but calm and put together.  I am not perfect and I do not have a perfect family.  I make so many mistakes each day. each, minute, each hour.  I love my children to pieces and I think they are all wonderful, yet they are not perfect either.  We all have our moments...some days we have many, many moments ;o)

There is a song that was played wuite a bit on Chrisitan radio quite a bit this past summer.  The refrain says,

"got a couple dents in my fender
got a couple rips in my jeans
try to put the pieces together
but perfection is my enemy"

I have found that perfection is my enemy but more than that I believe that perfection is from the enemy.

There is a lot of pressure from the world to be perfect.  Sadly, the expectation for perfection is also very prevalent in Christian circles. 

This goal.. this desire.. this push for perfection robs everyone of of joy, peace, and purpose.

1. Perfectionism says our value is what we do and how well we do it. Perfectionism says we are accepted or rejected by the merits of our works.  It says that when we are perfect God loves us and when we fail He loves us no more..

HOWEVER


 God says in Romans 8: 38-39- "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^]neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

He loves us because He sees us through the righteousness of Christ. His love is unfailing and never changing.  He wants us to let go of our human expectations so He can use us for His Glory.  He wants to use us.  He has a plan for each one of us and He is not waiting for us to have our "act together ".  He is ready to begin and He will use us faults and all.  He loves us to the uttermost and is advocating and praying for us.

2. Perfectionism takes our eyes off of Jesus.  When we are striving for perfection suddenly our measuring stick becomes people's approval or disapproval.  This makes us fearful .  We also begin to measure ourselves against other people.  It paralyzes us.  We don't want to reach out to others who we perceive may have nicer homes, more well behaved children,  better cleaning organizational skills.  We know that God is calling us to minister in this area and we will start just as soon as we have our lives in perfect order..

HOWEVER

God says in Colossians 3:23-

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,"    When we have our eyes on Jesus suddenly it doesn't matter if our couch is threadbare.  It matters that the Lord wants us to invite that someone over and minister to them.  When we have our eyes on Jesus it no longer matters that we aren't the best cook if he asks us to bring a meal to someone in need.  When our eyes are on Jesus we don't have to have the perfect words to say to someone grieving. We can go and and He will give us the words.  We are working for Jesus.  He loves and us and will never forske us.  he will be there with us and pick us up when we fall.

3.  Perfectionism places unfair expectations on those around us.  When we are trying to acheive perfection we are very aware of the people around us and their shortcomings.  We begin to hold those around us to a higher level.  We expect our children to uphold a perfect image.  We suddenly know how everyone else should do things.    If they would just do it our way..or this way..surely we know the right way..We become critical and sharp eyed.

HOWEVER

God says in Philippians 4:8,
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

I love the whatsoevers included in this verse.  God knows it is our nature to be critical and to focus on the negative.  He encourages us to reflect on the lovely in the timiest of ways.  He encourages us to look for the good.  He encourages us to look for any virtue and to meditate on those things.  It really is the opposite of perfection.  It's looking for the lovely in imperfection.

Which is what He does for Believers.

He chooses to see Jesus' righteousness and perfection in us.

He loves us.  He wants to use us.  He wants to bless others through us.

The enemy wants us to believe that God is a harsh taskmaster that is never satisifed with us.  That is not what the Word teaches us. Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 

Recently our Pastor gave a beautiful insight to the verse in Matthew 11:30 which says,
"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

He shared how the yoke was built for two oxen.  They pulled together and worked together.  Jesus is pulling alongside us.  He is right next to us and with us through each step.  That thought is so precious to me.  He is not standing over us with a whip driving us mercilessly.  He is walking with us carrying our load with us and making it light.

Saturday Night Fevers~

Thank you so much for your prayers for our Little Ones!   We are still in the thick of the Swine Flu.  The Little Fella and Sweet Pea are still sick and running fevers with cough.   They have been so sick.  Our 5 yo is coughing today too but so far no fever.  We are hoping it's just a "cough".  We have laid low all week (not going to church or TKD or Children's Choirs so as not to infect the rest of the world). 

We had such a nice Saturday Night. 

Cooking..

Crafting...

And..

Creating..

We finished up with a movie.  Such Sweet Times!

Have a Blessed Day!~

John 3:16-17~

In the first year of our relationship Yanci asked me in a letter to pray for her Dad because he needed help. What kind of help? I thought. Is he OK? Is there something more I can do than pray?
On the bus last week I asked Yanci’s mom what that prayer request was all about. “I’ve been praying for him for four years now and I don’t why. I don’t know if God’s already answered my prayers.”


 Read this...
Amazing Testimony 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17

I was so touched last week when I discovered this letter our nine year old daughter made for her younger brother while he was sick.  I thought it was so sweet she included a Bible verse.

A few days later we were putting together our Operation Christmas Child Boxes.  The children were making pictures to put in the box.  Whenever they ask me what they should draw when they are sending pictures to someone I always say, "Draw something that would make you smile if you received it in the mail."  In my mind that is pictures of rainbows, sunshine, flowers, trees, sailboats, Christmas Trees..

Here is what our 7 yo ds drew...

A Great White Shark who is about to eat a crab..

 

It makes him smile.  To him vicious sharks =rainbows .

Parenting.  One minute you are raising Pollyanna and the next you are raising the next Crocodile Hunter.

Best. Job. Ever.

We are a little crazier than normal around here as yesterday the Little Fella was diagnosed with the Swine Flu.   Sweet Pea became sick quickly after him.  They are both so sick and  miserable but we are blessed with fever reducers, medical care, and time to be home with them.

* Picture Note-taken at Trunk or Treat after a night of sugar and fun.  This is our only pic of the 14 of us and I have to say I love it.  It makes me smile each time I see it.  I love our wonderful and crazy life. 

The Little Fella's newest trick!  The whole room literally erupted in applause when he did this.  All the kiddies are so happy when he does anything new.   I love his funky little hair!

We also have 7 new blue belts in TKD!  I'm so proud of them (especially the 3 children who had been sick all week).

No pics of their testing as Jim took them while I stayed home with the Littles.  

Unfortunately, we had another fall sick tonight. The plague marches on..  Hopefully this week we will see better health ! 

Blessings!

Belly Button, y'all, uh, uh~

 Someone asked how our Little Cowboy recuperated from his umbilical hernia surgery.   He did so well pain wise (even though he was in considerable pain).  He never complained once and I think he shed one tear and that was all.  He wasn't happy about not being allowed to ride his bike for two weeks post-op but he dealt with that well too.   Guess when he cried..

When the bandages finally came off and he saw his "new belly button".  Oh the Poor Little Cowboy.  He was so upset.  Great big tears and sobs wracked his little body.   He didn't like the look of the new belly button and asked for his old one back.  We tried to explain all of the medical reasons why the surgery was necessary for his health but he was not happy.

I am happy to say now that he has made peace with his new belly :o)  It is very cute.  Sometimes change is just hard when you are a 5 year old boy. 

Heard Around Here~

 One of our boys to his sister..

"You go first because that is the rule, "Girls First.."  but I have to tell you...  when you get to heaven you will be last and it will be boys first.  Because the Bible says that whoever went first on earth will be last in heaven."

It gives a whole new meaning to the term "Storming the gates of heaven.."

Hillbilly Housewife Granola~

We use this recipe from the Hillbilly Housewife for our granola.  Except we use butter in place of margarine and we quadruple it and we make two batches at a time.  It is a very simple recipe but it is so very yummy.  We eat it with either almond milk or vanilla yogurt.   It is also good on ice cream with sprinkles, whipped cream, and fudge.    Not that we would eat that for breakfast.. well..o.k. we did once..........

Speaking of Sweet Stuff our Little Fella is getting so big!  He will be 8 months on the 18th!  He's a big boy weighing in at over 22 lbs. and he is almost 30 inches long.  He's so sweet and happy and busy!  He is crawling everywhere and on the verge of pulling up.   He's such a blessing and we all just adore him.

*******************************************************************************

• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Begin by melting the margarine and peanut butter together in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the honey, vanilla and salt. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and hot throughout. It doesn’t need to boil. Add the oats. Stir until the oats are completely coated with the sticky gooey peanut butter mixture. It will be chunky. Turn the mixture into an ungreased cookie sheet, or a large 9 by 13-inch pan. Spread the granola out evenly and bake it at 375° for 10 minutes. It will be brown and crispy. Now remove it from the oven and allow it to cool right there in the pan. Break it up into pieces after it is cooled. Transfer the granola to a clean coffee can or sealed canister. Add the raisins, if you are using them, when the granola is cool.

Blessings!

Tuesday Night ~

Tuesday Nights after TKD we watch the Biggest Loser and make our granola for the week..I am not sure if our granola is Bob and Jillian approved, but the kiddies sure love it.  They eat it with almond milk most every morning.

Does anyone else watch this show?  I find it oddly addicting..


I have helpers.. I couldn't do it without them ;o)

AND I Quality Control.  His"job" is to make sure tastes as it should..

And he watches for cooking violations.  The Littles haven't yet grasped the concept that you don't lick the spoon while cooking.


Fun and Blessed Times!

Still HERE! :o)

We have had such a busy and fun month!

We trunked, we treated!  We have been enjoying some football!  Drop in fun from Auntie Robin and family..and a romantic getaway for Jim and I thanks to my sweet cousin Noel and her hubby Darell!  We are in full swing with school and activities and......... sickness.  I don't think we have had one week without someone sick.  Two of our boys are down with fevers and misery tonight and they are our "never get sick kids.."

God is good and I am so thankful for the full and abundant life He has blessed us with!

Galatians 5:13~

Thank you all for the prayers and thoughts.  Our Little Guy did wonderfully through his surgery.  He had a long morning /afternoon and was so very brave.  He wants everyone to know..." He never even cried once." (A direct quote).  He is feeling pretty "ouchy" and is getting a lot of rest.

 We had our Friday Night Pizza night tonight as is our usual tradition.  Each Friday Night we make six homemade pizzas.   The older children all pitch in and it is great fun.  Tonight Sweet Pea wanted a turn to make some pizza.  We had had a a full school day (and with a trip to the hospital) I was busy playing catch up with laundry and tidying.  I really did not want to make more dough and suggested she play play-doh instead.  The older children quickly offered some of their dough and she happily made a pizza and for her Wee Boy.

My children teach me so much with their generous hearts.  It blessed me so much to see them want to include their sister and in turn how she she wanted to bless her brother.

It's so easy for me to forget that the laundry will always be there.  Even before we had children there was always some laundry to do and always some housekeeping to be done.  When all of our children are grown there will still be laundry beckoning me.  However, I only have a few precious years to live and laugh and love my children.    I am so thankful the Lord used my little ones to prompt me to stop and enjoy them this evening.  I could have easily missed these moments..

Sweet Pea showing Wee Boy her pizza surprise!

 

His heartfelt reaction..

 

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Galatians 5:13~

Today after our book work was done we headed to the Beach for a Field Trip.  We have been studying oceans and we needed to gather some seashells, seaweed, and salt water for observation and a few experiments.

We had recently studied waves and the students were eager to throw themselves into their work.

It was a beautiful day.  We had studied dolphins yesterday and we were so blessed that a pod of dolphins decided to feed right in front of us.  God's creations are so amazing! We were so blessed that He gave us an up close view of His amazing dolphins.

Collecting ocean water.  (It's an old pitcher we used to make Homemade Clorox Wipes in).

In other news.... first thing tomorrow my Sweet Little Cowboy is going in for a hernia repair.  Bless his heart,  he is *so* excited.

It reminds me of when I had tubes put into my ears when I was his age.  I thought it was going to be so fun.  I wore my best dress.  I'll never forget the nurse who drew my blood.  She assured me it wasn't going to hurt a bit and then she stuck the needle in my arm.  I was more hurt that she lied than anything.  I wasn't so excited after that!

 Tonight our little guy layed out his favorite Gator football jersey , his blue jeans, and his Superman Crocs. He  is eager to go and "get his belly button."    The rest of us are praying for a quick and painless procedure for our funny little man, so he can come home to us......right where he belongs.

John 13:34

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34~

Isaiah 28:10~

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10~

Lisa over at A Bushel and a Peck has "Educating your Newly Adopted Older Child" as her Tuesday Topic this week. Each week Lisa takes a topic and opens it for discussion among her readers. It's always fascinating to read the replies.

I have been asked by a few about our experiences in homeschooling our older adopted children. I don't believe there is any right or wrong way to school your child. I believe each family should follow God's plan for their family. We are so blessed to have so many choices!

We brought our sons home from Ghana in January of 2008.

We have homeschooled them since their homecoming. All of our children have been homeschooled and our main reason for homeschooling is discipleship and relationships. Of course, a quality education which is suited to that child's needs is also of great concern and an integral part of homeschooling.

In many ways hsing our boys has been the easiest thing ever. They are truly wonderful children and it has enabled us to get to know each other and bond with each other. They were eager to "do school" along with their siblings. Initially, we did a combination of learning worksheets, educational computer games (like Starfall.com and Funbrain.com), and some hands on science experiments ( an all time favorite). We spent many hours baking and preparing meals together (This was so enjoyable for them and a wonderful reinforcement that food was plentiful. Children who have experienced true hunger need to know this in their hearts as well as their heads.). We also spent hours outdoors riding bikes, learning to rollerblade, sccoter, etc. Things that are good for boys' minds and energetic bodies!

I can not even describe the amount of new information our children were taking in and learning during this time. Talk about the ultimate field trip! I thought I understood this before but coming up on our 2 year anniversary I am still continually stunned by the changes in their lives from when they lived in Ghana until now. They are always sharing things that make me realize they have been through an incredible adjustment.

One of the things they had to learn was to live in a family...in our family. Being older they remembered their birth mother, but the way they were parented there and here are vastly different. I am not saying our way is good or their way is better. It is what it is... but it *is* different. They had to learn what is what to have a Dad, to have an older brother, and older sister. Even their relationship with each other had changed. They were no longer in a care taker older brother with younger brother relying on him. It was all so different.

They learned what it was to live in a home with running water, electricity, a million gadgets that were new to them. They had to get used to a host of new foods and activities. They had rules that were different than they had known and freedoms that were different. Every aspect of their lives encompassed new and learning experiences.

Our boys are so bright came home with some wonderful skills. They knew how to butcher and prepare chickens. They could hunt small animals for food. They could cook over fire and were basically self sufficient. They knew how to sell goods and were very savvy in caring for themselves without much adult supervision.

These things were wonderful and served them so well in Ghana. They don't translate very well in American Suburbia however..

Our older son had spent several years in school while in Ghana. The good from this is he has beautiful handwriting, he knew how to read some words, he knew how to do copy work, and he knew some math facts.


There were down sides to his education in Ghana too. In his school in Ghana they "Caned/Beat" the children. The Cane was not reserved for only those who misbehaved but also for missing math problems, missing spelling words, not having a neat uniform, and sometimes they would cane the whole class if they did poorly on an exam.

As you can imagine this affects one's view of learning. Our son has struggled with getting answers wrong. He freezes when being introduced to a new concept. There is a fear in him of not being perfect in his schoolwork even today...almost 2 years later.

A favorite quote of mine is

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.”

Well, we had a son whose wood was wet. It has taken me sometime and fine tuning to figure out how to light his fire and encourage him that learning can be a good and sometimes even fun thing. I am thankful he is home and we are working through this together.

This year we are doing Unit Studies and are loving school. We still have math to do and reading and dictation, grammar, and narration, Spanish, typing and so on (which are not quite as fun) but we have made great strides. I am so amazed and challenged by our sons' spirits. It has been a blessing to be both Mama and Teacher to them.

Wordless Wednesday~

Monsters don't live in Big Sisters' closets :o)

While we were on vacation Joel turned 9! Oh he was so happy to finally have his Birthday. We have a run of birthdays from January to July and September seemed so far away for poor Joel.

It's funny I have a friend who when asked which kids of hers were adopted and which are biological says, "I don't remember.." One day Joel was lamenting about not having a Birthday earlier in the year and I said, "Oh I'm sorry honey I should have had you earlier..." I totally forgot I hadn't given birth to him :o).

He is such a sweet boy. He is always smiling and has the kindest heart.

Yesterday he feasted on his meal of choice . Those of you who know Joel know that means meat, meat, meat, rice and hot sauce.

After Sunday Evening Service we donned our jammies and chowed down on the sweet stuff.

So Happy Birthday Sweet Boy! You are a blessing!

And obviously as nutty as the rest of us.

1 Corinthians 13:7~

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:7~

Psalm 34:8~

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8





~Sat Night here is when we get ready for Sunday. Homemade granola for the morning and desert for our weekly Sunday Night Desert Night.

~Sweet helpers in the kitchen and sweet little ones to love on.

~It doesn't get any better than that :o)
Have a Blessed Lord's Day!

She's got people...

The days follwing our vacation have been filled with fevers, aches, coughing, breathing treatments, and fever reducers. Poor Sweet Pea has been one of the sicker ones.

One night she was up in the middle of the night with a high fever and a hacking cough. I was laying with her and poor sweet girl was just crying from misery. This is how our conversation went..

Sweet Pea: " Wee Boy. I want my Wee Boy."

Me: "He's sleeping sweetie, you can't have him now."

Sweet Pea: "Big Kids. I want my Big Kids."

Me: " They're sleeping honey. You can't have them now."

Sweet Pea: " Guys (this would be the little boys). I want my Guys."

Me: "Oh honey, they're sleeping too!"

Poor girl would just sob the cry of the broken hearted. She wanted her people. She always uses "My" when she talks about her brothers and sisters . She loves them so much. They are her people.

That is the wonderful thing about family. Your family are your people. For every "He's touching me..", "I had it first!", "He took the last piece of candy!" moment there are 10 moments of racing down the street on your bikes, making pizzas together, watching movies and laughing until your sides hurt. These are the things that bonds family together. The good and the bad.

I am so thankful for my people. My parents, my brothers, my cousins who were there for all the good and the bad as I was growing up. We are all busy with our lives and scattered but one phone call or visit and we are as tight as ever. We are each other's people.

Matthew 6:11~

And give us this day our daily bread..Matthew 6:11~

The Disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and He showed them by giving them the Lord's Prayer. When we ask Jesus to give us each day our daily bread we are asking Him to meet our most basic needs. Like the Israelites in the desert we rely on Him to provide for us each day and each moment ... for without Him we have nothing. He promises to supply us with all of our needs and to do so abundantly. How wonderful! How comforting!

God is such a good and gracious Father. He not only gives to us for our needs but bestows gifts on us which bring us pleasure. The smell of a flower, the song of a bird, the sunset, the skin of a baby are all things which we enjoy for God created them for us to enjoy. He could have made our lives bland but instead to fill our world with wonder and awe and joy.

We have been so blessed as God has met our needs time and again and it never ceases to amaze me how He gives us things that are wants just because He can.

We were so blessed through the efforts of our friends and family to win a contest where the prize was 20 tickets to Disney's Night of Joy! It was such a wonderful time and a true blessing for our family. We heard wonderful Christian Artists and rode fun and thrilling rides at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We were also blessed to spend time at Mimi's House and a hotel! It was an amaZing gift. Our dear friends and my cousin and her husband and my Mom all came too!

We are giving a BIG Thank you to our Heavenly Father and all of you who blessed us with your votes so we could have this time together. It was amazing (Did I use that word enough?)!


Headed out for VACATION!!!!!!

The Tram Ride! The kids thought this was so cool. We could've just rode the parking lot all night and they would have been so happy!
Chris Tomlin!!!! His concert was just incredible. So many people worshipping the Lord. I can't even imagine how wonderful heaven will be. It was the highlight of the night for me.

My dear friend Melissa agreed to ride the Tower of Terror with me! I love her!
Going to see some Muppets in 3D!!
Some of our kids and our friends. My poor Cheeky Boy has this look on his face in each Disney pic! He had a BLAST and can't wait to go back. He talks about how fun it was!??!! Silly boy ~
This was THE favorite ride..the Toy Story Ride. You compete against others in a shooting game while you ride. These guys are in the ZONE and ready to win.

The Little Fella had fun. As long as he has me and my arm to suck on life is good :o)
We are so blessed :o)

I'm putting him in the freezer..

This evening as our 5 year old son was getting ready for bed he says to me..

"Mama, you sure are pretty. And smart. You are smart too. Do you know EVERYTHING?"

Sigh..pure sweetness..

Not even an hour later 8 year old son picks up a bottle of my make-up and says, "I know why you wear this stuff. It's because you want to look like those people on TV. It doesn't really work though."

Sigh..pure honesty..

Finally hubby Jim comes in the door and says, "Whoa..what's up with you? You look like a disheveled housewife?" (I had just realized I accidentally used salt in place of sugar in the 4 coffee cakes I had just made. Appparently I was looking as frazzled as I felt)

Just..Sigh..

I'm putting the 5 year old in the freezer lest he grow up :o)







.

Philippians 3:14~

Today we attended the funeral of a wonderful man who was an integral part of our church family. Brother Neil passed away very suddenly Tuesday Morning. When we received word Tuesday morning we were in shock. We had just seen him Sunday evening and it was just so unexpected.

We know that he is now with Jesus yet our hearts break for his sweet wife and family. His Homegoing service today was amazing. The church was filled with people whose lives were touched by him. We then listened as one by one people stood up to share how Brother Neil had mentored them or taught them or had spoken truth and encouragement into their lives. An incredibly poignant moment was when Brother Neil's grandson spoke about his Grandfather had invested in his life and how he loved and worshipped Jesus because of all his Grandfather had taught him.

There has been a lot of talk this summer in the media as famous people have passed on about "Legacy". The world would have us believe that our legacy is something tangible..a song, a dance, a piece of legislation, etc. Today as I sat there I thought about what a real legacy is and that is passing on your faith and investing yourself in the lives of the people God has placed into your life. It's not something that exalts man but exalts Jesus. I doubt Brother Neil ever considered that he was leaving a legacy. He was just a man who let Jesus be the Lord of His life and let Jesus work through him. One of the last things he ever did on this earth was to speak with 3 men whom he was discipling. He was busy. He was investing. He was encouraging and he was exhorting.

I am so challenged and inspired by all the God brought to light today. God has placed people in all of our lives for a reason. Our children, our friends, the people who live near us, the clerk at the store are all brought into our lives for a reson. Perhaps it is just for us to give someone a kind word as they struggle going about their day. Perhaps it is to share God's truth with them. Perhaps it is just to walk beside them.

Every day we have a chance to invest in things of eternal value and not temporal. I pray that I will be found faithful doing just that."I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus " -- Philippians 3:14

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” Albert Einstein~

Random Pics and Misc Things~

Awhile ago my friend Kay asked me to post pics of our two eldest next to me to see how they have grown. Our 15 yo has totally passed me up! It still is a little shocking to look up to HIM ...Our Sweet 13 yo dd is just short of me.

This is a totally random post. We are finishing up our second week of Homeschooling. It has kept me a little busier than our laid back summer where my deepest thoughts were whether to head to the pool or the beach.

I often think of Blog Posts I would like to do but by the time I sit down at night my mind is mush.

We have had a really great two weeks. I am doing something I swore I would never do in our homeschool and that is... UNIT STUDIES. We are all loving them! Well, our 2 eldest are doing something different, but I have noticed when they are done with their school they are hanging in the kitchen with us ;o) We are all learning so much and having fun together.

My main motivation in using them this year was to create a love of learning in our older children who came to us through adoption. I could do a whole post on the blessings and challenges that encompasses and maybe I will.

Sometimes I feel badly that my Blog is not totally focused.. I wander from Big Family Issues to Adoption Issues to Homeschooling and so on..

However, that is our life. :o)

Is everyone Back to school?

I hope you are having a Blessed Day!

One day we were playing at the beach when I saw this written in the sand. It says "I love my Family". I thought it was so sweet and it became even sweeter when I learned it was written by one of my dear children.

Family is an amazing thing. Incorporating older children who were not born to us into our family has given us an opportunity to see all of our children learn to love and give of themselves as they become brothers and sisters of the heart.

Every moment has not been perfect or all sunshine and smiles of course, but it is so clear that God has knit our family together in a way only He can.





I am so excited to share with you about a wonderful family and a truly incredible fundraiser. I am so blessed to hear of children who are so excited about their family expanding through adoption and the great lengths they go through to help bring their new siblings home.

Lauren is the oldest of six and this week her parents were blessed by the Ethiopian Courts and were allowed to be the parents of 5 MORE children!!!! They have adopted a precious sibling group of 5. What a gift for these children to be able to be kept together.

Lauren is a gifted artist and is using the proceeds of all of her art work for airfare for her new siblings to come home! Her heart is so pure and beautiful as she yearns for her siblings to come home and share in her family's love.

Her artwork is simply lovely. I would truly love to have any one of her pices in my home. Please go and look and say a prayer that God will supply all of this family's needs as He brings them together.


Lauren's Site~

Her 5x7 prints are available for only $5.50!

Thank you for thinking of this family.

Wordless Wednesday~