Christmas 2014

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

All 15 stockings for our 15 family members, even though our 7 children from the Philippines were not here this year to celebrate with us. 

Wow! Look at all those stockings! We are BLESSED! (I had to blur out the names of our children that we are adopting because of Hague country rules of privacy)

This year, the girls and the boys worked together to create their own gingerbread houses.

 And, all the kids made a BUNCH of Christmas cookies to share with some of our neighbors. The pictures below show them decorating the Christmas cut-out cookies (they are the funnest for the kids). We also made date snowballs, lemon bars, mint chocolate crinkles, and peanut butter candy.

It is such joy for me to see the kids carrying on the same traditions as my family did growing up.

Christmas Eve we went to a candle light service at church singing all sorts of celebratory Christmas carols and making sure to remember how Jesus came as a light into the darkness. It was such a beautiful reminder of how that light pierces the darkness and spreads from one person to another. I remember doing the same thing at our Christmas services growing up.

Another tradition we started as a family a couple years ago was making a birthday cake and singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus; after all, He is the reason for the season!

For Christmas, Dustin and the older kids gave me this BEAUTIFUL breakfast/kitchen table that they MADE for me! Isn't it gorgeous? It works perfect in my kitchen!

Dustin and the kids made me a huge breadbox last year. I love that my husband takes the kids out into the workshop and helps them work with their hands. What a great memory for the kids with their dad. The kids spent a great deal of time sanding this project, and I LOVE all the time and love that went into this present for me.

They used four different types of wood to build this table. Do you see the cross in the top? I absolutely love this present. Hand-made presents are THE BEST!

 The kids were very excited to open their gifts (as you can see from Markos' picture).

 We are blessed to have Dustin's parents and his grandfather live close by; so, they come over Christmas morning to participate in the excitement and enjoy a Christmas breakfast/brunch.

This year, our oldest three kids (that are home) had saved up money they had earned throughout the year, and we took them shopping. They were so excited to pick out presents for Dustin and I. The thought that went into the gifts and the joy they had to give to others was so precious.

The picture below is one of Dustin in the apron that Fasika picked out for him. She knew dad didn't have an apron for when he is cooking and grilling, and she takes care of the chickens which is why she picked the chicken one. I think it is absolutely adorable that Dustin rocked that apron all day. I don't know many dads that could pull that look off. I know I am a little biased, but he is a pretty awesome guy!

As a group gift this year, we got a basketball court for the family. One of our older boys in the Philippines absolutely loves to play basketball; it is his favorite thing to do. We figured, a basketball court would be a great way to spend quality family time with one another (and anyone who lives on a dirt road knows how hard it is to play basketball when you can't dribble). We are looking forward to many wonderful games of hoops as a family.

It was a wonderful Christmas for our family as we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Of course, it was bitter sweet as our hearts ached for our other 7 children who are still not home. However, we know that the Lord's timing is perfect, and we trust in His plan. The staff where our kids are at are phenomenal, and I know they cherished the time and made it memorable for our children. We are very thankful for them. We know that our whole family will all be together next Christmas.

All our paperwork has been completed on our end. The kids have their passports. The only thing we are waiting on with our adoption is the kids Visa appointments and their exit medical appointments. We hope to have them home in the next month or two.

Off-Roading

Today, I had to run to the post office to pick up a package, and I decided to grab some food while we were out to bring home for lunch. Two of my children were so famished they had to bust into their lunch on the way home instead of waiting to eat with their brothers and sisters.

As we headed home on the back country roads, I was talking with my husband on my phone (that's still legal in this state), and when I went to set my phone down on the consul, I looked away from the road for only a second. In that time, my right front tire went off the road. (For some reason we don't have any shoulders on our roads here in the country which is more than a little annoying). Anyways, I have digressed. My front tire went off the road. Normally, this isn't much of an issue; however, it has been raining for some time, and the ground was sloppy. My front wheel literally pulls the rest of the car into the ditch. I realize, that if I make a quick jerking motion to pull it back onto the road, I might completely flip the vehicle.

I decide to embrace the off-roading, and turn the wheel to straighten out over someone's yard. I go swerving left and right. I have let off the gas, but experience tells me that braking hard isn't really an option in the mud as my tires are not doing what I am telling them to anyways.

Somehow, I manage to get the car back on to the original road where I do a complete donut and come to a halt.

Sitting there in the center of the road, I stared blankly ahead, completely shocked. What in the world just happened?

I didn't hit anything (Alleluia), and none of us are hurt (Praise the Lord).

Looking around, there are no spectators and no other cars. Did this even really happen? My flat tire with grass and mud all over it are evidence that it did happen.

After regaining my composure, I limped the car back home.

Markos turns to Mayah and says, "Oh man, I squished my sandwich."

Seriously? That's your concern?

They had no idea (nor concern) for their safety or the ramifications of what could have happened. I laughed, one of those nervous laughs, but I do know the reality of what could have happened; I am thankful for the Lord's protection today.

As I drove the rest of the way home, I was reminded of how quickly something tragic can happen in the blink of an eye. It is like our walk with the Lord; we strive to keep Him in our sight at all time, keeping Him at the center, but there are so many distractions in the world and all around us that try to steal our attention. The consequences of taking our eyes off of Him are tragic.

Lord, I thank you for your protection today over me and my two children. Lord, I pray You will be an always constant presence in our lives. Please direct our paths, guide our footsteps, and keep our focus on You. Give us discernment and wisdom as we seek to follow Your commands and do Your will. Humbly, I pray, in Jesus' name -Amen.

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9

Thankfully, today, my diversion off the road was brief, but once we veer off the path, there are no guarantees ofhow it will end. Lord, You are our Rock and our Salvation, and on You we fix our eyes.

"Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil." Proverbs 4:25-27

Our Little Schoolhouse

Over our wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family, we decided to make a change to our home schooling atmosphere; we decided to turn the outdoor building into our schoolhouse.

Previously, we had a small study that could only hold about 5-6 (at the very most) kids at a time. Our original plan was to have the older children take turns with their computer time, and use the study room as the quiet area for them to work. This plan did work for a time, but there were some flaws in it.

Therefore, after weighing all the pros and cons, we finally decided to take the plunge and go to the one (okay maybe one and a half) room schoolhouse. 

Of course, we didn't completely finish the work on reorganizing the building as we still need to find a place for some of the other stuff that was in there; nevertheless, it was functional for our first day of school today. 

One side is the actual schoolhouse. There are plenty of seats for everyone there, and that is where the majority of our curriculum, books, and school supplies are. The other side is where we go for individualized or smaller group lessons (and there are also some old comfy couches for the kids to sit and read at).

There is no bathroom in our new schoolhouse, so we have to walk across the yard to the main house (I like how that sounds, like I have more than one house, ha ha). 

The other "problem" this poses is that I can no longer do household chores during school (i.e. laundry, dishes, cleaning, ...etc). However, this is actually somewhat of a relief because then I can focus 100% of my energy on schooling instead of juggling household chores too. Alleluia.

Today, after family devotions, breakfast, and morning farm chores, we did a "general clean-up" of the house before we left for the schoolhouse. We came in for a quick snack mid-morning. Then, it was back to the schoolhouse until lunch time. There are so many less distractions over there that the kids actually got more accomplished in less time!

Okay, I know what you are thinking...but when do I do the household chores? That was actually my concern too; but, well, you would be surprised at how clean the house stays when we aren't in it! Shocking, I know.   :)

Laundry I started in the morning, and changed it over at snack and lunch time (and after school). I made lunch during recess (instead of having recess after lunch), and the kids helped with cleaning up from snack and lunch. I may have the kids take turns with helping make the lunches as we have done in the past.

Here are the pictures of our "new" schoolhouse:

This is when you first walk in (and is the front smaller group lesson area).

 Doorway to the main classroom:

Our first day in the schoolhouse was amazing, praise the Lord. The older kids have stepped up to help with some of the younger kids lessons, and we all worked together for an awesome day. 

Each day, we ask the Lord to help us with our schooling, and we are so grateful to God for His help as we know we couldn't do it without Him. We know that not all days will go as well as today (some days are just rough), but we also know "The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!'" Lamentations 3:22-24 

"Loving the Little Years" Book

I recently read a short book called, "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic, and it has been such a blessing to me. It is written by a christian woman who was parenting 5 children under the age of 5 yrs old when she wrote it (yeah, I am not sure where she found the time)!

I love that the chapters are short, and the book itself is short, so it was a super quick read. However, the content was delightful. She uses wonderful metaphors and analogies to describe her parenting journey that I could totally relate to. I laughed. I cried. I underlined, circled, and wrote notes all throughout the book.

Jankovic writes the entire thing with a biblical perspective tying her lessons back to the Scriptures. I holistically recommend this book to anyone who has children (especially two or more children). My children are all over the age of 5 years old now, but I can still relate and take the lessons with me. I have been blessed by this book, and I believe if you read it, you will be too!

Relief for Typhoon Victims

I am in shock after seeing the pictures from the effects of the typhoon in the Philippines: buildings completely demolished, people crying over their loved ones dead under the rubble, desperation, fear, and hurt. These people are hungry. They need medical attention. They need water and shelter. THEY NEED OUR HELP!  Please help them!

The devastation from the typhoon in the Philippines was so overwhelming that it seemed like there is nothing we can do.  What little we have to give seems too insignificant to make a difference. However, that reminds me of a story about a little boy who went to listen to Jesus speak. When the crowds of over 5,000 people were there and hungry, the little boy offered his lunch: 2 fish and 4 loaves of bread. That seems pretty insignificant an amount and definitely seems inadequate to feed over 5,000 people, but that didn't stop the little boy from giving it. And, with that small gift, Jesus blessed it, and He made it sufficient. Jesus used that little boys gift to feed 5,000. 

I wonder, how many other people in that same crowd of 5,000 had something to give but didn't offer it because they didn't think it was enough. No gift is too small! Please give whatever you can. 

Please pray and please help provide relief and aid to the victims in the Philippines. You can donate directly with credit card online through the non-profit organization where my children are: www.cscshelter.org. 

Checks can be sent to: Children's Shelter of Cebu, PO Box 247, Cambridge, MN 55008. *Make sure to mark the donation as designated for "Typhoon Relief." 

Lord, I pray you will provide relief and comfort to the many victims in the Philippines. Wrap them in your loving arms Lord and give them strength and peace. Draw them close to you in their time of need, and please help stir in the hearts of others to come along and give sacrificially to provide aid. Father, I pray you will multiply their gifts and use them to provide needs to the many suffering. 

Thank you for your compassion and generosity, and thank you for your continued prayers for the many victims of this typhoon.

Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines

I'm sure everyone knows about the huge category 5 typhoon (Haiyan) that has recently hit the Philippines islands. CNN's news today stated that "Haiyan was probably the strongest tropical cyclone to hit land anywhere in the world in recorded history."

Many people joined us in praying for the safety of our children and their caregivers, and we are so thankful to each of you for your prayers. We learned earlier today from our children's shelter that all the children and staff are fine.

CSC Blog Typhoon Passed

Also, the local news station decided to come out to the house today and interview us asking about our children in the Philippines and about the typhoon.

WWAY TV 3 Local News About Typhoon

Due to power outages and no internet connectivity, our weekly Skype session with our children had to be canceled. However, we should be able to talk to the children next week.

We praise the Lord for the safety of our children and their caregivers. Please continue to pray for all the Filipino people who are still suffering from the effects of the typhoon.

Getting to Know Our Kids From Afar

We are so blessed to have the opportunity to talk with our children in the Philippines on Skype. We have actually gotten to talk with the twice (and I am just getting around to posting about it on the blog. Sorry about that).

The first meeting was precious. We were so nervous and excited, and it was difficult to contain all the emotions as our heads spun with questions. Would they like us? Would they be happy and excited?

Finally, the sound of the Skype call, and the butterflies in my stomach leaped with anticipation. The kids were all in chairs sitting in their school's library, and as soon as the video connected they all started waving hello. They looked adorable, and they were so excited. It was just heavenly to hear their sweet little voices talking to us.

We introduced each of our kids that are here, and our children in the Philippines already knew all their names and recognized each of them. After we were matched, we had sent photo albums with our acceptance letter, and the kids in the Philippines had memorized all the information in them.

They sang us a cute song (which we recorded, but I cannot post due to inter-country rules). My kids that are here sang one back to them too. It was sweet. The two older girls are very social and bubbly, while the other children were a little more quiet, but each of them were absolutely precious.

In our first conversation we covered things like favorite colors, favorite things to do, favorite foods, and other basic things. It was great to get to know some of the very basic things about our children.

We talked for about an hour before Dustin closed in prayer. The kids had two prayer requests: one was for our one daughter who had been sick for about a week, the other was what they said is always a prayer, and that was for all the other children at the shelter that still did not have a family. (tear)

Please remember in your prayers the millions of orphans around the world that go to bed each night wondering when it will be their turn (if ever) to have a family love them. And, please pray for each of those precious children to know their Heavenly Father.

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27

Before leaving our Skype session, each child got up and gave the camera a hug, and we told them we loved them.

Sitting in on the meeting was several of the staff members, including the children's house parents (kind of like live in foster parents). This special couple (along with the other staff members) are so invested in our children's lives: caring for them daily, leading them, being an example to them, teaching them, and praying with them. We are grateful to the care that these wonderful people provide to our children while they have been waiting for their adoption to be completed.

Please join us in praying for these special leaders and teachers, as they have such an important job. I cannot even imagine how difficult and bittersweet it must be when each of the children in their homes leave with their new families. I pray the Lord blesses these selfless, caring leaders for the work that He is doing through them.

Since our first Skype meeting, we have gotten to talk with the kids again (and will hopefully be able to continue on a weekly basis). Our daughter who was sick was fully recovered (praise God). At our second meeting, we had some of our close friends and our extended family here to meet the kids. My in-laws, Grandpa Lynn and Grandma Margie, got to meet and talk with their grandkids. Plus, Grandpa Jack and my nephew Daig were down from NY too. It was very exciting.

This time, the kids had written a list of questions for us. Too cute! We talked about what were the kids' favorite games to play, shared jokes, and showed them their Christmas stockings we had ordered for them. One of our older daughters prayed a beautiful prayer before we said our good-byes.

These children are such a blessing, and I can't wait to hug each one of them. I cannot imagine how tough the entire transition will be, nor can I imagine the hurt and loss that they have already endured; however, I know that they are in a loving, christian environment until we can get them home, and we are so grateful for that.I pray for each of them as they prepare to make this journey; that God would draw them close to Him and give them peace.

I am truly honored that God would allow me to be their mother, and I continue to pray that He will give me the wisdom, grace, and strength to be the kind of mother all my children deserve.

I'm thankful for the blessing of adoption and for God adopting us into His family.

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, 'Abba, Father.' For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children." Romans 8:14-16

Meeting Our Kids (Virtually)

This Friday, we get to Skype with our children for the very first time! We are busting at the seams with joy and anticipation! We are beyond excited (and to be honest, a little nervous).

I hope they like us. I hope they are as excited as we are. I hope I don't cry too much. Shoot, I am already tearing up. I tell you what, adoption is not for the faint at heart; that is for sure!

Please pray for our family as we meet one another this Friday for the first time. Please pray that God would cover over us with His grace, mercy, and love.

I can't wait to tell you all about our first conversations! 

Pumpkins

Today, we enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon as a family at our farm.

One of the perks to living on a farm is we have our own personalized hayrides and pumpkin patch. :) 

The kids were excited about the hayride.

 Everyone has their pumpkins.  Now, we get to decorate them!

 Audriana said she would rather paint hers.

Mayah didn't seem to mind.

Happy Harvest Season from our family to yours. 

We can't wait until next year when we will have all 13 kids on these porch stairs.

We are FULLY FUNDED!

Based on the latest invoice from our adoption agency, We are COMPLETELY FUNDED for our adoption INCLUDING estimated travel expenses (plane tickets for the 7 children to come home and for Dustin and I to go get them). ALLELUIA! Praise the Lord! (for the complete breakdown of adoption expenses click here.)

We started this adoption process less than a year ago, and in that time, there has been over $40,000 raised to help bring our children home. That is absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! God has moved the mountains.  There has been $20,000 just since May which is totally a God thing! It has been such an amazing experience to see God at work through so many people.

The envelope fundraiser was a humongous success, and we are grateful to each of you who gave so generously. We could not have done this without your help, and we cannot thank you enough for joining us in this journey! We thank the Lord for each of you and pray blessings over you for your support and your prayers. We hope you will continue to follow our adventures and updates on our blog.

Now the question is, "When do those precious kiddos get to come home?"  Right?

Since we started this process, I had thought that the children would be here by this Christmas. However, it doesn't look like that will be the case. 

Some of you may have seen my post that we got a video of our children in the Philippines (I discuss it: here: in the blog post immediately before this one). The family that was kind enough to make the video just traveled to pick there children up this month. They were officially matched 5 months ago. We have been matched for a little over 1 month. Our agency also informed us that the Filipino government offices where our paperwork will be headed no longer accepts new paperwork after December 15th; therefore, it does not look like our children will be home before Christmas. While this saddens us deeply, we are trusting in the Lord's perfect plan, and we are eagerly anticipating the day when all our children will be together under one roof.

Based on the other family's timeline (though nothing with adoption timelines are exactly the same), we are looking at maybe January of February for the children to come home.

Join us in praising our Heavenly Father for His provisions for this adoption and for His perfect plan. Please also pray for the hearts of all of our children as we await our unification, that God would comfort them (and us) and draw us all closer to Him. Our prayer is that He would use the time between now and when they come home to prepare our hearts and minds for the transition ahead, that He would give Dustin and I wisdom as to how to best parent a family of 15. I pray that the Lord would hold my children in His loving embrace and give them peace as they wait, (and that He would make the time go quickly for all of us waiting to be united). 

Precious Video

In our email this morning, was a precious video of our children in the Philippines. What a gloriously precious gift!

One of the other families that recently adopted, took a couple pictures of our children and made a short video of them saying hello to us. It was the first video we have seen of them since they have known they had a family.

I wish I could share the video with you, but Hague rules do not allow this. Nevertheless, trust me when I say the video was SUPER ADORABLE!!!

They were absolutely precious, and they were laughing and giggling as they tried a couple times to all start all together and say, "Hello family. We love you!"

Oh my goodness, what joy! Thank you Jesus for this glimpse of our children which is a ray of hope as we wait without knowing when they will be united with us. We trust in Your plan and in Your timing Lord, and we are thankful for that ray of hope.

Colonial Williamsburg

We are studying the early 1800's this year in our home school curriculum with Tapestry of Grace (Cycle 3). We have loved studying this time-frame; so, we jumped at the chance to take a trip to Colonial Williamsburg for some hands-on-learning and bring to life what we had been reading about.

We didn't make it to the home school weeks at Williamsburg, but they still honored the home school rate (praise God). The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we had the best time there. (A special thanks to Marlo who stayed at our farm to take care of the animals and milk the goats while we were away). While we could only stay for a day, we would have gladly stayed longer (and will definitely take a trip back there).

Getting a tour of the Magazine.

Playing with toys from the time-period (we picked up a couple of these hoops to play with at our farm). Other people were taking pictures of our kids playing (true story). 

 Here the kids helped look for cabbage worms and helped tend the garden. 

 Audriana really loved the women of the time, and the actresses were so kind to her calling her by name  whenever they saw her throughout the day. 

 We really enjoyed seeing how they made the equipment of the time. These people had to be so skilled in their jobs, and they took such pride in their quality work.

 Traveling by horse and carriage, while not the fastest choice, seems more and more appealing as the price of gas continues to soar.

 Well, this is one way to keep the kids from getting into trouble. Ha! I am sure the real people of the time would find it odd that we want to "try out" their form of punishment.

 The actors read aloud the Declaration of Independence, and we got to witness it as if we were actually there!

 The enthusiastic actors carried out dialogue about what it would mean for slaves of the time and for possible equality for women as well in the future.

This is the inside of the jail.

 The tents were in the Military Encampment. 

 Here you can see part of the inside the kitchen of an old farm house.

 One of the actors who helped tell us about what the day in the life of a slave was. Sad that while we were "declaring" that "all men were created equal" there was still slavery in much of the United States.

 We also went on a tour of inside the capitol building.

 Then, the military band performed, and there was a march of arms.

They fired their weapons and even fired a cannon. It was quite the performance!

If you have never been to Williamsburg, I HIGHLY recommend that you put it on your list of things to do. Only, make sure you allow more than a day or two because there is so much to see and do.