Big News
 grab a cup of coffee for this long one....

 We have some new things to share

I'll  bring you back up to speed on the adoption front if you have missed out

We were placed with a birth mom last July  who turned out to be a con artist. Once the dust settled not only were we devastated with our emotions, we lost all the money we had raised.

“Our Lord, You Always do Right” (Psalm 119:137-160)

As a woman who actively seeks to obey God, there have been confusing times when I read these words and wonder with a breaking heart feeling like the wind has been knocked out of me. It goes on to say that “your decisions are fair”.

How can I believe these truths when humans disappoint or hurt us deeply? How do I pick myself up and put one foot in front of the other? How is it that we are left grabbing our hearts trying to breathe? How can I understand that the Lord ‘who always does right’ watches me as I am left crumpled and defeated?

 It doesn’t feel it was a right decision.

  
  I pray I don’t waste a trial believing that God is the one who does right and makes decisions never thought possible. He takes the pain and breathlessness, hugs me and says, “Just walk with Me, I know what I am doing. Do you trust me? Read my promises.” Not only does King David say that the Lord does right, he continues by saying that “your teachings are true and will last forever.” 

Bottom line, earthly things don’t last and life is short so don’t waste a trial and grow, grow, grow!

What am I going to do with a situation? What outcome can I pursue that is God-honoring that allows Him to take my trial, or a broken heart, and help me move to the next challenge? I read the heartfelt cries of some of the journeys of those like the Psalmist David and the Apostle Peter whose hearts were desperately broken. This is not a new journey.

Bottom line, through this process the answer has been to grieve, cry, and then grieve some more. Engage in letting God hear your heart and then in quietness listen for Him to speak. He does!!! Scripture is the vitamin to gain health. We have to actively make a choice. Then at just the right moment, thank God for His amazing love, His constant faithfulness, and His promises. It means taking a conscious step forward asking for the next step.
The Psalmist then says, “I am eager to learn all that you want me to do; help me to understand more and more”. That’s when the adventure begins my dear friends!~

 God gives us a new strength, a new respect for ourselves, and a new journey never thought possible.

Life isn’t about not getting trials…that is a given, but it is how we fair with the trial. Give yourself time. God is riding above the heavy waters with us and sitting beside us.
 “Be my Defender and Protector”. He is all that and more!

 
which brings us to this wonderful blessing that just fell in our lap

God has blessed us with a birth mom that is right close to home

She is due the end of this month and she picked us!
so we will go the hospital when she goes into labor 
and bring home the baby from there and wait until our court date

30 days after the child's birth

we are praying for God's plan in all this and for 

God to provide for us financially as well
we have applied for a few more grants
and have taken out  a small loan
but we still  have to cover attorney costs 
we lost all of the money we raised from the scam last summer so were working to build it back up. 

If God has put it on your heart to give and be part of this journey
there are many ways 
click any of the sites on the sidebar and start shopping
or just click the donate button
Every little bit helps and thank you for being part of this journey with us.

please lift us up in prayer and we will keep you posted as this crazy journey continues 

We thank you so much for all your prayers and giving hearts

Our God is a good god!

water balloon pinata

this was interesting to say the least

it was not as exciting 

as I thought it would be.

I used regular balloons and filled them with about 3 cups of water and hung them all on a rope

the kiddos could not break them at all.

This lasted for about an hour and then we took the rest of the balloons and threw them into

the pool

they had fun with them in there too.

Hopefully some news coming sooooon.................

Mulligan

 Well our dear little 5 lb lop eared bunny has passed away
we had got him from a fair when he was a few weeks old
he was having a long battle with pneumonia
For bunny years he was in his 90's so he lived a wonderful happy life.
He was the cutest little thing
I never thought I would have a bunny that was so snuggly and awesome 
and always give you kisses when you asked
bunnies always seemed nippy and non social and definitely not very snuggly
he was just the opposite and we were so lucky to have him be part of our lives.  
thank you for the wonderful memories Mulligan

10 years

                                                        Happy Anniversary David!

                                                     (this was our wedding day)

The day I met David is a moment I will never forget
I was going to his graduation party to set him up with my best friend.... 
My plan was not what God had planned....
It's funny how you are able to change for a person once you fall in love
Change in a good way
Change in a way I never new existed because what I was use to
Feeling my heart soften in a way that I never new before I met David
I wanted to be different for him
Kinder to him
More accepting of someone being nice to me not abusive and mean all the time
Gentler with my words
patient
being loved and loved in return

He became my exception
the guy who allowed me to change
without ever making me feel like I had to in order for him to love me
believe me it was no easy task
just ask him

Loving David has taught me so many things
that I never thought I was capable of

Every day I have to work at being the kind of wife he deserves
I have to work at creating the marriage we promised each other we would have

the little things are the most important 
because they add up to the big things
and I am working on mastering them
it's just that I am a work in progress

I am working on being supportive and encouraging 
Being grateful for opportunities that come up that may not be what we want but what God wants
On  taking a deep breath every time he leaves a cabinet door open for me to bang my head on
On letting him de-stress and chill in front of the TV for an hour after the kiddos go to bed...
On getting something done for him during the day so he doesn't have to do it when he gets home....equals more time with dad and hubby
On kissing him when he walks in the door(the kiddos usually beat me to it)
And extra hugs and kisses when he leaves
On reminding him what an amazing father and husband he is
And saying thank you every chance I get

It's the least I can do for him after all the things he does for me....
with a smile on his face,
no questions asked,
no deep sighs or eye rolls
he just does it
because it makes me happy
and my happiness makes him happy

and

learning to put the others happiness before our own is how we stay in love!


I love you David.  Thank you for the wonderful 10 years!

fabric jars

a very easy craft if you have leftover fabric scraps

take a glass jar

lots and lots of hot glue

and start gluing

we use them for markers

pencils

scissors

you name it

they are fun! 
Hoping for an update soooooon!!!!

School...

first week of school went great

Auntie Annie was here from Oregon too

so she got to be part of all the hoopla!

We had the regular tradition of Hot Fudge Sundaes for breakfast!

Jeremiah is in 4K

 

he loved it

he said he was exhausted, and  it was long and slow

funny what they think of things....

Olivia is in First Grade

Olivia had fun as well

by the third day she cried,

she wanted to be with me at home

Jonah is in 2nd Grade

(funny looking picture...)

He loved it as well!

and Odin is in 4th Grade

Everything went great at home.  I have to be honest here.  The first 30 minutes that I was teaching Odin I could not stop  laughing at myself.  I felt like I was taking off my mom hat and putting on my teacher hat.  My butt got sore from sitting too.  I never sat so much before during the day.  Odin and I were chuckling about this. It was so new for him as well but he loves it.    It only took about 3.5 hours including art/music and gym. Going into this, everyone had always told me that I will relearn everything myself and probably end up liking subjects that I never liked.  Well, history was a lot more fun than I thought and Language/grammar....well I do not like that stuff period!

The other thing I was looking for was some ideas for  a daily checklist for him.  Where I can write down what he is supposed to do each day and he (independently) can check it off when he is done.  I want him to be able to get started on things by himself in case I am busy with a baby or  babies....

The week went great besides crabby and tired kids and lots of tears and adjusting.  Which is to be expected.  Jonah broke my heart the other night at dinner though.  He got so sad and started crying, actually sobbing about how sad he was that Odin got to do all this fun and great stuff at school.  So we talked about it and told him he is just going to have to wait and see where the Lord leads us and what to do down the road.

I am so happy and so blessed that this is where the Lord has lead us and so thankful for everyone who has helped and guided us on this journey.  We greatly appreciate all that you have done!

31.5 weeks

(

(dave so kindly snapped this of me) 

went to the Dr. this week and all is well
i feel great
still walking about 3-4 miles a day 
just a little slower
and a little bit more uncomfortable
 getting bigger and sitting more because it's just more comfortable for me
 love to feel the  little babe kicking

thinking about what he'll look like
thinking about the smell of his soft skin
up all night feedings
and lots of  delicious coffee the next day
boy do I miss coffee when I am pregnant....
what his personanlity will be like
the kiddos love to feel him kick
this is all new for them now that they are older and we haven't had any kiddos in 4 years 
they are loving it and they are super excited
about this journey we are on.

love these kiddos

so as I am putting Jeremiah's pull up on for a nap 

he says

"how did the baby get in your belly?"

do you realize none of my other children have even asked me that

it took me a bit to answer because i was shocked that he wondered about it.

later that day he was calling me into the bathroom

if you've ever come to our house you will always here

"I need a wiping"

from somebody.

It's kind of a joke.....

so I go in and help Jeremiah 

ya know I just love how little kiddos look on the potty

they look like they are always going to fall in.

he says

"when I get older to I have to kiss my wife"

I said yes and we talked about it for a bit

then he says

"do I have to kiss her long or short"

both...talked about it some more

then he looks at me in a puzzling way and says

"cause I don't think I can breathe if I kiss her long"

i could barely keep a straight face

kiddos just crack me up

I am so blessed.

We made it through our fist day o!f schooling
Praise the Lord!

Starting school today....

Prayers needed!!

Pray for us all to have a great day today

and that this mama's heart doesn't hurt too much not having the other 3 kiddos at home until 3

Excited to be teaching Odin at home

wish I could do the rest though.

(pictures to come)

Also pray for our grant we applied for, we go in front of the committee this week

Also hoping we have some news to share with you all this week as well!

Thank you all so much for your prayers!

We love you!

Bingo

Found this for $2.00  at a rummage sale

what a great game to add to our collection

it's only missing a few balls but we all loved it

I love bingo

pools
Our pool decided to blow away in a wind storm that we had
and
daddy thought it was funny watching us carry this thing from the neighbors backyard.
Somehow we go through a pool every year......

 Dave's sister Annie comes today
we have not seen her in over 4 years and we are all super excited!
We will hopefully have some news for you all next week!
Keep the prayers coming we will find out about a grant we applied for next week also.

Thanks for all the prayers, gifts and love!