2 teenagers in the house

 Abby turned 13 on Tuesday!! Whoopwhoop.  Can you believe we have 2 teens?  This gorgeous young lady was sooooo excited to get a Facebook page.  Before you ultra conservatives go hatin', I laid down some pretty strict rules and made sure her privacy settings were secure.  Anyways, moving right along to the birthday girl, she and her volleyball team mates spanked the opposing team that evening (as they do all teams) and then we celebrated at the restaurant of her choosing.  Mike and I gave her a beautiful silver ring from James Avery that is a crown.  We read I Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We want her to look down and be reminded that she is a beloved daughter of the King Most High. The women in our family and some sweet friends wrote blessing cards for her to keep in a treasure box during the teen years.  Here are the main points that I put in my letter

1.      1. Your value is in who Christ says you are-not what our icky culture says

           2. Disappointments, troubles, arguments, and heartaches are temporary.  It feels like the end of the world sometimes but I promise, you will look back and laug h at how teenage girls make everything a huge deal
3.       You body is God’s design and temple-treat it with respect and insist others do the same
4.       Open up and talk about your feelings keeping hurts and confusion bottled up inside only causes bitterness and anger. Dad and I want you trust us with your thoughts
5.       As a Korean adoptee, it is okay to wonder about your losses; culture, language, and birthfamily. Don’t try to pretend those are not valid losses
6.       You were created ON purpose and For a purpose

     What a fun and smart treasure she is. Now, watch Mike get his shotgun and be on the porch when a boy starts calling ;)

Big D begins 4th grade

Dillon began 4th grade yesterday. I'm going to be transparent here, and likely make some of you pucker your lips in disdain.  This kid holds my heart unlike our other 3

This kid is such a precious little(actually not so little anymore) boy.  Oh, I wish everybody could spend some time with him.  He loves with complete abandon...both people and his Heavenly Father.  He tries so hard to do what other 4th grade boys do. He enjoys all sports and wants to play football, but that is out of the question for several reasons.  He tries to read, but his 5yr old brother beats him to figuring out the words before he can say it.  A cruel speech disorder robs him of the ability to clearly tell stories or sing the words to songs. He is steady, calm, funny, social, outgoing, and compliant. I've seen how he brings joy to those around him, and that is a gift!  He loves slap-stick comedy. You should see him watch his beloved Texas Rangers on tv...no matter what really happened in the game...the Rangers are always safe and they always get the "bad team" out! If 12 years ago you'd asked Mike and I our thoughts on adopting a child with life long special needs we'd likely have said "oh  no, we are not prepared for something like that." Stab me in the heart to think of saying no to this kid.  Our whole world has been changed...for the better.  Thank you Jesus for your special plan.  Because really, all of us are special needs in some unique and varying ways. But, the truth is we were all created ON purpose and FOR a purpose. Sweet Dillon, may your 4th grade year be a banner one; a year full of growing, learning, making friends, and having fun. 

Psalm 139:14 

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

Baby box...Dear Korea, we would love them!

This is not a new story line, but one that slaps me back into harsh reality every time I see it.  A precious pastor and church in Seoul trying to care for the helpless unwanted babies.
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2976495
Because of new laws that scare birthmothers away from making an adoption plan, 280 babies have been left abandoned in the last 3yrs. These children grow up as orphans...forever alone...never part of a family.  A family like ours.  So many people would be thrilled to offer these babies a home, if the process was fair and smooth, and not insanely expensive.  OH, it kills me!!!  We have been completely smitten with our Korean born children and would be honored if God asked us to open our home to just one more.  I'd gladly give up school and keep driving my old clunker to give a priceless treasure a home.Pray with me please for justice.

photo taken from http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/07/14274402-a-baby-box-and-a-home-for-unwanted-infants-in-south-korea?lite

New class begins

Advanced Pathophysiology begins this week.  I'm excited to be taking something that will be concrete, memorizable, and applicable to my daily nursing life. Can't believe I've got 6 hours of grad work completed...rocking the B average...totally good enough for me!  I'm still very ambivalent in my feelings for school.  Is that normal?  Surely I should have much more drive to continue. Alas, until God puts a big stop sign in front of me, I'll plug away.  After all, this is going to take 3 more years.  I can be 44 with a masters or 44 with no masters.

sometimes being a hoarder pays off

Abby saves everything.  When I say everything, I mean every dumb piece of paper, wrapping paper she took off gifts, tags off of clothes stuffed in to tiny jewelry boxes, last years school notes, tubes of lip gloss hidden in her sock drawer...etc.  This is a point of contention in our relationship.  I hate clutter.  I like open spaces and I have been known to throw away important items without really thinking it through. Once a month I got in to her room(when she isn't home) with a trash bag and clean out all the purses, gym bags, and keepsake boxes. Well her saving has paid off.  She's been hoarding cash, in a zip lock baggie no less.  After saving babysitting money and her paychecks from sorting books at school, she has 410.00!  She has been eyeing a used iPad on Amazon.  Today we will order her iPad and case for a total of 380.00.  Mike and I don't even have an iPad.  Heck, our computer is a slow piece of crud.  I'm so proud for her!!  I hope she catches the bug of saving and paying cash for items for the rest of her life.

3 of 4 kids launched this week

School started this week for 3 out of the 4 kiddos.  Monday night was orientation at Trinity, the Christian school where Carter, Abby, and Hudson attend.  They had a prayer time for the senior class, of which Carter is a member---can it truly be???  The dads prayed aloud over their kids and committed them to Christ for their last year of school. TEARS!  Oh man, this will be a rough year for momma. (Wasn't it just yesterday that I carried a chubby 1yr old Abby to escort Carter to Kindergarten and he asked me "Momma, do I look cool?")

Carter told me a wonderful Biblical application that came to him that night.  He said that he could hear all the other dads praying around him.  But, when his daddy started praying, all he could hear was that one voice, because he knew that voice.  Carter said it was just like the verse that talks about the sheep knowing their shepherd's voice. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" John 10:27. 

I pray he always distinguishes his Father's voice over the murmur of the crowd!

Hudson began Kindergarten today.  He has been over the top excited and this morning came running into the kitchen at 6:15, waving his hands over his head saying "I'm so excited!" Good luck Kinder teachers....Hudsey can already read and is raring to go!

The yearly first day photo.  Abby begins Jr. High!!  Man, I am praying her Jr. High years are not as icky as mine (mostly self-inflicted ickiness, I confess).  She is excited and loves school.  She is taking pre Algebra as a 7th grader and I look forward to seeing her soar.

Dillon is living it up at my mom's this week since childcare was not working out with the conflicting school schedules (I miss that angel and smelled his pillow last night to make me feel better).  He is attending a cooking camp with cousin Lexi and doing all things grandkids:  eating pizza, riding horses, and who knows what else.

And this sums it all up...."Missional Living"

Missional Living

Click the link to listen to Matt Chandler, Sr. Pastor of The Village Church, speak on Missional Living.  It is an old message, but pretty much sums it all up for Mike and I.  May we constantly re-evaluate our lives and what we are doing--never growing complacent with easy and comfort and riches, but looking to point others to Jesus.  Sooooo hard in affluent and me-centered suburbs where making our kids' lives fun and insulated is the number 1 priority.  Mike and I have slipped the past several months.  We didn't take our kids to serve the poor a single time this summer--Lord knows there was lots of time to do so.  We watched movies, played and worked on our house and bought 75.00 Sperry boat shoes for Abby for school....nothing that points to Jesus.  I'm becoming the person I've preached against for the last 10 years. Time to ask for some Grace and redirect our attentions.

Sounds of summer

I see some fellow mothers posting things on Facebook like "I'm so happy to have all my chicks in the nest alllllll summer" and "I don't want school to start, I love having my children home with me allllll day"

I'm sorry, but I smirk and gag a bit when I read those posts.  Here is what summer sounds like in my house
       "DILLON!!"
        "Hudson, STOP"
       "Uh-uh"
        "ah-ha"
        "uh-uh
        "ah-ha"
"MOOOOOOOOMMMMYYYYYY"  insert little boy running to tattle on his brother.  One minute best friends and enjoying stunts like below.  The next minute at each others' throats. (side note, check out our totally funky 1983 stained glass front door!)













I also hear our money being sucked out like a vacuum: ice cream here, out to eat there (cause it is too hot to cook  or 2 out of 4 kids aren't home and it is SO cheap to only have 2 kids go out with us!), and camp here, and a movie there.

You get the picture.  I love summer and my children, don't get me wrong.  I'm just saying that it isn't structured the most wise way.  I sure wish we could go to school several months, have a month off, go several months, have a month and so forth.  I am ready for school after about a month.  Abby has had her school backpack packed and at her door since last week.  She is driving  us nuts about going shopping for school supplies.

In the meantime, we are trying to enjoy our last few days of a little bit more relaxed life.  We've become fairly red neck as well.  Our wooded acre is great for pellet gun practice.

And we discovered a sweet and poorboy style lake marina/beach.  Five bucks gets you this paradise :)  It really is nice and well done.

There are some great advantages to summer of course:
no making sure there are school uniforms clean, eating whatever is available for lunch and not packing a decent school lunch, Abby is home to babysit for me when I work.  I love paying her instead of a random sitter.  For our anniversary, she and the little boys made us this.  So sweet :)

20 years later, I still DO

Happy 20th Anniversary to Mike and I on July 30th.  Shocking to realize that I was 20 when we got married.  So, I've been married to Mike as long as I was alive pre-marriage :)  Twenty years have flooooowwwn.  We've been all over the world, had joys and sorrows, moves, career changes, fun adventures, been so stinkin' broke, been so stinkin' blessed.  What a precious life together.  I love you Mike and I don't regret a day of being married to a godly, funny, handsome, compassionate, full of integrity man.