ZOO!

The girls said they had NEVER been to the zoo (haven't confirmed that with their parents) and the weather has been so gorgeous, so we loaded up today and had a field trip to Caldwell Zoo in Tyler. We bought the "Family Membership", so we can go back for free for a year (totally worth it with 6 kids!). I really want to make a point to do that more. It's such a neat zoo and very kid-friendly.

The girls were totally mesmerized by all of the animals. It was a GREAT day! Everyone stayed together and no one got fussy til the end. Aunt Amy was my co-pilot. I couldn't have done it without her!

October 13, 1992

NINETEEN years ago today, my precious hubby took me on our first date. We went to Cinema IV in Mt. Pleasant to see "Last of the Mohicans" and then to Braum's for ice cream afterwards. I got a single dip of Mint Chocolate Chip (of course!) in a cup. I still remember exactly what I was wearing (polka dots!) and the millions of butterflies in my stomach. I knew when I left his house that night he was the man I was going to marry. I know people say that and it sounds so cliche', but I really did know in my heart.

My sweet sister-in-law always calls and says Happy Anniversary every October 13. If it hadn't been for her, our first date might have been a different day. : ) She knew I had my eye on him and encouraged him to ask me out.

To look back at God's faithfulness and provision for us since that day 19 years ago, just gives me butterflies of a different kind. When he created Robby in his mother's womb, He created him to be my soul mate. When he created me a few months after that, He knew in His perfect plan that I would be the perfect help meet for Robby. It's all so amazing. We didn't even live in the same town, but he orchestrated all of that to come together so that we would spend our lives serving Him and raising a family to love and honor Him.
O how marvelous!
P.S. Some day I'll have a scanner again and scan all of our "dating" pictures. There are some real winners! This picture is a year old, but makes me giggle every time at my silly man.

Wordless Wednesday

"Did You Ever Really Miss New Orleans?"

...or something like that. Can't really remember the exact title of the song. We spent last weekend with my mom's side of the family (almost all of them!) in New Orleans. It was our first time in the Big Easy. We had a GREAT time, but didn't really get any rest. I thought I'd be able to sleep late on Saturday and was really looking forward to that, but my dear sweet Grandpa was at our door at 8:00 AM. I left Robby in bed and went for benets (no clue of the correct spelling here) at Cafe Du Monde. Yes, it was worth it. Not a Krispy Kreme hot off the presses, but still yummy. We toured the Garden District, did some shopping, and enjoyed lots of yummy, yummy food. The live jazz at Preservation Hall was worth the whole trip! Amazing music! Bourbon Street scared me, honestly. Total insanity.

We came home feeling very refreshed and rejuvenated. Reality hit hard when we got off the plane and drove directly to Wal-Mart to grocery shop. Shopping with my hubby is a DATE because it's soooo much easier than shopping with six kids! We filled two buggies, but I won't have to go back for a while!

All 6 were back home on Sunday night. We pulled into the garage and Dalila yelled, "We hoooommmeee!!!" So precious. They all mobbed me when I went to pick them up. I'm so thankful that God has made them so comfortable here and that they feel our love. It makes it all worthwhile.

The boys have started watching old "Dennis the Menace" episodes. In one episode the mom is putting Dennis to bed. Dennis asks his mom, "Mom, why do you say, 'Thank goodness' when you tuck me in instead of 'Good night'?"
I do feel that way by 8:30 every night. God is good and He is renewing our strength day by day.

Blessed

One look at these sweet faces and you will understand how absolutely blessed we are right now. We have angels at our house! (and yes, after bathing 5 kids---Noah's on his own at this point---for a few nights in a row, the bucket of water outside for water play counted as a bath! My standards have been lowered. : ))

One Year

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord." Proverbs 21:30

We closed on our business one year ago today. What a year it has been! God has continually poured out His blessings on us. I have been studying the book of Daniel with the boys and teaching them about how God honored his obedience. Yesterday, I gave them the example of our family. We obeyed God---even when it didn't make sense---and moved our family to Mt. Vernon to buy a stove/fireplace business. We are both teachers. We were "city folk". It didn't make sense, but we obeyed.

God has honored our obedience in AMAZING ways. We had the busiest fall that the previous owners could remember. We had no slow season. We were prepared for things to slow down in spring/summer, but God had other plans. There is no way to explain people driving--sometimes long distances---here on 107 degree days to buy a fireplace or stove. God is good and we are thankful.

No, this isn't a current picture, but I love the beauty of it.

Radical

Last Sunday, Robby and I started a study at church on the book Radical by David Platt. I have heard a lot about the book and a friend had even given me a copy for my birthday, but I hadn't started it. We decided this would be great for us to study a book together and grow together. The book is all about living your faith out in a radical way. Who knew that in just one week God would be calling us to do something really radical for Him?

This Sunday, three little girls will move into our home. We love these girls. They are members of our church and we have gotten to know them quite well over the past year. Their Dad works out of town and their mom is sick and needs time alone to get better. This is radical! They are 4, 3, and 9 months.

When Robby and I first heard of this situation, I think we both immediately wanted to jump in and offer to take them in. But, we went slowly and prayed about the Lord's will. They have no family here and the only other option they were looking at was hiring a nanny service. Like I told their Dad, a stranger-nanny would care for them, but wouldn't give them the love that I will! This is a sacrifice that our whole family is making for the Lord. I keep asking God to strip away any ounce of pride that my ugly ol' flesh tries to sneak in. Everyone who knows about this keeps saying, "Wow! Y'all are brave!" or "You are a really nice person." NO! None of that is true. Yes, I do love children and would build a mansion and bring all the orphans home if I could, but this is all for the Lord. It is a privilege to bless this family by loving on their girls during this crisis time. But, I also know going into it that there's no way I can do it without Him and His supernatural strength flowing through me.

We are scaling school WAAAAY down. We'll still do the 3 R's, but that's probably about it. I can't be teaching the boys at the kitchen table while the baby crawls all over the house eating Legos! The boys are excited about this part, of course.

After all of my excitement of starting my new Bible study, I have to quit that. I can't put these girls through the stress of another new situation when their little lives are dealing with so much change already. But, you know what? As much as I LOVE this study and this group of women, God has just completely given me a peace about it and shown me that this is just temporary. It's only for a season. Still not sure about co-op. I haven't told the boys that. If we have to quit co-op, they'll be so sad. Just for a season, though.

So, if my blog is quiet for a while, you know why! : ) Prayers for strength and peace in our home are very much appreciated!

GLA

This is a beautiful video of the orphanage where our baby girl will come from. Just watching these sweet faces on the screen gives me the biggest smile. I wish I knew this girl so I could tell her what a great job she's done. Amazing!

Wordless Wednesday

Tomorrow is a new day!

Today I am thankful that God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). I am thankful to finally see the end of this day. The end has been good. The middle....not so much.
It was our first "bad day" of school. This is our 6th week, so I do praise God that today was our first rough one. I'm pretty sure by this time last year, we had tallied up more. Even Jonah, the eager kindergartener, went to his room and pouted because his handwriting was "too hard".

The LORD is gracious, though, because tonight was my first Mom's Meeting. Other homeschool moms got together to eat chocolate and chat. It was so encouraging to be in their company. I left feeling refreshed and reminded that I CAN do this. I have known from the beginning that God did not call me down the easy path. One (of the many!) reasons He called me to homeschool is for my own sanctification. He draws me to Him daily---no, hourly---through my children. My relationship with my Father would not be as deep and meaningful if my kids were in public school. I can honestly say that. I also know that their relationships with Him would not be what they are either.

I am humbled every day to be in this place. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.

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Never Forget

10 years ago today I was a fairly new Mom. Noah was 7 months old and we spent our days just playing, eating, sleeping, playing some more. (If only I knew then what I know now, I would've realized how blissfully easy those days were.) Anyway, I was watching Good Morning America when the planes hit the World Trade Centers. I just sat in shock. I remember holding him tighter and just wondering what his little life would hold. I knew his life would be different because of these events.

The next day, we were starting my first women's Bible study at our church. I remember walking out to the car with him and just looking up at the sky. It was still so fresh in my mind. I worried if more planes would strike. We were really close to Dallas. How would this affect us? When we got to church, all of the women met together and we just prayed for the victims, their families, the rescuers, and our country. It was a powerful time. We were all still so scared of the unknown, but had peace knowing that our Sovereign God was in control of it all.

As I made this cake, I was explaining to Noah why I was making it. We had never discussed September 11th with him before. It blew his little mind that men would give up their lives to kill others. Our little ones can't comprehend the evil of our world. In some ways, I felt like I was robbing him of some of his innocence. But, I wanted him to know. I wanted him to hear it from us and not from the media or a friend.

We will never forget.

God's Word

Today was our first day at Community Bible Study. It was SO SO good to be back with a group of women studying God's Word. When we lived in McKinney/Melissa, I was in a women's Bible study and for the past year I haven't done one. The great thing about this one is that the boys get to come with me. They are not just in "baby-sitting" either. They have a curriculum that goes right along with mine (studying the book of Daniel right now) and they have homework, too. So, it teaches them to have a quiet time and build a relationship with the Lord. It will be so good for all of us. Plus, lots of their homeschool buddies are there, too, which made the new experience less frightening. Jonah still growled at his teacher when we got there, but he told me later that he was "just nervous".

This morning, I finished reading the Bible. It took me 90 days. I did the Bible in 90 Days plan. A friend had told me about it and I just felt God calling me to do that. I have read a lot of the Bible in my journey with the Lord, but I had never read it cover to cover. It was more of a blessing than I can type in one blog post. I really want to encourage you to do it. This schedule (there's no program to buy) just breaks the Bible down into small chunks to read every day. It took me about an hour every day. I am so thankful that Community Bible Study started on the day I finished this, or I might be tempted to sleep in tomorrow. : ) Seriously, though, God's Word is "living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword". I am beyond thankful that anytime I open the Book, he uses words that were written thousands of years ago and helps me apply them to my life right now. Truly amazing!

Wordless Wednesday

One Step Closer

Today we are one (BIG!) step closer to bringing our baby girl home. Yesterday and today was our home study. A social worker from Lutheran Social Services came and spent about 5 hours total with our family. I think she knows us VERY well now. : ) She interviewed each of us separately, which was the part we were most nervous about. What would the boys say? What would they make up? They did absolutely great. I am so proud of them. Apparently, Luke was in an earthquake that we never knew about, but that was the only shocking news.
The main question she had to ask each of them, besides making sure they understood what's going on, was how they would handle it if a friend asked about their sister with black skin. Their responses just filled my heart with joy!
Noah: "I will tell them that she's my adopted sister and that she was in an orphanage. She didn't have any parents to take care of her or food to eat, so we brought her to live with our family."

Luke: "I will say, 'You silly! God made everyone in the whole world. Do you think He made everybody with PEACH skin? No WAY! He made people with all different colors on their skin and my sister has brown skin.'"

Jonah: "WELLLLL (all of his answers started this way), she will DEFINITELY not look like me. She will have brown skin, brown hair, and brown eyes.....annnnnd I'm NOT a girl!"

Just hearing their little hearts brought me such joy. Luke knows about the earthquake in Haiti, so I'm sure that's how the idea got planted in his mind. He told her all about the time he was outside and the ground started shaking. He does have a big imagination!

I had to eavesdrop on Noah and Luke's interviews because they wanted to do it by themselves. Of course, I couldn't stand that. As I stood in the other room listening to them talk, my heart was overflowing with thankfulness. It all felt so surreal. This has been such a lonnnnng journey and the home study is such a big step. Just hearing my little darlin's talking about their baby sister whom they already love with their whole hearts, made my heart so full. God has brought us a LONG way in just a year and I have a feeling that at this time next year, we will be saying the same thing. :)

Everyone is asking (including the boys who ask every day) how much longer. Only God knows the answer to that question. We still have quite a few documents to gather for our dossier. After all the gathering, each document has to be notarized (easy---notary right here in Mt. Vernon), then authenticated by the Secretary of State (through the mail, lots of red tape), then certified by the Haitian Consulate in Chicago (mail, again, more red tape). After each document has been through those 3 steps, that is our "dossier" (French for big, honkin' stack of paperwork). That's what gets sent to Haiti. 3-6 months after that gets to Haiti, we should be given our referral. That's when we will be matched with our baby girl and get her first pictures. Even after that, it could be another 6-12 months.
Like I said, only God knows. I heard a great quote by Louis Giglio (pastor of Passion Church) the other day. He said, "When Jesus is in the equation, there is always the possibility of a miracle."
That's what I believe! All of the red tape and all of the waiting might be much slower or must faster than we expect. We are going to wait patiently and trust His timing. He already knows our Gracie.

"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary, they are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared"
- Author Unknown

I stole this from my friend Kim's blog. SO true and so good. I have those aching arms right now.

How YOU can help

GLA (the orphanage we are adopting from) is in a fundraising contest right now. You can help my voting on this website with EACH email address you use. You can vote 3 times (I think) with each address. If GLA wins the most votes, they get a huge grant.
Thanks for taking the time!

Can you help God's Littlest Angels win the Giving of Life campaign and win $50,000 that will pay for our formula costs for a year by doing three things:

1. Check back to http://givingoflife.com/browse/gods_littlest_angels_haitian_baby_ministry/ and see if it will let you vote again.
2. Go to http://givingoflife.com/register/ and register all of your e-mail addresses - one at a time. You'll then get a confirmation e-mail so that they know you sent it. You have to click on the link in that e-mail. Each e-mail address will give you 2 more votes.
3. Now go to your e-mail address book and pick 5 of your best friends and ask them to spend 10 minutes and register all of their e-mail addresses and vote for us.

If everyone who reads this registers one more e-mail address and get three friends to vote and register their "second" e-mail address, we'll vault from 4th place way up to a spot that will make a significant difference to the kids at GLA.

Remember, this isn't about us. This isn't about who's the most popular.

This is about feeding our babies.

Families

Our social services agency (the agency conducting our home study) sent this article out today. I thought it was very well written. I have no doubt that we will encounter issues/dumb people when we add a child to our family with brown skin. I do not have blinders on. It won't be butterflies and roses all of the time. But, God is faithful and He has called us to this.
I know a family who has adopted trans-racially. They have a hispanic child, a biracial (hispanic/black) child, and a black child. The things strangers have said to them are quite amazing. I am prepared for anything!

Thankful

I am so thankful to be home with my babies. Yesterday was the first day of school for most districts in Texas. So, today's paper was full of "back to school" pictures. One picture really got me. It was a mom tearfully hugging her kindergartener before she left him for the day. This year Jonah is in kindergarten. I really don't think I could've left him. It would've been seriously difficult for me. Noah and Luke both went to kindergarten, but it was a UMS school and I knew we'd be home together more. Leaving Jonah all day, every day, 5 days week would be pretty much impossible for me. He's my BABY. I know the tough days are coming. (I'm writing this partly for myself to reread in the dead of winter when we're climbing the walls!) Today I am thankful to be right where I belong---at home with my boys.

Won't You Be My Love?

Some friends at church recently adopted two teenage boys from China. In church on Sunday, they were sharing how God is working on one of the boy's hearts and drawing him to Himself. It made me think of this song. The first time I heard it, it took my breath away.
The second verse is the most meaningful to me:

"a helpless little girl
with no family of her own
she is not to blame
for the journey she is on
her life is no mistake
would you lead her to My cross?"

This is why we're adopting. Yes, I want a little girl to hug and cuddle and play tea party with. Yes, I've always dreamed of having a daughter to dress up. But, THE MOST IMPORTANT reason why we want to bring our baby girl home is to lead her to His cross. Of course, that's our mission with our boys, too, and always has been since their birth. I am just in awe that God has chosen us to parent one (four!) of his children so that we can lead her to Him.

Broken Body Parts

So far, we have had no broken body parts amongst the McCraw monkeys. Until Tuesday. Noah and Luke were at the shop (after hours---a big NO-NO) and in the warehouse by themselves (another NO-NO). From the story we were told, they were putting water bottles in the freezer and when Noah opened the freezer door, it hit Luke in the mouth and chipped his tooth. You can't really see the detail in this picture, but it was the lower corner of his right front tooth. Easily visible. Not good.

Luke, our normally calm, easy-going middle child, came UNglued. He was NOT a happy camper. The chip wasn't deep enough to hit the nerve or cause any pain, but he was so angry at Noah for breaking his tooth. I made a quick call to our pediatric dentist in Allen and she agreed to see him Wednesday afternoon. We found the chipped piece on the ground and saved it.

The dentist, with the help of some laughing gas, did a great job repairing the tooth. It's really a work of art. You can't even tell it was broken. She said that since it's on his front tooth, it may chip one day when he bites into something crunchy, but that is pretty rare. When he's an adult, he could get veneers to cover the top 4 teeth.

People say we don't have drama because we have all boys. They need to spend a week at our house. :)
Blue shirt: broken tooth
Red shirt: repaired tooth

Like it? Love it?

So, what do you think about my new blog look? If you want your blog spruced up, click on my button on the right to go to Jen's website. She is raising money to bring home her adopted son. Thanks, Jen!

14 YEARS!

Look at us. Only kids. Never would I have guessed on that day that 14 years later, I'd be feeding 3 boys fishsticks and mac & cheese and trying to get them into bed so we could have our anniversary dinner. It's been a blissful 14 years and I wouldn't change a thing. God has blessed us with many "arrows in our quiver"....and more to come.

A New Year

We started school last Monday. It is a new year. It's our 2nd year of homeschooling and I feel like in some ways that we're starting completely over. Not that last year wasn't good. It's just that I learned so much and want to change so much. As a former public school teacher, I tried to put a "school" in our home. Not fun and not really possible. God has used different people and different books to change my outlook on how/what I want to teach our boys this year. It's a new year.

I went to a great homeschool conference and heard Sally Clarkson for the first time. A friend in co-op had told me about Sally's book, Educating the Whole-Hearted Child, but I had never read it. After hearing Sally speak, I bought her book and it has opened my eyes to so many things. (If you homeschool or are just thinking about it, this is a must-read!) God has just continued to whisper in my ear over and over that HE is the most important thing I should be teaching my boys. There is no amount of reading capability or math technique they can learn that will amount to a "hill of beans" compared to knowing Him. If they know Him, truly KNOW Him, all of the rest will fall into place.

Don't get me wrong....I'm not tossing out the textbooks and just doing nothing. It's just a more relaxed approach. Here are the 2 goals I feel like God wants me to concentrate on this year:
1. Relax
2. Let go of labels. (grade/age labels)

Teaching in the public school has almost been a hindrance for me because there were so many times I tried to teach my boys the same way I taught a 22-student classroom. It's what I know. It's what I went to college and studied all about. It's NOT homeschooling. I am very thankful for the training I had and the experience I had, but I need to let some of it go.

We started a new literature-based curriculum this year, Sonlight. One week into school and I can already tell you that we're going to love it. My boys are book-lovers anyway, so they are having a ball with all of the new books. I found Luke in his room reading an entire chapter book last week just because he couldn't wait for me to finish it.

It's going to be a great year.
In other news, our adoption of our baby girl is moving right along. I can't decide if I should start a whole new blog for that or do a better job of updating this one. Here's where we are so far:

1. Applied to GLA orphanage and was accepted
2. Contracted with an agency, All God's Children
3. Contracted with Lutheran Social Services for our home study
4. Made plans to begin our home addition next spring

Our home study is Aug. 28-29 and then we will only have paperwork and waiting left.
There are many days that my heart just aches to have her in our arms. God is faithful, though, and always quietly reassures me that He will have her here in His time.
We absolutely cannot wait and talk about her like she's already here! The boys are beyond excited!
P.S. The picture is the boys painting their own t-shirts. This was a fun art project we did on the first day. I wanted to do something special that they would remember. It was VERY interesting to see what they came up with.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Grandpa turned 95 on July 18. Amazing! Everyone says, "I guess you hope you got his genes!" He is an amazing man. Bowls in several leagues. Exercises at the wellness center every day on the treadmill and bicycle. He's NEVER home because he has such an active social life. He comes to visit often, which we love. Not many little boys who have such a special relationship with their Great-Grandpa!
We had a party for him at the Mt. Pleasant Bowling Alley. It was a blast. So many of his bowling buddies were there and we all bowled. It will soon be time to start planning his 96th! Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

I love homeschooling!

I love homeschooling. Yes, it is January 13th and I am finally able to take a deep breath and say this. We started in September and there have been many tough days when I want to shave my head or run away, but the joys far outweigh the pains. I love that I can snuggle up with my boys on the couch in front of the fire and read all of the books we want. I love that we can just drop everything and go for a hike up the hill. I love that we don't have the rush, rush, rush of the morning routine. We wake up slowly (again, by the fire) and eat breakfast in a leisurely way. I love that they can run across the driveway and say hi to Daddy any time they want to. I love that I can go to appointments anytime I need to and they can continue school at home with our baby-sitter or do it later. I love the flexibility. I'm not, by nature, a flexible person. I am very Type A. Well, I used to be a lot more Type A than I am now. Once I became a Mom, God started whittling away at the Type A tendencies. It just doesn't make sense. Yes, we need order and routine in our house. But, I don't want to miss the joys because "it's too messy" or "not time" either. I love that we live so close to my brother and his family and we can keep my niece anytime. The boys don't have to wait til "after school" to see her.

I just plain love being with my kids. This time is so fleeting. We really will blink and wonder where it went. I already do that. How is my firstborn about to be 10? That's double digits! How is my baby already 5?

Homeschooling is the hardest thing I've EVER done. God has used it to humble me and bring me to my knees daily. But, I wouldn't trade it for the world. If you would've asked me 10 years ago if I would be one of "those" homeschooling moms, I would have given you and emphatic NO! God loves turning our "no's" and "nevers" into obedience to Him.

That is all we're doing. Obeying God in what He's called us to do for our family. The rewards have been simply amazing.

Here's reason #289 why we homeschool. What you can't see is that Jonah's only wearing his Toy Story underwear and a shirt. You can't do M&M math in your underwear in public school!

God is good and I love my life.

SNOW!!!

Today was the first snow since we moved here. Needless to say, the boys were itching to get outside as soon as rest time was over. We went to church, had lunch, and our Sunday afternoon naps before we bundled them up. I think the pictures say a thousand words. It truly is a winter wonderland here. (You can click on the photo for a larger view.)

A few more!

There are so many gorgeous shots of our little piece of country heaven. Robby's favorite is the one looking down at our cozy house from the top of the hill.

Really? July 15?

I'm not sure how this happened. I really did vow to do better with my blog. I can't believe July 15 was the last post. Yes, we moved to Mt. Vernon to slow down the pace of our lives, but there is still so much to do. Just different things.

Today was absolutely wonderful. My Mommy heart is full of joy and peace. It was the first true day of fall weather this year. We did school this morning, but by lunchtime I was itchin' to get outside. We decided to forgo treadmill time and get our exercise outside. The perimeter of our property measures 2 miles. So, we grabbed a bag to collect nature and set off on a great adventure. The boys LOVED it. We collected trash along the road to throw away. They had so much fun spotting pieces of nature and throwing them in our bag. Our favorite find was a group of 5 pinecones----one for each member of our family----on a stick. They are all stuck together and we named them after each of us. So neat. Luke and Jonah did not stop talking the entire time. I was just so blessed to see our world through their eyes. We looked at the red berries with the deer prints nearby and talked about how the deer must like the berries. Then, just a few steps away, we found deer poop with the berry seeds in it. Such great boy science!

We did make it the whole 2 miles. When we got home, we cut brown paper sacks into pieces. We each got a piece of paper, wadded it up to make texture, and then "painted" with the berries. They had great fun talking about "God's paint" that He put in nature! Then, we glued all of the colorful leaves around the edges to make frames for our initials. So, we have 5 initial nature art pieces. Well, I guess they were more "craft" than art since we all make like pieces. After that, we made a tablescape with everything we brought in.

Fun day! God is good and this is reason #124 why we home school. We made a great memory today that they'll never forget!

A TV-free Life

Ok, so, it's been 24 days now (yes, I actually stopped to count it up!) since our family has watched TV. On Monday, June 21, we gave our last TV to our neighbors. It's not that we don't ever want a TV again. We just knew that moving here was going to begin a whole new way of life for our family. We also knew that we'd be busy, busy, busy getting the business going and not really have time to watch it. Also, the way our new living room is set up, a flat screen really is the only option. Well, I guess there are other options, but they would look pretty iffy. So, while we enjoy the peace and calmness that a TV-free household is, we are saving for a flat screen. Robby says we'll have a new one by the time football season starts. (My Dad breathed a great sigh of relief on that one!)
It has also been a good detox time for our in-house Wii professional. He has gotten to go to grandparents and get his "fix" a few times, so he's doing fine. We are listening to a lot more music, playing a lot more games, and reading a lot more books. It really is a good thing. (Oh, yeah...and saving a lot of money every month by not giving it to DirectTV!)
Why do we need to watch the junk on a screen when we have the beauty outside our back door???

Little Churches

One thing I love about driving through East Texas is all of the small churches you pass. You can't go very far down the road without passing a church and many of them have the marquis signs out front with messages. On the way to pick up our cousin today, I passed this inspiring message:
"Where God guides, He will provide."
So encouraging! I love when God speaks to me even in church signs on the road. I guess He could've put that up there for someone else who needed it to, but I claimed it as mine today. God has guided us here every step of the way and we know, without a doubt, that He will provide for our every need as we journey down the road.
Phiilipians 4:19 is one of my faves:
"My God will meet all of your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Our NEEDS---not our wants. I have to have that conversation so often with our boys. I am trying to teach them the difference between what we NEED vs. what we WANT. Yet, I still struggle with the same idea. I should be thankful that we have internet access right now, even if it moves at the speed of molasses! We could have none. I need to be thankful we have a back-up car to drive since my van seems to be dying a slow, painful death. These are all minor details that are "wants" in our lives and not needs. We have been blessed with everything we need, plus so much more than we could "ever ask or imagine".
God is good and we are blessed. He has guided us here and He will provide for us here.

Home Sweet Home!

We are home....as of last Wednesday, June 23, 2010, we are official citizens of Mt. Vernon TX. We wake up every morning and are just in awe at this beauty that God has blessed us with. We still feel like we're "camping out" at someone else's house. Even Noah said this. That will change in time, though. We have grown to know and love the family who lived here so much that it was different from most moves that people make. Not only did we see their furniture in this house, but we visited here a lot. So, now to be here with our stuff and living here....it's just strange.

Not to be a bragger, but we truly live right in the middle of pure country beauty. It doesn't get any prettier than this. We have 28 acres, a pond, beautiful trees, and rolling hills. All 28 acres are mowed, so it looks like a state park. The 2nd morning we were here, Robby and Noah rode the tractors to "check the hog trap" (a trip taken every morning by the guys). The hog trap is up the hill at the back of the property. Robby came back and was just in awe at the land. It was the first time he had seen all 28. Yes, that's right. We were buying property that we had never even seen! Crazy, I know, but we knew that if the front few acres were this beautiful, it didn't matter what the back looked like!

Internet has been very slow, so I can't post pictures yet. We hope to get a faster connection at the end of the week and I will post pictures. The boys are just loving it. No sadness at all. Jonah keeps asking if we'll "ever have to go back to Melissa". I think he's afraid this is just a vacation that's going to end.

We keep telling God THANK YOU, but that just doesn't seem like enough. Robby and I have not done anything to deserve this. We are SO unworthy of His blessings and His love, but He gives it anyway. We also recognize that because we have been given this opportunity, He is going to require more from us. We are up for the challenge. It was time for a change.
Just getting here after 8 months of planning and dreaming feels like a big step. But, the challenges are just beginning.
"God is good and everything He does is good." Psalm 119:68

A New Name and a New Look!

I really do want to be a better blogger. This morning, while meditating on Proverbs 13:19, I was thinking of all the longings that God has already fulfilled in my life. He had given me this verse a while back as a promise for Gracie's adoption. Another translation says, "A dream fulfilled is sweet to the soul." It is our longing, our biggest dream, to bring our daughter Gracie home. For now, God is saying wait. But, while we're waiting, He is fulfilling so many other longings in our family's life. As we set out on this new adventure, I want to be a better blogger. So, I'm trying to motivate myself by making this new title and new look. Ok, well, I just changed the colors. I'm hoping my more technologically advanced husband can help me redo the format (kinda boring). I love to read other people's blogs and I want mine to look a little spiffier.

All my life, all I ever wanted to be was a Mommy and a wife. God has definitely fulfilled those longings and I am trying to live my life to honor Him every day. I am humbled to be called His child.
Here's an Easter picture of my three blessings that call me Mommy.

Swim!

Noah asked me to post this for "the Nanas" to see. I can think of at least one Nana who will see danger in it. I promise all swimming and swim tricks are done under extreme supervision. : )

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Okay, I am one proud Mama! I hate that the phone rang at the end (Amber, you can hear yourself on the machine!), but it's still adorable. When Robby gets time, he should be able to edit that out on iMovie.
Enjoy!

A Promise from God

The Bible study that I've been doing lately has us in Psalm 119---which is a very lonnnng Psalm. Anyway, in today's reading, I read Psalm 119:165:
"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble."
In the mornings, I try to sit down with the boys and read a Bible story with them. We have a great little book with Bible stories and how to apply them in real life. Half the time I'm reading, I'm refereeing and disciplining and it can get very frustrating. God just reminded me today to keep on keeping on. It is our (mine and Robby's) highest calling to teach His word to our boys. When we are teaching them, they are growing to love it and "nothing can make them stumble." If we teach them His Word now, they will not stumble later in life because they will love His law. God just told me to do my job and He will take care of everything else. He has Noah, Luke, and Jonah in the palm of His hand.
I am humbled to be called by Him.

Big, Big House

Jonah LOVES to sing and we love it even more when we get to listen to him. His two favorite songs right now are "Stand on the Rock" and "Big, Big House". He goes to chapel with his class on Sunday mornings and they sing these there. I actually had to borrow the church's CD to copy the song so we could play it for him. Enjoy!
I will type the lyrics just in case you can't understand his sweet voice:
"Come, and go with me to my Father's House. Come, and go with me to my Father's house. It's a big, big house with lots and lots of room. A big, big table with lots and lots of food. A big, big yard where we can play football---TOUCHDOWN!! A big, big house...it's my Father's House"

THE GARAGE DOOR VIDEO!

The action in this video is very near and dear to my heart. It means a lot to me. As I was filming it tonight, Noah said, "Why is this such a big deal to you?" Well, it's always the "little things" in life that make such a difference. In all of my 32 years, I have never lived in a house with a functioning garage/garage door combo. For 7+ years, I have carried babies (in HEAVY carseats!) through cold and rain to get in the house after parking in the driveway. One of the biggest excitements to us of buying this house (the garden tub was a plus, too) was the possibility of parking in the garage. It took many months to unpack all of the boxes stored in the garage. For a while, I parked in the garage, but since we had no opener, we (Noah, usually) had to manually open the door. Over the holiday break, my handy husband installed an opener. I am living in the lap of luxury, as one of my friends said. It's the little things than can make such a big difference in my life and I am so thankful!

More Derby

AWANA Derby Grand Prix

Today was the AWANA Derby Grand Prix. AWANA stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (from 1 Timothy in the Bible) and it's a children's program at our church. Noah goes every Wednesday night and memorizes Scripture. They earn "bucks" and get to shop with them. Every year they have a derby race and the kids make the cars out of wood (similar to the Boy Scouts' derby cars). Noah made a race truck and even though it wasn't the fastest, he won FOURTH PLACE for Design. He was VERY excited to get his trophy!

The Last of the Mohicans

SIXTEEN years ago today, I said yes to Robby when he asked me to go to the movies to see "The Last of the Mohicans". The rest is history, as they say. In some ways, we feel like we've been together forever, but in other ways, it seems like we've only just begun. I am so thankful for a husband who loves me unconditionally and fills my life with joy every day. Happy "Dating" Anniversary, honey!

Happy Birthday House!

A year ago tomorrow, we were moving into this house. Funny, we still refer to it as our "new house". I wonder how long that will last. The boys still talk fondly about our "old house" and ask to drive by there anytime we're in the neighborhood. When I think back to a year ago, I marvel at all of the blessings God has given us. I LOVE our home. I love making it a home for our family. We've done a lot (new furniture, painting, etc.), but of course, there's still a lot we want to do. We have made new friends in our neighborhood and I get such joy in my heart when all of the kids on our street are in our backyard!

In celebration (ha, ha) of our one year house birthday, I finally painted the boys' bathroom. Nana D. bought them the "Peek a Boo" monkeys shower curtain and the rug, so we went with a light blue for the walls. When Nana saw the color swatch for the paint, she said, "That's going to be really bright!" Well, it is bright and it's definitely not a color you'd see in the Highland Park Tour of Homes, but the boys love it and that's all that matters. Jonah had fun "helping". I painted the boys names just for fun and they begged me to leave them that way. I draw the line there.
Happy Birthday House!

Is this the billboard?

So, with the whole idea of adopting our baby girl from Haiti, I have asked God to just make it crystal clear. I want a huge billboard with flashing lights. I don't want to miss it. The "Adoption Stories" show I blogged about earlier, had another Haitian adoption this week from the SAME orphanage---GLA. Then, last night, I was reading a story in my "Today's Christian Woman" (very good mag, by the way!) magazine and there was a mention of Haiti in it.

THEN, tonight, I had a meeting at the boys' school and a friend sat down next to me and proceeded to tell me all about her friend going to HAITI on a mission trip!

Okay, God.....what are you doing?

Haiti?

Robby and I have felt for a long time that our daughter, Gracie, would be from Africa. Even after we got home from our mission trip to Ethiopia, we felt confirmed that she would be from Ethiopia.

Now....God has placed a new idea in our path and we are praying for discernment. On Friday, I watched an episode of "Adoption Story" on TLC. I love this show and record it every now and then. There were actually 2 episodes on the Tivo and both episodes spotlighted the same orphanage in Haiti. The orphanage is run by an American missionary couple. They take in newborns (and older children), feed them American food, and teach them English to transition them to their forever families in America. The orphanage is called God's Littlest Angels. As I watched these precious children, I just cried over their loneliness and wondered if God was leading us to Haiti.

That night, I asked Robby, "So what do you think about Haiti?" He was worried for a minute that I meant going there on a mission trip. I explained to him about the 2 shows I had seen and we watched them together that night. This is another one of those times when living with a history teacher is helpful because he explained to me the economy and culture in Haiti. The people there live in utter poverty with basically no hope for the future. Very often, mothers have their babies and after they are unable to nurse any longer, give the children up because they cannot feed them. This is such a sad, but selfless act of love.

The statistic the orphanage director quoted that kept resonating in my head all day is that 50% of Haitian children die before the age of 5. Later, I thought about Luke's little pre-k class which consists of 19 four year olds. In Haiti, by the end of this year, 10 of those kids would be dead (I know that's morbid to think about Luke's class, but it really hit home with me). Isn't that shocking and just so heartbreaking?

So....all of this to say, we are praying for discernment. We have always known that our Gracie would have brown skin. We have felt called to Africa for a while. Haitians are former Africans, so in a way, she would still be from Africa. A question I'm wrestling with is, "Is it wrong to want to adopt from Haiti because the people there are so much more destitute than what we experienced in Africa?"

We have already researched Haiti through the God's LIttlest Angels website and if you go there, you will see...they make it look so easy. Haiti is very close to us and also their adoptions are very affordable. Please pray for us. I always ask God to just make his will so clear to us that we know without a doubt what He has planned. I want a billboard with flashing lights!

Helen Keller

I found this quote today and I just love how it speaks to my heart. So many ask, "Why adopt? There are so many orphans. You can't save them all."
I always think, but, I can save one. And that is what we plan to do. God has called us all to do something. That something is different for everyone. I pray you listen to His voice and go for it!

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.”--Helen Keller

First Day of School!

Today is Noah's first day of 2nd grade. This morning, he was up at 6:45 and we got to cuddle on the couch for a few minutes. I kept thinking about how just 7 years ago, I was quitting my job as a 2nd grade teacher to have him. Those kids seemed so big when he was a tiny newborn. Now, he's one of them. Where did the time go? He was VERY excited about going. Luke, on the other hand, flatly refused to get out of bed. After he got dressed and got his backpack on, he was all smiles UNTIL we got to his classroom. I think he'll be fine when he gets into a routine. His teacher has lots of Little Critter books, so he was happy with that. Jonah is enjoying watching his morning dose of Max and Ruby in peace and quiet. : )

"One more kiss"

The closer we got to Luke's classroom, the tighter he grabbed my leg. He was very sad. Luke is my big Mama's boy and would be happy to stay home with me all day, every day. This will be good for him if we can get him in a routine. Ms. Odet, his teacher, gave all of the kids their journals to color in. I drew a picture of me and Luke drew a picture (smiling!) of himself. I told him to look at Mommy's picture when he got sad. The picture of his teacher is her teaching them to "Zip your lips, lock it, and put the key in your pocket." Woo, boy. Luke has a lot to learn!

Question of the Day

Today's 7 year-old Question of the Day:
"If you go up in space in a rocket and somebody on Earth dies, would you see them go to Heaven?"

A Blog Game

Okay, dear readers, it's time for you to weigh in with your ideas on this blog. This is one of my favorite pictures from our beach trip because it sums up so many things. I thought we'd play a fun game with it. Click on "comment" under this post and write your idea for the best quote or description to go with this shot. Have fun and be creative!

The Happy Home

While we were at the beach, my favorite thing to do was to get up early before the monkeys (some days, they beat me!) and go out on the deck to spend time with God. The beach is my FAVORITE place in the world because I just feel so close to God there. I think about Him being the Almighty Creator that told the water where to stop and set the waves in motion. Just the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and watching them over and over is so therapeutic for me.
So, after talking about the beach with the boys for so long and anticipating this trip for so long, there were many times throughout the week that all I could do was whisper, "Thank you, Lord."
One morning when I managed to sneak out quietly and not wake any monkeys, God led me to Psalm 128. In my Bible, the little subtitle above it is "The Happy Home".

"Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for and you will be blessed with good things. Your wife will give you many children, like a vine that produces much fruit. Your children will bring you much good, like olive branches that produce many olives. This is how the man who respects the Lord will be blessed. May the Lord bless you from Mount Zion; may you enjoy the good things of Jerusalem all your life. May you see your grandchildren. Let there be peace in Israel."

This Psalm spoke to me in so many ways. All my life, all I wanted to be was a wife and a Mommy. I have been that vine that produced much fruit. I am enjoying what I worked for and I am so blessed with so many good things. I was encouraged by the "your children will bring you much good" part, too. I need to remember that every day. Even when I am about to pull my hair out, our boys do bring us much good and I can only imagine what God is going to do in their little lives as they grow to be men. The last part gave me lots to pray about, too, concerning grandchildren. Even though it is a long way down the road, I cannot wait! I'm going to be an awesome Nana!
Anyway, to make a rambling blog short, God is good. We are blessed. The beach was wonderful. I tried to bottle all of this up in my mind so I can go back to my happy place on the deck of our beach house listening to the crashing waves and watching the sunrise. In my mind, I will revisit often.

Our Beach Trip

Kingwood Minor Emergency Clinic.......$79
Crystal Beach Wrecker Service and Locksmith.....$75
Groceries and goggles at Galveston Wal-Mart.....$100
Drive home from Crystal Beach......13 hours

Playing with our boys on the beach for the first time........PRICELESS!!!!

R & R

Hola from San Antonio---La Ciudad de Amor! Well, I don't know if that's what it's actually called, but for us, it is the City of Love. San Antonio is where we spent our honeymoon and we also made a trip here 8 years ago. The souvenir we brought home on that trip is now 7 years old. (I can assure you, dear readers, that no souvenirs of that sort are being brought home this time!)

Anyway, Robby had to come here for NECC (which stands for a bunch of computer geeks getting together to talk about how to make their students into computer geeks) and I got to tag along. I love these kinds of trips because we get our couple time and I get my precious alone time while Robby goes out to work. It's been really nice because he hasn't worked the entire time.

Yesterday, we went geocaching (with other associate geeks). It was very fun. I will post a picture of a really neat cache in front of the Alamo. I think I am becoming a geocaching geek by proxy.

Other than that, we have eaten a lot of yummy Tex Mex and walked A LOT. San Antonio is perfect for many reasons, but one of the things I love is that there are numerous yummy Mexican food restaurants on the river and then after you stuff yourself, there's a wonderful Riverwalk to help you walk it off. Then, when you feel better, there are several ice cream shops to choose from. : ) I'm a foodie, I know.

I want to give a SHOUT OUT to the Nanas for all of the monkey care they are giving. We wouldn't be able to have this time away without you. We are so blessed!

When Robby and I came to SA on our honeymoon, we stayed in the honeymoon suite at the historic Menger hotel. We got to go back and visit this week and I truly cannot believe it has been 11 years. Time flies when you're having fun!

The biggest decision I have had to make on this trip is what I want to do with my time. There are so many choices and they all allow me to be 100% selfish, which I don't get to do very often. Yesterday, I had the afternoon to myself and I had to decide between:
1. going to the pool
2. taking a nap
3. going shopping
4. watching Oprah in bed
It was a tough decision. Fortunately, I have gotten to do all of the above on this trip and it has been bliss!
Today we will depart the City of Love, but San Antonio will always have a special place in our hearts.
Adios Amigos!

13 Days and 30 Seconds

We found 7 geocaches while in San Antonio. This is a neat one because it's a hidden webcam in a window of a shop. You have to stand in front of the Alamo, call someone who is in front of a computer, they go to the camera's website, and copy your picture. This is a big deal in geocaching world because it's such a creative cache. Robby doctored the picture up a bit.