Well, That’s One Way...

This ...

... plus this...

...equals this!

Well, that’s one way to loose your first tooth.  I can tell you, he WAS NOT happy about this at first.  But he got over it this morning when he got his quarter under his pillow.  

O.K, Prayers Please...

Oh, the journey to our children!!!  Whether through birth or adoption, there are so many emotions; days that are up, and days that are down.  
When I was pregnant with Caresse (our 3rd, and last pregnancy for health reasons), I had been SOOO SICK (life threatening) and was just not into the whole birth thing!  I had gone through more than I thought I could handle.  I am not kidding when I tell you that I told Steve more than once that I didn’t want to go into labor.  Yea, I can laugh now, because of course, we all know that nature will do what it does.  And it did, and she came, wrong side up (which made for a difficult AND PAINFUL delivery).  I was so relieved to be holding her and all I could say was “It’s a baby, it’s a baby”!  Steve finally laughed and said, “Yes, and since you are the only one who has held “it”, tell us if it is a girl or a boy!!”  (We birthed at home, which I loved by the way).  
Now on to today, and as we wait for our children from China, I wanted to update ya’ll on the “pregnancy”.  We sent in the papers to be authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in Chicago over three weeks ago.  Within a few days the whole package showed back up - un-authenticated.  Two problems; my birth certificate had to go to Texas for authentication separate from the rest (which we didn’t know), and our police report was over 6 months old, which they would not accept - the notary has to be under 6 months.  
We sent my stuff to Texas and already received it back last week.  
HOWEVER, our updated police reports have still NOT showed up.  I was so hopeful that our dossier would be in China by now.  And I am disappointed that it could still be “who knows” how long.  Everything is so time sensitive and well,
it is frustrating.  Would ya’ll please pray with us....THANK YOU.
This afternoon I’m off to the dr. for Caresse.  She has a really bad rash on her legs and arms.  I had this a week ago, and now Kalyn woke up with it this morning.  However, Caresse has it much worse than us, so I am hopeful to find something that will help her.  
We had a great day yesterday celebrating Mother’s Day 1st at church, and then at my favorite local State park for a picnic, hiking, and wonderful river playing.  No pictures, if you can believe that...both of my batteries were dead.  
Time for lunch, because after I eat my healthy fruits and veggies, I am going to indulge in the delicious chocolate cake that is waiting for me.  YUMMM.

What RADICAL Living Looks Like

I saw this quote here, and had to post it to my blog!


“Who can measure the long-term effects of nurturing helpless infants, supervising wandering toddlers, discipling self-willed children, and counseling self-absorbed adolescents?  Of family outings planned, traditions built, memories made, books read, songs sung, Scripture taught?  That’s why motherhood belongs under the heading, “Engage the World”; no one shapes generations or fashions cultures more than mothers.”  from Worldliness    
Yes, mothers, we really do live Radically when we embrace the adventure of nurturing those around us.  And all I can say to that is AMEN!


This week we went to a canyon park that is up the road from us.  It was windy and chilly, but we still enjoy our nature school day.

I am so grateful to the LORD to be the mother of these precious ones!!!


Joeliana also celebrated her 7th birthday this week.  Funny, I have her and the other two “stuck” at age 5, but “the babies” as we all call the four youngest, are growing up.  

And Steve has been workin’ away with the older children getting a “green house” over Caresse’s garden.  We have tried just about everything to garden here in Colorado at over 7,000 feet, but it has been hard...the seasons are just to short and unpredictable.  So this year, we are are building this...

 ...which will be covered with a garden plastic.  We are hoping that this really helps our garden grow!!!

Thank you all so much for following our family adventure and sharing yours with us.  I pray that all the mothers out there are loved on and blessed this weekend!!! 

A Fruitless Vine?

I was reading Nancy Campbell’s 100 Days of Blessing devotion the other day, and she wrote some thing that was so encouraging to me...
“...nothing comes of a fruitless vine  It is useless.  Good for nothing.  It doesn’t provide food or blessing for anyone.  This is not what life is all about.  Life is sacrifice.  In fact, you can’t have life without death.  What did Jesus say in John 12:24?  ‘...unless a corn of wheat falls into the earth and die, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’  When we live for ourselves, we lose our life.  When we lay down our life in daily sacrifice we find it.  This is an eternal law.”  
My days, and yours, are full of opportunity to “die” and let the LORD produce fruit.  I want my life to bear fruit that feeds others and is a blessing to them.  
And today, my home is FULL of some beautiful “fruit” that will require sacrifice and work...

...like this one,

 ...and this one,

 ...and this one,

 ...and this one,

 ...and this one,

 ...and this one,

 ...and this one,

 ...and this one,

 ...and this one,

...and this one, 

 ...and these two,

...and I’m sure that these two would love some extra attention and nurturing.

Let’s pray for the LORD to make us fruitful vines, where ever we are at, and in what ever way He wants to use us.  Dying really is where the Life is at.  
For His Glory, we live!!
loves,

Have You Ever....

...seen a picture of yourself that scared you?  I did yesterday.  And I’m not really sure that I know what to do about it.  I guess laugh.  Tell me...
does this make you laugh?

 Aiden brought this picture to me and said “Here’s a picture of you Moma.”  I looked at it, and can tell you that 21 years of parenting paid off at that moment.  I didn’t say what I was thinking...like “Wow, I must have been hit by a truck", or "I need to wear make up more often", or “Am I a monster?”, or “Wear’s my bellybutton?”
No, I didn’t say what I was thinking, thank goodness.  I waited for a second hoping Aiden would give me a few more clues about this masterpiece, and when he didn’t I said, “Wow, I must be happy?”  Notice the question mark at the end of that sentence.  I knew that I was treading on dangerous waters.  I have seen other children’s little eyes well up with tears because I hurt their feelings when making an observation about a piece of art.  
Well a glorious smile broke out on Aiden’s big face and he said “Yea, you’re a baby, and you’re happy.”  

Then he showed me the other side and told me that this was me grown up playing games.  I must have really “impressive” teeth!   Ha-ha!!


Speaking of Aiden...remember the weighted blanket that we got last week?  We bought one hoping that it would help with his nightly head banging.  He has always banged his head as he slept...since he was a baby.  We recently found out that this is part of the Sensory Seeking issues that we are learning more about.  We were easily up from 3-6 times a night trying to get him to stop, which is hard because he doesn’t even know that he is doing it.  

 I am HAPPY to say that the weighted blanket has help his head banging by at least 95%.  The only time that I hear it now is if the blanket has come off, and then I just put it back on him.  

 We are all much happier with this new and improved sleeping pattern I can tell you.  

I bought mine on line... there are so many different options, so if you are interested just google search for "weighted blankets", or "Sensory Processing - Sensory Seeking - Weighted Blankets”, and just add “how to make”, if you want to know how others have made their own blankets.  If you want to research SPD more, go here, or visit Empowered To Connect or Tapestry.  

Remembering A Moment

That’s what I like about Sunday Snapshot...a purposefully decision to pick up the camera and capture a moment from our lives...as Stefanie says “The good, the bad, the pretty, the not-so-pretty.”  A chance to remember the moments that make up our days, our lives, and for me as a mother, the capture their childhood.  

When the children yell that daddy is home, Keshawn will run to this window, where he has a perfect view of daddy driving up to the house.  I then will here this cute little gasp of excitement from Keshawn.  Then he climbs down the couch and begins his cute little two year old run to the garage door where he runs out to tackle his daddy.  It is such an adorable moment to watch.This reminds me of being a little girl waiting for my daddy to come home from work.  My brother and I would run to the end of the block looking for him to come home and then when he came, we would either race him to the house, our he would stop so that we could climb in for the little ride to the house.  

Pray With Jesus

Pray with Jesus - from Elizabeth Elliot devotional A Lamp For My Feet

"Because I am "of the earth, earthy," I find that my prayers for the people I love are mostly bound by very earthy concerns--Lord, help P. to find a good wife, show G. which college to attend, provide money for W.'s house and E.'s car, help T. with his book, give X. a better job. It is meet and proper to pray for such things, but not to pray only for such things. There are prayers of far more lasting import which we must also learn to pray. We can find words for those in the prayer of Jesus for the people He loved:

1. that they may be one;
2. that they may find his joy completed in themselves;
3. that they may be kept from evil;
4. that they may be made holy by the truth;
5. that they may live in Christ;
6. that they may grow complete into one;
7. that they may be with him;
8. that the love which God has for Christ may be in their hearts.

If we learn to pray that kind of prayer, it will perhaps amend the "lesser" prayers.

Lord, teach me to pray. Open my eyes to see beyond the earthly to the heavenly. Let my primary concerns be heavenly ones, that your kingdom may come on earth, your will be done in me and in those I love. Teach me to pray with Jesus, for his sake. Amen.”

I am home with two little boys this morning while the rest of the family has gone to church.  I am still sick.  I am feeling frustrated at being sick for so long now.  I have been to the dr. and so far they are coming up with nothing much...a virus, an allergic reaction, hormones, etc....

It is amazing how quiet it is with “just” two boys, and one of them is a two year old...LOL.  The high here in Colorado today is suppose to be 30, with chances of snow later.  Guess we will put off making that green house for Caresse till later.  We have a pair of doves that have made the front yard trees their home.  I love hearing the “cooing” and I have been hoping that they are sturdy enough for this unusually cold May.

I haven’t been taking very many pictures lately...guess I have gotten in a rut...

Steve and I are moving along with studying our Created To Connect information.  Seems like so much some times.  Time and time again I find scriptures that speak the same things to me as the information that I am studying.  I will try to start getting that together to share a little better in the future.