Make a Joyful Noise!

Evonne was invited to join the choir for a special program last Sunday.  She loved it!

Evonne's Youth Choir Concerts

O' Christmas Tree

The kids set out into the wilds (the backyard) on a quest for a perfect (suitable) Christmas tree. First they gathered the supplies they needed and they were off:

 

Over the river (pond) and through the woods...........

 

 

And here it is, the perfect tree.............

It takes a bit of trimming for a 20 foot tree to fit in a room with 8 foot ceilings, but that's not a problem.....

No, Mildred, that goes on the tree......

A little TLC.................

 

A few more touches..........

And TA DA!  Happy Birthday Jesus!

Field trip to Science Center

Where is the big food?

 

Tyler even looks tall next to giant furniture!

 

 

 

                                       How we love to have our picture taken!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE JENNIFER!

Today (November 27th) is the 21st birthday of our sensitive, persistent, compassionate, charismatic, beautiful, God-following, singing, dancing, guitar playing daughter, Stephanie Jennifer!

 

 

 

 

                            
                                              WE LOVE YOU STEPHANIE!!

Look How Big the Ducks Are! And They Lay Eggs!

    When we got the ducks for the kids we were just thinking they would make fun, non-allergenic, pets.  We didn't consider that they would give us eggs (we're not the brightest farmers).  It has been a great incentive for the kids to go out to feed and water the ducks and find an egg or two.  And duck eggs work just like chicken eggs, so that's good, especially since the chickens have been slacking in their production lately.

 

 

National Adoption Month

    The following is a speech I gave in church for National Adoption Month last year:

     November is National Adoption Awareness Month, and adoption is very important to our family.

     You may ask, “Why do people choose to adopt?”  Well, adoption is simply another way of bringing children into a family.  The bigger question is,  "Why have children?" Think about it. What logical reason is there that gives so many of us the desire to love and nurture children?

     Kids are: expensive, noisy, messy, time consuming, demanding, and they leave every surface in your home sticky!  There is no logical reason to have children! So why do so many of us choose parenthood?

   I’d like to share some excerpts from an article by Max Lucado that may shed some light on this mystery:

   

    “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:15

    “That is why adoptive parents understand God’s passion to adopt us.  They know what it means to hunt, set out on a mission, and take responsibility for a child with a spotted past and a dubious future.  If anybody understands God’s ardor for His children, it’s someone who has rescued an orphan from despair, for that is what God has done for us. God has adopted you.  God sought you, found you, signed the papers and took you home.”

     So, it’s my guess that we find joy in putting up with children because our Creator/Father finds joy in putting up with us. (It’s a God thing)

    When we felt the call to look into adoption we chose the route of domestic adoption from U.S. foster care. 

        *These are children who, for whatever reason, have no relatives willing or able to raise them and are or soon to be legally free for adoption. They are there through no fault of their own.

       *there are about 130,000 children in the U.S. who are waiting for forever families.  There are over 2000 waiting kids in our state alone.

       *many of these children are 8 or older, or part of sibling groups.

       *about 20,000 turn 18 and leave the system each year without ever finding a family. The statistics for their futures are dismal.

       *adopting from foster care is very affordable.  Most children are eligible for adoption subsidies and Medicaid until they are 18.  There are also tax credits and state reimbursement of some expenses.

   No one escapes adversity in life, but it’s a lot harder to overcome without the unconditional love of a stable family to fall on.

      And if you have ever felt that, totally illogical, desire to look into adoption, but worried that you couldn’t do it, don’t be afraid to think again.  It doesn’t take anybody extraordinary.  God doesn’t call the able, He enables the called.

HAPPY GOTCHA DAY!

    In June of 2005, while searching online waiting child pages,  I clicked on this page of children waiting for families in Oregon....

And then I clicked on these little faces.....

I contacted our adoption social worker and told her that we would like more information on them.  A few months later,  I was finally able to talk with their foster mother and social worker, and we decided they might just be our children.  In early October, a committee in Oregon chose us as their new parents (a decision that God had already made).

We were able to speak to them on the phone several times, but this was the only photo we ever saw before we met them in person.


Then, 4 years ago today, on November 2, 2005 (and my birthday) we got to hug our nine year old daughter and 10 year old son for the very first time!

 

Two days later, on November 4, 2005, they came home with us forever!

It hasn't always been as easy road, but it was the right one!

 WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

                                             Look how they've grown!



Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27 

Once our eyes are opened we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.
Proverbs 24:12

Our eyes have been opened. It's time to start looking for more little faces.........................  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID CONNOR!

Today (October 30th) is the 14th birthday of our handsome, smart, Lego building, video game loving, violin playing ,book reading son, David Connor!

 

 

 

 

We love you, David!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVONNE HANNAH!

     Today is the 13th birthday of our beautiful, dramatic, creative, talented, writing, singing, dancing, sewing, piano playing daughter, Evonne Hannah!

 

 

 

This is Evonne's letter to us from camp this summer.  The typical, "How are you? I am fine." Letter is just not Evonne's style.

 

We love you, too, Evonne!

A Field Trip to Remember!

   It has been so long since I posted anything that I had to look up my password!
  Yesterday we went on our 3rd field trip of the year.  We visited a farm with a pumpkin patch and corn maze.


  So we walked, in the pouring rain, through a less than impressive corn maze,

 chose a tiny pumpkin to take home,

                                  

and posed for pictures in the rain with our tiny pumpkins.

But the part the kids will remember most is that our cars got stuck in the muddy parking lot and they got to watch all the parents work together and help each other to get them out!   So I guess you'd call that a successful field trip.

 Preview

     There is something to be said for paved parking lots, though!