Those Darn Shells and Yolks!

This Spring Break has flown by. Surprisingly, the kids have played together so well, keeping themselves busy, that they haven't even begged me to dye eggs yet-- which is a first. William, Anna, Andrew, and Jonny are attending Soccer camp from 10:00 - 2:00 p.m. everyday this week which gives me a chance to spend time with the older kids. Today we did an amazing chapter in Purpose Driven Life and then we played a few games of Rumikub. The first game-- I was crushed by all three kids. I never stood a chance since I never laid down a tile. Caleb crushed us all. Second game--- I won while Caleb never laid down a tile. Go figure.

Once I picked up the kids from camp, we dyed eggs. It brought back memories stirring the food coloring and vinegar with the hot water-- just like my Mom used to do-- before there were those fancy egg dying kits. The kids drew on the eggs with a white color crayon before dipping them.


Even Dennis had a fun time dipping the eggs.

Sveta was so excited when I told her that there might be three eggs a piece to dye! She was expecting only one!

Alex had fun dying his eggs! When I told him he could eat his first egg, he cracked it on the table and then took a huge bite of the egg--- shell and all! He didn't think anything of it until we told him to spit it out! What a crazy guy Caleb thought until I reminded him that he did something similar when he was Alex's age.

Later, Alex showed me how he got a little cut on his gum from the eggshells.

Mr. Independent wanted to peel his own egg.

He did a pretty good job. The yoke is what got him--- he tried to wash it down with water but just couldn't. Eventually he motioned to me that he wanted to spit it out which he did very politely into the napkin I was holding.

((Notice Dennis eating the egg yoke?)) Julia let me take her picture with her egg--- awwwe, what a cute little egg.

((Poor Dennis did not want to give up eating his egg yoke!))

After the kids were done dying eggs, they took a few outside and took turns hiding them from each other. Anna and Annalyn enjoyed hiding the eggs for Jonny who loved finding them over and over.

As I got ready to hit publish, Sveta and Jonny came to me asking if they could eat the last egg. Since this afternoon, the kids have polished off two dozen eggs!

Get Up and Clap With Your Kids!!!!

We have been listening to this song ever since Jonny started singing it at the dinner table. He has been going to soccer camp with his siblings and they have been enjoying it so much! After the soccer is over, they stay for vacation bible school where they are doing some really fun things. Thanks Jonny for reminding me of this amazing song. This song is perfect for Easter.

Dinner With the Reeds

Tonight we had the Reeds over for dinner. Sally over at My Life My Desire stopped by with her beautiful family for dinner on the way down south.

Here is Bryson and Dennis!

Sally and I

Here is the whole gang minus Sally and I--- we took the pictures!

It was so nice to see how all the kids got along. Alex really took a liking to Bryson and wished his new friend could stay longer. Me too.

Company is Coming

I am so excited! Tonight we are having company..... a fellow adoptive, blogging family is headed our way. Want to guess who the family might be?

I'll post pictures later.

The Dog Chewed Up My Soccer Ball

This morning I took William, Andrew, and Jonny to soccer camp. Once there, I found out that the church was doing a VBS with the kids after soccer was over. The boys were excited--- I even went to the store before so that Andrew could buy a new ball. I took all the kids with me when I went to pick up the boys because we were going to the park afterwards. I surprised the kids by taking them for ice-cream first.


After ice-cream, we went to the park for an hour.

When we got home, the kids continued to play outside in the backyard. All was fine, until Andrew came in to tell me that he had kicked the ball over the fence into the neighbor's yard---the new one he just bought. Well without going into detail, this neighbor is not all that friendly, and even I knew better than to allow my kids to jump the fence quickly to get it. So sadly, they watched the dog chew up the new ball wishing with all their might that they could go and get it.

Later on, the gardener threw it back over to them--- all chewed up. My kids tried to convince themselves that it wasn't so bad--- but believe me, it was.

Later, the boys came in and played with their HotWheel race car track.

Once Dennis and Alex tried to join them--- they lost interest. No fun to have little brothers knocking over the track and pulling it apart. They went back outside.

As the sun was setting, the kids continued to play outside.

We just love Spring!

Women in the Kitchen

Today was a very nice day.

I decided to make three different Indian dishes which included using spices like cloves, cumin seed, and cinnamon sticks. I also used fresh mint and cilantro. The whole house smelled wonderful!

My Mom and sister came over right as I was making the first dish. It was nice having them in the kitchen with me. They joined in with the cooking. It felt like old times way before I was married. The time went by way too fast.

Later that day we went to our small group. After we finished up our book study we ate dinner together and had cake and coffee. Everyone had fun... and I got two more women to say that they would love to get away for the weekend! As soon as I got home I started looking up beach houses at Pismo Beach-- April looks like as good of a month as any to plan a women's get together if I do say so myself!

His Two Big Feet!

My oldest son Adam is leaving for Mexico early in the morning. It is neat to see how much his siblings are going to miss him. Lost of hugs were given before everyone went to bed tonight. A few of them gave Adam a couple of dollars for his trip, and his sister Julia bought him a Monster at the store today so that he can get a boost of caffeine for his bright and early departure at 6:00 am.

Since this trip was not free, Adam helped out much more than he normally would so that he could honestly say that he earned his way.

Thanks Adam! We hope you have an amazing experience down there this week!

Dennis made this adorable mask last week at pre-school. He calls it his glasses. I bet Andrew wishes he had one too!

Alex made an antelope mask! He wore it while he ate cantaloupe!


One afternoon, I made Dennis and Alex hot chocolate and jam on toast.

It was interesting to see how Dennis devoured his toast first....

while Alex guzzled down his hot chocolate.

Since they both wanted more... I spilt Alex's toast with Dennis and gave Alex some of Dennis' hot chocolate. Problem solved.

Big Sister Anna put Andrew's shoes on Dennis. Of course Dennis loved it!

And of course Dennis tripped over his own two big feet right after I took this picture.

Smiles and Trials 2009

I got it done! Yeah! My goal was to be able to travel with this book to Ukraine. I think it would be a wonderful icebreaker.

Smiles and Trials 2009 BOOK INFO

Digest 16

Elizabeth G has left a new comment on your post "Making the Best Choice for Him":
I was catching up on you blog and have to say I was a bit surprised to see this. Not the thought of kindergarten, but acting against something John feels is right. If you and your husband are divided on this, pray more, seek God's counsel, if you still disagree, I humbly suggest you follow your husband. If he is right or wrong, perhaps God would teaching him something through your submission. It's not a dirty word, Christ was submissive to the Father. There is grace and protection in following God's order for the family.
In Christ,
Elizabeth

Elizabeth, I must admit that it took a while for me to decide whether or not I would post this comment. I am not sure why. Maybe because I never really thought of my thinking that Alex might actually be ready for kindergarten as not submitting to my husband. When I showed him your comment, he encouraged me to respond because he didn't think this was a submission issue either. He can see my reasons for leaning towards Alex going to kindergarten, just like I can see his. I think what it comes down to is that I am with Alex all day and see how much he loves school-- and I mean love! He loves when I pack his snack, when I talk about what he will most likely do that day, and he loves playing with his friends there. Socially, he is ready. I probably should relay this to John more, so if there is anything I am guilty of-- it's that. Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment, I trust it was done in sisterly love.

Annie has left a new comment on your post "Happy Re-Adoption Day":
I can never quite understand why you do this. I'd have a hard time being serious myself about something that is just....what? Not even a formality. Is there some implication he is not actually your son?

In Michigan you can get a certificate, which is something like a birth certificate, of foreign birth - just so you have a certificate in English, I guess, but you have to pay a LOT, nearly $300 and I've just not gotten my heart behind it, I'm afraid. So much else to do with $300. Do you have to pay for this?

Annie, I really didn't see the point of readopting our children here in California until I realized how much easier having an American birth certificate is. It is not scrutinized by schools, or when the kids are enrolled in sports, and it takes the stress of losing their one and only Russian or Ukrainian birth certificate away since I can get their American birth certificate just by driving down to our local Department of Vital Records. Besides, a few of my children have already expressed a desire to adopt when they grow up-- and they will need original copies of their birth certificates-- and now they will all have access to those copies without traveling half way around the world to get them. For us, it just finalizes things all the more.

MoserUpdates has left a new comment on your post "He Can Hear!":

Hey Christine! It's been almost a year since we adopted Eli (went by way too fast!) We're thinking about our next adoption and I have a few questions for you regarding adopting a child out of birth order. Can you email me?

How wonderful that you are thinking of adopting again! How exciting! Adopting out of birth order is not as scary as it sounds. For us, it has worked well. What really confirmed in our heart that age doesn't really make a difference when adopting a child is when we thought of a child losing their chance at a family because they were not young enough--- like it is their fault. Adopting out of birth order has brought so much to our family-- that is why we are doing it again. :)

Holly said...
been there girl.
Hey, might you be willing to lead that as an ONLINE class? Maybe through a private yahoo group? I know some friends who have done some Beth Moore studies like that...they live all over the US.
I would really be interested.
Let me know what you think!

Holly, I love that idea! It is exciting to think of getting to know you better through doing a study together-- and believe me, this adoption study would inspire you! Is anyone else interested? You want to co-lead it with me?

Mama D.'s Dozen said...
I would LOVE to find a group of ladies to play BUNKO with ... or a group of ladies to do just about anything with ... a regular coffee night ... a scrapbooking night ... a card game night ...

Really needing some girlfriends in my new community ... on my little island. I don't know ANY ladies here between the ages of 35-55 (and I'm 48, but with young children still). The young grandmas at our church just love me ... but they don't have any kids left at home, and I still have two in 2nd grade. The young mama's also love me ... but I'm old enough to be their moms.

Glad you had a FUN evening!
Laurel :)

If you lived nearby, I would love to get together--- and do anything-- it wouldn't really matter to me. As for being in that awkward age group where you don't really fit in with the other women-- I can totally relate. Most women my age do not have kids as old as I do, so my friends all tend to be older.

Winnie said...
Christine,

You get tons of traffic to your blog. Would you be so kind to write something concerning the extension of HR213 - the Adoption Tax Credit Bill? It expires at the end of this year. A bloggy friend has created a good blog with lots of info on the who, what, when and why of the project.

http://adoptiontaxcredit.blogspot.com/

Thank you!
Winnie

Sorry I am late posting this-- better late then never-- right? The recent news about this bill is pretty awesome if it is true. I wonder if there is an income cap, and what happens to past credits.

16 blessings'mom said...
Christine, I am just sitting here looking at a few of my favorite blogs with my two little girls sitting on my lap. Charlotte Claire, three, said, "Mom, Dennis is so cute." So there you have it, from the mouth of babes....

How precious! Tell Charlotte what a cutie she is too!

Jean said...
Wonderful post! It is so comforting knowing it is never to late.

We are bring home our 8th and 9th and no one but us is excited about it. I wish others could see the joy in serving our Lord and loving the children.

There is no common sense anymore- and that's the way we like it! i actually feel free from the world- and it feels good!

(I loved sally's post, too)

Yes it is a joy--- certainly not always easy--- but most certainly freeing and joyous! BTW, I am excited for you!

Shari said...
Yes, I need that girlfriend time right about now! Were you serious when you asked me earlier this year about doing a women's retreat/get together? I would love it! Much love to you.

Yes, I am so serious. If anyone else is, please let me know. The get-together would be on the West Coast--- from Friday through Sunday. The possibilities are endless--- staying up late laughing and talking, sleeping in, going out to eat, strolling downtown or the beach, you name it-- it's bound to be fun!

Bethany said...
I want to know how you clean the cobwebs out of the corners of that room with the high ceilings. :)

I don't.

Tina in CT said...
Do you kids play musical beds?

Of course. Usually a few always end up in our bed.

Happy Re-Adoption Day

Today we had court for Alex's re-adoption. It was short and sweet. The other kids didn't join us because they have things going on in their classes since today is the last day before Spring Break.


The judge was very formal, but he was also very nice.

Alex got to speak into the microphone to tell the judge thanks!

We love you Alex!

He Can Hear!

Sveta loves Lizzie. So do I. I never thought she would be such a good pet. Sveta will spend an hour with her just like in this picture.
******************************
Today Dennis had a check-up with the ENT at Children's Hospital. She said his ears looked much better than last time and then sent us over for his hearing test. After much squirming around she said that Dennis was done-- so we went back up to the ENT. Sure enough his hearing was within normal limits and the doctor said--- See you in six months! How awesome is that?

On a side note, I was corrected by the audiologist who said that hearing loss is not measured in percentages---- but rather in degrees when I told her I was impressed how his 30% hearing loss had improved. Curious as to why I would think that, she looked at his last test which measured at 30 decibels just outside of the normal 25 range. Bless her heart-- she tried to explain it to me-- but all I heard was my baby's hearing is considered normal! Praise the Lord that Dennis has one less thing to deal with. The ear tubes are doing their job!

Now if I could just figure out why sometimes he doesn't hear me. {scratching head}
*****************************
Tomorrow we have court for Alex's readoption!

No.... Don't Shoot the Brownies

Dennis is just three years old... home a year and a half... and I can hardly believe that he was ever adopted. This child is mine through and through. Half the time he drives me nuts... but he more than makes up for it with his beautiful spirit, amazing personality, cuddly tendencies, and adorable way he lives life to the fullest. You know he is a Reed by the way he sticks out his tongue when he concentrates.

Don't shoot the brownies Dennis, or I'll tickle you!

***************************
Amazing how much we have been through together and bonded with all his surgeries... a blessing in the midst of hard times. As he slowly moves into the next phases of his reconstructive surgeries, I know that we will experience more hard times. Somehow though, these surgeries just aren't as hard as they used to be. We both know what to expect.... I know how to soothe and comfort him.... he relies on and trusts my ability to comfort him exactly how he needs. A match made in heaven.

Not Yet

It's pretty humbling when no one shows up to the bible study you are leading.

Three weeks in a row.

Remember when I shared that we were starting an adoption bible study at our church?

After two years of wondering when God was going to open up the door.... I thought he had.

Praying for his leading and for the hearts of others to be opened to learning more about adoption--- how we are all adopted into God's family through His Son--- it appeared that it was time.

But time for what?

To lead a bible study-- that's what.

I thought what better way to get to know others then by doing a bible study about something that we are passionate about.

Of course people would come, right?

Wrong.

Maybe I had it all wrong.

My husband suggested that we pack up ship and go to one of the other Sunday school classes being offered.

Me--- let's just say a little five letter word called pride was trying to talk me out of it.

John suggested it again--- maybe he was right.

So we packed up our stuff and headed over to another study.

And you know what?

I met some new people.

I had fun.

I learned a thing or two.

As I reflect on this whole Sunday class thing, I am amazed how God continues to work in me. Not always in ways that I want, but truthfully, in ways that I need. Often times I have my mind set on something, and I convince myself that it is a great idea, when often always His idea is even greater. He knows that I want to get to know others. He knows that I want to share my passion for orphans with others. He knows that people are more receptive to hearing what a friend has to say rather than a complete stranger.

Ephesians 3:20-21 (The Message)
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

My plans don't look at the grand scheme of things.

His does.

Right now, I am supposed to be attending a Sunday school class, not leading one.

At least not yet.

Chasing Geese

Today was such a nice day that I decided to take the kids to the park. I called up my friend Denise to see if she wanted to join us with her kids who happen to be close friends to all of my kids. Since she had to make the drive out, I made lunch.

Around noon we headed out.

As soon as the kids saw the geese, they didn't stand a chance.

So much to explore

Back to the geese

Annalyn was ambitious

Dennis ruled this castle

Lunch was simple yet enjoyed by all

The kids had fun swinging on the fronds
The day at the park was wonderful

It was so hot...

the kids came home and went swimming

in 59 degree water

What crazy kids!

Awesome News!

Come check out our exciting news here! Pinch me.... I still can't believe it.

Alex and Dennis

Alex and Dennis are the sweetest little tomatoes around. At least I think so. And Alex--- oh my word if you could only see how happy this boy is--- it would make you smile. His excitement when his Daddy enters the room or I tell him it is time for school or I serve him a special lunch on a cute little plate-- you'd think I just told him we were going to Disneyland! I don't know why God decided to bless us with this little boy who has the happiest disposition ever-- but I am forever thankful! What a joy it has been to watch this little boy go from testing the waters and hugging and loving on everybody to thriving with joy from realizing that a family provides loving boundaries so that he could focus on just being a kid.

Dennis and Alex continue to build a bond that I am certain will stand the test of time--- and witnessing them together ministers to my heart in the most amazing ways. Just today Alex walked in from pre-school and Dennis was there to greet us.

"Give me a hug Dennis!"

And Dennis gave Alex the biggest hug before they walked off together to play. (walked off-- I love it)

And now that the weather has warmed up and the beautiful sun is shining, the kids are playing outside all the time. Watching Dennis help Alex climb the play place is just precious as is the two of them rolling around on the grass with our dogs.

They are both very verbal--- Dennis loves to say our dinner prayers and Alex praises Dennis every chance he gets. "Good job Dennis!"

Tonight both of the boys enjoyed having baby lotion rubbed on their arms, legs, and back when I was getting them ready for bed. They giggled the whole time! And then I tended to Dennis' scraped knee. It is hard to explain how nice it was just tending to a scraped knee instead of some of the more major owies I have had to care for with Dennis. It reminded me how even though he may have a few special needs he is just like every other child. To have a scraped knee is a normal part of childhood-- something I don't want to miss out on with my little guy. I kissed his owie over and over which he thought was cool. Hmmm, I cry owie and point to my knee and Mama kisses it. Do it again Mama! And so I did!

Alex and Dennis love having their pictures taken so that they can look at themselves afterwards.

Aren't they little hams?

Thinking Long Term-- Should They be Moved Up?

Okay so I thought I was being pro-active. I had a few minutes to spare in between conferences at the junior high so I introduced myself to the Resource Specialists that would be working with Sveta next year. Little did I know I was opening a can of worms.

Somehow her age came up and when they found out that she would be a thirteen year old 6th grader they insisted that I talk to the principal. Normally this was considered a problem come high school. Not to worry though---- I know the principal through my son Caleb who is class president-- he invited me to sit down and talk.

I gave him the low down.

We adopted Sveta over four years ago when she was just eight years old. At that time we knew she was cognitively delayed and pursued services for her. Part of that involved us having her privately tested which resulted in a FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) diagnosis. This supported our decision to put her in one grade behind-- but eventually it was mutually decided by the IEP team to hold her back again. Physically, socially, and academically this seemed to be a fine decision when she was nine years old.

However, she has grown.

Physically, socially, and academically.

And while she may still fit in with other girls in her grade right now--- the reality is--- she is two years older than them. This has always been in the back of our minds (John and I) as we have made decisions on our daughter's behalf, but there is constantly new information that we need to take into consideration.

Regardless of what grade she is in, she will always learn at her own pace with the help of resource specialists despite the grade she is in. Realistically, if she was placed in the grade where she was academically meeting the requirements for that year, she would be in the second grade.

So that begs me to think about the reasoning behind keeping her two grades back-- why not just put her in the grade that she is performing at? Why? Because it would not be age appropriate. Period. At this stage of the game we are at the point where making the decision to either keep her where she is or bump her up a grade needs to be determined. To wait until she is in high school settled within her new environment would make the transition harder. I know it would for me. She is going from elementary school over to the junior high-- but the question remains..... will she be going as a 6th grader or a 7th?

On a side note, we have been asked to consider the same thing for Rachel. However, she is only one grade behind and she is performing around grade level at this time. To move her would be a sink or swim decision in our opinion. Right now she gets almost straight A's--- her understanding of the English language the only thing keeping her from testing proficient. The thought of moving her up a grade only to watch her struggle does not sit well with me. Yet... a part of me thinks that she will rise to the occasion and surprise even herself, if given the opportunity.

We can't forget to take into consideration their friends, their feelings, and their maturity level to even handle such a jump. Here I thought this subject was closed and now we have been asked to reconsider.

Parenting.... I don't always feel quite adequate for the job. Yet I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

We are Loved

Be blessed. Worth watching... the lyrics in one simple word POWERFUL. Oh how this would have come in handy back when I was seventeen. Even if you are not a believer, the photography in this video makes it worth watching.

Did you know that God gave to Jesus... us... wow... to be thought of as a gift..... He cherishes me that much. He cherishes my husband that much... my children.... and you too. You are a gift.

With Every Excuse to Say No... I Said Yes

Today I attended all of my kids' parent-teacher conferences. Not before I ran over a huge bolt on my drive home from BSF and got a flat tire. Thank God that roadside assistance had me back on the road in less than an hour. Feeling the pressures of juggling dinner, homework, and the evening elementary school conferences still ahead of me, I passed a friend driving through our neighborhood who invited me to play Bunko. Of all nights. I truly had every excuse to say no-- but I didn't. This was something that I wanted to make time for-- do or die. John was super encouraging and God was too because I finished up with the kids' conferences early-- a first-- and made it to Bunko with five minutes to spare.

At first I only knew the friend who invited me-- but soon I was acquainted with the other nine women-- and we had a blast! And I got two Bunko! And it was really fun... and refreshing... a change of pace. And I really enjoyed myself. And it did my soul a world of good getting out and being around other women.

How did my friend know this was exactly what I needed?

Never mind... I know the answer to that question.

Thank you Daddy.


So are there any other Bunko players out there?

Go Ahead--- Crawl Under the Tunnel

Monday nights are usually when I do devotional time time with the older kids. And what is devotional time you might ask? Well usually it always includes reading something from the bible and usually a book that I find interesting that I think the kids will enjoy and be inspired by. Then we will often times talk about how things are going, what we learned from the book, and discuss issues any of us are currently going through. Most times we pray-- but not always. God knows that this time is centered around Him.

As I finished up reading not one but two chapters ( it is really good) of a book about missionaries in Brazil, I went straight into seeing if the kids had their memory verse down. Beyond that, I struggled to get the kids to open up and talk. It was a tough crowd. As I moved from topic to topic it was obvious that they just were not in the mood for talking.... so I got creative.

All I wanted was for them to all interact with each other-- if only briefly before they went went to bed for the night. If a silly memory was made in the process that would be the icing on the cake.

"Why don't two of you lay down on the floor in opposite directions and put your feet together up in the air to make a tunnel (bottoms facing each other)? The rest of you go through the tunnel and then change places. Ha-ha-- Won't this be fun?"

Rachel and Julia were all giggles over this silliness and Caleb quickly joined me and crawled under their legs through the tunnel they had formed. Adam was not thrilled with the game but I eventually coaxed him to participate. Sveta was last.

We all had a good laugh as I announced that because Adam, whom I knew would be the most anti-Mom game participated, we would have Chili's take out for dinner tomorrow night.

And that was that. Our devotional time was over.

So what was the point of this little exercise?

Oh.... maybe to remind my teenagers that they are never too old to play a silly made-up game. Or.... maybe to encourage positive behavior and teamwork even in the midst of a "roll your eye", pointless activity.

I'm not sure-- but it was fun and it ended our evening on a light note!

So what do you do with your teenagers on Monday nights?

The Truth Will Always Be

I wish I knew why a child would choose to lie even when she knows that her Mom knows the truth?

Why would she choose to lie even when it means inferring that her sisters are the ones then that are lying?

Why would she choose to lie when there is way less of a consequence because she actually told the truth when she did something that she knew better than to do?

Why, why, why?

And it can be any kind of lying.

The nonsensical kind of lie.
The exaggerating to get attention type lie.
The I want to get on my Mom's nerves kind of lie.
The I can't help it that it slipped out of my mouth type lie.
The I don't care who I hurt kind of lie.
The I think I will get in less trouble by lying type of lie.

They are all lies.

And in our home-- NONE OF THEM ARE ACCEPTABLE.

For the most part none of my children would be characterized as a liar. Except for one.

And I am not lying.

This is something that I know I should not take personally. But I do.

How can I not? I have invested so much love, time, and energy into this child--- that it feels like a slap in the face each time she can look me in the eye and flippantly lie to me passing it off as the truth.

And what really stings is that most people just don't get it. I mean really. Who brings up in conversations--- "Oh your daughter cleaned out her closet and gave her clothes away to charity?? Well my daughter pretended to clean up her closet by shoving all of her clothes into the back and then lied about it even though all her sister's saw her do it and encouraged her to hang them up. Top that!"

I am trying to be strong. I am trying to not take it personally. I am trying to not have it consume me-- but the truth is-- when one of my relationships with my kids feels broken-- I hurt.

And this hurt I will carry tucked away the best that I can because I have to pick myself up and go on-- but it will still be there.

And as I talk to God-- plead to Him to heal my daughter-- I hear Him whispering to me to pray.

Keep her in your thoughts dear Christine. Hold her near your heart every minute of the day. Lift her up. Invest your prayers in her threefold. As you pray for someone you are investing quality time and you are becoming their biggest encourager. When you invest your time in someone through prayer--- you grow to love them. And when you love someone-- it carries you even when they don't reciprocate that love. Why? Because your love for them is rock solid in My truth, in My love-- and that is enough Christine. I promise.

I don't know what I would do without my Rock. With Him I am reminded of Ephesians 3:20. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine because of His power that is at work within us.

Press on.... I know I will.

Oh No.... Another One

loves to talk on the phone. And if your lucky enough to be in our caller id, I'm sure Mr. Dennis will be giving you a call sometime in the near future.

A Nice Day

Today was such a nice day. The kids were incredibly quiet in the morning and just when I thought Dennis was up to start his loud day, he came into our room and laid down with us and went back to sleep--- till 9 o'clock.

Heaven.

I can't remember the last time both John and I slept in that late.

And it will probably be our last for a very long time-- but that's okay. We enjoyed this unexpected gift.

And the whole day was just as nice too.

We went on a long walk.

We ate the most wonderful, yet simplest dessert.

Hot strawberry compote over ice-cream--- heavenly.
*****************
Adam is going to Mexico over Spring break. This will be his first mission trip away from home. He is working hard around the house to earn his way. I think it will be an amazing experience for him. Tomorrow, he attends his second informational meeting about the trip. I am so excited for him!
****************
Rachel and Julia have been babysitting for families. And their clientele is growing. I can't believe my girls are growing up!

My Desire

I wanted to find out more about this book so I clicked on over to the author's blog. That is where I watched this video. It got me to thinking... to say the least.

Oh, to have the desire to follow God's every prompting and be used to further His kingdom.... and then actually living out that desire. May sound crazy... but a part of me envies this man.

His simple lifestyle.
The intimate relationship He has with our Heavenly Father.
The obvious faith he has displayed by trusting God for everything.
His health.
His safety.
His joy.
His patience.
His persistence.

Me?
I notice that something may be wrong with one of the kids and I am all over the Internet researching.... trying to fix it.
Me?
I run to the store because I don't have bread. Well, let me take that back. I run to the store because I don't have French bread-- the right kind of bread for dinner-- because you all know we can't have regular sliced bread with spaghetti.
Me?
I am already looking at sales-- planning on what shoes I am going to buy the kids next year-- when the shoes they have now are just fine.

Me?

I don't even share the joy that I have about our current adoption because I worry that no one understands or shares the same joy.

Sadly, no matter how hard I try, it seems that my life centers around me, me, me. Sure, I can convince others that it doesn't... but in my heart I know it does.

Sally Reed (don't you love her last name?) over at My Life My Desire shared this excerpt on her blog the other day--- and I keep coming back to it.

IS THIS TRUE OF ME?

It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call,
because then you are not bothered by what He requires. But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod
you on to do His will.
You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense.
Never consider whether or not you are of use - you are His.

For whatever reason it brings me great comfort to know that the desire I have does not need to be common sensical--- and to know that there will always be his gentle prodding to do His will. I am relieved that His vision will always be there so when I do eventually get me act together it will not be too late.

Folks.... it is never to late with God.

Girlfriends

I was getting lonely. I was in need of some good girlfriend talk. It felt like it had been decades since I talked to my longtime friend Denise. I knew she would be busy with homeschooling, but I punched in her number anyway and thought I would give her a good morning wake up call. She agreed that it had been way too long since we had last talked-- so we spent a good half hour catching up. As the conversation went on, I could feel myself returning to normal. It is not that I don't have anyone to talk to-- but sometimes I just need a good woman friend to talk to-- one who understands me--- one who knows my kids so well that I can share anything with her and vice versa. What I love most about her is that she accepts me for who I am--- 12 kids and all.

Friends like that don't happen very often and we were both remarking how lonely we feel during the week when we don't talk. Sure we both have our kids, husbands and daily lives to attend to--- but for the most part her and I only have each other. And it gets lonely sometimes.

Am I the only who feels this way?

I realized that I missed Denise more than just a phone calls worth and it got me to thinking back to the women's weekend we spent together out at the beach a few years back. It was so much fun! A dozen of us headed to the coast for the weekend, rented a house, and spent some quality time together as sisters in Christ. I remember how I convinced her and the other women to make a pretend mole under their nose-- just like me. Then, we all went shopping sporting identical Cindy Crawford moles. It was hilarious. You should have seen the cashier's expression when she helped all of us ring up our purchases. It could've been a Candid Camera moment! I don't know which was funner... that, karaokying, or doing the Chinese FireDrill in downtown Pismo Beach!

Just thinking about it makes me smile!
Oh, how I would love to do something like that again.

Wouldn't you?

Someday.....

They Googled What?

Barcelona, Cataluna arrived from google.es on "Smiles & Trials: My Trip To Costco" by searching for how much does it colst to feed 8 people for a month costco.

Frankfurt Am Main, Hessen arrived from blogsearch.google.de on "Smiles & Trials: Digest 15" by searching for *family & austistic & "12 years old".

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina arrived from google.com on "Smiles & Trials: Ummm, Can We Have You Move to Another Room?" by searching for midas syndrome emma .

Sacramento, California arrived from google.com on "Smiles and Trials: AFOs After the Party" by searching for bearded dragon unable to hold himself up.

Houston, Texas arrived from search.yahoo.com on "Smiles and Trials: You Can Fall In Love" by searching for Is it normal not to fall in love with your adopted child?.

Minneapolis, Minnesota arrived from google.com on "Smiles and Trials: Adoption Disruption Overview" by searching for adoption disruption.

Monticello, New York arrived from google.com on "Smiles & Trials: Raising kids close in age" by searching for raising children close in age.

Irving, Texas arrived from google.com on "Smiles & Trials" by searching for large family blog.

Angeles arrived from search.yahoo.com on "Smiles & Trials: You Can Fall In Love" by searching for Why trials are always their in love?.

Kowloon arrived from google.com.hk on "Smiles & Trials: You Can Fall In Love" by searching for can toddlers fall in love.

Winnipeg, Manitoba arrived from google.ca on "Smiles & Trials: The Closet Monster" by searching for how to get rid of closet monsters.

Oshawa, Ontario arrived from google.com on "Smiles & Trials: Potato Bugs are Way Grosser than Otterpops!" by searching for dead potato bug.

Makati, Rizal arrived from blogsearch.google.com on "Smiles & Trials: Digest 15" by searching for "Drink and Drive".

Brooklyn, New York arrived from blogsearch.google.com on "Smiles & Trials: Guess Who Turned Three?" by searching for "Dennis Love" and adopt.

Makati, Rizal arrived from search.yahoo.com on "Smiles & Trials: You Can Fall In Love" by searching for trials in love.

Wichita, Kansas arrived from search.yahoo.com on "Smiles & Trials: Our Knott's Vacation--- Where Music, Video, and Pictures Come Together" by searching for first:"beth" last:"knotts" state:"ks" .

Bullhead City, Arizona arrived from search.yahoo.com on "Smiles & Trials" by searching for the only thing better than being grandpa is being great grandpa picture frame.

A Few Cavities

Poor little guy got sick after me. Back on Monday he was under the weather with the same cold I had a few days back. He had no problems snuggling up with SpongeBob and falling asleep.

The sleep must have done him well because he was much better by the next day.

Alex has discovered this chair where he loves to sit and watch Sesame Street.
*******************
Yesterday I took the boys to the dentist for the first time. I had waited so long with Dennis because I knew he would be scared and figured that soon enough he would be having major mouth reconstruction done and he could then have whatever cavities he had filled. But, I could visually see a cavity on Dennis that I knew should be at least looked at so I took the boys in together.

Alex went first. He was so brave! He never cried and behaved wonderfully-- and the best news is no cavities!

I was hoping Dennis would have just as great of an experience after watching his older brother but that wasn't the case. The hygienist was so gentle and nice with him but he still cried. I sat next to him hovering over him with both my hands on him to give him comfort yet he held onto my shirt for dear life anyway! They quickly did a little brushing after trying to get front x-rays.

The dentist informed us that Dennis has five cavities-- two of which need immediate attention. She referred us to a dentist that does general anesthesia-- so whenever they can get us in Dennis will be having dental work done. Near the end of the visit Dennis began relax but when he knew we were done-- he headed straight for the door!
******************

Back on Saturday a young man came to our house selling a biodegradable cleaning product. He had such a good personality and attitude that regardless of how well the product worked, we were going to buy it to show our support. He was friendly and working hard to make a sale so we wanted to encourage him however we could. Besides the product worked okay.

Naturally, I came in and got to work cleaning the girls' shoes that had failed to come clean in the washing machine with bleach and spot remover. As I scrubbed the shoes, they looked cleaner but the oil stains that had come from the girls propping up the motor scooter on their foot to start it was still there. Sigh... oh well... we set them out to dry overnight.

In the morning to our surprise--- the stains were gone!

I wonder if it can do anything to the nail polish stain on the girls' carpet?

HaPpY BiRthDay ALex!

This is the moment that Alex has been waiting for since he first saw Caleb and then Dennis blow out candles on their birthday cake. From that moment on, he wondered when it would be his birthday and he even memorized the order of family birthdays until finally it was his special day. And today was it---- we celebrated Alex turning the big 5!

He was so excited it took every ounce of patience that he had not to blow out the candles before we were finished singing. And let me tell you----- Alex was a pro at blowing out his candles!

Big sister Julia made Alex's cake. He liked that it had his name on it.

Our friends (who have also adopted) came over to help celebrate. The girl in the black jacket standing next to Julia is not only Julia's good friend Cassidy-- but Alex has the biggest crush on her.

After we ate pizza which is what Alex wanted for lunch, we hit the pinata,

also something Alex wanted to do for his birthday.

He got to hit it first.

Then Dennis got to hit it next. The pinata fell and was not able to be hung back up so John threw the candy from upstairs and let all the kids gather it below.

Cheese!

Next, we gathered around the cake to watch Alex blow out his candles.

As soon as Alex was done with his cake, he opened up presents.

One thing he got was a new backpack. Doesn't he look like a big boy!

Since Alex loves to sing-- I knew he would love this echoing microphone.

Happy Birthday Alex! You are so right! You are no longer little-- you're a big boy!