Wednesday, December 25, 2013

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.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

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

Monday, December 2, 2013

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