Nine

Andrew and I celebrated nine years last week.
Nine years since we said, "I do" and pledged our lives and love.
My man is amazing.
He is so loving and kind and considerate and supportive.
Far more than I deserve.
I am blessed.
And he is the greatest dad ever to our sweet sons.

Challenged

A couple of days ago, one of our sons shared with me his plan "when he grows up" to bring home 10 children "from where the earthquake was." A little over a year later and he still remembers and talks about the children and people of Haiti. His heart is big. He told me he wants to be their family (and he has told us who the mom [ie who he will marry] will be, but I'll not share that right now :)). I'm blown away by his desire and "simple" plan to bring home 10 kids. He feels there is a need and he wants to meet it. He longs to give children a family "who don't have one." He talks to us about it fairly regularly and has for about two years.

How can we not consider adding more children to our family? He is such an example to us and challenges our thinking (and he lobbies hard for more sisters & brothers :)). And while I know his ideas and plans will likely change, I also know that we appreciate his love, concern, thoughtfulness and care for others. He knows, in a way Andrew and I never can, what it's like to not have the love and nurture of a family. So, we are challenged. We are blessed. And we are open. 

A Milestone

I am quite sick today and have been trying to get some rest in between schooling etc. And so I asked my older boys if they thought they could make themselves some lunch. Titus was already asleep beside me - really none of us are feeling very well. They asked what they could have and I suggested PB & J which they readily agreed that they could make. I stayed upstairs in bed and let them go downstairs. I could hear them making their lunch and talking to each other - sweet in and of itself. And then maybe 10 minutes later, Patrick came to my room with a peanut butter sandwich and a tall glass of milk. I nearly cried. It was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful things. And he returned with another sandwich and glass of milk for Titus after he awakened.

Patrick has such a servant's heart. He is great at seeing the needs of others and lately, we've seen him growing by leaps and bounds in his attitude and kindness. I thanked him and then I thanked him again. It meant so much to this tired, sick (and yet, hungry) Mom. So not only did the boys successfully make lunch, Patrick went above and beyond and blessed me.

Oh how I love my boys. What sweet sons.

Hungry Boys

Seriously y'all (yes, I just said that :)), the boys are eating us out of house and home. How is this possible? They are all 5 and under. And yet, some days they eat way more than us. I can't complain though - they are, for the most part, adventerous eaters. We present every meal as delicious and we try to never form an opinion for them (ie "You won't like that."). They are increasingly enjoying things that I never would have imagined them liking and I'm very thankful. However, I absolutely cannot imagine what the teenager years will be like...forget college funds, we need food funds! :) Meanwhile, I am working hard to keep them full.

I know, I know, I drop in just for a minute to tell you that. :) But it's what's happening around here. In non-interesting happenings: we are all fighting very nasty head colds.  

How Do You Know?

Adopting again is always a topic for us in our home. It's something we discuss, consider, pray about and agonize over. We wonder if God has completed our family (we are okay with that if He has!) and we often wonder if He has another little person or two to add. So many factors, so many decisions.

Our hearts are overwhelmed with love for the three entrusted to us and we feel blessed. We are okay with having all one gender (and don't know if we would specify a gender if/when we do adopt again). And we know that each of our sons is an amazing gift - one we could never have imagined!

But I guess there is a part of us that feels that our family isn't quite complete. We still have the desire to adopt, to support others in adoption, and to advocate for children here and abroad. We have pondered beginning the process again or at least updating our homestudy and profile at our agency and seeing what God has in store. The Truth is: I'm terrified to do that - it could take a long time (most likely) or it could go way more quickly than we anticipate. :) Regardless, we know that if God has another little one for our family, we will be ready and willing.

We are considering how He might provide for another adoption - honestly, we are still recovering from the last three (well, especially the very quick last one!) and while we have the heart and desire to adopt again, we simply don't have the resources right now. And so we continue to talk, pray, and seek. Is there another one? When is the right time? Domestic or Foster or International? How will we possibly fund another adoption? How will we know when we are done?

So many questions. The answer thus far has been to wait. And so we are - patiently most days, somewhat impatiently on others - saving a little here and there, as we are able, towards adopting again. Through it all, we trust that it will be the right time, the right place, the right (no, perfect!) child(ren) for us.   

In the mean time, we are enjoying our family of five!

Thanks to Kevin Swan for taking this photo!

Ice, Ice, Baby

We are experiencing quite the storm here. It started late afternoon on Monday and made for a brutal commute home for me - the roads weren't that bad but traffic was dreadful! Andrew and I were both home from work today - Andrew worked from home and I schooled the kids after catching up on some sleep (I had a sleepless night on Monday night). I would prefer this storm to be snow but so far, it has been ice. The wind is gusting and expected to get worse before better. We are hoping and praying that the power stays on - we have friends that have not been so fortunate thus far. We are as prepared as we can be. The kids are a little stir crazy - hopefully we can reign that in with some organized activities tomorrow. :) 

It seems I feel especially domestic when we are snowed in and I always make soup. Today is was beef vegetable and then I made homemade noodles for chicken and noodles tonight. I baked cookies and muffins last night and then made another batch of muffins tonight. It was fun experimenting with a new recipe - I made them entirely healthy - oatmeal, whole wheat flour, a little white flour & honey. The first batch had craisins and the second batch blueberries. I like the blueberry ones best but both were pretty good.

Even now, I hear the freezing rain and sleet starting in earnest again. I've checked in with various members of my family and everyone is doing okay. My sister way up north is getting a blizzard while the rest of us locally have the ice storm of 2011.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Welcome, February.

On another note, training for the half has begun. I was able to get out and walk (jogged a little) about 1.5 miles yesterday before the storm hit. So far, the rest of this week will have to be indoor training. :)

A Big Goal

Well, I've done it. For about 15 years, I've considered signing up for a 1/2 Marathon. You know, it's one of those bucket list things. And this is the year. I need the motivation to be more active and I need to have a goal. I think it will be hard. I plan to run/walk. I have three months to get ready.

The Power of Pez

Yes, you read that correctly and perhaps more precisely...the power of Buzz Pez. It started yesterday. You see, I have an almost 2 1/2 year old that is VERY motivated by sweets. And he has decided that since he gets candy rewards for potty success, he will go potty every 2-5 minutes. I'm not kidding. I really, really wish I were. I haven't even really pushed the potty training thing - my other two were 3 and 3 1/2. While I think it would be fantastic to be diaper free, I'm not one to do it too early - been there, done that, tears all around. :)

So, I seem to be the one who is kicking and screaming at the potty training timing while he announces every 2-5 minutes, "Poop" or "Potty." And here's the thing, he goes 70-80% of the time. A small stream but a stream nonetheless. He will not be convinced to go anymore, he hops down, receives his reward and after savoring every bit of it (about 2- 5 minutes), once again is ready to go again. My day is consumed. My thoughts, my actions, my every thing interrupted all for a little taste of the candy that comes from a Buzz Pez dispenser. Perhaps I should switch to taffy rewards so that I might get a full 10 minutes between trips to the porcelain throne.

I applaud his motivation, his self-starter attitude, and his commitment. But I have to wonder, when the Pez is gone, will the resolve and success remain? I'll let you know, folks, I have my doubts. But for now, we are going strong.

Today's Note: He has stayed dry and I have given some other rewards, so perhaps I'm wrong...maybe this will be the real thing. We are giving it everything we've got - I can't squelch the enthusiasm. :)

A Word

I'm a little late jumping in with this but I've been pondering this year and while I've spoken a little about what some of our goals are, I've continued to think about it. 2010 was a difficult year and so the start of 2011 was quite welcome. Anyway, many people have posted about what their word for the year will be and I loved the idea. I considered many words and ideas but something kept coming to the forefront of my mind and heart. So, after MUCH thinking, I decided that I want my word of 2011 to be relationships.

I desire this year to be identified by building and strengthening relationships - it's harder to be lonely when that is the goal. :) I'm challenged that I haven't done enough in the areas of hospitality, friendship, etc. Let me just say that the last month or so of really wanting to start the year this way has been wonderful. My cup is overflowing with the amazing friends and family that God has brought into my life. I love that it is full of old friends and new friends.

And part of working on this is also to work on being a better wife to Andrew and mom to my kids - to really work on seeing them each individually and ministering to their needs. It is such a joy to spend time with each of them and to see their strengths and gifts.

It's easy for me to get bogged down by the things that need done, by my own feelings of inadequacy and insecurity, and by various other excuses. The truth is - I sometimes miss out on some of the really important things. And seriously, the to-do list will still be there and I need to work on my issues. :) It's important for me to really focus on people, to quit making excuses.

So, it's time for me to grab that cup of coffee with a friend, make that special dinner for my husband, invite that family over, take that child out for special time... I'm excited about this year, this goal. I really want to deepen friendships. So thankful for the blessing of friends and family - near and far!