While I'm Waiting...

“The longer the blessing is in coming, the sweeter it will be when it arrives. That which is gained speedily by a single prayer is sometimes only a half-weighted blessing, but that which is gained after many a tug and many an awful struggle is full-weighted and precious blessing. The blessing which costs us the most in prayer will be worth the most.”
--Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I have been much more patient with this second adoption process, than when we were waiting for Bo. But I have still struggled with my need for control and instant gratification. I am not as uptight and obsessive as I was with the Haitian process. Yet I think and pray about it all the time. I know this is a normal reaction, and that God can use this time. In fact, I was able to write a devotional for an adoption book that some friends of mine are making. What a great blessing!

Oct 09

We had a good time with the pumpkin patch and halloween this year. Somehow all the kids ended up in black...a cat, batman, and a ninja. Bo had a great birthday turning four. It was definitely a Diego theme. We will soon be in Thanksgiving and Christmas mode, with all the birthdays in between.

Kimber's Baptism

Kimberlyn was baptized on Sunday night. It was fun because Andy's family and my family were all there. It was a large crowd! Andy really enjoyed getting to baptize his daughter. We are so happy for her.

Adoption Scrapbook

We are taking all our paperwork down to Houston on Saturday for the adoption agency. One of the things they ask for is a scrapbook of your house and family. I am craft challenged, so I decided to do digital scrapbooking. They actually turned out pretty good...if I do say so myself.

Medicine Park

I took the kids to Medicine Park to climb around on Mt. Scott. They loved being up high and looking down on the world. We did some "rock climbing"...well as much as a 7, 5, and 3 year old can do. Bo was not too thrilled with his itchy legs and the big rocks. He is all for being outside and hot, but I don't see hiking in his future. Kimberlyn and Jachin loved the big boulders. Jachin loved having another opportunity to climb something.

Bo's 1st day

He is too cute for his own good!

Bo was so ready to go to school like his older brother and sister. He loves taking his lunch and backpack like a big boy. He had a few rough days, but now he knows the routine and is happy.

1st day of school

Tony Hawk shirt and flipflops--no more spiderman :(

she still wants a pink backpack

Do you see the gaps?

Well it has been a crazy last few weeks of summer. My sister moved to Lawton with her family, which is so much closer! My mom and dad went on a trip to Ireland. Andy's sister moved to Houston with the girls. Jachin had two teeth removed. I went to a wedding in Branson and my brother went to San Diego.

But today school started again! Jachin is in 2nd grade and Kimberlyn is in Kindergarten. They looked so cute this morning getting ready. They are so excited. Bo is ready for school too, but his preschool doesn't start until next week. What will I do next week when I have 2 days alone? This morning was very calm and smooth. We ate breakfast, packed lunches, got dressed without crying, and even had a devotional. I can guarantee that this will not be the norm. Kimberlyn usually complains that every outfit is itchy or her shoes are too tight. We usually pack lunches in a rush or say just eat at school today. We always have good intentions with family devotions, but they haven't seemed to stick in the morning yet. Most of that is my fault. I am not a morning person. I am happy to say that I am very productive in the afternoon. This summer I had the kids do homework and devotions most afternoons. Too bad school starts at 7:55 am!!!

Quote

Be a thermostat, not a thermometer

I heard this quote today and it struck a cord with me. I can be a complainer. I can blame things on the best of them. Maybe I should be a change maker instead of a fact stater. It reminds me of my dad's favorite saying when I was growing up. "Happiness is a choice" I won't go so far as to say that my dad was right, but it is similar. :)

Dentist Office conversation

Kimberlyn: (speaking loudly) Bo do you know that there is a God?
Bo: No
Kimberlyn: Bo, he is the one that takes care of you! How can you say there is no God?!
Bo: No, No, No
Kimberlyn: Fine, you can go to thereisnogod.com

Kimberlyn has been talking about God a lot lately. She is always thinking about Jesus and speaking very plainly about how she is a Christian. It is cute to see her little mind working. When Jachin became a Christian, he sat Kimber down and witnessed to her. He asked her all the conversion questions. He played his Bibleman video that had the plan of salvation on it for her. She was only 3, but he was convinced that she became a Christian that day. So now Kimberlyn is trying to witness to her little brother. She asked Bo the other day if he believed in God. He just sat there staring at her. She got so frustrated that she said, "Mom, you ask him the questions!" I don't think she is going to be an evangelist. She will be more of the fire and brimstone kind of person.

Tshirt fundraiser

We are doing a Tshirt fundraiser! I put a picture and link on the side of my blog. We attended the adoption interview while we were in Houston. It was 2 1/2 hours long, although some of that can be explained by my talkative husband. We are excited to start the paperwork. That is something I am actually good at....waiting not so much. We will keep you updated.

Medika Mamba

Renald (sitting next to a 2.5 yr old) is 3.5 years old and weighs 13lbs!
Renald has been referred to the Medika Mamba program this summer.

Medika Mamba (meaning “medical peanut butter” in Haitian Creole) is an energy dense peanut butter, significantly fortified with protein and nutritional supplements developed by St. Louis-based meds and Foods for Kids www.medsandfoodforkids.org.

The Medika Mamba formula delivers almost immediate results. Peanut butter is a culturally acceptable food source in Haiti so is easily adopted by the children. The peanuts from which the product is made are locally grown and provide much-needed jobs. The cost to deliver is low and the results are amazing.

The cost of the 60-day treatment plan for each child is only $100 which includes the product, transportation and precessing fees. Tara Livesay is doing a fundraiser to fund the program with World Wide Village and several partner organizations. Their goal is $26,000 which could potentially feed 250 malnourished children.

Please consider helping at www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com

Tshirt

OK, so I am thinking about doing Tshirts for an adoption fundraiser. What do you think? I tried to make something that wasn’t too feminine. I love the idea that this is not adoption specific....it is applicable for all Christians. Tell me what you think before I head down the road of researching prices. You know I am obsessive so it may not be very long!

Summer Lovin'

(Sea World Souvenirs)

This summer has been busy but wonderful. Andy and I went to NC for a pastor’s conference. The kids stayed with my parents and we had a wonderful time. We have had Tball for Kimberlyn, SportsCamp Tennis for Jachin, Machine pitch baseball for Jachin, VBS, and swimming @Nana/Papa’s. Andy was an assistant coach for both Tball and baseball. It was hectic but a blast. I was ready for the season to end when the weather started reaching the 100’s. Having the pool at Nana and Papa’s has been wonderful with all the hot weather.

We took a family vacation to Sea World in San Antonio. The kids loved it and it was a great trip. We stayed in a hotel and Bo said, “I don’t like this room.” He had never been to a hotel before, and wasn’t quite sure about it. But by the end of the trip he didn’t want to leave. We had a free shuttle to the park and we brought plenty of water and snacks. We had a two day pass and it was perfect. The kids loved the rollercoasters and of course Shamu. We went to the waterpark area for half of the second day. Kimberlyn said the trip was more fun than “100 elephants.” I guess it was a hit.

We have a trip to Houston and then school starts! I can’t believe how fast the summer has gone. I had lofty ideas about all that I would do with the kids. I had planned on teaching them Creole....yeah right. So far all I have done is a few weeks of Summer Bridge homework and devotions. Jachin has been reading a chapter book and I am very proud of him. I guess the Creole will have to wait until next summer....

Daddy/Daughter Date

Andy and Kimberlyn went on a Daddy/Daughter Date to a ballet. One of the college students in our ministry is a dance major at OU. She was in the performance and let us know about it. Kimberlyn loved it! She sat and watched the whole thing. She loved spending the afternoon with her daddy. Isn’t she beautiful!

Cousins

Don't you love Kimber posing?

The whole family was together and we decided to go to Pop’s. Jenny and Jacob came up to shop for houses in Lawton and we loved having all the cousins together.

Jachin's Talent Show

Jachin sang in his school’s talent show. He was so cute. He wanted to sing a God song. His first choice had Wine in the title. We had to talk him out of that, due to the preapproval of all lyrics. He chose “You make everything Glorious” by David Crowder. Andy played the guitar and Jachin sang. He was great! I was so proud of him for having the confidence to sing in front of the entire school. He is such an evangelist!

Dance Recital 2009

Kimberlyn had her annual dance recital. She was adorable as always. She had one ballet number based on “How much is that Doggy in the window?” with a dog collar and all. She also had a tap number with boas. It was so cute to watch her beam up on stage. Dance is definitely up her alley. She loved getting the flowers from her daddy.

Bo's Citizenship

Bo is officially a US citizen. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but he loved his flag. Kimber asked, “Did I get a flag when I became a citizen?” Bo can now apply for a passport and we can make him a world traveler. Although when we talked to the kids about a trip to Haiti, it didn’t sound too promising:

Andy: Do you want to go with us sometime to Haiti?

Jachin: Yes!

Kimberlyn: Yes!

Bo: No

I guess he was thinking, been there, done that.

Waiting Patiently....

I thought this was a cute picture. Bo and Kimberlyn were waiting for the dessert to cook. They never sit still or wait patiently, and I never cook for that matter, so I had to record this event.

Easter 2009

Easter was rainy this year. We went to Melissa’s parent’s house and had an indoor egg hunt. The kids had a blast. The kids went to a Good Friday Service with Andy which was a hymn service. Bo came back singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” which is his new favorite song. He likes the repetitious songs. So far this year he likes “Come to the Water,” “Let it Glow” and “Our God is a God who Saves.” During the Sunday morning service Andy showed a video that was off of the sermon It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’. The kids have liked saying that over and over and over.....

Red/White Game

We took the kids to the OU Red/White game. It was a beautiful sunny day which has been rare lately. I was a bad mom and Kimberlyn got a little sunburned. We were able to see Brandon Caleb on the sidelines. He was so nice to take a picture with the kids, because then he was flooded with people asking for his autograph. And of course we had to climb the huge trees on campus!

I was hungry and you gave me food....

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me....Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

--Jesus

As a mother I needed this encouragement! I have read this passage in Matthew a million times, and in fact it is the title of my orphan blog. I have always referred to the poor when reading this, but I heard a wonderful podcast that applied this to parenting. Parenting? But how many times do we get worn out as mothers and forget that what we are doing, as mundane as it seems, is a form of worship. When we wipe noses, kitchen counters, and bottoms we are doing that unto Jesus. When we feed and clothe the helpless infants and toddlers that God gave us, we should realize that our actions are as important as clothing THE KING. What a great reminder!

My first Haiti Mission Trip

Andy and I took a group of college students to Haiti for a mission trip over Spring Break. It was an amazing trip for all of us. Andy’s parents kept the kids for us and my dad recovered from his surgery. So I wasn’t worried about the kids at all. You know that this is half the battle for Moms. We were gone a week and they were entertained the entire time. I was so excited about this trip because I have never been on a mission trip. I have always said I would be a missionary to Africa where you had to drop in from a helicopter. This was the closest I have come to that. And then to top it off, we went to Haiti, a country dear to my heart. We went to an orphanage called Hands and Feet where 38 orphans live. They are located in Jacmel, the Voodoo capital of Haiti. They are taking care of their physical needs while teaching them the truths of the Bible. What an impact these children will have on Haiti when they grow up! I fell in love with the kids and can’t wait to go back. We did hard manual labor while the kids were at school everyday. We basically tilled the ground with pick axes and shovels. We removed rocks that had been left by the hurricanes last year. We sifted rocks out of the dirt for the playground area. The guys dug a septic drain for the kids house. We painted the white buildings and the playground equipment. We swept rocks off the roofs. We worked hard!

To see the photo album click here.

Dad's Surgery

Dad before surgery

My dad had triple bypass surgery. It was an eventful few weeks from an abnormal heart scan/stress test, angiogram, to bypass. And to make it all more dramatic, my parents were supposed to leave for a trip to Turkey two days after the angiogram where they found significant blockages. So the trip was cancelled and surgery was scheduled. My dad has done amazing though! He was up walking the day after surgery and he was discharged after only 5 days in the hospital. He is slightly frustrated with his energy level, but give him time and he will be going stronger than before! I am so thankful that he found this before a heart attack and that everything has gone so well.

Jachin's Surgery

(Jachin wanted to lay around with his shirt unbuttoned for some reason!)

Jachin had is tonsils and adenoids removed....finally. I decided to take him straight to the ENT when you could hear him snoring through a closed door. His tonsils were HUGE and you could see them pushing out his neck. I thought his glands were always swollen. Who knew you could see tonsils like that? We scheduled the surgery and they told us that he should start eating regular food the day of surgery. In fact, they told us to stop at the Sonic around the corner from the surgery center on the way home for a hamburger! That was the best advice ever. We told Jachin that he could have as much ice cream as he wanted as long as he ate regular food too. So he had that expectation from the beginning. He was eating Doritos the day after surgery. He was heavily drugged though. Jachin hated the pain meds and I had to beg him to take them sometimes. We switched to plain Tylenol fairly fast. I think the narcotics made him feel weird and he didn’t like it. Jachin was out of school for a week and loved being home. It was hard for him to go back. His friends at school made him cards and his teacher brought a balloon over. He is very loved!

Pinewood Derby

Jachin and Andy made a black car with lightening bolts. They didn’t win any trophies, but I could see that look in Andy’s eyes. He was mentally planning next year’s car! Jachin had fun with his friends from RAs despite the outcome.

Boaz Kerson McDonald--It's official!

We had a courtdate today for the State of Oklahoma to acknowledge Bo’s adoption. Judge Bonner officially changed his name to Boaz Kerson McDonald. We went back and forth on his name, but finally ended up with Boaz as his first name. We think that will be easier since he goes by “Bo.” I decided to not hire a lawyer for the adoption. I didn’t use an agency for the Haitian adoption, why start now? But I did need a little help from the lawyer grandparents. ;) The court proceedings were short and sweet. We had no problems with the order that Papa made, and the judge simply glanced at the pile of paperwork. He had us swear to be Bo’s parents and let Bo hit the gavel on the bench. Kimberlyn and Nana were watching as we officially adopted Bo. It was a stressful, but surprisingly easy day. I went up to the State Health Dept to get Bo’s Certificate of Foreign Birth. That was more stressful than the court proceedings. We waited for a long time, but finally they gave us his official “birth cert.” Now if Bo needs a birth cert, we can get a copy from Oklahoma instead of trying to track down one in Haiti (that is in French)! My next step is Bo’s citizenship....

For the photo album of today, click here.

Ski Trip

We took the entire family on the college ski trip this year. It was a blast! We took the kids out of school for 4 days and drove to NM on the church bus. They were so good on the 10 hour drive. We stayed at the Miller’s house, which made it an incredibly cheap trip. Robin and Joel drove down and were the hostesses with Joel’s mom. What an amazing family they are, with such servant hearts. Jachin took ski school the first day to learn to snowboard. He loved being cool. Kimberlyn also took ski school to learn to ski. She had little pink skis to match her all pink snowsuit. Bo hung out with me in the lodge. He was not so excited about the snow and cold weather. I guess when you grew up in the Caribbean, you aren’t happy about bundling up and freezing. It was so fun watching them on the slopes. Kimberlyn was a speed-demon! She would just go straight down the hill with no fear. Jachin had a small bout of altitude sickness, but quickly loved boarding. Robin and Joel took the kids home for us one afternoon so that I could ski with Andy. It was so fun going fast. I guess that is where Kimber gets it. Bo enjoyed wresting with all the college guys, being as rough as he could be.

Click here for the ski trip photo album.