What a Weekend!

How many things can you cram into a weekend? I felt like we filled ours to the max this past weekend, but oh did we have a great time despite a puddle of pee on the kitchen floor, a few attitude adjustments for a four-year-old and a frustrated soccer coach and mom! Friday night started off with Kevin's brother & his wife along with their sweet little girl coming for dinner and spending the night...and what a treat to have them all to ourselves! After tucking the children into their beds, we watched the movie "August Rush" (I recommend) with a few interruptions from my son who was having problems adjusting to sleeping on the floor in our bedroom. Poor guy got himself into trouble a few times, I think feeling left out because the two little girls played together more. The girls had fun, before bed, playing in the pack n' play and squealing...he wanted to join in on the fun, but was too big.

Saturday morning we headed to the soccer game ready to wear our proud parent badges and excited to have Uncle Lyndon & Aunt Krista along to watch our perfect little soccer player. Well, Caedmon is still learning the whole concept of the game and still confuses it somewhat with playing football...his all time favorite sport. It seemed at this game more than any of the other ones, he had problems with too much contact with the other players. Not sure if he was just so excited to have his Uncle & Aunt watching him that he just couldn't control his excitement or if all our parenting techniques just went down the drain that day. There are 4s, 5s & 6s on the team and he is one of the youngest but also the biggest so his maturity level doesn't quite match his size yet and it is hard for us and probably the soccer coach as well to keep our expectations at a four-year-old level...this is something we've struggled with for most of his life and something that I pray about regularly...to not exasperate him, to have patience with him but at the same time knowing the correct balance of discipline for his age. One of the many parenting challenges that we all go through. I know that with the Holy Spirit guiding me, the Lord will be our helper.

That evening we had dinner at Red Lobster, Lyndon & Krista's favorite restaurant and they headed for home from there. The night certainly wasn't over yet for us...we picked up Immanuel and had a birthday party back at our house for him. He turned 10 last Saturday. We all watched another movie together and had birthday cake & popcorn. It really worked out perfectly for Caedmon this time because he adores Immanuel and finally had another boy to play with...he was extremely excited...so excited that he blurted out what we got Immanuel for a birthday present.

Immanuel spent the night and went with us to church the next morning. It was gorgeous that afternoon and the boys had fun playing a good ole' game of backyard baseball. This was Caedmon's first time actually playing a game and it was so cute after hitting the ball he would take off running with the bat, run past first base and keep on running straight as fast as he could. I love this picture...it really captured the moment of how much fun he was having.

On Sunday evening, I had a dance presentation at the city wide Global Prayer gathering. I've been dancing with the Restored to Glory ministry for five years and this is my last year unfortunately. I have really loved it...expressing worship to my Lord through dancing has really taken me to a whole new level of worship. With the busyness of our growing family and the beginning of another adoption, I'm going to take a break...maybe to return again later...hopefully. Our spring presentation is coming up in a few weeks. Here are the details:

Restored To Glory Dance Ministry Presents
"Sacred Warrior"
With Native American style dancing, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary!
150 RTG Dancers, ages 4- adult
Live music by Terry and Darleen Wildman of Rainsong ministries
First Assembly of God
1400 W. Washington Center Road

May 16 at 7:00 and May 17 at 1:00 and 7:00.
A free Christian dance presentation
Come celebrate the Lord in the style of our "first Nations people"!
Together may we Glorify His Name!

Whew! What a weekend...the kids took extra long naps today as a result.

Missing Daddy

This picture was taken a couple of Sundays ago at Daddy's request with his two favorite kids. It is very common for him, after dressing Caedmon on a Sunday morning, to pick something out for himself that looks just like what Caedmon is wearing.

Kevin has been on a business trip since yesterday morning and will be returning late tonight. I know it's only one night, but I started missing him the moment he left yesterday knowing that he wouldn't be coming home that evening. I missed hearing the kids squeal with excitement saying "Daddy's Home!" and running to the garage when they hear the garage door opening in the evenings. I missed his kisses of "It's good to home" that are passed around for everyone. I missed the relief of having someone step in and take over with the kids in the evenings...playing with them on the floor, giving them a bath and helping with bedtime prayers. And most of all, I missed the companion last night that I share my bed with that keeps me warm & feeling safe.

I was thankful for the countless phone conversations we had together yesterday throughout the day that came just at the right times and for my mom that stopped by in the evening after work bringing food and just sitting to chat.

Absence certainly makes the heart grow fonder and reminds me of how much I truely love the man that makes my heart flutter everytime he walks in a room. It also causes me to draw closer to Christ and trust that He can meet all my needs and help me through. Miss you honey!

We Saved Big Money at Menards

Or as Caedmon would say "save big money at the nards." :) Kevin gets a good laugh out of that.

I found an idea in a magazine for cheap bookshelves for the kids rooms. They both like to look at books when they go to bed at night and I've been looking for a way to neatly store their books beside their beds for a long time.

These shelves are made simply from a rain gutter. We bought a ten foot long gutter at Menards on sale for $4.99 last Friday and Kevin had three shelves made and hung by Saturday. Projects around here just don't get done that fast, so that tells you how easy it was and super cheap...I love cheap! We even found out later that we could send in for a rebate of $3.00 which made it only $1.99 and we got three shelves out of it. We also had to purchase the brackets & end caps which was additional and made them come out to about seven bucks for each shelf total.

And here are some sweet pictures of the kids reading together. We LOVE the library and are usually there a couple times a week. I love seeing their excitement over books & reading.

And finally another verse...Daddy's favorite..."I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength" Philippians 4:13.

Happy to Be Off the Highway

We're home again and I am very happy to be off the highway. I don't enjoy travelling very much but did enjoy the two Karen Kingsbury books I read to pass the time. The kids did as well as they could have for being strapped in their car seats for hours. We had to make a couple emergency potty stops and had a few emotional breakdowns, but besides the close calls with flying tires & cars almost pushing us off the road, everything went pretty well. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers & sending your angels to surround our van, keeping us safe & protected while travelling! We made it home around four on Sunday night and both Kevin and I had a burst of energy. We got everything unpacked and put away. I even did a couple loads of laundry. It sure helped my Monday go a lot smoother. We're back in the swing of things again, but the day after vacation is usually an adjustment for me. ..I loved having my husband with me 24/7 and having all the extra help with the kids...too bad he had to go back to work today.
These pictures are of our Easter egg hunt on the beach last week. Great memories! While in Florida I took 265 pictures...there is more to come on my blog. =)

Prayers for Our Children

"Lord show me how to pray for my children. Help me to raise them Your way. And may Your will be done in their lives." Last year I read the book "The Power of a Praying Parent" by Stormie Omartian. A great book and wonderful tool to use to help in the area of covering our kids in prayer. Before reading the book, I found myself frustrated about this topic...feeling guilty for not taking the time and not knowing what to pray. I got a piece of advice from another mom with five kids. She assigns a day of the week for each child and prays throughout the day for that child. I tried that and it didn't work so well for me, with all the distractions of the day.

Stormie suggested making a list for each child. I did that last year and again at the beginning of this year. It was pretty cool to read last years list again and see how God answered.

I had forgotten how many times we were at the Dr. last year for Caedmon's chronic ear infections...every month it seemed and nothing helped. Now this past winter, neither of them has been to the Doctor for sickness. PTL! And Kaiya was also going through a phase where she didn't want to be left at a babysitter...especially overnight. At the time, it was so frustrating but now she does so well.

Here are the lists for this year:

Caedmon

- for a healthy understanding & acceptance of being adopted

- quick obedience to mom & dad and others in authority

- wisdom & patience for us as parents in the area of discipline

- that he would use his high-energy in a positive way

- purity in all areas -- what he sees, hears & does -- that we would provide a home that encourages purity

- protection from sickness, disease, injury, harm, kidnapping

- against past generational sins & bondage's carried down from birth parents and ourselves

- future & present friendships

-only positive influences, healthy relationships, that he would know how to work through conflicts, that he would be a faithful friend to others and have the blessing of many friendships

- As he starts school this Fall - a caring & loving teacher, his attention span & ability to focus & learn

- Temper tantrums - learning control when things don't go his way

- That we could encourage his gifts & talents

- Showing respect for elders - looking at and answering them when they talk to him

- His future spouse

- His relationship with the Lord and acceptance of Him into his life

- His relationship with family members - parents & siblings

Kaiya

- protection over her from danger, harm, sickness, disease, kidnapping

- past generational sins carried down from birth parents & ourselves

- Her future spouse

- Future friendships - only positive influences - that she could be a good role model to others as well - know how to handle conflicts in a positive way and have many friendships

- Potty training to the completion

- Quick obedience to mom & dad and others in authority over her

- Showing respect to elders and answering them when they talk to her

- Purity - what she sees, hears & does

- That she would have a healthy self-esteem and not feel like looks are the most important

- Healthy relationships with parents & siblings

- Healthy understanding and acceptance of her adoption

- A likable personality - gentle & loving spirit for others - compassion

- Future salvation

- Wisdom & patience for us as we discipline

Here's an excerpt from the book that I thought was good:

When things go wrong in our children's lives, we blame ourselves. We beat ourselves up for not being perfect parents. But it's not being a perfect parent that makes the difference in a child's life, because there are no perfect parents. None of us are perfect, so how can we be perfect parents? It's being a praying parent that makes the difference. And that's something we all can be.

Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children. Lamentations 2:19

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7

Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:17-18

Happy Easter!

Springing Forward

Spring is so close, I can smell it! Yesterday was gorgeous! Bright sunshine and temperatures slowly climbing into the 50s. I love the time change with the daylight lasting longer in the evenings now. The kids have been sleeping in longer which is wonderful, but unfortunately I have been too. Now if I could just get up at my normal time it would be perfect. Soon we will be seeing the signs of new life popping through the soil...this is my favorite time of year!

Speaking of new life, we were so privileged to meet a new little life yesterday at the hospital. Our friends, Rob & Jenny, had a new baby boy on Tuesday.

Baby Chase came four weeks early at 6 pounds & 7 ounces, surprising everyone. His size reminded me so much of Kaiya when she was born. She was a tiny 6 pounds & 8 ounces. After having lunch with daddy & visiting Baby Chase, the kids and I ran a few errands. I decided we would wear our Spring jackets instead of the heavy winter coats and I'm so glad we did. With the sun shining in the van, it was actually kind of hot. We even rolled down the windows a little. Come on Spring, we're ready!The kids did so great, running errands during their usual nap time. They fell asleep on the way home and slept in the van while I got all the groceries unloaded and put away.

Our Week

Has it really been over a week since I've posted? I guess it has...where did it go? Here's a recap of our week. Last Saturday, Kevin and I had a date night and the kids stayed with my parents. Mom and Dad took them to this:Kevin and I did some shopping, had lunch at my favorite fast food restaurant (Chick-fil-a) and enjoyed some one on one conversation.

On Sunday, we had a pretty awesome service at our church. It was about what loving others at all costs really means. One of the men from our church shared a testimony at the end of the service about how God helped him and his family show God's love to a woman that caused an accident that killed his wife last summer. The lady was talking on her cell phone, got distracted and ran a red light smashing into the car and killing this man's wife instantly. He met with the lady a few days later and was able to talk with her about the life of his wife and tell her that he knew that God took his wife when it was her time to go. The love and forgiveness that he showed to this woman really touched many attending our church that morning and several accepted Christ right then. Awesome! This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16

On Tuesday, we got another five inches of snow. It's still cold and Spring seems way out of reach. Ok, we need to get creative again because the marble game has lost some of its previous excitement. When I was a little girl, I remember bringing out tons of blankets into the living room and moving the kitchen chairs to make a tent. So in our bedroom there was a tent constructed and in place for most of the week. They had a ball pretending and inviting anyone who came over to check out their new residence. My mom was at our house on Wednesday and was quickly led back to our bedroom to visit the hideout.

I was talking on the phone with my cousin this week and everything was quiet...a little too quiet. After investigating, I found my daughter had gotten into my nail polish and was polishing her toe nails. At that moment I told my cousin what I had found and that I needed to go. She told me to take a picture before getting too mad, so this is for you Heather. =) Notice the nail polish on the wall, the rug and the floor. I wanted new rugs in the bathroom anyway. =)

And last night, we were finally able to celebrate the Jan./Feb./March birthdays on my husbands side. It seemed like it was a challenge to get everyone together this time with busy schedules & sicknesses, but it felt great to see everyone again. We had a delicious supper at Grandma & Grandpa's including our favorite DQ ice cream cake for dessert.

We quickly finished up and headed over to Clinton Christian School to watch Uncle Lyndon play basketball with his church league. The kids had lots of fun running around with their cousins and climbing up & down the bleachers. Kaiya fell and scraped her head, but Grandma saved the day with a band aide that made everything feel better.

On our way home from Middlebury that evening, Kevin stopped at a gas station to fill up and went inside to pay. He came out with a big fountain drink and Caedmon said "When I grow up, I want to pay for gas and get a nice cool drink". I'm sure he'll change his mind about the paying for gas thing. It will probably be ten dollars a gallon by then. =)

And finally, here's another verse the kid's recently learned....Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Proverbs 34:13. This verse has come in handy a few times over the past month and it's been neat to watch Caedmon catch himself and remember the verse when he's tempted to lie.

Roller Skating Party

Last night, our church had a roller skating party at Bell's Rink in New Haven. This roller skating rink has been around for years. I remember going there as a little girl when area church's would have a church skate night once a month and then when I was older our youth group went many times. Kevin and I even skated around that rink together hand in hand during our dating months...good memories. It was fun to take our kids and watch them learn to skate. We took Caedmon two years ago and he just wasn't ready yet and didn't enjoy it much that time. This time, we couldn't keep him off the rink. He loved it! Poor Kevin tripped over Caedmon one time and landed on the floor with one leg bent behind...skate wheels pointing up...bottom crashed down on skate wheels...OUCH! This was Kaiya's first time and there wasn't anything that was going to stop her from getting out on that rink with everyone else. She was so brave and did surprisingly well. For some reason though she wanted to suck her thumb a lot which she hasn't done for awhile...I think it made her feel more secure since her feet were unstable.

We invited our little brother, Immanuel along with his family and had a great time with all of them. Here is a picture of his oldest sister, Marquisha skating with Kaiya.

Kevin treated us all at the DQ afterward and moaned about his sore hiney all the way home.

Ephesians 6:1

Free Babysitting

This is a picture of the first time my neice Maci babysat for our kids. Two years ago...she was only eleven at the time, but so responsible and mature. She has watched them several times since then and does such a great job. She watched them this past Saturday night for us while Kevin and I had a date night. We went to my favorite restaurant, Cork N' Cleaver, and had a wonderful candlelight meal. Kevin gazed in my eyes and told me all the things he loves about me...and I soaked it all in. After dinner we saw a movie and then had dessert at Applebee's. I love their maple blonde brownie with ice cream served warm and drizzled with white maple sauce. Yum! Everything was free for us that evening because we had gift cards for it all. That doesn't usually happen, so we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. This is the certificate Maci gave us for Christmas. She's so creative and thoughtful. Whenever she comes to babysit, she usually brings along a bag of fun stuff for the kids to do. This time she brought movies and dress-up clothes for Kaiya.

She took these pictures while we were gone. I didn't even ask her to. Great idea, Maci! And when we get home, she always leaves a note to let us know what they did while we were gone. Whenever I tell the kids that Maci is going to babysit, they get so excited. She was able to spend the night that night and I found this note on the fridge in the morning.

She's so sweet, and I'm very proud of her.

Happy Valentine's Day

For God so Loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 This is Love: not that we Loved God, but that he Loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 Let us remember the true meaning of Love this Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day!

"Certainly Jesus Christ is only very God, and if thou believe in Him, verily thy soul shall be saved" -Saint Valentine