Christmas 2008

We had an amazing Christmas this year! The kids went to the Christmas Eve service with Andy while I went to work. Such is the life of a hospital RN. We had Christmas at our house (just the kids, Andy, and me) Christmas morning after I got home from work. We put the turkey in the oven, opened presents, and I went to bed. Three hours later the turkey was done, I got up from my nap, and we loaded up to go to Nana and Papa’s house. We ate with Jeremy & Mel, and Grandmother & Papa Cross. We stayed up late talking. It was a lot of fun. All we were missing was Jenny & Jacob and the girls. We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with them this year though.

Late Christmas night we went home to sleep for a few hours before we would get up and pack to leave for Houston. Jachin’s birthday (Dec 26th) is always a lot of fun because family is always around. He opened his birthday presents before we started our 7 hour drive. It was great trip except for one thing, we almost got a ticket. I made the mistake of giving Bo a Zicam, he got car sick, and I was drapped over the seat trying to clean up. At that moment we saw flashing lights behind us. The policeman informed us that being in the car without a seatbelt was against the law. However, he felt sorry for us and gave us a warning for “speeding.”

In Houston we stayed in Mimi & Pa’s new house. Heather and the girls made it to Houston a few hours after us. It was fun all hanging out together. They even played Lasertag for Jachin’s birthday. We always feel like we get too much every Christmas, and this year was no exception. We have so many people that love us, and spoil us! THANK YOU!

OU vs Texas Tech game

Andy and I went to the OU game and loved it! Thank you Dad! I loved the energy that you could hear and feel from the crowd. It was freezing but so worth it. What an exciting game. I didn’t know what to expect, but certainly not that score! Now onto OSU....

The Real Prayerwalk!

OK, so on Monday I thought it would be a great idea to teach the kids about prayer. I truly am not all that great at it myself, so I thought I needed to make a special effort. I had read about a prayer walk recently, and I adapted it to my project. Now before I go any further, I have to explain a little something about myself. I am a project person, not a long term goal kind of person. I get really excited and honestly obsessed with one idea, and I run it into the ground. Then I quickly lose interest and bail. I wait about 6 months, and then I have a new fresh obsession. Case in point, the McDonald Mission. I made lesson plans and calendars on how to teach my kids about Missions. I bought maps, checked out books from the library, and ordered videos. I had a new country planned for each month. Ask me how long that lasted.....2 months. And so it went with soap making, sewing, scrap booking.....

So back to the prayer walk. I had envisioned my children walking the neighborhood, praying for their friends, and eventually praying for the people we hadn’t met yet. So I thought, baby steps, we will just walk our block and pray at the houses where their friends live. They were so excited! And so we took off. And about 10 feet into the walk, before we had whispered one prayer, Kimberlyn fell and scrapped both her knees. She then of course, wanted me to carry her the entire way. She was crying, loudly, and said she did not want to pray. Jachin, my firstborn, was oblivious to his hurting sister, and was walking up to every house with the prayer hands to pray for his friends. He would say “God, please keep them safe. Please help them have a great life, for the rest of their lives.” Bo was just running.

We walked past a neighbor that we haven’t met yet. He was sitting outside with his son to watch the garbage truck go by. We smiled, and then Jachin said, “We are on a prayer walk!” The man smiled and said something like, great buddy. I was embarrassed thinking that this man thought that we thought he needed prayer. Like we were righteous and everyone else in the world is doomed. And then I was ashamed that I was embarrassed to be praying. And so our prayer walk ended. It was a Reality Prayer Walk. This is how I should have expected it to go, not some pie in the sky idea that all my children would get into it. But I think we will try it again; it is worth a shot.

So what is my next project....?

I am sure this will happen again

We went to the mall, Kimberlyn, Bo, and Me. I took a little umbrella stroller for Bo. Kimberlyn was tired, so she sat in it, while Bo pushed her. After awhile, Bo got tired of pushing so I pushed and Bo walked beside us. So we were just walking leisurely through the mall when a man came running from across the mall, yelling “There he is! Where is your mommy little boy? Where is your mommy?” I just smiled and said, “Right here.” He just looked at me and it slowly registered. He said, “Oh” in an embarrassed sort of way. I told him it was OK, that I completely understood. I mean he was just trying to be nice and help a lost child! But inside I was rolling. :) I am sure this will happen many more times.

Halloween 2008

All three kids dressed up for halloween. This was Bo’s first halloween, so he really didn’t know what to expect. Jachin was Indiana Jones, Kimberlyn was Sleeping Beauty, and Bo was Spiderman. We went to the church fall festival on Sunday and then trick or treated in our neighborhood on Halloween. Bo got into going up to the door to get candy. So much so, that when he came home, when the doorbell rang with trick or treaters, he would go running to the door with his bag. I guess he thought they were there to give him candy!

Roadtrip 2008

Jachin went on the College Roadtrip with Andy. They drove up to the OU vs Kansas State football game on the church bus. He has been so excited all week. He went on the trip last year and played Cody’s DS the entire way. This year he brought his own DS. He is growing up! :) They had a blast, although Jachin was verrrry cold!

Bo's 3rd Birthday

We were so excited to celebrate Bo’s 3rd birthday. It was his first birthday party with us. He had a birthday party when he turned 2 at the orphanage for all the kids in the month of October. But he had never had a party just for him. We had family (Nana, Papa, Jeremy, Mel) and the Nichols over for tacos. The Nichols brought queso and Chili’s salsa! Bo loved the attention and the excitement. He dove into his cupcake. He definitely has a sweet tooth. We really didn’t have a theme. I just used an assortment of birthday hats and plates. We had Thomas the Train, Buzz Lightyear, Star Wars, Spiderman, Clifford, etc. The presents were funny. Bo didn’t know how to rip the wrapping paper. Kimberlyn helped out on that. Bo didn’t know what to do with all the choices of things to play with. It ended up that he wanted whatever someone else had. We have taught him greed! What a wonderful American trait! He got a train table with a huge train set. He loves playing with that. He also loves his rolling Spiderman backpack, firetruck, and shopping cart. Basically if it has wheels he loves it. We went down to Houston the next day for Fall Break. Bo had a birthday party there too! It was Thomas the Train themed, and he received more toys. His Mimi and Pa took him to a place like PumpItUp and he loved all the bouncy blow up things. We now have too many toys for his room, and will be weeding them out before Christmas!

To see birthday pics, click here.

Jachin's Theology

Recently Jachin and I were discussing sin. I was telling him how we should try not to sin, because it pleases God. I told him if he did sin though, that God would forgive him. I was trying to stress the importance of pleasing God, not the importance of rule following--more the motive behind the action. So here is what Jachin responded with:

So sinning is like riding a bike and falling down. You don’t die....but you might get hurt. But you should just get back up and keep trying. You should just keep going.

Or it is like driving a car and taking a wrong turn. You won’t die, but it might take you longer to get where you are going.

I was completely shocked at how well he understood. I thought these simple examples truly illustrated sin. So I guess I ended up being the one who learned something.

Joel's Wedding

We drove out to Coweta, OK for Joel and Whitney’s wedding. It was fun to see the twins as flower girls.

Another Needed Mother Reminder

I was reminded of some verses in a book I have been reading. It struck a chord with me, so I thought I would share.

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs (your children) with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young (you!)”

Isaiah 40:11

God promises to lead you as a mother, and he promises to carry your children. That is so comforting to me. I can start panicking sometimes, and I need to slow down and rest in the fact that God is in control. He also promises to feed you as a mother. So many times I feel empty, but it is just because I have not followed the Shepherd to the field!

RoughRider Run

The one and only fundraiser at the school is the famous Rough Rider Run. Jachin and Kimber ran their hearts out.

Ugandan Childrens Choir

We went to Shawnee the other day to see the Ugandan Orphans Choir perform. They were fun and amazing dancers. All the kids enjoyed seeing them, but Bo couldn’t contain himself. He was moving to the music the whole time. The kids have been singing their songs all week. They even sing them with an accent. :)

Bike Ride Home

Jachin rode his bike all the way from school to the house! Andy took his bike up to school to just see how far he could go. He followed him in his truck, thinking Jachin would tire out quickly. But he kept going. What a strong little boy!

Swimming in Nana and Papa's new Pool

After many months, the pool is finally finished! The kids had a blast swimming. Bo has to warm up to the idea. The first time he swam, he jumped in immediately following Jachin’s cannon ball. Bo popped up out of the water screaming! It was freezing! That’s what you get in September. So ever since, Bo has been a little cautious.

Consider Helping Haiti

The hurricane that hit Houston was horrible, but Haiti is in bad shape. They have been hit with every hurricane, or the surrounding rain. The country did not have time to recover from one hurricane before another hit. The people are poor to begin with, and they live in shacks. Food is hard to come by anyway, but with the flooding, the little food they did have was ruined. Crops were destroyed and houses demolished. Please consider helping this country.

www.worldvision.org

www.glahaiti.org

www.handsandfeetproject.org

Houston Hurricane

Andy’s parents live in Houston. After the Hurricane, they lost a 30 foot tree (which thankfully fell in the street, and not on their roof), and had a small leak. Part of their fence fell down, but otherwise, not much damage occurred. However, they were without electricity or water. You don’t realize how much you rely on those things until they are gone! So they came up to Oklahoma to stay with us. They were here a week, and everyone had a great time. While they were here, we put them to work. We sanded and stained the gigantic playground/fort in our backyard. We had started this project at the beginning of the summer, but had never had the time to finish it. So now the fort looks gorgeous!

We were so happy that the timing worked out for Andy’s parents to take supplies down to Baytown. One of Andy’s friends, Dave Branham, is a youth minister near Galveston. They have turned their church into a make shift shelter. Andy called Dave and asked him what he needed. The Acteens that my mom directs and I “help”, put together ziplock bags full of soap, deodarant, toothbrushes, candy, bible verses, etc. Andy’s parents took them back with them to Houston to deliver to Dave. It was so neat to watch the girls work so hard to help others.

Proverbs Wisdom

Ok, so I have been needing some wisdom lately, and I thought I would share. My mom reminded me of this verse, and it has been helpful this last week.

Proverbs 14:4

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

or

An empty stable stays clean, but no income comes from an empty stable.

So quit fretting over your dirty house, and be grateful for your kids. I definitely need that reminder....

Flag Football

Jachin is playing Upward Flag Football--The Colts. It is so cute watching them run around, having no clue what is happening. Basically if they aren’t quarterback, they don’t pay attention. Jachin loves being quarterback when it is his turn. He can actually throw the ball quite nicely. In his last game, he caught a ball! That is amazing as he has his mom’s hands. Every game most of the scoring is accomplished by handing the ball to the fastest player who runs the entire field. This happens on both teams. So the winner is usually the last team to score. I hope Jachin continues to like football, because it is my favorite! :)

5 kids in the house!

I have been babysitting two little girls, twice a week. I have kept one of the little girls before, about 2 years ago. Now she has a little sister. So I have a house full of kids on Mondays and Wednesdays. Jachin is at school most of the day, but he is home for the last hour. So when we go to pick him up from school I have a 6, 4, 3, 2, and 0 year old in the car! It is so cute to see them all piled in.

She's Gonna Blow!

I have been reading a wonderful book. I never knew I needed this book until I became a mother, and more specifically an adoptive mother. But this book has been so dead-on in relating to me, and is hysterical. Basically, it has helped me identify my anger problem, and helped me deal with it in a biblical way. I highly recommend this book! So all of you mothers out there that think you are alone, be encouraged.

She’s Gonna Blow! by Julie Ann Barnhill

1st day of school

Jachin and Kimberlyn had a great first day of school. They enjoyed walking into school together. I now have a 1st grader & a preK. What will I do next year when they are both in school all day? I am SURE I will find something to keep me busy!

School is about to start

The kids start school on Wednesday. I can’t believe I will have two children in school! Jachin will be in 1st grade and we just found out that one of his best buddies will be in his class. He is so excited to learn. Kimberlyn will be in PreK at the same school. She is only there until 10:30am everyday, but she is so ready to be in school. We meet their teachers tonight. Andy took Kimberlyn out shopping for her first day of school outfit. They had a great Daddy/Daughter day eating ice cream and trying on clothes. You know Andy loves his little girl if he is willing to go to the mall!

Well, the summer is almost over. We had a great time this year. Jachin played Tball and Kimberlyn took gymnastics. We spent a lot of time together as a family. It was great seeing Bo experience this season with us. We went to Andy’s family reunion at the beach and Andy and I took a trip alone. It was a full but relaxing summer. Bo did wonderful with all the activity. I don’t know what he will do every morning when both his brother and sister are gone. He isn’t alone very often. I am keeping two children this semester two days a week. So that should help his boredom.

Cabo Anniversary Trip

We had a blast on our trip to Cabo San Lucas. Andy’s parents gave us an amazing gift of using their time share. We had a wonderful time on the beach and around town. We stayed at a beautiful resort with an ocean view. We went on a sunset cruise around the Baja Peninsula. We went on an ATV tour through the desert to a beach on the Pacific side. It was a blast. We ate at some amazing restaurants with a true Mexican feel. We loved riding the public transportation bus system a few times. It is great experiencing the culture from different aspects. We hung out at the pool listening to our Ipods and reading a lot. I needed the break from life for awhile, but it was so good to come home to my sweet children. They stayed with Papa & Nana for the first few days, and then with Mimi & Pa for the last part of the week. The kids had a blast and were spoiled. They saw three movies, ate out every day, and received plenty of gifts. It was a wonderful celebration of our 10 years of marriage. Now what will Andy come up with for our 25th? ;)

For our photo album of the trip, click here.

Studio Pics of Kids

We took the kids to a photographer named Dejah Quinn in Shawnee. She is a part of a wonderful network of photographers,Celebrating Adoption, who give free services to adoptive families. This is such a wonderful way for people to support adoption with their talents. So we received a free sitting and a free picture CD. This is a huge gift, considering how pricey this photographer is, and that we can make as many prints from the CD as we want. I was so impressed with her ability to make something out of nothing! All three of my kiddos were in rare form the day of our appointment. I wrestled with all three of them the entire photo shoot. I was sure that nothing would come out of this session, and I was relieved that it was free so that my money had not been wasted. I was shocked when we saw the proofs! I will never know how she managed to get these wonderful shots. She is truly talented. I just love the way she captured their personalities in such an artful way. To see the entire photo album, click here.

Back from the Beach

We had a lot of fun down in Surfside, TX for a week. We stayed at a beach house with all of Andy’s family. We had a large beach house this year that could sleep 30. We had 27 so it worked out perfectly. Kimberlyn had so much fun with her cousin Kenzie. They are so cute together. Jachin was a little fish, and wanted to stay out in the waves all day. He did play the Wii quite a bit though. Bo loved being outside at every opportunity. He actually liked the ocean which was a surprise. He loves our baby pool at home, but hates our neighborhood pool. So we thought he would hate the ocean. But I think he just likes water where he can touch! It was fun being there for the 4th of July and watching the fireworks from the beach house balcony. We are glad to be home for a few weeks. Andy and I leave in about a month for our 10 year anniversary trip. We are going to Cabo San Lucas for a week! I can’t wait!

For more beach pics, click here.

10 years and 10 diamonds

Andy has always said that on our 10 year anniversary he was going to make over my wedding ring. I liked the idea, but realistically I thought this would never happen. I had my doubts, especially this year, when we paid for an adoption. But Andy insisted that it would happen. Well, to my surprise he took me to the jeweler’s the other day to see the ideas that he had been working on. I was stunned! So last week I went to pick up the completed project. Basically, the only thing that stayed the same was my original solitaire diamond. He added nine diamonds to make a total of ten for ten years. Our 10 year anniversary isn’t until July 25, but he let me have it early....like he had a choice once I saw it! What a sweet husband I have!

Summer Update

This summer has been such a joy! I guess having Bo home, makes us feel like a complete family. I have such a peace and weight lifted off my shoulders. However, you know I like projects, so I am sure there will be many coming. But so far, we have taken it easy.

For a photo summary, click here.

Here is a short update on what we have been up to:

Andy has been running the Satellite Service and making plans for the future. Summer is always the planning time for the upcoming college year. We have been teaching the summer college bible study together on Ruth. It has been fun to prepare and teach together. We have never done that, and we are enjoying it. Andy is coaching Jachin’s Tball team this summer, and he is doing an excellent job. It is funny to watch some of the hothead coaches. The parents on our team have expressed many times how grateful they are to have Andy. Andy just got back from Florida, where he visited his family and went to his niece’s high school graduation! Time has flown! Andy is being a handyman this summer, and he is sanding and restaining our playground. This is a HUGE project. It has taken several weeks for him to complete a third of it. I think he is ready for this project to be over. However, the main thing he is anticipating this summer is the new 3G iphone!

Jachin just completed his kindergarten year and will be a 1st grader in the fall! I can’t believe how big he is getting! He is an amazing reader and is having a lot of fun discovering all the books and signs he can read. He is playing Tball again this summer, and it has finally clicked! He is hustling to the ball on every play. Jachin chose his haircut this year, which is the cute long look of Zac Efron. I love the independence he is showing this year.

Kimberlyn is going to be in Pre-K at the same school as Jachin. She is so excited to be with her big brother. She sits down to do homework with him everyday. She is such a big girl. I was amazed at how fast she learned to write her name this year. It is not an easy thing to remember. She had her big dance recital in May which was precious. This week she is going to gymnastics camp, which she loves.

Bo is doing so well! I can’t believe he has been home 6 months! After having tubes put in his ears, his speech and attitude have improved. He is like a different little boy. He is so much happier and energetic. He is starting to test the boundaries, which means he feels comfortable now. He is starting to tattle and fight, just like a true sibling! He loves the little pool we have in the backyard, but he is not sure about the big neighborhood pool. Who knows how he will react to the beach in a few weeks? He loves watching Jachin play ball, and he runs the bases around our living room all day long. We are starting to potty train, which after I relaxed my strict attitude, has been going well. :)

I am co-teaching the college bible study with Andy, and I have really liked getting back into teaching. It is such a bitter sweet thing for me. I love preparing, but I get so nervous actually teaching the lesson. It has been fun discussing things with Andy every week, when I tell him where he is wrong and what he should say. I am sure he doesn’t enjoy it as much as me! :) I have been working once or twice a week at the hospital, on nights as usual. But the main thing I have really enjoyed has been being home everyday with the kids. I was a little hesitant when I thought about all three kids, all day, every day. But it has turned out great. They are such good kids. I really missed having Jachin home while he was in all day kindergarten. It has been really fun watching them develop their roles. Now ask me again at the end of the summer, and it may be another story! One of the things that has helped in this area, too, has been our date night. Andy is good about making sure we have this time alone together. He even brought me flowers the other day!

So life in our household is good. Thank you God for blessing us!

Dance Recital

Kimber had her first dance recital. It was 3 1/2 hours long, but very impressive. However the little ones stole the show! They were so adorable and funny....I was literally crying. Kimber was amazing and was loving it! She had the time of her life in the spotlight. We had 16 people in the audience watching her sweet 5 minutes of dances. After the recital her Daddy gave her pink flowers. To watch a video of her recital, click here.

Surgeries Complete

Bo had his surgeries this morning. Everything went well without complications. He is not happy and we have him maxed out on the pain meds. I will say that the few words that Bo has spoken this morning are much clearer. He is also responding to background noises which he has never done before. We are optimistic that his speech will improve quickly. Kimberlyn asked when we were loading Bo up in the car at the surgery center if he could talk now? She thought it would be immediate!

Why blog?

I laugh at how my generation is becoming addicted to this new world of blogging. The college students don’t understand my obsession....but one day they will. It is so foreign to them--because they live in the now. They record their lives on Facebook with pictures and short conversations that are replaced several times in a 24 hour period. But one day they will look at life and wonder, What they are leaving behind? I think blogging is one way we (older people) are answering that age old question. We look at our children and know that we will forget. We look back over our lives and see the mistakes that we made and never want to make again. We see issues that are bigger than ourselves and want to spread awareness to anyone that will listen. I recently read an article written by John Piper about why pastors should blog. This most certainly is a new topic in the realm of ministry. But I loved the way that he made his case for blogging. And I think it applies to a much bigger audience than just ministers. Aren’t we all preaching? So here is my favorite point on why we should blog:

To develop an eye for what is meaningful.

For good or ill, most committed bloggers live with the constant question in their mind: Is this bloggable? This could become a neurosis, but I’ll put a positive spin on it: It nurtures a habit of looking for insight and wisdom and value in every situation, no matter how mundane.

If you live life looking for what is worthwhile in every little thing, you will see more of what God has to teach you. And the more he teaches you, the more you can teach others. As you begin to be inspired and to collect ideas, you will find that the new things you’ve seen and learned enrich far more of your life than just your blog.

Amen. I couldn’t agree more. So keep your eyes peeled for the lessons God is teaching you. And find an outlet for sharing those insights with the world. But be careful....blogging can become obsessive! I think that was what Piper meant about the negative aspect. Some people get swept up in the egocentric aspect of their blog. Everything becomes about them. Blogging can be a blessing if we keep our eyes on what is meaningful.

Indiana Jones

Jachin is obsessed with Indiana Jones. Bi-Annually Jachin chooses a superhero of some sort to latch on to. It has been Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Sampson,Wolverine, The Human Torch, Anakin Skywalker, Ninja Turtles, and now Indy. We let him watch the first and third Indiana Jones movies (with editing of course). He was intrigued by the bible themes. (He now thinks Indy is a Christian.) When he asked what the ark of the covenant was, I told him it was where God sat, but he doesn’t sit there anymore. He is in our hearts now. Well that was amazing to Jachin:

“Our hearts are kind of like His new throne! Isn’t it amazing that God is so BIG but he can fit in our hearts. He is kind of like a leprechaun! He can shrink down to fit in our hearts!”

I love his little heart for God. He is such a spiritual thinker already at the age of 6.

Andy is making a promotion video for the church and the theme is Indiana Jones. Jachin is so excited about it! Maybe Indy is a Christian!

Car Conversations

I love the car conversations:

Kimber: “Grown ups don’t make friends.”

Mommy: “Why do you say that?”

Kimber: “Grown ups don’t have partners....except for their honeys.”

I am glad that she sees her daddy and me as partners!

Why am I excited about surgery?

Bo is going to have surgery next week to have his adenoids removed and tubes placed in his ears. I am so happy to hear this! That may sound odd, but he really needs them. Bo has speech delays and I know it is because he can’t hear. He had another hearing test today and they said he definitely has hearing loss. The ENT said that he has thick white fluid in his ears that will never drain or clear on its own. So I am hopeful that the tubes will allow Bo to hear what we are actually saying. Look out, because we will soon have three little talkers in the family.

Dance Class

Check out Kimber’s Dance class pictures here.

The Evidence

Here is the scenario:

We all went to a birthday party and the kids got party favor bags as we left. Inside the bags were several small toys and a few pieces of chocolate. As we were driving home from the party Kimberlyn asked if she could have a piece of candy. We said “Yes, but after dinner” (which we were eating as soon as we got home). Apparently the temptation became too great in the 5 minute drive home. I turned around to see Kimberlyn’s face smeared with chocolate. It took everything I had to keep from laughing. THEN, she proceeds to confess. She says, “Mom, I accidentally ate a chocolate.” Well, we had to tell her that she would get a spanking when we got home. We couldn’t let that go. (She fell asleep and we got a picture.) When Andy took her into her room for the spanking he asked her if she knew why she was being punished. She said, “Yes, because I on purpose ate TWO pieces of chocolate.” This is the Kimberlyn we all know and love!