yep, that's my son!

4yr old Hudson just said "someday me go on a mission trip"
He's been in our family 2yrs and 4 months and already talking about going on mission!  How stinkin exciting is that?  His favorite song is Josh Wilson's I Refuse.  He belts out "I don't want to live like I don't care, I don't want to waste another empty prayer!"  My mom and I were talking about how maybe God will use Hudson to reach the millions of hurting and lost in North Korea.  Wowser, that is a big dream!

Which reminds me, I'm taking a poll:
I've been asked to lead a breakout session at a women's conference in the city this March.  It will likely be  2 one-hour sessions in between the keynote speaker.  People choose what workshops they want to attend. The topic is my choice.  Of course, my passion is adoption and reaching out to others(mission and such). But, that doesn't really pack in the crowd.  So, I'm asking for your help.  What to talk about?  I wish I was funny and whimsy and creative--those are the kind of sessions people like to attend.

ideas:
raising children to be other-focused(show pics of Mike and Carter on their Outward Focused Life Roadtrip)
big age spreads in kids--teaching 1 to pee in the potty and 1 to drive at the same time
am I spread too thin?  work, kids, school, church...
my trip to Haiti
living a life of purpose
tithing and trusting
when you realize your child is "special"
when the Lord tells you to do something, is your default Yes or Whoa--wait a minute
Fear
why you should care about orphans

Leave me your thoughts please(comment, email, Facebook).

P.S.  April 24th is PINK Impact at Gateway Church and Beth Moore is speaking and Kari Jobe is leading worship again!!!!!!! I'm so excited, I've had my tickets since late November :)  I just might break out into one of my late 80's cheers, complete with blue mascara, pink lipgloss, and doodoo roll bangs.

We've already got a teen, now a tween??

The above pic is the first time we met Abigail Joo Mee.  Her foster mother had her all dolled up.  We met in the office at Eastern Social Welfare Society in Seoul. Sweet and compliant little girl, with a stubborn streak, just to keep things fun.  She's 11 now.  The tween has hit.  Just yesterday she came holding a pair of brand spanking new flats that are too tight.  I had tried to talk her into black ones.  She wouldn't listen and insisted she liked the beige patton ones.  Guess what, never wore them, not once--Oh wait, unless you count the time she wore them to walk the dog around the block because she wanted something to "slip on."   Great choice dear.  I got on to her about wasting the nicer clothes and shoes that I buy and how she wears the same old ratty things all the time.  I asked her if there was a better solution to wasting brand new nice shoes.  She had a solution alright.  She said "I'll just wear tennis shoes everyday."  Gonna pull my hair out one at a time somedays.  Carter is almost 16 and has gotten much more likable the last month or so.  And now, my sweet princess, the only girl in the house, she's entering the twilight zone of tweendom!!  PS, her bedtime is 9:10--yes, I said 9:10 because I'm a cool mom like that.  Not a pansy 9pm bedtime like children, a very cool 9:10 bedtime.

developing stories

The gorgeous baby girl Brad and Melody were hoping to adopt from the foster system....the judge(for some crazy reason) granted a 6 months extension to the birthmother.  Thus, the child who has lived the first 11 months of her life in foster will continue in foster care--not a forever adoptive family.  The heavenly Father has a plan, to my finite mind it seems like a frustrating and painful one, but He does have a plan! Addendum this afternoon:  Daniel Doss wrote a song called Stained Glass Windows about he and his wife struggling through infertility and several failed adoptions.  He gave the testimony at church today and then sang the song--boohoo and yet Hooray Jesus for the glorious testimony!  Look up the song on you tube--it is great!

Carter's mission trip to South Africa is going to a be glorious story of God working!  A sweet friend gave him a check yesterday towards the costs.  Out of the blue.  She loves missions and is so excited for him. My mother-in-law said something the other day about how glad she will be when he gets back on US soil.  I told her that I was certainly going to cry when I see him walk out of the terminal at DFW.  The relief and joy that he is back home(heck, he is only going for 8 days, you'd think he's going to be gone a month they way I'm talking!).  I'm excited for him and I wish I was going, but really, this is something he needs to do and excell at...and see how God uses him as a young man, without his mom and dad.

Trimming the fat in 2012

Several days ago I was jogging in the early morning.  I just happened to be listening to David Platt teach on "The Gospel and Materialism" (sermon from mid October) on my ipod.  This post-Christmas trash heap was outside a neighbor's home.  Creeper--yes, I am, I ran home and got my camera.  I just couldn't help it.  I wanted to be reminded of all the trash that materialism generates.  Platt was interviewing Katy Davis of Amazima Minstries(click the button on the upper right side of my blog to read about her work in Uganda).  Simply amazing, humble, radical, and counter-culture living. 

What does that have to do with us, with me?  I so desire to not forget, to remain cognizant that about 25,000 children will die today from starvation, untreated diarrhea, and contaminated water.  I want to trim the fat from our comfy middle-class life and be able to help.  A trip around our house revealed some startling info about having more than we need.

Dillon has 40 short sleeved shirts(includes play Tshirts, school Tshirts, and nice collered shirts).  We didn't buy all of them, many were given to him.  And, I just love thrift stores, so many are second-hand.  However, what 9yr id needs 40 shirts??  No one, I tell ya.  Hopefully in 2012 our family can trim some fat and share.  These kids at the feeding program Mike visited in South Africa sure don't have 40 shirts.

We are going to try to eat at home more.  I really want to plan my menu and grocery shopping better.  The couponing went out the window after 8 weeks.  I just don't have the dedication.  Better planning and control of my impulse decisions will help.

We also want to not waste so much gasoline.  Folks, Texas is HUGE.  We drive thousands and thousands of miles each year.  Yesterday alone, I made 2 trips into the city and Mike made 1.  Do you know how much gas and money-not to mention time that is? 

So, a few more snip-snips here and there will trim some fat so we can honor Jesus and give to the poor.  More than anything, I want our children to grow up understand they are blessed and that they must share.

What's in store for 2012?

A new year!  I love a new year:  making To Do lists, making new prayer lists to tape up to my bathroom mirror, making resolutions that I'll keep for 2 months, all the new possibilities! 

Here's a few 2012 plans for me(well, I guess I should say us). 

1.  Accomplish some more of our house projects we've needed to do for years.  I did finish painting our front door and it looks smashing!  Tip learned the hardd way:  don't paint your front door with oil-based paint when it is 40 degrees outside.  Nuff said!

2.  Stick to a cash flow plan and pay off Mike's truck balance early so we can save like the dickens--college is 2.5 years away!!

3.  Prayers for our family to honor Jesus in our words and deeds(I seem to especially struggle with the words part) and I want to use my words for blessing not harshness

4.  Continue asking God for a miracle so Dillon can speak clearly

5.  Carter is going to South Africa over Spring Break--without Mike or I!!  I really want him to learn a big lesson--that God will provide for his needs if he will work hard and pray.

6.  For me to finish my BSN strong and not peter out.  And, then, to enter grad school IF the Lord so desires

7.  Mike assumes the role of Chief Administrator of his school tomorrow!  I'm praying for wisdom, peace, vision, and unity in the staff and that the students would be a light and desire excellence.

Start the New Year back on budget pt 1

The new year, a perfect time to get back on track with our finanical stewardship plan. We totally stunk up our Dave Ramsey's plan the past 6 months. Sad, we worked so diligently for several months, got completely debt-free(except our house), and then backslid. Our emergency savings is nearly obliterated and we crept back into a little bit of debt. UGH! You know why don't you?? We abandoned our budget and flew by the seat of our pants. Bad bad idea. Where there is no plan, there is a plan to fail. So, I've filled in a beautiful and detailed cash flow plan(sounds nicer than budget). My youngest sister, Katy and her hubby Kyle, are a jillion times smarter than Mike and I were at their ages. They made a gorgeous Excel spreadsheet complete with sums formulas for their cash plan. I borrowed it, added many new rows to reflect our family, and man am I super proud of this baby! Nerd--why yes. I've also made all our new envelopes to return to the cash system. Forking over the hard earned greenbacks is so much more painful than a swipe of a debit card. Once again, Katy outdid me. She's a creative designer type--I'm your plain vanilla, whole house is tan type.


And here are hers.

My envelopes are plain white with black letters.  I have one for:

groceries and household items

Minivan gas and maintainence

Mike's gas

Eat out as family

Mike's on the job eat out

Clothing

Christmas fund

Haircuts

Daycare

Offerings and gifts above tithe

Tithe

The ideas is that you calculate your monthly cash needs, withdraw that amount when you get paid, and take the cash out to pay for the items.  Only pay cash!  We use automatic bank draft for a lot of our bills so that they are deducted from our checking account.

Let this soak in a few days, go check out Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and then we'll chat more.  Off to work!

Christmas 2011 wrap up

I know many of you will proceed to roll your eyes when I say this, but....

It is over!!
Christmas was great, but I'm glad it is over for another year.  My house is a wreck, there are items that need a place in the kids' rooms and the kids' rooms are already too full(I get a nervous twitch in response to clutter and mess--I'm an organized neat freak, yes I am!).  But, back to the fun part. Christmas Eve was my mother's extended family annual get together.  They ate snacks and sang carols.  I'd asked Carter to take his guitar for the sing-a-long as I knew it would thrill my 95 year old grandparents to have Carter accompany the traditional singing.  However, the crowd didn't exaclty follow along with the music.  Carter texted me at one point saying "This family doesn't know how to sing!"  That is one of my yearly favorite traditions.  My uncle belts out "5 Goooold Reeeeings" and we all sing parts of the 12 Days of Christmas. I missed it due to working.  That night, we put the kids to bed at 9:30.  The little ones all wanted to sleep in together  in Abby's room.  At 11:07pm I went to make sure Carter's XBOX was off and his light was off.  In the hall I heard frantic whispering.  A peek in Abby's room revealed Hudson lying next to her in bed, telling her all about how "tomorrow will be Christmas and Santa is coming."  Funny thing is, she was fast asleep!  I was a bit tired and exasparated and told him to hurry up and go to sleep or Santa wouldn't come :)
No worries, Santa came.

 He brought Carter a punching bag and boxing gloves.  I am soooo sore from punching the bag a few times.  It seems I don't use those muscle groups often.

 Precious Dillon and I(when the HECK did I get so many wrinkles, especially on my neck???) on the couch while Abby's reads us the story of baby Jesus:  so simple and humbl, so unexpected, so completely unmerited!  Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice, love, and life.

 Shocker, Hudson is thrilled with more Thomas paraphnalia.  Side note here:  you can see the Operation Christmas Child shoebox behind him.  No, he wasn't a shoebox recipient and no, we didn't hijack a shoebox from the truck we helped load to go to the processing center back in November and then regift it to our kids.  I happened to have 4 extra empty boxes and they fit some of our gifts beautifully.

 Abby was thrilled to death with her iPod Touch.  No, it isn't new.  I'm a huge fan of the 3 Rs:  Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.  We bought it from a good friend whose daughter isn't using hers anymore.  Abby knows it was Faith's and is pleased as punch :)

We then loaded up and went to Mike's folks.  Nice and sweet little Christmas gathering with tons of delish homemade food.  The cousins played all day.  My mother-in-law spoiled me greatly!  Carter was sick with wheezing, fever, and coughing.  Thank you Jesus for our nebulizer that we don't leave home without. We spent the night and drove home today--minus the 3 younger ones--they stayed to play at Nana's another 2 days.  Carter just got 2 shots and should be better by tomorrow.  I'm painting our cheap and plain metal front door today...Hunter Green.  Can't wait to see the wow factor from the street!