Friday, December 20, 2013

And All Of A Sudden...

… She was 16!!!!
 This girl - she fills my life with fun, laughter, joy and plenty of good ol’ silly life lovin’ goodness.  

 What a precious gift from the LORD it is to be her mother and to watch her grow up into the amazing and talented young lady that she is.  
 How can it be that 16 years has flown by so fast.  What a joy to share in her life!  
 We gave Caresse a special ring that I bought in China.  The heart has a beautiful jade stone in the middle.  
Happy Birthday my precious daughter.  I am so glad that the LORD gave you to me!!!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

One Down ...


One to go...
Joeliana’s hair is ready for Christmas.  It takes me DAYS to do these (really!!!!).  But she loves them. 
Now on to Alia.  
God really helped me this morning.  In between taking out Alia’s old hair style, I was able to cut 5 boys hair, and 3 girls hair.  Whew!!
Kalyn made me sugar cookies (with lots of icing), and I am thinking that is keeping me going … LOL
Are ya’ll almost ready for Christmas? 

Monday, November 11, 2013

So Hard

to believe that this little love has blessed our lives for 13 years, and she celebrated her 14th birthday here recently.
Kiana loved the hat that I knit for her, and she ESPECIALLY loved the guitar that we got her for her birthday.  In one week she had already gone through the teaching program that came with it and now we are searching for the next best teaching program for my diligent little learner.
This precious daughter has taught me much and I have loved seeing the person that the LORD has created in her.  She is strong, yet loving, creative and funny.  We have walked through hard roads of adjustment and come out stronger on the other side because we were worth the fight.  This child was the first who opened the door of adoption to us, and I have never regretted one step of the journey.  From a scared little one year old who sucked on a rag, to a loving, secure 14 year old; each year with her has been a gift to me - yes, HER VERY LIFE, had been God’s gift to me.  
My Uncle Charles was always very perceptive, and smart.  He knew it was hard on us and hard on the children when they first came home.  He watched each one of them as they struggled and adjusted to the “new” - a family and trusting.   He watched at they grew from scared, sick little children into healthy, curious and happy children.  He LOVED seeing them become happy and secure, and he would say with a smile, “That’s what a family’s love does.”  He is now with the LORD, and I miss him getting to see Kiana as she continue to grow into a young woman.  In fact, Clive came home not long after my Uncle Charles went home to the LORD.  Clive is named after him - Clive Charles Hassoldt.  
We aren’t a “perfect” family, and I wish I “did it better” so often.  Many things have come our way that are REALLY hard, but Uncle Charles’ words still ring in my ear.  There is healing in family.

The hard days seem to out number the good sometimes, but may be that is just what I’m choosing to see.  May be I’m missing the moments when they are reading to each other, or telling each other a story, or putting a bandaid on a little one’s imagined boo-boo.  May be I am seeing the “hard” to much and missing when they are feeding the animals together and telling jokes to each other, or playing hide and seek and giving grace to the child who can’t really count past 10, over and over.  

May be the “hard” days clouds my vision and I miss a "closed off" child open up to me and give me hugs and kisses, because she is TRYING to learn to love and trust.   Or did I miss the sister who made fish pictures for her sad brother who loves “Nemo” the fish? Did I see the younger sister braiding her older sister’s hair?  Do I see the older children serving the younger ones each day?  

Yea, I see it, but I am not being thankful enough for them.  I am not SAVORING  those times enough.  It’s like I’m holding my breath waiting for the next “thing”.  
What I need to be doing is breathing in these daily gifts.  Stop, look, absorb and breathe.  
What does this have to do with a cute little 14 year old?
God used her precious life to bring a gift to our family.  The gift of children, not birthed by my body, but certainly born in my heart. 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Our First!

 Steve and I took our first hunting trip together.  Steve has hunted several times, and as a tease, I asked him to take me on my first hunting trip.
So he did and we arrived to our chosen camping site to more snow than we were expecting.
 We weren’t deterred.  We set up camp and started a fire, because a fire always brightens a chilly situation.  Unfortunately, that fire did not help us any in our “summer” tent with no heat.  I can honestly say, it was the coldest night I have ever had.  I kept thinking “I can do this.  Bear would be proud of us.” (Bear - from Man Verses Wild).  

 All night we heard snowing hitting our tent and wondered what the morning would bring.  
 Well, it brought more beautiful snow.  But I didn’t care.  I was hoping that our hunt for elk would go well.  

 So off we set. 





We didn’t get an elk this trip, but I was still thankful to the LORD for this special “1st” for Steve and I.  We enjoyed our time together and look forward to learning to hunt together in the future.  I am also grateful because the LORD always provides for us and that is something to always remember.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

"Kalyn, look..."



...I'm damaged."

Ha, Keshawn hit his head and is trying to squeeze all the sympathy out of it that he can.  

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Need A Break?


"Think about who God made you to be. Are you starving for a break? Some people need more breaks than others. Our personalities are not all the same. But I do believe God made us ”for His own glory.”  If we, as mothers, are living a life tired, depressed, angry, burnt-out, unhappy, grouchy, guilty, ad nauseum, then are we truly glorifying Him? "

This post by my friend Sally is so wonderful.  I know that I am taking some rest time.  I hope that you are too.  
Read the rest of Sally's wonderful post at I Take Joy.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

She Watches

me cut  Kalyn and Caresse's hair and this time asks if I will give her a "cool" hair cut.  
I'm not sure what she wants, bangs? No. Layers, may be? Not sure...
So I tell her to go wash her hair and I pray that the LORD will give me some inspiration...
for heaven's sake, I only cut hair to save money, I have never been trained in all the "cool" things.  
And I know that she really loves her long hair,
so what to do.
I hope it is O.K.  You talented hairdressers out there - if you see something wrong, please tell me so I can fix it...
I was so nervous as I cut 7 - 9 inches off in some areas - 
how could I not, for crying out loud; she is blessed with that crazy, awesome Asian hair that grows inches each month, and was past her bottom when I began our "cool" hair cut session today. 
I have always just cut her hair straight on the bottom;
not today though.  I was going to do my best to give her something different without having a heart attack that I was cutting this beautiful black mass that most women would literally kill for.




 I tried to round it around her face and down like an oval instead of the normal straight cut. She likes it, and I got a big hug and a "thanks, Mom".  So I guess it's O.K.

Monday, September 23, 2013

THANK YOU

all so much for your encouragement and recommendations as we seek to help Clive.  I am so grateful for your comments and just to know that you are there as we walk this path with our precious one!!!!
We had my niece and her husband, Tiffany and Ben, stay with us tonight on their way from Texas to Organ where they will be training with YWAM mission school.   We are so proud of them.  
It is getting cold here in Colorado.  Snow was on the peak this morning.  It is really early for this, so we are mentally preparing for a REAL Colorado winter.  
We were able to take a few pictures after church this last weekend.  I liked this one of my sweet girls with me.
 I like this one too...such silly ones;
 I like this one, 
 and this one;
 and boys have to wrestle in-between shoots...
but they can get it together when mommy says, "Smile"!  (or else).
Ha, we moms do what we have to, don't we.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

I Caught Them....






...being creative;
which I think is so cute.
Not much happening here.  We still do not know about a possible job move, so for today, we are grateful for the home the the LORD has provided for us.  Besides the earlier fire that threatened our area, there has been horrible flooding in our state.  It has damaged so many towns.  We have been safe, and thankful for this.

We have started school ... first year of home educating TEN children.  With out the LORD's help, I have no idea how it is possible.  

We have found that Clive has very serious stuttering problems, and I have had to accept that he is really more than 80 percent non-verbal at this time.  I guess I wasn't really looking at the whole picture with Clive. Didn't we know, you may be wondering?  I kept telling myself that he would learn English, and things would get better; or that we would start school and he would "see" the letters and improve.    I just didn't understand that he CAN'T speak.  He uses a little sign language, and any other ways he can, to "speak" to us.  We just didn't realize how much we "fill in the blank" for him because it is so hard for him to say even a word.  Now I am trying to teach him 1st grade with Aiden, and I am finding that I need help to know how to best help him.  He is great with paper work - especially math.  We will meet with a speech therapist in the next few weeks and pray for guidance.  Have any of you helped a child that was non-verbal...any advice?
We arent' adopting right now ... I say that because many have wondered and asked...
And may be that is why I haven't blogged much these days.  
We want to, if the LORD wills it, in the future.  For now, we are shepherding the precious ones He has given us. 



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